Got inspired this morning to write about the various men in my life. These are people whose lives have crossed mine and worthy of an anecdote (be it good or bad). And since it's Christmas, I'm sure I will have something good to say about everyone. And since I have found The Man in my life, these will remain the pretty little boxes that you pack it up and leave them along memory lane.
The First Crush - I was 7 and it was my first year in primary school. I thought he was cute and I wanted to marry him some day. Then as I grew older, I came to realise that there are alot more things other than "cute" that you actually marry a guy for. But I must say, it was all sweet and giggly... (with my girlfriends of course) and I bet he never knew.
The Childhood Buddy - While we were waiting for our school bus during age 7-10, this little boy (then) told me that toadstools will "melt" my shoes because they are poisonous. Naturally, I envisioned my beautiful, white shoes sizzling away and was terrified. Thereafter, we took very different paths but as fate will have it, we went to the same school again years later. And because we were neighbours, his Dad was very kind and sent us to school every morning although we still shared very different social circles. A couple of years back, he invited me to his wedding and during his speech, he specially thanked me for attending. I was visibly touched. We were never the best of friends but somehow, he's always THE childhood friend because we once told each other really silly things.
The Eye Candy - Major teenage crush! I was 16 and was in my the final year of secondary school. He was a year older and is totally HOT (IS because he's still HOT even till today after that may years. More of that later...). Everyday without fail, I will look out (from afar) for that super cute face in the canteen during recess time that would brighten me right up. Never once, have I had the courage to approach him to even say hi. Even till today, I have no idea if he knew. Coincidentally, a couple of years back, I walked into a shop in the east looking for skates and as I was leaving, I saw a stack of business cards bearing his name sitting right by the exit. Almost immediately, I turned back and saw the silhouette of a tall, dark & handsome man walking out of the storage room. There he was, the exact suave face that made mine go all cherry red and at that particular moment, I swore my heart skipped a couple of beats. I couldn't believe my luck and this time around, I did pick up the courage to say hi and asked if he attended the same school (duh... like I didn't know...) But since then, my paths never crossed again.
The Basketballer - The first boyfriend who started my dating life. It all began with a mini crush because he was an awesome basketball player and was always the cool, quiet one. I never would have imagined for a million years that I would ever date anyone like him in this lifetime. But I did and the rest is history. Part of that chapter of history bears the mark of a really sweet and warm person who took very good care of me. I chose to leave the relationship because I was convinced that our lives were heading in different directions. He's the typical, "You're great but not for me so thanks but no thanks type." According to Facebook (because he vanished yet son after), he's now happily married with kids and during our very last conversation, he was trying to sell me a car but I had just bought mine then. Oh well...
The Loyang Boy - We were young, we dated and we partied. He watched me throw up and embarrassed myself thoroughly and hopelessly. He carried a very drunk me from the car, cleaned me up and puts me to bed. We went for a drive in his swanky car for the last night that he had it and I, unappreciatively, fell asleep with the wind in my head. He really cared although I will never know if he really loved. He was boyishly cute as far as my memory serves me well but not the gorgeous looker sort. He's down to earth yet exudes a touch of flamboyance. He's smart but not too geeky. He's probably everything I would want in a man but the timing just wasn't right. I was still a child and was extremely wilful. I was still a child (and I can say that now) and my emotions were extremely unstable. If I'm a guy, I wouldn't even date the then me. He was patient and showed his concern in his every little action. It's a pity that I didn't learn to appreciate until much later. But I'm sure he's very happy with his life now.
The Comic Fan - It was thoughts of him (while I was clearing out my drawer of nonsense) that inspired this post. He was the spoilt and pampered kid who was born with a silver spoon and waded in privileges. As a boyfriend, he was very attentive to my little needs and tried his best to accommodate my little quirks. He will buy me little, inexpensive but very well thought out gifts. Eventually, I felt compelled to leave the relationship. Apart from the fact that we were still relatively young and I was still in school, we came from very different family backgrounds. I didn't think I could lead the life of "ask and you will receive". Don't get me wrong and I'm not the angel that you're picturing right now. I love luxurious stuffs and I have been introduced to the evil world of material wants. However, I am working my ass off to get there and more importantly, even at that tender age (and maybe it's from then), I had wanted my partner to be a little hungrier and ambitious. Until today, I'm still very thankful of how wonderful his Mom treated me and I can still remember how adorable his siblings were. I don't know how things would be if I didn't choose to leave and just when I was wondering... During a forum event this year, I ran into him. Not knowing what to say like an immatured lass, I avoided contact. I know I deserve a slap! When I came to realise perhaps I should pop him a note, have a meal and give his whole thing some closure (I wasn't that great with break ups then), he wasn't as responsive as I envisioned. I guess he's still affected by my actions so I can't really blame him. Till date, we have yet to meet for a meal. *Oddly enough, I'm still friends with many of his friends.
The Psycho - Trust me, I am trying to be nice. Ironically, I spent most of my youth with this person. He probably loved and cared for me so much that it became suffocating and even creepy. I suppose if I have nothing better then I shouldn't. He did, however, opened me up to what the material world. I guess I also caught the travel bug from him as well. If anything, I do miss the luxurious surprises but I definitely do not appreciate the threats. Yes, that's how he got "The Psycho". As far as I'm aware, he continues his quest with younger and younger girls.
The Bao - Probably the only one whom I've dated who remained a friend after the breakup. I should have known that we were such different people, we would never be living the happily ever after. But during the times when we were attached, I had some much fun and laughter. I played the big sister to his nieces and nephews and we would spend the lazy Sunday mornings at McDonald's with the kids. We had regular meals with his family.. Just like... Well, a family. Perhaps because of all these, it seems that he was yearning for a family of his own and I, clearly, wasn't quite ready for it. He was an amazing guy who would surprise me with little things and go out of the way to cheer me up. It's a pity I just couldn't see myself with him. If anyone is looking for a great boyfriend, look no further. I admit that the problem laid in me and my big fat head that that I couldn't get around.
The Inspiring One That Got Away - What do I not love about this man? Nothing. He has a wicked sense of humour, carried himself well, good dose of integrity, knew his wines and sports a million dollar dazzling smile. The problem? His messy breakup and that timing was totally wrong. He went on to marry an amazing looking girl and continued living his wonderful life. We were merely friends and will always remaining so. Probably it wasn't meant to be and God meant it that way. He was very optimistic and cheerful. All the energy that would rub off on anyone but to me, out of pure honesty, it got a little tiring after a while.
The Roommate - Funny how life goes round and there are mere 6 degrees of separation. If I don't remember wrongly, our paths crossed because he went to the same camp as The Comic Fan during their NS days and through a Christmas invite (post my break up with The Comic Fan), we became friends. We had a long distant platonic friendship and after promising a visit to LA for years, where he was based, I finally visited him when he moved to NYC. The month in NYC was one of the happiest time of my life. Even while he was working in White Plains, he lived in an apartment in Manhattan and that was the best "hotel" ever even if it didn't have a TV nor a heater. He's like the best girlfriend stuck in a guy's body. He loves fashion but he also likes a hot chick. So yes, he's straight. We would party and he was my wingman! I will always remember walking down quiet Manhattan in the middle of the night during Christmas. We gossip and we talk about the dumbest things in the world. If I'm gonna have a Maid of Honour for my wedding, he's the one.
The Photographer - Maybe it was the way it began and I wasn't wholly interested. I simply needed to bounce onto a warm body. I grew to have so much affection for him that the tables were turned soon after. Throughout the relationship, I found myself to be extremely accommodating and was living my life tip-toeing around his. It was not all bad because we shared some similar interests like cars. He taught me photography and I taught him how to play mahjong. Then came the turning point when he had to go away for a couple of months. Following a period of attempted breakups by him, a very rude wake up call finally allowed me to walk away in peaceful anger.
The Divorcee - a.k.a The Compulsive Liar Perhaps it's not fair for me to make such a judgement. He was afterall a Mr Nice Guy whom everyone adores. He's a father of 2 and claimed that he was officially divorced when I decided to date him. But when you request to see documents (yes, it actually boiled down to that point), they simply do not exist. This was perhaps the mega lie and beneath that, there are still so many little little lies littering the relationship (some of which I only managed to unearth after the relationship). Recalling this relationship makes me really sick. I know I have bad eyesight but I must have been blind. That's a perfectly good reason for me to get LASIK done very soon. Ran into him a while ago and whilst I wasn't angry, I really didn't wish to waste another breath of such an irresponsible idiot.
The FBIL - It's funny how our lives have intertwined. He's the most patient and harmless person I know. The distant memories of us holding onto the phones and talking till we hear each other snore during school days, do bring back fond memories. He's one of those who has fallen into the friend zone early on and I think that's because God knows just how things will be and should be.
The Honey Bear - The man whom I tell almost every damn thing to and if I would trust my life in someone's hands other than The Man and family, it is him. The relationship is absolutely platonic but unlike The Roommate, you know it's not a girl stuck in a guy's body. The best way I can describe is like having an older sibling. I live my life vicariously through his luxurious travels and the stories he tells me. We would both swoon over the nitty gritties of first class food on SIA as he sends over photos. He would send me his cyber hugs when I'm down because he's almost never able to be there physically. He would hate the disgusting men in my life because I hate them and complain about them to him all the time. He would tell me silly things almost every day to cheer me up. He's my best friend whom I rarely get to see.
The Man - Never in my dreams would I picture my future to be so closely related to a man like that. He's not the tall, dark, handsome but he sure is tall. He's not the romantic, he's an engineer and definitely not a sweet talker. Our paths crossed briefly when we were in college but never knew each other's very well until we both bought the same car. All the quirks and wilfulness in me from before, never quite went away although it did mellow. But this is the man who made me look at myself and think twice before I act. Impulsiveness is never the trait I'm proud of. He became my mirror and my reminder. He loves me with so much conviction, I actually think he loves me more than he loves himself. Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration but yes, I shamelessly know for a fact that I'm pretty darn important to him. And for many years down the road, I think we will still fight and argue... But I know, we will also kiss and make up because nothing else is more important than having the other person to walk the walk with. I love you and you know it and I also know you're reading this!
The Brother - The real one. The irritating little brother who grew up to be my best friend whom I can never stop worrying about. We fought, we shouted at one another, we pulled each other's hair, we punched the other's face but in our hearts, we know we love each other. He's the person I can always run back to and have our little chat by the stairwell. We would bitch about our parents, about our partners, about money... We are very different and in the real world, I do not think our paths would ever cross nor will we become friends at all. But because he's my brother, he's also my best friend. I love him to bits.
Lastly, the man who gave me life and taught me all about life - The Dad. I reckon I'm not going to win some Miss Singapore or some idol contest, hence, I would like to use this opportunity to thank him for loving me. It's tough to say that he's been there for me because being a traditional Chinese Dad, he is never ever expressive with his emotions. But his life was spent ensuring that we have a decent life with food on our plates and comfortable shelter over our heads. I am not able to dedicate my entire life to him because I will have my family. But I know Dad has already dedicated his whole life to my brother and I. As a disciplinarian, he ensured that we have our values in the right place and our focus in the bulls'eye. We may not have been the perfect children but we couldn't have asked for more in a Dad.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Potato Salad Recipe
Here's my personal recipe for some really evil potato salad. After fine tuning it several times, trying out with different combinations, I have determined that this is the best tasting marriage as far.
1 bag (about 1 kg equivalent) of washed Red-skinned Potatoes (or Gold Yukon) - I've tried the different potatoes. I personally love Russet's texture but Russets will disintegrate when we're mixing. This is a heavy salad so the tossing isn't an easy task. Cover the potatoes with water and bring it to a boil. Add a tea spoon of salt into the water. Salt, no only adds flavour to your potatoes, it also brings up the boiling point of the water (although this is often disputed as the amount of salt is just insignificant). Boil the potatoes in whole and leave the skin on. The skin gives it the additional texture and I highly suspect the nutritional value is probably retained in the skin. After the water is brought to boil, let it simmer for 25-30 minutes until your fork can poke through the potatoes at ease.
300g of streaky bacon - Cut the sliced bacon approximately into 1" x 1" squares. Use a tiny bit of oil to even out the heat in the pan and to prevent the bacon from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Any bits to the pan stuck will turn dark and gives the salad an awful colour when you mix the bacon it. The fats from the bacon will then cook itself. It will reach a point when the fats from the bacon will "deep fry" itself until it turns golden brown. Drain the bacon from the oily and leave it to cool.
4 eggs - Boil the eggs and sometimes, I just throw it into the pot of potatoes. Peel the eggs and smash the eggs using a fork. The space between the fork creates the right width/texture for our salad.
1 white onion - Cut into into fine tiny cubes. The finer you chop it, the less likely the consumer will chomp into a mouthful of... well, onions. I do like a bit of crunch though.
Mix all of the above with mayonaise. Add rock salt and crack in some black pepper to taste. Garnish it with chopped spring onions (aka scallions). I love how the spring onions actually "upgrades" the taste of the salad.
Get fat with me!
1 bag (about 1 kg equivalent) of washed Red-skinned Potatoes (or Gold Yukon) - I've tried the different potatoes. I personally love Russet's texture but Russets will disintegrate when we're mixing. This is a heavy salad so the tossing isn't an easy task. Cover the potatoes with water and bring it to a boil. Add a tea spoon of salt into the water. Salt, no only adds flavour to your potatoes, it also brings up the boiling point of the water (although this is often disputed as the amount of salt is just insignificant). Boil the potatoes in whole and leave the skin on. The skin gives it the additional texture and I highly suspect the nutritional value is probably retained in the skin. After the water is brought to boil, let it simmer for 25-30 minutes until your fork can poke through the potatoes at ease.
300g of streaky bacon - Cut the sliced bacon approximately into 1" x 1" squares. Use a tiny bit of oil to even out the heat in the pan and to prevent the bacon from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Any bits to the pan stuck will turn dark and gives the salad an awful colour when you mix the bacon it. The fats from the bacon will then cook itself. It will reach a point when the fats from the bacon will "deep fry" itself until it turns golden brown. Drain the bacon from the oily and leave it to cool.
4 eggs - Boil the eggs and sometimes, I just throw it into the pot of potatoes. Peel the eggs and smash the eggs using a fork. The space between the fork creates the right width/texture for our salad.
