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11/28/2007 Fake VS RealSomething funny happened today! A group of tourists came into the shop and bought some clothes. They obviously know their stuff cos they know which clothes belong to which fashion house. They asked me where could they get good copies of bags as well. Here's something he said, which I found really thought-provoking: Tourist: Where can we get copies of bags? Because we see a lot of young girls carrying those branded bags? And they are young girls, not rich, you know? Oh gosh! He wasn't being mean or anything, he just voiced out what he really felt. I so wanted to laugh out right there! I could only think of 3 reasons why he would think that way: 1) The bags are BAD copies. 2) The tourists dun think Singaporeans could afford the bags. 3) The " young girls" just CANNOT carry it off. Go figure. 11/18/2007 Ma MaisonThe food at Ma Maison is delicious!!! Fantastic, authentic Japanese/western fusion cuisine!!!
I have to agree with Sam that it's pretty hard to find good Jap food that is cheap (in Singapore that is.) Please don't tell me Sakae, Edo Sushi or Yuki/Yaki whatever, I swear off those places because the food is terrible. Unauthentic is one thing, unfresh ingredients is another thing. It's totally not worth it at all despite their low prices. I'ld rather not dine there at all. Sushi Tei is all right. Like scrap-through pass.
So far we discovered a Japanese dine-in at Far East which uses really fresh ingredient and hand-made sushi (not some fucking flimsy ones made using machines). Although its authenticity is still improvable but at least the generous servings and freshness makes the prices seem reasonable. But the chef (only one) is quite hot tempered and with only one more auntie helping with orders and serving, the meal is a very fast business. Moreover, its only about 15 counter seats and frequent long queues outside, so if you are a slow eater, you'ld feel really pressurized into gobbling your food down as fast as possible.
Now, we've discovered Ma Maison! It's Japanese/Western fusion so you still get Western dishes like spaghetti and escargot but their more Japanese-y dishes look waaaaay more appetizing. I've never eaten more delicous tonkatsu than the one I tried there today!!! It's indescribable, you've got to try it to know how good it really is. It's juicy and not to oily with just the right amount of crunch! Their sauce was what made their tonkatsu into my best list. It totally brought the fried pork cutlet into another level altogether and the other tonkatsus I've tried just couldn't compare because their sauce wasn't as good as Ma Maison's! And their Omu Rice isn't the rich wrapped in egg style. It was like scrambled egg over put over rice, which Sam says is the original way cooking Omu Rice.
The ambience there was very cosy. Kinda reminds me of those old school dine-in's with the dim lighting, checkered or flowery tablecloths, soft cushion seats, tight layout and friendly staff. And it does help make the restaurant seem more like a real restaurant in Japan with their Japanese chefs and wait staff. I'm so glad we went there instead of Pasta de Waraku!!! We've discovered another must visit, favourite restaurant!!! Oh boy! I can't wait for the next time I go back to dine there again! StardustIt was fantastic. Unlike most other adapted-from-books movies, the movie Stardust was actually comparable or even better than the book! Maybe because Neil Gaiman was very active in the production of the movie? Possibly.
It was definitely still very much a fantasy but with lots of old school romance in it. Claire Danes was perfect as Yvaine with her ethereal beauty and Charlie Cox was great at projecting his role as a "useless, hopeless, dreamy shop boy". But is it me or is Claire Danes starting to look a little old? Nevermind, she's still a great beauty. Robert DeNiro was of course, charming as a "whoopsie", Michelle Pfeiffer really fiesty and the guard of the Wall was absolutely hilarious!
There were some differences between the story and the movie but I shall not bore you with a list of them. What better way to find out than to read the book and watch the movie yourself? I prefer the differences cos that way, you won't feel like you're reading the book again since the storyline is exactly the same. Of course there were movies which flopped due to them taking out the wrong stuff and adding in too much, but Stardust was just right! The new stuff flowed well with the original plot.
