Pasta Mania dinner

had dinner wif alex & karen @ TPY’s pasta mania last nite.

we shared 2 pastas and 1 pizza but still the spread looks too much!

didn’t even finish the garlic bread so i tabao back.

2nd time tat i realise they r not forecoming in giving u discounts and privileges tat u r entitled to.

every main = 1 chop and 6 chops = 1 free dessert.

the last time tat i ate at bugis junction wif LJ & HQ, they gave mi the card wif our 3 chops after i asked for it. same thing last nite, i had to ask them for a card.

if the purpose of the card is to build loyalty & create repeat sales, shouldn’t the staff b promoting tat proactively?

if the cost of the loyalty program is too high, they’ll need to review the program.

but to continue wif a program tat they’r not supporting actively is reli no point.

compare tis wif macdonald’s membership which is so user frenly. EVERYTIME i go to macdonald’s, their staff will ask if i’m a member after i place my orders. i m beli appreciative of their efforts and yes, it does pay off. i enjoy earning points for my purchases and redeeming them for treats.

and the redemption is so easy and available 24/7 at the booths located in every mac branch. great set-up & consideration for their customers.

yes, QQ & YY were converted fans by fries & balloons respectively. and i m converted by their excellent loyalty program.

Words of Encouragement

i came across tis email tat i recd last yr. been wanting to post it since last wk coz i tink it’s beli meaningful. it tells u tat ur circumstances r determined by ur mindset.

A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities;

an optimists is one who make opportunities of his difficulties.

tis wk’s been pretty eventful for mi. had to deal wif some personal emotions and wanted to address some career related stuff as well. tis is the 2nd time tat i m seriously contemplating where i m going.

while looking at my job as merely a job has helped mi achieve the work/life balance and emotional detachment i desired, i missed the passion of my work life, risk mgmt.

i m so reluctant to even consider moving from my company. yet, the draw of my passion may prove to b too strong. sigh…it’s a tough choice.

Annual Employee Survey AES

the AES is a BIG thing in my company.

held annually and on a global level, tis is the time when employees can make themselves heard no matter wat post u r holding in the company.

message from senior management of my business unit :

“We’re fortunate that this Company cares about employee opinion.

Let’s all take advantage of this opportunity to relay our thoughts on what makes our company a great place — and how it could be even better”

juz did my AES. tink i need to rest earlier tdy. coz i’ve been having the yawns since morning.

beli unusual for mi. or mayb it’s the wet weather.

Words of Wisdom

“People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will wind some false friends and some true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat on you.

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight.

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous.

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.

Give the world the best you have got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway.”

(Mother Teresa of Calcutta)

my take on tis :

do everything for urself, not for others, not even ur loved ones and certainly not for anyone else hoo doesn’t matter anyway.

do something becoz u want to, not becoz u tink ppl tink u should.

when u do things of ur own accord, u’ll b happy tat u did watever u want to. u derive happiness from ur actions and not by measuring it by its returns ie. others reciprocating

and by setting the record rite tat u r doing the things for ur loved ones becoz YOU want to, it sets the expectations or rather it eliminates the expectation of them doing rite by u too.

u r accountable for ur own happiness, no one else owes u tat so dun find excuses or push the responsiblility to someone else. i find it especially sad when ppl expect their happiness to b derived from their loved ones.

if u love them and they love u back in watever way, whether big or small. b grateful. they dun haf to love u unless they want to.

and dun tink tat by deferring ur own happiness by ’sacrificing’ for ur loved ones, u r being noble. hoo r u to judge if ur loved ones r happier juz becoz u made a ’sacrifice’?

if they love u, they’ll b happier if u r happier. so b good to urself.

i m selfish but at least i m honest to myself. and tat’s all tat matters at the end of the day.

No fotos till now

Blogger’s picture upload decided to die on mi tonite.

mayb it’s becoz i made up my mind to do some serious chinese blogging.

ah…the great mystery of the law of attraction.

after the umpteenth try, it works now!

tis is the outdoor dining area of a restaurant at….2nd floor of ppl’s park mkt. unbelievable rite?

A Puzzling Indulgence

Don’t you hate when people assume that once you become a mom your mind is nothing more than a storage space for Wiggles lyrics? Well, if you want to prove them wrong, remember that the pen is mightier than the sword.

Need another clue? Okay, it’s a game of words in numbered squares. And it’s 8 Across.
That’s right. Fight back against the simple-minded-mom stereotype with a crossword puzzle.

Scientists around the world advocate these puzzles as a way of exercising the mind and extending the average life span.

Doing crosswords is also recommended for those wanting to protect themselves from memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease.

Even the surgeon general encourages the age-old brain booster for all ages, so get the kids a crossword of their own and play together.

But if the idea of getting through the New York Times crossword has got you both “cross” and “down,” don’t worry.

You can pick up today’s edition — the newspaper’s puzzles escalate in difficulty from Monday to Saturday, and an extra-large one appears every Sunday — or go online to find ones that range in skill level and topic.

You can define and decode all you want with puzzles focused on entertainment, current events and, yes, even parenting.

See how far you can get without using any outside resources. Then do some sleuthing to fill in the tough terms.

After finishing the crossword, you can astound your (12 Down: Skeptics…) naysayers with sparkling wit and gasp-inducing puns.

Mistakes

If a barber makes a mistake, it is a new style.

If a driver makes a mistake, it is an accident.

If a doctor makes a mistake, it is an operation.

If an engineer makes a mistake, it is a new venture.

If parents make a mistake, it is a new generation.

If a politician makes a mistake, it is a new law.

If a scientist makes a mistake, it is a new invention.

If a tailor makes a mistake, it is a new fashion.

If a teacher makes a mistake, it is a new theory.

If a programmer makes a mistake, it is a new virus.

