A separate enjoyment

While we were having our Japanese cuisine, Dad was enjoying his Italian pasta with cousin Bessie. Hmmmm...we are going foreign today.

31 May 2009 (9.10pm)

A genius piece of work

By me...

31 May 2009 (8.43pm)

A Sunday well spent

Did not dare stay home alone for fear of the terrible stress surfacing, so went out early morning to the driving range at Sembawang Country Club.

The guys played the game at the range while the ladies and the kid played somewhere else...heehee...I was immersed with the 'pool' (er, what's that called) that will always be out of bounds to people at my age. Well, since it was empty, I decided to experience the fun kids are always having. One word to describe - SHIOK! Wish I have this at home to play and destress.

Of course, we have to end the wonderful activity with a wonderful lunch (at Ichiban Sushi). Everything was nice....Nice....NICE!!! I was full till dinner time.

31 May 2009 (8.36pm)

Steamboat buffet

Dinner is a $15 nett per pax steamboat buffet at AMK plaza. Didn't realize that there is such a 'hidden' location buzzed with people enjoying their food with a rooftop view. Spread is not too bad, based on my own judgement. Soup base - chicken, tomyam, porridge, and don't know anything else.

We had chicken and porridge stock. Alamak, I thought the porridge base is like the cantonese porridge type (the thick porridge) but it's not lor! It's also soupy just that if you care to scoop the base, you will see 'grains'. Anyway, the soup are tasty to me. Quite enjoyable.

It so happen that the Singapore Chinese Orchestra had a performance just downstairs so we were also treated to some nice pieces during and after our meal.

Nice dinner tonight. Jialat, I realize I can only enjoy dinner mostly on Fridays and Saturdays only, if you know why.

30 May 2009 (10.35pm)

A Friday Chill Out

It was Eat With Your Family Day yesterday, but the 7 of us had planned for badminton and dinner instead of eating at home. This was planned for some weeks earlier, even before we knew it was the eat with your family day. Anyway, this was the first time we had planned for a game. Most of us probably had not been exercising for a long time, so that was a good workout. I forgot to take some pics at the badminton courts. But got a couple of shots during our dinner and dessert time. Was filled with laughter - a good way to get rid of the work frustrations and stresses after a tiring week.


We decided on this Vietnamese Restaurant at Holland Village, partly because it was one of the less crowded place where we can enjoy an aircon environment after the game. It's my first time trying out Viet food in a Viet restaurant.

Some snapshots before our food is being served. Pretty gals and boy. Heehee

A Viet meal is not complete without the Viet popiah. So here it is....

This was the deep fried version. I prefer this one. Very tasty.

This is some meat and organs rice noodle.

Grilled chicken rice

My hot and sour seafood rice noodle. Came with a separate plate of bean sprouts and lime and chilli for you to add on to the noodle yourself. The chilli's nice.

Think this is grilled chicken too, but instead of rice, it's dried rice noodle. So you are supposed to mixed everything together (like those Korean rice set) and eat with the fish sauce that they provided with.

Off to some nice ice cream after our dinner. So, Haagen Dazs we went.

Some more shots and jokes before our order arrived.

Ice cream with waffle (Mango and cookies & cream, I think)

Ice Cream with Crepe (Belgium chocolate and macademia nut)

Whoa, nice ice cream with nice company and nice crap, gossips and jokes. It had been a laughter-filled night. Should do this again. :)

Thanks folks for the fun evening.

30 May 2009 (11.06am)

The Sixth Realization - The Importance of Being Generous

Realize that resenting poverty and suffering leads only to more of the same. A bodhsattva is generous and equal minded toward both friend and foe. He does not dwell on old wrongs, or make new enemies.

(From Buddhism Pure and Simple, by Hsing Yun)

30 May 2009 (10.29am)

端午节快乐

五月莺歌燕舞日

又到粽味飘香时

片片苇叶片片情

几枚红枣几颗心

让你开心又顺心

钞票有如粒粒米

包在一起全归你

祝您合家皆欢喜

28 May2009 （8.52pm)
五月初五

The Fifth Realization - Study Widely, Listen Carefully

Realize that ignorance gives rise to the cycle of birth and death. The bodhisattva studies widely, listens carefully, and thinks often in order to increase his wisdom and develop his talents in speaking so that he is fit to teach and transform others, and show them the greatest joy.

(From Buddhism Pure and Simple, by Hsing Yun)

27 May 2009 (9.44pm)

Memoirs of Mental Institution (Record Ultimate)

One truck driver was doing his usual delivery to the mental institution.

He discovered a flat tyre when he was about to go home. He jacked up the truck and took the flat tyre down. When he was about to fix the spare tyre, he accidentally dropped all the bolts into the drain. As he can't fish the bolts out, he began to panic.

One patient happened to walk past and asked the driver what happened.

The driver thought to himself, since there's nothing much he can do; he told the patient the whole incident.

The patient laughed at him and said, "Can't even fix such a simple problem...no wonder you are destined to be a truck driver...Here's what you can do. Take one bolt each from the other 3 tyres and fix it onto this tyre. Then drive to the nearest workshop and replace the missing ones, easy as that!"

The driver was very impressed and asked, "You are so smart but why are you here at this institution?"

Patient replied: "E-lio, I stay here because I am crazy, not STUPID!"

(End of this series. Hope you enjoy)

27 May 2009 (9.41pm)

The Fourth Realization - Laziness Leads to Downfall

Realize that laziness leads to downfall. Be diligent and break the hold of harmful fixations. Defeat the four demons and escape the prison of this dark world.