Stardust was definitely worth the $9 I paid today! (Movies on Saturdays are killers) It was funny, lighthearted and every girl's dream romance. So do go watch it!!! You will regret if you don't! And for those who want to get the book; goodie luck! Place a reservation and be prepared to wait a bloody long time to get it or cross your fingers and hope that it's still available in bookstores! 11/9/2007 Sugar & SpiceAnd everything nice.
The movie was really sweet and nice! Awwwwww.... Made me feel like falling in love! Although the actor wan't hot but his gentlemanly gestures and all was so AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!
Too bad the love story was a little cliche but that was more than made up for by thefiesty "Grandma". Go catch it! 11/8/2007 Please spare me.Ya ya ya.
So high electricity and water bill is my fault. His lousy result is my fault. His stupidity is my fault. His arrogance and ignorance is my fault.
And I still have to bear with the dirty house and everyone's unhygienic habits.
What next?
Moving out sounds like a nice move. 11/2/2007 No no no!3 big dressing BOOs that everyone seems to overlook...
3) Too much make-up. Or none at all, for some. Too much makeup actually emphasizes on the flaws of your face you know? Enlarged pores, scars, wrinkles etc. I don't understand why people pile it on their faces like its some miracle cure. Then, I see people looking really lethargic and sickly because they don't put any make up at all. Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with flawless skin that looks good bare. Singapore is humid yes, but there's so much variety out there! It's not that difficult to find a brand that suits your skin type. Don't be lazy, go try them to find something that makes you look fresh!
2) Flip flops. Tropical island does not equal to wearing flip flops day in day out everywhere. It's ok if the flip flops worn match the bohemian or whatever look the person has put together. But it looks really bad when I see a guy or girl in preppy clothes, formal clothes with VERY MISMATCHED flip flops. And it just gets worse when their heels are cracking and their nails are yellow and dirty. Why why why should we forgo style for comfort? Why can't both exist together?! Like, replace the flip flops with nice sandals or NICER flip flops with embellishments or something.
1) VPL (Visible Panty Line). Especially when the butt looks like its struggling to break loose from the elastic bands of panties and that is visible even under denim. Yes. You know the skinny jeans fad?! I can't believe panty line is still visible under denim cos I thought denim was already quite thick. But apparently, it happens. If people can spend money on expensive clothes, why can't they invest in good underwear? G-string doesn't work wonders, seamless underwear does. Please people, draw some money from your fashion fund to buy some good underwear! 10/27/2007 Boo!Everytime I'm awake at home.... I feel like going to sleep or going out. It's that bad. Nobody's fault but mine. Yes yes yes. Still working towards it. 10/23/2007 The stupid things kids doAttention please! Will the brainless kid please stand up! Please stand up! Please stand up! (Chant to the tune of Eminem's Real Slim Shady)
You won't believe the stupidity of those 14-ish kids I saw on my way back from Hougang C.C's gym the previous Sunday after my kickboxing lesson. YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT!
You know those dividers between roads of different directions? Those green, sharp, murderous looking ones? Those that look like it can poke through a human body thus it means pedestrians have no chance of jay-walking without risking their lives and should make the smarter choice of walking to the nearest traffic light or overhead bridge to get to the other side of the road?
I actually saw 3 girls trying to get across that when the overhead bridge is right in front of them, about just a minute's walk away. Well, there were some really exciting moments and lots of screaming and "knn's" but unfortunately they managed to get over it. And after doing something so silly as that, you thought they were going to be smarter. Not really. They chose to dash across the remaining distance without waiting for this ONE pathetic lorry to pass. Meaning, they could have gotten knocked down. But unfortunately again, they were safe although I almost went deaf at their screams.
Fuck it. I don't think the world needs anymore stupid people like that. Really. Since they want to die so much, why don't God just take their lives instead of those innocent victims, such as those who were murdered or died in a war? Makes 2 parties happier. Right?
Gosh. Sometimes I really want to see stupid kids like them get punished for not using their brains when it's given to them by their parents to survive. Maybe because we're so protected in Singapore we don't think about survival anymore. So we end up with ways to end our lives faster. Hur.
Just maybe. 10/17/2007 Bagus!I love food and I can be really picky about the taste, freshness yada yada. As long as the restaurant continues serving good food, I will continue to visit it. Similarly, once the standard drops, I'll have qualms about dining in there again.