If an accountant makes a mistake, it is a new journal entry.

If a store keeper makes a mistake, it is return goods.

If a vet makes a mistake, it is a new breed.

If your boss makes a mistake, it is YOUR mistake.

HAAHAAHAAHAA

Beer hour

not in the best mood tdy so karen went for a couple of beers wif mi.

she brought mi to TPY lor 8 which is under Mr Chiam’s charge.

estate looks very well maintained and orderly and the alfresco dining style between the coffeeshop and hawker centre is cool, literally

YY’s creation

went to popular on sat & got YY some books.

spent above $30 so entitled to get tis puzzle for half prize.

it comes wif a pattern book wif various designs eg. car, house, crab

but YY was so creative tat he made tis gun on his own. tink tis puzzle is good for promoting creativity in kids.

onli prob is QQ fights over the puzzle pieces wif YY.

Mountain of chicken wings

had a treat from jeslin for yest’s lunch.

the auntie brought us a mountain of chicken wings.

as expected, there were more den 2 pieces per pax.

Tulip Hearts Day for Children’s Cancer Foundation

Mi is doing street sales of the tulips for CCF on sun. taking pre-orders now. $2 per stalk and 10 colours to choose from. colours of the rainbow : White-Red-Blue-Yellow-Green-Orange-Violet

Yellow
Cream
Lilac
Purple
Blue
Light Blue
Light Green
Pink
Red
Magenta

the handphone straps are quite nice too.

$5 a piece. let mi noe if anyone wants

Funny signs

got these from hock, i tink.

couldn’t read them clearly in my email so saved the files.

now for mass viewing pleasure & laughter

Roadblocks aplenty

juz back from supper @ newton circle wif alvin.

first time i had seafood there. actualli mi onli been there once for kambing soup many yrs back.
somehow i’ve always felt tat i will b overcharged at newton circle so no urge to eat there.

didn’t take pict of our very sinful supper of bbq stingray & sambal kangkong. beli salty & oily

saw so many roadblocks on my way back tat i was puzzled by the operations on a mon nite.

the first one i saw was along marymount but in opp direction from where i was travelling.
den i saw the roadblock at AMK ave 3 exit soon after i got onto CTE.
after i exited TPE, i oso kena roadblock.

heng ah, tdy no drinks. drinking is not a good idea on mon nite.

Livia, your celebrity smile style is Innocent Like Drew

While we’d never believe she’s Never Been Kissed, Drew is sweet and innocent smile is what makes so many women want to be her, and so many men want to be with her.

Like Drew, you have a sparkling personality that can light up a room (or a movie set) the moment you walk into it.

Accompanied by an easy-going manner, your charming nature tells people that you are trustworthy and ready for a good time.

You love to laugh about anything — jokes, pranks, yourself — and you prefer to maintain a childlike sense of wonder and amusement about the world.

Even when things don’t go your way, your positive attitude always helps you find the bright side of things. Keep on smiling!

Dogs of the temples

went to loyang pek kong and 太阳公 on sat & sun to pray.

noticing the no. of stray dogs in the compound, i decided to take a few shots of man’s best friends on both days.

Where the Germs Hide

E.T., phone home — and ask for some disinfecting wipes, pronto.

That device you use to reach out and touch someone — your phone — may be touching you back with dirt, germs, and other baddies.

In a study of household surfaces in kitchens and bathrooms, scientists discovered that phone handsets and mouthpieces were two of the most contaminated.

So grab a cleaning wipe and give yours a rubdown regularly.

RealAge Benefit: Protecting your immune system can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.

High levels of amylase, an enzyme that warns of contamination from saliva, sweat, urine, or other bodily fluids, were found on the handsets and mouthpieces of phones that researches recently tested in 17 households.

Phones tended to have even more amylase than baby gear, including baby changing mats.

If that’s not bad enough, researchers speculate that contaminated phones might be a culprit in nasty cold and flu infections.

Viruses can survive on certain surfaces for hours, or even days, depending on the room’s humidity and temperature.

And once you touch a contaminated surface with your hands, it’s maddeningly likely that the virus will be transferred to your nose or mouth — and bingo, the bug’s in your body.

So clean your phone, and don’t forget to wash your hands afterward!

Sunday swimming trip-Jalan Besar

the kids were ready for their sunday swim.

QQ looks quite demure in her skirt, save for her tongue

the theme of yest’s swim session was animals.

which explains QQ’s turtle top and the rubber duckie on the float.

haha…just kidding lah.

the rubber duckie is QQ’s bathtime toy which she decided to bring swimming.

Sushi eating

YY wanted sushi so we went to sakae @ east point on sat.

we ordered so much maki and YY was fooling around by stuffing the maki into the gap of his dropped front tooth.

the pair r sushi lovers and tat’s YY wiping a satisfied grin off his face after finishing his chawanmushi

Cavana chicken

had lunch @ cavana chicken, white sands on sat.

missed the chicken wings but somehow, it didn’t taste as good as i rem.

the concept of cavana chicken has evolved yet again wif curry and noodles being added to their offering now.

Steve’s dog and out of office

we get asked alot if steve is in office so we decided to put up the closed sign on his chair.

and yes, his mascot is his bear lookalike ‘dog’

Lunch makanan

showcasing my lunch food. tis is 猪脚河粉 wif yummy corn soup.

my fav and only choice at concourse foodcourt. the yong tau foo. looks pretty healthy if not for the fried food

太阳饼

i juz wana confirm if tis is the same famous 太阳饼 tat LJ always buys

Outing to istana

we visited the istana for the national day open house.

first time tat i visited the president’s office so quite excited.

we didn’t get there as early as we wanted to for the art competition but it was still an interesting experience.

upon entering the grounds, we were first greeted by a pond wif swans

next was an exhibition of colourfully decorated canvas shoes

i took tis shot of YY running out of the toilet as i wana highlight how ulu the toilet is.

totally concealed by the greenery and very far off.

video of the kids running around on istana grounds

the game tat YY played. the puzzle cubes were a little too heavy for YY.

the incredibly long queue for balloons.

