Arctic Tale

Artic Tales
Directed by: Adam Ravetch, Sarah Robertson
Narrated by: Queen Latifah

How many of you watched 'March of the Penguins' and was overwhelmed by their spectacular journey through blizzard cold...to find a mate and start a family? The image of the penguins, marching in a single file, bracing themsevles against the antartic wind to protect their young, will probably stay forever in our minds.

The story:
Arctic Tale is a movie by the same people (different directors though) about those who inhabit on the opposite side of the pole- The Arctic.

And the centre of the story is the polar bears...to be specific....one particular polar bear, Nanu and Cela, the walrus. In between, you have a few other characters, like the arctic fox and the seals who inhabit the same place as these two and are dependant on each other for survival.

The story starts off with a mother bear, who is just emerging from her 6 months of hibernation after giving birth to 2 little bear cubs (those 2 bear cibs are really cute!). Normally, polar bear cubs stay with their mother for 3 years...where they will be taught all that is necessary to stay alive in the harsh environment. And each of the baby walrus have an extra guardian (besides their mother), in the form of auntie to protect them. And boy, these lady warulses can be really fierce....even full grown polar bears can find their weight and sharp tusks a little intimidating.

For the next 90 minutes or so, we see how each of these animals try to survive, not just their natural enemies, but also the changing environment due to the warming of the climate. For these animals, the melting of the ice world can be disasterous. When any part of nature is unbalance, their basic survival is affected.

Hence we see the walruses swimming far out to sea, away from their home, to another island when the ice melted too early and could not hold them anymore. We see the polar bears, at the risk of facing starvation, following them and hunting far from their natural habitat. And a couple of times, I did have my heart in my mouth, wondering if Nanu is going to survive this exhuasting trip, for polar bears are not meant to swim for long distances.

It is truely a survival of the fittest. Only in this case, even the the fittest may not survive if there's no food.



Thoughts on movie:
As with any National Geographic documentaries, this is an excellent production. There is no doubt about it. Some of the images are simply spectacular and breathtaking. I take my hat off to the people who braved the cold and harsh weather by patiently capturing scenes that are simply worth a thousand words.

The bear cubs were really, really cute (makes me want to get one) and they have even managed to inject some humour into the movie.

Perhaps that is where the one flaw may lie....

The underlying message is a serious one but the movie is just a little too warm and fuzzy to convey that properly. I like watching cute animals and often the sight of these warm, cuddley animals may be effective in giving that tug-in-the-heart feeling. In this case, perhaps they should have been a little more cruel...so that they can be kind. Plus I find the music a little too distracting as well.

Despite the above, it's still worth a watch.

If only to educate the young ones about the seriousness of climate change and that each and everyone of us can make a difference.

The ice kingdom is being threatened...and it is getting increasingly difficult for these animals to stay alive with the climate change. Their ancient ways of living, hunting and mating are being threatened slowly.

One day, one day...these animals may disappear ...like the dinosaurs. No more cute polar bears.

If you really want to bring a direct benefit by watching the movie, the following activities are being planned:

- The ZOO is holding an outdoor fundraising screening on Saturday, 8th September at 7.30pm in favor of Wildlife Conservation Singapore Fund - Go here for more info.

- Nature Society /Acres is also holding a fundraising screening.
Date: 11th September, Tuesday
Time: 7pm
Venue: GV VivoCity, Hall 5
Go here for more infor.

Incidentally, SPH foundation sponsored the Gala Premiere and S$120,000 to the Zoo for the Polar Bear conservation.

For more information about the movie, go to:
Festive Films
Official site

Arctic Tale opens on 13th September with sneak previews this week. Please support hor...

Facelift

I've just given a facelift to this blog.

I think it looks nicer, don't you? Apparently, editing of the template is also easier though I've not really explore it. But it warned me before I click on the 'change' button that the layout may be a little 'out' for some posts. I was hesitatting for that couple of seconds before I 'hit' it. hehe!

I've already adjusted some of them but don't have the time to go through all of it yet. So if you spot anything that looks strange, do tell me.

Hmmm...

I must say I like this new look alot. ^^

I'm a WAG

I just realised that I'ma WAG. No, not a dog. WAG stands for Wives and Girlfriends...to be specific..those wives and girlfriends of the fabulously rich English League football players. These ladies are normally decked out in designer wear, with perfectly manicured hands and look ultra cool even if they have about 3 children in tow. They normally appear at important football matches to support their husbands/ boyfriends. More often than not, they draw much media attention as well. Of course, the most famous WAG would be Victoria Beckham.

