Call Me YOUR HIGHNESS!

Sightseeing & Shopping
Malacca
Our hotel is walking distance to Jonker Street. Like our boutique hotel, the street reflects the Malacca Baba-Nyonya culture. A lot of cravings around. The street looks very different in the day & night. Night time, you will see the pasar malam along the street. But we weren't very lucky that night; everytime we stepped on the street, it starts to rain. The rain makes the shopping difficult.



Also walking distance from the hotel is the Christ Church & St John's Fort.






Those that are daring and brave enough, can take pictures with the snakes and chameleon.

Penang
Penang Hill
Taking the very sloooow cable up the Penang Hill. Very windy.




蝙蝠大伯公庙
It's near the Penang Hill. A small little temple. Like it's name, there are bats in the temple.


Kek Lok Si (极乐寺)
Climb a lots of stairs to see the big Guan Yin. Luckily there's cable car to the highest point.









Pasar Malam
Along the streets where The Ship is. If you are thinking of getting AAA imitation of gucci, prada or chanel, this is where you should go. Looks like the reaaal ones. But remember to bargain! Royston bought a Coke turning lamp. You will get to see it when we move to our new home.

Ipoh
Kellies Castle



Built by a Scottish, William Kellie Smith, but never stay in it before. There are hidden tunnel, rooms and stairs.





The house is filled with mysteries and ghost stories for many years. Partly might be due to the strange illnesses that got to the William. Or it could be the because the house was never completed. People says Williams is still roaming ard the corridors. As if it's not scary enough, they put up notices like this.


The British's pot of gold comes from the plantation that he owned. From the top of his castle, he could oversee all his plantation. Fantanstic view! But not everyone will be able to see... haha... because there's no railings built around. Those that are afraid of heights won't be able to enjoy the magnificent view.



Ling Sen Tong & Nan Tian Dong (灵仙岩和南天洞）
Amusingly, a buddhist temple and a taoist temple built side by side.






Pasar Malam
It's near our hotel actually, within walking distance. It's expensive and they hardly barge to your bargaining. In my opinion, not worth going.

Genting
We arrived rather late. Nothing much was done. Too late to pay for the Theme Park. And not enough cash to play in the casino. Din even take any pictures. Bored.
But I was glad that I got the christmas presents for my beloved friends.

Lodging
Budget is tight. So lodging is ...

Malacca - The Baba House
As the name suggests, the hotel reflects the baba culture.





I dare say this is the scariest hotel that I'd ever stayed in. Wait till you see our room! We were staying on the 2nd floor. In that stretch of corridor, there's probably 4 rooms, but 3 rooms are not-in-service, ours happen to be the last one on that corridor....

Penang - 1926 Heritage Hotel
Maybe the first one was too scary. This one was much better. At least the lighting is bright enough.

Our room even has a balcony overseeing the swimming pool.


Ipoh - Hotel Excelsior
The best hotel for this trip. Finally a decent hotel. And out of the so many hotels, they serve the best breakfast.


Genting - First World Hotel
Think it's the cheapest in Genting. The rest are self-explantory.

Food
18 Dec - Malacca
Bak Ku Teh for Lunch.
Royston cast his vote for the trip to the Bak Ku Teh. Their Bak Ku Teh is the brown base herbal type. And it not only a Bak Ku Teh, it's a all-in-1 pot. Other than pork ribs, it has meat balls, fen chang (intestines), blah blah blah...

Chicken Rice Balls for Dinner.
蔡澜's standee is every where, advertising the infamous Chicken Rice Balls. Frankly, nothing so great abt the balls. Royston dun really fancy them. In fact, I think 娥姨 make better ones. The balls are not even cheap to begin with!

19 & 20 Dec - Penang
The forgotten A&W and Baskin Robin at a stopover before we hit Penang.
The 9-year Joanna has never seen A&W in Singapore. My god, how long have A&W left us? What I missed most is the root beer float & curly fries.


I laughed at how they spell ice-cream but realised that was due to their language. Baskin Robin is something that I can't resist even when I'm full. Can they re-asses coming back to Singapore pleasseee?

Dinner at The Ship

It's Royston's Birthday! So Jo planned a dinner at the restaurant. Though the logo and the name is the same, I dunno if the restaurant is the same as the one at Shaw.


But the food is definitely not on the same level.
Like what the signboard says, "The Best Steak in Town" - only the steak is best. Royston and Jo ordered Fried Spring Chicken. The picture on the menu sure looks big, juicy and delicious. I missed taking the shot of their faces when the dishes are served. We thought it should be called Fried Spring Chick... haha... not big enough to be chicken.


Chay Kway Teow!
Yeah.... I vote for this one. I can't really explain in words the different between Penang Chay Kway Teow and Singapore Chay Kway Teow. But it's simply NICE.

The rest of the food is so-so and isn't worth writing.

21 Dec - Ipoh
Ipoh dun have nice food too... The only better food that we had is probably the Hotel Excelsior's breakfast.

22 Dec - Genting
Been to Genting a few times, it's the first time I go canteen for food. Think it's for staff. Can't remember what the name, just know it's beside the Old Town cafeteria. Their roast chicken & roast duck is tasty. If you are running out of $$, maybe you can try here.

