Season Greetings

Merry Christmas and I hope everyone had a good ones; I know I did, having gorged myself with liters of alcoholic drinks, swallowed kilos of meat and indulged in delicious desserts. Well, it is a buffet and I tend to over chew when there is one-price-for-all meal. I must say the buffet in this restaurant (located in one of Singapore's hotels) is quite extravagant but it also comes with a premium price. Sadly, I didn't get to devour any of the seafood section in respect of the mummy seated opposite who should be avoiding seafood at all times; I can still visualize the exquisite-looking lobsters and prawns. What followed is a week of gourmet meals. As my brother and his significant other (shall address them as DOY & DOYGF respectively) are in Singapore, we have been venturing -from posh restaurants to street stalls- Thai, Chinese, fusion, local and international cuisines. Tonight, we will dine in a Thai-Chinese restaurant, wolfing down mouthwatering food at the same time flattening my wallet. Tomorrow, we will have a palatable feast at my very own home. Adequate data has me foresee an intense diet schedule will follow soon after. Without much nonsense, I wish everyone

Happy New Year!

I seriously hope that 2009 will be a better year, both at economic and personal level. I wish Singapore and the rest countries in the world will drag themselves out of recession a.s.a.p., enjoy higher GDP and (consequently) offer more opportunities to job seekers. Talking about bad timing, I will start looking for a professional job sometime after Chinese New Year. In addition, I wish my family abundance of health; my greatest hope is to see my family members well, healthy and strong.

Looking Back at 2008

Source: Dreamstime.com by Madelaide

The year 2008, on personal level, has been a difficult year. Thinking back of what happened for the past twelve months, I respond with mixed feelings but overall, it can be said that I have been physically, mentally and spiritually challenged most of the time.

Of 2008:

1. I had plenty of rest. I didn't get much rest for as long as I can remember (well, definitely for the last seven years). This is a year that I actually feel laid back (mostly because I didn't rush for deadlines), slowing down my pace of life and enjoying little things like drinking a cup of tea in the morning after waking up and reading few pages of a book before sleeping at night. Blissful, I tell you, simply blissful.

2. I had traveled extensively. I crossed several continents and countless countries in a span of four months. Tired? yes. Delighted? hell yes. Since young, I have a passion for traveling but due to education commitment, I didn't get to appreciate it until this year. I have learned new cultures, picked up new languages, enjoyed breathtaking scenery and even encountered natural disasters.

3. I acquired ample knowledge about health issues, from my own experiences as well as friends and family. I had been visiting the hospital so frequently this year that it is ridiculously not funny. I am not at the liberty to discuss this; therefore, i will not elaborate more.

Source: Colorcubic.com

Anyway, the world is experiencing such instability and who seriously know what 2009 will bring. Personally, in the coming year, I hope I will not receive depressing news too often. Finally, what's the best way to end the year other than new year's resolutions? My compiled list of new year's resolutions is below.

In 2009, I want to:

1. Plan a healthy lifestyle for myself and the family or at least to encourage the family to adopt a healthier lifestyle.With family members scattered around the globe, I know the previous resolution can be difficult to attain.

2. Find a job. Gaining an entry-level position (of my desired profession and suits my qualification) in an MNC. May I add, the 'desired profession' is believed to be operating in a niche market in Singapore arghh.

3. Be happy. I want to be more optimistic by thinking the bright sides of life. I will calm down, and not panic, every time I read or heard something unfavorable. Yes, I desperately in need of nerves management.

4. Take up volunteer work. Up till this moment, I use my parents' hard-earned money to donate as an act of charity. From next year, I would like to give back to the society by doing something more meaningful; I have been offered to attend a volunteering orientation in February.

That's all folks. Thank you(s) for reading my personal statement. If this blog survives another year, I will definitely review the above new year's resolutions.

Hello World

Afternoon, folks! Yes, I had been on unannounced hiatus. Am just going through a rough period at the moment. But I shall, for my own benefit, write on a frequent basis from now on.

