Staying over at Da's place tonight. *Jubilation*. Or not??

ok. Background.

Number of years together with da da : 7
Number of times he has stayed over at my place: n
Number of times I have stayed over at HIS place: 0

Until today, that it.

Today, the hit counter is changing!!! It is moving!! Moving!! Moved!

Yeah! Today, I am writing this entry from da's place. Tomorrow morning is the trip to Kukup, and the ONLY reason why I am staying over here is because the silly bus will be leaving at 0630 tomorrow morning. At Bedok. That's the only reason.

Ok. Whatever the reason, it's a start.

I will be sleeping in the hall.

Whatever. It's a start.

I hate this keyboard. Bleah.

Whatever. It's a start, though I think there wil never be another chance. haha.

No darling Vivy's photo because I am not working from my com.

Whatever. It's a start.

Visit to the CMPB

To me, the CMPB has always been this elusive place that I have only heard of, and never visited. I would have expected the security to be high there, given that it's the Central Manpower Base. After my visit there yesterday, I can only say "tsk".

As all of you may know, we will be visiting Kukup soon (tomorrow, to be precise, and my bags are not packed yet..), and Kelvin has to extend his passport because he has not served the army, and their passports are like on a one year basis, you know. So every time we want to go overseas, he will have to extend his passport for another year.

Each time, my daddy would do it for him coz the CMPB was so near to our coffee stall. However, this time, the guard told my daddy that he (my brother) has to be there personally to do the extension...*grumble*.

Yesterday, it was my duty, therefore, to drive my brother there. What happened made me laugh. ha ha.

Ok. We went to the building, driving, of course. Here's the conversation at the gantry.

me: Hi, we are here to extend my brother's passport because we are going out of the country tomorrow.

guard: Oh. ok. This will be the CMPB.

me: Ok, Err, where do I park in order to get there?

guard: Before that, can you please open your boot for a routine check?

me: (gave him a receipt because we run a coffee stall, and of course we sell cigarettes. An invoice was needed to prove the legitamacy of the narcotics, lest I get hauled into jail for illegal possession of narcotics. ha). Here, we own a coffee stall, and this is the purchase of cigarettes for purpose of sales.

guard: Err, Ok. Here, you turn to you left, and park at Car Park C.

me: Thanks.

guard: No problem.



Ok. This was not the end of it. I understood the effort taken to ensure the security of the place. So we went in, and got to the car park, which was blocked. The guard saw us, and lifted the barrier to allow us to enter. What happened next was kinda funny.

After we parked, I saw this staircase that led up to the CMPB. Wanted to take it, but then there was this sign that said "No entrance. Please change for a visitor pass before admission". (not meant to be rude, but if the staircase is there not for use, then why put one there in the first place?)

Ok. And so, my brother and I walked toward the guard post, to get out visitor pass. When I pushed the door open, this guard asked me "what's the purpose of visit?"

I told him that we were here to extend my brother's passport. He then waved this sign in front of me, about A4 sized that said "visitor parking", and ASKED ME, "Do you have this in your car?" (what do you think?) I then said "err, no..."

He said "you will have to go and put this in your car, or it is unauthorized parking". (I mean, you had a gantry at the entrance of the carpark, and you lifted it up so that I could enter. How is that unauthorized parking?????!!!)

Bewildered, we took the paper to put on our dashboard, seeing that many cars did not have the paper. (Darn! They are all parked unauthorizedly!)

Ok. Fine. So we took the paper to the car, clipped the visitor passes to our pants, and then walked up to CMPB (finally). Took a queue number, waited. When it was Kel's turn, he went to the counter. This guy over the counter was even funnier. If the whole time I was there can be made into a comedy, it would be darn funny.

Ok. He told Kelvin that he needed his IC together with his passport in order to extend the passport for him. Then, this guy, instead of asking Kelvin where his IC was located (which was the logical thing to do, given that there were a few command guard posts around the place, went to the phone, and picked it up, and called some control post. Quoted the IC number, and then asked them where the IC was located. sigh. This is weird. IT's like as though Kelvin was some idiot who didn't know which command post his IC was, and had to depend on the guy to tell him where to go and redeem his IC back. =)

Alright. Kelvin went to the comman post to get his IC back, and that guard asked him "you mean they have your passport already, still need to see your IC ah?"

