I Can't Balance!!!!!

There's supposed to be some scars on my knees, but the camera wasn't able to capture it.

This is an 'art shot' taken by me. Me and my brother's shadow.

East Coast Park giant foot.

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I can't balance, and this makes me very angry. And frustrated. And embarrassed.

I don't know how to ride a bike, I can't balance on the wakeboard, I can't ice skate without holding on to the side rail, and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to balance with inline skates either (although I might be taking classes for this one). I can only balance inside the mrt train, BUT only if I'm wearing flats.

This is my weakness. I'm sad. Sniff sniff.

I went wakeboarding with my brother two weeks ago. Let me rephrase: I went splashing into the water and swimming with my brother last 16Oct. We started the day excitedly as we planned on the day's itinerary. We were going to eat at this Peranakan restaurant in Novena, then we will go to East Coast Park (ECP) to do the cable-pulled wakeboarding. After that, we will go to SAM (Singapore Art Museum) for their Art Buffet (No food here, just a sumptuous feast for the eyes. Ehem).

We did all that, but the most memorable was the wakeboarding experience. As we got closer and closer to ECP, I got shakier and shakier. But like a brave little girl, I went ahead and queued with the Aussie surfers there. We were briefed on what to do, how to balance, how to move the cable. I listened carefully and tried to keep them in mind. We did a testing, where I was straddled to the knee board. The surfer trainor pulled me, and I was rattled. She warned me "You have to be ready, the cable will pull much much harder". Right.

My brother went first, and then my time came. When the light turns green, it means I'm about to be pulled away in a few seconds. The light was green, and I was bracing for the pull, and 'whooooooooooaaaaa'! The pull literally took my breath away! And before I could even gasp, I was being thrown into the water. I thought I was going to drown, but 'ploop', I floated to the top. And I flipped flapped my arms, swung my legs. I was supposed to be swimming, but somehow, I remained stationary. It was so difficult to swim!

Finally, about 10 minutes after, I was on the shore,dragging myself up.

This went on 3 more times, and then my brother told me he noticed that on the onset, I'd be doing the correct pose, but when the cable pulled me, I lost the proper posture, and that's the reason why I kept losing my balance. Right.

The fourth time I went in, I tried to keep my elbow close to my side, no matter how hard the pull was, and it worked! I was staying on board! Then, there was this girl in the middle, so I had no choice but to let go of the cable, or else I'd crash into her. Curses!

The next time, I was able to go the same distance, but I lost balance again. By this time, I was already beat from swimming and lugging around the heavy board.

The last time I went in, I was super tired. I was already doing the correct pose, my arms tensed, when the operator chimed ' I will pull the cable first, for your safety' (because there was a loose cable floating in the middle). This was about 2 mins, and the whole time, my arms were still tensed (in case the cable suddenly pulls me). Then, finally, the cable pulled me. By then, my arms have lost its strength. I fell in. Bah. I don't think I'll be doing it anytime soon.

An hour costs SGD32.

PS. Another memorable thing about this wakeboarding experience: Before we went wakeboarding, I went to the toilet to tie my hair, pee, and do whatever. A lady in white bikini went in to change to her day clothes. I went on doing my stuff, when I looked up, my eyes almost turned into saucers! She was butt naked! (But I saw the front view). Nice body, I have to say (but I'm not a lesbo or what). I just saw it for a split second, and then I bowed down. Embarrassed to have seen it at all (but not embarrased to tell everybody who cares to listen).

The 2 Dollar Scam

Or, maybe it wasn't a 'scam'.

I was walking along Scotts Road on my way home tonight when a 40-ish woman approached me and babbled "blah blah blah 1.90 blah blah dropped my purse".

I stood there and looked at her and attempted to understand the situation. I said "You need 1.90? You dropped your purse?"

She said "I careless drop my purse".

Whatever. I got my wallet and gave her 2 bucks.

She said 'Thank you. Do you want to give me your contact number? I call you and pay you back" (Yeah, right).

I said "No, that's okay." She said thank you again and walked a step before saying again "Do you want to give me your contact number?". I shook my head. No way man.

Anyway, true or not, I don't care anymore. It's better to be laughed at for being 'stupid', rather than being cursed by an offended woman.

I Must've Done Something Right

My friend bought this for me when she went back to Manila...