1 white onion - Cut into into fine tiny cubes. The finer you chop it, the less likely the consumer will chomp into a mouthful of... well, onions. I do like a bit of crunch though.
Mix all of the above with mayonaise. Add rock salt and crack in some black pepper to taste. Garnish it with chopped spring onions (aka scallions). I love how the spring onions actually "upgrades" the taste of the salad.
Get fat with me!
Friday, November 16, 2012
If you haven't heard of WeChat, you need to seriously keep up with the world. Just like Whatsapp, WeChat is a multimedia messaging platform for mobile phones. But unlike Whatsapp, WeChat is keeping up with the times.
To start, WeChat is stretched to fit the iPhone 5 and Whatsapp is still stuck in medieval times. The Whatsapp window just looks weird. Apart from the fact that it's not utilising the longer screen of the phone, the OCD side of me just find the black patches irk me.
Also, the convenient switch to voice chat only means that I can send a message to a friend who may be driving or cooking. I'm not encouraging texting and driving at the same time but your passenger will be able to just play it for you or sending out a text which requires only a fraction of the effort taking up ONE second at the traffic lights. Not to mention if you're living in very different time zones, you can drop your friend a "voice message" that can be picked up anytime at their convenience.
Being Asian, having emoticons in my messages just add that bit of sparkle and fun. And do you know, that if you send a message with "Happy Birthday" in it, icons of cakes will drop from the top of the screen. It's not a tool of utility but hey, it is interesting. If there are other "codes" that trigger other icons "falling", do inform me!
Whatsapp, you have to pull up your sock before you lose your market share which you have built up over the years... Slowly but surely...
Go download your WeChat now! If you must know... I'm not getting paid a single cent by them...
***Update*** The day after I published this article, the update was out and viola, Whatsapp is catching up! I'm not deleting this as I feel that they still need to improve and the speed done in today's context, is far from acceptable. But well done... For now!
To start, WeChat is stretched to fit the iPhone 5 and Whatsapp is still stuck in medieval times. The Whatsapp window just looks weird. Apart from the fact that it's not utilising the longer screen of the phone, the OCD side of me just find the black patches irk me.
Also, the convenient switch to voice chat only means that I can send a message to a friend who may be driving or cooking. I'm not encouraging texting and driving at the same time but your passenger will be able to just play it for you or sending out a text which requires only a fraction of the effort taking up ONE second at the traffic lights. Not to mention if you're living in very different time zones, you can drop your friend a "voice message" that can be picked up anytime at their convenience.
Being Asian, having emoticons in my messages just add that bit of sparkle and fun. And do you know, that if you send a message with "Happy Birthday" in it, icons of cakes will drop from the top of the screen. It's not a tool of utility but hey, it is interesting. If there are other "codes" that trigger other icons "falling", do inform me!
Whatsapp, you have to pull up your sock before you lose your market share which you have built up over the years... Slowly but surely...
Go download your WeChat now! If you must know... I'm not getting paid a single cent by them...
***Update*** The day after I published this article, the update was out and viola, Whatsapp is catching up! I'm not deleting this as I feel that they still need to improve and the speed done in today's context, is far from acceptable. But well done... For now!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Recipe: French Toast
This is a simple and basic recipe which I believe many of you either know or can find it on other websites. But I made a batch today which I thought, they are good enough to share.
3-4 slices of fresh bread (Cut into quarters)
2 eggs
A teaspoon of brown sugar (Better with cinnamon sugar though)
A dash of salt
Milk (estimating about 2 teaspoons?)
Butter
Beat up the eggs with the sugar, milk, salt and some melted butter. Dip the bread into the eggs and leave it for a couple of seconds to soak up the mixture. Using medium heat on the frying pan, lay the bread on the pan until they turn golden brown. Simple as that. Do control the fire as the mixture contains sugar and butter so it burns easily.
Serve with some clotted cream aka Devonshire cream and some nice hot Earl Grey and you have your perfect, easy afternoon tea within 5 mins. Kids love them too!
3-4 slices of fresh bread (Cut into quarters)
2 eggs
A teaspoon of brown sugar (Better with cinnamon sugar though)
A dash of salt
Milk (estimating about 2 teaspoons?)
Butter
Beat up the eggs with the sugar, milk, salt and some melted butter. Dip the bread into the eggs and leave it for a couple of seconds to soak up the mixture. Using medium heat on the frying pan, lay the bread on the pan until they turn golden brown. Simple as that. Do control the fire as the mixture contains sugar and butter so it burns easily.
Serve with some clotted cream aka Devonshire cream and some nice hot Earl Grey and you have your perfect, easy afternoon tea within 5 mins. Kids love them too!
Posted with BlogsySaturday, October 13, 2012
Cycling Cleats
Hear it from the newbie...
Whenever you see cyclists after they dismount from their bikes, they start to walk funny. That's because they are on cycling cleats. These are attachments that are permanently fixed onto your cycling shoes which will eventually "click in" with their other half of the magnetic combo that's affixed to the bike. For seasoned cyclists, clicking in and out of their cleats is second nature but to newbies like me, one will need to give it some time to get accustomed to the cleats. Otherwise, the end result would be a fall. Or in some cases like mine, a couple of falls.
Fortunately or unfortunately for me, I had a (rather embarrasing) fall during my first day on my cleats when I was practising outside Fat Cat Cycles. I suffered a couple of bruises and I was a brave little girl, up and running (rather, cycling) again. I became wary every time when I'm needed to approach a stop, let alone traffic lights with cars all around me. Well, the topic on safety for Singaporean cyclist will need to wait...
Just when I thought I've gotten the hang of things...
Was out on a ride with some chaps and as we approached the lagoon for our Cheng Tng, in full view of the diners, I came to a complete stop and shifted my weight to the correct side. However, I didn't realise that a slight twitch of the handle bar would send me the other way. And it did. So now you have it, more bruises on the shin, thighs and ego.
Whenever you see cyclists after they dismount from their bikes, they start to walk funny. That's because they are on cycling cleats. These are attachments that are permanently fixed onto your cycling shoes which will eventually "click in" with their other half of the magnetic combo that's affixed to the bike. For seasoned cyclists, clicking in and out of their cleats is second nature but to newbies like me, one will need to give it some time to get accustomed to the cleats. Otherwise, the end result would be a fall. Or in some cases like mine, a couple of falls.
Fortunately or unfortunately for me, I had a (rather embarrasing) fall during my first day on my cleats when I was practising outside Fat Cat Cycles. I suffered a couple of bruises and I was a brave little girl, up and running (rather, cycling) again. I became wary every time when I'm needed to approach a stop, let alone traffic lights with cars all around me. Well, the topic on safety for Singaporean cyclist will need to wait...
Just when I thought I've gotten the hang of things...
Was out on a ride with some chaps and as we approached the lagoon for our Cheng Tng, in full view of the diners, I came to a complete stop and shifted my weight to the correct side. However, I didn't realise that a slight twitch of the handle bar would send me the other way. And it did. So now you have it, more bruises on the shin, thighs and ego.
Aren't they gorgeous? Well, these cleats look GREY in flesh and if you're expecting it to be white, be prepared to be disappointed.
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
Bali Retreat
It was a holiday that we have been anticipating for months! The counting down came to an end and we found ourselves flying off mid work week and how awesome is that!
Right before the trip, I injured myself and left a chunk of me on the bathroom door that "attacked" me. I am quite sure it was the door's fault. *pout* The morning that I was flying off, I got into the car and it refused to start. I was faced with a likely case of a flat battery. These didn't help when we were on the plane and a newspaper article reminded us that it was the anniversary of the Bali bombing and it was a sky high alert for tourists visiting this sandy haven. I was quite glad that I bought some travel insurance but regretted that I didn't purchase one with a higher premium. Having said that, all the worries was left behind when we arrived at Denpasar.
Due to road works, the usual trip to from the airport to Jimbaran stretched from 20 minutes to more than an hour. When we got to our villa, as hungry as we were because plane food REALLY sucked, we only wanted to veg out and do absolutely nothing. However, planning a trip with a bunch of girlies only meant that we have our massages and pedicures all scheduled. The holiday started on the beautiful note - A full body massage. Shortly after, it was another hour's ride back from Seminyak as we watched the sunset from inside the cab.
Dinner with the Aussie offices was pretty much an overdue get-together. We were finally able to put faces to the names while having some new names to register. Sand in feet, nestled right beside the sea, the ambience was amazing... If you would just ignore the mozzies and their excruciatingly itchy bites. Post dinner, all we wanted to do was to veg out by our pool and that was exactly what we did. The holiday couldn't have started better.
In the next few days, our schedule basically repeats itself. Massages, traffic jams in cabs, good food, chilling out by the pool, too much alcohol and cigarettes, catching up on the abandoned books, late nights and awesome breakfasts...
Few things worth a mention:
Sea Circus - http://seacircus-bali.com/
... Tucked in a little corner in Seminyak (accessible via rear entrance of Bodyworks), this little cafe provided us with a place to chill while we waited to get kneaded at Bodyworks. The food wasn't anything to shout about but it was decent. In fact, it was more than we expected. The service was amazing. They rushed the food out because we were running out of time and volunteered to help us with a group photo. Definitely a nice place to chill with the girls while you gossip about the boys...
Prana Spa - http://www.pranaspabali.com/
... We found this on the internet based on some recommendations but we remained rather skeptical. The massage was really decent. The well equipped changing room meant that you can spend some time to dress out before going for your big dinner, which was what we did. Ku De Ta and Potatohead are both just a short cab ride away.
Potatohead - http://www.ptthead.com/
... Some people swore by it, some thought it was overrated. I needed to see it for myself. Food was average, perhaps a bit better than average. There are separate areas for drinks and dining. Farm dining. We enjoyed the place partly because the company was great. It helped that they were beside the sea where the surf was huge and the air was really cool. A walk down the beach with a champagne in hand is guilty pleasure, probably one one of favourite moments in Bali. The only drawback is that the smoking area is away from the dining area so that felt like we're back in Singapore.
Ahimsa, Jimbaran - http://www.theahimsa.com/
... Last but not least, the villa which we were staying in. The service was excellent. The villas were well-maintained and we were really well taken care of. Nothing I can fault except that we would really love to be nearer to Seminyak. Then again, we were 5 mins walk away from an awesome beach. I would love to go back there.
This trip was complete with the right company but I needed more of the half hearted tan that I'm wearing now. But I still feel rather incomplete the very moment silence dawn on me, the reminder that we're returning to reality. I'm already missing Bali...
Right before the trip, I injured myself and left a chunk of me on the bathroom door that "attacked" me. I am quite sure it was the door's fault. *pout* The morning that I was flying off, I got into the car and it refused to start. I was faced with a likely case of a flat battery. These didn't help when we were on the plane and a newspaper article reminded us that it was the anniversary of the Bali bombing and it was a sky high alert for tourists visiting this sandy haven. I was quite glad that I bought some travel insurance but regretted that I didn't purchase one with a higher premium. Having said that, all the worries was left behind when we arrived at Denpasar.
Due to road works, the usual trip to from the airport to Jimbaran stretched from 20 minutes to more than an hour. When we got to our villa, as hungry as we were because plane food REALLY sucked, we only wanted to veg out and do absolutely nothing. However, planning a trip with a bunch of girlies only meant that we have our massages and pedicures all scheduled. The holiday started on the beautiful note - A full body massage. Shortly after, it was another hour's ride back from Seminyak as we watched the sunset from inside the cab.
Dinner with the Aussie offices was pretty much an overdue get-together. We were finally able to put faces to the names while having some new names to register. Sand in feet, nestled right beside the sea, the ambience was amazing... If you would just ignore the mozzies and their excruciatingly itchy bites. Post dinner, all we wanted to do was to veg out by our pool and that was exactly what we did. The holiday couldn't have started better.
In the next few days, our schedule basically repeats itself. Massages, traffic jams in cabs, good food, chilling out by the pool, too much alcohol and cigarettes, catching up on the abandoned books, late nights and awesome breakfasts...
Few things worth a mention:
Sea Circus - http://seacircus-bali.com/
... Tucked in a little corner in Seminyak (accessible via rear entrance of Bodyworks), this little cafe provided us with a place to chill while we waited to get kneaded at Bodyworks. The food wasn't anything to shout about but it was decent. In fact, it was more than we expected. The service was amazing. They rushed the food out because we were running out of time and volunteered to help us with a group photo. Definitely a nice place to chill with the girls while you gossip about the boys...
Prana Spa - http://www.pranaspabali.com/
... We found this on the internet based on some recommendations but we remained rather skeptical. The massage was really decent. The well equipped changing room meant that you can spend some time to dress out before going for your big dinner, which was what we did. Ku De Ta and Potatohead are both just a short cab ride away.
Potatohead - http://www.ptthead.com/
... Some people swore by it, some thought it was overrated. I needed to see it for myself. Food was average, perhaps a bit better than average. There are separate areas for drinks and dining. Farm dining. We enjoyed the place partly because the company was great. It helped that they were beside the sea where the surf was huge and the air was really cool. A walk down the beach with a champagne in hand is guilty pleasure, probably one one of favourite moments in Bali. The only drawback is that the smoking area is away from the dining area so that felt like we're back in Singapore.
Ahimsa, Jimbaran - http://www.theahimsa.com/
This trip was complete with the right company but I needed more of the half hearted tan that I'm wearing now. But I still feel rather incomplete the very moment silence dawn on me, the reminder that we're returning to reality. I'm already missing Bali...
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Tiger 2000-2012 - My Best Friend
It was a difficult decision but I knew in my heart, that was the right and rational decision.
Tiger was my first pet. Mom bought it for us during Fathers' Day in 2000. I was advised to pick the most energetic puppy of the litter but the mild one caught my eye. He went home with me and what I didn't expect, our interesting jouney began.
I named him Tiger after Woods won his US Masters green jacket. He accompanied me through college and law school. All the nights I spent with my books, he was on my bed, accompanying me through the trying periods. He believed in me.
Tiger was a difficult pet to train. He wasn't the smartest dog but he was the most loyal. Despite my anger when he chewed up my heels, he still loved me. I gave him a hard time when he didn't want to finish his food. He was a picky eater and even with snacks, he was extremely selective. Like me, he only wanted the best. So, we all tried to give him our best.
