Gems Of The West

Philip and Kee recently introduced me to this hawker stall @ Taman Jurong. They serve one of the best fish head curry around and all the other dishes are really good as well. It's quite value-for-money and the stall is located at the corner of level 3 (Stall #03-139/140). It's quite easy to find because you are easily spot the queue or just look out for the curry fish head picture.

I've tried it twice and will be back for more. It's one of my favourite sat nite makan places at the moment.

What's Your Gender IQ?

I attended the Healthy Relationships Essentials seminar organised by church this week. I thought the Gender IQ exercise is quite enjoyable. For those who are not there, try it. The questions as follows. It'll give you a general idea of how much you already know about the fundamental differences between the genders. Answer each of the following items as either true or false.

Q1) Women are better spells than men.

Q2) Men are more likely than women to use conversations to solve problems.

Q3) Women have larger connections between their brain's left and right hemispheres.

Q4) Men are better than reading the emotions of others than women are.

Q5) Men score higher on the math section of the SAT than do women.

Q6) In comparison to men, women are better at maintaining a sense of geographical direction.

Q7) Men are better than women ar fitting suitcases into a crowded car boot.

Q8) Women are better than men at describing their feelings.

Q9) Men, more than women, fochus their energy on achievement.

Q10) Women, more than men, give priority to relationships.

I'm quite lucky. Had a perfect score.

If you want to know the answers, email me. Or perhaps, i''ll post it up shortly.

Have FUN!

Popeye's Chicken

A few months ago when i was at Terminal 3 for a familiarisation tour with my colleagues, one of them who used to work in the airport introduced us to this fast food joint @ Terminal 1 called Popeye's Chicken (level 2).
Interestingly, it has been around at the airport for many years but somehow, i never knew it existed.

Today, i went there for lunch with some colleagues as we were around the area. It's the second time i am eating it. Personally, i think it's nicer than KFC but i guess it's up to personal preference. The chicken is much bigger than the ones sold in KFC and i like the biscuit (aka muffin) that comes along with it.

The brand is from New Orleans and besides the chicken, what's interesting is that they actually play the Popeye cartoon on the screens. However, the fast food chain is not named after Popeye the sailor but allegedly after the character "Popeye" Doyle from the 1971 film The French Connection. The restaurant chain had obtained a license for use of the cartoon character and advertise the name as Popeye's after Popeye the sailor.

Do try it if you happen to be at T1.

A Song By Akigawa Masashi

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.

Arrival of Kaelynn Yew

Finally, my dear friend David and Lisan were promoted and became parents to a baby girl. Kaelynn was born this morning and i went to the hospital to visit Lisan and see baby this evening. Kaelynn has lots of hair and is such a sweet little darling. I'm sure everyone around her, including myself will really dote on her. She's such a sweetie!

KK's Birthday

January is a month of many birthdays. There's Jan, Jo, Julia, Gladys, KK etc.

Thursday was KK's birthday and the group celebrated with him over steamboat dinner @ Liang Seah Street. We had fun but i guess it would be really nice if it's a friday nite instead. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Fields & Valley

Last Sunday, i went on an outing to Neo Tiew & Sunggei Tenggah area with my neighbour, relatives plus mom & dad. For once, it seems that we were all on a trip to Malaysia. We were travelling beyond our familiar turf to see the countryside of Singapore. So far, this is only my second time travelling up north to the sungei bulloh area.I could remember the first trip very well. It was Cheryl's birthday and we went to Bollywood Veggies and Famart.

For this trip, the guys went in one car and the ladies in the other.



The car ride was very enjoyable and we passed by this road where you can see that Johor Bahru is just opposite.



Mom's friend, Auntie Janet's family owns a very big nursery @ Neo Tiew. They supply many plants and flowers to many nurseries and shops. When i was there, there were quite afew retailers selecting their plants to sell. It was very interesting and refreshing for me. I love such places. A good break from the city.













We met Auntie Janet's brother and he told us that we should come back only in about ten days time to buy plants and flowers for CNY. Even if we buy now, we will not be able to take good care of the plants. They have yet to add in certain fertilisers. In the end, the whole group bought soil for their home-gardens instead and promised to return next weekend.



This is suppose to be very good for the plants. It comes from India and the soil has many types of nutrients in it. This is the compressed soil.

After this, we headed to another nursery at Sungei Tenggah. It was a nice ride as well but we got lost along the way.



The driver (Mrs Ong) and the navigator (Auntie Judy) couldn't decide on the directions. Should they turn left or go straight. Finally, the two cars had to park at the side of the road to discuss.





