Bday 1: A year older, a year wiser? Nah!

I'm in the midst of celebrating my birthday. Yes, you read right. Midst. Technically speaking, it is a week after my birthday, but I still have friends I haven't met yet. So far, there has been 6 "celebrations"? And maybe 3 more to go? :)

Ok, ok. So maybe we just met for dinner. Gimmi a chance can? I want it to be my birthday, my party!! Why so many? When I was 21, I had a BBQ where everyone was invited. It was taxing for me to be the social butterfly, making sure the sec. school group had enough stingray, the JC group had full plates, and the family did not feel too used (they were the ones fanning the fire afterall). What's more, I missed out on serious gossips (OMGOMGOMGOMG!!!) and meaningful discussions ("Do you think xxx looks worse after leaving sec school?"). Now, I have mini-celebrations with people from different phases of my life!

28 May
Two bags are courtesy of Papa! Yay!!!!!!!!!

Colleagues asked a week ago how I was going to celebrate my birthday. I thought I was going to go somewhere so I did not commit. In the end, I did go somewhere but just not on this day.

Ivan thought today was my actual birthday (don't kk... I know you didn't know it wasn't) and handed me the present from the sales team:

Some of the presents. Guess who gave what? :)

I think they know me well lor. Look at the items. Most are bags! I adore bags! I have over a hundred! x: Don't tell mama... I wanted to use the brown bag they got me to bring to TopOne KTV but it was too small to contain my brolly, wallet, mp3 player... Yada, yada, yada. Ya, I'm an auntie.

Dearest Eunice got me the Lipglass in a colour that was the same as the top I was going to wear on my birthday! Psychic power! She also included a smashing card with the heart-shaped nose monkey. :)


29 May, lunch
This was the day I received many SMSes and Friendster messages. From people I have not seen in ages! Thanks Debbie, Dre, Lifen, Raymond, and Meiru! Some people say Friendster is not sincere. People add you as friends when they are not. Or they message you even though they have not seen you in ages. I rather think the thought is good enough. You don't have to keep seeing someone to be their friend.

Bossman treated me to birthday lunch at the beautiful Grand Shanghai:

I heard they clear the tables in the middle in the evening to make way for dancing!

I'm usually quite game to try exotic food. Ended up only bossman and I ate the duck's tongue:

Chewey + Springy = Yummy!

Maddy gave me the red clutch (love it! immediate opening ceremony I tell you) and bossman ended the meal with a sweet note.

29 May,night
After rushing home to pack for next day, I headed out with my girlies for Dblo. We were the most unhappening people because we are working people? Everyone else was shaking like mad, but there we were, sitting in the middle of nowhere screaming to be heard. Because we were gossiping. Haha...

When SJ asked me what I wanted as present, I was thinking hard. Forget it la! Friends for more than a decade, just say lor. I ended up with a bigger "Travel fund". :)


30 May - 1 June
Batam! The Don and I stayed at Batam View resort. I knew it would rain and it did. Day 1 was a slight drizzle. Day 2 was a power downpour. While we were kayaking in the lagoon. And you know what? After we shortened our kayaking trip and showered, the sun was out in its full glory. Shit.

Runty decided to join us:

"Super Runty"

Sunrise from the balcony

Relaxing the feet on the balcony can cause cramps. +_+

Mad porridge concoction. Nice leh.

Nice villas there. The storm clouds were stupid though.

The most interesting part of the stay was clubbing in the hotel. With just us two in the club. Lol...

More to come in Part 2! When the mini-celebrations over ok! :)

A World of Difference. The Difference is Macau.

Tourists from Singapore is one of the fastest growing markets in Macau. I must jump on the flight and rush down of course! :)

In 4 days, I travelled to 3 countries. Technically, they are all under PRC, but they are quite different from one another. For those of us who tried to fly directly to Macau, we know our only option is budget. It's a tie between Tiger Airways or Jet Star. The latter flies from T1 and has a covered runaway leading to the plane. You can also choose seats online. Cool? But I took Tiger. Don't know whether there is any difference in price though.

