Bye Bye 2008

It's that all too familiar feeling, of a year passed by and you think back on the much or little that you have accomplished. I thought the year was great up until the massive unrolling of bank and corporation debts, I even thought I would do better business-wise this year. But sadly not so. I remember telling myself that I would reward myself a nice bag if I did well. Thankfully, I saved the money instead and kept it aside for bargain hunting in equities in these dire times.

It all seems a blur now but the famed and highly anticipated Beijing Olympics was in August this year. Sky rocketing petrol prices happened this year too. And not to forget...2008 was a leap year.

As I look towards the year ahead, I feel a sense of hope and apprehension at the same time. Economists forecast a bad year ahead. But with all things at possibly their lowest, we have nowhere to look but up.

I hope the new year will be good for you as well.

Popeye's vs KFC

We went to the airport yesterday to see my mom off on her holiday. Since it was dinner time, we decided to get Popeye's famed fried chicken. It was crowded so we got a takeaway. On the way home on the highway, I decided that we should get KFC chicken too and do a taste test. So both packs of chicken arrived back home slightly cold and soggy with the exception of KFC being fresher by 10mins.

I'd grade the test according to cost, value, sides and taste (of the chicken).

Cost
Popeye's is more expensive at $7.40 for a 2pc set. It comes with 2pc of chicken of which you cannot choose but adhere to their combinations, 1 drink, 1 regular side (mash, fries or coleslaw) and 1 scone. KFC is cheaper at $6.50 for the 2pc set with 1 drink, 1 regular mashed potatoes and 1 regular coleslaw.


Value
Popeye's chicken is much smaller than KFC's (genetically enhanced?) chicken parts. We had thigh meat for both, and you can see the difference in size from the photos. The side of mash however is bigger. With KFC you get coleslaw too but Popeye's gives a "biscuit" which looks like a scone and is not fantastic in taste.


Sides
Popeye's has a great mash. KFC's mash tastes like some rubbish made from a powder mix, unlike Popeye's creamy mash with little bits of garlic and bacon. Yums. They win hands down on this. As for coleslaw, KFC's still passes. Popeye's is creamier and richer but has a faint fruit taste...maybe it was raisins, but I wasn't very used to the taste so it took some adjusting. We had the Popeye's fries too. It's supposed to be cajun fries but all I see was a nice orangey colour, taste-wise, it wasn't as mind-blowing as Mac's haha...

Taste (of the chicken)
Finally the big one. Popeye's chicken was juicy, tender and absolutely delicious. The fried exterior actually did not have any taste at all, I would probably suggest they should add pepper or spices to their batter. KFC's hot and crispy exterior is of course absolutely spicy and shiok. However, the meat underneath was a tad bit salty. It was juicy and tender as well but after the Popeye's more wholesome tasting meat, KFC made me feel sick and I gave up halfway.

From the masses I see at both fast food joints, I gather that Singaporeans love their fried chicken no matter what, so there's plenty of competition for both Popeye's and KFC for many years to come. :)

Dining out in recession times

Kimmy's been forced to take leave from today till the week after, it's his company's bid to save costs in these bad times. As a result, he'd have a drop in his salary this month and he announced to me determinedly that it was time for us to cut cost and save money...no restaurant meals.

Alas, it's Sunday night and there was no food at home for dinner. We decided to try Hotpot Culture at Marina Square. We had passed a promotional poster which advertised $7.80 steamboat sets, and it was a cold rainy day, perfect for some tummy-warming broth.

I forgot to take photos but here's one, courtesy of careryeeee from hungrygowhere.com.


There were 5 choices for the soup stock and we chose hot & sour, and chicken herbal. Both were your usual flavoured saltwater type soup, but with all the steamboat ingredients added in, it made for a tasty and hearty meal. Hotpot Culture was a great "recession times restaurant" for us. At $7.80++ a set, with aircon, service, sufficient soup and meat, and lots and lots of vegetables, it was worth every penny. Drinks are a tad expensive at $2.00 for lemon tea or barley, and more for coke or fruit juices, but rice was a decent 70cents. Overall we spent $27 for 2 sets, 2 drinks, 2 bowls of rice and a side dish of fish dumplings ($2.50, a bit expensive) and had a fairly great time. We'd definitely be back for more, the food's better than the food court, and environment more tolerable than at the hawker. It also beats Sakae Sushi 10 to 1, a joint we once favoured when we were scrimping and saving back in the day.

