gahmen jargon lesson

Today, my gahmen taught me two new words. I'm so excited about my new-found vocab, I can't wait to share it with you.

*rushes to smooth creases on shirt, straighten collar and clear throat*

Word number one: workfare

A workfare scheme refers to an incentive scheme that will help low-wage workers, only if they make every effort to find or keep jobs. Workfare was inspired by the word "welfare".

Word number two: right-sizing

Not a new word, actually. Often used to refer to retrenchments, it also now means family planning. A sentence using the new meaning could go like this: "Mr Tan, who has a brood of five kids, has finally decided to right-size his family because he can't afford to send a sixth one to school."

(PS: I hereby clarify that I'm in no way against the new measures to help my fellow Singaporeans. In fact, I applaud them.)

i miss NTU

It's true....I do miss NTU.

Went back there today to interview some students for my freelance work. And I swear Canteen A/North Spine/South Spine/SCS/Everything Including NIE were calling out to me.

I think it's because I kept comparing being there to being at NUS. At NUS, there seems to be this invisible boundary that I've unknowingly drawn out for myself - if I step across the line, I'm just simply going to get lost. I mean you would think that if a block was called AS6, then AS5 should be next to it right? But no...err...I still don't know where AS5 is.

So as I admired the soothing grey facade of my beloved NTU, and took comfort in the angularity and organised structure of the various blocks, I couldn't help but feel...at home again. (Though during my first year there, the school look was just plain boring. How age changes your perspective! Heh.)

So anyways, all you ex-CS people, you know Canteen A (the engineering canteen) now has Macs????? YES!!!! That huge yellow M was shining so bright I could have shielded my eyes from it. And hor, now all the stalls got big bright signboards with colourful pictures of food leh. All to tantalise your tastebuds.

And hor, as you walk up the stairs to where the computer shop is, you see awnings that look like the sails of a yacht - to provide shade for students. How thoughtful.

And of course, I couldn't resist paying Shyam a visit at our good ol' CS building. As usual, from afar, I noticed his office was damn dark. Then I remembered, he works in the dark!!! (with a dim lamp that somehow helps him see.) Peered through his window and he was there!!!

How nice to see this dear ol' jet-setting prof again! I mean, he was actually in town! But oh well, he had only three minutes to class, so we couldn't really talk.

Ok can't type more, need to go for my own class. Back to old ah pek lecturing on substance abuse again :)

yaaawn.... (and then I take it back)

Life's a little boring, but I'm not unhappy.

Everyday I sit at home in front of my PC and edit long sentences and scientific jargon written by engineering academics. Think "electro-atomization" and "rare earth nano materials", and the occasional misspelling (one s or two s-es???) of "atomization" as "atomoization", which makes you wonder if "atomoization" is a legitimate scientific term you never knew.

Oops, that sentence was long isn't it?
Feel free to edit.

Lunch means popping downstairs for either a bowl of yong tau foo kway teow - in soup. Or, tang hun (glass noodles). Uncle, I want yu yuan (fishball) de.

Then it's off to school at 5pm, in order to reach class at 6.30pm.

Lesson starts lesson ends.

I'm just glad I still get to watch America's Next Top Model. Tyra loses it next Monday! Watch out for the screaming match!

:)

support

One self-awareness class at school has made me think hard about the "unfinished business" I have with myself. It's stuff like this that you sweep under the carpet that makes you go through sudden spurts of grief, something you can't really explain yourself.

I figured if I want to help others next time, I need to help myself first because the stuff that happens to me colours the way I see other people's problems. And in a way, I think blogging is helping me to articulate my unspoken feelings in a less confrontational manner - I don't need to tell anyone in person, and that makes me feel safe. (I know the whole world can read it, but it's helping me, so what the heck.)

I have decided to join a suicide survivors support group started by the Samaritans of Singapore. Attended a one-to-one get-to-know-you session with an elderly counsellor on Saturday.

In a way, even through that 45-minute session, I managed to suss out some reasons for my difficult-to-explain sadness. I'm beginning to realise that although I am plagued by guilt from my grandpa's suicide, I'm also suffering from the cumulative effects of have lost three loved ones to death. And also perhaps reasons for bottling my grief within myself, and my frustration at why deaths have to result in unpleasant repercussions in other pple's lives.

