a colleague’s Filipino maid ran away leaving her 2 young children home alone and accused her husband of attempting to rape her. horrors! :o
because of the maid’s accusations, they’ll probably have to lodge a police report for investigations. meanwhile, they were told that they’ve to pay for the maid’s return ticket to the philippines and settle her outstanding loan.
furthermore, with the pending investigation, she’ll not be able to employ a maid for the time being. gosh! this is so much trouble…
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Monday, December 26, 2005
yhingthai palace @ purvis street
it’s my dad’s birthday today and my brother suggested having dinner at yhingthai palace. haven’t tried the food before... in recent years, the street has become a veritable foodie destination due to the many restaurants that have sprung up on both sides of the street.wilson placed the orders. we had the requisite green mango salad and seafood salad for appetisers. the pineapple rice and olive rice were well fried and fragrant. my aunties were full of praise for the olive rice.
i had the prawn tom yum soup which was clear but hot and spicy nevertheless. those who prefer non-spicy soups can try the fish maw soup.
the stuffed chicken wings, their specialty, were outstanding. fried till golden brown and crispy on the outside while the mushrooms and asparagus filling is still juicy. the rich green chicken curry simply begs for more rice to be smothered in. the thai seafood otak came in it’s unique clay serving plate.
there were some misses however, a nondescript minced chicken dish that was neither here nor there and pales in comparison with the rest of the dishes. yhingthai palace’s version of the phad thai is sweet rather than savoury. i’m not a connoisseur of thai food but i’ve never tasted such a sweet rendition of the traditional thai fried kway teow.
the limited dessert selection was nothing fantastic. i shared the water chestnut with jackfruit ice with my sis. the tapioca with coconut cream was good and not overly sweet. would have love to order the mango with glutinous rice but was too stuffed by then. :)
burp!
Sunday, December 25, 2005
christmas day dinner
primary purpose of today’s dinner is to go and visit mx & kl’s love nest and to view their new zealand honeymoon photos. of course also to present them our “house warming” gift.it’s just what they needed. yeah! :)
i must claim extra credit because it’s not just my idea to get them a bodum tea set but i had made the special effort to make a trip to town yesterday amidst the christmas eve shopping frenzy to buy the present and waited in line for the gift-wrapping.
bought them the whole works: teapot, mugs, warmer, the new double-walled glasses and a pack of strawberry-lemon tea. the only thing missing is the tea-lights.
for dinner, kl had suggested the claypot rice at block 328. that’s the famous one which cooks the rice from scratch in the claypot with charcoal fire. the waiting time is at least 45 minutes usually. therefore, most people will call up to pre-order.
it’s the first time for thomas and gordon. ky couldn’t make it tonight ’cos there’s more booze at another party. :P haha…
after dinner, we walked over to their flat at block 429. mx & kl’s place is quite simply decorated with clean lines and soothing colours. the only surprise was the fire-engine red cabinets in the kitchen. and the unconventional wash basin outside the master bedroom’s toilet.
we had the log cake [my second in 2 days] together with the ice wine. i quite like the chocolate hazelnut log from emi cakes.
the ice wine was pretty sweet but obviously not sweet enough for gordon ’cos he was alternating sips of the wine with gulps of the yeo’s chrysanthemum tea. duh…
i guess some people are just natural-born teetotalers.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
christmas eve dinner
this must be one of the more “drama” christmas eve dinner… john sms-ed the gang at around 1:00 pm to say that he can’t host the dinner as his father was hospitalised for an eye emergency.after some frantic calls and furious sms-es, the venue was changed to janet & jason’s place at punggol. one of the more exciting prelude to a gathering except maybe for the time when jason cancelled on us ’cos janet went into labour. :P
i had prepared my smoked salmon salad at the special request of janet. i got the biggest tupperware bowl from my mum’s collection to contain all the greens. the preparation took longer than expected and i wasn’t able to meet doris at punggol interchange at 6:30 pm as agreed earlier.thankfully, only johann and family was there. so i quickly enlisted help to make the finishing touches and dress my salad. 3 of jason’s friends joined us too.
food were takeaways from a nearby coffeeshop stall and the ham ordered by johann. and we had a log cake from some hotel for dessert.
the kids behaved well… janelle was running around with joshua while cayden was in a good mood fascinated by all the sights and sounds except for jerrell who seemed less than happy to see us probably due to his interrupted slumber. he only settled down when he saw his favourite activity play thingy which janet had bought for cayden recently.we didn’t count down to christmas together ’cos janet and jason were rushing off to catch narnia at great world city.
Friday, December 23, 2005
dinner @ 378
serene and her friend, poh ling wanted to try out the food at hong kong café since i had mentioned to them that the food is better than central or tong shui café.
since my regular yoga class had been re-scheduled due to the year-end festive season, i decided to join them. jeanette came along too.
from street directory web site, i found out that the best way from my office is to take a train to kembangan station and transfer to sbs service 32.
the café was surprisingly not very crowded, we even had one of the semi-booth seats. i guess everyone’s doing last-minute shopping in town.
i ordered the instant noodle with soup as usual. while the girls ordered the dry version. we also shared 2 bo luo bao, salt & pepper deep fried squid, tofu and a bowl of Sichuan hot & sour soup. i had a iced honey lemon drink which was nothing special.
this time round, we had room for desserts. i tried the golden fantasy while the gals had mango showhand. for my dessert, the pomelo pulp is a refreshing contrast to the mango puree and is not overly sweet. mango showhand as the name suggests is an exercise in mango overdose. the only complaint that we had was that the desserts were not cold enough.
overall, the gals enjoyed their dinner very much. in fact, serene actually ordered takeaways for her parents!
since my regular yoga class had been re-scheduled due to the year-end festive season, i decided to join them. jeanette came along too.
from street directory web site, i found out that the best way from my office is to take a train to kembangan station and transfer to sbs service 32.
the café was surprisingly not very crowded, we even had one of the semi-booth seats. i guess everyone’s doing last-minute shopping in town.
i ordered the instant noodle with soup as usual. while the girls ordered the dry version. we also shared 2 bo luo bao, salt & pepper deep fried squid, tofu and a bowl of Sichuan hot & sour soup. i had a iced honey lemon drink which was nothing special.
this time round, we had room for desserts. i tried the golden fantasy while the gals had mango showhand. for my dessert, the pomelo pulp is a refreshing contrast to the mango puree and is not overly sweet. mango showhand as the name suggests is an exercise in mango overdose. the only complaint that we had was that the desserts were not cold enough.
overall, the gals enjoyed their dinner very much. in fact, serene actually ordered takeaways for her parents!
Thursday, December 22, 2005
free dinner @ 5759
doris asked me join her for the audit of the in-room dining at thomas’ workplace. and i asked janet to come along.the questionnaire that we were required to fill out is quite comprehensive, starting from how the call was handled, the grooming and friendliness of the serving staff, ending with the quality and presentation of the food.
service standards are very stringent since it’s a 5-star establishment. the staff are expected to greet the guests by name, have good knowledge of the menu and also be able to accommodate simple off-menu requests.
i pretended to be alan teo and ordered a smoked chicken salad, steak, fish & chips and seafood "hor fun" to share between the 3 of us. the salad was nice and the main courses were ok but not as hot as we would have liked.
the only "failure" were the missing lemon slices from the iced water that we’ve requested. the other minor quibble that we had was only 2 glasses were provided even though 3 main courses were ordered. otherwise, we had an enjoyable dinner, chatting and watching tv.
free lunch
pat sent out a full technicolour email invitation for today's lunch. he and deric will be buying us lunch at swensen’s at the airport.quite unexpected since we usually order takeaways or have food delivered to the office for a simple christmas lunch. i would say it’s unthinkable 2 years ago ’cos it’s just not his style.
swensen’s was running a full house today and we had to wait for our table of 9. had a great lunch of teriyaki chicken pasta.
as usual, the trio of deric, alann and darren provided the most laughs during lunch with lots of teasing of the gals… especially for elyn and monica who bore the brunt of it since they had the bravado of sitting across from deric. :P
i managed to take a bobbing heads video starring deric, alann and darren which is really funny. they should have just let me take a photo. :P haha...
Sunday, December 18, 2005
god's debris
had a bit of time to surf the web since i was holed up at home... 'cos i was too afraid to venture out to town since the malls are expected to be jam-packed with christmas shoppers.
was reading scott's blog again... check out this blog entry that he wrote about his book "god's debris" which he published in 2001. i didn't know about this book.
i had just downloaded it for free, he's conducting a marketing experiment by the side. just read the introduction, rather intriguing i would say.
this book in 2 words: thought experiment
the target audience: people who enjoy having their brains spun around inside their skulls
not recommended for: people under the age of 14 as he feels that the ideas expressed by the characters are not appropriate for young minds
download it here if you're interested.
was reading scott's blog again... check out this blog entry that he wrote about his book "god's debris" which he published in 2001. i didn't know about this book.
i had just downloaded it for free, he's conducting a marketing experiment by the side. just read the introduction, rather intriguing i would say.
this book in 2 words: thought experiment
the target audience: people who enjoy having their brains spun around inside their skulls
not recommended for: people under the age of 14 as he feels that the ideas expressed by the characters are not appropriate for young minds
download it here if you're interested.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
intelligent design
read this on scott's blog... pretty interesting arguments that he put forward about god and his existence. one of the rare occasions when he writes seriously.
can check it out here yourself.
can check it out here yourself.
Friday, December 16, 2005
02 25 26 27 28 29 41
nope, that's not the sole winning ticket of last night's toto prize of $2.8 million.
that ticket was bought at metro woodlands while mine was from ntuc at simei although both were system 7 bets, that's where the similarity sadly ends. :(
ever wonder what you'll do with a $2.8 million windfall?
would i be able to sleep? yeah, i guess so since i always need more sleep. my mum probably can't. :) hehe...
will i take urgent leave the next day just to go and collect the prize money? probably will do since everything will be so surreal until i hold the cheque in my hands.
think i'll leave $2 million in the bank until i can figure out how to put it to good use while i spend the $800k on family, friends and fun!
just daydreaming...
that ticket was bought at metro woodlands while mine was from ntuc at simei although both were system 7 bets, that's where the similarity sadly ends. :(
ever wonder what you'll do with a $2.8 million windfall?
would i be able to sleep? yeah, i guess so since i always need more sleep. my mum probably can't. :) hehe...
will i take urgent leave the next day just to go and collect the prize money? probably will do since everything will be so surreal until i hold the cheque in my hands.
think i'll leave $2 million in the bank until i can figure out how to put it to good use while i spend the $800k on family, friends and fun!
just daydreaming...
Thursday, December 15, 2005
dinner @ dome
met amy & meiling for dinner to celebrate amy's birthday belatedly.
couldn't meet her before 'cos she was in the philippines cheering for team singapore at the sea games. as usual, she gets to choose her present while me & meiling got free dinner. :)
it has been a while since we caught up with each other... amy updated us with her interesting work trip chaperoning our supporters to the games and the behind-the-scenes titbits that can't be written about here while meiling let on that she'll be looking for a new job.
of course there're also additional updates about who has given birth and who else will be delivering in a few months' time...
i asked amy if she feels any different turning a year older and she revealed that she needs more sleep now that she's 30. oops... ;) hehe... what the heck?
it just a number... it's more important to be young at heart and not look your age, right?
anyway, amy, happy belated birthday!!!
couldn't meet her before 'cos she was in the philippines cheering for team singapore at the sea games. as usual, she gets to choose her present while me & meiling got free dinner. :)
it has been a while since we caught up with each other... amy updated us with her interesting work trip chaperoning our supporters to the games and the behind-the-scenes titbits that can't be written about here while meiling let on that she'll be looking for a new job.
of course there're also additional updates about who has given birth and who else will be delivering in a few months' time...
i asked amy if she feels any different turning a year older and she revealed that she needs more sleep now that she's 30. oops... ;) hehe... what the heck?
it just a number... it's more important to be young at heart and not look your age, right?
anyway, amy, happy belated birthday!!!
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
bread missing
starting from last week, i noticed that somebody is eating my gardenia fruit and nut loaf that i've bought for my tea breaks in the office.
the situation has deteriorated... i had bought a new loaf on monday. ate 2 slices of it on the same day. and when i returned to the office this morning, only half a loaf was left!
this is totally bizarre!
i mean i don't mind sharing my loaf but it's basic courtesy for the person to inform me that he's taken my bread, right?
usually colleagues will let me know if they've taken something from my desk but so far, even with the help of jeanette's enquiries, nobody has owned up to the clandestine bread-eating. it's not as if i'll scream bloody bread burglar what...
that's leaves one conclusion: that person is not from my team!
gosh! i can't imagine that happening in my office... however, the secretaries have attested that their foodstuff have gone missing before, notably the mooncakes a few months ago.
somebody had jested that i should report the incident to security and request for extra surveillance around my workstation. i would imagine they'll think that i had gone bonkers if i actually did that. :P
the obvious solution will be to lock up my loaf at the end of the day but this seems so ridiculous. it's just a $3+ loaf of bread for goodness' sake!
will i ever find out who is the mysterious bread-pincher?
the situation has deteriorated... i had bought a new loaf on monday. ate 2 slices of it on the same day. and when i returned to the office this morning, only half a loaf was left!
this is totally bizarre!
i mean i don't mind sharing my loaf but it's basic courtesy for the person to inform me that he's taken my bread, right?
usually colleagues will let me know if they've taken something from my desk but so far, even with the help of jeanette's enquiries, nobody has owned up to the clandestine bread-eating. it's not as if i'll scream bloody bread burglar what...
that's leaves one conclusion: that person is not from my team!
gosh! i can't imagine that happening in my office... however, the secretaries have attested that their foodstuff have gone missing before, notably the mooncakes a few months ago.
somebody had jested that i should report the incident to security and request for extra surveillance around my workstation. i would imagine they'll think that i had gone bonkers if i actually did that. :P
the obvious solution will be to lock up my loaf at the end of the day but this seems so ridiculous. it's just a $3+ loaf of bread for goodness' sake!
will i ever find out who is the mysterious bread-pincher?
