Last Post of 2008

Gosh! Last 64mins of 2008... Time really FLIES!! i was reading my past posts as reflections for the year gone by, especially my resolutions for 2008... Anyway, for stocktaking, i shall copy and paste my resolutions then here.

Resolutions for 2008
1. Lose that 3-5kg i gained in 2007. (No, think i better just make it 3kg cos weight is easy to gain but hard to lose... Or better make it 2kg instead...) Erm... i think i gained additional weight instead of losing it! gasp!

2. Go to the gym at least twice or thrice a week. Trying to make it once a week!

3. Stop buying books. i've got a fetish. i like to collect books... books i bought which i think are useful and classics but which i've never got round to reading... Pull me away from Kinokuniya when they are having 20% off! Hmm... didn't manage to stop totally but i did successfully avoid Kino during sales time!

4. Stop buying wine. i've got 3 types of alcohol in the past week alone and i can't down one-tenth of a glass! Accomplished! YAY!!!! (^.^)

5. Think twice before buying a new pair of shoes. And clothes. And bag. Did that! This year didn't buy alot of clothes. Considered accomplished! Yay!! Woohoo!~

6. Clean up my room before the dust settles. Erms... hee.... enough said...

7. Do up the photo album for my Hokkaido trip from ...................... hee......................... this is embarrassing....... June 2006.... Oh.... i forgot about this... oops...

Haiz... since i'm not bound to keep resolutions, think i shall forget about them this year! But maybe just one! Same as no. 1 as last year! Sweat...

Happy New Year everyone! Have a 2009 filled with joy, peace, health, happiness, luck, prosperity and LOVE! (^^,)

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea 崖の上のポニョ

Hypnotised by the awfully childish and insane "ponyo ponyo ponyo sakana no ko" jingle on tv recently, i rented the dvd when i chanced upon it in the shop. This latest anime film by Miyazaki Hayao really spells KAWAII!! i heard the scenes are all hand drawn by Miyazaki himself. This tale about a little girl-fish Ponyo who meets a cute 5-year old boy Sosuke and becoming a human is very Japanese in that it has no big ups and turns. But i think everyone will like it cos of the colourful scenes and excellent dubbing and just because Ponyo and Sosuke are so CUTE! hehe. (^^)

OMG!! At about three-quarter of the show, there's a silhouette of a person walk up and back from the toilet! What is this!? i rented a pirated dvd!! WTH! &$%#*@&! No more MIC dvds!

12 莲花

Unless you like colourful sets, nonsensical plot and hokkien songs, venture at your own risk. Enough said. Should have rented something else. Waste of time and $.

Mushroom Park (Revisited)

Went for a healthy meal after workout. :) i think the crowd doesn't do this place justice. There are only 2 tables (including us) at lunch today. We ordered the lunch set which is more affordable than their normal sets.

Added an order of the mushroom sashimi ($12). Contrary to my belief, this is cooked mushroom. i had thought that it is raw cos of the name of the dish. This is very refreshing cos it is chilled. But need lots of the sauce to make it heavenly.

Lunch set C ($16.90) - There are 7 items in the pot including 3 types of mushroom (don't ask me the names cos i can't remember but i know got the monkey brain mushroom), a mushroom rice, choice of meat (mine is the fish but i "borrowed" XX's pork cos i thought it photos better. :p). It also comes with a free desert. The plum pudding is nice.

Oh! The bras basah mac has renovated. i had the sinful hot fudge sundae. The perfect reward to a healthy day. hehe. :p

Mamma Mia! The Movie

Wanted to buy Kylie X concert dvd but it's sold out at ALL the shops at JP. Ended renting 3 dvds for $10. i didn't know renting is so affordable. It was a spur of the moment cos i had thought of buying one of this too - Mamma Mia! The Movie. Well, it's cheaper to rent.

Seriously after seeing the movie, i had thought this show was crap. It was a little slow along the way. Not much "action" and not much climax. But you just can't help thinking how apt the lyrics of the songs are for the show. Or how the producers are so clever to build a show after the ABBA songs. Frankly, i think i enjoyed / learnt to appreciate the movie more after watching the behind-the-scenes.

And i didn't realised that i've heard some of the ABBA songs all along! Though some are new to me. These are my fav from the movie. Pity the energy of my all time fav Dancing Queen is not up to standard.

"New" song - Voulez vous


The song that appeared only behind-the-scene. Doesn't the prelude sounds familiar? i didn't know that this is ABBA! Gimme Gimme Gimme.

The Cathay Basement

Since we couldn't stay long at Astons, we adjourned to the basement "food court" for drinks and our gift exchange.

Got lots of personalised gifts this year.

Forever friends keychain and piglet container from YV, bookmark from SL and nametag from SY. :) They said the girl on the bookmark looks like me... does it?!

Btw, can you guess what is this?

A red and white cup?

Give up?

Seats!

Astons Specialities

Heard lots of raves for the Joo Chiat branch. Since that is a little out of the place, decided to try the branch at The Cathay. Super longggggggg queue even at 1820hrs. (-_-")



If SY had not wanted to eat something cheap, i would rather pay a little more than queue... After waiting for 1hr(!) 10 min and shortly after SY and YV arrived, we finally got a table. The food had BETTER be GOOD!! The place was quite small. Thank goodness we got a booth seat after queueing for so long! Yay!

