Boxing Day 2007

This day was never a significant day in my calendar... why? When I was younger, I never have the patience of waiting till Boxing day to open my Christmas presents. But it seems that when I gets older, there is no longer an excitement in opening present... and the pleasure comes in keeping the presents wrapped.

Received a particularly nice present from Felicia and it was actually a piggy alarm clock. I actually have a piggy bank on top of 1 of my speakers, and the piggy clock that she gave me was of the same piggy... but in this case, it was an alarm clock. Now I have a pair of them seated on top my speakers... a total of 5 alarm clocks to wake me up! Hee hee... (:

Went to meet Felicia in the morning to take a Ted Baker shirt she helped me bought, which I forgot to take on Christmas Eve. It was the black shirt which I tried on Tess's Hens night. I walked all the way from Toa Payoh to Potong Pasir... The stroll was nostalgic, it was the exact same route that I walked for 4 years during my secondary school days. It has been more than 10 years since I walked that path, but nothing has changed... except for my secondary school, which is now Saint Andrew's village. The school campus seems very different... what used to be the field and canteen is now occupied by SAJC. The chapel has also shifted, and the route to the main entrance is no longer the same... yet the spirits feels the same.

Agreed to meet Kah Wai for dinner today as it has been quite some time since I last met up with him. Furthermore it would be nice to meet up with all my friends for this festive season. We decided to try Muthu's Curry at Suntec and I think we ordered too much. There was Fish Head Curry, Butter Chicken, Naan, Spring Rolls, Butter Rice (...and 1 more dish which I forgotten) just for the 2 of us and the bill was $60.80 in total. Not the first time I had Indian cuisine, but the first time I tried the food here... Honestly speaking, I had better indian food at a much cheaper price and I would never recommend anyone to this place. The supposedly chef's recommendation - Fish Head Curry - had a stale fishy taste. Eeew. The Naan was tasteless and the butter chicken has no kick at all.

Anyway, we had a cup of tea before calling it a day. Happy Boxing Day. (:

Merry Christmas 2007

Another year... another festive season... another Christmas eve... I have been slacking at home for the past few days that I felt extremely lethargic going all the way down to Jurong West for Christmas gathering. I have been clearing my leave since 19th Dec (2 weeks of holidays with just 6 days of leave) and its no excuse for me not to go down since I was free, furthemore I have given my word that I will be going down to make pasta since there will be potluck dinner. Okay, sous chef would be more suitable as my sister is actually the one doing most of the cooking.

Was suppose to reach at around 6 plus and seeing that it was already 1733 hrs when we left home, it will probably take us 1 hours or more to reach smelly cocco land. I thus suggested taking a cab and the fare was a whooping price of $22 (even after the driver gave us a $3 discount) when it costs me only $14 in the past. Putain! I never expected the changes in the cab fare made such a big difference, each jump of the meter was burning $0.20 from my wallet. Shall treat it as Christmas present for the driver... Luckily Jia Hui sent us home, else I can't imagine the midnight fare we have to pay.

Initially I wanted to help out with the cooking, but it was overcrowded at the kitchen, so I decided to borrow's Anthony laptop and continue with the design of my blog. Since the day I've revamped my blog, I have been hooked to it and has been constantly making cosmetic changes to it. However, its only today that I realise that the appearance varies between different browsers and resolutions... thus I decided not to make any more changes to it at the moment, but instead concentrate on my posts.

The guests for tonight were mostly from my JC CCS gang and Anthony's friends in which I've already met during their housewarming. However the best surprise for the night was to see Qing Jie! Its has been almost 2 years since I last saw him and he hasn't change abit. The best thing was to know that he has graduated (: Congratulations!