Sunday, December 11, 2005
15%
went down to queensway shopping centre with my sis ’cos she wanted to buy a pair of nike shoes. she spotted a pair of shox 2:40 zoom air at the regular shop which we patronise.
the salesperson gave a 15% off the rrp. hmm… my eyebrows were raised… ’cos by that time i had also tried on a pair of running shoes and was seriously considering buying it.
usually the discount given was about 25%, sometimes as much as 30%. the guy explained that nike had dictated the discount allowed to be given by authorised dealers and all the shops in queensway can only give the same discount.
he added further that this policy only started about 2 months ago. tough luck!
as much as i covet the new shoes, i don’t really need it now since i already have existing 2 pairs. shall wait for the post-christmas/year-end sales.
yeah! 1 point for self-discipline. :)
the salesperson gave a 15% off the rrp. hmm… my eyebrows were raised… ’cos by that time i had also tried on a pair of running shoes and was seriously considering buying it.
usually the discount given was about 25%, sometimes as much as 30%. the guy explained that nike had dictated the discount allowed to be given by authorised dealers and all the shops in queensway can only give the same discount.
he added further that this policy only started about 2 months ago. tough luck!
as much as i covet the new shoes, i don’t really need it now since i already have existing 2 pairs. shall wait for the post-christmas/year-end sales.
yeah! 1 point for self-discipline. :)
Friday, December 09, 2005
cold turkey
yeah… suffering from caffeine withdrawal symptoms.
had not have my "teh peng" or any tea for that matter since my visit to the dentist for my regular scaling and polishing last friday. want to keep my teeth stain-free for just a while more.
maybe that explains my lethargy for the entire week.
my teeth stains horribly, if you haven’t noticed. it really shows after just 2, 3 months from my dental visit. but i don’t want to have more regular appointments since that might wear down my teeth too. and it's not cheap. at least $50 per visit.
another reason is that the market which we frequent for lunch is closed for washing. so my regular caffeine fix is not available. and my favourite sliced fish soup too!
arrgghhh…
not happy. :(
had not have my "teh peng" or any tea for that matter since my visit to the dentist for my regular scaling and polishing last friday. want to keep my teeth stain-free for just a while more.
maybe that explains my lethargy for the entire week.
my teeth stains horribly, if you haven’t noticed. it really shows after just 2, 3 months from my dental visit. but i don’t want to have more regular appointments since that might wear down my teeth too. and it's not cheap. at least $50 per visit.
another reason is that the market which we frequent for lunch is closed for washing. so my regular caffeine fix is not available. and my favourite sliced fish soup too!
arrgghhh…
not happy. :(
Thursday, December 08, 2005
hello ky
was reviewing my old posts and realised that ky had snucked in to leave some comments on my old posts. so sly of him to not have told me... tsk, tsk, tsk...
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
work permit
saw a programme on channel u earlier… it’s a docu about a guy who married a former filipino maid.
the wife is now banned from entering singapore forever. the reason?
she broke the law according to ministry of manpower [mom] ’cos all existing and previous work permit holders need to seek approval from mom before they can get married to a singaporean or pr.
looks like she wouldn’t be re-united with her husband anytime soon as appeals through her husband's mp has so far been unsuccessful. this guy had tried for the last 5 years and his wife had waited equally long.
when the wife was asked how long she’ll wait for him, she said she’ll continue until she dies.
sometimes, it’s such individual cases that reveal and highlight the high-handedness of certain laws that were ostensibly for the well-being of our own society.
the official stand of mom is that the severe penalty is to prevent the 600,000 foreign workers from growing roots in singapore. something which our small country may not be able to sustain.
how would you feel if it happened to you?
for me, definitely outrage and indignant.
i mean if i’ve worked in australia, for example, for a few years and found someone whom I want to settle down with. then i’m told i can’t ’cos i’ll be banned from entering the country ever again since i’m supposed to be busy working and not looking for a spouse there. what the heck?
that’s so discriminating, right? haven’t i just contributed to the economy?
perhaps she’s deemed not "talent" enough for us. :P
it seems that several mps have brought this apparent disparity in treatment of these [ex-] permit holders vs those vietnamese brides that are practically bought [no spelling mistake here] into singapore for discussion.
isn’t it strange to "penalise" those who had contributed to our economy while welcoming with open arms those who may not be even be able to adapt to our way of life here?
the wife is now banned from entering singapore forever. the reason?
she broke the law according to ministry of manpower [mom] ’cos all existing and previous work permit holders need to seek approval from mom before they can get married to a singaporean or pr.
looks like she wouldn’t be re-united with her husband anytime soon as appeals through her husband's mp has so far been unsuccessful. this guy had tried for the last 5 years and his wife had waited equally long.
when the wife was asked how long she’ll wait for him, she said she’ll continue until she dies.
sometimes, it’s such individual cases that reveal and highlight the high-handedness of certain laws that were ostensibly for the well-being of our own society.
the official stand of mom is that the severe penalty is to prevent the 600,000 foreign workers from growing roots in singapore. something which our small country may not be able to sustain.
how would you feel if it happened to you?
for me, definitely outrage and indignant.
i mean if i’ve worked in australia, for example, for a few years and found someone whom I want to settle down with. then i’m told i can’t ’cos i’ll be banned from entering the country ever again since i’m supposed to be busy working and not looking for a spouse there. what the heck?
that’s so discriminating, right? haven’t i just contributed to the economy?
perhaps she’s deemed not "talent" enough for us. :P
it seems that several mps have brought this apparent disparity in treatment of these [ex-] permit holders vs those vietnamese brides that are practically bought [no spelling mistake here] into singapore for discussion.
isn’t it strange to "penalise" those who had contributed to our economy while welcoming with open arms those who may not be even be able to adapt to our way of life here?
Monday, December 05, 2005
run
just couldn’t get my body going today… somehow, i feel so out of breath during the run.
decided to just run one way and do interval training on the way back.
i wonder if it’s because i was too busy to have my usual afternoon snack that caused the lethargy. think i need a running buddy to keep up the routine. :(
decided to just run one way and do interval training on the way back.
i wonder if it’s because i was too busy to have my usual afternoon snack that caused the lethargy. think i need a running buddy to keep up the routine. :(
Saturday, December 03, 2005
tongshui café @ 54 zion road
janet suggested having dinner there and it so happened that doris is also meeting annie and wendy there for dinner as well.
was there early so i got a table first... waited for prince cayden and his entourage which consists of janet, jason and his maid-in-waiting, nora. eric, tracy, doris, annie and wendy made up the rest of the party.
the place was decorated like shanghai tang as grace had described. bold colours with mini chandeliers. tables and chairs were chinese-styled so it wasn't so comfy. the menu has a impressively wide selection of food found in a typical traditional hong kong café and more.
i ordered the iced-8 treasures tea and the instant noodles with pork chop. would have preferred that the tea to be slightly sweetened 'cos it tasted quite bland without sugar. the noodles were cooked ok, the pork chop was average with a hint of porkiness. nothing to shout about. i think the pork chop at hong kong café is tastier.
eric's verdict of his dry noodles order was he had already been doing that since he was 7, 8 years old. it was just some mixture of ketchup and chilli sauce unlike the version he had at hong kong café.
the zhu chang fen that tracy and janet ordered were "what you can get at the downstairs kopitiam" in eric's words. but the accompanying pieces of fried you tiao were rather enigmatic. we couldn't decide if it had any fillings or not. the inside texture is different and seems to be more "doughy" in the middle but not in a negative way.
the desserts were too sweet! too much "tong" as grace put it.
i had the sesame paste. it was rather sweet but not to the extent where i needed to add water which tracy and jason had to for their dumplings in ginger soup. and still they couldn't stomach the soup. it was that sweet! and the waitress even had the cheek to tell tracy that they charge for water when she asked for a glass!
so unless you need a sugar overdose, skip the 2 desserts we tried. wonder if the cold desserts are any better. the pictures look good though.
i also ordered the toast with peanut butter and condensed milk. came in a thick slice of thick toast with melted peanut butter and swirls of condensed milk. yummy if you love peanut butter like me.
otherwise, the general consensus is that the food is not as good as hong kong café. maybe we should have paid more attention to the green stickers and try the chef's recommendations instead. ;) haha...
jason even said we could do the instant noodle thing for christmas eve dinner since it's so easy. :P
was there early so i got a table first... waited for prince cayden and his entourage which consists of janet, jason and his maid-in-waiting, nora. eric, tracy, doris, annie and wendy made up the rest of the party.
the place was decorated like shanghai tang as grace had described. bold colours with mini chandeliers. tables and chairs were chinese-styled so it wasn't so comfy. the menu has a impressively wide selection of food found in a typical traditional hong kong café and more.
i ordered the iced-8 treasures tea and the instant noodles with pork chop. would have preferred that the tea to be slightly sweetened 'cos it tasted quite bland without sugar. the noodles were cooked ok, the pork chop was average with a hint of porkiness. nothing to shout about. i think the pork chop at hong kong café is tastier.
eric's verdict of his dry noodles order was he had already been doing that since he was 7, 8 years old. it was just some mixture of ketchup and chilli sauce unlike the version he had at hong kong café.
the zhu chang fen that tracy and janet ordered were "what you can get at the downstairs kopitiam" in eric's words. but the accompanying pieces of fried you tiao were rather enigmatic. we couldn't decide if it had any fillings or not. the inside texture is different and seems to be more "doughy" in the middle but not in a negative way.
the desserts were too sweet! too much "tong" as grace put it.
i had the sesame paste. it was rather sweet but not to the extent where i needed to add water which tracy and jason had to for their dumplings in ginger soup. and still they couldn't stomach the soup. it was that sweet! and the waitress even had the cheek to tell tracy that they charge for water when she asked for a glass!
so unless you need a sugar overdose, skip the 2 desserts we tried. wonder if the cold desserts are any better. the pictures look good though.
i also ordered the toast with peanut butter and condensed milk. came in a thick slice of thick toast with melted peanut butter and swirls of condensed milk. yummy if you love peanut butter like me.
otherwise, the general consensus is that the food is not as good as hong kong café. maybe we should have paid more attention to the green stickers and try the chef's recommendations instead. ;) haha...
jason even said we could do the instant noodle thing for christmas eve dinner since it's so easy. :P
Friday, December 02, 2005
best wishes to mx & kl
today’s the special day for mx & kl. here’s wishing them everlasting bliss and happiness.first time i see kl in a suit. mx looks so different in her make-up and gown.
the wedding dinner is at furama city centre. met up with a few ns friends which i’ve not seen for a very long time. hor hee guan, cheng wei siong, yeow wei chuan and tan meng kim. gordon, wee kwang and thng soon were there too.
with the exception of wee kwang who is the same age, the rest of the guys are younger than me. doris didn’t quite believe me. :P hehe…meng kim looked especially prosperous, befitting the image of a central banker. haha… :) he sat beside me so i had a good chat with him. his baby boy is 5 month-old already.
hee guan is looking tanned and seems to be slimmer than he was during ns. wei siong looks different without his glasses after undergoing lasik last year.
the usual wedding dinner routine proceeded with almost clockwork precision: 1st entrance, cut the wedding cake, 2nd entrance, pop the champagne, rowdy yam seng toast, go round the tables for photo-taking, and finally sending off of guests after dinner.some of us went up to the wedding suite to take a look and have a chat. the room number is 2108. think i shall place a little 4d bet on it tomorrow. :P
wondering why there’re no photos here?
nope, i didn’t forget to bring my digital camera lah...
just that my card reader is down so can’t transfer the files over to the pc. and i can’t be bothered to install the camera software to do it. shall update this post with the pictures later.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
chanting
witnessed something bizarre during my run today…
saw this couple chanting in the direction of the canal, complete with the wooden block [mu yu] and a metal contraption that produces a “thing” sound. after a while, they changed direction and chanted at the trees and shrubs.
thought it’s quite eerie hearing chantings along the darkened track at around 9:00 pm at night. fortunately, i had my mp3 player with me. :P
when they were done, the man and his son brought out 2 air-filled bags. i presumed it’s fishes since i couldn’t make out what they were in the semi-darkness. then they walked to the water edge quite a distance away… and resumed chanting.
this time round, the chanting seems to be more prolonged. i was done with my run and cooling down stretches before they came back.
what a weird experience!
saw this couple chanting in the direction of the canal, complete with the wooden block [mu yu] and a metal contraption that produces a “thing” sound. after a while, they changed direction and chanted at the trees and shrubs.
thought it’s quite eerie hearing chantings along the darkened track at around 9:00 pm at night. fortunately, i had my mp3 player with me. :P
when they were done, the man and his son brought out 2 air-filled bags. i presumed it’s fishes since i couldn’t make out what they were in the semi-darkness. then they walked to the water edge quite a distance away… and resumed chanting.
this time round, the chanting seems to be more prolonged. i was done with my run and cooling down stretches before they came back.
what a weird experience!
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
chinese characters
oops… just realised today that my sony network walkman is displaying chinese characters properly for one of the albums. got to clarify lest sony sees my blog and sue me for mis-representation. :P hehe…
i don’t know what i did or didn’t do properly. although the supplied software, sonicstage is not displaying the characters properly on the pc, yet somehow it works perfectly on the player itself for this particular album.
and it can’t be the os or pc problem since the windows media player is displaying all the album and song titles correctly.
hmm… think have to fiddle around with another mandarin or cantonese cd to see what happens.
i don’t know what i did or didn’t do properly. although the supplied software, sonicstage is not displaying the characters properly on the pc, yet somehow it works perfectly on the player itself for this particular album.
and it can’t be the os or pc problem since the windows media player is displaying all the album and song titles correctly.
hmm… think have to fiddle around with another mandarin or cantonese cd to see what happens.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
crystal jade lamian xiaolongbao
met up with an ns pal, ts, together with gordon and ky for dinner.
we queued for more than half an hour at takashimaya. this outlet is always so popular. i guess the food taste better when you’re hungry.
haha… just kidding! their standards are usually consistent even among the various outlets.
my favourites items?
1. suanlatang lamian
2. xiaolongbao
3. hongyou chaoshou
i especially like the texture of their freshly-made lamian and how it’s always cooked al dente.
slurp.
we queued for more than half an hour at takashimaya. this outlet is always so popular. i guess the food taste better when you’re hungry.
haha… just kidding! their standards are usually consistent even among the various outlets.
my favourites items?
1. suanlatang lamian
2. xiaolongbao
3. hongyou chaoshou
i especially like the texture of their freshly-made lamian and how it’s always cooked al dente.
slurp.
new mp3 player
bought the nifty sony nw-e507 at sitex last night. cost me $279 for the 1gb version. i got the blue one.since i needed a flash memory device for my running, was deciding between the new creative neeon and the sony network walkman. both are priced the same but the sony looks way cooler than the creative. :) hehe…
still figuring out the supplied software… i don’t think it can display chinese characters…
and i think the creative software is easier to use. :(
sound quality-wise, it’s good enough for me since i’m not an audiophile. then again, a real audiophile wouldn’t bother with mp3s, right?
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
3rd blogger sentenced
the 3rd blogger in recent months to be charged under the sedition act has been sentenced to 2 years probation and 180 hours of community work today.
unlike the previous 2 bloggers who were jailed, gan huai shi, 17, was given the unusual sentencing to reform his ‘misguided dislike for the malay community’ even though he was tried as an adult.
the judge even went on to suggest that a malay probation officer be assigned to him and that his community work should be at malay welfare organisations. a racial condition that has been unheard of.
