Yum @ Arab St

You can go wrong in finding the direction to this restaurant but definitely not with the decision to dine here at Alaturka.

Thanks to my initiative of doing a quick research that afternoon before the mass went down to Arab Street for a dinner. Seriously, walking around aimlessly would be a disaster in that rain and there are just too many identical places providing Turkish food. I chanced upon a forum thread talking about Arabic/Turkish food in Singapore and thought "this is it".

Alaturka is not a gigantic/classy restaurant, however it offers a kind of personal touch (the decor) and also very cosy place to dine in even it was going to be pouring outside! The service wasn't the best as the service staff doesn't seem to be a native English speaker. Besides that, the food and drinks were served promptly and of good quality. We were pretty happy with the stuff we had... even had a second serving of the Kuzu sis (Chicken pieces on skewer with capicum, served with a salad topped with demi glace sauce). We were tucked in the cosy corner with 8 of us, perfect ambience to smoking sheesha too (but we didn't!!). It was a little dim without proper lighting - but that doesn't dampen the mood at all!

I shared a main course Adana Kebab (Spices frill chicken mince serve with garlic tomato, green salad) and an appetizer Falafel (Middle eastern mint leave and bulgur salad) with a friend. But we all ended up sharing each other's food. Hummus (Middle eastern chickpea with tahini dip) and Borek (Pastry with feta cheese) are equally yummy!!

All in all, I would recommend this place and will definitely bring more friends back there again. Reasonable price, good and delicious food with prompt service. Ambience is a plus!

Note: Description of food in green is taken off from their website's menu.

Made for X'mas

With the new oven of course :))))

Spicy crabs by Ms. Potatoe

A week ago, my mum kindly let me take over the cooking wok and did the chilli crabs... So hey, the list of things I can cook is getting longer as the days go by. Especially now, we have also newly added a Tefal oven purchased from Carrefour. More baking fun! Okay, instead of getting out of the point, here's my simple pictures-tell-the-story on the crabs-cooking (not crap cooking!).

World's 'wurst' lovers?

Oliver shared this with me, I just find it hilarious though I decline to comment whether I agree with it or not. *mouth zipped*

Read about "World's worst lover".

Before Christmas

Here's my second German poem which wasn't up to my own standard, so it has been sent for editing by 2 German-speaking friends. First edit is done by an Austrian, and the second by a German friend who seems to understand it from my romantic point of view (luckily!). Thank you my helpful friends!! Danke schoen sehr!!

I'm not highlighting the changes that have been done like the first time though I'd really like to. It has changed quite a bit but it has been altered to better represent what I have wanted it to express! So anyway, a draft version (After 1st edit version) below will show the rough one which I have initially came up with.

It's named "Before Christmas" in English and it's something I definitely want to be up before X'mas:)


Vor Weihnachten

Weihnachten war zu Ende, als wir uns getroffen haben
Weihnachten ist wieder hier, aber du bist weg
ich musste an dich denken als der sommer vorrueber ging
Der Winter ließ mich fragen, ob du dich erinnerst, an die warme Umarmung die wir uns geteilt haben

Wie geht's mein Schatz
ich frage mich, wie es dir ergangen ist
ich denke an all das, was haette sein können
ich erinnere mich an jene Tage, als waere es gestern gewesen

Erinnerst du dich...?
ich glaube nicht...
aber insgesheim hofe ich dass du es tust
ich weiß, dass wir so glücklicher sind, aber es hätte besser sein können

Weihnachten kommt, Liebe ist überall
Kannst du sie fühlen...? Meine Liebe ist auch dabei
Kannst du sie sehen...? In meinen Zeilen?
ich vermisse dich, und will es dir sagen, bevor Weihnachten zu Ende ist


After 1st edit version (which remains 90% unchanged from my own German writing):

Weihnachten war zu Ende, als wir uns getroffen
Weihnachten ist wieder hier, aber du bist weg
Der Sommer ging mit dir in meinem Herz vorbei
Der Winter ließ mich mich fragen, ob du dich erinnerst, dass warme Umarmung wir uns geteilt

Wie geht's mein Schatz
ich frage mich, wie du gewesen bist
ich denke an all das, was haette sein können
ich erinnere mich an jene Tage, als waere es gestern gewesen

Erinnerst du dich
ich glaube nicht
ich hoffe heimlich so
ich weiß, dass nun wir glücklich sind, aber es hätte besser sein können

Weihnachten kommt, Liebe ist überall
Kannst du sie fühlen, weil meine auch dabei ist
Kannst du sie sehen, weil ich sie hier schreibe
Ich vermisse dich, und will es dir sagen, bevor Weihnachten zu Ende ist


Links to my previous poems:
Der Geliebte

Perfecting the home

I finally convinced myself Toshiba Portege is for me, actually I need little persuasion as my heart has already been set on it. That little rascal ibook-alike has stolen my heart, right from the beginning... LOL. Well, the older 12.1" model was what I have been eyeing on for a long along time! It used to cost S$2699 and today it is only selling at S$1599 at Sitex (the PC fair). And this newer model M600 is retailing at S$2299, managed to get it a little lower than that. I can't reveal how I manage to afford this, but somehow I'm very lucky and thankful to someone:))

Vista isn't really my cuppa tea but the thing is it does work or even look a little like Mac operating system! My heart with Apple has died along with my ibook and even today I have little yearning for a Macbook, let alone a Macbook Pro!


My sister has suddenly gone crazy about the idea of getting an oven. It was my plan but somehow it has affected her more than me and she's dying to get one ASAP to start baking Christmas cookies for her "teachers". I told her to spare them from being her guinea pigs! I was easy with the choices but after reading up, I realize choosing an appliance is not as easy as I thought. What method and component an oven uses can greatly affect the quality of the end products, I want my cookies to be nice and juicy, not dry and hard!

Memory reformatted

I'm suffering from childhood memory loss, is it dissociative amnesia??

Yesterday while watching a girl being scalded on the TV drama, my sister casually remarked I had a similar accident when I was young. And I could not recall a thing. After she has mentioned it, I was trying hard to dig back into my memories... I vaguely recalled a very short scene (well I could imagine I guess), but nothing else besides that. What happened to my childhood?

The time I was a baby till 5 years old, I can very certainly say I don't have any memory at all. From my kindergarten days till my school days, I do have a very faded memory, mostly comprising of my friends in school and some incidents that happened in school. Any accident at home or anything else, they aren't stored in my head.

When I watched Flo's childhood video the last time, somehow it triggered me to find back my childhood memory. But it didn't come back. I reckon I need to take more pictures and videos for my children next time!

The winter rain

The German poem I have been working on is about to be out of the oven, but let's wait patiently. It's done in fact but I'm just not so sure when I want it up.