As we have quite abit of catching up to do since it has been quite some time when we last met each other, naturally we were talking to each other most of the time. There was however this bugger (friend of A&F and also Qing Jie's army fren) who keeps coming to interrupt us. Joining in our conversation is definitely okay with us, the crazy thing was that he mistook me and Qing Jie as an item...!!?? -.-"

WTF? We weren't even doing anything!? It was just casual chatting within audible distance that would not even spark the least chemistry. I seriously wonder how could anyone mistaken us for an item. Well, nobody did except for this bugger. Anyway, it was only till Qing Jie left early to meet another group of friends that I realize this bugger was trying to hit on me.

I am not being paranoid or over sensitive... even Jia Hui and my sister sense that this guy was trying to hit on me. Darren even asked me where my "stalker" was when the bugger was missing momentarily. I'm not sure when I gave him a wrong idea... I was busy doing my blog, chatting with Qing Jie and helping myself to the food. Yet, he was always trying to pick on whatever I do and later try to be nice. When I was watching and , he chosed to sit right beside me... and constantly asking me to bottoms up the wine. The most interesting thing was he asked me if I wanted to kiss him at midnight on Christmas and stated that kissing doesn't mean anything between 2 straight guys. Luckily I was witty enough to give a tactful reply and got out of it... phew.

Its not the first time people hit on me but I seriously do not know why. I am truly flattered to know that I am attractive to guys, thank you... however I would be more appreciative if its the girls that approach me! Hee hee. Honestly speaking, I have nothing against gays and I can be close friends with you all... but please do not get fresh with me. Anyway, he is actually quite a nice guy and perhaps more liberal having staying in US for a period of time. Furthermore there is something common between us, and that is shopping, thus I've decided not to disclose his name here. (:

Another surprise for the night was seeing Sin Ee and her fiance. I hardly have the chance and time to meet up with my classmates and tonight has been truly wondrous. I'm hearing wedding bells soon I guess... hee hee (;

Started with only a can of beer for the night, it eventually became several glasses of red wine and I'm amazed at how much I drank tonight forgetting the blood puking session several days ago. To make things worse, they decided to play international chess with vodka shots as forfeit for the losing team. Both the chess board and pieces were made of glass. We filled each glass with vodka and whenever the pieces are taken, the team members are responsible in finishing the shots.

Game in action:

Some group photos before I'll end this posts:

Merry Christmas to all..! (:

TTFN

1. Putain - French vulgarity

Tin and Golden Compass

It has been quite some time since I last met up with Tin so I arranged to meet up with her before the year ends. We usually meet at Cineleisure Somerset, naturally I made my way down there (supposedly to meet 1930 hrs at a christmas tree as its more prominent). However, its only when I reached Cineleisure that I realized my mistake that the venue has all along been fixed at The Cathay at Dhoby Ghaut (where there is a big beautiful christmas tree) argh... hate to walk the bird pooping stretch along Somerset, and the traffic light at the junction takes forever before pedestrain are allowed to cross.

Was surprised to find Tin waiting for me inside Plaza Singapura, the reason being that she would usually wait at open areas so that she can smoke. Its only then she told me that she has quit smoking! Its a nice surprise and I'm really happy for her... and she definitely has a healthier glow. (:

Life is so ironic... Just when I picked up the habit and thought I can have another smoking kaki, Tin is into her third week since she last lit a cigarette, but I really hope she can kick her smoking habits. Well, I'm not into smoking, it all depends on who I am hanging out with or when I go drinking. So what is the kick? I've asked several friends before I try it myself. Is it addictive? I don't think so as I think I'm addicted to my computer more than anything else. Does it makes people high? Nope, feels pretty much the same to me. Does it makes you refreshed and alive? I feel equally sleepy. Is it cool? Neh, its just a stick that burns your money. Personally, I think the addiction comes when you think you are in control. When a person think he/she is doing it casually or occassionally... yet it is these small occassions that built up the habit.

We had dinner at Manhattan Fish Market... its probably the fourth time I ate here, but its the first time I tried the fried mushrooms and I must say it is absolutely fantastic! Did some catching up with Tin during the dinner and I'm glad to know that Derrick and Guan Aik is doing well. (:

Bought a small notepad from a shop (Woody Wood or something like that in Cathay) that costs me $20. It was meant to be used for gift exchange for Christmas eve. The budget was supposed to be $10, but its already too late to shop for a gift... well, this is the outcome of procastination, ha ha.

