Visitors On My Pie-Ties

This evening, I came back from work to find teeny-weeny ants, crawling all over my baby pie-tie tarts. Apparently, the container is not airtight. Darn and double darn.

I put the whole container in the fridge and froze the little buggers into a stupor. I intend to scrape them off and flush them down the sink! That will show them! How dare they sample my tarts!

Hmmphh!!!

180703

MFG 180703 - This is the date printed on the bottom of the bottle of Nivea body lotion which I found in my stash of toiletries. It is exactly 2020 days old. Or 5 years, 6 months and 9 days old. According to Adelene, body lotions have a shelf life of 3 years. Google confirmed it. This lotion is way past its prime!! But the contents seem alright - no funny smell and the consistency looks fine. What should I do? It does seem such a waste to toss a new bottle into the bin. Maybe I'll try some on my legs first. If I do get a rash, I can always wear my jeans to cover up. If my "kiok mou" starts to die on me, then all the better :o) No shaving or plucking in future!

My New Year resolution - Stop my bad habit of over-buying stuff to avoid things expiring on me! (Refer to posting dated 13 Jan 09)

CNY Decor

This year, my neighbours (the ones on my immediate left) decorated the lift lobby area with some nice Chinese New Year decorations. There was a pair of 3-D cows (2009 being the Year Of The Ox) and one of those banners with Chinese greetings. It was a pleasant surprise when I first saw it after I came back from work one day. It certainly brought a little New Year cheer to the eleventh floor of Block 768!

So, thanks, Neighbours!

Thank you for making this Chinese New Year a little special for me!

More Lucky $$$

I picked up S$50 today!!

I was walking past a durian stall in Bedok Central. Then .. Ka-Ching Ka-Ching!! A $50 note lying on the floor. There was a stall helper standing near the note but he was busy talking to another colleague. I coolly picked up the note and walked away. Note the word coolly - actually my heart was pounding as I walked off .. half expecting someone to call me back! Once I turned the corner, I went PHEW!!

Well, I figured :
- A customer probably dropped the money when she was paying for durian.
- If I asked the man if it was his money, he sure say YES one la! Right? Who in their right mind would deny that the money was theirs? Especially a $50 note? Siao ah??!!

So money found must be spent, right? I bought myself a Nintendo game - Cake Mania for $35 and I still had $15 for food and drinks. I had a feast!

So ladies, eyes peeled when you walk along the streets. And I mean look DOWN, not up, for good looking guys, OK? They rarely exist and besides, they are not going to hand money to you!!

Pineapple Pie-Ties

Aren't these the cutest little pineapple tarts you've ever seen??

I bought this at Kovan Mall for S$18 where Chilli Padi Restaurant had a CNY goodies stall. A little pricey but they looked really cute! Mini kueh pie-ties with pineapple fillings! Just about the size of your thumb? Why didn't anyone think of that before? Chilli Padi is the same shop that sells that fantastic assam laksa in the basement of Tangs departmental store. The tarts are just as yummy and certainly small enough to keep popping and not feel jelak!

Good things come in small packages! AHEM :o)

Lo-Hei 2009

My first reunion dinner of the year!!

I was invited to Li Peng's house for an early reunion dinner. She was leaving for Hong Kong the next day and would miss the first few days of CNY. Li Yung and her family were there. We had a little lo-hei and a simple steamboat dinner. We even had a little birthday sing-a-long for Peng's helper (I forgot her name??) Apparently Peng forgot her birthday which was a week past?? We had two cakes for the night - one was chocolate with strawberries which Peng bought and I brought the other one - New York Cheesecake, all the way from New York, as fresh as you can ever get it after an 19 hour flight!! Li Yung made some bubur cha-cha too and that was as home-made as you can get!

After plenty of food, sweet desserts to top it off, I had one round, Buddha belly! Rub! Rub!

Thanks to Peng, Thian Chye, Lisa and Joel :o)

Singapore Non-Flyer

This is the Singapore Flyer, currently the tallest observation wheel in the world, standing at 165m.

