Update Project Habitat: All walls are down…
Finally, we are almost done with all the hacking.
Flooring is totally gone, and all walls except a “half-wall” are hacked away. Currently, we need to touch base with the Designer to why that half-wall is still there…
Except for the perimeter walls, we basically hacked all the walls. Yes, ALL THE WALLS. In total we have hacked 11 walls. ELEVEN walls?!?!
Except for the pillars, everything is down. And finally, I realized how big this apartment truly is… … …
This project is getting more exciting!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
I feel like a business partner…
Basically there isn’t much change to my life although I got married. Except that my so-called husband is behaving more like a business partner instead of a husband.
We talk about almost nothing but money. Or how to make more money. Whether in 3 years time we can afford to buy a 2nd apartment. Whether we can upgrade ourselves to a District 9 or 10 address before we hit 38? Yup, 38 and not 40. Because “Biz Partner” here is very competitive and want to lead the high life before he is 40.
I am getting tired of this. Not the least say, very, very pressurized. It’s almost like I’m reporting to my boss about our AUM (Asset Under Management) on a monthly basis. I’ve to draft out my next 3 years of “saving-cum-investment plan”, and have to aim to hit my KPI (Key Performance Index) in order to be a good wife. I am NOT joking. We seriously did sit down to talk about all these. The only thing lacking was an official Business Plan.
To look at it positively, it is good financial planning. In the beginning, it was also quite cool to talk about financial terms, or to show off my financial jargon with someone who can actually understand (other than fellow colleagues). But after a while, it isn’t fun anymore. I have to constantly know whether the Hang Seng Index is up or down, or whether there are any new promising stocks to buy. Or “what is the latest market trend.”
I DO NOT FREAKING CARE ABOUT WHAT IS THE FREAKING MARKET TREND AT FREAKING 1130 PM??!!!
Ok there. I got it out of the system.
I admire him for being so driven. But now, it seems almost like an obsession. It’s not like we don’t have enough to eat or spend. In fact, both of us are financially savvy enough to be rather comfortable actually.
Contentment is the key to happiness. I aim to be happy. I don’t need to be rich to be happy. Yes, I belong to the camp of poor people who always tell themselves that money isn’t everything.
I still believe money isn’t everything.
Basically there isn’t much change to my life although I got married. Except that my so-called husband is behaving more like a business partner instead of a husband.
We talk about almost nothing but money. Or how to make more money. Whether in 3 years time we can afford to buy a 2nd apartment. Whether we can upgrade ourselves to a District 9 or 10 address before we hit 38? Yup, 38 and not 40. Because “Biz Partner” here is very competitive and want to lead the high life before he is 40.
I am getting tired of this. Not the least say, very, very pressurized. It’s almost like I’m reporting to my boss about our AUM (Asset Under Management) on a monthly basis. I’ve to draft out my next 3 years of “saving-cum-investment plan”, and have to aim to hit my KPI (Key Performance Index) in order to be a good wife. I am NOT joking. We seriously did sit down to talk about all these. The only thing lacking was an official Business Plan.
To look at it positively, it is good financial planning. In the beginning, it was also quite cool to talk about financial terms, or to show off my financial jargon with someone who can actually understand (other than fellow colleagues). But after a while, it isn’t fun anymore. I have to constantly know whether the Hang Seng Index is up or down, or whether there are any new promising stocks to buy. Or “what is the latest market trend.”
I DO NOT FREAKING CARE ABOUT WHAT IS THE FREAKING MARKET TREND AT FREAKING 1130 PM??!!!
Ok there. I got it out of the system.
I admire him for being so driven. But now, it seems almost like an obsession. It’s not like we don’t have enough to eat or spend. In fact, both of us are financially savvy enough to be rather comfortable actually.
Contentment is the key to happiness. I aim to be happy. I don’t need to be rich to be happy. Yes, I belong to the camp of poor people who always tell themselves that money isn’t everything.
I still believe money isn’t everything.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Life of a stray dog…
For those who know, I’m almost running a mini-SPCA at home… My mum is a very kind hearted lady who ends up adopting a few stray cats and these kitties are now part of the family and are very much loved.
She is also part of the “reserved” team of aunties of the Cat Welfare Society, as like if those aunties are too sick/out-of-town to feed the neighborhood cats, my mum will stand in for a few days…
A few months ago, I got to know that my mum has also adopted a few stray dogs near her work place. According to her, there are about 7 stray dogs living in a quiet corner of the CBD area. I’m not going to pinpoint the exact location, in case the AVA decided to cull the dogs…
According to my mum, previously these strays were being fed by a kind-hearted soul, but somehow, the mysterious kind-hearted soul stopped showing up and these poor dogs began to starve.
Seeing those skinny strays looking frantically for food, my mum begun to feed these dogs with her left-over lunch or dinner. Obviously that was not enough for a pack of 7 dogs… then she started to COOK meals for the dogs. She will usually cook some cheap cuts of pork with unpolished rice, and make a conscious effort to feed the dogs in the evenings.
Even during her off-days, she would still make her way down at night to feed the dogs.
2 days ago, I decided to tag along with Mum to take a look at these dogs. Due to the up-and-coming Taiwan trip, she has begun to worry about these poor dogs and whether they can survive for 9 days without her. These dogs are REAL strays, which mean that they are wary of humans, and are not happy puppies which will run up to you to be petted.