We bought the tickets for "The Golden Compass" at 2230 hrs at The Cathay and I loved the show! Why? Because there are animals! I think the idea of having a demon in the form of an animal is extremely cool! Imagine having any of the species in the big cats family as a demon... they are ferocious yet arrogant and carries an air of graciousness... Bite me! And to be able to communicate with them, its like a dream come true. (;

Date: 23rd December 2007

Time: 2230 hrs

Venue: The Cathay

Some other posters of the movie:

We had dessert and drink at coffee club before calling it a night. Its already Christmas eve as I've finished this posts. T.T.F.N (:

1. Kaki - Malay word for 'leg', however in this context, it is used to describe friends

Shi Hui's Wedding

Yet another wedding to attend this month... and this time its my good fren Shi Hui (Tess) getting married to Francis. (:

The wedding was held at Peony Jade restaurant along Clarke Quay. Other than the unique location, the wedding has a special theme... Shang Hai Theme! As expected, the bride was wearing Cheongsam for the later part of the night and I was quite surprised to see some of the guests (mostly females and kids) arrriving in cheongsams too. Initially I wanted to wear Changsan and Ma Gua, but I'm glad I didn't as I'm sure not many males will be sporting enough to dress to the theme... and I definitely do not wish to stand out. As the groom was Indian nationality, the wedding felt like an international convention... and if not, it is definitely the first wedding dinner that I attended with so many nationals. (;

Throughout the night, we were entertained by chinese oldies to fit the theme, and an extremely long photo presentation, hee hee! Other than that, the bride surprised us with a black wedding gown (not for the night, but was seen in her wedding photos) instead of the usually white flowing gown that most ladies would go for. I always admire Tess's display of boldness and forthright character. Really nice gown and cheongsam by the way. (:

Personally, I feel the dishes for the night were fantastic except for the suckling pig which I did not try. I do have some comments for the dessert though: it was mango pomelo sago... some sort of sticky fruity stuff which was surprisingly nice. However it could be better if it does not have the fibre stuffs from the seed. Boon cheong could not join us for the night as his sister happens to hold her wedding dinner on the same night. Felicia's husband Anthony who was a colleague also attended her wedding. Small world again.

Pictures taken at the night of the wedding:

Wonderful group photo, one of the best I liked most:

Before we left Peony-Jade, Jeff commented that the parking at Liang Courts is disastrous and the last time his father parked there for an event, it took him 1 hour just to depart from the carpark. We should have heeded's his advice because when we reached the carpark, there was already a long queue of cars trying to make their exit. Initially I had wanted to give Jeff a lift, but he rather took the train... and by the time we exited the carpark, it was already 2330 hrs. It was a rare opportunity to meet up, thus Jia Hui suggested going for drinks at one of the pub around Changi Village.

I always loved the stretch of road towards Changi... especially the stretch parallel to the runway. Since young, I always have a fondness for isolated, serene places... a corner where no one will be able to find me, a nook where I can reflect and think, an area where I can detach myself from the world and be with myself... tabernacle of tranquility... that's why I usually suggested hanging out at Fort Canning back in JC. Another reason why I'm attached to changi area is because Alvin once brought me and Marilyn to chill out. I've also been to the airport with them and the piggies on different occassion, or even to study. Haiz... those were the days. In fact, I'm sure the history has been written and I'm gonna miss tonight where I am here with Jia Hui, Jun Ming and my sis. Will definitely drive my way down here again when I have the chance.

On the way, we picked up Wang Yuan who happened to be at Changi Beach. Although we found out the pub has already been moved by the time we reach there, I was glad we made the trip there as it was a lovely sight at night... a perfect place for stars gazing. Finally we decided to go to the Macs at East Coast Park for a drink before we call it a night...

