46 and going strong

Happy 46th National Day, Singapore!



I'm in a foreign land working on what is a public holiday in Singapore. A public holiday to celebrate the day Singapore declared itself as an independent nation, a different country from this very same foreign land I am in.

And being here makes me so proud to be Singaporean, and so grateful to all the people who brought Singapore to where we are today. Long Live Singapore!

Madam Kwan's @ Suria KLCC

Many of my fellow countrymen have recommended that I have at least one meal at Madam Kwan and until the last trip, despite my frequently pausing before its restaurant's entrance, I've resisted having a meal at the restaurant because of its "zi cha" menu. Stuff like Otah, Nasi Lemak, Assam Prawns, all these I've eaten all too often, whether locally or in JB.

However, simply because we've never eaten at Madam Kwan before, we decided to join the crowd in the restaurant and have at least one meal there.

So we did. And a rather expensive and unremarkable affair it turned out to be. Good enough food but definitely overpriced given the quality and type of food served. I'll tell you how much the meal above turned out to be - RM111 - and the only item not shown is my longan drink which cost RM5. The nasi lemak was RM15+, the nasi bojari RM 22.90, kangkong (small) RM14.50 and the plate of assam prawns (large) was RM 37.50.

It was more than enough food for the both of us, and the food was decent enough without being extraordinary BUT I would definitely not recommend this restaurant to my fellow countrymen given the prices, unremarkable service and interior decor, and the type of food served.

Iketeru @ Hilton Hotel KL Sentral

At the recommendation of a friend who is a Jap-food lover and because we were staying at Meridien which is just next to, and conveniently connected to Hilton Hotel (they share the same swimming pools), my CEB and I decided to have dinner and lunch at Iketeru last month. My CEB had flown in on a Fri afternoon and was starving because he hadn't had a chance to grab a bite before his flight. However, the prices on the menu certainly gave pause to his appetite. And mine as well. As it was one of the rare times I was feeling healthy, I ordered the black cod from the teppenyaki menu. It came done excellently but the portion wasn't very much for RM50. I also ordered a plate of shitake mushrooms from the teppenyaki menu for us to share and that was amore reasonably priced at RM17. I would definitely recommend this delicious dish with its crisp garlic chips at the side. My CEB ordered the gyu katsu curry which he proclaimed delicious after a few mouthfuls. This again was reasonably priced (as compared to the rest of the menu) at just RM60. Even with the complimentary green tea (free flow), the bill for dinner came up to almost RM160. I don't think I'll be in a hurry to go back to Iketeru until I have deeper pockets!

The next day, we went back for the recommended Sunday buffet lunch and despite the cost RM131.10 per pax (inclusive of tax), the restaurant was pretty fully booked. Lunch started at 12 and ended about 2.30pm, and unlike the normal buffets where the food is laid out, most of the food had to be ordered off the menu alacarte style. There was quite a nice variety with teppenyaki, noodles, rice and even some soups on the menu. Sashimi on the other hand, as well as the makis had to be ordered from the chefs behind the glass-covered counters. From a websearch of the restaurant, it seems that Iketeru is one of the more famous Japanese restaurants in KL, and indeed the quality of each dish we had testifies to that. Do not expect quantity though (even for the buffets where each order means just enough and not in excess).

Eat Pray Love (2010) Movie

I finally got to watch the whole movie after buying the DVD eons ago. The book was widely popular in the bookstores then, and the movie came out shortly after but I hadn't made an effort to get either. Until my beloved ex-boss told me that she thought of me when she was reading the book, and recommended that I read it too.

So because my CEB wasn’t home early last night, I took the opportunity to pop the DVD in the player and catch the movie on my own. (My CEB hates this sort of movies). Briefly, JR’s character leaves her first marriage, a husband who loves her, to find herself. She then gets together with an aspiring actor, with whom she was wildly infatuated with, and then desperately and unhappily out of love. She goes to Italy to find herself, to do nothing but enjoy life. And then to India for spirituality and finally to Bali where she finds love again.

And I could relate to each of her relationships. Probably that is why my beloved ex-boss who knows me so well, thought of me when she read the book.

There is a scene where JR’s character said “The only thing more impossible than staying was leaving” as she realized the extent of her discontent and unhappiness with her husband and her marriage. Despite all the wonderful memories that they had, and the home they created together. And despite how much the husband still loved her as was evident when he refused to sign the divorce papers “I’ll wait for you…all I want is you”.