*Pause*. Now, this is the weird part. Question: Who would know more about the procedures in the building: Kelvin, or THE GUARD OF CMPB??? I really scratch my head and wonder why THE GUARD asked my brother this question, and made it sound as if it was OUR bloody fault that we have to run in and out of the building, to get the pass, and then INTO the buiilding, and then being told that the pass should not be found on my brother because the IC was needed for the extension of the passport ( I mean, come on. There is a reason why the guy at the guard post asked us the purpose of visit), and then going OUT of the building to redeem the IC back, in exchange for a sticker. sigh.

Now, this is weird. I really cannot comprehend the rationale behind these. Personally, I think these things are already beyond the realm of security. These are comedy.. ha ha.

I still think the guards there should know the procedures better than WE do. Maybe we can take over the position. hmm...

*tsk*.

Bye for now. it's off to Kukup and Beyond!

(The Progress Package is in, 4 days earlier than scheduled. Enjoy yourselves!!! I'm rich...Muhahahahaha!)

The Sentinel

Today, i went to Plaza Sing to watch Sentinel (the show where Eva Longoria tried to shake off her "sexy mama" image, but I personally thought her casting in the show simply made her look more "vase-y"..haha. That means she is like just there for prettiness sake...sigh. What a waste. I think she should stick to that bitchy character in Desperate Housewives.)

The show was not bad, I guess. It's quite tensed through the whole show, and kept me in suspense throughout. In the end, the assassin was no one I guessed.. Sorry, no synopsis for this show, because I really don't know where to start talking about the show...hee

Anyway, I am really, really, really looking forward to the Da Vinci Code on 18 May. Am reading the book now...for the THIRD time..haha

It's off to Kukup tomorrow!!! yeah...See you all on Monday with the pics and the new entry!!

Romankan Yokohama Homemade Katsu Sandwich

Tuesday, 25 April 2006.

The ORIGINAL plan for the day: To go out in the morning to Wheelock Place to send my phone for upgrading of software @ Nokia, and then spend the rest of the day in Coffee Bean, reading my book and enjoying coffee(s), while waiting for da da to meet me in the evening. We were both craving for the pork curry katsu at TAkashimaya.

In the end, I stayed home and played games on the net till about 3, and then I saw Dina online. Asked her if she wanted to go out with me to town to repair my phone. She said that she was meeting her friend for dinner at 7, at Jurong Point. *disappointed*. Then she said she will check if her fried can meet in town instead. Yeah! She said no problem...

And so, begins another episode of the exciting adventure of Dina and Patsie!! Ha ha..That's why I keep saying, it's so exciting to have a friend who stays so near me. Always can go out together, and even the bus journeys down to town will not be so lonely...

Hee. Met her at the bus stop at around 4. and took 502 down to town. Narcissistic me, together with Dina, taking photos on the bus...

I was so sad when I sent my phone for software upgrading. I don't know about you, but without the phone, I feel as if I am paralysed...sheesh. No phone, AND NO CAMERA!!! *Sob*..

For the next 2 hours, there was no camera...and so DIna and I went for coffee at the McCafe at Lido, and had a long chat about everything, and anything. Unfortunately (or fortunately), we sat across this couple who were both girls, and they were like necking non-stop, and fondling each other all over the place. The two of us tried hard to ignore them, but the ultimate was when they started french kissing! OMG! What on earth was the world coming to!!???

Anyway, Dina and I realised that we had much more in common that what we already thought. We were just talking about family, and the many things that we both like and dislike in people...haha Of course, lots of gossip, and people-watching in the process as well. Haha

At about 7:00, we decided that we have had enough of those stupid girls opposite us, and we decided to move back to wheelock place to collect my phone, so that I can have my camera back. On the way back, we stopped by Marks and Spencer, and I couldn't resist buying their chocolate digestives again. It's just heavenly...and the pricing is really really reasonable. It's $3.90 for 20 pieces. But after tasting that one, I still prefer the other type, where it's $4.90 for 6 pieces, but they are individually wrapped. It's damn good. That one, is so filled with chocolate, that you will almost be guranteed a sore throat after eating it. Ha. SInfullllll..!!!!

