game consoles

ps3 consoles look like this



xbox 360 looks like this


nintendo ds looks like this



while nintendo wii looks like this


The other day I was at Funan, went walking around and wandered into shops that are dedicated in selling consoles and games. Didn't manage to ask how much does a Nintendo DS costs but I think it should be a couple of hundred dollars... The game cartridge itself cost around SGD$55! Saw one parent bought a Nintendo DS for his daughter. That kid looks to be about Primary 4-6 level.. and she gets a Nintendo DS already. Last time I had to top the class before I was even rewarded with... a mechanical pencil! *piangz* Time has really changed! Although my mom did eventually get us one or two handheld games.. forgot what they called it but it can only play one game, those kind... you know? Probably not your era... Those days, we had games like Donkey Kong, Western Bar etc. But I like Western Bar most... its a shooting game, but I don't have it.. I played my friend's one until the battery gone flat!


Western Bar looks like this


Ok, so back to Funan... Overall, I saw like 2-3 guys walk away carrying Xbox 360.. so I guess Xbox still rules? (for now, probably?) PS3 cost $799 per piece and its game cost about SGD$90+.. goodness.. can buy one desktop computer... And Xbox plays hi-def stuffs, so that's cool... Of course, PS3 supports Blu-Ray and supposedly there is a war going on between the hddvd format, but still to us mass consumers, at the end of the day.. its still the price that counts.. may the best priced wins! You can read more about it here.

Okay, I agree... the graphics shown from the PS3 looks awesome... (as seen from Sony Bravia tv in Funan)

Now I just wish that I have a few thousand dollars to splurge on all these luxury!

the day the building swayed...

Was in the office this morning, when suddenly had this dizzy feeling... 'Whoa.. must had been working too hard.' or so I thought. Then I looked up from the screen and then felt it more clearly now, hey.. the building is shaking! Went out of the room and saw Zak starting at Harold's room. The door was like hitting against the door frame on its own. Now that is alarming. So we decided to evacuate as it was like 11.52am. But first had to make a pee stop. Hendrik said he was in the loo when it happened and he could see the toilet door banging... he thought it was some ghostly encounter!

So we got out of office, and voila.. looks like the entire Gateway East and West people were already down there! I messaged my brother who's working at Jurong East... and yeah, he felt the tremors too. So likely is some earthquake from Sumatra. Zak said Bukit Merah also can feel the tremors. Anyway, we went to low ground and had our lunch.

After lunch, we went back to the office and minded our own stuffs. Then around before 2pm... again we felt it. This time we wasted no time and grabbed our stuffs and headed towards the door. Harold happened to be back and he asked us to pack up and go home. So we did.

Read about the news report here.

from m'sia, with love...

Took the pictures one fine day when i was at home.... yeah, was bored so took out the camera and loaded it with batteries (geez, i think my camera spoilt liao.. it eats up batteries like nobody's business!) , and stepped out of the house in style... hahaha! Anyway, it was hot.... very hot... the weather, of course!



i think this is what my parents called 'steel tree', well.. it looks like just the trunk of the plant and to plant it, you simply stick the trunks into the soil and water and wait. Basically, it'll grow and if you're lucky, it will flower too!



hmm... i don't know what this is.. but my sis does though, but never mind la, next time you ask her! i just liked the way the shadow falls!



this.. is Bobbi, my sister's pet



usually she looks like this (if she likes you...)




this one.. some kind of lime leaves... we took it and put inside our water container when we bathe... supposedly to ward off evil... or, you can use it as a natural air freshener!



i suppose this one is some kind of cactus.. and hey, got flower leh! if you wanna know the scientific name, ask my sister.. ya, she's the one that completed a degree in horticulture or something like that...



this one i know.. bougainvillea... although i suspect the spelling, is like a bit off...



this one my mom's plant.. basically the tree is like high up there.. and it has thorns... has some medicinal value to it, and it basically have a chinese name, but literal translation, this would be 'seven star needle' plant... well, literally ya..



this, is basically how the entire garden looked like... somewhere more to the far right of the picture, is the location of the dog house... Bobbi's home (but of course, you can't see it from this picture coz can't fit...). On the left most of the picture, is the 'seven star needle' plant, and you can't even see the flowers from this picture.. told ya it was tall...




and this, is how the front of the car porch looks like... direct to the main road...


So there you go.. i present to you, my home in m'sia... in a blogshell! (modified from nutshell).

Daisy Pics

Shadowy image of Daisy, curious to find out her surroundings...



Here's looking at you babe! Daisy doing her crouching tiger hidden hamster pose...

mystery...

Have you ever received a credit card bill which charges you for some transaction that you never take part in?

Well, unfortunately I am experiencing this now. It all began when I opened up my UOB credit card bill for February. In it, there was a transaction dated 16th Feb and deducted $30.40 for a DDDP Mnthly Singapore. What the heck is that anyway? But comparing the amount, it seems something like a charity donation or smthg... but since its stated 'Mnthly' as its title, it'll likely means that I am going to be deducted for this amount, every month?! What the.... and moreover, 16 Feb I was already happily in Malaysia, so how could I charge that?

Anyway, so I called the UOB Card Centre. First call, they only picked up after trying for half hour or so. So this guy answered and verified what they need to verify and asked me to wait. So I waited. Finally he came back and told me that DDDP merchant in question, is Club Rainbow. I was like, fine but the only donation to Club Rainbow was like in 2005 and that is for a one time donation only. So I asked him what can I do now. So he asked me to wait again... and thus I waited... and waited.. until the phone went *toot... toot... toot* dead. On 23 Feb, I was very busy you know.. no time to wait. So didn't call them again as I need to prepare for an external meeting at client's site. So seems like UOB guys did try to call again but during the meeting so I couldn't pick up the call as well... and on the same night, I had to board the train back to M'sia so will continue with this problem when I'm back.

So today, I called the UOB Card Centre again, and today the response time is much shorter. So I repeated my problem again ('coz I can't recall the previous guy's name, though I suspect he's the same one that I am speaking to now!) and he asked me to wait again. After like 10 minutes, he came back with 2 numbers, 1 for Club Rainbow and another one for the company that runs the DDDP programme for Club Rainbow (think the company is called APPCO or smthg like tht). UOB says its best for me to call the merchant and ask for a refund.

So I called Club Rainbow and a lady called Stephanie (or was it Daphne? Sorry la but cannot catch the name) answered my call. So I explained everything again, and she checked her computer system and came back with this, "Hmm.. Ms Lee, seems like the only transaction that you did with your this credit card was a one time donation to Club Rainbow.. and that was deducted in 2005?" I was like, yeah.. correct.. but what about this latest transaction dated 16 Feb? She reiterated that there is no record for any request for any deduction for 16 Feb for this credit card number and usually the amount should be $30.60 if its really from Club Rainbow. Hmm... back to square 1.

Oki, never mind.. although the mood level had dipped to -20. So I called back UOB Card Centre and this time, a lady answered and her name is Liza (or Lisa.. not sure but from her accent, likely she is a Filipino.. not that it matters..) Anyway, I repeated my problem again, and she needs to verify whatever that needs to be verified again and as you may have guessed it... she asked me to wait. After like 10 minutes, she came back but she has more manners that the guy, 'coz she apologized for the waiting time (not that it really made any difference anyway...). She can't confirm anything but she said she'll call back in half hour's time to advise on next step.

So she did call back after some time, and she said from their records, the merchant is Club Rainbow. She said I would have to request for a written letter from Club Rainbow to state that they have never intended to deduct the amount from my card, and then fax the proof to them. I was like silent for a while, and then said, "Hmm... this is strange, for UOB to start deducting anything from customer, it would have meant that UOB had received instruction from merchant (with prove and everything) but now the merchant had claimed that they did not instruct. Shouldn't it be like UOB work it out with the merchant instead of the customer having to do so?" Simple question, right? Immediately, she said "Ms Lee, its ok if you cannot get the written letter from them, just simply fill up the form to state that you did not participate in this transaction." I was like.. WHAT? First you asked me to get letter and now you say its not necessary? WHAT IS THIS...? So never mind, 'coz she's just the poor customer service person and the problem didn't start from her anyway. So I said, ok.. send me the form.