It reminded me of how I felt when I left men who had loved me– a combination of feeling just awful and guilty but still saying goodbye. Not to be true to myself, not to find myself, not just because I didn’t love them anymore, but because staying another day was unbearable and no matter how hard I tried and looked, I couldn’t see a future with them. The idea of waking up, coming home to, sleeping with them every single day and night of the rest of my life had become so abhorrent that I felt physically ill, mentally broken, spiritually desolate.

But like JR’s character, I need time to forgive myself. I doubt they have fully forgiven me either. Or rather, I know they have not forgiven or forgotten me. Esp the one whom I doubted loved me. It breaks my heart now to realize that all I do for my CEB out of love now, is what he had done for me all the time. And which I had thought as calculated acts to win my heart. Only now do I realize how very much effort he made, and how very much he had loved and cherished me. Something I could not ever reciprocate.

And if you asked me now, even without my CEB, what would I do with this realization, my answer would still be the same – I could never go back to a ruined relationship. You only cut your fingers picking up the broken pieces.

So, I want to end this post with a quote from the movie. "To have broken heart means you have tried for something.” I hope this comforts you as it had comforted me in some strange way.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Movie

The Slog Reviews: 3/10. It was that bad. The only good bits were what was in the trailer and nothing more. I didn't expect the ending though - that Capt A would only wake up 70 years later. Pretty sure there will be a sequel, and I've a hunch his love interest would somehow be "immortalized" as well.

The only thing in the movie that triggered some thoughts was the scene where Capt A was tested as a recruit - his superior threw a "grenade" among the squad members and Capt A was the only one who didn't duck/run for cover. Instead, he hugged the grenade to his chest and shouted for his team mates to take cover. That's courage, and as the bible goes, the man who is prepared to lay down/lose his life for his fellow men will be the one who has eternal life.

It also reminded me of some msn link that I'd read about a man who died of cancer recently and left letters to his two young children, asking them to have these 3 values which he believes will carry them far.

1) Integrity - Do what you say you will do. Don't lie - especially to yourself.

2) Moral Courage - Do what is right, even if you are hated/persecuted/octracised.

3) Loyalty - Be devoted, be faithful.

Lao Beijing @ Novena Square

Last Sunday, my mum suggested Lao Beijing because of a prior pleasant experience we had there before. The "8 Treasures" Tea (in Chinese, "Ba Bao Cha") we had for about SGD3 each was very sweet and refreshing, something I would recommend instead of the usual kind of teas like pu-er and ju-hua.

Because it was about 2.20pm when we reached there, we weren't quite so hungry any more and decided to order dim sum. But Lao Beijing doesn't have a dim sum menu at all. So we ordered the Xiao Long Bao which came in a basket of 8 for about SGD12. The Slog Reviews: No complaints at all about the quality or quantity. The skin was soft but firm, as was the meat but it isn't an exceptionally tasty dish.

We also decided to order another "dim-sum" like dish which was some bamboo shoots wrapped in the same skin as the xiao long bao. The Slog Reviews: These were far less tender and a bit dry compared to the xiao long bao dish. And, they were more expensive too. Definitely would not recommend this dish below over the xiao long baos!

My CEB was in the mood for toufu and he ordered the hot plate spicy beancurd with seafood which turned out to be a most excellent choice. The small scallops and shrimps in the dish went very well with the soft fresh quivering cubes of toufu, and the sauce was too die far. The Slog Reviews: 9/10. Definitely would recommend this dish to anyone going to Lao Beijing!

1 of my ex-suitors had brought me to Lao Beijing for its duck dish and so I thought the braised duck would be a good choice but alas. It was the furthest thing from good. The Slog Reviews: 1/10. This half a duck below which cost SGD19 was a pure waste of money and was not only pathetic in quantity but quality. The meat was tough and tasteless, the skin too dry and the sauce horrible. To tell you the truth, I was embarrassed for Lao Beijing that a restaurant of its standing would actually serve such an awful tasting dish!

I would recommend the pork trotters dish instead which we had the last time (See pic below) - it was a million times better than the duck dish above!