The servers took our orders before we went in. Or rather, we had to order before we could go in. But the place is so popular quite a number of the items were sold out. So the servers had to come out and ask if anyone had ordered this and that to change their order. Service was relatively fast. In fact, SL said that they seemed more like fast food than restaurant. lol.

We all ordered the soup combo. Soup + iced tea = $3.50.



The garlic bread that came with the soup is quite nice. Generous with spread and the bread is soft yet crispy at the top. One of the nicer garlic bread i've eaten. The soup is quite decent too. Way nicer than Hans.

We all had chicken for mains. For $6.50, it also came with 2 sides. i had the house salad and baked potato. A flying ant landed on my salad and the server replaced it without a word. (although we were told that there were only 5 sets of house salad left when we went in... hmm...)


The chicken are all the same except for the sauce. If you like something spicy, go for black pepper chicken (right). If you like something sweet, go for the BBQ one (top). If you like something salty, take the chargrilled chicken (left and bottom).

For the prices (nett btw), the food is quite good. But i wouldn't queue so long for it ever again. There were some i think who had queued for 2 hours! Completely nuts!

Merry Christmas

This year's office tree.

Japan Day

Main aim for the day was to get a hair cut. i got a japanese hair cut (again) :) YZ commented that my last few hair cuts looked similar. Hmm.. funny but true... Even though i had requested for them to "omakase" cut what they like for me, somehow it all turned out similar. Maybe my head and face shape is most suitable for the bob??

Since it's in the vicinity, went for a massage at Healing Touch @ Tank Road. Been here once before. i like it that they do not hardsell unlike ALOT of other places. In fact, there is no selling at all. And the massage is good for my stressed-up body.

Somehow the day turned out to be very Japanese. (other than the massage)

1. Japanese ramen lunch @ Marutama


2. Haircut by Japanese stylist


3. Japanese pork loin cutlet curry rice dinner @ Liang Court basement (must-try!)


4. Japanese custard pudding & lotus salad from Tampopo Deli (must-buy!)


5. Japanese cookie chou cream puff from Cookie Chou?


6. Wassant from Petit Provence Japanese bakery (must-buy!)

Only thing that i resisted getting is Japanese gelato from Haato. Was very pleased with myself that i managed to pull myself away from the counter. But i tasted the new flavour of the month - cinnamon. Let's just say that i still prefer cinnamon on bread.

But my verdict after spending the day around Clarke Quay area is that Central and Liang Court are really boring places other than the food, of course.

Petit Provence

For all who always felt exasperated whenever the ooh-so-soft-and-yummy wassant from Provence bakery @ Holland V is sold-out by lunch time, do not fret! The Central mall has this quaint, petit bakery counter that sells the very same and nice chocolate and cream wassant!! (there're from the same company). And never have to worry about it selling out as early as noon! Yay!! A must-buy if you are at Central! Psst!! In fact, i think it is the only reason i'm at the mall! (^^,)

It's a bread, it's a croissant. No! it's wassant! hehe...

Curry Rice

Finally tried the curry rice at the Basement "food court" @ Liang Court. Ate the pork loin cutlet curry rice. Although the price is pretty steep ($12.30) for a food court and the presentation is quite plain (it's just the cutlet and rice on an ordinary "food court" melamine plate and the curry on an Aladdin lamp-like dish), but the food is yummy!! :)

The pork is nice but i think the chicken cutlet is nicer!

Marutama Ramen (Revisited)

Didn't mean to eat lunch but since i had to wait for my haircut so grabbed a quick bite instead of idling around.

Ate the Marutama ramen. My memory might have failed me but i thought it taste better than my first visit! :) Yummy! Or maybe i was hungry. The shop's not as crowded as before too.

No pictures for the day as i had forgotten to bring my cam out.

Annual Xmas Gathering

Met up for our annual Christmas gathering at Waraku @ Heeren. LF couldn't join us as she's off to Japan (again!) But XX's finally could!

Our presents... Coincidentally i'm supposed to get a present for XX so i gave what she had wanted to get from me. hehe.

scissors not included of course!

Think Waraku is getting from bad to worse with all the mass invasion. They're everywhere! gasp!

Witnessed an accident on my way back. i saw the sparks when the bike in front of my cab went out of control crashing into a bus stop. i hope the rider is ok... cos my driver didn't stop...

Sotsugyou Omedetou 卒業 おめでとう!

Managed to scrape pass the school exams again. Hope i have the same luck with JLPT... hee... S-san and XJ-san are asking if wanna continue again... haa... mou chotto kangaete...

私の先生だ

Makan Places

Selected 新瑞记 as our dinner eating place cos it was one of the cheapest along Seah Street. And YZ mentioned that this seemed to be featured on the papers recently. We both had the 1-person set meal which is an ordinary chicken rice with vegetables, soup and drink set. The chicken was the bloodiest i've ever ate. The waitress changed it without any hooha. Think they must have encountered lots of such requests before. Rice not fragrant. Soup no taste. Unanimously the nicest part of the meal was the chilli. And i'm not even a chilli person! lol. Verdict: Won't be coming back again.

Realised that there's a 老瑞记 along the same stretch of shophouses too! Confused. haha. Couldn't remember which is the original copycat. This seemed to have more customers than the 新. But anyway neither the 新 nor 老 are the original.

Popped by Ah Chew's for desert. Had my fav boiled papaya in milk. Verdict: The deserts just don't seem to taste as good as before. No wow factor any more.