Dina got a lot of food from M & S as well...SO i am not the only one who is sinning. haha


Anyway, collected my phone, and met da da outside Nokia at around 7:30. Dina finally met da, after hearing so much about him. She said that we look so much alike, and that we really looked good together. Hee...Thanks!

Da da and I went to Takashimaya, for our long awaited dinner. This is the place. You see the power of photos? Whatever I need to use at least 200 words to describe can be presented through a photo. It's at the first basement, outside Cold Storage. This place serves really good pork katsu with curry. It's $14 for a set, which comes with salad, rice, one large piece of pork katsu, and curry.

Yumm!!!

Satisfied customers..

Da da, Have I told you how much I love you? I think we look so good together...

Love yoU!!!

Too much money and don't know where to spend?

Today, da da took leave, just to accompany me for the day. Remember the other entry when i talked about going to Sentosa but didn't manage to? Well, today, we decided to visit Sentosa, just to go to the Underwater World. Have been meaning to visit that place for a long time...

So, we woke up bright and early, at 8.30...and then we left the house at about 9.30. I was in my tube and shorts. And then we had to decide on a place for breakfast. The first place that came into my mind was Mac, but then I knew that da likes to eat at the market, so I suggested going to the market. Bad idea. I got so conscious about my dressing in the market, with all the stupid old perverts staring. (You know how some clothes are just suited for particular places? It's like, the tube is perfectly alright in Sentosa, but definitely not in the market place...sheesh).

That was the start of my bad mood. From then on, it seems like everything just didn't go right. And I guess da was sick of it too. He started becoming very very gloomy, and everything just went downwards. sigh. Well, along the way, things were just really dark, and da da refused to give in to me. He just kept saying, "I am not going to say sorry for getting you upset, because it was not me who got you upset." WHich is true. I just didn't know why I got so irritated for. It was just over nothing.

And so, I tried to cheer up, and by the time I reached Sentosa, I was already visibly happier.

Me at Siloso Beach...sunny...

I thought this was so funny..they made Siloso fall..haha


This was on the beach tram. da da thought the sign "Please do not jump off moving tram" was funny. So he put the pamphlet on the word "not", and he thought it was hilarious..*childish*...

We went to the Underwater World, and the admission costs $19.50 per person! God! I think it was outrageous...I took a lot of videos, but unfortunately they can't be uploaded. So I guess this photo of a starfish will have to suffice as proof that I did go to the underwater world. Oh yah, the admission to the underwater world includes a "complimentary" admission to the pink dolphin lagoon. My guess is that no one is willing to pay some more to enter the pink dolphin lagoon. They were cute though...

Another thing I realised. I used to have this phobia of walking in the Underwater World, You know, the conveyer thingee. It gives me the creeps all the time. I thought this time would be better. Apparently not. I still am afraid of the tank. Felt as though I was trapped, and all the fishes around me were like damn bloody big. I had goosepimples all over me throughout the whole thing, and da's arm was red by the time we got out of it. Sheesh.

After the Underwater World, we decided that it was too expensive to move around Sentosa. Damn! EVerything needed money... and I mean EVERYTHING. I don't remember Sentosa being so commercialised...now it can no longer be a place to visit when you are free, because nothing is free. Except the beaches, that is. And that was where we decided to go. To the beach.

Back in HarbourFront at about 3, after we had lunch at Seah Im Food Centre (that is where you alight from the shutle service of Sentosa). Not bad..but I was too hungry to remember to take photos...

After that, we went to mama's house for dinner, and also to see my darling daughter, Vivy. She really brings a smile to my face whenever I see her...Ain't she adorable? Seeing her grow up day by day really makes it all worth while....=)

Quote of the day...

Saw this quote that I liked, from the show "Yours, Mine and Ours". It's a good show...