QQ was disappointed as they decided to postpone the balloon distribution while we were still in the queue.

i thot tis was a real strategic sight to behold us as we stepped out of the istana.

and QQ has a new tool. a mini fan bought on istana grounds.

Whatever Cafe

went for lunch wif the mkting gers hoo brought us to whatever cafe, a vegan theme restaurant.

i had a cream based pasta and the sauce was excellent, full of flavour and very rich.

the servings of water were huge and our starters wif various dips were very nice.

didn’t haf space in our stomach for their signature dessert though.

Car Wash

views from inside my car in the car wash. camera was wif mi so i decided to snap some shots.

Dinner wif Clarence & Su Sin

had dinner wif clarence & su sin @ 搵到食.

check out their ‘couple’ picts and of course our feast of both dim sum and durians!

quite a spread and i luv the deep fried prawn ‘rolls’…so crispy & excellent wif mayo.

durian man!

it was raining on the day tat we w…

it was raining on the day tat we waited downstairs for YY to get off skool to go lor 25 and prayed to my dad.

my 2 dangling dolls r quite noisy when i make turns.

saw tis other van downstairs tat had a whole row of the dangling dolls. looks like i’m not the onli one hoo likes seeing them dangling in front of mi when i drive.

bro is quite irritated by them, swinging in his face…hehe

Fishball noodles VS fishball noodles

i luv tis fishball noodles stall in mkt opp TJ.

i always haf the fishball noodles when i visit tis mkt.

tink it goes back to my JC days when i first discovered tis stall.

mum intro mi to tis popular fishball noodles stall in the other bedok south mkt.

the soup is reli good and i strongly recommend fishball kway teow.

portion is quite big for $2

sights on the way to hairdresser

views of parkview sq, the gothic looking bldg near bugis junctions.

tis is wat the old national library looks like now.

i got a shock at seeing the huge tunnel.

new hairstyle

not much diff but tidied it up abit.

i dun tink i can last more den 2 mths wifout visiting ratio.

my hair was looking like a nest in the past couple of wks

and i luv tis new top from baleno. super comfy and i luv the cutting.

Sunday Breakfast

YY and i haf been getting up early on sat & sun to do some morning exercises (he runs, i walk) before breakfast.

we had mac on sat & decided to try something different on sun.

YY loved the half boiled eggs but he can’t take much in the morning so he onli posed wif the prata

the prata is actualli not bad.

and QQ loves prata too.

well, to b honest, she eats like everything.

both days, we saw millipedes. fascinating to see them make their way so rapidly.

the coordination bet its many pairs of legs is fantastic.

and we tried using our shoe as obstacles for the millipedes. they got around our shoe pretty quickly.

Papaya lunch

no, it wasn’t mi hoo had a mountain of papaya for lunch.

being stuck on soft diet for the next 2 yrs due to her braces, jessica had an up-sized serving of papaya one day for lunch.

hmm…based on the popular theory tat papaya has assets enhancing properties, mayb we won’t juz see changes in her teeth

Kaya toast from Golden Mile

i realise tat i haf not taken a shot of the Kaya toast from Golden Mile so here’s paying tribute to my (almost) daily lunch supplement.

Teh C wif kaya toast completes any lunch any time.

Grimace or Shaky?

Grimace is a big, loving, fuzzy purple fellow who is Ronald McDonald’s best friend.

He’s sure Ronald is the world’s ultimate authority on everything.

While Grimace loves all McDonald’s foods, he’s absolutely crazy about milkshakes.

Grimace is very enthusiastic and eager to try new things. His joyous spirit helps everyone overlook the fact he’s a little slow and clumsy sometimes.

no, the kids are not particularly fond of Grimace but that was the toy of the week tat came wif the Happy Meal.

As they had 2 Happy Meals tat wk, we ended up wif 2 Grimaces.

den the kids found another Grimace and decided to house all 3 of them in a KFC Hot Wings bucket.

but i was wrong in thinking they had 3 Grimaces in total coz they found yet another baby Grimace.

check out YY & QQ’s Grimace army lined up in order of size.

and yes, i m beginning to suspect tat Barney & Grimace are related

CARs Galore

went for training on tue and these little CARs were the takeaways.

decided to do wat YY always does wif his car collection. to line them up in showroom style.

catching up wif tracy

(yes, our hair has grown longer!!)

tracy’s been back to singapore for wks but we juz haben got ard to catching up.

i missed her when she came dwn to office.

and i missed her when i visited hk coz first time ard, she happened to b in sg the exact period i’m in hk.

2nd time ard, her fren was having a foto shoot & my visit was horribly short.

was juz planning to meet karen when tracy jio-ed mi for drinks @ ICB.

good thing, i managed to meet her finally coz she was flying back to hk the very next day.

i got lost trying to get to the public parking area behind ICB but wif karen’s help, we finally made our way there.

i like the place. tink it’s a cool place to chill out but the crowd’s big so it can get a little hard to find seats. going there straight after work to grab a couple of beers is definitely a smart idea.

and the prices for happy hour are real low. most imptly, i like the varieties of beer available. it’s always a pleasure to discover new beer wif great taste.

beer of the nite was asahi silver & gold ie. light & dark. the dark has a fuller taste but i luv how smooth the light is.

and of course, the full portion of chicken wings tat we devoured.

sorrie, i dun haf ang moh stomach. i cannot survive on liquid diet alone. i would rather drink wif finger food or haf dinner juz before or supper immediately after drinks…hehe

William’s farewell lunch

(uncle) william is leaving for the states (boston) for a yr to do his MBA.

self-invited myself to the farewell lunch su sin had wif him.
lunch was more den a wk back but the posting was one of my backlog.

since william’s last day is tdy and he’s doing a tour de concourse, thot i had better get tis posting up.

looks like can seriously consider an US trip since got someone to visit liao.

the totally delicious but a little over sized portions of the food we had @ thai express, raffles city.
i am a sucker for olive rice. mayb BBK for the wkend is a good idea after all. luv the food and the shopping. y does tis line sounds familiar and over used for HK & KL too?