I believe I need to come to a point where I can talk about my sadness without bursting into tears. I really hope that in some way, the support group will help.

I need to find some closure, that's for sure.

And I must say, it was damn scary taking that first step.

The river runs through it

I have just finished reading Norman Maclean's autobiographical book, The River Runs Through It. Set against the beautiful mountains and rivers of Montana, Maclean tells a tale of brotherly love - and loss - through a religious penchant for fly-fishing shared by his Scottish minister father, his journalist younger brother, and himself.

His younger brother Paul (which the book hints to have alcohol issues, betting problems and a violent streak as a result of drinking) is eventually brutally murdered. The family's love for Paul is strong. Yet, as with many families, they grapple with the fact that while they loved him, they never really understood him. Or, perhaps, they did not have the chance to understand him.

Here are some excerpts that have particularly touched me...

I watched the road carefully, saying to myself, hell, my brother is not like anybody else. He is my brother and an artist and when a four-and-a-half-ounce rod is in his hand he is a major artist. He doesn't piddle around with a paint brush or take lessons to improve his short game and he won't take money even when he must need it and he won't run anywhere from anyone, least of all to the Arctic Circle. It is a shame I do not understand him.

Yet even in the loneliness of the canyon I knew there were others like me who had brothers they did not understand but wanted to help. We are probably those referred to as "our brothers' keepers", possessed of one of the oldest and possibly one of the most futile and certainly one of the most haunting of instincts. It will not let us go.

and...

For some time, though, he (Paul's father) struggled for more to hold on to. "Are you sure you have told me everything you know about his death?" he asked. I said, "Everything." "It's not much, is it?" "No," I replied, "but you can love completely without complete understanding." "That I have known and preached," my father said.

and finally, this statement by Paul's father haunts me the most...

"It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us."

I HAVE LOW SELF ESTEEM

WAH LAU!!!! Did anyone see Olinda Cho on the back page of ST Life today???? She's a frigging 57kg!!!!!!!!!!! Down from 72kg!!!!!

How is that possible???????? She looks SVELTE...SLim...

I have two miniscule kilograms I have been working to get rid of for FOUR years, they just won't disappear. AAARGGHHH!!!! I need a slimming endorsement!!!!

what's your passion?

I wish I could call playing music my passion. But if passion was measured by the time I spend practising my electric piano, acoustic guitar and vocal chords, I think it should be called an occasional pastime - at best.

Should I thank God that I'm able to play the piano decently for my church worship services? I suffer from the jitters every time the good pianists (they play for gigs and teach music) are in the congregation, because I know I can't hide my lack of practice. Sorry God, I know I'm supposed to give you my best.

The skin on my fingers is as soft as cotton now. Without the callousness, pressing guitar strings is a pain. Literally. To think that I used to compose songs with that beloved instrument. Actually, that was partly due to James' influence.

James the music fanatic composes songs, improves his jazz guitar like nobody's business and spends his money freely on music recording equipment. But James has, for many months, stopped bugging me with the MSN message: "New song?"

How do some people possess such enduring passion? What's your passion? If you have one - that is.

private blog, an oxymoron

I much prefer to keep my blog private, though a private blog is an oxymoron I know, given the that fact that it's hosted on the Internet. Ah well, since I quite enjoy blogging, I shall continue hoping that if this blog is chanced upon by people, they will be pleasant folks!

Was pretty freaked out yesterday when I checked the URLs that visitors to my blog came from. Unfortunately, when I decided to post them up today, the URLs had been replaced by more recent URLs.

ANYWAY. One link was a google search for, get this, fat girl with white butt and another was for f4 girls (the latter I believe to be a hunt for the new Taiwanese foursome validated by cup sizes not smaller than F!!! Got bra that big meh???)

FAINT.

knowing you and knowing me

I have to admit, I didn't expect social work studies to be so full of "theoretical frameworks". At this point in time, I am incapable of articulating how these frameworks come into play, cos in my attempt to read the textbooks, I've had difficulty keeping my eyes open!

The best I've grasped is that social work is not just a heart-to-heart talk with your client (yes! that's a jargonistic term I've to get used to!). It is very much a science as well, as you have to consider how social systems and the individual interact. And you also look at research that others have done and incorporate their results into your case work, while taking into account the uniqueness of your client's situation, values and problems.