We found our way to the next nursery and i guess everyone was happy because they all bought something. While the trip was interesting, the weather was bad. It was very hot one moment and it rained another. We kept opening and closing our umbrellas. In the end, i suffered big time. Had migrane and did what i did best. (Hee hee .. only my close friends will know what i mean).

A New Dining Experience

Any one interested in having a unique dining experience. You can have breakfast, lunch, dinner or cocktail or invite your boss for a meeting while enjoying your meal. 50 meters above ground dining event arranged by a professional event arranger of Benji Fun company.

It provides 22 seating complete with Chef, server, musician and you can select your own location without limitation. Guarantee safety with the hoisting crane which can accommodate the whole band of musicians, or making an automobile presentation to your customers. This restaurant is in Belgium..

Bad News Is Hard To Break

I went to bed feeling heavy-hearted last nite. Even in my dreams, i was trying to prepare myself to break a piece of bad news to my colleague. I hate to know that i would be dashing the hopes of somebody once i step into the office in the morning and i simply hate it.

It's easy sharing good news to people. But when it's all about bad news, i just find myself difficult to do so. I tried to use the correct words to beautify the bad news, to make it seems better. But bad news are just bad news. No matter how you try to beautify it, it's still bad. It just makes me feel really awlful.

感触

在念书的时候， 我想很多人都象我一样， 不喜欢考试。

我最讨厌在等待老师发成绩单的那时刻。 应为不知道成绩如何。 是否及格或没考
上。 心里很紧张。过了这么多年， 我还是记得那种感觉。 真不好受。

这几天， 心情就如拿成绩单的那时候。 不过这次心里觉得好伤心。 应为觉得自己没考上. 没象朋友一样， 获得优秀的表现和成绩。 只能够对自己说， 要多加努力!不能放弃。 直到目地为止。

.....................................................................................

今天， 工作不流利。 对一些事情感到非常不满，觉得好不公平，好不开心。 前些日子， Tricia email 我这首非常动听和感人的歌曲。 歌名是： 祷告 (PRAY). 回家的时候， 刚巧在 MP4 里听到这首歌。提醒了我好多事情。 心里也感到好安慰.

Kayaking Is Fun

I went kayaking with some friends on sunday. The weather forecast said that there would be thunderstorm and rain in certain parts of Singapore. Thankfully, it didn't rain at lakeside although the sky was dark.



It was the first time for some of us trying kayaking (including me). It's not difficult and i enjoyed it. Age is not a problem too. Even Auntie Poon, Alvin & Penny's mother came to join us. We thought Penny was joking with us earlier.







We kayaked for two hours before going into Chinese Garden to feed the fishes. Another highlight of the day for all of us is the curry fish head dinner. It was supposedly to be really good. And it is indeed. A pity that some other friends could not join us. It's ok! We can arrange again.

If i am fortunate enough .......

(my cousin WuChuang carrying Yoke Ling's son)

my son could be this big. Ha ha! This is Yoke Ling's son. Yoke ling and me were classmates during pre-university days. We didn't keep in touch as we had different group of friends. We later met eachother again during my cousin's wedding. They happen to be good friends and are teachers from the same school. I bump into her again at my cousin's baby first month celebration on saturday.

Her son is soo cute, adorable and lovable.

The Wedding Invitation

Chris, my ex-housemate in hong kong just send me an email yesterday. I can't believe it but she's invited to attend Ada Choi's (蔡少芬) wedding. I love to watch her dramas. My Miss Hong Kong is making me soooo envious. I am also attending a wedding today. The difference is that it is not Ada's wedding. I suppose that's one of the perks of working in TVB station. She gets to work and travel alongside with celebrities.

蔡少芬



My friend is making me so envious. She went to Israel with Ada last year.

When we were in school, we used to joke alot of our dreams and wishes. She always told me that she hope to work in the TV station one day. And get to mingle with famous stars. It was more than a joke and dream back then. But many years down the road, it's a reality and i'm very happy for her. It just reminds me that wishes can be made true. It may seems far-fetched at times but when you work on it, it can turn into a reality.

Chris in Israel last year

Catching Up With Movies

I've not watched chinese/cantonese movies for a very long time. The last movie is 門徒 (Protege)which i watched in the plane some trips back. The film is about the lucrative herion trade acted by Daniel Wu & Andy Lau. It left a deep impression on me because of a particular scene. It has rats crawling over one of the actress who has supposedly died of drugs intake.

Last week, i managed to catch up with 2 award-winning movies. They are 父子 (After This Our Exile) by Aaron Kwok & Charlie Yueng. The film won the best picture award during the 26th Hong Kong Film Awards and 43rd Golden Horse Awards. It talks about the relationship between father and son.



