Kiss the Rain

Lucky?

2011-06-02T00:02:00.002+08:00

Song of the moment: Lucky by Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat

If there's truly such a thing... they must be really really lucky...

C'est véritablement utile puisque c'est joli

2011-06-01T00:55:00.000+08:00

"It is truly useful since it is beautiful." Le Petit Prince

It's time

2011-05-15T11:13:00.000+08:00

I'm thinking of re-doing my blog all over again... I've got so many pics to update... So many things I wanna write about...

All I need is a little bit more time :)

Passing afternoon...

2011-04-25T12:41:00.000+08:00

Isn't it funny that nowadays, about the only time when I really get to blog is when I'm sick at home?

I miss writing so much, I think I've kinda forgotten how to write. Nowadays, even my thoughts seemed to be little disjointed fragment of sentences. Now, all I'm accustomed to writing are reports and reports and more reports. For work, and for school. I remember I used to dislike news writing (speaking of which, that will be my module come May), as it requires me to be succinct (something which I've never learn...), objective (hey, I'm a heart over brains girl ok!), and really boring (so not me!). Ironically (@liqi & mervyn: you've asked what does ironic means, well here's a darn good example finally!), that's where I am now. I write succinctly, objectively and in my own words, boringly.

It seems nothing excites me enough to want to write anymore. I've lost my writing style in this long progress as well. I'm still reading, if not more, as much as before. Also, it seems I've also become very critical of BAD written English. Some published authors make me cringed at their bad language and sentence formation, or even bad adjectives used.

The other day I met Kenny for lunch. He asked what had happened to me, and why or how did I become so bitter. Honestly, I was surprised. I never thought of myself as a bitter person. Sceptical about some things yes, but not truly bitter. But to Kenny, his impression of me was always the happy go lucky girl who seemed to have no worries. Our last proper interaction was during JC, not counting the brief moment where we spoke for awhile during his wedding, the time during Ms G's funeral, and then Mel's wedding. Somehow, he just couldn't understand how I've changed so much. The outer shell is much the same, albeit, maybe a little fatter, but it seems my inner self has been decaying for some time.

There are alot of things I wished to achieve in life, which I have yet to embark on. My previous boss advised me that I should read more and know more and learn more, so that I'll know what I want to do with my future. He thought I'm floundering, without any plans of thinking thoughtfully what is it that I really want to do with my life. I just smiled. It was a good piece of advice. I really do wish to read more (& definitely more non-fic, except I just can't get over the initial few paras).

There are alot of things which require money to achieve. So it's a chicken and egg thing. You'll need money to improve yourself. But, to get the money, you'll need to improve so that you'll get more income. So there, we've come one full circle.

Just the other day, I was telling YW "misery loves company". I've been barricading myself from the negativity that's been floating around me. I've been "de-toxing" mentally as well. Despite everything, it is not surprising that some of the negative ions might have already diffused through my wall. Happiness is what you make of it. In fact, even if you're in a rut, all you'll need is just a shift in paradigm, and then you'll be able to see the light.

Something that I'm doing must be not right, since no matter how I twist and turn, I see no light. It may be a sign that instead of a paradigm shift, I might have to do something more drastic, like maybe stepping out of my comfort zone. Maybe.

Baby's getting older and older day by day. I just wish I have the luxury of taking a sabbatical and stay at home all day with Baby. She's grown a lump just below her ear and I'm worried sick. It seems she's can't hear me anymore. Who else can I talk to then?

H = Ecchi

2010-11-16T23:58:00.018+08:00

Anime of the Moment: B Gata H Kei

credits:wikipedia
What is so different about this anime is that you have a rather proactive girl whose brain is all about sex. Her target is to have 100 "fuck buddies" by dunno when.

And her first choice of "fuck buddy" is a loserish type of guy which Yamada was quite certain is a "cherry-kun" (meaning virgin).

I don't even want to begin, but this is a rather meaningless kind of anime. Minus all the bits where Yamada talks big about how she'll conquer Kosuda, and the bits where when she actually gets down to it and freaks out, there's nothing left in the anime.

Another thing is that Yamada is supposedly a rather pretty and cute girl in the anime. Look at the picture and tell me in what way is does that brat look appealing?

Seriously? Not worth the trouble!

Girl Game

2010-11-08T23:35:00.026+08:00

Anime of the moment: Akane-Iro ni Somaru Saka

credits:wikipedia

I was listening to the OST when I realised I have yet to do a review on this anime despite me having referred to it once here.

This is one of those typical harem type of anime where alot of girls all unwittingly fall in love with a seemingly weak and worthless guy. Expect a bit of romance, a bit of tsundere character, a bit of sister complex, a bit of panty flash and you'll get Akane-Iro Somaru Saka.

My favourite episode has got to be epi 4! It's the party on board the cruise ship. And then there's also the episode on onsen. In almost every typical kind of harem anime, you will always get a beach epi or an onsen epi! There's also the typical epi on the school festival.

Everything screams typical and non-impressionable. So you asked why did I finish watching the anime? Because once I start, I like to finish it all the way to the end. Unless it's utterly boring, or the drawing is horrible, or just plain nonsensical (like Highschool of the Dead, which I finally gave up after giving it another chance until epi 3!) anime, usually I'll finish the whole anime.

The Witches

2010-11-07T23:13:00.021+08:00

Book of the moment: The Witches by Roald Dahl

credits:myreadingbooks.blogspot

Lately I was in the mood for Roald Dahl with nice quirky illustrations by Quentin Blake. Don't ask me why, I have no idea... just felt like reading good old Roald Dahl.

If memory serves me right, I've already read The Witches before. I also vaguely remember there was a movie on it. You have to understand that these happen many many years ago.

My colleagues registered surprise when they saw me reading Roald Dahl and asked how old am I! But I think Roald Dahl books are classic.

I was quite enchanted with the way the witches were presented in the story. And maybe because it was supposedly a children's book (here I contradict myself), I was kind of expecting a happy-ever-after kind of ending. Though I read the book before, I seriously don't remember how it ended. To me, the ending was somewhat of a "cliffhanger" of sorts. I kept expecting something to happen to change everything back to normal, but nothing of that sort happened.

Despite everything, The Witches is a truly captivating book!

Everything with Fries

2010-11-06T23:15:00.000+08:00

Finally had the time to go check out Everything with Fries.

We had lemonade...

and vanilla milkshake! The milkshake is well worth the calories!

Lamb burger with caesar salad and shoestring fries with salt and vinegar

Char grilled karubi with coleslaw and fries with curry

Both sets were nice... but not fantastic, especially after all the raves I was expecting something more impressive!

And then for the desserts... think this is the pear tart... which was really nice!!!

And the nutella tart which everyone was crazy over... But I find it a tad too sweet for my liking. The portion is quite big, and would be more suitable for sharing between two people rather than tackling it alone.

If it's not too much effort to go down to Everything with Fries (one at Joo Chiat, another at Holland V), I may just drop by again. But seriously? It's really overrated.

Last Stop - Hay Dairies

2010-11-05T22:52:00.000+08:00

Did I ever mention that I love goats? Oh oh... I also love bears and horses and cows...

Because visitors weren't allowed to walk too close to the goats, I have rather limited pictures...

But at the end of the day, I found the goats to be so cute that I was half resolved not to eat meat anymore! Boooo!