6 Raffles Boulevard
#02-138D Marina Square

Operating Hours
Sun - Thur: 11:30am - 10:00pm
Last order @ 9:15pm

Fri, Sat, Eves of & On PH: 11:30am - 11:00pm
Last order @ 9:45pm

Seedy side to the Sunny island

I spotted this whilst dining at a kopitiam with very oily floors. Interesting choice of words (the signboard that is). Apparently getting a good massage or foot reflexology session is not enough, the person doing it for you has to be pretty, young yet experienced. I wonder if patrons might have other intentions for visiting this 2nd floor shophouse unit with pink lighting.

After their massage session, patrons could grab a bite at the downstairs oily-floor-kopitiam-restaurant. I can't decide if it's really a restaurant since there's no aircon, or ambience. Also, the carpark lot in front of the store is utilised as the "queueing area"...there's a sign there with a blinking light that says "q here". I don't quite fancy an eatery that might cause a few slips when you walk in, but their fried bee hoon and stir-fried clams are pretty good. Sorry there aren't any photos, it was quite badly-lit where I was and the stomach was growling for its dinner. Perhaps another time in the distant future.... =)

South African chicken

I was at Vivocity for their anniversary celebration just now and had a lovely time at the specially-commissioned Dick Lee musical and fireworks celebration by a French pyrotechnic guru. However, couldn't say the same for dinner.

It was quite late by the time the event was over, and I hurriedly rushed down to the restaurants before their last orders of the day. I settled on Barcelos, a new grilled chicken restaurant from South Africa.

Unfortunately, as nice as their corporate branding was, the food was way below par. Think of it as Kenny Rogers but without the huge juicy cuts of chicken and generous portions of coleslaw, with free muffin thrown in for good measure. Barcelos wasn't bad-tasting but their portions were miserable for the price and they only had their 4 "special peri" sauce to choose from, no ketchup, no chilli.

Let's take a look at the photos:



This is their Quarter Chicken meal. $11.95 for this!! I was appalled! Kenny Rogers' quarter chicken is so much bigger in size and whilst Barcelos only gives ONE side, Kenny gives 2 and with a muffin as well. I had to wait quite a while for this mind you, wasn't prepared for this outcome...



The chicken burger tastes better and seemed more substantial ($8.95), but look at the way the bun has been manhandled. Sigh, it looks like something I made in a slipshod way at home. And wait, is that three pieces of lettuce with one thinly-sliced cut of onion?



Spicy wedges $3.95 i think...it wasn't spicy and whilst they look homemade with the different sizes and the skins still attached, it also looks home made in the morning....and reheated over and over again until I ate it at 930pm.

The next time you see that wonderfully drawn graphic of the red and white chicken on the huge lightbox outside their store, walk away. Walk on the opposite side of the pathway, don't be tempted to the dark side.

The tree has got to go!

We unwrapped the tree base again. (sorry forgot to take pics) The scratching sound gets so loud when the wood is exposed. We really don't know what's inside that piece of wood and we don't want to find out. Of course if we could, it will put our minds at ease but since it's impossible, the tree is going back to the store and I'm getting a new one. I hope the shop attendants don't think we're a couple gone bonkers...after all, two people can't both be hearing things right?

Hope to get our tree back up and pretty this weekend. In the meantime, i shall attempt the decor at the top of the tv wall. Will post up pics soon!

A Christmas Tree

I bought a Christmas Tree! It's just a small one, due to space constrains in the storeroom. I dressed it up all nicely in the traditional colours of red and gold. I contemplated other colour schemes but perhaps I'm just a purist or traditionalist at heart...and red does match our living room rather well.

