Eilyx & Xylia

Eilyx Lim and Xylia Lim. Cool names, huh?

Eilyx looks like Nick while Xylia has her own unique look. She has really cherubic cheeks that you just want to kiss all the time. She also has a little birthmark on her right arm, just like me! We're special girls, you know :o)

They are both very pretty and totally photogenic. But what I like about them is that they remind me of children of yesteryear's. They are not afraid of playing in the sandbox or getting their hands dirty. They don't run to Winnie or a maid when they fall down. They don't throw tantrums or shun away from people when people greet them or play with them. They enjoy the outdoors. And they are creative. They drew themselves a little house in the sand with smoke from a chimney, made a little pathway with little stones and a garden with trees and leaves! I forgot to take a picture *smack on head*

I was glad I was able to capture a few beautiful pictures of Eilyx. Xylia was a bit more elusive, always turning away or making faces. In the last photo, she knew I was taking her picture but she turned her back on me. But she was giggling the whole time so you knew that she was doing it for fun.

Children!

Casket??

Would you buy a watch from the CASKET series? When I saw this catalogue, I was amused. I immediately thought of coffins and dead bodies. But a search on Wiki revealed that a casket is a receptacle for trinkets and jewelery.

Hmmm ...

But ...

But ...

But ...

NAHHHH!!

My Ramen Dinner

I found this little ramen place, along one of the alleys in the Shinjuku area. I love anything soupy so when I saw this, I just had to try it. It looks like Maggi Mee but was much nicer as the ramen had "spring" and the soup was just right to warm your tummy on a cold night. It's a little spicy and chockful of vegetables, with a few slices of beef. Oh, I added the egg for extra yum.

It was Y$580 for the noodles, an extra Y$100 for the egg. Cheap, by Tokyo standards.

Delish!

Housing Woes With Kek

Kek is my housemate. He moved here in September '08 when he decided to rent out his own condo unit, moved his family back to Penang and rented my spare room. He is hardly around as he is always away for work and he goes back to Malaysia when he can. The perfect housemate! He does dribble all over the toilet seat though :o(

When my landlord told us that he was selling the house, Kek agreed to move with me, provided that we kept to his budget of $600 for his room. I was positive that we would find a unit for the same price as the newspapers were always reporting that rentals were going down as more and more people were getting retrenched or sent home. I started viewing flats in the East area, namely Bedok, Tampines and Pasir Ris. To my shock, I could not find a decent place that was below $1800! But I assumed that he would understand once I updated him on the rental market situation and adjust his budget accordingly.

I texted Kek but there was no reply. He was never online. Until a week later. I was in Los Angeles. Two o'clock in the morning : I saw his name and immediately buzzed him. He was not going to pay beyond $600. He explained - his needs were simple - a basic room for him when he's in town and he was also servicing his loan on his condo, among other things. So his budget was limited. We then decided to go our separate ways. I wasn't angry at him but I was now in a fix.

I thought that staying with me was a bonus because for one, I was hardly around too. He had a lot of privacy. Ling and Baby Lynus could stay over at any time. I never charged him for his utilities and even provided him with free Internet. I kept the house "reasonably clean" and I did all the housework. $600. What more could you ask for?

So do I look for another housemate or do I start a search for a smaller apartment?

My Favourite Vending Machine

This is my favourite vending machine in the world. It's located on the third floor of the Port Hotel, Narita, Tokyo, Japan.

I will always buy something from this machine when I'm staying at the hotel. My favourites are the Chicken Nuggets (third picture) and the Fried Noodles. The French Fries and the Fried Rice are nice too. They cost about Y$400-450 each, approximately S$6.50. Definitely not the cheapest fast food but it's the novelty of having delicious, hot food pop out from a vending machine. The boxes even come with cutlery - spoons for the rice and chopsticks for the noodles. A packet of salt with the fries. They thought of everything.

There used to have labels in English for the various selections and I always wondered before, why no one ever told the hotel or vendor that HOT DOG is not spelled HOT DOCK, although that is the way the Japanese pronounce it. The labels have now been removed, after ten years? I guess someone finally noticed the blooper!

Notice the banner - "Casual Frozen Foods". I know my nuggets don't come on Noritake Bone China plates but what does Casual Frozen Foods even mean??

Strange Names

I have been meeting real estate agents with unconventional names.

I called this one guy and he introduced himself as Gate?? He recommended that I call his colleague, Kingsman for another referral. All the king's horses and all the king's men ... When I met Kingsman, he handed me his card. His name was KLINSMANN!! WTF. "Hello, I'm Klinsmann from the Klingons. I want to conquer your planet. Take me to your leader. "

There was another guy called Alister. I have always spelt it as Alaistair. But when I met Alister, I understood why his name was spelt as such. He probably heard the name and liked it and decided to spell it his own way - the way he heard it! Our conversation went like this :

Sky : Hello. Can I speak to Alister?
Ali : Haro? Haro Haro?
Sky : I'm looking for Alister?
Ali : Yes, yes .. I Alister. Why ah?
Sky : I would like to enquire about the place in Tampines?
Ali : Orrr... that one. You how many pee-pow (I think he meant people) stay?
Sky : Just me and a housemate.
Ali : Wat your bah-jut?
Sky : Below $2000
Ali : Ah, dis one OK. Arse-king onli $1,900. Come see. You when flee to view?
Sky : Anytime.

I couldn't "flee" any faster! Call me a snob but I draw the line at having pee-pow like these, handle my housing affairs!!

Francis Yip

I spent my Valentine's evening in the company of a younger woman, listening to an older one sing love songs.

Francis Yip. A name I always associate with the song, Shanghai Beach 上海灘 from The Bund, a Hong Kong drama from the 80's. I used to hate that song. That first verse ..
Lo..ng punnn (dum dum dum)
Lo..ng lauuu (dum dum dum)
That used to irritate the hell out of me. Maybe it was because my dad never let me watch any HK dramas and forced me to study in the kitchen while the rest of the family had their eyes glued to the TV.

But when I saw her concert advertisement on TV on New Year's eve last year, they showcased her powerful voice, singing songs in English. The ticket prices were reasonable and I was keen but I had no one to go with. I did think of bringing Eddy but I know that he would probably not be interested, even though she is closer to his age group!! And besides, I didn't know if he had the day off.

Then one day, when I was talking to Jean, I mentioned that I saw the ad. To my surprise, she said that she was a fan and always have been. That was it. We bought tickets, got a discount from the nice lady at the Sistic counter in Atria and we went for the concert.

When I was waiting for Jean at the Singapore Indoor Stadium that evening, I was amused at the age group that was present. We were definitely much younger than the average crowd which was good. You know what they say .. If you want to look young, hang with the old! Haha :o)

She came, she sang. And she WOWED! She has a very powerful voice for someone who's 62 and she has a figure that I would die to have! She had to sing Shanghai Beach of course, but I was singing along with the rest of the crowd. We enjoyed the evening and left with fond memories. And I no longer hate that song.

Thanks Jean, for spending Valentine's with me ..
Thanks to Ray, for letting me have your wife for the evening ..

And thank you, Francis ... for making me a fan!