It is also the world's tallest white elephant as it is not "flying" at the moment. A short circuit in one of the motors caused it to breakdown on the 23rd Dec. 173 people were stranded for up to six hours. As usual, the authorities want to make sure that the Flyer is safe before it can start operations again. Aiya, none of the 173 people were in any danger at all. They were just stuck in the pods. Food, water and even "methods of relieving themselves" were provided. I'm assuming a potable potty of sorts? So it couldn't have been all that bad. I think people need to understand and accept that these sort of things do happen. This is not a perfect world.

Singaporeans can stand in line for HOURS, come rain or shine, to buy a Hello Kitty from McDonald's or bak-kwa from that Chinatown shop and not complain, not a whimper. But they will complain and complain when there are no seats on the MRT or when they have to wait too long for the buses. WTF.

OK, back to my flyer story.. although I'm proud of Singapore and its many achievements, including the Flyer.. I think it is one of the plain-est, boring-est wheels ever. From afar, it looks like a caricature of a lady's head with rollers in her hair. The capsules on the London Eye look like little space pods. Ours look like recycled oil drums. The design of our wheel? Blah! A bicycle has better looking spokes. Look at the Southern Star! It is so pretty! Need I say more? I'm posting some pictures of other wheels around the world for comparison. You be the judge.

Hold Me Now .. Somebody! Anybody!

I just had to add this song to my Playlist it as it was one of my favourite songs back in the eighties. Have you ever tried to sing when you're crying? And because you think that song was written just for you, you cry even harder? Hmm .. that reminds me of another song ..


Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly with his song


OK, tears and snot all over my face now .. I can't tell the difference ..

Hold Me Now - Johnny Logan

Don't close your heart to how you feel
Dream and don't be afraid the dream's not real
Close your eyes
Pretend it's just the two of us again
Make believe this moment's here to stay

Touch me the way you used to do
I know tonight could be all I'll have with you
From now on
You'll be with someone else instead of me
So tonight
Let's build this memory and for the last time

Hold me now
Don't cry
Don't say a word
Just hold me now
And I will know though we're apart
We'll always be together
Forever in love
What do you say when words are not enough?

Time will be kind once we're apart
And your tears
Tears will have no place in your heart
I wish I could say how much I'll miss you when you're gone
How my love for you
Will go on and on

Hold me now
Don't cry
Don't say a word
Just hold me now
And try to understand that I hope at last you've found
What you've been searching for
And though I won't be there anymore
I will always love you

What can I say when my words are not enough?

Broken Hearted Anonymous

I was crossing Anderson Bridge and stopped to take a photo when this girl came up to me. She wanted to send an sms and she didn't know how to spell Congratulations. I helped her out. And then she started talking..

- She just broke up with her boyfriend
- She suspects that he is already seeing someone else
- She texts him all the time but he doesn't reply
- She wants him back but he doesn't want her back
- She lost her virginity to him
- She thinks that she might be pregnant
- She will make him accountable IF she is pregnant
- She lent him money
- She doesn't want to go home
- She wants to drink and forget her problems
- She feels like killing herself!!

Sound familiar?? Well sista, been there, done that. OK, not ALL of that but some.. certainly not the pregnant part! Thank God! And I've been stuck in the same vicious cycle since I was a teenager. I'm still none the wiser. When she was relating her story, I didn't know if I felt sad for her. Or sadder for myself. She was only 26. She still had her whole life ahead of her, plenty of other guys to fall for and get her heart broken again and again. I, on the other hand, 38 this year, one dusty uterus.

She wasn't hysterical or crying but I think she was there because she was thinking of jumping off the bridge. She didn't strike me as the type that had the courage to take that last step but hey, better to be safe than sorry. She probably just needed someone to talk to. So I did what I could. I told her what I thought she wanted to hear.

Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't - Erica Jong

No Parking!

Which part of the sign does he NOT understand???

But I have to salute this person also. Can park right under the sign somemore! Maybe he thought cannot park many bicycles? But ONE bicycle is ok??