"A home is for free expression, not for good impression".

Hey! A new excuse for not cleaning the house. What's the point anyway? It's for free expression, not for good impression... haha..

And I wonder...

My new perm...

Well, this is all unplanned for, and I never imagined that I would do something so rashly...albeit da da always tells me that I NEVER think before I do anything..

It was a Monday morning, and I logged on to my MSN bright and early. Saw Dina online, and I asked her if she wanted to accompany me to shape my brows. (We visit the same salon..)..she said "yes", and along the way, she said that she wanted to colour her hair. And then she asked me what I would do while waiting. I told her "I have a book to keep me company..no worries.."

Part of the reason was that my regular hairstylist was on long leave, and I decided that I should not do anything while he was not there. Then, my brows were done in 5 minutes. This other stylist, Dina's stylist Johnson, passed me a book on perms and waves, and asked me to take a look, and then he flipped to this one picture, and told me that he thought my hair would look great with that style. That did it. I did it..haha.

Dina, it's still your fault. You should have discouraged me from doing it..sheesh..what a waste of money..haha.

And well, let the pictures speak for themselves...

That's the start of my perm. Looks as though I was listening to music...That's the ear thingee to put on, so that the perm solution will not enter my ears...

Curling in process. No, Not Curdling...CURLING! haha...(Ok, I guess that's not funny.)

That's Johnson. Used to be Dina's hairstylist, now still is; but also MINE...muhahaha!!

That's Dina with the hair dye. There was an even more hilarious one while she was doing her treatment. She looked like a martian. She refused to let me publish that photo. Scout's honour...

That's the finished products...

Well, da da, what do you think about it? Nice? You have not seen it yet. Hope you like it!! =P

After that, went to Jurong Point for dinner with mummy and Kelvin. Had Kway Chap from the Kopitiam foodcourt. It's not bad at all. Cost $9 for this set.

In case any of you were wondering, the plate in the foreground contains all the different pig innards. Yup. Disgusting, I know, but the really taste good. The two bowls of stuff behind is actually the "kway". They are like rice rolls with the soup. The last plate on the left is the salted vegetables. Boiled. Yumm!

Tennis, anyone?

In the past few years, the three of us (da da, kelvin and I) used to wake up early in the morning at 5 on Sundays, when people would prefer to sleep in...Or rather, I would wake up, and kick the two of them up. What for? so that we can follow our parents down to the coffee stall, and then rob them of the car, for a game of tennis early in the morning, before the sun even rises. Haha.

However, we have not been doing that for a very very very long time, what with all the assignments, and also practicum. So, yesterday, since it was after practicum and all, we decided to resume the practice..haha


And so, we were up at 5:45, and by the time we got to the courts, it was around 7.30. We played for about one and a half hour, all of us were half dead, thanks to the lack of regular exercise. Anway, here are the photos..hee hee...

Kelvin Agassi holding the racket (only looks good for the pose...hee hee)

The beautiful tennis court...If you still haven't guessed where this is, scroll down at the next picture, and you should have a clearer picture...sigh

Well, look behind me...for those of my fellow students, you should be able to tell already....yes, it's NIE...=)

Roger (Not Federer)..haha...posing for the shot..patterns more than badminton..hee hee

The court....

Going to wash my masque already...CIAO!

Dinner @ Crystal Jade Shanghai Cuisine...

Last night (Saturday), we had dinner at Crystal Jade Shanghai restaurant in Jurong Point. The four of us. Da da, Kelvin (my brother),- in the first picture, and mama and I - in the second picture...

Well, if you are ready to know what we ordered, here goes...haha. Make sure you are ready before you move on!! we really ordered quite a lot of food (for 4 people, that is).

1. The famous Shanghai Xiao Long Bao. This is actually like dumplings, with pork inside the skin, and the trick to eating this amazing dumpling is this: you have to bite off one small hole off the side of the dumpling, and then this amazing stock will seep out through the hole, and straight into your mouth...then after you have finished sipping all the soup from the dumpling, you sink your teeth into the rest of the filling, and enjoy the pau. Once you hold on to the dumpling too hard, it will break, and you will miss out the best part of it. Once you leave it till it's cold, the dumpling will be dry and it won't taste nice anymore..Make sure you eat it while it's hot..hmm...yum...