Before you leave, don't forget to buy some nice goat milk. They even pack it nicely in boxes for you so that it can last all the way home!

Next Stop?

2010-11-04T22:41:00.000+08:00

Guess where's the next stop after Bollywood Veggies?

The Veggies at Bollywood

2010-11-03T22:26:00.000+08:00

They have very interesting signs through the playground!

OOOoooo... Guess what I found! It looked kinda cute like that doesn't it?

A tiny starfruit...

And just to show how tiny it is...

Some rather interesting looking leaves with brown undersides!

O yes, I love dragonfruit!

Love the colour of this pretty flower!

This is supposed to be the "Four O'Clock Flowers"...

Love the colours!!

Look what I found!

Ah even their toadstools look so nice~~~

Some unripe rambutans...

I have been chasing this butterfly for some time just to take a shot like this! So pretty~~~

Cat's whiskers

After walking for the whole morning, my poor feet are complaining!

What we had at Poison Ivy...

2010-11-02T21:30:00.016+08:00

Next stop, Bollywood Veggies.

Walked straight in and on your right you'll see their little cosy bistro, Poison Ivy.

This sign made me slightly guilty... >-<

Iced lemongrass tea

Hot fig tea

Some fish dish...

Chicken curry...

And because I was feeling rather health conscious that day, I thought I'll give the brown rice a go!

After the sumptuous lunch, we were ready to conquer the Bollywood Veggies playground!

1st Stop: Aerogreen!

2010-11-01T21:29:00.053+08:00

Singapore may be small, but there are still places to check out and have fun at!

Our first stop was Aerogreen and a giant scarecrow greeted us!

Found this hanging gourd-shaped thingy rather interesting..

We were rather lucky as it rained earlier in the morning, so the weather was quite perfect.

Can you spot the little critter?

Don't ask... I have no idea what that amazingly long plant is...

And then there's this humongous melon-like thingy which I'm suspecting is winter melon or the likes.

Check out the cherry tomatoes! Don't they look so fresh and delicious?

I've got a thing for close-up flower shots...

I think they really brighten up a picture!

Say hello to the farm's pet rabbit who gets to eat fresh veggies everyday!

Clear blue skies...

And introducing their famous butterhead...

...used to make the butterhead juice. It's rather an acquired taste, but because Mummy always make veggie juices and fruit juices for me, I'm quite accustomed to it and found it rather nice!

Personally I had quite a lot of fun at Aerogreen.

Happy Anniversary

2010-10-31T22:55:00.000+08:00

Thank you for everything... may there be more happy times to come!

あいしてる

Dip in the Pool

2010-10-29T20:40:00.014+08:00

Next morning we woke up bright and early for a dip in the pool!

Weather was really good!

After the dip in the pool, we checked out and went to the Harris cafe to claim our free lunch.

I had lemon butter fish with rice. As you can see, it's damn oily and unhealthy. But it tasted good!!!

姐ordered the veggies soup with rice. Lesson learnt, when in Batam, never order any soupy stuff.

And that's our 2D1N rendezvous.

Rush Job

2010-10-28T23:09:00.045+08:00

Along the way to Nagoya for some shopping we spotted these very interesting way of sending your congrats to a new opening mall! The whole road was literally lined on both sides all the way to the new mall!

Anyway we were damn hungry so when we reached Nagoya, we zoomed in looking for food. Finally settled on this.

I have no idea what she ordered already...

but they have MILO DINOSAUR!!!!! yum!!!

姐's main course... some chicken soup thingy which looked quite pathetically little.

How can you not have ayam penyet when you go Batam! It was nice!

My main course... I was somehow in the mood for mee rebus! And check out the serving too!

Since 姐's main course was so not filling, we ordered this eggplant thingy which is damn nice too!

After that I was too busy shopping to take much pics. It was quite rush because we need to keep track of the timing when the bus will come fetch us back to Harris.

Yes, we bought a lot of junk food since we're most likely to skip dinner for the spa session at night.

Since we had a little time before our spa session, we went for mani & pedi~~~

Me trying to tell the lady how to "press and hold" to take a pic...

Finally spa time!!!

Girls Night Out

2010-10-27T22:15:00.018+08:00

After much planning and all, we finally decided on a short trip to Batam just to suit my schedules.

We woke up bright and early to catch the ferry!

The weather was so good, I was able to capture a really good pic of the ferry with my Eximus

Acting all touristy... This was captured with my Eximus too! Not too bad right? Love the colours and the lighting.

It was rather boring in the ferry so we starting taking pics.

Finally we reached Harris Resort. I love it! It's my first time there and I love that it's so new, so clean and so pretty!

Check out the view from our balcony! Such pretty colours captured by my Eximus!!!

More in next post...

Someone, one, one...

2010-10-26T22:46:00.022+08:00

Anime of the moment: Working!

credits:wikipedia

A very light-hearted, funny, non-impressionable anime. Something to fill up my time while waiting for my other anime to be updated.

Having said so, I still enjoyed watching Working! I only find Inami-chan quite quite quite ANNOYING! Her phobia towards guys is so extremely "convenient" and irritating. She is in no way cute!!!

My favourite has got to be Poplar. She's just so cute, clumsy and moe~~~ I quite like Yachiyo and Sato-kun's relationship too.

Like I said, not impressionable. Another one of those anime where you laugh and forget. I'm sure few months down the road, I might have already forgotten about Working!

Nobody Owens

2010-10-25T22:32:00.002+08:00

Book of the moment: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

credits:wikipedia

I finally got round to reading this. And it was really good! My very first Neil Gaiman book and I like his writing style, simplicity at its best, injected with black humour.

I haven't had this kind of experience while reading for a long time. It was like I was transported into the world of Neil Gaiman's and went on an adventure on my own. Like I'm one of the ghosts in the graveyard, witnessing Bod's adventure as he grows up.

This may be known as a children's fantasy book, but it's in no way childish. The many different characters are interesting and unique, with a character of their own. Characters not just kids can relate to, but on a different level, adults as well.

Just one word, ENCHANTING.

Brunch @ Arbite

2010-10-24T22:02:00.000+08:00

I was slightly obsessed with finding out how an Eggs Benedict tasted... since I was cooking it in Cafe World. That day we had the chance to go check out Arbite. It's located at Serangoon Gardens, just upstairs Guardian (which is beside Sushi Tei). For those who are familiar with Serangoon Gardens, Arbite now sits at where Country Mana used to be.

what's a chill out without some drinks

Thick creamy mushroom soup with three kinds of mushroom. It was fantastic! Usually I don't like those cream soup where they put garlic in them. I have nothing against garlic, I just felt that garlic and cream don't really go well together. And part of the reason I like this is coz it wasn't overly garlicky!

Eggs Benedict! I finally got to try it... and honestly, I'm not a fan. In the 1st place, I'm not really an eggs person... so maybe it didn't really appeal to be. Eggs Benedict is just a fancy name for poached eggs on muffins. Though I have to admit the chef did the eggs just right. Once you prick the thin membrane, bright yellow yolk oozes out!

Felt like having smoked salmon to go with my Eggs Benedict, so we ordered smoked salmon as a "top up" for the Eggs Benedict. Who knows, they served it separately like this.

