Been sleeping like a pig since xmas till boxing day. eat and sleep non stop. oh god. what a life. even the clear blue sea and ocean bath couldnt draw me away from my bed. Am just tired and i didnt have any sleep for the 7 hr flight, no thanks to some screaming brat. If i could murder a kid, that would be there and then. Even plugging my ipod at max vol couldnt drown her. Dunno why i so suay, always stranded with these irritating brats that doesnt endear me to them.
landed in sydney on xmas eve and omg, it was fking hot. It was like 38degrees of hot wind blasting into my face the minute i was out of the immigration counter!!! Jamie and Amy came to pick us up from the airport and we stop by the cafe and had a sandwich near coogi beach. the cafe was real hot and i never understd why they couldnt have installed a ceiling fan? but the next few days was much better and the heat was more bearable.
The next few days, Jamie and Amie Took the kids out to the beach and i manage to wake up in time to head down to the beach and see them cleaning up heading home for lunch. Played some monster fish game with thema and had both of them screaming and running all over and yet cming back for more. Kids are hell of a tiring business.
Headed out to melb to meet susie on boxing day!! God it was been AGES since we last met and it was just amzing how we just fall back into pace again as if the years never lapse. Eric still looked the same too and i was so looking fwd to their new place they bought.
Arrived at their huge house at Armadale abt 11pm. I love their house.
it was just BEAUTIFUL GOREGOUS to me. for A1.5Million, you canx even get a size of apartment less a house this huge back in sg. It was a period home and and the space and high ceiling was just fantastic. I WOULD pay 1.5mill for this place too if i had any money and business in australia! But of coz it wuldnt be possible in sydney still. But imagine scotts 28 would cost us a good 2.3Mill back in sg and this is a wholelot much better!!!
talk till 3am++ with susie this morn and Eric drove us out to T'Gallant vineyards for lunch. The veal loin and peach dessert was fantastic. the mussels were sweet and i wish i had a bigger tummy to host more food! We were for wine sampling at 2 bucks and brought home a carton.Then Eric drove us to another vineyarde known as Red Hill estate and we just sat in the vineyard grass enjoying the breeze, and watch the ocean and blue sky in the horizon and chat for couple of hours till they announce the gates were closing abt 6pm. Everyday should be this way.Susie reckon we should only wrk 3 days a week t really enjoy life. Boy i totally agree with her.
Afterwhich, we headed to richmond and had really good viet pho noodles. I needed soup after a really filling dinner!!!! Couldnt tell the name of the shop but sus recko the locals call it the chicken and cow noodle shop since they had a picture of chicken and cow outside. Funnie.
Then we past pacific House and supposedly they served fanastic rooasted meat etc. I would be drooling looking at the display if i wasnt that full.
And now, we are back home, lazing and chilling the box of moscato Eric grab back from the vineyard. Its a fraction of a cost compared to sg. We are so gonna drin ourselves red in the face later. Wine are dirt cheap here. By the time its imported to sg, everything cost twice or 3 times as much.
olrite folks.
Am hitting my bath and signing in tmw
Monday, December 26, 2005
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
DInner at Opia (HK)
had dinner at Opia at Irving street around Causeway Bay area. The decor was pretty hip and a nicely small setup place with the typical low lighting ambience. Even the stairs up to the restaurant was nicely furbished with a very 70s touch. I didnt have any pre expectations since again it was riding on Bee's recommendation.
Its apparently an australian chef setup and so everyone there speaks proper English. I dun think they hired any HK waiter for a good reason, which is the main client are expats and very "westernised" locals. I couldnt decide what i want and so i had the degustation menu in the end which was a mix of every thing of their "specialty".
The starters was oyster shooters soaked in jap sake was surprisingly yummy. Good. I like anything in a shooters. The sake was sweet and it doused out any tinge of raw taste from the oyster. There was suppose to be wasabi in it but i honestly couldnt tell. Though i like it, it wasnt as clean a taste as the oysterin champagne i had in sydney - The Est. restaurant. That oyster dish had me asking for 3rd helping but tonite, it was really nice but not enuff for me to ask for another. Maybe i didnt like the sweet sake that become sticky on my hands real quick.
I canx really rem what came next and what went after but i guess it was an okay meal for $HK600 per head. I wont say it was hellva impressive since i couldnt even really rem what i had as there were many dishes and varieties but it certainly wasnt lousy. I just rem the scallop dish wrapped in a pasta wasnt exactly my favourite but the roasted duck and pork knock was pretty good. The pork knock was very very soft in texture and if u dun mind being sinful once in a while, the fatty juicy bits gave it some extra flavour annd sweetness since it was coated with some terikayki sauce or some sort.
what i liked best was the passion fruit sorbet as it delightfully brightens and refreshes the after tase. The crunchy honey fig was slightly disppointing but still pass off as a decent dessert. Donald, the assistant manager waived off the drinks, claiming it was on the house and though polite he was, i couldnt really feel an affinity towards him. Just something abt him makes it difficult for me to warm up to him or rather i should say, lack of connectivity. So i left the place very full and sleepy but seemingly missing a personal touch
Its apparently an australian chef setup and so everyone there speaks proper English. I dun think they hired any HK waiter for a good reason, which is the main client are expats and very "westernised" locals. I couldnt decide what i want and so i had the degustation menu in the end which was a mix of every thing of their "specialty".
The starters was oyster shooters soaked in jap sake was surprisingly yummy. Good. I like anything in a shooters. The sake was sweet and it doused out any tinge of raw taste from the oyster. There was suppose to be wasabi in it but i honestly couldnt tell. Though i like it, it wasnt as clean a taste as the oysterin champagne i had in sydney - The Est. restaurant. That oyster dish had me asking for 3rd helping but tonite, it was really nice but not enuff for me to ask for another. Maybe i didnt like the sweet sake that become sticky on my hands real quick.
I canx really rem what came next and what went after but i guess it was an okay meal for $HK600 per head. I wont say it was hellva impressive since i couldnt even really rem what i had as there were many dishes and varieties but it certainly wasnt lousy. I just rem the scallop dish wrapped in a pasta wasnt exactly my favourite but the roasted duck and pork knock was pretty good. The pork knock was very very soft in texture and if u dun mind being sinful once in a while, the fatty juicy bits gave it some extra flavour annd sweetness since it was coated with some terikayki sauce or some sort.
what i liked best was the passion fruit sorbet as it delightfully brightens and refreshes the after tase. The crunchy honey fig was slightly disppointing but still pass off as a decent dessert. Donald, the assistant manager waived off the drinks, claiming it was on the house and though polite he was, i couldnt really feel an affinity towards him. Just something abt him makes it difficult for me to warm up to him or rather i should say, lack of connectivity. So i left the place very full and sleepy but seemingly missing a personal touch
Friday, November 25, 2005
First nite in HK
slept the whole day away once i reached HK. I guess my body is still trying to recover from all the virus i have been combating the past week.
Anycase, decided to head to Hyatt Hotel for dinner instead of Kowloon coz i was too lazy to take the ferry across. Before that we headed to Pacific Plaza to grab some stuff. The new season of clothes were amazing, my favorites. Boots, black and greys. Ha ha.
Went to check out the cd store and surprisingly i found Herbie Fully Loaded VCD there! I couldnt find it in sg in both HMV and gramaphone back home and there it was, staring back at me when i was browsing thru the latest release.
The best part was, it was so much CHEAPER! It was gg for HK$108 for DVD and HK$98 for VCD. Back Home, i saw it for S$42 for a DVD! Its ridiculous isnt it? But strangely, not everything is cheap here. I think HK people just have different taste.... The nitwit Deuce Bigalow show cost HK$298! can you believe it???? And the LA March Penguin cost HK$298 as well!! In HMV, i could get the penguin DVD for only $24+. Its plain weird....
Anycase, dinner was good. The fish was springy and i really meant as if i could bounce it off. Its so fresh that it was just plain sweet! But of coz, the damn fish alone cost us $100! I had the hot and sour lobster soup for starters and i wast disappointed. Though honestly, i couldnt decide if it was lobster or prawn. I couldnt tell. I'm not that great an eater yet to be ablt to pew off tons of descriptions:)
I guess the best was the mango pudding! I havent tasted anything that tasted like REAL mango pudding back home. It came in a really big bowl for starters and all the fanastic mango bits... YUMMY! I was totally stuffed and i almost had to roll home:)
The cab driver i had today was just as chatty. I think its just me... He started off telling me about how HK is full of money etc etc...and then he went on to tell me his very sad story. Apparently just before HK was handed back to China, his wife took his kids to canada to try to set up a new home there. Next thing he knew, the wife eloped with a caucasian and left him. He never ever saw his kids again and his own mother was soo sad everyday and cry every nite. Such tragedy. How could some woman be so selfish? Maybe there is another side of the story, but tonite, my heart goes out to the poor cab driver. I wish life doesnt have to be so complicated and if only everyone could be happy.
Perhaps its true... Happiness is always just a fleeting moment, but anger and sadness always remains.
Anycase, decided to head to Hyatt Hotel for dinner instead of Kowloon coz i was too lazy to take the ferry across. Before that we headed to Pacific Plaza to grab some stuff. The new season of clothes were amazing, my favorites. Boots, black and greys. Ha ha.
Went to check out the cd store and surprisingly i found Herbie Fully Loaded VCD there! I couldnt find it in sg in both HMV and gramaphone back home and there it was, staring back at me when i was browsing thru the latest release.
The best part was, it was so much CHEAPER! It was gg for HK$108 for DVD and HK$98 for VCD. Back Home, i saw it for S$42 for a DVD! Its ridiculous isnt it? But strangely, not everything is cheap here. I think HK people just have different taste.... The nitwit Deuce Bigalow show cost HK$298! can you believe it???? And the LA March Penguin cost HK$298 as well!! In HMV, i could get the penguin DVD for only $24+. Its plain weird....
Anycase, dinner was good. The fish was springy and i really meant as if i could bounce it off. Its so fresh that it was just plain sweet! But of coz, the damn fish alone cost us $100! I had the hot and sour lobster soup for starters and i wast disappointed. Though honestly, i couldnt decide if it was lobster or prawn. I couldnt tell. I'm not that great an eater yet to be ablt to pew off tons of descriptions:)
I guess the best was the mango pudding! I havent tasted anything that tasted like REAL mango pudding back home. It came in a really big bowl for starters and all the fanastic mango bits... YUMMY! I was totally stuffed and i almost had to roll home:)
The cab driver i had today was just as chatty. I think its just me... He started off telling me about how HK is full of money etc etc...and then he went on to tell me his very sad story. Apparently just before HK was handed back to China, his wife took his kids to canada to try to set up a new home there. Next thing he knew, the wife eloped with a caucasian and left him. He never ever saw his kids again and his own mother was soo sad everyday and cry every nite. Such tragedy. How could some woman be so selfish? Maybe there is another side of the story, but tonite, my heart goes out to the poor cab driver. I wish life doesnt have to be so complicated and if only everyone could be happy.
Perhaps its true... Happiness is always just a fleeting moment, but anger and sadness always remains.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
City Space -Equinox
After dinner, headed to New Asia bar @ swissotel last nite but the place was packed and truly holy smoky. So manwin and I decided to head to the city space for a drink instead and a leisure chat.
Was quite a good choice since we got a really nice city view and there was little people to make a din. So i didnt have to shout over any music. Plus the heated cashew nuts were a bonus:)
I had a terrible drink. I order Equinox Blue and BIG mistake. I shld rem anything blue would never taste good. Yucks. Plus I am not a frequent drinker and so I get turn off by weird cocktails easily. However that being said, I liked the presentation, the slanted glass in which it came in. reminded me of the leaning tower of Pisa in Italy. Anycase, I didnt finish it and had Manwin finish the remaining half for me.
Was quite a good choice since we got a really nice city view and there was little people to make a din. So i didnt have to shout over any music. Plus the heated cashew nuts were a bonus:)
I had a terrible drink. I order Equinox Blue and BIG mistake. I shld rem anything blue would never taste good. Yucks. Plus I am not a frequent drinker and so I get turn off by weird cocktails easily. However that being said, I liked the presentation, the slanted glass in which it came in. reminded me of the leaning tower of Pisa in Italy. Anycase, I didnt finish it and had Manwin finish the remaining half for me.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Tsubasa Chronicles Sound track
I love the sound track! In fact this is the few anime after Evangelion that i think has the best theme songs and insert music!
If only they have the whole length instead of the TV series length.. canx get enuff!!!
If only they have the whole length instead of the TV series length.. canx get enuff!!!
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Asian Kitchen @Suntec
went strolling with jasmine on sunday after my pedicure at suntec. I canx believe the number of times i have been to this location for the past week!
I simply had to buy the choc chunk muffin ($1.30) from the baking boys at B1- suntec (near the escalator after you come down from the one opp giodarno) . They were really soft and good! I use to hate muffins. I guess i had been a guinea pig for the home-ed gals for too many sessions, so when it comes to confectionary as such, it was avoidance at all cost! Then i tried one muffin in UK once and i realise it wasnt all that bad. But its so hard to find good muffins locally in singapore!
I know there is a store at shunfu market that sells freshly baked muffins. The smell alone was suffice to make me drool! but the Q was always too long and i couldnt be bothered. I think its crazy to spend hour Q'ing for food, any food.
So i gave Baking Boyz a try and i was not disappointed. The crust was lighted toasted and slightly cruchy. The inner was warm and soft and i could taste the oozing choc moist in my mouth. But when i tried to get a second one with jas, the batch was sold out and i had to wait 10mins for teh new batch. I wanted to get some for breakfast for mon morn and so we decided to head to city link TCC to wait.
Then i got hungry. I wasnt very impressed by TCC's main menu and jas chided me for putting the poor waitress at a tight spot when i asked "is your main any good? how would u rate it" The poor waitress couldnt answer me at all and jas dragged me away. Jas's theory was that all waitress should sell their product but i beg to differ. Every store shld have their speciality for the waitress to recommend it heartily without guilt. However if there isnt, then perhaps the place should never sell food to begin with.
The problem with our local service industry esp food is that the waiters and waitress are not trained to know their food. They are unable to describe or even "share" their personal taste experience. I have been to place in australia where waitress is able to tell me candidly what they liked and what most customers would have liked to order. When they are willing to share such info, it gives a causual shopper/eater like me the courage to order. Even the waitress at Bakerz Inn (at Paragon) had once shared with me what she liked and so i tried and was happy with her recommendation. So if the waitress chooses to mutely stand there and waiting for the coin to flipped in their favor, then i wont patronise a store where their own staff are not properly trained or even know what the kicthen is churning out.
So i hoped over to Asia kitchen next to the crappy attitude Jap store at citylink. The menu look decent enuff and i decided to give the mushroom duck soup noodle a try. Before i handed my order over, I asked the waiter (i think floor manager since he was the only one in black) the same question, "do u think your food is anygood or if he had anything to recommed" He smiled and strongly recommend the minced prok noodle but if i like soup and dun mind beef, i could try the beef bisket. However, i didnt like beef and so he quickly pointed out the duck noodle. I smiled and gave him my order and told him "U passed":)
The noodle came out shortly and yes, much to my surprise, it smelled good. I took a sip of the soup and it was rightly fragranced and tasted rite. I dunno if there are any msg but if there was , i certainly didnt feel thirsty after the food and considering i didnt have much water after was a good sign. The duck pieces was meaty and visible and wasnt shred of stuff trying to pass off as meat. The mushroom was soft and the long stem vege was cooked just right. For a place i had expected average or even below average food, the outcome was surpringly good, except for the super diluted barley water which tasted like melted ice with lotsa solid barley within.