Jumble jumble jumble. It's all a blur now. I hate theories. But I guess they are important because at least they give a tried and proven method of dealing with things. And there has to be a systematic way of handling cases right?

I was talking to little miss belle on my way home from school one night, and I told her I'm so used to getting things done straight to the point that it's now hard to have to go through this mountain of history, research and theories just to set the basic foundation for my future practice.

In journalism, you interview, structure your story and vomit the facts out point-blank. No frills please, thank you very much. Is it just the Singaporean in me? Or do I just have to get used to the idea of in-depth study again?

I've realised too, that I've changed. I'm not as focused as I used to be. Or is it that my classmates are now mature individuals who cherish every second they spend in class after having rushed there from work?

There are now others who buy textbooks faster than I do, prepare their lessons better than I do, and reach class earlier than I do. I actually got one class mixed up with another the other day and I ended up being half an hour late for it. Leo said it was so uncharacteristic of me to be so, well, "tardy".

I don't know. Have I changed? Loosened up? Take things easier?

A lesson on "knowing yourself" has also got me thinking. There are basically four types of selves:
(1) open self (what you and your friends know about you)
(2) blind self (what your friends know about you that you don't know)
(3) hidden self (what you know about yourself that your friends don't know
(4) unknown self (what you and your friends both don't know about you, which is of cos, something you can never answer!)

The idea is to broaden your open self, so that you are aware of the values and beliefs you hold, as these affect how you interact with the client. I think I should name my blind self "the self I deny", because seriously, I know there are traits about myself that I'm aware of, but that I try to deny are present.

This lesson also got me thinking about experiences that still haunt me, and may affect my practice in future. Namely, my grandpa's unnatural death. I'm still plagued by guilt. I think maybe I need some therapy?

One lecturer actually mentioned that if a person has suicidal tendencies, he should never be left alone for 24hours. If no one can take care of him, he should be admitted to a hospital. I wasn't aware of this, I thought my grandpa was joking, and now he's dead.

Then again, what could I have done? He would never admit himself into a hospital, I know for sure. And here comes the other dilemma I hate to face - what do you do when someone you love doesn't want to help himself?

my first homecooked lunch!

Pigs are flying!!! I actually handled a frying pan..to..to..to..COOK!!! I never knew this day would arrive. Was so tempted to look out the window to catch sight of a soaring porky pig, but I restrained myself. Siao ah!!!!????

I fried a marinated chicken fillet, and prepared a salad for myself. Ok lah, not much of cooking (since the only thing that needed cooking was the chicken and hard-boiled egg), BUT STILL, it's a first.

Here's what it involved:
Chicken breast (from NTUC) marinated in Tai Hua chicken marinate, light soya sauce and sesame oil. My mum was very helpful indeed. Like all cooks, she said: "just add a bit of this a bit of that a bit of this." Err...I just whacked lah. Think I put too much sesame oil. Anyone got a good marinate recipe to suggest?

As for the salad, it had local lettuce, which I chose cos I once interviewed the farmer who grows this Pasar brand of lettuce in Choa Chu Kang!!! So supportive right, me? The leaves showed off a beautiful green and looked yummy. But I found out later that the taste is not sweet enough.

Other stuff in the salad were one sliced tomato, one sliced hard-boiled egg, and some Philadelphia cheese.

There was some panic in the kitchen for some moments, cos (1) I forgot to lay the newspapers to keep the nearby surfaces clean of splattering oil (my mum's gonna kill me) and (2) I forgot to keep the clothes hanging in the kitchen in case they smelt of cooked food (my mum's gonna kill me). All these I remembered halfway through cooking and frantically rushed around to keep the clothes and dig out the newspapers.

Phew. After wiping up, the kitchen, thankfully, it looks and feels worthy of my mum's entrance tonight. :) Bon appetit.

Take My Hand, Precious Lord

Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on
Let me stand
I'm tired, I am weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When my way grows drear precious Lord linger near
When my life is almost gone
Hear my cry
Hear my call
Hold my hand lest I fall
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

When the darkness appears and the night draws near
And the day is past and gone
At the river I stand
Guide my feet
Hold my hand
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

an oldie my late dad used to sing
of which, a hazy melody remains
i hope to never forget one thing
the eternal glory, that should be my main

invitation to North Korea

Mr Lau Theng Siak, the 90-year-old intrepid traveller I interviewed for a travel supplement, has written to me again (see picture). This time, to invite me to join him on his second tour to the mysterious North Korea.