May Tess and Francis marriage be long lasting with happiness abound. (:

1. Cheongsam - Traditional dress for Chinese Woman

2. Changsan - Traditional attire for Chinese Man

3. Ma Gua - Also known as riding jacket. A shirt worn by Chinese Man over their Changsan

Hens and Cocks

A really good friend of mine getting married real soon and we decided to throw her a Hen's night. Wondering why its called Hen's night for girls and Bachelor night for guys... I wiki the term and realized the correct word was Bachelorette party, and the term 'Hens night' is more commonly used in UK, Ireland and Australia.

Well who said Hens night is only for girls to attend... the guys can be the cocks for the night! Ha ha. Anyway, tonight was a decent gathering for us to chill out and catch up before Shi Hui throws her customary wedding dinner. Initial arrangement was to meet at 1830hrs for dinner at Vivo City, which was later changed to 1930hrs as the ladies wanted to go Mango for shopping. I was early and thus joined Felicia and Jia Hui for shopping. A supposedly staff invitation shopping at Mango turns out to be a Open-to-public lelong* session... The scene was quite unsightly and was not what I expect from a boutique at Vivo. Since Felicia has 40% for boutiques under RSH, I myself did a little shopping at Ted Baker. Its great to know that there is discount for RSH from Felicia, FJ Benjamin discounts from Darren and Wing Tai discounts from Tin! Hee hee.

I really liked collections from Ted Baker and had my eyes on 1 of their shirt. While trying the shirts, the rest of the gang has all reached and they were asking me to try other designs and I ended up buying a dark purple stripe shirt which they think was nice. I think only Boon Cheong wasn't convinced... ha ha.

There were 7 of us that night, namely: Boon Cheong, Shi Hui, Felicia, Jia Hui, Darren, my sister and me and we all agreed to have dinner at one of the Hong Kong cafe recommended by Felicia. Most of us ordered baked rice and it was pretty good except for the Hen who ordered Lamp Chop... and according to her, it was terrible. Its only events like this that we have chances to catch up with each other and I really appreciate the time spent during the dinner. (:

How can it be a Hens night without party or liquor? Thus they brought up the idea of going to St James Berlini room where we can chill out and I'm surprise Boon Cheong went along with the idea. We initially wanted to go Berlini Room and chill out as it has pretty nice Jazz music, but it turned out they had a private function and won't be open to public till 2300 hrs. So we headed for Movida first and found ourselves a nice cushion at the left of the entrance. There was a life band singing salsa and latin songs and they are quite good... but the speaker in Movida room needs to be replaced as the base comes out all wrong. Another interesting sight was that the dance floor was occupied by aunties and uncles displaying their flowery dance moves. Well, perhaps its because its Wednesday night...? We ordered some wedges and nachos while I had a glass of whisky green tea and another glass of vodka sprite.

Hens and Cock of the night:

The Piggies:

We stayed till 2315 hrs before trying to enter Berlini room again but they are still close for the public, so I suggested DragonFly to let Boon Cheong experience the canto sensation... hee hee. Once again it was a dissapointment as the life singing will only commence at 12 midnight. It was my third visit there but tonight's ambience was somehow more sleazy than usual. We stayed for about 30 mins before changing to Power House. I preferred the crowd and music here but it was overcrowded. Luckily Darren's friend, Wayne was here early and we manged to get one reserved table. Wednesday was lady's night and the girls each got 5 coupons of free house pours! They managed to get 2 jugs of Bourbon coke and several glass of vodka orange which were mostly finished by me. I even ordered 1 tequilla shot from those kawaii* gers to help them out. Though I only got to know Wayne that night, I think he would make quite an awesome friend and he also offered me a glass of Chivas. We were all grooving to the music and dancing around our tables except for TBC... I seriously hope he enjoyed the evening as he was stoning on the couch most of the time. We popped by Berlini Room (for the washroom) before we called it a night. Tomorrow still gotta work!