Japan Media Arts Festival in Singapore 2008

Had thought that this was all anime but saw an advert on tv and decided to go. The exhibition was rather small but still spent more than 2 hours at 8Q sam. i wished there was more of the interactive media art in Zone 1 even though spent more time at the other zones. Came out hoping that i have a Wii set at home too. Wii sports is pretty addictive! :p Should i blow the aws on it??

Oh. There are painting classes at the Art Loft, an art studio at the ground floor in 8Q. Feel like taking art classes too!! i seemed to have tons of stuff that i want to learn! Jackie of all trades but master of none. lol. keke. :)

5 Firsts and 2 Mosts

First visit to Four Seasons. SL and i walked a big round cos we were not sure where it was. I presumed she knew and she probably presumed i knew too. Hee...
First dinner with choc fondue for cocktail and kept flowing throughout the dinner.
First dinner that served white wine.
First dinner that i managed to finish my glass (usually there would be like four-fifths left in the glass...)
First dinner that there's no yum-seng. Only cheers! lol.

Most longest and natural (i.e. raw) video clip ever.

Most slack dinner i've ever been. Shhhh... dun tell him!

BUT! The wedding dinner is just so YK. Congrats!

La La LaLa La Lala Lala Laa...

If you are wondering what i'm la-ing about, well, it's the theme from SMURFS! Suddenly got reminded of this retro cartoon from the yesterdays cos saw this Smurfette selling at More than Words yesterday. Almost wanted to bring her home BUT!!! Haiz... it does not look like the Smurfetty i had n-years ago. The nose was smaller AND cuter. The hair was in plaits. Not like the 不男不女日本兵 smurf in skirt smurfette they are selling... i still like my old Smurfetty... *sob sob*

<<海角七号>>

Predictable plot in a better than average Taiwanese movie. But the relatively slow pace found me fidgeting in my seat in waiting for the finale of the concert.

The constant Jap dialogue keeps reminding me of the exam earlier in the morning... haiz... -_-"

心花朵朵开II

The other plant i brought back from the Garden Fest finally bloomed!! :) But the first one wilted.. :(

Lizards!

My sleep last night was delayed for more than 1 hour when i spotted a slimy gecko lurking at the side of my window grills. YIKES!! i can spot a lizzy from miles away. No matter how much i cajoled, talked and willed it to get out of my room, i just won't listen! Instead it went a merry-go-round across and back my windows. It must have enjoyed the undivided attention i was giving it. Or it must have lost its way... -_-" i was starting to lose my patience when finally my parents awoke from the din i was making. Help is finally here!! They couldn't sleep from the racket anyway... (hee... ) At last! My heroine Mummy managed to chase lizzy out of the window! YAY!! But i couldn't sleep immediately after the incident. Had to shut all windows before i could sleep.

i'm still abit shaken by the incident. i now check the windows every now and then... (T__T

Now, i have to proclaim that i'm not afraid of all house pests. i can get rid of ants, mosquitoes (i'm an expert in using the bait and slap method) and cockroaches but i stop at lizards. i must have heard of too many horror stories of lizards landing on people's arm and the cold slimy body it possesses. Just the thought of the sticky crawly cold-blooded creature brings shivers down my neck. Brrrr!!!

Muffin Review

There're two new muffin stalls around the office. Tried one of them today... This stall M**** Muffin (or rather the female boss) was featured on tv before and had the secret recipe of some great cook. So what!! Don't need to try. It is really yucks! The cocoa chips are only skin deep (i.e. on top of the muffin only), the top is abit burnt and the inside very dry and no taste at all. My colleague ate the coffee one. The inside is not cooked!

The only must-try muffin is the tanjong pagar one. i forgot the stall name... choc n something... i think...

Ivory by SP

The shop's finally up!! Yay!! If you're looking around for some Xmas stocking stuffing, look here! Custom orders are welcome too! (^^,)

[Edit] Wanted to migrate ALL craft posts from Ivory Tower to My Other Life... duplicated them instead... From now onwards, craft posts would be crafted at My Other Life... so do check it out! :p

R.I.P. (II)

Dedicated to my grandaunt

Life is transient. Treasure what you have.

Exactly one week after my granduncle left, his sister (whom i think i've not met) joined him... and that is the last of my grandma's siblings... :'(

Here i Go Again...

i've probably been thinking about this for AGES... Went for 2 pre-assessments in the span of 4 days. i didn't mean to go so many times but one was free... So... Anyway, i'm thinking of Lasik again. But the moment i've made up my mind, i started to get second thoughts at the clinic...

《天冷就回来》2009

It's coming back!! If you still remember, i had LOVED it so much then. i'm definitely going to watch it again! :p From 16 Apr - 3 May 2009. Waiting for ticket sales to start!! According to sistic, the original main cast would be back and 石欣卉 is going to debut in this theatrical musical.

欠扁问答题

i finally remembered this 欠扁问答题... Before i forget...

What is 小白 + 小白??


...........


Give up?! :p

Food

Waraku renovated and changed its Cuppage branch to Waraku de Gohan... i thought they would be selling all sorts of gohan and had wanted to eat omu rice... ended up having soba which is not worth mentioning... i think the original waraku is better...

At the recommendation of WL, went to Bar Stop for drinks and dessert. Very nice atmosphere. Very good place to bring SOs to. But go before 9pm as it could get pretty noisy from the live band. And choose your seat wisely. Some of the sofa are really bad for the back. The chocolate mud pie is sinfully heavening. Definitely for sharing.