And because there was some kind of "October Fest" promo going on, there was this sausage platter. Five different kinds of sausages, I believed. It wasn't that bad. In fact it was quite a huge plate we couldn't finish everything we ordered.

But there's always the spare place for dessert. We tried the nutella thingy. Can't remember what's it's called anymore. Thick nutella on top of digestive biscuit crumbs with some oreo crumbs for dips. Nothing to rave about.

It's just a nice chill out place for some fancy food. As it gets later nearer to dinner time, the place start filling up. So if you wanna go check out the place, be prepared to queue for dinner. Or better yet, call them up and ask if you can make reservation. Their service is great.

Me & MaMa~~~

2010-10-23T10:15:00.001+08:00

Not exactly a flattering pic of me, but 嫲嫲is smiling so sweetly!!!

Keep the food coming!

2010-10-22T21:43:00.000+08:00

Finally we had the chance to go check out this place after talking about it for the longest time.

It's a Jap-style bbq ala-carte buffet. Service was fantastic and the place was really well done up. Only thing I don't really like is they didn't install the "smoke absorber" so after eating, you practically smell like your food! It's not exactly cheap at around $40+ per pax for lunch. Pay a bit more and you'll get wagyu beef included for your spread!

Sashimi.... something I cannot live without!

Prawns and fish for bbq-ing~

Veggies... I love corn!!!!!

And then the array of meat! As you can see, without wagyu, the spread is already very good! All their food are of good quality!

So of course we'll definitely go back again! And maybe try the wagyu this time round!

You'll Always be a Part of Me

2010-10-21T21:02:00.014+08:00

I cannot stop listening to this amazing song... I've been listening it on repeat for weeks!

And only today I found out it's the insert song for Rolo, when he sacrificed himself for Lelouch. And I've mentioned it before that Rolo is one of my favourite character in the show!

I cried again... I really really liked Rolo!

And if you're keen to hear the full song, it's available here. Not sure if the link worked (but it's the best video for this song I can find), if not you can always search for Boku wa Tori ni Naru within Youtube.

Miniature Miniature Baby

2010-10-20T23:58:00.016+08:00

Guess what I got?

There was this real talented guy located at the top level near the main shopping area of MBK in Bangkok who does tiny dogs in a bottle with plasticine. It was so fascinating and cute, I just have to get one. I even showed him a picture of Baby on my mobile so that he could use it as reference. (His prototypes were mostly common dogs like schnauzer, golden retriever...)

Though mini-Baby turned out to be slightly sleepy-eyed and spastic looking, I still love it! I got one for Jasper (he got the schnauzer) and one for Kris (she got the goldie) as well!

さよなら！ K-On!

2010-10-19T23:20:00.000+08:00

Anime of the Moment: K-On! Season 2

credits:rachellular.blogspot.com

K-On! is definitely one of my most-est favourite-est anime of all time! I was jumping with joy when season 2 was out! I love it so much I kept dreading the day when I knew the anime will end its run.

Just to prove how much of a fanatic I am of K-On!, I have a K-On! omamori, a K-On! cosplay uniform, a Yui Hirasawa keychain I got from a gashapon machine in Japan, a Azu-nyan's guitar as a handphone strap... and the list goes on!

I'm really hoping I can fit into my uniform in time for AFA this year! This is just how incredulous it is! I only got the uniform when I was in Japan last December and now I can hardly fit into it! Oh the horrors!!!

NYNY

2010-10-18T23:46:00.026+08:00

The other day, Mervyn finished his exams and came to lunch with me. We finally decided on New York New York.

I had the cappuccino mushroom soup.

Mervyn had the clam chowder.

This breaded mushroom was really really good!!!

I forgot what this was called, but the filling was smoked salmon. It wasn't as fantastic as the breaded mushroom though.

My main course was the spicy fish & chips. The portion was HUGE as you can see!

Offhand I can't remember the name for this, but according to Mervyn it was one of the best he ever had! It was a very satisfying lunch, and I was so full there was really no more room for dessert! :(

Valentina & her Crap Car

2010-10-17T23:06:00.002+08:00

Book of the moment: A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka

credits:amazon

I have been hearing great reviews about this book, so I was very excited when I finally laid my hands on it. I was expecting much more hilarity since there was so much comments about the humour of the author. Hence, admittedly, I was slightly disappointed.

Even so, I totally enjoyed the read! It was interesting and very unique. Since I'm more accustomed to UK novels, someone like Marina with a Ukraine background gives a rather nice and interesting perspective. The writing style is also unusual in that rather funny, interesting way.

I am now tempted to check out Two Caravans also by the same author.

Brunch @ Jade

2010-10-16T23:04:00.000+08:00

I haven't been blogging for ages and then the first post I chose to do after so long is... about food. Well done! This should also probably explain why, in case you should bump into me outside and couldn't recognize me, I'm growing fabulously in areas which I should not be.

We've been wanting to go check out the very popular buffet brunch at Jade for the longest of time, but every time I called to make a reservation, it's always fully booked. So I was rather surprised that I managed to make a reservation for my birthday (you can just imagine how outdated this post is)!

It was an ala-carte dim sum buffet and the first dish that came was this sweet fried fish (I totally forgot the name since it was quite some time ago ごめんえ！)

Everyone was allowed only one serving of soup and you can choose from the list of five soup. Of course I opted for sharks fin. I like that the soup base is thick enough.

Some other stuff we ordered... this crystal bao was surprisingly nice!

Cold beef slice. I love beef!

& what is dim sum without my favourite char shao su! The filling was piping warm, and the crust was just flaky right!

Check out the wonderfully glazed egg tart, it was really well made!

My favourite har gao. The skin was too thick and tough though.

This crispy tofu was real light and soft. It gets very addictive eating them, especially when they are so light and fluffy!

The much-raved abalone siew mai. I don't take siew mai, so I only took the abalone. Just by looking at the color and texture of the abalone, you should know the quality isn't fantastic. I'm not complaining though. At less than $30 per pax, I wasn't expecting top quality abalone.

None of them understand why I must have a char shao bao. I love it! Though it was really filling, I secretly love the soft bao and how it combines with the hot sweet filling.

Sometimes service was a little slow as the place was packed. Full seating! I also wished the food could have come faster after you ordered them. Otherwise, I was quite happy with the brunch! Of course the company was part of what made the brunch so fulfilling. It was hard to get everyone to sit down for a meal since Dad has irregular working hours.

I really enjoyed myself!

Hunger pangs

2010-09-22T00:23:00.000+08:00

Not really in the mood for blogging for the longest of time... partly also because I haven't written for so long, I've kinda lost my writing muse.

Lovely cutesy sweets from Liqi & Jiaqi~~~ Thanks girls!

Complete the Jap Meal

2010-09-06T21:36:00.001+08:00

Had a craving for Jap curry the other day... so we went to Go Go Curry @ 313. Why Go Go, because it looked very very much like the one we had in Japan of course. So we decided to go check it out.

We ordered this to share. The portion is HUGE! But the katsu was kinda too dry. Curry was only okay. Not fantastic.

Then to satisfy ourselves after a not very satisfying dinner, we went to have dessert @ 1-Caramel~~~

Red miso souffle with yuzu sorbert~ It was one of the BESTest souffle I've ever tasted! The softness was just right, the flavour was full yet light... It was amazing! It's a definite MUST TRY!