But I am still curious (although curiosity should kill the cats but me not a cat mah!), so I called the second number, to the company called APPCO. A lady answered and thus I repeated my problem again for the 101th time. Again, she punched the numbers into her computer and the record only showed the 2005 transaction (but no one was interested in 2005 transaction!). Again, I said, it's very strange as UOB claimed to have received the instruction from merchant and now, none of the merchant (Club Rainbow and APPCO) said they had instructed for the deduction. Its like a mystery waiting to be solved... So I did asked if APPCO is running anything for other charities besides Club Rainbow. She said yes and rattled one but it didn't sound anything remotely like what I would donate to. So she said, she will get back to me as this is indeed, puzzling to say the least.

Questions: WHO, HOW, WHERE and WHY?

WHO:
1. Was it UOB that for some reason, entered the wrong digit and thus poor me had to pay for it?
2. Was it Club Rainbow for some reason, submitted the wrong number to APPCO?
3. Was it APPCO for submitting the wrong number to UOB?
4. Was it myself, who signed up for the donation and then became amnesiac and thus had no memory of it?

HOW:
1. It was obvious, the transaction was via credit card.. but for the past 1 month, my main credit card was Citibank Visa and not UOB... and the only thing I used UOB for, was for a monthly instalment for something else (definitely not a charity donation).

WHERE:
1. On 16th Feb (transaction date), I was physically in Malaysia (together with the suspect, UOB credit card). So how could I have signed up for that? (of course unless a post-date transaction was instructed but no leh... don't have this in my memory bank)

WHY:
1. I'm not rich, cannot donate to so many charities (currently is supporting S'pore Cancer Society and NKF Children's Fund through the UOB credit card) and Club Rainbow I distinctly remember is a one time payment (and indeed the organization itself have confirmed that I was only a one-time donor)

Therefore, there is no conclusion at this moment... Only the frustration level has dippped to -30, but ahah, the mystery and curiosity level has increased to +15. Is this somehow connected the the alien lights that I had seen last year? Was I abducted during that short 2 seconds (not very likely as I was with my brother at that time.. but then time need not run in sequence as we know in our dimension. If the aliens runs in a parallel dimension and what I saw was when the dimensions somehow intersected and thus created a pocket whereby certain objects came into our dimension view... ). So no one knows...

--------------------- to be continued -------------------------------

home

Taking the train home today. Home for the lunar new year. Spring cleaning, lots of food, and gathering with family. Heh, last year nearly didn't make it home 'coz we missed the train. Ya, it was funny but not at that time. Quite 'gan cheong' one... reached the station but the train has just left. So last year, we took the night train instead of the morning one. So this year, no more. Need to leave house at 6.30am, so should reach around 8.00am ('coz need to make detour to get breakfast as well). The train leaves at 8.20am.

Met up with Cherry and Gilbert yesterday, nice funny kids. We went ktv'ing and stayed till 12am. Gilbert brought his colleague, while Cherry brought her poly friend. She gave me a flower too, how sweet!

Reached home about 1am+ as it was quite difficult to get a cab. Waited for the bus for about 15 minutes but no 190 came along... strange ya?

Heh, but anyhow, Happy Lunar New Year everyone! Gong Xi Fa Cai, Wan Shi Ru Yi!

Hasta la vista, baby~ I'll be back... (on 20th Feb)

today is...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Every year nearing chinese new year, i'm sure singapore retail industry will see a sudden increase in sales. Everything from everyday household items (especially those cleaning stuffs, soft drinks) to undergarments (its considered auspicious to wear new stuffs?) to bak kwa's. For myself, minimal requirements is to get something to wear that is not black in color and everything else can recycle old one. Went to change money yesterday and the exchange rate has dropped from something like 226.15 to 225.19 within a day. But then, me not changing in thousands... so still ok bah. Probably rugi about 2 plates of black black hokkien mee. Haha!

Finally fixed up my TV card, and thus the days of Japan Hour is finally back again! Been deprived for at least 2 months or so.. no TV! We did call up the repair guy but he quoted like $180 to fix the Sony 38" TV. Owner said that if we fix it, then we pay.. else no need to fix also never mind. This owner good hor? Last time, when we rented in Yew Tee also, the owner charged us everything! The washing machine spoilt within few months of our arrival and we had to pay $150 for it. Hng! But now some of the contracts will state that if anything below $100 then the person who rents the place will pay, anything above $100 then owner will bear the difference in cost. Like that hor, I'd advise don't rent those old old place. I've ever stayed in Serangoon North (old flats) and during the last 2 months prior to contract end, the light bulbs dieded one by one. We replaced about 4 of them! Hah! Paid liao only get to enjoy short while, not worth it man!

Haha, lots of stories to tell about renting outside. But that'll be another time, another day. For now, just lots of packing and last minute shopping to do!

popeye chicken & biscuit

Was at T1 Changi yesterday evening to send off Ivan and Agi. Was quite a huge turn-out with his church mates all there as well. So, after that, we decided to go find the elusive but 'famous' Popeye Chicken and Biscuit fast food. 'Famous' 'coz it was highly recommended by colleagues and friends who had tried it. But to me, if it is that good... how come it's not found anywhere else but in Changi? Hmm... but anyway, we went around and found it at the level above the departure hall.

popeye counter

When we reached there, it was really crowded... packed! So, it was a good sign, yes? Anyhow, we went to queue up while my brother go look for a place to sit. We ordered two sets of 2piece chicken and 1 set of 3 piece chicken. It was stated on the menu that the chicken comes as spicy or mild but the wait staff didn't ask, so I also don't know whether the ones that we ate was spicy or mild...

So we sat down and started eating. The set comes with 1 regular side dish and 1 scone like thingie. So we chose, coleslaw, mashed potato and cajun fries as the side. I suppose that is the 'buttermilk biscuit'? Not sure, haha! Anyway, the scone is a refreshing change from the usual bun, and it tasted quite alright with the accompanying jam. The fried chicken looks like KFC's crispy chicken but slightly better. The meat was quite juicy and was probably 0.5% less oily than KFC? (But equally as sinful, I suppose!)

Anyway, conclusion is..... nothing spectacular lor. Quite a letdown from all the hype bah. How apt is this saying, "The greater the expectation, the more disappointment." But the queue was still snakingly long while we were there... heh heh, people here sure like fast food!

for some reason...

there is a phrase stuck in my head... you know those kind something like a song keep playing in your head? Well, same same except that now it is a phrase.. . Haha, for some reason I have 吃力不讨好 kept repeating itself... over and over again. It's there when I was sleeping.. it's there when I bathe, it's there again when I eat... even when I shit!

Perhaps its an omen... a sign... to signal that all that's been done (or doing) is actually futile. Well, not only futile, but it'll suck the life out of ya! Wahahaha... but then, you'd say that..."可能你想太多了"！

S.H.E concert

Ya... today is their concert day and I can't go... so sad! Last minute news is heard that Stephanie Sun will be one of the guest. Sigh...

But as it turn out, lucky I didn't buy the tickets 'coz today we're having farewell dinner for my cousin. My cousin Ivan and his wife Agi, will be staying in Australia for at least a few years for their missionary work. All the best to ya!

gary - superman

Gary 曹格 latest album "Superman" is out in the market now!

Songs list:

01. SUPERMAN
　　02. 两只恋人
　　03. GIRLFRIEND
　　04. 背叛
　　05. 你是我的宝贝
　　06. 3-7-20-1
　　07. 保护你
　　08. 爱到底
　　09. 我的甜蜜蜜
　　10. 天使妒忌的生活

There are a few songs that have 'attitude', e.g 3-7-20-1 and 爱到底. Personally, I like 两只恋人 at this point in time. I feel this album is better than the previous one, 格格blue.

cooking mama

How I wish they have this game for PC as well! But alas, they only had it for Nintendo DS (what does DS stands for?)