My boss bought back these suman (Philippine sticky rice) for me from his trip to the Philippines

My friend gave me chocolate wassants for breakfast (plus a whole lot more)

My client gave me a jade bangle

My flatmates bought me this shirt from their Bangkok trip

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I know there's this song that has this somewhere in its lyrics.. I think a song where the singer was supposedly the father of the bride and he just couldn't imagine that his daughter is getting married, or something like that.

Anyway, I've had this thought for a couple of days now.

Despite my complaints, I still have continuous blessings coming my way. I can't help but wonder what I did right to deserve all these.

These are obvious, but I'm blessed to have my mommy, daddy and ahia who are always supportive of me. As my boss would say, they take my nonsense. My 'nonsense' being my moodiness, in short. Then of course there's also my boyfriend, who also takes my nonsense. Still, my moodiness.

And then these are my other blessing:

1. Near or far friends. I have just a few of them (because I'm selectively shy), but they're all jewels. I think there's something in me that makes them want to take care of me. Ironically, they are protective when it comes to food. I mean, I'm meaty and sturdy, yet most of my friends are afraid that I'll starve (Well, admittedly I'm workaholic. When I start something, I'd prefer to finish it first before eating, which means I eat about 2-3 hours later than the usual meal time).

2. Flatmates that are just nice and sweet (and patient). I'm like a turtle, you see. I tend to hide in my own shell. So they go out of their way to reach out to me. Then they remember my birthday, remember me when they go abroad, remember me when they're having dinner... sigh.. I just hope I can be a better flatmate.

3. Some good clients who appreciate what I'm doing for them. One even called me a 'star', while another one, true to his word, bought back a real jade bangle for me from Myanmar.

4. People who help me either directly or indirectly

I know the pictures above are all material things, but there are so much more goodness that people around me have given me. Too bad I can't photograph compassion, kindness, understanding, support, love and care.

I don't say thank you much to these people, but they're all in my heart. I know them all. If you have done something good to me, I will always remember, and I will be here to help you when you need it.

Recession Lunch

It's recession, but we still deserve to eat good food, ayt? Ayt!

My friend and I ate at Hard Rock Cafe last Friday. They said there's this recession lunch set which was only SGD10 nett! Nett, I tell you. That's quite cheap nowadays.

Especially since the set meal came with soup, main dish, drink and dessert.

They have 3 choices for the main dish - fish, cajun chicken and spaghetti.

I chose the fish (dory fillet) and it came with fresh veggies (broccoli and cauliflower) and mashed potato. Soup that day was cream of mushroom. For the drink, I chose iced tea (which is bottomless). Finally, the dessert. Chadah! It was Haggen Daz straberry ice cream! All in all, it was a very memorable meal. The only think I didn't like though was the lighting. It was too dim (that's why I have no pictures of food)! Well anyway, it's Hard Rock Cafe, so I'll let it pass.

Now that they've announced that Singapore is out of recession, I wonder if they'll be removing this promo soon? I hope not! I still want to order their cajun chicken. (I took a bite from my colleague's order, it's better than the fish).

Buuuuuurp!

Takoyaki Balls - ION

Xiao Long Bao - Din Tai Fung (I like!)

Chicken Buah Kuelat - Novena Peranakan Cuisine

Sambal KangKong - Novena Peranakan Cuisine

Assam Fish - Same as above

Chendol - Same as above

Botak Jones Burger

Cajun chicken with cheesy mashed potato and spicy fries - same as above

McDonald's raspberry ice cream cone (I like!)

Samsui chicken - Soup restaurant ( I like!)

Prawn and tofu - same as above

Chocolate fondue - Billy Bombers, Marina Square

McDonald's happy meal - Sengkang Sports Centre (my brother ate this while waiting for me to finish my Sunday kickboxing session)

Jia Xiang Mien (or something) - Compass Point

There's abalone in that soup.

Chicken and prawn - Long John Silver, Velocity Mall (I'm liking the chicken nowadays!)

Soya ice cream - Mr. Bean (I like the first half,after that, well... there's a bit of an... aftertaste)

Flavored yakult

Double chocolate and kaya donuts - Donut Factory ( I like!)

Mars planets. This is Neu. With three different insides - caramel, crispies and creamy something (I like!)

Glico pretzel sticks, given to me by a colleague who went to Thailand.

It's Larb flavour. Whatever it is.

Coffee donut

Maple syrup shake and vanilla milkshake from OUAM (Once Upon a Milkshake), Maxwell Chambers

Bah Kut Teh - Prima Taste, Centerpoint

The Crab Mentality

The proof

This was not even the claw part, and it's still white, and fleshy and yummy.. (This was already at home, sauce converted into pasta topping)

From the refrigerator..