Drunk on Shiraz & not having to worry about hangovers...

2010-08-07T23:27:00.003+08:00

I've been away for some time... lots of things keeping me busy too :(

Anyway I'm back! Guess where's this~? A very pretty vineyard which we visited last month. More pics to come~

Food for thought?

2010-06-20T11:20:00.000+08:00

Cheese muffin, blueberry muffin, pandan muffin & donuts for Baby~~~

When the bell rings...

2010-05-25T12:03:00.000+08:00

I've been away for some time... to be specific, it was since me getting a new boss. I was busy trying to cope with the extra work and making sure I have enough rest, so I haven't been blogging for some time.

And then the much awaited removal of my wisdom teeth. All 4 no less! To be honest, I was really looking forward to it. Not so much the pain and all which I have to go through, but the long break I'll be able to get away from work. It was worth it really. I've almost reached the point of breaking with the new boss who does things so differently, dreaming about work (mostly nightmares), and just work work work.

For someone with such a low pain tolerance, I came through quite well after the op! Of course, it helps that I was on GA, so for most of the time, I wasn't really aware of what's happening around me.

Like always, because I'm on a strict diet, I keep craving for all sorts of food, like ramen, bbq wings, soba, salmon sashimi... I just cannot stop thinking about food!

Anyhows, I'm working on this blog to see how I can further improve the contents (I know I keep hearing complains that it's too boring, since I keep only doing reviews), and another one which I'll be sharing with Mr こいびと!

Btw, meet Clover!

:)

2010-05-02T23:37:00.000+08:00

Had a great day today!!!

Scandal in the City

2010-05-01T23:20:00.001+08:00

Book of the moment: Holly's Inbox: Scandal in the City by Holly Denham

credits:amazon

This book is a SCREAM!

I've always wanted to do that. You know, the way critics like to comment on those very hilarious, interesting books? This is definitely one of them who deserve such a "criticism". The story tells itself through email correspondence between different people, and ohhh how very realistic! In fact, it reminded me very much of the emails shooting to and fro between me and 老婆at work.

Plus, there's also different perspective when the angle occasionally changes to someone else's inbox.

Though a very thick book, I had alot of fun reading this! And then to my horror, I realised there's a prequel to this book, called Holly's Inbox! I was slightly miffed that I'll be reading in reverse chronologically order, but never mind... some of the greatest works are shown in reverse (think Star Wars)...

So there, I'm so getting my hands on Holly's Inbox! I can't remember the last time I had so much fun reading a book!

The Duchess

2010-04-30T23:12:00.000+08:00

Book of the moment: The Duchess by Jude Deveraux

credits:amazon

Pretty interesting but I think after some time I'm getting all my characters mixed up, since they are more or less described in the same way, the heroes being tall, dark and handsome with dark curly hair, cleft chin, and thick mustache. But seriously, that is really not my definition of good looking guys. In fact, somehow I find that kind of heroes, rather... corny!

Anyway, it's the typical, marriage for money and status. Not very convincing sometimes and quite easily forgettable.

There should be better Jude Deveraux books around.

The Lightning Thief

2010-04-29T23:07:00.002+08:00

Movie of the moment: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

credits:wikipedia

I've always have a thing for Greek mythologies. I love them. A rather simple storyline for this, but I enjoyed it thoroughly! You get to travel to hell and meet Hades and Persephone (definitely not how I imagined them to be but I think the director's intepretation is quite refreshing!), to Parthenon to meet Athena (albeit just a stature...), then there's Medusa... (Uma Thurman couldn't be more apt for the role!)...

The best part which I found highly amusing is the trip to Mt Olympus, which is actually the Empire State Building! Ha!

And and and, I LOVE the ending! What a wonderful way to end! This is a definite must watch!

Counting my blessings...

2010-04-28T23:53:00.000+08:00

Things are getting tough at work... so Mr こいびとsurprised me with some very nice durian puffs!

And it so happened that Bro came home with Reese's peanut butter cups for me as well~~~

I'm truly fortunate!

Velvet Promise

2010-04-27T23:01:00.000+08:00

Book of the moment: Velvet Promise by Jude Deveraux

credits:amazon

Please pardon me, but I'm in the mood for Jude Deveraux of late.

This must of one of her most conniving book I've ever read, not that I've read a lot of her books. So much double crossing, so much misunderstanding, so much betrayal and lost trust, it was almost too much for me to take.

I like that it is set in an era where there were countess, earls and the likes.

But so many twists and turns, twists and turns, ups and downs in the novel left me rather drained. I can't say yet whether I like this, but I can't say I don't dislike it and it's definitely one of the better books I've read of late. There are the other velvet series which hopefully I'll have the chance to check out and maybe get to compare them a bit, though I won't be surprised if there'll be more double crossing in the other velvet stories.

New Moon

2010-04-25T23:57:00.020+08:00

Movie of the moment: New Moon

credits:wikipedia

This is long overdue. Indeed, I might have been mesmerised by the romance between Edward and Bella... but it all dissipates in New Moon. I started to see Kristen Stewart as someone who can't act. In fact, she seemed to be in agony whether she's happy or not. Neither can Rob Pattinson act. Much less the hot cutie Taylor Lautner. But never mind they are just kids. I certainly hope their acting will mature as the saga progress.

There is so much not to like about New Moon. The novel itself had been pretty dull, the dullest of the whole saga, but not as bad as the movie was. I was very much disappointed. There were alot of thing taken for granted and left unsaid. If I haven't already read the book, I might be quite lost watching the film. Could it be something to do with the change in directors? How do we expect a guy to portray the Romeo & Juliet in New Moon?

Too straightforward, not enough melodrama (you've gotta give New Moon what it deserved as a soppy romance), not enough action (I was so looking forward to the wolves!)... It's just not good enough for me!

I miss my darling!

2010-04-24T23:56:00.011+08:00

While I'm enjoying myself at Batam with 姐, I'm also missing Baby terribly!

See you soon Baby!!! MUACKS!

Back to the gym...

2010-04-22T23:51:00.000+08:00

I've been neglecting my gym routine for another half a year! It's time to get back to running so that I can enjoy more glorious food!!!

See... definitely getting fatter!

Ramen @ Santouka

2010-04-21T23:14:00.001+08:00

I was craving for ramen the other day. Our option was either go back to Marutama or check out Santouka. We ended up at Santouka. I was totally unprepared (read: forgot to bring camera) so please pardon the bad quality pictures.

Presenting Shio Ramen otherwise known as the Salt Ramen!

This was what I had and I love it! The soup stock was heavenly! Not too salty or msg-ridden. It was full of flavour yet, very light at the same time. Two pieces of not so tender but thick meat, some shredded jew's ears, some very nice menma (my favourite!!!), a piece of naruto, and a very nice red preserved ume which was UTTERLY UTTERLY salty! I expect I should have taken bites of the ume on off while I was having my ramen instead of leaving it to the last.

The ramen could have been "bouncier" but I'm not complaining yet. On the overall it was so light I wasn't downing glasses of ice water like I did at Marutama. I couldn't finish my ramen though I finished every last drop of the soup! *slurpz*

Priced at $13.50, it is slightly more expensive than Marutama's $12.

Mervyn had the tori ramen.