It has been raining continuously for at least 6 hours, I'm afraid Singapore is being flooded. I'm sure some parts are already, like it always does. The past few days, I have compensated more than enough on my beauty sleep but I didn't feel the benefits on my health somehow.


On the other side of the world...

Miss China is being crowned Miss World 2007! Not only has she brought glory to the Chinese people, and I feel it is important that the Far Eastern is being recognized as well. Miss Japan has been crowned Miss Universe earlier, and it is becoming increasingly significant to show that everyone can be equal regardless of skin color.

Quoted from BBC News:
"Miss China, Zhang Zilin, has been crowned Miss World 2007 in the Chinese resort of Sanya, the first time an East Asian contestant has won."

My hoodie, where are you??

I wanted this from Forever21 but now it's not available anymore :((((((((

I guess it's just not meant to be - like many things in life!

The worst is over... yeaaaa

My days after a shit job are definitely more meaningful than serving a boss like a slave and ended up not being appreciated and being accused of a bad hand-over. The boss has no people management skill, not to mention his pathetic interpersonal relationship skill. Now I have no doubt all about the high turn-over, why ex-employees ignore calls from the office number and would rather not mentioned they have ever been in this company at all. This is serious, and this company (especially the boss) should certainly qualify to be in the top 10 blacklisted companies in Singapore.

Anyway enough complaining about that, it is all history. I must say on the last day, I almost screamed at the boss for his desperate, unreasonable and demanding behavior. I'm not going into details as some things are better left untold.

Time spent with my friends are 1000 times much happier than a day at the office. This afternoon, I have done my laundry, researched online about laptop (though still undecided) and made egg mayo sandwiches - pretty happy that I did all that in a few hours.

My biased view towards Toshiba is somehow hindering me from considering Dell, Acer, HP, etc... I don't know why, but after using Richard's (my ex-boss) very old Toshiba Portege machine while he loaned me in London, somehow I felt like I have a debt to repay - To get myself a new Toshiba Portege machine. I know this is hilarious but it is true. I am immensely attracted to that model, and even though the price is a bit steep... I'm praying I can get a good deal on the last day at Sitex.

By the way, John Little Sale is on and unfortunately spending cannot be curbed... I blew a 100 bucks, but mainly on health supplements! Ohh, so did Lisi... Poor us, whenever we go out shopping, we just have to spend!! :(

We lost 5 of us

Am I blind or something.. now it said only 780 posts...! I can't believe I see ghost.

Anyway, never mind about the number, they aren't really important. Today, my mood sank when I watched the news on the bus. 5 bodies found. The 5 Singaporeans whom went Cambodia for the Dragonboating event were drowned. I couldn't help but somehow feel that loss.

That horrible way of dying - drowning... That is so so scary! Tell me when you're struggling for air, for something to hold on but couldn't find any. Tell me when you try so hard to swim but only have your muscles failing. Tell me when you feel totally breathless and weak, unable to save yourself. Tell me when all the happy moments and thoughts of loved one suddenly flashed across your mind. Tell me when you do not even have the chance to tell them you love them and say goodbye.

Sigh. I feel for them. And at the same time, having joined dragonboating for a short period of time, I do really think that it is a tough sports. Even the best swimmers can drown, so why are people not given life vests. And when I think of the snorkeling trip I had without a life vest, I vow I will strangle the next person who's not giving me one!

800th

It's my 800th post!!! Yeah, what a nice number even though it isn't an accurate record of how much I have written since I have moved the majority of my entries from Blog City. Anyhow, this is where all should be...

I am finally 3 days away from the end of work, boy, am I glad! I can't predict the mess over the next few days, but guys, please pray for me that things will go smoothly and they will not bother me thereafter. No matter what, I can't wait for that day to arrive...

My knee is badly bruised. The other is green from my fall. This is bad, because even a fall off the bicycle during my downhill cycling at Pulau Ubin, I had the miraculous escape. But last Friday, I didn't have the slightest bit of luck. Even blindly typing an SMS could make me tripped. It was embarrassing. I had to bear that bloody wound and stinging pain for an hour on the bus without anything to clean it, I felt like dying... (not so bad lah, but actually I'm a very hygienic person so that could kill me if it takes too long) Back home, I had to endure the pain the whole night, it was horrible and even worse when I had to change my dressing - it hurts like hell!!!!!!

Saturday. Amazingly I could walk the whole day with the girls... I guess it was the company and I was able to enjoy that limping. It's Sunday now, my wound has dried up but it still hurts and I dare not even apply the medicated oil on it. It's swollen around the wound and I wish I can just have 3 days of MC!!!!!!

Please make the 3 days go FAST!!

Parents are outta town for 3 days!!! It is exciting to see how messy the house can get if my sister is living alone.. ahaha, luckily she has another two "useful" sisters! I have done my own laundry and another of theirs, and then went grocery shopping with my little sister to get our own next-day-breakfast and stuff to cook for today's dinner. Guess what we have done... it took us about 2 hours to do 3 dishes for 3 persons. Thanks to my sister's idea of making her own breadcrumbs and mashing the potatoes. But it turned out kinda nice:))

Parmesan chicken, buttered broccoli and breadcrumbs-covered-mashed potatoes.

November babies

Today is my sister's birthday, and we (a whole lot) are celebrating dear Grandma's birthday as well. I have no idea how old she is... arghh. I just realized my Facebook has too many birthday notifications since October. I found a group of people sharing my birthday week and now in November this particular week is as well.

Happy birthday BS...
Happy birthday Sis..
Happy birthday ah Ma!!!

Joy is back and we have been having fun so far... We met the first day she was back for her brother's wedding dinner, were at the brother's condominium for a swim & DVD, and visited the Tampines IKEA (which made us feel like in a foreign country) for yummy wings and that salmon dish I am addicted to!!

Angela's illness has affected me. Her infectious shopping disease has me began my online shopping spree. Fate somehow didn't encourage it at all as my online purchase was unsuccessful (not only once, but twice). And... so Angela became the saviour as well as my 损友 hahahaa!! She encouraged my shopping!!!

Anyway, I reckon it's good to be nice, totally nice to oneself once in a while. It doesn't happen very often. I shall hopefully put the online shopping spree to a stop and let me concentrate on more holidays planning and saving. Most importantly, work is coming to an end and Fab4 reunion is nearing and nearing with each passing day!!!

Weddings

Kavitha got married on the 27th October. For those whom have missed the glorious event, I have some pictures to share. By the way, this is the 1st Indian wedding I went.

I still remember the polytechnic days, we used to gossip about men, discussed about projects and even went ice-skating together. She had a fall and a little knock on her head then. But it all boils down to good memories. It has been years since she went on, studied, opened a shop with the other girls, worked, and now married, becoming a teacher... and maybe a mum (I don't know how soon)?!