The first time he wrote was some months ago. At that time, the destinations he proposed were Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Power!

Here's an excerpt from his latest letter, promoting North Korea:

The Strange Slope in Shen Yang is the most mysterious. Going down the slope, the vehicle has to accelerate. Going up the slope, the engine can be switched off and the vehicle rolls up against gravity. You can also hire a bicycle there and try out yourself.

For those who are interested in acrobatics and entertainment technics, North Korea is a must. Our entertainment skill in S'pore is elementary compared with the technology they exhibited in N. Korea. You can't believe your eyes when you see it.

westie in the west

Shermaine (see picture) the friendly westie that never barks (we all think she's a mute, we haven't even heard a growl) is the latest addition to leo's family. This two-year-old is such a dear and she quite loves me! Haha. Well, that's cos I haven't disciplined her yet, until today when she pooed on the carpet in the living room for the third time in a week!

This is truly a mystery. She knows the toilet is the place to go, but there're these few times when she unexpectedly let it out on the carpet. It always happens either when the family is asleep, or when no one is at home. We think it's cos she wants attention? But really?

****************************************
Going west...
I'm quite tired of travelling from Punggol to NUS for class. The journey is one and a half hours and I'm so not used to it! Thank goodness I've my books for company. In fact, I finished one in two to-and-fro trips this week.

It's a really delightful read by Zimbabwe-born Alexander McCall Smith called Morality For Beautiful Girls. This book is part of the series headlined by the popular The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

Precious Ramotswe is the owner of Botswana's only detective agency for the "concerns of both ladies and others", and she goes around solving mysteries, well actually, more like other people's problems. Humorous and easy to read.

Have started on another book called A River Runs Through It (and other stories) by the late Norman Maclean. Although I've just begun, I'm liking what I'm reading. In his acknowledgements, he wrote something that I think writers (and bloggers!) might appreciate:

It was my children, Jean and John, who started me off. They wanted me to put down in writing some of the stories I had told them when they were young. I don't want, though, to put the blame on my children for what resulted.

As is known to any teller of stories who eventually tries to put a few of them down in writing, the act of writing changes them greatly, so none of these stories closely resembles any story I told my children.

For one thing, writing makes everything bigger and longer; all these stories are much longer than is needed to achieve one of the primary ends of telling children stories - namely, that of putting children to sleep.

However, the stories do give evidence of retaining another of those purposes - that of letting children know what kind of people their parents are or think they are or hope they are.

Class in session

My professor for my class on substance abuse reminds me of a provision shop ah pek! He came to class in a pair of old-fashioned black rubber sandals worn with socks. Brown pants and white short-sleeved shirt with white singlet peeking from under.

Classic.

He pronounces heroin as HER-ROY-YEARN, and for a moment I really thought there was such a thing called "inherent abuse". Like, I don't know, someone is abusing himself internally? Then on reading the notes, I realised it was "inhalant abuse" ie glue-sniffing and the like, and not "inherent abuse" that he kept repeating. BEST.

Despite these inhalant flaws, oops I mean inherent flaws (hee), he's quite a humorous fella with a lot of degrees and achievements to his name. Doesn't look like it, but the books he's written and the national committees he's sat on are all proof I guess. Class should not be boring :)

Have another interesting and funny lecturer for my other class on contemporary social work practice. He claims not to be anti-establishment, just refusing to "stand on the Establishment because the tea was not nice enough", hinting at the teas that the ruling party has invited him to in the past. Haha.

Smart guy, very opinionated and has had a great deal of field experience.

What scares me a little is how, on the pretext of getting to know everyone in his class by name (and saying "Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not marking you), he keeps coming back to you for answers to questions that he asks. And he locks his gaze on you.

For instance, once, he somehow came onto the topic of the PUB bill. He asked himself: "What's my PUB bill?" Looking like he was digging through his records in his mind, he suddenly turned to one student and asked: "What's your PUB bill?" Student, shocked, answers. Prof then says: "Is it? Oh...So, what's your name?"