It came with an egg too. The tori ramen promised no pork. Even the soup base was good quality chicken stock. Indeed I was quite impressed with the quality of the soup! And the tori ramen is only $12!

And because I have been craving for gyoza, we shared one.

At $5.50, it tasted so much better than the ones we had at Bishamon! Though it was pan-fried, the skin wasn't rubbery or hard. In fact, it was quite soft and the meat inside was fresh! This will definitely be one of my must-have when I go Santouka.

Plus at Santouka, their menu has more to offer than Marutama's. There's even small bowls of rice, or you can order a set, where there's a small bowl of rice, a bowl of ramen, and some salad! Quite cool! I noticed most of the Jap guys who went there for their lunch usually had the rice and ramen!

And because there were so much to offer, we went back Santouka a second time within a week!

This time, I ordered the special Tsuke-men.

It's actually cold noodles with hot soup. You get to dip your noodles in the soup before eating it. The soup was made extra flavourful and was quite saltish so that when you dip your noodles in, the soup flavour surrounds the ramen totally. Also, the ramen used is slightly thicker than the usual ramen used at Santouka.

You might have spotted a teapot. It was actually jasmine tea. If you find your soup too saltish, all you have to do is to add the tea into your soup! Nice!

All of this at only $14!

Mervyn ordered the spicy miso ramen.

Yes, it tasted as good as it looked! The miso was fragrant, and the spicyness was just right. At $13.50 this is one of the standard ramen you can find on the menu. Other standard ramen include the Shio Ramen which I had earlier, the Shoyu Ramen (I'm gonna try this next!!), and the Miso Ramen.

For sides, we ordered some very fatty meat.

It is one of their signature dish @ $9. The meat was served with no gravy but with some leeks on top. The refreshing taste of leeks enhances the fatty meat really well and you can just keep eating them without feeling too fatty or greasy! I love it!

Santouka is @ The Central #02-76, one floor below Marutama. As the place is pretty small, do expect queues during peak hours. I'm definitely going back there again!

Legend of the Demigods

2010-04-20T23:36:00.000+08:00

Drama of the moment: Legend of the Demigods 搜神傳

credits:wikipedia

已经很久没看TVB的连续剧了。我通常偏爱古装的，而且搜神傳只有22集，所以就选看了这部。

讲真的我还未看过不好看的TVB 连续剧。搜神傳剧情相当typical。有好笑的，也有哭哭啼啼的。虽然不会说是很好很好看，但是还是一部相当不错的连续剧。

Craving for Jap

2010-04-19T23:56:00.001+08:00

I love having lunch with 老婆!

♥♥♥

Say Please!

2010-04-18T23:52:00.000+08:00

Isn't my darling the cutest? Everytime she wants me to sayang her she'll stretch out her hand like this... Sometimes when I'm sitting next to her, she'll stretch her hand out and rest it on my face or my hands.

Now she's just trying to act nonchalant by looking away.

Life is short...

2010-04-17T23:28:00.014+08:00

We were chatting quite happily on FB about Marie's trip to Cambodia, and then we talked about meeting up.

Few days later, Marie SMSed me that her father has passed away. It was so sudden... I didn't really know how to react or comfort her.

Because life is so fragile, we should always cherish our loved ones.

Shutter Island

2010-04-16T23:00:00.024+08:00

Movie of the moment: Shutter Island

credits:wikipedia

When I first saw the trailer for Shutter Island I was pretty freaked out. I'm weak against horror and thrillers. But because the movie was Martin Scorsese, and Mr こいびと quite like his films, I decided to have a go.

In the end it was as scary as I thought. Most of the time the plot plays with your mind, that I thought I might also become one of the insane ones. It's mentally draining.

I think this is the kind of film where you'll probably have to watch a 2nd time before you can fully appreciate the plot.

Despite everything, I think this is one of the times where Leonardo DiCaprio really shines in a show. I mean his acting has certainly improved over the years, but this is one of his best works yet! I was pretty impressed.

Write write write

2010-04-15T23:38:00.015+08:00

I know this is just an excuse since I've got tons of pretty letter pads at home waiting for me to use them, but... I ~~want~~ need new PADS you know! So that I can write to Adaline!

かわいい！！！

Hanamaru Kindergarten

2010-04-14T23:26:00.002+08:00

Anime of the moment: Hanamaru Youchien

credits:wikipedia

One of the recent anime which I enjoyed most. It is funny, cutesy and straightforward. The story tells of a guy just graduated from school who decided to be a kindergarten teacher. The students at the kindergarten where he is teaching are really likable. My favourites are Anzu, the little girl who likes the teacher, and the smarty pants Hiiragi!

So cute! I hope there's season 2!!!

Thank you GF!

2010-04-13T23:25:00.018+08:00

Adaline already told me she's sent me something quite some time ago but I've forgotten all about it.

So it was a pleasant surprise when I received her snail mail all the way from Hong Kong. Last time when we were in school, we used to write random notes to each other.

This is what she got for me. Isn't the letter the cutest? In the letter, there's a very pretty charm bracelet which Adaline got her sis to get for me from Tokyo! So sweet of her! 真是有心了!!! She's also included a picture of me which we took at Blue Ginger last year for Mel's wedding dinner.

It's always things like these that warm my heart! I'm a really fortunate girl!

The Mulberry Tree

2010-04-12T23:17:00.001+08:00

Book of the moment: The Mulberry Tree by Jude Deveraux

credits:amazon

Interesting... the concept is there but it could have been better.

Too many characters, like the Golden Six, where at the end of the day, only one or two of the six really served their purpose in the story. Plus it gets confusing after awhile...

Quite some redundant bits as well... Seriously I think Jude Deveraux might be better off writing about those tall dark handsome Montgomery guys then trying her hand at mystery thriller type of novels.

2010-04-11T23:08:00.000+08:00

Just because you know I feel like eating...

Thank you Mrこいびと！！！吃得很开心!!! ♥♥♥

Danger. Kill on Sight.

2010-04-10T23:55:00.000+08:00

Movie of the moment: How to Train Your Dragon

credits:wikipedia

I love the plot! It might be just an animation, but the plot is so wonderfully written yet so simple that it doesn't just appeal to kids.

And who can not like Toothless? Just a squint of those big round pretty eyes at you and you'll be doing whatever he wants.

I'm still swooning over the whole show! And I think it's the best show I've watched this year! Can we have more of this kind of shows please?

Black Pepper Crab

2010-04-09T23:35:00.026+08:00

Bliss is being able to enjoy some nice black pepper crab.

Not just any black pepper crab but THE black pepper crab from Eng Seng Restaurant @ 247 Joo Chiat Place.

Before we even reached Eng Seng, just along the main road, the waft of thick black pepper invaded our nose.

Of course I was very excited since I've been craving for black pepper crab like forever (actually it was since my op & the Chinese believed that if you just had an op, you shouldn't eat seafood as they'll be poisonous to your wounds)... All that raving hasn't prepared me for the actually feast.

The black pepper sauce was, I find, not spicy enough because I like them to be extra extra spicy. But the crab was heaven!!! The flesh was soft, succulent and SWEET! Yes, so fresh that it was sweet! It was the very first time where I've tasted such sweet crabs! Not really, you've just got to do down and try it yourself to know what I mean.