Game plan sounds easy. Follow instructions and create 76 dishes using the recipes given. Start from basic 15, and expand the next 61 dishes. Cool, right?

They even have a sequel for Nintendo wii called Cooking Mama: Minna to Issho ni Oryouri Taikai!

The only cooking game that I've ever played so far, is the Restaurant Empire. But its more like managing a restaurant rather than a cooking game.

So, if they ever create one Cooking Mama for PC, I'll definitely buy!

is there life without tv?

For as long as I can remember, television has always been a part of my life. Almost every waking moment was spent in front of the television. Every meal time was always in front of the tv. My mom used to say that my eyes were glued to the tv set. Luckily it never dawned on her to ban television from my life ('coz my grades were still considered ok I guess!), or else how miserable would my childhood be? Haha!

And that was way back then when there were no such thing as internet nor computer. I am a small town kid and doesn't own any computer till I was in my twenties. But that was way back then...

So recently, the tv in my rented place decided to go on strike. Oh, it did gave us some warnings. When we switched it on, it'll give some hissing sound but as usual, none of us gave any second thoughts on that. Till one fine day, it not only produced the usual hissing sound but accompanied but some popping sound as well and the screen will flicker. It does sound like it was going to explode, so we did not dare to turn it on since then. So the tv went into semi-retirement mode till someone get the electrician to come and fix it.

Meanwhile, I've decided to sign on to mobtv for SGD$10.90 per month to catch the current 9pm show on Channel 8 called 'The Peak'. Heh heh, ok.. I admit I like to watch Dawn Yeoh (think its spelt this way.. not sure) since her debut in 'Shining Stars' (but think she acted better in her debut show!). Anyway, another reason is because its story revolved around a shipyard and it brings back certain memories as well. 'Coz last time I had my industrial attachment with Keppel FELS and although I didn't get a chance to wear that shipyard overalls ('coz only engineering attachees got to wear those last time, and I was with the IT dept). And no I didn't get to cycle around the shipyard too 'coz my work doesn't require me to go so many places but yes, there was one time we manage to get near to the ship and it was a totally awesome experience! Come to think of it, standing anywhere near a mammoth object will evoke certain kind of emotions from any living person, I suppose!

i was one of them

Yesterday, me and my brother wanted to go out for dinner. Our usual hangout is at Yew Tee food court. So me and him took the lift down and headed out. Just then, I looked up at the sky and saw the bright green light. It's luminous green in color (slightly oblong in shape) and doesn't look like any space craft. Its movement was quite abrupt with one moment it appeared at one location, the next second at another and very quickly it disappeared.

So I told my brother but he didn't managed to catch it. For me, I only saw it for about a second or two. So we thought nothing of it. But it seems, more people had seen it.

Read more here.

showflats

Had a gathering recently with my uni friends. Most are married, with kids. So went to Wen Pei's 'new' house at Bendemeer. New 'coz I haven't been there but the rest of the world have... haha!

The last I saw her kid was at his one month party. So now he's like 2 years old. Yeah, time practically zoomed past in supersonic speed! He was a big baby, and now he's a cute 2 year old. Looking at him interacting with others, he's a genial kid. Easy to be around with. And, he's exited about Hi 5 <-- I think it's written this way.. hmm not sure. The adults brought the kids to the pool and they were absolutely exited! Haha, fun.

So while the kids were playing, me and another couple decided to go over to the showflats opposite Wen Pei's place. I loved the showflat! Wahhaha, if I have tons of money, I'd buy it! But alas, for normal people like me who doesn't plant money tree nor print any, I can only see but cannot touch. Nicely done up and decorated, with the kitchen almost fully equiped (comes with induction cooker top!). The tiles are nice, aircond nice but very small. One studio apartment costs about $380,000 and one two-bedroom unit costs $580,000 (and that's after a 10% discount). So roughly about $600 p.s.f. Sigh, with that kind of money, can buy 5 room HDB flat and still have money to renovate. Heh, but not bad la, the agent still entertain us even though we're not really looking to buy.

Goodbye 2006... Welcome 2007!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007!!!

It's like you blink your eyes and a whole year has passed by...

Major events that happened in 2006:
1. underwent appendicitis operation
2. mom had acute glaucoma attack
3. 3 more colleagues left the company
4. found out has poor bone mass
5. adopted daisy
6. permed my hair (haha, ya I consider this as one of the major events as well!)

What will 2007 brings? No one knows...

May you have a happy new year too!

Merry Christmas!

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

orchard road coming right up...

'tis the season to be jolly.. fa la la la~ la la la~

Yup yup, Christmas is just round the corner and as usual Orchard (and everywhere else) will light up with a few thousand kilowatts again.

Latest tree attraction, well.. the nearest to my working place, is the Soo Kee diamond studded star tree at Bugis Junction. The one in West Mall is kinda huge too.. going for about 3 storeys high. Ahhh... since Vivocity has much more space... I wonder if they'll put a humongous tree there as well? Don't know 'coz haven't been to Vivo. It's like out of the way, you know?

*take a peek at the Soo Kee tree pic taken by others


Also, been seeing those Hippo buses around and its kinda cool. Going topless on a hot sunny day... (the bus is topless.. not the passengers!) If you're interested, here's the link for more info.


Tuesday was Prudence last day in LS. For her farewell lunch, we went to a quaint little shop at Kandahar Street called Bumbu.



- outside view of the restaurant

Food's not bad, can try the 'Coffee Chicken' and the 'Tauhu Telor'.

daisy

And so, have decided to call her Daisy. Well, not sure if she knows that's her name but I'll say, "Daisy, come come.. gai gai!" when I want to pick her up to play. And her nickname shall be 呆呆, coz she's quite stone at times.

This morning, let her play on my lap and she'll run up the arm, trying the 'obstacle' race which basically involved climbing over a hand wall, running headlong onto a steel tummy and sliding down the wobbly lap. But hor, you know what... she pooped on my arm. Haha!

first day!

Opps...Caught in the act!

Looks like she had discovered that the wheel is so much fun to run on! Still bearable, not too much noise at this moment. Good thing that the cage has no parts that she can chew on.

Been letting her get used to my hand. Didn't dare to pick her up, so waited till she gets into the food tray and then picked up the entire thing. She'll not notice till for about 5 seconds later and then she'll start to panic. Sniffing around and finally coming out to walk on the palm. Of course it didn't help that I also gan cheong and ended up with sweaty palms! Haha, but its fun and will have to hold her everyday so that she'll not go wild...



Come closer...

new home

small cosy home...


Finally the latest addition has arrived! Heh heh, for the moment, she doesn't have any name yet... but she does like to sleep alot. She's been sleeping in the office and now after putting her into her new home, she explored a little, ate a little and seemed 'gan cheong' for a while, and now... sleeping already!


dun disturb!



She's only been home for about an hour or so, and she has finished exploring. Well, the cage isn't exactly very big anyway... Seems like she haven't discovered the exact usage of the wheel. At first she refused to climb onto it... going under, going around.. anywhere but climb on it. After I had finished bathing, I found she's actually perched on the wheel but didn't run on it. Probably she's still young (around a 5-6 weeks old).

