Taking time off to slack
to blog about the happy moments of my life. Sharing with you my traveling adventures, gastronomic experiences and what i enjoy in life.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
桃花小妹
It is a pretty good way to spend your stay home saturday, having this light hearted comedy to inject some humor into your life. Sometimes it just amaze me how 王心凌 and act up to be a sweet pie despite the fact that she is 27 years old! I guess it all boils down to the make up, hair style and posture. As i watch some of the taiwanese drama, i found that most of the time, the supporting actors/actressess are the ones who appeals. For example, 命中注定我愛你, Anson (紀存希's assistance) and 陳林西施( 陳欣怡's mum) are the ones who liven up the show. In fact, any parts involving them are funny!
For 桃花小妹, the Chen brothers are the funny ones; Chen Qi/Cheng/Zhuan/He/Yu-yi. I enjoyed the scenes where the four elder brother find all ways and means to deter 桃花's suitors and victimizing Yu-yi.
Nice show to catch, but that cannot be the reason from stopping you spending the saturday night out. Don't be a geek or no life person can! Nothing still beats hang out with your loved ones and frens...having dinner, drinks and chit chatting. All these drama can be view online almost instantly, the next day it is aired. For me, i prefer to catch dramas which has already finished airing, in this way i would not be antagonized by having to wait for one week for the next episode. I still prefer it to be one click away.
I miss my strup-waffles days.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
MY WATCHES
My army "combat watch". Braving through all terrains and conditions, so much so until the "G Shock rubber rim" came off. This watch intially belonged to my brother, he gave it too me when he got himself another G-Shock. Keeping in for reservist and extreme outdoor sports.
My father brought me this when i was sec 4. Great deal from ci*ty chain. Hugen was trying to break into the SG market at that time, so they gave out pretty attractive offers.
My first Guess watch!
My 2nd Hugen. My pri sch frens got it for my 21st birthday. Both of my Hugen watch has "Timer" feature embedded. 
My FAVOURITE watch! My gf brought it for our 2nd valentine. Loved it totally, mainly becos it was a gift from my gf and also this watch is suitable for many outfits. Casual to semi-casual. Was and still very upset that the rubber strap broke. Making the appeal again, if anyone of u know where is puma service centre, let me know!!! Or if anyone see this particular model anyway, pls pls let me know too.
My first fossil wat*ch. A birthday gift from weiliang, my army close buddy =) 6 different modes of display
My second fo*ssil watch. Got this in NYC, USA, the recreation leg of the EPIIC symposium at Tufts University. Appropriate from semi-casual to smart casual attire. Movement: Twist Movement. 43mm. Love the automatic feature. Sorry for the blur pics, my sony camera is going on crazy mode recently.
My 3rd fossil watch. Got it in the same shop as the fossil watch above. This watch is a steal.
Brought this as a graduation gift for myself! Got it at a very reasonable price, thanks to a close fren of mine =) Movement: TAG Heuer Calibre 5, automatic movement. 42mm
Stole it from my gf. Since she is not in singapore...why not? Lolx This is a really attract attention watch. But i love the "World time function" in the watch. Perfect for overseas travelling.
Having said all these, i need a watch box to consolidate all of them together, rather than having 10 individual ones. Fossil is selling its watch box for close to $200 if i can remember it correctly. Haiz...but i still not willing to spend so much on a watch box. I shld had got the one i saw in shanghai, 科技馆场站. I deserve a kick. Argh!!!
Thinking of getting myself a brown leather strap watch, plain faced, not chronograph.
I miss my strup-waffles days.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
MY FIRST MALAY WEDDING!
First and foremost, congratulations to Syed and Siti! Attended the first malay wedding in my life. Kinda cool to be able to experience the malay culture and the various tradition associated to the wedding. For example, the wedding will be held in the void deck of the Groom's parental house. Even though on the wedding is from 11-5pm, the bride and groom will only arrive around 3pm. Prior to that, guests are welcomed to help themselves to the sumptuous buffet.
As the bride and groom approaches the venue, the groom's parents will be sitting at the entrance, waiting for them to arrive. Prior entering the void deck, the "leader of the wedding procession" will perform a traditional Silat dance, in honour of the groom's parents. After which, the bride and followed by the groom will greet their parents. Something which intrigued me was that the groom had to carry along a kris! And it kinda comical especially when it get on his way while sitting and bending down.
Roslina's son - Deep in thoughts.....
Loke Khee's daughter -- The watever look.....
Shortly after they arrived and taking a short rest at the "throne", the couple will then change out of their traditional costumes into contemporary ones for the cake cutting ceremony. In the meantime, the guest will be treated to songs or live band performance by the wedding planning agency.