Prototype

A new cardholder that i completed this morning. This is the first item that i had calculated and wrote all the instructions on paper before started. But alas, it didn't turn out the way i planned... Dimensions need some tweaking.. and the clasp abit awkward.. Think the old design was better...

But it's the thought that counts! :)

Ivory's Production Line

Had took leave to study for jap test on Thursday. But ended up helping out at Ivory's Line instead. Setting up shoppe is more tedious than i imagined!

Sneak peaks!!!

Ivory's Purses

Migrated from My Other Life

R.I.P.

Dedicated to my granduncle [edit on 26Nov: and grandaunt]...

Life is transient. Treasure what you have.

[Added on 19 Nov] i thought i'm cool... i didn't have much reaction when i heard the news... Maybe cos i don't see my granduncle frequently; only once/twice a year. Usually during CNY. So it feels like he's still there. Just "away" you know. It's only when i was relating to my colleague via IM the next day that i started tearing... Totally unprofessional. i didn't think anyone saw me wiping my tears in my cube... SL heard me though... it's like one whole generation gone... i mean he was the last of the grand-__ left that i see on a yearly basis. And then all the memories just came flooding back... i miss all those who are gone.... but... life goes on....

[Added on 26 Nov] Exactly one week after my granduncle left, his sister (whom i think i've not met) joined him... and that is the last of my grandma's siblings... :'(

Another Zippered Purse

Look what i just made!

Singapore Biennale 2008 (Part 2)

The round's completed! Went to the last venue at Central Promontory Site along Marina Boulevard. It's a Containart Pavilion made of containers and reusable paper tubes just for SB08.

One of the most striking exhibit is the Location (6) where you are transported to a snowy landscape. It does feel like vast snowy land but the tunnel in which this exhibit is housed is really stuffy. So you just can't helped but be brought back to the reality of humid warm Singapore.

Quilting by machine

Went for a free lesson that came with my machine. Managed to sew the cushion cover in 3 hours. Patchwork and quilting is soooo much easier on machine! Imagine that i haven't complete those hand-sewn assignments for my 8-week course!

The free lesson is only 2hours but thanks to the very nice instructor Helen who stayed back to let us finish whatever we were doing. :)


[Edit on 16 Nov] Changed the photo from yday cos it was too dark but it's still crap! i've realised that it's very diff to take craft photos!

iPurse

One little elephant went out to play~ :)

想太多

Last week, when i was struck with a sudden illness, my mind started to wander... Before i saw the doc and before the medicine took effect, i started to imagine the worst things that might happen to me. Especially when the pain was unbearable to the point of paralysing me (momentarily), i thought that i had suffered a stroke or that i was really going to stay like this for the rest of my life. A sudden fear just gripped me and i felt so helpless. i've still got so much things i haven't accomplished. i haven't found my purpose in life. i haven't said goodbyes. i haven't said i love yous. i haven't said thank yous. Well, you got the drift...

The truth is, in the face of "death" (or so i thought it was) or disaster, i just realised that i don't dare to face up to plenty of things, like, stuff that makes you look into your heart and confess / say things out to people who matters to you. i mean, do you say "i love you" to your loved ones? Parents, friends? And if you really fancy that guy/girl, do you dare to tell him/her? Especially when he/she might seem to be (in most people's eyes) wrong for you? Seize the day! Just tell him/her! i can tell myself that but making that first step is the hardest bit. i think i'm out of practice for too long.

i've almost recovered from my neck ache or whatever it was. And i still haven't figured out my mind. i probably think too much le...

籃球火

Had started watching cos of the basketball theme and of course! The 3 main lead Jerry Yan, Show Luo and Wu Chun. Somehow Wu Chun became a calefare. As absurd as it is, the show developed a little too fast and ended quite abruptly too. But i guess it's for its own good... cos it was getting a little draggy from the middle. So much to the extent that for some episodes, the nicest part are the behind the scenes bits! haa... :p Overall i think is quite entertaining. But if you wanna people watch, suggest you catch epi 1-5 for Jerry, 10-15 for Show and 16 for Wu Chun. Show's really cute towards the end. :p

Other than Jerry's closing theme, this song by Show is quite nice too.

Ivory's Back!

SP's finally back to work! Been away from my sewing machine for quite a while. So made the following to warm up! :p

One could never be short of a nice drawstring bag!

Gotta start running thru my zippers!

Wake up call

Been really busy at work since my colleague left, esp the past 2 weeks. Was rushing thesis after thesis. So, i was really glad that i had managed finally to complete them last night. Just need my boss to go through the final version so that we can publish and release it to higher bosses today.

BUT!

:'(

Woke up with a really sharp pain in the neck and back. i didn't know what hit me but i couldn't move. The doc said it was a normal neck ache, probably caused by bad sleeping postition... it didn't feel like a normal neck ache to me though... at least not the same as those i've experienced before. Those were localised pain and managable as long as i didn't disturb it and they didn't shoot through the whole back. Now, i don't know if my next movement or action would trigger pain down my whole back. It totally FREAKS me out!