Seriously I think she dislikes the cat litter as bedding. She tried to burrow her way through it but gave up as the cat litter is harder and not conducive as a hiding place. Hmm... probably will try to get the recycled paper bedding next time. Softer and more comfy!


can you see me?

preparation for the new arrival

i thought i'd never rear any hamsters again after the last one dieded... but well, things have been buzzing around ever since last weekend. Went to scout for a small cage (coz now its the first time i'm rearing dwarf hamsters... but hor, i read from the internet that black bear is actually campbell breed.. not dwarf.. hmmm.. don't know!) So anyway, went to Pet Station in Causeway Point. Didn't like the cages found in Pet Lovers Centre, as either it was too big, too expensive or they have wires (which makes way too much noises when the hammie starts to chew on them!) Anyway, managed to find one cage meant for rodents and mices (hmmm...hopefully it won't attract the real ones! yikes!). From Taiwan it said (i mean the cage of course!). Well, as long as it is within my budget. Got it for $16++ but somehow got discount so ended up paying $17+ for one medium sized cage and a small hand carry container. Last time I bought Habitrail cage and now i looked at that price ($40), nearly fainted. Why? Coz the last Habitrail cage i actually threw it away when the last hammie dieded. *sob sob*

But, couldn't find the Carefresh beddings (grey colored recycled paper type that was quite popular two years back) there so today went shopping at Pet Lovers again. Asked the sales guy and he recommended cat litter... Cat litter leh! Hmm.. anyway, he said nowadays that's what people are using for the hamster bedding and so i bought one packet (6 litre) to try lor. Also bought hammie food and hammie wood block for them to chew (dun chew my new cage can liao!). Anyway, wood block for chewing is so lame. Can just use ice cream stick I suppose...

Will update the pictures once the camera's batteries are recharged. The stupid batteries will actually go flat very fast(whether u use or dun use).... dunno why also.

unknown

well, at least it ranked somewhere! *LOL*

GST

So GST is increasing again? Well, what do we expect? GST going down? In our next live perhaps!

Well, indeed we had made our vows of less restaurants, less shopping when GST was last incremented to 5%... but how many of us really adhered to that? For the first few weeks/months perhaps... but come one year down the road later, we're still surviving. Shops are still ringing in the sales, houses still get sold, cars are being bought in droves... (hehe, probably the last one was a little exaggerated! :P ) Anyway, the point is, we'll complain, we'll protest... but sooner of later, all of us will succumb and accept our fate.

Still, probably its a conspiracy theory of some sort. A knee-jerk reaction of consumers would be to go all out and buy all our 'big' items this year, just so that we do not need to pay the extra 2% when the increase is implemented. Imagine a goods of $2000... 2% of that would be $40, and that's a lot! $40 could get you a brand new phone (with 2 yr line of course!). Let's say everyone out there quickly went out to buy those items this year (to save costs). Then if the increase was suddenly delayed (or staggered), that would ensure the economy gets boosted up quickly. Shops would be happy that their sales had increased by the tenfolds, no loss to consumers as they probably needed to buy their stuffs anyway and thus, the country's economy rises, yay! Haha, well...

Anyway, the point is, any increase of whatever sense... we'd still survive. For new job seekers, make sure you cost in the extra 2% towards your pay package. For existing employees, just pray and work hard to ensure company is growing and thus (maybe) you'll get a fatter bonus next year. For us not so lucky ones, well.. hawker centre... here we come.

freckles and such

Although I'm quite a sucker for any sales person to approach, but if the price is too high... well, you won't get my business.

Was walking in Guardian West Mall, and as usual, the sales lady saw my freckles and thus begins her sales pitch. "Miss, you want to try some cream to remove your freckles? This product very good, it clears the freckles from within. Not like the others, which just provides the whitening effect..." I was like, okay.. show me the product then. No harm looking. So she went to find her brochure and said the product was from Japan bla bla bla... Then I was like, how much is that? Is it like expensive? Then she whispered and said, "Ya.. its slightly a little pricey but think of the wonderful effects... and it has medicated values to it as well... etc etc" Okay, so how much is that? Guess how much... 1 tube of around probably 50ml or so... SGD$180! Wa lao... so expensive. Cannot afford.

udon for dinner

So was kinda bored... and figured I'd do udon for dinner. The other motive was to finish up some stuffs that had been sitting around in the kitchen for a while now (that would be onions, garlic). So here's what I did:

Ingredients

1. udon ($2 for two packets)
2. seafood (mixed sotong, small prawns and clams. Seasoned with pepper, sesame oil and some salt) ($1.90)
3. ikan bilis soup stock (instant ones)
4. 1 big onion (chopped, and seasoned with olive oil and some salt)
5. lots of minced garlic
6. taiwan sausages ($3.30 per packet, used two so cost is $1.65)
7. butterhead lettuce ($2+ per packet, used one, so cost is $1)
8. red chili ($1, used one, so cost is $0.25)
9. mint leaves ($0.80)
10. fish sauce (optional)

Process

1. Boil udon for about 1.5 minutes to soften and pre-cook. Rinse with cold water and set aside in serving dish.

2. Boil the soup base and set aside.

3. Fry minced garlic, seafood and chopped onions. Add red chili as desired

4. Add soup stock and let it come to a boil. Add pre-toasted taiwan sausages (cut into smaller pieces).

5. Add udon and coat well with soup. Stir gently and add in lettuce when the soup has thickened a little. Let it cook for about half a minute. Dash with some fish sauce to add to taste.

6. Serve and garnish with mint leaves.


Total cost for dinner (serves 2)=$7.60

Quite tasty, but it didn't look pretty. The bowl was kinda small so everything looked cluttered. The first bowl came out dryer as the sauce thickened well. But the second one, came out looking like udon soup.. which I don't mind la.

child of our time

Have you heard of this programme? I find it a great show, informative and educational. Suitable for all, not only parents. It follows through the lives of selected children from various backgrounds, and this project spans across 20 years.

Child of Our Time comes on TV (Arts Central) every Thursday 10pm.

Yesterday, we learn about what motivates a person/child, the way we pick up new skills, why talking on cellphone while driving is dangerous and to recognize some disabilities that we may not be aware that we are having.

It shows that a child, given a reward at the beginning of a task, will actually performs badly or half-heartedly, if done at all. If the child is given a surprise reward after the task is completed, will return to the task will renewed vigour. And surprisingly, if a child is not told that they will be getting any reward at the end of the task, they will still perform the task (and they looked quite happy enjoying it too!) without any expectation of a reward.

Also, it seems that a person will learn better if the new skill is linked to some senses; smell, taste, visual, auditory etc. As a baby, there is a link between skills and senses for us to learn better and faster. However, for most of us, this 'link' will disappear once we have mastered the skill and when we grow, as this 'link' is now deemed useless. However, for some people, it seems this link remains with them. So, when they listen to a music for example, they will actually see blots of shapes or colours forming in front of them (probably when they were young, music was linked to some shapes and colors). I find these information, fascinating :)

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri

Here's wishing to all my Muslim friends a very very happy Hari Raya Aidil Fitri! Maaf zahir dan batin!

home-made ice cream~

There's this quaint little shop that we always walked past during lunch at Shaw. Outside of the shop stood a chalk board that exclaims exotic flavors such as "Red Date & Longan Ice Cream", "Plum Ice Cream" etc. The flavor of this month is "Wasabi Lime".

So finally today we went into the shop to try. It was a nice surprise that we can sample any ice-cream that we like before we even buy anything. Tried the wasabi lime and its actually quite good! Refreshing, I would say.

But as usual, I'd go for the safe stuffs. I had Chocolate and Coffee (you can mix 2 flavors! How nice, hor) The others tried the Wasabi Lime and Mango, Chocolate Banana and Coffee, and Oreo Cheesecake and Vanilla. The price is $2.80 for small cup. But they'd fill up to the brim and the ice-cream is actually quite the sticky type like gelato!

I give the chocolate flavor, the highest vote in terms of taste. Rich and slightly bitter.. very good, very nice. Tasted a little of the oreo cheesecake flavor.. quite nice and good for those who prefer their ice-cream sweeeet. The coffee flavor, would come in second in terms of aroma, but the taste is not as good as the chocolate. Chocolate banana... hmmm.. not for me.