He was the only dog my cousin, XMR, was willing to touch as though he dispelled all her fears for dogs. My younger cousins started to point towards other dogs and called them "Tiger!" He was good with the kids and the kids adored him. He became their favourite playmate and they always look forward to meeting Tiger. No matter how they squashed him and chased him, Tiger never bit nor barked at them.
On one occasion, Tiger began barking at the door but we refused to open it for him because we were all too busy. When we finally got to opening the door, our bikes outside were stolen. Then on, we will always open the door for him to have a peep whenever he barks at the door.
My late Grandma who never liked pets, seemed to have a soft spot for Tiger. She would call Tiger to go to her, in her Teochew laced English, and pet him to sleep. More often, she would doze off before Tiger did. But Tiger would always pretend to be sleeping just to please Grandma.
When I was going through food poisoning in Shanghai, all I wanted was to have Tiger with me. I thought of him over my parents or friends. He was THE friend. If only he was there with me, I could brave all the drips and injections without much fear. All I had was a picture of him with me.
When he was 7, the vet told us we needed to put him down. He had stones in his urinary tract and with small animals like these, it would be almost impossible to remove those stones. Dr Jean-Paul Ly then recommended an operation that would remove his entire urinary tract and in the process, Tiger was be transformed to a girl. But we still called him our good boy. Tiger lived happily for a few more good years. Even though it meant I couldn't buy a car for the time being then, it was all well worth it.
Earlier this year, his skin was giving problems and he could barely function. We later found out that the skin problems were due to a heart problem. His bloated belly was a cause for worry so we had to seek medical attention. We were told that he may not have much longer to live as his weak heart is unable to pump out the fluid from his stomach. Every few weeks, we had to bring him back to the vet to get the fluid removed. He will return to his active (well, not THAT active) self until the fluid builds up again. In recent months, the frequency of our visits to the vet became shorter and his suffering became more visible and audible. But being the brave dog that he was, he didn't winge or whine much. He could barely sleep because lying down would be pressing the fluid in his stomach to his lungs causing breathing difficulties. Mom and Dad brought him back from the vet week after another in hope that he will get better.
The vet's diagnosis was grim. We were very grateful to have an experienced and caring vet, Dr Francis Tay, to guide us along the way. We knew it was terminal and there was nothing we could do. But we were never prepared to put him to sleep hoping that one day, a heart attack will take him away really quick during his sleep. That never happened and his conditions got worse.
On Sunday night when I moved back to my parents', I sat down with Tiger. Sharing my problems with him, just like the old times. He snuggled up against me but he could barely walk. When I carried him, he felt so heavy with all the fluid in him. Then I knew it was time... But I didn't say much.
Weirdly enough, on Monday morning, Mom called and said she wanted to make an appointment for Tiger to see the vet, perhaps to take the fluid out of his stomach yet again. The only appointment she could get was the last appointment of the day at 6pm. Financially we all knew it was straining us but we all refused to let his life be determined by money. But rationally, I had to tell my parents that maybe it is best that we let him drift into deep sleep. My parents reasoned out within themselves and I believe it's a battle going on inside their hearts. They concluded that putting him to perpetual sleep was the best for him as well. They were the ones watching him suffer on a daily basis. When we got there, they couldn't do it and I didn't want to especially when I saw Tiger staring right at me. Dad was hoping to get a positive answer from the vet when he asked if he'd get better if we try to remove the fluid from his stomach yet again. It would have been yet another trip of trying to prolong his life.
Then I took a very close look at Tiger. I took some pictures of him. It was in the sunset. He looked out of the clinic and his face showed resignation. He was probably telling me, "I love you but I'm sorry. I'm old and I have to go." I knew I had to make a rational decision.
I will always have a photo to remind me that you have once loved me this unconditionally and if you could, you would take every step of my life with me.
I called Attituder who lost her dogs not very long ago. She gave me some encouragement and made me look past my emotions. By then, I have lost all the ability to speak as I was choking on my own tears.
After 12.5 years, it's finally the time. My parents left the decision to me and left the room as they didn't have the courage to watch him go. I stayed to watch. I gave him a last kiss and bade my last farewell. I stroked his fur for a final time and thanked him for all the time and the unconditional love.
I hope he is now in a better place without pain and suffering. My pain will slowly go away but my love for him will forever remain. There will never be another dog like him.
The process was very quick and peaceful. He didn't fight. I think he knew. I knew but he was still loving me although I'm deciding to put him to sleep. He never gave up on me.
Special thanks to Animal Recovery Centre for all the dedication and patience.
Tiger, you were my best friend. I love you but I know my love for you is nothing compared to your unconditional love for me. All the times that you have accompanied Mom and Dad when I wasn't there for them, thank you. All the tears I have shed, you were right there consoling me. Thank you. You have never given up on me. Thank you for the wonderful 12 years. You're irreplaceable.
You will be missed.
Rest in peace.
Tiger 2000 - 2012
Tiger was my first pet. Mom bought it for us during Fathers' Day in 2000. I was advised to pick the most energetic puppy of the litter but the mild one caught my eye. He went home with me and what I didn't expect, our interesting jouney began.
I named him Tiger after Woods won his US Masters green jacket. He accompanied me through college and law school. All the nights I spent with my books, he was on my bed, accompanying me through the trying periods. He believed in me.
Tiger was a difficult pet to train. He wasn't the smartest dog but he was the most loyal. Despite my anger when he chewed up my heels, he still loved me. I gave him a hard time when he didn't want to finish his food. He was a picky eater and even with snacks, he was extremely selective. Like me, he only wanted the best. So, we all tried to give him our best.
He was the only dog my cousin, XMR, was willing to touch as though he dispelled all her fears for dogs. My younger cousins started to point towards other dogs and called them "Tiger!" He was good with the kids and the kids adored him. He became their favourite playmate and they always look forward to meeting Tiger. No matter how they squashed him and chased him, Tiger never bit nor barked at them.
On one occasion, Tiger began barking at the door but we refused to open it for him because we were all too busy. When we finally got to opening the door, our bikes outside were stolen. Then on, we will always open the door for him to have a peep whenever he barks at the door.
My late Grandma who never liked pets, seemed to have a soft spot for Tiger. She would call Tiger to go to her, in her Teochew laced English, and pet him to sleep. More often, she would doze off before Tiger did. But Tiger would always pretend to be sleeping just to please Grandma.
When I was going through food poisoning in Shanghai, all I wanted was to have Tiger with me. I thought of him over my parents or friends. He was THE friend. If only he was there with me, I could brave all the drips and injections without much fear. All I had was a picture of him with me.
When he was 7, the vet told us we needed to put him down. He had stones in his urinary tract and with small animals like these, it would be almost impossible to remove those stones. Dr Jean-Paul Ly then recommended an operation that would remove his entire urinary tract and in the process, Tiger was be transformed to a girl. But we still called him our good boy. Tiger lived happily for a few more good years. Even though it meant I couldn't buy a car for the time being then, it was all well worth it.
Earlier this year, his skin was giving problems and he could barely function. We later found out that the skin problems were due to a heart problem. His bloated belly was a cause for worry so we had to seek medical attention. We were told that he may not have much longer to live as his weak heart is unable to pump out the fluid from his stomach. Every few weeks, we had to bring him back to the vet to get the fluid removed. He will return to his active (well, not THAT active) self until the fluid builds up again. In recent months, the frequency of our visits to the vet became shorter and his suffering became more visible and audible. But being the brave dog that he was, he didn't winge or whine much. He could barely sleep because lying down would be pressing the fluid in his stomach to his lungs causing breathing difficulties. Mom and Dad brought him back from the vet week after another in hope that he will get better.
The vet's diagnosis was grim. We were very grateful to have an experienced and caring vet, Dr Francis Tay, to guide us along the way. We knew it was terminal and there was nothing we could do. But we were never prepared to put him to sleep hoping that one day, a heart attack will take him away really quick during his sleep. That never happened and his conditions got worse.
On Sunday night when I moved back to my parents', I sat down with Tiger. Sharing my problems with him, just like the old times. He snuggled up against me but he could barely walk. When I carried him, he felt so heavy with all the fluid in him. Then I knew it was time... But I didn't say much.
Weirdly enough, on Monday morning, Mom called and said she wanted to make an appointment for Tiger to see the vet, perhaps to take the fluid out of his stomach yet again. The only appointment she could get was the last appointment of the day at 6pm. Financially we all knew it was straining us but we all refused to let his life be determined by money. But rationally, I had to tell my parents that maybe it is best that we let him drift into deep sleep. My parents reasoned out within themselves and I believe it's a battle going on inside their hearts. They concluded that putting him to perpetual sleep was the best for him as well. They were the ones watching him suffer on a daily basis. When we got there, they couldn't do it and I didn't want to especially when I saw Tiger staring right at me. Dad was hoping to get a positive answer from the vet when he asked if he'd get better if we try to remove the fluid from his stomach yet again. It would have been yet another trip of trying to prolong his life.
Then I took a very close look at Tiger. I took some pictures of him. It was in the sunset. He looked out of the clinic and his face showed resignation. He was probably telling me, "I love you but I'm sorry. I'm old and I have to go." I knew I had to make a rational decision.
I will always have a photo to remind me that you have once loved me this unconditionally and if you could, you would take every step of my life with me.
I called Attituder who lost her dogs not very long ago. She gave me some encouragement and made me look past my emotions. By then, I have lost all the ability to speak as I was choking on my own tears.
After 12.5 years, it's finally the time. My parents left the decision to me and left the room as they didn't have the courage to watch him go. I stayed to watch. I gave him a last kiss and bade my last farewell. I stroked his fur for a final time and thanked him for all the time and the unconditional love.
I hope he is now in a better place without pain and suffering. My pain will slowly go away but my love for him will forever remain. There will never be another dog like him.
The process was very quick and peaceful. He didn't fight. I think he knew. I knew but he was still loving me although I'm deciding to put him to sleep. He never gave up on me.
Special thanks to Animal Recovery Centre for all the dedication and patience.
Tiger, you were my best friend. I love you but I know my love for you is nothing compared to your unconditional love for me. All the times that you have accompanied Mom and Dad when I wasn't there for them, thank you. All the tears I have shed, you were right there consoling me. Thank you. You have never given up on me. Thank you for the wonderful 12 years. You're irreplaceable.
You will be missed.
Rest in peace.
Tiger 2000 - 2012
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Ruth's Chris Steak House
Finally our very own Ruth's Chris Steak House, a new haven for beef lovers like me?
I've decided to surprise Watziznehm by bringing him for an unexpected treat. To cheer him up on a lousy day, I made reservations at Ruth's Chris. The phone call should have been an indication of the service I was going to get. The girl was definitely polite but she couldn't make out what she was trying to say and I could barely understand her. She couldn't even get numbers right when I was trying to recite my phone number out to her! I wanted to make reservations for 7pm but I was told they only have spots for 6.30pm or 7.30pm. And so, I settled for 7.30pm thinking I won't be able to make it in time for 6.30pm. She also asked if it was for any special occasion like an anniversary, I just replied yes because it was... Just a couple of days late.
Expecting a full house at 7.15pm, I was made to wait at the door for 10 mins while they sorted out the seating. When I was finally led through the restaurant... Surprise! It was almost empty. Clearly, a well-suited manager seemed to be waiting on a table of food bloggers armed with flashing cameras and paying customers like us are left waiting for service? Besides, the slew of inconsiderate strong flashes continued interrupting our dinner. To be fair, our server was really attentive and during times when we understood what he was trying to say, he was marvellous. But I just couldn't figure out, why wasn't I able to start my meal at 7pm?
First to serve up was the blue crab cake. It was served on these incredibly hot plates which sizzles when you squeeze the beautifully wrapped lemon on it. The taste was beautifully sweet and every mouthful was tender, fresh, real crab meat. One little "but" though, it appears as if the entire dish was supposed to be served hot. Crabs are naturally cold so I wasn't afraid it was uncooked since they would have blanched it. But the inside of the dome shaped crab cake was significantly cooler than the exterior of the cake. I suspect it was quickly heated up before it was served but the time in the oven was perhaps a tad short. Nonetheless, it was still our favourite dish of the day. I will give it a 8.5 out of 10.
And because the crab cake wasn't as ginormous as how some bloggers described it to be, we had to add the BBQ shrimps to our order. I can only say the dish is overpriced and taste wise, it belongs to one with an acquired tongue. It was definitely a little better than average but it's a feeling that leaves one wanting. The spices were incredible so maybe I'm just unappreciative. 6 out of 10
Now comes the main part although in other circumstances, I would have labelled it as "the best part". Similarly, the plate was sizzling hot but only the part of the steak that was in contact with the plate was hot! The rest of the meat was cool-ish. Well, I understand as a medium rare steak, I shouldn't be asking for a full hot steak but c'mon, it's at least hot on the outside! It was so disappointing because it was supposed to be our highlight! The beef was a good quality USDA ribeye with the right amount of marbling but I couldn't decide if the kitchen murdered the steak or if it was meant to be served this way. The steak was served perfectly medium rare as per my request but unexpectedly, cooler than Charlie Brown. It was very reasonable priced though. 6.5 out of 10
As for the au gratin, which I ordered as accompaniment to the steak, was a complete waste of time. It was the only dish that was piping hot but the taste was ordinary and cheese didn't felt like it was of superior quality. I couldn't rate this dish... I gave up after 2 mouthfuls.
At the end of the dinner, I was too stuffed and didn't want to try the cheesecake. Besides, I couldn't take anymore disappointment. That's said, it's probably a very reasonably priced steakhouse for decent quality beef. Just pray that you turn up on a day which they're not preoccupied in their marketing attempts. I left the restaurant thinking why did she ask if it was a special occasion because they did nothing special for us. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think.
For me, Bedrock is still right up there with the crown.
I've decided to surprise Watziznehm by bringing him for an unexpected treat. To cheer him up on a lousy day, I made reservations at Ruth's Chris. The phone call should have been an indication of the service I was going to get. The girl was definitely polite but she couldn't make out what she was trying to say and I could barely understand her. She couldn't even get numbers right when I was trying to recite my phone number out to her! I wanted to make reservations for 7pm but I was told they only have spots for 6.30pm or 7.30pm. And so, I settled for 7.30pm thinking I won't be able to make it in time for 6.30pm. She also asked if it was for any special occasion like an anniversary, I just replied yes because it was... Just a couple of days late.
