Gold plates! They are gold plates!

P was handed some of these and was asked to monitor the gold price.




I was expecting gold to be traded by some kinda of in-between trader, but no. We were handed gold plates. OMG.

Bangkok gold price hits all-time high
So why isn't the gold price running?

Rollercoaster Tycoon

I cannot remember how long ago was it that I hadn't stepped out of the house at all over the weekend. I was so carried away by RCT that I wasn't doing anything else. Not surfing, not blogging, not watching vids etc. I even skipped jogging.

Now that's what I call addiction. It's worse than chocolates cos this addiction will never get you fat.

Making the best out of a typical work day

Judy did a cheese pie demonstration in today's knowledge sharing session.






And now, I am so ashamed about my Microsoft Office PowerPoint tutorial. I must have totally bored them out.

When I am feeling green

My No. 2 dress

Bad guys versus good guys

P actually asked the shop keeper if she would part with her mannequin. The lady had the funniest look ever and went, "No we don't sell this, we got it from Bangkok. What would you need this for???".

Anyway, P's being incredibly supportive of my new hobby. I thought it is too soon to invest in accessories since I'm not really sure how long this fever is going to last. Whenever he sees me getting in and out of my half-done projects, he will try convincing me that everything would be much easier if I get a sewing mannequin. He actually suggested for us to lug one back from Bangkok when we are doing our stopover there in 2 weeks' time.



The Anda dress is on its way to MM. I concluded that I cannot wear anything that looks slightest like an empire cut. I guess the Anda dress will fit MM much better and she definitely will not look preggie in it. I am just left with hemming for my third project, which is done using the same material as my first. P can vouch that my worksmanship is improving and my latest project (which is 95% done) is now my new pride.

By the way, if you have been watching Gossip Girl, I think you would agree with me about Chuck Bass. Half the reason why I am so into the show is the really entertaining Chuck Bass and the other half, the bitchy storyline. And because of GG, I can't wait for the arrival of Wednesdays.



I think the bad boy image is still the in thing (at least for me). I don't know why but goody-two-shoes are always wishy-washy (Dan Humphrey, Nate Archibald from GG, Sam Winchester from Supernatural etc.) and they tend to annoy me. They are indecisive, make (sometimes unnecessary) sacrifices, etc. and always seem to have some noble reasons for their silly acts.

It's a case of bad guys versus good guys. I cannot help but wonder if what we see is what we want. Maybe in real life, goody-two-shoes are not that desirable afterall.

THE thing in my family

Come this weekend, Mdm will be giving tuition classes again. C has a friend whose son needs an English tutor and she asked if I would like to take up the job. I did without thinking twice since I don't usually have much to do on Saturdays and sparing an hour for a 6-year-old is an easy task. Plus, I would be paid!

Since C's friend can't really speak English, her sister helped to arrange for the time, location etc. The sister was surprisingly fluent in her spoken English and when we were done with the details, she revealed that she's actually calling from my little red dot!!! Apparently, she's married to an Indonesian and they relocated to Singapore a year ago. So theirs is a story of a Thai wife and an Indonesian husband raising kids in Singapore.

Come to think of it, ours, tracing all the way back to my grandparents, seems rather interesting:

1. Grandpa Chong (from China) & Grandma Chong (from Sg)
2. Grandpa Lee (from M'sia) & Grandma Lee (from Sg)
3. Dad (from Sg) & Mummy (from M'sia)
4. P (from land of gazillion smiles) & Mdm (from Sg)

Cross-border marriage seems to be THE thing in my family. Mummy told me once that somewhere up Grandma Lee's family line, there's a cross-racial marriage and that someone is an Indian. That explains Grandma Lee's sharp features (deep-set eyes, sharp nose etc.). MM and I were just not lucky enough to get the sharp features from her.

The government robot

'I'm going to die on Monday at 6.15pm'
__________

Since I am attempting to join the HDB club, we are required to submit a full set of documents. The preparation work started few weeks back and the whole process is tedious and extremely troublesome (especially for MM). The translation and certification of our payslips/ land titles/ valuation reports totalled up to $460. I can't believe that the translation company is charging us $300 for a kid's job and they took like a week to complete the translation.

Since day one, I have been corresponding with this particular officer. Every few days, I'll keep her updated with our documents collection status, inform her the difficulties I have been facing and the possible delays etc. She usually responds to my email within 48 hours and I am extremely pleased with her efficiency. Yet I cannot understand why she keeps replying my email in a robotic tone that makes her sounds like an answering machine.

Anyway, every thing is finally out to HDB today. We'll just have to sit back and wait for the results from the balloting exercise as well as HDB's consent to purchase.

Of Chiangmai

Although it started raining very heavily in the evening and we had to cut our day short, we managed to spend quite a bit of time with our cammie.

The Thai twist to Shaolin kungfu

P was so totally amazed by what the Chinese can do



And after watching in awe for like a minute, P rolled his eyes when the words appeared. A non word by word translation of the message is "no matter how strong you are, you can't fight dengue fever". I thought this is a rather interesting attempt though I am not sure if this is done by the government authorities.