If you're there, you can look for Eunice. She's super friendly and you can talk to her about any ice-cream flavor that you would like to see on the menu. She did mention that coming flavors would be Durian and Black Sesame!



ps: the shop's name is Tom's Pallete.. didn't ask about Tom though...so i dunno who's Tom
pps: ahah! we've asked about Tom, and this Tom is a common friend of Eunice and the other co-owner of the shop, who has been contributing ideas and honest feedback to them

S.H.E 'Perfect 3' World Tour 2007

They're back again on 27 Jan '07. Anyone interested in going? Tickets go on sale today! Check it out here.

houston, we can't see you

Yah man... hazy days are here again. 9pm psi level had hit 150. Imagine the people in those hot spots.. man.. hope rain will come soon.

mid-autumn night~

中秋节快乐！Have a great day, this mid-autumn~!

To HC n Gerry, congratz! and glad to know that your mini-hunk in on the way!

cooking show

Just happened to watch a cooking show on TV (Channel 5) earlier this morning. Think the show's called "Ching's Kitchen" or smthg like that. So there was this cook, and her name is Ching He-Huang, and don't know where she comes from but she's staying in England. She has a chili factory where her employees are all Brits, and they were like busy chopping up chilies, cooking stuffs etc.

Anyway, she showed one recipe about how to make the sweet thai chili sauce from scratch combined with some homemade thai fishcake. Sounds interesting? I thought so too. So the sauce is really simple. Some boiling water (200 ml), combined with sugar (she said it was dunno how many grams but to me.. it looked like a lot!), and two chopped red chilies. Throw everything into boiling water and let it cook on low heat.

Next, how to make the fish cake. She chose salmon, so she cuts up the salmon block into smaller chunks and throw into blender. Next throw in some sugar (also looked like diabetic inducing amount), throw in some 2 tablespoon of fish sauce (finally some use here! heh heh), throw in one egg, throw in chopped corriander and chili, throw in two tablespoon of corn flour, some salt, some pepper, some lime juice and some salt (actually looked like quite a lot of salt). Next blend everything and then scoop out the paste and fry in a pan.

Here's the interesting part. While the fish cakes are frying, she went to attend to the sweet chili sauce that she was left cooking earlier. Put the sauce into a blender and blends it. Then pour out into a sauce dish. Next, she goes back to the fish cake to turn over to the other side. But, when she flips it over, the TV viewers were presented with... burnt fish cakes! *LOL* Imagine that, a cooking show where the stuffs are like burnt and its a deep brown chao tar kind! So she had to continue no matter what, and so she said, "I like my fish cakes crispy". That's ultimate! Muahahahaha!

If you like, you can catch the show on Saturday's, I think its around 8.30-9 or 9.30 am. Realized that England grocery shops do stock up on Asian sauces, as there were Lee Kum Kee's, Yeo's and other familiar brands shown.

buy buy buy

Yesterday I wandered inside Cold Storage Causeway Point. I've always liked the variety of produce that they have over in Cold Storage (but not the prices, of course). It was amazing. Fresh green vegetables, some with names I've never heard before. Wide array of meats and seafood. Local, Japanese, Australian stuffs.. alot!

Anyways, I looking at stuffs when suddenly an auntie called out to me and asked whether I wanted to try any chocolates. Ok, no problem with that, so I went over to her chocolate counter. You can imagine Godiva, Chocz, etc but then this is like neighbourhood style but with upmarket prices! So anyway, she let me try some and so I thought ok, I'd buy some from her. So she weighted some and out came the price.. $13.80! Then she said, why not buy up to 200 gms (its $1 per 10 gms).. I was like, $20 for chocolates? NO! Haha, anyway, I still bought $10 worth from her.

So continued walking... and looking at stuffs.. when suddenly another sales lady called me over to ask whether I wanted to try some honey drink. I was kinda thirsty after tasting those chocolates, so ok, why not. So she started offering samples of all the different flavours she had. Before I knew it, once again.. I agreed to buy 2 bottles from her. Come to think of it, their strategy not bad.. get the customers to taste chocolates and then get thirsty and then offer them drinks.. *LOL* Anyway, the deciding factor on the honey drinks, was it was something nutritional and the price was right. Originally sold at $18 per bottle, now 2 bottles is $20. So that was the deciding factor. The chocolate one.. what can I say? Stupid lor...

fish sauce?

Was walking around in NTUC, searching for groceries to buy. Wanted some vegetable.. but what do you know... the whole range of vegetables.. looked, kinda limp and dead. It doesn't entice you to buy.. nothing looks fresh.. just very 掺. I suppose its because this one is in those neighbourhood kind area.. so we don't get the better products? I don't know.. or else, the vegetables imported from Indonesia, doesn't look exciting at all.. the green is like a boring kind of green, if you know what i mean... haha probably you don't, but do come down to my neighbourhood to take a look, and you'll understand.

Anyways, walked past the aisle selling sauces.. and found, fish sauce. I was searching for fish sauce in fact, but I kinda forgotten what I wanted it for in the first place. You know you wanna buy it, but you don't know why you wanna buy it. Anyway, i bought one.. its $1.30 or smthg like tht.. and its a huge bottle. Well, anyones with recipes that make use of fish sauce, do tell me, thanks! Somehow I don't think its for instant noodles though. Hahaa!

tired...

it's just like the beginning of the day...
already.. i feel soo soo tired...
give me back my sleep!
take away my eye bags!

oyster noodle?

bought a packet of the taiwanese rice vermicelli (mian xian), and tried to make oyster noodle for lunch today. hmm... well, haven't run to the toilet yet, so i guessed it was alright bah...

but i think i will go try the real stuffs someday, coz if i don't know what it was supposed to taste like, then it'll never get improved.

recipe:
oyster (couldn't find any fresh ones, so used the frozen ones instead)
marinate oyster in mirin + soy sauce and starch for about 15 minutes

cook the noodles just like instant noodles.. instructions says cook for about 6 minutes.. but my brother said it was supposed to taste softer... so i guess next time need to cook longer. i added in the oyster at the 4th minute but i also poured the whole marinate sauce in as well, that's why it was too salty!

before serving, add the pre-blanched vege and fish cake and sprinkle spring onions to garnish (was suppose to use cillantro)

hmm.. maybe next time can put some meat in as well.

Jay Chou - Still Fantasy

Jay's new album is out! Here's a list of the songs:

1. 夜的第七章
2. 听妈妈的话
3. 千里之外
4. 本草纲目
5. 退后
6. 红模仿
7. 心雨
8. 白色风车
9. 迷迭香
10.菊花台

I find the first song,夜的第七章, sounds familiar. Probably reminds you of the 以父之名 from the 叶惠美 CD. Hmm.. but there was on part of the lyrics that sounded suspiciously like the 'F' word. Haha, faintz!

Another genre that can be found in this album, is the slight bossanova feel of the 迷迭香. I suppose the 听妈妈的话 has the same feel as 爷爷泡的茶，although not as catchy. As usual he has a 中国风 song, 千里之外, where 费玉清, sang the chorus.

白色风车 sounds like its from the 十一月的萧邦 era (with similar sound to 一路向北).
红模仿 is quite a fun song.

Here's a few recommended songs:
心雨,夜的第七章, 迷迭香, 退后

Another song that sounds quite 'unjay' is the 菊花台. Very chinese orchestra like, probably can use for some chinese period drama or opera sort of stuffs!

Happy listening~

Happy 49th National Day Malaysia~

Merdeka! (.. and world peace..)

the number that you have dialled...

i'm going away
for a few days
there's only one thing i wanna say
dun miss me so much, ok?

*LOL*

anime anyone?

I liked Jubei Chan 2 - The Siberia Yagyu. Very nice graphics and fighting scenes.. but frankly speaking, I like any anime when the hero is a girl! *LOL*



DNAngel also not bad. But I don't like the "Sayuki Reload" stuffs...



Now the TV showing "Magical Girl Nanoha", so Sunday is not only foodie day (lots of food programmes) but also an anime day!