There were only 3 dogs when we arrived at the site. Mum said that we were late and a bunch of them had already gone out scavenging for scraps. The remaining 3 were left behind to protect their home turf. They kept their distance when we poured the food into 2 buckets that served as feeding trays and didn’t approach until we walked away.
They were really thin and mangled-looking. They had to fend for themselves, no proper shelter and had to scavenge for scraps just to survive. All these are grown dogs and I do not think it’s possible to re-house them to be domesticated pets. Nonetheless, they are sweet-natured and seem to understand that we’re here to feed them, and were actually quite docile.
Any kind souls out there who is willing to pop by every 2 days to provide some fresh water and food for the dogs while we’ll be away for 9 days?
For those who know, I’m almost running a mini-SPCA at home… My mum is a very kind hearted lady who ends up adopting a few stray cats and these kitties are now part of the family and are very much loved.
She is also part of the “reserved” team of aunties of the Cat Welfare Society, as like if those aunties are too sick/out-of-town to feed the neighborhood cats, my mum will stand in for a few days…
A few months ago, I got to know that my mum has also adopted a few stray dogs near her work place. According to her, there are about 7 stray dogs living in a quiet corner of the CBD area. I’m not going to pinpoint the exact location, in case the AVA decided to cull the dogs…
According to my mum, previously these strays were being fed by a kind-hearted soul, but somehow, the mysterious kind-hearted soul stopped showing up and these poor dogs began to starve.
Seeing those skinny strays looking frantically for food, my mum begun to feed these dogs with her left-over lunch or dinner. Obviously that was not enough for a pack of 7 dogs… then she started to COOK meals for the dogs. She will usually cook some cheap cuts of pork with unpolished rice, and make a conscious effort to feed the dogs in the evenings.
Even during her off-days, she would still make her way down at night to feed the dogs.
2 days ago, I decided to tag along with Mum to take a look at these dogs. Due to the up-and-coming Taiwan trip, she has begun to worry about these poor dogs and whether they can survive for 9 days without her. These dogs are REAL strays, which mean that they are wary of humans, and are not happy puppies which will run up to you to be petted.
There were only 3 dogs when we arrived at the site. Mum said that we were late and a bunch of them had already gone out scavenging for scraps. The remaining 3 were left behind to protect their home turf. They kept their distance when we poured the food into 2 buckets that served as feeding trays and didn’t approach until we walked away.
They were really thin and mangled-looking. They had to fend for themselves, no proper shelter and had to scavenge for scraps just to survive. All these are grown dogs and I do not think it’s possible to re-house them to be domesticated pets. Nonetheless, they are sweet-natured and seem to understand that we’re here to feed them, and were actually quite docile.
Any kind souls out there who is willing to pop by every 2 days to provide some fresh water and food for the dogs while we’ll be away for 9 days?
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
My 1st trip ever… with Mum.
Coming this Jan, I’ll be on a 9-days trip to Taiwan with my mother, my 1st younger brother (I have 2 younger brothers) and his girlfriend (my future sister-in-law??)
Although I’ve been to Taiwan before, and I’ve also traveled with my brother before, but this is the very first time that I’ll be bringing my mum on a holiday. And since brother is bring his GF along; I guess Mum will be MY primary responsibility.
I’m excited and apprehensive at the same time. I’m excited that I can dote on my mum and finally sponsor her holiday but I don’t whether my mum will drive me crazy with her usual nagging or her typical-auntie remarks or actions of extreme frugality…
We (my 2 brothers and I) took about a month to convince my mum to take a holiday to Taiwan… My long-suffering mum has never boarded on a plane in her life nor has she ever traveled anywhere further than M’sia. And yet she kept telling us not to waste money, and insisted that she did not want to go.
It was only after I lied that I’ve already bought the tickets that she finally relented and agreed to go on a “waste money” trip to Taiwan.
Then she started nagging on who’s going to look after the cats while she’s not around in Singapore, who’s going to clean the house... …etc. Thankfully, this is when a 2nd brother is most useful. Ha.. ;).
I just hope that this trip will not ruin our existing, fragile mother-and-daughter relationship!
Coming this Jan, I’ll be on a 9-days trip to Taiwan with my mother, my 1st younger brother (I have 2 younger brothers) and his girlfriend (my future sister-in-law??)
Although I’ve been to Taiwan before, and I’ve also traveled with my brother before, but this is the very first time that I’ll be bringing my mum on a holiday. And since brother is bring his GF along; I guess Mum will be MY primary responsibility.
I’m excited and apprehensive at the same time. I’m excited that I can dote on my mum and finally sponsor her holiday but I don’t whether my mum will drive me crazy with her usual nagging or her typical-auntie remarks or actions of extreme frugality…
We (my 2 brothers and I) took about a month to convince my mum to take a holiday to Taiwan… My long-suffering mum has never boarded on a plane in her life nor has she ever traveled anywhere further than M’sia. And yet she kept telling us not to waste money, and insisted that she did not want to go.
It was only after I lied that I’ve already bought the tickets that she finally relented and agreed to go on a “waste money” trip to Taiwan.
Then she started nagging on who’s going to look after the cats while she’s not around in Singapore, who’s going to clean the house... …etc. Thankfully, this is when a 2nd brother is most useful. Ha.. ;).
