It's 15 mins away from the new year, and we're back home waiting for the countdown. Went to a couple of shops earlier and it seemed dead quiet. Perhaps everyone is at Marina Barrage, St James or some other place ushering the new year.
For me, new year is another one of those days that gives me an excuse to send mass messages, contact those that I haven been in touch with throughout the year, letting some friends know that they aren't forgotten and perhaps setting a resolution or two.
My new year resolution? Never thought of it. Maybe exercise more? Live healthier? Go home more often? Or maybe something less holistic... like writing a book? learning a new instrument? taking a course? Right now, I guess I'm happy just living day by day and taking things as they come.
So, to everyone reading this... its about time to countdown. So, wish everyone a Happy New Year!! And Bestest of Wishes!!!
Merry Christmas!!
Wishing everyone a joyous and wonderful Christmas... may all your wishes come true, may you have good health and wealth, may all your close ones and friends stay near and dear, may you have a successful career and a good year ahead, may everything and everyone go your way, may your problems and difficulties dissappear, and may you be blessed in love, life and soul... Pant pant...Merry Christmas!!!!
(cheong hei.. hahaha)
Carollers in the office..
These guys came over to the office for christmas carolling. They were dem cute. Sang Jingle Bells in Mandarin and a whole load of other songs. Best part was the donations, these guys are trained I tell you.. they have the makings of top sales persons. I ended up donating 3 times.. its tantamount to extortion by being adorable!!
Critter..
We went to a semi-popular restaurant for dinner. After having our orders taken, I saw a little tiny roach climbing along the wall downwards towards the table. By natural instinct, I took a couple of serviettes, removed the roach and placed it in the unlit candle holder at the far side of the table. The waiter came over and saw a serviette in the candle holder. Looking curiously at what was inside, I whispered to him that it was a little roach. Startled, he looked at it again, as if wondering if it was dead or alive. Again, I whispered to him..."shhh.. It's probably dead" and he nodded in recognition. After lunch, we asked for the bill, and the waiter came over and told us to wait. He then brought over 2 cups of ice cream and told us his manager was really sorry for what happened. Things like this happens, and most restaurants wont even bother with the ice cream. Having eaten that, I'm obliged not to mention the restaurants name. It just reminds me of the coffee shop opposite our office, the kfr that one guy bit at kfc and the impopular prata ring incident. Ah well, this is nothing compared to the rat we saw during breakfast in a Hanoi hotel.
Hahahhahahaa...
Need to know a bit of hokkien for this... but guess what advertisement this is for before the clip ends...
Alien Force...
Come 2009, Ben 10 will become a teenager!!
We've already witnessed Naruto Uzumaki passing puberty and his recent gaining of maturity. Allen Walker's abilities reaching General like status. Ichigo's Hollow ability and the fall of the invincible Espada.
D.Gray-Man will be rolling back in 2009. Soul eater will continue its 'madness' with the rebirth of 'kishin'. And.. Ben 10 will become a teenager!! Heck... the action figures are already out in stores!
We've already witnessed Naruto Uzumaki passing puberty and his recent gaining of maturity. Allen Walker's abilities reaching General like status. Ichigo's Hollow ability and the fall of the invincible Espada.
D.Gray-Man will be rolling back in 2009. Soul eater will continue its 'madness' with the rebirth of 'kishin'. And.. Ben 10 will become a teenager!! Heck... the action figures are already out in stores!
Vietnam Part 1 - Halong Bay
After preludes of pestering, and while waiting for the Actified I just swallowed to take effect, I finally have the patience to sit and blog about our Vietnam trip.
If there's one thing I learned from the trip, it's that the number of motorcycles they have are twice the population of Singapore. From a distance, it looks like millions of lemmings jumping off a cliff. Only difference is that these lemmings emit pollutive exhaust from their behinds.
The streets hosts a constant flow rate of approximately 5 motorcycles/second. Unlike the plagues of personal belonging security faced in other countries, over here, you'd care less about your belongings and more about not getting knocked down. One advice a friend gave me was "Stop only when you see a car coming... when you see motorbikes, walk straight, and don't stop... they will avoid you like fish". Took his advice seriously, but we did stop in the middle of a road a couple of times.
Another thing we learned, was that blue was their color of marriage. Every corner we turned to, there were buildings or tents draped with blue cloth, indicating that someone was getting married. It gives me the impression that Vietnam is a very fertile country.
Of course, the conversation with the guide always go a full circle from marriage to death. And he has to elaborate, in great details, the burial and embalming rituals of each tribe, which I'd have forgotten and conveniently left out of this review.
One place everyone visits when you go to Vietnam is Halong Bay. We took a private boat in and had lunch catered for with the boat ride. Seafood there must've been really cheap.
We got fresh prawns for a start....
Followed by stuffed crabs, fries and vegetables.....
sotong, popiah, mixed vegetables and fish ...
I'm quite sure I missed quite a number of some dishes.
Ok..it's 1.15 and the Actified is kicking in... good night!!
To be continued.....