Livia, you’re Sharp at Sunset

Livia, you’re Sharp at Sunset

That’s right, when the sun goes down, your energy and creativity go way up.

This is your on time, when you’re most inspired thoughts come pouring in and when you’re most motivated to venture out.

Are you into sports, dinner parties, or just hanging out with friends as the sun sinks out of sight? We thought so.

Because that’s the time of day that really empowers you and makes you feel alert.

You’re especially dynamic at dinner, cocktail parties, and early evening functions, when your persistent wit and wisdom are at their finest.

And after dinner, when everyone else is putting on their jackets and preparing to head home, you’re the kind of person who stays alert, inquisitive, and ready for more world-changing conversation.

Being such a superstar at sunset has its drawbacks too.

Right when you’re coming up with your most fantastic ideas, most of the world is too tired to listen.

Sure, this might leave you with a limited audience from time to time, but when you’re on, you’re on, and those lucky enough to be around value your enthusiasm.

But even superstars hit a slump at some point in the day.

That’s when you need to remind yourself that there are tricks to get you through.

Like grabbing an extra cup of coffee, getting some fresh air, or taking a power shower to rejuvenate you.

And when that happens, there’s no stopping you. Every hour can be your power hour!

my pick-mi-up is my peppermint tea and my teh-C at lunchtime can usually get mi thru the rest of the day ok.

Balestier 333 Bak Kut Teh

had supper wif alvin last nite.

again, we had bak kut teh @ balestier but a different shop tis time.

place was much crowded den the stall opp balestier hospital

the kidney & liver soup came wif button mushrooms, which reminds mi of the joo chiat bak kut teh.

but the soup was not as flavourful compared to joo chiat.

the bak kut soup is beli peppery and not bad.

still tink rangoon is the best i haf tasted so far.

next stall to try will be outram

Parking lots

as i park along aliwal st everyday, i often wonder if the lots were drawn before they built the compound.

as u see from the pict, there is a parking lot drawn rite outside the driveway.

how r the cars inside the compound going to ‘jump’ over the parking lot?

char kuay teow & 田鸡粥

had joo chiat char kuay teow for a snack on sat afternoon.

YY & QQ were having a plate each but after some time, the char kuay teow still looks pretty much the same so mum & I ended up eating their plates of char kuay teow too

nobody takes cockles so i had 3 plate’s worth of tat…YEA!

portions r pretty big for $2.50

and dinner was 田鸡粥 at the coffee shop near ah keow’s place.

tis is the authentic one from geylang lor 9. nice!

the 宫保 version was beli spicy coz they used chilli padi.

ice-cream at bugis

brought the kids to bugis to pray.

as usual, they asked for the ice-cream from the roadside vendors.

there’s tis particular stall tat sells their ice-cream at 50 cents while everyone else is selling at 80 cents.

needless to say, we always patronise tis stall but the ice-cream sells out fast.

while QQ eats her ice-cream by pushing it to the top of the cup wif her spoon, YY is enjoying it scoop by scoop.

tis is my fav kinda ice cream too.

beli milky taste and i always get the mixed for assorted flavours.

unusual looking car & Spark

i read abt kei cars (k-cars) from japan.

it refers to those reli small city cars.

i saw tis unusual car in the carpark, a lot of angles
and after hearing abt the chevrolet spark on radio, i saw one on the road on fri evening.

reali small & cute looking plus i like the brand.

and check out the claim on fuel consumption, 5.6l per 100km….tat works out to 17.86km/l….WOW!

明发面饺

i muz gif credit when it’s due.

i wrote abt the totally tasteless meepok dry from 明发 in ppl’s park food centre.

went to simpang bedok for lunch wif bro & family.

bro told mi tat 明发’s meepok is not nice BUT their 面饺 is good.

and yes, it was totally DELICIOUS! muz try, folks.

Back dated postings

despite my efforts at clearing my drafts, i still haf quite abit to go thru.

and while clearing my drafts, i m avoiding new postings which means tat i m creating back logs all over again.

sigh. my to-blog folder has 195 items and tat’s excluding some fotos in my fone tat i haben downloaded.

and i juz realised tat my most recent postings have ‘pushed’ my back dated postings all the way off the main page of the blog…faint.

so here’s a link to the complete postings of aug

and i decided to ‘cheat’ by deleting all my drafts.

i tink it’s much easier to update my blog wif whichever event i haf in mind den to follow a chronological order.

it was too much of a struggle to recall past events and updated the drafts while surpressing my urge to create new postings.

so my blog shall continue to haf both new & old postings intermittenly and tat’s the way i like it.

Tribute to Singapore TV drama

i subscribe to email news from Mediacorp and was taking part in some of the competitions for free concert tickets.

i surf their site occassionally to get info abt programs i’m interested in and for synopsis of dramas

happened to come across tis treasure trove of past dramas and songs!

incidentally, YY was singing tis song tat he calls 童谣 tdy.

upon listening, i was surprised tat he’s singing tis song from 五脚基. i told him it’s from an old show and sang it wif him. he was so impressed tat he insisted i sing it together wif him.

anyway, i was juz telling my bro tat how come he calls tis song 童谣. Bro suspected tat mayb 童谣 is really the name of the song.

welll, suspicion confirmed tonite but it’s onli half rite.

the song is called 陋巷童谣

Lunch wif LEK and banking hall

Just had lunch with LEK today. Paper steamboat at Hitachi…hmm…yummy!

