I attended an event at The American Club today. I've always passed by the place but never had the chance to enter since i don't know any friends who are members.So naturally, i was glad to have the opportunity.
I like the interesting concept of annoucing something BIG to business partners by using such creative ideas:A bottle of red wine with media release plus helium balloon tied to it. Afew hundred business associates will be receiving it tomorrow. Cool!
It was bonding time with the family last weekend. On saturday, i celebrated grandma's birthday with the extended family (dad's side).
Grandma was extremly happy because as usual, she had a big turnout for her dinner party. There were 50 of us. The numbers would definedly be more if it's held at home. Even my 'small uncle' Edwin who's a pilot just landed in Singapore and made it for her dinner. That made her day.
Btw, my family is a really fun bunch of people. They really know how to make Grandma happy too. Just in case u don't understand ... ha ha ... they sang Happy Birthday in 3 languages - Hainanese, English & Mandarin to her. My grandma is 80yrs this year but in the morning, we agreed that we will just tell everyone that she is just 18yrs. Ha ha!
My cousin, Darren carrying my mischevious nephew (the youngest in the family).
This is a very unique and yummy japanese cake which Victor ordered. It's from a restaurant @ liang court. Have not seen a birthday cake which comes in an aluminium foil before.
And on sunday, it was gathering at my mom's side. Think it was my grandpa's death anniversary or something.
I attended a very enjoyable seminar on Human Resource Management (HRM) on friday. Not that i have switched my portfolio to HR, but i was there to give support to my colleague who organised it.
They had invited a very good motivational speaker, Ron Kaufman. Hé's the world's leading educator and motivator for uplifting customer service, partnerships and superior service culture. More than three million people have been educated and motivated in his high-energy and high-content presentations. Clients include government agencies and multi-nationals in every major industry sector.
With many years of professional speaking and training experience in countries around the world, he has served government agencies, multi-national corporations and regional firms in various fields. I bought 3 books @ the seminar at a very special rate. The 3 books comes in a bundle and it's just $30 (which means $10 each). The retail price is $30 each.
Also finally bought a book which i have been wanting to get.
Great ... i've got lots of readings to do. Not forgetting the books which i borrowed from the library.
There goes my casual fridays! No more denim, no more jeans. I am feeling rather pissed off with this particular person who started this off.
And this person is the one that my team has a 'love-hate' relationship with. Sometimes u really treasure & can't do without her, but yet on many occassions, she simply drives u up the wall by her inflexibility and micro-management style.
Gee ... there's really all kinds of people @ work. Patience ... patience .. patience. When i first started blogging, i told myself that i will not talk about work. But well, it's tough not to.
I am so looking forward to the weekend. The stress level this week is over my head and the pressure is killing. I think i can usually handle stress pretty well. But the moment i say i am stress, i really am. Wish i could take a super long drive to Malaysia now or a nice holiday at a resort.I think both will be a very good stress-reliever cum therapy to me.
But well, it's not going to happen and so, i'll just rest in the Lord and in the meantime, really do look forward to the retreat with some friends in Oct. I so badly need that now.
Look what i found at Alvin's place. It's donuts from Donut Factory. Cecilia & Doris were at Suntec this afternoon and they went to buy it. Thankfully, they only queued for 10 mins. This is the second time which i am eatting this. Jimmy bought it for us to try the first time just before the brand and product got really popular. I think for many of us, we are happy whenever we see this. There's many flavours to try.
But seriously, i will not queue several hours just to purchase it. The queue at the main branch, Raffles City is horribly long. That explains why i have never been successful at buying the donuts. Actually, i don't think the donuts are really fantastic. But it's the different flavours that makes it look really yummy and simply irrestible.
It's the organge box which make heads stop. Someone mentioned that in this case, we should keep the box and walk around town with it.
Just in case u are unaware, there are actually two outlets now. One at Raffles City and the other at Suntec City. If u are going to buy it, wish u all the best and hope the queue ain't too long.
These few years, i noticed that i have been starting to get lower backaches and it kinda of just got worst these couple of months. It has been a on off problem and the doctor could only say that it's likely due to posture problems.