As i was paying, the very polite waitress asked me if i was satisfed with my meal. I told her it was good and i was happy that they gave proper chunky meat that i could identify as duck. She laughed. I took the card and decide that i have found another new fuss free eating place :)
I simply had to buy the choc chunk muffin ($1.30) from the baking boys at B1- suntec (near the escalator after you come down from the one opp giodarno) . They were really soft and good! I use to hate muffins. I guess i had been a guinea pig for the home-ed gals for too many sessions, so when it comes to confectionary as such, it was avoidance at all cost! Then i tried one muffin in UK once and i realise it wasnt all that bad. But its so hard to find good muffins locally in singapore!
I know there is a store at shunfu market that sells freshly baked muffins. The smell alone was suffice to make me drool! but the Q was always too long and i couldnt be bothered. I think its crazy to spend hour Q'ing for food, any food.
So i gave Baking Boyz a try and i was not disappointed. The crust was lighted toasted and slightly cruchy. The inner was warm and soft and i could taste the oozing choc moist in my mouth. But when i tried to get a second one with jas, the batch was sold out and i had to wait 10mins for teh new batch. I wanted to get some for breakfast for mon morn and so we decided to head to city link TCC to wait.
Then i got hungry. I wasnt very impressed by TCC's main menu and jas chided me for putting the poor waitress at a tight spot when i asked "is your main any good? how would u rate it" The poor waitress couldnt answer me at all and jas dragged me away. Jas's theory was that all waitress should sell their product but i beg to differ. Every store shld have their speciality for the waitress to recommend it heartily without guilt. However if there isnt, then perhaps the place should never sell food to begin with.
The problem with our local service industry esp food is that the waiters and waitress are not trained to know their food. They are unable to describe or even "share" their personal taste experience. I have been to place in australia where waitress is able to tell me candidly what they liked and what most customers would have liked to order. When they are willing to share such info, it gives a causual shopper/eater like me the courage to order. Even the waitress at Bakerz Inn (at Paragon) had once shared with me what she liked and so i tried and was happy with her recommendation. So if the waitress chooses to mutely stand there and waiting for the coin to flipped in their favor, then i wont patronise a store where their own staff are not properly trained or even know what the kicthen is churning out.
So i hoped over to Asia kitchen next to the crappy attitude Jap store at citylink. The menu look decent enuff and i decided to give the mushroom duck soup noodle a try. Before i handed my order over, I asked the waiter (i think floor manager since he was the only one in black) the same question, "do u think your food is anygood or if he had anything to recommed" He smiled and strongly recommend the minced prok noodle but if i like soup and dun mind beef, i could try the beef bisket. However, i didnt like beef and so he quickly pointed out the duck noodle. I smiled and gave him my order and told him "U passed":)
The noodle came out shortly and yes, much to my surprise, it smelled good. I took a sip of the soup and it was rightly fragranced and tasted rite. I dunno if there are any msg but if there was , i certainly didnt feel thirsty after the food and considering i didnt have much water after was a good sign. The duck pieces was meaty and visible and wasnt shred of stuff trying to pass off as meat. The mushroom was soft and the long stem vege was cooked just right. For a place i had expected average or even below average food, the outcome was surpringly good, except for the super diluted barley water which tasted like melted ice with lotsa solid barley within.
As i was paying, the very polite waitress asked me if i was satisfed with my meal. I told her it was good and i was happy that they gave proper chunky meat that i could identify as duck. She laughed. I took the card and decide that i have found another new fuss free eating place :)
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Nite at Balaclava
Happened to meet Manwin for dinner at suntec since his client was ard that area after my seminar. Had really crappy meal at hisatomo at raffles city. I dunno why the standard has gone from bad to almost inedible. So i suggest to head to TCC for dessert to wash off the horrid seafood aftertaste.
Eric called just when I was shopping and trying on some skirts. He was at Balaclava and asked if manwin wanted to join him. Manwin asked if i was keen and what the heck. Not like I have anything major to do. So I grab the skirt i was trying, and met him after our TCC choc cake.
When we got to Bala, oh my god, it was packed! And it was only wednesday!!!! The music was pretty good and the crowd wasnt some children trying to look cool. At least they are proper old people my age. haaa haaa.
Havent been to Bala and the place has changed so much!! I knew they took over Olio but i have never been inside the revamped Bala. So it was a plesant surprise at the changes. Only thing i wasnt comfy abt was the packs of guys who eye at every gal who walked past them. I could almost hear the silent numerical score tagged to me or any gal as a matter of fact.
We found eric on the other end of the bar and we started chatting. Halfway thru our conversation, Manwin nudged me and told me i had been eyed by the guy in white sitting opposite me. He said the guy had been staring at me since i arrived. I looked up and he was positively still staring. Ok, now this is creepy. While i am used to guys passing occasional look, having a guy opposite u and staring at me the whole time is unnerving. I wasnt trying to be snobbish and i certainly wasnt trying to snub him, but really, the whole thing just felt creepy. i felt like some prey to a praying mantis. So i choose to ignore his stares and talk away as much as possible and talk to Eric and Manwin instead. At the same time, hunting for a new spot to go to.
Luckily some caucasian came and stood between me and the white guy and shortly, the guy left.
Eric called just when I was shopping and trying on some skirts. He was at Balaclava and asked if manwin wanted to join him. Manwin asked if i was keen and what the heck. Not like I have anything major to do. So I grab the skirt i was trying, and met him after our TCC choc cake.
When we got to Bala, oh my god, it was packed! And it was only wednesday!!!! The music was pretty good and the crowd wasnt some children trying to look cool. At least they are proper old people my age. haaa haaa.
Havent been to Bala and the place has changed so much!! I knew they took over Olio but i have never been inside the revamped Bala. So it was a plesant surprise at the changes. Only thing i wasnt comfy abt was the packs of guys who eye at every gal who walked past them. I could almost hear the silent numerical score tagged to me or any gal as a matter of fact.
We found eric on the other end of the bar and we started chatting. Halfway thru our conversation, Manwin nudged me and told me i had been eyed by the guy in white sitting opposite me. He said the guy had been staring at me since i arrived. I looked up and he was positively still staring. Ok, now this is creepy. While i am used to guys passing occasional look, having a guy opposite u and staring at me the whole time is unnerving. I wasnt trying to be snobbish and i certainly wasnt trying to snub him, but really, the whole thing just felt creepy. i felt like some prey to a praying mantis. So i choose to ignore his stares and talk away as much as possible and talk to Eric and Manwin instead. At the same time, hunting for a new spot to go to.
Luckily some caucasian came and stood between me and the white guy and shortly, the guy left.
Hmm Balaclava, Not too bad a hang out, reminded me of WineBar at Zouk but that place has too much kids....
Thursday, November 10, 2005
A mobile "Tibits" Taxi...
I have always wondered, is it just me or generally all our cab drivers are really chatty?
This morn, no different from most morn, the cab driver will ask the usual "are u local". After i said yes, the morn chats will commence for the next 20mins. but what really strike as different is that this time, I was offered food! All sorts of tidbits and snacks.
Initially i was offered "Sour Plums". I politely declined as i was never into tidbits. Then he offered me some biscuits, followed by some more dates, mango slices, back to "sour plums" which he was trying to convince me that was sweet. I almost felt embarrassed about saying No to everything he offered. I felt obligated to tell him that its just a habit that i dun snack on tidbits but i appreciate his kind gesture. Not one to give up and as one would say "never say Die" attitude, he offered me a Halls Mint sweet. It was almost like he felt i wasnt comfy unless i am chewing. i was so amused.
I felt sooo bad that i had to say ok and take the one sweet early in the morn even before i had food in my tummy. It felt weird. Still he was so delighted that I finally accede to his offers that he started chatting away about how upset he was abt teh NKF saga, and how he had donated $2k thinking he was helping people only to find out abt the court case. He felt really cheated but like he said, we canx stop giving or the patient will suffer. Then we move on to other topics and more food was offered along my way. I felt like i was in a moving provision shop! haa haa
It occured to me then, does everyone else get such good treatment or have I just been extremely lucky? I guess I will never know, not that i have anything to complain abt:)
This morn, no different from most morn, the cab driver will ask the usual "are u local". After i said yes, the morn chats will commence for the next 20mins. but what really strike as different is that this time, I was offered food! All sorts of tidbits and snacks.
Initially i was offered "Sour Plums". I politely declined as i was never into tidbits. Then he offered me some biscuits, followed by some more dates, mango slices, back to "sour plums" which he was trying to convince me that was sweet. I almost felt embarrassed about saying No to everything he offered. I felt obligated to tell him that its just a habit that i dun snack on tidbits but i appreciate his kind gesture. Not one to give up and as one would say "never say Die" attitude, he offered me a Halls Mint sweet. It was almost like he felt i wasnt comfy unless i am chewing. i was so amused.
I felt sooo bad that i had to say ok and take the one sweet early in the morn even before i had food in my tummy. It felt weird. Still he was so delighted that I finally accede to his offers that he started chatting away about how upset he was abt teh NKF saga, and how he had donated $2k thinking he was helping people only to find out abt the court case. He felt really cheated but like he said, we canx stop giving or the patient will suffer. Then we move on to other topics and more food was offered along my way. I felt like i was in a moving provision shop! haa haa
It occured to me then, does everyone else get such good treatment or have I just been extremely lucky? I guess I will never know, not that i have anything to complain abt:)
Sunday, November 6, 2005
Just Like heaven
Havent step into a cinema for AGES and i mean AGES.
I'm not a great movie fan since there isnt alot of movies i wanna watch. Good scripts are hard to come by.
However, i decided that i wanted to watch the show "just Like Heaven" today. So i got the gals out and we head to P.S to catch it. My cursed Jeans made me run again. I took the wrong shuttle and i had to run for my life AGAIN! damn!
Anycase, the movie was not soppy or overly dramatic. I like it coz it was funnie and light hearted. It isnt like Ghost whose ultimate aim was just to squeeze a tear out of your duct. This is just pure romantic comedy.
I had good laughs mostly thru out the movie. Esp the part that went something like: "Alcohol are good! Alcohol are best social-lubricant. They made a man crave and a woman loose." I laughed so hard at it for some weird reasons.
Anycase, i wont say more since i dun wanna be a spoiler for anyone. But its a good to catch movie for anyone looking for a good laugh.
I'm not a great movie fan since there isnt alot of movies i wanna watch. Good scripts are hard to come by.
However, i decided that i wanted to watch the show "just Like Heaven" today. So i got the gals out and we head to P.S to catch it. My cursed Jeans made me run again. I took the wrong shuttle and i had to run for my life AGAIN! damn!
Anycase, the movie was not soppy or overly dramatic. I like it coz it was funnie and light hearted. It isnt like Ghost whose ultimate aim was just to squeeze a tear out of your duct. This is just pure romantic comedy.
I had good laughs mostly thru out the movie. Esp the part that went something like: "Alcohol are good! Alcohol are best social-lubricant. They made a man crave and a woman loose." I laughed so hard at it for some weird reasons.
Anycase, i wont say more since i dun wanna be a spoiler for anyone. But its a good to catch movie for anyone looking for a good laugh.
Saturday, November 5, 2005
"Socialite" T
Went shopping with jas yesterday and saw this T-shirt that had me laughing my pants off.
"Socialite" : Botox Junkie, Shrivelled Auntie.
A pix of a shrivelled prune at the the bottom.
the top just cracked me up!! ha a
Sunday, October 30, 2005
HK cable TV
what i must rem is that service industry in Hk isnt all that fantastic either. Instead of 9-11am, the cable people didnt arrive till 12.10pm. I had to ask my security guardfs if he could help make a local call to PCCW for me.
When the technician arrived, Initially the guy was sulky and apparently hot and flustered. Though i wasnt too happy to be stuck at home waiting for someone without any breakfast, my manners obliged me to offer him a can of coke dutifully.
What a surprise that made!
When he turned around grudingly when i called him, his look of surprised and elation took over when i asked if coke was alrite by him. He smiled and took the can and said thanks. For the rest of the day, it was utter bliss leaving him to set up the cable, internet and phone line. Even though i didnt know what HK pin number was since i was only home sitting, he offered to call the hotline and settled it for me.
I guess while i was hungry and irritated for having to wait 3 hours, i suppose he must have a hard day that day and perhaps, i was the only one to have offer him a drink that day seeing how hot and sweaty he was. And that may have made his day a little better. I guess one good turn does deserves another. And i certainly felt good the rest of the day too.
As i was idling and flipping thru the channels, i realise how amzing it was. No more telescope, the menu was digitally aavailable online, but the best of all, i could even book a cinema tix using my broadband tv and choosing the desired time, cinema and seats! talk abt ultra cool! No more waiting for the internet line!
I think HK is just pure cool!
When the technician arrived, Initially the guy was sulky and apparently hot and flustered. Though i wasnt too happy to be stuck at home waiting for someone without any breakfast, my manners obliged me to offer him a can of coke dutifully.
What a surprise that made!
When he turned around grudingly when i called him, his look of surprised and elation took over when i asked if coke was alrite by him. He smiled and took the can and said thanks. For the rest of the day, it was utter bliss leaving him to set up the cable, internet and phone line. Even though i didnt know what HK pin number was since i was only home sitting, he offered to call the hotline and settled it for me.
I guess while i was hungry and irritated for having to wait 3 hours, i suppose he must have a hard day that day and perhaps, i was the only one to have offer him a drink that day seeing how hot and sweaty he was. And that may have made his day a little better. I guess one good turn does deserves another. And i certainly felt good the rest of the day too.
As i was idling and flipping thru the channels, i realise how amzing it was. No more telescope, the menu was digitally aavailable online, but the best of all, i could even book a cinema tix using my broadband tv and choosing the desired time, cinema and seats! talk abt ultra cool! No more waiting for the internet line!
I think HK is just pure cool!
Summing up HK biz trip
today is another hurried day rushing thru work, submitting doc, claims and getting all the overdue pixs out of the way. Spoke to my director abit and he wanted me to do some dept sharing abt the trip. I groaned and beg him to let me off. These sharing sessions are such drag. as if anyone would listen!
last week in Hk was pure work and madness. Luckily with sufficient planning and prior work outline, everything was going smoothly. Traffic in HK was bad at central as usual and was caught in minor jam. between office and accomodation, its costed me HK$120 for a half hour ride.
One thing i like about HK taxi drivers, i never have a second doubt that they are trying to cheat me. They always go thru teh shortest and best alternatives and they often communicate with each other to warn each other of "danger" paths. Unlike sg taxi who bitches like hell, taxi drivers in HK seem to accept their lot and strives to do their best. For that, i am only happy to tip them.
Unlike the unfortunate yellow top cab driver who picked me up from airport, he openly bitched in hokkien abt being "suay" since i was not living other end of airport, so i demanded every cent back. If i have to put up with his sulky face, i dun see why i had to give him the $2 change astip.
Anycase back to work. My manager arrives 2 day later and i had to work till 1am+ to wrap up the earlier days report for him once he arrived. Then i had to go to office at 9am instead of 9.30am coz of his conference call to oz. When i am all washed up, he told me his calls was cancelled and so in compensation, i had free macs breakfast that morn.
What came uniquely as a culture surprise was how good traffic control there was. when i arrived early at the peak hour, they actually have the security guard put up dividers to create Q to enter the office lift. So everyone just waited patiently to step into the lift and read newspaper while waiting. And the lift was super fast! I was amused and impressed. cannot imagine who said sg are good at q'ing.
After end of audit, Being familiar with Hk, i was the designated guide for my manager who never been to HK. i cannot imagine anyone not been to HK at 35 but still, its ok. Unbelieavable, i did a 3 hour crash course round HK via the MTR route. from taikoo, i brought him to macca eatery and the portuguese tarts were really good! then i brought him to jusco and he spent 1/2 hr at the anime shop and in return, heh he, i got myself a free tamachi figurine! yahooo!