Tiger Airways. One of the two airlines that flies directly to Macau.

I thought it would take like 2+ hour max to reach Macau from Singapore. Wrong! It was quite a long flight, just slightly shorter than flying to Perth. 3.5 hr in all! The flight itself was ok, if you have no high expectations for food and drinks. Everything you buy from them will be instant. Instant coffee/noodles etc.

Macau is not big. When we landed at the airport, it was quite scary. Their runway is mounted above the sea lor, with just a very narrow narrow strip of land. Near the airport was a ferris wheel, but I don't know if people will take it.

Along the way to our hotel, we saw the cemetary. It's huge! Tombstones on the hill, facing the sea. Just like the rich and famous of Beverly Hills. Haha...

We stayed in Presidente Hotel. From the outside, it doesn't look like much. But the rooms were recently refurbished so the interior is quite different. What's more is that it offers a view of the surrounding casinos if you stay on the 16 floor like we did. I suspect the aircon in this hotel is a scam. Because it was freaking cold! The only thing that we are sure was working is the "Off" switch. The thermostat was useless. Zzzzz...

Camwhoring in the hotel. I like the room's colour scheme.

Our first meal was recommended by our Receptionist. The hotel's restaurant. Where else? +_+ Surprisingly, the dim sum was fantastic and quite affordable compared to Singapore's standard. About SGD10+ per pax. Now I know why my Hong Konger suppliers always lament at the lack of good dim sum in Singapore. If Macau is like that, Hong Kong would be even better right?

Dad and friends were in a hurry to go to the casinos. Mum and I went SHOPPING! But Macau is not exactly a shopping paradise. There were only luxury brands. Definitely not for the poor. We shopped at the supermarket instead.

Snacks from the mart. See the water bottle? All major casinos have their own bottled water. The "旺旺" biscuits are my souvenirs to my colleagues. :)

On Day 3, when we drove along the streets of Macau, I caught this sign. Ba gua from Singapore. I never knew it's a national produce. Hmm...

I don't know why many Hong Kong shows write "星" instead of "新". Apparently, Singapore ba gua quite famous. There were people hawking on the street, offering me, a true blue Singaporean, ba gua samples. Don't they know it's only eaten during Chinese New Year? :x

After our breakfast at "陶陶居", a famous Dim Sum restaurant in Macau where you had to wait for tables, we waited for a cab to go to the harbour for the ferry to Hong Kong. That's where I snapped this image:

I love old buildings like these that seem to have strong history. Hygiene issues though.

Day 2 was Zhu Hai day. I don't know where the famous spots are. I only know Dad and friends are going golfing so left us women "shopping" at a huge underground mall near the customs.

Zhu hai, mainland China. My first glimpse.

The things there are also not dirt cheap. Clothing are about SGD40 per item. The widest variety of goods was fake branded stuff!!! Amazing. Most shops were selling those, in one form or another. LV, Prada, and Chanel would cry if they see it.

Ended up with one umbrella which I know can be found in Singapore. +_+ I had an excellent pork chop rice in one of the shops there. With 6 hours to spare, there was not much to do at the mall. One shop seemed like the next. Luckily, we went to do our manicure, pedicure and message. That spent about 2 hours. Very cheap ok! Like SGD12 for a mani and pedi. However, they seemed to expect to be tipped. So get some change ready. As we walked down one stretch of shops in search of the elusive nail and massage palour, we were pulled from all sides. Finally, we settled for one shop because it offered OPI nail polish. If you choose "branded" nail polish, expect to pay RMB$10 more.

It was really tiring to walk on and on, knowing that there was limited shopping to be done. In the end, we were so tired that despite being full from lunch, we hopped into a shop to eat a fruit platter. Just for the seats.

Fruits to move the bowel along. Not cheap ok. I think about SGD6.

I think at Zhu Hai, I finally realised why sometimes Mainland Chinese seem very pushy to us. When you know you are in a country with hordes of people, you will feel the need to compete to get to places on time. A missed train may mean a difference between reaching on time, and being late for an hour. Many people seemed to cross the custom in a group, leading to the inevitable shouting at the customs while searching for missing/lost kaki. If only I managed to snap the sign that requested for no shouting within the arrival hall.