This morning I heard scratching noises coming from the base of the tree. I freaked out, thinking it was termites in the wood. My whole house has so much wood, i fear to imagine what it would be like with a pest problem of the termite kind! Kimmy and I untied the base and opened up the little gunny sack. Inside there's a piece of wood and many of the tree's "leaves". The sounds stopped after that, and I'm not sure if I was being paranoid. Maybe it was just the "leaves" falling inside - there's just so many - and because it brushed the gunny sack, a scratching sound was probable.

To play safe, I placed a plastic bag below the tree, I presume termites can't eat through plastic so that will save my console from attacks.

Guitar Hero

Here's my guitar hero, my knight in shining armour who plays noisy rock songs on the wii guitar, to the cheers of a stadium of fans. Ok, it might just be a game, but I must say it's highly addictive. Unlike previous versions of Guitar Hero who featured "fake singers", Guitar Hero World Tour finally paid for the copyrights to the original versions of popular rock songs, old and new. It's entertaining to listen, but even more so play, too bad I suck at it. I actually freak out when I see so many different colours on the screen and I can't move my fingers fast enough to play it right.

I freaked out also when I saw red today. My period is looming once again. Of course I knew it would come, but I never do give up hope that I might not see it for just one month. I am also freaked because this would mean I would have to go for the IUI soon. *deep breath* I'm scared. I'm scared it might not work, my eggs might be duds, my guitar hero's soldiers might not be the best of men. It could be a waste of time and money... As a friend once said, there are many warriors, but few good men.

But I have to press on right? Gambarimasu!

Live-alone virgin

I realise that I have been a "live-alone virgin" until tonight. What this means is that I am living in my house by myself, watching TV by myself, having dinner by myself, going to bed by myself, with nobody else in the house except me. Whilst I have had to spend some sleeping nights without Kimmy before, I have always had the company of my parents in law, who would ply me with liang teh and tau hway jui and chat with me until I retreated to the confines of my bedroom. And before I moved out after marriage, there was my brother around even as my parents went overseas on holiday, and also the pets whom I could talk to.

So here I am, losing my "live-alone virginity". Some of you who might have moved out when you turned 18 might view me as somewhat "over the hill" to experience this. No matter, from now on, I will be braver and more resilent, and no more mushy posts on having to miss my husband when he's away.

One mushy post

The last time I spent nights without my other half was when he was in reservist 2 years ago....or was it last year? Anyway, he is now on his 12 hour night shift in camp and I am alone at home attempting to while my night away. I have a list of things to do, watch gossip girl, check emails, wash the dishes, watch californication, etc. Thank goodness for some good pals who are as often as I am on the internet, I do not feel isolated and lost. Sorry for this seemingly lame blog entry but I miss my kimmy so. Can't wait till tomorrow morning when I can see him again...

The economy is bad, start shopping!

A friend asked me, "why are you always selling something?"

Hmm...i don't think i had the intention to unleash a barrage of emails and facebook links on everyone. However, some friends with blog shops are having festive sales, my husband was taking orders for portable drives, and I do my part to help them promote.

Recap, here are the blog shops having sales and deals:

http://www.beauty-box-online.com
http://letreebird.blogspot.com
http://iloveaglaia.blogspot.com

I must admit, half my thoughts are often occupied with new and interesting ways to promote my business, or others'. Maybe it's an occupational hazard due to me working in the advertising/marketing industry. I try my best to maximise profits from as many free avenues of advertising as I possibly can.

In any case, the economy is slowing down worldwide and we should do our part to spread the money around. You buy mine, I'd buy yours. =) Do click on the links to start now!

Half empty, Half full

article courtesy of mypaper.sg

I read this piece from my paper today, about how we can choose to live our life, positively or negatively from the "half-empty" or "half-full" perspective.

So many people, especially Singaporeans, complain. About anything, everything, and everyone. Perhaps it's part of our DNA here, or a result of conditioning since young. I do it too, but I do remember to think about the situation from all angles first, before penning my complaint letter to customer service. Not everyone does this, and many channel their anger and frustration onto others instead.

Do take a read, and learn to re-evaluate your mindset.