I hate the pain coz. no joke .. it can be really unbearable. It's one of those times when you feel really helpless and totally miserable. It's been recurring and happened to me again this morning. Stiff neck plus backache is no joke. I can't believe that the pain was that bad and i started tearing. My goodness! As i'm writing this entry, well .. the pain is still there. Ouch! And it's been a day.
Solution: Well, i guess i need to cut down on cold drinks, change my sleeping posture, wear less heels, reduce stress level, work on the laptop on the table instead of the bed, don't carry too many heavy things etc
Some months back, i went to my friend's auntie shop at thomson to try the javanese massage. Wow .. the lady was really experienced. In less than 5 mins, she told me that i need to go for massage frequently because my body is really stift. Hmm ... maybe it's time to make an appointment again. But no food reflexlogy for me coz. it really hurts.
If you are looking for somewhere to chill out, head to my new favourite place and that's Dempsey Hill. It's formerly known as the British army barracks and the old CMPB national service enlistment centre, where charming conservation buildings still stand proudly.
I took a drive there this evening after dinner to check out the place and fell in love with it straight-away. I love this place because the ambience is really nice and feel as if i'm overseas. It's so close to nature but yet just minutes away from Holland Village & Orchard Road. It's also a great place to be at somewhere different from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
But out of the many outlets, i think Dome, Culina as well as Ben & Jerry's will suit my budget more. The only drawback, well ... it's more accessible by car. Anyway, if you are keen to check it out, call me along ok. I think you'll love the place.
By the way, there's an anglican church which i like very much just down the road (Minden Road). It's called St. George's Church which used to cater to the spiritual needs of solders at Tanglin Barracks. During World War II, it was used as an ammunition dump. When the British troops completed their withdrawal from Singapore in 1971, St. George's began a new phase in her existence--as a civilian church. At least for me, it looks like a perfect venue to hold an intimate outdoor church wedding or baby christening in Singapore.
And of course, there's also PS Cafe which i've always wanted to go to but have not been because of a very practical reason and that's cost. I'll check it out someday .. but don't know when. For those who are keen, do note that reservations is needed and they are at 28b harding road.
For those who couldn't make it to Marina Bay to see fireworks over the weekends, well .. here's the video shot of it. Well, i was doing 3 things at a time, so pardon me for the quality. Was holding my small camera doing the video-recording on my left hand, right hand holding the nikon camera to take pictures and thirdly, trying to enjoy the fireworks in front of me and not through the lens.
Enjoy! The video clips were taken from the Marina Bay seating gallery. I have to thank my business associate who gave me the tickets. If not, i guess i'll have to squeeze with the tens of thousands of people around the area.
The Singapore Fireworks Celebrations is an annual event held in Singapore as part of its National Day celebrations. The event costs over S$1 million, and features 130 varieties of fireworks over two days (fri & sat). The fireworks on friday was from Spain and saturday was from China. The amount of fireworks used has grown in magnitude over the past three years, from 4,000 rounds used in 2004 to over 9,000 in 2006.
Spectators were treated to the magnificent panoramic view of the fireworks displays with Singapore’s signature city skyline behind.
I'm already looking forward to the next fireworks celebration.
Note: Photos courtesy of my bro who took it from One Fullerton on friday.
I wonder when my passion with shoes started. Along the way, I realised that more and more people tell me … hey, I realised that you have a lot of shoes. Hey … your shoe is nice, where did you get it from? Hey, seems that you are always wearing different shoes. Hey, you always have very nice shoes.
Seriously, I don’t know when my passion in shoes started. But I know I am particular when it comes to what I wear on my feet. I’ll feel irritated when my shoe or flip flops doesn’t match my attire. Tom Hanks, in Forest Gump said "Mama always said you could tell an awful lot about a person by the kind of shoes they wear." And his Mama was right! But this is a more correct statement for women than it is for men.
The truth of the matter is that shoes can say a lot about a person and reflects a person’s character, personality and style. Women shoes really go a long way towards telling you who she is, what she is like, and what she does with her life. As the saying goes, the first impression is a lasting impression. Thus it is important to pay attention to the type of shoes to wear and it can make or break an outfit too. Certainly doesn’t do justice to your attire if you are all nicely dressed and wear a pair of shoes that looks pretty worn out.