2nd time (since 2006) at the First World Cafe for breakfast. The situation din improved. Long queues every where. Pastries & Bread are served in plastic storage drawers. Cooked food that is on the warmer is not warm, and it's topped up by pouring food into the metal tin on the warmer, instead of replacing the whole tin. It's like feeding pigs. Sure make me lose my appetite.

23 Dec - Leaving Genting & gng back to Singapore, passing by Johore
Bamboo Rice + A&W root beer float for lunch
We stop at the highway on the way down to buy the bamboo rice. I like the rice, smells good. Found a place to sit down for lunch. Went to buy root beer float from A&W. The service at the counter is sooooo slow... and while waiting, we conspire with the idea of smuggling the mugs home. haha...

Sizzling Rock for Dinner
This is in Johore already. The restaurant is in Jusco shopping center. I remember I used to go Hot Stone at Clarke Quay, the concept is the same, but the price is doubled as compared to this one.

Pre-Trip Withdrawal Symptom
I din know I could tahan 6 days in Malaysia.

Firstly, with all the scary stories abt Malaysia, my dad never like the idea of us gng Malaysia, even when it's a family trip or only to Johore, not to mention this is a 6-day trip. I guess he must be very worried the whole time when we were there. I even tried to introduce to my parents the people that will be gng on this trip with me, warning Jo to behave himself before hand.

Secondly, I din want to waste $$... Recently, I became very conscious abt my expenditure as our new home is ready soon and many costs will start kicking in. Besides, my resolution for the year was not to travel. And most importantly to me, scenery such as temples, mountains and etc, in Malaysia failed to impressed me (since I'd been to China countless times). The food is so-so. Their fashion isn't my taste.... If I could choose, I would rather save the $, to go somewhere else more exciting. omg, wat have I signed up for?

The sole reason that I was there, it's because it's Royston's Birthday, and I din want to disappoint him when he so wanted to go.

The Trip Starts
Itinerary:
Singapore-Malacca-Penang-Ipoh-Genting-Singapore

Planner cum Driver

Introducing the Ah-Beng driver.... Jo. All thanks to him, planning the whole trip and being our only driver for the whole trip.

Inventory Officer
From nail-clipper, toothpicks, tissue paper to mask... Yin Yin has everything.

GPS

This special GPS needs time to warm up, and will malfunction early in the morning and every time she is hungry.

Back-up GPS
Driver got to activate the back-up when the GPS is not working.

I finally make it to the Jazz class after pon-tang-ing for 3 weeks.
Vincent is my Jazz class teacher. The conversation take place outside the studio at the sofa after the Jazz class.

Vincent: Are you dancing somewhere?
Me: (Giving the ? look, shaking my head)
Vincent: Or are you teaching kids dance?
Me: Nope.
(My o/s: So he thinks I could dance - I'm flattered. But he thinks I'm not good enough, cos only teach kids yah?)
Vincent: But you'd learn dancing before somewhere?
Me: Yah... when I was young. (Since he thinks I'm not tad good, besides, I couldn't catch the steps at class just now! better discount...) I can't really dance now... I learn when I was really young.
Vincent: Oh.... Becos I see something there... so I guess...

I really love to dance! But as age is catching up and I REALLY haven't had proper dance classes since sec 4, I'm in a rather bad shape to be frank. Should really make an effort to go Vincent's class man. I like his moves.


p/s:
Vincent: So wat's your professional? Are you a teacher?

I din know I really look like a teacher. So many had said. So I portray a 有气质 or 有爱心 image yah.... I only have 1 thing to say: Looks can be deceiving.

突发奇想 again......

最近有朋友，打电话给我，问我关于求职的问题。发现其实原来这不只是 fresh grad 会碰到的问题，就算是有工作经验的人也会有“我的resume, cover letter 要怎么写？”还是“我 interview 时应该怎么回答这个问题？”，甚至有人问我应该穿什么。市场上有很多101课程、seminars for dummies，网上也有很多articles 作顾问。不过，课程和网络千篇一律的 faq，其实缺少的是一个 made to measure 的 answer。

我想我应该有个一条龙服务：针对你想争取的工作，对 resumes, cover letters, interview questions和服装给你 one-to-one 的意见。How much should I charge then?

My fav... and my best buddy in JC. Life is a breeze with him always by my side.
I can finish almost a whole slab of chocolate in a day! As christmas is coming, I'm expecting chocolates as gifts. And many will be having vacation and the easiest gift to bring back seems to be chocolates as well.

However, easy it may seems, how to store chocolates properly is a skill need to be learned. I hope people dun just chuck the chocolates into the fridge, that destroy the taste. How many times have you come back from NTUC or vacation, and immediately those delicious chocolates go into the fridge? I seriously cannot enjoy those chocolates at all, they are hard, dry and not so tasty anymore (as compared when u do tasting before buying them). Wat a waste! Especially when you have spend a fortune bringing them back from abroad. So if we put in our hearts and some more efforts, we are able to appreciate the chocolates more.

Some tips:
1. Like I said, DUN JUST PUT CHOCOLATES IN THE FRIDGE.
We must remember not to leave the chocolates directly under sun, it's best kept in cool and dark places.

2. If we are packing chocolates in our hand luggage, it's important to leave it on tables or stool and not put it on your lap or on the floor so as not to absorb heat.

