Pro-gay vs gay-friendly
Is there a difference? I think there is. I’m gay-friendly but I’m not pro-gay. If you are my friend, I will still love you as my friend regardless of your sexual orientation. I will not discriminate you nor pass any ill-intentioned judgments against you.
However, I’m not pro-gay either because I still believe in the union of 1 man and 1 woman. If one day, my future child were to tell me that he/she is homosexual, I think I will be upset (for at least a while) and be in a state of denial, but finally, I believe that I will still love my child and accept him/her as he/she is. I will most probably question why did that happen and whether my up-bringing cause his/her sexual orientation to be atypical.
However, in any case, I will not be ashamed of my child, just like I’m not ashamed to have gay friends, gay colleagues, gay neighbors… … etc.
The saga of Aware, has brought up issues that have been going on, from “under-current” to main stream. And I’m glad that it has happened because I hope people will, for once, THINK about their values, beliefs and what they stand up for.
Personally, I am behind the Old Guards of Aware because I believe in being “inclusive”. Inclusive means “inclusive – all types of women, in all shapes, sizes, colors.”
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Conclusion: I’m not a beach person…
D and I took a short trip to Langkawi to attend a friend’s wedding during the Easter holidays and we have agreed on the following conclusions:
1) Both of us aren’t big fans of beach resorts. I always break out in heat rash when ever it gets really hot and humid. As for D, he needs his wines and beers CHILL…. And these babies don’t stay chill for very long when it’s 33 degrees. No cold beer and you’ll get a grumpy D.
2) I simply cannot stand screaming kids in the pool. I’m not the kind to soak in the pool and do nothing. When I go to the pool, my focus is to swim and exercise. Thus, I get really irritated when kids dash around the pool, or swim zig-zag around me while I’m panting away doing my lap swims. And I thought I’m quite maternal.
3) Sentosa is actually quite a nice beach getaway too if you can block out those oil tankers.
I can take the cold winter in Japan… but the heat simply drives me mad. Nonetheless, it was a really beautiful wedding.
Just that D and I were wishing that the theme of the wedding to be "bikini babes and beach hunks - Zouk Out Style!".
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Spruce at Tanglin Road
For those who have read the most recent Sunday Times will know that Spruce, the restaurant was being featured. Reviews were rather positive and the owners of Spruce used to be from the Wine Garage. We used to frequent Wine Garage all the time until it revised the prices UPWARDS by about 50-100%, then we stopped dinning at Wine G.
After a quick check that the restaurant wasn’t expensive, plus if you order a bottle of wine from the restaurant, the corkage will be free on your 1st home-brought bottle. In any case, corkage is $30, which is okay…
Spruce is at Tanglin road, directly opposite to the Brunei Embassy actually. A little ulu but nowadays, ulu restaurants are more popular. Many people, who used to go to Dempsey, are all avoiding the area like mad. We all kinda miss the ulu-ness of Dempsey.
O well.
OK, back to Spruce. The whole restaurant is very understated yet done very stylishly. That gives a good vibe that the restaurant is more into its food than some showy décor. A lot of greenery surround the little restaurant, thus it’s really nice if you can get a seat outdoors, esp if the weather isn’t hot and humid.
Food is good, given for the price. I must say it’s actually damn good value. We had the Onion Crepes and grilled calamari with rockets for our starters. The onion crepes were really good; the sweetness of the onions went really well with the buttery cheese sauce. The calamari was tender and flavorful, nicely done. Both starters were about $15-18.
I ordered the Braised Duck pasta (shown above) in tomato sauce. The dish didn’t look very appetizing at 1st, but do not be fooled, the flavor was robust and the “gaminess” of the duck went really well with the slightly sourness of the tomatoes. Mmmmmm. Yum. That cost $18.
Hubby and K ordered the Spruce burger (shown above). A little disappointed as Hubby and I agreed that Botak Jones’s burgers was at a better value given Botak’s price point. And my personal favorite burger joint is still Relish. Spruce’s Burger is at $18.
