Today is possibly (and probably) the last time I'll see YW before he wanders off to north (and south) America for the rest of the year. I still can't believe that somebody can enjoy Whistler-Blackcomb on the pretext of work while work for the rest of us ordinary folks means slogging away in our cubes! Anyway, to celebrate the occasion, we had steamboat, chou dou fu and drinks in the Bras Brasah area. What better way to chill out after a hard day's work? Of course, as always, the company was more important than the food!
It's funny how chou dou fu (aka smelly toufu) just smells so bad, almost like longkang jwee (drain water), but once it enters your mouth, it just tastes soooooo good!!! It's crispy, and once u take that first bite the smelly juice just flows around your tongue and you get that "high" feeling! Just close your eyes and let it get to you.... So how does this correlate with the theory that 80% of taste is smell? Sometimes the best things in life are those that appear the least desirable....
Anyways, enjoy yourself YW, and remember to bring back the Sam Adams! Bonus points if you can find the special "Winter Brew"!
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Villa Bali
I had dinner at this place called Villa Bali last night. Getting there was like going to some place in the middle of nowhere... Dark unlit streets with no sidewalk and all (maybe we just happened to get in by the back door)..... It was a pretty nice place, Balinese architecture and decor although the food and music wasn't the least bit Balinese. Food was Kashmiri or something, basically like Indian. The ambience was great, the music was soothing, the cushioned seats were so comfortable, but most of all, the company was excellent! A wonderful night out indeed!
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Engineers
I'm posting too many posts at one go now. But I've just read a real interesting quote and how can I resist?
"Mechanical engineers get paid to make weapons; civil engineers get paid to make targets."
- Ray Seed, UC Berkeley Professor
"Mechanical engineers get paid to make weapons; civil engineers get paid to make targets."
- Ray Seed, UC Berkeley Professor
California Dominates Stanford In Big Game, 27-3
Headlines today:
"California Dominates Stanford In Big Game, 27-3"
"Cal's inspired defense sacked Stanford's two quarterbacks eight times in another one-sided edition of Northern California's biggest college rivalry"
Does StanfUrd's football team suck or what?
Go Bears! We got the Axe!!
California Dreamin
"If you want a laidback lifestyle, I begin to think, you should go to Perth; if you want beautiful beaches, head to Thailand; if you want cutting edge youth culture, turn to Japan. But to say all this is to be shortsighted about aspiration. We are as dogmatic in our dreams as in our beliefs. We need to have a place we can retreat to in our imaginations when we're sitting under house arrest in Burma, or battling traffic in Lagos. This place is called, naturally enough, "California," and it has a life more resilient than any reality, and is sustained by every rerun of Baywatch or reprise of "California Dreamin'," every new screening of City of Angels...
... It's hard for many of us in California to accept that we're leading lives that other people dream of. But the evergreen Shangri-La dreamed of and diligently preserved in every corner of the global imagination is the place where we're hanging up the wash and going to see the lawyer this afternoon."
- Pico Iyer, California Monthly, Nov/Dec 2005
... It's hard for many of us in California to accept that we're leading lives that other people dream of. But the evergreen Shangri-La dreamed of and diligently preserved in every corner of the global imagination is the place where we're hanging up the wash and going to see the lawyer this afternoon."
- Pico Iyer, California Monthly, Nov/Dec 2005
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Read read read!
I have lots of things to read this weekend! There's California Monthly and the latest issue of "The Economist" on my desk right now (it came in time this wk ;) ). And there's 3 books sitting on my bookshelf that have been waiting for me for more than a month.
One of the books that is in my list of favorite books is actually on my bookshelf and I haven't read it yet. Does that make me an untruthful person? I haven't read the book but it's my favorite huh? Well, i've read an extensive review with excerpts and quotes, does that count? I better go read it soon to make sure its really a favorite hahahaha......