Expecting a full house at 7.15pm, I was made to wait at the door for 10 mins while they sorted out the seating. When I was finally led through the restaurant... Surprise! It was almost empty. Clearly, a well-suited manager seemed to be waiting on a table of food bloggers armed with flashing cameras and paying customers like us are left waiting for service? Besides, the slew of inconsiderate strong flashes continued interrupting our dinner. To be fair, our server was really attentive and during times when we understood what he was trying to say, he was marvellous. But I just couldn't figure out, why wasn't I able to start my meal at 7pm?
First to serve up was the blue crab cake. It was served on these incredibly hot plates which sizzles when you squeeze the beautifully wrapped lemon on it. The taste was beautifully sweet and every mouthful was tender, fresh, real crab meat. One little "but" though, it appears as if the entire dish was supposed to be served hot. Crabs are naturally cold so I wasn't afraid it was uncooked since they would have blanched it. But the inside of the dome shaped crab cake was significantly cooler than the exterior of the cake. I suspect it was quickly heated up before it was served but the time in the oven was perhaps a tad short. Nonetheless, it was still our favourite dish of the day. I will give it a 8.5 out of 10.
And because the crab cake wasn't as ginormous as how some bloggers described it to be, we had to add the BBQ shrimps to our order. I can only say the dish is overpriced and taste wise, it belongs to one with an acquired tongue. It was definitely a little better than average but it's a feeling that leaves one wanting. The spices were incredible so maybe I'm just unappreciative. 6 out of 10
Now comes the main part although in other circumstances, I would have labelled it as "the best part". Similarly, the plate was sizzling hot but only the part of the steak that was in contact with the plate was hot! The rest of the meat was cool-ish. Well, I understand as a medium rare steak, I shouldn't be asking for a full hot steak but c'mon, it's at least hot on the outside! It was so disappointing because it was supposed to be our highlight! The beef was a good quality USDA ribeye with the right amount of marbling but I couldn't decide if the kitchen murdered the steak or if it was meant to be served this way. The steak was served perfectly medium rare as per my request but unexpectedly, cooler than Charlie Brown. It was very reasonable priced though. 6.5 out of 10
As for the au gratin, which I ordered as accompaniment to the steak, was a complete waste of time. It was the only dish that was piping hot but the taste was ordinary and cheese didn't felt like it was of superior quality. I couldn't rate this dish... I gave up after 2 mouthfuls.
At the end of the dinner, I was too stuffed and didn't want to try the cheesecake. Besides, I couldn't take anymore disappointment. That's said, it's probably a very reasonably priced steakhouse for decent quality beef. Just pray that you turn up on a day which they're not preoccupied in their marketing attempts. I left the restaurant thinking why did she ask if it was a special occasion because they did nothing special for us. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think.
For me, Bedrock is still right up there with the crown.
Monday, August 27, 2012
National Day Rally
This will be an extremely short post and in fact, I could pass off as a tweet but I will attempt to use the least amount of words to get my message across. I've always maintained a WIP, personal letter to the head of state and it contains my views and visions for this nation. But as social media repeatedly brings out the ugly side of Singaporeans, I have learnt to keep my comments in and my hopes out.
There were several occasions during last night's live telecast of the National Day Rally delivered by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and some members of his team. Lee Hsien Loong spoke of all Singaporeans like his children. The very sincere messages were close to our hearts and his words hit it right home.
As far as my memory serves me, when LHL took over, many criticised that senior Mr Lee had Goh Chok Tong warm the "throne" for his eldest son in the "Lee empire". As of last night, I had an epiphany - Goh Chok Tong, whether he was a seat warmer or not, he was an impressive Prime Minister and during his "reign", the nation prospered. Though I may not be entirely happy with some choices I had to made just because I'm just born a Singaporean, I grew up a happy child and a satisfied citizen. As I watched our current Prime Minister carefully picked his words as not to offend prickly Singaporeans, his sincerity and messages touched me. I came to realise that senior Mr Lee didn't just pick his son out of selfish intentions. Instead, he picked a trusted and impressive successor who is radically different but incredibly fitting in current context. Today, with overwhelming emotions, I'm glad to announce that I'm a proud Singaporean. We have so much room to improve but we need each other to do that.
Even with so much issues internally, I'm beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. As long as we remember what he said...
Hope. Heart. Home.
I read an article this morning and it touched on my pet subject.
#silencethehate
Let's just try this today - Give way to someone, whether you are on the road or a mere commuter on the train. When someone extends their kindness, say thanks or a simple wave while you're on the wheel. Let the grace start from you...
Ok, this is why I couldn't fit the message on Twitter...
There were several occasions during last night's live telecast of the National Day Rally delivered by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and some members of his team. Lee Hsien Loong spoke of all Singaporeans like his children. The very sincere messages were close to our hearts and his words hit it right home.
As far as my memory serves me, when LHL took over, many criticised that senior Mr Lee had Goh Chok Tong warm the "throne" for his eldest son in the "Lee empire". As of last night, I had an epiphany - Goh Chok Tong, whether he was a seat warmer or not, he was an impressive Prime Minister and during his "reign", the nation prospered. Though I may not be entirely happy with some choices I had to made just because I'm just born a Singaporean, I grew up a happy child and a satisfied citizen. As I watched our current Prime Minister carefully picked his words as not to offend prickly Singaporeans, his sincerity and messages touched me. I came to realise that senior Mr Lee didn't just pick his son out of selfish intentions. Instead, he picked a trusted and impressive successor who is radically different but incredibly fitting in current context. Today, with overwhelming emotions, I'm glad to announce that I'm a proud Singaporean. We have so much room to improve but we need each other to do that.
Even with so much issues internally, I'm beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. As long as we remember what he said...
Hope. Heart. Home.
I read an article this morning and it touched on my pet subject.
#silencethehate
Let's just try this today - Give way to someone, whether you are on the road or a mere commuter on the train. When someone extends their kindness, say thanks or a simple wave while you're on the wheel. Let the grace start from you...
Ok, this is why I couldn't fit the message on Twitter...
Monday, July 23, 2012
Peter Sagan - The Tourminator
Let me first qualify, I'm not a super cyclist and in fact, I only started this year and well, I have to admit that I haven't been riding enough. I complain non-stop trying to finish a 30-40 km ride and the pain in my tailbone is putting off anymore rides until I can find a better saddle. The search continues... But to be sitting in front of the telly armed with chips and soda, I was right in my element.
When Tour de France started this year, I was glued to the gorgeous looking Mark Cavendish in his rainbow jersey that marks the world champion. With Team Sky all decked out in Kask helmets complete with team colours which I almost bought if not for the weight (My weird head shape meant only the Kask and OGK fits me), paired with the legendary Pinarello Dogma 2s and complete with the way the team rides almost like they're dancing in some arranged formation, I was a fan! At this point, I was quite comfortable with the impending fact that Team Sky is going to take home both the yellow and green jersey (I didn't even know what the yellow and green jersey meant before this!).
For one Slovak prodigy, Peter Sagan, this Tour de France is his debut. He couldn't have made his presence with more impact. At a mere 22 years of age, I think we're about to see the cycling scene change (not that I have seen much before). All I know is how cute and amazing Mark Cavendish is... That said, my focus was starting to slowly shift when Sagan won Stage 1 beating Fabian Cancellara, the yellow jersey favourite. The shift has also got to do with the fact that I'm a Cannondale rider (I can't afford a Pinarello!) and more importantly, Watziznehm has one of those SuperSix Evo frames that Team Liquigas is on.
I know this is rather anti-climax but here's how my frame looks like but I have the Ultegra groupset on with some swanky SLK cranks, which in pro terms, it's peanuts. But I love my bike and I call it, Sky Sully. The above mentioned Evo is called Bike Wazowski!
On with Peter Sagan...
With his hands on his hips, he took the green jersey and never once gave it up. He will slowly earn his new nickname, The Tourminator, in the coming days. According to other sources, Sagan was first tagged the Terminator from his mountain biking days because he was destroying wheels and tires! Anyway, his first win but I've yet to figure out what movie his winning move was after...
Video Link's Broken - Sourcing for better ones...
If the above win gave you an idea of how much power this looker has packed in him, check out his Stage 3 win a.k.a the Forrest Gump win. He's looking really cute. "Win, Peter, Win!" How amazing!
Video Link's Broken - Sourcing for better ones...
At Stage 6, it may seem like Andre Greipel was slowly eroding Sagan's glory but the Hulk is not about to let it go. With a fabulously powerful late dash, the green jersey was once again in the safe hands of Peter Sagan.
No video of the win but here's a summary...
Video Link's Broken - Sourcing for better ones...
Here's something I found on road.cc
Stage winner Peter Sagan, Liquigas-Cannondale
“I'm very happy when I can win a stage like today. Yesterday I was unlucky with the crash but also content that nothing was broken and that I didn't have any injuries. I don't want to be compared with other riders, I want to be Peter Sagan.
“I was near the front when the crash happened but the two riders who were ahead were pushed and this forced me to brake; behind me was Vincenzo Nibali who also had to brake and behind us was the crash. This is the race, this is the Tour de France and it's very nervous. The accident was on a downhill and we were going very fast and it's very dangerous.
“Another win and I called this one ‘The Hulk'. I want the green jersey and I think I can hold on to it all the way to Paris.
“This is already more than I ever expected. It's surprised me too. I wanted to do well but I need to say that this is only the start of the Tour de France and tomorrow is when the race really begins because it's the climbs and I think that after two weeks, by the start of the third week, it's going to be really hard.
“I think I did well today because the other sprinters are a little tired and maybe that's the key to this win.”
Well, the above marks the 3 wins he totalled within 2012's Tour de France but the glory didn't stop there. He's now better known as the youngest winner of the green jersey with 141 points ahead of Greipel. Although in Paris, he failed to overtake Cavendish in the final dash, you would be so proud of him even coming in at number 2. Sagan may have Liquigas' support but what Cavendish got was way more substantial. If there were the exact support that Cavendish received from Team Sky for Sagan, he would have eaten Cavendish for dinner, no doubt. Then again, Liquigas has too, done alot for Sagan. That's another story for a better day...
The way he was sprinting up to the finishing line was just a sign of a super human. Still, Cavendish packed in a glorious win but what Peter Sagan did, was to get the world to sit up and anticipate what's up and coming. I'm now officially a fan of the cycling spectator spot.
When Tour de France started this year, I was glued to the gorgeous looking Mark Cavendish in his rainbow jersey that marks the world champion. With Team Sky all decked out in Kask helmets complete with team colours which I almost bought if not for the weight (My weird head shape meant only the Kask and OGK fits me), paired with the legendary Pinarello Dogma 2s and complete with the way the team rides almost like they're dancing in some arranged formation, I was a fan! At this point, I was quite comfortable with the impending fact that Team Sky is going to take home both the yellow and green jersey (I didn't even know what the yellow and green jersey meant before this!).
For one Slovak prodigy, Peter Sagan, this Tour de France is his debut. He couldn't have made his presence with more impact. At a mere 22 years of age, I think we're about to see the cycling scene change (not that I have seen much before). All I know is how cute and amazing Mark Cavendish is... That said, my focus was starting to slowly shift when Sagan won Stage 1 beating Fabian Cancellara, the yellow jersey favourite. The shift has also got to do with the fact that I'm a Cannondale rider (I can't afford a Pinarello!) and more importantly, Watziznehm has one of those SuperSix Evo frames that Team Liquigas is on.
I know this is rather anti-climax but here's how my frame looks like but I have the Ultegra groupset on with some swanky SLK cranks, which in pro terms, it's peanuts. But I love my bike and I call it, Sky Sully. The above mentioned Evo is called Bike Wazowski!
On with Peter Sagan...
With his hands on his hips, he took the green jersey and never once gave it up. He will slowly earn his new nickname, The Tourminator, in the coming days. According to other sources, Sagan was first tagged the Terminator from his mountain biking days because he was destroying wheels and tires! Anyway, his first win but I've yet to figure out what movie his winning move was after...
Video Link's Broken - Sourcing for better ones...
If the above win gave you an idea of how much power this looker has packed in him, check out his Stage 3 win a.k.a the Forrest Gump win. He's looking really cute. "Win, Peter, Win!" How amazing!
Video Link's Broken - Sourcing for better ones...
At Stage 6, it may seem like Andre Greipel was slowly eroding Sagan's glory but the Hulk is not about to let it go. With a fabulously powerful late dash, the green jersey was once again in the safe hands of Peter Sagan.
No video of the win but here's a summary...
Video Link's Broken - Sourcing for better ones...
Here's something I found on road.cc
Stage winner Peter Sagan, Liquigas-Cannondale
“I'm very happy when I can win a stage like today. Yesterday I was unlucky with the crash but also content that nothing was broken and that I didn't have any injuries. I don't want to be compared with other riders, I want to be Peter Sagan.
“I was near the front when the crash happened but the two riders who were ahead were pushed and this forced me to brake; behind me was Vincenzo Nibali who also had to brake and behind us was the crash. This is the race, this is the Tour de France and it's very nervous. The accident was on a downhill and we were going very fast and it's very dangerous.
“Another win and I called this one ‘The Hulk'. I want the green jersey and I think I can hold on to it all the way to Paris.
“This is already more than I ever expected. It's surprised me too. I wanted to do well but I need to say that this is only the start of the Tour de France and tomorrow is when the race really begins because it's the climbs and I think that after two weeks, by the start of the third week, it's going to be really hard.
“I think I did well today because the other sprinters are a little tired and maybe that's the key to this win.”
Well, the above marks the 3 wins he totalled within 2012's Tour de France but the glory didn't stop there. He's now better known as the youngest winner of the green jersey with 141 points ahead of Greipel. Although in Paris, he failed to overtake Cavendish in the final dash, you would be so proud of him even coming in at number 2. Sagan may have Liquigas' support but what Cavendish got was way more substantial. If there were the exact support that Cavendish received from Team Sky for Sagan, he would have eaten Cavendish for dinner, no doubt. Then again, Liquigas has too, done alot for Sagan. That's another story for a better day...