Random.

Lecturers aside, I think I'm suffering from school anxiety. Aargh! I feel like a primary one girl on her first day at school all over again! I think it's my perfectionist streak at work. AGAIN. Having quite a number of people in class who have had some sort of experience in social work, I realised that I'm worrying that I can't keep up enough with them. That I don't know enough to answer the questions the right way, that I might seem juvenile in my analysis of cases.

Paranoid.

At the same time, I'm excited at learning, all over again. Can't wait to buy my textbooks later on. I feel the lecture notes are too sketchy, I catch no ball ah! I need to read read read.

Attending a post-grad class is really different from sitting in an undergrad class. Everyone is game to participate, people challenge, people share. Really interesting.

My classmates - the ones I've got to know so far - are a pretty unique bunch of people. There are two who work in the women's prison (AIYO, one of them said she's seen my name in the papers before!), one pretty Hong Kong girl who was a teacher back home and who recognised me in class cos she had seen me registering at the school a month back!

Then there's this girl from China who studied computer engineering at NTU, didn't want to work in that field, took off to Zambia and Shanghai to do volunteer work! There's one who works with the intellectually disabled, and there're those who work for bigger organisations like NCSS and MCYS. Many many more...

We also have to do a group project for one class, and I was quite averse to it at first. I'm a hermit. I like to work independently lah. But after meeting my group last night, I thought, they look quite nice. Should be ok I guess!

pre-school time

Two more hours to class. Managed to squeeze out some time for lunch with kartaly, cocoatina and kelly, and seven-month-old godson ethan. Learnt three new things during this short outing:

1. The whole of Singapore doesn't need to work or go to school today, and they've congregated at Plaza Singapura. Car park was full, food court packed, teens out in droves.

2. Banks are child-friendly too. Need a break from carrying junior? The Quick Cheque Deposit comes in handy (see picture of Ethan on right). Just deposit lor! Kids like 'em!



3. Sometimes kids bring out maternal instincts you never knew your friends had. Kartaly - smitten with Ethan - handles the pram with finesse, vigour and all that sass (see picture on left)! She wants to copy The SASSY Slumbering Girl lor...

(4. Eh, this is an extra point, learnt not only today. Whenever going out with a mummy with her arms full of the kid, be prepared to hold the kid's bolster, carry the huge baby bag, lug the mummy's and your own shopping, and err...answer the mummy's phone!)

Friends and fondue

olduvai and I gathered at dimsumdolly's house last night to christen her chocolate fondue set, a prize she had won at a food bloggers' outing.

We hacked away at a 1kg slab of dark chocolate, "double-boiled" the chocolate pieces to melt them, cut up strawberries, kiwis and bananas...Olduvai arranged the marshmallows into a pyramid and suggested we toast them over tealights. Heh heh. We did and some caught fire!

Apart from a ghastly mistake (up to now we can't pinpoint the reason, but it could be we poured cold milk into the melting choc, causing it to harden again), everything was waaaay oh-kaaaay. You could check out dimsumdolly's blog for pix, cos she'll prob be posting them up soon.

Today was spent at Eug's house, lazing around by the pool, as FY told in full detail the marriage proposal that happened by the leaky pipe. Four of us ate a mish mash of food (mamee, grapes, jelly, pizza) as we chatted under the sun.

Actually, I'm beginning to feel a little tired of doing nothing much! Aargh, humans are so hard to please. I need to start on my freelance work. And I can't wait to begin my first day of school tomorrow! Off to NUS!

Analyse your mood

I took a mood analysis test (courtesy of ah beng), simply by ranking colours that I liked. The results were pretty accurate, shockingly! Try the test here. Here're my results:

You are always alert and keenly observant. You are not truly satisfied with your everyday status and you are seeking fresh avenues which can give you the opportunity to prove your worth. You feel that there are still many barriers that stand between you and recognition - but one by one you will overcome them. Your tenacity is your one good point - like an English Bulldog, once you take the bite, you will seldom let go.

You are lazy - you dream of a peaceful, calm, uncluttered and uncomplicated life. Your ideal would be to share a permanent base with some person or persons who would be able to demonstrate on-going love, peace and security.