One of the books that is in my list of favorite books is actually on my bookshelf and I haven't read it yet. Does that make me an untruthful person? I haven't read the book but it's my favorite huh? Well, i've read an extensive review with excerpts and quotes, does that count? I better go read it soon to make sure its really a favorite hahahaha......
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Ouch!
This week's issue of "The Economist" describes Singapore as a "highly conformist society". Ouch!
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Service with Honor
I was a Far East Square again last night for Belgian beers, and there was this group of youngsters nearby doing hip hop line dancing! I didn't know hip hop and line dancing could go together...
Anyway, that's not the real point of today's blog entry. I was in church this morning and we had a gospel about the Master and his three servants. The Master gave his servants 5, 2 and 1 "talents" respectively and went away. The first 2 servants went out and invested their "talents", doubling their returns. The last servant buried his in the ground. When the master returned, he was mad at the last servant for being lazy, and took away his only "talent".
Father Patrick was rather blunt in his sermon following the reading. He said that God gives us many talents, but many of us keep it and use it for our own selfish interests. He further said that such people are like the servant with one talent buried in the ground: lazy and good for nothing!
By that definition, if I look at myself and many of those around me, we are indeed "good for nothing" huh? How many of us have lives that revolve around wearing the coolest clothes, drinking or dining at the most happening place, clubbing at the most hip club, or just chasing the 5 C's? How many of us actually believe in serving some greater good other than the occasional donation to some celebrity charity show? Cheers to M & HB, who are always so enthusiastic and dedicated to their volunteer work. May you inspire others to join your ranks and serve with honour!
Make me a channel of your peace
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
In GIVING, that we receive
And in dying that we are born to eternal life!
Anyway, that's not the real point of today's blog entry. I was in church this morning and we had a gospel about the Master and his three servants. The Master gave his servants 5, 2 and 1 "talents" respectively and went away. The first 2 servants went out and invested their "talents", doubling their returns. The last servant buried his in the ground. When the master returned, he was mad at the last servant for being lazy, and took away his only "talent".
Father Patrick was rather blunt in his sermon following the reading. He said that God gives us many talents, but many of us keep it and use it for our own selfish interests. He further said that such people are like the servant with one talent buried in the ground: lazy and good for nothing!
By that definition, if I look at myself and many of those around me, we are indeed "good for nothing" huh? How many of us have lives that revolve around wearing the coolest clothes, drinking or dining at the most happening place, clubbing at the most hip club, or just chasing the 5 C's? How many of us actually believe in serving some greater good other than the occasional donation to some celebrity charity show? Cheers to M & HB, who are always so enthusiastic and dedicated to their volunteer work. May you inspire others to join your ranks and serve with honour!
Make me a channel of your peace
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
In GIVING, that we receive
And in dying that we are born to eternal life!
Friday, November 11, 2005
SJ has made it big!
My NUSSU Union Camp "Pyron" groupmate is now a famous singer! See page 11 of the Life section in today's papers for more info on Kaira Gong! Best of luck SJ!
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Words of inspiration
Make me a channel of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love
Where there is injury, your pardon Lord
Where there is doubt, true faith in you
O Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul!
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love
Where there is injury, your pardon Lord
Where there is doubt, true faith in you
O Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul!
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
California
Colombia Supremo (from TCC) is the best thing to have on a cold rainy Wednesday evening! One whiff of that strong aroma and I'm already on a high before I start tasting it.... SH says that 80% (or was it 90%?) of taste comes from smell, and I think I understand why......
The associate director of international relations at Cal was in town specially to meet up with some local alumni, and I had the priviledge of having dinner with her and S at Oscar's. I had the Carbonara Fettucini, and it was so good! It reminded me of the Macaroni Grill in El Cerrito (the last meal I had at the Macaroni Grill was with Mary, Anne and Dave, and I so miss y'all! I promise I will be in SoCal for the wedding!). We had a pretty good discussion 'bout the Cal alumni in Singapore, and plans for possibly reviving the official society as it once was. The associate director (or was it the university?) picked up the tab, and in return S and I pretty much pledged to do whatever we can for the alumni in Singapore! Days at Cal were some of the best moments of my life....