2. The Szechuan hot and sour la mien. The noodles are hand made, and that's one of the features of eating there. Once in a while, you will hear the loud "thump" of the masters there making the noodles (in the photo below, you see some of the masters making the skin of the dumpling...The others are making the noodles in the shop. This la mien is very very nice, and my personal favourite. The soup is starchy, but not too much. It's just hot and sour at it's best, with beancurd slices, black fungus, bamboo shoots, and some sort of meat, i guess it's chicken...nice.



3. The long beans. It looks ordinary i know, but it's not. The beans are fried with minced pork, and you know how something tastes damn shiok when they use these large-enough fire to cook them. It's great. When you chew into these beans, they are crunchy, yet not raw, cooked yet not soggy..hmm..try it for yourself to know what i mean...



4. The fish fillet (sea bass) coaed with light wasabi and deep fried, with mayonnaise to dip in. hmm...mamamiaaa......


5. This is the first time I tried this...Radish pastry. When I first saw it, I thought "eww..how will radish pastry taste?". But then, when it came, I ate it, and I was at a loss for words. The crust is very light, and it melts in your mouth. Inside the crust was radish slices that has been sauteed, and lightly salted. Somehow, the taste just blends together to perfection. This is a must try! In the picture below, you can see how it looks inside. There is quite a lot of filling..and is seriously not oily. (a tip: this pastry is served in portions of 3, but if you have more people in your group, you can request for like, 5, or 4 servings).



6. Ok. Look at kelvin savouring the pau in his mouth. This is the dish...that...i....love...and i regret not having tried it until yesterday. Although not cheap..I think this is $14.90...We decided to try it because it looks quite exquisite. It's some sort of double platter. On the left is fried beancurd skin, and on the right is honeyed pork. The reddish sauce is some honey with other ingredients. On the right you can see the sort of rice cake to wrap the stuff with. It's made of rice, and kinda sweet to taste. What you do is you wrap one slice of bean skin, with some cucumbers for that oomph crunch, and then one slice of the pork with some of the honey sauce. Then you just wrap it up and start to savour it, bite, by bite, by bite...=) (are you already calling whoever, to say "shall we have dinner at crystal jade tonight?)








7. This is another dish where you have to wrap. But this time with a flour skin. This is pork, with vegetables, and assorted peppers. It's sort of salty, and a little bit of sour, spicy, and nice. Haha. The same way as you eat the above, just wrap it up and enjoy. As a comparison, I prefer the one above, the honeyed pork.


8. This is the Shanghai fried nian gao. It's actually Chinese Rice Cake fried with shredded chicken and vegetables. This one, can do without. Nothing spectacular about it.


9. After dinner, we ordered mango pudding (2). The mango pudding is served with a small container of evaporated milk so it's optional. What makes it worth eating is because there is fresh mango bits among the pudding, so if you are into mango puddings, then this one is quite good.


10. We also ordered the banana and red bean souffle. It's one of my faourite, and I would definitely order it everytime I am there if I am not already too full. The outside, is actually made with egg white that is beaten till fluffy, wrapped with red bean paste, and banana. It's then fried, and then the castor sugar is added on top. When you start to eat it, you really, literally sink your teeth into it. Hmmm.....


Alright. That's all for the day. I really couldn't eat anymore after that. Look at the mess that we created after Storm Dinner left the hazard area. haha.


Here, you see Kelvin, once again, demonstrating the correct way to hold the chopsticks. Haha. Da da still can't hold it the right way....and was having a lesson by kelvin..hee


Look at da da's serious look...Delicious! haha..Lova ya!!!


An artistic shot of da da through my glass of tea. Interesting yah? LaSelle, wanna consider taking me in for a Fine Arts course? he he


OKOK>..Hope I have tickled your palates for the day, and tempted you enough to go eat it, if you have not already tried it. It's definitely worth the wait.... Do let me know if you agree with my recommendations...=P