F1 Fever

Weather: Warm and humid
Road: Dry
Vision: Clear
Crowd Size: Pretty Crazy

Speed: Almost 300 km/hr

First night race in Formular 1 history... got some complimentary tickets... Both of us never been to a F1 race before, or rather not even an actual race. Set out with the intention to check it out.

When reached City Hall, we were "welcomed" by the crowd size!!! forgotten to bring along ear plugs (do we really need this?), went to a couple of Guardians... All SOLD OUT !!!

Luckily there are people selling "F1 Survival Kit" at the entrance for $2 a pack. It comes with a poncho and ear plugs (do we really really need this?).




At first we were wandering around the "F1 Village", until we managed to find a nice spot for a view. Took some pictures, but the cars are toooo fast. I guess that's the reason why you see professional with HUGE lenses!!! Uploaded a video too man! It was quite thrilling and fun surprisingly. But I guess you would be more comfortable sitting in the grandstand. Standing there for hours is no joke.

And you know what??? You really need EAR PLUGS!!! Their F1 engine roarssssssssssss. So xxxx loud that it could break your ear drum. :-D

First ever Cousins only gathering

We had a first ever cousins gathering from my dad's side of the family.

It was pretty awesome that 18 out of the 22 cousins actually turned up!

It all started when our 老大 started asking how many cousins there were in total and who was older and who was younger.

Our organiser even prepared "exam questions" and we found out some interesting facts.
- There is an exactly 1:1 ratio of males to females;

- That the age difference between the eldest and youngest is 30 years;

- The youngest cousin is the same age as the oldest kid of the next generation;

- And at last count, there are altogether 32 kids in the next generation!

Hope there will be more such gatherings in the future! :)

Laptop Support

Cool product from Ikea...

The base is soft so that it follows the shape of your lap or any uneven surface.
It even has a side pocket for your handphone or mp3 player.

Working 9 to 5

Workin' 9 to 5,
What a way to make a livin'
Barely gettin' by
It's all takin' and no givin'
They just use your mind
And they never give you credit
It's enough to drive you crazy
If you let it
9 to 5, for service and devotion
You would think that I
Would deserve a fat promotion
Want to move ahead
But the boss won't seem to let me
I swear sometimes that man is out to get me

They let you dream
Just to watch 'em shatter
You're just a step
On the boss-man's ladder
But you got dreams
He'll never take away
You're in the same boat
With a lotta your friends
Waitin' for the day your ship'll come in
'N' the tide's gonna turn
And it's all gonna roll your way

*Lyrics from Dolly Parton's song

Book - Yakuza Moon by Shoko Tendo

This book was easy to read and strangely engaging for me. I read about half of it in one seating and finished the rest by the next day.

Though not extremely well written, even admitted by the author herself, the simple language makes it easy to read. The story iss probably representative of what a lot of gangs in different countries face. But maybe because of the beautiful image of Japan that many of us have, it's hard to believe this side of their country. And more sadly for this author, who was so badly abused physically and sexually. I've heard of this side of Japanese men before and it's not a nice feeling to actually read true encounters. It all seems so "two-faced".

How about a lantern riddle ???

Riddle 1:
牵牛系寺前

Guess:
一个字

Know the answer???

How about another one? This should be easier...

Riddle 2:
外公

Guess:
酒名

reeeeelaxxxxx

Decided to stay home today. sometimes it's nice to just stay home. do nothing... off the lights... light a few candles, on your purifier, and laze around with some soothing music in the background... it can be really relaxing. so relax... or rather lazy that both of us dont even feel like getting up and go shower. :-p

Happy Lantern Festival !!!

Book - A Thousand Splendid Suns

An excellent read, i couldn't put it down! It's been a long time since I've read a book so quickly.

Maybe it was because of the plot, about the plight of 2 women in a male dominated society like Afganistan, what more with the turmoil that was going on in the country. The story was very engaging and it makes you want to read on to see what would happen next.

Beautiful Sunset at Alibag (beach resort abt 110km from Mumbai)

*Photos taken by Fere Chin

Book - The Kite Runner

Excellent read. From the middle onwards, i really couldn't put the book down. Such a touching story and so real that you can almost believe it.

I especially liked the quote from Amir's father,"There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft...... When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness...."

Folding Clothes Japanese Style - CrazyAsianVids.com

My friends were just talking about this video the other day. Ingenious! i must try it :)

Shin Kushiya

We had dinner at Shin Kushiya last Friday night and it was fantastic!

Of course we tried a few different types of their specialty, which is the charcoal grilled skewers. All good but i specially loved the scallops, and the squid as they were literally grilled to perfection. Not too hard and not to raw. Just nice!

The Tako Fry (deep fried tasty octopus and squid with mayo dip) is a must try! My hubby really liked the curry don too. In fact the overall quality of the food is really good, even for a simple soft shell crab handroll.

Though rather pricey, but I think the quality of the food is worth paying for. Definitely worth coming back (though maybe not too often... :p)

Ladies + 1 boy

Besides birthdays, christmas and chinese new year, there is one other occasion that we always meet up for - our "anniversary" - a way to celebrate our years and years of friendship! And more years to come!


It's always a girls.. or should i say ladies' nite out. We have always been very firm on that. But this year, we had the honour of "breaking tradition" as we had a little boy with us.


BUT, still no husbands allowed next year!

Babybeans in the news - Mother & Baby (Sept issue)

La Petite Cuisine

Had dinner at La Petite Cuisine at Serene Center on Friday. It is a no-frills French restaurant tucked away in a little corner in Serene Center.

I'm not big on French food but i think my hubby rather enjoyed the escargot starter dish. It was de-shelled and served on a crossiant with sauce. He tried the main course - Confit de canard (and yes, it is actually duck cooked in its own fat) and it was pretty good too.

The sphagetti i tried was rather average but well, maybe I shouldn't be taking italian food in a French eatery!

Green Tea Eau de Toilette

"Subtle complex of fresh aromas uplifts your mood--transporting you to green fields laced with the fragrances of bitter orange, jasmine, cedar and thyme. Invigorating as a Spring day. Appreciated equally by men and women for its tonic green aroma that creates sensations of well-being and freshness."

http://www.loccitane.com/Default.aspx?a=24&c=1&l=1&s=27

Very nice... i really like it :)

Magazines

What is the one thing that self help articles in magazines will never tell you to do?

ANSWER: Stop spending money on magazines!

How much do you spend on magazines every month??

Happy cheeky Tong

Thanks KW for the print out :)

Chongqing Steamboat

Enjoyed a good steamboat meal at Chongqing Steamboat at Tanglin Shopping Center on Sunday night.

The fish paste was really good... and they had a good variety. Cheaper than Koka... and less messy and warm than those at Beach Road. A good in between :)

Free man x 2 weeks !!!

Been stuggling for months for my job... err... jobs and then exams... Stuggling has always been not easy. Lucky my baby is always there for me... :) This term only taking one module... but yet it still seem that there were so much to study. Maybe because it's one of the toughest module ever.

Finally over... tough paper. : Nevertheless, getting it over and done with feels so good. The rest... up to fate! Now I get to have this miserable "short" break. And it's time to enjoy... :) and perhaps time to tidy up my mess that has been lying there since.

This term saw some of my course mates finished all examable modules. How nice when the time comes for me. One more term to go !!! And I will be free from exams !!! I wonder when the day I graduate, will I be "lost" somehow... ? hmm...

Got this small little encouragement from baby just before I leave for exam... hee :D