The way he was sprinting up to the finishing line was just a sign of a super human. Still, Cavendish packed in a glorious win but what Peter Sagan did, was to get the world to sit up and anticipate what's up and coming. I'm now officially a fan of the cycling spectator spot.
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Double Boiled Chicken & Abalone Soup
Soups have always been a form of comfort food to the Chinese person in me despite my love for steaks and potatoes. Much credit must be given to my Mom who is a typical Cantonese Mom who loves her double boiled soups. Even then, I have never double boiled soups in my life... Ever. All I did was to throw an array of ingredients into one big pot and boil them down until I have extracted the essence of the ingredients. Double boiling can be a little tricky for a newbie like me. Here's a new recipe I have planned to embark on. The aim is to replicate that savoury clear chicken and abalone soup I had at Capella over a wedding banquet. This soup was first designed to be a base soup for many different confinement soups. So for new mothers, you might find this uncomplicated soup great for consumption as you won't be worried about the elements of Chinese herbs that you're unsure of.
The Double Boiling
There are several variations to this. My Mom used to have this white ceramic jar with some blue fishes painted on it. You should be able to get such wares from a Chinatown near you. You place this jar loaded with all your ingredients and top the jar up with water or stock. Place this jar in a pot of water with a stand to hold your jar. This is similar to "steaming" your soup. In fact, some traditional restaurants use their commercial steamer to boil these soups in individual ceramic jars. I found some jars made for double boiling that are quite new age (still very traditional looking), yet slightly fancy. See picture on the right. (Note: I found this picture on the internet so it belongs to someone else) I'm quite determined to find a similar device.
Otherwise, you can invest in a double boiler (Planning to do that when my house is ready to move in). There is such a thing! I took this picture from Hospitality Products and I suppose you can also order it directly from them. They are an Australian wholesale company so they do not provide worldwide delivery. If you happen to be living Down Under, there's where you can go to for all your culinary wares. Some departmental stores carry them too. I understand WMF has this in their ranges too but the capacity is a tad small.
Ingredients:
1 fresh whole chicken (skin removed)
1-2 fresh/dried large abalone (If you're using smaller abalones, gauge the quantity depending on its size)
5-6 dried scallops (Yew Chyu) - The most amazing ingredient of all and I add it in all my soup recipes
5-6 dried mushrooms
4 pieces of spare ribs
1 handful of wolfberries (Only to be added towards the end. Throw in towards the last 15 mins of boiling)
3 sticks of Huai Shan "淮山" (Dried Chinese Yam)
This soup will require a good 4-5 hours of boiling so get yourself a good book. Prior to the double boiling, I will pre-boil the meats in a separate put to remove as much scum as possible, making it easier to reach the consommé state that I would like to achieve. You will also need to soak the abalone (if it's dried), dried scallops, dried mushrooms and wolf berries prior to adding them to the ceramic jar.
My Mom loves to check on the soup and the water level often so that she can remove the scum that floats to the top but I will refrain from doing that as it greatly affects the temperature of the soup. Avoid seasoning the soup until the very end, just before serving.
So bring the water to boil on high then turn the heat down and let it steam. The end result - You should get this wonderful clear soup that's absolutely comforting.
Some of you might think that the abalone, now tender and pretty much tasteless will go to waste. Here's a way to whip up another great dish. Using some ginger and spring onion, fry it until it's at the legendary "golden brown" state, remove the ginger and spring from the oil. Add some stock, oyster sauce, a dash of dark soya sauce and some rock sugar. Add in the abalone and cook for about 45 minutes until the sauce is reduced.
The Double Boiling
Otherwise, you can invest in a double boiler (Planning to do that when my house is ready to move in). There is such a thing! I took this picture from Hospitality Products and I suppose you can also order it directly from them. They are an Australian wholesale company so they do not provide worldwide delivery. If you happen to be living Down Under, there's where you can go to for all your culinary wares. Some departmental stores carry them too. I understand WMF has this in their ranges too but the capacity is a tad small.
Ingredients:
1 fresh whole chicken (skin removed)
1-2 fresh/dried large abalone (If you're using smaller abalones, gauge the quantity depending on its size)
5-6 dried scallops (Yew Chyu) - The most amazing ingredient of all and I add it in all my soup recipes
5-6 dried mushrooms
4 pieces of spare ribs
1 handful of wolfberries (Only to be added towards the end. Throw in towards the last 15 mins of boiling)
3 sticks of Huai Shan "淮山" (Dried Chinese Yam)
This soup will require a good 4-5 hours of boiling so get yourself a good book. Prior to the double boiling, I will pre-boil the meats in a separate put to remove as much scum as possible, making it easier to reach the consommé state that I would like to achieve. You will also need to soak the abalone (if it's dried), dried scallops, dried mushrooms and wolf berries prior to adding them to the ceramic jar.
My Mom loves to check on the soup and the water level often so that she can remove the scum that floats to the top but I will refrain from doing that as it greatly affects the temperature of the soup. Avoid seasoning the soup until the very end, just before serving.
So bring the water to boil on high then turn the heat down and let it steam. The end result - You should get this wonderful clear soup that's absolutely comforting.
Some of you might think that the abalone, now tender and pretty much tasteless will go to waste. Here's a way to whip up another great dish. Using some ginger and spring onion, fry it until it's at the legendary "golden brown" state, remove the ginger and spring from the oil. Add some stock, oyster sauce, a dash of dark soya sauce and some rock sugar. Add in the abalone and cook for about 45 minutes until the sauce is reduced.
Friday, June 22, 2012
50 Shades Too Much
For the first time in my life, I finished a set of trilogy in 1 week, twice! It has become an addiction and I know I need to start distracting myself with other books. The second and third book is still on its way and I'm already done with them, not just once. My mind is always revolving around Christian Grey and wondering if such a person exist. Then again, I doubt I can deal with such a person in real life as I continue to live in my fantasy with weird affection for a fictional personality. It's about time I get started on some normal trash. As for now, I find myself yearning to drive the white R8.
Have you read it?
Have you read it?
Thursday, June 14, 2012
50 Shades of Rainbow
The first time Watziznehm spent 6 entire weeks in Dubai, it was novel and very quickly, I was planning a visit to this amazing city within the emirate. It was one of the best weeks I've spent away from home, second to my time in New York. Time became a decadance which I could afford and space was the feast my eye desperately longed for. As with every other holiday, it was way too short. It was so only because I had to return due to work commitments. The weather has since heated up and Dubai is right smack in their infamous summer. Of course, I have seen what I wanted to and there was no compelling reason for me to visit yet again.
This time around, it's been 4 solid weeks. My weekends were filled with sleepless nights of excessive mahjong and the seductive company of books. People around me have concluded that I'm addicted to the world of mummy-porn, 50 Shades of Grey... Yet with all the hype, my dinners were mostly spent alone (with my book of course and occasionally, there's the iPad). I never liked dinner alone because it reminds me painfully that I'm too far away from a warm hug and a comforting kiss on my forehead. I came to realise that it is with someone you love, your enjoyment for simple things is life is taken to a different height and easily multiplied. While I'm thinking that I will never land myself with a man like Christian Grey, I'm actually basking in excessive contentment. I have a good man who tolerates all my nonsense. Besides, I'm no Ana Steele.
Back to reality, I know in a a world where I take too much, things may crumble. I find myself being compensated with an abundance of patience and a generous portion of love. Life may not bring me to continents that I long to visit but it has already brought me to the land where life is.
I may grumble that my weekends of mahjong and my secret dates with some fictional character is coming to an end but I know reality isn't that harsh to jump back to. All I greedily need now is that stretch of the already lavish patience coupled with love and whose arms I will readily throw myself right into.
My lesson now is to come to realisation that my life is made of 50 shades of rainbow happiness.
This time around, it's been 4 solid weeks. My weekends were filled with sleepless nights of excessive mahjong and the seductive company of books. People around me have concluded that I'm addicted to the world of mummy-porn, 50 Shades of Grey... Yet with all the hype, my dinners were mostly spent alone (with my book of course and occasionally, there's the iPad). I never liked dinner alone because it reminds me painfully that I'm too far away from a warm hug and a comforting kiss on my forehead. I came to realise that it is with someone you love, your enjoyment for simple things is life is taken to a different height and easily multiplied. While I'm thinking that I will never land myself with a man like Christian Grey, I'm actually basking in excessive contentment. I have a good man who tolerates all my nonsense. Besides, I'm no Ana Steele.
Back to reality, I know in a a world where I take too much, things may crumble. I find myself being compensated with an abundance of patience and a generous portion of love. Life may not bring me to continents that I long to visit but it has already brought me to the land where life is.
I may grumble that my weekends of mahjong and my secret dates with some fictional character is coming to an end but I know reality isn't that harsh to jump back to. All I greedily need now is that stretch of the already lavish patience coupled with love and whose arms I will readily throw myself right into.
My lesson now is to come to realisation that my life is made of 50 shades of rainbow happiness.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Review: 50 Shades of Grey
In the past few weeks, I've been occupied with many good reads. Mainly, I embarked on the latest Sophie Kinsella's I've Got Your Number and I fell deeply in love with Sam Roxton. A charming and powerful man melted me beyond recognition but somehow, it didn't bring me to write a post-mortem analysis on it unlike my weird affection for Christian Grey.
This is the first book that got me bothered to find out what PNR actually means: ParaNormal Romance.
50 Shades of Grey...
Before I flipped open the first page, I was insistent that I was going to hate it because the storyline dealt with BDSM. But once I started, it was juggling the weekend full of activities and finding small pockets of time for the book and the result, sleepless Saturday night and finally, I'm done with the book. Now that I'm finished with the book, I can't wait for 50 Shades of Darker to arrive. But the disappointment when I went on BookDepository and all I saw was "Processing". Painful wait means I kept going back to reread the book because I was missing Christian Grey and I cannot deal with not-so-happy endings.
I must say the book could be better written. I hated over usage of some words and phrases and I don't see why Anastasia must have an issue with eating. Eat! And nothing much in the book said much about her intelligence except for her GPA score. I began to wonder who is the one with the problem, Grey or Steele?
Now, here's a wealthy, charming, good-looking, gentlemanly, caring, sensitive, understanding man. What not to love about him? But there's are 50 shades of the unknown behind this man and I can't tell you more because of the NDA. You will need to read this book and once you pop, you can't stop. It answers most girls' question that no man is perfect and there's always something about him that makes you wonder and frustrates you even further. But it's the very fact that this is one man who loves so much, so deep that he's willing to change despite him being the Bill Gates and Steve Jobs combined with the face of Leonardo DiCaprio or Brad Pitt. Learn: compromise! He's 50 shades of awesomeness after we can find a way to eject the 50 shades of fucked up inside him. The flow of the book is smooth and the unexpected reaction of Anastasia moved things along pretty interestingly.
I would read this book again, not wanting to miss out any details. If you have an open mind about PNR or BDSM, here's an interesting MUST-read.
PS. When I was reading this book, during the times when I couldn't read, I was listening to this and my eyes welled. It's so apt.
And the best person who has my vote to play Christian Grey in the movie as got to be... Non other than... Matt Bomer! Check out this picture, he's just sizzling HOT! That's how I pictured MY Christian Grey!
I want him! Well, but he's gay! Bugger! SLURP!
To the haters out there, stop being such a prude. It's got sub standard English... Yes. It's not proper... Yes. It's trashy... Yes. Good trash. It's not real... Yes. It's a book dammit!
I'm so in love with Christian Grey, I kept going back to re-read the book. I'm hopeless...
This is the first book that got me bothered to find out what PNR actually means: ParaNormal Romance.
50 Shades of Grey...
Before I flipped open the first page, I was insistent that I was going to hate it because the storyline dealt with BDSM. But once I started, it was juggling the weekend full of activities and finding small pockets of time for the book and the result, sleepless Saturday night and finally, I'm done with the book. Now that I'm finished with the book, I can't wait for 50 Shades of Darker to arrive. But the disappointment when I went on BookDepository and all I saw was "Processing". Painful wait means I kept going back to reread the book because I was missing Christian Grey and I cannot deal with not-so-happy endings.
I must say the book could be better written. I hated over usage of some words and phrases and I don't see why Anastasia must have an issue with eating. Eat! And nothing much in the book said much about her intelligence except for her GPA score. I began to wonder who is the one with the problem, Grey or Steele?
Now, here's a wealthy, charming, good-looking, gentlemanly, caring, sensitive, understanding man. What not to love about him? But there's are 50 shades of the unknown behind this man and I can't tell you more because of the NDA. You will need to read this book and once you pop, you can't stop. It answers most girls' question that no man is perfect and there's always something about him that makes you wonder and frustrates you even further. But it's the very fact that this is one man who loves so much, so deep that he's willing to change despite him being the Bill Gates and Steve Jobs combined with the face of Leonardo DiCaprio or Brad Pitt. Learn: compromise! He's 50 shades of awesomeness after we can find a way to eject the 50 shades of fucked up inside him. The flow of the book is smooth and the unexpected reaction of Anastasia moved things along pretty interestingly.
I would read this book again, not wanting to miss out any details. If you have an open mind about PNR or BDSM, here's an interesting MUST-read.
PS. When I was reading this book, during the times when I couldn't read, I was listening to this and my eyes welled. It's so apt.
And the best person who has my vote to play Christian Grey in the movie as got to be... Non other than... Matt Bomer! Check out this picture, he's just sizzling HOT! That's how I pictured MY Christian Grey!
I want him! Well, but he's gay! Bugger! SLURP!
To the haters out there, stop being such a prude. It's got sub standard English... Yes. It's not proper... Yes. It's trashy... Yes. Good trash. It's not real... Yes. It's a book dammit!
I'm so in love with Christian Grey, I kept going back to re-read the book. I'm hopeless...
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Beautiful People
The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Fragility of Life
I know God is taking you sooner because he wants to bring the best to him sooner.
You have reminded me that life is just too fragile and the difference between life and death is a mere split second. The lesson that your departure has reminded us is to keep my dear ones even dearer and to give more than I would ever do. The number of friends who are spilling their condolences, being there at the wake is a clear testimony of how great you were as a friend and mentor. Your smile was contagious and I hate myself for missing you during the ride last week.