Shoes are a passion that most people share, no matter what age, income bracket or country which you are from. Just as men love their cars and sports, so do women love their shoes. But well, firstly let me clarify that I am no Imelda Marcos, the world’s best-known shoe collector or do my shoes cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. While i adore the designs from designers such as Manolo Blahnik, Roberto Cavalli, Jimmy Choo or Stuart Weitzman, i dón't own any of them. I’m just your average gal who owns charles and keith, vincci, heatwave, mondo, august ryan and nine west.
Amongst my friends, each have very different ‘relationship’ with shoes. There are some who would only go for high heels, the higher the better. There are others who will only go for flats, because they can’t take the height and they don’t know how to walk in heels. While there are others who have difficulty in finding the “right” pair due to their shape of their feet. But the most common complain which i hear from friends is that it gets very frustrating when you can’t find the right pair. It must be the right style, right height, right colour, right price, right size and most importantly, it has to be comfortable too.
High heels definedly make you look taller, legs longer, posture straighter and your silhouette slimmer. However, long terms wearing of high heels can bring about a host of problems, bone fractures, osteoarthritis to lower back pain. Well, I’ve been a victim myself. That’s why I try to cut down on heels and wear flats more often. But still, women and high heels. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. The trick: Wear them when you think you need to, such as during meetings at work or at dinner functions; stick to low heels the rest of the time.
I’ve heard many guyfriends who have asked this question. Hey, i don’t understand why you girls need so many pairs of shoes. Well, reason is simple. We need shoes to go with all the different kinds of outfits we wear. Since women have more variety in the clothing, it is natural that their footwear will be proportionately varied, both in color and style.
Gals! Here's to a long and faithful relationship with our beloved shoes! Ha ha! Have a great weekend!
I did not go to work today. Took a day off to run some errands and rest. But somehow, my head and mind feels heavy because there are certain deadlines ahead of me and time is not on my side to solve certain problems. I'm cracking my head to find some desperate solutions. I think i'm getting really worried but at the same time, i'm keeping my cool because i know God never fails and he's going to pull me through. He's going to see me through the seasons.
Well, what did i do? Send some urgent emails first thing in the morning, buy lunch, run errands, took a nap, went jogging & walking around the stadium in the evening, watched tv programs after dinner.
Nothing much to shout about but somehow, it seems to be a luxury to me being able to do all these. I'll never get to do it on a normal working day.
And the best part is to just seat at the steps in the stadium, look at the pretty sky, listen to p & w songs on my ipod, pray, spend time to reflect on things and simply spend time with the Lord and me.
Simple things in life and that's what i enjoy. Wish i could do it more often.
This evening, boss went to one of my colleagues and told her that he has something to tell her and wonder if she can take the piece of news. He told her that he has just received news that Kenneth Tham just passed away. He was teaching in poly this afternoon when he just collapsed. We were all stunned and taken aback by the news.
My boss has send my colleague to Bangkok last week to take care of the needs of one big group of golfers who were representing Singapore tourism industry for a golf competition. Kenneth was one of them and they had just returned last tuesday. The news of his death affected her more because he was once her lecturer.
His death has certainly reminded me that life is short and unpredicted. You never know when the Lord will take you home. Kenneth is pretty young .. in his 40s i suppose. These few years, there have been many births as well as deaths around me. There have been many joyous occassions as well as sad moments. I have also visited different people in hospitals for various reasons.
In the past, i used to think very little about issues on life and death. Not until things happen to the close ones around you. I have tried to answer the many 'Whys?' which my friends or even myself ask but ultimately, i guess only the Lord can answer that for me.
Like many, i have my own sets of fears and worries. I used to tell God that there is no way he is going to let me go through problems alone. But i am assured because of this:
Footprints in the Sand Along the path of life, i see only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.