In addition, as a reward for luggig my damn laptop and working files and walking ard with him to look for souvenirs for his wife, i had a great Jap dinner at Times Square. I found that they had Sun Jap Dining there, same as the one at singapore wheellock. So it was good to eat familiar afforsdable food. Plus i didnt want him to pay ridiculous price for a simple treat.
At the end of the day, then i took him out for star ferry ride and once i hit central, i was dead beat and we took a cab back and had a good hot soak. The next day, he flew back and i had to fall slightly under the weather and slpt thru sat. Construction work in HK apparently doesnt stop till 5pm and so i had to put up with dust and noise pollution while trying to stiffle the noise via the pillows..
Finally, i drag my sorry ass down and went to the chinese restaurant for dinner, it was alrite but not as great as crystal jade for the price. suddenly i missed home cook food. So the minute i landed, dragged damien out to hawker and have rojak and dessert immediately. such satisfaction.
AQs i flew back on sunday, what came as no surprise was that my flight was delayed as usual! It seesm like it is destined that for every flight that i take will always be delayed!!! So i had to sit at the gate and waited for some time. The oz guy opposite me started chatting and asked if i was on hols or work. Apparently he had been staying in china for the last 30days for work with some surf company. It was pretty funny coz he told me that he had taiwanese mangers overseeing the china operations. I had a good laugh. It just seem politically incorrect! We exchanged name cards and i wished him a good journey home. As for me, i just couldnt wait to be home again.
last week in Hk was pure work and madness. Luckily with sufficient planning and prior work outline, everything was going smoothly. Traffic in HK was bad at central as usual and was caught in minor jam. between office and accomodation, its costed me HK$120 for a half hour ride.
One thing i like about HK taxi drivers, i never have a second doubt that they are trying to cheat me. They always go thru teh shortest and best alternatives and they often communicate with each other to warn each other of "danger" paths. Unlike sg taxi who bitches like hell, taxi drivers in HK seem to accept their lot and strives to do their best. For that, i am only happy to tip them.
Unlike the unfortunate yellow top cab driver who picked me up from airport, he openly bitched in hokkien abt being "suay" since i was not living other end of airport, so i demanded every cent back. If i have to put up with his sulky face, i dun see why i had to give him the $2 change astip.
Anycase back to work. My manager arrives 2 day later and i had to work till 1am+ to wrap up the earlier days report for him once he arrived. Then i had to go to office at 9am instead of 9.30am coz of his conference call to oz. When i am all washed up, he told me his calls was cancelled and so in compensation, i had free macs breakfast that morn.
What came uniquely as a culture surprise was how good traffic control there was. when i arrived early at the peak hour, they actually have the security guard put up dividers to create Q to enter the office lift. So everyone just waited patiently to step into the lift and read newspaper while waiting. And the lift was super fast! I was amused and impressed. cannot imagine who said sg are good at q'ing.
After end of audit, Being familiar with Hk, i was the designated guide for my manager who never been to HK. i cannot imagine anyone not been to HK at 35 but still, its ok. Unbelieavable, i did a 3 hour crash course round HK via the MTR route. from taikoo, i brought him to macca eatery and the portuguese tarts were really good! then i brought him to jusco and he spent 1/2 hr at the anime shop and in return, heh he, i got myself a free tamachi figurine! yahooo!
In addition, as a reward for luggig my damn laptop and working files and walking ard with him to look for souvenirs for his wife, i had a great Jap dinner at Times Square. I found that they had Sun Jap Dining there, same as the one at singapore wheellock. So it was good to eat familiar afforsdable food. Plus i didnt want him to pay ridiculous price for a simple treat.
At the end of the day, then i took him out for star ferry ride and once i hit central, i was dead beat and we took a cab back and had a good hot soak. The next day, he flew back and i had to fall slightly under the weather and slpt thru sat. Construction work in HK apparently doesnt stop till 5pm and so i had to put up with dust and noise pollution while trying to stiffle the noise via the pillows..
Finally, i drag my sorry ass down and went to the chinese restaurant for dinner, it was alrite but not as great as crystal jade for the price. suddenly i missed home cook food. So the minute i landed, dragged damien out to hawker and have rojak and dessert immediately. such satisfaction.
AQs i flew back on sunday, what came as no surprise was that my flight was delayed as usual! It seesm like it is destined that for every flight that i take will always be delayed!!! So i had to sit at the gate and waited for some time. The oz guy opposite me started chatting and asked if i was on hols or work. Apparently he had been staying in china for the last 30days for work with some surf company. It was pretty funny coz he told me that he had taiwanese mangers overseeing the china operations. I had a good laugh. It just seem politically incorrect! We exchanged name cards and i wished him a good journey home. As for me, i just couldnt wait to be home again.
Friday, September 23, 2005
SNAG my arse
Friday, September 23rd, 2005
Today, a number of people made me v. v. v. unhappy. 
In return (without losing my cool), I like to tell those losers these:
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."
- Galileo Galilei
I wonder to myself, are they Childish? Naive?
I have no answer.
At least i know for certainty, they wont go far in life. Then again, i doubt these people even have any thing worth calling "life".
I use to think it was only women who were "San3 Ba4". They exists still for sure. But as our society evolves to some shit nonsense of "sensitive new age men", for some, male bitches are infinitely worse than women. Being fathers doesnt change a single bad gene in them.
SNAG my bloody arse.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Dinner at Au Petit Salut (Singapore)
Decide to give it a try since there wasnt anything in particular i wanted to eat last nite.
Since i wasnt very hungry, so i went for the lightest dish. So i opted for lobster bisque and pan seared foie gras. The soup was pretty tasty but the ravoli within the soup was rather disappointing. Really. I expected something fancier if i was being charged abt $18 for a soup.
Typically like a French restaurant, i had to wait for what is seemingly a long wait. The service team seemed somewhat friendly but definitely not well trained like what i would expect from a restaurant (Like Les Amis). Still, at least they bother to notice my glass was running low and 2 seperate waitress asked if i had wanted a refill. Attention is a good thing. At least i dun feel like i was being snobbed.
Then my Main came and i was suspiciously wondering at the portion. It doesnt look any larger than the entree portion that my neighbor next table had. So being typical me, unfazed by curious stares and speculations by other diners, i called for a waitress and asked "Is this really a Main's portion coz it really looked like the entree size that he had.", pointing to my neighbor.
The waitress paused, asked for another waitress, i had to repeat my question before she took my whole plate back to the kitchen to check. 1 min later, she returned with the same plate and politely informed that the chef will add another portion to my course. I suppose they had some miscomm somewhat and hmmm.. the restaurant wasnt even full house.
Anycase, tender as it was, i was abit miffed that the main was not as i hot as i wanted. I assume it had been sitting somewhere on the kitchen top for some time. Too tired to make a fuss, i finished it and waited for another 10 min before the final "addition" to my main arrived. Voila, finally a piece of hot dinner. Thank you. That is what i would have expected without demanding it.
Well at least patting my belly, i had parted my money with more satisfaction than the meal i had at the latest Gourmet Cellar, where they couldnt differentiate between well done and medium done (and giving me the reason that it was the cooker).
In a flash, my dinner was over, leaving behind a somewhat pretendious table of women trying to look like food snobs in a victorian looking decor, where both subjects sorely look like they need a serious make over.
Since i wasnt very hungry, so i went for the lightest dish. So i opted for lobster bisque and pan seared foie gras. The soup was pretty tasty but the ravoli within the soup was rather disappointing. Really. I expected something fancier if i was being charged abt $18 for a soup.
Typically like a French restaurant, i had to wait for what is seemingly a long wait. The service team seemed somewhat friendly but definitely not well trained like what i would expect from a restaurant (Like Les Amis). Still, at least they bother to notice my glass was running low and 2 seperate waitress asked if i had wanted a refill. Attention is a good thing. At least i dun feel like i was being snobbed.
Then my Main came and i was suspiciously wondering at the portion. It doesnt look any larger than the entree portion that my neighbor next table had. So being typical me, unfazed by curious stares and speculations by other diners, i called for a waitress and asked "Is this really a Main's portion coz it really looked like the entree size that he had.", pointing to my neighbor.
The waitress paused, asked for another waitress, i had to repeat my question before she took my whole plate back to the kitchen to check. 1 min later, she returned with the same plate and politely informed that the chef will add another portion to my course. I suppose they had some miscomm somewhat and hmmm.. the restaurant wasnt even full house.
Anycase, tender as it was, i was abit miffed that the main was not as i hot as i wanted. I assume it had been sitting somewhere on the kitchen top for some time. Too tired to make a fuss, i finished it and waited for another 10 min before the final "addition" to my main arrived. Voila, finally a piece of hot dinner. Thank you. That is what i would have expected without demanding it.
Well at least patting my belly, i had parted my money with more satisfaction than the meal i had at the latest Gourmet Cellar, where they couldnt differentiate between well done and medium done (and giving me the reason that it was the cooker).
In a flash, my dinner was over, leaving behind a somewhat pretendious table of women trying to look like food snobs in a victorian looking decor, where both subjects sorely look like they need a serious make over.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Do u really understand smart causal?
Monday, August 22nd, 2005
How do you define "Smart Causal"?
Hot weather aside, honestly guys, what do u classify smart?
I asked the question becoz i think Singaporean guys are generally terrible in their choice of attire not befitting the occassion. I am not judging whether the buys have any fashion sense. I’m faulting people who have no sense of judgement in what they choose to wear for events that specifically indicate smart causal or formal attire. These inconsiderate folks would often choose to think their presense should suffice and compensate anything they wear. These groups of people are often classified into
a) Arrogant SOB: People who thinks they are "rich enuff" such that basic courtesy and common sense eludes them. These lot think rules doesnt apply to them at all times and the world should revolve ard the way they think should be. Turning up in Gucci Sandals and Hugo T-shirts with Prada pouch becomes "smart causal" doesnt make things rite.
HELLO! Restaurants ask for code of dressing, not BRAND of dressing.
b) Lazy SLOBS: Guys who canx make any decent effort in wearing the right attire becoz they figure who will notice what they wear. Plus they think it doesnt make any difference. Well for your info, it does. Your frens who go thru the effort to organise something nice or restaurants who hopes to achieve an image hopes for your due respect as well. Its not about what YOU THINK or FEEL. Its about respecting others and the efforts they put in.
In many nice restaurants i have been to in sg, guys, always the guys, who would be in the crappiest faded T-shirt and jeans with joggers (track shoes) or worst, offending sandals would be dining there as if they were in a food court.
I have seen when managers turn these people away or offer to loan a pair of pants, these people kick up such a huge stink as if their life’s saving has been cheated. I have frens who tell me these people will even write in to complain abt the "sort of arrogant service or attitude".
These selfish, self indulging, self centered people honestly upset me and i honestly think they dun deserve to be dining in nice restaurants. Managers should kick them out for they ruin the efforts of other patrons who made a nice effort to blend in with the the nice ambience created for us, but in return, many sg guys fail to reciprocate the niceness in return.
I’m not saying caucasian man dress better. In fact i see many caucasian man in t-shirts and berms along the street, but the difference is, when the occasion calls for it, they are dressed decently in a nice crisp shirt and SHOES. Not flip flops, not fancy sandals or joggers. The shirt doesnt have to be branded or frivolous looking, a plain stripped or coloured shirt will do. Tie isnt even required. Is it that difficult?
When i was in Les Amis, Blue, or even grand wedding dinners, its terrible to see our local blokes in t-shirts and jeans. Jeans i can accept, but T-shirt is never never smart in any definition. Even collar polo is a stretch for me. What happen to "dressing decently" in singapore?
I was at Shiro at the other day. Attire was smart causal. When u make a reservation, they tell you that attire is smart causal. When we turn up for dinner, there was a big sign that says "Smart Causal". After we were seated, i noticed with disgust that the guy on the next table, facing me was in a faded grey, stretched t-shirt, tucked out, with jeans and joggers. I looked around and out of the 8 tables, 6 were non chinese which dressed approperiately, my table and the crap table next to us. So i said to my fren, "So much for smart casual ruling for some". I dun know if he was pricked by what i said but i hope it jolt him a little.
After the couple next to us left, we asked the manager what exactly is smart causal. According to the floor manager, they were forced to concede by irate customers that t-shirt and jean is smart causal. Some hurl verbal abuse, some threaten to complain..so eventually only berms is not acceptable. I told her T-shirt and joggers are under no circumstances is ever smart, and causal only refers to jeans. She explained she had been complained alot when she used to turn customers away and she canx turn "business" away. Well she isnt the boss, i understand her dilema.
So it takes 2 hands to clap. Customers who understand and play by the rule, and restaurants who should stick to their principles. While you may lose a couple of "indignant" customers, there will be many more back to support you if your food is truly value for money.
Should we all be losing ourselves and principles in the hope of not "offending" customers or turning away paying customers ? Shouldnt we be doing the right thing and when enuff is truly enuff, we should put our feet down to stand up in what we believe in. If a restaurant aims to target the middle and upper cliente, then STICK to it and be daring to enforce your rules. Chatter box goes all out to rent you pants, i respect that. In other countries such as Australia, States, there is a cloaks room or some spare room with spare pants/ jackets where "unknowing" guests gets to borrow and change into something more approperiate. I think its a nice culture to have and hold on to.
In Singapore, we want alot of things. We want to be first in everything we have and do. Good and fine. But in the pursuit of such achievements, its terribly sad if we continue to fail to enrich ourselves in areas that doesnt have a scorecard.
What is music to the deaf and what is art to the blind?
If one cannot even appreciate the simple act of dressing for the right occassion, one canx help but ask, what hope can we have for instilling "art and culture" into these group of people?
Hot weather aside, honestly guys, what do u classify smart?
I asked the question becoz i think Singaporean guys are generally terrible in their choice of attire not befitting the occassion. I am not judging whether the buys have any fashion sense. I’m faulting people who have no sense of judgement in what they choose to wear for events that specifically indicate smart causal or formal attire. These inconsiderate folks would often choose to think their presense should suffice and compensate anything they wear. These groups of people are often classified into
a) Arrogant SOB: People who thinks they are "rich enuff" such that basic courtesy and common sense eludes them. These lot think rules doesnt apply to them at all times and the world should revolve ard the way they think should be. Turning up in Gucci Sandals and Hugo T-shirts with Prada pouch becomes "smart causal" doesnt make things rite.
HELLO! Restaurants ask for code of dressing, not BRAND of dressing.
b) Lazy SLOBS: Guys who canx make any decent effort in wearing the right attire becoz they figure who will notice what they wear. Plus they think it doesnt make any difference. Well for your info, it does. Your frens who go thru the effort to organise something nice or restaurants who hopes to achieve an image hopes for your due respect as well. Its not about what YOU THINK or FEEL. Its about respecting others and the efforts they put in.
In many nice restaurants i have been to in sg, guys, always the guys, who would be in the crappiest faded T-shirt and jeans with joggers (track shoes) or worst, offending sandals would be dining there as if they were in a food court.
I have seen when managers turn these people away or offer to loan a pair of pants, these people kick up such a huge stink as if their life’s saving has been cheated. I have frens who tell me these people will even write in to complain abt the "sort of arrogant service or attitude".
These selfish, self indulging, self centered people honestly upset me and i honestly think they dun deserve to be dining in nice restaurants. Managers should kick them out for they ruin the efforts of other patrons who made a nice effort to blend in with the the nice ambience created for us, but in return, many sg guys fail to reciprocate the niceness in return.
I’m not saying caucasian man dress better. In fact i see many caucasian man in t-shirts and berms along the street, but the difference is, when the occasion calls for it, they are dressed decently in a nice crisp shirt and SHOES. Not flip flops, not fancy sandals or joggers. The shirt doesnt have to be branded or frivolous looking, a plain stripped or coloured shirt will do. Tie isnt even required. Is it that difficult?