Well, I'm a WAG too...only I'm not the wife of an ultra rich Engish soccer player but the wife of a excercise-mad Englishman.

This WAG here doesn't have any designer wear...(unless you count Giordano) and cuts her own nails at home. I think I look pretty cool sometimes- when my hair behaves. But one thing I do have in common with the other WAGS- I appear at the events that my husband participates in. Though I must admit, I normally only go to those important ones too because this husband of mine probably participates in more events than the number of matches that David Beckham plays in.

Last month, before our holiday, he went for the OSIM Triathlon. Of course, it beats me why anyone would want to pay and torture themselves with such grueling sporting events...but looking at the crowd there that day, I guess those 3,900 participants don't agree with me.

These events start really early, so that means leaving the house at about 6.30am in the morning, when I'm barely awake.

It had been raining a couple of days before the event...so the place was really, really, really muddy...


If you want to go to the toilet...you have to queue in the mud. Lovely, isn't it?


Designer wear definitely not suiitable here.

Ok, just in case, you don't know...triathlon consists of 3 segments- swimming, cycling and running. The distance varies depending on the organiser but I think the official Olympic distance is...

Swim- 1,500m
Cycle- 40km
Run- 10km

A triathlon normally starts with the swim. Here's the starting point.



Lots of half naked men. Haha!

And they're off!!!!!


He had to swim 2 laps in the open sea. Unfortunately, the rain that had been threatening the whole morning, started to drizzle. And by the time he came in after the 1st lap, the storm was upon us.



Because of safety reasons, they stopped the other batches from starting and pulled in those that were still swimming. Tim and a few others were already half way through the 2nd lap. Frankly, I was really worried because even those rescue crew were having trouble controlling the boats in the rough sea. I was straining my eyes and crossing my toes and feet at the same time. He actaully told me later that he was swimming well and couldn't understand why they were stopped and pulled in. Humph! So much for my worry!

The rough sea


And then it rained and poured and stormed...for more than an hour.

And yes, I was totally wet...and cold. Can you imagine Victoria Beckham looking like a wet chicken? No? me either. But I wasn't as bad as the participants, who mostly dressed in shorts and t-shirts.

Everyone was frustrated and had to just stand around to wait for the rain to stop. They had to stop the whole event because it got too dangerous even to cycle. And then thankfully, the downpour came to a stop finally. But there just wasn't enough time to restart the whole thing, so the swimming was modifed to a short run and then they could start with the cycling.

They had cycle 4 times round the route. Avtually, I like this the segment the best as most of them looks really cool in their cycling gear and racing down the track. It often seems effortless...at least it does to me.

At the end of the cycling segment


This was followed by the run. I think any participants will tell you that this is the worse part. After all the swimming and cycling, it takes tremendous effort to run that 10km.

As a supporter, I also agree that this is the worse segment...as it's less exciting and by that time, it's also boiling hot. And that's anotehr difference between those famous WAGs and this WAG. They get to sit comfortably in the shade, served with beer and food, whereas I'm either being cooked in the hot sun or drowned in the rain.

BUT...

It does mean that he will be reaching the finishing line any minute and looking out for him, trying to catch him when he crosses over is always one that fills me with joy and anticipation (yes, despite all my grumblings ^^)



And the reward?
another medal...hehe!

Btw, the elites (those professional participants who race for money) start off really early in the morning before everyone else and of course, finish before everyone else too.

The winner for 'Men Elite Open' was Courtney Atkinson, an Australian. He did it in 1h 50m 16s. The 'Women Elite Open's winner was a Japanese. Shizuka Kutsuna did it in 2h 6m 43s. For more infor on the results, you can go here

So does this inspire anyone of you to try it next year?

Hehe!

The true Singapore song and pledge

The alternative version to Kit Chan's 'There's no place I'd rather be'.