Wah! I feel like I damn sua-ku…too long never visit the bank liao.

Renovated so nicely. But Dorothy (Wong) was joking that it looks like winter wonderland all the time along the escalator to 3rd floor.

and all the customer service reps got nice glass cubicles!

picture taken from the escalator

How low are we going to bow?

saw some signs and heard from the lunch crowd tat suntec area and nicoll highway will be closed for the IMF miting next mth.

the whole ‘put on ur smiles for the delegates’ thingy gets to mi.

while it is good to let ppl noe abt the visiting guests so we try our best to play host, surely there is no need for a campaign?
are we over-reacting to the event?
and is it necessary to tell the whole country to ’suck up’ to the delegates?

tat is the feel tat i get from wat has been done or will b done for the IMF miting.

yes, we should all take pride in our country and put on our best behaviour but no, i dun tink we need such an explicit campaign to smile more.

and i sincerely hope tat the delegates spend as much as singaporeans (or more!) on typical wkends in the suntec area since singaporeans will b put off from shopping there during the event.

—————————————————————————————————

and it brings back memories of the rangoon bak kut teh (BKT) incident.

much of the hoo-ha is not from the visiting HK official hoo didn’t get to taste our famous rangoon BKT but more from the field day the HK media was having in attacking singaporeans.

and i feel tat hooever contacted the BKT shop on behalf of our govt, should clarify matters too. did they specify WHO wants to eat the BKT and WHY the shop should accomodate to the timing request?

isn’t everyone equal, especially when it comes to enjoying a bowl of BKT??

one hongkonger wrote in to zaobao and apologised for his fellow men’s behaviour. the previous highest ranking official in HK enjoys a higher social status den the current official yet he did not try to abuse his authority to get around some trivia matters.

and there is no lack of high profile visitors to the famous BKT stall.
i saw a photo of 小马哥 (马英九) in the shop. how come the taiwanese can respect the operating hrs of the stall in question?

but perhaps we haf wronged him. after all, it’s the media hoo r blowing the matter up.

den i feel tat he should step out and clarify his stand too, to ease some hard feelings away.

there is no need for us to apologize. we love ur BKT and we can do wif one less customer if they wana get so political abt it. at least rangoon BKT haf gained one extra customer in mi after tis incident.

if singaporeans dun support singaporeans, who else do we expect to stand up for us?

What is the point of this?

got a link to a blog showcasing rude singaporeans.

yes, shaming them may gif u a rush of satisfaction but y r we priding ourselves on shaming our fellow men?

if there is a purpose other den juz highlighting the behaviour tat ppl witnessed or experienced, eg. constructive feedback is given to the offender there & den, perhaps i will support tis site too.

but if u haf no guts to tell the person in the wrong tat they r being inconsiderate, den juz snapping picts to gain sympathy is quite cheap thrill.

i see nuthing wrong wif a person venting out their anger & frustration over some injustice or wrong they haf suffered. afterall, a blog is for ppl to express themselves
but calling out to all to post their experiences for collective appreciation of the rude behaviour of singaporeans is beyond mi.

would not a site showcasing the exact opposite, the kindness of singaporeans b more inspirational?
in hopes of progressing towards a more gracious society, do we achieve our goals thru praise and appreciation for things done rite or do we rely solely on shame?

perhaps it is supposed to deter ppl from committing the offence and appearing on the site.

or perhaps there is a therapetic effect in ppl gathering and doing mass complaining.

but frankly i do not see much point and do not advocate tis site.

i would rather support sites like postsecret tat touches my heart every sun when i read the new postcards.

Kou-Jong and my beloved neopets (games)

i love neopets.

always so much to do. i need to collect my interest, all 12,890np of them daily.

and i m always playing my fav (NP making) games.

there’s no lack of new games too, eg. the eye of a pirate which is a spot the difference game for pirates of the caribbean 2.

and i juz stumbled upon tis new game tonite. omg, i couldn’t believe my eyes.

isn’t kou-jong the classic mahjong game tat we played all these years.

by the way, u need to sign up for a free account to play the games.

and for bejeweled addicts, there’s sutek’s tomb which is similar.

there’s even something for jackpot lovers like mi, the slots game….from playing it in neopets, i learnt tat the outcome is fixed the moment u hit the spin button and NOT when the spinning stops. and i’ve lost a fortune at the slots. and won another fortune too.

lastly, part of daily routine includes buying shares in the stockmarket. juz need to buy low, sell high…quite a no brainer but yields are exceptionally high.

试菜 + cravings for seafood

ZY asked mi to sign up for “我要试菜” for mypaper and they contacted mi for tis friday’s session.

but i can’t go! mi will b in malacca tis fri !

being kaypoh, i asked ZY wat am i missing….and it’s seafood !!

dun care, gers, let’s haf our seafood dinner soon !

and juz to bring out our craving further, a foto at my desk reminding us of LJ’s bday 5 yrs ago when we went to “no signboard”.

i dun wana see food but eat seafood!

My Ring

we were on the topic of diamonds during dinner and steve mentioned how he noticed it weren’t the norm for ppl to wear their wedding bands.

incidentally, i took tis pict of my fav ring when i mit su sin for lunch last fri.

tis is my all-time fav ring coz the shape is so unique. it’s actualli a square outside the ring.
isn’t tis beautiful

How to make the most of going to the movies

was reading tis article on parent center, How to make the most of going to the movies .