Everything seems to have gone wrong and the situation at this time is such that you are not quite sure which way to turn. So it would appear that you are 'holding back', re-consolidating your position and relinquishing all fun and games for the time being.

You are frustrated and stressed. You appreciate the finer things in life but at all times you appear to stay aloof, critical of everything and everyone about you. You will not be carried away by your emotions and you refuse to trust anyone or any situation unless genuineness and integrity can be absolutely vouched for. Therefore, you keep a strict and watchful control on your feelings as you must know exactly where you stand at all times. You demand complete sincerity as a protection against your own tendency to be too trusting.

Matters are not all that they would appear to be and you are critical of the existing conditions which you feel are confused and disorganized. You are therefore looking for a modus operendi which will simplify the situation so that you will be able to see the 'trees in the woods'.

Buena Vista Social Club loses another one

Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer dies

The veteran Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer has died in a Havana hospital, aged 78.
He had recently completed a month-long tour of Europe, and was admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis, his wife Caridad Diaz told the AFP news agency.

He was a master of the son and bolero styles, but was in obscurity when US guitarist Ry Cooder recruited him for the Buena Vista Social Club.

The 1997 record of the same name gave him an international reputation in his seventies, and led to numerous tours.

read more here...

So sad...the world of Cuban jazz loses another great singer. Loved the way he sang, totally effortless, yet so full of soul...

The Nation Celebrates with Mud and Dung


Finally, the day came for Concert by the Bay at Marina South, an event that is part of this year's National Day celebrations. Dim Sum Dolly (now a Mayday convert), her fren D (a Mandopop guru and crazy-enough Mayday fan), and I (ahem, quite ONs Mayday fan), trooped down to join the HORDES of Singaporeans at the carnival.

What greeted us was the unmistakable stench of dung. Cow dung. It had rained earlier, so the ground was terribly muddy. And I don't know why it contained dung. Anyway, we endured the smell as we sat from 7pm to 11pm along the muddy-footprint-scarred makeshift wooden benches, enjoying the spectacular fireworks show and of cos, MAYDAY!!!

But before that, of cos, we had to listen to Rui En and Taufik belting out Reach Out For The Skies before the fireworks started. And this whole row of very cute, mixed-parentage kids (see picture above) started chorusing very loudly when the song started. Complete with the dance steps you see in the MTV that plays every minute of the day on TV!!! Oh man!!! And they even raised their hands and swayed to the song. Propaganda at work!!! Fancy ingraining citizens with such patriotic feelings at such a tender age.


A Portuguese team was at the helm of a beautiful 15-minute display of fireworks, which danced to the lively tempo of a medley of fast songs. One moment, they were a sudden burst of red showers, another moment, they were sprinkles of gold dust, like a trail of magic dust from a fairy godmother's wand!


And yet another moment, they were like great spots of bright lights shooting upwards carefully, before spraying a pattern of blue or green sparks that faded into a canvass of night black. Absolutely captivating. My pictures do no justice to the moment.

After this initial euphoria, it was back to endless waiting for my beloved Mayday. A total of six artistes, including Mayday and Emil Chau, were to perform. Of course, they saved the best for last lah. Emil made a short appearance during Mayday's act and sang a Beatles song as well as Knocking On Heaven's Door with Mayday as the backup band and vocalists. What a rare moment!

Emil is my childhood idol (HAHAHA, I went to his concert when I was in Sec 3, with three other schoolmates!!!) And Mayday is my current idol. And they were singing English songs that I like!!! WOOHOO!


Ashin looked hot in pink man. Unfortunately, I was too far away to get a good picture. Here he is with Stone, who is on the electric Stratocaster (I think it is, leo ever identified it for me). But, was so sad, my camera ran out of power after I took the second shot of Ashin and Stone :(

Anyways, the entire concert ended up like Mayday's own mini-concert cos they sang like eight to 10 songs, whereas everyone else only did three to four. SO HAPPY!!! D and I had run onto the muddy field to sing with the crowd and see Mayday more clearly, and D ended up with her feet all brown with mud cos she wore slippers. Haha. Dim Sum Dolly - the not so crazy one - wisely stayed on the benches.

All in all, mud or dung, the experience hao HIGH wor (as the Taiwanese would say)!!!

great view, great pizza

For a panoramic view of Singapore city, along with some great pizza, head on down to New Asia Bar at Swissotel The Stamford.