A bride is always stunning on her big day! I am totally charmed. I can't help but you know, happiness is infectious, so are smiles. She has spreaded them that day to all of us who were there to witness the event. Congratulations, big girl!!

This coming Monday, I have yet another wedding to attend. This time, it is the usual Chinese banquet dinner... and again, this is another old friend. I'm looking forward to see some familiar faces at the table!

November... the first call

It has been a while... and too much have since happened.

I have grew an immerse dislike for my job, in fact, it is more than the job, it's the XXXX, XXXXXXX, ... I wonder how the others whom have left managed to get away scot-free and happy but I am pretty sure that relief is going to be a heavenly satisfaction. My boss, has not only once, but twice, not acknowledged my letter. In fact the two other persons I have "cc" it to have also not said anything. So what else can I do but to wait for the grand lord to be back and have it face-to-face. I could already imagine his face charcoal black, sprouted with his maggie-mee alike hair, and his bloodshot eyes. How eerie, like the thing, that is haunting our office... (sorry, no offence)... But it is true that our office is haunted, colleagues have been talking about the stories too much and now going to the toilet becomes a "who-is-the-quickest" competition.

Our 3 year old PC has fallen sick, in fact, it isn't a major problem. It's just a hardware problem and I reckon it's the graphic card but I couldn't troubleshoot it this time. I have helped it recovered so many times from illnesses but now, I felt so helpless. He's here, not dying, just sick and terribly awaiting for someone to help him. I wish HELP can come soon...

The other night, me and beloved Syndy went bar-hopping. In fact, it's the first time... we did 3 different places, had almost 6 drinks each. John and his housemate, Duncan, came along and it continued for a while. From 830pm to 230pm... I think we have done a pretty marvellous job. At our last stop, I met Mr Nokia (so I call him, as he works for Nokia). I enjoy meeting people, talking to them, but when someone invites you back on the first night you met him/her... What do you do?? I went with my instincts and left with my friends instead. Oh well.

Dearest Joy is back on Sunday, and it has been a forking long time since we met. I'm so looking forward to it as well as our December reunion which will be here too soon! Babes, here we gather again! Party! Drink! Xmas exchange! Gossip!


p.s: The fortune-teller in HK told me my luck will change for the better at the end of the year... I want to call it bullxxxx; somehow it's better to trust yourself and things in your own hands than to believe what someone so random has said.

Shit pit

I equate a job to a relationship. So if you're unhappy, and it's not the right one, why stay in it??

If a job is taking up a lot of time, he's possessive.
If a job is not the right fit, he's is not the one!
If a job is tedious and demoralizing, he's a woman abuser.
If a job is meaningless and has no prospect, he's better for a one night stand!
If a job has good money but nothing more appealing, he's suited for the SPGs.
If a job takes up long travelling time and there's no life besides work, long-distance isn't really your cup of tea.
If your job has an unreasonable a...... boss, say bye bye before you make a long term commitment.

Like we say, if you never tried you never know. If you tried and it isn't really your thing... don't waste your youth and years mugging! That's my say.

My new punk-glamour spectacles!

Was delayed... and almost forgotten.

I have it collected late Friday night after a "ready-to-collect" call. Quite pleased and excited. And now I'm wearing it as I'm typing... My week has been disastrous. I did some retail therapy and I hate it. I hate buying due to stress.

Black. Rectangular. "Diamond" studs. Zebra stripes.

Fly big baby~

The world's first baby has taken its first step... A380 virgin flight to Sydney has taken off this morning at 815am (I heard from the morning news). 15mins later than schedule, but hey, it's the first in Asia, in this world, on this Earth. That's so cool. We are proud of Singapore Airlines and I'm sure they are now choking with overwhelming sense of achievement for making that happened.

Will I have a chance to fly A380?? I hope so and I must make that happen, the Economy ticket isn't that much more expensive, but greedy me is hoping to try something more, like Business Class! Let's wait till my luck gets better and I've enough money to try it out that is! (TOTO 3millions tonight *prays* *chants*)

And, you know what? Friday is in some hours!! Work is held off at many points and didn't get to my side at the rate I am able to handle... so so so... I need something more challenging, not 8/5 (implies the same as 24/7 -- hours/days) desk-bound. I think I said this before.

Breathe, huu....

It's gonna gonna gonna gonna be Friday!!!!!! Or well, I imagine so.

Days flew by so fast, I almost felt nothing. Except stress!

On Tuesday, the last day of hand-over from the previous DAM (that's the title of my position)... I was practically stressed out, mentally exhausted and severely suffering from the lack of oxygen (kept yawning at work, especially during my mental block).

One good thing about being busy at work is that it really really makes your week fly by. It's Wednesday and I had a fairly easy day. Things are manageable but sometimes the boss's attitude can be so annoying. He treats everyone with an accusative attitude and has a lack of trust (or somehow skeptical). I'm going to show him my real power... and let him suck his own toe.

Sometimes I just have to buy something. Call it retail therapy. Anyway money is meant to be spent, as long as it's well spent, no complaints. I found my black spectacles (shall collect tomorrow). The other day I tried out almost 15 frames and none I really fancy; yet on Saturday I went to another shop with half the range to choose from, tried 3 and already decided on one. These things are funny, just like falling in love, you don't know when or where.

I bought a little blue dress that made me looked like an inverted tulip - haven't got myself any birthday present (and since I have a birthday month 20% discount). Membership is just not a good thing. And what more, I have 2 weddings to attend in coming weeks. It'll come to good use.

For now, I need some stress-free beauty sleep and I'm waiting for Friday!

忙忙忙。。。

救命啊！

Work has been non-stop busy... like the traffic on peak hour... flowing non-stop, long queues and big jams. My brain is jammed, stuck in the traffic for hours. I can't help yawning sometimes, well I guess I'm not getting enough oxygen! Or at least, my brain is not getting! I'm overwhelmed, sometimes excited, at times frustrated and most of the time trying to accept this challenge. The rumors going on about this Co., how many people have left over the past few months, the high turn-over is not helping my adaptation. In fact, I'm only hoping to see how long I can be in this place. It has not been unpleasant so far, but who knows when the true color is revealing... that bloody brutal murder hidden behind the scenes. Somehow the colleagues are easy, but I'm still quite wary, after all you never know when someone is going to stab you in the back.

If I can last...
3 mths -- endure endure endure (so can apply a CC)
6 mths -- save save save (for my next travel destination)
1 yr -- few more months to get a full 13th mth
1 yr4 mths -- 13th mth! that's my plan to look for greener pasture unless I love this place/job to bits (which I can't see it yet)

Running the rat race

Doing the rat race after a relaxing vacation plus weeks of bumming around certainly is a taxing thing to do. It feels like this phrase "Life has never been so horrible!".