Also happened to catch an episode of Teen Titans last week... and at first thought when I saw Raven.. was... eeek, so hideous! Well, that's my first impression. Anyway, I sat through the whole entire episode and it was... quite good! Raven was actually quite cool! More to American style and the humor not bad... subtlely good~

Here's the link to more anime wallpaper.

1st Year Anniversary!

Haha, exactly one year had passed since this blog was first setup. So haPpY 1st yEaR anNiVeRsaRY, yay!

bowling for beginners

Do you like bowling? Just started? Keep throwing money down the drain? Never fear, 'coz as a beginner myself, here are some tips that you may want to take a look at.

1. Selection of a ball weight that suits you
- the experts(not me) said its roughly not more than ten percent of your body weight.
For example, if you're a male and weigh 65kg then you should take the 14 pounds ball or less. If you're a female and weigh 50kg, then should take the 11 pounds ball or less.

2. Don't rush. Take your time (but not your own sweet time!) at the startup. I've seen many a case where the person will just take the ball, step up and started throwing. Sometimes its because of the stress that others are waiting for you, sometimes its because you're 'gan cheong' etc. No matter what, don't rush as bowling requires a fair amount of stability and concentration. Bowling is also a mental game. Many mistakes that beginners made is, they felt they can't hit the pins even though they haven't try yet. This is a battle half lost if you have this mentality!

3. Holding the bowling ball. Experts say there is no right or wrong way. But get a good fit for the ball, if you don't wanna hurt your fingers. And yeah, clip those long fingernails first! I've seen cracked nails and worse blood from chipped nails when girls with long nails played...tsk tsk!

4. Look at the arrows for goodness sake. Yeah, notice those arrows at the first one third of the lane? They weren't drawn for nothing. Look at it as it acts as a guide for you to where you want your ball to go. But usually, I'll just aim for the middle with a slight right as I can only throw straight ball. No curves for me (sadly). So, aim the middle pin, throw in slightly from the right and voila, the chances of hitting a strike is there.

5. Steps to throw the ball.
a. Step up, and concentrate.
b. Start moving, and push away the ball.
c. Swing slightly as you take your second step.
d. Remember your backswing must not be higher than your shoulder (else the back benchers, watch out!!! Heh... kidding, but yeah.. not higher than shoulder) Don't bend your arms.
e. Sliding step. Release the ball when you're at the sliding foot position. Don't throw your ball. Just release and let it roll, but remember to follow through with your arms.
f. Follow through. Means at the split second after you release your ball, you let your arms follow the swing up (without the ball of course, because released already!). No need to swing so high up la.. Why must do this step? This is to prevent the release from becoming weak. No follow through would means that the power is reduced.

6. Etiquette. Yes, bowlers need to observe some etiquette too.
For example: When two bowlers step onto the approach at the same time, the bowler on the left hand lane should step to the back until the bowler on the right hand lane has delivered. At that point the left hand lane can make their address and delivery while the right hand lane steps back. This is to allow each bowler to concentrate without being distracted.

7. Watch the professionals and Develop your own style.

==========================================================

There you go. You can also find out more from the Internet if you're interested. But having these rules in mind, let's all play a better game, starting from today. However, practice does make perfect, so don't worry. The average score of below 50 today, may one day be above 100. When I first started, my average was 40-60. Today, my personal best is 149. Not bad for a casual bowler, I would say.

Disclaimer: All information were sourced based on experience and also from the internet

my dinner

Here's what I had for dinner today:

penne with asparagus and red bell pepper, in tomato chicken garlic sauce and one slice of cheese.



close up view


Does it look yummy?

nanquanmama - color palette

Nice album, cool songs. I'll recommend "Tonight", "水晶蜻蜓","離家不遠" and "悄悄告訴她". So far only 1 song made it to the yes933 龙虎榜，and that's "初戀粉色系". I find "離家不遠" and "悄悄告訴她" shared similar style.

Listen to it, although their singing can be much improved but the combination of their voices + cool music makes this album good listening material.

me, detective

I just love taking web based fun quizes!
Here's what I've got for the career makeover test:





You're a Detective!


The mysteries of man and nature stretch out before you, just waiting for your inquisitive mind. In your undying quest for the truth, you're best at finding solutions to complex problems. As a passionate and determined detective, you don't have time for a deputy. It's just as well really, since you work best alone, perhaps pondering the clues from your library or lab. You thrive on the problem-solving process, you could trouble shoot for NASA, and you won't rest until the questions are answered. The world could use a few more like you.

Who's like you:
Margaret Mead (famous American anthropologist)

Likely careers:
Detective, FBI agent, mathematician, philosopher, financial analyst, intelligence officer

Brought to you by Tickle

haPpY 41st biRtHdaY, Singapore!

yup, to my foster country, happy birthday!

cecilia.. will you ever get to cut my hair again?

hmmm... the plan was to cut hair at the hands of the professional. And I did.. once. It was just that one time that I went to Kimage to cut hair... and I didn't go alone. It was together with Flo. So our stylist was Cecilia. She has cut hair before for Joi Chua, you know the singer. Hehe, so that makes her a celebrity hair stylist! Yea man!

Cutting hair for me.. is like a gamble. Either it turns out nice ... or bad. But from past experience, most of the time, it turned out rather disappointing. When I was younger, when the salon people ask, "So what kind of hair style you want?" I'd go, "随便" which means, anything... So, yup.. they did what they liked to my hair and at the end of the day.. I didn't like it. Only once did I rather liked my hairstyle. That was during University days. Pre-uni days.. my mom cut my hair for me. So you see.. I've got no experience going to the saloon, at all. Anyways, my other more memorable trip down to a salon, was going to be a 'model'. That's what they call the guinea pig for the salon's students. I forgot what was the shop name... it was located somewhere in the outskirts of Chinatown. How did I end up being the guinea pig? Well, my ex-colleague's sister. And... the hair cut was free! So, since I don't have any preferred style for my mop of hair, I didn't mind being the 'model'. But that haircut took about 2 hours to complete. And I got to wash hair... like twice! Wahhhahaha... value for money.. eh.. no need money! Whahahaa! One thing I learnt then, was that the more senior you are in the hair cutting hierrachy, the lesser time you need on your client's head. Cool eh?

So anyways, back to Cecelia. Was suppose to go back to her for subsequent hair cuts but Plaza Singapura.. too far away from me. I even went to get the Kimage Style card.. in case I need to use it, then can get some discount. But everytime when it is THE time to cut, I'd always go to the neighbourhood shop to cut. Lately, most of the time is just to trim. So yesterday I went again, and this time the stylist complained that I always have the same hairstyle (quite true.. 20 years never change). Then he said, "Can you please put something on your hair? If not the people will think that you never comb hair.. but if you put some wax and anyhow style till messy, no one will say you never comb." Heh.. aint he a clairvoyant? He knows I never comb hair! Hahahaha

So I did get my hair cut, and it's now short. He said next time he's gonna cut it shorter for me.. now he's letting me adjust to this look. But as Gina always said... no matter what hair I cut.. at the end of the day, if I don't style it.. it'll end up looking the same. Quite true!

klunch

ahh.. I wanna write about klunch! Promo promo a bit... but they don't pay me one leh.. so just wanna share with ppl who're interested. Nowadays klunch starts pretty early, at 10am and ends at 1pm. It used to be from 11am-2pm.. but I guess they wanna start early to get more customers in... that's what i think la..

Anyway, their food not bad. I think since they've changed menu, all outlets actually will serve the same thing. I tried the CCK one twice..but the standard dropped a little. We ordered the soya sauce chicken. The first time we ordered, it was very very very nice! All dark and tasty, that soya chicken... paired with the red baby octopus that you'll get when you eat sushi, then got salad and fruits. Plus one drink. All for just $11+, and you get to sing for 3 hours! Ain't that worth it? Recently I tried again the same thing, and the soya chicken was like haven't been stewed long enough coz it was quite fair.. *LOL* if the word 'fair' can be used! But still quite ok... and then this time no octopus, only got the green seaweed.. was it seaweed? I think so la... those green stuff that sometimes they put on sushi as well.