I know, my friend, that you're in His good hands.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Camera Gibberish
Gone are the 50mm f1.8 and the kit 18-200mm. All in an attempt to fund the new lens. Of course, the stronger brother 50mm f1.4 is still being loved and used but in addition, I have introduced this to the whole set up...
Ladies & Gentleman...
The Canon 17-55mm f2.8, one of the best lens you can have for the Canon crop cameras.
Picture taken from Camera Labs
I brought it to the deserts of Dubai and now I can hear some puny bits of sand when I turn the lens but it's in perfect working condition. I'm sending it for overhaul and it'll be good as new. I'm glad I brought this lens along because with the range, it was enough. The pictures were as sharp as the stability of my hands. Colours turned out beautiful sans the cloudy sky fogged up by sand and dust. When I have the time, I will put up some of the pictures I took. Meanwhile, if you're ever considering the lens, don't hesitate. Unless, of course, if you're moving onto FF in the near future.
As for the recently added, 580EXII, it will take me a long while to master. Any expert strobist can share their experiences?
Ladies & Gentleman...
The Canon 17-55mm f2.8, one of the best lens you can have for the Canon crop cameras.
Picture taken from Camera Labs
I brought it to the deserts of Dubai and now I can hear some puny bits of sand when I turn the lens but it's in perfect working condition. I'm sending it for overhaul and it'll be good as new. I'm glad I brought this lens along because with the range, it was enough. The pictures were as sharp as the stability of my hands. Colours turned out beautiful sans the cloudy sky fogged up by sand and dust. When I have the time, I will put up some of the pictures I took. Meanwhile, if you're ever considering the lens, don't hesitate. Unless, of course, if you're moving onto FF in the near future.
As for the recently added, 580EXII, it will take me a long while to master. Any expert strobist can share their experiences?
To Do. To Buy. Dubai.
Dubai, also known as City of Gold, is indeed a land of endless "gold" blown all over Dubai. If there's a breeze across Dubai, it's a sandstorm and they are incredibly common. Weather was perfect in the past week apart from the sand that exfoliated my face as I went on my tour on the Big Bus Tour.
Dubai is an incredibly expensive place for shopping although it is tax free. However, they have all the shops imagine-able congregated there from all over the world. Just to name a few, Dubai Mall alone has Dean & Deluca, Victoria's Secret, Tory Burch, Bloomingdales, Pottery Barn, Alexander McQueen, Reiss and even Oscar De La Renta! The mall itself also boasts a giant aquarium. Other brands like Repetto and LK Bennett are also setting up shop there. I was hoping for LK Bennett to reach our shores! It is not entirely fair for me to comment on the prices since I didn't buy much. I managed to keep myself away from Chanel, Prada and Bottega, which to me, is quite an achievement.
Taxis are easily accessible and cost relatively little to get from point A to point B within Dubai itself. Distance on the map may be deceiving as the roads are quite interestingly and intricately weaved. If you're going to somewhere perhaps less than 2-3km away, please be warned the minimum cab fare if AED 10 even if your fare only comes up to AED 6-7. Don't be like me - A fool sitting in a cab waiting for change...
Cab rides will be an adventure on its own. Knowledge of road names are redundant. So are any maps that you may have on hand. If you have a famous landmark, things will be waaaay easier.
Dubai being a religious Muslim city also translate into its low crime rates. I felt very safe in Dubai which is in stark contrast to my impression of Dubai before my trip. As long as you arm yourself with enough common sense and not dress too lightly (i.e. keep your knees and shoulders covered), a single female traveller will face little to no danger in Dubai.
Dubai is all about shopping, given the fact that it is an incredibly new city built right smack in the desert. Honestly, it has little to offer in terms of history but if you look at the beautiful architecture of this city, they have their very own story to tell.
A must do in Dubai is to go on to the Desert Safari. I went for the Sundowner by Arabian Adventures. The 4x4 will begin your adventure via a roller coaster ride except, it's without the rails. You can to feel the fine sand under your feet, in your nose and ears, between strands of hair and watch the beautiful sunset. You will also get to ride the camel, have a feel of smoking the shisha and enjoy a delectable Arabian meal. Belly dancing kept us entertained during dinner and star gazing in pitch dark desert became the highlight at the end of the tour.
European style afternoon tea became a staple rest break. I picked Paul for a few days running. We may have this back home but to be able to sit by the beautiful fountain overlooking the Burj Khalifa in the cool Dubai breeze, this was something I couldn't replicate here.
The luxury of space is felt in most places and it is what I feel that is lacking in our daily lives. My opinion for Dubai has drastically changed and I do think it is a highly liveable city. The rulers of Dubai must be doing an excellent job because we all forget, this was just a desert not that long ago.
Dubai is an incredibly expensive place for shopping although it is tax free. However, they have all the shops imagine-able congregated there from all over the world. Just to name a few, Dubai Mall alone has Dean & Deluca, Victoria's Secret, Tory Burch, Bloomingdales, Pottery Barn, Alexander McQueen, Reiss and even Oscar De La Renta! The mall itself also boasts a giant aquarium. Other brands like Repetto and LK Bennett are also setting up shop there. I was hoping for LK Bennett to reach our shores! It is not entirely fair for me to comment on the prices since I didn't buy much. I managed to keep myself away from Chanel, Prada and Bottega, which to me, is quite an achievement.
Taxis are easily accessible and cost relatively little to get from point A to point B within Dubai itself. Distance on the map may be deceiving as the roads are quite interestingly and intricately weaved. If you're going to somewhere perhaps less than 2-3km away, please be warned the minimum cab fare if AED 10 even if your fare only comes up to AED 6-7. Don't be like me - A fool sitting in a cab waiting for change...
Cab rides will be an adventure on its own. Knowledge of road names are redundant. So are any maps that you may have on hand. If you have a famous landmark, things will be waaaay easier.
Dubai being a religious Muslim city also translate into its low crime rates. I felt very safe in Dubai which is in stark contrast to my impression of Dubai before my trip. As long as you arm yourself with enough common sense and not dress too lightly (i.e. keep your knees and shoulders covered), a single female traveller will face little to no danger in Dubai.
Dubai is all about shopping, given the fact that it is an incredibly new city built right smack in the desert. Honestly, it has little to offer in terms of history but if you look at the beautiful architecture of this city, they have their very own story to tell.
A must do in Dubai is to go on to the Desert Safari. I went for the Sundowner by Arabian Adventures. The 4x4 will begin your adventure via a roller coaster ride except, it's without the rails. You can to feel the fine sand under your feet, in your nose and ears, between strands of hair and watch the beautiful sunset. You will also get to ride the camel, have a feel of smoking the shisha and enjoy a delectable Arabian meal. Belly dancing kept us entertained during dinner and star gazing in pitch dark desert became the highlight at the end of the tour.
European style afternoon tea became a staple rest break. I picked Paul for a few days running. We may have this back home but to be able to sit by the beautiful fountain overlooking the Burj Khalifa in the cool Dubai breeze, this was something I couldn't replicate here.
The luxury of space is felt in most places and it is what I feel that is lacking in our daily lives. My opinion for Dubai has drastically changed and I do think it is a highly liveable city. The rulers of Dubai must be doing an excellent job because we all forget, this was just a desert not that long ago.
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Singapore Airlines Business Class
Awesome!
AWESOMEST!!!
It was a week long trip for me to Hong Kong and what I was looking forward to this time around wasn't so much the food and the shopping (although those were really high up in the priority list) but the opportunity to get on the much raved-about business class on the A380. As I was too busy lazing in the seat and being fed throughout the trip, I didn't exactly take much pictures. Not to mention I was too lazy to lug my DSLR up to Hong Kong.
First, you book your chef i.e. your meal before you board. I had some crayfish with rice/risotto thingy which was decent. But food wasn't the main part of the experience. The service was! The undivided attention and the smiles of the cabin crew, makes me fall in love with Singapore Airlines all over again. In the last few years, I was getting rather disappointed with the old and lousy cabin at the extorbitant cost.
A short anecdote on the service standard - My butter fingers couldn't deal with super luxurious lifestyle hence I dropped my hand cream into this little hole behind my seat which wasn't exactly accessible. I wasn't about to lose my hand cream which was worth a bottle of decent champers. All I had to do was to ring the bell and came the ever smiling steward. He tried ways and means including using his bag trolley. After 10 minutes, he finally got it out and trust me, I made sure he broke into a huge bead of sweat! If I haven't got a better business venture in mind, I would like to hire all these people to run service revamp camps for all the rude staffs at Singapore's high end boutiques.
Did I mention that they didn't stop feeding me and the feeding began in the LOUNGGGGEEEE? Food, more food and uppity class tea bags. Before I sound like a country bumpkin, I absolutely hate teas that are stewed, hence uncomfortable for consumption. Tea to me is a delicate form of food art. I would lift my fingers (trying to act like a spoilt brat here...) to make tea for myself anytime over having someone, ANYONE, to help me with it. Needless to say, I made my perfect tea to go with the wide selection of food in the lounge. I wish I was staying there for much longer than I did...
I don't have long legs so leg room is all a waste no me but the seats were soooo wide, I was just curled up comfortably and I was wishing hard that it was a flight to New York instead of a 4 hour flight to Hong Kong.
On my flight back on the 777, the seats were a tad smaller and not as comfortable but I have to say, I experienced equally great service on that flight back. Not wanting to sound racist, I really wanted a change of seats and they did. Apologies but I'm unable to elaborate further on this issue but I can only say, well done Singapore Airlines!
AWESOMEST!!!
It was a week long trip for me to Hong Kong and what I was looking forward to this time around wasn't so much the food and the shopping (although those were really high up in the priority list) but the opportunity to get on the much raved-about business class on the A380. As I was too busy lazing in the seat and being fed throughout the trip, I didn't exactly take much pictures. Not to mention I was too lazy to lug my DSLR up to Hong Kong.
First, you book your chef i.e. your meal before you board. I had some crayfish with rice/risotto thingy which was decent. But food wasn't the main part of the experience. The service was! The undivided attention and the smiles of the cabin crew, makes me fall in love with Singapore Airlines all over again. In the last few years, I was getting rather disappointed with the old and lousy cabin at the extorbitant cost.
A short anecdote on the service standard - My butter fingers couldn't deal with super luxurious lifestyle hence I dropped my hand cream into this little hole behind my seat which wasn't exactly accessible. I wasn't about to lose my hand cream which was worth a bottle of decent champers. All I had to do was to ring the bell and came the ever smiling steward. He tried ways and means including using his bag trolley. After 10 minutes, he finally got it out and trust me, I made sure he broke into a huge bead of sweat! If I haven't got a better business venture in mind, I would like to hire all these people to run service revamp camps for all the rude staffs at Singapore's high end boutiques.
Did I mention that they didn't stop feeding me and the feeding began in the LOUNGGGGEEEE? Food, more food and uppity class tea bags. Before I sound like a country bumpkin, I absolutely hate teas that are stewed, hence uncomfortable for consumption. Tea to me is a delicate form of food art. I would lift my fingers (trying to act like a spoilt brat here...) to make tea for myself anytime over having someone, ANYONE, to help me with it. Needless to say, I made my perfect tea to go with the wide selection of food in the lounge. I wish I was staying there for much longer than I did...
I don't have long legs so leg room is all a waste no me but the seats were soooo wide, I was just curled up comfortably and I was wishing hard that it was a flight to New York instead of a 4 hour flight to Hong Kong.
On my flight back on the 777, the seats were a tad smaller and not as comfortable but I have to say, I experienced equally great service on that flight back. Not wanting to sound racist, I really wanted a change of seats and they did. Apologies but I'm unable to elaborate further on this issue but I can only say, well done Singapore Airlines!
Thursday, December 08, 2011
First Class Bulldozer
On my way to work this morning on our glorious MRT, I was squashed beyond recognition. But I am not about to fire my salvo at the current government. Not even with the recent hike in taxi fares. It was the people!
Let's not talk about the commuters who refused to move into the middle of the train, rendering the rest of the helpless commuters standing by the train doors not being able to get into the train.
While waiting to get on the escalator at the legendary Raffles Place stop, some lady was trying to bulldoze her way through and was pushing me. As you can imagine, I could barely move then. I was very close to asking if her middle name is "Lawn Mower". A minute earlier in the office is not going to make her a better employee. She can try to be one if she makes an effort to come way earlier and show more graciousness. You can tell the type of person this is and I wouldn't wish to deal with her at a workplace. When you spare zero consideration for others and want things done your way, it's just a pity that you'll get nowhere in life. At that juncture, the best solution was to be a bigger person and not deal with her directly. Besides, it will only serve to be a huge waste of my time.
I would urge all my fellow Singaporeans to stop complaining about the foreign talents nor what the government can or should do for you. You should first learn to reflect and ask if you are of first class citizen quality to deserve first class treatment.
Let's not talk about the commuters who refused to move into the middle of the train, rendering the rest of the helpless commuters standing by the train doors not being able to get into the train.
While waiting to get on the escalator at the legendary Raffles Place stop, some lady was trying to bulldoze her way through and was pushing me. As you can imagine, I could barely move then. I was very close to asking if her middle name is "Lawn Mower". A minute earlier in the office is not going to make her a better employee. She can try to be one if she makes an effort to come way earlier and show more graciousness. You can tell the type of person this is and I wouldn't wish to deal with her at a workplace. When you spare zero consideration for others and want things done your way, it's just a pity that you'll get nowhere in life. At that juncture, the best solution was to be a bigger person and not deal with her directly. Besides, it will only serve to be a huge waste of my time.
I would urge all my fellow Singaporeans to stop complaining about the foreign talents nor what the government can or should do for you. You should first learn to reflect and ask if you are of first class citizen quality to deserve first class treatment.
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Christmas Came Early
It's been too long and I'm sure my friends including A&E Quack would agree. Too much procrastination for such a commitment.
Buying Christmas gift for Watziznehm was easy this year. He got so poisoned by his latest road bike, all I had to do is to pay for the accessories which includes the funny shoes, the special pedal for the shoes, a professional looking pump, the bicycle stand etc. It is still a rather big gift considering his birthday that was over not too long ago was "enhanced" by the iPad 2.
We went shopping for watches because I had wanted the big ass Tag Hauer's Aquaracer.
Meanwhile, I was tempted by this awesome watch - Cartier Tank Francaise.