The LORD replied:
"My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
I guess as i get older, my perspective of life changes as well. In the past, it was about working hard and i thought working long hours was the 'ín' thing. After all, i have so many friends who work late. Just take a peep out of the window and most lights in the buildings around raffles place are still on. After all, it's the norm amongst friends working in the financial and advertising industry.
Not that i don't work hard now, i still do. But truthfully, i think not as hard as before definedly. Work is work and play is play. I realised the importance of having a balanced life and try not to stay late unless necessary. And very importantly, i want to have the time to do God's work. It's more meaningful. I don't know when it all started but i realised the difference in me before and then. In the past, i will look forward to extending my trip over the weekends if i am outstation. But right now, i will be happy to be back by sat. Maybe it's different priorities i suppose.
As i was heading home just now, i also bumped into an old friend, Christina whom i met when i first started work. She was telling me that we should not work so hard. We need to enjoy ourselves. Afterall, life is not abt work. It's not worth it. Hmm .. how timely! Reminder from an old friend.
One thing which i have also learnt is try not to wait or postpone certain things if there is a prompting in my heart. Once, i was driving and i stopped at the traffic light near Novena Square. At that moment, something in me told me that i should stop by at Ren Ci Hospital to visit my granduncle. After all, i have not visited him for awhile. There was this urge which was pretty strong. But somehow, i just drove passed it and headed home instead. I told myself ... nevermind .. next time perhaps since i am quite tired.
The next time never came. Coz. when i reached home, i felt something strange coz. no one was home. I usually don't call and ask where my parents are but that day, something in me told me to. I called mom and she told me that she just rushed to the hospital coz. they called to say that grand-uncle just passed away. Can you imagine ... the guilt that i have, the pain, the regret the sorrow. When i rushed down, he was already dead. Lesson learnt yet again.
I watched the local production 881 by Royston Tan this weekend. The movie depicts the hardship of Ge Tai and the political side of it, as well as the rules that governs it.
My grandfather (who has passed on for 20 years) was involved in getai @ New World in Geylang during his younger days. It was 'the place' to go for entertainment. Actually, i know very little about his 'getai' days and only remember seeing some photos many years back. My auntie used to tell us that they used to hang out there alot when they were young while grand-pa was working.
I don't know how and why grandpa was involved coz. besides getai, he used to be a teacher too, amongst many other things which he did. But one thing which i know is that he commands alot of respect from people around him, not only at that time but till his last days. The older generation singers and performers will also remember him as most would have worked with him at New World before.
Thus, i watched this movie with an extra meaning and reason behind it. It's a glimpse of the loud and colourful getai scene which someone close to me has gone through. But nowadays, it has become quite business like, with top shows, comperes, hosts, singers, dancers and other various performers being lined up to entertain the masses.
And here's one of the songs from the movie which is pretty nice.
These are the sweet adorable kids which are a real bundle of joy in FAMP3.
NOW
The group is huge rite now and it has certainly grown from strength to strength, and size to size.
THEN. See ... they've all grown so much.
The 'family' has 23 pax (18 adults and 5 kids) which is equivalent to 3 cgs or 1 unit. The group has certainly grown in numbers. In a way, it's like having 2 adults cg and 1 kids/baby group. But on a typical cg day, there's usually just one baby around and that's Charlotte coz. cg is held at her place.
Just looking at the young ones, Jed being the oldest amongst the kids is like the CL and his team-members are charlotte, zoe, sean and jadyn. Ha ha!
Quidos to the mummies ... the 2 Cheryl's, Jo & Doris who have done a great job in taking care of them (ok ... plus daddies too). It's really not easy being a modern day mom who needs to juggle between work and family plus kids.
For some of them, i've seen them moved on from their single-hood to being somebody's wife and later, to somebody's mommy. Amazing thing is that they've all taken on the motherly role very naturally and well despite the fears and doubts which they had along the way.
I think this must be the second or third year where i missed watching NDP. Guess i will need to check out when the re-telecast is coz. i heard from my bro & a couple of friends that the parade is actually quite good.
Was at a friend's place last nite and i was introduced to this american card game called SABOTEUR. Like all games, the more rounds u play, the better u are at it. Am looking forward to the next round and hopefully, my skills would have ímproved'. Ha ha!