I did the fortunate thing to only start on a Thursday. So so so terribly glad that I have done that, because a weekend is so close by. This week, the boss is not around and it was an easy start and a quiet time to pick things up. Lots and lots of things to do, it stumped me there. Yes, I should have expected it since the day I put my signature down on that piece of paper (the contract).

So overwhelmed by work, I haven't had a chance to properly sit down, absorb things slowly and digest them. It's so difficult when you've to take over from someone's duties and responsibilities. I just wanted to trash all that and start it my way - seems like I have gotten this chance to revamp their work flow and run things more efficiently (with my method - which I'll need to come up with!). That part is so exciting, I can already foresee improvements. I'm getting a bit too ambitious.

Coming back to this. Why the hell do I get a job this fast after a holiday?? CVs sent on the following Monday (after holiday), interview on Tuesday and job offered. Damn fast. Too fast. I haven't had a chance to breathe and say "Let me think over it for some days." Argghh. Anyhow, in order not to delay my chance of earning more money for more travels, besides this job somehow suits my forte and also allows me take up bigger responsibilities... and I think it'll be a good start to wherever I'm heading next! (Boss has kindly agreed after an open discussion that should I not have place for advancement after a year or two, I wouldn't be hated for moving on to greener pasture.) That is the main reason I take this on!

One more day before I need to get mentally prepared for the busy Monday.
Wish me luck, friends:)

881

Papaya. 881 literally means Papaya. Try pronouncing in Mandarin with "1" as "yao". So that's how it comes about.

I have read so many good reviews about the film. Yet I haven't got the urge to step into the cinema for this local production (by Royston Tan)... until dear Syndy is set on watching it and we went. I didn't expect a "Hokkien" dominated film, and in fact minimal Chinese is spoken. That's fine and very good for refreshing my dialect knowledge as I rarely use it now.

881 is about "Getai". Performances meant for the dead and public, glamorous costumes, oldies songs, singing and dance performances, auctions. They are only here during the 7th lunar month, the Hungry Ghost festival where the Chinese pay respects to the dead. In the show, the Papaya sisters and the Durian sisters (played by the MTV VJ twins, their Mandarin really sucks and it made it so funny) are rivals on the stage.

There are a lot of comical moments and in fact, very localized. I think the humor too, is meant for the Singaporean audience. I am surprised I'm awed by this film. It is good, beyond my expectation. However, poor Qi Yu Wu's role isn't very exciting and there isn't much I feel he could have done given the role. The ending is really sad, Little Papaya sister died... and it does touch most of us (in the cinema) as well.

Very impressive sound tracks, very original and very touching.

Rating: 4/5 (only if Qi Yu Wu has more chances to reveal his potential, might worth .5 more)

sechs und zwanzig, arghhhh

I'm still in denial of my age because... I don't know how I have spent my last 2 years!! They are certainly not in vain, but it flew by too fast and I don't remember even turning 24! Hahaha...

Someone, slap me!!

Anyhow, it was a quiet one with a few gifts... from sisters and friends. Some SMS surprises. But someone actually forgot my birthday (it's time to forget it soon anyway)!!! Mum gave me a red packet for the first time to get a cake, but I used it on brownies instead. I just wanted something simple and though a little belated.


Golden Village celebrated it with me, offering me a 1-for-1 movie during month of October. So lil sis and me went for Lust, Caution by Lee Ang. Starring Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Joan Chen, Lee-Hom Wang, Tang Wei... The story is based on 1942 Shanghai occupied by the Japanese. A group of Chinese students plot to kill a powerful collaborator (Tony Leung) with the Japanese, using a young woman (Tang Wei) as a lure.

At some points, it's pretty slow. And, Singapore as usual, was submitted a censored version, some 7-10mins shorter of the original film. OMG, all the sex scenes by Tony Leung gone! I like the plot though... ending was... ermmm... Should women choose love and lust over loyalty and friends?? Why are women always more emotionally messed up??? Is that what the story is telling me - I wonder?

Catch the part Tony Leung ran the short marathon and flew right into his car... amazing!

Rating: 3.5/5 (would be giving 4 if it's the original uncensored version;))

A new Wishy wash

It's different when it comes to shopping for clothes, cosmetic to household appliances or even furnitures. It isn't just a personal preference anymore, it becomes a decision based on majority votes.

Our washing machine whom had been jumping abnormally for the past year during the spin is finally being taken away, I didn't get a chance to let it have a last wash for my laundry (sadly, I was so lazy last night). Instead I gave the new Samsung WA85U3 a test wash with them.

Yesterday, 5 women went down to Courts just to choose a washing machine. We have a small budget so 2-in-1 machine (washer & dryer) is definitely out. Though I secretly wish 1 day I will be able to afford that and have it in my own home;)

My cousin, my 2 sisters, me and mum were presented with various brands and types of washing machines. Our final choice was a Samsung (with air turbo & 6.5kg capacity), only priced at $301 which sounds very reasonable. My sister and cousin have preferred a much larger older model Samsung with a 8kg capacity, but I was against the "bigger is better, more is good" thinking. I'm the one doing the laundry, so is my dad. These people whom are choosing aren't the one using it, so I proposed we should base the purchase on practical usage.

After much hesitation, opinions and voting, I won (3 votes against 2)!! Also during the shopping, I found a nice oven which I hope I will be able to get after my first salary. Woohoo... time to start my DIY baking lessons.

Big news for travellers

Lonely Planet is being sold to BBC Worldwide!!!

We wonder how this will be affecting the rest of us... They have promised to continue the publications, but most of the information is said to be soon available online.

Saigon diary III

5. Last drink in Saigon

The last night came, besides doing the usual Ben Thanh night market, another visit to the Saigon Market for H's last minute frantic hunt, H is done for the night. On the long walk this evening, I found a cheap box of Ginger tea and ended up with an enormous "size of a man's fist" bun 包 (inside: meat, vegetables and a salted egg yolk) and a grapefruit shake for dinner.

Being the last night in Saigon and not wanting to leave without another drink, I rang up a couchsurfer M who worked in the city. He was nearby, in a pub, doing some work and having a drink. So I decided to head there alone and well, have a last drink for the trip. It gave me a hard time to locate the pub which is off a small alley! Phew, luckily I found it through a funny incident (through some people in another pub thought that I was preying for a boyfriend?!).

At Le Pub. A little accident got me acquainted with Trung, a Vietnamese and the pub's manager. His cigarette has burnt a little hole in my top, I wasn't furious (quite surprisingly). Instead I decided to lessen his guilt by asking him to buy me a drink, and so it got us talking as M was busy sorting out some work. M's friend bought me another drink. 2 free drinks, one meal (which I ended up short of 4000 VND as I wasn't expecting myself to eat initially... but got away with it with the manager). I decided to head back to get a couple of hours of sleep and do the final packing. It was then Trung offered to give me a motorbike ride back to my hotel which is about 10mins walk away.