My boss said that i'm probably too stressed out this week. It's time to take a rest. i know but not this way!! *sob sob*

[Sidenote] There is an dialogue aka complain session this afternoon and there is someone whom i really detest going. i was joking with my colleague then that maybe i would be on mc today so that i could avoid that person. i was just JOKING!! i didn't mean it!! i shouldn't have cursed myself! :'( :'( :'(

Comfort Food

Read from the papers today that the top 3 food that brings the highest happiness level to those surveyed are, ice cream, chocolate and cake. To me, they are no mere comfort food. They are my staples! At least for this week, ice cream is!

Hehe. Back to my 2 tubs of Nestle Chocolate Obsession ice cream i just bought yday! (^^,)

Singapore Biennale 2008

FINALLY visited SB08! Started off with a cool outdoor installation at Raffles City Shopping Centre (it's free btw, go see it!). Paid $7 for entry to City Hall next. We were lucky to be in time for a free hour long tour to selected pieces. The guide was very good and informative. Otherwise i think i wouldn't understand most of them. Spent about 3.5 hrs to cover all the 31 installations in there. Proceeded to the South Beach Development after a short refuel. Took only about an hour to finish all 26 pieces. Most of them are video installations which mostly are un-understandable or simply weird. And the South Beach site is really WARM and stuffy. It's really unbearable to stay in the room for long. Anyway if you don't mind spending $10 or $7 if you have the passion card or $5 if you are a student, go visit the City Hall and enjoy the art installations in air-con environment.

The theme this year is Wonder. i really wonder why are there so many pieces that have a seemingly morbid and melancholy tint. Many pieces also act as channels to express mockery for the artists. As the guide said, there's no right or wrong to modern art. The intent is to evoke deeper thoughts and wonder.

Anyway here are some photos i took today.

Maggots were given the red carpet treatment in te restaurant of the former Supreme Court. A dig at the artist's home country's judicial system. The presence of the maggots signals the rotting and corruption of the system. The fact that they are given the red carpet, cynical. This is one of the site-specific installations in the Biennale. And i think the effect is simply brilliant! (Well only if you understand the artist's background and the site history).

erm... the centre purple looking thing is not a maggot! :p

Guess where the maggots are headed to? The toilet!

My two fave exhibits are side by side. Pity for my incompetency in photography... The photos turn out less than satisfactory...

Blackfield is really pretty! These thin metal plants are planted black on one side and a myriad of colours on the other. i was sitting on the floor at admiring them for quite a while. (^^)

This exhibit, I'm Not Expensive, looks ordinary at first glance. But when you walk pass it, the car simply pops out at you! Amazing! i was really amazed by it i was staring at it from various places till i got dizzy! hehe! :p Oh! Apparently this piece is so massive that it could not fit the lifts, so they had to use cranes to install it!

You call this art!? it's one of the few nonsensical installations. i think the rationale behind this site-specific exhibit is that... oh i can't remember.. i only recall the guide saying that the disc thingy behind is the new supreme court so that is the best place to take over in a country. And something about the aliens looking backward.. as in, not futuristic. more like the ultra-man era...

There's a google earth map where you can vadalise as you wish. i indicated where SP is staying. Oops! Stuck on the wrong place initially.. :p

Don't miss the Kids Biennale which is at level 1 of City Hall. The nicest photos are taken here! hehe. cos they are so cute!

This is a pic done by kids who visited the Biennale. Isn't it CUTE!? :p

A watercolour painting done by a Pri 5 student. i forgot to take down his/her name to give him/her credit. i like this piece cos it reminded me of the patchwork fields in Biei, Hokkaido!

This is my fav corner in my fav room. It's all done up in Alice in Wonderland theme. Very colourful. Very cheerful!

Went over to the Esplanade Bridge to view the last two installations for the day which are best viewed at night cos they are light performance. Wanted to catch the Fog Sculpture #48687 "Noontide" which supposedly will take place under the Esplanade Bridge at 7.15pm and 7.45pm. So we waited... and waited... and waited... after almost an hour... still nothing happened at the spot which we thought was supposedly the location... and that ended my day at SB08. (T_T)

This is the other installation Lightlines under the Esplanade Bridge. It was to be viewed at the Merlion side but was too tired to walk over when it could be viewed from the Esplanade end... Don't ask me what does it mean... i would have thought they were meant to illuminate the sea for some night divers if i'm not on the SB trail.. -_-"

[SP's note on 8 Nov] Finally managed to complete this post! one week later... haa... Hope i can still catch the rest of the exhibits before it ends... Had planned to go this weekend but i'm grounded for health reasons.

Much ado about nothing

Finally found a day to visit the Singapore Biennale 2008. BUT! Alas! Fate thwarted my plans again! YZ hurt her foot (again..) but since tmr is a holiday, i decided to go ahead with my plans anyway. After chancing upon a Architectural Photography Exhibition @ National Library, i made my way to the South Beach Development site of the Biennale. i tried to gatecrash the Biennale as i realised that i had not a single cent on me!!! i tried to act blur and had successfully managed to view 4 installations, including the much talked-about sugar pagoda before getting caught. Haiz... Had thought of getting some cash out and continue my journey to City Hall site... but after the walk in the warm, wet humid weather, i decided to cut short my plan and head home instead! Project SB08 to be continued...

[Sidenote] Had the mango sago with pomelo from Ah Chew Desserts. Somehow i think it was not as nice as last time... Btw, they expanded the shop but i think i might try the Crystal Jade Hong Kong Cafe next door next time...