Located on Level 71 of the towering hotel, the bar-cum-restaurant offers its drinks, or what it calls Sundowners, at half-price everyday from 3pm to 9pm. I had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc as I munched on my salami pizza, which went for $18. Pizza's worth it. Not too cheesy, just enough for two hungry adults, and the crust is done the right way - crispy and thin. Actually it was supposed to come with mushrooms too, but I'm not a mushroom fan, so I requested for more salami slices to replace them. YUM.

For a clearer view of the padang, you have to walk down one floor to Equinox restaurant. It was only while I was taking the picture that I realised the new Supreme Court has this huge UFO-like grey disc as its roof (see right side of pic)! Eeks! An aberration in the landscape!

tai tais on a shoestring budget

We are tai tais on a shoestring budget. We don't work, we like to shop, and we hanker after a good bargain. This white pair of jappo shoes is evidence. Buy two for $45!!!

And err...get each pair for a dollar cheaper??? Actually what kind of bargain is that ah??? Ah, what the heck lah, cocoatina and I still got them, hers a funky bright green pair.

Welcome to Bugis Village. Revamped, yes, but how long ago I don't know, cos when I hadn't earned my tai tai status, I hardly visited. But after reading a recent Straits Times article on the heep and happenin' AND CHEAP stuff retailing at this Heeren-wannabe, and with support from fellow tai-tai-on-a-shoestring-budget cocoatina, the shopping trip thus materialised.

To get to the abovementioned new shops, after you enter Bugis Village, look for small lanes on one side of it. Shops that caught the eyes of this young tai tai included Fresh Box, a streetwear boutique stocked with locally designed T-shirts. The guys' Tees each cost $18.90. Reasonable.

Another shop sold all Adidas jackets and track pants. Ultra cool. We salivated at one black sporty trenchcoat (Yes! Adidas trenchcoat complete with signature triple stripes!), but alas, tai tais don't wear sporty trenchcoats. Not in keeping with the image, and definitely not within budget. We didn't bother to ask!

We carried on our exploration to the second floor and were pleasantly greeted by the cool air-conditioning...and...MORE SHOPS!!!

I spotted a shop all dog lovers will go ga-ga over. It sells doggy T-shirts! Actually, at first, I thought they were real cute outfits for lil' Ethan in cocoatina's arms, until she exclaimed: "THEY ARE FOR DOGS!!!"

Oops. Sorry Ethan. Godma has erred.

But but but, watch out for the price. A size seven Adidas-inspired bright orange Tee with blue hemlines (it said Adidog!! HAHAH!) cost $29.90!!! That's big enough for leo's westie to wear, but DEFINITELY not within budget.

As us tai tais walked away from the shop, still reeling in shock at the exorbitant price, we agreed that there was no way we would even spend that much on ourselves.

radio not so friendly

I AM VERY UPSET.

I didn't win a chance to get four tickets to the "priority standing area" at the free Concert by the Bay at Marina South. Boo hoo!!! So wanted to see Mayday up close again!!! Now I may have to squeeze with the crowd behind. (the concert is part of the National Day celebrations at Marina South.)

When the 93.3FM deejay announced that there would be an SMS competition to choose 12 winners who will each get four special tix to this coveted PRIORITY space at the concert on Aug 6, I nearly stopped breathing. Listeners were supposed to say which international artiste they were looking forward to see and WHY. Here's mine (typed in a hurry):

I wanna watch Mayday cos I can't wait to headbang to their live rock music! Not a chance to be missed!

LAME. Who in the world headbangs to Mayday's music? More like scream like a crazy woman and sing along. Aiya, but I couldn't think of a better reason!

A few hours after I sent the sms, the deejay announced the winners, and I missed part of the results. So I thought, I still have a chance if I call the station to ask! And then, the bombshell: Winners would have been notified through their mobile phones. Obviously they didn't buy my reason.

Sigh. But I'll take heart. They will pick new winners tomorrow! I'll stick to the radio like glue. Apparently one of today's winners said his birthday was on National Day and he wanted to go to the concert to celebrate his and Singapore's birthday together. PLEASE LAH. Bluff one. AND, he didn't answer the question! Not fair.

How how? What reason can I think of?