QQ’s oredi had her first movie. It was The Wild. She can’t realli sit thru the entire show. she got restless beli earli in the show. even stood up in her seat and turned around to call YY hoo was sitting behind her.

luckily my company’s always got movie offers so YY’s quite an experienced movie goer.

i thot the show was still too tough for QQ to follow. so i was pleased and surprised when QQ told mi wat was happening. the lion cub had gone missing and the papa lion was looking for him.

and she watches tv on my lap. she’s not reli interested in the programs but she’ll shout to mi tat the program has started whenever i step away and the commericals r on. tink it’s the part of tv watching which she enjoys the most. she’ll go “做了, 做了!!” once the programs come on.

Gemini Daily Horoscope

Fellow singletons are exactly what you need when the battlefield of romance gets to be too much. Digging at old wounds, however, is counterproductive. Don’t get caught in a negative spiral. Take positive action.

wah lauz ei, i juz saw the review on The Breakup and was planning on catching it tomolo when i read my horoscope. seems to b implying tat i shouldn’t b catching the show tomolo leh….dilemma…haha

Build me a Bridge AKA how to make a woman happy

A man walking along a California beach was deep in prayer.

Suddenly the sky clouded above his head and, in a booming voice, the Lord said, “Because you have TRIED to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish.”

The man said, “Please God build me bridge to Hawaii so I can drive over there anytime I want.”

The Lord said, “Your request is very materialistic.Think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking. The supports required to reach the bottom of the Pacific ! The concrete and steel it would take ! It will nearly exhaust several natural resources. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of something that would honor and glorify Me.”

The man thought about it for a long time.

Finally he said, “Lord, I wish that I could understand my wife. I want to know how she feels inside, what she’s thinking when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she means when she says ‘nothing’s wrong,’ and how I can make a woman truly happy.”

The Lord think for a moment and replied, “You want two lanes or four on that bridge ?”

女人心, 海底针….sigh

Cheapest toiletries I haf even seen

went to golden dragon wif brenda after work.

didn’t realise tat the shops at ppl’s park are so modern looking now after the upgrading works.

i was commenting tat i used to get toiletries at ocean.

passed by tis new shop swanston and omg! the toiletries r the cheapest tat i’ve seen, even cheaper den lee hwa and mustafa!

i bought 2 bottles of baby bath @ $5.95 each. wat a steal!

coffee slush

What you’ll need:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
2 cups freshly brewed espresso or coffee

What you’ll do:
In a small saucepan, slowly dissolve the sugar in the water over medium heat.
Let cool and stir in the coffee.
Pour the mixture into a shallow freezer-safe bowl and place in the freezer. Stir the mixture every 40 minutes or so. The mixture should be frozen in about 4 hours.
Decant into an elegant glass and enjoy with a straw and spoon. (And yes, a little bit of whipped cream on top would be just divine.)

Ah, a Breath of Lemon-Fresh Air

Does a flight of stairs leave you winded and a little worried about your lungs?
Try squeezing a lemon.
A cold glass of lemonade may protect your lungs against a potentially serious condition: adult asthma.

In fact, adding all things citrus — grapefruit, oranges, lemons, limes — to your shopping list may help reduce your risk of developing this respiratory bane, regardless of how active or how old you are.

Like most fruit, citrus is packed with nutrients that can help keep you healthy in general.

And the ample amount of vitamin C in citrus fruit may have a particular benefit: reduced risk of asthma.

In a recent study, adults who ate little or no fruit and shunned citrus were significantly more likely to have the wheezing, gasping symptoms of asthma. So don’t skip your morning OJ.

Eat Up to Slim Down

If you’re trying to lose weight, for heaven’s sake don’t starve.

Instead, change what — not how much — you eat, so you walk away from a meal feeling full, not frustrated.

Instead of a big bowl of spicy chili, have an equally big bowl of zesty gazpacho; instead of a wedge of berry pie, have a whole pint of juicy strawberries.

In other words, cut calories and fat, not portions. It works, say scientists.

Recent research shows that eating fresher, lighter foods while leaving portion size unchanged is a good way to lose weight.

This means eating foods that have a lot of water: melon, tomatoes, cucumbers, greens, carrots, grapes, oranges, jicama, radishes — almost any veggies you eat raw, and most fruits, as well as nonfat milk and broth-based soups.

In the study, participants reported feeling satisfied after eating large portions of low-cal foods.

On the other hand, when portions of high-calorie foods were reduced in an effort to lose weight, participants noted feelings of deprivation and hunger.

London bomb plot foiled

juz saw tis on the 10pm news and i am still reeling in shock at wat might haf been a replay of sep 11, or even a terrorist act of a bigger magnitude.

thank goodness the plot was foiled. the consequences would haf been unbearable and unthinkable if it hasn’t.

suddenli the threat feels so real. working in a company tat places employee security above all has made mi a lot more acute and sensitive to such news. i haf seen the numerous security measures deployed since sep 11 and i m glad my company cares enuff to make sure we r all safe.
but singaporeans r generally too complacent. we all haf a part to play in the war on terrorism and we can all do our bit by co-operating wif the authorities and paying more attention to things tat go on around us. tis is not juz a war against the govts, it is a war against mankind and humanity.

tracy sent mi the pict by kevin carter a few days back and i haf been tinking abt it. it reminded mi of how blessed mi and everyone i noe is, to haf food and other life sustaining things tat we take for granted. while we haf a choice over wat we want to eat, let us not waste food. i am especially grateful when i brought my kids out and they haf food tat they like.

back to the london bomb plot news. i can imagine the chaos at the airports and the frustration tat ppl may feel as a result of the security measures. but all these is necessary to ensure the safety of everyone. and safety or the preservation of lives is the utmost priority rite now.
the london train blasts happened not so long ago and the indian train bombings happened barely a mth ago. tinking back and closer to home was the Bali attack.

from now on, everyday i’ll count my blessings,
tat my family and frens r safe and juz a phonecall away.
tat we haf the privilege to dream and haf aspirations.
tat our problems r not a matter of life and death.

it is a chaotic world tat we live in tdy.don’t forget to tell ur loved ones u love them. dun hold back if u wana hug someone. dun b afraid to pursue ur dreams.

it is not how long we live but how well we live, the quality of life is more impt den longevity itself.

some of the news link :

British bomb plot causes worldwide airline chaos

Plot targeted three US airlines, flights to at least five US cities: intelligence official

‘Greatest terrorist threat’ since 9/11 blocked

Liquid threat exposes flaws in airport security

‘Red’ alert on British flights to U.S.