We ended the meal with a plate of red bean sesame pancake per the pic below. Like the prior experience, it was very good and devoured quickly by both my CEB and my mother. :)

I would have really liked the mango and coconut mousse dessert that we had the last time but my CEB claims to hate mango and so we gave this dessert a miss. Which is a mistake because I actually have a craving for the same, just by looking at the picture below. The mango inside was sweet and soft and the crisp flaky coconut on the outside was a perfect complement.

Address: Velocity@Novena Square #02-11/12 238 Thomson Road Singapore 307683 Tel : +65 6358 4466

Shark Fin at Thai Village

Over lunch on Sunday, my mum had raved so much about the Shark Fin Soup she had at Thai Village @ Goodwood Park that my CEB decided that he would take me there to celebrate our 2nd Monthiversary.

So I checked out Thai Village Restaurant's webpage and there was a listing for a branch at Changi. However when I called the tel number, I was told it was a residential number. So I called Goodwood Park and the staff confirmed that the Changi branch was closed. So rather than try to make it to town, we decided to go to the one at Stadium Walk and I made reservations at 7.30pm.

We only got there at 8.15pm because the restaurant was not where it was listed on the webpage - Oasis building! It was actually located on the first floor of Kallang Leisure Park. When I called the restaurant at 7.45pm looking for directions, the staff confirmed the address was at Stadium Walk which was where Oasis Building is. It was most frustrating and I had a telecon with the US at 9pm which I had to postpone. Bah - Thai Village needs to update its webpage!

Anyway because I was busy on my BB trying to postpone my telecon call, I left it to my CEB to select the dishes and place our order. We started with a medium sized bowl of shark fin soup, the cost of which was about SGD90. As per the picture below, the size of the shark fin in the soup was rather sizable and the texture was amazingly soft and chewy against the mushy texture of the soup.

I have to confess that although the bowl of soup was meant to be shared, my CEB gave me the lion's share of the shark fin. This is the last time I will be eating shark fin though. Even though I am an avid angler, I don't like fishing for sport and thinking about the inhumane way sharks are killed just for their fins, which are in fact tasteless, makes me quite ill. So while I am grateful for my CEB's generosity this time, no more shark fin. The pic below marks the last bowl of shark fin I will be ordering.

My CEB also ordered a plate of roast duck breast at my request. The Slog Reviews: 10/10. This must be one of the best duck meat dishes I've ever had! The sauce was nothing to shout about, being too tangy but the meat...the meat! How tender and soft it was with just the right amount of seasoning and fats. A must try for all duck meat lovers!

My CEB had a strange craving for beancurd in XO sauce which turned out to be a really good choice because it was a simple dish yet tasty enough because of the sauce.

I think the bill for just these 3 dishes came up to about S$140 and it was worth every cent!

Le Meridien Hotel at KL

Less than a week after coming back from Joburg to be with my CEB, it was time to travel for work again. There was a difference this time though - my CEB decided to pack his bags and join me. Firstly because the plane journey was an hour only (as compared to more than 10hrs for Joburg) and secondly because this biz trip spanned the weekend.

I chose to stay at Le Meridien Hotel this time instead of The Westin again, and the long short of the experience is that despite the not-too-fabulous experience at The Westin the last time, I would still pick The Westin over Le Meridien for my next business trip. Although I was upgraded to a premier room with a stunning view per the picture below, the long short is that Le Meridien is a far less luxurious hotel than its sister hotel.

For starters, my corner premier room (and corners are supposed to be bigger no?) looked like this below - cozy and clean at best but nothing spacious or fancy like the deluxe room at The Westin.

The bathroom was not too bad though - one could double soak - soak in the bath tub and soak in the stunning view with a beer in hand. Toiletries provided were decent but not the kind that one would to take back home.

My CEB being the more easy going of us two was happy enough with Le Meridien because of its decent enough room and location. Being connected to KL Sentral (via the taxi area of the top most floor of KL Sentral building) means that it is really easy to get about KL if one is dependent on public transport. It cost just RM13 for us to take a cab from KL Sentral to Bukit Bintang (one has to buy a ticket at the budget taxi counter at Bukt Bintang), and less than RM2 each to take a train from KL Sentral to KLCC. There is also the option of walking about 10mins to the LRT station from KL Sentral to take the LRT around the Bukit Bintang area.