I just hope that this trip will not ruin our existing, fragile mother-and-daughter relationship!
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Project Habitat: I think I can bake…
I’ve never, never really baked anything in my WHOLE life.
Well… Home Economics’ classes didn’t really count.
Key reason to that is because I’ve never had a proper oven ever.
My mum is a really good cook, but she only cooks Chinese dishes and I doubt she has ever used an oven before. So while growing up, no oven.
Then I moved over to the States for 2 years, there was an oven in the kitchen, but I used that to roast chickens, beef, turkeys… Somehow, it didn’t hit me to bake a cake, nor even a cookie.
Then I’m back in Singapore and camped with the in-laws… and still no freaking oven for me to bake a cake?!?!
Argh… so after all these years, I’m still a bake virgin.
But now with my new place coming up, I started researching on the brands and types of ovens. I started to look at cake mixers and have already decided on the brand and COLOR of the standing cake-mixer that I wanted.
I fantasize about me standing in my big, airy, wonderfully new kitchen, making cakes, soufflés and macarons… … …
Yup, I think I can finally bake. But I need my kitchen to be ready!
p/s: renovation haven’t started yet. We’ll take over the keys officially on this coming sat, and once HDB approves the reno permit, then we’ll be all ready to start hacking!
I’ve never, never really baked anything in my WHOLE life.
Well… Home Economics’ classes didn’t really count.
Key reason to that is because I’ve never had a proper oven ever.
My mum is a really good cook, but she only cooks Chinese dishes and I doubt she has ever used an oven before. So while growing up, no oven.
Then I moved over to the States for 2 years, there was an oven in the kitchen, but I used that to roast chickens, beef, turkeys… Somehow, it didn’t hit me to bake a cake, nor even a cookie.
Then I’m back in Singapore and camped with the in-laws… and still no freaking oven for me to bake a cake?!?!
Argh… so after all these years, I’m still a bake virgin.
But now with my new place coming up, I started researching on the brands and types of ovens. I started to look at cake mixers and have already decided on the brand and COLOR of the standing cake-mixer that I wanted.
I fantasize about me standing in my big, airy, wonderfully new kitchen, making cakes, soufflés and macarons… … …
Yup, I think I can finally bake. But I need my kitchen to be ready!
p/s: renovation haven’t started yet. We’ll take over the keys officially on this coming sat, and once HDB approves the reno permit, then we’ll be all ready to start hacking!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Dressing up for Halloween…A conversation with Hubby last night.
Me: If you were to go to a Halloween party with me, what will you dress up as, dear?
Hubby: Hmmmm…. *deep thoughts* ...... ...... ..... I’ll be Astro Boy.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…. *burp*
I think my hubby will make a really good Astro Boy. In fact, knowing him, he will most probably wana show off his body and go around half-naked.
But… I’m just afraid that people will mistake him as Bruno instead.
p/s: if I ever have a son, I’ll dress him up as Astro Boy. So cute!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
What exactly do I do for a living?
I realized that I do not actively talk about my job. So much so that, some of my friends do not know exactly what I do for a living…
There’s a reason to why I do not actively talk about my job, unless that person is in the same industry as I am.
The reason is that people will usually ask “what stock will you recommend ah?”
And I’ve learnt not to “anyhow” give advice.
Yes, I’m in the asset management industry, working in a small boutique fund that specializes in stock markets in Singapore, M’sia and HongKong.
Yes, I look at stocks and shares everyday and reading financial newspapers & financial magazines is part of my job. I get to attend briefings and meetings with the management of listed companies, and get to ask questions directly to the CEOs or CFOs on how they run the company.
But no, we are still a small fund and I primarily look at small-cap companies, ie: companies with market capitalization of less than US$500 mil.
Anyway, back to the issue to why I do not actively talk about my job is that I do not want to give advice to what is the “best” stock to buy now… or “is this the time to enter the market?” or “is the worst really over? Will we see a double dip?”
Seriously, if I can answer all those questions with confidence, I will be a stay-at-home-Trader and making tons of money. I doubt even the Guru of all Gurus, Warren Buffet can answer to those questions with conviction (ok, except for the “best” stock to buy now, I’m sure he can recommend a few to you)
I’m more than willing to discuss and offer my personal opinions. But, please do not ask me anything too technical. I wouldn’t want to be blamed for your losses. And even if you make $$, I cannot get to earn any commission either.
So, better to just keep quiet.
I realized that I do not actively talk about my job. So much so that, some of my friends do not know exactly what I do for a living…
There’s a reason to why I do not actively talk about my job, unless that person is in the same industry as I am.
The reason is that people will usually ask “what stock will you recommend ah?”
And I’ve learnt not to “anyhow” give advice.
Yes, I’m in the asset management industry, working in a small boutique fund that specializes in stock markets in Singapore, M’sia and HongKong.
Yes, I look at stocks and shares everyday and reading financial newspapers & financial magazines is part of my job. I get to attend briefings and meetings with the management of listed companies, and get to ask questions directly to the CEOs or CFOs on how they run the company.
But no, we are still a small fund and I primarily look at small-cap companies, ie: companies with market capitalization of less than US$500 mil.