A had the steak with fries. I didn’t get to try that but from A’s looks, he seems pleased with his piece of red meat. I cant remember how much was the steak though.
As for dessert, we ordered 4 types of cheeses to share. The truffle cheese was clearly a winner. But then again, truffle with anything is always a winner.
My personally favorite was the cheese with “ashes” infused in it. Very interesting combination. The ashes really brought out the mild saltiness of the cheese and its “cheesy” flavor. Ha. I liked that.
All in all, each of us spent $60 each, inclusive of 2 bottles of wines! A while was ordered from the restaurant and we brought our own red.
I’ll love to retun!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Do you know...?
Do you know that our PM, Mr. Lee had an interview with the BBC? You shld have read about that in the papers right?
Do you also know that the final question got "censored" by our local newspapers?
The last question was:
BBC: “Finally, Prime Minister, I read that you are apparently the highest paid head of government in the world. Your salary is about four or five times what President Obama gets. Are you worth all that money?”
PM Lee laughed and said: “I am not comparing myself and I don’t look at these rankings.We go on a system which is open, honest, transparent – what is the job worth, what is the quality of the person whom you want. We need the best people for the job and these are jobs where you make decisions which are worth billions of dollars. And you cannot do that if you are pretending and you just say, ‘Well, we are all in it for the love of King and Country’. We want it to be honest, we want people not to come in for the money. But at the same time the sacrifice cannot be too great. And at times like these, you want the best possible government you can have.”
I'm disappointed in our local newspapers. Since our PM is already so open about his highly paid salary, why couldn't the papers share his pride as well?
Do you know that our PM, Mr. Lee had an interview with the BBC? You shld have read about that in the papers right?
Do you also know that the final question got "censored" by our local newspapers?
The last question was:
BBC: “Finally, Prime Minister, I read that you are apparently the highest paid head of government in the world. Your salary is about four or five times what President Obama gets. Are you worth all that money?”
PM Lee laughed and said: “I am not comparing myself and I don’t look at these rankings.We go on a system which is open, honest, transparent – what is the job worth, what is the quality of the person whom you want. We need the best people for the job and these are jobs where you make decisions which are worth billions of dollars. And you cannot do that if you are pretending and you just say, ‘Well, we are all in it for the love of King and Country’. We want it to be honest, we want people not to come in for the money. But at the same time the sacrifice cannot be too great. And at times like these, you want the best possible government you can have.”
I'm disappointed in our local newspapers. Since our PM is already so open about his highly paid salary, why couldn't the papers share his pride as well?
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Myth confirmed! -> Apple Cider Vinegar really works!
I’ve heard so much about Apple Cider Vinegar being good for our hair; since it’s acidic while most of our hair products are alkaline. So, Apple Cider is supposed to balance our scalp’s PH level and remove whatever residue or build-up from our shampoo or other hair products.
Since I have a huge bottle of Apple Cider sitting in the fridge, I decided to conduct an experiment to see whether the cider is really good for my hair.
One thing to note is that I have very sensitive scalp. So much so that, I am actually allergic to most shampoos, eg: Pantene, Dove and even, Phyto (Anti-aging) aren’t suitable. Currently, I am using Klorane – sensitive scalp and so far, this shampoo works for me.
I filled a basin of warm water and poured almost half a cup of Apple Cider Vinegar into the basin. Didn’t care too much about the proportion. Agar-Agar can already.
Then I shampooed my hair as usual, but instead of using normal tap water to rinse, I used the diluted Apple Cider to rinse out the shampoo. I also massaged my hair & scalp and let the apple Cider sit for at least 10 mins before I rinse my hair again with tap water.
Viola! My hair did feel lighter and cleaner. In fact, it also gave me some volume to my very fine and limpy hair. I am most impressed with the effects…
I highly recommend all to try. Apparently, you can use Apple Cider Vinegar about once a week on your hair for optimal result!