With the billion of people around you, most likely, you will also dispair at getting ahead of the rat race unless you are borned with a silver spoon in your mouth. I guess the descendents of the casino owners are those with platinum spoons in their mouths. When you see the architecture of the casinos, you cannot even begin to imagine how rich the owners are.

The lion of MGM that sucks your money. x:

The Guan Gong of Grand Lisboa.

Stanley Ho's Grand Lisboa

The curvy Grand Lisbao structure was a marvel for Dad and his construction friends. Erm... right... Too many lights for my liking. x:

Interior of Grand Lisboa. The colour gold seems to be a favourite for many casinos.

The cold cold foyer of MGM Grand.

Gosh! I'm a giant! ):

Wynn has a fantastic show using its Zodiac structure and its hidden money tree.

The fabulous Chinese Zodiac of Wynn.

Money tree of Wynn. Their's, not ours. ):

Since I'm so nice, I took a video of the closing of the show. Which. Which I will upload when I have time. x:

The Venetian, Ceiling.

The Venetian, more Ceiling.

The Canal.

What's in the Canal, can you guess? Hint: It's something the casino owners have in abundance.

The Venetian, Toilet. I'm not the only one taking photo here ok.

Day 3, we went to Hong Kong via the ferry. It costs HK$150 one way. Not cheap hor? About SGD$30. By the way, we were very puzzled about the currency. Apparently, currencies accepted in Macau include those from Hong Kong, PRC, and Macau. But some shops accept one but not the others. Very blur.

The ferry took 50 mins to 1 hour. The trip there was very cold. You will alight at "上环" where you can take the very convenient MTR to everywhere. One word of caution though. If you buy the single trip fare, you will get a card like this:

The MTR ticket. Machiam old skool MRT transitlink card.

While others with their "EZ-Link" cards get to tap their cards against the sensor, you have to find a gate that allows you to enter by inserting this card into a red slot. Just like the good old days to transitlink card. Remember how you used to scratch the card until it becomes white and you can draw on it? Also, remember to take the card as you cross the gate. Subsequently, when you exit, remember there will be no card to take. Understand??

The Hong Kong MTR tells you where the train at the opposite platform goes by using blinking lights.

CC mentioned she likes the way Hong Kong's MTR announces each stop in Mandarin, English, and Cantonese, and proposes that Singapore's MRT should have the same. I wonder if every stop will have its Hokkien/Cantonese/Teochew equivalent? What is Somerset called in Cantonese then? The cool thing about the MTR system is the blinking lights that indicate the train's direction if you cross to the opposite platform. The not-so-cool part is the fact that at some stops (I think it was at "Causeway Bay"), you have to walk underground for quite long before reaching the train platform. Not for those who don't like to be trapped underground.

Wan Chai MTR station.

If you see the housing at Hong Kong and Macau, you will be thankful for HDB flats. True, our flats are small and can be liken to matchboxes, but at least they are clean. I wonder what it is like to live in flats in Hong Kong and Macau, which often look like this:

The very crowded housing of Hong Kong. Near 女人街.

Strangely, (to me at least) most of these flats have a security guard, just like in Hong Kong serials. Not only for those fancy looking ones leh. In Singapore, only the condo dwellers get such treatment. The famous 女人街 is like our Pasar Malam. Empty your bladder before you go or come home with a pair of wet bottoms.

If you think there are many people in Singapore, go to Hong Kong. People come to you from ALL directions. Traffic was a nightmare too. Maybe it was Saturday and it was the Vesak weekend, but people were stacked against people. Scary!

Definition of dense population

When travelling, you must always talk about food! I really wanted to try Portuguese food while in Macau, but the closest thing I got was the egg tarts. ): Too bad. Next time maybe.