Anyway, back to the issue to why I do not actively talk about my job is that I do not want to give advice to what is the “best” stock to buy now… or “is this the time to enter the market?” or “is the worst really over? Will we see a double dip?”
Seriously, if I can answer all those questions with confidence, I will be a stay-at-home-Trader and making tons of money. I doubt even the Guru of all Gurus, Warren Buffet can answer to those questions with conviction (ok, except for the “best” stock to buy now, I’m sure he can recommend a few to you)
I’m more than willing to discuss and offer my personal opinions. But, please do not ask me anything too technical. I wouldn’t want to be blamed for your losses. And even if you make $$, I cannot get to earn any commission either.
So, better to just keep quiet.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Project Habitat Update
Update: NOTHING is going on at Project Habitat yet. N.O.T.H.I.N.G.
I have many friends who asked, whether our new place is ready or are we moving in soon…
Hrm, the seller is still staying at OUR new flat. Previously when we bought the resale flat, the then-owner already mentioned that if the sale were to go through, they will need to rent for at least 1 month.
So now, we gotta honor that agreement although we are dying to start the renovation. DYING…. In fact, we’ll most probably start immediately the moment the occupants move out.
I can’t wait!
Update: NOTHING is going on at Project Habitat yet. N.O.T.H.I.N.G.
I have many friends who asked, whether our new place is ready or are we moving in soon…
Hrm, the seller is still staying at OUR new flat. Previously when we bought the resale flat, the then-owner already mentioned that if the sale were to go through, they will need to rent for at least 1 month.
So now, we gotta honor that agreement although we are dying to start the renovation. DYING…. In fact, we’ll most probably start immediately the moment the occupants move out.
I can’t wait!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Why are these chairs so expensive?!I’m a sucker for chairs. Whenever I’m at a furniture store or some lifestyle shop, the first place I head for is the Chairs Section.
And I will not leave until I’ve sat on EVERY chair.
Not sofas, but chairs. Somehow, chairs just speak to me. Be it armchairs, dinning chairs, study chairs, even stools, I also like!
And now that I begin shopping for furniture, it just hit me how bloody expensive these chairs can be.
To pay 3k+ for an armchair is rather insane… And these aren’t even designer chairs. Those, I heard go into 5 digits?!?!
These are just made-to-order chairs. Yes, I know it’s made of calf leather. And yes, I know that it’s hand-made, and yes, I know it looks quite expensive BUT STILL?!?!
Ok, maybe I can understand why armchairs can be so expensive. After all, a good leather, cool-looking armchair can be a signature item of the house.
But why are dinning chairs so expensive too?!?! Just a few pieces of wood/plastic/cushion what… Seriously, these people are ripping me off.
OK, maybe it’s time to go into the furniture trade. Maybe I’ll learn how to make chairs instead. I’ll bring in a chair-making master from Thailand or Bali, and I’ll be his apprentice for 3 years and after that I can specialize in making chairs! And in time to come, I can become a Chair-making Master and impart my wonderful chair-making skills to my disciples.
Till then…. I just have to find some other places that sell cheaper replications of what I want…
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Project Habitat
Yup, I’ve decided to name my latest and most expensive project ever as “Habitat”. Brought my ID (Interior Designer) and contractors down to my new place last night and the 1st thing that all 3 of them said:
“Woah, must hack until siao”, ie: bonkers.
The new place is not that new, in fact, the flat is 23 years old and the current owners didn’t exactly take good care of the flat. Thus, everything has to go, and I mean EVERYTHING.
Every tile, almost all the walls, windows, doors, cabinets, toilets… you name it, it has to go.
It is strangely rather exciting and liberating to know that everything gotta go. I CANT wait for them to hack. I feel that this place has so much potential to be a really interesting apartment because the layout is so different and I have a lot of space to play with.
Although the ID has already come up with a really cool layout, but after surveying the actual site, he said he needed to see the raw beams and columns before he can promise anything.
Project Habitat is going to be very exciting!
Yup, I’ve decided to name my latest and most expensive project ever as “Habitat”. Brought my ID (Interior Designer) and contractors down to my new place last night and the 1st thing that all 3 of them said:
“Woah, must hack until siao”, ie: bonkers.
The new place is not that new, in fact, the flat is 23 years old and the current owners didn’t exactly take good care of the flat. Thus, everything has to go, and I mean EVERYTHING.
Every tile, almost all the walls, windows, doors, cabinets, toilets… you name it, it has to go.
It is strangely rather exciting and liberating to know that everything gotta go. I CANT wait for them to hack. I feel that this place has so much potential to be a really interesting apartment because the layout is so different and I have a lot of space to play with.
Although the ID has already come up with a really cool layout, but after surveying the actual site, he said he needed to see the raw beams and columns before he can promise anything.
Project Habitat is going to be very exciting!
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Vertical gardens
Another sign that I’m getting old… I wana pick up gardening.
I know… that’s SO auntie rite? No offence to fellow gardeners, The typical image of a garden is a middle age auntie, who is slightly pudgy, wearing some baggy old T-shirt with old faded shorts. Messy hair in a grandma-bun and of course, classic yellow rubber gloves.
Yup, that’s my idea of someone who enjoys gardening, and yup, I’m describing my mum up there.
But seriously, how many young, hot, sexy gardeners are there out there? Well, I might not be that young anymore but I can still work on the “hot and sexy” part. Ha…
I haven’t really planted anything in my life yet. I mean, how difficult can gardening be rite?