*happy*
I’ve heard so much about Apple Cider Vinegar being good for our hair; since it’s acidic while most of our hair products are alkaline. So, Apple Cider is supposed to balance our scalp’s PH level and remove whatever residue or build-up from our shampoo or other hair products.
Since I have a huge bottle of Apple Cider sitting in the fridge, I decided to conduct an experiment to see whether the cider is really good for my hair.
One thing to note is that I have very sensitive scalp. So much so that, I am actually allergic to most shampoos, eg: Pantene, Dove and even, Phyto (Anti-aging) aren’t suitable. Currently, I am using Klorane – sensitive scalp and so far, this shampoo works for me.
I filled a basin of warm water and poured almost half a cup of Apple Cider Vinegar into the basin. Didn’t care too much about the proportion. Agar-Agar can already.
Then I shampooed my hair as usual, but instead of using normal tap water to rinse, I used the diluted Apple Cider to rinse out the shampoo. I also massaged my hair & scalp and let the apple Cider sit for at least 10 mins before I rinse my hair again with tap water.
Viola! My hair did feel lighter and cleaner. In fact, it also gave me some volume to my very fine and limpy hair. I am most impressed with the effects…
I highly recommend all to try. Apparently, you can use Apple Cider Vinegar about once a week on your hair for optimal result!
*happy*
Monday, March 09, 2009
Hotel626: a free horror online game!
For a FREE game... one cannot complain. Do play it if you have nothing better to do. In fact, it's really quite cool if you enable your webcam and micorophone. And o yah, BLAST your speakers and scare yourself silly.
Me, being the scardy -cat, was basically hiding behide a cupboard while hubby was playing the game. Just hearing the sound effect was already scaring the shit out of me.
Finally took some gut to play this game in the day (hrm... during office hours!), but without blasting the speakers, one cannot fully appreciate the game lah.
Guess, I just gotta try it at home later! It's a short game, you shld be done within 15 mins or so!
http://www.hotel626.com/
For a FREE game... one cannot complain. Do play it if you have nothing better to do. In fact, it's really quite cool if you enable your webcam and micorophone. And o yah, BLAST your speakers and scare yourself silly.
Me, being the scardy -cat, was basically hiding behide a cupboard while hubby was playing the game. Just hearing the sound effect was already scaring the shit out of me.
Finally took some gut to play this game in the day (hrm... during office hours!), but without blasting the speakers, one cannot fully appreciate the game lah.
Guess, I just gotta try it at home later! It's a short game, you shld be done within 15 mins or so!
http://www.hotel626.com/
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
My V-day dinner (home cooked!)
Ok, the order is reversed. I prepared the prawns as starters and the steak as the main course. I actually forgot to take a picture of the dessert, which was chocolate mousse with candied cherries.
I seasoned the prawns with salt, pepper and olive oil and sautéed them in high heat for like 2 mins. As for the sauce, it was made with beetroot (thus the ruby color), onion, carrot, tomatoes and cucumber. I followed the recipe and blended the ingredients RAW… mistake. The sauce tasted way too raw for our liking, I will definitely either roast or at least cook the vegetables before blending.
Other than that, it was actually rather tasty.
As for the steak… aiyah, very easy. The mushroom sauce was basically just mushrooms, white wine, garlic and cream…. Also very easy. Chop Chop.
The dessert was a bit more complicated. In fact, I actually made them the night before… a pity that I don’t have the pictures to prove! Dark chocolate to be melted over a basin of hot water, and fold in the double cream. After that, just throw in the fridge to chil overnight.
Other than that, it was actually rather tasty.
As for the steak… aiyah, very easy. The mushroom sauce was basically just mushrooms, white wine, garlic and cream…. Also very easy. Chop Chop.