Mdm with a pair of scissors, thread and fabric

I was so inspired by what I saw in Burdastyle that I decided to go ahead with my project without any pattern sheets. I spent two consecutive nights with my beloved machine, which I have for the past few months left at a corner in our room to collect dust. And...

TADAHHHHHHHHHH!




It's my first try and it's definitely not perfect. But it turned out much better than expected! I actually wore it to work this morning, matching it with a little black skirt. =)))

And these are photos of work in progress






And my next project...



The Anda dress using Burda pattern #7969.

I have added another must have room to my dream house.



P will have a corner of this room to himself and this would be our studio/ workshop aka hobby room. So, my dream house will be completed with

1. An all-work-no-play-makes-P-a-dull-boy room

2. A hobby room

3. A big dress-me-up space right in our bedroom



and

4. An open concept kitchen!


__________

Some photos from last Sunday

Gift from C


A nice card little card


From MM


Lottery tickets from P


My easel!


And some pictures of us at iBerry





Have a nice weekend! =)

Our dog is the new Queen

My folks will be off for a short trip this Sunday. As usual, our little one started displaying signs of uneasiness (i.e. going on hunger strike, tailgating etc.). With her working hours stretching from early morning to 8-9 pm, MM had to arrange for her friend to pet sit. I guess the only thing on my folks' mind when they make trips is our little one. Over the years, my folks have grown very attached to her, vice versa. My mummy, who was not at all pleased when I brought Miss Delsea home and had avoided direct contact with her, now places Miss Delsea on her lap while watching the TV in the afternoon. As for my dad, he has been treating and speaking of Miss Delsea like she walks on 2 legs for eons.

Yesterday, my dad told me that our family trip this year-end would most likely be a relatively short one since

1. MM may not be able to go on long leave
2. Little Miss Delsea will not be pleased

Major confusion with my still cannot-make-it Thai

Mdm picked up a call for C in the office yesterday. C was on another line and I placed the caller on hold. When the caller asked if it's going to take a while, I confidently replied "praman neung aa-tit".

As soon as I blurted that word, I knew I was wrong but my brain just suddenly went blank and I just couldn't seem to remember the Thai word for "minute".

*aa-tit = week
*na-tit = minute

I mistakenly told the caller that C would be on the phone for "about 1 week".

Mdm is officially 27

Our plans were totally ruined by the rain. We ended up circulating some department stores then ate some really nice ice-cream and cakes at one of my favourite cafes. We intended to do a couple meal but had dinner with the family instead. It was with the usual food, cake and presents.

Back in Singapore, dinner and a cake cutting ceremony is kinda like our family SOP for birthday celebration. I did the usual this year, but for a moment it felt kinda strange.

Anyway, P got me an easel!



I haven't downloaded the photos from the camera but the easel looks exactly like the image above. I am a painter! Wakhahaha.

MM got me a nice sketchbook with her DIY craft works on the first page. I got the present few days before my birthday and reading it got me all emotional for a while. Thank you MM =))

May the swell be gone soon

The much hated eye stye is back to haunt me!!!

Mooncake and me!

I don't know how I get to Friday, but at least it's the end of my working week and this is great news b'cos I need my weekend break badly!!!

We bought and tested a mooncake from a local bakery yesterday evening and I was glad that it tasted almost good. Strangely, I am missing Mid-Autumn festival this year. We used to have those get-together sessions with my cousins when we were much younger. Frankly, I cannot recall how I celebrated my last Mid-Autumn festival in Sg. Most probably my family sat around the TV and munched mooncakes while sipping some chinese tea.

The other reason for me to be missing Mid-Autumn festival this year might be that my birthday actually falls on the same day!!!

Mdm escaped Ramadan in Dubai

Mdm just completed some work which is actually due by end OCTOBER.

I have exhausted my reading sources and the excited me started googling for more travel information on Dubai. I will be meeting the camels in less than a month! And guess what, I was totally freaked out when I read this

"The Holy month of Ramadan is a religious practice of Muslims. During this month Muslims do not eat or drink between 5:00am – 5:00pm. NO ONE (including tourists) can eat, drink or even smoke in public places during this time. Restaurants are closed and no food or drinks are publicly available to buy. There are heavy fines and jail terms if you break this law."

I shot a MSN message to THE ONE and he confirmed that Ramadan is ending on 30 September!!!

*Phew*

The first Thai food strike off Mdm's list

We managed to catch Mama Mia yesterday and it was quite a disappointment. We haven't been to the movies in weeks and I thought we needed something better (though I don't mind having more of Pierce Brosnan). Anyway, P was like sitting on needles. When they were doing the last "Mama Mia", I turned around and told him, "ok, it's the last song". But I was wrong. They just kept going on and on. It felt like a 180-minute movie. And surprisingly, when the credits came out (and Meryl Streep was still singing), no one stood up to leave.

By the way, Pierce Brosnan looked really good in the movie. I was just thinking to myself, how lucky it is if your dad/husband/son/any male being in the family is that good looking. Can you imagine how proud his daughter is when she show him off to her friends at school?