Wrong! Apparently, keeping plants alive and healthy is quite a task. Keeping plants green and not brown seems harder than it looks. Anyway, it will be very soon for me to find out whether I inherit my mother’s green fingers. Since I’m going to have a pretty big balcony at my new place, both hubby and I have decided to do some major “landscaping” work and have already set aside a budget for plants and greenery.
Recently, vertical walls are in vogue. It sure looks cool and super relaxing, but I simply cannot imagine the work to maintain a “living wall”… If you have been to the new T3 at Changi Airport, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s really very relaxing to look at plants cascading down a wall… leaning over the railing, swaying slightly to the breeze (in T3’s case, it was the draft of the air-con. Haha)
But a girl can dream right? Ahhh… looking at that wall is making me relaxed already.
Pathetic blogger
I think I’m the worst blogger ever. I’m lazy, I do not update my blog regularly, too lazy to take pictures of whatever-i-eat-or-do, even lazier to post them. Not to mention that even if I do take pictures and actually take the effort to post the pictures, the photos suck because I’m such a lousy photographer.
Nonetheless, I still cannot really bring myself to close this blog. The very reason why I wana keep this blog going is that, if ever, one day I passed away suddenly or die young, then my hubby, friends and brothers can have something to read and remember me by…
Kind of a morbid thought, but that’s the key reason why I keep this thing going.
Ok, although I’m pretty sure not many people actually read this, but I will try to make an effort to make this blog a little more interesting.
But, nope. Im no Julie Powell, some spunky lady who decided to blog about her adventures when she decided that she needed to work on a project to prove her self-worth: to cook 524 dishes in 365 days from Julia Child’s recipe book. And from her very popular blog, she ended up writing and publishing a book, and Tadah! Now her book is being made in a movie, starring Meryl Streep!
How cool is that?! The film: “Julie and Julia” is based on two true stories; one is about a lady, Julia learning how to cook at age 37 while she was in Paris; another one is also about a lady, Julie learning how to cook to get her dignity back while staying in New York.
I’m so going to catch this movie!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Rider’s Lodge
Finally, I made my way to Rider’s Lodge in Johor, Kulai. Courtesy to D who organized the 1/2 day trip and to K who was so nice to be the designated driver.
We headed off early, meeting at 6.15 am and everyone was punctual! A great start to a good day, in about 1.5 hrs drive, we arrived at Rider’s Lodge.
This was my first official riding class ever since I came back from the US. I did a crash course previously somewhere near Boston where we did a trail to the mountains to enjoy the dazzling colors of the fall. The slightly cool air, coupled with the amazing colors of red and orange was simply breath-taking. We even spotted a deer and a wild turkey. I still remembered that my horse was a clam, old chestnut, and we were riding “western” style, ie: cowboy style, which is different from the English method that is more popular in this part of the world.
It was such a pleasant experience that I’ve always wanted to go it again. And finally, at Rider’s Lodge, I get to learn how to ride again.
Just sitting on a walking horse isn’t that difficult, but sitting with the correct posture and LOOKING graceful is rather hard. Learning how to move with the horse while it’s trotting/galloping is even more challenging.
I was having such a hard time trying to stay in rhythm and half the time, I thought I was going to fall off the horse. Since I’m like the most accident-prone person in the world (according to my hubby), I was really scared that I’ll fall off and break my hip or leg or anything.
Nonetheless, it was a really, really enjoyable experience! I’ll definitely want to do it again. Heard that the new Equestrian Centre at Kranji will be opening in Nov that will save the hassle of driving up to M’sia.
Finally, I made my way to Rider’s Lodge in Johor, Kulai. Courtesy to D who organized the 1/2 day trip and to K who was so nice to be the designated driver.
We headed off early, meeting at 6.15 am and everyone was punctual! A great start to a good day, in about 1.5 hrs drive, we arrived at Rider’s Lodge.
This was my first official riding class ever since I came back from the US. I did a crash course previously somewhere near Boston where we did a trail to the mountains to enjoy the dazzling colors of the fall. The slightly cool air, coupled with the amazing colors of red and orange was simply breath-taking. We even spotted a deer and a wild turkey. I still remembered that my horse was a clam, old chestnut, and we were riding “western” style, ie: cowboy style, which is different from the English method that is more popular in this part of the world.
It was such a pleasant experience that I’ve always wanted to go it again. And finally, at Rider’s Lodge, I get to learn how to ride again.
Just sitting on a walking horse isn’t that difficult, but sitting with the correct posture and LOOKING graceful is rather hard. Learning how to move with the horse while it’s trotting/galloping is even more challenging.
I was having such a hard time trying to stay in rhythm and half the time, I thought I was going to fall off the horse. Since I’m like the most accident-prone person in the world (according to my hubby), I was really scared that I’ll fall off and break my hip or leg or anything.
Nonetheless, it was a really, really enjoyable experience! I’ll definitely want to do it again. Heard that the new Equestrian Centre at Kranji will be opening in Nov that will save the hassle of driving up to M’sia.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Fail Fail Fail
Ok, failed the CFA level 3 exam. G.R.E.A.T.... ... ... ... ... Gotta re-take next June. Just the thought of it is enough to make me vomit.
