Movie: The other guys

Synopsis:
After the death of the top two detectives, the other detectives scramble to finally have a chance to prove their worth.

Review:
I have never laughed so much since a long time. Kudos to Will Ferrell for being a hilarious contrast to the angst-filled Mark Wahlberg. Whether is it their office antics or chasing down thugs in a red Prius, it brought tears of laughter. Especially funny are scenes involving the extremely hot Eva Mendes and her mother.

Rating:
3.5/5

Without a care

It's so rare to have a public pool almost to oneself,
Soaking away any problem;
Looking at the unshielded sky;
Watching the sunset as it cast its final glow onto the gentle ripples of the water;
Enjoying the Summer;
Whiling the time.
Ah, what a life.

Triple three

Triple three

Salad bar

Dessert! (The first thing that caught our attention)

Nonya Kuehs

Salad with smoked duck

Sashimi

From the tepanyaki section (The fish's not bad)

Herbal chicken soup & chawanmushi (in petit cups)

Roast duck (pretty good)

More dessert

For more information : Triple three

Monster

Rawr!

Involuntarily I will revert to the mean monster with sharp tongue and caustic breath.
A cynical creature that hurts people's feelings and criticise their opinions.
Aware of this, I told myself to take some time before responding.
Somehow, it didn't work and it got worse.
Argh!

Movie: Devil

Plot:
Legend has it that the devil will take on the physical body of a human to punish those who have sinned. With that, unsuspecting strangers boarded a lift to find themselves killed one by one, and one of them is the killer.

Review:
Not a huge fan of horror films, I closed my eyes mostly throughout the movie. This must be a proof of how scary the movie was. Not exactly. It wasn't a scary scary movie but rather, a really smart one. One that kept the audience guessing till the end on who is the killer and who has committed what crimes. It could have been better intertwined by providing a more convincing stories of why innocent people have to die other than them impeding the work of the devil. But I guess the moral of the story is that

Rating:
3.5/5

Mid-Autumn Festival

Champagne truffles mooncake

Lanterns

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
This is a festival that comes with the tradition of eating mooncakes, drinking tea, admiring the moon, carrying lantern and strolling in the park.
But more importantly, it is a time for family reunion.

Ah Ma's Bday

Happy Bday, Ah Ma

It's quite easy to remember Ah Ma's birthday since it falls on the mid Autumn festival. I remembered when I was a kid, Ah Ma's birthday always involved a feast followed by carrying our numerous lanterns while strolling in the park. Those were wonderful memories, especially the competition on who had the most lit candles. It's a pity that children nowadays are restricted to safer activities. Still, it's a time for reunion.

Farewell dinner with colleagues

Just had my farewell dinner with colleagues at Imperial Court Shark's Fin Restaurant. Even though it was a week after I finished my internship, they insisted on treating me. With a buffet spread of lots and lots of prawns and fish, we definitely ate (over-ate) our fill. I may have over indulged due to a friendly senior colleague who kept adding food to my plate, but I was really touched that they would take time off to meet up with me. With such a friendly culture, I'm really looking forward to working with them.

Tung Lok Seafood

Entree

Hot and sour bisque (Too spicy for my liking)

Jellyfish with garlic in spicy sauce

Century egg porridge with minced pork (prefer the gooey version)

Crispy soft shell crab with salted pepper (Nice)

Pan-fried carrot cake with sausage in spicy x.o. sauce (sausage?)

Crispy prawns with butter and cereal/ Tung Lok chilli prawns

Baked flaky barbequed pie with pork floss (Very nice)

California maki

Salmon sashimi

Fish maw bisque (I like!)

Sliced stewed beef brisket with turnip

Tung Lok Seafood is really a place for seafood. The prawns are so amazing that I almost forgot about the cholesterol. Diners looking for dim sum will be disappointed as their steam dim sum are not recommended (tough skin filled with lumps of meat!). Likewise for their dessert with its small selection.

K1 at Bishan Active

K1

Vroom!

As a prelude to the F1 night races in Singapore, Bishan Active held its K1 races. With the HDB houses as the backdrop, it sure is exciting for the heartlanders. The tracks may be short and the speed of the karts may be slow, but the residents queued up happily for their turn.
Sure is interesting with the myriad of activities held in Bishan Active.

