Em Ass

2008-09-07T07:14:00.001-07:00

I always feel very motivated to blog after a shower. Showering gives me ideas. Whether for blogging or solutions to mathematics/chemistry questions.

ANYWAY, today's topic shall be about... What do I want to do after I ORD?

1. Get a new job. Maybe teaching. Maybe hotel. I don't know. Most probably one of these two. MONEY is essential. Need to be able to afford my laptop, printer and maybe, a bit of my university fees.
2. Hopefully. The keyword is HOPEFULLY. Find more time to exercise and maybe hit the gym at HomeTeamNS or something.
3. Actually, I don't really know! I just need to do something to keep myself occupied. I obviously won't stay at home and bore myself to tears. :)

2008-09-06T01:11:00.000-07:00

Holy crap. When I was almost done bathing, I saw a centipede slip across the bathroom floor. It was about the length of the breadth of my palm, about 3 inches long. Holy crap is right. Well, I suggested killing it. But my dad refused to kill it. So he went to try to catch it. But that slippery monster was a nutcase. It kept slipping around. Hiding between the aircon pipe and the wall. It was pretty sandwiched so my dad kept pushing the pipe towards the wall, trying to get it out but I think it got squashed till it became silly. So my mum came and used two postcards to pick him up and put him in a plastic bag. I think it fainted so it didn't squiggle much. Still. Irritating centipede. I wanted to take a poop one la. Spoil my mood.

2008-09-05T02:46:00.000-07:00

I am so glad I brought my laptop to work today. :) A laptop increases the efficiency of work. You know what I mean.

Life's returning to normal after the end of the series of ____ meetings. :) I'll be glad to have my old job scope back. I think I shouldn't look forward to ORD so much and I should find something that I can look forward in this current job. Makes my day pass much faster.

I'm so glad I heeded my dad's advice and brought my umbrella along with me to work. It started pouring once I boarded the bus. Thank my lucky stars and my dad. :) Disaster averted.

I shall be a nicer person so as to get more good karma. :)

2008-09-04T05:46:00.000-07:00

I realised that there's actually a lot of things to blog about. I don't really have to give a detailed account of what I did for the particular day because that would be a very boring read. But then again, it's also good to keep track of my daily thoughts.

Today's topic shall be on swimming. :)

I went to HomeTeamNS JOM Clubhouse @ Balestier for a swim. Just thought I should get back on my 3 exercises per week regime to get my fat body into shape. Well, I swam for barely 30 minutes and I enjoyed the jacuzzi for a short while.

Looking back, I first learnt how to swim when I was Pri 4. There was this swimming lesson at Farrer Park and I enrolled for it. They taught us the "blow bubble" and leg kicking at the side of the pool. Somehow after all, I just stopped going or did the lessons stop? I'm not quite sure. I didn't really learn how to swim from there.

Back when I was Sec 1 or 2, there was compulsory swimming PE at Katong Swimming Complex. We had to walk there before flag raising and walk back in twos haha. There, I learnt how to float and I could actually swim a few strokes with the instructor guiding my palms. He's a really nice and patient person. I felt so accomplished when I could float that I actually went to try it a few times during the weekends. But still, I never could swim more than half the breadth of the pool. I had the problem of sinking after taking my breath.

When I was in JC, there was swimming PE too. I only went for the categorisation test where they made everyone swim the breadth. Well, not surprisingly, I was categorised as the "Beginners". I hated the toilet anyway. It was old and the showers had no cubicles or walls or whatsoever. It's just one wall with many showerheads. Weird if you ask me. No privacy at all. Okay that's not the point. For JC1, I managed to avoid swimming because I was initially in CG 09/05 for the first 3 months and it wasn't our turn to swim. After the first 3 months, I changed class to CG 03/05 who already swam during the first 3 months. Even if I did not change class, CG 09/05 had no swimming PE either for JC1. During my JC2 days, when everyone else went for swimming PE, Kaimin and I were doing bowling PE. Busy throwing medicine balls, doing crunches, lunges and whatever not. Kaimin was quite passionate about the runs, more so than throwing medicine balls.

During my JC days, I got a letter from the Naval Diving Unit (NDU). HORRORS. Well, I did not know what I was in for. I just went there and tried my best, which was really nothing actually. I couldn't pass standing board jump. I couldn't do a single pull up (yes, I was hanging there like those roast chicken at the chicken rice stall). I couldn't swim so I just walked the breadth of the pool. Actually, I tried to swim la. Ironically, I passed all the medical tests, such as the lung capacity, ear test, pressure test and whatever test. When we met the NSF who were in NDU during our meals, they told us that we were in quite some deep shit if we were to pass those medical tests and if we expressed interest. I was pretty worried after that so I went on my runs and my swims every weekend. Saturday was a running day and Sunday was a swimming day. Can you believe it? I was actually so enthusiastic and determined. From half a breadth to a few breadths and eventually to 20 lengths. I felt so proud of myself. It was such an achievement. Even though I swam so slowly, to accomplish such a feat meant so much to me. I actually could swim without sinking. Even if my legs were all wobbly after the 20 lengths, I felt so good.

Till this day, I'm still swimming although not regularly. But I still enjoy just chilling inside the pool, enjoying the sun on your back and giving you a tan. I still can't believe I spent hours swimming and I didn't spend a minute a day on pull ups. Sheesh.

That's the story of how mS learns to swim. :)

2008-08-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

So much to say, so little time...
:)
Maybe it's fate that I'm not supposed to have time... ahhh. :D
"Why so serious, son?" :D
Wahahahahaha.

2008-08-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

Well, usually I am much too lazy to blog but while I was walking to Boon Keng MRT Station on my way to meet Gen this afternoon. I realised this blog consists very much of my memories and how I was like in the past. Of course, not forgetting about the good things and bad things I've been through and I would get to see how much I've grown (mentally).