3. Remember to unpack your luggages to store your chocolates properly once you reach home! Singapore is warmer and more humid than many countries, so dun just leave your luggages lying around. Or else, you will wake up to find all your chocolates melted.

4. If we really bought too much that we might not be able to finish within a short time, and you have no choice but to store it in the fridge. Split your stock. Put the chocolates into a container before putting them into the fridge. When you want to consume them, bring the whole container out... and wait a while before consuming it. And to be careful not to let the condensation fall on the chocolates.

Another Malory-Anderson Series.
My 1st book was the love story of Nicholas Eden & Regina, if i din remember wrongly the book's name is Love Only Once. I think that was when I was in Sec 2. And till date, it's still my fav book in the series! Other than this, I tend to prefer those story with characters tat inherited the "gypsies" genes, eg, Derek, Jeremy, Amy. Am really thinking of re-reading all these books again. think i'd done that twice already over the last 10 yrs supporting the series.


Even when I'm abt 3/4 done with the book, I got this idea that this is an Anderson story, like previous Drew's story.... But with a twist, like Johanna Lindsey always do, and wat the Malory is capable of... it becomes a Malory story too... Not too bad. but thinks that some parts are too fast, some parts are too draggy. could have been better.

p/s: Lian, thanks for the book. I think there's even a newer book for the Malory-Anderson series... Let's see who get the hands on it 1st.

This book was left on the shelf for some time after my god-sis passed it to me...

Something new fr Sophie Kinsella, no more shopping... but still hilarious.
Old tricks like amnesia? Many times we want to forget the bad times. How many times have you hear people say, 如果我可以再來一次? people dun get a chance to live it again. Anyway, it's a light-hearted book just for leisure.

Scenario: very crowded bus. I'm seated at the back and surrounded by passengers. Suddenly, someone right behind me called out loudly in Hokkien, sending me a jump.

Auntie 1: ji dao wu we, lai lai cey, wa lang ai cey zin hern, dia tio ai cey
(这里有位，来来坐，我们要坐很远，一定要坐。)

This Auntie... so many people standing around, then she put her hand on the empty seat beside me, CHOPPING the seat for her friend standing quite in front.
Finally, both were seated, but that was not all.

Auntie 2: 7点和９点的戏要完了。这两出戏真好看。

The next 10 mins was about Taiwan shows, singapore shows... and mind you, she was practically shouting in my ears. they are seated so close and they have to speak so loudly. frankly, i not very interested in their SHARING.

And then, the bus did a sudden brake because there was someone doing jay-walking. that spark another topic...

Auntie 1: 我跟谁谁讲不可以乱过马路。
Auntie 2: 对loh，过红绿灯mah.
Auntie 1: 过白线啦，车会停的mah.
Auntie 2: In-do-ne-sia lu geng si (Indonesia is worse)
Then they went on to talk about other countries' traffic....
Auntie 1: ya loh ya loh...
Auntie 2: 马坡淹水，真可怜。
(how they link traffic to 淹水？）

（...)

P/s: Not only Ah-tiong speaks loudly, singaporean can be quite inconsiderate as well.

原来，我们与很多文明一样，开始时是没有姓氏的。那么“林”氏是怎么来的呢？Who is our great great great.... father?

最近看电视才知道我们“林”氏的太始祖是比干。比干这个人名有没有 ring a bell? 因为几年前香港 TVB 砸金拍了一部《封神榜》，红极一时，捧红了很多演员，所以我才会对比干这号人物有所了解。虽然戏中已将比干神化，不过据记载，他是一个被妲己（奸妃）害死的忠臣。比干的夫人怀了他的骨肉，逃离了朝歌。周武王消灭了纣王后，赐了“林”姓给比干之子。

so “亘古第一忠臣”便成了我们林家的太始祖了！好厉害哦！

Such a romantic song! Read the lyrics...



Songwriters: Swift, Taylor Alison

We were both young, when I first saw you.
I close my eyes and the flashback starts-
I'm standing there, on a balcony in summer air.

I see the lights; see the party, the ball gowns.
I see you make your way through the crowd-
You say hello, little did I know...

That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles-
And my daddy said "stay away from Juliet"-
And I was crying on the staircase-
begging you, "Please don't go..."
And I said...

Romeo take me somewhere, we can be alone.
I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run.
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess,
It's a love story, baby, just say yes.

So I sneak out to the garden to see you.
We keep quiet, because we're dead if they knew-
So close your eyes... escape this town for a little while.
Oh, Oh.

Cause you were Romeo - I was a scarlet letter,
And my daddy said "stay away from Juliet" -
but you were everything to me-
I was begging you, "Please don't go"
And I said...

Romeo take me somewhere, we can be alone.
I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run.
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess.
It's a love story, baby, just say yes-

Romeo save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel.
This love is difficult, but it's real.
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess.
It's a love story, baby, just say yes.
Oh, Oh.

I got tired of waiting.
Wondering if you were ever coming around.
My faith in you was fading-
When I met you on the outskirts of town.
And I said...

Romeo save me, I've been feeling so alone.
I keep waiting, for you but you never come.
Is this in my head, I don't know what to think-
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said...

Marry me Juliet, you'll never have to be alone.
I love you, and that's all I really know.
I talked to your dad -- go pick out a white dress
It's a love story, baby just say... yes.
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh.