If you're interested, here's the link.

good food in singapore

Went to Popular just now, and saw this book "The POPULAR food guide @Singapore". Ahh.. no wonder they were selling it in Popular bookstore... now I get it. Slow ah me.


the food guide

While I realise that probably the stall owners had paid some fees to get their stalls registered in this guide, there were some locations found in the guide that I'd like to recommend too.

For the Clementi zone, the one where the Brothers Rojak can be found, the same coffeeshop, you can find a good kway teow soup stall. Nice soup and the kway teow.. smooth and soft.. yummy!

Another one is the Old Airport Road hawker centre.. alot of great food there. My friend tried the Lao Fu Zhi char kway teow (also featured in the guide) and I managed to grab a bite from her then. Nice and not oily! Definitely worth trying. There also you can find one drink stall that sells sugar cane with the sour plum. I ordered one and to my pleasant surprise, it was the best tasting sugarcane with sour plum that I ever had in my entire lifetime! Why so nice? Because the sour plum was blended into tiny bits and these tiny bits filled up a fifth of the glass. When you drink together with the sugarcane juice... I can't describe.. you need to drink it for yourself! But there's only one stall that sells this version so you gotta find it first as I can't remember the stall name *LOL* There's also this mutton soup stall, manned by a friendly middle aged auntie. I tried the mixed mutton soup (means got the internal stuffs) and while the soup is peppery kind, the meat.. wow..tender and tasty. Very nice!

Had the chance to try the Tiong Bahru market suckling pig also. Very crispy. You actually can't miss it as the signboard is damn big and got lots of pictures of celebrities eating there. Price is around $8.50 for a plate of suckling pig skin (about 5 pieces), with some roasted pork and a bowl of wanton. Without the roasted pork and wanton, it'll be around $6.. I think.

SHE Forever!

Yup, being their fan, what else can I do? Of course I went to buy their album! Five new songs (mostly cover versions) and the rest are compiled from previous albums.


front cover


everything

sun biscuit

The last time my brother went to Taiwan, he brought back some 太阳饼 which is literally translated as sun biscuit. It's a sweet biscuit and inside there's this malt filling that is not too chewy and not too sticky. But that was like two years back and didn't get to eat one ever since.

But recently in Marina Square, found this shop that sells Taiwan food stuffs. So I went there in search of the sun biscuit. They have two types; one original and the other with honey. The honey version is suppose to healthier but I still like my original version better.


original version

The shop name is called 老招牌 and its situated near the Shihlin stalls. The biscuit cost SGD$1.60 per piece or SGD$15 per box (of ten pieces, I think...) Not too expensive... considering that you can get a piece of Taiwan for just that price.. yum yum~

Bugis Village

Heh, I think I shall write Bugis for today. So after having that dinner, most of us left for home while others continue to hang around, or walk walk to work off those kilos.

As Connie wanted to get earrings, so off we went to Bugis Village to get 'em. There's this shop called silver.com (that's what Adeline said, as I never bothered to look) and the guy manning the shop is super friendly. Not to mention he has good memory. He could recall that I went to his shop before with Connie. Haha, that was quite some time ago.. think about a month or two ago. Hmm.. probably it was Connie.. that's why he remembered.. keke, think he was quite smitten by her!

Anyway, his goods are quite ok, and the plus point is that he can recommend you stuffs that you'd want to buy. Not those that anyhow recommend just to make a sale. But I think most of his customers are those Taiwan Idol drama watcher teenage kind... but the previous time that we were there, he was having a difficult time with a middle age lady shopper who was pestering him on whether the necklace looked nice on her. Think she was there for about 20 minutes and if I recall.. I think she didn't buy it in the end *LOL*

I don't buy these kind of accessories but I think silver.com prices are not too bad. Should be quite affordable as on average, you can get at least two items for under ten bucks. But of course he'll tell you that for better quality items, the prices are naturally higher lor.

Steamboat

Yesterday went to eat steam boat with my colleagues at this place in Bugis (actually I think Bugis should be famous for having the most steamboat shops all lined up side by side, across each other, scattered everywhere... you name it, Bugis got it!). Anyway, this place is called 一品锅.

Actually I don't get it, really. The food sucks, the service sucks.. yet the place was PACKED to the brim! Can't believe it man! Imagine it was so squeezy that you can't move your chair as the other party's chair is back to back against yours! Come on.. even the blind could see that it was very OBVIOUS that all the shop cared for, was making money. If I were to open a restaurant like this and intend to squeeze so many bodies into one shop.. then the very least I could do is, to offer to serve you the food to your table. That is what I'll call service!

So that's it.. never again will I patronize this lousy shop. Heck, the food wasn't even tasty... I'd rate the soup taste a meagre C. Compared to this shop, I think 小样儿 (mongolian steamboat) wins hands down anytime. Soup tasty and nutritious, meat flavorful and staff members polite and courteous and... they bring the food to your table! And lastly, at least I can feel some airconditioning there.

smelly watch

i've got a smelly watch
that goes by the brand named Swatch
been with me for years, 'o trustee watch
so gotta change its strap with one that match
and then sell it off, though its surface is a bit scratched!


my smelly watch~

There was one day when I went to Causeway Points' Jacks Place to have dinner with a friend. So the waitress came to take our orders. She's cute and friendly and when we've finished ordering, she didn't went away immediately. Instead she turned to me and asked, "Hmm... may I know what time is it?" I was like quite blur and obediently looked at my smelly watch (of course it wasn't that smelly then!) and told her the time. Then she flashed out her watch and voila, both of us wearing the same watch! How coincidental was that? Heh, so this is the story of my smelly watch! Hopefully hers is doing much better than mine!

Current Playlist

Here are some of the songs that I'm listening to at the moment:

1. Fort Minor's Where'd you go
2. Tanya Chua's 深信不疑
3. S.H.E's 觸電
4. Gary Cao's 刮目相看
5. Jun Yang's 沙沙的谁

I like the catchy chorus for "Where'd you go" and "深信不疑". You know, those things that can keep playing in your head. Of couse, S.H.E's new song is what I look forward to as one of their fans. Currently this song is also enjoying ample playtime on yes933, which may or may not be a good thing because too much of it might turn people off instead. For Gary's song, it was the theme song for the TV series "CID", which ended its run like about a week or two ago. Very nice song. Jun Yang's song also not bad, easy on the ears with good pop value. All his fans will not be disappointed, especially those legion of young females! (Although I don't quite understand the title... what does 沙沙的谁 means? Sha Sha who?!)

大众脸

你知道吗？我一定是有一个超级大众脸。。。
今天，有两位不认识的老师都跟我讲that我很面善。

老师A：我觉得我好像在那见过你。。
我：是吗？我也觉得你很面善
老师A：你是在哪间学校教过书？
我:没有
老师A：在教育部做过？
我：没有
老师A：。。。
我：哈。。哈。。

老师B：erm..我是不是在那里见过你？
我：可能吧
老师B：有没有来过我的学校？
我：有
老师B：那，你见过我吗?
我:不太记得..可能见过

好吧。。我就任命吧。。。我确实有一张大众脸！名字也超级普遍。。满街都是！

ghost whisperer

Nice show. I like these soppy shows. Yesterday cried non-stop during its first episode. Hmmm...I'm a sucker for all these emotional stuffs. Blame it on the mole beneath the eye. What a cry-baby!

gina, haf you found my blog yet?

heh, didn't realize that all these while.. gina could have found this blog. if only.. she ever clicks on my nick that i had left sprawled all over her blog.

if ever, you are here... do leave a message, so that i can sleep smiling tonight, knowing you had finally found this site.

it aint so bad

Hey hey hey, got the blue nylon snip snip snipped away! Hooray! It only took the doctor about 5 minutes to ask, looked at the problem and another 5 seconds for him to cut away that dreaded thread. It only hurt like a tiny eeny bit, so it wasn't that bad. But the waiting time is still very long, close to an hour. But anyway, I'm thankful that its over now!

eek, one more stitch!