Tears of frustration at British airports

Airline plot involved liquid explosives

SIA tells customers to comply with British security measures

URGENT ADVICE FOR TRAVELLERS FROM AIRPORTS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM (on SQ website)

2006 transatlantic aircraft plot

Happy as a Crab

Shell out. It’s good for your heart.

Need an excuse to splurge on crab legs, crab salad, or a cold crab cocktail on a hot summer night?

How about avoiding heart disease and cancer?
Crab meat in general, and crab legs in particular, are loaded with zinc, a powerful antioxidant that’s just been found to help ward off both health threats.

Getting your daily dose of zinc — up to 12 milligrams (mg) per day — can help protect you from heart disease and cancer.
In a recent study, these killers were linked not only to a lack of zinc but also to an excess of copper and a deficiency in magnesium.
And being low on zinc made any problems with the other two minerals much worse.

Researchers are still trying to determine whether the minerals were the direct cause of the outcome, but while they sort out the science, aim for 12 mg of zinc daily from food.
Can’t hurt, could help, and — if you’ve got a yen for crab — it tastes terrific.

Of course, crab’s not the only good source of zinc. Oysters can’t be beat, and clams and lobster are high on the list, too.
On a more wallet-friendly level, you’ll find beneficial amounts of zinc in nuts, peanut butter, beans, poultry, red meat, whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals, and yogurt.

And a multivitamin with minerals will fill in any gaps.

wow! tis is good news coz i luv crabs, oysters ( muz b beli fresh! ) and clams.

and clams r a good source of iron. i tink in its bloody form coz 以型补型 mah

toking abt food and working has made it hungry…time for dinner.

LFI ads in Healthy Times

Long Far International is featured in the Healthy Times.

and check out the news on the opening….mi is in the pict…beli small and in the crowd behind…hehe

Ads for S Factor Plus, ABOBA and Imu6 is juz behind the cover page.

There’s a full page article on the craze for blood type slimming ABOBA in Japan and interview wif MD Eldee.

The feature on S Factor Plus reads :

Do you have the S Factor Plus?

Bedtime exceeded

ok, i finished saving all my to-blogs as drafts liao.

53 postings in total….wow…karen will b overwhelmed on mon

Yeow’s masterpiece

YY’s masterpiece

Diva

came across tis new store in bugis junction.

nice accessories. my kinda place

Carpark devise

check out the cool devise for detecting if a lot is occupied. if it’s empty, the light is green…so smart hor!

Sliced fish maggie mee

ivy was having tis at keypoint.

looks so special and yummy.

i m especially hungry at tis hr of the nite.

ok, i’ve decided to try tis next time mi lunch at keypoint

guess where?

i was quite fascinated by the view from the carpark lift lobby

as well as the tile on the wall

Prayers

went to the 土地庙 at sims to pray

we used to come here real often when 婆婆 was still staying there.

tat’s like since my pri skool days

Special place for makan

karen decided to bring mi to tis reali special place for dinner.

i was amazed by the gigantic ‘boxed out’ area at tis traffic light.

it was a nice setting for alfresco dining and reminds mi of malaysia.

food was beli good. i luv the 鱼香茄子 especially.

tis dog is reli obedient.

sat quietly throughout its owners’ meal.

and i luv big dogs

Blooie’s and prata

ZC jio-ed us for drinks one fri nite.

tis was after i had dinner wif HQ.

went to jalan tua kong, quite ‘out’ place rite but i m familiar wif bus 12’s route so yes, not onli do i noe the street, i noe the coffeeshop at its corner…soy eu tua 小而大, no joke, k

despite the pub’s claim tat their dress code includes a smile, it may b referring to the patrons and not the staff coz none of them wore a smile!

LJ came wif cakes from the cheesecake cafe.

i forgot to take any picts before we started eating so here’s wat’s left of the cakes…hehe

YT joined us too….难得 leh!

and i went to pick ZY. he juz started in his job and working oredi…haha

after drinks, being typically singaporeans, we had supper at simpang bedok.

ZY taught mi where to park, which is behind the prata shops. great idea and ample parking.

tis was the corner roti prata shop where i tried the cheese prata

meaningless signboard

tink these signs r realli useful.

how many ppl actualli care how many mins it takes to get to ur destination.

and will take a diff route?

does it matter if it takes 8 mins or 9 mins or 10 mins?

ugly spoiler

i tink tis spoiler looks terrible

worldcup queue

super long queue at betting station during world cup.

our mr ignore mi oso spent 45 mins trying to decide wat to bet on…stressed ah

durian ice

durian ice from jackson kopitiam at macpherson.

beli nice!

Worldcup mascot

the worldcup mascot from mac donalds.

QQ is not such a big fan of it.

it’s now a PR on my dashboard, to block the cashcard…hehe

Lunchtime feast

lunchtime feast!!

forgot whose treat it was…tink it could b jeslin…check out the spread.