O well, just gotta suck it up. Wailing about doesnt exactly help either. *Playing the violin and making a lot of angsty noise actually did help me feel much better*
Argh... Dun bug me. Im all grumpy and angsty rite now.
Ok, failed the CFA level 3 exam. G.R.E.A.T.... ... ... ... ... Gotta re-take next June. Just the thought of it is enough to make me vomit.
O well, just gotta suck it up. Wailing about doesnt exactly help either. *Playing the violin and making a lot of angsty noise actually did help me feel much better*
Argh... Dun bug me. Im all grumpy and angsty rite now.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Anime: La Corda d'Oro Primo Passo
Ok, too lazy to blog about the food trip in KL-Ipoh anymore. Memory getting hazy anyway. ;)
Anyway… life after exam is indeed good. The moment my exam was over, I’ve been busy keeping myself occupied.
Other than pigging out in M’sia, I also caught up with all the korean dramas that I’ve always wanted to watch. “Boys Before Flowers, Coffee Prince, My Girl and Full House.”
By my 4th consecutive K-dramas, I had such a severe overdose that I swore that I’ll never watch another K-drama again… ha. Nonetheless, best K-drama of all time gotta be Boys Before Flowers.
Then I started cooking again! Didn’t really do anything ambitious due to the limited space in parents-in-law’s kitchen and the lack of an oven. So gotta concenrate on Chinese cooking instead. Learnt to make Ngo Hiang, Wasabi prawns, wantons and claypot rice. Still cant wait for my dream kitchen at my new place…
Hang out with the horses at RDA again… was comtemplating whether to take up riding classes in Singapore but vomited when I saw the cost of lessons. Think I’ll give it a pass for now… I’ll rather do a crash course in M’sia or something…
Then I started on my violin classes, yay! Much to the dismay of my neighbours and fellow family members, I’ve been practising on my violin rather religiously. I aim to play something decent by end of this year… I tell myself that I’ll play Canon in D major someday….
So, to keep my enthusiasm going, I’m currently watching an anime, La Corda d'Oro Primo Passo. It’s about a girl who has no musical background but somehow chanced upon a “music fairy” who granted her a magic violin. And that’s how her advanture with music and fellow musicians begin. A rather educational anime since I get to learn a lot about classical music in a very fun way… heh, I can totally relate to the heroine in the anime… except of the magical violin part.
I just hope that I can pass my level three exam! Results will be out soon. Or else, I’ve to go through another year of mugging and suffering… Noooooooooooooooooo.
Ok, too lazy to blog about the food trip in KL-Ipoh anymore. Memory getting hazy anyway. ;)
Anyway… life after exam is indeed good. The moment my exam was over, I’ve been busy keeping myself occupied.
Other than pigging out in M’sia, I also caught up with all the korean dramas that I’ve always wanted to watch. “Boys Before Flowers, Coffee Prince, My Girl and Full House.”
By my 4th consecutive K-dramas, I had such a severe overdose that I swore that I’ll never watch another K-drama again… ha. Nonetheless, best K-drama of all time gotta be Boys Before Flowers.
Then I started cooking again! Didn’t really do anything ambitious due to the limited space in parents-in-law’s kitchen and the lack of an oven. So gotta concenrate on Chinese cooking instead. Learnt to make Ngo Hiang, Wasabi prawns, wantons and claypot rice. Still cant wait for my dream kitchen at my new place…
Hang out with the horses at RDA again… was comtemplating whether to take up riding classes in Singapore but vomited when I saw the cost of lessons. Think I’ll give it a pass for now… I’ll rather do a crash course in M’sia or something…
Then I started on my violin classes, yay! Much to the dismay of my neighbours and fellow family members, I’ve been practising on my violin rather religiously. I aim to play something decent by end of this year… I tell myself that I’ll play Canon in D major someday….
So, to keep my enthusiasm going, I’m currently watching an anime, La Corda d'Oro Primo Passo. It’s about a girl who has no musical background but somehow chanced upon a “music fairy” who granted her a magic violin. And that’s how her advanture with music and fellow musicians begin. A rather educational anime since I get to learn a lot about classical music in a very fun way… heh, I can totally relate to the heroine in the anime… except of the magical violin part.
I just hope that I can pass my level three exam! Results will be out soon. Or else, I’ve to go through another year of mugging and suffering… Noooooooooooooooooo.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Wana post some pictures from Ipoh (part 1) before I proceed to Part 2!
Monster Sea Cucumber at Teck Kee Ipoh. My hand is barely half its length and not even as wide! This dish is ROCKS!
Monster chicken from Man Zhong Ipoh. This is ONE chicken, NOT TWO. How can a single chicken has so much meat???!! Nuts....
Beek Noodle at Tungkak.
Monster prawns at Tangjong Tualang. A close up pic where you can see the roe of the prawns at the heads if you look carefully enough.
Ta-dah! Monster prawns. Some are even bigger than my hand. Geez....
Monster Sea Cucumber at Teck Kee Ipoh. My hand is barely half its length and not even as wide! This dish is ROCKS!
Monster chicken from Man Zhong Ipoh. This is ONE chicken, NOT TWO. How can a single chicken has so much meat???!! Nuts.... 
Beek Noodle at Tungkak.
