Cats of the world II: Photography exhibition 2008

A walk to remember...along Singapore River

Another fun day today! Out with my lil & love ones to someplace away from our normal east routes. New venue: Raffles Place, Singapore River. The initial intention was to see the Cat exhibition at the Art House, but our attention was diverted to the chain of ice cream stalls, the bronze statues and gorgeous landscape of Boat Quay/River. It was not my first time there, but somehow the place just looked surprisingly different today. I guess that is the nature of love; everything normal looks extra special when you are with the people you adore and cherish!

Took loads of pics! Cat lovers should go to the exhibition. Not an extensive range of cat photos, but those displayed were well taken and the cats are extremely adorable. Feel like adopting one..hmmm..

Before the outing ended, my inner child reappeared the moment i stepped into the playground at Kembangan. Played a lil hide and seek as well as catching... ahhh...really felt young again! Tried so hard to squeeze myself onto the animal rocking chair. Trust me, it wasn't easy! Hehe... it is good to be a kid again... and to remind us of the simple things in life. Never take things for granted.

Our pictures:
a. Nadya & papa

b. The trio

c. Our Singapore River

d. Playground time

Demsey virgins no more!

After months of our "Demsey talk", the 3 ladies finally did it! We paid the beautiful, non-localised town, Demsey Hill, a visit. Jun was the most excited among the 3 of us, well at least the first to showcase her outburst of euphoria and exhilaration. :)

The place is just downright gorgeous! Felt like we were transported into another faraway place. A different city altogether.. we briskly walked along the tiny lanes to see all the antique stores, restaurants and winery. Finally made our stopover at California, a somewhat italian-american fusion deli. Was sooo mesmerized by its decor, and unique service style. It is more of a self service deli than a full serviced one. Yet, kindness from the staff was in abundance. And the chef, for once, a Malay guy. He is good! The food was superb.

Finally made our pick. Entree was the nachos; thin slices of chips smothered with melted cheese, pickled jalepeno and salsa sauce. We gobled it up within minutes! Jun and Maya tried the Fisherman's salmon wharf. Rich textured salmon, slightly topped with orange sauce. A mushroom lover that i am, mine was a giant sandwich with sauteed mushroom and thyme. One word: AMAZING.

After 3hrs of bumming at the deli, we decided to head off elsewhere. The plan was to chill at East coast park - but a failed formula was at play - 2 (semi new) + 1 (trainee) + 3 (lady) drivers = disaster! haha.. we got lost and ended up in Changi village instead. Equally cool place. Soft breeze and an okay concrete bench. So.. not too bad! Had a good chat about the past, present and future.

Another hour passed, and it was time to come back to our hood: northside. Quick stop at AA coffeeshop, off Sembawang road. Had a drink to quench our thirst, and shared a plate of Thai mee goreng. Surprisingly enough, it was good. Spicy and moist. Yum.. can't believe we could actually eat again after a hearty late lunch! (but, we had only a sandwich and technically a scoop of ice cream.. so still did not qualify us as glutton. haha)

Finally, Maya's car had a good bath at Esso. It had paid it's dues today and therefore needed some pampering. Haha. Had a greeeat day today girls! Next trip.. Hog Kong??!

Which ones are you?

Heard of the line "Till death do us part?" How true is this in today's world? I have seen couples express their love for each other, promising to stick together through thick and thin. But how many of them really keep that promise, when things go wrong? When circumstances fall short of your expectation, you will be amazed to see how "fast" your partner can run

I stumbled upon a snippet in Life today. The wise words of a HK veteran actor who said, in his own words, "Behind an unsuccessful man, is his wife and mum." He mentioned how his wife and family supported him during his debt-striken days. And I can never agree more, nor feel so touched. Take note of the word he used - "unsuccessful". The usual one we heard of on a regular basis is "Behind every successful man, is a woman". But has anyone ever asked who this woman is? His wife? his mum? Or his other woman? All of us just assume "the woman" is his spouse.

Reality sets in and that is not necessarily the truth. How many times have we seen the rich and famous got entangled in a lot more than "a happy ever after marriage". Divorce lawyers can't wait to sink their teeth into the greener pastures on the other side! Wih material wealth comes temptations and greed. Once you sink too deep, it is almost impossible to get out.

Money, money, money. Don't we all love it. What we forget is simplicity. Money is the basic survival for everyone of us, but it DOES NOT spells out Eternal joy and security. I have seen couples who barely make ends meet but such joy on their faces. Never once they feel incomplete just because the lack of "000"s in their bank account. They have the support, deep respect and strong love for each other, and that is a gift no money can buy.

I have also read about the celebrities, the rich and famous , who have it all. They have huge mansions, private jets, high life and all the money you can think of. But it is still not enough. They are always hungry. Why? Cos they are searching for that one thing, to fill the emptiness in their hearts. "Is she with me cos of me or my money?" - a common query in their mind. And this uneasiness is just so overbearing at times that you would rather let go of all your material possession just to feel truly loved and cared for.

To sum it all, when you are at your peak, rich and powerful, every woman or living being will shower you with all types of promises (empty ones mostly)and even sell their soul to the devil just to have a share of your pie? But when you are down and poor, no one sticks by you, not a single drink buddy, friend, colleague, and sadly to some, not even their wife.