The game:
You are dwarves digging for gold in the depths of a mine. Suddenly a pick-axe breaks and the light from the lantern goes out. The saboteur has stuck again - but which of your fellow players is a saboteur? Will you find the gold first or will the saboteur's sinister actions be successful? After three rounds, the player with the most gold nuggets wins the game!
The friend was staying at high floors in havelock and i managed to see the fireworks very clearly. It was beautiful. Too bad i forgot to bring my camera along coz. came out of the house in a rush. It's ok coz. a business associate just send me complimentary tickets to next week's Singapore Fireworks Celebrations @ Marina Bay. Cool!
I've just learnt my lesson. Never meddle with things which i am unfamiliar with when i am tired and it's late at nite. Last nite, i was suppose to email my blog template to a friend to help me make some minor changes. When i was looking at my blog setting, i noticed that it was not difficult and decided to do it myself. As i was doing it, i got a little carried away and made some other amendments. And the end result, i messed up the whole thing and the whole blog just went hay-wire.
I spend several hours in the wee hours trying to rectify it but just couldn't. I was sooo tired and was battling with my sleepiness. So last nite, had to send a SOS email to this particular friend for help. And thankfully, he managed to rectify it for me this evening. Thanks my dear friend! If not, i'll be wasting more time trying to figure out myself but i know i wouldn't be able to and end up being more frustrated.
Just came back from Hanoi on saturday nite after spending a week there for work. Flight was delayed due to á 'wheel change' and spend a couple of hours at the airport.Thankfully, it was a big group of us and so, i wasn't bored.
Well ... having been to the south (Ho Chi Minh & Dalat) in May, i now had the chance to journey to the north. Surprisingly, it was the first time for most of us in the group and even if they have been to Hanoi before, that was years ago. Since it's the first trip for most of us, we also did some touristy thingy such taking a one hour cyclo tour to visit the old quarter and see the water puppet show in Hanoi.
It's actually quite interesting to take the cyclo ride (a bicycle with a seat in front, similar to trishaw). There were 27 of us and wow ... i suddenly felt that i was part of a japanese tour group riding through the streets in Singapore. But what the heck, i'm a tourist and i shall behave like a tourist... after all, who knows me here. So there i was, happily taking photos as the cyclo driver brought us through the streets around old quarters. Thankfully, it wasn't terrifying as the driver weave me through the continus traffic. Wish i had my brother's SLR camera with me.
Streets of Hanoi .. where the coach alighted us to take the cyclo ride.
As the name denotes, it is the oldest area of the town and has long been an important economic center. This bustling area is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. We passed by many interesting shops such as this that's selling kites. There is a street to cater for all tastes and i was also surprised to see that there were some streets selling specialised items such as shoes, spectacles, arts & crafts and wedding cards. It was interesting. Some of the items are really nice and wished i could tell the driver to stop and let me check out the shops.
The only thing which i didn't quite like is the endless motor-cycles around me. I guess i have to be used to that coz. virtually everyone in Vietnam travels on the two-wheeled machines. Even Brad Pitt was spotted driving the motorbike through the city center with Jolie on the back-seat in Ho Chi Minh some months back.
Another touristy thing which the group did was to watch the Water Puppet Show at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. Thang Long water puppetry is a traditional art form with distinctive culture identity of Vietnam. It came to existence, developed and diversified over a thousand years ago in the Red River Delta. The theatre has taken part in various international festivala overseas. Thankfully, it is just an hour show. Anything more than that, i think i would be totally bored. And yes, once is enough for me.
However, i do admire the talents behind it. It's indeed a craft. Puppetry is common throughout the world, but puppetry theatre of Vietnam on water is unique. The surface of water serves as the stage and the puppeteers would stand waist-deep in the water to manipulate the puppets making them move about and even dance on the surface of the water. Looks easy but it's definedly not.
The most enjoyable part & highlight of my trip is definedly the world natural heritage sight, Halong Bay which is 170km east of Hanoi. It has a picturesque landscape of sea and sky and it's also famous for its clear emerald waters, towering limestone islands and caves. We were there for a meeting and part of the agenda was to also visit the bay. It has 1,969 islands and was formed about 250 - 280 million years ago.