My CEB left earlier than I did and when I got back a couple of days later, there he was at the airport with a box of durian puffs in hand.I have to admit that I was very surprised - my CEB has always been rather against my eating durians because my voracious consumption ("once start can't stop") of the said fruit had been giving me nosebleeds. Since it couldn't be the case that my CEB wanted his (insert pet name) to keel over early, I figured out that it was my CEB's way of showing me some love :) As I said, he is King Unromantic, so little gestures like this one are all the more meaningful.

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

Escape from harsh reality is easy when one loves books. I can see why this book was named best novel of the year (2005) by Times Magazine - I was sick when I started picking up and had intended to read till I got sleepy enough but instead, it was such an engaging page turner that I could not put the book down till I got to the very last page.

The Slog Reviews: 9/10. The book, written in the first narrative, is made for easy reading yet the author manages to convey and deal with many difficult issues from cloning to the angst of growing up and relationships with all its hopes, fulfilment and pain.

There are 3 main characters - Kathy, the character through whom the story is told, Tommy and Ruth. For a really good summary of the story, click here. All are clones who are expected to give donations and brought up in a house called Hailsham. There, they are encouraged to engage in artwork and poetry. Tommy and Ruth becomes a couple despite there being an unmistakable bond between Tommy and Kathy. This bond however remains that of friendship and respect and never does Kathy think of entering into a relationship with her close friend's (Ruth) boyfriend. Years later when their paths seperate, Kathy looks for Ruth to become her carer after Ruth's second donation which apparently did not go well. Before Ruth goes for her next donation, she apologises to Kathy for keeping her and Tommy apart. Kathy looks for Tommy and they become a couple but Tommy is scheduled for his fourth and final donation. Ruth urges them to look for the Madame at Hailsham where she believes Tommy can get a deferral if Kathy and Tommy can show they are in love. Ruth even convinces them that the artwork was used to gauge the depth of Kathy and Tommy's souls, and judge their true love. So filled with hope, Kathy and Tommy goes, but only to find out that Hailsham was a failed experiment to prove to the world that clones had souls - the artwork was used for that purpose but Madame did not managed to convince the world and starved of funding, Hailsham was closed and clones brought up in worse environments. Kathy asks Madame why she had tears in her eyes long ago when she watched Kathy hugging a pillow as if it were a baby and singing Never Let Me Go. Kathy thought that Madame had felt sorry for her knowing that Kathy would never have a baby, being a clone. Madame replied that she saw a child asking the old kinder world she knew never to let her go in face of a new and cruel world (using clones). I didn't understand the ending though - when Kathy and Tommy parted for the last time and Kathy saw a fence with all the things she lost washed up against them and Tommy now 1 of them. It was just sad, but significant in a way that needs to be explained to a denser mind. :P

I kind of liked the book in that...if 2 people are meant to be together, they will be, in the end. Even someone else trying to keep them apart can only succeed for some period of time. It isn't true love prevailing I think, I think it's fate, all written in the stars and somehow we will find our way back to the one we were meant to be with. The years in between (whether alone or someone else) aren't lost or wasted, but necessary as a lesson and experience.

It isn't the length of time we had or will have together that mattered, it is the quality of that time, the moments lived, to be had. :P

And on never letting a person go? There is nothing to stop a person from leaving - you can cage the body but never the heart, the mind, the soul, the spirit.

Downside to flying business class

One would have thought that there were none right?

WRONG - flying business class means I can't change flights to get back home 1 day earlier. Because there are just so many biz class seats compared to economy seats.

BAH. What a bad joke. I miss my CEB so very very much :( And now it looks like I have to stay one day more despite my boss giving the green light for me to go back 3 hours before this regional meeting ends.

Home is indeed where the heart is and I never ever thought I'll be happy to fly back to SG right after a working trip given how I've always extended as long as I could at my own expense to do some shopping or sightseeing.

I better do a better job of planning my Brazil trip which is coming up in slightly over 2 months. It's incredible how fast the weeks and months fly by!

Freezing in Joburg

The weather here has been bitterly cold the past few days and your truely is therefore not only jet-lagged from the time difference (South Africa is 6 hours behind Singapore time) but freezing. To the extent that I asked my HR if I could use my corporate credit card to exercise my winter clothes allowance here.