‘This will allow him opportunities to have positive interaction with the Malay community... All these activities will act as an eye-opener for him when he participates in such activities of the Malay community,’ the judge explained.
the state has gone for a more “humane” touch in this case, possibly taking his age into consideration, and striving for a more effective measure against his offence. something a jail sentence might not have achieved.
the judge had also ordered that huai shi be counseled and evaluated by a psychiatrist to come to terms with the death of his baby brother which his animosity towards the malay community is believed to have stemmed from.
i guess his parents couldn’t have wished for anything better this.
unlike the previous 2 bloggers who were jailed, gan huai shi, 17, was given the unusual sentencing to reform his ‘misguided dislike for the malay community’ even though he was tried as an adult.
the judge even went on to suggest that a malay probation officer be assigned to him and that his community work should be at malay welfare organisations. a racial condition that has been unheard of.
‘This will allow him opportunities to have positive interaction with the Malay community... All these activities will act as an eye-opener for him when he participates in such activities of the Malay community,’ the judge explained.
the state has gone for a more “humane” touch in this case, possibly taking his age into consideration, and striving for a more effective measure against his offence. something a jail sentence might not have achieved.
the judge had also ordered that huai shi be counseled and evaluated by a psychiatrist to come to terms with the death of his baby brother which his animosity towards the malay community is believed to have stemmed from.
i guess his parents couldn’t have wished for anything better this.
Monday, November 21, 2005
run
i improved on my timing again! yeah!
went on a punishing pace from the start of the run. apparently the stars were aligned properly for a sub 26:00 for my usual 4.6 km route. :)
pant, pant.
went on a punishing pace from the start of the run. apparently the stars were aligned properly for a sub 26:00 for my usual 4.6 km route. :)
pant, pant.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
a twist of fate
marilyn asked me if i’m keen to watch this production by singapore repertory theatre since she couldn’t find anyone to go with her. i didn’t know it’s a musical, so i said ok.
Stars Laura Michelle Kelly (Mary Poppins - Laurence Olivier Award Best Actress 2005). Appearing on stage with Ms Kelly will be an all star Singaporean and international cast, including accomplished theatre actor and MediaCorp artiste, Adrian Pang.
Lyrics by Laurence Olivier Award winner Anthony Drewe (who has just written the lyrics for Disney/Cameron Mackintosh's production of Mary Poppins, currently on in the London West End), and music by Singapore's foremost composer Dick Lee. Book by Steven Dexter and Tony Petito.
In the tradition of Agatha Christie and the great "whodunits" of the 1930s, A Twist of Fate is a delicious musical comedy of twists and turns, false clues and dastardly deeds, set against the backdrop of a Peranakan family in Singapore. Dark and stormy nights, midnight rendezvous, an inconvenient murder or two and memorable times makes this an entertaining, suspense-filled evening at the theatre.
i usually don’t watch musicals because i’ve trouble catching the lyrics from the singing which moves the story-telling along. fortunately for a twist of fate, the actors and actresses had great diction and i was able to understand them most of the time.
laura michelle kelly no doubt can sing well since she was starring in mary poppins before hopping over to singapore for this musical. the surprise was adrian pang who sang pretty well too. my first time hearing him sing.
the set is a façade of an old-style bungalow which revolves to reveal the living room of the house and a stairway to the second floor. one side of it opens out to the garden while the other opens to the backyard.
overall a watchable, light-hearted comedy with the promised twists and turns only in the last half hour of the musical.
Stars Laura Michelle Kelly (Mary Poppins - Laurence Olivier Award Best Actress 2005). Appearing on stage with Ms Kelly will be an all star Singaporean and international cast, including accomplished theatre actor and MediaCorp artiste, Adrian Pang.
Lyrics by Laurence Olivier Award winner Anthony Drewe (who has just written the lyrics for Disney/Cameron Mackintosh's production of Mary Poppins, currently on in the London West End), and music by Singapore's foremost composer Dick Lee. Book by Steven Dexter and Tony Petito.
In the tradition of Agatha Christie and the great "whodunits" of the 1930s, A Twist of Fate is a delicious musical comedy of twists and turns, false clues and dastardly deeds, set against the backdrop of a Peranakan family in Singapore. Dark and stormy nights, midnight rendezvous, an inconvenient murder or two and memorable times makes this an entertaining, suspense-filled evening at the theatre.
i usually don’t watch musicals because i’ve trouble catching the lyrics from the singing which moves the story-telling along. fortunately for a twist of fate, the actors and actresses had great diction and i was able to understand them most of the time.
laura michelle kelly no doubt can sing well since she was starring in mary poppins before hopping over to singapore for this musical. the surprise was adrian pang who sang pretty well too. my first time hearing him sing.
the set is a façade of an old-style bungalow which revolves to reveal the living room of the house and a stairway to the second floor. one side of it opens out to the garden while the other opens to the backyard.
overall a watchable, light-hearted comedy with the promised twists and turns only in the last half hour of the musical.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
ibm @ play
janet asked me and doris to join her for ibm family day at sentosa since she has extra tickets.it was an afternoon of sun, sand and sea with a difference because cayden came along. and of course nora too since she had to be around to take care of him.
my first experience with baby and pram on public transport. no mean feat i must say especially when it’s a crowded bus.
3 things that i learnt about cayden today:
1. he drools… a lot
2. he weighs 7.3 kg… which feels like 15, 20 kg if you had been carrying him for a while
3. he can laugh… endlessly if you know what to do to him
his laughter at coffee club at harbourfront was truly infectious and attention-grabbing. even the babes at the next table thought he’s cute. i guess he was in a good mood today.you folks should ask to see the video from janet the next time we meet. it will definitely bring a smile to your face.
Friday, November 18, 2005
petals around the rose
eric introduced this brain-teaser/puzzle to the jc gang. it involves rolling 5 dice and guessing the score. you have to figure out how the score is calculated.
you can crack your brains here.
i took about half an hour and after 10 throws before i started to get the answers correct. my solution involves addition and subtraction. while ky’s solution even includes multiplication!
then i realised we only got the “algorithm” and not THE solution.
have fun!
you can crack your brains here.
i took about half an hour and after 10 throws before i started to get the answers correct. my solution involves addition and subtraction. while ky’s solution even includes multiplication!
then i realised we only got the “algorithm” and not THE solution.
have fun!
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
harry potter and the goblet of fire
one of the much-awaited movies of the year, and as usual, johann organised the outing and booked the tickets for jc gang.why must it always rain when i go to gv grand to watch movie?
i remember it rained when we were there to catch the premiere of star wars episode 3 earlier this year and i had to dash across the traffic crossing.
was slightly late as i grabbed dinner at mcdonald’s together with doris and thomas. luckily, we were still on time for the movie. ky couldn’t turn up at the last minute so janet’s ticket went to waste.
although i’ve read all the 6 books so far [my sis is a fan], i only have vague recollections of book 4 [which remains the longest of the entire series] so the movie gave me a chance to “re-discover” the story all over again.
i find the movie well-paced covering the main highlights of the book but there were some criticisms from those who haven’t read the book saying that the movie was moving a tad too slowly.
highlights of the movie include the yule ball, 3 tasks of the tri-wizard tournament and of course the neurotic mad-eyed moody who was a hoot, especially the scene where he transfigured draco as a punishment.
the girls from beauxbatons academy looked like a bunch of singing and dancing flight attendants when they first made their appearance at the great hall. while the boys from durmstrang institute seemed to be from some militant, monastic order.
the uproar surrounding cho chang was a non-event, just another new character played by an asian actress that’s all. perhaps i’m not a hormonally-charged teenage girl crazy over daniel radcliffe.
the yule ball saw everybody dressed to the nines. the transformation of hermione wasn’t as dramatic as in the book since she’s already looking pretty enough in the movie. ron was uncomfortable in his dress robes while harry looked dashing in his tuxedo.
the tri-wizard tournament with 3 tasks for the champions from the 3 schools culminated in the showdown with lord voldermort.
it’s always a joy to see the book transformed into the enchanting world of magic in the movie, albeit a very distilled version. nevertheless, muggles wouldn’t understand the allure of the magical world coming alive before your own eyes.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
hong kong café
my phone rang when i was walking home from the mrt station.
it was eric on the line… he said tracy is hungry and asked if i wanted to go hong kong café for supper. his curiosity of the café was obviously aroused when we were talking about it earlier in the evening. probably piqued by the café unconventional operating hours at a not-so convenient location.
my first reaction was “huh?!”
i had just came back from the east side of the island. now still walking home with my stuff and skates and feeling hot and sweaty from the day’s activities, and he’s asking me if i wanted to traverse halfway across the island again when i haven’t even stepped home yet?
on the other hand, it seems like a good opportunity to check out the place since eric and tracy are so keen and doris and thomas are at the nearby chalet.
i said yes on the condition that he comes and pick me up after i had the time to shower and change. he agreed readily. trust eric to trudge all over the island for good/interesting food.
very soon, i was in eric’s car with my hair still wet from my shower on the way to pick up doris and thomas at the chalet. after failing to locate the café “using the force”, eric referred to his trusty street directory to get us there.
the café was bright and easily spotted from the road. the tables outside were all taken. a very good crowd considering it’s around midnight. thankfully, we didn’t have to look too hard for a table.
everything on the chef’s recommendation menu look good. i almost wished i was more hungry! you have to write down the item number on the order chit and place your orders at the counter. the funny thing is, they don’t require you to pay up first.
i ordered the instant noodles in soup with pork chop, bo luo bao and tea with milk. the noodles came with a slice of ham and a fried egg on top. the pork chop, tender and well-marinated was given a unanimous 2-thumbs-up by all present except for thomas who didn’t get to sample it.
tracy looked like she could finish the dry noodles with pork chop and luncheon meat all by herself until she exercised some restrain and push the bowl over to eric.
doris’ french toast was sinfully buttery. while the mini bo luo bao were good too. tracy proclaimed her dumplings with almond paste, “nice!”
my tea with milk was done, traditional hong kong-styled, with lots of evaporated milk. satisfying. thomas likes his yuan yang too.
too bad the hot drinks were not served in those big, white ceramic tea cups typically used at such cafes in hong kong. that would have made the experience truly authentic with the canto-pop playing over the air.
doris noticed that the crowd seems rather young, mainly in their twenties. very similar to one which you’ll see at fong seng. guess the older crowd is not into instant noodles and canned food! hehe…
overall, the food was good and up to our expectations. doris and thomas think it’s way better than central at takashimaya. and i think so too.
a pity that i couldn’t be back often due to its location.
sigh.
it was eric on the line… he said tracy is hungry and asked if i wanted to go hong kong café for supper. his curiosity of the café was obviously aroused when we were talking about it earlier in the evening. probably piqued by the café unconventional operating hours at a not-so convenient location.
my first reaction was “huh?!”
i had just came back from the east side of the island. now still walking home with my stuff and skates and feeling hot and sweaty from the day’s activities, and he’s asking me if i wanted to traverse halfway across the island again when i haven’t even stepped home yet?
on the other hand, it seems like a good opportunity to check out the place since eric and tracy are so keen and doris and thomas are at the nearby chalet.
i said yes on the condition that he comes and pick me up after i had the time to shower and change. he agreed readily. trust eric to trudge all over the island for good/interesting food.
very soon, i was in eric’s car with my hair still wet from my shower on the way to pick up doris and thomas at the chalet. after failing to locate the café “using the force”, eric referred to his trusty street directory to get us there.
the café was bright and easily spotted from the road. the tables outside were all taken. a very good crowd considering it’s around midnight. thankfully, we didn’t have to look too hard for a table.
everything on the chef’s recommendation menu look good. i almost wished i was more hungry! you have to write down the item number on the order chit and place your orders at the counter. the funny thing is, they don’t require you to pay up first.i ordered the instant noodles in soup with pork chop, bo luo bao and tea with milk. the noodles came with a slice of ham and a fried egg on top. the pork chop, tender and well-marinated was given a unanimous 2-thumbs-up by all present except for thomas who didn’t get to sample it.
tracy looked like she could finish the dry noodles with pork chop and luncheon meat all by herself until she exercised some restrain and push the bowl over to eric.doris’ french toast was sinfully buttery. while the mini bo luo bao were good too. tracy proclaimed her dumplings with almond paste, “nice!”
my tea with milk was done, traditional hong kong-styled, with lots of evaporated milk. satisfying. thomas likes his yuan yang too.
too bad the hot drinks were not served in those big, white ceramic tea cups typically used at such cafes in hong kong. that would have made the experience truly authentic with the canto-pop playing over the air.doris noticed that the crowd seems rather young, mainly in their twenties. very similar to one which you’ll see at fong seng. guess the older crowd is not into instant noodles and canned food! hehe…
overall, the food was good and up to our expectations. doris and thomas think it’s way better than central at takashimaya. and i think so too.
a pity that i couldn’t be back often due to its location.
sigh.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
fun @ east coast
doris booked a chalet at east coast costa sands resort and invited the jcgang to join her for some sea, sun and sand.
sl [wong], ky and i shared a cab there from clementi. eric arrived shortly after us. we just lazed around watching tv in air-conditioned comfort while waiting for janet and cayden. johann and diane surprised us by arriving before janet did.
doris, ky and i were just kitting up for our skate so johann and diane joined us on a rented “family” bike. that’s a tandem bike with a child seat right at the back.
janelle had been clamouring “bicycle, bicycle!” earlier. she seems pretty excited by it all since it’s her first time at east coast. i think she enjoyed herself very much today.
we skated/cycled over to bedok jetty. took a short break there to enjoy the sea breeze. we didn’t skate too badly considering that we haven’t been practicing for a few months. :) nobody fell. :P
after that we split up as we wanted to skate a bit more in the other direction while johann and family returned to the chalet. i was told later that janelle kept asking for “uncle mun yue” on the way back.
this is proof that nice cookies can buy your way into children’s hearts. :) haha…
dinner was at pasta fresca since we needed a big table and a child seat. unfortunately, it wasn’t one on the beach under the stars. after that, we bought desserts from the food centre back to the chalet.
i recommended my favourite cheng tng to eric and he likes it.
janet mentioned about cayden’s head being slightly big. the paediatrician will measure jason’s head at the next appointment to determine if it’s in the genes. then the talk went to cayden’s smelly poop.
doris wondered if that’s in the genes too. :) we couldn’t stop laughing... it was hilarious… haha…
we left at around 10-something. ky and i got a ride out to bugis mrt from eric since he’s going to pick tracy up.
and i thought i’ll be going home for a good night’s sleep…
sl [wong], ky and i shared a cab there from clementi. eric arrived shortly after us. we just lazed around watching tv in air-conditioned comfort while waiting for janet and cayden. johann and diane surprised us by arriving before janet did.
doris, ky and i were just kitting up for our skate so johann and diane joined us on a rented “family” bike. that’s a tandem bike with a child seat right at the back.
janelle had been clamouring “bicycle, bicycle!” earlier. she seems pretty excited by it all since it’s her first time at east coast. i think she enjoyed herself very much today.
we skated/cycled over to bedok jetty. took a short break there to enjoy the sea breeze. we didn’t skate too badly considering that we haven’t been practicing for a few months. :) nobody fell. :P
after that we split up as we wanted to skate a bit more in the other direction while johann and family returned to the chalet. i was told later that janelle kept asking for “uncle mun yue” on the way back.
this is proof that nice cookies can buy your way into children’s hearts. :) haha…
dinner was at pasta fresca since we needed a big table and a child seat. unfortunately, it wasn’t one on the beach under the stars. after that, we bought desserts from the food centre back to the chalet.
i recommended my favourite cheng tng to eric and he likes it.
janet mentioned about cayden’s head being slightly big. the paediatrician will measure jason’s head at the next appointment to determine if it’s in the genes. then the talk went to cayden’s smelly poop.
doris wondered if that’s in the genes too. :) we couldn’t stop laughing... it was hilarious… haha…
we left at around 10-something. ky and i got a ride out to bugis mrt from eric since he’s going to pick tracy up.
and i thought i’ll be going home for a good night’s sleep…
Friday, November 11, 2005
another reply
johann’s invite continues to inspire our creative juices to flow…
here’s the reply from doris:
My humble greeting to the Holder of the Milkbottle and Guardian of the Wet Nappies ? Royal Wizard of the Court of Princess Janelle.