The dessert was a bit more complicated. In fact, I actually made them the night before… a pity that I don’t have the pictures to prove! Dark chocolate to be melted over a basin of hot water, and fold in the double cream. After that, just throw in the fridge to chil overnight.
A tasty and meaningful V-day dinner. Not to mention CHEAP! ;)
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Do you know … …?
I think parliament debates used to be “live” telecast… Now, you can only see snips of it on the news. I tried to google when exactly did TCS (or then SBC) scrape that, but I can’t seem to find an answer via google… …
Anyway, I chanced upon this blog (http://www.choongyong.com/) and he attended a Parliament debate on 12 Feb 2009 and what interesting stuff I’ve learnt:
[1] You cannot have camera phones with you while attending a Parliament debate.
[2] MPs can “sign in” their attendance and somehow disappear for a large part of the debate. (Hey, that’s what I did for my lectures during JC!)
[3] Temasek lost 31% (S$58 bil) in 2008, GIC “might” have lost 41%. Actual number is unknown since there wasn’t any clarification by the Minister of Finance.
[4] One of our MPs, Dr Ong Seh Hong is a litterbug.
Hmmm, I’ll like to attend a Parliament Debate one day… and I’ll get George and Mel to go with me! ;P
And ChannelNewsAsia should show both “live” and repeat telecasts of the Parliament debates. On one hand, Singaporeans are being blamed for showing apathy towards our political scene, on the other hand, real-live debates are not being aired in public. Then, how are we going to see our very well-paid MPs prove their worth? (Or the lack of it?!?!)
I think parliament debates used to be “live” telecast… Now, you can only see snips of it on the news. I tried to google when exactly did TCS (or then SBC) scrape that, but I can’t seem to find an answer via google… …
Anyway, I chanced upon this blog (http://www.choongyong.com/) and he attended a Parliament debate on 12 Feb 2009 and what interesting stuff I’ve learnt:
[1] You cannot have camera phones with you while attending a Parliament debate.
[2] MPs can “sign in” their attendance and somehow disappear for a large part of the debate. (Hey, that’s what I did for my lectures during JC!)
[3] Temasek lost 31% (S$58 bil) in 2008, GIC “might” have lost 41%. Actual number is unknown since there wasn’t any clarification by the Minister of Finance.
[4] One of our MPs, Dr Ong Seh Hong is a litterbug.
Hmmm, I’ll like to attend a Parliament Debate one day… and I’ll get George and Mel to go with me! ;P
And ChannelNewsAsia should show both “live” and repeat telecasts of the Parliament debates. On one hand, Singaporeans are being blamed for showing apathy towards our political scene, on the other hand, real-live debates are not being aired in public. Then, how are we going to see our very well-paid MPs prove their worth? (Or the lack of it?!?!)
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
These numbers are scary… …
In my job, I get to read economic data and announcements on a 1st hand basis, courtesy to Bloomberg and Reuters.
And as the days go by, I see more and more horrible data and reports...
(From Business Times)
“Singapore‘s non-oil exports plunged 34.8 per cent from a year earlier. The January fall in exports from a year earlier was the biggest since records began in 1977, the trade agency said.” (Fresh from the oven, numbers released this afternoon)
“JAPAN'S economy shrank by a worse-than-expected 3.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year, or 12.7 per cent at an annual rate, marking the most savage contraction in 35 years, the government said yesterday” (Data released yesterday 16Feb09)
And I don’t even want to talk about data from the USA and Europe…
For myself, during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, I was still a nerd in JC and the “event” was merely a textbook case study for my Finance course in Uni years after.
As for the 2001 dot.com crash, I didn’t feel a thing since I was still an ignorant student in Uni as well.
2003 SARS outbreak, I was blissfully doing an extended internship in the US, so by the time when I was back in Singapore in Dec 2004, Singapore’s economy was up and running again.
This time… this time is different. I am facing this recession point blank and I am feeling every bit of it. To be frank, I do not even know whether I’ll get to keep my job by end of this year.