The temptation didn't stop there. Over at Hour Glass in Ngee Ann City, I was torn between 2 incredible looking Rolexes. One of those evergreen brands which I have never expected myself to be caught wearing one.
While I was caught with the dilemma, he asked me one question that made me dropped the idea of buying an expensive watch completely. Essentially, if I had gotten any of the Rolexes, I can forget about "The Ring" because it ain't gonna happen. It didn't take too long and I went... Diamond!
So I came to a conclusion - For the coming Christmas and my coming 31st birthday, I will be happy with a 60D. Almost without any hesitation, he told me he will be getting me one. That very weekend, we went camera shopping and I walked out of Parisilk with a smile that stretched from end to end of my face while he holds on to the bag containing my latest love and it's mate, the 18-200mm.
Since the 18-200mm is more for my travels and walk about, I needed to have something that satisfies the portraits-shooting me. He drove me straight to Funan and the next thing I knew, I was lost in the g'zillion shops there. I knew this is a gift that would empty my very own pockets as well. Apart from the usual screen protector, blower, I actually walked away from TK Photo with a Canon 50mm F1.4. Many would think I'm crazy to head straight to the F1.4 and not work from the F1.8 first but I'm a girl who knows what I want.
Now, don't hide away from me whenever I point my camera at you!
Buying Christmas gift for Watziznehm was easy this year. He got so poisoned by his latest road bike, all I had to do is to pay for the accessories which includes the funny shoes, the special pedal for the shoes, a professional looking pump, the bicycle stand etc. It is still a rather big gift considering his birthday that was over not too long ago was "enhanced" by the iPad 2.
We went shopping for watches because I had wanted the big ass Tag Hauer's Aquaracer.
Meanwhile, I was tempted by this awesome watch - Cartier Tank Francaise.
The temptation didn't stop there. Over at Hour Glass in Ngee Ann City, I was torn between 2 incredible looking Rolexes. One of those evergreen brands which I have never expected myself to be caught wearing one.
While I was caught with the dilemma, he asked me one question that made me dropped the idea of buying an expensive watch completely. Essentially, if I had gotten any of the Rolexes, I can forget about "The Ring" because it ain't gonna happen. It didn't take too long and I went... Diamond!
So I came to a conclusion - For the coming Christmas and my coming 31st birthday, I will be happy with a 60D. Almost without any hesitation, he told me he will be getting me one. That very weekend, we went camera shopping and I walked out of Parisilk with a smile that stretched from end to end of my face while he holds on to the bag containing my latest love and it's mate, the 18-200mm.
Since the 18-200mm is more for my travels and walk about, I needed to have something that satisfies the portraits-shooting me. He drove me straight to Funan and the next thing I knew, I was lost in the g'zillion shops there. I knew this is a gift that would empty my very own pockets as well. Apart from the usual screen protector, blower, I actually walked away from TK Photo with a Canon 50mm F1.4. Many would think I'm crazy to head straight to the F1.4 and not work from the F1.8 first but I'm a girl who knows what I want.
Now, don't hide away from me whenever I point my camera at you!
Friday, December 02, 2011
Christmas Exchange Game for Recruitment Consultants
My email to the rest of the office and yes, it's an all girls office...
*Those words in italics are replaced as the original email contains intimate information.
Hello all you beautiful ladies,
It’s the end of the year and we’re gonna have some fun… As the self-nominated chief entertainment officer for whatever that is left of 2011, we will be having the Company Gift Exchange Extravaganza!
The Job Description as follows:
• Each of you will equip yourself with 2 gifts with value ranging from S$9.99-S$14.99 each.
• The gifts cannot be the following:
o From The Body Shop
o Soft Toys
o Edible
• You must bring it in on the 22nd Dec 2011 (Thursday) and place it under (or around) the grand Company Christmas Tree.
The official start date is on 23rd Dec 2011 (Friday) at lunchtime 12.30pm – 1pm (just in case you’re on the phone with any client/candidate at 12.30pm)
The Company “Offer” Exchange
o You will pick a number from a bowl. The number will be reflected on a gift.
o Our special girl, AJD will pick the first gift, opens it and shows it to the rest of you demanding consultants.
o Then the fun begins…
o AJD will have the honour of picking out the next person who will be choosing the gift from the pile. This person can 1. Choose to negotiate your package and swop your “offer” OR 2. Keep your “offer” and open it
o The game continues where “candidates” can pick their “offer” and exchange it with their potential client for a new “offer”.
o The game continues in this fashion through until all “offers” are offered and accepted.
Rules of Engagement
o A gift cannot be immediately stolen back from the guest who just stole it.
o A gift can only be stolen twice. The third guest to own the gift gets to keep it.
o All gifts that are eligible to be stolen must be in sight at all times.
o After the last wrapped gift is opened and kept, then AJD has the last turn. She can decide to keep their gift or trade it for an eligible gift (one that has not been stolen twice) and the game is over.
Please try to participate and I promise it will be fun.
Best consultant… I mean regards,
Snugloft
*Those words in italics are replaced as the original email contains intimate information.
Hello all you beautiful ladies,
It’s the end of the year and we’re gonna have some fun… As the self-nominated chief entertainment officer for whatever that is left of 2011, we will be having the Company Gift Exchange Extravaganza!
The Job Description as follows:
• Each of you will equip yourself with 2 gifts with value ranging from S$9.99-S$14.99 each.
• The gifts cannot be the following:
o From The Body Shop
o Soft Toys
o Edible
• You must bring it in on the 22nd Dec 2011 (Thursday) and place it under (or around) the grand Company Christmas Tree.
The official start date is on 23rd Dec 2011 (Friday) at lunchtime 12.30pm – 1pm (just in case you’re on the phone with any client/candidate at 12.30pm)
The Company “Offer” Exchange
o You will pick a number from a bowl. The number will be reflected on a gift.
o Our special girl, AJD will pick the first gift, opens it and shows it to the rest of you demanding consultants.
o Then the fun begins…
o AJD will have the honour of picking out the next person who will be choosing the gift from the pile. This person can 1. Choose to negotiate your package and swop your “offer” OR 2. Keep your “offer” and open it
o The game continues where “candidates” can pick their “offer” and exchange it with their potential client for a new “offer”.
o The game continues in this fashion through until all “offers” are offered and accepted.
Rules of Engagement
o A gift cannot be immediately stolen back from the guest who just stole it.
o A gift can only be stolen twice. The third guest to own the gift gets to keep it.
o All gifts that are eligible to be stolen must be in sight at all times.
o After the last wrapped gift is opened and kept, then AJD has the last turn. She can decide to keep their gift or trade it for an eligible gift (one that has not been stolen twice) and the game is over.
Please try to participate and I promise it will be fun.
Best consultant… I mean regards,
Snugloft
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Home Acquisition
Perhaps it's part of getting older, I'm feeling more inertia to post details of my life and to share it with absolute strangers. But at the same time, it's all useless if I decide to limit access. That's what blogs are for... So...
In an effort to record the journey of our home ownership...
Some time in May this year, we participated in the balloting of a development. And given the crappy luck that we both have at ironically named lucky draws, we thought we were never gonna get what we want so we plotted out our 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th choices etc. While having taken time away from work, I was in the midst of closing a transaction so my inbox needed my undivided attention.
The ballot started with a total of 3 VIPs, drawing 5 numbers each. I wasn't quite bothered because I was working on my laptop and considering my luck, it wasn't gonna happen soon anyway. The first VIP started drawing the numbers and they weren't even close to our number. We saw ecstatic future homeowners of this development whose enthusiasm we couldn't relate.
When the second VIP went up, she decided to shake the box of ballot tickets. Softly, I nudged Watziznehm to stop all the Facebooking and I was all prepared to shut my laptop. As I was shifting focus from my laptop to my Blackberry, I heard a familiar number being called out. It didn't quite register that my number could actually be called out. So I turned to my better half and asked in disbelief, "is that our number?" Together, we decided to uncover the truth by stomping to the front and checking out if we indeed brought Lady Luck with us that morning. As it turned out, she was there when we needed her the most. And hey, that just meant that we could pick almost ANY unit in that development. While being overwhelmed by the choices, we needed to make a practical choice. Watziznehm really wanted the penthouse unit but I wasn't too keen on the idea. I love the higher ceiling and the space and given the 10% premuim, it was still affordable and a darn good deal. But we knew it wasn't a practical choice because as bare top floor would mean alot more work required and that the house itself would be alot warmer from the evening sun. And if I'm to go on regarding the maintenance and cleaning up, you will hear no end from me although I doubt I'll be the one cleaning up the place. Clearly, having a green, cool chillout spot would be great. But we needed a sound decision quickly so...
We settled for the 4 bedroom unit that is just below the penthouse unit. At a grand total of 1335 sqft, we will have the VAST space that Watziznehm needed and for any future needs. Ok, it's not huge but considering the size of the houses now, I'm more than thankful. For now, my brain is lost in the abyst of having a WALK IN WARDROBE that is the size of a full bedroom. Location wise, this isn't the best spot but given our currently financial status, this is a fantastic compromise.
Option completed in May/June and we're now proud owners of this house!
Tentatively,
Bedroom 2 will be converted to be part of the Master bedroom, encompassing the WIW.
Bedroom 3 is our junior master bedroom that will be kept for future use and before the actual use for the room comes into play, it will be the mahjong room.
Bedroom 4 will be the study for him.
The HUGE balcony will be the designated oxygen spot. Standing on such high floor, the air has gotta be decent.
I have some concerns regarding the space constraints within linen room/dining room and unlike a flat, we can't possibly hang the clothes out.
But well, that's something to worry in 2014. Now, I'll just bask in the shiokness of anticipation and I'd better start making some decent money to pimp up the place when it's being delivered.
In an effort to record the journey of our home ownership...
Some time in May this year, we participated in the balloting of a development. And given the crappy luck that we both have at ironically named lucky draws, we thought we were never gonna get what we want so we plotted out our 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th choices etc. While having taken time away from work, I was in the midst of closing a transaction so my inbox needed my undivided attention.
The ballot started with a total of 3 VIPs, drawing 5 numbers each. I wasn't quite bothered because I was working on my laptop and considering my luck, it wasn't gonna happen soon anyway. The first VIP started drawing the numbers and they weren't even close to our number. We saw ecstatic future homeowners of this development whose enthusiasm we couldn't relate.
When the second VIP went up, she decided to shake the box of ballot tickets. Softly, I nudged Watziznehm to stop all the Facebooking and I was all prepared to shut my laptop. As I was shifting focus from my laptop to my Blackberry, I heard a familiar number being called out. It didn't quite register that my number could actually be called out. So I turned to my better half and asked in disbelief, "is that our number?" Together, we decided to uncover the truth by stomping to the front and checking out if we indeed brought Lady Luck with us that morning. As it turned out, she was there when we needed her the most. And hey, that just meant that we could pick almost ANY unit in that development. While being overwhelmed by the choices, we needed to make a practical choice. Watziznehm really wanted the penthouse unit but I wasn't too keen on the idea. I love the higher ceiling and the space and given the 10% premuim, it was still affordable and a darn good deal. But we knew it wasn't a practical choice because as bare top floor would mean alot more work required and that the house itself would be alot warmer from the evening sun. And if I'm to go on regarding the maintenance and cleaning up, you will hear no end from me although I doubt I'll be the one cleaning up the place. Clearly, having a green, cool chillout spot would be great. But we needed a sound decision quickly so...
We settled for the 4 bedroom unit that is just below the penthouse unit. At a grand total of 1335 sqft, we will have the VAST space that Watziznehm needed and for any future needs. Ok, it's not huge but considering the size of the houses now, I'm more than thankful. For now, my brain is lost in the abyst of having a WALK IN WARDROBE that is the size of a full bedroom. Location wise, this isn't the best spot but given our currently financial status, this is a fantastic compromise.
Option completed in May/June and we're now proud owners of this house!
Tentatively,
Bedroom 2 will be converted to be part of the Master bedroom, encompassing the WIW.
Bedroom 3 is our junior master bedroom that will be kept for future use and before the actual use for the room comes into play, it will be the mahjong room.
Bedroom 4 will be the study for him.
The HUGE balcony will be the designated oxygen spot. Standing on such high floor, the air has gotta be decent.
I have some concerns regarding the space constraints within linen room/dining room and unlike a flat, we can't possibly hang the clothes out.
But well, that's something to worry in 2014. Now, I'll just bask in the shiokness of anticipation and I'd better start making some decent money to pimp up the place when it's being delivered.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Arren Quek, you rock!
SEA Games Singapore hauls 4 more gold from pool - Channel NewsAsia
To me, you're the cute little nephew who never fails to make me laugh.
To swimming, you're a true contributor with your body and soul.
To Singapore, you're a hero and a star.
I am so proud of you as an aunt, a spectator and a true Singaporean. We love you!
To me, you're the cute little nephew who never fails to make me laugh.
To swimming, you're a true contributor with your body and soul.
To Singapore, you're a hero and a star.
I am so proud of you as an aunt, a spectator and a true Singaporean. We love you!
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Lao Ban Soya Beancurd @ Old Airport Road Food Centre
I rarely write food reviews but here's one...
After an incredibly satisfying dinner at Akashabu @ Kallang Leisure Dome, we proceeded to Old Airport Road Food Centre to pack food for BluePotatoes' parents. When we got there, I remembered someone mentioned some famous beancurd there but we didn't know which one it was. Then I saw a lady with 10 boxes of this Lao Ban Soya Beancurd and then I saw bags and bags of them carried by everyone around me. I was thinking, "it's gotta be quite good then..."
The queue was not very long with about 4-5 people before us and we got the loot quite easily. Within the queue, there were these teenagers (years of faint memory to me...) and you would bet your last dollar that they will not allow themselves to suffer to eat bad food, let alone queue for it.
If you're looking for HOT tau huey, you've come to the wrong place. It's all cold and after eating it, I knew why.
The Taste
Texture was awesome, really smooth but to be fair, there are some tao huey that are even softer and smoother as I slide my spoon in. The moment the tao huey went into my mouth, I was thrown off. It tasted so rich in soya bean milk, almost like I'm drinking from a box of Vitasoy. It wasn't too sweet. The surprise is in the state of the tao huey. It was jelly/pudding-like with that familiar hardened top look from any dessert with gelatin in it. But the very moment the blob of tao huey settles in your mouth, it disintegrates into soya bean milk instead. I needed to eat mouthful after mouthful of tao huey to just be able to vaguely describe the feeling. It was a rather pleasant experience.