I have read with much interest on your invite to the prestigious Triwizard Tournament on 16 Nov. I do not have the aptitude for such flowery language like my fellow wizards so I will not babble on too much. I wish I have a wand to raise but alas, it was destroyed when I had to loan it to this fellow named Harry Potter. This will be a good occasion to remind him of my contribution to his triumph over he-who-must-not-be-named. Thence, do expect the presence of me and my lord Sir Thomas at the Tournament.
Yours enchantingly,
Doris
Beholder of the wand that-triumphed-over-he-who-must-not-be-named
here’s the reply from doris:
My humble greeting to the Holder of the Milkbottle and Guardian of the Wet Nappies ? Royal Wizard of the Court of Princess Janelle.
I have read with much interest on your invite to the prestigious Triwizard Tournament on 16 Nov. I do not have the aptitude for such flowery language like my fellow wizards so I will not babble on too much. I wish I have a wand to raise but alas, it was destroyed when I had to loan it to this fellow named Harry Potter. This will be a good occasion to remind him of my contribution to his triumph over he-who-must-not-be-named. Thence, do expect the presence of me and my lord Sir Thomas at the Tournament.
Yours enchantingly,
Doris
Beholder of the wand that-triumphed-over-he-who-must-not-be-named
Thursday, November 10, 2005
child of our time
this interesting documentary tracks 20 different children for 20 years starting from the time they’re born around year 2000 to attempt to answer the question “are we born or made?”
tonight’s programme asked the little ones whether they would like their dads to be handsome or kind. all the girls wanted theirs to be kind while the boys wanted theirs to be handsome.
this question was supposed to determine the emotional maturity of the child. the girls’ answer showed that they’re more mature while the boys just wanted a trophy dad.
so it’s already evident from the young age of 5 that girls are indeed more mature than boys of the same age!
i know you gals will be like...
duh! this type of thing still need to test one meh?! hehe...
catch the season finale [for the time being] next thursday @ 10:00pm on arts central if you're interested.
tonight’s programme asked the little ones whether they would like their dads to be handsome or kind. all the girls wanted theirs to be kind while the boys wanted theirs to be handsome.
this question was supposed to determine the emotional maturity of the child. the girls’ answer showed that they’re more mature while the boys just wanted a trophy dad.
so it’s already evident from the young age of 5 that girls are indeed more mature than boys of the same age!
i know you gals will be like...
duh! this type of thing still need to test one meh?! hehe...
catch the season finale [for the time being] next thursday @ 10:00pm on arts central if you're interested.
replies to invite: janet & i
johann’s invitation prompted us to crank our creative juices to come up with suitable replies. janet was pretty amused.
here’s her reply:
Salutations Holder of the Milkbottle and Guardian of the Wet Nappies.... I hereby raise my wand & declare my interest to attend the Triwizard Tournament on 16 Nov. Kindly purchase one precious ticket for myself alone as Sir Wizard Jason has gone to the Magical Oak Forest on the island of Rockhampton to search for a very special wand for our Prince Cayden.
As Prince Cayden was born in the period Jun 10 - Jul 7, his wand is to be made from the King of the Forest - the mighty Oak tree. I know Sir Wizard Jason will be very disappointed that he missed the tournament but no worries... I will record the event and Silverhead will deliver the disc to him. Sir Wizard Jason can then view the tornament on his holly PSP.
Your Royal Highness.
Janet Chew Royal Guardian of Prince Cayden
and here’s my contribution:
greetings to my fellow wizard and dear friend, johann pang, royal wizard of the court of princess janelle
i see that you must have perfected the spell for checking your usual sloven spelling habit. no names have been mis-spelled in your invitation! per chance you've acquired a more powerful wand from ollivander's at diagon alley?
how time flies... the triwizard tournament is upon us again. and to have harry potter represent hogwarts must have been our dear old professor dumbledore's idea since harry is underage. then again, who else but harry who had stood before he-who-must-not-be-named and triumphed. i'm sure he'll do our alma mater proud.
speaking of which, the rumours that he-who-must-not-be-named has returned is utter rubbish!
any wizard or witch worth his hogwarts education would feel it in their bones the putrid sense of dread that now pervades us. the dark lord is back! no question about it. we must not let our guard down nor succumb to his death-eaters underlings!
that said, do count me in for the tournament for i can't wait to re-visit hogwarts after all these years.
yours magically,
mun yue
guardian of the yummy-licious cookies, friend of the royal court of princess janelle
here’s her reply:
Salutations Holder of the Milkbottle and Guardian of the Wet Nappies.... I hereby raise my wand & declare my interest to attend the Triwizard Tournament on 16 Nov. Kindly purchase one precious ticket for myself alone as Sir Wizard Jason has gone to the Magical Oak Forest on the island of Rockhampton to search for a very special wand for our Prince Cayden.
As Prince Cayden was born in the period Jun 10 - Jul 7, his wand is to be made from the King of the Forest - the mighty Oak tree. I know Sir Wizard Jason will be very disappointed that he missed the tournament but no worries... I will record the event and Silverhead will deliver the disc to him. Sir Wizard Jason can then view the tornament on his holly PSP.
Your Royal Highness.
Janet Chew Royal Guardian of Prince Cayden
and here’s my contribution:
greetings to my fellow wizard and dear friend, johann pang, royal wizard of the court of princess janelle
i see that you must have perfected the spell for checking your usual sloven spelling habit. no names have been mis-spelled in your invitation! per chance you've acquired a more powerful wand from ollivander's at diagon alley?
how time flies... the triwizard tournament is upon us again. and to have harry potter represent hogwarts must have been our dear old professor dumbledore's idea since harry is underage. then again, who else but harry who had stood before he-who-must-not-be-named and triumphed. i'm sure he'll do our alma mater proud.
speaking of which, the rumours that he-who-must-not-be-named has returned is utter rubbish!
any wizard or witch worth his hogwarts education would feel it in their bones the putrid sense of dread that now pervades us. the dark lord is back! no question about it. we must not let our guard down nor succumb to his death-eaters underlings!
that said, do count me in for the tournament for i can't wait to re-visit hogwarts after all these years.
yours magically,
mun yue
guardian of the yummy-licious cookies, friend of the royal court of princess janelle
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
invite to harry potter movie
johann wrote this interesting invitation to watch the latest instalment of the harry potter movie together:
Salutations my fellow Wizards and Witches …..
Just received my Daily Prophet from my pet owl Fluffy and read that our most esteemed colleague Professor Dumbledore and his students will be fighting for the honor of our Alma Mater Hogwarts in the prestigious Triwizard Tournament. Amazingly, Harry Potter at such a young age has been chosen to represent Hogwarts (well he did defeat “he who must not be named” after all and by the way, speaking of “he who must not be named”, there are rumors that he and his Death-eaters are returning …. Oh by Merlin’s beard I hope not). In any case, I will be able to obtain precious tickets to the Triwizard Tournament on the 16 Nov (Wed) at 9.50pm (we all know it is a portal to Hogwarts but the Muggles call it GV Grand). So a raise of wands on who wants to go see the tournament. Tickets are running out fast so let me know quick if you are keen … by owl mail.
Yours Humbly,
Johann Pang
Holder of the Milkbottle and Guardian of the Wet Nappies – Royal Wizard of the Court of Princess Janelle.
Salutations my fellow Wizards and Witches …..
Just received my Daily Prophet from my pet owl Fluffy and read that our most esteemed colleague Professor Dumbledore and his students will be fighting for the honor of our Alma Mater Hogwarts in the prestigious Triwizard Tournament. Amazingly, Harry Potter at such a young age has been chosen to represent Hogwarts (well he did defeat “he who must not be named” after all and by the way, speaking of “he who must not be named”, there are rumors that he and his Death-eaters are returning …. Oh by Merlin’s beard I hope not). In any case, I will be able to obtain precious tickets to the Triwizard Tournament on the 16 Nov (Wed) at 9.50pm (we all know it is a portal to Hogwarts but the Muggles call it GV Grand). So a raise of wands on who wants to go see the tournament. Tickets are running out fast so let me know quick if you are keen … by owl mail.
Yours Humbly,
Johann Pang
Holder of the Milkbottle and Guardian of the Wet Nappies – Royal Wizard of the Court of Princess Janelle.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
dilbert
some of you might already know that i’m a fan of dilbert, the comic strip by scott adams. being a cubicle-dweller, i sometimes see the exact same situation illustrated in real life.
guess what? he has started a blog too!
i like his brand of humour and the way he makes fun of managers and management trends.
here’s what he has to say about getting onto the bandwagon in his latest newsletter…
MY OWN DILBERT BLOG
===================
When I see news stories about people all over the world who are experiencing hardships, I worry about them, and I rack my brain wondering how I can make a difference. So I decided to start my own blog. That way I won’t have time to think about other people.
People who are trying to decide whether to create a blog or not go through a thought process much like this:
guess what? he has started a blog too!
i like his brand of humour and the way he makes fun of managers and management trends.
here’s what he has to say about getting onto the bandwagon in his latest newsletter…
MY OWN DILBERT BLOG
===================
When I see news stories about people all over the world who are experiencing hardships, I worry about them, and I rack my brain wondering how I can make a difference. So I decided to start my own blog. That way I won’t have time to think about other people.
People who are trying to decide whether to create a blog or not go through a thought process much like this:
- The world sure needs more of ME.
- Maybe I’ll shout more often so that people nearby can experience the joy of knowing my thoughts.
- No, wait, shouting looks too crazy.
- I know – I’ll write down my daily thoughts and badger people to read them.
- If only there was a description for this process that doesn’t involve the words egomaniac or unnecessary.
- What? It’s called a blog? I’m there!
The blogger’s philosophy goes something like this: Everything that I think about is more fascinating than the crap in your head.
The beauty of blogging, as compared to writing a book, is that no editor will be interfering with my random spelling and grammar, my complete disregard for the facts, and my wandering sentences that seem to go on and on and never end so that you feel like you need to take a breath and clear your head before you can even consider making it to the end of the sentence that probably didn’t need to be written anyhoo.
If that doesn’t inspire you to read my blog, I don’t know what will.
Friday, November 04, 2005
national library
first time at the multi-million dollar spanking new national library…and i wasn’t there to borrow a book or do research with their extensive reference collection…
was just passing by and needed to use the toilet! :P hehe…
wah! noogee house
was on leave today so had lunch with my mum at this new place by the same people behind wah lok at carlton hotel.
that explains the “wah!” in the name. in case you’re wondering, noogee is coined by combining the 2 words: noodle and congee. both of which are available in many different versions on the menu.
the dianxin menu is served until 11:00am only. i would think the reason is so that the business at wah lok will not be compromised by the new kid on the block.
unfortunately, we were not in time to sample the dianxin menu. i had wanted to find out if it’s just as good as the restaurant's.
the xia jiao [dumpling] soup and the char siew & soy sauce chicken were average only. nothing to shout about. in fact, i find the meat combination expensive [$10] for the small-sized portion.
the seafood noodle is more generous with its ingredients and greens. can be shared by 2 persons if you’re ordering dianxin and other side dishes, or even 3 persons if you just want a nibble.
i also tried the steamed rice with chicken and chinese sausage. quite like it as it’s comfort food for me.
service is good. the staff actually changed the plates for us without asking unlike crystal jade. the food, however, is not outstanding nor very much better than crystal jade.
that explains the “wah!” in the name. in case you’re wondering, noogee is coined by combining the 2 words: noodle and congee. both of which are available in many different versions on the menu.
the dianxin menu is served until 11:00am only. i would think the reason is so that the business at wah lok will not be compromised by the new kid on the block.
unfortunately, we were not in time to sample the dianxin menu. i had wanted to find out if it’s just as good as the restaurant's.
the xia jiao [dumpling] soup and the char siew & soy sauce chicken were average only. nothing to shout about. in fact, i find the meat combination expensive [$10] for the small-sized portion.
the seafood noodle is more generous with its ingredients and greens. can be shared by 2 persons if you’re ordering dianxin and other side dishes, or even 3 persons if you just want a nibble.
i also tried the steamed rice with chicken and chinese sausage. quite like it as it’s comfort food for me.
service is good. the staff actually changed the plates for us without asking unlike crystal jade. the food, however, is not outstanding nor very much better than crystal jade.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
hello doris, diane & johann
gave johann a ring after we had our pratas since he lives just round the corner. doris suggested going for the board walk near his house.
thomas couldn’t believe his ears. i couldn’t help but laughed at his tortured reaction.
we had to reassure him that it’s a very short route lasting not more than 30 minutes.
johann joined us sporting his new toy. a gadget from polar that will monitor his heart rate and measures the distance he covers.
it was a more peaceful walk compared to the treetop walk. there is a rather cool section where the boards actually extend over shallow waters.
and then johann revealed that he had been reading my blog!
he’s the first jcgang member to tell me so. now is doris’ turn to not believe her ears and she demanded to know why i didn’t tell her that i had been blogging.
my reply? it’s for the observant folks only. haha… :)
johann commented that i didn’t really blog about him except for mentioning him as the father of janelle. haha… trust him to be jealous of his own daughter.
talking about janelle… diane told me about the sweetest thing she did.
she had brought a recent copy of 8days to diane and excitedly exclaimed, “uncle mun yue, uncle mun yue!” while pointing to the picture of hong junyang, one of the project superstar finalists.
didn’t know there’s any resemblance between the 2 of us. anyway, i shall remember to buy her some nice cookies the next time i see her. :)
doris also asked if i’ve got any sponsorship deals like xiaxue.
i was like, huh? how to?
i don’t get traffic of 10,000 visitors like her… perhaps i should change my blog’s name to xiayu [raining]… write something bad about a kuala lumpur trip… blog controversial remarks on the use of handicapped toilets and use *&%$#@ or some colourful dialect expletives. :P haha…
thomas couldn’t believe his ears. i couldn’t help but laughed at his tortured reaction.
we had to reassure him that it’s a very short route lasting not more than 30 minutes.