Absolutely beautiful ending. Nice country, wonderful people... I'm a little sad I met these people a little late, as it could be a start to some nice Saigon parties. But rest assured, I'll be back some day.

Saigon diary II

3. A River so Fertile

Mekong Delta is said to be one of the world largest producers of rice (behind Thailand). And how could I miss it?! Definitely, no way;)

A 2 Days 1 Night Mekong tour was perfect. It was a lot of hours on the boat along the river, we saw countless smiling faces (happy people I call them). It suddenly made me wonder what would it be like to live among them, leading a simple and easily contented life. A life without car, stressful job, million dollars' dream and etc. Someone I met later on told me, I would be thinking otherwise if I am in their shoes (true, such is life!). At the same time, soaking in their warmth, all my happy memories floated back to me... it touched me, deeply.

The tour wasn't as great as I thought. However, an awesome company and a ever-so-willing-to-help tour guide made it all a worthy compensation. Our tour comprises of cycling in a village (which I unfortunately didn't do so after a lucky fall off Pulau Ubin, it has put me off cycling on mountain bikes on narrow paths with river; I also did not want to endanger the lives of other motorists/cyclists, LOL), a village tour, crossing the Monkey bridge (made up of planks and branches), cruising along Mekong river, a night stay in Can Tho city, plus a morning visit to the floating market.

Anton who said I looked Vietnamese

We toured with 6 Dutch, 4 French, 2 American and including 2 of us, Singaporean. The American couple are on a English teaching stint in Busan, Korea, like us they are on a short 5 days trip. The rest, however, are on a month long journey, some have just began while others are near the end of it. The 3 French are in town to visit otheir friend (Anton) whom works in Saigon and are doing the travels together. One Dutch couple has caught me by surprise, they are so organized, probably the best among us. They have booked everything well in advanced before the trip (and being rewarded with much better accommodation than us in Can Tho!). Another male Dutch couple whom I got acquainted with, one of them shared my special liking towards the smiling children by the Mekong village/river.

Kids playing marbles. Kids playing "zero point". Doesn't it remind you of something... ;)

Travel is so fun, there's always interesting people on the road.

4. Soaking wet in Vietnam

One more day left in Saigon after the tour. Back again in the bustling city with 3 millions motorbikes, crossing the road is often a challenge. The tour guide's advice: Close your eyes, and cross the road. The motorists will stop for you. I haven't had the courage to try this!

Ben Thanh night market is more enticing than the day's. Dining was good and cheap and the stall owners were less aggressive and pushy. I had the Avocado shake (which they do it with condensed milk), it was simply yummilicious!!!!!!! Lecker! They did a slight twist to my beef Pho which has a garlic soup base. Still very appetizing though.

Shopping at Ben Thanh seems to be the easiest thing to do, not the cheapest. But because of the unpredictable frequent rain, we were stuck there for lunch and unavoidably also some quick shopping. I got my lanterns at S$4 each, not the best bargain as Syndy got hers at USD3-4 for so much bigger ones.

Having heard much about Cholon (Chinatown) in Saigon, we went to take a peep. Tuesday itself, being Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival the Vietnamese call it), was in fact only for kids (as we were told). There wasn't much celebration but the variety of mooncakes was something we wanted to explore. They have Shark's fin, roasted chicken, fruits, etc in them! It was near the end of the festival and there was 50% off everything which came up to about S$2 per mooncake. Cheap!

There are said to be 3 magnificent Pagodas in Chinatown but we haven't got a map and surprisingly most people there spoke minimal Chinese/Mandarin. With some help, we managed to only locate a small temple/Pagoda. Petite but sufficient for a nice short visit.

Saigon diary I

21 - 26 September 2007
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam
Cu Chi Tunnels, Cao Dai Temple, Mekong River Stay
Hot, wet and super humid

1. A City of Millionaires

With the exchange rate of approximately S$1 = 10,000 VND, many are easily millionaires in this developing country. Many expatriates can afford a comfortable life with the lower standard of living.

This is Saigon (Ho Chi Minh), south of Vietnam.

I haven't any expectation when I set foot in this city. Taking a public bus into the city, the bus was packed with students and locals whom barely could utter a word of English. Just as I wasn't expecting much, an uncle sitting in front of me turned out to be Taiwanese. He's a regular visitor (who knows why;)), and with him, I got some better insights of the place.

It didn't take long to find Ha Vy, the hotel I booked. Ha Vy is a family-run mini-hotel and more hospitable than I thought. Laundry only costs 10,000 VND per Kg and problems with faulty flush or heater were taken care of in the shortest time.
Syndy's (member of Fab 4) last stop was in Saigon and coincided with my first day there, so we met up. It was a rainy Friday, and we had to go about in disposable raincoats. That was much fun:) We had a good authentic Vietnamese lunch (thanks to her new friend, Martin, whom she met at our hotel), visited War Museum, Vietnamese rolls for tea-break and ended off the night with a "can't get enough" Vietnamese BBQ. We nearly gave up finding the place which was so well hidden, but luck was on our side... at the last minute, this place just appeared right in front of us.

2. A Country with Sad History

Vietnam has an unfortunate history, a war so recent that it really shocked me seeing them now some 30 years later. It all happened between 1959 to April 30, 1975 - a time where most of our parents are fortunate and safe enough to be in Singapore when the Americans were dropping chemical bombs, missiles and rockets onto the country. Women, kids and elderly were not spared, the tortures they went through were so inhuman. Really saddening! Read more here.

A day trip to Cu Chi Tunnels helps you to imagine how the Vietnamese got through their days living underground. Not recommended for the Claustrophobic! I went into the tunnel (which is about 1.2m tall), being small, I could bend instead of having to crawl on fours. At one point in the tunnel, it was pitch black and for a moment I felt so helpless. Good to have a torch or mobile phone or camera with you! We also had a chance to fire a real rifle, and I tried 2 shots;)

A visit to Cao Dai Temple to witness the mass (ceremony) is indeed an eye-opener. Cao Dai , a religion derived from multiple religions - it draws on ethical precepts from Confucianism, occult practices from Daoism, theories of karma and rebirth from Buddhism, and hierarchical organization (including a pope) from Roman Catholicism. The followers, unlike those of the monasteries, are allowed to wed but they must follow monogamy. The various colored robes, different hats and even wearing of shoes signify the devotee's status.

It was also during this day trip that we befriended an Australian-Mexican family, Barbara and Paul with two very mischievous, adorable sons. They are a well-traveled family and always doing trips with the kids - lucky them at such a young age. We shared interesting stories and a dinner together.

Saigon afterthoughts

Dear Joy, and many of my regular readers....