我的家就在这里
This is my home

改编词:周崇庆/萧嘉蕙
原词/曲: 叶良俊

你说要去PARIS 我听成PASIR RIS
You said you want to go Paris, I heard it as Pasair Ris

长城有魅力 也很吃力
The Great wall is charming but it's also tiring

要爬上铁塔 非常EXPENSIVE
To climb up the Eiffel Tower is very expensive

其实SENTOSA 会更便宜
Actually Sentosa will be cheaper

这是美丽的天地 我的家就在这里
This is a beautiful place, this is my home

去到外地 我才发现
When I go abroad, I realised

原来这里最干净
It is cleanest here

这里也有PULAU UBIN 要骑脚车也可以
There is Pulau Ubin here and you can ride bicycle

你要很小心 别像周崇庆
You have to be careful and don't be like Zhou Zhong Qing

不然少了四颗TEETH
Otherwsie you will loose 4 teeth

这是美丽的天地 我的家就在这里
This is a beautiful place, this is my home

从JURONG EAST 到 PASIR RIS
From Jurong East to Pasir Ris

TAXI BUS 和 MRT
Taxi Bus and MRT

这是美食的天地 有很多好吃东西
This is a food paradise, there are many delicious food

LAKSA CHAR KWAY TEOW 和那 LOR MEE
Laksa Char Kway Teow and that Lor Mee

不满意有云吞MEE
If not satisfied there's wan ton mee

还有SATAY 和福建MEE…
And satay and Hokkien mee


And the true Singapore pleadge:
I the citizen of Singapore, pledge myself to strike on
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, regardless of
toto, 4-D and big sweep to buy hope and earn extra money
base on quick pick system, 7_12 and big sweep with 4-d bonus
so as to achieve car, cash and condo.


Now who says Singaporeans have no sense of humour.

Happy National Day/ Month everyone. ^^

Chinatown- Singapore

A big thank you to all my friends who sent me birthday wishes...thanks for remembering...^^

I took the day off last week and went down to Chinatown, a place I normally go only during Chinese New Year. There are quite a few changes and it's more touristy now. At the same time, I must admit that the whole place is alot livelier...

Chinatown Heritage Centre

I've actually passed by this place numerous time but have always given it a miss as I thought it was just another one of those place meant for tourists.

But my good friend, YL, actually recommend it so despite my reservations, we decided to visit it.

Somehow this made me think of the famous TCS drama- 雾锁南洋 (starring 黄文永 & 向云)。

The Chinese Heritage Centre records the history and lives of those who used to live in Chinatown. Most of them would be migrants, who came seeking for a better life. It was actually quite fascinating to read about the hardship and vices of these early migrants. But I think it could have done with a little more actual display. The more interesting sections would be the video clips of interviews with various types of people who used to live or continue to live in Chinatown (including a samsui woman and a hawker) and the recreation of living quarters in the shophouse.

I have these bowls too..^^

The recreation and restoration of the cramped, dark and unhygenic living quarters of a typical shophouse was the highlight of the whole museum. I'm totally amazed (and shock) how 12 to 15 familes could live together in such tiny area. I'm not sure how they survived. But then my grandparennts and their children lived in similar quarters too though my aunt told me that theirs was slightly better and it wasn't in Chinatown.

The musuem shop was so-so. Entrance fees is $10 (which is way too expensive) but if you flash your POSB/ DBS card, you get 50% discount. Not sure if this promotion is permanent though. Here's the website for you to check out- Chinatown Heritage Centre. There are some more information and pictures on the site. Ok lah, I think well worth my time spent there.

We had tea and coffee in this coffeeshop, just opposite the heritage centre and I had a heart attack when I paid for the drinks.

$1.50 per cup!!!!
This is daylight robbery...just because there were lots of tourists sitting in the coffeeshop. This was just your regular tei or kopi, served in your regular kopitiam cups. Of course, to the tourists...$1.50 probably is nothing. I'm definitely not stepping into this coffeeshop again.

Expensive kopitiam

We continued on our journey of Chinatown. I didn't know that the street stalls have become permanent. I thought they were only there during the festive season. So 'sua koo' right? But the stalls are really targted at the tourists lor..nothing very interesting. At least not to a local like me.

Street stalls....beginning to look like 'Ladies Street' in Hong Kong



Hehe! Someone told me that this shop is special....



Toys for the living....



Toys for the dead....



What's Chinatown without dimsum right?

One thing I did like about Chinatown is the restoration of many of the shophouses. The architect is really beautiful.

I Like Holidays ^^

I like holidays...^^

Bintan, July 07

Old and attractive

It's that time of the year again when I have to add another candle on my cake, a wrinkle to my face and an inch to my waist. In other words....I am expanding in every which way except financially.