Hence, I believe that the accident I've had should be here too. Well, I guess you could all it a milestone. I see it as a very EXPENSIVE learning point. Yes, for those who still don't know, I got into a RTA, ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT. Unfortunately.

So for those who don't know, what happened? I was travelling on River Valley Road towards Hill Street, opposite MOS and Liang Court. I was queueing up for a U Turn. I saw a bike quite far away (or so I think). I made the U Turn. Road was narrow as the leftmost lane was fully occupied by taxis so I turned quite slowly. The motorcycle came and knocked my rear left door. Leaving heartbreaking dents and made me go, "My dad is so going to kill me." So some passer-by called the ambulance and sent him to the hospital. No, he's not severly injured. Just scratches at his knee and ankle and his bike is not totally screwed. After which, the Traffic Police came and did On-Scene Investigation (OSI) and then, I proceeded to see SI Jamal, Investigation Officer, for this case (by the way, the case number is 0209). Ironically, investigation paper (IP) was put up and I have to make an accident report (NP168). Daddy drove and sent Gen home after that. By then, it was 11pm or so. A trip to Meidi-Ya gone wrong.

So what have I learnt? If injury not serious, DON'T call ambulance and police. Settle privately. Take pictures of accident vehicles and roads and road signs (yellow boxes, road name... etc). Write the Accident Report together with the other driver and make him write in black and white that he wants to settle privately. Calling TP will result in fines and demerit points and drop in NCD (No Claims Discount) which are quite uncalled for, if possible.

So what penalties will I get? The lady at IDAC told me that people doing U Turn will most likely be liable. Thus, I can infer that I will get $400 fine and 9 demerit points. On top of that, a 30% drop in NCD (HOLY COW HOLY COW HOLY COW is right). Sad life, I lead.

My unlucky streak didn't just end there. Next day, while preparing the onions for steamboat at Gen's place, I sliced my thumb with the knife. Well done, mS!

Well, today I was luckier. On my way home in the afternoon (I took half day leave), I boarded the Great Eastern Life's free bus. COOL STUFF. Free ride home for me. Saves 67 cents and makes me a very happy guy. I think that's really successful advertising, by the way.

Okay, that's all for the memories. :) Have a good night.

2008-07-06T04:32:00.000-07:00

Came back from the US as one fat and lazy glutton. Run a little bit and I got a stitch. Don't really feel like exercising anymore. Not so motivated. BUT thank heavens. I still feel fat so I will still exercise. I love my sleep and my food even more than ever. I don't know why. Maybe it's just jet lag. Every hour feels like sleep+meal time. Damn. Must get used to Singapore time once again. :)

2008-06-30T15:52:00.000-07:00

I am at the Hong Kong International Airport. They offer free Wi-Fi. Bloody Brilliant. Unlike the San Francisco International Airport. I spent 2hrs 52mins waiting to board my plane. Damn that sucks. Waited for so long with nothing to do and it's really hard to sleep with their security advisory announcements playing over and over again. HKIA, in my opinion, is so much better. It's like Singapore's Terminal 3. :) Nice, big, bright, with good food and all. The flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong took almost 13hrs. My butt is SO sore now. It's crazy man such a long flight. But I'm glad I'm going back to Singapore already and the flight isn't that long at all. :) Thank goodness. I am coming home soon!

2008-06-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

Okay I am not doing this for profit. It's just my own opinion, alright?
Out of all the 2 hotels I've stayed in Los Angeles, Wyndham Anaheim Park and Best Western Executive Inn. I HIGHLY recommend Best Western Executive Inn. Why?

1. Free Internet Access in the room
2. Free Wireless Internet Access in public areas
3. Swimming pool and Jacuzzi
4. Free ride to Puente Hills Mall and back (there's Gap and Old Navy there)
5. Nearby to Ranch Supermarket (which sells loads of nice Taiwan and Japanese food and cheap Haagen Dazs ice cream)
6. Lots of Chinese food, Jap food...
7. Burger King nearby opens till 2am during weekends.
8. Spacious Room
9. Nice hot shower that isn't on and off
10. Good showerhead which variable sprays
11. Good customer service
12. Lots of TV Channels (incl. Chinese ones)
13. Free Breakfast (cornflakes, pastries, porridge, juices, man tou)

Even better than the Las Vegas hotel, which I stayed in, Four Queens.
Guys, if you're even going to LA, stay in BEST WESTERN EXECUTIVE INN!
For pictures, refer to my facebook tomorrow. :)

2008-06-24T23:38:00.000-07:00

Went to Universal Studios Hollywood today. The rides were pretty thrilling and cool. Thumbs for the Mummy for the backwards movement. Thumbs UP for the New Simpson Ride for its wonderful 3D effects. This is nothing compared to Disneyland though and that really explains the smaller crowd. Tried the Chinese food at Panda Express. It was essentially just chicken cooked in different sauces (kung pao, mandarin and orange) together with fried rice and chow mein (why can't they just say fried noodles?!). It's not really that good but it's quite filling for a change. :) At least it ain't pizzas, burgers and fries, geddit?

Going to Las Vegas tomorrow! Woots.

2008-06-23T22:25:00.000-07:00

Okay basically yesterday I reached Fullerton, California. Wow. This part of the city sure looks like a ghost town. Their freeway has like 7 lanes per side and now that's mighty cool. The people here park head first. They don't do reverse parking. Mighty weird eh? It really doesn't look very advanced for a country like USA. For more details, pls see my facebook for the pictures.

Went to Disneyland today. Oh man. It's DAMN big. Like really really big. I didn't even have time to finish all the rides even though I went there for almost a day la. Only took the thrilling ones. Partially because the queue is really really long because it's the summer holidays here in the US. The Space Mountain ride was damn cool. Very very freaky because you can't see and you dunno what to expect. Now that's one happening roller coaster. The park is really fun. Pity they can't have one in Singapore. Went to Old Navy to do some shopping. Woah the stuff there. It's really cheap and nice too! A pity I can't go for the sale on Saturday. Flipflops for a dollar leh. But never mind. Bought mine 2 for USD5. Good enough already, in my opinion. Had BK for breakfast, some lousy food at Disneyland for lunch and KFC for dinner. I AM getting FAT. :(

Tomorrow's activities... Universal Studios and if time permits... I shall go to BREA MALL! :) Gap + Coach there. Abercrombie and Fitch also!