Haha :o)

Expired Toothpaste

Did you know that toothpaste had expiry dates?? I didn't.

I ran out of toothpaste but I knew I had some in stock somewhere. That's when I found this : Colgate, Tiga Jalur Untuk Perlindungan Tiga Cara, Nilai Hebat 160 g + PERCUMA 40g! I was just about to open the kotak when I saw the following :
* MFG DATE 261004 * EXPIRY DATE 261006 *
I nearly dropped the box. I have toothpaste that is TWO YEARS AND TWO MONTHS past the date that it would still be fresh and minty!!

So what do you do? Do you throw it away? Do you try it and see if it's gone bad? What could possibly happen? Your teeth start falling out? That, my friend, is usually due to old age and I don't think that has anything to do with toothpaste!

Anyway, I googled. Apparently, the elements found in toothpaste, including fluoride, don't expire, and toothpaste isn't any less effective if it's used after the expiration date. When stored under ideal conditions, it can generally be considered effective even one and a half years beyond its expiration date (which means mine is still expired!) Also, some of the aesthetic aspects of toothpaste, such as flavoring and consistency, can diminish after the expiration date. But it's certainly not harmful to use. A Dr. Sullivan did however, advise people not to go overboard - although using toothpaste a short time after its expiration date is fine, he wouldn't recommend using it several years after it's expired.

I'm going to give it a try. If I need dentures, I'll let you know!

Self - Restraint

Restraint of one's emotions, desires, or inclinations; self-control.

I practised self-restraint today. I was at the airport when Eddy landed from Sydney. I knew he was arriving around the same time I would be there so I called the service hotline to check the time, gate and terminal. I was dying to surprise him and see him. But deep down, I was afraid that I would be disappointed. He would greet me casually. He would be occupied with all the goodbyes from his colleagues that I would be left standing on the side. I'd be tagging along when he went for his smoke and I'd be waiting. He would probably see a few people he knew and make small talk. He would go into the office to sign out and would be stuck there as he met more friends. And then, maybe, he would have some time for me. All these are "would-s" and "probably-s" but it has happened before. And I didn't like it.

I was THAT close. But the fear of rejection? the fear of disappointment? was far too painful to bear. So I left and went for lunch with my colleagues.

A pat on the back for me!

My New Flickr Icon

This was suppose to be my new icon for Flickr. I forgot I took this picture of myself in the mirror (ala DTKC - doing the Karen Cheng) when I was in Adidas. But due to the dimensions available for my buddy icon, I had to crop it even further to a teeny-weeny size - you only see the camera as the focal point and a little of my wrinkly fingers too! Probably two-thirds of the current picture, which is already one-eighths of the original?)

Look professional or not? :o)

Closing The Ring

If you can't keep a promise, it's not worth making.

A deeply moving love story, interwoven between past and present. Spanning two continents and half a century, stars Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer tell the story of true love and promises.

When I first saw this DVD at the shop, I merely glanced at it and had a quick look at the synopsis. I had never heard of the movie nor saw it on the big screens. I don't even remember getting it. I watched it today. And all I can say is ... GET IT!! That is if you liked movies like The Lake House, Message In A Bottle or P/S I Love You. It is guaranteed to make you cry. Like mad. I bawled! I sobbed. I wept. And I loved it!

None of the synopsis or reviews online gave it justice. That is why I never cared for critics. Watch it and rate it yourself. Better yet, watch it with a girlfriend because it is definitely a chick-flick. Arm yourself with a big box of tissues and plenty of pillows to hug.

As a hopeless romantic with her head in the clouds, this movie reaffirms my belief that there is still true love out there.

Welcome Home!

Kek is back from Toulouse, France.

There goes the my freedom :

* Sleeping with my bedroom door open
* Walking around the apartment buck-naked
* Blasting my music in the dead of the night
* Leaving my bags / stuff all over the place .

Sigh !!

p/s : Bienvenue à la maison, Kek!

Happy Birthday!

BH turns 38 today.