I think the best best best part was, it was pretty cheap! We spent around $50+ for two crabs, and a small dish of the salad 油条 which was really worth it! I'll definitely go back there again and again and again and bring my parents there!

Nom nom nom...

2010-04-08T23:13:00.000+08:00

Everytime I get complacent for having slimmed down a bit, I get punished...

Just because I've been enjoying some time of flat tummy, I thought I can afford to indulge...

Now I'm starting to regret since my tummy started showing after finishing up a pack of the oatmeal raisins... Not good... This is not good at all...

ひみつ

2010-04-06T23:59:00.000+08:00

Book of the moment: Secrets by Jude Deveraux

credits:amazon

Something quite unlike what Jude Deveraux usually writes. Firstly there's no handsome guys by the name of Montgomery. Secondly, the story is not set in medieval times. Thirdly, there's no hot passionate sex.

Quite refreshing for a change, but I think Jude Deveraux need to work harder on writing about secret agents and stuff for the story to be more exciting.

Despite everything, it's been fun reading!

Short Hair?

2010-04-05T23:14:00.000+08:00

How do I look with short hair? Cut? Or... no cut?

鱼头

2010-04-04T23:17:00.001+08:00

喜欢跟 Mummy 和 Daddy 出去吃饭！虽然只是很简单的一餐，可是还是吃得很开心！

看！好大的鱼头啊！！！吃得非常饱！

Omamori Himari

2010-04-03T23:08:00.015+08:00

Anime of the moment: Omamori Himari

credits:wikipedia

Admittedly I was first drawn to the anime because it's about omamori... which was only mentioned in the first few episodes before the omamori turned into a sexy cat-girl.

There are some rather interesting episodes here and there, I wouldn't say this anime is very impressionable. 12 episodes is just right before the audience starts to get bored.

Flying Dog

2010-04-02T23:49:00.005+08:00

Had a wonderful time! Thank you! (^_-)☆　

Zzz

2010-04-01T23:16:00.001+08:00

Pretty Baby dozing off...

March 2010

2010-03-31T23:37:00.002+08:00

It has been such a busy busy month for me...

Lots of birthday celebrations... numerous trips to the hospital... a minor op for me... a day surgery for daddy... and lots of MCs...

I'm glad I survived!

Ladies vs Butler

2010-03-30T23:53:00.001+08:00

Anime of the moment: Ladies vs Butler

credits:wikipedia

Another harem anime. It's either you like them or you don't. You know, many girls all falling for the same unlikely guy. You get the idea.

For anime otaku, there's lots of ecchi fan service which I won't elaborate anymore.

I find the plot rather weak, with not much of a build up climax leading to the last episode. At the end of the day, this is just a rather light hearted anime with some laughs here and there.

Ask me about this anime again next week, and I probably would have forgotten about it.

Kiss Me Quick

2010-03-29T23:35:00.000+08:00

Book of the moment: Kiss Me Quick by Julie Highmore

credits:amazon

Interesting. A book offering perspectives from all the different characters. It is rather amusing as you'll get to see how certain events are being viewed differently by the different characters.

Though, there might be a little too many characters for me to deal with and sometimes I forget who Alice or Stefan or Erica is.

Quite a fun read. I'll surely check out more of her books next time.

妈妈的生日！

2010-03-28T23:19:00.000+08:00

祝愿你身体健康，笑口常开！

Kobato

2010-03-27T23:19:00.000+08:00

Anime of the moment: Kobato

credits:wikipedia

Remember this? Well, the anime has ended its run.

As is with all Clamp anime, there are quite a number of cross over character. Either they are running out of their creative juices or they are just plain lazy just sticking to old characters, depending on how you see it. You can spot the most obvious Chi and Freya, the twin sisters from Chobits. And then there's a whole episode where Kobato met the Tsubasa Chronicles gang who were supposedly still looking for Sakura's feathers.

There are alot more others which since I did not catch all Clamp anime, I wouldn't know of.

The story is a little strange. The ending seemed to totally deviate from the original objective of the anime when it first started out. The anime started out with Kobato going around trying to "heal" people's heart so that she can earn some "kompeito" to fill up her bottle. Once she managed to fill up that bottle, her wish will be granted.

What Kobato wished for, we don't know since it wasn't shown explicitly or otherwise. Somewhere along the way, Kobato stopped doing what she's supposed to be doing and there seemed to be a confusing shift in direction the anime is going. It went from being a fantasy anime to a romance anime?! Plus, it is sort of farfetched to have Kobato falling in love with Fujimoto-san and Fujimoto with Kobato? With not much focus or development on the relationship between the two, suddenly they are very much in love?

When Kobato didn't finish filling up her bottle by the deadline, she is supposed to meet her "end". But that did and didn't happen. The story then went on to talk about Fujimoto waiting for Kobato?

I am lost! This might probably explain why I didn't really survive most of the Clamp anime, like Tsubasa Chronicles, X, Card Captor Sakura, just to name a few?

Alice in Wonderland

2010-03-26T23:58:00.001+08:00

Movie of the moment: Alice in Wonderland

credits:wikipedia

So many questions. Why is it that Alice is a 20 year-old girl? Isn't she supposed to be a little girl? Isn't a 20 year-old girl a little old to be playing make-believe and saying "this is all a dream..."?

Why is it that her clothes remain unchanged whereas her boots and the hanky tied around her wounds on her arm shrink/expand along with her? Was it a cinematography decision so that the lead character can have a variety of wardrobe change?
I might not remember the whole story of Alice in Wonderland which I've read when I was very young, but I'm fairly certain there was only ONE queen??

Also, why do I detect a hint of some romanticism going on between the Mad Hatter and Alice? Isn't that... sort of incestuous in a way???

I feel there's some "read between the lines" which I'm not getting. It's definitely more than just an entertaining show. After all, it's a Tim Burton show! Or am I giving it more credit than it deserve?

Johnny Depp is just so Johnny Depp-ish. It seems like the more weird characters he play, the more it seemed to all blend into one. When the Mad Hatter appeared, did you detect some hint of Willy Wonka and Captain Jack Sparrow?

I quite like Helena Bonham Carter's role and the way she portrayed the Red Queen. I must say she's a really versatile actress and the Red Queen was very well done.

The White Queen is interesting, but there wasn't much room for character development, hence Anne Hathaway didn't really shine through in this show.

On the overall, the show is pretty okay. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm disappointed, but I'm not very satisfied either. Something is definitely lacking...

I ♥ NY

2010-03-25T23:02:00.000+08:00

Book of the moment: I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk

credits:amazon

Another of those too-good-to-be-true novels, where the heartbroken girl gets to move on with not just one(!), but a few hot guys!

Often times when I read these books, I get the feeling that the poor deluded author is trying to realise some sad desperate dream of being wanted and loved, and being so pretty and hot (think Stephenie Meyer a la Isabella Swan).

Humour wise, I think I've read better ones. Sophie Kinsella is still my all-time favourite British novelist!

I guess in the meantime, it's a can-do book, since I'm reading just for the sake of wanting to read a book.

Starry Star~~~

2010-03-24T23:40:00.000+08:00

好可爱的星星喔！

谢谢老婆！！！

Physically & Mentally Drained

2010-03-23T23:14:00.001+08:00

How fragile the human life is... Please be careful of what you eat and how you take care of yourself...