Monster prawns at Tangjong Tualang. A close up pic where you can see the roe of the prawns at the heads if you look carefully enough.
Ta-dah! Monster prawns. Some are even bigger than my hand. Geez....
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Food trip to Ipoh & KL. (Part 1: Ipoh)
Ok… this is not for the faint hearted. I know this bunch of people are serious foodies, but seriously, our food guide, Dr Wong, in my opinion, the is ultimate Food God who really knows where are all the good stuff.
Warning: super long post.
A total of 12 of us, packed into 3 cars and 2 bikes headed to Ipoh and KL for the ultimate 5-days-4 nights of mega-pig-out sessions.
The very 1st pit-stop was at Tungkak, which is famous for its beef noodles. The version of Tungkak’s beef noodle comes in the form of a super tasty clear broth, with beef and noodles. It was pretty good, but this dish didn’t rock my world. Personally, I will not drive all the way to Tungkak just have a bowl of Beef noodles.
After that, we basically “cheong” for the next 3.5rs to Gopeng (outskirts of Ipoh) to Tanjong Tu-alang to eat some monster prawns. And Geez…. These prawns were indeed the gorzilla types. Each prawn was longer than my hand??!! In fact, the gem lies in the prawn roe, they were so sweet and fragrant that they could easily be mistaken for crab roe!!
This Zhi Char place at Tanjong Tu-alang was indeed fantastic. It was super ulu though…. So ulu that even the GPS didn’t have its address. But, of course, our Food God can always find his way to good food.
After that, another 1 hour’s drive and we hit Ipoh. 1st dinner was at Public Restaurant, aka “Man Zhong”. Due to a special request from our good friend, Porky A, Dr. Wong ordered 2 roasted suckling pigs. TWO??!! Who in the right mind will eat TWO suckling pigs in one sitting??!! Well… this bunch of crazy people actually did. Dr. Wong also ordered a sterilized-rooster steamed in chicken broth, and the chicken was basically a cousin of Gorzilla. It was the size of 3 chickens combined??!! Seriously… Everyone almost fainted when we saw the size of the chicken.
HOW CAN ANYTHING GROW SO BIG??!! Apparently, sterilized cocks can.
The gorzilla chicken was too tough for my delicate palate, and basically I think this chicken had died in vain as most of us didn’t/couldn’t appreciate it.
Next day’s breakfast was a military exercise. All of us gathered at 6.45 am and “cheong” to this kopitiam, located at the Old Town of Ipoh. I’ve forgotten the name of this Kopitiam, but it is directly opposite of the famous “Nan Xiang” kopitiam.
According to Dr Wong, we had to arrive early because this place would get really crowded after 7 am, and he was right. Shortly after we were seated, there was this tour bus that dumped tens of local tourists and the kopitiam got really busy.
Breakfast Part1: Curry Chee Cheong Fan (really good!), with super “gao” (Ie: thick) Old Town Kopi-O, M’sia style French toast, more kaya toast. And some even ate Hakka Yong Tau Foo.
After that, we hopped over to Nan Xiang Kopitiam and continued with Breakfast Part 2:
Penang style Char Kway Tiao, more Old Town Kopi-O, peanut pancakes (super crispy and fragrant).
By then, I was kinda bursting already.
Then we went for breakfast part 3: Another kopitiam to buy more Chinese pastry and Dr. Wong ordered a plate of roasted pork belly.
Argh…. How can these people eat like that??!!
Just when I thought I’m going to skip lunch, Dr. Wong bought 5 salted chickens, supposed to be really famous in Ipoh.
And fuah, IT WAS THE BEST SALTED CHICKEN THAT I’VE EVER EATEN IN MY LIFE. The meat was soft and yet firm (typical of kampong chickens, different from the “factory” chickens that we eat in Spore), it was nicely flavored with Chinese herb and, of course, salt. The chicken was done is a semi-steam/baked style, so the texture of the chicken is similar to our Hainanese chicken rice, but trust me, the flavor was like 100 times better.
It was so incredible… I think I ate almost 1 whole chicken by myself.
And just when I thought I REALLY couldn’t eat anymore for dinner, Dr. Wong brought us to Teck Kee Restaurant, one of the very best in Ipoh. And fuah, it was the best restaurant for the whole trip!
Every dish served was fantastic but the star dish is the monster sea cucumber braised with scallops, chicken and chestnuts (aka Gao Luck). The flavor was robust and sweet-in-the-savory way. The texture of the sea cucumber was chewy and “Q”… really really delicious lah. By the way, the sea cucumber was about 14 inches long??!!
And the best part, each of us only need to pay 30+ sing. Best!!!
Ok, and after that sumptuous dinner, we still manage to find some room to squeeze in Supper: Ipoh Horfan with chicken, porkballs and sprouts. There’s something about the water in Ipoh that the horfan was super silky and the sprouts were super fat and juicy!!
Ok, after that. I simply cannot eat anymore. In fact, I began to feel a bit ill…. We headed back to the hotel and I had to take a indigestion pill to keep my system going.
And that was just Day 2 in Ipoh.
Ok… this is not for the faint hearted. I know this bunch of people are serious foodies, but seriously, our food guide, Dr Wong, in my opinion, the is ultimate Food God who really knows where are all the good stuff.
Warning: super long post.