All heated up and shining with its oiliness

Chili crab sauce over tubular spaghetti (dont buy this type of spaghetti! it's not nice at all)

Taken with shaky hands at No Signboard, Vivo City

Australian Snow Crab. It sure is long-legged.

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I never thought absence from blogging can affect me much, but look at me now, I'm having difficulty blogging! Maybe it's because there's just too much to blog that I don't know where to start. Or, maybe my mind's messed up-with work, homesickness, stress, etc.

Whatever it is, I'm going to fight it to be able to blog as much as I could about the week that was.
One of the most important happenings the past week was my crab dinner with my ahia last Sunday.

There are a lot of good crab places in Singapore. But for foreigners, the most popular would have to be No Signboard.

So, I decided to bring my brother to No Signboard at Vivo City. (To show off, primarily).

Anyway, I am admittedly clueless about crabs. Usually, my friends would order and I would just eat. And pay of course.

So this time around, I had no choice but to order for me and my brother. I told the waitress:

Me: For two people
Waitress: What crab you want?
Me: Australian snow crab (Because by kg, it's the cheapest at 130/kg) (wrong choice!!!)
Waitress: Smallest about 1.4 kg okay?
Me: Okay (dumb dumb)
Waitress: Okay ah
Brother: How bout the Sri Lankan crab?
Waitress: Ah that one very small

A few minutes after, my brother realised it would have been cheaper if we just ordered the set for two, which was only sgd139 (notice I said 'only'). It included salad, crab, vegetable and dessert.

Brother: Can we change to the set menu?
Waitress: Order in already, cannot cancel. Sorry ah. Maybe next time you order that ...
(and this conversation was repeated again until she walked away)

As the minutes passed, we realised the silliness of what the waitress said. The order was already in? We can't cancel it anymore? Then how come our crab still wasn't out? It's crazy! In just minutes they have already killed the crab?

Anyway, some 20 excruciating minutes passed, and my hands were shaking, my mind was reeling and I was computing how much it would cost, and thinking if I had enough cash with me.

The crab came, and we took some quick shots.

We tried to enjoy the crab, but somehow, there was weight on our shoulders. I guess my brother couldn't take it anymore, so he asked the waitress how heavy the crab was. It was 1.4kg!

And we have calculated the total bill. Exaggerating on the cost of mantou bread, and pickles, wet tissue, tax and all miscellaneous charges.

Good thing is, our minds were still able to register that the crab was very tasty (despite the worry). Sweet, tender, white and succulent. The chili sauce was great and flavorful, but despite this, the taste of the crab remained. Not overpowered by the sauce. You can taste the crab itself, and then taste the sauce against the soft mantou bread.

We have finally finished eating (with a few pieces left and alot of sauce for takeaway) and it was time to pay.

I asked for the bill, and when I opened the black folder.... cha-dah! bill was sgd219.

Dang, but our dinner was someone else's one-month salary in the Philippines.

Anyway, I gave them my mastercard and hoped it would go through (cause we all know how cards can sometimes malfunction. The magnetic stripe, usually). Thankfully, it went thru (I just hope the exchange rate isn't too big since I used my Philippine credit card [because I never applied for an SG credit card]).

Lesson learned:
1. Never stop asking questions
2. Be attentive and alert (on the menu and whatever the waitress says)
3. Do not be shy. Voice out your concerns and be not afraid that people will look down on you.

MIA..But I'm Back!

I was missing in blogging action because my brother came to visit me (13-21Oct 09).

I was so excited and went shopping for some clothes for my mum, dad and brother.

I also jotted down some restaurants where I'd like to bring my brother to. Previously, I didn't have much budget to bring him to nice places, so I wanted to make up for it this time (and I did! I'll explain why in a bit).

These are the places we went to, and activities we did:

Tuesday (13OCt)
-Visited ION Orchard / Borders at Wheelock
-Ate takoyaki ball, japanese ice cream, gogo franks
- Ate dinner at Din Tai Fung, Raffles City

Wednesday
- Ate at Mogu Mogu, Far East Plaza. Followed by mango banzai from Dessert Street, also in Far East Plaza
- Went to National Library to check their map/Singapore land development area
- Went to Illuma, Bugis and ate at Pasta de Waraku (Carbonara and Prawn/scallop pizza)

Thursday
- Ate 3pm lunch at this Malaysian fried chicken stall at Lucky Plaza
- Went to Takashimaya and ate at Crystal Jade Ginseng chicken. Ordered the ginseng chicken (my favorite!) and the chicken and beef grill set. Total bill was about sgd70.