2009 and 2010 will be a tough ride.
In my job, I get to read economic data and announcements on a 1st hand basis, courtesy to Bloomberg and Reuters.
And as the days go by, I see more and more horrible data and reports...
(From Business Times)
“Singapore‘s non-oil exports plunged 34.8 per cent from a year earlier. The January fall in exports from a year earlier was the biggest since records began in 1977, the trade agency said.” (Fresh from the oven, numbers released this afternoon)
“JAPAN'S economy shrank by a worse-than-expected 3.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year, or 12.7 per cent at an annual rate, marking the most savage contraction in 35 years, the government said yesterday” (Data released yesterday 16Feb09)
And I don’t even want to talk about data from the USA and Europe…
For myself, during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, I was still a nerd in JC and the “event” was merely a textbook case study for my Finance course in Uni years after.
As for the 2001 dot.com crash, I didn’t feel a thing since I was still an ignorant student in Uni as well.
2003 SARS outbreak, I was blissfully doing an extended internship in the US, so by the time when I was back in Singapore in Dec 2004, Singapore’s economy was up and running again.
This time… this time is different. I am facing this recession point blank and I am feeling every bit of it. To be frank, I do not even know whether I’ll get to keep my job by end of this year.
2009 and 2010 will be a tough ride.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
I'm disappointed... ...
Sigh. I'm sure many of you have went through this: "to salvage or not to salvage a friendship" ...
After being friends for almost 20 years, I seriously wonder whether I'm being taken for granted or i'm just plain petty. Maybe my expectations are too high, maybe I'm disappointed that my love and friendship arent reciprocated.
It's just such a pity to give up a friendship of almost 20 yrs... yet, I can't simply just bottle up my frustrations and displeasures. Yet, at the same time, I cannot bring myself to confront the issue. (which is very, very unlike me)
The bestest friend is now an Alien.
Sigh. I'm sure many of you have went through this: "to salvage or not to salvage a friendship" ...
After being friends for almost 20 years, I seriously wonder whether I'm being taken for granted or i'm just plain petty. Maybe my expectations are too high, maybe I'm disappointed that my love and friendship arent reciprocated.
It's just such a pity to give up a friendship of almost 20 yrs... yet, I can't simply just bottle up my frustrations and displeasures. Yet, at the same time, I cannot bring myself to confront the issue. (which is very, very unlike me)
The bestest friend is now an Alien.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Back from the Land of the Rising Sun
One word to describe the trip: F.A.T
I ate so much Japanese food in the 2 weeks while I was in Japan that I think I’ve surpassed an average Singaporean would eat in 1 year.
I’m not kidding. Somehow, my stomach was tuned to the geez-im-never-full-until-im really-going-to vomit mode. Very unhealthy… Hubby and I wana try so many restaurants that we ended eating 2 sets of dinners most of the time.
We would hit this Unagi restaurant and order 1 bowl to share and then hit another sushi place to whack on more sushi. Or I could eat 1 huge bowl of ramen and when I walked past a really delicious-looking pastry shop, I just had to sit down and eat another huge slice of cake.
I can’t believe how almost everything we ate were so freaking good. Even milk from the supermarket was like the best I’ve ever drank in my life.
Foodies aren’t no foodies until you have been to Japan.
One word to describe the trip: F.A.T
I ate so much Japanese food in the 2 weeks while I was in Japan that I think I’ve surpassed an average Singaporean would eat in 1 year.
I’m not kidding. Somehow, my stomach was tuned to the geez-im-never-full-until-im really-going-to vomit mode. Very unhealthy… Hubby and I wana try so many restaurants that we ended eating 2 sets of dinners most of the time.
We would hit this Unagi restaurant and order 1 bowl to share and then hit another sushi place to whack on more sushi. Or I could eat 1 huge bowl of ramen and when I walked past a really delicious-looking pastry shop, I just had to sit down and eat another huge slice of cake.