2008-06-22T02:13:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody! I am in Tokyo-Narita Airport blogging now. :) I am due to board for my flight SQ12 to Los Angeles at 1815hrs Tokyo Time. Flight's leaving at 1845hrs. The airport's not bad. Much like Singapore but everything here is in Japanese. Even the instructions on the vending machine and all. There's this vending machine in the gatehold room where you can purchase drinks and even bring it onboard! I think they used that to beat the "no bringing in of liquids onto the aircraft" thing, you know? :) Will take more pictures later if I can

2008-06-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

Bought a Sony Ericsson G900 yesterday. Found out that there was no tone or notification when I receive SMSes. Brought it down to Service Centre @ Bishan. The manager was nice about it and said a simple software upgrade would suffice. After the software upgrade, the phone prompted me for a PIN. I didn't even set any PIN?! I brought it to the manager. They told me they have to do some 3 step thing tomorrow to repair the phone... WTF is right.

2008-06-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

I am feeling really very lazy to upload the pictures so I shall just type some stuff la.

First of all, KFC Fish Zinger... Not really good. I can't taste the fish at all... Bad choice man. Now I know why they are called Kentucky Fried Chicken and they really should stick to selling chicken and not fish. Uh-huh. You get my point right? Just don't try it and don't waste your money on it hahas.

Watched Kungfu Panda. Don't bring your brains to the cinema and you will kind of enjoy the funny bits of it. Honestly, I didn't like the starting of the movie. I found it kind of boring. But it got better as it moved along la. More captivating and more exciting. To me, the first 5 mins of the movie was pretty agonising. The build-up was a bit slow for a funny movie like this. And poor Jackie Chan. I don't know man. I think his role in the movie is pretty minute. Almost negligible. All I remembered was Jack Black and Angelina Jolie.

There's this stall... Edogawa Japanese Teppanyaki @ Novena Square Velocity. Opening offer so there's 20% discount, free green tea and free ice cream. Quite cheap with all that added in. I ordered Chicken Oyako Don. Very generous serving of... RICE. The chicken, egg and onions were not so bad. The Miso soup tasted average. The Chawanmushi tasted like shit. :) Thank god I didn't order an A-la-carte Chawanmushi that costs S$4.80. Mine came with the set meal. All it had was one slice of fish cake and some tunghoon like thingy. Towards the bottom, it didn't taste like how custard egg should taste. It tasted like steamed egg la. Chinese dish. Honestly, even the steamed egg at Mixed Vege Rice stall tastes better. To add to it, the Chawanmushi was pretty tasteless. Pui. The ice cream was Vanilla flavoured. Normal cheap kind. Topped with Azuki Red Beans. Not too bad la... Since it's cheap, no point complaining so much also. Aircon very cold but the waitresses are dressed in kimonos... Food should be better quality what!

P.S. I want to buy Sony Ericsson G900. :) Touch screen is cool. 5 megapixel for the win.

2008-06-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

I watched The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian in GV GOLD CLASS VIVOCITY. Cool or not. :P 25 dollars a ticket. Nope. I did not pay for it. Gen's mum got the tickets so Gen and I went to watch the movie. Let's talk about the cool stuff first...

1. The seat is wide, reclining and freaking comfortable. It even comes with a foot rest. Machiam bed la.
2. It comes with a nice blanket to keep you warm during the movie. :)
3. You get SERVED nice food which you paid for, like potato wedges, nachos and stuff.
4. The sound system's bloody brilliant. When the troops march, you can feel the reverberations. How cool is that?
5. Well, I don't know this is good or bad. Despite it being GOLD CLASS, they still have advertisements and trailers.

Bad stuff...

1. I think it's a little overpriced. 25 bucks.
2. I ordered my potato wedges at the "lobby" before the movie and requested it to be served during the movie. I used a S$50 note to pay for the wedges which cost S$8.00++. I waited for my change but it never came so I approached a staff and she told me that she would pass it to me during the movie. The movie was about 2hrs and 40 mins long. When the movie ended, I still did not get my change so I was quite pissed off. As I left the hall, I spoke to this staff member, Wee Beng, who asked me to hold on for 5 minutes and did not even refer us to some other staff member. Gen and I were pissed and insisted that I wanted my change right now. It's atrocious. How long does it take for someone to get like 40 bucks in change? Gosh. BAD SERVICE. GOLD CLASS?! MY ASS!

2008-05-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Stall: 记得吃 (Ji De Chi)
Location: Liang Seah Street (opp. Bugis Junction)
Food:
核桃糊 (Walnut Paste)
杏仁龙眼豆花 (Almond Jelly with Longan)
Verdict:

The Walnut Paste is very smooth and had no burnt smell. It was warm and not too sweet. Tastes a bit like Peanut Paste but not so peanutty. But it's nice la. Go try, trust me. :) 9/10

The Almond Jelly with Longan is very nice too! It's smooth like Tau Huay. Almond smell not too strong so it tastes really really good. The sweetness comes from the canned longans though. Worth a try! 8/10

Stall: Cold Storage @ Novena Square
Food: Some Japanese chocolate biscuit snack that looks like a mushroom
Cost: S$2.75 (after discount, U.P. S$3.15)
Verdict:

The Box

The Packet

The Biscuit

The chocolate is bitter-sweet. Slightly bitter so it wouldn't be too sweet. It's milk chocolate still. Not dark chocolate. I like chocolate like this. Not too sweet and a bit bitter. As usual, Japanese serves quality biscuits and they are very generous with the chocolate. Go try it man. 10/10