When i was in Les Amis, Blue, or even grand wedding dinners, its terrible to see our local blokes in t-shirts and jeans. Jeans i can accept, but T-shirt is never never smart in any definition. Even collar polo is a stretch for me. What happen to "dressing decently" in singapore?
I was at Shiro at the other day. Attire was smart causal. When u make a reservation, they tell you that attire is smart causal. When we turn up for dinner, there was a big sign that says "Smart Causal". After we were seated, i noticed with disgust that the guy on the next table, facing me was in a faded grey, stretched t-shirt, tucked out, with jeans and joggers. I looked around and out of the 8 tables, 6 were non chinese which dressed approperiately, my table and the crap table next to us. So i said to my fren, "So much for smart casual ruling for some". I dun know if he was pricked by what i said but i hope it jolt him a little.
After the couple next to us left, we asked the manager what exactly is smart causal. According to the floor manager, they were forced to concede by irate customers that t-shirt and jean is smart causal. Some hurl verbal abuse, some threaten to complain..so eventually only berms is not acceptable. I told her T-shirt and joggers are under no circumstances is ever smart, and causal only refers to jeans. She explained she had been complained alot when she used to turn customers away and she canx turn "business" away. Well she isnt the boss, i understand her dilema.
So it takes 2 hands to clap. Customers who understand and play by the rule, and restaurants who should stick to their principles. While you may lose a couple of "indignant" customers, there will be many more back to support you if your food is truly value for money.
Should we all be losing ourselves and principles in the hope of not "offending" customers or turning away paying customers ? Shouldnt we be doing the right thing and when enuff is truly enuff, we should put our feet down to stand up in what we believe in. If a restaurant aims to target the middle and upper cliente, then STICK to it and be daring to enforce your rules. Chatter box goes all out to rent you pants, i respect that. In other countries such as Australia, States, there is a cloaks room or some spare room with spare pants/ jackets where "unknowing" guests gets to borrow and change into something more approperiate. I think its a nice culture to have and hold on to.
In Singapore, we want alot of things. We want to be first in everything we have and do. Good and fine. But in the pursuit of such achievements, its terribly sad if we continue to fail to enrich ourselves in areas that doesnt have a scorecard.
What is music to the deaf and what is art to the blind?
If one cannot even appreciate the simple act of dressing for the right occassion, one canx help but ask, what hope can we have for instilling "art and culture" into these group of people?
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Hong Kong and pretty faces!
Wednesday, August 17th, 2005
Went shopping during weekend and I realised one major difference between HK and SG. Pretty faces. No i’m serious. HK stores are filled with good looking, young, engergetic staff! *okie, but the taxi drivers there are really old and grumpy in comparison*
Everywhere in HK in different malls (eg: restaurants, lingerie stores, shoes stores, boutique etc), i am always greeted chirpily by either a really pretty gal or guy. Some are not like super dashing but at least their smile is pretty captivating and they are always eager to serve. They dun follow you like some forlon puppy, nor do they throw you dirty looks (esp when you dress in t-shirts). They dun aim to judge, they aim to serve. It was utterly refreshing!!!
Plus the fact they are young, they are such a burst of energy. I guess i’m just abit tired from being served by grumpy aunties in their thirties or forties back home here, or some young partimers who are just out to make a quick buck…Sometimes a visually delightful (non snobbish) face with good product knowledge makes a difference to how long i wanna stay in a shop! heh…
Incientallt, I went to Hugo Boss on sun looking for a pair of shoes i saw in HK. Not only do they NOT carry the fantastic design which was a complete sold out in HK, our stores here were stocked with crappy canvass like shoes. I asked the sales gal and she said there isnt such a design. I feel like slapping her when she kept insisting there wasnt such a design and i was mistaken. Hello miss, i just came back from HK, dun tell me there are no such designs. Just tell me you guys dun carry cool funky designs in sg and store only the boring cheap looking stuff that looks a suspicious duplicate looking from Timberland.
Its just irritating at times when sales simply keep telling me I’m wrong. If i could have my way, i could have told her "Go to HK Miss Snob and open your HUGE eyes and look beyond your Nose", which of coz i didnt. Being the "nice" customer as i was, i just walked out and simply refuse to spend a penny in places that has horrid sales service.
PS: incidentally, the only two stores in sg that has 100% chirpy and helpful staff at all times are Giordano and Anges B! *Applause*
Everywhere in HK in different malls (eg: restaurants, lingerie stores, shoes stores, boutique etc), i am always greeted chirpily by either a really pretty gal or guy. Some are not like super dashing but at least their smile is pretty captivating and they are always eager to serve. They dun follow you like some forlon puppy, nor do they throw you dirty looks (esp when you dress in t-shirts). They dun aim to judge, they aim to serve. It was utterly refreshing!!!
Plus the fact they are young, they are such a burst of energy. I guess i’m just abit tired from being served by grumpy aunties in their thirties or forties back home here, or some young partimers who are just out to make a quick buck…Sometimes a visually delightful (non snobbish) face with good product knowledge makes a difference to how long i wanna stay in a shop! heh…
Incientallt, I went to Hugo Boss on sun looking for a pair of shoes i saw in HK. Not only do they NOT carry the fantastic design which was a complete sold out in HK, our stores here were stocked with crappy canvass like shoes. I asked the sales gal and she said there isnt such a design. I feel like slapping her when she kept insisting there wasnt such a design and i was mistaken. Hello miss, i just came back from HK, dun tell me there are no such designs. Just tell me you guys dun carry cool funky designs in sg and store only the boring cheap looking stuff that looks a suspicious duplicate looking from Timberland.
Its just irritating at times when sales simply keep telling me I’m wrong. If i could have my way, i could have told her "Go to HK Miss Snob and open your HUGE eyes and look beyond your Nose", which of coz i didnt. Being the "nice" customer as i was, i just walked out and simply refuse to spend a penny in places that has horrid sales service.
PS: incidentally, the only two stores in sg that has 100% chirpy and helpful staff at all times are Giordano and Anges B! *Applause*
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Baking brownie
felt like baking a choc brownie on sunday nite in the middle on working on my report. yeah funnie how cravings come about at such unearthly hour (11pm). Took out my stash of hershey and started melt all the sinful rich goodies into one melting pot.
baked too much and decided to bring it to office. bad mistake. Everyone started to pester WHY i baked a brownie (since i had never brought any to office previously). Christ, why CANX i bake a brownie? Its funnie really, having to treat people and entertain their immense curiosity. One even went as far as to asking if i was getting married! Ha! I never knew one has to BAKE anything before they are allow to be wed! *chuckles*
Apparently truthful answer didnt satisfy anyone or it was too "unreal". So i ended up havent to ask "Why canx i bake a brownie?" They just looked stunned, laughed and said "Coz you dun look like the sort who would be so homely."
May laughed and said" yeah if its me, people will just eat and not asked why.. but you just dun look like the sort…"
Sigh… looks like i gotto be a little more dowdy looking before i start any goodwill baking! At least i learnt my lesson and kept the newly made chuck of almond jelly dessert at home and slowly consume it all on my own! ha ha ha!
baked too much and decided to bring it to office. bad mistake. Everyone started to pester WHY i baked a brownie (since i had never brought any to office previously). Christ, why CANX i bake a brownie? Its funnie really, having to treat people and entertain their immense curiosity. One even went as far as to asking if i was getting married! Ha! I never knew one has to BAKE anything before they are allow to be wed! *chuckles*
Apparently truthful answer didnt satisfy anyone or it was too "unreal". So i ended up havent to ask "Why canx i bake a brownie?" They just looked stunned, laughed and said "Coz you dun look like the sort who would be so homely."
May laughed and said" yeah if its me, people will just eat and not asked why.. but you just dun look like the sort…"
Sigh… looks like i gotto be a little more dowdy looking before i start any goodwill baking! At least i learnt my lesson and kept the newly made chuck of almond jelly dessert at home and slowly consume it all on my own! ha ha ha!
Holiday: Off to Hong Kong!
Wednesday, August 10th, 2005
Trip to HK was great! Life couldnt be more enjoyable!!
Good food, good sleep and catching up with frens there. Not to mention a enormous crater i below in my wallet after one afternoon at Agnes B. Saw a couple of jacket that were too irresistable. Not to mention the sales gal was extremely helpful and full of matching ideas….
For some reasons, the buyers at HK simply have much better taste than those in Singapore. I can never find anything i particularly like in SG’s stores, but put me in HK and i’ll go crazy within the malls anytime.
I prob should have put up at Conrad rather than Sheraton since i spend almost all my time in Pacific Place and Central area. Would have save me the travel from train. But prob not a good idea since i wont be spending just what i did!! I’ll prob blow my 3 months pay away given another 2 more days!
Everything is more or less abt the same as i last rem. Except the weather was really stinking hot and sticky. God bless the soul who invented Aircon!!!!
Had couple of dinner and lunches with Michelle and some others. The gals told me abt the flesh eating diseases. Apparently its such a good scare that they decide not to venture to the wet market there anymore and stuck to supermkt. We all concluded how lucky Singaporeans really are to be "free" from fear in our day to day life.
During dinner, we laughed about how the "grass always seem greener" on the other end. The ozs and states folks bitch abt their tax, expensive rents, houses and their govt policies. They all love sg. Truly they do and canx wait to be stationed back here. The only thing they lament abt was the lack of interesting jobs in sg. Then we went on abt people in sg who in turn only bitch abt "expensive cars, erp, inflations" etc and asking for more tax break and govt help for themselves. Hey, where’s the sense of proportion and perspective here?!
I guess people are never grateful no matter how much good things you put in. They dun see how lucky they are and the good things they have till they lost it. I guess its fun staying away for a while just to get out of the mono life, but at the end of the day, i cannot imagine how people have so much inane things to b*tch abt sg.
I read in a forum once abt how "expensive" living in sg is. True it isnt as cheap as it used to be, or worse, we canx compare to china, msia and vietnam. We are developed, not developing ctry. Even stuff HK is more expensive than we are in general. I def have no idea where these people got their yard stick of "expensive" from.
Anycase back to HK trip, one thing i have to admit is i really admire their MTR system all these years. Our LTA has really gotto buck up. The HK people thot of everything possible to ease the confusion of trains for visitors.
For one, they have an organised system like ours, but BETTER in a way. They have everything we have and MORE. They have blinking lights on the route panel (with LARGE PICTURE OF ROUTES) and arrow signaling the direction and at what stop you are heading to. They even have an LED on both side of the doors to indicate which side of the doors are opening so that commuters can get ready to alight on the right side! They have announcements in 3 major language (Cantonese, English, Mandarin) whether in verbal or written. Even the guiding stubs on the floor are rubberised to prevent slipping instead of metal like sg’s (apparently our implementor has never taken a train on rainy day to understd the possiblilty of splashing rain and wet floor). For years, singapore has been copying HK in the transportation system and the type of buses we used but we just canx seem to get it right.
What i fail to understand is why do LTA always "copy" half heartedly, and never the useful features? I used copy becoz i would always see the new stuff in HK first before seeing it in sg. HK had the big yellow rail buses and pass card before we do. They had wonderful train design while we are still ploding on with ours.
I thot it would have been really useful to have everything HK had in their MTR for ours. Having different languages and the directional sign routes within the train are great! Didnt we pride ourselves in multilanguage society? While we preach to be multi racial, the language used has always been predominantly English. Why? Its all recorded messages isnt it? Even during a short breakdown, the train driver apologised in cantonese, mandarin and English. And ours? Only in some muffled English.
But what impresses me the most are the people. They too have arrows on the floor. There wasnt a need for any reminder (like sg) for the people to allow comnuters to alight first. People simply Q at the door and automatically waited till most have alighted before going in. Despite the higher traffic volume and much much bigger crowd, no one shove me during peak hours. No one threw me dirty looks as if she is the greatest queen that all must make way. No one hogs the entrance and becomes a physical hinderance to everyone else. Everyone simply just walked into teh train as much as they could and if they couldnt, they just stop in line and wait for the next train. It was like a dream sg is trying to achieve for years and still fail somehow… i havent figure out how they did it yet but i was mighty impressed i tell u. I hope someday, for once, we can be better at service orientation than other countries i have come back from. Afterall, there really isnt anything to hold us back is there?
Good food, good sleep and catching up with frens there. Not to mention a enormous crater i below in my wallet after one afternoon at Agnes B. Saw a couple of jacket that were too irresistable. Not to mention the sales gal was extremely helpful and full of matching ideas….
For some reasons, the buyers at HK simply have much better taste than those in Singapore. I can never find anything i particularly like in SG’s stores, but put me in HK and i’ll go crazy within the malls anytime.
I prob should have put up at Conrad rather than Sheraton since i spend almost all my time in Pacific Place and Central area. Would have save me the travel from train. But prob not a good idea since i wont be spending just what i did!! I’ll prob blow my 3 months pay away given another 2 more days!
Everything is more or less abt the same as i last rem. Except the weather was really stinking hot and sticky. God bless the soul who invented Aircon!!!!
Had couple of dinner and lunches with Michelle and some others. The gals told me abt the flesh eating diseases. Apparently its such a good scare that they decide not to venture to the wet market there anymore and stuck to supermkt. We all concluded how lucky Singaporeans really are to be "free" from fear in our day to day life.
During dinner, we laughed about how the "grass always seem greener" on the other end. The ozs and states folks bitch abt their tax, expensive rents, houses and their govt policies. They all love sg. Truly they do and canx wait to be stationed back here. The only thing they lament abt was the lack of interesting jobs in sg. Then we went on abt people in sg who in turn only bitch abt "expensive cars, erp, inflations" etc and asking for more tax break and govt help for themselves. Hey, where’s the sense of proportion and perspective here?!
I guess people are never grateful no matter how much good things you put in. They dun see how lucky they are and the good things they have till they lost it. I guess its fun staying away for a while just to get out of the mono life, but at the end of the day, i cannot imagine how people have so much inane things to b*tch abt sg.
I read in a forum once abt how "expensive" living in sg is. True it isnt as cheap as it used to be, or worse, we canx compare to china, msia and vietnam. We are developed, not developing ctry. Even stuff HK is more expensive than we are in general. I def have no idea where these people got their yard stick of "expensive" from.
Anycase back to HK trip, one thing i have to admit is i really admire their MTR system all these years. Our LTA has really gotto buck up. The HK people thot of everything possible to ease the confusion of trains for visitors.
For one, they have an organised system like ours, but BETTER in a way. They have everything we have and MORE. They have blinking lights on the route panel (with LARGE PICTURE OF ROUTES) and arrow signaling the direction and at what stop you are heading to. They even have an LED on both side of the doors to indicate which side of the doors are opening so that commuters can get ready to alight on the right side! They have announcements in 3 major language (Cantonese, English, Mandarin) whether in verbal or written. Even the guiding stubs on the floor are rubberised to prevent slipping instead of metal like sg’s (apparently our implementor has never taken a train on rainy day to understd the possiblilty of splashing rain and wet floor). For years, singapore has been copying HK in the transportation system and the type of buses we used but we just canx seem to get it right.
What i fail to understand is why do LTA always "copy" half heartedly, and never the useful features? I used copy becoz i would always see the new stuff in HK first before seeing it in sg. HK had the big yellow rail buses and pass card before we do. They had wonderful train design while we are still ploding on with ours.
I thot it would have been really useful to have everything HK had in their MTR for ours. Having different languages and the directional sign routes within the train are great! Didnt we pride ourselves in multilanguage society? While we preach to be multi racial, the language used has always been predominantly English. Why? Its all recorded messages isnt it? Even during a short breakdown, the train driver apologised in cantonese, mandarin and English. And ours? Only in some muffled English.