I AM BACK!!

There is so much to write, however I've been only writing them in my head without the availability of internet on this holiday. I like that too as it is the only time, most of us take the break from sitting in front of a computer and really go do something!

First and foremost, I haven't been writing before the trip as I was actually getting fearful of the thought of traveling with someone totally new. An acquaintance. I shall further elaborate later on in this post. Besides that, I have been migrating most of my old blog entries over... I went through them, they reminded me of so much... things I did and what I thought when I was merely 22.

Back to my Saigon trip, I traveled with a new friend, H. It was very random and really weird to think of it now. We met online recently (in fact 3 weeks before the holiday), booked the trip barely 1 week after a MSN conversation, met up twice before we went to Saigon.

I didn't hold any expectation (of course) on this trip... Some of my friends actually thought I'm romantically linked to him (for God's sake, NO!). A guy and a girl on a trip, of course we're often mistaken as a pair, it didn't bother me as much as his attitude which began to really surface at many parts of the trip.

H appears to be one of the most easy-going people when I first met him. After a few shopping hunt for his shoes, I realized there is more behind this . That's only a facet of his multiple sides. He is a super-duper fussy shopper (worse than a woman). Closing one eye, you might still think he will make a good shopping buddy on a holiday.

Many things happened. I realized H can be such a MCP. E.g. on the night before we flew, he wanted to save his cab fare and decided to stay over at the airport. What more is that he expected me to do so with him??!!! I was caught with a minor cold, and decided against that, and he took it personally. I began to see the "not so understanding" side of him.

Before the trip, he was too busy so I made most of the planning as to where to visit and discussed with him. When we got there, he rather asked the hotel lady boss and wanted to change the whole plan if what she suggested seems much better than mine. I was quite tolerant towards this. It turned out that her suggestion was identical to what I have planned, so he went along with it.

We read about Vietnam could be a spot for Malaria & Dengue fever, not wanting to take a big risk, he went for the pills. I brought a spray. One night where we stayed in Can Tho (a city near the Mekong river), our tour guide had casually remarked about the existence of Dengue fever. That night we had a non-aircon room and he almost freaked out, worrying that he would get bitten that night. I wanted to laugh, but he was so so so paranoid about stuff like that. When our tour guide finally said the mosquitoes only come at dusk or dawn and mostly at the river/village area, H then let his guard down.

At many times, H was so obsessed with what he wanted to buy on the trip. He wanted to find them, so he was dying at every chance he could to find some shopping venues. When we did sightseeing, he didn't show the same enthusiasm. At one point, I was so pissed and I told him to go to where he wanted instead of following me around to visit Temples in Chinatown. Ya know what he said? "Singapore has all these temples, they are the same, why do you want to come here to see them!" So shallow and narrow-minded comment, unbelievable!!

The most hideous thing he ever said, was that Singaporean women are stupid which is why local men went for Vietnamese women. The truth is that these local men (exactly like him) are incapable of keeping one by their side, these local men are MCP and unable to keep up with our higher standards. They have only small penises and small brains - Sorry if this offends you, but this is meant for men who looks down on their own (country's) women. SHAME ON YOU!

I realized even more that an university education doesn't make one a better person. In fact, H who was or still is on NUS's Dean list, so what??? Does that mean you're more successful, much kinder or even a more sympathetic person. Unfortunately not, in this case. He's boastful, shallow, narrow-minded, MCP and even though he might be intelligent but his EQ is barely passable.

Not for the 'weak-nosed'

Only for durians' lovers. One of the locals' favorite fruits with one of the most unbearable smell is still such a delicacy I cannot resist.

On a recent preying for mooncakes, I came across 717 Trading whom specialty is durian mooncakes. Not a fanatic of durian mooncakes, even though I do love the durians, it made me decided to get something else from them. Their display was flooded with variety of durian products: durian crepe, durian coil, durian sandwich, durian pudding, durian tart, durian puff... and also some of their side products like blueberry cheesecake, strawberry chocolate mousse, etc.

This little cup of durian mousse caught my eye. At first glance, I did not realize it actually is a depiction of a dissected durian (opened into halves). Only when I was openly admiring this little artwork in my hand, that my sister casually remarked,"Aren't those boobs-alike thingy portraying the durian flesh...?" Mmmmm.... it got me wondering and it immediately came into view.

At only S$2.70, this little cup is a treasure island. Get past the cute depiction of a half durian, the cream serves as a complementing companion to the depth of durian flesh beneath. Every spoonful, you get a generous portion of flesh, dig deeper and you get to the sweet white mousse which nicely water down that pungent smell in your mouth. One cup and it really does make me yearning for more!!

Not advised for those feeling "heaty". I woke up the next day feeling like I'd soon fall sick... LOL. But once I get over that, I'm ready for mmm... durian pudding next.

Restlessness is destructive

Rat-a-too-ee... La-ta-two-ee...

Seems like most countries have different versions of the movie poster. I found the chinese one, which is pretty cool. Decided to use this against those with knives pointing at poor Remy.

The film, Ratatouille, is amazing. Seriously. One word. BRILLIANT. Period.

OK, mmm.. I realized I can't stop there at "Period.". So.. hahaa... I have to go on about how good this movie is, particularly since I have enjoyed it so much!! This is one film that has not only simultaneously touched me, excited me, thrilled me, amused me, enlightened me, it is also a master piece of wonderworking animation. I lurvvvvvvvvvvveeee it!

Something clicked in me (just as most movies I watch do a lot of the time). Even from the little rat itself, Remy, it's telling me to live that dream you always believe in but not forgetting where you come from. Be a chef. Anyone can cook. Even a rat can. So can I.

Worth it, worth it... even for the most expensive weekend ticket, it is worth every penny!

My rating: 4.5/5


Some additional insight!

Quoted from Wikipedia:
"Ratatouille is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish. The word Ratatouille comes from "touiller," which means to toss food. Ratatouille originated in the area around present day Nice. It was, originally, a poor farmers dish, prepared in the summer with fresh summer vegetables. The original Ratatouille Nicoise did not contain eggplant (which would not have been available during the same time period as the other vegetables used). Instead, it used only zucchini (courgettes), tomatoes, green and red peppers, onion, and garlic. The dish known today as Ratatouille adds eggplant to that mixture."

Photo-stories-telling

Little piggy with black-bean-eyes.
Doesn't it reminds you that Mid-Autumn Festival is around the corner?? Unfortunately on that day itself, I'll still be in Ho Chi Minh, and hopefully able to soak myself in the Vietnam's way of celebration. I suppose something will be happening at their Chinatown.

Nun in Pink.
Aren't they always in orange (for the male) and grey (for the female)?? It does look like trend has somehow influenced them too!! Pink is the "in" color now. But I still see her orange pants, time to improvise?