2008-05-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

Stall: Sizzler @ Toa Payoh Lor 6, Blk 190
Food:
Malibu Chicken - S$21.99++ Swiss Cheese Chicken - S$21.99++ Comes with Salad Bar All-U-Care-To-Eat
Comments:
1. Salsa sauce for the nacho chips at the salad bar tasted weird.
2. Vegetable crackers were fine. Very mediocre. I suppose it was bought commercially. Nothing special about it.
3. The spaghetti with tomato basil sauce was not bad. Slightly above average.
4. The Singapore Noodles tasted terrible. I believe anybody can fry Maggie Mee better than that. Honestly.
5. The Clam Chowder and the Cream of Mushroom had corn in it. The Clam Chowder tasted more corny than clam. The clam was available in really shredded pieces. Nat didn't like the Cream of Mushroom soup because it was too corny.
6. Nat didn't like the Cajun potato either.
7. The chicken basically is made from chicken breast. Very healthy. Very low fat. Which means very tasteless. For those of you who appreciate chicken taste as it is. Sizzler is for you. For those of you who hate the chicken taste. Don't go to Sizzler.
8. The ice cream is like watery McDonald's cone ice cream. The thing is you can make your own cone or sundae. That's what's fun about it.
9. There're fruits and jelly too.
10. Unlimited servings of salad, ice cream and fruits. :)

Malibu Chicken

11. Baked potato from my Malibu Chicken was good. Served with only butter. That's fine. But I wouldn't mind some bacon bits on it yeah?
Verdict: Go there only if you like pure chicken tasting chicken. You know what I mean. :)

2008-05-19T06:29:00.000-07:00

Stall: Cold Storage @ Novena Square
Food: Tree Trunk Chocolate Biscuits
Cost: S$3.00/-
Comments:

If you like chocolates and biscuits where there are more chocolate than biscuit, this is the one for you. It looks really cute. Doesn't really get stuck in your teeth because there is more chocolate than biscuit! It's milk chocolate, by the way. The biscuit is of high quality too. Can taste la. A bit digestive kind of taste. Oh yah. The biscuit tastes like that of the Bourbons kind. The chocolate and the coffee one. Yups. Almost the same biscuit. QUALITY one la. Just go and try. :)
Rating: 10/10!

Stall: Marche @ Vivocity
Food:
Vegetables (Medium) - S$8.90+
Mashed Potato - S$1.30+
Bundaberg Rootbeer - S$3.20+
Salmon Steak - S$14.90+
Total Cost: S$30.30/-
Comments:

The vegetables were the best part of the meal, according to Gen. I think so too. The vegetables were really, really nice. You basically fill the plate up yourself. Sort of like a buffet. So how much you can stack is how much you get to eat for S$8.90+. :) I took Sambal kangkong, Broccoli, lots of Mushrooms and a little bit of Potatoes. The mushrooms were fantastic. Juicy. Yummy. Simply damn good. :) The kangkong is a little bit too oily though. The broccoli was nice and juicy. Cooked just right, not too hard and not too soft. You know how broccoli is disgusting when it's undercooked or overcooked. The potatoes were those tiny little ones with the skin on. Tasty! Not too overcooked and soft. Not overpriced if you heap your plate with loads of mushrooms. :) 10/10!

The mashed potato was not too good. Just mediocre. It was barely warm. The brown sauce gave it some taste. Definitely not as good as Vi'lage's, in my opinion. Definitely not as good as the old Marche at Suntec too. 5/10

The Salmon Steak was quite okay, in my opinion. Gen doesn't like her salmon cooked so oh well, she didn't like it. To me, the salmon skin was fried to a crisp so it was great. Nice and crispy. The salmon meat wasn't too overcooked and best of all, there was no fishy smell or taste. It was soft and tasty. A bit pricey, I think. 8/10

The Rootbeer was good. Doesn't have the lingering sweety taste like the usual canned root beers. Not too sweet. It's just nice. It's quite a pleasant and refreshing drink in my opinion. 4/10. Why this rating? Because you can simply buy it somewhere else. Tsk tsk. naturally Marketplace at Vivocity sells it for S$1.75/-. :)

Stall: Candy Empire
Food: Lindt Excellence Fait Extra Fondant (Extra Creamy)
Cost: S$1.80/-

Comments:

I expected it to be extra sweet but it's not! It simply melts in your mouth. It's freaking smooth and makes you crave for more. It's really very very very very smooth. No kidding. It's not too sticky some more. It's just nice. Stuff like Van Houten is too thick and sweet. But this is brilliant. Not as good as designer chocolate but off the shelves, it is one of the best I've tasted. 10/10!

Nice chocolate, Happy Gen. :)

2008-05-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

Stall: Soon Huat Vegetarian (No. 15 if I'm not wrong)
Location: Maxwell Hawker Centre
Food: Vegetarian Bee Hoon
Cost: S$2.50/-
Comments:
Well, they soak the beehoon with the gravy a bit too much. It becomes a little too soggy. I think if it's dry, it would have tasted better. The chilli was below average. Very spicy but not tasty enough. A bit on the sour side. The dishes were good and tasty though.
Rating: 6/10

Stall: Pancake
Location: Maxwell Hawker Centre
Food: Pancake (Min Chiang Kueh)
Cost: Not sure :)
Comments:
If you like sweet stuff, this is for you! The kueh is soft and chewy. The peanuts is not very crunchy. It's more on the chewy side and it's sweet. :) To me, the taste is just right!
Rating: 9/10

2008-05-17T05:36:00.000-07:00

Firstly... the food... :)
Location: Blk 211 Toa Payoh Lorong 8
Food ordered:
Yee Mian
Spare Ribs (Pai Gu Wang)
Fried Spinach (Qing Chao Bo Cai)
Hotplate Tofu (Tian Ban Dou Fu)
Total cost: S$29/-

Comments:
The Yee Mian had a slight tinge of bitter taste due to the excessive black soy sauce added. Well the sauce was really black in colour. There were prawns, sotong, fish cake and vegetables together with the yee mian. Nothing fantastic. 4/10.