Kichi Kichi

Small sized food on conveyor belt

Kichi Kichi, a revolutionary express steamboat tries to stand out with its conveyor belt of small sized food. I guessed that is all there is to it as there is nothing special. You get the usual food items: squid, fish fillet, beef, mutton and so on.
It will definitely be better if they work on their service as we had to wait for at least 15 mins before our soup refills or drinks come.
Will I recommend it? Well, maybe during the lunch special or if you stay near Farrer Park mrt.

Clouds

As I look at the clouds,
I forget about the flowers.
Will you remind me.

Happy Bday to me

9th September, my birthday, but just like any other day except for the presents.

Present!

Somehow, whenever I receive presents from friends, I will always feel awkward. It's not that I don't like the presents. Rather, it is the thought that I wasn't physically there to celebrate theirs. But I guess the right thing to do is to graciously accept their gifts with a heartfelt thanks.

This day is also my last day interning. Didn't tell my colleagues to avoid them spending any more money on me. They've been too good to me. I seemed like a birthday kid when I handed snacks to them. In the HR office, someone else was celebrating her birthday. As I sang the birthday song to her, it's almost as if they were celebrating for me as well. Lol...

'Happy' family

Out of all the birthday songs, only one stuck in my mind. 温岚's ‘祝我生日快乐’ seems to suit my current feelings.

If every birthday is entitled three wishes, I could only hope that my last one would come true.

A walk in the park

It's been a while since I visited the Botanical Garden and the opportunity arose from my CC's outing. With a concept similar to treasure hunt, each team was given a series of photos where they had to find the object within the picture. Of course we needed to take a photo with the object to prove that we found them. As the objects were scattered around the garden, it was a perfect chance to explore the different zones within. I must admit that I do not remember much of the old garden but the current one is amazing. There is so much open space, so many zones of so many types of plants. It will take more than a day to finish exploring the place.

Nice!

My team minus the photographer

Our pace didn't warrant a rush but the hot, humid weather forbid us an easy time. Some pictures were really difficult, such as a photo of a duck which we couldn't decide if it was real of a sculpture; a photo of a sign post.
In the end, mine was the last team and yet we didn't finish all the photos. However, the other teams waited for us before leaving and that was admirable.

Movie: Heartbreaker

Synopsis:
Alex Lippi (Romain Duris) runs a business which breaks up couples who are unhappy without admitting it. Hired by a flower tycoon to break up the wedding of his daughter, Juliette Van Der Becq (Vanessa Paradis), Alex found their it may not be her heart that was broken.

Review:
Set in Monaco, the stunningly beautiful backdrop adds to the chemistry between Romain and Vanessa. That be said, I found Romain to be a more convincing actor. With many comic reliefs, the movie is an easy laugh.

Rating:
3.5/5

Singapore Youth Olympics Games 2010

YOG 2010!

YOG Mascots

Well done, Singapore! I'm immensely proud of you for showing the world again and again that we are not just a tiny red dot. The first YOG is definitely our way to impress upon the whole world of our capability in hosting events of such a grand scale.

Bon voyage, Swee

Bon voyage

Sent Swee off to South Korea. Pity that Aaron wasn't there due to a mix-up. Somehow it reminded me of my first trip to London: of friends sending me off; of venturing into the unknown. But of course there were tons of fellow Singaporeans with me on the flight.

Swee, All the best and have fun!

Tolerance

Some things, I can give and take.
Some things are better left unsaid.
For if you start,
I can't promise that I won't snap.

Bbq with Colleagues

Had a gathering with colleagues (only engineers) at Downtown East Coasta Sands chalet. It was more of a bbq since we didn't stay overnight.
Met in the afternoon to get apple and durian strudels as requested by the ladies. Then, met up with the rest to get the groceries. I was a little surprised that there was a Popeye's Chicken branch there. It seems like the franchise was not that exclusive anymore. Later on, we collected our bbq food from the supplier we have ordered with. It was so much easier than getting from the supermart since this was done online (we have to sacrifice a little on the taste though).
Since there was an hour before dinner time, they decided to start a game of blackjack. Not a gambler, I watched with interest at the flow of money.
Finally, the highlight of the event: Bbq. Typical of every bbq that I experienced, there was bound to have excess food. This wasn't any different. Of all, the curry chicken and satay were fantastic. The durian strudel was memorably delicious. While eating, I was watching the YOG opening ceremony. Not outstanding but maybe they were targeting a different group of audiences.
After dinner, it was back to gambling. Not my cup of tea but could feel their excitement and fun.
Even though the time was short, I have to say, it was really enjoyable. It was a really different side of them.