The other is 色 戒 (Lust Caution)directed by Lee Ang and starring Tony Leung, Tang Wei & Lee Hom. The story follows a young woman, Mrs. Mak, who has taken a seemingly impossible mission to help with the plot to kill a Japanese collaborator, Mr. Yee, by seducing him. However, while successful in seducing Mr. Yee, she soon found herself falling in love with her target, with disastrous results for the plotters.



I enjoyed 色 戒 (Lust Caution)more because of the excellent acting, cinematography and character development. Lee has captured the details well.

Hey There Delilah

A nice song which i like. Enjoy!

Plain White T's Hey There Delilah Lyrics

Surprise! Surprise!

Because .........

1) It was the first time my brother attended church service today. Not once but twice. I didn't ask him. He was the one that asked me bring him. Can't believe it because all my previous attempts failed on me terribly.

After Hope service, we went straight to attend the 2.30pm service at New Creation Church. He surprised me today when i woke up. When i opened my door, he asked me about church and if i could take him to New Creation Church. One of his friends attend New Creation Church and she has invited him to service last week. He was curious. I am glad things went well today. He enjoyed the services although he did not understand everything. And i think his impression of church has certainly changed. He say that it's very happening! What can i say but i hope for the very best next week.

2) I am still receiving birthday presents and well-wishes
Thanks Penny!

3)Received a phone call from an old friend whom i have not been in touch for several years. He called to send me birthday greetings and also arrange to meet up.

A Year To Remember

2007 was quite a year. There were ups and downs, the good and bad, challenges, lessons of life and more. It was quite a tough year and i wondered how i pulled it through.

1) Feeling S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-D
I think i must have been crazy for pushing myself so hard. In the early part of the year, i think i almost 'killed' myself for taking on 3 music courses at the same
time. I think i must be either feeling over ethusiastic or i must have felt that i had a 'deprived' childhood and wanted to make up for it. I wonder which it is. In the end, i couldn't cope and had to give up half half of it.

2)Stressed is desserts spelt backwards
Looking back, i wish i have reminded myself that Stressed is Desserts spelt backwards. Lijun was the one who told me this some time back. I remember she texted me this while i was on the way back home from choir practice. 2007 was one of the most stressful year for me, be it work or personal. The year started off with the most challenging and stressful project which i was handling. My mind was still thinking and working even while i was sleeping. There were so many nights that i turned off my lights only to quickly turn it on to write down the things which i need to do the next day or trying to figure out how to solve problems. It was crazy .. and scary! There were tears, fears, frustrations which i am glad i could release all to God. He helped me carry some of the load.

There were also things that came along the way that really tested my tolerance and limits. My tolerance for stress is usually high but there was this ultimate one where for the first time, i actually felt heart-ache and breathless. The one time experience will be the first and last. Karen has always said that we work too hard in Singapore. And life is too stressed. OK .. i'll see if i get the chance to join her and migrate to Australia some day.

Anyway, i am so thankful that God is always there to pull me through situations in his timely fashion and helped me deal with it. Lessons learnt. Try not to pile too much on myself, seek for assistance in areas which i need help rather than trying to be 'gung ho' and depend everything on myself and try to talk about the problems instead of keeping it to myself. I am not going to let myself 'die' of stress. It is so not worth it. There is still plenty of things which i want to do.

3) Frequent Traveller
I am really fortunate. Got the opportunity to travel to many countries (Hainan Island, Dalat, Ho Chi Minh, Osaka, Kyoto, Meleka, Hanoi, JB, Kota Tinggi, Kuala Lumpur, London, Holland & Germany).

I was travelling almost once a month. And yes, i finally had the chance to visit Vietnam and see the beautiful Halong Bay, Japan, UK & Europe. But i guess i was most thrilled about London and Europe. It's somewhere that i've always been wanting to go. I hope to get more opportunities this year.

4)New additions to the family
The little ones are such a joy. There's Junior and Huishan is just pregnant. Victor is also getting married in April. We are welcoming Alice into my family.

5) Positioning myself right before God
There is one area in my life which i have been struggling for the longest time. It pertains to obeying the Lord's commandments. I have tried many times to overcome it by my own strength but well, it failed. That was the only area which was an obstacle in me on loving God totally. About a year ago, the Lord spoke to me about loving God. Deut 6:5 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that i give you today are to be upon your hearts". Loving God is not difficult. But loving God totally. Wow .. that can be tough.

During the last weekend of the year, i am so glad and happy because i managed to overcome the obstacle and had a breakthrough (at last). There was total freedom and peace in my heart. How timely it is. I was at home listening to the web broadcast of City Harvest Church sunday service while preparing to go to church. The leaders challenged the congregation on how they should enter the new year. How we enter the new year is very important as it determines how we are going to end the year. We want to enter it not in despair, not in discouragement, not in doubt, but we want to enter the new year in faith. The pastor also challenged the congregation to position ourselves and be a faithful steward. We need to position ourselves corretly for the supernatural in our lives. And when i as in church, Pastor Ben also made the same challenge. It was amazing.