The Spare Ribs was not too bad. Very little bones and fats. Lots of meat. The sauce was not too sweet, just nice. Garnished with sesame seeds and keropok. The keropok was lau hong. Honestly, the keropok was lousy but that's not the main dish so I shall close one eye. Tender spare ribs, not too sweet. 7/10.

The Spinach was not that good. I think it was a little bit overcooked and too soft. Not salty enough. The serving was really very generous though. Oh and the spinach sort of lost its taste, possibly due to overcooking. 3/10.

The Hotplate Tofu was not fantastic either. Okay honestly, I don't like ginger and there was ginger inside. Besides that, the sauce was not tasty enough. Not sweet enough. There were only like 2 or 3 prawns. Not very generous with the prawns. Overall, not enough taste and not very appetising. 3/10.

Verdict: That explains why this coffeeshop is so much less crowded than the one which sells seafood. :) You really should go somewhere else. Like Hong Kong Street Restaurant opposite Novena Church. I promise to review that restaurant when I go there again. :)

Wah lau... the stupid uncle sitting at the next table speaks like this... "kan ni na................... kan ni na buey" So annoying. Just because he doesn't win his 4D. -_-"

Watched What Happens in Vegas. Nice and funny. I am not going to review a movie. That's Shawn's job. :)

Just for me to remember...
Things I want to buy: Jeans, Handphone, Laptop, T-shirts, Polo shirts, Socks, AUTO car...

2008-05-13T05:22:00.000-07:00

With all the hype about Singtel winning the iPhone deal and they're going to start selling iPhones at the end of the year, I feel a tiny little urge to comment. By the end of the year, the 2-megapixel camera that the iPhone has would be less than amazing. 5-megapixel camera phones are slowly taking over the market with most phones having at least 3.2-megapixels? I just feel that the iPhone really has a lacklustre camera. On top of that, they're only going to release the 3G version of the iPhone at the end of the year. Now's only May and many phones are already featuring 3.5G. Hmm. Makes me wonder why Apple suddenly lags in this field. Okay after all the criticism about the iPhone, I think Apple did a pretty good job with the design (as usual). It's sleek, stylish and cool. But, in conclusion, I think that getting an iPod Touch together with another handphone might be a better solution than getting an iPhone. Also, Nokia's coming up with a lot of newer models that could simply be better than the iPhone... If only Nokia phones were more stable... Hopefully, Sony Ericsson would come up with something good to pit itself against iPhone. :)

2008-05-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of myself. :) I am on a diet! I had tuna sandwich for breakfast, mixed vegetable rice for lunch (lemon fish, long beans and tau kwa) and fish shop for dinner. To end it off, supper is 1/3 a cup of Meiji Low Fat milk.

Okay now to the food review part.

Stall: Four Seasons Durians Pte Ltd
Location: AMK Hub Basement 2 and Ngee Ann City Basement 2
Food: Durian Pancake
Cost: S$1.50 per piece.
Rating: 10/10
Verdict: Excellent! Go try it! :) It's hot and crispy on the outside and the durian filling is generous and cold. Yummy. The pancake already tastes fantastic on its own. To end it all, it's freshly made right in front of you! Totally worth it.

Update: AMK one tastes better than the Ngee Ann City one. AMK one is thinner and crispier. The Ngee Ann City one used more flour so it was more chewy than crispy. Also, the Ngee Ann City person did not seal the pancake properly so the durian filling sort of came out too easily.

2008-05-11T06:58:00.001-07:00

As you can tell, I eat a lot... =D I feel fat already... But never mind... here goes...

Stall name: Lai Huat Seafood Restaurant
Location: Tyrwhitt Road, opposite Jalan Besar Swimming Complex
Food tested:
Belachan Fish (Shi Ban Yu)[S$26]
Spinach [S$8]
Deep Fried Tofu [S$8]
Total cost: S$47.10 nett (Rice is 70 cents per bowl and Chrysanthemum Tea is 1 dollar per person for a pot)
Comments:
The Belachan Fish was damn good! Spicy enough and the fish had no fishy smell. Skin was crispy and the fish meat is tender! Rating 10/10!

The spinach... Normal la.. It's just stir fried spinach... Rating 7/10.

The Deep Fried Tofu looks like really just Fried Tofu... No sauce nothing. Doesn't look good. But when you bite into it... It's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It's actually salty! Not too salty la. It's just nice. It was great. Rating 8/10. Cut the mark a bit because it doesn't look as good as it tastes.

2008-05-10T06:02:00.000-07:00

Okay. Went to Haagen Dazs at Novena Square Velocity again today haha. Daddy had Cookie Crunch with 2 scoops of Vanilla ice cream. He said that the chocolate fudge and the cookies were a tad too sweet. Mummy had Royal Monte Carlo. It was with Chocolate and Coffee ice creamShe said it was good. Hers was waffle cone bits at the bottom instead of cookies. Gen and I shared Banana Split with Green Tea, Belgian Chocolate and Strawberry ice cream. We added 2 bananas from Gen's bag. LOL. Monkeys, we are. Since the Banana split was more focused on the ice cream, it tasted so much better. :)

In total, it was around 58 dollars.