Now I've never gone ga-ga over winter clothes which are of the most part, bulky and not camera-friendly. However, while shopping at Sandton City Mall for something warm to wear, I found this most lovely and plush winter coat by Caterpillar. Not only is it camera-friendly with a most flattering cut, but it truely is the softest and most "plushy" item I've ever owned. Thank you (insert name of my co) for this!

I also found a pretty nice black sweater by Polo and together with the coat, the chill here is almost bearable. I say almost because I still can't wait to get back to sunny humid Singapore, nice coat or not. The cold is truely debilitating - one's mind is totally focused on how damn cold it is and how to keep just that little bit warmer. I'm so glad I'm not going for the safari after this trip!

Soul Surfer (2011) Movie

This movie was the first I watched on board the 10hr+ flight to Joburg. Unlike the previous trip to US (click here), I didn't enjoy the trip on SQ despite it being on biz class as well. Firstly, the biz class lounge at T2 was far more crowded and far less luxurious than the one at T3. Secondly, the seats of the aircraft were not the pale plushy ones but the dark blue ones which were not as comfortable. (The food was good though - the beef in the beef noodles was surprisingly tender.) However, I enjoyed Soul Surfer- its title is telling - this inspirational story (based on a true story) is about the courage and will of an individual to, with faith in God and in herself, rise above a crippling accident and embrace life. I think I have never choked up so many times or teared during a movie. I would rate the movie 10/10 easily and encourage anyone who has lost perspective, motivation, purpose and courage in life to take a couple of hours and watch Soul Surfer. Imagine a surfer, an athlete losing her left arm in a shark attack, the stump too short to attach a prosthetic arm. I'm not an athlete, and am guessing that you too do not depend on the condition of your body for a living. Yet neither of us would ever want to lose a limb. Imagine then what losing an arm means to an athlete whose field involves the use of all 4 limbs. And yet Bethany went back to surfing 1 month from the accident and competed competitively within a year. 

Because she had Faith, Perspective and Will. With these 3, as what she says "I don't need easy, I just need possible." Although in moments of utter frustration (of having 1 arm) she asked why God would allow this to happen to her, she never stopped believing in God, that God had plans for her and that something good would come out of the accident. This same faith led her to participate in a mission trip to Thailand after the tsunami and this trip was the turning point for her. She realised she had lost an arm but she had more than these pp had - they had lost loved ones, some, their entire families, and their home and possessions. And that was when she decided to embrace life to the fullest despite her own loss - and it wasn't just a decision - she devoted hours to training and conditioning her body so she would be in the best possible form to compete. 

 Indeed in life, often what we think is our greatest loss or defeat is just an opportunity for God to give us more, give us better. And what differentiates a winner from a loser is nothing more than having the will and determination to hang in there, or rather, get back up when knocked down. Since I am in Africa, I will end with a fitting quote from the movie Invictus where Nelson Mandela says "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul".

Big Eater

In case you thought that this blog has gone off on a "domestic" tangent altogether, I thought I'll write about a pretty good crab restaurant that my CEB and I chanced upon a couple of weeks ago. Or rather, one that my CEB had heard about and thought would satisfy his peckish wife who was demanding to go to somewhere different for dinner instead of the usual haunts.

The name of the restaurant sounded pretty awful - like a direct translation of a pretty decent Chinese word/phrase to English without thought to how it would turn out in a different language. And the location of the restaurant, near some large factory building and among a row of shophouses with extremely limited parking (we had to park at the back of the restaurant at the residential area) wasn't the most, well, asthetically pleasing.

All that aside, we had a good enough experience there which prompted talk of going back for a second time. As per the pic above, the restaurant menu has a page devoted to listing just its specialities to make for easy ordering.

My CEB ordered the Hokkien Noodles which turned out to be unlike the yellow/white noodles that we were expecting. While the dish was not easy on the eye - coiled wet worm-like noodles heaped in very dark looking liquid, the aroma wafting from the dish sent both of us digging in without second thoughts. We agreed this dish was yummy - not too salty despite the sauce, but tasty and wet as good hokkien mee should be. I would definitely recommend this dish to folks going to the restaurant.

I was debating between 2 of the chef's recommendation - the Claypot Herbal Mutton or the salted egg crabs. My CEB was pretty firm about not trying the latter, having had an unpleasant experience at another restaurant before with this dish but when the server told us they were out of the mutton soup, my CEB surprised me by ordering a crab cooked in salted egg (My CEB seems to be less fixed in his ways and more open to trying, and to giving in since the EE course).