I don't have a favourite cuisine or a particular dish but if I REALLY have to pick one or die, I would choose HOME COOKED FOOD. Darn! One thing I hate about my workplace is the food available. There are a few restaurants that are good in that building but I can't go out to buy. I have to order though phone and the food either has too much MSG, too little vegetables, too unhealthy, too little variety or just darn untasty.
It was my offday today and when I was hungy, my aunt just whipped up some broccoli and scrambled eggs with tomatoes as a snack for me! Oh my gosh!!!! It was soooooooooooooo satisfying. I haven't ate anything like that for some time already. Steamed fish, boiled clear soups, veggies and mushrooms!
Now that is what I call "classic delicacy". 10/13/2007 Fark it.Apparently, my family thinks that my studies are great, or rather, that my memory is so fantastic that I can still remember the silly algebra I did when I was in Sec 2.
My bro, who obviously doesn't pay much attention during lessons and doesn't put much focus into his studies, didn't know how to solve an algebra question in the topic of expansion. And he came asking me. One look at the question and I was stumped. Yes, my Math in Sec 2 was not bad but that was a fucking 6 years ago. Why would I want to commit such useless things to memory. I've got way better stuff to store in my brain.
And my dad was telling me in a "don't-be-so-selfish-I-don't-believe-you-don't-know-how-to-do-so-go-teach-your-brother-how-to-solve-it" tone. Knn. I already said that I've forgotten how to solve such problems. Just like how he has forgotten his physics basics and all now that he needs them in his current course.
I don't understand why my brother can't ask his teacher or his friends. Oh... I forgot. He is really cowardly. No guts or whatsoever.
This proves my point of how "useful" the things I studied in Secondary school were. I only remembered my favourite subjects like Geography and History. Who cares about the elements or Newton's Law or those shit. Really.
Sadly, my stick-in-the-mud parents idolises education and paper qualification as much they idolise 4D and Toto. 10/11/2007 Hwang Jin YiThe story is pretty interesting with all the twists and turns but it got a little draggy in the middle... I could feel my eyelids drooping and my head nodding..................
I think just watch it online or the VCD or by some other means, it's not worth the $7. Sam says the drama serial soon to be shown on Channel U is waaaaaaaaaaaayyy better so I'm looking forward to that! 10/8/2007 Adults.I was reading my friend's blog and this article sparked something in me.
I commented about how some people, or rather, some adults in this case, don't even know what hospitality is and think it just means working in a hospital. It pisses me off even more when they "advise" us to further our studies so as to learn more. Fuck. Apparently, THEY are the ones who should LEARN MORE.
Learning doesn't just mean going to school. We can learn from the news, from the Internet, from books, from travelling. It's only only schools that teaches us new things. Why don't the adults just get it?! Besides, the things taught in school might not even be as relevant as what we learn from experience. Let's not even go into the topic of how some learned people still have very uncivilised behaviour. It seems to me that the adults are the complacent ones who think that just because they have lived older, they don't need to learn new stuff, they don't need to see new things, they don't need to upgrade or improve themselves, they don't need to listen to others or accept opinions different from their own.
I really hope I don't grow into such complacent, stubborn old people cos I really like learning new things. I love finding out new information or stuff that I've never learnt before. Let's hope I don't change in this aspect. *Shudder* 10/6/2007 Terrible service = bad experienceI don't think I will ever step into Cafe Cartel for a meal again.
I have only been to that restaurant only once or twice. I was never a fan of heavily franchised restaurants (e.g. Cafe Cartel, Billy Bombers, Fish & Co., Pastamania), especially if it is American cuisine (read: fried food) and the place is swarming with students. My past few experiences with Cafe Cartel was all right. The food wasn't exactly good but th service at least was efficient.
I went out for a movie with Jen a few days ago and dined in at the Cafe Cartel in PS. My goodness! I actually had to wait close to an hour for my food and it wasn't even good when it was a chef's recommendation on the menu. Fuck it. Fried macaroni doesn't need THAT long to prepare right? After waiting for about 30 minutes, we checked with a staff who gave us a vague reply of "It's being prepared now." Another 15minutes has passed when we asked a senior staff again who told us thefood will be served shortly without any explanation whatsoever regarding the delay.