Every year, he never fails to text me on Chinese New Year and my birthday. I used to get messages on New Year's Day and Valentine's too. But with New Year so close to CNY these past few years, one text to wish the same usual festive greetings was enough. And Valentine's Day ... well, I guess it wasn't appropriate anymore. Anyway, I uphold the tradition and do the same. In Jan, I wish him many happy returns and on CNY, a Gong Xi Fa Chai.

Boon Hui,
Thank you for the good times ..
The days you filled with pleasure.
Thank you for fond memories,
And for feelings I'll always treasure.
Happy Birthday.
Love, Chubby

21st Century Slimming Tea

A friend was taking some slimming tea to help with some weight gain. Apparently it would make you go to the loo to poo :o) One day, I passed a Watsons so I popped in to have a look. There were a few brands - I picked 21st Century which had Original, Orange Spice and Honey Lemon flavours. No points for guessing which flavour I bought.

One night, I had dinner with Jean and Ray at that Master Crab place in Buangkok. We had Thai style prawns, KL Hokkien mee, mee goreng and a plate of vegetables. After that feast, I thought, "Hey, this would be a good time to try the tea." So I got the box out and read the instructions. Oh, I'm supposed to drink it 15 mins before or during meals. NOW they tell me!

I had a couple of cups of the tea (from the same teabag, of course). Then two hours later, the tummy aches started. It was this severe abdominal, wrenching pain. The kind of pain that you cannot tahan one loh! I think I went every other hour. Even after falling asleep, I was woken up by the pain and had to go.

The next night, I thought I'd drink the tea again. I had the next day off and would be staying home so it wouldn't be inconvenient for me to go to the toilet. This time, the reaction was less severe. The aches only started hours later and not as often as the first day. I had the tea again last night. The aches came this morning. The box did say that you can gradually increase the tea strength as your digestive system adjusts. So I guess my system is adjusting.

There are no further instructions on how often a day I can take this tea, or for how long a duration. I can't find any further information on the Internet either. I think I'll take it when its convenient for me.

The things we do to lose weight!

Biggest Moon Of 2009

Saturday, January 10, 2009. This was the biggest moon of the year.

Tonight's full moon shone brightest - 30% brighter and was the biggest in size - 14 per cent bigger than normal. The last sighting was December 12, 2008. I was blading at the park this evening when I managed to catch a glimpse of it as it weaved in and out of the clouds. It was quite a pretty sight.

Do people wish upon a moon??

Ah-CHOO

Dust and I don't mix.

Every time I start to wipe a surface or sweep the floor, I start sneezing!! And then I get the sniffles .. I'll be making wantons enough for a family of four before my nose calms down.

I never had that problem when I was younger. Must be old age setting in...

Fortune Feast

This is the S$28.80 Fortune Feast (not including $3 delivery charge, mind you) It came with :

* 8 pieces of chicken
* 4 Golden Shrimp Coins
* 4 Crispy Strips
* Popcorn Chicken
* Medium Coleslaw
* Medium Whipped Potato

Ordering delivery was easier than asking Jean to cook. We were too lazy to go out after a long day at work. We also couldn't decide where to go and what to eat. I suggested KFC and a movie at home. So 6222-6111 later, a hot meal awaits us!

I enjoyed the chicken. Jean puked later in the night. She can't take KFC for some reason. Once we had KFC, she did the same thing. We thought that it was a one-off thing. Now that we know- no more KFC for her. She reckons it's the oil - too jelak??!! Ray - it was just another meal for him, I guess.

We watched Get Smart after the dinner. Or rather Ray and Jean watched it while I fell asleep on the sofa. I woke up just in time to see the ending :o)

Let Me Throw!!

Let me throw! Let me throw!

Jean wanted to throw away one of my favourite pairs of shoes - the brown ones. She saw them on the top of the shoe rack, grabbed them and went to the disposal area and taunted me with them. OK, the shoes have cracked soles and they are really quite shabby. But I wouldn't let her! I liked those shoes too much! I didn't wear them anymore but still ... NO!