'cause we were both young when I first saw you

怎么搞的，真是的。才夸自己几天，购物瘾又犯了！
不是手痒？是脚痒！

如果在 Pazzion 还是 Charles & Keith 之类的店买这种款式的凉鞋，起码要 $35 以上。
在 Bugis Street，只需 $15。你怎么能不心软？

星期五的记忆：歌手们的好声音、韦丰的冰咖啡、立章的冷笑话，还有收也收不完、洗都洗不完的杯子！

记得还在念书时，我有好一段日子是在木船打工。星期五是最忙的一晚，光是收杯子、洗杯子，就有够累了。不过，也是我最喜欢工作的一晚。因为星期五是韦丰、立章、丽芬、婉燕的档，之后又换成了韦丰、立章、淳佳和康阳的档。超 enjoy!

所以从淳佳的第一张专辑，就一直支持到现在。昨天看了淳佳的网上采访，那些星期五的记忆又一点一点的浮现在脑海里。记得淳佳出了第一张专辑后，还有回来木船唱歌。曾问她有没有碰到很疯狂的粉丝时，她说其实没有，她的粉丝都很斯文。当时，我们有开玩笑说，艺人有气质，支持的粉丝也有气质，他们会比较含蓄。哈哈哈……很高兴阿佳能有这么好的成绩，才能够一直听到她的好声音。尤其喜欢淳佳的转音，音色超美。很希望她能有一些近距离的迷你演唱会，因为那就是她的专长阿!

除了淳佳，也想念立章的好歌声。他们的声音有个共同点——唱得很轻松，可以很舒服的享受他们的歌。他们的歌声怎么可以那么悦耳，那么自然？每次当我听立章的歌听得如痴如醉时，可恶的韦丰老是取笑我，说我暗恋立章。其实，应该说我暗恋他的声音才对。不过，现在要听到立章的声音，真是很困难了。如果淳佳和立章能再同台演出，就更好了。我一定第一时间买票支持！

到了我这个年龄，红炸弹收到手软。买楼、结婚、生子似乎才是人生三件大事。

不过，这三件事都跟钱离不开关系。普遍的情况是：年轻人没有积蓄，这三件事的费用都是老爸老妈包办。令人惊讶的是，我这些好友都不是富裕人家，爸妈都是打工阶级。他们多数有 2-3 孩子，供孩子们读完大学，竟然还能腾出$50k-$100K，给孩子买房子，办婚事！这不仅让我想到，如果到了他们这个年纪，我也能够有留那么多钱给我的宝贝孩子们吗?

仔细想想：我爸那个年代，省吃俭用，为的就是把最好的留给孩子。如今，我们这个年代，负债累累，散金如粪土。现在贷款很简单，三两天就有“支票”（balance transfer) 送上门。我觉得我们时时刻刻要提醒自己，小心不要步美国的后尘，个个都透支过日子。

果然，佛要金装，人要衣装。星光大道时期，我不喜欢萧敬腾，现在看他顺眼多了。特别喜欢这首歌《王妃》。觉得还蛮配合我 blog 的名字。



王妃
作曲：李偲菘 作词：陈耀川

摇晃的红酒杯 嘴唇像染着鲜血
那不寻常的美 难赦免的罪
谁忠心的跟随 充其量当个侍卫
脚下踩着玫瑰 回敬一个吻当安慰 可怜
像蠢动的音乐 教人们怎么成眠
不知名的香水 窒息的鬼魅
锋利的高跟鞋 让多少心肠破碎
弯刀一般的眉 捍卫你的秘密花园

夜太美 尽管再危险
总有人黑着眼眶熬着夜
爱太美 尽管再危险
愿赔上了一切超支千年的泪
痛太美 尽管再卑微
也想尝粉身碎骨的滋味
你太美 尽管再无言
我都想用石堆隔绝世界
我的王妃 我要霸占你的美

那催情的音乐 听起来多么愚昧
你武装的防备 伤你的是谁
靠近我一点点 是不一样的世界
安睡在我的肩 我用生命为你加冕

夜太美 尽管再危险
总有人黑着眼眶熬着夜
爱太美 尽管再危险
愿赔上了一切超支千年的泪
痛太美 尽管再卑微
也想尝粉身碎骨的滋味
你太美 尽管再无言
我都想用石堆隔绝世界
我的王妃 我要霸占你的美

Spotted.
R throwing cigarette butt on the floor and got FINE because of that. 1stly, I dun like R to smoke. 2ndly, I'm fairly disgusted with ppl that litter.

I seriously dun understand wat's wrong with R? After leaving the BANK, he ridiculously tried to avoid gng to the BANK. Honestly, we are no super stars, so no one is bothered by our presence in the BANK. Well, if by age 40, he has job-hopped around 5 banks, is he gng to avoid gng to those banks as well?

Becos' R refused to step into the BANK and so smoked to wait for me. Coincidently, there was no rubbish bin ard and... tat's it.


p/s: I was picking up a take one on a monthly saving program which earns a higher interest, I think the interest is not high enough to pay for the FINE.

第 N 个红包箱（Ang Bao Box)。
妹妹问我为什么都不拍照，觉得我应该 take some pics for future reference.