After the meeting ended in the afternoon, my counterpart and tour guide brought us to the dock to get on a big junk-boat.
As soon as we were on board (we had the whole junk-boat to us & the owner was with us), we were off sailing into Halong Bay and were served cold beers and beverages. I had a lovely time on board the junk which also made a stop at one of the íslands' where we went to visit the cave at Thien Cung which is 4km from the wharf outside of Ha Long City.
This is one of the most beautiful grottoes in Hạ Long Bay. Legend has it, that beautiful young lady named Mây (cloud), caught the eye of the Dragon Prince and he fell in love with her. They were betrothed, and their wedding lasted seven days and seven nights in the very centre of the grotto.
Spotted a little fountain. Some of us wondered if it's natural or man-made.
Too dark to take any pictures in the cave. One for the momento.
View near the exit point of the cave.
As the junk departed from the çave-site, the weather was much cooler by then and many of us went to the upper deck to enjoy the sea-breze. The scenery was simply stunning.
Junk leaving the çave-site
Hmm ... is Fiona bored or is she reflecting on something?
It's surroundings was breath-taking and i particularly enjoyed the the beauty of the sun-set and amazing artistry of the various rock formations with pretty rays shining on it. It was awesome as i admired God's beauty and creation and there were also some birds/ eagles flying in the open skys. Wow!
Someone in the group mentioned that the islands and caves bear unique features that make them look like spectacular sculptural works. The folk tale has it that the dragons descended from heaven to help locals by spitting jewels and jade to the sea, forming a natural fortress against invaders. These previous stones are represented by the lush green outcrops.
Ms Hong aka Ms Rose pointed us that the floating house with the red roof is a school. Every morning, the children staying around the islands will go there for their lessons.
This is Miss Hong aka Ms Rose. Why do we call her Rose? Well .. she explained to us that her name actually means rose. And it was definedly easier for all of us to remmeber. She's one of my counterparts in Halong Bay and speaks good english.
Relaxing at the upper deck and we had a good time laughing over some jokes. During this trip, i discovered that David could be quite a joker. Can't remember what the joke was about but it must be really funny. That's Eric caught in action. This must be the photo of the trip.
Dinner was hosted on-board the junk-boat. It was fantastic and we had loads of wine and vietnamese vodka.
Many of us wished that we could stay overnite on board one of the junks which actually have bed rooms in it. I overheard from a colleague that the option was actually given by the operator. But it's just that there may not be sufficient rooms for everyone in the group and we would have a problem with our luggages. What a pity coz. some of the junks like the Indochina Sails (www.indochinasails.com) are really good. I could have enjoyed the dawn and morning fresh air at sea.
After a nice time crusing along Halong Bay, we headed back to the pier and took a coach-ride to Tuan Chau island to watch a dolphin/sea-lion show. Well, Halong Bay was certainly a retreat from the streests of Hanoi.
Nothing really impressive because it's just the usual sea-lion, dolphin act which you'll find in sea-world. After the show, we were suppose to see some laser shows but the whole group decided to give it a miss and headed back to the hotel. We were all tired after a 3-hour ride from Hanoi to Ha long Bay, meetings and a day out at the sea. Whatmore, we had to take a 5-hour coach-ride to Ha Tay province the next day.
Actually, the trip to Ha Tay province is quite a waste-of-time and boring. Most of us in the group knew ittle of Ha-Tay even before the trip but it was recommended by our counterparts. I only know that it is located in the Red River Delta surrounded by Hanoi, Hung Yen, Ha Nam, Hoa Binh and Phhu To. The Kinh account for 99% of the province's population while the remainding are from the Muong and Dao enthic group.
On the way to Ha Tay, spotted some áttap' house in the water. Not too sure what it is for. Maybe it's to store some stuff.
And this is their toll-station.
If not for the meeting, i guess the whole group would have given it a miss. Doesn't excite any of us. I saw a lake with some 'swans' which you can hire to seat and paddle around. It sure does resemble the lake in Dalat.