But what impresses me the most are the people. They too have arrows on the floor. There wasnt a need for any reminder (like sg) for the people to allow comnuters to alight first. People simply Q at the door and automatically waited till most have alighted before going in. Despite the higher traffic volume and much much bigger crowd, no one shove me during peak hours. No one threw me dirty looks as if she is the greatest queen that all must make way. No one hogs the entrance and becomes a physical hinderance to everyone else. Everyone simply just walked into teh train as much as they could and if they couldnt, they just stop in line and wait for the next train. It was like a dream sg is trying to achieve for years and still fail somehow… i havent figure out how they did it yet but i was mighty impressed i tell u. I hope someday, for once, we can be better at service orientation than other countries i have come back from. Afterall, there really isnt anything to hold us back is there?
Wednesday, August 3, 2005
Holidays to HK!
just got back from office and tired like hell. Feel like some cinderalla. Starving, overworked and fatigue like hell. Hopefully there wont be anymore changes in the report tomorrow!
Going to be "unpatriotic" and heading to HK for hols this weekend till National day is over! Havent been there in 4 years and canx wait to savour the good stuff again! Yummy. My cantonese is rock bottoms now and hopefully i will get by this time. The thot of endless shopping for next few glorious days is too exciting and my only source of motivation to work the long hours now.
K better be off for dinner while i patiently wait for my Bleach 43 to be downloaded! Yippee!
Thursday, July 28, 2005
The guy who won the world best looking award
Thursday, July 28th, 2005
Jas sent me an attachment on "The guy who won the best looking guy in the world title".
Expecting it to be a hoax and hold and behold! Yummy! So to share such eye candy, i positively have to brighten my darling gfs’ days…
The bits started flowing in…
Rach: "honestly, after the bling bling disappointment, i thought it was another terrible hoax….but to my pleasant surprise, it wasnt a hoax….!
i like his look…. "
Me (couldnt stop laughing) : haa haaa haaa do u believe me when i said before i open the attachment, i thot would be a hoax too! haa ahaaa then like you, my eyes grew from small to wide open!
heee
Rach: i cant wait for oli’s reaction!!! 100X cuter than her joe!
yeah…mine too. my big big eyes almost popped out! he is such an eye candy!
Oli: That makes three who think it was a hoax…;) ok only lah – he looks so unreal…not earthy enough…
Rach: oli’s std quite high…. he certainly doesnt look like an alien to me! =P a perfect human being….if only there are more of such pple around, the world will be such a wonderful and beautiful place….*dreaming away*
Oli: Guess, we like dif types…that’s cool - we are not competitors…haha
Rach: hahah…thats true… but oh no….sista is my competitor!! but well, for our sister-ship, i will let sista have this one… =P
Oli: share ok
These gals simply blow my stress away everyday! How can anyone not be happy ard them!
Expecting it to be a hoax and hold and behold! Yummy! So to share such eye candy, i positively have to brighten my darling gfs’ days…
The bits started flowing in…
Rach: "honestly, after the bling bling disappointment, i thought it was another terrible hoax….but to my pleasant surprise, it wasnt a hoax….!
i like his look…. "
Me (couldnt stop laughing) : haa haaa haaa do u believe me when i said before i open the attachment, i thot would be a hoax too! haa ahaaa then like you, my eyes grew from small to wide open!
heeeRach: i cant wait for oli’s reaction!!! 100X cuter than her joe!
yeah…mine too. my big big eyes almost popped out! he is such an eye candy!
Oli: That makes three who think it was a hoax…;) ok only lah – he looks so unreal…not earthy enough…
Rach: oli’s std quite high…. he certainly doesnt look like an alien to me! =P a perfect human being….if only there are more of such pple around, the world will be such a wonderful and beautiful place….*dreaming away*
Oli: Guess, we like dif types…that’s cool - we are not competitors…haha
Rach: hahah…thats true… but oh no….sista is my competitor!! but well, for our sister-ship, i will let sista have this one… =P
Oli: share ok
These gals simply blow my stress away everyday! How can anyone not be happy ard them!
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Beautiful 2Karat ring
Wednesday, July 27th, 2005
Sent a pix of a supposedly beautiful "2karat" ring pix to my gfs.
I nearly died of laughter after getting their replies. Rach was the first to wrote back indicating her "Huge" disappointment.
RacH: "i was looking forward to seeing a BIG BIG diamond bling bling. how disappointing"
Oli : "Not nice at all
Terrible Hoax!"
Rach: "yah lor sista. next time dont send such terrible hoax. make us excited over carrots?! ={ "
I couldnt help it. It was funny!
Heres a pix of the 2"Karat" ring:) Hee heee
I nearly died of laughter after getting their replies. Rach was the first to wrote back indicating her "Huge" disappointment.
RacH: "i was looking forward to seeing a BIG BIG diamond bling bling. how disappointing"
Oli : "Not nice at all
Terrible Hoax!"Rach: "yah lor sista. next time dont send such terrible hoax. make us excited over carrots?! ={ "
I couldnt help it. It was funny!
Heres a pix of the 2"Karat" ring:) Hee heee
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Horrid Airline
never again will i wanna board another M*** airline(name censored in good advice of bud). Not even if i am on tight schedule.
First of all, instead of landing us in KL, the plane actually flew all the way to Penang for landing due to "bad weather" in KL. First the captain announced "Due to technical .." "Due to bad weather, we will be landing in Penang instead" Apparently the rain was so bad that the plane couldnt make its landing and had to detour to Penang for refuel. My msian colleagues asked "Isnt Ipoh nearer" I asked her, you tell me, this is the first time i came to KL via plane instead of driving.
So that’s a super First! Whoever heard of not able to land due to rain? Storm, hail, typhoon yeah definitely, but rain??
I had hoped to find out some details from a aircrew member who walked past me. I wanted to ask if we will be just waiting in Penang or changing to another plane? And how long since i had to rearrange my transport at KL. While he was struggling to say something, his colleague snaped something in malay to him and he sheepishly went away after saying "i’ll come back to you.", which i must say he NEVER did even though his crew seat was just 1 row away from me. During landing, while the wheels were being released, i could feel my seat shaking in addition to the loud creaking sound. I didnt feel i was in safe hands.
Anycase, upon reaching Penang, i decided to come out of the plane to make a sms to my boss on the delay. "Heading for Penang Laksa now. Nope i didnt board the wrong plane, *** airline has decided to present me a truly asia tour of penang airport, coz of some heavy downpour in KL".
While waiting for my boss to reply, i looked out of the window at the plane. Guess what? I didnt see any refueling tank. Maybe it was done with refuelling but i canx help but have my doubts. The propellers on the plane towards the tail was still running. Then I only saw 4 Malay guys in bright green top standing below the plane body, pointing and looking at the plane. Now, this is definitely not a scene i was expecting. I hope they are just doing routine checks.
My boss sms me back and thought i was joking. Rain? Whoever heard of plane deter by rain in S.E.A? (Even my msian colleagues didnt believe us and thought it was a typo) What a field day.
While waiting, i heard an irate passenger asking how long the delay would be. The none helpful crew mumbled 30min, depending on the weather. The passenger rolled her eyes and said" then that mean i have to wait for an hour! This always happens!" I was dismayed… i could only hope she was wrong. Then again, the stewardess probably didnt know what was happening.
I pointed to the 4 people underneath the plane and asked my colleague. Is it really rain or is the plane that is the problem. Whatever it is, no rush. Take their time to fix whatever they have to or wait for whatever.
Close to an hour later (yep the passenger was rite), we finally were told to reboard the plane and back to KL. I was saying my prayers and crossing my fingers. The last thing i wanted was to die in a horrid plane without even being served my deserved refreshments. Guess *** airline didnt think of preparing packed refreshments. Anycase, god heard my prayer, and i landed safely in one piece, not before cringing at the violent shaking of the overhead cabin during landing and being yelled at (banged on the door) by the cabin crew to get out of the toilet, which i was only in for less than 4 mins.
The minute i reach my office, i called my admin gal to reschedule my flight and as my colleague said it best "At all cost, book us on SQ on return flight. No more *** airline please."
3 days later, the flight back to sg was utter bliss. The aircon in SQ was at max and i had to ask for a blanket which the stewardess politely obliged. Drinks were in packed and sealed container such that no trolleys was essential. Most of all, the plane was almost "silent", producing only sounds which ought to be heard. The overhead cabin also didnt shake during landing and i didnt feel my seat shake as well as when the wheels were released. Smooth landing and Amen.
Should *** Airline ever rank above SQ at anytime, i would never for the life of me understand the judging criteria then. I would rather ride an "upside down" theme park ride anytime than take that airline again.
PS: Upon landing, i noticed the floor was slightly damp but not wet as i would expect from a thunder storm. Some passengers openly commented my inner thoughs after the plane has landed. i asked the cab driver later if there was really such heavy rain earlier in the day. Apparently, he didnt want to answer my innocent question after my colleague explained abt the delayed flight… Hmm…
First of all, instead of landing us in KL, the plane actually flew all the way to Penang for landing due to "bad weather" in KL. First the captain announced "Due to technical .."
So that’s a super First! Whoever heard of not able to land due to rain? Storm, hail, typhoon yeah definitely, but rain??
I had hoped to find out some details from a aircrew member who walked past me. I wanted to ask if we will be just waiting in Penang or changing to another plane? And how long since i had to rearrange my transport at KL. While he was struggling to say something, his colleague snaped something in malay to him and he sheepishly went away after saying "i’ll come back to you.", which i must say he NEVER did even though his crew seat was just 1 row away from me. During landing, while the wheels were being released, i could feel my seat shaking in addition to the loud creaking sound. I didnt feel i was in safe hands.
Anycase, upon reaching Penang, i decided to come out of the plane to make a sms to my boss on the delay. "Heading for Penang Laksa now. Nope i didnt board the wrong plane, *** airline has decided to present me a truly asia tour of penang airport, coz of some heavy downpour in KL".
While waiting for my boss to reply, i looked out of the window at the plane. Guess what? I didnt see any refueling tank. Maybe it was done with refuelling but i canx help but have my doubts. The propellers on the plane towards the tail was still running. Then I only saw 4 Malay guys in bright green top standing below the plane body, pointing and looking at the plane. Now, this is definitely not a scene i was expecting. I hope they are just doing routine checks.
My boss sms me back and thought i was joking. Rain? Whoever heard of plane deter by rain in S.E.A? (Even my msian colleagues didnt believe us and thought it was a typo) What a field day.
While waiting, i heard an irate passenger asking how long the delay would be. The none helpful crew mumbled 30min, depending on the weather. The passenger rolled her eyes and said" then that mean i have to wait for an hour! This always happens!" I was dismayed… i could only hope she was wrong. Then again, the stewardess probably didnt know what was happening.
I pointed to the 4 people underneath the plane and asked my colleague. Is it really rain or is the plane that is the problem. Whatever it is, no rush. Take their time to fix whatever they have to or wait for whatever.
Close to an hour later (yep the passenger was rite), we finally were told to reboard the plane and back to KL. I was saying my prayers and crossing my fingers. The last thing i wanted was to die in a horrid plane without even being served my deserved refreshments. Guess *** airline didnt think of preparing packed refreshments. Anycase, god heard my prayer, and i landed safely in one piece, not before cringing at the violent shaking of the overhead cabin during landing and being yelled at (banged on the door) by the cabin crew to get out of the toilet, which i was only in for less than 4 mins.
The minute i reach my office, i called my admin gal to reschedule my flight and as my colleague said it best "At all cost, book us on SQ on return flight. No more *** airline please."
3 days later, the flight back to sg was utter bliss. The aircon in SQ was at max and i had to ask for a blanket which the stewardess politely obliged. Drinks were in packed and sealed container such that no trolleys was essential. Most of all, the plane was almost "silent", producing only sounds which ought to be heard. The overhead cabin also didnt shake during landing and i didnt feel my seat shake as well as when the wheels were released. Smooth landing and Amen.
Should *** Airline ever rank above SQ at anytime, i would never for the life of me understand the judging criteria then. I would rather ride an "upside down" theme park ride anytime than take that airline again.
PS: Upon landing, i noticed the floor was slightly damp but not wet as i would expect from a thunder storm. Some passengers openly commented my inner thoughs after the plane has landed. i asked the cab driver later if there was really such heavy rain earlier in the day. Apparently, he didnt want to answer my innocent question after my colleague explained abt the delayed flight… Hmm…
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Getting the pronunciation rite
Friday, July 29th, 2005
Finally finished "The Fourth Queen" (Debbie Taylor). In essence, it was a rather forgettable read but i suppose the first chap was good enuff to make me pick it up in NZ and paid NZ$23 for it.
Again based on a true story, abt a gal named Helen Gloag who ran away, abucted by pirates and become Queen of Morocco. Something abt the book left me unsatisfied. Maybe it was just a bad timing and the book didnt blend into my current reading mood.
But another novel was a grab. "the Mystic Masseur" by V.S Napiaul. Its sly and funny and a postive recommendation for those seeking a light read.
Perhaps that why i couldnt concentrate on the Indian speaker for the seminar yesterday. While he droned on and on abt his company’s achievements, i started to chuckle as his presence reminded me strongly of the book i read.
He could have been funny but Unfortunately,the poor chap chose to focus on hardselling his company and its services, which prob backfired (judging by the empty booth later). It was a little disconcerting and a cheap shot with a captive audience that had signed up for another agenda in mind. The chap deliberately paused at every 3 words he had to say, in futile attempt to create a "punch" in everything he had to say. Someone should tell the poor chap there is only so much "punch" one can deliver in a 30mins presentation, esp with a very rich native accent.
And this director from the MNC kept on saying"Sack-cure-ri-ti". I was just abt to crack a joke to my boss, only to see him nodding his head off. He wasnt even listening!
Incidentally to share….
"Patent" should sound like "Pair-tern" and not "Pay-tern" as many would say it. and "Abalone"… its should be as "Air-ber-lo-ni" instead of "Air-ber-lone".
Well in case u are wondering, i got "patent" wrong for the last 10 years too. but hey! at least i never once said "vomit" as "wo-mit" I am off to listen to my "Lay-dio" now.Ha ha ha!
Again based on a true story, abt a gal named Helen Gloag who ran away, abucted by pirates and become Queen of Morocco. Something abt the book left me unsatisfied. Maybe it was just a bad timing and the book didnt blend into my current reading mood.
But another novel was a grab. "the Mystic Masseur" by V.S Napiaul. Its sly and funny and a postive recommendation for those seeking a light read.
Perhaps that why i couldnt concentrate on the Indian speaker for the seminar yesterday. While he droned on and on abt his company’s achievements, i started to chuckle as his presence reminded me strongly of the book i read.
He could have been funny but Unfortunately,the poor chap chose to focus on hardselling his company and its services, which prob backfired (judging by the empty booth later). It was a little disconcerting and a cheap shot with a captive audience that had signed up for another agenda in mind. The chap deliberately paused at every 3 words he had to say, in futile attempt to create a "punch" in everything he had to say. Someone should tell the poor chap there is only so much "punch" one can deliver in a 30mins presentation, esp with a very rich native accent.
And this director from the MNC kept on saying"Sack-cure-ri-ti". I was just abt to crack a joke to my boss, only to see him nodding his head off. He wasnt even listening!
Incidentally to share….
"Patent" should sound like "Pair-tern" and not "Pay-tern" as many would say it. and "Abalone"… its should be as "Air-ber-lo-ni" instead of "Air-ber-lone".
Well in case u are wondering, i got "patent" wrong for the last 10 years too. but hey! at least i never once said "vomit" as "wo-mit" I am off to listen to my "Lay-dio" now.Ha ha ha!
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Breakfast with model Dennis and Wolfgang
well almost, they were just seated behind us and there wasnt anyone else at the dine in.
brought Jas out for pancakes breakfast. Just as we were indulging ourselves with food and laughters, i saw the couple sat down behind Jas.
Wolfgang was in his usual bright red polo, jeans and slippers and dennis was in this transluent yello t-top and jeans. But she had her reading glasses and she looked as goregous as on TV.