Health, ultimately, is still the most important thing!

Railgun

2010-03-22T23:04:00.029+08:00

Anime of the moment: Toaru Kagaku no Railgun

credits:animeblogger.net

If you've watched Toaru Majustu no Index, you would have already met Misaka Mikoto, the Railgun. This is a side story from the original Toaru Majustu no Index, with Misaka Mikoto as the main character.

With the same background in the Academy City, you'll see more of Misaka and her "sister", Kuroko Shirai who is part of the "Judgment" team. Mikoto joins in and help out Kuroko in some of the cases and you'll get to see her display of power, unlike that of Index.

The plot is rather weak, with not much story arch, though later on the episodes, you'll follow the plot of the Child Error over quite a few episodes, which seemed to be the biggest plot within plot so far.

If you like Index, then you'll enjoy Railgun, though comparatively, Index does have a more compelling and interesting plot as compared to Railgun.

You probably won't miss much if you don't watch Railgun.

Grandma's Birthday!

2010-03-21T23:34:00.005+08:00

嫲嫲，生日快乐！！！

Professor Layton

2010-03-19T23:25:00.001+08:00

Movie of the moment: Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

credits:wikipedia

If you've been following my games review, you would know that I'm an absolute fan of the Professor Layton series of games. So far, I've covered the Professor Layton and the Curious Village and Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box. I'm currently waiting for the Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel's English version to be out.

Anyhow, this is a movie not to be missed for all Professor Layton's fans.

I was a little disappointed with the number of puzzles within the movie itself, and how quick Professor Layton solved the puzzles, since that means I didn't really have enough time to ponder over them.

The sword fight reminded me a little of the ending of the Diabolical Box which is actually quite exciting to watch.

The best part of the show has got to be the soundtrack though. When you have such a title as the Eternal Diva, you can expect lots of songs. I love them all!

Now I can't wait to lay my hands on the upcoming game to curb my puzzle itch.

Marvelous Cream

2010-03-18T23:56:00.031+08:00

Marvelous Cream is not exactly new in Singapore.

And their stuff is not exactly cheap. A Mont Blanc and a Banana Cream Brulee will cost you almost $20.

I was rather excited to try them out since the display really look very good. Turns out, the Mont Blanc only has a tiny quarter chestnut on top inside of the whole chestnut displayed at their counter. Taste wise, it wasn't fantastic. It is also a bit too creamy for my liking.

The Banana Cream Brulee is another disappointment. Normal cream brulee has a top coating of caramelized sugar. Here, the coating was rather bitter. There is not much hint of banana either. In fact, I didn't really enjoy this.

Having said all these, I might still go back to try their ice cream and many other cakes, just to give them another chance. Though I think price is one major deterring factor, especially when the cakes weren't so impressive.

Happy Birthday Daddy

2010-03-17T23:25:00.008+08:00

生日快乐，Daddy!!! 祝你身体健康！！！

我想吃的牛扒还在等你一起去吃！

I Miss My Eye

2010-03-16T23:42:00.001+08:00

I wonder... when will I be able to fully recover... As of now, I have big small eyes.
┓(゜_。;)┏

I've got a 2nd follow up review, which hopefully by then I'll be able to open my eye fully.

I miss my normal eyes!!!

We Were There

2010-03-15T23:02:00.000+08:00

Anime of the moment: Bokura ga Ita

credits:wikipedia

When I was at episode 25, I kept wondering how the anime will end. When I was at episode 26, I kept expecting some twists of sorts, or some "few years later" kind of scenes. There were neither.

But this is one of the best romance anime I've ever watched. It reminds me of what first love was like. In fact it fared much better than Hatsukoi in terms of expressing first love. I was reminded of how it would feel to be liking someone so much you cannot keep your eyes of the person. To have your heart racing when the person you like talks to you and then gives you that extra special smile which makes your racing heart skips a beat. The raw feeling of anger and jealousy when you get betrayed, and find that you cannot trust that person. The sadness that just overwhelms when you feel so lost liking the person and isn't sure whether you want to be with him or not.

All the many different emotions of youthful love all captured within 26 episodes. Ah... that kind of feeling... of liking someone, of trying to trust someone, of feeling sad when that someone is going far away. How bittersweet to be reminded of those feelings.

It's really not easy to love someone. So if you have someone that you cherished, someone that love you a lot, be sure to treasure this someone for life. Love can be so simple, so straightforward, yet so contradicting, and so complicated.

那唱不完的情歌王子。。。

2010-03-14T23:36:00.000+08:00

其实我非常喜欢和全家人一起出去玩，吃东西，买东西的。。。可是因为Daddy做工不定时，所以难得大家能一起出门。。。

我们都喜欢唱歌! 虽然只是短短的KLunch可是我们还是玩得很开心！几时还要再去？？

Shihui's Birthday

2010-03-13T23:13:00.034+08:00

Happy birthday girlfriend!

Hope you enjoyed yourself! As you wished, I've appeared with my big small eyes all tied up as a present for you! (o_O)v

Even though we all don't wish to get older... it's an inevitable process. What we can do is only make the best out of it. And the best way to "make the best out of it" is, cliche as it might sound, live life to the fullest, have fun and be happy.

May all your wishes come true and may you be happy! Keep smiling!

Green Zone

2010-03-12T11:55:00.028+08:00

Movie of the moment: Green Zone

credits:wikipedia

Seriously when I saw this poster way before they started screening Green Zone, I was thinking, poor Matt Damon... typecast in this kind of role since Bourne Identity.

After the show, I found that Matt Damon is probably one of the best guy to be play the role.

I was rather impressed at the execution of the plot, the many ironies of the war blatantly thrust in your face in the form of black humour, and the many exciting scenes which had me about fidgeting and readying to bite my nails to nothingness.

I wonder if the Big Brother would consider this treason.

幸福的女人

2010-03-11T23:45:00.010+08:00

咯咯咯。。。被疼爱的感觉真好！

小小瓶子填满我心灵~~~

R2

2010-03-10T23:39:00.025+08:00

Anime of the moment: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2

credits:wikipedia

Fantastic! I don't know what else to say but it was fantastic!

Amazing plot, new characters (I love Rolo!), and a whole new playground. You also get more people dying. For the good of Britannia, you know.

Not the kind of anime where I'll want to re-watch. One time is more than my heart can take. And why do I have a feeling all is not over yet? Maybe R3?

Baumkuchen, Baumkuchen, Baumkuchen~~~

2010-03-09T23:18:00.058+08:00

Mr こいびと came to visit poor one-eyed me with something I've been wanting to try for ages! Presenting the Baumkuchen!

The Baumkuchen is very popular in Japan despite it being a cake of German origins. It is also one of the many popular gifts which the Japanese will bring along when they go house visiting. Bringing exquisite gifts, usually sweets (in Japan, cakes and such are usually called "sweets"), along for a house visit is part of the Japanese culture.

This also explains why most shopping malls in Japan housed a whole level dedicated to sweets. This is an entire separate level from the food hall. On this level, you'll be able to find all kinds of pretty looking sweets with even more beautiful wrappers. Of course, they are not cheap either.

One of the shops we saw at Tobu Deparment Store (東武百貨店)'s "sweets" level was selling pieces sliced off from this gigantic roll of Baumkuchen. The crowd at the shop caught our attention and we decided to pop in to have a look. At that time I have no idea that was the Baumkuchen, nor was I aware that it is such a popular rage in Japan.