johann joined us sporting his new toy. a gadget from polar that will monitor his heart rate and measures the distance he covers.
it was a more peaceful walk compared to the treetop walk. there is a rather cool section where the boards actually extend over shallow waters.
and then johann revealed that he had been reading my blog!
he’s the first jcgang member to tell me so. now is doris’ turn to not believe her ears and she demanded to know why i didn’t tell her that i had been blogging.
my reply? it’s for the observant folks only. haha… :)
johann commented that i didn’t really blog about him except for mentioning him as the father of janelle. haha… trust him to be jealous of his own daughter.
talking about janelle… diane told me about the sweetest thing she did.
she had brought a recent copy of 8days to diane and excitedly exclaimed, “uncle mun yue, uncle mun yue!” while pointing to the picture of hong junyang, one of the project superstar finalists.
didn’t know there’s any resemblance between the 2 of us. anyway, i shall remember to buy her some nice cookies the next time i see her. :)
doris also asked if i’ve got any sponsorship deals like xiaxue.
i was like, huh? how to?
i don’t get traffic of 10,000 visitors like her… perhaps i should change my blog’s name to xiayu [raining]… write something bad about a kuala lumpur trip… blog controversial remarks on the use of handicapped toilets and use *&%$#@ or some colourful dialect expletives. :P haha…
treetop walk
*** brace yourself for my longest post ever ***
doris only managed to confirm that the trek is on yesterday when ky and doris’ friend, wendy said that they can make it.
originally, we had planned to meet at 9:00am at macritchie reservoir. very early for me considering it’s hari raya puasa but we had to be realistic since the trek to the treetop walk and back is expected to take 3 to 5 hours as written here.
however, wendy suggested 8:00am instead since she has a lunch appointment. in the end, a decision was made to meet at 7:45am at bishan mrt.
that means i have to wake up at an ungodly hour of 6:00am so that i will be punctual and still have time to grab some breakfast. i’ve not woken up so early for a very long time. i only keep such hours when i go for my icts.
it was raining when my handphone alarm sounded off at 6:00am.
received an sms from ky… he’s not going because it was raining heavily at his place .
sms-ed doris, she replied to say that it’s not raining at yishun…
what the heck… just do it!
decided to take the new sbs service 52 to bishan on a whim. played with my camera "action" mode while waiting for the bus…
after a while, i was the one and only passenger on the bus until it reached sin ming.
the bus arrived at bishan in a rather quick 35 minutes and i rushed off in search of breakfast. gobbled up my macdonald’s big breakfast in double-quick time, got to eat else i’ll definitely faint from hunger during the trek.
met doris and thomas at the pick-up point at 8:00am. wendy and his brother, victor soon joined us too.
waited a while for terence and diana. since the 5 of us couldn’t fit into the car, me, doris and thomas followed terence’s car in a cab to kim’s place at jalan lembah thomson.
that’s where the "secret" entrance of the trail is situated. don’t bother trying to locate it on the map because it is not an "official" start point. we set off at 8:30am in an adventurous mood.
when our side trail opened into the main route to the treetop walk, we encountered many runners along the way. doris is surprised to find so many health nuts running so early in the morning on a public holiday.
most of these runners [of all ages and gender] were in their running gear and nothing else, not even water bottles. some teenagers were even running in sandals and slippers!
compared to them, we seemed overdressed in our bermudas and trackpants; over-equipped with our backpacks containing our water-bottles, insect repellants, umbrellas, etc…
victor’s nike fell victim to the trail. he had not been wearing those shoes regularly. both soles came off eventually and had to be secured with elastic band and shoelaces.
although it was cloudy and the ground was still wet from the earlier showers, it was still humid.
walking and chatting merrily, we sometimes occupied the entire width of the trail impeding the runners’ way. probably pissed off quite a few of them as they had to slow down to pass through us. :P
only after a rather long while did we encounter other trekkers. the trail merged with the venus drive entrance route to the treetop walk. that’s where we encountered the holiday crowds of families out in full force.
doris couldn’t believe that the treetop walk can be this popular. ever so gungho, she kept talking about wanting to proceed on to bukit timah hill but nobody took her seriously.
finally reached the ranger station which is a short distance away from the treetop walk.
we had to scale a rather steep slope to the starting point.
here we are on the suspension bridge…
views from the bridge…
doris only managed to confirm that the trek is on yesterday when ky and doris’ friend, wendy said that they can make it.
originally, we had planned to meet at 9:00am at macritchie reservoir. very early for me considering it’s hari raya puasa but we had to be realistic since the trek to the treetop walk and back is expected to take 3 to 5 hours as written here.
however, wendy suggested 8:00am instead since she has a lunch appointment. in the end, a decision was made to meet at 7:45am at bishan mrt.
that means i have to wake up at an ungodly hour of 6:00am so that i will be punctual and still have time to grab some breakfast. i’ve not woken up so early for a very long time. i only keep such hours when i go for my icts.it was raining when my handphone alarm sounded off at 6:00am.
received an sms from ky… he’s not going because it was raining heavily at his place .
sms-ed doris, she replied to say that it’s not raining at yishun…
what the heck… just do it!
decided to take the new sbs service 52 to bishan on a whim. played with my camera "action" mode while waiting for the bus…
after a while, i was the one and only passenger on the bus until it reached sin ming.the bus arrived at bishan in a rather quick 35 minutes and i rushed off in search of breakfast. gobbled up my macdonald’s big breakfast in double-quick time, got to eat else i’ll definitely faint from hunger during the trek.
met doris and thomas at the pick-up point at 8:00am. wendy and his brother, victor soon joined us too.
waited a while for terence and diana. since the 5 of us couldn’t fit into the car, me, doris and thomas followed terence’s car in a cab to kim’s place at jalan lembah thomson.
that’s where the "secret" entrance of the trail is situated. don’t bother trying to locate it on the map because it is not an "official" start point. we set off at 8:30am in an adventurous mood.
when our side trail opened into the main route to the treetop walk, we encountered many runners along the way. doris is surprised to find so many health nuts running so early in the morning on a public holiday.
most of these runners [of all ages and gender] were in their running gear and nothing else, not even water bottles. some teenagers were even running in sandals and slippers!
compared to them, we seemed overdressed in our bermudas and trackpants; over-equipped with our backpacks containing our water-bottles, insect repellants, umbrellas, etc…
victor’s nike fell victim to the trail. he had not been wearing those shoes regularly. both soles came off eventually and had to be secured with elastic band and shoelaces.
although it was cloudy and the ground was still wet from the earlier showers, it was still humid.
walking and chatting merrily, we sometimes occupied the entire width of the trail impeding the runners’ way. probably pissed off quite a few of them as they had to slow down to pass through us. :P
only after a rather long while did we encounter other trekkers. the trail merged with the venus drive entrance route to the treetop walk. that’s where we encountered the holiday crowds of families out in full force.doris couldn’t believe that the treetop walk can be this popular. ever so gungho, she kept talking about wanting to proceed on to bukit timah hill but nobody took her seriously.
finally reached the ranger station which is a short distance away from the treetop walk.
we had to scale a rather steep slope to the starting point.
here we are on the suspension bridge…
views from the bridge…
me and doris took our time on the bridge making the rest wait for us. hehe… :P
towards the end of the treetop walk, there’re signs that advised us not to turn back. i jested that it’s the "nai he qiao" which one has to cross on the way to reincarnation in chinese folklore so you’re not supposed to turn back. haha… :) 
after the bridge, it’s many flights of steps up… and then down… to the board walk that will bring us back to the ranger station.
we decided to exit by venus drive and bade our farewells to kim and terence.
trekked past a stream… sighted an adult and baby monkey.
strange but true, we came across workers cutting the grass by the stream. didn’t know this trail requires "maintenance" too. no kidding.
by the time we reached the public carpark at venus drive, we had trekked for about 2.5 hours.
victor was craving for prata, so we took a bus to casuarina road for my favourite crispy plain prata.
a delicious and satisfying end to the morning physical exertion.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
nostalgia
it was drizzling today after my aquafit class at capital tower.
the rainy and cool weather always make me think it’s december, putting me in a pensive mood, as the year-end is the time of the year which you take stock of the year that has gone by in yet another blink of the eye and the sweet anticipation of the coming festivities with family and friends.
feeling nostalgic, i decided to take a bus instead of the faster but boring train ride home. the train station being further away also helped to make the bus ride more attractive lah. haha…
i didn’t have to wait very long for sbs service 147 at chinatown complex.
the double-deckered bus went past the bus stop where i had waited at to go home in the hot and humid afternoons of my secondary school days.
it didn’t feel too long ago that i was wearing my [easily dirtied] uniform of white shirt and pants, but actually, that is more than 17 cringe-inducing years ago. that long ago, huh?
past the place where poh han used to live… passed by bukit merah central where hdb used to be… past where jeffrey used to live.
how things have changed after all these years…
myself, the people around me, the places that i’m familiar with…
now there's mobile tv to distract [or irritate, depending on your opinion] you on long journeys while i used to have just my trusty walkman.
change is the only constant, cliched but nevertheless true and apt.
my only wish is that these changes, painful or otherwise, are for the better, helping us grow, taking little steps towards being the perfect friend, son/daughter, brother/sister, daddy/mummy, etc...
the rainy and cool weather always make me think it’s december, putting me in a pensive mood, as the year-end is the time of the year which you take stock of the year that has gone by in yet another blink of the eye and the sweet anticipation of the coming festivities with family and friends.
feeling nostalgic, i decided to take a bus instead of the faster but boring train ride home. the train station being further away also helped to make the bus ride more attractive lah. haha…
i didn’t have to wait very long for sbs service 147 at chinatown complex.
the double-deckered bus went past the bus stop where i had waited at to go home in the hot and humid afternoons of my secondary school days.
it didn’t feel too long ago that i was wearing my [easily dirtied] uniform of white shirt and pants, but actually, that is more than 17 cringe-inducing years ago. that long ago, huh?
past the place where poh han used to live… passed by bukit merah central where hdb used to be… past where jeffrey used to live.
how things have changed after all these years…
myself, the people around me, the places that i’m familiar with…
now there's mobile tv to distract [or irritate, depending on your opinion] you on long journeys while i used to have just my trusty walkman.
change is the only constant, cliched but nevertheless true and apt.
my only wish is that these changes, painful or otherwise, are for the better, helping us grow, taking little steps towards being the perfect friend, son/daughter, brother/sister, daddy/mummy, etc...
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
sky garden yoga
actually was supposed to do my regular tuesday workout before the yoga class but was too lazy since it’s deepavali today.
the class at george street was conducted by chris out at the sky garden. The weather was perfect with a strong breeze threatening to blow off our mats.
my body was in a lethargic holiday mood… feeling a bit weak since i only had brunch. the seemingly harmless stretches almost made me break out in cold sweat. my hamstrings were rather tight from last thursday interval training.
i kept wishing for the class to end… since there weren’t any clocks around and i wasn’t wearing my watch, i have no way of knowing the time.
arrgghh… got to endure…
oommm…
the class at george street was conducted by chris out at the sky garden. The weather was perfect with a strong breeze threatening to blow off our mats.
my body was in a lethargic holiday mood… feeling a bit weak since i only had brunch. the seemingly harmless stretches almost made me break out in cold sweat. my hamstrings were rather tight from last thursday interval training.
i kept wishing for the class to end… since there weren’t any clocks around and i wasn’t wearing my watch, i have no way of knowing the time.
arrgghh… got to endure…
oommm…
remembrance
there’s a programme on television today in memory of the late singer, teresa teng [deng li jun] commemorating the 10th anniversary of her death.
she’s one of the most immensely successful singer of my growing up years with a huge fan base in asia, including china and even japan.
in fact, my uncle wai was a fan of hers, collecting all her albums, sometimes even buying multiple copies of the same album!
the programme made me ponder if there’s anyone who will still remember me 10 years after my death…
how would i want to be remembered?
what kind of legacy [if any] will i leave behind in this world?
a filial son… a caring brother… a great friend…
someone who has, in his own small ways, touched the hearts of the people that he comes across in his daily life and had made the world of his loved ones a better place.
cheers to life!
she’s one of the most immensely successful singer of my growing up years with a huge fan base in asia, including china and even japan.
in fact, my uncle wai was a fan of hers, collecting all her albums, sometimes even buying multiple copies of the same album!
the programme made me ponder if there’s anyone who will still remember me 10 years after my death…
how would i want to be remembered?
what kind of legacy [if any] will i leave behind in this world?
a filial son… a caring brother… a great friend…
someone who has, in his own small ways, touched the hearts of the people that he comes across in his daily life and had made the world of his loved ones a better place.
cheers to life!
Monday, October 31, 2005
death: part i
my paternal grandma passed away on mother’s day when i was in primary 3. that was my first experience with death.
it was sudden and totally unexpected as she had always been in good health. the entire clan was present as it was one of the usual sunday gatherings that we always had at our grandparents’ place.
my grandma had not been feeling well for a few days since the exhumation of my great-grandmother’s grave. it had been so long ago that i was too young to remember if she had passed away before or after we had reached her place.
she had checked the almanac on hindsight only to find that she shouldn’t have gone for the exhumation as it was taboo for women to engage in such activities on that day. a gp was brought in to certify her death while she laid on her bed in the bedroom.
after that, it was a week of colourful, traditional chinese funereal rites and rituals.
and then, there was this one night where the whole clan cramped into my grandparents’ tiny flat because my grandma’s spirit was supposed to be back for one last look of her loved ones.
an elaborate feast including chinese wine was laid out for the ghost constables, niu tou and ma mian so that they can eat their fill and hopefully get drunk, giving my grandma more time to see us.
no sightings by me though.
it was sudden and totally unexpected as she had always been in good health. the entire clan was present as it was one of the usual sunday gatherings that we always had at our grandparents’ place.
my grandma had not been feeling well for a few days since the exhumation of my great-grandmother’s grave. it had been so long ago that i was too young to remember if she had passed away before or after we had reached her place.
she had checked the almanac on hindsight only to find that she shouldn’t have gone for the exhumation as it was taboo for women to engage in such activities on that day. a gp was brought in to certify her death while she laid on her bed in the bedroom.
after that, it was a week of colourful, traditional chinese funereal rites and rituals.
and then, there was this one night where the whole clan cramped into my grandparents’ tiny flat because my grandma’s spirit was supposed to be back for one last look of her loved ones.
an elaborate feast including chinese wine was laid out for the ghost constables, niu tou and ma mian so that they can eat their fill and hopefully get drunk, giving my grandma more time to see us.
no sightings by me though.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
butterfly
saw this pale green butterfly seeking refuge from the heavy rains outside on my bath towel.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
new bods trunks
bought this pair of trunks a few days ago...ever since i started attending aquafit classes at my gym this month, i realised that my old pair of bods trunk has lost its elasticity and i'm only left with my trusty speedos.
so i grabbed this when i saw it on sale at seiyu.