Royal Monte Carlo... Rated 9/10

Cookie Crunch... Rated 7/10

Banana Split... Rated 8/10

P.S. I am not rich lar. Mummy had vouchers so we went there. :)

As for Mothers' Day dinner, Daddy, Mummy and I ate at Zhou's Kitchen by Tung Lok Group at Square 2, Novena. Appetiser was Keropok. Can't go wrong with that since it's my favourite. :) First dish was Ngoh Hiang. It was not bad. A tad too strong of parsley taste but nonetheless, it was good. The skin was crispy and the meat was just nice. Not too salty. Second dish was Spinach with Century Egg, Salted Egg and Normal Egg. It tasted really good. It wasn't too salty nor too sweet. The spinach was soft and tasty. Very appetising. Next up was Steamed Crab Glutinous Rice. The glutinous rice was quite good. But the steamed crab had a bitter taste and most of the crabby taste was absorbed by the rice so it was quite bland. Not worth it... Then there was Pork Ribs. Nothing fantastic. Tasted like Sweet and Sour Pork but it is Pork Ribs. Another bad dish. The last dish was Ee-fu Noodles. It was not bad but presentation wise, it looks pretty plain. It lacked other ingredients. I think more spring onion would do it good.

In total, it costed about 78 dollars.

Keropok no need to rate.. I love it too much. :)
Ngoh Hiang: 8/10
Spinach: 9/10
Steamed Crab Glutinous Rice: 5/10
Pork Ribs: 3/10
Ee-fu Noodles: 6/10

Verdict: I'd rather Crystal Jade. :)

2008-05-09T06:17:00.000-07:00

This time I took a picture halfway thru eating so I'm sorry... I promise to better next time! :)

Interesting dessert of the day: Passion Waffle Delight

Location: Haagen Dazs @ Novena Square Velocity
Cost: S$22.25 nett
Picture:

Verdict:
It's highly pricey but the ice cream was good. The ice cream flavours that we chose were Mango and Passion Fruit and Strawberry. The mango sauce was good. The waffle was a tad disappointing. Tastes like the one I had at Golden Mile Food Centre. Doesn't taste high class you know? So for people going to Haagen Dazs, please avoid the waffle. :) Only the ice cream is worth the money!

2008-05-06T06:08:00.000-07:00

I shall do a food review.. but damn, I forgot to take the pictures of it. Anyway, Gen and I went to this shop called Fisheries at Bugis Junction, Basement 1. Well, as the name implies, they sell Fish and Chips.

I ordered a Beer Battered Fish and Chips (S$7.90) while Gen had this Grilled Fish and Chips (S$6.90).

As for the Beer Battered Fish and Chips, the batter tasted slightly bitter due to the beer. So I guess that's normal. The chips were normal, nothing fantastic or unusual. Presentation wise was poor. It was served in this white paper bag (which might be for take away) and then placed on a black plastic plate (which people use during parties and catered meals). The cutleries were made of plastic too. The portion served was horrendously little. There were 2 pieces of fish, put both together and they're about the size of an average man's palm. More so for the grilled one, as there was no batter to "fluff" it up. The amount of fries was less than that of McDonald's small fries. Well, it's not surprising that it's oily. Despite being beer battered, the fishy smell was still quite distinct so it was quite a turn-off without chilli and tartar sauce. Overall, I will rate the Beer Battered Fish and Chips (S$7.90) 2 out of 10.

I tried a bit of the Grilled Fish. It was served with corn and mashed potato. On the A la carte, the mashed potato and corn were highly expensive, at S$1.90 each. The mashed potato was garnished with a bit of bacon bits so I guess that wasn't too bad. The corn served was about 5cm long so that was average. The amount of fish served is totally unacceptable. The fish was really, really thin and the 2 pieces added up was smaller than the size of one's palm. Stack the two pieces up and it's probably as thick as your index finger. The fishy smell was very distinct. I will rate this 1 out 10.

Overall verdict: I DO NOT recommend this stall.

Gen had Chocolate Oreo Crunch while I had Peanut Butter Crunch from Chewy Junior, also at Bugis Junction Basement 1. They are priced at S$1.20 each and a box of 6 will cost you S$6.50.

As the name implies, it is really chewy. So much so that it can't be cut with a plastic knife. The Chocolate Oreo Crunch is served with lots of Oreo Cookie powder and inside, it's filled with chocolate cream. It's pretty nice. Deserves a rating of 8 out of 10.

As for the Peanut Butter Crunch, it is topped with a generous helping of peanut powder. Inside, it's filled with peanut butter cream. Not bad too. Deserves a rating of 8 out of 10 as well.

Overall verdict: If you love cream puffs, this is the place to go. :)

We also had Yam Milk Tea with Green Apple Jelly(S$2.10) from SweetTalk at Bugis Junction, Basement 1.

The yam taste wasn't really distinct so it tasted more like milk tea only. The yam taste only kicks in as an after taste. So oh well. Rating of 5 out of 10.

Overall verdict: Try something else la...

2008-05-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

I seldom blog about something so political but oh well here goes nothing...

I feel that adding seatbelts alone in school buses wouldn't solve a thing. I mean kids nowadays are really not stupid at all. I am sure they know how to unbuckle the seat belts. Especially so when the driver is concentrating on driving. Having an attendant to scream at the kids plus a seatbelt would not be good for the parents' pockets. Besides, kids tend to be naughty and go against the attendant too! I guess the most effective way is to get the drivers to drive safely and NOT speed and well, educate the children to belt up or hold onto the railings. Just look at those children in the school buses. They stand up and walk around. Well, kids are just hyperactive. A belt can't make them sit still...

I wish petrol were free... =D

2008-04-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

Life sucks. I'm feeling really tired and angry. I don't know what to do also. I am really confused. I don't know what I want. Forget it la. I can't be bothered already...

2008-04-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

Honestly, if you ask me, I think I drive so much better on my own without supervision. Maybe because I feel less stressed. I totally like my driving today. I feel happy and proud of it. :) Woots.

2008-04-21T07:13:00.000-07:00

I wonder if I really have too high expectations of myself. I feel that I should be able to drive properly but I have no idea why I am still stalling and making some other stupid mistakes that I do not feel like typing. It just sucks you know. It's not like I cannot drive. I just don't know why sometimes things go wrong. Things just don't like to go my way. The Calling is so wrong. Things certainly DO NOT go my way. Piece of crap and frigging bullshit. Don't know if I should blame my foot or my hand. They both aren't any good. Or blame my mind for being too pre-occupied. AhH :( It's drivng me crazy. I just want to curse and swear la. At this rate, doubt I will drive alone tomorrow.