Friday
-Ate at Novena Peranakan Cuisine - Kangkong, chicken, fish, cendol and kueh
- Went wakeboarding at East Coast (SGD32/person/hour)
-Went for a cultured art tour at SAM (Singapore Art Museum). They were havng the Art Buffet for contemporary art.
- Ate at Botak Jones and drank teh tarik

Saturday
- Ate at Soup resturant - Their famous samsui chicken. Plus an order of prawn and tofu dish (only sgd1 since we ordered their chicken)
-Went to SingaporeExpo because they were having the Metro Sale. Nothing to see! I was actually disappointed. Anyway, I was still able to buy 2 long sleeved tops (in dark colors to match my beige skirt) and one 5 dollar top!
- Ate at Marina Loft (food court). Brother had fish soup while I had chicken rice (again! I forgot I just had it for lunch)
- Ate chocolate fondue at Billy Bombers, Marina Square

Sunday
- Went kickboxing while my brother explored Sengkang Sports Centre.
- Went to Plaza Singapura afterwards for the meet-and-greet show of the Singapore Idol Contestants
- Went to Vivo City
- Ate Australian Snow Crab (1.4kg) and mantou bread at No Signboard. Total bill was SGD219. Yes! 219! (I was weak during the entire dinner)

Monday
-For Monday 3pm lunch, we ate at Ayam Penyet, Plaza Singapura. We both ordered the smashed chicken leg.
- Brother met up with old colleagues and ate at Glutton's Bay

Tuesday
- Woke up late on Tuesday as I was on leave.
- Ate the leftover crab sauce (used this as our pasta sauce).
- We went to Maxwell Chambers (Tanjong Pagar exit B) to try the milkshake from OUAM.
- Walked and walked along Chinatown. Then finally decided to visit Toa Payoh.
- For Tuesday Dinner, we went to Centerpoint Somerset to eat Singapore Dishes at Prima Taste. Got ourselves cold teh tarik.

Wednesday (21Oct)
- For lunch, ate at Long John Silvers, Velocity Mall.
- Ate soya ice cream from Mr. Bean
- Joined the Police Heritage Tour at Irawandy Road.
- My brother had to leave for the airport. By 545, he was already in the taxi, moving away from me. I tried to lok brave, while the tears were threatening to stream down.

I went to church after he left, then went to Velocity Mall to shop some things for the house. I finally decided to just go home after an hour.

The minute I stepped into the living room, I cried and cried and cried until I couldn't breathe anymore.

Ultra-juicy Watermelon

I bought this from Cold Storage at Centerpoint last Thursday.

It was on sale! For such a huge slab, it was only 0.65sgd (because it's already super ripe).

I ate this yesterday, after eating one donut and one herbed chicken breast for lunch.

Dr. Mist - Hygenic Miracle Aid

I've seen this product in Watsons for some time now. Finally, I purchased one last Saturday.

It's a mist which you can spray on your body after showering, or after sweating.

Hopefully, it would work wonders, even if it's only 8.95 per bottle.

Buy One Get One, Woopee!

It looks so small...

My friend said this yogurt ice cream stick is nice, so when I went to Cold Storage, I went to the freezer section to check it out.

I was so happy! It was on 'buy one get one promo'! For just sgd5.65, I got two boxes. Each box has six sticks. Yey!

I checked other Cold Storage outlets and they also had the B1G1 promo, but for a different ice cream flavor.

I've just tried the mango, and it's nice. Can't wait to try the strawberry tomorrow.

I Wish I Am, But I'm Not

Sometimes I wish I'm more outgoing, more sociable, more 'loud', more cheerful, more free-spirited..

I wish, and I try to be, but I'm just not! It's really frustrating sometimes, and sad too.

But ultimately, I just have to accept that I'm innately shy, and I'm an introvert.

Sigh sigh sigh.

New Healthy Food Discovery

I've discovered Mr. Froyo at 7Eleven. It's frozen yogurt in nice small cups.

Currently, they only have 2 flavors - strawberry and peach (this is nicer). At 7Eleven, each cost sgd1.80 (still cheaper than buying frozen yogurt from yogurt stalls).

A serving is about 120 cal. Not bad.

It's creamy and taste almost like ice cream (it's also not sour), which makes me wonder if it's really made of yogurt, or are they just leading us weightwatchers on. I hope not. I've eaten about 3 cups already (not in one sitting).