Back to Web Basics

Spurred by a friend to restart my accessories factory, I felt compelled to update my site and mark everything down to ridiculous sale prices for the impending festive season. As a result, I am still up at 2am trying to get everything up and ready so I can start promoting tomorrow. I realise that I have forgotten so many simple html tricks, but thankfully, blogger's gotten better and the tools it has on hand for me helped to save a lot of time.

Do feel free to surf by Aglaia Accessories to check out the marked down sale and perhaps join my site as a fan. =)

Binding Contracts

All around me nowadays are anecdotes of marriage. Strange coincidence? Or is He trying to tell me something?

Today at church, the preacher mentioned that marriage is not a contract but a commitment. The sermon topic today was not one of marriage, but this short note suddenly came in. I might be over-analyzing and being too sensitive, but it is true, marriage is something that two people commit to and then work at for the rest of their lives. It is not a contract they can break and get out of. After all, what God put together, man must not divide.

I guess it's easy for most people nowadays to view marriage as just a piece of paper. After all, if they lived perfectly fine together in the same house, what need is there to go that one step further on the level of commitment they have to each other. Perhaps it can be viewed that if the scenario was like that, then if they were to take the step towards marriage, it should taken with utmost reverence and importance. I always find it funny that in times of anger and frustration, we humans who are married forget the words we said when we got hitched - "...for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part..." Having financial difficulties or dealing with sickness and ailments are both not easy things to do, and many do bail out if they happen.

Also, as with contracts, many do think if the one they are currently in do not fulfill their expectations and level of commitment, it is fair for them to think of contingency plans. After all, the long-term is at stake here, and perhaps there's something more promising elsewhere. This could be likened to the contract the Singapore government has with Las Vegas Sands. With Sands' big boss in financial difficulty at the moment, the Sg government has searched out previous bidders to cushion the shock should the project be stalled or delayed. The long-term is of course the goal, and if Sands' in trouble, maybe there will be someone else more suited to take its place.

Whilst I do not think Sands will give up so easily, I believe married couples facing problems should do likewise. Commitment is key, and working out the issues should be more important than breaking their "binding contract".

Marina Barrage

Taken at the newly opened Marina Barrage, this amazing engineering feat was constructed for flood control in the nearby rivers, to create a reservoir so that drinking water can be derived from it, and enable lifestyle water sports to be enjoyed in it. I find that it's incredble how it was envisioned by our Minister Mentor 20 odd years ago when the Singapore River was being cleaned up. Why it took so many years to construct, I can only imagine it was because technically nothing like that was feasible in the 80s and 90s.

So now we can have picnics on the rooftop, enjoy sunsets and jog to the other side of the mouth of the Singapore River. Did I mention the extremely well designed interactive gallery and a nice little cafe with the most-welcoming smells? =)

lessons from a beautiful wedding

i was at a lovely wedding today. Held in a fairly modern church with basement parking and elevator music in the toilet, the service was fun, fresh and all about family and friends. The bride and groom seemed so in love, although most couples do at their wedding, and read out lovely thank yous to friends, family and parents. There was even a surprise performance by the bride for the groom, who was very taken aback but pleasantly surprised. She did a song by Faye Wong, one of his all-time favourites, although she admitted mandarin is her Achilles heel.

There were also some simple and yet powerful messages from the pastor's short sermon. Not that I was taking notes, but because I am in the business of contributing to couples' big step in life, I always find it so meaningful to remember the fundamentals of this all-important institution called marriage. Here are his tips for a wonderful life together.

1. Loving unreservedly
2. Giving up your rights, privileges and freedom and putting someone else in priority
3. Making sacrifices like how Jesus sacrificed Himself for us
4. Doing things first and not waiting for the other party to do what you want him/her to do before you make your move.
5. Changing yourself before expecting the other person to change.
6. If you run out of love for your spouse, ask God to give you that love, and the ability to keep loving.

I hope you might find this insightful.

10 things you should be aware of in a relationship or marriage

I don't presume to know everything there is to a long term relationship or even a marriage, after all it is a lifelong process. But as an ode to women everywhere, I shall pen my thoughts about relationships, garnered through 10 years of learning and growing with kimmy, and from what I have seen from relationships around me.