Monday, October 24, 2005
parco bugis junction
went down to bugis junction to buy shopping vouchers for monica’s birthday present.
the service counter girl told me it’s out of stock. yes, that’s right. you read correctly, business is that good until they can’t replenish the stocks fast enough.
she didn’t volunteer when the vouchers will be available again. i had to ask her the question. and guess what’s the answer? no idea.
duh! why am i no longer surprised with such service levels in singapore anymore?
sigh…
the service counter girl told me it’s out of stock. yes, that’s right. you read correctly, business is that good until they can’t replenish the stocks fast enough.
she didn’t volunteer when the vouchers will be available again. i had to ask her the question. and guess what’s the answer? no idea.
duh! why am i no longer surprised with such service levels in singapore anymore?
sigh…
african violets
my pot of african violets in the office is in full bloom again!it started flowering since december last year and had been doing so intermittently throughout this year. only recently had the buds started flourishing so much.
yeah!
Friday, October 21, 2005
hp last day @ ibm
hmm… it has been quite some time since a colleague has left for greener pastures.although hp actually belongs to another team, he was able to click very well with my team sometimes joining us for lunch.
i find him very helpful and ever-willing to go the extra mile for colleagues. he’s the expert to go to if you’ve got any questions on lc.
outside of work, he’s always joking and full of humour, never afraid of making a fool of himself.
a rather chatty person who probably can charm the birds off the trees. :P haha…
all the best to his future endeavours!
nissin cup noodle
my sister passed me a pack of cup noodle for me to try.very cute, right?
but it’s not cheap though… costs $3.25 per pack of 4. 2 packets with doggie oden and 2 packets with piggy ones.
slurp.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
death
ky just sms to say that his grandfather passed away…
seems that his grandfather has been in poor health for a long while liao so it wasn’t a surprise to us.
it’s only when a death is sudden or unexpected that throws people off-balance.
come to think of it… all 3 of my grandparents have passed away suddenly at home.
my paternal grandmother on mother’s day when i was in primary 3. my maternal grandmother when i was in junior college. my paternal grandfather when i was in my final year at sim.
my deepest condolences to ky and his family.
seems that his grandfather has been in poor health for a long while liao so it wasn’t a surprise to us.
it’s only when a death is sudden or unexpected that throws people off-balance.
come to think of it… all 3 of my grandparents have passed away suddenly at home.
my paternal grandmother on mother’s day when i was in primary 3. my maternal grandmother when i was in junior college. my paternal grandfather when i was in my final year at sim.
my deepest condolences to ky and his family.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
72 @ seng poh road
one of my ns friend had bought a unit at those pre-war walk-up apartments in tiong bahru, a rather quaint neighbourhood.
me & ky dropped by for a look-see since we were having lunch in the area.
sk paid around $280,000 for the 2nd storey unit and did it up simply. he did away with a bedroom to enlarge the living room. the layout of the flat has a longish shophouse feel.
there’s even a private back door via a spiral staircase which another of my ns friend thought it’s interesting.
is it nice to have a place to call your own? definitely.
but the privacy and freedom also comes with lots of additional expenses and household chores too. something which i can’t afford financially and not prepared to do so since i’m getting away with minimal chores at home now. :P
besides, i take it as an opportunity to spend more time with my family while i still can.
me & ky dropped by for a look-see since we were having lunch in the area.
sk paid around $280,000 for the 2nd storey unit and did it up simply. he did away with a bedroom to enlarge the living room. the layout of the flat has a longish shophouse feel.
there’s even a private back door via a spiral staircase which another of my ns friend thought it’s interesting.
is it nice to have a place to call your own? definitely.
but the privacy and freedom also comes with lots of additional expenses and household chores too. something which i can’t afford financially and not prepared to do so since i’m getting away with minimal chores at home now. :P
besides, i take it as an opportunity to spend more time with my family while i still can.
ikoi @ miramar hotel
made the reservations for the restaurant 3 weeks back. and yet i couldn’t get a table for saturday night dinner. it was already fully booked! so it’s really that popular...
settled for today’s lunch instead. just as well since it’s gordon’s birthday today.
ikoi is a rather small restaurant serving an ala carte buffet. $30+++ for both lunch and dinner.
ky and me were mainly interested in the sashimi. had quite a few servings of sake, maguro, hamachi, tako and kajiki sashimi. very fresh indeed, no fishy smell at all.
besides sashimi, we had salad, temaki, california maki, chicken teriyaki and ebi tempura. the food is generally of good standards. we were also served 2 soups that were not on the menu: teapot and seafood soup.
we had to wait for a while for the food to be served after ordering. wonder how bad the waiting time will be if there was a capacity crowd.
overall a good dining experience.
settled for today’s lunch instead. just as well since it’s gordon’s birthday today.
ikoi is a rather small restaurant serving an ala carte buffet. $30+++ for both lunch and dinner.
ky and me were mainly interested in the sashimi. had quite a few servings of sake, maguro, hamachi, tako and kajiki sashimi. very fresh indeed, no fishy smell at all.
besides sashimi, we had salad, temaki, california maki, chicken teriyaki and ebi tempura. the food is generally of good standards. we were also served 2 soups that were not on the menu: teapot and seafood soup.
we had to wait for a while for the food to be served after ordering. wonder how bad the waiting time will be if there was a capacity crowd.
overall a good dining experience.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
lan yu
ml asked me if i’m interested in the show. at first, i thought she was asking if i would like to watch the play since the movie was banned from commercial release a few years ago.can’t remember the controversy nor the plot until ml reminded me with the synopsis. it was critically acclaimed and the movie and actors won some awards too.
love story between 2 guys = alternative lifestyle = not mainstream = government ban
after watching the movie, felt that it was just a simple [dare i say sweet?] love story. nothing extraordinary except that it’s between 2 guys.
i also didn’t quite feel that the acting by the leads were exceptional.
somehow, i think that if the story was about a “normal” couple, the movie might even be panned by the critics and the actors might not have won any awards.
bodycombat & yoga
woke up early today 'cos i intended to go for the combat @ paragon.
jeanette, serene and sandy will be there for the class using the free voucher from the fitness first calendar. peslin, jeanette’s younger sister will be there later since she’s working today.
managed to reach the gym at 1:00 pm… very early for me on a saturday. surprised herlina at the reception when i told her i was there for combat.
the gym is filled with more people at this time and seemed to have more energy. rushed to sign up for class. it was a full class as usual.
i stood on the left at the front of the class while serene and sandy managed to find their spots on the right when they came in later. didn’t notice jeanette coming in.
had a good workout. sweated buckets.
jeanette had her sights on a personal trainer, chris. i told her he is a part-time model. she can’t stop drooling.
before we left for tea-break, chen hanwei was spotted leaving the gym too.
we went down to the basement to ah mei for kaya toast and soft-boiled eggs. after that we got back to the gym for yoga.
the class was crowded as usual. think it was a great workout for serene, sandy, peslin and jeanette. they’re not very flexible, can’t touch the ground with their hands without bending their knees. ;) hehe…
jeanette, serene and sandy will be there for the class using the free voucher from the fitness first calendar. peslin, jeanette’s younger sister will be there later since she’s working today.
managed to reach the gym at 1:00 pm… very early for me on a saturday. surprised herlina at the reception when i told her i was there for combat.
the gym is filled with more people at this time and seemed to have more energy. rushed to sign up for class. it was a full class as usual.
i stood on the left at the front of the class while serene and sandy managed to find their spots on the right when they came in later. didn’t notice jeanette coming in.
had a good workout. sweated buckets.
jeanette had her sights on a personal trainer, chris. i told her he is a part-time model. she can’t stop drooling.
before we left for tea-break, chen hanwei was spotted leaving the gym too.
we went down to the basement to ah mei for kaya toast and soft-boiled eggs. after that we got back to the gym for yoga.
the class was crowded as usual. think it was a great workout for serene, sandy, peslin and jeanette. they’re not very flexible, can’t touch the ground with their hands without bending their knees. ;) hehe…
Friday, October 14, 2005
yoga by indu
alamak… issey wasn’t here tonight. the class was covered by indu, an indian lady.
it was a light workout of traditional yoga that concentrated a lot more on stretching exercises. there weren’t any sun salutations, triangle, or warriors poses.
didn’t sweat at all.
it was a light workout of traditional yoga that concentrated a lot more on stretching exercises. there weren’t any sun salutations, triangle, or warriors poses.
didn’t sweat at all.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
$10,000
what will you say if your close friend ask you for a loan of $10,000?
hehe… no worries! nobody asked me that lah…
my friends know that i don’t have the $$$. me very poor one. :P
if you have the means to help your friend, would you require the friend to tell you what exactly is the loan for? do you feel that you have the right to know the reason?
shouldn’t your friend be entitled to some level of privacy?
i guess for me, it depends on the quantum and if i can afford to write it off.
so if it’s a small amount then i probably wouldn’t ask too many questions. but for a loan of $10,000 [which is a few times my monthly salary] then i feel that i have the right to know what am i giving up my hard-earned money for.
similarly, $10k may be nothing to a millionaire and he’ll say yes at the drop of the hat without any questions asked.
sound advice for would-be creditors:
1. never get into debt to help someone out of debt
2. only lend what you can afford to lose
i stand by the above in the hope that the relationship will never be adversely affected in any way by the loan.
cheers!
hehe… no worries! nobody asked me that lah…
my friends know that i don’t have the $$$. me very poor one. :P
if you have the means to help your friend, would you require the friend to tell you what exactly is the loan for? do you feel that you have the right to know the reason?
shouldn’t your friend be entitled to some level of privacy?
i guess for me, it depends on the quantum and if i can afford to write it off.
so if it’s a small amount then i probably wouldn’t ask too many questions. but for a loan of $10,000 [which is a few times my monthly salary] then i feel that i have the right to know what am i giving up my hard-earned money for.
similarly, $10k may be nothing to a millionaire and he’ll say yes at the drop of the hat without any questions asked.
sound advice for would-be creditors:
1. never get into debt to help someone out of debt
2. only lend what you can afford to lose
i stand by the above in the hope that the relationship will never be adversely affected in any way by the loan.
cheers!
Monday, October 10, 2005
Saturday, October 08, 2005
on the way home
sl asked me about my blog. i told her it’s very easier to get one started as it’s quite idiot-proof.
she forbade me to put up her photo on this blog. but i told her nobody will know who she is unless i name the guilty in the pictures. ;) haha…
she forbade me to put up her photo on this blog. but i told her nobody will know who she is unless i name the guilty in the pictures. ;) haha…
sun with moon @ wheelock
this dinner was set up 2 weeks ago… yes, not easy to coordinate considering that we have to accommodate the quarter-end closing for some of us and a business trip for another.
sl and ph were early, they had already finished an appetiser when i reached the restaurant at 7:30 pm. yup, they’re that hungry.
we had a booth seat furthest away from the entrance. most private and good for conversations but also meant that service was difficult to come by.
since janet had sms-ed doris to say that they’ll be late as most couples with kids tend to be, we proceeded to order appetisers first.
i ordered the sun salad and yam cake while doris ordered the agedashi dofu.
sl and ph went on to order the okonomiyaki.
the sun salad came in a bottle. the waitress gave a bubble tea “mechanical doll” shake to it after pouring in the sesame dressing. the yam cake was bland in a delicate, japanese way.
the okonomiyaki had lots of cabbage and only half an oyster in the piece that i had. :(
by the time we’re about done with our food, cayden finally arrived with his entourage of janet, jason and nora. :) hehe…
cayden was in a good mood… we passed him around the table. haha…
i ordered the salmon kamameshi which is like a metallic version of our claypot rice. not a very big portion though. if not for the appetisers and the desserts later, i don’t think i’ll be full.
had warabi matcha which is green tea ice cream with green tea jelly cubes. nice!
the bill for me came to about $37. slightly expensive but a good place to go to for the ambience and when you feel like splurging.
sl and ph were early, they had already finished an appetiser when i reached the restaurant at 7:30 pm. yup, they’re that hungry.
we had a booth seat furthest away from the entrance. most private and good for conversations but also meant that service was difficult to come by.
since janet had sms-ed doris to say that they’ll be late as most couples with kids tend to be, we proceeded to order appetisers first.
i ordered the sun salad and yam cake while doris ordered the agedashi dofu.
sl and ph went on to order the okonomiyaki.
the sun salad came in a bottle. the waitress gave a bubble tea “mechanical doll” shake to it after pouring in the sesame dressing. the yam cake was bland in a delicate, japanese way.
the okonomiyaki had lots of cabbage and only half an oyster in the piece that i had. :(
by the time we’re about done with our food, cayden finally arrived with his entourage of janet, jason and nora. :) hehe…
cayden was in a good mood… we passed him around the table. haha…
i ordered the salmon kamameshi which is like a metallic version of our claypot rice. not a very big portion though. if not for the appetisers and the desserts later, i don’t think i’ll be full.
had warabi matcha which is green tea ice cream with green tea jelly cubes. nice!
the bill for me came to about $37. slightly expensive but a good place to go to for the ambience and when you feel like splurging.
jail sentence
yes, singapore has scored another “first”.
the 2 guys charged under the sedition act for posting racist remarks online have been convicted.
28-year-old Benjamin Koh Seng Huat, a kennel keeper at an animal shelter, has been sentenced to one month's jail. Separately, the court sentenced 25-year-old former assistant marketing manager, Nicholas Lim Yew, to serve one day in jail and a maximum fine of $5,000.
In passing sentences, Senior District Judge Richard Magnus said the two had crossed the red line by wantonly breaching the basic ground rules. He said passing a deterrent sentence was necessary so that such offending acts are tackled early and contained.
The judge also said that young Singaporeans may have short memories that race and religion are sensitive issues.
He said callous and reckless remarks on racial or religious subjects had the potential to cause social disorder, regardless of which medium or forum they are expressed.
The judge added the right of one to propagate an opinion on the Internet is not and cannot be an unfettered right.
It is only appropriate social behaviour of every Singapore citizen and resident to respect the other races in view of Singapore's multi-racial society.
channelnewsasia.com
as much as i recognise that what they have done should not be condoned, but has the law been overly heavy handed in these 2 instances?
would not a warning and a fine suffice?
as noted by the judge, young singaporeans do not have any memories of race and religion issues because we’re “blind” to them.
we grew up in a multi-racial and multi-religious society. having to interact with people of different races and religions is part of our everyday lives. i don’t think our generation or those after us judge a person on the basis of his race or religion anymore.
neither do i feel that racial or religious hatred can be so easily propagated by a few bigots here because we do think of ourselves as singaporeans first and foremost regardless of creed and colour.
that had been evidenced by the reportedly more than 200 responses to 1 of the offender’s online posting.
as i’ve mentioned before, i’ve never heard of the sedition act prior to this episode. i agree that ignorance is not a valid defence for breaking the law. but shouldn’t the investigators looked deeper into the intentions behind the remarks of the 2 accused?
were they really made in an attempt to incite racial and religious hatred or out of hot-headedness and idiocy? shouldn’t the law distinguish the difference?
the blogging community has waited with abated breath for the judgment.
while many have argued that blogs are personal journals that are meant to be read by a selected group of people, the fact remains that these private diaries exist on the web which is accessible by practically anyone in the world.
the sentencing has clearly acknowledge that the internet is a mass medium just like your trusty newspapers and other paper publications, that means the same standards will be applied uniformly to it… at least here in singapore.
that said, maybe it’s time for the internet-savvy younger generation to be media-savvy as well.
the 2 guys charged under the sedition act for posting racist remarks online have been convicted.