Minori Dining

OMG! My 2nd Japanese buffet in 3 days! The birthday girl (LF, not me!) wanted to eat here so visited UE Square for the first time. The buffet is ala-carte style and the menu is similar to Hanabi (another popular Jap buffet). But i think both places are so-so only... NO MORE BUFFETS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR!!!

[Sidenote] Made a Ivory by SP bag for LF but forgot to take a photo of it! The newest edition sees my label on a bag (finally!) and a zipper.

2nd Sports Day of the Year

Why Wii... when you can bowl for free?? Been seeing this poster on the back of the toilet cubicle day everyday for almost a month after the first event... i must say the committee are really creative this year. After being brain washed by the poster, my sub-conscious mind had programmed me to walk over to the bowling alley this afternoon. However, the powers of the poster is not strong enough to turn my prowess in bowling into reality... hee... the drains looks extra clean today... :p Fortunately, despite my mastery (lack of) in the sport, my house still managed to turn in 2nd! :p

Post Birthday Celebration 4 cum Post-Post Promotion (not mine) Treat

Went to Kuishin-bo @ JP for dinner. Supposed to go to the more central Suntec City branch but SY was supposedly sick so SL made a sacrifice to come all the way to the west. My first visit to their buffet dinner. The spread looks similar to the lunch i had last year except that dinner has the long meaty crab legs. And there are the half-hourly specials where a bell would be rang and 30 portions of a limited-edition food would be served. There was an announcement made which is barely audible but people swarmed to the counter anyway. Based on tonight's experience (a small baked lobster(?) and watermelon gelato), i think you can skip those specials.

Thanks to YV, SY and SL for the treat! :) i really really gotta stop binging!

Post Birthday Celebration 3

My ex-boss treated to lunch today. We went to this Sabaaidee, a Thai restaurant near Tiong Bahru market. Food is not bad. The 4 of us ordered the set meal for 5 cos my ex-boss say the food in the set meal for 5 seems better than the dishes in the set meal for 4... Hee.. whatever the pay master says! :p Prices are nett. The set meal for 5 which comes with a seafood fried rice, steam fish in lemon(?), two vege dishes, a stuffed sotong dish, stuffed chicken wing and tomyam soup costs $58. But don't need to try the lemon grass drink... taste more like ginger drink.

On second thoughts, shouldn't have arranged for the lunch to be today... cos of the "Post Birthday Celebration 4 cum Post-post Promotion Treat" by another group of colleagues. Oh well, i shall have to start eating grass from tomorrow onwards! i'll really turn OBESE in no time if i continue eating like this! (o-_-o")

丁当 - 猜不透

Heard this song playing over the radio in recent weeks... Had thought that it is sang by Landy all along till this week... hee... oh but i really 猜不透 the MV... :p

Post Birthday Celebration 2

Thanks to XX, YZ and LF for the treat at Dian Xiao Er @ Marina Square. My first visit here. We ordered the Super Value set lunch that comes with their signature dishes including the must-try Herbal Roast Duck. Service was friendly and quick despite hearing tales of their queues there was practically none on this Sunday afternoon.

Post Birthday Celebration 1

Thanks to AV for organising and joining us for ktv despite his busy schedule today and despite being not a regular ktv-goer and thanks to LH, YS & WL for the day of song, dance (sort of), food and drink. Small rooms at Partyworld at Liang Court are freezing cold but lucky (or unlucky?) we changed to a bigger (huge) room where the temperature is more comfortable. Didn't manage to eat at Ma Maison today... had thought of trying out the omu rice... Ended up at Tom Ton for dinner. If my memory didn't fail me, my first visit was nicer. Went for beer @ The Pump Room at Clarke Quay at YS's strong recommendation, but i guess it was not my cup of tea as they all tasted bitter to me.

The dessert at the front is Muddy Mud Cake with Candied Orange and Double Cream which is too rich and too sweet. In the background was the nicer Stickydate Pudding served warm with Butterscotch and Vanilla ice cream.

More presents! i-buddy (not available in shops! AV got this online), Blossom and caramel corn from WL. i couldn't get the i-buddy to work properly. the beer must be getting to my head....

Birthday Pennies (Thoughts)

Dunno if is it that i've been through so many birthdays that it has become just another day to me?? Other than receiving a few more sms and birthday wishes, i mean it IS just another day... Or is it that i've become too "old" to celebrate birthdays?? i mean usually only the really young or the really old celebrate birthdays, isn't it? i don't fall into either category... so it feels kinda odd...

Or is it that i'm in denial over my age?? i used to think that i'm cool about my age as i don't think i look like it but the fact is i'm really older now. And getting past your birthday just simply reminds you of the cold hard truth, doesn't it? Being a woman is really tough... Being an ageing woman is even worse. Gosh! i don't think ageing woman describes me but i'm (i mean we all are) aging every single day and i'm woman, so ageing woman does seem apt... And the fact is i can't disguise the fact that i don't look like i'm in my early 20s anymore.

And what is worse than an ageing woman? An ageing single woman! At the ripe old age of xx (see! i'm really in denial!), as much as i think otherwise (i'm still optimistic!), but i do have to admit my chances of getting hitched is hitting rock bottom. Or am i just not meeting the right people??