Somebody happened to suggest that we invite the Stanfurd alumni to some of our events. This is all I got to say:
So then its.... Up with the Blue and Gold
Down with the RED!
California's out for the victory
We'll drop our battle axe on StanfUrd's head (Chop!)
When we meet her our team will surely beat her!
Down on the StanfUrd farm there'll be no sound
When our Oski rips through the air
Like our friend Mister Jonah StanfUrd's team will be found
In the tummy of the Golden Bear!
The associate director of international relations at Cal was in town specially to meet up with some local alumni, and I had the priviledge of having dinner with her and S at Oscar's. I had the Carbonara Fettucini, and it was so good! It reminded me of the Macaroni Grill in El Cerrito (the last meal I had at the Macaroni Grill was with Mary, Anne and Dave, and I so miss y'all! I promise I will be in SoCal for the wedding!). We had a pretty good discussion 'bout the Cal alumni in Singapore, and plans for possibly reviving the official society as it once was. The associate director (or was it the university?) picked up the tab, and in return S and I pretty much pledged to do whatever we can for the alumni in Singapore! Days at Cal were some of the best moments of my life....
Somebody happened to suggest that we invite the Stanfurd alumni to some of our events. This is all I got to say:
So then its.... Up with the Blue and Gold
Down with the RED!
California's out for the victory
We'll drop our battle axe on StanfUrd's head (Chop!)
When we meet her our team will surely beat her!
Down on the StanfUrd farm there'll be no sound
When our Oski rips through the air
Like our friend Mister Jonah StanfUrd's team will be found
In the tummy of the Golden Bear!
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Belgian Ciney
YW is back in town! And I thought he was gone for the rest of the year, what a pleasant surprise! YW, Z and I had some pretty good Lebanese cuisine (over some cheers to Rafik Harriri!) at this place called Kazbar which is located at Far East Square. We actually had this "private room" which had curtains all around it, cool!
After dinner we headed to Ooster's for some Belgian Ciney. The Belgian Ciney is a new brew that just arrived in Singapore yesterday, and we were like the 4th (or so) group of people to try it! That stuff was sooooo good! It really was so so gooood!!!!
YX, it was a nice chat we had over coffee and all, hopefully we'll get to finish the coffee next time ;) !
RT, hope u didnt have to OT too much at AMK!
One of my frens was pretty upset today. All I have to say is LiveStrong, be yourself and don't worry bout what others think, the best is yet to be!
After dinner we headed to Ooster's for some Belgian Ciney. The Belgian Ciney is a new brew that just arrived in Singapore yesterday, and we were like the 4th (or so) group of people to try it! That stuff was sooooo good! It really was so so gooood!!!!
YX, it was a nice chat we had over coffee and all, hopefully we'll get to finish the coffee next time ;) !
RT, hope u didnt have to OT too much at AMK!
One of my frens was pretty upset today. All I have to say is LiveStrong, be yourself and don't worry bout what others think, the best is yet to be!
Monday, November 07, 2005
Hartman
That reminds me, I once had 2 packets of Hartman solution squeezed into me in Thailand after a military exercise. Trust me, you don't EVER want to have 2 packets of Hartman squeezed into you! Because after that, you CAN'T STOP GOING TO THE BATHROOM!!!!
Seek, Save and Serve
One of my friends is a firefighter. He always complained how tough his job was, and how it didn't appear to be as rewarding as he expected it to be. Just a day or 2 ago however, there was a car crash on the AYE. His team was activated, they rushed to the scene and saved a life. Now he says that having saved a life makes the job that much more worth it! It started to get me thinking 'bout my own "life and death" experiences.....