28-year-old Benjamin Koh Seng Huat, a kennel keeper at an animal shelter, has been sentenced to one month's jail. Separately, the court sentenced 25-year-old former assistant marketing manager, Nicholas Lim Yew, to serve one day in jail and a maximum fine of $5,000.
In passing sentences, Senior District Judge Richard Magnus said the two had crossed the red line by wantonly breaching the basic ground rules. He said passing a deterrent sentence was necessary so that such offending acts are tackled early and contained.
The judge also said that young Singaporeans may have short memories that race and religion are sensitive issues.
He said callous and reckless remarks on racial or religious subjects had the potential to cause social disorder, regardless of which medium or forum they are expressed.
The judge added the right of one to propagate an opinion on the Internet is not and cannot be an unfettered right.
It is only appropriate social behaviour of every Singapore citizen and resident to respect the other races in view of Singapore's multi-racial society.
channelnewsasia.com
as much as i recognise that what they have done should not be condoned, but has the law been overly heavy handed in these 2 instances?
would not a warning and a fine suffice?
as noted by the judge, young singaporeans do not have any memories of race and religion issues because we’re “blind” to them.
we grew up in a multi-racial and multi-religious society. having to interact with people of different races and religions is part of our everyday lives. i don’t think our generation or those after us judge a person on the basis of his race or religion anymore.
neither do i feel that racial or religious hatred can be so easily propagated by a few bigots here because we do think of ourselves as singaporeans first and foremost regardless of creed and colour.
that had been evidenced by the reportedly more than 200 responses to 1 of the offender’s online posting.
as i’ve mentioned before, i’ve never heard of the sedition act prior to this episode. i agree that ignorance is not a valid defence for breaking the law. but shouldn’t the investigators looked deeper into the intentions behind the remarks of the 2 accused?
were they really made in an attempt to incite racial and religious hatred or out of hot-headedness and idiocy? shouldn’t the law distinguish the difference?
the blogging community has waited with abated breath for the judgment.
while many have argued that blogs are personal journals that are meant to be read by a selected group of people, the fact remains that these private diaries exist on the web which is accessible by practically anyone in the world.
the sentencing has clearly acknowledge that the internet is a mass medium just like your trusty newspapers and other paper publications, that means the same standards will be applied uniformly to it… at least here in singapore.
that said, maybe it’s time for the internet-savvy younger generation to be media-savvy as well.
ippt
the dreaded 4-letter word for every [unfit] nsmen...
gordon finally cleared his ippt today after 2 attempts. he had some problems with clearing the 2.4 km run under 13:00
think i better start training for my ippt soon since my ict is coming up next february… need to work on my pull-ups and running liao…
gordon finally cleared his ippt today after 2 attempts. he had some problems with clearing the 2.4 km run under 13:00
think i better start training for my ippt soon since my ict is coming up next february… need to work on my pull-ups and running liao…
Friday, October 07, 2005
changing appetites @ marina square
ms tan and madam tan joined pl, serene and myself for dinner. :) had to queue for table since it’s friday night.
i had the teriyaki black pepper pork ribs. it came with fries and a serving of coleslaw. the food was ok. nothing to shout about.
pl had beef. jeanette had a seafood pasta while serene and marilyn had fish. pl remarked that her beef was nice and tender. the rest didn’t have any complaints with their dinner.
changing appetites feels like a copy of café cartel. even the menu and pricing are quite similar. in fact, there’s a café cartel just 2 units away.
overall, it’s just a casual place to catch up with friends over decent food if you don’t want to spend too much.
after that, we adjoined to bakerzin at millennia walk for desserts.
stuffed.
i had the teriyaki black pepper pork ribs. it came with fries and a serving of coleslaw. the food was ok. nothing to shout about.
pl had beef. jeanette had a seafood pasta while serene and marilyn had fish. pl remarked that her beef was nice and tender. the rest didn’t have any complaints with their dinner.
changing appetites feels like a copy of café cartel. even the menu and pricing are quite similar. in fact, there’s a café cartel just 2 units away.
overall, it’s just a casual place to catch up with friends over decent food if you don’t want to spend too much.
after that, we adjoined to bakerzin at millennia walk for desserts.
stuffed.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
one george street
had to re-arrange my yoga schedule because poh ling can only meet for friday dinner since she’s going off to attend a colleague’s wedding at malacca on saturday.
went china square food court for a light dinner of fried fish soup. skipped the rice as i intended to do my run before the yoga class.
sat by the pool to let my fish dinner settle. cool breeze. nice view.
wouldn’t mind working out here on weekdays except it’s much further from the mrt than capital tower is. furthermore, there’s no covered walkway from the station unlike capital tower.
had a good run on the treadmill, about 5 km including warming up and cooling down. sweated buckets as usual.
why don’t the treadmills here have built-in fans like the ones at paragon? :(
did some stretching while waiting for the bodyjam class to end. noticed herlina was in the class. issey is already here, talked to him bit.
herlina was surprised to see me. told her i’m there because i can’t make it for friday’s class. she asked me about serena’s class and i told her it’s faster-paced than issey’s.
saw some members previously working out at capital tower attending the class. quite surprised to see that they’re quite flexible too… hmm… must be regulars.
typical issey’s class, not too “siong”. a good crowd considering it’s at such a late timing.
however, i wasn’t very “comfortable” with the studio as there weren’t mirrors in front for me to check/correct my postures.
but the nike mats here are thicker and had better traction because it’s the more expensive double-sided version.
went china square food court for a light dinner of fried fish soup. skipped the rice as i intended to do my run before the yoga class.
sat by the pool to let my fish dinner settle. cool breeze. nice view.
wouldn’t mind working out here on weekdays except it’s much further from the mrt than capital tower is. furthermore, there’s no covered walkway from the station unlike capital tower.
had a good run on the treadmill, about 5 km including warming up and cooling down. sweated buckets as usual.
why don’t the treadmills here have built-in fans like the ones at paragon? :(
did some stretching while waiting for the bodyjam class to end. noticed herlina was in the class. issey is already here, talked to him bit.
herlina was surprised to see me. told her i’m there because i can’t make it for friday’s class. she asked me about serena’s class and i told her it’s faster-paced than issey’s.
saw some members previously working out at capital tower attending the class. quite surprised to see that they’re quite flexible too… hmm… must be regulars.
typical issey’s class, not too “siong”. a good crowd considering it’s at such a late timing.
however, i wasn’t very “comfortable” with the studio as there weren’t mirrors in front for me to check/correct my postures.
but the nike mats here are thicker and had better traction because it’s the more expensive double-sided version.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
aquafit
feeling kinda bored with my workout routine lately so decided to go and try out the water aerobics class at capital tower.
rodney, the instructor, tried something new today.
instead of the usual aerobics moves, we basically had body combat in the pool. too bad there weren’t any audio tracks accompaniment. that would have been swell.
jabbed, punched, hooked and kicked my way for 1 hour with nary a drop of sweat. we even did partner work!
cool.
rodney, the instructor, tried something new today.
instead of the usual aerobics moves, we basically had body combat in the pool. too bad there weren’t any audio tracks accompaniment. that would have been swell.
jabbed, punched, hooked and kicked my way for 1 hour with nary a drop of sweat. we even did partner work!
cool.
Monday, October 03, 2005
run
went for my run again… feeling rather lethargic today… i think i need a running buddy to push myself further. sigh...
timing: 27 mins 30 secs
timing: 27 mins 30 secs
Saturday, October 01, 2005
bali bomb blast
it happened again…
closed to 3 years after the first bombing in october 2002, suicide bombers have targeted once again the resort island of bali, a popular destination for many australians and japanese.
the tourism industry there had barely recovered from the last incident is now plunged into another period of uncertainty with cancellations for the next 2 months not helped by the reports of casualties and injuries filing in.
although smaller-scaled damages were wrought this time round, it is no less horrific with more than 20 deaths and around 100 injured. most of them tourist from media reports.
scary.
closed to 3 years after the first bombing in october 2002, suicide bombers have targeted once again the resort island of bali, a popular destination for many australians and japanese.
the tourism industry there had barely recovered from the last incident is now plunged into another period of uncertainty with cancellations for the next 2 months not helped by the reports of casualties and injuries filing in.
although smaller-scaled damages were wrought this time round, it is no less horrific with more than 20 deaths and around 100 injured. most of them tourist from media reports.
scary.
Friday, September 30, 2005
5 girls
my boss & his wife together with their 5 little ones are featured in the straits times today. yes, they have 5 daughters altogether.
what’s the big deal you ask?
big families although uncommon in singapore nowadays is not unusual. just that the 5 girls are born on the same day [october 19] last year.
a pair of twins and a set of triplets.
blessed.
what’s the big deal you ask?
big families although uncommon in singapore nowadays is not unusual. just that the 5 girls are born on the same day [october 19] last year.
a pair of twins and a set of triplets.
blessed.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
glamour mums in 8days
the fold-out cover of this week’s 8days featured the “in-thing” for celebrities on caldecott hill this year, that is, become a celeb mum!
and to lose weight and regain their [sometimes even better than before] figures in double-quick time. makes you wonder if they had been pregnant in the first place.
zoe, ivy, vivian, evelyn and a few others in their glamour best while the little ones are togged out in cute kiddy branded wear.
adorable.
and to lose weight and regain their [sometimes even better than before] figures in double-quick time. makes you wonder if they had been pregnant in the first place.
zoe, ivy, vivian, evelyn and a few others in their glamour best while the little ones are togged out in cute kiddy branded wear.
adorable.
quarter-end
the taboo word in the office that strikes fear in my colleagues because they have to work late for the closing.
i’m not really affected but there’s still an increase load at work during this period. therefore leading to less time for other things such as critical thoughts and blogging. :P
i’m not really affected but there’s still an increase load at work during this period. therefore leading to less time for other things such as critical thoughts and blogging. :P
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
hello mei ling
mei ling “discovered” my blog today. she told me she’s busy going through the archives right now since she’s on leave at home.
since i started blogging in june this year, i didn’t tell my close friends about it outright. i just added the link to my email signature. she’s the first person to realise that the link is not some advertisement. :)
i’m not sure if there’re other friends out there reading my blogs without telling me so.
since i started blogging in june this year, i didn’t tell my close friends about it outright. i just added the link to my email signature. she’s the first person to realise that the link is not some advertisement. :)
i’m not sure if there’re other friends out there reading my blogs without telling me so.
Monday, September 26, 2005
mp3 player conking out
went for a run again along the canal at sunset way. did 27 minutes for the 4.6 km route.
a slight improvement from the beginning of the month when i was averaging 28 minutes. i wonder if it’s due to the change in my breathing technique during the run or just a normal improvement from the regular practices.
sigh... my ancient creative 32mb flash memory mp3 player can only output sound to the right ear phone. the housing is kind of loose, if you apply pressure to it, both ear phones will have output.
arrgghhh… this music in 1 ear situation is dragging me down mentally and i can’t bring my zen to run since it’s a harddisk-based device! can’t afford to damage my zen or risk my 2gb+ music collection. :(
i need a flash memory player soon.
a slight improvement from the beginning of the month when i was averaging 28 minutes. i wonder if it’s due to the change in my breathing technique during the run or just a normal improvement from the regular practices.
sigh... my ancient creative 32mb flash memory mp3 player can only output sound to the right ear phone. the housing is kind of loose, if you apply pressure to it, both ear phones will have output.
arrgghhh… this music in 1 ear situation is dragging me down mentally and i can’t bring my zen to run since it’s a harddisk-based device! can’t afford to damage my zen or risk my 2gb+ music collection. :(
i need a flash memory player soon.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
drinks @ km8
how did we ended up here?
well, ky is driving and doris don’t feel like going home earlier so we decided to check out the beach pubs @ sentosa.
by the time, we reached sentosa, it was already past midnight. a party was on-going at siloso beach near coastes that was organised by fashion tv for some bikini babe competition. but km8 was nowhere in sight.
so we decided to go over to tanjong beach… and lo & behold, km8 is there! :)
quite happening for such a out-of-the-way location at almost 1:00 am.
most of the folks were casually dressed for a beach party in tees/bermudas or tank tops/beach shorts and slippers. those at the dip pool were in swim wear even. wonder if they’ll catch a chill in the cool midnight air.
ky commented that there’re quite a number of caucasians.
i also don’t know what do you call the type of music that’s played there. but it’s danceable with no vocals. not house definitely. i’m so out of touch with the clubbing scene. old liao!
gordon was spacing out while ky didn’t drink because he’s driving. since nobody in our group danced that night, we didn’t stay too long.
when we adjoined to fong seng for supper, gordon made his escape. hehe…
well, ky is driving and doris don’t feel like going home earlier so we decided to check out the beach pubs @ sentosa.
by the time, we reached sentosa, it was already past midnight. a party was on-going at siloso beach near coastes that was organised by fashion tv for some bikini babe competition. but km8 was nowhere in sight.
so we decided to go over to tanjong beach… and lo & behold, km8 is there! :)
quite happening for such a out-of-the-way location at almost 1:00 am.
most of the folks were casually dressed for a beach party in tees/bermudas or tank tops/beach shorts and slippers. those at the dip pool were in swim wear even. wonder if they’ll catch a chill in the cool midnight air.
ky commented that there’re quite a number of caucasians.
i also don’t know what do you call the type of music that’s played there. but it’s danceable with no vocals. not house definitely. i’m so out of touch with the clubbing scene. old liao!
gordon was spacing out while ky didn’t drink because he’s driving. since nobody in our group danced that night, we didn’t stay too long.
when we adjoined to fong seng for supper, gordon made his escape. hehe…
Saturday, September 24, 2005
dinner @ sakae
had intended to eat at sun with moon @ wheelock but because we didn’t have a reservation, kl & mx went to queue for a table at sakae instead.
in the end, the whole lot of us made it for dinner. ky, gordon and thomas too.
sakae is celebrating their 8th anniversary. so there’s a 2 red plates for $8 promotion plus privilege card members get a generous 18% off the bill. very good value, right?
and then we went to sun with moon for desserts again. :)
this time round, i had the matcha bararoa and a orange vitamin cocktail.
nice!
in the end, the whole lot of us made it for dinner. ky, gordon and thomas too.
sakae is celebrating their 8th anniversary. so there’s a 2 red plates for $8 promotion plus privilege card members get a generous 18% off the bill. very good value, right?
and then we went to sun with moon for desserts again. :)
this time round, i had the matcha bararoa and a orange vitamin cocktail.
nice!
dinner plans
doris sms-ed in the afternoon to ask if i’m meeting the guys for dinner. when i told her there’re no plans for dinner, she asked me to organise!
duh!
was happily lazing around at home and this has to happen!
i’m such a slug! :) hehe…
so i helped doris to ask the guys via sms and told them to revert to her directly. but they insisted on replying to me instead! *&%$#@
after that, i rushed for my regular saturday yoga class by serena at paragon. was slightly late... boy, was the class packed!
managed to squeeze a mat in the left front corner right in front of the mirror. thankfully, the kind caucasian lady moved her mat to give me some space.
as usual, serena tried to murder the whole lot of us in class. :P
duh!
was happily lazing around at home and this has to happen!
i’m such a slug! :) hehe…
so i helped doris to ask the guys via sms and told them to revert to her directly. but they insisted on replying to me instead! *&%$#@
after that, i rushed for my regular saturday yoga class by serena at paragon. was slightly late... boy, was the class packed!
managed to squeeze a mat in the left front corner right in front of the mirror. thankfully, the kind caucasian lady moved her mat to give me some space.
as usual, serena tried to murder the whole lot of us in class. :P
Friday, September 23, 2005
ivar: completed
it took the collective effort of my mum & dad, my sis and myself to finish assembling the entire unit at 1:00 am in the morning. a miracle considering there weren’t any unintended incidents like bruised fingers or injured toes. :) haha…
my sis had on her own fixed up the other cabinet and 2 drawers before we chipped in to help. she had a bit of trouble with a drawer because 1 of the boards was not aligned properly. had to get my dad to drill a new hole so that the screw doesn’t protrude out of the board.
fixing the 2 cabinets onto the frame took quite a bit of effort from the 4 of us, lifting and aligning. surprising, the shelves were a stroll in the park. no screws were needed. the designers are geniuses!
moral of the story?