1. Perfection
Many women have an idea of the perfect man and maybe the perfect life they will have if they met this perfect man. The reality is, there is no perfect man and no perfect relationship. It's a cliche to say this, but it's really just in your mind. You will probably have to lower your standards on certain things and make certain compromises, but at the end of it all, despite flaws and problems, you will feel that the man you are with is perfect for you, but he is not perfect. I find that having someone who complements you in certain ways would be most desirable. He might hate beef and cheese, but that means you get more of that to eat, even though it means you can't share the same love and joy in it. Appreciating the differences in someone will make it less frustrating in your search for that someone who is perfect for you.

2. Change
Some women think they can change the flaws in their man after marriage, or after they get into a commitment with each other. Women these days are strong, opinionated, go-getter types, who excel in their work and thus, they might treat their man as a "project" they can work on. Truth is, most times, men are impossible to change. There will be unusual and rare circumstances in which men change their habits for the "better", but to expect this is bad too, it might let you down. If it does happen, you will be pleasantly surprised. If not, live with it!

3. Great Expectations
Having high expectations are the worst thing that can happen to anyone. Many times, couples face immense difficulty in their relationships because of pre-conceived notions of how they wanted their partner to be like in their day to day life. It could be something small like lifting up the toilet seat or buying presents for each other, to something big like sex 5 times a week and earning a certain amount of money for the family. In most cases, unsaid expectations and feelings of disappointment will lead to arguments and disagreements. The solution to this would be to re-evaluate your expectations of your partner and also to have open, honest communication - see the next point.

4. Open to talk
As many have said before, good honest conversation is the key to a rock solid relationship. Don't keep secrets, don't harbour grudges, don't keep your thoughts to yourself. If you talked it out and expressed your feelings, chances are you'd realise your partner is going through the same sentiments as you are. Many men, i know, do not express themselves very well. Although this is a character trait that might never change, I encourage women to help their men open up and say how they feel. Remember to do it in a calm and relaxed manner, defensive tones and shrill voices will only serve to clam them up.

5. Living Conditions
If you do decide to get married or to get into a committed relationship, it would be best to live together. Whilst i know in our society how hard it is for people to accept cohabiting, it is a key factor in growing a relationship to greater heights. Living together brings about a whole new set of challenges and tests. Some people while great apart, might not fare so well when brought together under the same roof. A lot of understanding and compromises are required. Not only that, living together also requires some amount of responsibility to each other. You will need to encourage yourself and each other to work things out as well, as opposed to being apart and leading individual lives.

6. Compromise and Sacrifice
This is never easy for most people. Society tells us to be our own person, to strive for individuality. The terms "compromise" and "sacrifice" might even be seen as antiquated terms most heard of in our parents' time. They may seem like "bad words" to you now, but to achieve a long lasting relationship, it is integral you embrace these terms as part of your mindset. Many think that to compromise they are losing a part of their identity, and they will be miserable forever. It takes two hands to clap. If both hands had to "lose a part" of each of themselves, who knows, it might prove to bring them closer and happier?

7. Family and Friends
We watch movies and dramas, Romeo and Juliet, and all the great love stories of forbidden love. Two people deeply in love with each other elope despite objections from each other's parents and they live happily ever after. NOT. It would possibly be ok if you wanted to severe ties with the ones closest to you. If not, it is very important that you integrate your family and friends into your relationship. It would definitely be easier for your relationship, but that aside, it is the ones closest to us who help shape our lives as well. I have seen instances where one party looks in disdain at the other's family, and as such, it became a recurring issue, cropping up often, maybe even every year when Christmas and New Year comes, as those are often family events requiring both to appear together as events.

8. Same Old Routine
Relationships are not like dogs. We cannot always do the same thing over and over and still feel happy about it. Many couples get into a "rut" after some years of being together and it silently gets into their system, making them irritable or bored. They might take it out on each other, blaming the other party for being the cause of it. Always remember that relationships have to be worked at, and even persevered. Take time to do new things together, not apart for fear of drifting away. Having individual hobbies is fine but ultimately you must make effort to spend time together, quality time, and not just having sex.