(From Buddhism Pure and Simple, by Hsing Yun)

26 May 2009 (8.32pm)

Memoirs of Mental Institution (Record 5)

Two patients escaped from a mental institution. They climbed up a tree and one of them fell from the tree and started rolling on the ground.

After a while, the patient below shouted to the one on top: "Hey! How come you are not coming down yet?"

The patient on top replied: "No. no...I can't...I'm not ripe yet."

26 May 2009 (8.30pm)

Bringing some sunshine to the workplace

My colleagues (and of course myself) have been very stressed and stretched and frustrated and whatever you can call it of late...or for a long time. I decided to do something different to, hopefully, brighten everyone up a little.

Ordered online from 7DegreeC (known through Irene, hehehe...thanks). This particular item is called the Morning Sunrise - made with the freshest mango available. Inspired by the morning sun to bring warmth & joy. Consist of mango, bananas coated with gourmet chocolate & nuts, melon / honeydew & grapes.

I just realised that there were no mangoes. They were replaced by strawberries instead.

I hope the folks find this refreshing. ")


This was the packing that came out from the delivery box (last pic below).

With the nice card.

Here's the 'unwrapped bouquet'.

The 'remnants'

This was the carrier with ice packs inside.

25 May 2009 (8.59pm)

Long time no...crab

We haven't had chilli crab for quite a while, and decided to have a little fun tonight. Wanted to try from another place thus took a bus to AMK central to this coffee shop. The seafood stall is run by former TCS artiste, Tang Hu.

Fried ginger sliced fish and luo han zhai, to go with the crab.

One crab with 6 little man tou.

Here's it.

It was a nice dinner. The chilli crab is $32. Expensive or no?

24 May 2009 (8.00pm)

The peace of morning

The shiokness of the 6.30am train on a weekend morning was experienced this morning. Absolutely peaceful and shiok. The emptiness of the train and the darkness outside. My ideal combination for peace. Hahahahaha....Wish the sun could sleep a little longer and the clock stopped for a moment.

But well, things come and go. And I am frowning over the arrival of the craziness of weekday peak mornings again.

Enjoy the peace and serenity while we can.

24 May 2009 (5.30pm)

Mao Mao's Anniversary

Today is Mao Mao's one year anniversary since he passed away last year on 24 May 2009. I still misses him, his very tamed nature. Missed having him sleeping on our palms, our tummies and tables.

I hope Mao Mao is enjoying wherever he is now. We love you still, Mao Mao! Rest in peace...

24 May 2009 (5.23pm)

Dumpling Festival is coming!

28 May 09 is the Dumpling Festival (Lunar 5th day of the 5th month). This is Qu Yuan, the guy 'intimately' associated with Dumpling Festival (or Duan Wu Festival or Dragon Boat Festival). He stands on the dragon boat, with dumplings hanging above him. The dumplings below are made by my mum-in-law. :)

Have gotten the story of Qu Yuan and Duan Wu Festival below, extracted from About.com:

Dragon Boat Festival is called Duan Wu Jie in Chinese. Jie means festival. The festival is celebrated on the 5th of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

The most popular theory of the origin of the festival is that it was derived from the activities of commemorating a great patriot poet, Qu Yuan. The story about Qu Yuan has been deeply rooted in Chinese culture and this festival, so it is definitely a very important factor for the origin of the festival.

But since some of the well-known traditions of the festival already existed even before Qu Yuan, other origins of the festival were also suggested. Wen Yiduo suggested that the festival may be associated with dragon closely because two of the most important activities of the festival, dragon boat racing and eating zongzi, are related to dragon. Another view is that the festival is originated from the taboo of evil days. The fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar is traditionally considered an evil month and the 5th of the month is particularly a bad day, so a lot of taboo had been developed.

Most likely, the festival was gradually derived from all of the suggestions and the story of Qu Yuan is certainly the driving power to make it a great festival today.

Like other Chinese festivals, there is also a legend behind the festival. Qu Yuan served in the court of Emperor Huai during the Warring States (475 - 221 BC). He was a wise and erudite man. His ability and fight against corruption antagonized other court officials. They exerted their evil influence on the Emperor, so the Emperor gradually dismissed Qu Yuan and eventually exiled him. During his exile, Qu Yuan did not give up. He traveled extensively, taught and wrote about his ideas. His works, the Lament (Li Sao), the Nine Chapters (Jiu Zhang), and Wen tian, are masterpieces and invaluable for studying ancient Chinese culture. He saw the gradual decline of his mother country, the Chu State. And when he heard that the Chu State was defeated by the strong Qin State, he was so despaired that he ended his life by flinging himself into the Miluo River.

Legend says after people heard he drowned, they were greatly dismayed. Fishermen raced to the spot in their boats to search for his body. Unable to find his body, people threw zongzi, eggs and other food into the river to feed fish, so hoped to salvage his body. Since then, people started to commemorate Qu Yuan through dragon boat races, eating zongzi and other activities, on the anniversary of his death, the 5th of the fifth month.

Zongzi is the most popular food for the festival. Zongzi is a special kind of dumpling. It is usually made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. Fresh bamboo leaves are the best for the wrapping since the taste and smell of the fresh bamboo leaves is part of zongzi. Unfortunately fresh bamboo leaves are hard to find.

Today you may see zongzi in different shapes and with a variety of fillings. The most popular shapes are triangular and pyramidal. The fillings include dates, meat, yolk of egg, etc. The most popular fillings are dates. The festival is closely associated with zongzi and dragon boat races. More importantly this is also a national patriot festival through commemorating the great patriot poet, Qu Yuan. People are reminded that the importance of loyalty and commitment to the community in the festival.

24 May 2009 (5.13pm)