A Mother's Love #1

Source: Google Official Website

I especially like the last Olympics banner (above picture) put up by Google titled as 'closing ceremonies'; a very merry, and definitely festive-looking banner. Gosh, talking about the Olympics fever, a giant pile of articles -find them in newspapers, magazines, forums, blogs etc- is discussing on Beijing Olympics (e.g. what have China done right/wrong? is one popular topic), so much that I am starting to flip away pages with the word 'Olympics'.

This afternoon, I had no choice but to pamper myself with intensive nail treatment which includes having my hands and feet scrubbed, masked and moisturised as well as the usual manicure and pedicure; the whole session used up my precious three hours. I dread patronising nail salons partially because the manicurists (that I happened to be assigned to) are fond of making small talk with their clients and I am not a smooth operator when it comes to strangers (oh yes, I am an awkward soul). But what I found out from today's assigned manicurist (who happened to be mommy's favourite manicurist) that mommy spent almost two thousand dollars on nail products and services ... just for my convenience to get my nails done when I return Singapore for holidays.

Country-hopping

My whole body, that is virtually from top to toe, is aching probably due to intensive travelling these few months. I now realise that I have never stayed at home for more than a week consecutively. Worse still, my planned itineraries have been confirmed and I am scheduled to travel several more countries starting next week to late October. Guess what I really need right now is a freaking good massage.

On a different note, I love the banners that have been put up by Google during the Olympics season. Many, and definitely more in total, that I have saved:

Source: Google Official Website

I find the above banners pretty appealing; my favourite is the happy (digested from its smile) swimming snake sporting a swimming cap and goggle. Notice all the animals above can be found in the Chinese astrology (twelve zodiac animals).

Seriously, I Wasn't Serious

Had dinner with a bunch of people (of which one person is my friend). This friend, lets call her AY, is one weird person. Every time she asked me out (at least five times, as I remember), she brought shitload of other friends to dine/shop/catch a movie with us. While some people may get excited on the opportunity to know new friends, I felt uncomfortable during every meetings as I am a socially awkward soul. Worse thing is that she continues to ask me out ever so often and I presume she will keep on bringing strangers to our future day-outs.

It may due to the uncomfortable-ness (when encountering strangers) or it is of my nature that I have a serious look. I was casually calling -he didn't pick up, therefore i was hearing the calling tone instead- the brother and many of these friends asked "has something happened?" with concerns. And that isn't the first time to be asked in that way...

On the news:

• A step closer to develop invisible cloak. Scientists in the US have developed a material that can bend light arond 3D objects making them invisible. Wow, I shall start planning what to do with the invisible cloak.
• Singapore is to join its Asian neighbours in signaling a deeper slowdown. Singapore's economy has expanded at the slowest pace in five years and predicts exports will decline for the first time since 2001.
• Chinese economy is set to stabilise, after seeing a fall in growth in the first half year. Its growth has slowed down due to sagging global demand and government measures to rein in excessive credit. The economy has also faced rising inflation driven by higher food prices.
• China has been attacked, again. Seven militants and a security guard have been killed after a series of bombing in the region Xinjiang. China has spoken in the past of what it calls a terrorist threat from Muslim militants in Xinjiang, but it has provided little evidence to back up its claims.
• US court blocks MIT students from showing subway hack. A federal judge ordered three college students to cancel a presentation at a computer hackers' conference, where they planned to show security flaws in the automated fare system used by Boston's subway, to maintain the security and integrity of the Fare Media systems.
• A freaky accident in Australia. Three sailors who dissapeared from a yatch later found empty and drifting off the coast. The vessel was found with its engine running, food on the table and its full complement of lifebelts.
• Prophet Muhammad novel scrapped. US publishers have scrapped plans to release a novel about Prophet Muhammad's child bride A'isha, for fear it could spark violence. The book was condemned by the Islamic world because its perceived blasphemous depiction of the Prophet.

Pick-up lines #2

The brother was craving for durians so off we went, home-attired without make-up and sporting a bad hair day, to find a Thai stall assistant said hello and mumbled to himself sui mak mak while opening up a durian. Reached home googled for those words and surprisingly, my day has been made.