Giant in Giant.
I was at Tampines' Giant for the first time after having a small bite at Ikea restaurant. Finally, I am more disciplined and able to make myself get out for a nice meal. So, I dropped by Giant and somehow spotted this really tall man. His wife is somewhere below his shoulder, but his daughter is pretty tall too (spot the girl in green)!
p.s. Pea, finally someone much taller than u!

Stagnant

Weather has been rainy. Days have been too short. Life has been boring. Things have been too routine.

I feel entirely totally 100% sluggish and it is horrible to feel this way.

I am in need of more injection of "positive-thinking" fluid. I have told myself things will work out fine and soon life will pick up again. However slow it is, however dull, I must bear with it and sun will soon rise and warm the ground again. Job hunting hasn't been entirely interesting with a few dragging and failed attempts, heart of perseverance is not dead. I'll strive on.

Things on the other side have otherwise been great. Social life is not as dormant, that is a consolation. Another big consolation, I'm finally up for another OUT-OF-SINGAPORE holiday, and I can't wait. Seriously, dying to get out and breathe fresher air (tho' not exactly true in this case) but I need to see and view life from another perspective. Traveling has never failed me in that case. New travel companion. New life experience. I just love the thrill!

One bad news! Everyone whom have linked to my homepage, please remember to take it down as it no longer exists. Thanks to that "self-regarded super kind hearted hero" who has screwed up a big part of my life.

Life is fragile as a human

Recently and all the time, I read deaths in the papers, hear them on the TV... Obituaries are listing people in their 20s, 30s, 40s. What is "Insurance" for?? Why do we want to cover ourselves for a huge sum of money (of course, if you can afford it then why not)?? Why is CPF only allowing us to withdraw at the age of 67 or even 68 (in a few years' time) when not all of us will be living a ripe age of 90 or 100?? Why is money becoming such a burden and a limitation to many of our happiness?? Why do the rich gets richer, the poor gets poorer... and the poorer gets much lesser than deserved in life?? Is it karma or is it just how life should be?? If only, the world is much simpler...

People died... and sometimes too easily.

From bird flu. In car crash. In road accident. After failed operation. After strenuous exercise. In a robbery. Murdered. During child birth. Committed suicide. In a fire. In a plane crash. Drowned. Choked. Fell. Hit. Shot. Overdosed.

Unknowingly. Unexpectedly. Suddenly. Immediately. Slowly. Horribly. Charred.

What? A circling rainbow?

Singapore, yesterday, had an unusual sighting. A halo around the sun indeed. Scientifically it's named an "icebow". Here's a "borrowed" picture from STOMP of the rare phenomenon:


Quoted from Wikipedia:
"An icebow is phenomenon similar to a rainbow except that it is formed by the refraction of sunlight through cloud suspended ice crystals as opposed to raindrops or other liquid water suspended in the air."

Who can beat the shortest life span product?

So much luck :(

My MP3 player of 5 months is pronounced DEAD. I'm not really upset over the $69 I spent, but more so, very frustrated with the brand and its distributor. Ok, just in case, you need to know the brand before buying something similar, it's Luxpro (Ez-tangent). Not at all lasting like it has been bragged to be. Bragger!

3 months into the purchase, the battery's life span made a turn for the worse. So I brought it in for an exchange since it is covered under a year's warranty. The new replacement gave me hope and renewed my faith in the brand. The battery life easily doubled that of the previous. My, was I happy...

But good things never seem to last. One day... something went really wrong! My battery didn't manage to take me through my train journey from Tampines to City Hall (which is namely only 24mins). "Christ, not again," I thought. I left it alone for some days.

Wanting to take it out on another train journey, I took it out again yesterday. To my horror, something within has swelled up so huge that it forced open the back of the MP3 player. As far as I know, lithium battery can cause explosion! I decided not to dump it at home, in event that it ignites suddenly... I packed it into the box and decided to bring it back to the distributor (wanting to refund it or lodge a complaint). Isn't that life endangering...!

The whole time I felt like carrying a time-bomb in my bag... to make things worse, I had a 2 hours interview that day. Fortunately I made it through the day after overcoming quite a few obstacles, and quite unfortunately I searched 4 storeys of Harbourfront Centre before I was informed that the Co. (the distributor) has recently moved out (or worse, closed down)!!!

I just suddenly felt a sense of relief, at least things have come to an end.

Dumped the swollen MP3 player in the bin, and more importantly I would like share this with others whom have also purchased the product... please beware!

p.s: It is really really really x 1 zillion times NOT A GADGET YEAR for me!

Too much

What's wrong with spending? What's wrong with me?

My sister nagged at me the other day,"Why are you spending so much even when you're not working??" And I don't know the answer either, I should stop but it suddenly becomes too difficult a task. The only way is to refrain myself from stepping out of the door, but I can't be staying in the house ALL the time; I need fresh air, some external source of inspiration and also to meet people.

The other day, the smell of the freshly cut grass somehow awakened me... it reminded me of how much I miss being close to the nature.

In one week, I have accumulated a high record of spending (over S$200)... then again that excludes my normal transport or meal expenses. That is only, merely, purely shopping!!!!!!!! Well, part of it is necessary, the rest I would call it "Retail therapy".

It works.

Having a bad day/Woke up on the wrong side of the bed/Frustrated over nothing or mere things... these reasons can put anyone at danger if he/she should interact with an easily irritable woman. Don't risk it. Leave her alone to her own therapy and she will get back on track in no time.

That fateful Monday, I walked in the mall and scrutinized all my favourite brands as well as stores with further reductions... not leaving till I had hit S$100 spending and bought from 5 different stores. The satisfaction a woman can get from patronizing Sale is simply indescribable.

Today also marks the end of IKEA sale, fortunately I have no yearning to refurbish my room (due to the accumulating heap of trash my sister is piling at the other side of my room). I bet Angela would have done a good job of breaking my record at IKEA (but in UK instead, hahaa). Anyhow, I still managed to get myself this beautiful ROTERA (tealight) lantern. Here's my white version:)

Time to curb more shopping and save up for some trips planned ahead... damn, I have got too many plans and I don't think I can afford the time and money for them all:(

An afternoon snack

What goes well with beer?

After reading Joy's comment, I feel very guilty. I have had more beer/alcohol in the recent time more than I probably had the previous year. LOL, that might be true. Then again, the only consolation is that I gave half of this bottle to my dad;) Erdinger, one of my favourite german beer. Okay, from now on, I've to cut down my alcohol intake. Pray for me;)

Framboise, Brandy & Schokolade?

Is there such a perfect mix - Raspberries + Brandy + Chocolate???

YES!!!!!!!!