Apparently, some staff don't even know how to speak English. What in the fucking world is this. I know foreign labour is cheap! But at least give them some lessons in English right?! Singapore is not China and not everybody here speaks Mandarin. I'm not blaming the bad service on foreign staff but one VERY important factor to providing good service is COMMUNICATION and PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE. So I beg your pardon, managers in Cafe Cartel, how is good service that possible when your staff can't even converse in simple English?!
Knn. I'm never going to dine at Cafe Cartel again. It has joined my list of condemned restaurants including Fish & Co. and Pastamania. Fuck. Conversation with my dadMy dad was talking to me about his studies a few nights ago while I was multi-tasking between watching some show and using the Internet. Btw, he's on some course right now to upgrade himself, that's why the "studies".
He was telling me about one of their subjects on human error. Being himself, he went on a VERY longwinded story of the famous Tenerife collision that took place in 1977, involving Pan Am and KLM. I only remember the vague details about miscommunication between the pilots of the 2 flights and the controller. There was something about fog and low visibility too.
After a rough 30 minutes detailed description of that event, he went on telling me a lot of errors are due to miscommunication. How the lack of information or the accuracy of the information that is passed, the tone of voice, the choice of words, the timing, ambience and environment etc all leads to the passing on of correct data. How sometimes what people say, they may mean something else, but somehow their inability to express what they feel may cause a misunderstanding between the people involved.
Know what? I think he was referring to himself.
Because my dad is a stern man. Sometimes, because he is so stern, he may seem to be scolding us for something really minor when all he is doing is just giving us advice and teaching us. And maybe because he is also rather a stick-in-the-mud and chauvinistic, he doesn't exactly tells us how he feels so as not to taint the strong and reliable father figure image he is trying to portray to us. So even when he is wrong he doesn't apologize but he will be specially nice to us for a few days after he realizes his mistake.
That is why, very often, him and my sis especially will get into cold wars. The most recent one happened just about a month ago and ended a few days ago. I think the talk he gave me was sort of asking for my understanding in his beliefs and actions. But really, must he take such a long route? Couldn't he just tell me directly?!
Old man, old man. Why must you be so stubborn and long-winded? 10/4/2007 Death at a FuneralThat movie was awesome! Except for the strong British accents and lack of subtitles, it was otherwise a really interesting movie which talks about what happens AT the funeral and the people who were there. Of course there is some moral to the story but it wasn't hard to understand at all and it wasn' preachy. I like.
This is what I call humour, unlike some slapstick comedy about gays (read: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry). Oh. How I love dark humour and sarcasm and somehow, noone delivers them as fantastically as the Britons. 10/1/2007 My limbs feel detachedThanks to my very first kickboxing lesson.
Hook, jab, speedboat. Knee up, side kick, front kick. Swing, on guard, skip. Oh my gosh. My limbs certainly didn't feel like they belong to me after that 1 hour of intensive exercise.
It was tiring but definitely fun. I really look forward to the next lesson! Maybe I should consider taking up step aerobis or something like that... Hmmmmm....
Ok. It's supposed to be speedball not speedboat. And my sis was the one who spotted this mistake. MEANING, SHE WAS SPYING ON ME!!! I'm off to clear the history now... 9/28/2007 I Now Pronounce You...Such a no-brainer, slapstick, rather lame comedy.
That was referring to the movie, "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry".
Sure. It was just a TEENSY WEENSY bit funny. I laughed because the scenes were funny but they weren't the kind of humour I like. It was like laughing when your sis does a stupid action, that kinda stuff, you know? You laugh because it seemed silly and it was an auto reflex to laugh at her. It wasn't as if you were laughing because you really thought she was humorous! But then again, because it's such a silly/cute movie, not much brainpower was needed to understand the plot or anything. Just relax, watch and loosen up.