Shucks man... remember I had my appendics operation some time ago. Well, I did have the stitches removed, about 3 weeks after the op. But later noticed that there was one that had gotten away. Perhaps I was naive to think that probably, it was stuck amongst the scab that will dry up later. So many months later, which is now... I've realized that hey.. there's one more stitch on my belly button. You can't miss it. Blue nylon string... and nylons are hardy, aren't they?

Aunt Fiona says I should like get it removed... or else it'll get embedded into the flesh and then, god knows what they'll have to do to remove it (maybe they'll have to cut open the flesh?). So now I'm wondering whether I should go back to the same clinic or any other place. Since I'm working like a mad person these days, the only time I can afford is likely weekends. But I have a question. Are the weekend nurses any different from the weekday ones? Maybe they'll put part time nurses during weekends, since traffic is not so high on Sundays?

Oh man, I think I'm just scared. Ok, no more dilly dally. Will get it done today. Wish me luck!

free lunch?

Is there anything such as free lunches in this world? Heh, probably there is, if you happen to know me and is in my list of good kids. Just kidding. But I don't mind giving out treats, once in a while (if I can afford it). And if you happen to be the lucky recipient, a simple thanks will do. No need to feel bad or indebted or whatsoever.

But heh, I do have an ulterior motive... You'll know it when the time comes. Or I hope you can be as generous when the time comes. Hopefully, on the days when I am down and out and cannot afford a meal or two, you'll come forward and treat to lunch or dinner. In this way, I won't die of hunger and can still feel the warmth of human kind in times of need.

So here's to a better world, and really... there is no such thing as free lunch. Same as, there wasn't any goldilocks, nor rapuntzel, nor ....

Hair Personality?

CAREFUL FASHION FOLLOWER

Try taking the test!

square one

It's rather ironic.. albeit a little sad, to see what the office has become.

I am the only one remaining from the people of the same batch (those who joined in 2002). My department alone has seen a strength of 3, expanded to 7 and now reduced back to 3.

I'd say we're now back to square one, only the situation has gotten worse. We started with 1 product and now we have a suite of products but have to survive with the starting strength. What else can I say... except that.. it is such a sad situation.

But I guess that's the reality of life. All good things shall come to an end. As cliche as it gets, I do hope that the closing of a door, will open up another window of opportunity. There is a silver lining in every cloud... and maybe, a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

da vinci code

Went to watch Da Vinci Code the movie today. My housemate was so excited that he wanted to go and purchase the tickets a day before. I was like... if have tickets then watch,else don't watch lor. So ended up we went to get tickets 45 minutes before screen time. Yeah, the cinema was real empty. Guess not much hype in Choa Chu Kang.

I didn't read the book before, so no expectation but I did read "Angels and Demons" courtesy of the hospital stay prior to this, so I had plenty of time plus a friend lend me her book. Therefore, I am familiar with Robert Langdon and the hoo ha stuffs. And the newspaper articles carried much information on this Da Vinci code, so I guess when the movie unfolded, it was on familiar grounds. The pacing was alright, Tom Hanks looked old, and I like Jean Reno and Audrey Tautou.

But after the show, it did pique the interest in stuffs like the Priory of Scion, Templar Knights, Gospel of Mary Magdalene, anagrams and cryptex.

Interesting when the anagram to your name could be something like "ANGEL LIE I" or "GENIAL LIE" or "AGILE LINE". However, there is one phrase from the film which I liked alot, "You see what you want to believe in" and "You believe what you want to see".

birthdays

Birthdays come, birthdays go
Once a year, time passes by and we grow old
All in all, may good fortune unfold
Happy Birthday, you good old soul!

a cute appendics IV - final instalment

So they told me I would be having surgery later in the evening. I told my friends that I had to pee, and so off to the toilet I went. While I was inside, I heard a faint knock on the door. I thought probably someone needed to use the ladies. Just then I heard the nurse called out my name. I was like, "Eh, why you call me?" Then she said, "Are you ready? Surgery now." I think I became more 'gan cheong' and said, "Wait..I need to pee... again!"

So after I had finished my business, I opened the door and the nurse came in and asked me to change into the gown. I looked at my left arm and yes, the last I checked, the drip is still there. So I looked at her helplessly and she said, "Ok, I help you." A few minutes later, I walked back towards to my bed and there it was, a trolley waiting for me and all my friends were looking at me. I waved them byebye and climbed onto the trolley/bed. Of course at this point of time, my utmost concern is not to expose any body parts while my friends are still here! ('coz the surgery gown is quite unsecure) So I kept asking the nurse, "How, can? No expose?" I think she must had been laughing at me.

So I lay on the trolley, and they pushed it into the lift, towards the surgery ward. I was thinking that this felt just like in the movies... where your view is just those overhead lights flashing as you are being wheeled in. Also, if I die... will these be my last memories?

So after a few minutes, we reached upstairs and they told me to wait for the anaesthetician (is this spelt correctly? If not, must've been those few brain cells lost after the procedure..) After a while, a handsome but slightly aloof Dr Torres came by. He asked all sorts of question prior to surgery. For example, "Any jewelleries, fake teeth etc? Have to take 'em off. That's because during surgery, sometimes the person will bite the tube that we'll be putting into your throat to help you breathe." Actually, after hearing so many things plus anticipating the surgery.. I am quite dazed at this point in time. He asked many more stuffs such as, "Do you exercise often? How many flights of stairs can you climb maximum?" Heck! I didn't bother to count la! I think he was trying to make me feel less bored as the surgeon is not here yet.

So after the questionaire, suddenly they said, "Ok, let's go!" So into the surgical ward and it looked tiny with at least 5 people in it (excluding me). The lady doctor/nurse was like undressing me in front of these 4 guy doctors, and I was thinking... being sick has no room for modesty I guess... So okay, I exposed certain body parts which I'm sure they'll be seeing anyway... but I did wish she'll do it after I've been knocked unconscious... sigh.. Soon someone pushed an oxygen mask over my nose and asked me to take deep breath. So I did and the gas did smell different, so I guess this is it... time to sleep...

"I want to pee..." Yup, that's my exact words after I woke up. Then somewhere I heard the nurse said, "There's something wrong with her catheter... have to wait for doctor." So I lay there, with this strong urge to pee but didn't dare to because I didn't want to dirty the place... So we waited. Soon after another nurse came by and said to the other nurse... "Why is she on cathether? No need mah..." I was getting more bewildered by the minute.. After a while, a young doctor walked in and the nurse grabbed him and explained her suspicion. He pulled and pushed the cathether and pronounced, "Looks ok to me" I was in pain when he did that and I felt like giving him a punch at that time. Then the nurse asked why the urine couldn't flow out. And he couldn't explain why, so he took out this huge syringe that is filled with water. He just said that he is going to inject the stuff into the tube. But he didn't tell me what I should be doing. So while he was doing that, I felt the urge to pee again so I asked weakly.. "can i pee .. now...." So somehow I managed to.. and all is well again.

Back to the ward, and all familiar faces again. I felt like a beauty queen as I waved and smiled weakly at them. Haha! We talked and chatted for a while and I slept that day at 8pm... must be due to the drugs. But was plagued by bouts of high fever throughout the night. The most difficult hour was after 2am. Couldn't sleep, couldn't move and the back was very painful due to sleeping in the same position too long.

I felt that the worse part after surgery was the part where I couldn't pass motion nor pee without experiencing any pain. I was so afraid that these simple functions couldn't return to normal. So now, I am utterly and totally grateful for small things that we can perform. If everyone holds this belief.. the world could be a better place then.

So all in all, this was my adventure. Take care and see you soon!