Looks like they were planning on having a quiet sun breakfast and they sat there smiling, making small talks and reading the Sunday Times.
Me and Jas continued our conversations and left the sweet couple to their private moments. But ghees, she is really one hell of a babe. For some reasons, wolfgang looked kinda always "in awe" sort of gaze when dennis speaks to him.
Just then, the daughter of the restaurant chain owner walked in with her super short white skirt outfit. HOT HOT HOT! having 2 hot babes on one sunday morn wasnt something i had in mind but it was definitely a welcome change from seeing boring snobs like Skiny Stick Hossan and Miss Sharanne Aw aka Miss Nose in the Air.
The daughter sat outside with her frens and as she crosses her legs, she reminded me of the one good reason why i stopped wearing short skirts a long loooong time ago!! If this is jap anime, i prob would be spilling blood from my nose now...
Just as we were finishing up, Ly called from Australia and i stepped out to take my call. I told Ly abt Deniis and he was like "Bloody hell! Breakfast huh! Slippers huh... That means she must have stayed over at his place! Oooooo, nottie nottie gal!!" We laughed. Just when i hung up and walked back, Wolfgang bent forward towards dennis and talking to her. Then i saw his big White Underwear. Eeeewwweeee. Now that's one thing i honestly didnt have to witness in the morn.
As i sat down, jas told me she overheard dennie asking wolfgang
Princess D: Would you carry my hangbag for me while we shop in town?
Wolf: Do u mean gym bag, shopping bags or bag bag as in handbag?
Princess D: Handbag.
Wolf: *long pause of hesitance* ........I think not. I would carry other bags but not your handbag
Princess D: Why not? It looks like a tote bag and doesnt even look like a lady's handbag (i sneaked a look at her white handbag by the side and it positively LOOKED like a LADY's HANDBAG)
Wolfgang *apparently gave sheepish smile and shook his head*: nah i dun think so.
Princess D: Wrong answer! U are suppose to say " Yes darling, let me carry your bag for you. Then i will tell you, "No darling, you dun have to"
They both laughed.
It was one of the sweetest conversation i had heard the whole day.
And you know what? I dun care if people says its a trash show, or they are faking it, or whatever crap. I think they are for real a really sweet couple. Dennis seems like a really nice gal with brains to match her looks and they deserve to be happy. If there are guys out there making snide remarks, well guess what? You are just another sour grape! HA!
brought Jas out for pancakes breakfast. Just as we were indulging ourselves with food and laughters, i saw the couple sat down behind Jas.
Wolfgang was in his usual bright red polo, jeans and slippers and dennis was in this transluent yello t-top and jeans. But she had her reading glasses and she looked as goregous as on TV.
Looks like they were planning on having a quiet sun breakfast and they sat there smiling, making small talks and reading the Sunday Times.
Me and Jas continued our conversations and left the sweet couple to their private moments. But ghees, she is really one hell of a babe. For some reasons, wolfgang looked kinda always "in awe" sort of gaze when dennis speaks to him.
Just then, the daughter of the restaurant chain owner walked in with her super short white skirt outfit. HOT HOT HOT! having 2 hot babes on one sunday morn wasnt something i had in mind but it was definitely a welcome change from seeing boring snobs like Skiny Stick Hossan and Miss Sharanne Aw aka Miss Nose in the Air.
The daughter sat outside with her frens and as she crosses her legs, she reminded me of the one good reason why i stopped wearing short skirts a long loooong time ago!! If this is jap anime, i prob would be spilling blood from my nose now...
Just as we were finishing up, Ly called from Australia and i stepped out to take my call. I told Ly abt Deniis and he was like "Bloody hell! Breakfast huh! Slippers huh... That means she must have stayed over at his place! Oooooo, nottie nottie gal!!" We laughed. Just when i hung up and walked back, Wolfgang bent forward towards dennis and talking to her. Then i saw his big White Underwear. Eeeewwweeee. Now that's one thing i honestly didnt have to witness in the morn.
As i sat down, jas told me she overheard dennie asking wolfgang
Princess D: Would you carry my hangbag for me while we shop in town?
Wolf: Do u mean gym bag, shopping bags or bag bag as in handbag?
Princess D: Handbag.
Wolf: *long pause of hesitance* ........I think not. I would carry other bags but not your handbag
Princess D: Why not? It looks like a tote bag and doesnt even look like a lady's handbag (i sneaked a look at her white handbag by the side and it positively LOOKED like a LADY's HANDBAG)
Wolfgang *apparently gave sheepish smile and shook his head*: nah i dun think so.
Princess D: Wrong answer! U are suppose to say " Yes darling, let me carry your bag for you. Then i will tell you, "No darling, you dun have to"
They both laughed.
It was one of the sweetest conversation i had heard the whole day.
And you know what? I dun care if people says its a trash show, or they are faking it, or whatever crap. I think they are for real a really sweet couple. Dennis seems like a really nice gal with brains to match her looks and they deserve to be happy. If there are guys out there making snide remarks, well guess what? You are just another sour grape! HA!
Cheating Bus, Tankers and 100m Dash
Had Jas stayed over for the weekend. Had been so bz to catch up with anyone that i thot i deserve a relaxing weekend for a change.
Unfortunatelt, was a traumatic experience of trying to get to GV marina due to the road closure for NDP rehearsal. First there was the jam, a horrid stagnant jam while in the bus. Secondly, the SBS bus as USUAL overcharge my fare coz the bus driver didnt change the card reader to exit, and book me for second entry! I told the bus driver and he gave me that "Why you so troublesome look" and it pisses me off like hell. Yeah its 60cents extra, but its MY 60Cents to decide whom i wanna share with and SBS is def not a company i wanna indulge in such malpractice!!!
Considering i was the THIRD passenger to alight at the front door, MR Bus TRANSIST must have reaped aplenty from unaware customers!!! (and which fking asshole says there dun have enuff $$ and need a fare hike?!!!)
After alighting, we crossed the road only to be told by the army guy that we had to route behind the safra building. I was peeved. Couldnt they have stationed someone BEFORE the station or put a sign to advise people to walk the city link underpass?? So me and jasmine had to back track and all the cars refuse to let us walk even though it was GREEN MAN walking. They were just turning all the way coz the traffic polic didnt have much sense to stop them.
So being me as usual, i stepped out on the road and forced the car to stop. I have 10mins to get to Marina GV and i was running short on patience. The Causaian woman glared at me and i glared straight back at her. Its Green man walking you blind bitch. Just as i was about to reach the end, i was halted in the middle of the road and the tankers rolled passed me. Arrrgghh unbelievable! I felt like i was caught in some war zone country! I cannot imagine how the kids in Iraq or any war torn city survive with bombings, shooting and tankers all over them 24 x7hrs…
Anycase, while we hit the citylink, we were like bunnies let loose and we run for our dear lives. It felt like we would never reach marina gv coz it was like stretches and stretches of long walk and human traffic. But in the end, we made it just in time. PHEW! This has gotto be the most exhausting day in my life!
Unfortunatelt, was a traumatic experience of trying to get to GV marina due to the road closure for NDP rehearsal. First there was the jam, a horrid stagnant jam while in the bus. Secondly, the SBS bus as USUAL overcharge my fare coz the bus driver didnt change the card reader to exit, and book me for second entry! I told the bus driver and he gave me that "Why you so troublesome look" and it pisses me off like hell. Yeah its 60cents extra, but its MY 60Cents to decide whom i wanna share with and SBS is def not a company i wanna indulge in such malpractice!!!
Considering i was the THIRD passenger to alight at the front door, MR Bus TRANSIST must have reaped aplenty from unaware customers!!! (and which fking asshole says there dun have enuff $$ and need a fare hike?!!!)
After alighting, we crossed the road only to be told by the army guy that we had to route behind the safra building. I was peeved. Couldnt they have stationed someone BEFORE the station or put a sign to advise people to walk the city link underpass?? So me and jasmine had to back track and all the cars refuse to let us walk even though it was GREEN MAN walking. They were just turning all the way coz the traffic polic didnt have much sense to stop them.
So being me as usual, i stepped out on the road and forced the car to stop. I have 10mins to get to Marina GV and i was running short on patience. The Causaian woman glared at me and i glared straight back at her. Its Green man walking you blind bitch. Just as i was about to reach the end, i was halted in the middle of the road and the tankers rolled passed me. Arrrgghh unbelievable! I felt like i was caught in some war zone country! I cannot imagine how the kids in Iraq or any war torn city survive with bombings, shooting and tankers all over them 24 x7hrs…
Anycase, while we hit the citylink, we were like bunnies let loose and we run for our dear lives. It felt like we would never reach marina gv coz it was like stretches and stretches of long walk and human traffic. But in the end, we made it just in time. PHEW! This has gotto be the most exhausting day in my life!
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Kuriya, Yummy....
Sunday.
Kuriya dining at Great World City never fails to impress me over and over again. tonite was no different. had the steam king crab, oyster and gyu tan, tempura etc. yummy. felt like a royal feast. Its funny coz as usual the Jap manager mistook my partner was Japanese but i ended up as the one conversing in jap instead. well, was pretty rusty since it has been quite a couple of years since i last used my jap but it was managable. Amen to that.
now i'm all stuffed and full. dunno what i'm gona do with my lamb pattie sandwich from dao paolo from brunch. should i throw it or keep it for breakfast. sigh.. guess i will have to see wat time i can rise tmw.
Kuriya dining at Great World City never fails to impress me over and over again. tonite was no different. had the steam king crab, oyster and gyu tan, tempura etc. yummy. felt like a royal feast. Its funny coz as usual the Jap manager mistook my partner was Japanese but i ended up as the one conversing in jap instead. well, was pretty rusty since it has been quite a couple of years since i last used my jap but it was managable. Amen to that.
now i'm all stuffed and full. dunno what i'm gona do with my lamb pattie sandwich from dao paolo from brunch. should i throw it or keep it for breakfast. sigh.. guess i will have to see wat time i can rise tmw.
Monday, June 20, 2005
What is your Star Wars Sabre colour?!
Monday, June 20th, 2005
colleague sent me Star Wars Quiz
http://quizilla.com/users/AfroBurdie/quizzes/What%20Colored%20Lightsaber%20Would%20You%20Have%3F/
Threads of the Day
Boss:
Join the Dark Side ! Travel the Galaxy, be cannon-fodder. Meet new aliens and blast them … Meet new rebels and blast them. Eat wookies for breakfast, and be in time to kill some Ewokes for lunch. Blast the bartender too because he is giving you a pay-up sign. Sign-on now … on this dotted line. Waiver all your rights. You are now an exclusive, individual of the 100 million strong Storm Troopers.
colleague:
Whats your color..?
I’m a yellow. Yellow is the color of Honor and Loyalty. It symbolizes caution and foreboding in either direction of the blade, Meaning that the owner is relatively cautious…but also to be cautious of them. Since Yellow stands for both Honor and Cowardice, Once should always think twice before attacking someone with a Yellow Saber.
Boss:
Orange lightsaber
colleague:
OMG.. I am working for the dark side. U ARE THE TRAI… Must look for a purple saber to deal with you!
me:
Green saber!! I feel so fortunate already! Chuckles…
"Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth,harmony, and freshness. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. Green is also commonly associated with wealth and happiness, so someone with a green lightsaber like yourself is a fortunate soul."
Colleague
U are the fai cai JEDI ah? HAHAHAHAHAHA,.
boss:
My Star Destroyer beats your puny X-Wing anyday .. and eats Nebulon Frigates for lunch.
Me:
LOL! Come come, all u "jedi", come donate $$ to me:) bwwhahahaha
Boss:
Use the force .. Use the Force !
I believe you do that against those poor little icky cockroaches and harmless looking house lizards right ? Cut them with your GREEN lightsaber … cut off their heads, light a fire with it, burn those insects into a crisp.
Join the Dark Side .. then you don’t have to make any sissy excuses when you want to bash something. And if you do that in the next 20 seconds, you can get this cute Yoda squeeze-ball toy (worthed $49.99) absolutely free.
Me:
U PIG!!
Boss:
Bleh. *laughs away and fade into bkgrd*
http://quizilla.com/users/AfroBurdie/quizzes/What%20Colored%20Lightsaber%20Would%20You%20Have%3F/
Threads of the Day
Boss:
Join the Dark Side ! Travel the Galaxy, be cannon-fodder. Meet new aliens and blast them … Meet new rebels and blast them. Eat wookies for breakfast, and be in time to kill some Ewokes for lunch. Blast the bartender too because he is giving you a pay-up sign. Sign-on now … on this dotted line. Waiver all your rights. You are now an exclusive, individual of the 100 million strong Storm Troopers.
colleague:
Whats your color..?
I’m a yellow. Yellow is the color of Honor and Loyalty. It symbolizes caution and foreboding in either direction of the blade, Meaning that the owner is relatively cautious…but also to be cautious of them. Since Yellow stands for both Honor and Cowardice, Once should always think twice before attacking someone with a Yellow Saber.
Boss:
Orange lightsaber
colleague:
OMG.. I am working for the dark side.
U ARE THE TRAI… Must look for a purple saber to deal with you! me:
Green saber!! I feel so fortunate already! Chuckles…
"Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth,harmony, and freshness. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. Green is also commonly associated with wealth and happiness, so someone with a green lightsaber like yourself is a fortunate soul."
Colleague
U are the fai cai JEDI ah? HAHAHAHAHAHA,.
boss:
My Star Destroyer beats your puny X-Wing anyday .. and eats Nebulon Frigates for lunch.
Me:
LOL! Come come, all u "jedi", come donate $$ to me:) bwwhahahaha
Boss:
Use the force .. Use the Force !
I believe you do that against those poor little icky cockroaches and harmless looking house lizards right ?
Cut them with your GREEN lightsaber … cut off their heads, light a fire with it, burn those insects into a crisp.Join the Dark Side .. then you don’t have to make any sissy excuses when you want to bash something. And if you do that in the next 20 seconds, you can get this cute Yoda squeeze-ball toy (worthed $49.99) absolutely free.
Me:
U PIG!!
Boss:
Bleh. *laughs away and fade into bkgrd*
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Chill out at Walas
met Oli and YF for drinks and chill out with the band at walas at Holland village. was hoping to catch joe but unfortuntately for us gals, he wasnt ard. seems like he's down with a flu or sorts. anycase, EIC was still pretty good as usual and delivering the usual stuff. was pretty funnie when Ray made fun of the guys wanting to play savage gardens. oooo man, how retro can that bunch be!! Jack mimic a super girlie version of savage single hit and then firmly said NO to the dedication. the crowd had a good laugh.
stayed till past midnite and all the gals were yawning. been a super long day. time to hit the sack...
stayed till past midnite and all the gals were yawning. been a super long day. time to hit the sack...
Monday, May 30, 2005
Galfren's big fat wedding day!
Monday, May 30th, 2005
woke up in major panic at 6.30am. I am sooooo late. fk. No time to do makeup and shit. guess i ‘ll ve to do it within the 20mins ride. its soooo gonna streak and the freaking brushes are all falling apart.
am suppose to hit pam’s place by 7.30am before the groom reaches her place. I’ll be damn if i’m stuck outside the gate with the guys! I will be the loser bridesmaid in history to be bargaining outside the gate!!!No way!!!!
Phew! Made it in time though half an hour later than intended!! The other 2 gals had allready come up with some tekan plans but we thot it wasnt good enuff.
Forgot to bring the wax strips and the boys are soooo lucky esp CK. He shld be thankful that i woke up late or this will be the most painful best man job he ever volunteered for!! heh.