On the news:

• Obama isn't too keen on Britney Spears or Paris Hilton, and so are her two daughters, Malia and Sahsa.
• A six-year-old Texas girl returned home after having half of her brain removed in June.
• Hackers are increasing aiming at iPhones and Macintosh computers as the Apple devices gain popularity worldwide.
• UK's largest employers' organisation has warned that UK economy is deteriorating faster than it previously thought. What a gloomy world...

Happy Birthday Singapore

Source: NDP official site

I wish Singapore a prosperous year ahead. This is especially important -in my case- as I will be actively seeking a job in Singapore fairly soon.

On the news:

• Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in his National Day message, warns of a tough year ahead for Singapore, and that GDP growth forecast for 2008 has been cut to between 4% and 5%.
• The new generation of iPhone faces trouble, watch out what ya buying.
• Elvis Presley's most treasured performance costume was sold for $300,000.
• Relatives of US Olympic coach were attacked in Beijing, killing one and injuring the other, by a knife-wielding Chinese man who then committed suicide by throwing himself from the second storey of the site (the 13th century Drum Tower, just five miles from the main Olympics site).
• Geekology way of marriage proposal: man uses Google maps in marriage bid.

Oh.. It Is The Special Day

Source: Beijing Olympic official site

Has everyone seen the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympic? OMG, it was magnificent, so breath-taking and truly amazing. I was stunned and had goose bump sensation throughout the ceremony. I didn't expect such a spectacular ceremony from China and it was like telling the whole world that China is capable of doing anything at its best. Having watched just the opening ceremony, I see some of the US$40 billion is well spent.

Auspicious Date

Source: 2008 TVB Calender uploaded by TVB2008 on Flickr

08-08-08 (which is tommorrow, by the way) must be an auspicious time of the year. Why so? Well, maybe this date (which contains only 1 or 2 numerical digits at most) is easier to remember than a date with many different digits. Or maybe this date looks and sounds special, therefore it will last longer in our memory. Or maybe '8' signifies a positive sign in some cultures. I would say, each of the above plays a part to the popularity of 08-08-08. Anyway, I will list down some -and definitely more, if I have time to rake them - news to support the statement above:

1. Needless to say, media-swamped Beijing Olympic Games will officially launch on 08-08-08 at 08:08PM. The number '8' homonymies good fortune in Mandarin and Cantonese. Unfortunately, there are many (controversial but skewed to negative) issues on the current Olympic Games hosted by Beijing. Given spare time, I may discuss on this matter as a separate entry.

2. As point 1 suggested the digit '8' denoting good fortune for Chinese, China Daily reported more than 16,400 Beijing couples have applied to register their marriages on 08-08-08. This is to compare with just 3,390 couples registered their nuptials for the same date last year. Well, this puzzles me, I would see starting up a business on 08-08-08 is far more correlated than registering marriages. Isn't marriage is about happiness and longevity? Too bad, I don't know where to find data on business start-up date, otherwise, it is possible to test my hypothesis. On a side note, Hindu astrology finds no muhurtham (auspicious time for a wedding) on 08-08-08; besides, it falls in the 7th month of the lunar calender, the month of the Hungry Ghost when the gates of hell are said to be opened (source: AsiaOne).

3. Narrowing to local region, the most significant player in the newspaper industry, the Straits Times Singapore, will be sporting a whole-new-look for its newspaper and website on 08-08-08. The lively refreshing new website covers features such as free breaking news and blogs (the Strait Times).

4. Last but by no means the least, F.I.R. (a popular Taiwanese band) will hold a concert in Singapore on 08-08-08 at 08:00PM (source: Sistic).

Home Lonesome Home

Just reached Singapore from a serene, harmonious and not-so-polluted city (or it could be just the small community I stayed over, more on this below) in China. Background story wise, I have been dreaming to visit this good friend of mine, lets call her Z, for over a year and finally decided to pay her a visit ... during her most busy work period. I didn't know about this until I reached her place and yet, Z welcomed me in the most hospitable ways (that include neglected her work). On a weekend, we stayed in a villa purchased by her family for (I think) retirement. It is situated in a less city area but comes with great advantages like fresh air and even a man-made lake; life was so great that I have almost forgotten all my troubles.