2008-04-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

I shall drive safely and not be bothered by the cars behind me finding my driving too slow. For my own safety and for the poor car's safety.

Shit. I feel like a poor man. I need to get some savings plan. Save at least 200 a month before I really run out of money one day... I still want my Sony Ericsson C702 though. Haha. Shall go look for some savings plan already.

Exercising is a pain in the ass. My boobs aren't getting any smaller. :( I shall persevere for a month and see how things go. 1 week down, 3 weeks to go. Pay day please come :)

2008-04-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

Oh man. I feel so overly careful when my dad is sitting in the car when I drive. He's so anal and all that he makes me overly cautious. I think that's bad. Driving is supposed to be relaxing. Being overly cautious can be dangerous. Bah. Driving alone can be boring but I can concentrate better and I can make the decisions. Being less reliant on my dad is good. At least I will learn the roads faster. Bah. I should just learn vertical parking properly then I shall drive on my own. BAH. :)

2008-04-18T07:27:00.001-07:00

My hair is long. I need to cut it. But I don't know what hairstyle to cut. :( Sigh. My hair sucks man. Need to find time to cut it. Sunday it shall be! Oh man it's like so boring...

2008-04-17T00:40:00.000-07:00

Sony Ericsson C702

I am so going to buy that phone... :)

3.2 Megapixel Camera
GPS!! :)
Radio!
MegaBass!
Geotagging of photos (aka so you wont forget where you took your photo!)

Now now, isn't that a very good deal?
It's coming out about this month. OMG OMG. I NEED a new phone. Well, seeing it as a NEED would be more convincing for myself to buy it. :D

http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/overview/c702?cc=sg&lc=en

2008-04-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

Got this horrible headache... Think it's due to lack of sleep. Anyway, that's not the point...

Was on the bus to work this morning... I thought to myself... What would happen if *touch wood* one day you died in some horrific accident and it was reported in the newspaper over a few days... What would they write about you? About your life? Cheerful boy. Then they list your achievements. Saying how good you were. What if they had notihng much to write about you? I wonder... Sheesh. What an emo thought. So morbid. So not me. :)

Sleepy sleepy sleepy. Another day beckons.

Day: Come here, little one. Embrace me...
mS: Alright... I'm almost there.. just wait okay? Be patient. :)

2008-04-15T07:13:00.000-07:00

Bah. I can't stand it. I feel fat. :( Very fat. I should start eating less already. I should start exercising more. I shall go to the gym during lunch and run and whatever shit. I shall not complain that it's boring! ROAR. :D

Fat Extermination Ver 1.1 shall begin.

2008-04-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

I felt so inspired to exercise today. I felt really really fat after the weekend and stuff. Monday's always a good time to exercise. I did 6 sets of 60:120. Oh man. It was very tiring. I think I didn't hydrate myself enough so I didn't have much energy to do pull ups after that. One day, I shall try to do 200 push ups. :) In sets, of course.

2008-04-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you to those who supported me throughout this difficult time. :) I've finally passed my driving! YAY!

2008-04-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

Stuff to note before I really fail my driving...

1. Check the f***ing rear view mirror.
2. Change lane properly....
3. Check carefully before turning
4. Don't turn at such high speeds.
5. Don't reverse so fast...
6. Brake gently.

Pls let me pass my driving test.. :(

2008-04-08T05:31:00.001-07:00

Thinking back to the day where I enlisted at BMTC on Pulau Tekong...
I parted with my parents at the ferry terminal while the sun was setting. Well, somehow I think it's only natural for parents to worry. Deep down inside me, I did not have much feelings. I went with an open mind. Before I said my goodbyes, I acted tough and told them I would be fine. Well, it was true that I could take care of myself. Even if I felt like shit, I wouldn't tell it to them. And so the "adventure" began... It was the first time I felt the lack of freedom. I felt the ultimate control. The regimentation. Kinda sucks for someone like me who have so much freedom. But oh well. Everything was so disorganised and rushed that I wished I had some help. I had someone nice to guide me. But then again, I was knocked back into reality. This is the army. Not a hotel. So oh well. Got to find some ways and means to manage without anybody's help. Really. The first day, I felt so helpless that I felt like crying. I need someone to complain to. Some outlet. Somehow, everyone were still strangers. So no one was really helping each other much. Everyone was somehow scared for themselves getting punished. After settling down over the few days, everything was in order. Made new friends. Felt so much better. There's company. People to help you. People to wait for you. People to talk to. When things are more organised, I feel less stressed, less flustered and much more happy. Just like the usual mS. :) I like being happy. Then again, who doesn't?

Just had this random thought about BMT because Qing Hui is enlisting tomorrow. :)

2008-04-04T06:15:00.000-07:00

I really have no idea what I should do. I feel angry, cheated, disappointed and upset. I feel like a fool. I feel stupid for letting it happen. I feel so much hate, so much anger swirling inside me. Revenge? Impossible. I am not that rash. Telling him off? How to do it professionally without insulting him personally? So many things are running through my head. If Death was a solution, I would pick it right away. I am really sick of thinking. This week has been terrible. Pack of lies. Fool again. Blame fate? I'm always at the losing end. :) I'm the buffoon. Being nice doesn't pay off. No more Mr. Nice Guy. I'm sorry to say this but I'm really fucking sick of it. Fucking sick of this life. MY life.

2008-03-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

Honestly speaking, I really would like to go to a beach resort, just to chill out. Nice see view, nice beach and nice CLEAR seawater. :( Always wanted to be beach boy LOL. No la just kidding. Think the sound of the waves is really really relaxing. Besides, a hotel beside the beach is so cool. Can go for a massage with the sound of waves. Excellent! Can go snorkeling too. Oh man....