问新人要什么颜色？是什么 theme? 新郎的回答是 anything. 通常我会配合 wedding theme, 让箱子也可以是一种摆设品。最怕就是两种人：1，要求多多的人，一大堆ideas, 不过都不切实际；2，问他什么他都说随便，成品他却不喜欢。你一定有碰过要打包，问那人要吃什么，他的回答是随便。结果你说鸡饭，他说不要，你说虾面，他说不要，你问他到底要吃什么，他还是说随便。很担心因为这次就是碰到这种人。完全不知道该如何下手，非常担心会花了很多心思和时间，结果他们不喜欢。

新人是摩登夫妻，我猜他们不喜欢太 childish，太 ang kong kong (红)，或是太 kim dang dang (金)的 design. 最后不管三七二十一决定用自己喜欢的紫色， create 一个比较 classy 的 look。 不知道新人喜不喜欢，自己却非常满意。

The road to adulthood is tough.
I'm under lots of pressure - with the money needed for our new home and wedding preparation + I'm still in experimenting stage of my career. I even suggested to Royston that maybe we shouldn't go honeymoon, we could go when we are more comfortable with our pockets.

Things that I'd done to cut down on spending:
1. Cut down on shopping
My credit card says $41 only! yeah! so proud of myself.

2. Cut down on restaurant
No more extravagant living. I never like the food at foodcourts but I dun mind eating at hawker centres. Have been eating more meals at hawker nowadays.

3. No more taxi
I'm known as taxi uncle's best friend, I'm used to taking it almost everyday. But now I hardly take any cab anymore. So far, i've only taken 2 times for this month. I deserve a clap?

I need to brainstorm what else can I cut down on.

No wonder the Government ban the gum. Even when it's banned, I could step on a gum 2 times in this month.

Gum is one of my childhood memories, and I was quite angry when Government put a stop on it. But sometimes I couldn't help to think that we deserve to be treated this way.

R.S.V.P is so widely used but how many know the meaning of this abbreviation?

任贤齐 just release his new album R.S.V.P, he says it means Reserve Shall Verify Presence(?) His Engrish din make much sense...

妹妹 out of curiosity had searched online before and says it's Respond Sender Via Phone. This could be right for party terms.

It's actually a French phrase, répondez, s'il vous plaît, meaning Respond Please. 任贤齐, this phrase is on ur cd cover. tsk tsk.

In olden days, written invitations require written respond from guests. Now, we often see this abbreviation on wedding or party invitations. The person inviting you would like you to respond if you will accept or decline the invitations. This is basic courtesy. But I realised the locals dun have this habit of RSVP. Often, guests wait for the hosts to call them for confirmation. Some din want to attend but just ignore the invitations totally.

Maybe we should seriously do some self-reflection, observe good ettique, and respect each other. Even when someone talks to you, it's only right to respond, let alone when someone extends their invitation to you, we shouldn't be so rude to ignore it.

20.10.2010

Nice date?
Many would think the same as me. So it would definitely be difficult to book a date at the registry office. Haven't thot of where to do it yet. Not gng to exaggerate the whole issue. Just a small place, with our love ones.

We finally got our own nest @ Bedok Reservoir View. Can you believe it? We din buy a condo (no $) but our living room & master bedroom has unblock reservoir view! We bought it on a 农历八月十五中秋节, it's really 良辰吉日.

It's really not so easy to have a place of your own in Singapore. There's so many things to look out for and a lot of admin costs. Haiz... How can public housing in Singapore be so expensive? I have look into my finances and how we could fund our lovely nest.

My mum is a genius. She has this very bad habit - she doesn't watch the over the stove while cooking. Things get burned easily when u dun pay attention to them. Everytime when it gets burned, we get the blame. It's almost ridiculous that she flared up and scolded the whole family for NOT paying attention to the stove. Unluckily, I was the 1 that discover the burned most of the times. Seriously can someone enlighten me how help my mum, so that things dun get burned?

Lazy bum like me... dun mind paying $3 for delivery service.

Singapore practice: Check before you PAY
I think Macdonald's should review on their delivery service though. I din know that the delivery man has to pay for MY orders before sending them to me.

My meal came without the coke just now. The delivery man hand me my meal without the coke and told me that he had called the restaurant manager, another delivery man will send my coke to me in another 20mins. But I'm supposed to PAY first. In Singapore, we are "educated" in such a way that we make sure everything was fine before we pay. Not that the coke costs a bomb or I'm making it difficult for the delivery man.

"What if the coke never find it's way here?"

The delivery man insisted that he had paid already. So the only thing I could do was to totally reject his delivery, returning the burger and fries.

Well, I dunno who's fault is it. Thank God that Singapore is so small and there's so many Mac's outlet ard. But that does not mean we can tolerate mistakes. Maybe the framework can be improved to give a better service.

A book that I wanted to buy for a while... just finished chapter 6. spurs me to think....