And back to home I am, albeit an empty ones. All my family members are scattered around the world busying themselves.

Wonders of Macau

My current location is in Macau's Venetian resort - just for a short gateway to relieve (the I myself can't identify) stress. Well, there is nothing to be comment about this trip because 1) nothing special has happened so far and 2) I have been staying at Venetian too many times since it was launched last year.

Update: Spotted an attractive sales assistant in one of the Venetian's malls. He is working for a trendy, hippy and definitely caters for youngsters clothing store, do check him out. I was quite taken aback, but pleased at the same time - considering i dressed sloppily and he had no idea on my background- that he virtually followed me everywhere around the shop and tried to make small talk with me. Having said that, I guess he is cute in a generic way because I can't seem to recall his look now. If I remember right, he has dark skin and curly hair, a brit (judging from the british accent) who speaks freaking flawless cantonese.

Fame

Source: Bitten and Bound

When one member in the family is famous, the other members usually share some sort of fame too. Some famous people are respectable souls but fame does not necessarily always involve with pleasant matters. It is definitely an embarrassing week for the Lohan family; having a troubled child is terrible enough and now papa Lohan went for (and awaiting result of) a DNA test to determine if he is the biological father of 13-year-old Ashley Kaufmann (pictured above). Ashley's mother, Kristi Kaufmann (who papa Lohan admitted having sexual affair with during separation with mama Lohan) tried over the years to get Michael to live up to his obligations as a father. At the same time, Lindsay Lohan is said to be taking the news of a-possible-half-sister very hard and Michael Lohan has threatened to sue Kaufmann if it turns out that he is not Ashley's biological father.

Source: Dlisted

Yes, I have been ignorant and I am now utterly shocked. Ellen Lee DeGeneres made public the fact that she is a lesbian ten years ago and I didn't know that! I love Ellen; she is funny and I make a point to watch her talk show whenever I am free but it never crossed my mind that she is a lesbian. Having said that, by no means I will love her less. No ... no, I will not discriminate people in regards to their sexuality preference, there was once I thought I might be a lesbian too (aha!).

Alleviate Poverty

Source: Free Rice

I donated 5100 grains of rice today just by playing a vocabulary game. It is fun, it is educating and it is alleviating poverty. I suggest do play and donate rice in Free Rice.

On the news:

• A Taiwanese loses 30 cm of tresses while watching Kung Fu Panda movie. I suspect the mysterious barber has kung fu too.
• Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim filed complaints for the latest accusation of sodomy (not again?!) as part of a political campaign to destabilise his bid to return to power. 23-year-old Saiful Bukhary lodged a police report against Anwar Ibrahim; apparently, the former aide is engaged to Janna Syafiyah who vows to stand by him in her blog.
• eBay is to pay 38.6 million euros to LVMH for allowing the sale of fake merchandise. I swear this firm is a proficient money maker. Note that eBay was ordered to pay handbag maker Hermes 20k euros for the similar issue just a month ago.

Pick-up lines #1

Having just returned to Singapore, my first errand is to hand in a document to a bank's corporate office. As I did not bring any suitable identification with me, I had to write down some details in the reception area. An hour later, I received a call:

Mysterieux: Hello.

The receptionist: Hello, this is x. Did u manage to find your way to y?

Mysterieux: Yes, I did. Thank you.

The receptionist: Where are you? Have you had lunch?

Mysterieux: Yes I had. Am at home now.

(after a long pause)

The receptionist: Can I make friend with you?

Mysterieux: Erm .. no, not really. I am sorry.

The receptionist: Ok, thank you.

(hangs up)

To be honest, I find these pick-up lines neutral, not good but not bad either. Some worse pick-up lines I have encountered such as "I love you" and "you look like my ex girlfriend" on first meets.