The white sandals are another favourite. I wear them with everything. Jeans. Skirts. Shorts. Dresses. It just goes with everything I have. I've had them for 3+ years? You can probably tell from the sweat stains on the soles :o) You can almost make out the shape of my toes!! They were Charles & Keith copies of the expensive Birkenstock model. I couldn't bring myself to pay S$80 for a pair of sandals so I opted for the cheap and good $30 pair. Hey, it lasted me 3 years so it was a good decision.

The strappy pair - I think I bought them in Ipoh years ago. Simple, casual, and not very comfortable. My feet always felt so exposed when I wore it. I tended to curl my toes in when I came close to a woman in heels. Can you imagine the pain if she stuck her stilettos in my toe? But still, I wore them every now and them. You can see the worn bits on the right sandal, near the heel and the thong area..

Jean, I've thrown all these shoes away.

Leftovers.. Again

This is my char kway teow. Or what is left of it.

When I came back from Taipei on the 2nd Jan, I went to the hawker centre, across the highway, to buy my supper. I had about half and stuck the rest in the fridge. Two days later, on the 4th, I took the leftovers, zapped it in the microwave and voila .. an instant meal! That's what it looks like after two days in the fridge and two minutes in the microwave. (please refer to pic)

I know that some people consider it bad. Gross even. To eat food that's been kept for too long. Like that Cantonese belief .. don't drink "overnight water". What the heck is that? Apparently you're advised to drink freshly boiled water and not water that's been kept overnight in the kettle. But... but ... I don't like to drink hot water. If I need to let the water cool down before I can drink it, I'd just rather grab a can of drink, readily available and chilled. And anyway, chilled water is overnight water, right? But apparently overnight in the fridge is OK??!! Go figure!

Get Smart !!

This is one funny movie! :o)

I don't care what the critics said but I liked the movie. The critics bombed it and said that it wasn't true to the original. I never watched the original series so I wouldn't know - it was in the late sixties?? when it was first aired.

This movie was a little slapstick and silly at times but hey, it's a comedy! There were some really classic scenes that only Carell, with his no-nonsense, stoic face and his comic timing, can pull it off. The Rock as Agent 23 - for a chunk of hunk, he's really funny too! Check out the stapler-incident! I'm still laughing :o) Even Masi Oka, Hiro from Heroes, has a small role!

More importantly, the movie wasn't over-exaggerated. I get so annoyed at Jim Carey's facial antics or Jackie Chan over-used, signature "shocked" look, that I prefer not to watch their movies. I hated Borat - I'm still trying to forget the memory of Sacha Baron Cohen in that string bikini!

So GET SMART!! Check the movie out!

Make-Up CLEAN-UP!!

Five clumpy mascaras and 2 almost empty eyeshadow pots.

These were sitting in my make-up pouch for the longest time! They took up space but I never bothered to throw them away because simply, they were still usable! I could still get a little bit of mascara from the tubes if I dug hard enough. The wands are no longer straight, by the way. And the eyeshadows .. just scrape the sides .. use my nail if I have to and I could always get enough to cover my eyelids. So why waste, right? If still have, then keep loh!

I got the Dior stubby mascara from a sample set. I can't remember where I bought the Rimmel. No7 in Black - I bought this in London Oct 07 when I met up with Adrian. I was getting some things for a friend at Boots when they gave me a voucher for $5 pounds off any purchase above $10 pounds. Adrian said that it was a tactic to get people to shop more. Well, it worked because I bought a mascara. Not that I needed it. I just didn't want to waste the voucher.

The Loreal was one I picked up at the airport duty-free. Anna Sui - I saw a colleague with some pretty lashes and she recommended this. It was S$40 at Robinsons. Probably the most expensive mascara I have ever bought. Tried it. Didn't help. I guess the only way I will ever have Japanese-kawaii-like lashes is if I put on extensions or falsies.