The Slog Reviews: The salted egg crab was not the least bit too salty and the dressing (salted egg) surprisingly did not detract from the sweetness of the crab which was as fresh and "meat-packed" as the one we had in Malacca. This dish was extremely well done - the salted flavor of the sauce was a subtle contrast and brought out the full flavor of thecrab's natural flavor. A must try!

The total bill came to about SGD50+ for the noodles and the crab (abt 900gm) which was lower than what we had expected (too much of eating in Malaysia I guess!).

Address: No. 34 Jalan Pari Burong (Upper Changi Road) Singapore 488700.
Tel: +65 6245-7268

The Westin KL

Ever since being upgraded to a suite and clubroom a couple of times (@ Indianapolis and Sheraton Imperial KL) because of my SPG gold membership, I had assumed that I would be upgraded from the deluxe city view room I had booked with The Westin KL.

However, I was informed at the front desk that the next category of rooms - premier rooms - were all fully booked if I wanted a king-sized bed and since nothing beats a large comfy bed when travelling for work, I decided to accept what I had booked, which looked comfortable enough with a nice passage way and spacious room.

However, beyond those windows which had sunlight streaming in (it was about noon when I went up to dump my bags before heading off for another meeting), lay a sight that had me calling room service and asking for the upgrade.

This. A hideous large apartment block right opposite the window. Normally I wouldn't care too much about the view outside the windows because I keep the curtains drawn but I guess I wasn't quite prepared to have to endure this large monstrosity while paying good $ to stay here.

So, when the doorbell rang, I went with 1 of the staff to the premier room which had 2 twin beds and looked exactly similar to the deluxe room I had just left. Except that it was on a slightly higher floor (4 floors up with a common concourse to the other premier/lounge level rooms). I thought that the view would be much better but sadly, it wasn't. Instead, the huge monstrosity was still visible from the windows (although slightly to the left this time). So I lugged everything back down again to the deluxe room which had at least, a big comfy bed. I assure you, everything was exactly the same, even the bathroom.

And the complimentary amenities provided at the mini-bar. Now, I have to confess that this is the first time that I've been in a 4-5 stars hotel that has a box of condoms amongst the snacks. 4 Points by Sheraton in Bangkok also had a box which makes me wonder whether it is just the SPG hotels in the Asia Pac that provide these (the hotel in Indianapolis certainly didn't).

Anyway, disgruntled with the lack of upgrade, ugly view, I decided to go to the club lounge and use the internet instead of using the free wifi in the lobby. I probably could have charged the internet access to my room because I was using it strictly for work (an urgent email) but I figured that I wasn't going to have my company pay this hotel a dime more. So up to the club lounge I went and they did ask for my room number which I gave them but they didn't say very much when I told them I just needed to send an email.

Now, maybe it was the hour which I went up the lounge (about 2pm) but it was relatively empty and other than some cookies and 3 types of juices, it was a far cry from the club lounge of the hotel I had stayed in the night before. The problem sometimes about living too well is that it is relatively hard to adjust to something less, especially when the price difference is just SGD40. Anyway, I had problems accessing the hotel wifi on my computer laptop which had them send up an IT staff who confessed to me it was his second day on the job and he couldn't fix the problem. So I asked to use the 1 available computer in the lounge to send my email but it turned out that the computer was busted. The one other computer was occupied by another guest.

And the view from the club lounge isn't that great either. Even the view of the twin towers is a partial one. The Slog Reviews: 7/10. Other than its great location just opposite the mega upscale shopping mall, Pavilion, the friendly and helpful staff, there is nothing to crow about the experience I had with The Westin KL. And given the number of hotels in KL, I am not likely to ever choose this hotel again when I return to the city for work. With just a handful of stays left to maintain my SPG gold membership, I would rather stay slightly away from the malls at Sheraton Imperial where I had a much more pleasant experience before. Or Marriott which is one of my company's preferred hotels.

A getaway at Four Points by Sheraton (BKK)

Easy to tell where I've just returned from yesterday, given the latest addition to my new collection of fridge magnets, a collection inspired by the great experience I had at the Hard Rock Cafe in Indianapolis this year.