Unacceptable Behaviour in Internet

Recently, two young individuals, who are not related to each other, having trouble with law due to unacceptable behaviour posted through online.

A local blogger nicknamed as Sexy Fragrance Prince (why do I think of Thai Fragrant Rice?) was arrested for posting racially offensive content on his blog. His blog is now inaccessible to the public, but you can read the atrocious post here. From what I read, this post has been taken down and he alternatively supplied an apologetic post claiming he is an expressive person while denying being a racist and maintaining that he did not harbour any ill will towards the racial group that he mentioned in his (taken down) post. Notice how arrogant and mighty (I quote "if u wana defend yourself…. i suggest you arm youself with education and a motor mouth to compete against me.. else dont bother") he was in the earlier post and then quite contrary in the latter post. I am surprised; racial discrimination still exists in such a multi racial country - Singapore.

On the other part of the world, a 21 years old Gao Qianhui was detained by Chinese police for posting angry comments directed at victims of the devastating Sichuan earthquake. According to Xinhua News Agency, Gao was angry over a three-day mourning period that saw online entertainment and games shut down in China out of respect for those killed by the quake (read full story here and video clip here). Gao showed no interest in coverage of the quake or its aftermath and her obvious lack of sympathy - I quote "How many of you died? It was just a few. China has so many people, anyway." - provoked an outpouring of anger and criticism from Chinese Internet users. Chinese are well known for their patriotism, this young woman is an apparent minority.

Feeling Miserable

Source: theemotioncode.com

A visit to an Otolaryngologist exactly a week ago left me devastated. What followed were more visits to the clinic to uncover what exactly that has been challenging my health condition, and that involved a minor surgical procedure that was both physically painful and emotionally stressful. Results found that it is not the worst scenario, nevertheless, an operation is expected in the future. For the mean time, I have to endure this uncomfortableness twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, four weeks a month and twelve months a year. I am still at a shaken state and definitely not ready to discuss it in great details at the moment, not even to my own immediate family and close friends. All I know is - gone are the days that I feel carefree like any youngsters - I am not as hale and hearty as I look or imagined to be.

Shadow

Source: Modesty Blaise from Ambrosiasw Forum

Oh my, I have developed a strange passion of watching shadows, to be precise, my shadow. This is because my shadow carries itself so well - three times taller than my actual height with a third of my actual weight - that I started to believe it resembles Tyra Bank.

Happy Mommy's Day

Dearest Mommy,

Your selflessness is an exemplary act

Your unconditional love is everychild's will

Your courage marks my inspiration

Thank you!

Source: ezthemes.com

I will try my best to make you proud.

The Story of a Monsterous Father

What is it with 73-years-old Austrian Josef Fritzl that has Singapore's leading newspaper, the New Straits Times, publishes his case story everyday without fail for a week (read latest, as of today, news here)? While I don't read much about it, the two main points deduced from this case are:

First, he repeatedly raped and impregnated his very own daughter. Incest, a taboo in our modern society, perhaps one reason for this piece of news to travel worldwide and a conversational topic for the whole week. I don't know why people make such a big fuss about incest (even though I think it is morally objectionable) as incest isn't that uncommon, having practised in Ancient Egypt and few other minority societies in the world.

Second, he kept his own daughter imprisoned - in a dungeon built just below his marital home -for over 20 years without being noticed. I am shocked, he actually did not arouse any suspicion given the time-frame of crime (to be exact, 24 years) and past crime committed (i.e. rape).

My initial thought when reading this news is that I felt sorry for Fritzl's wife. How would she react when she has been told that her missing daughter was assaulted and kidnapped below their home by her husband for over twenty years! I'd go insane just by thinking of it, even though I am not yet married and do not plan to have children. So far, nothing has been reported about Fritzl's wife and I sense lack of complete information on the news.