If there's one thing I learned from the trip, it's that the number of motorcycles they have are twice the population of Singapore. From a distance, it looks like millions of lemmings jumping off a cliff. Only difference is that these lemmings emit pollutive exhaust from their behinds.
The streets hosts a constant flow rate of approximately 5 motorcycles/second. Unlike the plagues of personal belonging security faced in other countries, over here, you'd care less about your belongings and more about not getting knocked down. One advice a friend gave me was "Stop only when you see a car coming... when you see motorbikes, walk straight, and don't stop... they will avoid you like fish". Took his advice seriously, but we did stop in the middle of a road a couple of times.
Another thing we learned, was that blue was their color of marriage. Every corner we turned to, there were buildings or tents draped with blue cloth, indicating that someone was getting married. It gives me the impression that Vietnam is a very fertile country.Of course, the conversation with the guide always go a full circle from marriage to death. And he has to elaborate, in great details, the burial and embalming rituals of each tribe, which I'd have forgotten and conveniently left out of this review.
One place everyone visits when you go to Vietnam is Halong Bay. We took a private boat in and had lunch catered for with the boat ride. Seafood there must've been really cheap.
We got fresh prawns for a start....
Followed by stuffed crabs, fries and vegetables.....
sotong, popiah, mixed vegetables and fish ...
I'm quite sure I missed quite a number of some dishes.
The scenery on the boat was nice. It's always nice enjoying the breeze while looking at rock formations. Guess which one is the leaping dragon, the big dog and the puppy. (Don't ask me.. I only know which one is the puppy)
We stopped the boat and went into some caves.
The cave we went to was named after a fisherman who accidently stumbled upon this cave while trying to find a place to rest. The government paid the fisherman a hefty sum for finding the place.
The guide mentioned about Tran Hung Dao, the national hero who led the Vietnamese people to victory over Mongolian in the 13 century by stocking up bamboo spikes at the cave, and using these spikes to impale the Mongolian fleet in shallow waters.
After a couple of hours of mountain trekking, we headed back to the hotel. Didn't know what to have for dinner, so we decided to try local cuisine and go for 'Cha Ca' (fish fried dipped in tumerine scented cooking oil) at 'Cha Ca La Vong'. I'd have to admit, the 'Cha Ca' was quite tasty albeit being guilty of high colesterol.
Ok..it's 1.15 and the Actified is kicking in... good night!!
To be continued.....
Christmas Spirit
Made our way down to the city to get a christmas tree.
First, sorting the figs.....
Then getting the trunk and stalks in....
And we have a Christmas tree!!
Now all that's left is the presents!!...hehe..
First, sorting the figs.....
Then getting the trunk and stalks in....
And we have a Christmas tree!!
Now all that's left is the presents!!...hehe..
Free coffee at Starbucks!!
There was this email circulating around on Starbucks giving out free coffee today from 5pm to 7pm. While a few colleagues thought of it as a hoax, a few others confirmed that it was real and that Starbucks have events like this once a year.
At the office, I had a choice of going home early but skipping free coffee or getting free coffee but going home a bit later, and I decided on the former. When I got over to my gf's office, she wasn't ready, so I had the time to walk over to a nearby Starbucks.
Didn't really feel that packed when I got there. Was actually quite surprised that the queue was only till about 5-10 customers. A moment later, while I was in the queue, another 5-10 people turned up and a longer queue started to form. An Ang Mo lady queued behind me and asked me if it was really free. I told her, 'Yes, it's free, but it's also for a good cause. You can make a donation to the Salvation Army if you wanted to. Of course, it's entirely voluntary.' When I reached the donation box, I emptied whatever coins I had. Should be anywhere around $3-$4. The lady saw me doing that and took out a couple of dollars. Happily reaching the front of the queue, I got my tall latte, and started moving out of Starbucks. An attendant smiled and asked if I'd like a straw. I declined, but I have to say that it does feel good to have good service even though free drinks were being served.
All in all, it's a simple but good experience. I donated to charity and got free coffee. What else can u ask for?
At the office, I had a choice of going home early but skipping free coffee or getting free coffee but going home a bit later, and I decided on the former. When I got over to my gf's office, she wasn't ready, so I had the time to walk over to a nearby Starbucks.
Didn't really feel that packed when I got there. Was actually quite surprised that the queue was only till about 5-10 customers. A moment later, while I was in the queue, another 5-10 people turned up and a longer queue started to form. An Ang Mo lady queued behind me and asked me if it was really free. I told her, 'Yes, it's free, but it's also for a good cause. You can make a donation to the Salvation Army if you wanted to. Of course, it's entirely voluntary.' When I reached the donation box, I emptied whatever coins I had. Should be anywhere around $3-$4. The lady saw me doing that and took out a couple of dollars. Happily reaching the front of the queue, I got my tall latte, and started moving out of Starbucks. An attendant smiled and asked if I'd like a straw. I declined, but I have to say that it does feel good to have good service even though free drinks were being served.All in all, it's a simple but good experience. I donated to charity and got free coffee. What else can u ask for?
Wanted to keep the receipt as a memento, but this is all I could get before handing it over to get my drink! Haha!
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