Last time, when I watched Hong Kong serials, they always eat Por Lor Bao (Pineapple bun). Having wondered all my life what was so nice about it, I die die also wanted to eat. On the last day, I dragged mum to one of the cafes and ordered it:

The famous Po Lor Bao, HK$8. Pineapple bun? Don't taste it though. Rating: 3/5

Again, I realised food in Macau is not cheap. A set breakfast with 2 sausages, 2 eggs, some corn, and half a slice of bread with a mug of milk tea cost SGD4. Is Macau only for the rich???

I ordered this despite ordering a set breakfast with Pineapple Bun because it was a thick slice of bread. MMmmm... Carbs... It came with maple syrup for you to add but the butter was too much though. French toast with peanut butter inside, HK$8. Rating: 3.5/5

From MGM Grand. Funny ingredient in this one - Sour Cream and Cheese Cake, HK$32. But it works!!! Yum! Rating: 4.5/5

More MGM Grand goodness. The good old fattening Caesar's, HK$100. Rating: 4/5

From the pretty cafe/restaurant of Wynn. Very normal cheesecake though. Berry Cheesecake, HK$32. Rating: 3.5/5

Some sightseeing around Macau. At least we got to see more than the insides of its 27 major casinos.

Street stall of Macau.

Many people were taking photo of this Starbucks. Looks run down from the outside right? Interior is just like other outlets here. That's globalisation.

Talking of gloablisation, I found it very sad that I could not find any brands that is not available in Singapore. Many are international labels, such as LV, Prada, Gucci. The Hong Kong brands may be Bossini, Giordano etc. But we can get those here too! ): The funniest thing was that I bought only one umbrella. Amazing. In fact, I bought more for the Don than for myself. Haha... Maybe if I enjoy HK serials, I would have gotten more things. Even mum bought more than me, with her Cantonese operas, clothes, and bags.

Ruins of St Paul, funnily named "大三八". A heritage site of the Portuguese.

Leal Senado Square. Beautiful architecture but reeks of tourist mobs.

We experienced some pretty lousy service at Macau airport. One woman these, at the cafe, was simply unpleasant. She could not bother to understand what Mum was saying (the mum speaks excellent Cantonese by the way), and started arguing with her about "one" and "one box". For those of you who understand Cantonese, here was how the incident unfolded:

Mum: How many egg tarts in one box?
Woman: 6
Mum: "Beh ngor yiak gor" (Give me one)
Woman: "Mo mai yiak gor, hai yiak hup. Lei you yiak gor ji gei huy lor" (We don't sell one, we sell one box. You want one, you go get it yourself")

That was disgusting. When mum was paying, she handed the cashier a note in RMB$100. The woman pointed to another cleaner note in mum's hand and said, "Give me that." Excuse me? A slightly dirtier note is not a real note? Pui! If anyone from Macau Tourism Board is reading this, contact me for her name. Spoil everyone's impression of Macau. Utter rubbish.

On a happier note, we managed to see the sun setting while on board the Tiger. Ah... Home sweet home.

Evening sky on the way back.

Setting sun...

Neh Neh

I finally went to Haji Lane a few weeks back. I know it has been THE place to go for some time now, but I don't like to follow fashion ok? (Riiiggghhht)

I realise Haji Lane is a place with very few but interesting shops. I love vintage but I won't wear it because I kept wondering what happened to the owner of the items. Too many horror movies in childhood I suspect.

Anyway, at one of the shops, I saw this wristlet in the traditional triangular milk packaging. I picked it up and exclaimed happily to shopping buddy that this was the milk from OUR childhood. She looked at me like I was mad.

"Where got? You don't anyhow say la. See the thing and project it into your past meh?"

I shut my trap and scratched my head abit. Was I really remembering the wrong memories? Not to be defeated, I cast my mind back down memory lane. I remembered bringing up the milk in several instances, asking friends from my generation whether they remembered the milk with the triangular packaging. Each time, they had stopped their conversations, looked at me like I was babbling nonsense and gone straight back to discussing where to go, what to eat.

While waiting for the bus one day, I ask JT whether she recalled the milk. She rolled her eyes a bit, and tapped her lips with a finger. A spark, a flash, a blink! Poof! "Yes, I think so..."

FINALLY! Someone with some memory! There you go folks, I'm not senile, I'm not delusional. I just have a better memory than you.