A total of 12 of us, packed into 3 cars and 2 bikes headed to Ipoh and KL for the ultimate 5-days-4 nights of mega-pig-out sessions.
The very 1st pit-stop was at Tungkak, which is famous for its beef noodles. The version of Tungkak’s beef noodle comes in the form of a super tasty clear broth, with beef and noodles. It was pretty good, but this dish didn’t rock my world. Personally, I will not drive all the way to Tungkak just have a bowl of Beef noodles.
After that, we basically “cheong” for the next 3.5rs to Gopeng (outskirts of Ipoh) to Tanjong Tu-alang to eat some monster prawns. And Geez…. These prawns were indeed the gorzilla types. Each prawn was longer than my hand??!! In fact, the gem lies in the prawn roe, they were so sweet and fragrant that they could easily be mistaken for crab roe!!
This Zhi Char place at Tanjong Tu-alang was indeed fantastic. It was super ulu though…. So ulu that even the GPS didn’t have its address. But, of course, our Food God can always find his way to good food.
After that, another 1 hour’s drive and we hit Ipoh. 1st dinner was at Public Restaurant, aka “Man Zhong”. Due to a special request from our good friend, Porky A, Dr. Wong ordered 2 roasted suckling pigs. TWO??!! Who in the right mind will eat TWO suckling pigs in one sitting??!! Well… this bunch of crazy people actually did. Dr. Wong also ordered a sterilized-rooster steamed in chicken broth, and the chicken was basically a cousin of Gorzilla. It was the size of 3 chickens combined??!! Seriously… Everyone almost fainted when we saw the size of the chicken.
HOW CAN ANYTHING GROW SO BIG??!! Apparently, sterilized cocks can.
The gorzilla chicken was too tough for my delicate palate, and basically I think this chicken had died in vain as most of us didn’t/couldn’t appreciate it.
Next day’s breakfast was a military exercise. All of us gathered at 6.45 am and “cheong” to this kopitiam, located at the Old Town of Ipoh. I’ve forgotten the name of this Kopitiam, but it is directly opposite of the famous “Nan Xiang” kopitiam.
According to Dr Wong, we had to arrive early because this place would get really crowded after 7 am, and he was right. Shortly after we were seated, there was this tour bus that dumped tens of local tourists and the kopitiam got really busy.
Breakfast Part1: Curry Chee Cheong Fan (really good!), with super “gao” (Ie: thick) Old Town Kopi-O, M’sia style French toast, more kaya toast. And some even ate Hakka Yong Tau Foo.
After that, we hopped over to Nan Xiang Kopitiam and continued with Breakfast Part 2:
Penang style Char Kway Tiao, more Old Town Kopi-O, peanut pancakes (super crispy and fragrant).
By then, I was kinda bursting already.
Then we went for breakfast part 3: Another kopitiam to buy more Chinese pastry and Dr. Wong ordered a plate of roasted pork belly.
Argh…. How can these people eat like that??!!
Just when I thought I’m going to skip lunch, Dr. Wong bought 5 salted chickens, supposed to be really famous in Ipoh.
And fuah, IT WAS THE BEST SALTED CHICKEN THAT I’VE EVER EATEN IN MY LIFE. The meat was soft and yet firm (typical of kampong chickens, different from the “factory” chickens that we eat in Spore), it was nicely flavored with Chinese herb and, of course, salt. The chicken was done is a semi-steam/baked style, so the texture of the chicken is similar to our Hainanese chicken rice, but trust me, the flavor was like 100 times better.
It was so incredible… I think I ate almost 1 whole chicken by myself.
And just when I thought I REALLY couldn’t eat anymore for dinner, Dr. Wong brought us to Teck Kee Restaurant, one of the very best in Ipoh. And fuah, it was the best restaurant for the whole trip!
Every dish served was fantastic but the star dish is the monster sea cucumber braised with scallops, chicken and chestnuts (aka Gao Luck). The flavor was robust and sweet-in-the-savory way. The texture of the sea cucumber was chewy and “Q”… really really delicious lah. By the way, the sea cucumber was about 14 inches long??!!
And the best part, each of us only need to pay 30+ sing. Best!!!
Ok, and after that sumptuous dinner, we still manage to find some room to squeeze in Supper: Ipoh Horfan with chicken, porkballs and sprouts. There’s something about the water in Ipoh that the horfan was super silky and the sprouts were super fat and juicy!!
Ok, after that. I simply cannot eat anymore. In fact, I began to feel a bit ill…. We headed back to the hotel and I had to take a indigestion pill to keep my system going.
And that was just Day 2 in Ipoh.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Children vs dogs/cats
I've heard from a few couples of how when a baby comes along, suddenly pets (usually cats and dogs) are seen as threats to the new baby.
“Car fur will cause allergies to the baby”
“What if doggy bites the baby?”
“No time to look after doggie AND the baby”
Soon, it’s a matter of time, these pets are either being given away or being abandoned.
Sigh. And to think that these owners used to call themselves “Daddy and Mummy” of their pets. Some even claim that having a pet if like a “prelude” to having a baby. Yeah right… and you give away your “first born” when the real deal comes along?
I recognize all these issues and to this date, I keep asking myself whether Im ready to have a dog or even a cat, esp when my new place is ready. Or should I just have a baby 1st? Just take my baby as a pet loh?
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