两人之间，我比较喜欢许毅源。

Old saying is "男人不坏，女人不爱”。其实在某个程度上，两个都有点儿“坏”。尤其在他们有点儿“坏坏”的外表下而表现的温柔与体贴，是很容易让人感动的。

傅邦像个长不大的小孩，做事无理又冲动，有时他的强人所难会让我对他有了些反感。相对，毅源的的细心沉稳会让我感动。

我不知道还有哪家人比我们爱吃月饼。每年除了新年以外，花最多钱的节日就是中秋节。不信？到今天为止，我们家吃的月饼如下：

1. 天厨（Copthorne King's Hotel) 的传统白莲蓉旦黄(4pcs)
2. 天厨的冰皮莲蓉plus champagne truffle & brandy truffle (迷你4+4pcs)
3. 同乐的送礼盒 - 2个红莲蓉旦黄 & 2个白莲蓉旦黄
4. 东海的白莲蓉双黄 (4pcs)
5. 东海的冰皮莲蓉（迷你8pcs）
6. 东海的冰皮奶黄（迷你4pcs)
7. Goodwood Park Hotel 的传统莲蓉旦黄（2pcs)
8. Goodwood Park Hotel 的杨枝甘露 （2pcs)
9. Ritz Carlton Hotel 的传统莲蓉旦黄(2pcs)
10.Ritz Carlton Hotel 的冰皮Lychee Martini 和莲蓉 （迷你3+3pcs)
11.香港荣华的2个金莲旦黄 & 2个白莲蓉旦黄

有没有很惊讶？哈哈。

老实说，我比较喜欢传统月饼，配上爸爸的爱心中国茶，无比美味。
今年第一次尝试天厨的月饼，比想象中好，尤其能感受师傅挑选蛋黄的用心。在吃完天厨的月饼，紧跟着我们就买了每年都会光顾的同乐。不知是因为师傅将蛋黄压扁还是蛋黄本身的品质就有问题，月饼的蛋黄太干了，切开时蛋黄便碎掉，咬下去时，莲蓉是莲蓉，蛋黄是蛋黄，get wat I mean? 真是有失水准，有点儿失望。妈妈的首选应该是荣华的月饼。记得还很小的时候，爸爸常会买荣华的月饼，因为标上Made in HK的标签，所以价格不菲。现在多亏有Takashimaya，将饼家汇集在一起，要买Made in HK 的月饼也不难了。

近几年，师傅都绞尽脑汁，想 new ideas。我蛮喜欢 Ritz Carlton Hotel 的 Lychee Martini。 值得一试！

Addicted to Bugis Street, especially the $10-street. You will be surprised by the items that u could get there.

Floral-printed Blouse
it's a 2-pc. cost $16, after bargaining.
remember my theory on "limited stock" or "only one"? this is one of those. many same design/cutting but only 1 for each floral print.
Many were amazed by the cheap but stylish blouse I wore.



Star-printed Tunic
2-pc as well. cost $10 ONLY.
initially wanted yellow color, but it's sold out... so bought the white one instead. for $10, it looks decent, goes well with shorts, jeans or leggings.



★Star Buy★
so wanted to own 1 of these Victorian-style scarves... went Novena's "Little Korean", the prices is ard $30+. went to Bugis Junction, the prices goes as high as $100+! SCARY! lastly, went to Bugis Street. First time I was there, one Auntie, tried to up-sell, typical selling pt.

Auntie: 一件＄18，买多一件裙子算你＄30。可以吗？


After much consideration, I went back to the store again a week after. this time, it's a pretty 老板娘. she quote me 1 for $10! ha ha... so i bought 2 without much 2nd thots.

成人之美

灯谜1 - 谜底

美中不足

灯谜2 - 谜底

器

Guess the ans are self-explantory.

4
记得去年我和 KC 有这么一段 conversation……
我：在什么情况下会请客？
KC：开心的情况下。

我：为什么要请客？
KC：为了要庆祝快乐的事情。

我: 在请客后会想有什么回报？
KC: 没有要求，只要吃的人开心就好。

When we 请客，we can't expect to earn anything out of it. 说一句老实话，朋友不分贵贱，就算有人没包红包来，你要赶走那个人吗？说好是“请”，应该是不求回报的。I really want my love ones to be there with me to celebrate such a important day. And it's my dream to have my wedding dinner is a ballroom with high ceiling, so restaurant is OUT. But like I say, 我们不是有钱人的孩子。And I have so many friends tat I wan to include in my guest list. Budget for dinner will be even tighter. There must be some compromise somewhere. Think Lian can help me settle this...

Budget Set - $15K
(including set-up, liquor, printing of invitation cards & offsetting of the 红包 received)

5
Buffet in the afternoon. Using my contacts, I should be able to get some discount for the buffet.

Budget Set - $700

To be continued

上一个太难？来一个容易点儿的：

一家有四口，还养了只狗。
（猜一个字）

中秋节又要到了。来几个灯谜给你们猜……

西施脸上出天花。
（猜一成语）

Introducing the new review for movie, RDI - Royston Dozing Index.
Royston dozed off in almost all the movies that we watched... Surprisingly, he din doze off in those 3 shows that we watched. The RDI for these 3 movies is 0.

1The Proposal
The number 1 rated show for the mth is The Proposal.

It's a simple, funny and romantic story. Lots of American jokes. I'm surprised that Royston could understand them. We couldn't stop laughing! And Ryan Reynolds is sooooo handsome. I can't remember what other shows he has acted in off-hand.

2The Orphan

My sis said this is scarier than scary movie. The tag-line for this movie is "What's wrong with Esther?" The plot is quite good. I thot she's just a sicko or sth... When I finally know wat's wrong with her, it did surprise me. I guess it's the suspense that keeps Royston awake. But if he were to rank the show, this show will fall behind The Proposal.