The sales pitch

Was pondering whether to join the gym. Headed to one of the most popular gyms to find out about its facilities and rates.

Prior to the tour, I was given the impression that I was obliged to step onto the weighing machine that would also analyse your fat and muscle percentages. I declined because I felt that they would then use my fat/muscle percentage to harp on the "fact" that gym is for me. Then, snide comment no. 1:

"Why? Getting cold feet?"

Why? Just because I am giving you one less tool to aid you in your sales pitch you have to make sarcastic remarks? Furthermore, an additional guy came over and kept rubbing the cold feet thing in.

Next, we went to take a look at the gym. After explaining this and that, he brought us to the machines areas. From time to time, he would step on a machine and demostrate how it's used. Then he would offer to let us try it. We declined everytime.

"Shy?", he snickered.

Why? I don't think pencil skirts and 4" heels are compatible with machines, do you?

We sat down for The Sales Pitch. After explaining the rates, which were extorbitant (I know, because one friend had joined the gym and has friends who joined at various other times), he asked me what I felt so far. I said I thought that it was better than 5 years ago, when I first visited the gym and didn't like it. Snide comment no. 2:

"Well, you were a lot younger 5 years ago."

Well, wasn't EVERYONE? So he droned on and on about the benefits of gym, finally pausing to ask me why I was interested to see it in the first place.

"I want to be healthy."

He pressed on for more reasons. I added "feeling better". Apparently, my reasons were not the right ones. Snide comment no. 3:

"You are here to lost weight and look good of course."

Excuse me, I don't think there is an "of course" about other people's reasons. Can't my main motivation be to stay healthy because I'm afraid to die young? Can't I want to build up stamina to not huff and puff after climbing a flight of stairs?

Since I knew he was a cutthroat, I naturally didn't want to commit. Snide comment no. 4:

"Why put off what you can do today?"

Hello? It's my money. For a membership that cost a 4-digit figure, I have to consider. I told him budget is always a constraint. He replied that it wasn't expensive at all. This was how he broke it down:

$1000+++ = 365 days of gym + 800 classes per year

Effectively, each class is about 20cents and each entry less than a dollar. I remarked dryly that I am not likely to go to gym daily, let alone attend all 800 classes. He looked at me and laughed indulgently like I am a stupid child and replied," Of course not! Not even I would go to the gym that often." So WHAT was he breaking down to me with the full year entrance and the sum of all classes? No logic.

When I told him that I was looking at other options, he went to add snide comment no. 5:

"There are no other options. I'm sure all the others are charging higher."

Please consider that "other options" are not limited to gyms. I can go for classes in community centre. Sport complexes offer a fairly good gym too. I followed the statement with another fact. "I would rather play sport games than go to the gym. Games like badminton or netball."

He laughed and pointed out that it's very hard to do that because of the lack of players around. I'm sure Netball Association would disagree.


***** Updated: 20 May 2008 *****
He also asked me what I usually eat in a day. I told him bread for breakfast, usually a soup dish for lunch, and home for dinner. Snide comment no. 6:

"Soup dish? Everyday??? What about dinner? At home? Do you eat skin??? No chicken skin, pork skin for you???"

I think I know my diet better than you.

Mmmm... Curi...

Don't say I never share the good stuff. Check this out!

Probably the best chicken katsu curry around! :P

So the rice may be on the soft side but the curry is damn power can? Don't be fooled by its appearance. Behind the mild looking farting goodness lies a kick of spice!

$10++ at Beppu Japanese Noodles

Let's climb the bus to nowhere

What is wrong with this photo?

Hint: It has to do with heights

That's right! Welcome to the new breed of SBS buses! The one where your climb two steps to get to your seats. The one where you have to watch your head when you alight for the back row of seats. The one where you can forget about sitting if you are the 25th or so to get up the bus. The one where if you're in a wheelchair, you can forget about getting smooth entrance because there is a barrier in between the two doors at the front. The one where you will get blocked if you park your wheelchair where it's supposed to go because there is a pole that will definitely obstruct your exit when you slot yourself into the oh-so-comfy yellow cushion that is supposed to support your back. And oh! The one where you find your first seatbelt in a public bus.