I attended a Sikh wedding( my cousin married a Sikh) 16-17 years ago, and i can't remember the details at all. All i could remember that dinner was served on long tables and the food was not to my liking. Haha... The food at yesterday's wedding was fantastic. Esp i am a lover of spicy malay food. Yum Yum!! =)
I miss my strup-waffles days.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
FOREIGN WORKERSThe topic about foreign talents and workers has been in the media lime light recently, even with various ministers stepping out to assert that the influx of foreigners are inevitable and vital for Singapore to continue to prosper.
If you have been following The Strai*ts Ti*mes forum, much were being discussed on the impacts of these foreign workers on our service industry. Many spoke up on the issue of the Chinese workers poor command on English and this portray a negative image especially to tourists whose English is their first language. This is true to a certain extent, especially when you are frustrated with the breakdown of communication. Many even suggested that those who are not competent in their command of English should not be employed in the first place, mainly because they (PRC) cannot communicate with them, or they (PRC) mixed up their orders etc… But come on, if you can speak Mandarin, why do you want to make YOUR and their life difficult by conversing in English? This is ridiculous! You have to adapt to the situation, not the other way round. Seriously, if you are in China, the Chinese will not even bother to understand you.
Frankly speaking, if I am the boss, I would prefer hiring PRC. First and foremost, they are cheap and hardworking. They are extremely motivated and keen to learn. Although they are less conversant in English, they try their level best to understand and serve you. I came across many PRC in the service sector whom are very friendly, hardworking and motivated. An example would be the workers in the confectionary at Jurong East MRT interchange. I pass through the shop everyday on my way to work, and without fail I see the enthusiasm in the PRC workers. They would raise their voices to draw the attention of commuters to patronize the confectionary. They are extremely fast in their service to keep the queue short and they never fail to thank you for your purchase. No wonder the whole shop is being run by PRCs. I hardly see these attributes in heartland stores.
Another example will be more close to your heart. If you patronize a coffee shop which employs both local and PRC workers, take a closer look on them on your next visit. You will notice that PRC workers are generally more efficient and more willing to take your orders, compared to uncle who exhibits “Ai mai Ai mai” attitude from time to time.
Given their assiduous learning attitude, their language proficiency and competency will improve in the near future. After which there will be more incentives to hire them over other workers. After all, business is about minimizing cost, maximizing profits.
I miss my strup-waffles days.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
CHARCOAL GRILL AT PUNGGOL MARINAWhen compared to other similar restaurants, this restaurant will be one of the highly recommended choice by me. Located at punggol 17th Ave( a ultra-ulu place), this no frills family restuarant serves high quality food at very reasonable price. Buffet dinner on Mon - Thur; fri, sat & sun going for $26 and $30 nett respectively. This includes a $10 voucher which you can choose to order drinks or premium food items.
For example, a whole coconut is going for only $3.00 and a bottle of heineken or tiger at $6. If u order a bucket, its only at $32. White and red wine going for $6.50 a glass.
The premium food items range from live lobsters ($35 each), mud crabs ($10 per 100g) and sea bass ($25 each) to kurobuta pork collar ($5 for 100g), crocodile fillet ($6 per 100g), wagyu beef ($16 for 100g) and many many more.
The variety is really huge (200 plus). It ranges from traditional steamboat stuff, BBQ items ( like seoul garden), seafood (like the old marina bay), salad bar, ice cream bar, dessert bar and my gf's and my fav, "doriQ" bar (as shown below)
They even had a chocolate bar where u can pick up chocolates from a fridge as if u are in Godiva!
This was my second time there, first was with my gf 2 months back and this time was wif my ex-students *(pic below). Totally love eating there, super pig out session each time!
Look at the quality of shabu shabu meat and kebab in the pic! Moreover, they serve sausages, not hot-dogs. There are also 30 different kinds of sauces you can choose from, chinese, japanese, american, italian, mediterranean and many more. My favourite is to grill salmon fillet over with miso paste. Don't worry about salmon sticking onto the wire gaze or breaking up into pieces while you cook, the fantastic thing about this restuarant is that they provide you aluminum tray for you to grill your food. So...meaning...with that aluminum tray, u can make your own chocolate fondue too!! =)
Great place for friends and family to hangout!
I miss my strup-waffles days.
Monday, November 2, 2009
People around me......I spent the last one hour reading my friends' blog and i could sense an air of unhappiness and discontent lingering around. I actually felt downhearted after reading all their posts. Some are disstatisfied with their work life, two of my friends are going through rough patches in their love life, the parents of an acquaintance of mine is filling for divorce, some are actively looking for love, some are working hard in hope that love will reciprocate and some are lacking motivation in life.
Sometimes, i feel that perhaps being a student is better than working. Looking back, life seems much better for me when i am still in NUS. At the very least i am still in control for the most of my life. At this moment, many things are beyond my control and i can only work to achieve the best out of every situation.
I going to bed now, i tired...really really tired.........