The boys looked really good in their suit and all. Yummy! haaa haaaa. However, It wasnt much fun since they had an old grouchy witch with them to nag us gals abt auspicious time blah blah. the gals just ignored her till she was almost spattin in our face. basically the old witch was a kill joy with her bunch of nagging and blah blah blah. though try as we might to pretend we couldnt understd her bunch of dialect and we could almost see the steam and smoke out of her flaring nostrils. The bridesmaids didnt wanna play anymore and just let the grooom thru. I dun understd, if the guys wanna play the crash the gate thingie, then why hide behind the old foggies and make it so difficult. I mean who wants to sttart swearing rite?
While waiting for the old witch to settle her mei po shit, the gals sat ard and bitch abt Shan the Tantrum Boy in Eyes for a Guy2. Everyone there absolutely hated that piece of shit and gearing for Bad Wolf! Yeah!
Ck asked me how come we were so mild and i asked him if he would have any mood to play on in our shoes. He agreed that it was pretty much a cold bucket of water with the old lady ard. If she wasnt that old, i prob would have told her to fk off and leave us to have fun on this happy day but being nice ms sweetie with an image to maintain in front of all the big wise old folks…. Plus the couple dun even care abt time! Then again, it aint my wedding to tell her off. So be it lor but it sure was the lowest price i ever had in history!!! felt like smacking the guys when they arrogantly gloat sooooo easy! bastard ;p
After all the mumbo jumbo, we move on to the groom’s place and then to pierce reservoirfor group pixs. Ck was sweet enuff to get us bridemaids drinks from the house and obviously that created major hell from the rest of the best man.
The weather didnt really hold and it started to drizzle. So we moved back earlier to their new love nest. The bridal car driver is completely clueless abt roads man!! Imagine 5 cars trailing behind like idiots and frustrated. At one point, Mag was like screaming "Come on woman! My petrol not cheap k!" all the gals burst out laughing and looked arrd for traces of the best men cars.
At some point, Mag asked me," is there a rule that says we cannot overtake the bridal car?" "I dun think so. The last time i sped offf ahead the bridal car as well. but i dun think the boys esp Mr BMW gonna be pleased. ha!" Mag gave me an evil smile and step on the accelarator and overtook the cars. Next thing we knew, all the best men overtook the bridal cars as well and Mr BMW was next to us in a flash. ha! MAN! Things got more interesting coz the bridal car driver apparently sped up as well. It was hilarious.
We reach the house earlier than scheduled. the buffet was late and so we gals had to hide in the room with the bride while the rest of the old folks miggle loudly in the living room. It was good chance for us to catch up abt the last 12 years and silly things we did in school back then.
Ck barged into the gals talk and we started hounding him for grooms deeep dark secret that Pam shld know abt it. And just when i was getting thru to CK and Lewis, the groom walked in distributing the thank you red packets to seal their lips!! arrgghhh!!! Still, I was relentless with ck and pestered him till he finally concede with one secret. haa haa.
the couple left shortly to the bride’s home while the rest of us stayed behind and stuffed our face silly. it was catch up catch up time! Afterall it has been like 10 years since we last saw one another.
i dunno how i could have completely forgotten abt some part of those years or how we even lost touch! Guess the only good thing was that the years didnt leave a dent in our frendship and banter and that, is truly what real frenship is all about.
Anycase, the rest of the best man had a field day teasing abt Ck on his preferential treatment and so we happily played along with the fake "ex-couple" routine and had everyone laughing. What’s wedding without laughs?!
The wedding dinner ended uneventfully, well almost…Ha!
When we were in the lift heading for the second walked in, i stood opp the groom and then …..i realise that he forgotten to zip up his pants! haa haaa. i whispered into his ears and he blushed a deep red and everyone in the lift had a good laugh!! I guess its pretty hard to be subtle in a lift of 6 people. But heh, at least better the 6 of us than a ballrooom of over 500 people, esp when he was scheduled to be on stage to raise a toast! haa haaaaaaa
well, let’s hope groom aint gonna find this blog and skin me alive!
am suppose to hit pam’s place by 7.30am before the groom reaches her place. I’ll be damn if i’m stuck outside the gate with the guys! I will be the loser bridesmaid in history to be bargaining outside the gate!!!No way!!!!
Phew! Made it in time though half an hour later than intended!! The other 2 gals had allready come up with some tekan plans but we thot it wasnt good enuff.
Forgot to bring the wax strips and the boys are soooo lucky esp CK. He shld be thankful that i woke up late or this will be the most painful best man job he ever volunteered for!! heh.
The boys looked really good in their suit and all. Yummy! haaa haaaa. However, It wasnt much fun since they had an old grouchy witch with them to nag us gals abt auspicious time blah blah. the gals just ignored her till she was almost spattin in our face. basically the old witch was a kill joy with her bunch of nagging and blah blah blah. though try as we might to pretend we couldnt understd her bunch of dialect and we could almost see the steam and smoke out of her flaring nostrils. The bridesmaids didnt wanna play anymore and just let the grooom thru. I dun understd, if the guys wanna play the crash the gate thingie, then why hide behind the old foggies and make it so difficult. I mean who wants to sttart swearing rite?
While waiting for the old witch to settle her mei po shit, the gals sat ard and bitch abt Shan the Tantrum Boy in Eyes for a Guy2. Everyone there absolutely hated that piece of shit and gearing for Bad Wolf! Yeah!
Ck asked me how come we were so mild and i asked him if he would have any mood to play on in our shoes. He agreed that it was pretty much a cold bucket of water with the old lady ard. If she wasnt that old, i prob would have told her to fk off and leave us to have fun on this happy day but being nice ms sweetie with an image to maintain in front of all the big wise old folks…. Plus the couple dun even care abt time! Then again, it aint my wedding to tell her off. So be it lor but it sure was the lowest price i ever had in history!!! felt like smacking the guys when they arrogantly gloat sooooo easy! bastard ;p
After all the mumbo jumbo, we move on to the groom’s place and then to pierce reservoirfor group pixs. Ck was sweet enuff to get us bridemaids drinks from the house and obviously that created major hell from the rest of the best man.
The weather didnt really hold and it started to drizzle. So we moved back earlier to their new love nest. The bridal car driver is completely clueless abt roads man!! Imagine 5 cars trailing behind like idiots and frustrated. At one point, Mag was like screaming "Come on woman! My petrol not cheap k!" all the gals burst out laughing and looked arrd for traces of the best men cars.
At some point, Mag asked me," is there a rule that says we cannot overtake the bridal car?" "I dun think so. The last time i sped offf ahead the bridal car as well. but i dun think the boys esp Mr BMW gonna be pleased. ha!" Mag gave me an evil smile and step on the accelarator and overtook the cars. Next thing we knew, all the best men overtook the bridal cars as well and Mr BMW was next to us in a flash. ha! MAN! Things got more interesting coz the bridal car driver apparently sped up as well. It was hilarious.
We reach the house earlier than scheduled. the buffet was late and so we gals had to hide in the room with the bride while the rest of the old folks miggle loudly in the living room. It was good chance for us to catch up abt the last 12 years and silly things we did in school back then.
Ck barged into the gals talk and we started hounding him for grooms deeep dark secret that Pam shld know abt it. And just when i was getting thru to CK and Lewis, the groom walked in distributing the thank you red packets to seal their lips!! arrgghhh!!! Still, I was relentless with ck and pestered him till he finally concede with one secret. haa haa.
the couple left shortly to the bride’s home while the rest of us stayed behind and stuffed our face silly. it was catch up catch up time! Afterall it has been like 10 years since we last saw one another.
i dunno how i could have completely forgotten abt some part of those years or how we even lost touch! Guess the only good thing was that the years didnt leave a dent in our frendship and banter and that, is truly what real frenship is all about.
Anycase, the rest of the best man had a field day teasing abt Ck on his preferential treatment and so we happily played along with the fake "ex-couple" routine and had everyone laughing. What’s wedding without laughs?!
The wedding dinner ended uneventfully, well almost…Ha!
When we were in the lift heading for the second walked in, i stood opp the groom and then …..i realise that he forgotten to zip up his pants! haa haaa. i whispered into his ears and he blushed a deep red and everyone in the lift had a good laugh!! I guess its pretty hard to be subtle in a lift of 6 people. But heh, at least better the 6 of us than a ballrooom of over 500 people, esp when he was scheduled to be on stage to raise a toast! haa haaaaaaa
well, let’s hope groom aint gonna find this blog and skin me alive!
Friday, May 27, 2005
Bintan Experience
such a pity that the weather wasnt that great in Bintan. unfortunately too that angsana resort was such a letdown. had hope for a good spa massage but alas, too much hype and no substance.
I shld know everything was a bad omen from the minute i lost my hp and missing my ferry. First ever to be stranded at a port and with little else to do, i switched on the laptop and watched my anime.
Upon arrival, heart sinks when i saw the resort, suspiciously looking like my ex-hostel, down to the green railings. The room was alrite but i was stuck with a toilet that couldnt flush very well and green fungus making a humble abode out of the white tiles surrounding the tub.
The bed was alrite but i had suspicions abt the pillows, which wasnt even soft. I suppose the trip was dooomed from the start. But the saving grace was that it was really quiet , so much so that i could hear my elephant neighbors from upstairs everynite and day, stomping ard as if there were mice on the floor. Best of all, i didnt know if someone in that family had perpetual tummy ache coz the flushing seems to be almost always.
Didnt sleep well the first nite since i really truly miss my nice clean fluffy feather pillows back home. Toss and turn the whole nite, feeeling like there’s some smalll insects crawling under the sheets. Thankfully, i lost out to Mr Dreamy and drifted into deep slumber from sheer fatigue and lousy day.
Morn came quickly thankfully and the sun stream thru the gaps of the curtains. Got to the pool and the sun was really warming me up nice and good. Just as i thot i could drift off to a nice snooze, who else but a whole bunch of loud, noisy arrogant singaporeans plunged into the pool, splashed like elephants and screamed their heart out with mouthful of singlish as iif they have been muffled to silence their entire existence back home here in sg that they have to run amok in our neighbor’s soil.
Speaking of singaporeans, Its disgusting. Everytime i go abroad, it absolutely makes me CRINGE when i see a fellow singaporean behaving crudely and rudely, and most of all, their impeccable trait of thinking they are Kings in a land they step their feet on. Just becoz they think they can afford to throw a couple of hundred bucks, they think its justifable for bad behaviour, Its just so characteristic that sometimes i wished i had a different passport.
Dun get me wrong. I love my soil, and wat it represents. There are alot of things i love abt my ctry, but there too are dozens of things i am gradually hating, such as rude arrogant people for one. I dun hate children in general, but i’m begining to extremely dislike the local kids that grates my nerves. They are loud, screaming brats, insensitive with absolutely no manners. Who to blame? Parents. I dread to imagine sg’s future depended on these few running rats.
I was hoping for a quiet dinner in the indoor cafe. The staff were naturallly polite and friendly though apparently struggling to keep up with the surge of visitors over the long weekend. Then we have these bunch of singapore children who absolutely ruin the serenity by screaming and laughing and runing up and down the stairs non stop with no regards to anyone around them, including the staff who were trying to serve food. The Japanese and western families looked on at the uncharming children, while their own children of similar age, sat quietly by the table joking with their siblings like any well mannered kids would.
The waitresses had to watch their way as the children run amok with no parents in sight. I couldnt take it and hence i told the waitress if they could so kindly asked the kids or the parents to put a stop to the running and screaming. It was obviously ruining everyone’s dinner. The waitress was more than happy to oblige and went off the kids. The brats had the gall to push her and run off. She came back and told us how they have been putting up with those brats for the last 3 days and when spoken to, their parents were defensive and all indignant. They were so glad that we gave them an opportunity to stop the kids.
I felt sorry for the staff, i truly do. As visitors to their lands, i felt apologetic whenever i witness such unruly behavior. I couldnt apologise enuff for their behaviour despite that fact that i didnt even know who they are or care to. I could only hope that the gesture would imply to our neighbors that not every sgporean is an ar*sehole. It brought back to memory abt the recent batam toxic waste dispute when they called "singapore being stubborn". While the flow of incidents clearly cite that we werent at fault, and the minister’s behavior was slightly unprofessional, but i certainly think we commoners, have been grating our neighbors’ nerves for a long while…
I asked my fren, "Why is it that the Japanese children that we see are always soo seemingly well behaved? In comparisons, our local kids are so borish and unrefined" The only conclusion we could derive was possibly the Japanese wives mostly do not work and stay home mums. As such, they were able to monitor the behavior and instil the right cultural and society values into their children. Whereas by comparison, we are leaving too much in the hands of the maids, the household, the kids, the cooking. Would the maids care how your kids behave? More imptly, would the kids even listen to the maid who is not seen as a figure of authority?
Anycase back to the trip. It rained and rained and by the time i was ready to head home, the clouds cleared. I had 2 unsatisfying spa but I didnt have an isssue. I even had 3 insect bites while having an outdoor massage. However, I was just happy to head home honestly. I can always head back to amrita once i’m back in town.
As the ferry bobs up and down on the rough waves, I certainly look fwd to my soft fluffy pillows and nice clean sheets for a good nite sleep:)
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
SWimming with the Whales
Tuesday, May 24th, 2005
Alot of people has been writing to me about the whale pixs i had taken and how they reallly like it. So i thought what the hell, since i’m writing on my bintan trip, might as well write a post on Tonga so it spares me some repeated messages i have to reply. Not that i mind, its just an excuse for me to pen down my experience i suppose, before i grow old and senile and forgets everything:)
To be honest, i wasnt much of a whale lover when i first embarked on the trip. I’m not a diver as well as many perceived wrongly. I snorkel as i canx dived becoz i canx equalise my ears. I have had all sort of advices as to how to go abt dooing it but i just canx. (Take my words for it. I’m the sort who will take a plane, and dreads landing coz my ears will hurt like hell, no matter if i suck a sweet, drink water, blow my nose or hold my ears and try to blow thru my ears. It hurts ever since i was a kid and still does. A flying job would have no doubt popped my drums and kill me:))
Anycase, Kingdom of Tonga isnt a country from book of Fantasy. It exists and its near the polynesian islands, about couple of hours off new zealand. Take a flight to New Zealand or Syndey and do a plan transfer to island of Va`vu in Tonga. Tonga comprises of many islands which is up to you to explore but i had my sights set on the humpback whales.
I must warn u that being accustomed to the efficient ways of life in sg, Tonga is completely different as things are still ruled by the family of king and princes. I had to wait for hours and hours at the domestic airport to reach the isl i need to go since the plane was full and the timing was changed without warning. The whale people (the organisaors) had someone picked us up and we went on a tour of the town to visit some of the local sites and the most beautiful blowholes i have ever seen in my life.
The sea looked icy green and the waves smashes against the coastal rocks, it is something u wont wish on any of your frends. The blowhole sprays like musical notes along the whole stretch. It was awesome! i could stand there for hours honestly just admiring nature at one of its best.
Then the plane came and we gathered at the resort and meet the team you will be spending the next 7 days with to swim with the whales. Out of the 7 days, 2 r really free days where u can chose to dive at the llocal spots or canoe or just chill out by the beach.
Someone ask me if its a guaranteed trip that you will see a whale. My answer is there is no warranty with wild life, but yes as its the migration season, its a very very high chance you will almost definitly see a whale and hopefully swim with one.
Tonga is one of the migration route from north and the mothers breed their calves here. As the water is warmer here, the mother waits till enuff blubber grows before they head back the icy north. Much to most dismay, humpback whales actually do not eat humans nor attack any, unless there is perceived notion tat you are trying to harm the calf.
There are simple instructions before the people let u into the water. Firstly the movements. No, big splash is not allowed in the wide open sea. That will almost scare off the whales who prefers their serene lifestyles without boars like us intruding their peacefulness. So no diving is allowed near the whales and we will only enter the water in team of 4 with one guide. This is to minimise disturbances and to control any variance behaviour by excited visitors. So we learned to snorkel the "bicycle"way in water and till we are sufficiently prepared, the second of set of instructions.