3The Final Destination 4

I would say the show is over-rated by most review. It's a very short movie. We were guessing who's next. And ta-da, THE END. Think it's not worth the ticket price. Moreover, many parts are quite fake. It's quite a disappointment. But I figured that you got to see the 3-D version to enjoy it.

Normally ppl will say “the first and most important step for the wedding preparation is choosing a wedding date.” I wouldn’t disagree. But since we (me and Mr. Wong) have the consensus that we are only gng to get married in another year’s time, we’re gng to take it slooowly. So, I think our most impt step would be BUDGETING instead. Both of us are not rich man’s kids, so we got to do things within our means.


1
Was chatting with a friend on msn 2 days ago. He got married in May and it should be honeymoon period for him. His HDB is not ready till another 6 mths, so the newlywed is staying with his parents. Not that his lovely wife doesn’t like his parents, 相见好，同住难. Sounds tough for him to be sandwiched between. This story is nothing new, many have heard of it already. I am rather determine not to fall into the “trap”.. Thus, looking for our love nest become the top priority. I wanted to stay near my parents so that we will be entitled to the grant, but looks like it’s not that easy to get one in bedok…. The HDB here are soooooo hot!

Budget Set = $40K
(including reno, furnishing, cash above valuation, etc.)

2
I so wanted to take our bridal shoots overseas and Taiwan came up to my mind. Royston has promised me (long ago) that he will bring me to Taiwan 1 day, cos the last time I was there was so many years ago. So, I thot we could use the opportunities to travel there for a short vacation as well as for photo shoots. I’m intending to check out on the packages.

Budget Set = $5K

PS: If it exceed too much of the budget, we would call this off and 乖乖 take the bridal shoots in Singapore


3
Too early for honeymoon planning. Before I have any withdrawal symptoms (like my god-bro), I thot it might be good to think of the destination first and we would work out on the budgeting. I suggested Maritius, Greece, Canada. His face shows that he’s not very interested in those places. His standard answer would be “wherever u want to go lor”. I decided that I should get Royston involved, cos obviously this is a HONEYMOON. I dun want a “you happy so I happy” trip. So I tried asking him if there’s any place that he really wants to go? He said “London”. Since I’ve asked for his opinion, I think the least I can do is to respect his choice. So London it will be.

Budget Set = $8K

To Be Continued...

Kushin-bo with my family +
watching The Proposal with Royston +
attending Shernice's shower +
meeting up with my beloved friends

Simple things like this can be so fulfilling and happy!

我们都只知道三姑六婆是鸡婆的意思。它真正的意思是我看台湾的《百万小学堂》后才知道的。

三姑六婆原本指古代中国民间的几种行业：
三姑 - 尼姑、道姑和卦姑
六婆 - 稳婆、师婆、媒婆、药婆、虔婆、牙婆

做了些 research 才知道，师婆是巫婆，虔婆是鸨母（aka Mama-san），牙婆更是贩卖人口的人口贩子。因为她们常常有诱谝妇女图己私利的嫌疑，所以久而久之就变成人见人恨的人。没想到，“三姑六婆”的原意与我们现在用的意思差那么远。以后在这个词时，是不是也要考虑它的原意ah?

Meaning aside, 郑板桥曾告诫家中妇女，不可与三姑六婆之流有任何来往。这点我绝对赞成。

Finally finished the whole series.
Not the hollywood, or traditional kind of Vampires & Werewolves. Not too bad a story. Am quite amused by the story's development actually.

A side note: Mark Lee is almost avoiding all chances to have any meals with us... making us very suspicious. Jiahong suggested that he might be one of their kind. Haha...

I love Filet-O-Fish! Wat's more? It's DOUBLE.

This is not sth new. Mac has brought this dble filet-o-fish back periodically a few times. Mac had used "Double Happiness" for their campaign the last time they launch Double Filet-O-Fish. My sis thinks that they might have missed out "Double Sinfulness". Ha ha...

We had Dble Filet-O-Fish after gym today. I was counting the carb that I was taking in... when I saw the words on the wall:


Since when Mac serve healthy, delicate, fresh food? Mac being mac has most of their food soaked in oil. How to be healthy, it's questionable. It's true that Singaporeans are more health conscious nowadays and do take note of wat they eat. So those words are to 骗人 or 骗自己？

今年的生日没有蛋糕，没有party。
我并不是要铺张，大肆庆祝。在重要的日子，就算不庆祝，也不想一个人孤单的过。haiz. 记得从前常常需要用一个星期来庆祝生日，从来没有像今年如此孤单的度过生日。收到朋友们的 sms, e-mail, fb 的 祝语，知道朋友们还记得，or even bother to wish me happy birthday，让我很感动。

传丰 sms 我说:"girls are like tat, they want ppl to remember their birthday but not their age." 我不得不承认。女人的年纪越来越大，越来越少人问起“你几岁？”的问题。老实说，如果你突然问我几岁，i'll be quite lost,真的需要算一下。Haha...

生日有什么愿望？
到了这个年纪，不敢有什么奢望，只希望事事如意。

Royston went back Tan Tock Seng Hospital for check-up. The appt card says strictly by appt only, which means no walk-in right?