庆祝弟的生日。。。

2010-03-08T23:16:00.010+08:00

弟，生日快乐~~~！祝你开心！！！

虽然因为我的缘故而让你有了这么一个难忘的生日派对。。。但希望你知道我们还是很疼你的~！！！

Operation Sauron

2010-03-07T15:13:00.037+08:00

The lump on the eye just kept growing and growing. It grew to such proportions that I can hardly open my eye on Day 8.

On Day 9, I woke up with an eye sealed with clotted blood and I freaked out. I was due for my review with the doctor anyway. All this while I kept thinking that my doctor will be able to just solve everything. Who knows, it's the relief doctor's shift and he couldn't do anything. So he gave me a referral letter to an A&E after just asking a few questions.

Thanks to Daddy who fetched me to the hospital. After waiting about 3 hours (that's typical government hospitals for you...), I finally got to see the eye doctor. After a short consultation, I was allowed to go grab a quick lunch and be back in time for the op.

By then I was totally scared. Firstly, I have low pain tolerance. Secondly, I have never done any kinda op in my life before. Albeit this time the op is considered a minor one, I was terrified.

I'm not going to go through all the details but it was a horrifying experience for me. Thank goodness at least Daddy was there with me.

I might have survived... but... I don't want to live through that ever again!

Baby

2010-03-06T23:38:00.011+08:00

Muacks~~~ ♥♥♥ My pretty Baby~~~ だいすきだよ！！！とてもだいすき！！！

Bishamon Ramen

2010-03-05T23:16:00.040+08:00

The other day we had lunch at Bishamon just to check out their Sapporo ramen.

We ordered the Miso Ramen which costs $13.90. Pretty reasonable considering that they have a few slices of meat, some corn, some menma (my favourite!!!), a piece of seaweed and a whole egg. Soup base was good, though not as thick as what you'll find at Ippudo. The meat was too dry and tough. As for the ramen, the springy-ness is comparable to Marutama's.

We also ordered the gyoza which costs $5.90 for 6 pieces. Again, pretty reasonable pricing.

Since I wasn't exactly expecting fantastic food here, I wasn't really disappointed. I would say this is a good enough place to settle that ramen craving, or just for some casual lunch. They even help you split up the bill so that if you're sharing the cost of the meal, you'll know how much each person has to pay.

Not too bad!

ちゅ~~~

2010-03-04T23:11:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday Mr こいびと！！！

Hope you enjoyed yourself~~~
(ｏ＾o‘o)ゞ

Code Geass

2010-03-03T23:42:00.000+08:00

Anime of the moment: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

credits:wikipedia

Lelouch Lamperouge/vi Britannia is to Kira Yamato; Suzaku Kururugi is to Athrun Zala; Nunnally Lamperouge/vi Britannia is to Cagalli Yula Athha; Euphemia li Britannia is to Lacus Clyne... The similarities to Gundam Seed is just too many to list. Plus this is a mecha anime too. Probably the only difference is the superpower of Geass.

All the scheming and killing and fighting is just no good for my heart, yet, I kept on watching until I reached the end of episode 25. It gave me rather disturbed sleep every night, yet I cannot stop watching. Such is the draw of the anime.

Now on to R2 the second season of Code Geass! The addiction continues...

“祸”不单行。。。

2010-03-02T23:33:00.007+08:00

上个星期的药都还没吃完，

这个星期的药就来了。。。

起初眼睛还没这么肿。。。

可是几天内眼睛就肿得不像人形。。。一天比一天肿。。。

到底要到什么时候才能不吃药呢？每天吃药，吃药，吃药，真的吃腻了。。。

Kobato

2010-03-01T23:23:00.000+08:00

Song of the moment: Ashita Kuru Hi by Kana Hanazawa

Words are not needed to say how beautiful this song is. One of the key highlights of watching a Clamp anime is that you'll be sure to catch some great anime songs. This one is from Kobato...

Toy Cameras

2010-02-28T23:39:00.010+08:00

There's something rather appealing about using cute film cameras... Introducing my Eximus in white, my Jelly Cam in dark pink, and my Waterproof Cam in red.

Some shots taken with the toy cams...

Baby taken with my Eximus on an extremely hot day...

Waiting for train and playing with my Jelly Cam, courtesy of Mervyn! Thank you for the birthday present!!!

Having lunch on a beach while waiting for the tide to go down in Phuket... taken with the Waterproof Cam~~~

I ♥ them all!

Ponyo ponyo ponyo sakana no ko...

2010-02-27T23:22:00.028+08:00

Movie of the moment: Ponyo

credits:wikipedia

I've been wanting to watch Ponyo for the longest of time but haven't got the chance to. Ever since I went to Japan and visited the Ghibli Museum, I'm even more determined to check out Ponyo.

I wasn't disappointed! The plot might have been very simple and straightforward, but the execution itself was beautifully done. I believed Hayao Miyazaki has outdone himself with Ponyo! There's nothing not to like about Ponyo!

While I'm on the topic of Ponyo, did I mention that I was already singing the Ponyo song before I get to watch it? Here's the catchy theme song of Ponyo!

Still on the topic of Ponyo, here's some Ponyo goodies I got from Japan when I visited the Ghibli Museum~~~ ♥♥♥

A Ponyo collar pin and a snow globe with little bits of shimmery glitters! とてもかわいいよ！！！

Lollipop Lollipop Lollipop

2010-02-26T23:11:00.009+08:00

My new phone arrived today!

It was delivered right to my office doorstep (well, almost anyway...) as requested.

(@⌒O⌒@)

Takara Miyuki from Lucky Star flew all the way from Japan in a gashapon to pose with my Lollipop.

Mr こいびと sent me the very first SMS to test drive the Lollipop~~~ すきすきすき！！！

WTS: XboX Games

2010-02-25T23:13:00.020+08:00

Wanna get rid of these games since I don't own an XboX. Only used once (for games review).

Just quote me a reasonable price for these.
(^o^)//”

Ideas?

2010-02-24T23:08:00.015+08:00

It's one week to Mrこいびと's birthday and I haven't really done anything yet!

o(ﾟдﾟo≡oﾟдﾟ)o panic panic~~~

Sleeping Child

2010-02-23T23:02:00.012+08:00

The other day, I came home to a sleeping Baby. She was so sound asleep that she didn't even hear me come back.

So... I decided to sneak a picture before she got roused awake... Of course, the moment she heard the camera, she blinked her eyes, looked around with bleary eyes and got a tiny shock to see me sneaking up behind her!

My dear Baby, what would I do without you!!! だいすき！！！

My 嫲嫲。。。

2010-02-22T23:53:00.025+08:00

It's not a good sign when you get too familiar with the standard procedure at the hospital. Show your IC, get the sticker and a chop, paste the sticker, take a mask, and go take the lift...

Grandma is warded again and this time she really seemed much worse. I really can't do much except try to accompany her whenever I have the time and attend to her needs if any. Please pray that she'll get well soon. It's one time too many to be warded!

I ♥ Crabs!

2010-02-21T23:53:00.016+08:00

Thank you 四姨 for catching and sharing them!

Thank you Mummy for cooking them!

とてもおいしよ！！！