In water, never ever try to chase after a whale esp a calf. Becoz we are clumsy. Yes, even the most expert of alll swimmers are clumsy next to a whale. Most of the whales we have see are mothers and calves. Being big protective mummy, graceful and agile in the water which is their HOME, they dun like strangers running after their children and they would do anything to just get you off their back. When a whale moves, U dun move. The theory is that if you move, the whales cannot lock you in position and will be unable to avoid smashing into u.
Third instruction, do not touch the whales unless they decides to brush you instead. Simple theory but hard to follow by many. we are all such touchy feely creatures. Mummy Whales, big as they may are easily spooked by the unknown like us and we do not want to scare them away from their migration route. In the water, just float and observe. Look down, look ahead and admire. Keep your hands to yourself.
With all that in mind, the speed boat sets off and we are off to "hunt" down the trail of whales. I saw lotsa breaching. I saw the whales roll like how puppies would to gather your atttention. The whales will playfully dive under the boat and emerge on the other side and proudly flip their tail at you. For a person who has at most seen whales on tv, seeing the life performance was absolutely heart stopping. It was pure amazing grace.
While spotting whales was easy in the season, getting close to one is another issue. There are couple of operators, some are monetary, some are just pure whale lovers, i was lucky, i got the latter. The guide is Libby, a whale specialist and doing her whale studies and their songs. We had Mark who had written to be an "intern" for the semester for his marine course. My group was mainly senior strong women, and I am definitely the youngest there.
When a whale decides to have us around, they would float at the surface and linger around. That’s when the first spotter would bring the boat about 10-15km away and the team would take turns to jump into the water. There isnt time to think or ponder. When a whale is sighted, military style or order takes place, the first team would line up at the back of the boat with tube and googles in place. When Libby says jump, we just jump and swim as fast as you can towards te whale. No one is gonna hang ard to check if you are hesitating, for there is always another eager person to take your spot if you chicken out. (trust me, you wont)
People asked me if i was afriad, or didnt really believe me when i said i wasnt. Water isnt my best fren, a long time ago i nearly drown in the pool coz my brother thot it would be fun to teach me to swim by throwin me into the deeep end. He figured i would paddle like a dog and learn how to swim in the moment of danger. It didnt happen and i dun blame him. Anycase, i dun fear water but the urge of seeing the whale live far supercede the dark bottomless open sea. So i just jumped. When u are in the cold water, the next natural thing will kick in, you just swim. Surprisingly, the sea water wasnt as salty as some other sea water like Lombok, but it was definitely dark and gloomy and rough coz it was raining. Oh yes, rain or shine, the whale trip is never cancelled unless there is a storm.
The next thing i knew, everyone stopped and so did i. At first, i didnt know where to focus. The lighting wasnt that good coz of the cloudy sky. Next thing i knew, i saw a big white patch before my eyes. The mother whale was rolling! and the calf was just swiming next to its mama. Then i realise as my head and ears were submerge inthe water, i couldnt hear the rain. It was like watching a silent movie. i swear i could have frozen in awe. It was pure magic. The calf swam above its mum and try to mimick its mother in rolling its belly. U wont know time has passes you by till the guide tapp and motion time for the next time. Anyone in that sea would love to be selfish and stay in the water forever but we turn back and let our teammatees share the magical moment.
When the whales have enuff of us, they will dive down and swim away. I canx tell but Libby could spot the difference between one whale from another by identifying the marks on the flippers. All i could tell was how one mother had more cuts and scratches on its skin than the other. We dunno why but it coould be fights or attacks but u could definitely tell the years they had by the skin and length.
In one dive, i rem i could only see the calf. It swam right at me and brushes past me. was i scared that it would bump me off my path. honestly, the thot didnt cross my mind. I just want to take in as much of the breathetaking sight before me. The baby stared at me with full curiosity and moved on to my team mates. The next thing we knew, the mummy whale sufaced quickly from the bottom, skillfullly avoiding all of us and nudge the playful whale away from us beings. All i saw in the whale’s eyes was peacefulness, with no malice or harm. All i felt was serene peace next to the gentle giant. I was lured into wanting to just swim next to them
While my teammate surfacees up the water, they cried. Of coz the men kept their macho facade but the ladies cried. Not of fear but of the most beautiful scene that took place before us. I didnt cry maybe becoz i am lesser of a whale lover as they were but the experience certainly touched me. During the trip, i was marked the lucky angel as i was the only one which had a brush with a whale. It was rare as often the whale prefer to keep their distance. I truly have been blessed.
In one of their dives, we heard the whales sang. I have heard that if the whale sang near you, you can feel it in your bones as the waves are so strong. But i suppose the singing whales were too far away such that we could hear but not feel it. next thing we knew, we spotted a threesome. It was a mother and calf with a male escort. Apparently, the male (not the father) would patiently follow the mum and wait on her till she is willing to consort with him. If you think mum was big, this guy could swipe u to the moon in one flip.
So for 5 full days from 7am-6pm, i was out "chasing" whales, rain or shine. At times i was hot like hell unde rthe sun, and at tiimes shivering from the cold as the wind and rain hail upon us. I had tan marks where my wet suit couldnt reach, but it was all worthwhile.
During the trip, we had someone film our experience and made it into a dvd to bring our experiences home with us. We had to pay but it was rather cheap if u think abt the whole trip cost.
There are many part of the trips i didnt write coz i dun have the time and space. Like the local family who had us to have delicious dinner with them. Juicy suckling piglets , with all other food buried in the ground cooked by hot stones. Then we are also treated to local dance by local boys and gals who are dressed up just for us.
Nothing i pen down could adequately share with you my unique experience with the whales. All i could say was this trip has made me a better person with what i had seen and felt. I have always love wild lives esp the marine ones, but this trips has realised how inadequate my love for them is. The ongoing killing of whales had sqaurely set them back by more than 50% of their population. Their figures are dwindling through no fault of theirs and its really sad and it should upset us if we really think abt it.
So i realise, the only thing that i could do was to spread the word, on my experiences and how i am back in one piece and nothing but admiration for the whales parental love and affection . No i wasnt chased by whales, or being hit by one. No they wouldnt come after you even if you see you, we just dun look like food to them.
Well, for anyof you who are now keeener than ever to experience what i had, check out the website www.whaleswim.com which i had registered my trip with. I dun work for them to advertise but just a redirection on my part for your benefit if you wanna know more trip schedule, cost and locations, and pictures!
Dun take my word for it, go experience it yourself. Come back and share with us how it has been. For those who isnt keen to swim with a whale, i heard there are whale watching off Costal Australia. but trust me, nothing beats getting into the water with them. Watching them from land and in the water is completely different. Its a whole new different world down there, and you will only fall in love.
To be honest, i wasnt much of a whale lover when i first embarked on the trip. I’m not a diver as well as many perceived wrongly. I snorkel as i canx dived becoz i canx equalise my ears. I have had all sort of advices as to how to go abt dooing it but i just canx. (Take my words for it. I’m the sort who will take a plane, and dreads landing coz my ears will hurt like hell, no matter if i suck a sweet, drink water, blow my nose or hold my ears and try to blow thru my ears. It hurts ever since i was a kid and still does. A flying job would have no doubt popped my drums and kill me:))
Anycase, Kingdom of Tonga isnt a country from book of Fantasy. It exists and its near the polynesian islands, about couple of hours off new zealand. Take a flight to New Zealand or Syndey and do a plan transfer to island of Va`vu in Tonga. Tonga comprises of many islands which is up to you to explore but i had my sights set on the humpback whales.
I must warn u that being accustomed to the efficient ways of life in sg, Tonga is completely different as things are still ruled by the family of king and princes. I had to wait for hours and hours at the domestic airport to reach the isl i need to go since the plane was full and the timing was changed without warning. The whale people (the organisaors) had someone picked us up and we went on a tour of the town to visit some of the local sites and the most beautiful blowholes i have ever seen in my life.
The sea looked icy green and the waves smashes against the coastal rocks, it is something u wont wish on any of your frends. The blowhole sprays like musical notes along the whole stretch. It was awesome! i could stand there for hours honestly just admiring nature at one of its best.
Then the plane came and we gathered at the resort and meet the team you will be spending the next 7 days with to swim with the whales. Out of the 7 days, 2 r really free days where u can chose to dive at the llocal spots or canoe or just chill out by the beach.
Someone ask me if its a guaranteed trip that you will see a whale. My answer is there is no warranty with wild life, but yes as its the migration season, its a very very high chance you will almost definitly see a whale and hopefully swim with one.
Tonga is one of the migration route from north and the mothers breed their calves here. As the water is warmer here, the mother waits till enuff blubber grows before they head back the icy north. Much to most dismay, humpback whales actually do not eat humans nor attack any, unless there is perceived notion tat you are trying to harm the calf.
There are simple instructions before the people let u into the water. Firstly the movements. No, big splash is not allowed in the wide open sea. That will almost scare off the whales who prefers their serene lifestyles without boars like us intruding their peacefulness. So no diving is allowed near the whales and we will only enter the water in team of 4 with one guide. This is to minimise disturbances and to control any variance behaviour by excited visitors. So we learned to snorkel the "bicycle"way in water and till we are sufficiently prepared, the second of set of instructions.
In water, never ever try to chase after a whale esp a calf. Becoz we are clumsy. Yes, even the most expert of alll swimmers are clumsy next to a whale. Most of the whales we have see are mothers and calves. Being big protective mummy, graceful and agile in the water which is their HOME, they dun like strangers running after their children and they would do anything to just get you off their back. When a whale moves, U dun move. The theory is that if you move, the whales cannot lock you in position and will be unable to avoid smashing into u.
Third instruction, do not touch the whales unless they decides to brush you instead. Simple theory but hard to follow by many. we are all such touchy feely creatures. Mummy Whales, big as they may are easily spooked by the unknown like us and we do not want to scare them away from their migration route. In the water, just float and observe. Look down, look ahead and admire. Keep your hands to yourself.
With all that in mind, the speed boat sets off and we are off to "hunt" down the trail of whales. I saw lotsa breaching. I saw the whales roll like how puppies would to gather your atttention. The whales will playfully dive under the boat and emerge on the other side and proudly flip their tail at you. For a person who has at most seen whales on tv, seeing the life performance was absolutely heart stopping. It was pure amazing grace.
While spotting whales was easy in the season, getting close to one is another issue. There are couple of operators, some are monetary, some are just pure whale lovers, i was lucky, i got the latter. The guide is Libby, a whale specialist and doing her whale studies and their songs. We had Mark who had written to be an "intern" for the semester for his marine course. My group was mainly senior strong women, and I am definitely the youngest there.
When a whale decides to have us around, they would float at the surface and linger around. That’s when the first spotter would bring the boat about 10-15km away and the team would take turns to jump into the water. There isnt time to think or ponder. When a whale is sighted, military style or order takes place, the first team would line up at the back of the boat with tube and googles in place. When Libby says jump, we just jump and swim as fast as you can towards te whale. No one is gonna hang ard to check if you are hesitating, for there is always another eager person to take your spot if you chicken out. (trust me, you wont)
People asked me if i was afriad, or didnt really believe me when i said i wasnt. Water isnt my best fren, a long time ago i nearly drown in the pool coz my brother thot it would be fun to teach me to swim by throwin me into the deeep end. He figured i would paddle like a dog and learn how to swim in the moment of danger. It didnt happen and i dun blame him. Anycase, i dun fear water but the urge of seeing the whale live far supercede the dark bottomless open sea. So i just jumped. When u are in the cold water, the next natural thing will kick in, you just swim. Surprisingly, the sea water wasnt as salty as some other sea water like Lombok, but it was definitely dark and gloomy and rough coz it was raining. Oh yes, rain or shine, the whale trip is never cancelled unless there is a storm.
The next thing i knew, everyone stopped and so did i. At first, i didnt know where to focus. The lighting wasnt that good coz of the cloudy sky. Next thing i knew, i saw a big white patch before my eyes. The mother whale was rolling! and the calf was just swiming next to its mama. Then i realise as my head and ears were submerge inthe water, i couldnt hear the rain. It was like watching a silent movie. i swear i could have frozen in awe. It was pure magic. The calf swam above its mum and try to mimick its mother in rolling its belly. U wont know time has passes you by till the guide tapp and motion time for the next time. Anyone in that sea would love to be selfish and stay in the water forever but we turn back and let our teammatees share the magical moment.
When the whales have enuff of us, they will dive down and swim away. I canx tell but Libby could spot the difference between one whale from another by identifying the marks on the flippers. All i could tell was how one mother had more cuts and scratches on its skin than the other. We dunno why but it coould be fights or attacks but u could definitely tell the years they had by the skin and length.
In one dive, i rem i could only see the calf. It swam right at me and brushes past me. was i scared that it would bump me off my path. honestly, the thot didnt cross my mind. I just want to take in as much of the breathetaking sight before me. The baby stared at me with full curiosity and moved on to my team mates. The next thing we knew, the mummy whale sufaced quickly from the bottom, skillfullly avoiding all of us and nudge the playful whale away from us beings. All i saw in the whale’s eyes was peacefulness, with no malice or harm. All i felt was serene peace next to the gentle giant. I was lured into wanting to just swim next to them
While my teammate surfacees up the water, they cried. Of coz the men kept their macho facade but the ladies cried. Not of fear but of the most beautiful scene that took place before us. I didnt cry maybe becoz i am lesser of a whale lover as they were but the experience certainly touched me. During the trip, i was marked the lucky angel as i was the only one which had a brush with a whale. It was rare as often the whale prefer to keep their distance. I truly have been blessed.
In one of their dives, we heard the whales sang. I have heard that if the whale sang near you, you can feel it in your bones as the waves are so strong. But i suppose the singing whales were too far away such that we could hear but not feel it. next thing we knew, we spotted a threesome. It was a mother and calf with a male escort. Apparently, the male (not the father) would patiently follow the mum and wait on her till she is willing to consort with him. If you think mum was big, this guy could swipe u to the moon in one flip.
So for 5 full days from 7am-6pm, i was out "chasing" whales, rain or shine. At times i was hot like hell unde rthe sun, and at tiimes shivering from the cold as the wind and rain hail upon us. I had tan marks where my wet suit couldnt reach, but it was all worthwhile.
During the trip, we had someone film our experience and made it into a dvd to bring our experiences home with us. We had to pay but it was rather cheap if u think abt the whole trip cost.
There are many part of the trips i didnt write coz i dun have the time and space. Like the local family who had us to have delicious dinner with them. Juicy suckling piglets , with all other food buried in the ground cooked by hot stones. Then we are also treated to local dance by local boys and gals who are dressed up just for us.
Nothing i pen down could adequately share with you my unique experience with the whales. All i could say was this trip has made me a better person with what i had seen and felt. I have always love wild lives esp the marine ones, but this trips has realised how inadequate my love for them is. The ongoing killing of whales had sqaurely set them back by more than 50% of their population. Their figures are dwindling through no fault of theirs and its really sad and it should upset us if we really think abt it.
So i realise, the only thing that i could do was to spread the word, on my experiences and how i am back in one piece and nothing but admiration for the whales parental love and affection . No i wasnt chased by whales, or being hit by one. No they wouldnt come after you even if you see you, we just dun look like food to them.
Well, for anyof you who are now keeener than ever to experience what i had, check out the website www.whaleswim.com which i had registered my trip with. I dun work for them to advertise but just a redirection on my part for your benefit if you wanna know more trip schedule, cost and locations, and pictures!
Dun take my word for it, go experience it yourself. Come back and share with us how it has been. For those who isnt keen to swim with a whale, i heard there are whale watching off Costal Australia. but trust me, nothing beats getting into the water with them. Watching them from land and in the water is completely different. Its a whole new different world down there, and you will only fall in love.