9. Sexy Time
Sex can get boring after awhile. Nobody has exciting sex 24/7 for 50 years at a go, not even the hottest celebrities with the hottest boyfriends or girlfriends. Many couples think that once the spark is gone, and they don't feel so great about the sex, then they should part ways. They might find excitement in new partners, but ultimately it might come back to square one again. Sure, sex is important, but you must learn to engage your mind as well, and your emotional and spiritual side. Sex with many factors thrown in might even be more explosive than just enjoying the physical pleasure. If all else fails, feel free to explore in the bedroom, talk about your fantasies and desires, role-play, be creative.

10. Tempt Me Tempt Me Not
Never put yourself in temptation's way. Some people feel they are very strong, and their love for their partner, however tested, will never waver. These people are most probably the ones who will fall the fastest. If you put yourself in a situation that compromises your fidelity, it could possibly be your downfall. I'm not saying we should take the easy way out and systematically remove all potential temptations in our lives. That would help tons, but what would help even more is to be aware of the fact that it is easy to fall. When you are aware of it, you will be aware of your feelings to your partner as well, and you will consider carefully first, before you put yourself in certain situations.

The first is always the hardest

As the 3rd year of my marriage passes, i think again about my wedding vows, and whether I have made any progress or learnt anything in the past year. I remember my first wedding anniversary. As a sweet gesture, kimmy surprised me with flowers which he ordered and had them sent to my office. I didn't expect that and was pleasantly surprised. What I expected though, I did not get, and the night escalated into a huge quarrel when it could have been a nice time reliving our union.

On hindsight, I feel embarrassed for the things I did and expected. Perhaps it was due to a friend getting presents every month, perhaps it was my dream of an ideal marriage, perhaps I was just making excuses for myself. Kimmy is one who will almost never buy anything pretty and expensive for me. I can yearn for bling and bags but the flowers were a wonderful gesture and I couldn't have asked for more. He is also one who does not enjoy expensive meals under candlelight and my demands for a (cookie cutter) "romantic night out" made him feel uncomfortable and awkward. At the end of the night, he was being snappish and I was very dismayed, thinking "what crap have I got myself into?"

The first year in a marriage is always the hardest I reckon. Some people say it's the honeymoon period. Maybe it's because of "those people" that women like me cling on to our ideals and expectations, thinking our marriage would be our bed of roses. Sometimes, we even think we can change our men to be something more pleasing for us, our marriage and our eyes. Alas, in most instances, it is very difficult. Back then, I wished Kimmy was hunky and sporty and exude "maleness" from his pores. "Wished" is the operative word. It's not that I don't wish if he's hunky and sporty anymore, but that I now see his "maleness" in other forms. It might not be a physical maleness, but I have looked carefully and I have realised I have been a tad bit shallow, and he is man to me in other ways.

There are so many examples I could mention regarding my re-alignment of perceptions and expectations but i'm sure you get the drift. Every marriage is hard, and sometimes the first is even harder. When something doesn't go your way, it is so easy to turn to the nearest strong shoulder to cry on, to turn your back and say goodbye, to give up and say you made a mistake. If you do decide on the difficult path though, you will have to make a great effort, a momentous decision. I said my vows for a reason, I decided and I will persevere. But then, I've never been one to give up so easily, I know I am stronger than that.

And this year, he very sweetly bought me a perfume I had been hankering for, as a surprise. aww... =)

New York, Paris, Milan

I have learned in my years in advertising that it is not uncommon to attach fancy titles like "New York" or "Paris" or "established 1888" to your brand so as to achieve a certain feel and perception in your desired audience. Of course, the credibility in naming your brand in such a way lies in your story and rationale behind it, whether it is real and true, or just a marketing ploy.

Recently, the store Club Marc New York has sprung up around town. They have a huge store in Vivocity and have opened one in Marina Square as well. I've never been enticed to enter the store, being biased against the red and black colour scheme of their logo and signage (very 80s). However, having run out of stores to browse yesterday, I wandered into the Marina Square outlet for a quick look.