It certainly doesn't help much after reading the local paper, Vietnam Times that day that there were reports of bird-flu in the province which resulted in some deaths. Apparently, a 22-year old woman from the northen province of Ha Tay has just died last week due to the bird flu. The seven month pregnant woman was admitted to the hospital on July 26 with a lung infection and breathing difficulties. She had bought some chicken to prepare a meal for her family and fell ill after eating it. The case marked the sixth infection since May with two people dyinge earlier.
Lunch was hosted and oh oh ... there was chicken served. Most of us didn't dare to even touch the dish and give it a miss. The host must be wondering ... what's wrong with these Singaporeans. They don't take chicken? Somehow, sticky rice tasted the best at that time. Well ... better be safe than sorry ... esp. when i have a weak stomach. We ain't taking any chances too except for one or two adventurous ones.
One thing which i like about Hanoi is the many quaint and pretty restaurants which they have. I wish there were more in Singapore.
Wild Lotus restaurant Add: 55A Nguyen Du St. Hai Ba Trung Dist.
The setting is pretty and the ambience is lovely. Unfortunatedly, the food does not live up to the setting.
Dinh Lang Restaurant Add: 1 Le Thai To St., Hoan Kiem Dist.
Prime view over Hoan Kiem lake and they serve decent traditional Vietnamese dishes. Nightly music provided by a traditional band. Dinner begins with corn soup followed by crab spring rolls, which arrive attached by toothpicks to a carved pineapple. Next, come cha ca (grilled fish cakes), a regional specialty. Glazed duck and grilled pork satisfy carnivorous cravings while seasonal fruit caps the meal. Tried the rice ice-cream which Jo and Lisan recommended at the restaurant too.
Live Music
Mr Tan & Mr Neo enjoying themselves
Crab spring rolls.
Le Tonkin, a restaurant set in a 100-year old beautifully restored french villa. They serve good Vietnamese fare in a picturesque french colonial villa.Home for a French family for years, the villa is adorned with century-old artifacts, such as oil lamps and faded sepia photographs of times past. Food is great
Add: 14 Ngo Van So St. Hoan Kiem Dist.
It was during lunch when we realised that it was Padmini's birthday. My colleague ordered a cake and we celebrated it for her.
We had buffet dinner at Sen (Lotus) resturant on the last nite. The place is amazingly packed with locals and tourists. The restaurant is nestled by a lotus pond near West Lake and there's a wide variety of favourites to choose from – 60 traditional foods from three regions.
Add: No 10, Lane 431, Au Co Road, Tay Ho District, Hanoi
Well, i guess i am one of the fortunate few who has been to all the ASEAN countries except Brunei & Myanmar. Of course i like Thailand particularly Bangkok for obvious reasons. But having been to the indo-china countries (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam), i really do enjoy Vietnam. It's such a charming place. It has the most potential and interest among tourist and europeans. The place is fast developing as it is seeking lots of foreign investment which is good. But somehow, i wish it would not be 'modernized' so fast for fear of lossing its unique charm.
Personally, i enjoyed myself in Hanoi even though my days and time is packed with work. I love the french colonial archietcture and the many nice restaurants and cafes that they have. But too bad, didn't get the chance to chill out in any of the cafes.
The only thing which i don't quite like is the traffic and large number of bikes which they have on the roads. But i think having experienced the 'road-conditions' in Ho Chi Minh & Dalat, it has helped me to learnt how to drift across the road as the on-coming traffic weaves around you. Good thing is that even though the number of bikes they have in the roads can be really scary, they don't travel fast. So that really helps. But one thing which i've learnt from a friend who's working in Vietnam is that the Vietnamese people are oblivious to the danger of racing, weaving, bell-ringing, horn honking vehicles. But accidents do occur and are usually complicated by large crowds arguing, taking sides, until money changes hands and peace is restored by the police. Well .. this is Vietnam and that's their culture.
I love to check out new things and places. Enjoys travelling and hope to visit the seven wonders of the world one day. A shoe and bag lover. Love reading, movies, music, musicals, singing, writing, taking photos and many more. Started this blog at a time when I don’t even know what blogging is but have since become a part of me.