However, it was not something I want to particularly shout about. I would recommend anyone to try it if they are at Old Airport Road for dinner but personally, I wouldn't go out of the way to get it. I'm also being unfair as I have special preference for hot hot tao huey.
I would say... Give it a try, you'll never know if you might fall in love with it.
Location: Picture taken from Google Maps
After an incredibly satisfying dinner at Akashabu @ Kallang Leisure Dome, we proceeded to Old Airport Road Food Centre to pack food for BluePotatoes' parents. When we got there, I remembered someone mentioned some famous beancurd there but we didn't know which one it was. Then I saw a lady with 10 boxes of this Lao Ban Soya Beancurd and then I saw bags and bags of them carried by everyone around me. I was thinking, "it's gotta be quite good then..."
The queue was not very long with about 4-5 people before us and we got the loot quite easily. Within the queue, there were these teenagers (years of faint memory to me...) and you would bet your last dollar that they will not allow themselves to suffer to eat bad food, let alone queue for it.
If you're looking for HOT tau huey, you've come to the wrong place. It's all cold and after eating it, I knew why.
The Taste
Texture was awesome, really smooth but to be fair, there are some tao huey that are even softer and smoother as I slide my spoon in. The moment the tao huey went into my mouth, I was thrown off. It tasted so rich in soya bean milk, almost like I'm drinking from a box of Vitasoy. It wasn't too sweet. The surprise is in the state of the tao huey. It was jelly/pudding-like with that familiar hardened top look from any dessert with gelatin in it. But the very moment the blob of tao huey settles in your mouth, it disintegrates into soya bean milk instead. I needed to eat mouthful after mouthful of tao huey to just be able to vaguely describe the feeling. It was a rather pleasant experience.
However, it was not something I want to particularly shout about. I would recommend anyone to try it if they are at Old Airport Road for dinner but personally, I wouldn't go out of the way to get it. I'm also being unfair as I have special preference for hot hot tao huey.
I would say... Give it a try, you'll never know if you might fall in love with it.
Location: Picture taken from Google Maps
Friday, October 28, 2011
Financial Planning
I'm not selling you insurance so there's no need to runaway or close this window immediately like you have seen an apparition. I have, however, bought some for myself considering that I have dropped all of them when I lost my job a while ago. Now that everything is starting to fall in place, it's time to safeguard my own interest and of those who are dear to me. It is through bad planning of those who are extremely close to me that made me see the importance of it. At this point in time, I probably can't afford much and neither do I think it will be sufficient for my retirement but some planning is better than none. And with this, I have a little more control over my expenditure which has proved to be haywire.
As of now, I am the "insurance" to some people and I don't want to burden my children (if I even decide to have any) this way. In a place like Singapore, we're probably more afraid to be a financial burden to our dear ones than facing impending death.
The actual disappointment is beyond what words can describe but I can only say, I have never felt so upset before in my life. The pain is very acute and real. The saving grace is having Blue Potato with me, being the sound mind, injecting the rational sense into me.
2 more months to prove my worth... March On!
As of now, I am the "insurance" to some people and I don't want to burden my children (if I even decide to have any) this way. In a place like Singapore, we're probably more afraid to be a financial burden to our dear ones than facing impending death.
The actual disappointment is beyond what words can describe but I can only say, I have never felt so upset before in my life. The pain is very acute and real. The saving grace is having Blue Potato with me, being the sound mind, injecting the rational sense into me.
2 more months to prove my worth... March On!
Monday, September 26, 2011
The Journey of Losing Some Wisdom
Guess I've been away for too long but I've been kept happy by work albeit rather busy. Nothing much has happened to me apart from a "major" surgery.
A couple of weeks back, I felt this excruciating ache at the back of my right cheek. The pain was familiar because it reminded me of my wisdom tooth. A trip to the dentist affirmed the lingering suspicion and this time round, my bottom wisdom tooth was impacted and made worse by the overgrown wisdom tooth growing out from the top. Inflammation was slowly eating its way into my threshold for pain. A dental surgeon was summoned due to the position of the tooth that was pressing precariously on the nerves, which I was warned as a matter of formality, that surgery might cause some form of permanent numbness on my lips. I pressed ahead and got myself on the schedule of the dental surgeon.
The dental surgeon isn't my usual dentist so I'm terribly unfamiliar with this character. As it turns out, he wasn't as gentle as my dentist. All the yanking, drilling and pulling in a normal dental surgery was amplified by the raw sense of unfamiliarity. Before the anesthetic jab did its job, the surgeon started tugging and I was put on the edge of cliff faint.
Within the longest 10 minutes of my life, I walked out of the operating theatre with the look of a miserable chipmunk. As Blue Potato was unable to take time off work, I made my way back feeling numb. Fortunately, Synflex knocked me out the entire afternoon. But the very moment I woke up, I could feel the pain slowly creeping in. Sitting in the living room all by myself while waiting for my liquid dinner to make its way to me, a rush of emotional engulfed me. I started crying and thinking to myself that I wish my Mom was there so that she could cook me a pot of yummy congee. It's been a long while since I felt so vulnerable. The last time was when I was in thousands of miles away in Shanghai and I was down with food poisoning.
The next couple of days became the best opportunity to catch up on my beauty sleep, knocking myself out with every fresh dose of painkillers. Work haunted me in sporadic bursts during the little pockets of time that I was actually awake or coherent. By Day 03, I was dying to be back in the office. Under the illusion that I was well, I hobbled my way into work the next day. Terrible mistake as the recovery wasn't as smooth as I assumed it to be. Paralysed by nagging pain, I could only be in the office a little more than half a day.
A week after the surgery, my pain did not subside and if anything, it became worse. I was hugging my right cheek as I tried my best to concentrate on the exciting Singapore F1 race shown on TV. The pain warranted an early night but pain isn't exactly sleep's best friend. The constant moaning of horny cats in the neighbourhood only frustrates a very sleepy me further. It doesn't take a genius to guess the next work day had to end early. Returning to the dentist was imperative. A quick inspection by the dentist concludes that I'm suffering from bone infection which is affecting the recovery process. Stitches will not come off until another round of antibiotics is completed and provided the swelling has gone down. So that's another week of suffering ahead of me. Meanwhile, I can only try to hit the sack early tonight and pray hard that the cats were exhausted from their vigorous activities last night.
A couple of weeks back, I felt this excruciating ache at the back of my right cheek. The pain was familiar because it reminded me of my wisdom tooth. A trip to the dentist affirmed the lingering suspicion and this time round, my bottom wisdom tooth was impacted and made worse by the overgrown wisdom tooth growing out from the top. Inflammation was slowly eating its way into my threshold for pain. A dental surgeon was summoned due to the position of the tooth that was pressing precariously on the nerves, which I was warned as a matter of formality, that surgery might cause some form of permanent numbness on my lips. I pressed ahead and got myself on the schedule of the dental surgeon.
The dental surgeon isn't my usual dentist so I'm terribly unfamiliar with this character. As it turns out, he wasn't as gentle as my dentist. All the yanking, drilling and pulling in a normal dental surgery was amplified by the raw sense of unfamiliarity. Before the anesthetic jab did its job, the surgeon started tugging and I was put on the edge of cliff faint.
Within the longest 10 minutes of my life, I walked out of the operating theatre with the look of a miserable chipmunk. As Blue Potato was unable to take time off work, I made my way back feeling numb. Fortunately, Synflex knocked me out the entire afternoon. But the very moment I woke up, I could feel the pain slowly creeping in. Sitting in the living room all by myself while waiting for my liquid dinner to make its way to me, a rush of emotional engulfed me. I started crying and thinking to myself that I wish my Mom was there so that she could cook me a pot of yummy congee. It's been a long while since I felt so vulnerable. The last time was when I was in thousands of miles away in Shanghai and I was down with food poisoning.
The next couple of days became the best opportunity to catch up on my beauty sleep, knocking myself out with every fresh dose of painkillers. Work haunted me in sporadic bursts during the little pockets of time that I was actually awake or coherent. By Day 03, I was dying to be back in the office. Under the illusion that I was well, I hobbled my way into work the next day. Terrible mistake as the recovery wasn't as smooth as I assumed it to be. Paralysed by nagging pain, I could only be in the office a little more than half a day.
A week after the surgery, my pain did not subside and if anything, it became worse. I was hugging my right cheek as I tried my best to concentrate on the exciting Singapore F1 race shown on TV. The pain warranted an early night but pain isn't exactly sleep's best friend. The constant moaning of horny cats in the neighbourhood only frustrates a very sleepy me further. It doesn't take a genius to guess the next work day had to end early. Returning to the dentist was imperative. A quick inspection by the dentist concludes that I'm suffering from bone infection which is affecting the recovery process. Stitches will not come off until another round of antibiotics is completed and provided the swelling has gone down. So that's another week of suffering ahead of me. Meanwhile, I can only try to hit the sack early tonight and pray hard that the cats were exhausted from their vigorous activities last night.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Some Etiquettes to Note
Taken from AsiaOne.
GOSSIP is normally viral in an office elevator, so be sensitive and careful.
These are simple rules to follow. Some may laugh and relate to them, others may find them useless, but bear in mind that when other people are using the same services, it is very important to be considerate of others. After all, that is what etiquette is all about—making others comfortable.
1. Let everyone out of the elevator before you enter. In office buildings, I see people scampering for the elevator without letting those already inside come out first. Wait for them to get out—not only is this the polite thing to do; it is also the safe thing.
2. Try to fall in line. This may be a truly idealistic request. On a recent trip to Japan, I was so happy to see people falling in line to enter the elevator. Correctly so, if you were there first, you should be the first to get in. Pushing and shoving are regular occurrences in busy office buildings and yes, even hospitals.
If building administrators can implement this, things would go much smoother. The line is formed on the right side facing the elevator so that the left side is free to allow those inside the elevator to step out.
3. Enter towards the back of the elevator, allow the others to enter, then press the floor. People tend to crowd around the console when they enter elevators. You can simply ask the person nearest the console to press the desired floor.
4. If the person behind you is about to exit the elevator, move out, hold the door open and allow the person out. Usually there is this person in the back who cannot even step out because people do not move, much less allow the person behind to get out.
5. As much as possible, keep the conversation to a minimum. There are other people in the elevator with you, so keep the conversations down. Gossip is normally viral in an office elevator, so be sensitive to this.
6. Do not sneeze or cough in this very contained environment.
7. If you are going up or down just one floor, try to take the stairs if possible.
8. Gentlemen, where are you? Have the days of gentlemanly behavior passed? Hold the door open and let the ladies in or out of the elevator. I actually saw a man shove past a girl just to get out of the elevator. Remember, each action is always a reflection of who you are.
Escalators
1. Children should be kept away from escalators. This is not a play area, yet in malls you see kids playing around the escalator area, either trying to go up downward escalators or playing with moving handles.
2. When riding the escalator, allow the person in front of you to step onto the escalator first. This sounds amusing, but I have been pushed from behind so many times because I admittedly get on an escalator rather slowly. Still, this does not give people license to push you from behind. Cutting someone who is about to go on an escalator is not only rude, but also very dangerous.
3. Stay on the right hand side. This is to give space to people who wish to climb up or down. The same goes for walkalators in airports. Stay on the right side so people can walk on the left hand side. Although in some countries it is the opposite, just bear that in mind.
4. If you are on the escalator with a friend or friends, do not congregate at the foot or at the entry point of the escalators. This happens a lot in malls, where people wait for family members and friends to get off at the foot of the escalator, leaving the others with no place to move forward.
GOSSIP is normally viral in an office elevator, so be sensitive and careful.
These are simple rules to follow. Some may laugh and relate to them, others may find them useless, but bear in mind that when other people are using the same services, it is very important to be considerate of others. After all, that is what etiquette is all about—making others comfortable.
1. Let everyone out of the elevator before you enter. In office buildings, I see people scampering for the elevator without letting those already inside come out first. Wait for them to get out—not only is this the polite thing to do; it is also the safe thing.
2. Try to fall in line. This may be a truly idealistic request. On a recent trip to Japan, I was so happy to see people falling in line to enter the elevator. Correctly so, if you were there first, you should be the first to get in. Pushing and shoving are regular occurrences in busy office buildings and yes, even hospitals.
If building administrators can implement this, things would go much smoother. The line is formed on the right side facing the elevator so that the left side is free to allow those inside the elevator to step out.
3. Enter towards the back of the elevator, allow the others to enter, then press the floor. People tend to crowd around the console when they enter elevators. You can simply ask the person nearest the console to press the desired floor.
4. If the person behind you is about to exit the elevator, move out, hold the door open and allow the person out. Usually there is this person in the back who cannot even step out because people do not move, much less allow the person behind to get out.
5. As much as possible, keep the conversation to a minimum. There are other people in the elevator with you, so keep the conversations down. Gossip is normally viral in an office elevator, so be sensitive to this.
6. Do not sneeze or cough in this very contained environment.
7. If you are going up or down just one floor, try to take the stairs if possible.
8. Gentlemen, where are you? Have the days of gentlemanly behavior passed? Hold the door open and let the ladies in or out of the elevator. I actually saw a man shove past a girl just to get out of the elevator. Remember, each action is always a reflection of who you are.
Escalators
1. Children should be kept away from escalators. This is not a play area, yet in malls you see kids playing around the escalator area, either trying to go up downward escalators or playing with moving handles.
2. When riding the escalator, allow the person in front of you to step onto the escalator first. This sounds amusing, but I have been pushed from behind so many times because I admittedly get on an escalator rather slowly. Still, this does not give people license to push you from behind. Cutting someone who is about to go on an escalator is not only rude, but also very dangerous.
3. Stay on the right hand side. This is to give space to people who wish to climb up or down. The same goes for walkalators in airports. Stay on the right side so people can walk on the left hand side. Although in some countries it is the opposite, just bear that in mind.
4. If you are on the escalator with a friend or friends, do not congregate at the foot or at the entry point of the escalators. This happens a lot in malls, where people wait for family members and friends to get off at the foot of the escalator, leaving the others with no place to move forward.
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