Work

"At some workplaces it's not just about what you do;

it's also about how loudly you do it."

In the moment

As usual with me, when I like a track, I will keep playing it until those around me have bleeding ears.

I ran a search on Nelly Furtado and found this amazing image:

Click to view image in original article.

It feels very much like an artist preparing to sing live, getting into the thick of things doesn't it? A very powerful scene.

We are so hooked on this:

Fruitless fruity fruits

Since young, I have always wanted to visit Goodwood Park Hotel. Don't you think it looks like a castle? When Christmas rolls around, the giant christmas tree outside the hotel makes the place looks even more magical.

Last weekend, I finally brought mama there for its English high tea. At $37, it's not exactly the cheapest tea in the world.

Anyway, this is not about the tea itself. It's about fruits.

I seem to have very bad luck with fruits. I am this ability to pick up marvellous pieces of fruits everytime. EXCEPT the last piece. Everyone knows how important the last piece of fruit is for the grand finale of the meal, don't we?

So, at the buffet, I bit into the sweetest, juiciest strawberries throughout the tea. I nibbled at the red, fat berries from the start to end of the meal. When it boiled down to the final two, knowing my amazing luck with fruits, I decided to save the bigger, redder berry for the last.

Of course, it just had to be the one that is the most tastless, most bland of all. Leaving me with the sour aftertaste at the end of the fantastic tea. +_+

Working

I like to wear slippers en route to work. I wear them during lunch and after work too. Why?

1. Because I am getting achy knees from heels that I have to wear
2. Because I want to be able to run after buses without flying over cars
3. Because heels are just plain painful and gives you smelly feet

However, I wonder if I will meet clients/suppliers during the before/after work and during-lunch periods. What will they think? In fact, should they be judging me during MY time?

It is difficult to separate the working me and the after-work me. My time (dressing) should be my own post work but it does not seem that way. We may think celebrities have it bad, having to put on make-up and dress up while going for groceries, but in a way, we are trapped in our own Hollywood too.

I will still wear slippers.

Totally useless

I hate extremely-sticky-until-you-cannot-totally-remove-it-without-spoiling-the-newly-bought-shoes price tag.

Crap.

Beggars cannot be choosers

Recently, I received a request from a student at work. She was interested to ask some questions. After speaking to the bossman, I was told to answer her questions.

Knowing that the answers were important to her assignment, I churned it out for her within 2 days. You know the thanks I received?

"How come not the management answering my questions?"

Excuse me. You came to us at the 11th hour and expect "management" to be sitting around waiting to answer your questions? In her OWN words, she initially expressed that she was grateful we bothered to answer her because she is a student. In the next breath, she was asking for management. Has she ever considered that someone was trying to help when a direct rejection could be given? Ever heard of "give an inch, want a foot"? Even big publications seeking interviews will write at least a week prior to finalising the article. Time management dear. Besides, your questions were poorly phrased with abundant grammatical errors.

When I answered her thankful question, she replied,

"Ok. Hope I will get a chance to speak to management next time."

I don't think so sweetheart.

Self-explanatory

Pity kids holding pole at butt height.

Facebook Idiot x 99999998 stage

I know that I'm the last person on this earth jumping onto the Facebook bandwagon. I still want to recommend you to this application: The Room.

I spent the whole afternoon designing my rooms, only to realise I did not save it. !)*&)%@*^#. Anyway, I finally got out of the Facebook Idiot x 99999999 stage and managed to save some rooms before I realised my credits ran out.

Remember the "Friends" show? I read before that they had psychiatrists and such planning Monica's house, such that the layout will show the personality of the characters.

What do you think my rooms tell you about me?

Bedroom. Should be free of clutter according to fengshui master.

Kitchen. Many more appliances I want but no more space. ):

Living room. Guess my favourite colour? +_+

Of course, there are other designs I love but I'm restricted by the application. Nevertheless, I think it's a good place to fantasize and know what kind of interior designs you dig. Good for planning your future house eh?