2008-03-31T16:51:00.000-07:00

Oh man. I just woke up not too long ago from a dream. I shall hereby call it... Life Tornado. I dreamt of people like Joshua (from 45th batch of NSPI), Justin (from 46th batch of NSPI), Jun Long (from 03/05 TJC), Ms. Norsheha (from TJC), Calista and Michelle (from CCHMS). Oh man. It was like this.... Ms. Norsheha was like demanding changes of my office layout. Like breaking down all the partitions and moving of desks. She changed the office so much that it looked like an exam hall to me. Worst of all, we're supposed to fit my office computer on the pathetic square table that we have. How am I going to write anything?! It seemed like all in a mess. And in my dream, Justin seemed to be together with Calista. I am like oh man... shocked for a while. They don't even know each other in real life -_-. This dream happened in a span of 15 minutes only? Gosh. I think it represents my life going topsy turvy.

2008-03-30T05:05:00.000-07:00

On my way home, there was this group of guys walking towards me. One of them, who was wearing an SAJC T-shirt, sang, "I am cow, hear me moo. I weigh twice as much as you. And I look good on the barbeque...." It was like 8pm or so and it was damn funny. I mean I heard of the song before. But hearing someone sing it like he was auditioning for Singapore Idol is really funny. Well, at least the guy can sing la. :)

Oh well, another week beckons... Another week closer to get my driving license. I can't wait!

2008-03-28T05:57:00.000-07:00

Okay. I know I'm still very young and all. But the mini discussion about university and pre-u options for kids in the not-so-distant future really got me thinking and planning. So..

Poly
or
JC
or
Overseas Uni

Just my two cents worth...
A polytechnic education is highly useful and practical. However, are students able to make the correct choice of diploma at the fine young age of 16 that would most likely determine their career path for the rest of their lives? Then again, this point is highly debatable as people in the working world don't really do jobs related to their degree/diploma. Another bad point that I would possibly like to raise is that only the top 10% of the students in a polytechnic can make it into a local university. I believe this ratio has to be fixed. It's highly unfair to polytechnic students. Why only the elite can get a place into university?

Junior College education is pretty much irrelevant and redundant. To me, it's basically a stepping stone to university. A GCE 'A' Level certificate is pretty much worthless as compared to the diploma. The only advantage of going to a JC is the easy path to university. You don't have to be the top 10% to get into a local university. Well, people complain about the extensive mugging and immense stress in JC. I guess that's common and it's really how one manages it. After all, stress is all around. Going to local university is good as it is cheap! It is not too bad and easily recognised in Singapore.

Overseas university is mainly for those who can really afford. Yes, it's faster. It's easier and sometimes, maybe even worth more than a local degree. Then again, studying overseas requires a lot of self-discipline and independence. You're living on your own at the fine age of 16 and you have to settle your own household chores and at the same time, study. A bit too much to handle for a 16 year old? I guess that wouldn't be much of a problem if the student has a rich family. Able to migrate or hire maids. Different culture, different exposure, different experience. Only for those who are rich enough...

2008-03-26T07:45:00.001-07:00

I'm confused. Have I not given my best in everything I do? Why does my best always seem not good enough? mS, just chill... all these pain... it's only temporary... bear with it... just a week alright? :)

2008-03-26T06:40:00.000-07:00

As usual, I walked into MPH and started reading Astrology books. That's like one of my favourite hobbies of all time. Although the same stuff is always said about Scorpio, I'm still keen on finding more about my zodiac and hence, myself. I don't know about everyone else but I find it quite true. Well, at least the typical Scorpio characteristics sort of fit me. Determined. Jealous. Vengeful. Of course, I don't really know how true the mesmerising gaze Scorpios are supposed to have fit into my description. I don't really think that my gaze is that mesmerising. :)

2008-03-24T06:22:00.000-07:00

On my way to pick Gen up from work, I passed by 2 playgrounds. I had this sudden urge to play with the swing so I purposely went early to the playground nearer to her workplace and sat on the swing. And so, I swung higher and higher. My legs grew tired after a while as I had to make extra effort to ensure that my feet doesn't hit the floor. Well, after all, playgrounds are for kids. When I was swinging around, I titled my head back to look at the sky. Oh my god, that felt quite exciting. It feels like I'm going to get flung off the swing. Whatever it is, the sudden rush of adrenaline and the sense of satisfaction is amazing. I feel like a kid again... :) Wish there was a swing near my house or something... Don't worry! I'm not feeling emo.

While paying a visit to Gen at Cold Storage, there was this Indian girl playing with her white balloon which she got from some Pneumonia thing. She threw her balloon a bit too high and it landed on top of the shelf. She looked at it with a sad face and went to call her daddy. I just reached up for the balloon and pushed it off the shelf and walked off. Haha. Some "wind" blew the balloon off the shelf. :)

I think my memory is seriously deteriorating. I keep forgetting stuff like how to say chinese parsley in chinese and schedules. Sheesh. Is this the 20-year-old syndrome?

Oh. By the way, I really do think I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(OCD). I seriously like things to be returned to their original rightful place after use. Haha. So once I keep my house/table/room neat, it will stay that way. Haha. I really don't know if that's good or bad...

I took 21 home from Novena MRT Station. SBS573P. The bus was leaking water from the roof above the front left wheel. It wetted about 3 seats. Mostly the handicapped ones since they were near the exit. Not the first time I'm seeing such stuff happening... and they still have the audacity to increase bus fares when their buses really need some maintenance works.

Haha. I'm finally blogging. I realise I do have some interesting observations after all. Just that I don't remember by the time I reach my laptop. :)

Back to blogging...

2008-03-13T05:31:00.000-07:00

Alas! The time has come for me to blog again... Please bear with the ugly template for the time being. I need time to scout for a nice little template and add some personal feel to it!
Nice and cool rainy day. Perfect for sitting back and relaxing. :)