I was once a young medic of the field, sworn to seek, save and serve my fellow soldiers. I received a distress call from the middle of the Brunei jungle about a fallen comrade. Since I was the nearest medic, I immediately rushed to the scene with an evacuation party. We bashed through thick undergrowth and undulating terrain for more than an hour before reaching the casualty. The casualty was comatose, and there was already a doctor with him. Together, we squeezed every packet (and I mean squeeze EVERY packet) of Hartman I had into him, but we failed to revive him. Time was running out, and the young doctor was panicking, I could see he was about to cry. And that totally freaked me out.... The stretcher party didn't seem to care much 'bout this guy; they were laughing and joking away. There was no way we could get the casualty out the way we came in because nightfall would come in less than an hour. Once its nightfall in Brunei, you can't see, so this guy would essentially be a gone case 'cos he wouldn't have lasted the night without medical treatment.....
We picked up the stretcher and walked in a general direction. Miraculously, less than 10 minutes before sundown we heard shouts. Somebody had found a way out to the main road, and there was a vehicle nearby. If we had been 10 minutes too late, that would have been it.... That night I didn't speak a word. I couldnt even reply when barked at by my Encik (or Sergeant Major for u non-military folks) aka Mad Dog. I had lost my voice till I was sure this guy was alive.....
That was 6 years ago. Though the guy I saved never was very grateful, that event changed my outlook on life. 6 years is a long time, and I thought I'd forget about it, but the look on his comatose face and the "about to cry" look on the doctor's face still lingers on....
To those of you who's daily work involves saving (or attempting to save) lives, I salute you. Though the career may not always appear to be as rewarding or respectable as you expect, do not give up. There is no greater honor than to seek, save and serve.....
I was once a young medic of the field, sworn to seek, save and serve my fellow soldiers. I received a distress call from the middle of the Brunei jungle about a fallen comrade. Since I was the nearest medic, I immediately rushed to the scene with an evacuation party. We bashed through thick undergrowth and undulating terrain for more than an hour before reaching the casualty. The casualty was comatose, and there was already a doctor with him. Together, we squeezed every packet (and I mean squeeze EVERY packet) of Hartman I had into him, but we failed to revive him. Time was running out, and the young doctor was panicking, I could see he was about to cry. And that totally freaked me out.... The stretcher party didn't seem to care much 'bout this guy; they were laughing and joking away. There was no way we could get the casualty out the way we came in because nightfall would come in less than an hour. Once its nightfall in Brunei, you can't see, so this guy would essentially be a gone case 'cos he wouldn't have lasted the night without medical treatment.....
We picked up the stretcher and walked in a general direction. Miraculously, less than 10 minutes before sundown we heard shouts. Somebody had found a way out to the main road, and there was a vehicle nearby. If we had been 10 minutes too late, that would have been it.... That night I didn't speak a word. I couldnt even reply when barked at by my Encik (or Sergeant Major for u non-military folks) aka Mad Dog. I had lost my voice till I was sure this guy was alive.....
That was 6 years ago. Though the guy I saved never was very grateful, that event changed my outlook on life. 6 years is a long time, and I thought I'd forget about it, but the look on his comatose face and the "about to cry" look on the doctor's face still lingers on....
To those of you who's daily work involves saving (or attempting to save) lives, I salute you. Though the career may not always appear to be as rewarding or respectable as you expect, do not give up. There is no greater honor than to seek, save and serve.....
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Looks
How do you rate someone's looks on a scale of 1 to 10? Beauty is subjective.... Would a curvaceous buxom babe be 10? Fiona would certainly qualify. What about the cute innocent girl look? Or does it have to be a blonde? Kahlen from America's Top Model would fit the blonde category perfectly....
Beauty is subjective and I guess society's norms only work to a certain extent for me. On a scale of 1 - 10 a buxom chick or an innocent looking cutie may rate close to 10, but someone who brings a smile to your face everytime you see her would truly tip the scale.... That magical number 11 I would like to meet....
Beauty is subjective and I guess society's norms only work to a certain extent for me. On a scale of 1 - 10 a buxom chick or an innocent looking cutie may rate close to 10, but someone who brings a smile to your face everytime you see her would truly tip the scale.... That magical number 11 I would like to meet....
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