I can’t believe how almost everything we ate were so freaking good. Even milk from the supermarket was like the best I’ve ever drank in my life.
Foodies aren’t no foodies until you have been to Japan.
Monday, December 29, 2008
OMG. I'm married!
Ok, below is the video that I wanted e groom and his brothers to do during the gate crashing and their expressions while they were watching the video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeRGd4Rn7fA
Ok, below is the video that I wanted e groom and his brothers to do during the gate crashing and their expressions while they were watching the video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeRGd4Rn7fA
I love the expressions...
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
I hope my hand bouquet will look like the one as the 1st pix. So green and pretty... I will not get a chance to see the actual hand bouquet until the day my groom picks me up.
Talking about flowers... Geez, how much did these angmohs spend on the flowers manz. Look at the tons of flowers! I've learnt that flowers are like damn bloody expensive... *ouch*
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
My mum loves me and gave me the wedding that I want.
I’ve always been willful and head-strong since young and so, when it comes to the planning of my wedding. I’m driving my mother (the tradition-ist) up the wall.
I told my mum that I’m going to have both luncheon and dinner, so that I can have a cozy dinner with friends ONLY. Ie: Even she will not be invited to my dinner. She was like “huh”, but she agreed.
I told my mum that I want a small & intimate lunch of only 100 pax. She requested for 5 tables to contain our relatives and I was “No Way!”. I’m not going to invite those distant cousins and aunties whom I spoke less than 5 sentences in 5 yrs. My mum was upset and said that it would put her in a difficult position but I insisted and even made her made phone calls to tell relatives that they are only allocate to 5 seats per family. No maids and “extra” persons are allowed. She wasn’t very happy about it, but she agreed and did it for me.
I told my mum that she will be sitting at the VIP table with MY relatives instead of the hubby-to-be’s parents. She once again “huh? But that’s not the norm”, but she agreed.
I told her “NO Yam seng” during Lunch and she was a tad disappointed, but she agreed.
I showed her our unconventional wedding photos online and she was like “huh, no albums??” But she’s ok.
She requested to go for food tasting and I told her that we have actually went ahead with another couple friend of ours and ate everything liao. She was like “huh? I didn’t get to eat??” But she’s ok.
She gave me so much room in the planning of my wedding that I truly enjoy the process and am grateful. I know my mum loves me and this is the greatest wedding gift that a mother can give.
I begin to feel like I’m a horrible daughter.
I’ve always been willful and head-strong since young and so, when it comes to the planning of my wedding. I’m driving my mother (the tradition-ist) up the wall.
I told my mum that I’m going to have both luncheon and dinner, so that I can have a cozy dinner with friends ONLY. Ie: Even she will not be invited to my dinner. She was like “huh”, but she agreed.
I told my mum that I want a small & intimate lunch of only 100 pax. She requested for 5 tables to contain our relatives and I was “No Way!”. I’m not going to invite those distant cousins and aunties whom I spoke less than 5 sentences in 5 yrs. My mum was upset and said that it would put her in a difficult position but I insisted and even made her made phone calls to tell relatives that they are only allocate to 5 seats per family. No maids and “extra” persons are allowed. She wasn’t very happy about it, but she agreed and did it for me.
I told my mum that she will be sitting at the VIP table with MY relatives instead of the hubby-to-be’s parents. She once again “huh? But that’s not the norm”, but she agreed.
I told her “NO Yam seng” during Lunch and she was a tad disappointed, but she agreed.
I showed her our unconventional wedding photos online and she was like “huh, no albums??” But she’s ok.
She requested to go for food tasting and I told her that we have actually went ahead with another couple friend of ours and ate everything liao. She was like “huh? I didn’t get to eat??” But she’s ok.
She gave me so much room in the planning of my wedding that I truly enjoy the process and am grateful. I know my mum loves me and this is the greatest wedding gift that a mother can give.
I begin to feel like I’m a horrible daughter.
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