I guess I drank too much but was somewhat okay on the way home till the taxi ride. The ride was so bumpy I guess it churned all the alcohol in me that I ended up puking after shower. It wasn't surprising till I saw traces of blood in it. Till now I'm not sure if the blood was due to the sore throat (from all the shouting as it was almost impossible to talk in Power House) or from the intestine. Anyway, it was about 0330 hrs when I hit the sack and its amazing how I could still function the next day at work.

1. Lelong - Malay word for sales or auction

2. Kawaii - Japanese word for Cute

Wei Qiang's Wedding

Seems that year 2007 is a good year to get married: Firstly there was Lip Hsiang, then Kelly and now Wei Qiang... or perhaps it is an indication that I'm getting older!

Was supposed to meet Wen Hao at MRT station to make our way down to Furama Hotel, however we ended up sharing a cab, and the moment we reach we were greeted by 2 familiar faces at the smoking point. (;

There was something seemingly familiar about the hotel in which AQ held his wedding banquet. Yes, it was the same hotel SCE held their annual DnD in year 2004 where me and a group of friends went to support Anne for her pageant. Melvin was helping out with seating assignment and attendance taking, which was pretty distracting... I ended up depositing my ang bao* without writing my name. Arggh...

Friends assigned to the same table were Vincent, Wen Hao, Eddie, Kun Xing, Seh Yi, Yong Kang and gf. As some of them were brothers for the wedding, we were initially assigned a table nearer to the stage of the banquet. There was however a table right at the entrance of the banquet in which the whole table of guests were late. As the dinner was about to commence and it wasn't nice to have an empty spot at the entrance, we were asked to shift to that particular table. The arrangement was fine with me, but not the lateness. It is already an usual practice for wedding dinners to commence late but such lateness is ridiculous. Why can't people put in the effort to be on time... is it really difficult to be punctual?

Bump into several familiar faces that night: Xin Yan and Shi Hao... and to my surprise, my elder cousin! He happens to be in the same company as AQ and Xin Yan... and from what I heard, a very nice guy in the company. (;

The dinner was pleasant and the presentation was nicely done. During the presentation, there were often breakout of laughter and it wasn't hard to figure out why. The laughter often comes from the group of brothers... and whenever Melvin appears on the screen. From the pictures that were showin in the presentation, it also seems that Melvin was usually positioned between Wei Qiang and Jie Ling. Ha ha.

The Happy Couple:

Brothers having fun together with the groom:

May the married couple stay happily together forever. (:

1. Ang Bao - A dialect term meaning Red packets

Brussels Sprout

It was a tough and busy week due to manpower shortage at my company. Michael, Dony and me has to cope with all the problems that we have on hand that Mike eventually suggesting a nice meal to chill out after the week's hard work. Michael came up with a nice cosy Belgian Bar and bistro with high stools and stylish flooring alongside Singapore river for the evening. Dony gave it a miss and thus only Mike, Vanessa, Muriel and me was there for the evening.

As its now pretty close to christmas, the walls of the restaurant was beautifully decorated with christmas socks. I however strongly believed the decorations were meant for the celebration of 'Saint Nicolas Day'. A brief explaination of Catholic and Orthodox religous beliefs in Belgium: Saint Nicolas was a model of compassionate life and known for his generosity to those in need, his love for children and his concern for sailors and ships. Commonly linked to the story of Santa Claus, it is widely celebrated in Europe on 6th of December each year. As told by Michael, the kids usually place carrots, sweets or sugar cubes in their socks or shoes, in which they will find presents the next day. Aren't it going to smell? Hee hee.

Back to the restaurant and food for the night: 'Belgian cuisine'. I would say it is a must to try their thick cut fries with different mayonnaise dips. Their signature dish would be none other than Mussels. (well... ever heard of mussels from Brussels?) Mussels lovers will be spoilt for choice with 14 different home cooked styles, some of which are catered to Asian taste. Another not to be missed Belgian delicacy would be Beef tartare... and their love of beef is extraordinary. Something that I learn from my Belgian friends is that they like to have their beef raw. Spending my evening with 3 of them, I could not escape the fate of not trying it...