$30+ is peanuts to pay for the assembly, especially if you have cabinets and drawers.
my sis had on her own fixed up the other cabinet and 2 drawers before we chipped in to help. she had a bit of trouble with a drawer because 1 of the boards was not aligned properly. had to get my dad to drill a new hole so that the screw doesn’t protrude out of the board.
fixing the 2 cabinets onto the frame took quite a bit of effort from the 4 of us, lifting and aligning. surprising, the shelves were a stroll in the park. no screws were needed. the designers are geniuses!
moral of the story?
$30+ is peanuts to pay for the assembly, especially if you have cabinets and drawers.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
ivar
my sis ivar unit bought from ikea on sunday was delivered yesterday.
she paid $700+ for the entire shelving and didn't think it makes sense to pay an additional 5% of the price for them to fix it up for her. duh! as if she's an expert on such diy stuff!
in the end, she spent 1.5 hour to fix up just 1 cabinet with my instructions. made complicated by 1 board that was not entirely flat and hence couldn't align properly to the wooden peg.
there're another cabinet, 2 drawers, 6 shelves to be fixed onto the frame. and i'm expected to help!
wah liao... should have warned me and i would have gladly offered to pay for the assembly costs.
she paid $700+ for the entire shelving and didn't think it makes sense to pay an additional 5% of the price for them to fix it up for her. duh! as if she's an expert on such diy stuff!
in the end, she spent 1.5 hour to fix up just 1 cabinet with my instructions. made complicated by 1 board that was not entirely flat and hence couldn't align properly to the wooden peg.
there're another cabinet, 2 drawers, 6 shelves to be fixed onto the frame. and i'm expected to help!
wah liao... should have warned me and i would have gladly offered to pay for the assembly costs.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
bored @ work
my friend, tony says he's getting bored in his job.
he's wondering if he should hunt for a new job since his current contract will only end sometime next year. that means, should he quit now, he'll lose his 13th month and variable.
told him in any case, if he wants to leave, better make sure he gets a job first. the economy feels kind of wobbly to me. seems capable of swinging either way in 6 months' time in spite of more upbeat forecast of recruitment in the 4th quarter as reported in the papers.
he's wondering if he should hunt for a new job since his current contract will only end sometime next year. that means, should he quit now, he'll lose his 13th month and variable.
told him in any case, if he wants to leave, better make sure he gets a job first. the economy feels kind of wobbly to me. seems capable of swinging either way in 6 months' time in spite of more upbeat forecast of recruitment in the 4th quarter as reported in the papers.
headache: no more
surprisingly, my "in the background" headache faded off throughout the morning. yeah!
is that call working off the headache or more of "that which does not kill you, makes you stronger"?
anyway, just real glad it's gone.
is that call working off the headache or more of "that which does not kill you, makes you stronger"?
anyway, just real glad it's gone.
urgent leave: no more
double arrgghhh... still got my headache when i woke up this morning! &^%$#@
had to drag myself to work. not very nice to go away for 2 days unplanned with no real valid reasons.
will see how it goes, worse comes to worst then go and see a doctor later if i can't take it anymore.
had to drag myself to work. not very nice to go away for 2 days unplanned with no real valid reasons.
will see how it goes, worse comes to worst then go and see a doctor later if i can't take it anymore.
Monday, September 19, 2005
urgent leave
arrgghh... woke up with a headache this morning...
damned... and it's raining heavily too...
decided to call in for urgent leave rather then drag myself to the doctor. slept almost the entire day except to go out for dinner at west coast.
kinda wasteful use of my annual leave. :P
damned... and it's raining heavily too...
decided to call in for urgent leave rather then drag myself to the doctor. slept almost the entire day except to go out for dinner at west coast.
kinda wasteful use of my annual leave. :P
Sunday, September 18, 2005
from bach to madness
went for a performance by tang quartet @ esplanade concert hall. my first time at the concert hall.
why must the concert start at 7:30 pm?
it’s too early to have a proper dinner and make it in time for the concert!
can’t they start at 8 pm instead?!
because of the timing, decided to grab a bite before the concert instead of having a proper dinner. had boston clam chowder @ soup spoon @ raffles city. satisfying.
met kl & mx having dinner at out of the pan. actually more like wave at them when i was going up the escalator from the basement. haha…
the performance was not sold out. i’m not musically-trained or anything so i just go to enjoy the music. know nuts about movements, interpretations, and what not. so can’t give a proper review.
preferred the faster pieces. the final part with the pianist, albert tiu [whose picture looks uncannily like singapore idol judge, ken lim] was interesting.
the audience was truly in love with the quartet, getting them to come back for 2 encores with rapturous applause.
by the time the concert finished, it was too late to have dinner as most restaurants close at 10 pm. duh!
in the end, we settled for burgers @ carl jr @ marina square. had the santa fe chicken. not bad. the fries were freshly-made but oily and salty and the drinks are free flow.
a bit expensive since it's just glorified fast food.
why must the concert start at 7:30 pm?
it’s too early to have a proper dinner and make it in time for the concert!
can’t they start at 8 pm instead?!
because of the timing, decided to grab a bite before the concert instead of having a proper dinner. had boston clam chowder @ soup spoon @ raffles city. satisfying.
met kl & mx having dinner at out of the pan. actually more like wave at them when i was going up the escalator from the basement. haha…
the performance was not sold out. i’m not musically-trained or anything so i just go to enjoy the music. know nuts about movements, interpretations, and what not. so can’t give a proper review.
preferred the faster pieces. the final part with the pianist, albert tiu [whose picture looks uncannily like singapore idol judge, ken lim] was interesting.
the audience was truly in love with the quartet, getting them to come back for 2 encores with rapturous applause.
by the time the concert finished, it was too late to have dinner as most restaurants close at 10 pm. duh!
in the end, we settled for burgers @ carl jr @ marina square. had the santa fe chicken. not bad. the fries were freshly-made but oily and salty and the drinks are free flow.
a bit expensive since it's just glorified fast food.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
dinner @ punggol 183
it has been such a long time since jcgang had a gathering. the last one scheduled on 25 jun was cancelled on the day itself due to the unexpected arrival of cayden chua.
the first thing that i noticed when i stepped into the flat?
jason’s new aquarium which occupies the entire wall. nice.
this time round, all were present even the kids except for tracy who is in Taiwan enjoying herself and thomas who is busy with work.
janine, janelle, joshua, jerrell and cayden from the oldest to the youngest. the oldest, janine is turning 3 this november while cayden is only 12 weeks old today.
cayden is totally fascinated with the musical mobile hung over his cot. janet says he can stare at it for hours. i think so too ’cos he was oblivious of me when i called him. don’t think he even realizes who’s beside his cot nor does he care i suspect.
the kids created quite a din never before experienced at janet & jason’s place.
janine and joshua will allow me to carry them if i swing them into the air. janelle although very much wanted to be swung but still refuses to let me carry her to do it.
jerrell wouldn’t let me carry him either but will not mind me holding his hands when he walks… if he doesn’t realise it’s me. haha… :) otherwise, his face will change and cry for his daddy/mummy. :P
cayden is still in the “ignorant” stage, so as long as he’s comfortable, he doesn’t mind who is carrying him. he likes meat though… kept nibbling on doris’ arm. haha… :)
somehow, the kids are still not playing/interacting with each other much. maybe they’re still too young. the toys brought by siew leng helped to entertain them while her biscuit stars proved to be a winner.
the families left at around 11 pm while eric, doris and myself hanged around waiting because janet had to make sure her place was vacuumed and mopped up before she can join us for prata supper @ jalan kayu.
the first thing that i noticed when i stepped into the flat?
jason’s new aquarium which occupies the entire wall. nice.
this time round, all were present even the kids except for tracy who is in Taiwan enjoying herself and thomas who is busy with work.
janine, janelle, joshua, jerrell and cayden from the oldest to the youngest. the oldest, janine is turning 3 this november while cayden is only 12 weeks old today.
cayden is totally fascinated with the musical mobile hung over his cot. janet says he can stare at it for hours. i think so too ’cos he was oblivious of me when i called him. don’t think he even realizes who’s beside his cot nor does he care i suspect.
the kids created quite a din never before experienced at janet & jason’s place.
janine and joshua will allow me to carry them if i swing them into the air. janelle although very much wanted to be swung but still refuses to let me carry her to do it.
jerrell wouldn’t let me carry him either but will not mind me holding his hands when he walks… if he doesn’t realise it’s me. haha… :) otherwise, his face will change and cry for his daddy/mummy. :P
cayden is still in the “ignorant” stage, so as long as he’s comfortable, he doesn’t mind who is carrying him. he likes meat though… kept nibbling on doris’ arm. haha… :)
somehow, the kids are still not playing/interacting with each other much. maybe they’re still too young. the toys brought by siew leng helped to entertain them while her biscuit stars proved to be a winner.
the families left at around 11 pm while eric, doris and myself hanged around waiting because janet had to make sure her place was vacuumed and mopped up before she can join us for prata supper @ jalan kayu.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
traditional chinese festivals
saw a programme on channel u about how chinese singaporeans [do not] celebrate our traditional festivals such as mid-autumn festival.
who’s guilty of it? probably me. :P
while me and my family do not really observe/celebrate mid-autumn festival with a dinner or a special gathering, we do however, buy mooncakes for prayers and consumption.
the reason that it’s not a special occasion here in singapore is because it’s not a public holiday to begin with unlike in hong kong which i heard it’s celebrated in a much bigger way, perhaps due to its pre-dominantly chinese populace.
in fact, this year, in addition to the traditional lantern festival at the chinese gardens, chinatown is also lighted up with a bazaar set up specially for the festival.
but do i feel the festive mood in the air? nope, i think it’s because my family do not have the tradition of celebrating the day. in fact, i’ll be catching a string quartet performance at the esplanade with my sis this sunday. :P
nevertheless, i still partake in mooncakes in copious amounts during this period. love them since young. not helped by suppliers who send them to the company. i know it’s loaded with sugar and oil but who can resist a once-a-year indulgence?
i prefer the traditional baked white lotus seed paste version, without yolk if i can help it. this year, adelyn is not around to mop up the pieces of yolk that i scrape off.
i think it’s ridiculous to charge more for yolks since there’s a corresponding reduction in the lotus seed paste. does the yolks cost that much more than lotus seed paste?
however, i’m also open to new flavours. this year i bought something new from szechuan court, mini snowskin with a dark chocolate centre with almond slivers. yummy!
the best part? got a good discount since i asked thomas to buy for me. hehe... :)
who’s guilty of it? probably me. :P
while me and my family do not really observe/celebrate mid-autumn festival with a dinner or a special gathering, we do however, buy mooncakes for prayers and consumption.
the reason that it’s not a special occasion here in singapore is because it’s not a public holiday to begin with unlike in hong kong which i heard it’s celebrated in a much bigger way, perhaps due to its pre-dominantly chinese populace.
in fact, this year, in addition to the traditional lantern festival at the chinese gardens, chinatown is also lighted up with a bazaar set up specially for the festival.
but do i feel the festive mood in the air? nope, i think it’s because my family do not have the tradition of celebrating the day. in fact, i’ll be catching a string quartet performance at the esplanade with my sis this sunday. :P
nevertheless, i still partake in mooncakes in copious amounts during this period. love them since young. not helped by suppliers who send them to the company. i know it’s loaded with sugar and oil but who can resist a once-a-year indulgence?
i prefer the traditional baked white lotus seed paste version, without yolk if i can help it. this year, adelyn is not around to mop up the pieces of yolk that i scrape off.
i think it’s ridiculous to charge more for yolks since there’s a corresponding reduction in the lotus seed paste. does the yolks cost that much more than lotus seed paste?
however, i’m also open to new flavours. this year i bought something new from szechuan court, mini snowskin with a dark chocolate centre with almond slivers. yummy!
the best part? got a good discount since i asked thomas to buy for me. hehe... :)
Monday, September 12, 2005
sedition act
wow… have to be careful what i write here… didn’t know that i could be charged under the sedition act.
i’ve got no idea what that is until i read it in the papers. even had to check out the meaning of 'sedition' online at merriam webster.
sedition [n]: incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority
i’ve not read any of the blogs but i think the authorities is rather heavy-handed in this instance, seems that they’ve over-reacted.
for the record, yes i think it’s irresponsible and insensitive to write anything that goes against the multi-cultural/racial/religious nature of our society in singapore.
but why the difference in treatment between these 2 guys & the scholar who were asked to apologise and retract his racist statements previously?
shall see what's the outcome of the case in 2 weeks' time.
i’ve got no idea what that is until i read it in the papers. even had to check out the meaning of 'sedition' online at merriam webster.
sedition [n]: incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority
i’ve not read any of the blogs but i think the authorities is rather heavy-handed in this instance, seems that they’ve over-reacted.
for the record, yes i think it’s irresponsible and insensitive to write anything that goes against the multi-cultural/racial/religious nature of our society in singapore.
but why the difference in treatment between these 2 guys & the scholar who were asked to apologise and retract his racist statements previously?
shall see what's the outcome of the case in 2 weeks' time.
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