See how sucky the reality is. Some women are just bitches, while some are a saint. But looking for angels are like finding a needle in a haystack. So know who your true love and friends are. Bad times are a good judge for that.

Ok.. enough negativity. Not all love is bullsh*t

I am lucky to know some friends who are blessed with true love. My bestie for one. I saw how she helped him through his financial woes and never once, separation lingered in her mind. And with that, i totally respect her. I love you bestie! ;)

Yes, i am a hopeless romantic. I would trade any worldly riches for the simple things in life. And grow old with someone who loves me for who i am and to share my joys and sorrows together. And thank you god, to have given me this gift. I cannot ask for more

So guys, the next time a girl say "I love you" to you, while getting comfy in your Beamer or Mercedes, really scan thru those words. They may disappoint you, or worse, bring you to the divorce court.

Happy birthday Shaz & Wan!

The twins just had their 18th birthday 2 weeks ago. Left my cam at their place, hence the delayed post. Overall, i had a blast. Some funny moments, happy ones and best of all, was when a son professed his love to his mum!... no song did it better than "Ibu" by Exist. Sweet!!

Videos taken during the bash:
a. The birthday song


b. Sabo time


c. Duet with the girlfren. She has a nice voice!


d. A special song for mummy

All about Jeff Dunham.. www.jeffdunham.com

He has a few dolls that he used during his act. My most favourite is "Achmed the dead terrorist". Check them out.
1. First up: Melvin the superhero


2. Peanut, his buddy


3. Walter, the vietnam war veteran


4. His new manager, Sweet Daddy D


4. "Achmed the dead terrorist"
a. Singing the christmas carols

Totally hilarious!!

A great game to play at your next chalet outing. A game you can play with your friends. I must say, these jaos are realli creative!!

Books

Read some wonderful books over the past few months. Just thought it is time for me to compile the titles and share them with my frens who frequent my blog. ;) Hope to give you an idea for your next book purchase! Or even to escape from having to select titles from the millions of choices in the library database.

1. "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom (the best ever book! Strong insights on real life experiences, socio-psychological teachings and advises from a wise man)

2. "Freakonomics" by Steven D.Levitt. A serious book on economics and the way the world functions. Gave a deep insight on business and the logic behind it.

3. "How Starbucks built a company one cup at a time" by Harold Schultz. All business. How a man is so determined to make his dream come true. And to free his family from further hardship.

4. "Diary of a Manhattan call girl" by Tracy Quan. True story of her life as a high class call girl in America. The social stigma, the lying and the life of rich businessmen who engage in such distasteful activity.

5. "Blink" by Malcom Gladwell. You never see things as they are ever again.

Currently reading,
"The undercover economist" by Tim Harford. Similar to Freakonomics.

Added to the collection, yet to be read:
"Microtrends" by Mark trend and "Straight from the gut" by Jack Welsh

"Essential 55" by Ron Clark (just watched Hallmark "The Triumph". Inspired by the old movie "Dangerous minds". Played by our dear ol' Chandler from Friends. About a teacher who changed the attitudes of a bunch of students from a bad neighbourhood. A story of how perserverance and belief in yourself and your students always triumph!" )

Happy reading everyone!

New video clips

"She's like a star" by Taio Cruz feat LL COol J. Remix version. Listen to the lyrics. To all guys in love-> you can steal some words from here. ;)



Soundtrack from Step Up II. Not too bad. Like to see the dance moves tho.


And for those guys who just never learn to love, stop him from hurting you further. Learn from this next song. No official music video. Sigh.


Last video, came across it in Bali. I thought it was some environmental song..haha.. cos of the music video. But they r actualli from a real band. 30secs to mars. And fell in love with the song immediately.

Food galore!

Another day in the kitchen today. A promise that was broken a week ago, was fulfilled today. A delayed one... but nevertheless, done. Menu for today was simple. Fragrant Thai white rice with;

a. Ginger soy sauce chicken
b. Fried beansprouts with beancurd
c. Egg sambal with cut tomatoes
d. Mini chocolate chip with peanut muffin (saved for tomorrow's party at Kak Ani's. her twin sons are celebrating their 18th birthday.)

Photos will be uploaded soon. Meanwhile, am so glad to see that wide grin on my baby's face when he is well fed with home cooked food. Food served with love. just priceless. Muaks.

Just Garfield in the house!

Is it a tiger? No. Its just the cutest cat ever! Garfield. His new hangout place. :)

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday mak ngah! May you be blessed with an eternal happiness and good health... and thank you for the wonderful birthday lunch at Gelang Patah. Too bad i was too famished to retain my sanity.. and take some pics.. haha.. i gorged at the food the moment they were laid on the table. Had a superb meal. Chilli crab, butter prawns, calamari, baby squid, kangkong belacan and kailan and ikan tiga rasa! Not too mentionl, jugs of drinks. From bandung to teh tarik, to kopi o ice to nestleo (looks like iced milo to me!).. end of the meal, we were stuffed!!! Oh.. not to forget the cake from Royal cakes. Yummy!