Let me make a wish upon a star... Gosh! i think it has been a decade since i last did this... (sidetrack a bit...) i used to look at the stars from the kitchen window in my previous home. it's really childish but i used to say a little rhyme "Star light star bright, first star i see tonight, i wish i may i wish i might, let me have the wish i wish tonight". :p

Don't know why this came to my mind (OMG! reminiscing about the past is a sign of ageing!), it's really juvenile but i think i shall see if there are any stars tonight... :)

Tomorrow will be a better day!

Happy Birthday to Me

Been really tied up with work recently (all thanks to YK who left the co recently) that i'm still rushing for deadlines on my birthday... :( Thank goodness i finally managed to throw out my thesis today! (Yep. sad to say that was one of my birthday wish... x_x) Still another to go... haiz... i'm just too responsible i had to cancel my leave! (-_-")

Enough about work! Was pleasantly surprised to see some parcels on my table this morning! (^_^) Thanks to SL, YV and queen for the presents and the mini cake!

SL made me the pink bag! And the best part is the fabrics!! it was so nice of them to let me go on a fabric spree! Y(^^)Y

Thanks to LH for this v cute memo holder but hey LH, this is not handmade! lol.

Amore Woman's Day Out 2008

90 minutes workout under the hot sun right in the middle of Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza looking totally unglam, hot, sweaty and smelly. Am i nuts? Nope! Attended my first AWDO this afternoon. The first part which consist of some hi-lo impact aerobics and kickboxing was normal. But the second segment of the cardiolatino was fun. The instructor was a cute bubbly giggly latino(?) Too bad my gym doesn't have such a class (i think)...

Oh and the goodie bag was much better than the Shape Run's. At least the bag isn't filled with flyers. hehe.

Also tried some archery at the fair... YZ was saying i should be taking more of such courses instead of patchwork (blah!) if i wanna know more... erm.. people.... :p

My caddy is a 9-handicapper!

First game with a caddy. So nice to have someone to fetch and choose the clubs for me and gave me some coaching as well. Next time if you play at Palm Spring Batam, ask for Mazda (who's wearing the #45 tee).

The only dreadful thing is dragging out of bed at 5AM and driving all the way to catch the ferry at Tanah Merah!!! (x_x")

Walk-a-restaurant

Funny... Ended up walking alot today in deciding on the places to eat and rest.

YZ wanted to eat at Asian Kitchen in Citylink but i couldn't stand the cooking fumes that was choking the whole place, so we left after enduring it for 5 minutes. We wanted to eat at Bakerzin at Millenia Walk but all the tables were taken up and we didn't want to sit outdoors as it was really steaming outside. So ended up walking down the whole stretch of restaurants selecting a place before returning to our original choice again. i really wonder how do the restaurants at Millenia survive?? There were only a handful of people in each of the restaurants that we passed by (other than Bakerzin of course). Well, they have a (new?) set meal was simply irresistibly cheap so we don't mind waiting for a table. Thankfully, by the time we walked back, there were a few tables empty. Goody!!

The set comes with a soup of the day (which happened to be a spicy tomato soup... not too bad...), unlimited supply of bread (this is really yucky. the bread is too dry. it is only eat-able after soaking it in soup), main course and a drink (choice of iced tea or italian soda). The mushroom linguine was one of the choices so i had that naturally. Mushrooms! :p Alas! i was horribly disappointed. The two plates of mushroom linguine that arrived at our table are obviously from different cooks. One looked nice and moist. The other looked dry and the scant amount of cream was of a thicker consistency. i got the latter. But note the emphasis is on the use of the word looked cos both taste yucky but perhaps mine was yuckier. And i guess garlic must be real CHEAP nowadays. See the mountain of garlic i picked out from my plate! There must be at least 4-5 gloves of garlic here! And that adds even more to the yucky factor!


After walking fruitlessly (read: no clothes, bags or shoes bought! yay! :p) around the area we ended up at Raffles City basement to rest our tired feet. Had wanted to drink the iced milk tea at Mos Burger but as usual no seats. Haiz... Ended up at seat-hopping from Burger King to JCo before settling at OChaCha. Verdict: If you want a freezie, order the thirstier version. If you want on-the-rocks, get the parched version. Reason? The freezie takes AGES to melt i.e. finish. And the desserts are so-so only. This is my conclusion after having tried the honey cake, panna cotta, matcha cotton and the tea-ramisu. But the drinks are yummy.

九月初五

i'm not yet exactly a year older but gosh! A year has passed in the lunar calendar... Mummy cooked a BIG bowl of mee sua for me again. My birthday's not yet in two weeks but i've been feeling pensive recently... My mind's been wondering... About stuff you wouldn't help thinking about as you grow older...

南拳妈妈 - 下雨天

Solo by Lara. The lyrics are written by her too!

First Sports Day of the Year

This year's sports day is split into four parts. Yay!! More half days!! Though i must admit it really do seem a little too much. But even so, i'm looking forward to the next few sports days. Heard there would be bowling and frisbee?! Sounds fun. Voice now coarse from all the cheering. Think i have to decree a no-talking day again.

Oh ya. i realised my house colour got a few cute guys!! hehe. now even MORE looking forward to the next sports day!

Amazing Race 13

Wuhoo!~ The Race is back! Once again, lucky i was watching tv during F1 weekend, else i wouldn't have seen the trailers. Yay! Amazing Race screens every Monday 2300hrs on channel 5. (^^,)

Singapore Grand Prix 2008

What a spectacular! Simply awesome! A complete turn of events saw the pole leader finish 2nd last and the 15th starter takes home the trophy of the first ever Formula 1 night race! How more dramatic can a race get!?