At first glance, Club Marc seems polished and edgy, and with surprisingly low prices. If they were really from New York, those prices in USD would have been dirt cheap walmart buys. I was puzzled, a bit pleased, no harm having more cheap and good boutiques in town. The cheap sat well with me, but the good I had to disagree. Many clothes came in bright neon colours this season - lime green and psychaedelic pink (??) - and most of the ladies tops seemed a bit "short" in height. I had the impression they would end at my waist, and I certainly do not want to make my torso look shorter than it already is.

I decided to do my research. What store claims to be from the big apple when the tops looked like they were from HK, size wise, design wise. The Club Marc website was bad. The layout isn't great and the english throws you off a bit. Classic examples include " EVOLUTED TO A NEW FAST FASHION RETAILER" (isn't it evolved?) and "NEW FASHION STLYINGS" (what's a styling, and spelling error at that) -- Do feel free to surf to their website for more grammatical faux pas.

Another juicy tidbit i found out is that the website says the company was established in NYC in 1999 but alas, they have no stores in NYC at the moment, because they are "opening soon". They have an "R&D Center" in NYC though. What is there to R&D about for clothes? Their global HQ is in Singapore and all their stores are here. And they have a long list of countries on their store locator page but I'd bet all except one says "no stores at the moment". I guess the founder is very optimistic, looking to expand into every country in the world.

So...I gather this is a classic case of "fancy titling" in branding and image-building. After reading their website, I find a stronger resolve in me to not purchase anything from them or visit their store again. Such a pity, they turned out to be an empty shell with no substance, and no nice clothes.

it's our anniversary, again!

i am utterly dismayed by my lack of cooking skills and consistency standards. Today is our wedding anniversary and since kimmy was working, we decided to stay home for dinner instead of going out. i rushed to the supermarket after work to grab my ingredients and back home to cook. alas, in a hurry, everything ended up under par. The roasted broccoli and capsicums tasted a tad bit salty to me, whilst his chicken chop, which i thought would be delicious because of bbq sauce, ended up a bit bland. My cod fillet was strange, (I then remembered cod steaks had a nicer texture as compared to the fillet), and my scallops were juicy but too salty. There were also baked beans which kimmy complained were lousy because it was AYAM BRAND, and a small side of spaghetti aglio olio which i liked but he said was too oily. The highlight of the night came from a can of campbell's corn soup, thank goodness for that.

To cap of the evening, we indulged in kettle honey dijon chips...not that great an idea, it turned out like an anti-climax, nice while it lasted, but gave a terrible aftermath. :(

After dinner I watched Amazing Race Asia where the contestants had to eat a huge bowl of smelly tou fu. They felt terrible, I felt terrible, and I wanted to throw up like they were.

as I write this, i feel the urge to puke again. :(

update on roaches...

I ought to post up photos...but oh well...it might gross some of you out.

I installed the "combat cockroach killa" at a new spot underneath the sink last week and it has proven useful. I found 3 dead baby cockroaches already, 2 in the kitchen and 1 in the living room. I dunno why they are baby ones, and I'm not sure if I should be heartened or worried by the fact that I don't see the big ones. In any case, I saw another baby one hanging out in the bomb shelter 2 days ago and promptly smashed him to bits.

Some of my friends never see ANY roaches in their house. I'm wondering if it's because my block of flats is kinda old, or could it possibly be due to a neighbor who's encouraging their existence. I try my best to keep my kitchen as clean as possible, but i dare not think what lurks behind the glossy brown cupboards, where the pipes are...*shudder*

pork with sage

i am deflated, dejected and defeated. i always try my best to make good food for kimmy but he never appreciates any of it. Perhaps he's appreciative of my effort but whatever I make is always greeted by complaints of dislike.

I made pork with sage today. According to Gordon Ramsay, pork tastes great with sage and lemon zest. I tried my best, and I even made sides of mashed potatoes and roasted peppers and zucchini. All this in under an hour, while he was napping. Add to it a full day at work, rushing off to the supermarket at 7 to grab the items, and taking the train back in record time.