Eyeshadows - Silver Kose one was from Japan. It was shiny and sparkly, used as a highlighter. I like sparkly!! Bought the green Mac from the Internet. I thought it was a good deal - a regular eyeshadow costs about $25 from the counters. This was selling for $16. When I received it in the post, I thought, "Hey, Mac has a new packaging. Cool." Under the color, there was a little mirror and a tiny compartment in which you could stow a tiny brush. Anyway, I liked the green color and used it regularly. So one day when I passed the Mac counter, I asked if I could get a refill. They took one look and told me that it was an imitation. A fake. Petaling Street export. I should have known .. things that sound too good to be true, usually are!!

Anyway, with the new year here, out goes the old, used and almost empty!!

A New Year Dinner

My dinner on New Year's day in Taipei!

We get New Year's dinner when we're away. Part of our "welfare". I don't know if our company or the hotels pay for it though. Sometimes, the dinner is a 3-course affair - soup, salad and main. One year in Narita, it was a 10-dish buffet with karaoke! All I could remember from that dinner was the awful singing!

We had just checked into the Taipei hotel at 6pm and the dinner was at 6:30pm. We didn't even have time to shower as we didn't want to keep others waiting. One girl did not have the proper shoes, one only had a polo-tshirt. But we all went in the end and we didn't regret it at all.

This year, my colleagues and I were treated to a fantastic buffet dinner : 2 choices of soup with warm bread, cold cuts and salad, 20 mains, cut fruits and tons of yummy dessert! All that food for 45 of us! We just ate and ate and ate! I did, anyway. There goes my new year resolution! My favourites were 1) Jelly fish with beans 2) Kung-pao prawns 3) Sliced marinated beef with black beans and chilli 4) Drunken chicken.

Besides, the food, I was impressed that the wait staff kept topping up the buffet although we were already half-way through. That's service for you. I did my first good deed of the year - I sent the hotel a thank-you email right after I got back to my room.

Good service should never go unappreciated.

My High School Sweetheart

It was the first day of 2009. My past appeared in my present.

Today, I bumped into my high school sweetheart, WS. He still looks the same - a little older, trendier hairstyle, different glasses - skinny as ever.

We broke up 13 years ago after dating for six. WS is now happily married to K, with a son Jarrell, to carry on that all important family name (WS has 4 sisters) Jarrell is a very handsome boy, almost 6 this year and going on to K2. He will break many hearts when he grows up. WS says he takes after the mother.

He also showed me a photo of his family back home in Ipoh. Family members whom I used to know.

* Father is much older but healthy.
* Mother just had hand-surgery for a tendon problem.
* Ching-che's oldest daughter is now in Form 5. Her son looks exactly like Hong-Kor.
* Fun-che has a son and a daughter. She's a housewife in KL. Hubby is a partner in a law firm.
* Yee is married - I think she doesn't have any children. I forget.
* May is still single and has now taken over the family business / shop.

* All is well in the K family.

Looking back, it turned out for the better. For WS. If we had remained together, he would have been hen-pecked as I was always bullying him. And throwing my siew-cheh tantrums. He gave in to me - that was his nature. He was a really, really sweet guy. And he deserved someone much better than me.

Till the next time we meet again..
I wish you love.
I wish you happiness.
I wish you all the best.

My Baby Pineapple

For the first time ever, I hung a festive decoration on my door..


Ok, it's NEXT to my door. And a small pineapple, the size of a 20c coin, is hardly festive, right? But I like it. It's small and cute. And not too over-the-top. And I can use it next year too! Recycle! That is if it doesn't get stolen over the next few days! Chinese New Year is 26 days away ... Fingers crossed!




This year, it's the year of the Ox. Year of the Bull. Kerbau. Lembu. All the same ... they all go Mooo .... And almost every decoration on sale, has a smiling cow, or two. We have cows clapping their hooves together. Cows holding angpows. With all 4 teats in full glory! And all these cows have a really cheerful, almost sneaky-obscene grin .. as if they were getting some action "down there" ... and I'm not talking about the udders-region either..

So yah, I'm sticking to my baby pineapple :o)

Happy New Year !!