Only pity is DC couldn't get to the podium in his final season. There was a chance of that tonight and i was hoping for a better finish for my fav driver of the last generation of racers.

Truant

For once i was up early on a Sunday morning. But this year, after changing sensei and class, Jap lessons seems like a chore... Having really noisy and inconsiderate classmates do not help too. Since my tomodachis are not going today, the didn't-do-homework me also decided to skip class!

[Edited on 29 Sep] i'm a good girl afterall! i went for the replacement class today! And S-san gave me some yummy meiji choc biscuit dips. hehe. And i managed to finish my report! \(^^)/

S.L.I.M.

i'm in denial (that's why i decided to change the post title from F.A.T. to what it is now) over the weight and expanding waistline... been eating way tooooo much for the past few weeks. YK and SL are leaving the co soon, so there had been a few celebration lunches recently. And a couple more lined up next week!

What is it with Singaporeans and buffets?? i think we are all either somehow programmed from birth, or we are all brought up to be typical good Singaporeans, that you simply have to eat your money's worth at buffets. So much so that, as SL put it, till stretch marks appear! lol.

Anyway, if you have time for a long lunch, try the buffet at Furama City Centre - Tiffany Cafe. There's one for one promo currently. This one's halal but it's one of the better 1-for-1 around that has sashimi!

Also, would like to congratulate CT on her wedding today! oh i don't dare to count how many new stretch marks are there after the dinner!

Hypothesis Proven

"Thou shall not tempt to thwart fate!"

Had planned to take my chances and scrimp on parking and eat a sumptuous roti prata breakfast... but haiz.... the rain washed away my brains and appetite this morning... and ended up will be spending a bomb on parking. haa....

「正義の味方」 Seigi no mikata 2008

やっぱり"干物女"の私は一部のドラマが全部見ることは無理ではない！ 実もとはこのドラマが興味ではない、「ランチの女王」を見ているから。 でも、何も見らないのでこのドラマを見て思って。。。

Didn't wanted to continue watching this show about this schoolgirl and her devilish older sister initially. Had seen the first episode and was kinda bored by it. Since there was nothing to watch so continued watching... The story gets better... but not really a must-watch either.

「ランチの女王」 Lunch Queen

Just finished watching this Jap drama from Summer 2002 at the recommendation of my colleague. i like this heartwarming drama with all the yummilicious looking omu rice and of course, Tsumabuki Satoshi (妻夫木　聡)!! Not forgetting the ultra cool Eguchi Yosuke and i do think Takeuchi Yuko is cute in here too! Everyone in this show is just so good looking! Even though i would have preferred a better ending but it is worth watching for all the men! haha.

What is lunch to you? Just a meal to fill up your tummy? A place for u to recharge for the rest of day? Something to look forward to? i wish i can find my own Kitchen Macaroni too! 心が温かく所。

アー！　オムライスは食べたい！ 今日は何か食べたい？

最後の話し
「涙とともに食べた人でなければ、人生の味はわからない。」 ゲーテ

Procrastinator

OMG!! i realised that patchwork is really TOUGH! Argh! Been procrastinating my homework and now doing a last minute ditch to complete it for the class tomorrow. Haiz... Only managed to finish cutting all the cloth...

You see patchwork is done by HAND! Unlike my usual sewing where i just need to step on my machine... And alot of time spent coordinating the colours. First, you need to decide on the pattern. Then u decide on the fabric to coordinate to form the patchwork. Then u need to cut out the template on some cardboard. Then use the template to draw the pattern on the fabrics so that you could cut it. Then cut the fabric. Then sew the pieces of fabrics together. See! its so labourious! Oh my oh my! Think i better hide in some corner tomorrow. hehe. Or maybe i wont appear that bad. Some of the class people wanted to do a blanket! *jaw drop* i wonder is that possible to accomplish in 8 weeks!? lol.

Mushroom Park

At recommendation of LF, we went to this restaurant at Seah Street for mushroom (what else!) :p We shared the healthy and the natural set meals.

Basically the set meal consists of

1. mushroom sashimi (not sure if the mushroom is really raw cos it tastes cooked, just that it is chilled and yummy)
2. lots of mushrooms, some meat and vegetables cooked in a hot pot at the table
3. choice of rice with mushroom floss or steamed bun with condensed milk(!?). lol.
4. dessert (green tea jelly or milk pudding)

Portions are huge though prices are not exactly cheap either. The higher priced set meals have the more exotic mushrooms. Service was good as we are one out of four tables tonight. Everything just screams healthy. So even though we were all really FULL, it doesn't really feel that sinful. (Okay, i know i'm just deceiving myself! Pls don't eat till you burst your seams, not that i did! :p)

If you like mushrooms, you will like this place. :)

Batam

SP turned princess for a day (or rather 3 hours) at Batam over the weekend when she went for the Princess Spa Treatment @ Batam View Beach Resort. :p While SP enjoyed her royal treatment, MH thought that only the scrub was worth a mention.

The hotel.

There were lots of soft "artistic" touches in the hotel that i like.

The view from the room

Pity there were no hunks by the poolside. Oh i stayed in the 2nd room from the right top balcany.

A&W Bear....

And our A&W lunch & Root Beer Float! :p

But why is it that time always flies past during the weekends??

Btw, pls be alert while overseas. A member of our group got pickpocketed while shopping.