After Eight (Japan) has came up with this limited edition luxurious night chocolate. I read it from the papers, and couldn't wait to buy one off the shelves. And I did. They also have a lime version, but what is good without alcoholic content (sheeeeeeezzz, there I go again). Take a look inside, not plenty for S$5 but okay *think* you need to pay for the Brandy!

After having my first piece, I thought it was overrated. I went thinking,"It was just some berries, a bit of alcohol with the chocolate. Not like I haven't had any before!" But take the second piece, this time, let it melt it slowly on your finger as you hold it...

Bite it off, enjoy the moment before swallowing the whole piece. And you'll get it ;)

I needed a beer

Frustrated with deprivation of alcohol... I messaged almost everyone I knew but no one was free!!! People are either off for a weekend holiday, sick, busy, taking care of kid or they don't drink at all. I'm beginning to realise I do lack of friends whom are spontaneous enough. My potential drinking mates are unfortunately thousands of miles away and no one is left to 借酒消愁 with me, in fact it's not 愁，it is 闷闷闷闷闷闷闷。My days at home are bugged with fruitless job searching and an overdose of beauty sleep. I needed a stimulant.

Strangely, the first thing on my mind is ALCOHOL. (I'm not alcoholic I SWEAR and I don't intend to be one!)

I ended up persuading both my sisters (whom are more party-poopers than clubbers) to come along, gladly they did because I think they needed a stimulant as well in their too-routine life. ChinaOne is a nice place but sadly they do not carry enough variety of BEERS!!! We stood like pillars with our Corona-s, my sister looked so tense and uneasy, the other tired and grumpy. Not the best night, really... I was starting to regret making them come.

At about 11pm, one of them wanted to leave... I reluctantly obliged as the boredom marked on her face was infectious. So I made a last trip to the Ladies. Upon returning to the table, I noticed a couple of familiar faces - people from a travel community whom I met once.

Right then, my party mood started to surface, I decided to stay and it was a wise decision. My lil sister, being a clubbing virgin, wanted to do the same. I also bumped into an ex-colleague, John, whom stayed around too... A fruitful night afterall, I managed to get my dose of alcohol (beer), met new people, saw old familiar faces and also taught my lil sister a new lesson about partying-dancing-clubbing!

Quoted this from my sister's blog:
"My sister is just a really adaptable creature; a side of her I haven't seen before. She is always up and about and asking people to the dancefloor."

And to be honest, I don't think I know myself that well enough... but something for sure is that I am constantly changing and learning. If you say I was really a quiet person in the past, I would agree with you. But now... apparently things have changed. Yesterday, I bumped into John (an ex-colleague) whom has set off my wanderlust... he was selling me off to his mate (Pete) that I was once the most boring person in Singapore - having not gotten out of Singapore for the first 21 years of my life. And then he said - look at me now... I probably know more about UK than he does (which I don't reckon!).

Mein DNA

Faithful Leader

Singapore's Gumtree

I chanced upon an article on The Straits Times' Digital Life some days ago, and thought I would share this. Someone has actually discovered a little flaw in our little island before many of us actually do (damned, I actually wrote "insel" because that's "island" in german.. half the time, my head is thinking in german). Do you know what that is??

Most probably not!

Reason being that so many of us still live at home (as the culture is over here), and nobody actually thinks that renting and finding a room in Singapore can be hard and especially doing it without an agent (it can sometimes be impossible!). But having said that, I only agree with the creator of the site after having experienced it myself over in London. There, I could have easily found many options available on Gumtree, Easyroommate or even Flatshare. And for free, without going through an agent - a middleman. How convenient!

So hereby presenting this RoomsDB to you guys, anyone looking for accommodation in Singapore??? This might be a great help to kick off a start ;) Thanks to Sebastian!

Potter vs Simpsons

I finally caught up with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix... sad to say, I actually missed the last episode and have no "ga-ga" idea about the connection between the movies. I'm not a die-hard fan of the books, and glad to say I had Peilin as my movie buddy whom at times fed me with useful insights of the characters. I don't even remember the Wesley twins... how bad of me! Over 2 hours long and unfortunately did not pack as much thrill as many of us expected :(

Just last night, I watched The Simpsons Movie and it was laughter from the beginning to the end. It's just such a chill-out movie to have a silly laugh - away from boredom arising from the near 2 weeks of in-between-jobs life and the stress from the various things in life. And caught up with Markus who is all the way from Yales (on his round-the-world holidays)... man, ages since we last met in London and boy, how much things have happened since.

My ratings for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: 3/5
My ratings for The Simpsons Movie: 4/5 (for being more hilarious than Mr Bean's)

Dan the man

Dan (for short).

I met him last night.... after almost 10 years. I knew this guy back in 1998 and were very good friends. Soon after, he got so busy with work (being with RSAF) and flying all over, we lost touch for many many years. How did we reunite again??? The wonder of internet, I found him by chance and sheer luck one day.

After communicating on and off over text messages for months and months, it just came to us yesterday that we would meet and we did. It didn't feel strange or weird, but during our conversation I recalled the time: he mailed me a Rhino postcard from South Africa; he got me a birthday present and caught me by surprise; he sang with his guitar on the phone and he knew so much of my history (funnily he even brought up an incident I could barely remember by now).

It was great catching up... and it's one more friend found! It can't be any bad!

p/s: BS bought a Sony laptop yesterday at Funan, and it did shock me a little because usually he would be hesitating and considering it for a long time... Hahaha... but yesterday I witnessed him PAYING for it, and all I can say is MONEY is meant to be spent (as long as it's worthwhile)!

Singapore sets into early winter

It has been raining too much till I'm unable to differentiate the days and nights...
What time is it now? What time was it? What day is it today? Thursday?! Friday??!!

London is in "autumn/spring" mode. Richard said he still needs to turn on his heating... Angela asked where has summer gone... TV reports the bad floods happening in England again since years. Rainstorms have also ravaged northwest, southwest and central China. Parts of China are in serious flooding, and parts are in serious drought. Very bad:(

In Singapore, it has been raining almost non-stop for 2 weeks... Every morning I woke up feeling a breeze of cold wind blowing into my room, and me (getting too cosy) hiding under my quilt lazing another hour in bed. As much as I love cold weather, it is getting to be a nuisance when you feel like going outdoor and doing something in the sun - not wanting to bring a damn umbrella or be soaking wet, and the next thing you know, sick in bed with a bad cold/flu.

Rain, please stop and grant me a few days of sunshine! Scorching heat is sometimes necessary!!!

Good news, my phone has recovered. Pea, I don't need a new white man!!! He is more mobile than before; although every phone has its pros & cons, I have slowly adjusted myself to him. He's not the best partner to write/sms with, but he's the perfect man to take pictures with... other than that, it is not that bad:) I love the slim package (as slim & almost the same size as my previous phone), good battery life and it's white with blue eyes.