We had Nam Tok at some local food stall. FYI, Nam Tok looks like this



I was introduced to this dish when I first visited Chiangmai but I didn't really like the look and smell of it. Sometime back, I started eating Nam Tok and there are days now that I actually want to eat it quite badly. Anyway, I never knew what was added into the soup. And then one fine day, I saw with my own pair of lasik eyes that raw pig blood was the source of the brown chalky colour. I tried to resist my temptation for this dish since my big discovery but I succumbed to temptation yesterday. We sat by one of the road side stalls and were waiting for our food when P took a sip of water and complained that the water tasted weird. He then went on to convince me that it's not really hygienic to get food from road side stalls. The final straw came when he mentioned that we were actually having yummy noodles right next to a cemetery, which is strangely located next to a rather busy road. That stall serves one of the best Nam Tok around but I don't think I will ever dine there again.

And then today, while trying to comfort myself that it is still okay to eat Nam Tok as long as it's from a clean stall, I found this article

Say No to 'nam tok'

Why not Bukit Timah, Holland Road or Namly Road?

CNA: 80 parents turn up for first matchmaking session

"... The usually quiet Hong Lim Park was bustling with activity, as over 80 eager parents turned up for the matchmaking party.

They may be camera-shy, but when it comes to finding a spouse for their child, they are anything but coy.

One parent said: "A girl normally is very shy, and more cautious than a boy. And so the parents should make the first move and you know, nudge her along."

When asked whether their daughter knew of their presence there, another parent said: "I told her, and she didn't react, just gave her silent consent."

So it's the daughters, it seems, who need help the most."

I SPOTTED MY MUM IN THE CROWD!!!

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Joking la!

If MM still can't make up her mind in 2-3 years time , I believe my parents will join the queue at Hong Lim Park.
_____

I read in the papers about the big fuss made over the proposed conversion of unused (State) properties into quarters for foreign workers. I can imagine what's happening in my old office. My ex-boss must be running in and out of his office and giving instructions at the top of his voice.

There must be quite a number of unused State properties around and I am not sure what's the rationale behind choosing one that's located in a supposedly middle-class estate. It looked like there were miscalculations in the decision making chain. Anyway, I thought the residents kinda overreacted. I mean sure, there are security concerns but when people started the “Why not Bukit Timah, Holland Road or Namly Road?” thingy, it just got irritating.

Social issues aside, I doubt these people know the difference in land value counts. It makes no economic sense at all for the government to designate any areas in the prime districts for workers' dormitory. And, it does take someone really stupid to bid for a State property in District 9 (that is going to cost him a bomb) then use it to house foreign workers.

The “Why not Bukit Timah, Holland Road or Namly Road?” thingy is nonsensical and is an invalid arguement. I don't remember residents in Boon Lay launching such a vehement attack and making such a big fuss. If the reports are true, that Serangoon Gardens is a middle-class estate, then it is time for the middle-class to learn something from the working class.


Power, pride and prejudice

Is it a Serangoon Gardens problem or SG insularity symptom?

(Cold) Water please!

Healthy eating tip: Drink water first

"... studies have found that folks who stay on top of their water intake actually consume fewer calories. This could be because sometimes we can confuse the feeling of dehydration with the feeling of hunger. So, in an effort to stay hydrated and keep your calories down, think about drinking a glass of water before your meals."

Drinking cold water

"So now we know it's good to drink cold water, but are we burning extra calories when we do? The answer is yes. Your body is burning calories to raise the temperature of the cold water to be equal to your body temp."


Sound logical and definitely make sense.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Our first excursion with my baby (that runs on battery)

















=)

P said the photos looked amateurish and we still have a long way to go. Hmm, it's ok LA. Mdm's not intending to go pro anyway. I had fun yesterday and I thought our new baby did in some way spice up our life. The photos were huge (like 3mb per picture) and I spent some time scaling them down last night. We took a total of about 200 pictures and managed to cut the number down to 100 after selection (which wasn't difficult since some photos made no sense at all). It's crazy. There was talk yesterday about getting an external hard disk (depending on whether this fever is going to last) considering the huge size of photos and the never ending movies, tv series, games and reading materials we are downloading everyday.

Our last visit to the zoo was in 2004. It was horrible then. The animals looked starved and the zoo looked ill maintained. It looks much better now. I don't think it is intended but visitors can get really close to some animals. As in really close. The hippopotamus managed to swim to the side and rest his face on the wall. Some kids were wailing when the hungry hippopotamus opened its mouth, attempting to get fed. If I wanted, I could have placed my hand in its mouth.

Our trip to the zoo was cut short by the rain. We ended up in the market behind our house, took some random pictures and headed home for dinner. If I have not mentioned, I really like Warorot Market. I think it is a must visit for all tourists.

By the way, I think my abs are developing. The pilates sessions are working! Mdm went back to excluding rice from my daily diet and I have dropped almost 1.5 kg in the last week. I know I don't look much different but it's psychological, remember?