I would agree with the lot of you that going for a short holiday ThisClose to the wedding with so much left undone isn't the wisest thing. However, because of all the travelling the past 2 months, these dates were the only ones we both could work with. And in the end, the trip turned out to be one which we both felt was much needed - loads of rest and quality time together! Having a very comfortable room with a nice big bathtub helped to set the atmosphere. Despite having stayed in far more expensive places like The Datai, my CEB proclaimed this hotel to be as good as the first hotel we'd stayed together as a couple (Hyatt in Hongkong) - an apt and fitting ending to our journey together as bf and gf.

After travelling with my CEB quite a bit, I knew better than not to book breakfast at the hotel - my CEB's idea of a good hotel includes somehow, the quality of the breakfast, and 4 Points didn't disappoint. There was a wide spread consisting of porridge, noodles, salad, fruits, noodles, rice and many other hot dishes. The food wasn't anything to shout about but it provided a satisfying filling breakfast.

The Slog Reviews: I would rate our 4 day stay at 4 Points in Bangkok an 8 out of 10. Location was pretty alright - a 7 mins walk from Asok station with its sister SPG hotels like The Westin and Sheraton being much closer. I wasn't wowed by the rooms, breakfast or service (and I hope it isn't because I'm becoming a jaded traveler) but I believe these were more than decent. There are a couple of places to get a drink at the hotel - the lounge on the first floor or the sky bar on the 8th floor (rooftop) where the rather smallish pool is located.

Other than lazing in the very comfortable bed the whole morning, we spent the rest of the time walking around, shopping and eating. MK, a local chain of restaurants was the first restaurant we went to and my CEB loved the food there, in particular the mixed meat dish which was all of about SGD 5 for a small portion. Talk about cheap and good.

We were also enticed by the aroma wafting from the other tables to try out the steamboat at MK, something which I had never done despite being here numerous times (the heat and humidity in Bangkok pretty much puts one off from having a steamboat meal). I think there must have been loads of seasoning in the soup because I ended up drinking loads of soap and eating almost everything in the platter (cost of which was about SGD12).

Of course, Fuji which I'd written about briefly before was not to be missed. My CEB and I had been to the one at Phuket, and the quality of the food and the local crowds at each Fuji outlet was pretty much consistent. I suppose it is because the food is very reasonably priced but that being said, there are loads of Japanese restaurants in Thailand, in particular at Central World near Isetan which all appear pretty attractive as well. Then again, one follows the crowd and the crowd is found at Fuji.

We also took a cab (a horror story as to be expected) to Chinatown to satisfy my craving for fish in lime soup - talk about sour heaven. My CEB and I also shared a plate grilled river prawns (about SGD 12) and a large bowl of sharkfin soup (SGD20) at T&K restaurant (just next to the famous Nam Sing restaurant). By the time we finished the meal, his mood was pretty much restored and we ended up walking around Chinatown and buying some snacks for the folks back home. There were many durian stalls around the area but he kept to his promise and stopped me from buying any. Bah.

We did some shopping (of course!) and to my surprise (he always claimed that buayas were ugly), my CEB picked up this creature at Central and insisted on buying the same for me.

On hindsight, I think it was more for the boy inside of him than for me. 

Thor (2011) Movie

The Slog Reviews: 7/10. Very good graphics (Frost giants, rainbow bridge) and an acting cast that more than appeals to the eye (think blue-eyed, blond-hair, chiselled face...) but nothing overly impressive which makes me really glad that I didn't buy gold class tickets for this movie!

The plot can in fact be summarised in one paragraph: Thor calls his father Odin the O Father, a stupid old fool for not going to war with the Frost Giants who breach their realm (there are 9 realms) and Odin banishes him in anger to Earth where he meets a mortal called Jane and falls in love with her. It is revealed that it is his adopted brother Loki who has let the Frost Giants into the realm and Loki lies to Thor that Thor is forever banished from the immortal world. When Thor offers his life in exchange for that of his friends, he is considered worthy to wield the mighty hammer again (which Odin had cast on earth with a charm) and he goes about to set things right in the realm where Odin has fallen into a coma and Loki is ursurping power. However, because Loki is bent on destroying the realm of the Frost Giants (he is a Frost Giant himself) and proving himself in Odin's eyes, Thor has no choice but to sever the rainbow bridge which is the only path that allows him to enter another realm (Earth, where Jane is).