Happy Bday, Singapore

Happy 45th Bday, Singapore.
Each year's national day parade never fails to make me feel proud that I'm a Singaporean.
Well done!

Batam Escapade 2010

Batam escapade 2010, a much sought after retreat from work, studies and our busy schedule. A time to relax and rejuvenate ourselves with our dearest friends.

A place for relaxation

A place for enjoyment

A place with friends

2 years ago, it was at Pasir Ris. This year, it was at Batam, Indonesia. Although the location has changed, our friendship remained. The time may be short, but every moment was worth it.

Resolutions of the day

It's not that I have not thought of it but somehow the words from my friends' mouths have a greater effect of my procrastinating, lazy self. Fear not, it's never too late to apply them in life. Could only hope that they stick.

Tea

English tea?
Japanese tea?
Teh tarik?
Chai?
Chinese tea?

Laser Quest

My first DSTA PC 11 outing was held over laser quest. I didn't know that the whole PC 11 was that huge... Seems like I'm still shelthered within a safety zone. Only manage to interact within my group. But it seems like the rest were very friendly as well.
Anyway, it's my first time playing laser quest. It was interesting trying to shoot and escape from the opposing team (damn tiring as well). Definitely brought me back to the army days (without the proning). Although I probably brought down my team's score, we managed to emerge as champions! Hurray!
The best thing is that it's quite cheap and somewhat innovative way of team bonding. Looking forward to the next gathering.

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Parents have their ways of engraving their beliefs into you:
The incessant nagging.
Their continual disillusions.
Will it ever be enough?

Movie: Inception

Review:
Dreams within dreams may not have worked out in reality, but in Christopher Nolan's masterpiece of wonderfully thought out world, it's hard to believe otherwise. Superb performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe etc and an intricate plot brought the crowd to the edges of their seats. Even ancient philosophers debating on dreams must agree that this is a hit.

Rating:
4.5/5

Disappointment at The Cathay

Disappointment with a capital D while watching The Sorcerer's Apprentice at The Cathay. We were barely seated when the show started, and that was when only 50% of the theatre was filled and people were still pouring in. There were no screening of trailers as well. Not only that, the lights remained on while they screened the movie at the wrong aspects ratio, cutting out Walt Disney's name. I could not even see the names of the people involved in this movie. At this point of time, the projectionist decided to fiddle with the project, blacking out the show and killing the plot. Of course that won the crowds' approval of boos and vulgarities. When the screen became a trapezoid did I realise that they have to manually open the curtains. What a joke for Cathay being THX certified and premier theatre.

Movie: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Review:
The movie must has cast an enticing spell in its trailing, bewitching me into watching a movie with a more predictable plot than Eclipse. Coming from a fantasy genre, there's nothing fantastic or creative about the scenes other than piecing it badly from other movies. Nicholas Cage was a disappointment in this show despite being the lead and most veteran. The only few notable scenes were the Chinatown dragon chase and Disney's fantasia. Other than that, it's a joke looking at them firing plasma balls like a kid holding a sparkler. Worse, even kids can do better than that.

Rating:
2.5/5

Tin man

If imprint is possible,
Will I feel the same way.
Or did I only see the forest.

Movie: Toy Story 3

Review:
One word of thanks to Toy Story for bringing back fond memories of childhood, for growing up with us, for its wonderful imagination, for its ability to make us feel so much for the toys. A perfect closure!

Rating:
4.5/5

Movie: Twilight: Eclipse

Review:


Rating:
3/5

Meetup

Even after a 9-month absence, it's as if I never left.
Great to be back with friends who care.

First day of internship

Where thy enthusiasm? One might ask.
Well, I woke up real early and miscalculated my travelling time which resulted in me getting there real early.
I guess my first day was so-so.
Got situated in a small cold room that seemed to house only me.
No laptop and no friends yet (unless I count my mentor)
With that, my first day ended and many more days to come

Back!

Back to the lovely Singapore.
Back to family.
Back to friends.
Back to food.
Back to life.