I did relax but overall, it's still not worth the $8 I spent at all. Should have watched another show. 9/25/2007 Silly SkinnySome people are INSANE and OBSESSED with their figure and dress size and weight etc etc...
I'm working in a clothes store, particularly ladies' fashion so imagine my horror at the amount of skinny women I see everyday. I'm ok with skinny people. I envy them but I don't hate them. I blame my genes and laziness for my cellulite. But I absolutely hate it when people who are a US size 2 say that they are fat. What in the world is wrong with these peeps?!
So, pray, tell me, what dress size with they be satisfied with? Size 0? Or size -1 maybe?! How about kids size? It's really crazy how some people are so fanatical about their size. Some of them are so skinny they don't even look good and they want to be thinner? Can someone please help them?! The way they talk about having to go for liposuction, plastic surgery, ways of dieting, wearing girdles and taking slimming products when they are perfectly fine and if there is anyone in the shop who should slim down, it is me!
There was this mum of 4 in the shop today and she could fit into a size 4 dress. Her tummy showed a little but it wasn't like BULGING out. Moreover, that dress' cutting is a little smaller because it is supposed to be really fitting. She actually complained that she has fat arms, that she has to slim down, that to look good in that dress she has to wear a girdle. Oh man. My mum has 3 kids and her clothes are usually tailored cos she can't find her size in normal stores and she is not even really bothered by her size. Sure, she whines, but never much.
I don't know if I should feel happy about my optimism and ability to accept myself or guilty for not slimming down. Fuck. I hope someone up there can help me figure it out and help those size fanatics out there too. 9/23/2007 Birthday dinnerNot mine. My sis'.
Gave her a rare treat at Manhattan's. Wanted to bring her to that really nice Japanese restaurant at Far East but it was so darn crowded we skipped it. It opens for dinner at 5.30pm and when we reached the entrance at 5.35, there was a queue forming already. Wtf. Singaporeans are sure fast when it comes to sales, food and freebies.
Walked from Far East Plaza, to Wisma Atria, to Cineleisure, then finally to Plaza Singapura to have our meal. Walked till the soles of our shoes are almost worn out. I didn't buy much except for a pair of earrings and some underwear. I've got a thing for colourful intimates. The nicer the colours, the better I feel!
I haven't been shopping much although there are lots of items I covet. Thanks to some plan of travelling to Japan by next year. Boo hoo hoo! And it didn't help that I absolutely hate shopping on weekends because of the crowd and the annoying children. Urgh... I almost burst a blood vessel containing my want to throw those little tykes against the walls when they run around me screaming. I'm not violent. I just fantasize.
Marriott's mooncakes are selling like hotcakes! (I love rhymes!) We wanted to get some to let our parents try because apparently Marriott's mooncakes are THE THING and my parents haven't tried them before. Most of the snow skin items are sold out so it was nearly impossible to mix and match unless you want a box of 4 with only 2 different varieties. But the snow skin can only be kept unrefrigerated for at most 3 hours and we can't reserve or leave the mooncakes there so we didn't buy any in the end. Think she'll be getting them tomorrow. She doesn't mind dying for good food. Try her.
I wish I can upload pics! A blog without pictures is BORING!!! Can't stand it. If this continues, I'm bound to switch so some other space. Neway, check this out! My book list! This is so cool! From now, I can keep track of ALL the books I've read!
Ok. Time for bed. It's 5am. God knows what am I doing online at such ghostly hours. 9/22/2007 Lucky numbers!(Me in purple. My dad in black)
Today never tio Toto.
Why?
All these years, I have been buying 3 sets of numbers. Meli's, Joe's and your birthdates. Dunno what happened today. I bought a duplicate set of your sister's numbers and missed out Joe's. Came out for Toto. Could have won 4+1.
How much was the prize?
$500 something.
You're lucky it's only $500. If it's a million dollars, you would have killed yourself by now.
It's through normal conversations like the above that I realise how much my dad loves us. To him, we're like his treasures and luck. For, say maybe 15years, he's been betting on our birthdates. This came out from my dad who is almost always has a black face. Haha! Neway... I dunno whether to say I'm plain silly or over optimistic. Ho. |
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