Limitless (2011) Movie

The Slog Reviews: 9/10. Worth the RM10 spent watching the movie :) An exploration into an impossibility which hopefully may some day be a reality. A question though that occured to me - if everyone of us on this planet had access to a pill which would allow us to use 100% of each of our brain without any adverse effects, what would the world we live in today look like? Really. I mean, would there be people willing to do manual and menial jobs? What would the social hierarchy look like? Now that's a scary thought. Maybe that's why this movie remains a happy rags-to-riches fiction (stress on the word fiction).

Little Red Riding Hood (2011) Movie

The one and only movie we caught over the weekend in Msia was Little Red Riding Hood, of which a very good plot summary can be found here.

The Slog Reviews: 7.5/10. This movie should be titled Big Red Herring instead of Little Red Riding Hood! That being said, I am not really sure why this movie has been called the worst movie of 2011 because we both enjoyed the movie. What I particularly liked was that it drove home to me (painfully of course), the point that sometimes I always miss what is right in front of my eyes, what is so obvious. Right from the moment the lead's mother disclosed to her that her sister had a different father, and that father was also killed by the werewolf later on, it should have been clear that the person with a motive was the lead's father. However, I was distracted by the triangle romance between the lead and the 2 men. And, by her grandmother of course.

On a side note, The lead actress is really beautiful with blond hair, pale flawless skins, huge blue eyes and luscious red lips.

Whatever you Think Think the Opposite by Paul Arden

I happened to pick up this book while at Borders last week. Tired from all the walking and running about, I decided to flip through the rather thin but interesting looking book while resting my feet/butt at the bookshop. Some of the pages didn't "speak" to me but some did, especially those related to work woes which a number of my friends have been sharing.

So I thought I'll share the wisdom in the book to encourage those of you who are discouraged / tired etc at work.

Life is about decisions. Whatever decision you make is the only one you could make. Otherwise you would make a different one. Everything we do, we choose. What is there to regret? You are the person you choose to be.

If people constantly reject your ideas or what you have to offer, resign. You can't keep fighting AND losing. That makes you a problem. If you are good and right for the job, your resignation will not be accepted. You will be re-signed on your terms. If they accept your resignation, you were in the wrong job and it is better to move on. It takes courage but it is the right move.

Death is more universal than life - everyone dies but not everyone lives ~ A. Sachre

Peperoni Pizzaria

I realize I have been posting very little about food or books. And it really isn't the case that I haven't been having quite a bit of both in my life lately, especially the former. It's just that the current matter has occupied all my working bandwidth and the upcoming nuptials, most of my non-working bandwidth, leaving me with little time to blog about other stuff.

Anyway, to distract myself from the conference call I have with my boss in a matter of hours (the time zone difference means we are talking after he puts his kids in bed), I've decided to write about a meal that I had the week before with my best friend from Secondary school days. Being a strictly west-side gal (before and after married life), she suggested that we go to a nice little restaurant Greenwood Avenue to satisfy her pizza craving for dinner.

We were most surprised to be told that most of the tables were reserved when we got there at 6am. Nonetheless since some of the reservations were from 7.30pm, we were given a table and given the menus. We started with the Chicken Wings- S$8 for 8 pieces - undeniably finger licking good stuff.

I had been having a risotto craving for some time and so I ordered the Seafood Risotto - S$24. The Slog Reviews: 4/10. I think there is a reason this place has the word pizza in its name - it doesn't do Risotto very well - the risotto was freaking tasteless and a sheer waste of calories. Ingredients were mediocre and didn't impress. Do not waste your $ ordering this dish really

Unfortunately, my best friend decided to give risotto a try instead of her pizza and what a bad decision it turned out to be. The Prawn Risotto - S$26 was left 1/4 untouched - she said she ate the rest only because she was so hungry but she would never order this dish again either.

As we were there during Happy Hours, we ordered the Softdrink Jug at S$13. Talk about yet another mistake. The Jug was so full of ice that we only got less bang for the buck ordering the jug as opposed to ordering ice lemon tea at S$3.50 per cup.

I'm not in a hurry to go back to this restaurant but I think that if one has to dine here, one really would be better off trying out the pizza.

Here is the address and tel number:

Peperoni Pizzaria

6 Greenwood Avenue Singapore 289195
Tel: 6465 6556