The Wonder of Chinatown

In the pursuit to act like a perfect daughter, I brought my extended family to Chinatown simply because they are advanced in years, of Chinese parentage and I thought they may like some foot reflexology. I hardly patronised Chinatown in recent years. I usually link Chinatown to heritage and full of elderly, but never it crossed my mind as a hang-out spot for whores. Is it even legal to operate prostitution in Chinatown? I noticed several whores aggressively offering their services to mostly old men. I believe Singapore has prostitution zone (like red light districts where prostitution within certain areas is legal) but I highly doubt Chinatown is listed. I felt uncomfortable from the leering of men for fear they might mistake me as one of the whores.

Tropical rainforest

Views from Singapore Flyer

View from the ground

Since I am terrible at entertaining people, I empowered Singapore Flyer to perform the difficult task. It was my second visit and I found its staff still (like my first visit) being extremely friendly and cheerful, something that I don't see often and greatly appreciate in Singapore. So I was busy taking photos of my relatives and views from the cubicle, then it struck me . . . . Singapore is really small (in size). Singapore Flyer, despite being 30 metres taller than the famous London Eye, had me spotted my home from the cubicle! I don't have the recollection of spotting my flat even though it is located within walking distance from London Eye.

Fish spa at Kenko

Garra Rufa Obtusa (commonly known as Dr Fish) also played a part in entertaining my relatives. Kenko's fish spa, with its strategic location (Singapore Flyer), is a perfect way to kill time. Basically, I just sat in one of their pools and watched these fishes nibbling my dead skin while ratiocinated which dinner meals preferred by elderly. The pools were quite foul-smelling though I appreciate some hygiene factors (for an example, washing feet before sinking into pools) have been taken into account, but I do love its interior that sparked tranquility. I can't wait to pamper myself with fish spa for whole body; I happened to know the supplier of fish spa during my last trip in Genting and he mentioned about opening it in various places in Malaysia.

I see myself going to these places again in two weeks time when my maternal relatives (coincidentally are elderly too) coming to the town.

Trapped in Expectation

Source: rapbattles.com

I absolutely agree on the adage 'life is not easy' and 'in search of a truly happy person is hard', though some lucky bastards individuals may be skewed towards the other end of spectrum. At least in my case, being myself is not easy; perhaps, there is no being myself to begin with. So it adds on pressure when everyone looks up at me and thinks I lead a wonderful life.

Having a pleasant visage, above average academic credentials and prosperous family background neither bring advantage nor disadvantage to my life, but these certainly convey high expectation. Many times I heard people around me mentioned Mysterieux can attract an opposite sex with a wink or Mysterieux can grab the top-notch job without putting much effort, which are far from the truth, I have no lover or career.

It irks me when people I know tend to boast about me at every opportunity they can find. A good example is daddy, who never fails to brag on how I am the perfect daughter that does those he allows and avoids those he forbids. Frankly, I wasn't given a choice at all for he dictates how my life should be. Yet, I am having a hard time keeping up to his misleading information.

Having lived in such an, albeit high, expectation for twenty years, I don't really know what I actually desire in life, but I do know very well what others demand me to be. Well, life is never meant to be easy, isn't it?

Sandwiched

My extended family - including aunts, grandma, grandma's brother, grandma's brother's wife etc etc- is in Singapore for a transit between a third world country (my country of birth) and the country currently sporting highest economic growth (i.e. China). Since daddy is an extremely hospitable person and insisted everyone to stay in our bantam house, so cramped we look similar to this:

Source: burgesslegacy.org

I am not in the position to whine (let alone complain) because I am living off the parents . . . . . but the noise is intolerable. Having spent half of my life living alone, I guess I am used to quietness. I should really start to find a job in order to finance my own (to be rented) home.

On the news:

• Mommies' eating habits can determine the sex of their fetus. Plan your child's gender by eating less to conceive a daughter or eating breakfast cereals to produce a son.
• Coca-Cola Enterprises Q1 net falls. Weak US economy, increasing awareness on healthy living, poor Coca-Cola.
• Britain is hit by mass strikes . . . again. Having lived in Britain for almost a decade, I must say going on strikes are a common practice nevertheless, poor Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
• CNN is now sued for $1.3 billion. The sum averages out to $1 per person in China, to compensate the dignity and reputation of the Chinese people.