His appt time is at 4.10pm. Royston reached at 1.28pm. He only gets to see the doctor at 6pm! And when I look ard, he's the 2nd last patient ard. How could this be? This is ridiculous! If he can only get to see the doctor 2hrs after his appt time, wat's the point for setting the appt? This reflects very badly on TTSH operation. They really pissed us off. I don't think they really "hope we have a nice day".

Does this sounds like me?

She will stand out of the crowd on the street. Leo woman normally or rather tall. You will hardly see a short thick woman. When she walks she walk like a queen, confident and does not look around, though as if there is no one around her.

She will dress in her own style not according to fashion. She is confident of what she choose to wear. Do not buy cheap cloths where they sell in dozen for her as a gift, she will hate it. Also do not buy cloths that do not reflect her confident personality. She likes unique and strange cloths and accessories. Being different is what she loves.

If you want to know her, take times and be patient because she is selective about people she mingles with. She's open minded, but yet she is not letting people get to close to her easily. She likes sweet words and compliments, but not too much.

She smiles with anyone, b! ut insid e she thinks she is borne to be a leader.
She likes to be in control because it is in her nature instinct. She is a graceful woman, and she has a magnetic charisma, so expect tough competition.

She is a very proud person, so do not do anything to challenge her confident. She can be mad and act like a hurricane, and later can be like an innocent kitten, but do not fall for her O.K. She remembers everything and likes to cherish her sweet memory, so if you find her old photo albums with her ex-boyfriend or love letters that will make you puke, take it easy. She is keeping her sweet memory does not mean she still in love with the old fool, so you do not have to panic.

She will have many guys run after her, so if you have advantage of a good background family, or a famous last name, a successful career then it's a plus. She hates to be poor and she thinks love will not pay bills.

She is a sport type and love sports. If you want to date her, prepare to spend big bucks, for your first dinner with her can not be a hot dog stand, but better be the best place in town. She is a generous person, so do not be surprise if she give you a gift more expensive than what you gave her. She likes extravaganza, no cheap gift, no cheap dinner please. Being poor or broke make her depress. If you do not have lots of money, be creative and make your own gift for her. It's unique quality and times spending making it for her is a big deal. You can think economical, but do not be cheap.

人家说“三个女人一个巴刹”，我们有6个。 ha ha... 相当可怕吧？

讲了很久都没有实行。终于为了Celebrate Jiaqi的生日而让6个女人come together.
整天下来，做最多的是吃东西。 Ha ha... 想不到吧？一起看了 Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, 就如影评所说，这出戏并不怎么样。可笑的是，让我们玩的最开心的是一架 Lomo Camera. Haiz... 不过，可惜，我拿了 film 去冲洗，因为 underexposed， 所以没能看到结果。

I'm really ridiculous. Guess that's because I'm too free. Haha...

I was surfing online and came across this really cute and fun thingy. And I sort of thought of the best gifts for my bridesmaids. I know. I know. This is way too early. But I can't help it. You know you are my best girlfriends and I seriously don't want to give you gifts such as key-chain, bookmarks, candle stands, chocolates....etc.

However, I'm not gng to reveal the thingy. To be continued....

This is something we should all read at least once a week!


Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.



Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves.

昨晚看《败犬女王》，心理很闷。

败犬迫不得已的拉大饼冒充男友，争执时大饼抛了一句“你这个O型狮子座”。 Wat's wrong with O型狮子座? Arghh....

上个星期，我和妹妹准时 tune in to yes933，希望自己能够赢得孙燕姿演唱会的票。Of course, 没有那么容易。经济不景气，不想浪费$。感谢 OCBC 分花红，我们才会在最后一刻买了票。

I say, 燕姿的现场演唱功力 really 进步很多。演唱会很 high，很成功。尤其喜欢舞台的设计。她请了一个小帅哥Nathan Hartono 来当嘉宾。这个男生只有17岁，唱 Jazz 超 you feel。他在台上，我似乎有感觉到他有王力宏的影子。

p/s: 看到 Wayne了，是妹妹眼利发现他坐在前排。haiz，如今连 say hi 都这么难。希望他能一直大红大紫下去。

Ratings:
Food: ★★★
Service: ☺
Price: $$$
__________________________________________________

2nd time to this place.

1st time was with my god-sis. It's past lunch hour, but we waited for more than 1/2 hour for our food.

In my memory, the food was not too bad. Earn a little from selling Singtel's stocks. Decided to go back for a 2nd time with Royston. Ok. we didn't wait very long for our food this time. But I kanna 1 damn da-pro waitress, which was obviously from china.

饭后甜点 is almost what I always look forward to.
I was posing this question to the waitress, "does the cake comes with a scoop of ice-cream?" She look at me with wide eyes. so I probe further, "or can i add ice-cream to my cake?" Wat I get in return is "你要什么cake?" with super rude attitude. I couldn't stop myself for giving a "WAT?" to her. I ordered a sumatra cake ultimately. The cake was good i would say. But she disappoint me again by forgetting to charge that cake to the bill. Argh... And that bloody bill read $7.95. I was too angry to even think about it. After I left then I start thinking... I rem tat the cake is only $5.20, ++ also dun have $7. shit.

Need to even thrice to give the cafe a 3rd chance