But i am really feeling very HAPPY about myself in this area. A brand new start for the year. But it was miraculous of the many unexpected blessings that have already come in. And it's not even a week into the new year.

6) A Year of Weddings & Good News
My good friend Fiona got married and i was her bridesmaid. It is such a joy to see her happily married and Johann dotes on her so much (friend .. if you are reading this, hope i'm correct. Ha ha! This is based on what i observed). Two of my cousins got married. Patrick from my dad side and JW from my mom's side. And not forgetting friends who tied the knot, such as Galvin & Cecilia, Meng Chong & Sarah, Benny & Peggy, Jenny, Jessie and probably some others which i can't remember off hand.

There's lot of additions in terms of babies in my life too. Some of my close friends gave birth this year, such as Cheryl Q, Jo, Lynette, Sharon and JW. And not forgetting moms-to-be, Lisan and Huishan.

Met up with my ex-shepherd Susan in KL, heard that my ex-CL and friend Mark was attached, Mabel L planning to get married etc.

6) Vist from Old Friends
My good friend Karen & Steve were back to Singapore from Melbourne for about 2 months. It was so nice to spend time with them, especially with the kids. It was also the first time that i saw baby Rylan.

7) Saying Goodbye
For every goodbye a hello awaits. I finally plucked up the courage to change cell-gp after spending a good many years together with all of them. In a way, we kind of 'grew up' together. For the majority of them,we have always been in the same group or unit. For some, i knew them even before they got married. And now, they are already proud parents. It was a very tough decision and i took time to pray about it before deciding to move to WAM group.

I miss my old friends but the new friends are awesome too. It's great serving alongside with this group of people. But most importantly, i knew it was the right decision at the right time. It's going to be an exciting journey this year.

So it's goodbye 2007, hello 2008!

I almost forgot about this till i saw the photos just now.

On Boxing day, i was on leave and after visiting Baby Junior, i went on a recee trip to Upper Pierce Reservior and Seletar Reservior. I was feeling really bored and since the weather is really nice, took a drive there to check it out. I have always passed by the place by the main road many times but not inside. It turned out to be really fun and interesting, partly because of the monkeys and also because i had my digital camera with me and my bro had his SLR. It turned out to be a photography session. I love to check out new places and this is one of those rare places which i have not been before.

Two days after the trip, there were reports in the papers informing the public not to feed the monkeys. Don't worry. I'm not one of them but there were many who did that when i was there.

Anyway, check out the place if you have not. It's nice to also get close to nature and enjoy the greeneries at times.

Death @ 40

Came home early last nite only to be greeted by the news from dad and grandma that MC King has just died. I was just at the door-step and have not even stepped into the house yet. My family and i are not BIG fans of him but in a way, he has been pretty much a household name.

Coincidentally, i had accidentally chanced upon his blog only afew months back. After the sudden death of Kenneth & Cathy Loh's son, MJ's accdent, the passing on of grand uncle, my perspective of life has really changed alot. It reminds me that life is short. While everything is accordance to God's timing, well .. you really don't know if you will still be around the next day. Like what my colleague Patricia always say, leave life to the fullest everyday.

1.1.2008

My birthday has just come and gone. This is the first year which i did not celebrate with any of the church friends. For the past years, it was always celebrated at the stroke of midnight on new year's eve with them. What made it special was that the group would celebrate Cecilia's birthday together with me as her birthday falls on the 31st Dec.

This year, my family celebrated it for me at the stroke of midnite during our annual family party bash. I also had lunch with my pre-u friends. Although it was nice to be with my family, somehow i wish i was with my friends.

But well, it was incredible. I received many smses, emails, msn throughout the day from all the people that means the world to me. Thanks so much. I won't mention names here coz. there are simply too many people but you know who u are. What can i say but i feel so blessed. What a way to start the year.

What's amazing too were the little surprises that came along the way. Received an unexpected gift from my new cousin-in-law which i thought was a really nice gesture. Well-wishes from my good friend Karen in Melbourne and not forgetting greetings from
ex-housemate Chris, all the way from Hong Kong too. I'm surprised that she remembered my birthday coz. we have not been in touch for several years.

In the words of my colleague & friend, Ginny .. yes indeed, not everyone gets to receive double wishes on the same day. I am indeed lucky. Thanks once again. U guys means alot to me. HAPPY NEW YEAR by the way and to many more good years together!