南南家咖哩

my fav curry, not doubts abt it.

tis is the curry tat we used to travel from raffles place to tanjong pagar (amara hotel) for.

the chicken curry’s gravy is nice and spicer den the vegs curry (not shown in pict)

Jiajun

ran into jiajun in early jul, practising his juggling acts when i brought mum to buy 4D at wanrise, her fav outlet now.

though we were nbr close in sec skool, had quite a lengthy chat wif him. i was surprised at how much he knew abt the group, even my latest news.

din realise tat he has ZC as his informant…haha

it was good to catch up and noe wat old frens r doing. and i was impressed at the fact tat his uni studies were self funded. yesh, tat is the kinda independent and resourcefulness tat i hope my kids will haf.

if most ppl noes the theory of teaching a man to fish is better den gifing him a fish, y do most ppl wana gif our kids fishes?

i hope my kids will learn how to fish and even how to grow crops and rear poultry, for tat matter. the more i tink abt tis topic, the more i see how parents may b doing their kids more harm den good if they allow their kids to b overly reliant on them. u will not b ard forever for ur kids. hopefully, ur kids will outlive u by a long way so yes, teach them to fish !

Soccer watching wif feast

fotos from the soccer watching session at coffeeshop near su sin’s place. amazingly, though watching at coffeeshop is less glam den mac donald’s, the crowd was impressive and yet there were ample seats still.

not to mention the little feast of roti prata and indian rojak tat we had while soccer watching. tis is the life, man!

onli complaint is the tiny tv screen. can’t hardly see the action clearly…sigh

Dinner wif Von, Ju & Paul

had din wif ju, pong and ah von on 30th jun…tat’s how outdated my blog is!

anthea in her high chair below

handsome jayden wif auntie pauline….aiyoh! so cute!

after dinner, ah von and ah pong went to pierce their ears

pauline is quite brave but ah von got a bit uncomfortable

help!

aiyoh, tis pain is a small price to pay for beauty

Marigold and S Factor Plus

i m using marigold Peel Fresh’s Wheat Grass drink for mixing my S Factor Plus.

i like the fact tat the taste is quite sweet and the colour is green…goes well wif my S Factor Plus…lol

i even take my ABOBA wif tis drink…hehe

Bugs puzzle

todate tis is still a mystery

i came home one nite to find the various stairs landing of the carpark from top floor level 5 to ground floor, littered wif dead bugs.

but it’s confined to the carpark and no way else in the estate.

where did these bugs come from?

and why r there all dead at the carpark’s stairways?

STP Octane Booster Lobang

goh recommended mi tis octane booster to gif the car more power.

hehe…and i got it for a steal…onli $8.

beli easy to use, juz pour into fuel tank.

anyone wants to buy, let mi noe.

My drug

my beloved teh-C or teh-si.

life would b meaningless and a sleepy affair wifout it.

my lunchtime ‘drug’

Yummy Salads

check out jessica’s salads. looks good

Perfect wedding

i juz found the URL on the side full of foreign workers beli funny.

it’s www.perfectwedding.com.sg

perfect weddings r the hard work by the foreign workers?

and the link is broken. i haf no idea y.

Soccer watching

we were watching tis match outside a packed coffeeshop near aljunied.

it was an exciting first half wif goals within the first 10 mins

during half time, we decided to rush dwn to toa payoh mac…hoping to watch the rest of the match in comfort.

no luck there either. the place was packed too so we had to stand throughout the balance of the match.

and it was a goal-less 2nd half….wat a disappointment

Lunchtime feast

wow! check out the spread at 4th storey.

teamie, tink u’ll miss the food here too. let’s go for our own feast when u r back.

we had thai style fish, furong egg, chicken wings, sambal kang kong and yam ring.

Wedding dinner shots

went rasa for wedding din on 23rd jun.

food is not bad but the dessert which is or-ni is the best.

the waitress actualli served mi one wifout the lotus seeds…so touched

Poster @ Long Far (nite before opening)

posters were up the nite before our products soft launch on 24th Jun

Crab craving

took tis pict one afternoon in the office.

wah…the crabs reali got my craving going

Porridge Delight & other good food

karen brought mi to tis coffeeshop near upper aljunied rd for beli nice porridge and wanton mee.

check out the NETS terminal at the stall !

we had a hearty meal…being the glutton tat i m, we oso had other sides wif the porridge.

i haben had a chance to try the dim sum yet. but the homemade dim sum certainly looks good.

Rescue in progress?

the exact words on the screen were : “power failure. rescue in operation”

Fotos @ my desk

taken at steve’s BBQ…mi wif teamie marie and her little prince.

isn’t him juz adorable?

huge eyes!

and tis shot of us taking self portraits on the plane back from cambodia

looks like we chartered the whole plane…haha

yea! frens forever!

shopping trip to ros’ shop

went to ros’ shop at people’s park to browse but everyone, karen, celine, denise et moi all ended up getting some stuff.

quite a good selection and i like the jackets and tubes….definitely my style ; P

from the carpark, we ended up at wrong lift lobby meant for residents…sigh

bah choh mee

still my fav food at 85 mkt so i shall continue to post pictures of it…haha

my mango wood bday vase

my mango wood bday vase from steve wif the dried flowers from marie…hmm…given my limited creative juices, i like it looks much better now den empty.

and someone juz commented on how special the vase is…hehe…damn proud sia

Thai temple @ Simpang bedok

no brainer posting of the thai temple’s signage.

tis is at simpang bedok

yah, taken while waiting for mum

Elections Day 06 May 06

tis was taken on the way to white sands pri to cast our votes in the linkway from my house to bus stop.

the linkway tat took 13 yrs to b built is not even maintained properly!

and tis is despite the residents showing their support for the ruling party in the elections. if beggars had no choice, i duno how much lower wr r classified by our MPs hoo haf been and should b serving us.

taken in the afternoon of elections day after i haf exercised my citizen rights.

mum was taking a long time at the betting station so i decided to clear my car mats.

all tat’s left of my memories of the rallies i attended are the dried leaves i deposited in the car