• One of the dish was called 'Toast Cannibal' - Crispy toasted bread topped by a generous layer of raw minced beef and a slice of pickle. Taste? Its unexpectedly unique and I could hardly taste the meat. Conscious of the fact that I'm chewing on raw flesh, I could only savor the spices and herbs used to prepare the beef and the palatable toast.
• The other dish is called 'Filet Americain' - Belgian version of Beef tartare. A slicling of slick raw beef marinated with wine and spiced to taste. Honestly no offence, but I am glad not having to try this dish as I was never a fan of eating Moos Moos.

The orders for the night were a plate of Grey shrimp potato croquettes, 2 plates of Toast Cannibal with Steak Tartare, Frites and of course, belgian beers. I had 2 glass of hoegaarden and Vis en Frites*. Muriel ordered a pot of Vin Blanc*, Michael had Homemade Pork Sausages and Vanessa had Braised Meatballs. I was totally stuffed for the night and the bill totalled S$250/++ for 4 person.

Beautiful evening, fantastic delicacy accompanied by nice cool breeze along the scenic Singapore river... its a place not to be missed.

Anyone who is interested to try this restaurant, they are located at The Pier@Robertson at 80 Mohammed Sultan Road. Image taken from Streetdirectory.com.

1. Vis en Frites - Belgian way of Beer battered Fish n Chips

2. Vin Blanc - Mussels cooked with White wine, celery and onion

Felicia's Housewarming

Another piggy friend of mine has found her better half and they have bought an apartment at Boon Lay along street 61. The invitation to the housewarming was sent several weeks ago but I was too cope up with my work that I almost forgotten about the event. Luckily Boon Cheong reminded me and I took the initiative to get piggy (referring to Felicia... hee hee) a gift.

After asking several of my peeps, I manage to get Boon Cheong, Jia Hui, Pei Pei, Xiao Bing and my Sister to chip in for the housewarming gift. Its never easy to get a gift but things were easier this time round as piggy has generously update a site requesting the stuffs that they might need. After spending my morning exploring Courts, Harvey Norman and Carrefour... I finally bought her a Philips Deep Fryer from Best at Plaza Singapura.

I reached early around 2 pm as I've agreed to help her to edit a Flash presentation which she needed for her work. The apartment was nicely renovated and surprisingly spacious, a pity the location is at smelly cocco land. Despite spending 4 years at Boon Lay during my uni days, I've never got used to the stench of god-knows what cocco bau* emitted from the nearby factories.

Boon Cheong arrived shortly after but I was too engrossed with the modification of the Flash presentation that I somehow neglected their conversation. Its only till his arrival that we started helping ourselves to the catered food and almond jelly made by Piggy. Either I was starved or the caterer is really good... I think the food was pretty appetizing!

The Flash presentation was intricately written with scripts and I really had a tough time modifying it. I was able to modify it until the portion where I had to remove/replace some pictures of the staff. C'est pas posi*... I told myself... the timing of the script and audio files would not allow me to make such changes unless I have more time. Finally, I have to give up and join the rest in their conversation. Haiz...

The turn-up of friends from Junior College was pretty okay. Jun ming and Qing Wei was there in the afternoon. Shi Hui, Francis, Jia Hui and Darren reached around late evening. Boon Cheong had to leave early to meet his girlfriend, but I stayed on till eleven plus before I left with Jia Hui and her boyfriend, Darren. This was the first time I met Darren and he was from the same army unit as me. He also happens to be a friend of Oh Lee Hui and was in the same course as Boon Cheong in NTU. On top of that, he was also colleagues with Anthony's sister. Wow... what a small world! It was really great to see the gang as it has been quite some time since I last met them. Glad to have the chance to catch up with them and know everyone is doing great!

With sincere blessings from my Heart... I wish my close friend Felicia and Anthony a lifetime happiness in their lovely abode. (:

1. Bau - A word for smell in Malay.

2. C'est pas posi - French phrase/slang for 'This is not possible'