I miss my strup-waffles days.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
JITTERYCompounded by the lack of motivation and insecurity, I'm having lots strange thoughts these few days. I was looking though my expenditure past few months and i found that the total amount of money i spent each month is comparable to what i spent while i'm in NUS. So am i spending like a working adult when i am a student, or am i a working adult spending like a student? Damn...had i overspent or should i spend more to make me happier?
Then again, does spending money makes me happy? As far as i'm concern, at the point of purchase, it does make me happy. After which, the anticipation of getting the item that you longed for will be gone. It's like my "some thing to looking forward to" go BOOMZ.... Does eating nice food at fancy restaurant makes me happy? Yes i it does, but the company is still the most important factor. Good food and wine makes your night, fantastic company makes it unforgetable.
As i look back the times i dine out with my gf, what stucked in my memories most are the conversations we had over dinner and the reasons for having the meal together. Little did she know that i enjoyed the times we spent eating at the coffeshop everytime after she picked me up from the airport. It could only be a bowl of noodles and a cup of "teh beng", yet we enjoyed every moment of it. I do, not sure if she does! Haha... Plain simple way of spending time together, i recounting to her the highlights of my trip while she update me about her life (movies she watched, what my competitors did..etc.) while i was way. Same goes for meeting up my sec sch pals, no fancy restuarants, but we had fantastic time each time we met.
Digressing back to spending money on shopping the make me happy; buying things for her makes me happy. I would say the happiness i felt is prolonged buying things for her than for myself. The logic is as follows (sorry to make it so engineering!); i enjoy (most of the time) wrecking my brains to decide what to get for her --> followed by sourcing for the ideal design (eg Tiff & Co necklace) --> the excitement of purchasing (although at the pt of purchase i felt pain for my pocket) --> the anticipation to surprise her --> the anticipation to see surprise on her face --> the appreciation from her side.
For myself, i appreciate things which other got for me compared to things which i got for myself. For example, i was really really upset that my PUMA watch that my gf got for me broke for no apparent reason. The watch strap just snapped out of a sudden while i was sitting on the train! Damn pissed and i wanted to replace the watch at all cost, even to the extend of getting a new one. Yes..the meaning might not be there entirely...its not the same watch after all, yet is the best i can do out of the situation right? Another example would be the backpack tt my uni frens got for my birthday few years back. They took notice of my falling apart deuter bag and decided to replace it with a new one. Paying attention to small details is very important. This is why i took extra effort to pay attention to small details of frens ard me.
See, i told you that my brain is going haywire! Such random ranting and comments are usually not my style. I gotta pinpoint what is wrong.... Or maybe there isn't something wrong in the first place? One thing for is for sure...i am not exactly feeling good these few weeks, something is wrong somewhere...confused...... i think that laughter is slacking in my everyday life....(damn i will call uncle agnoy more often!)
I miss my strup-waffles days.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
NOT THE WAY I WANT TO BRING UP
MY KID NEXT TIMEOn my way to tuition on the LRT, i was sitting opposite a y0ung boy (ard sec2-3) and his maid. The boy was listening to music on his mobile phone, head facing down on the train floor when it suddenly dawned on thim that he had missed his stop just as the train doors were closing. After showing a sign of dismal and a disgruntled sigh, he immediately turned to his maid and questioned her in a annoying tone "What did you not remind me that our stop is reaching?!". The maid reply him in a demured tone " I don't know..."
The boy again in his belligerent tone snapped at his maid "What do you mean by u don't know! See now we have to walk back home from the next station...." (Little of background...Punggol LRT at certain period time runs in the loop mode. Meaning if you overshot your stop, you can't alight to hop onto the reverse direction train to get back. You would have to travel the entire loop again.) "It is all your fault!"
The maid just kept quiet and tagged behind the boy. I was pretty appalled by the actions of the boy. A young teenage boy, 13-14 yrs old, i think should be mature enough not to make such statements. Her maid is his parent's domestic helper, not her slave lah! He gotta watch his attitude, if not i can't imagine what he will grow up to be. Would he feel that the whole freaking world owes him a living?
I strongly believed that we shld 敬老尊贤，she may be our domestic helper, but we still ought to pay respect to ppl older than us, at the bare minimial, courtesy. This is something i think my dad side of my extended family did very well. Never once i saw my nieces and nephews raised or showed discontentment to their maids. For example, when we were young, my Ah Pek will insist that we wash our own dishes after our meal, even though we have maids ard. We were trained to clear up our own mess and keep our toys after playing.
I am thankful of what my parents my uncles and aunties had incalculated in all of us. This is something which i will teach my kids next time.
I miss my strup-waffles days.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
I miss my strup-waffles days.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
If i was to buy a iPHONE, Ernest Wong Sin Guan, it is your fault!!! U shall be responsible to get it the skin done and the application installed. Lolx
I miss my strup-waffles days.