What does Putin and Sarkozy have in common?

Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Nicolas Sarkozy share many common similarities, just to name a few which, they are both undoubtedly intelligent, are great rulers and have impeccable leadership skill. Interestingly, both presidents share an uncommon similarity: their women have done nude photoshoot before.

There is a rumour that President Putin plans to wed 24-year-old former Olympic gymnast turned politician Alina Kabayeva. So far, Putin denied the rumour having secretly divorced his wife Shkrebneva as well as having affair with Kabayeva (ABC News has the story).

Alina Kabayeva (source: jialat.com)

Carla Bruni (source: huffingtonpost.com)

40-year-old Italian-born former model turned French first lady Carla Bruni's nude photo fetched $91,000 (£45,729) at Christie's auction house (Guardian has the story). The photo was sold to an anonymous (albeit, rich) Chinese collector. I wonder where he/she is placing the above photo, perhaps in his/her study room? I imagine it fits better than any other areas in a house.

Malaysia Boleh

Hello, I am now in Malaysia, having just visited my cousin who gave birth to a baby daughter. Well, I can't comment much on the baby (except that she is small, fragile and her skin is reddish) because all newborn infants look alike, don't they?

There was a shopping mall completely filled with restaurants near the hospital I visited. I spotted Junk food (McDonald's & KFC), Japanese, Korean, American and local food but I made no effort to choose my dinner because I stumbled upon Nando's. I used to devour Nando's grilled chicken frequently when I was in London. Nando's is operating in 21 countries but I wonder why nobody franchises Nando's in Singapore? I once read a case study of Nando's stating a loaded businessman in Singapore initiated on franchising Nando's but was failed (can't remember the reasons).

Chicken Caesar Salad Grilled Chicken with Peri-Peri Chips

Mommy, maid and I then head to Genting Highland for a short break from the overly-sunny land (i.e. Singapore). Since I don't (know how to) gamble and have been to Genting far too frequent, we are just spending lazy days of devouring more food and relaxing in the jacuzzi found in our toilet.

Executive Suite Lounge

The new running event in Genting is 'Dreamz', a musical performance mainly by two illusionists. The performance comprises several animals such as a lion, two tigers and two dogs. What tempted me to watch this piece of show is the advert "featuring for the first time in Southeast Asia is a magnificent beast ... the elusive white lion. Once thought to be a myth, the white lion first existed as whispered rumours in the wilderness of South Africa before finally being discovered in 1975" sounds thrilling. And boy I was disappointed, these animals (per category) showed up less than 10 seconds on stage. The white tiger is pretty docile; it even went down the stage to greet audiences. On the other hand, the white lion doesn't look properly tamed; it was ushered into its cage three seconds it went out and was kept in the cage during the photograph session.

The part I loved most was when four motorists went round and round rapidly in a cylinder cage, my hands were tired from clapping. Other than that, the acrobats' performance is of high quality but dancers need some improvements since they play a large part of this musical. The price was quite steep (can't remember the exact amount) considering I always watch this kind of shows free of charge. But my personal view would be it worth the price I paid.

I will be in Genting again to watch Emil Chau's Mothers Day Concert.

Blogging Poses a Health Hazard

Following the death of two - in fact, almost three bloggers, the third survived a heart attack - US bloggers over the so called 'blog-related stress' (read full in The New York Times), the activity blogging seems to raise awareness as it may pose a health hazard. Dan Fost of The New York Times (link here) expressed that stress raises "when a blogger becomes a name brand".

I think The Straits Times Singapore published an article on this issue today. Apparently, the journalist for the mentioned newspaper asked several well-known bloggers whether they have suffered from 'blog-related stress' and, if I recall correctly, all of these bloggers denied that blogging affects them negatively.

Anyway, what a perfect timing, just when I thought I will resume my blogging activity, not that I think blogging has any hazardous impact on my health. It is ridiculous that blogging has such a damage impact in a person's life.