I understand kimmy's extremely fussy palate, something he subconsciously picked up from his dad (obviously) who doesn't eat anything except chinese food, and he's been eating that his whole life. I don't cook beef, buy cheese or do anything that's creamy. But whenever I make the same dishes like roasted vegetables and chicken chop, he complains I'm always cooking the same thing, and dismissing me as an inexperienced cook. Today I made something different, and my dishes got dismissed as weird tasting and bad. I dunno how to satisfy him. I cannot cook the same dishes as his mother and I never will. I cannot cook like a masterchef, and I don't want to cook the same dishes that he likes every single day. I cannot bring myself to "tabao" or eat out everyday too, although that seems to suit him fine, but that's not healthy to me.

I feel so sad. He's a great guy, and I doubt I can find someone else as nice as him. But he makes life so difficult for me sometimes, in a way that other women don't have to worry about, and which I envy. Everyone has their peeves about their partners I know, it's just depressing that it's a constant struggle to have to learn to live with it. There is a saying that women often think they can change their husbands after they marry them. Am I in a similar situation?

Playground - baby rabbit batch #3

My mom bought a lovely plastic house for the baby rabbits. Incredibly, they can all squeeze in at the same time. I love how their cage looks like a little playground now with the green mat which coincidentally looks like grass. Looking at them happily playing and eating in their home, you wouldn't suspect that all 3 of them are suffering from injuries at the moment.

Speaking of fun, the swimmers in Beijing are making the water cube their playground, rewriting world and olympic records at an astounding rate. Heat after heat, we're not even talking about finals here, records are smashed and fans are screaming. It makes a truly fun time for us viewers around the world. It's fun for the spectators too although apparently, most of them are volunteers who were given free tickets because there were too many empty spaces showing up on TV and it was getting quite embarrassing for the organisers.

About Me

Previously a registry for friends and family to buy housewarming gifts...Now it's used as a personal blog for my daily (weekly or monthly rather) monologues, and my fondness for discussing the way to personal happiness.

I'm generally a contented person. Except on the rare occasion when I plunge into melancholy and darkness, I am the sort that looks at the silver lining behind the clouds, optimistic that there's hope in this world...and if there's little of that, there's always love.

When I'm not at work as a wedding card design guru, I like to indulge in my various social networking tools, and write a blog entry or two.

Join me as I explore the many ways to be happy in this crazy world, in my travels, experiences, at home, at work, and even in the food I eat.

i hate roaches!

I have always thought that we wouldn't have problems with cockroaches in our new place, seeing that the garbage disposal is located outside the flat. Strangely though, I found a baby cockroach hanging out in the sink this morning. He's the 4th one we had since we moved in. There was one that flew in through the window, one that my mom saw next to the main door, and a third one that was crawling out of the storeroom.

I really hope that there are no colonies in my home, and I clean almost every nook and cranny regularly every week. Could they be crawling in through the window, from a neighbour's house perhaps? Or did they crawl through the drainage covers since they are baby ones and small enough? I feel compelled to buy those cockroach killing devices they sell in the supermarket. But I rather rest knowing that my house is clean enough and free from pests. A friend who lives in a brand new flat has never had roach problems in the last 2 years. I feel a bit worried now...

Baby Rabbits for Adoption

my mom's rabbits gave birth to some babies...it's quite a handful keeping so many so she's looking to give some away. buzz me if you are interested. They are barely 2 months old and terribly cute! Grab them while they are cute and curious!

Our clock

we got a clock similar to the one we like! Unfortunately while it doesn't come in red, it's fits the living hall nicely still. It was a gift from our friends at Bara Interior. Thanks very much for blessing us with this gift!

Attempt at Nature

We love the tall Yucca plant at Far East Flora that's designed for indoor use. there are no holes at the base of the pot and it's been specially done with a water level tube so you can safely and easily look after the plant. However, it's $168 and we're wondering whether it would be worth the buy. We wont mind a fake version but dont think they sell such plants in plastic! also, the outdoor version is only 98, making it more of a pinch to buy the indoor version.

Till we get a real plant, here's what we've done to our bedside tables to incorperate nature into our lives :P