I'm not complaining....life has its sweet moments at all stages...even if you're over 40.

Sometimes, expecially if you are over 40.

Recently, there was a huge furore when a woman, who was deemed err....too 'matured' by a club. She was denied her complimentary drinks coupons given out for Ladies Night.

Naturally, she was furious since the promotional terms did not state any age restrictions. So was I, and from the feedback...so did general public.

Anyway, 2 thoughts came to mind when I read about this.

1) Firstly, if they go by the age criteria (which I think is below 35), the following ladies would be considered too 'old' and hence not a good enough 'bait' to lure the men in. Now, I'm not sure about the people over at that club, but I do believe quite a few of them has been voted as the world's most beautiful people at some point and they are all above 35 years old. Who are they?

Halle Berry, Catherine Zeta Jones, Carol Cheng, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Uma Thurman, Helen Mirren, Gong Li, Maggie Cheung etc..

You could say that they are artistes and therefore look better...but if the said establishment went by age strictly...none of them would have qualified. Of course, I'm not saying these women need the free drinks coupon or the complimentary entry to the club. They could probably afford to buy drinks for eveyone at the club.

So is age really a big factor in attracting men to these places? I guess only men can answer this question.

But I was thinking, if the club really wanted to attract the men, they could probably have played a football match or maybe one of the Victoria Secret's fashion show. Sure can get them to come in droves.

2) Secondly, it suddenly strike me that clubs never organise a Gentlemen's Night. Strange isn't it?

I'm not sure how to intepret this..

Either:
a) Young ladies are cheapskate and want their free drinks and the men are foolish enough to be lured by the promise of seeing more young, pretty girls on such nights.

b) Women are smarter and refused to fall for such marketing tricks.

But..if...if...there is a Gentlemen's Night, would I really want to go to a place where young boys in their twenties drink themselves silly with the free drinks? C'mon...what kind of thrill would that be? Would that be exciting for me?

Give me men like Colin Firth, Pierece Brosnan, Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Tony Leong, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Jacky Cheung, Lee Jung Jae.

They have that charisma and confidence that come with age. Not to mention that I find them incredibly sexy.

Maybe I tend to favour the older men at my age but I think if you check with the young ladies who frequent the clubs, you will probably find them more attracted to older men as well.

Anyway, I believe the older-woman-younger-men relationships are on the rise... judging from the spate Korean dramas with this theme. hehe!

Hey, I suddenly remembered I blogged about older women here last year too.

Hmmm...I still want to have bigger eyes and a better figure.

I'm Back.........I think.....

Looking at the date of my last post...it's been a month.

This past one month has been quite trying for me as I was embarking on something important. I didn't have the time, energy nor the mood to write. Even though I was tempted to write about this very important event in my life but I felt it was too early. So for now, I'll keep quiet about it though I'm sure I will write about it later.

To those who knows what was going on...thanks for your concern and support. Don't worry---I'm not being called a chilli padi for nothing. I will do it again soon. Just cross your fingers for me.

In the meantime, I'll start to blog here again in the next few days. But if you're impatient, you can always check out my kimchiland blog.

Did I hear some of you say: "Over my dead body?"

hehehe!

Have a good weekend everyone.

What do we want?

Human beings are contradictory creatures.

When we are busy running around, we longed for peace and rest.

When we are just lazing with nothing to do, we want to be active.

When life is just cruising along sedately, we crave for excitment.

When things are happenning one after another, we wish for moments to catch our breath.

I guess we don't really know what we want, do we?

Or perhaps, it's a case of we want it all?

Singapore- Island-City-State

Many, many years ago, there was a book called "Singapore-Island-City-State". It's one of the those coffee table book, with nice photos of Singapore and it's people. Think it was published for National Day- you know, one of those feel-good, propaganda book.

As I get older, I tend to feel more and more appreciative of what Singapore has and what it offers. Of course, that is not to say that I agree with all the policies implemented by the powers that be. And there are some issues which I'm really, totally unhappy about (they are getting how much pay rise????). However, the country is relatively stable, most of us do have a job and a roof over our heads (in fact, many have quite a few roofs over their heads, judging from the spate of condominiums on sale recently). Crime rate isn't too bad and things actually work (though some say, they work too well- like clockwork with no room for flexibility).

Many of the expats that I meet have often told me that they like Hong Kong if they are single but once they have families, they prefer Singapore for its stability and safety- 2 key words if you have children.

Of course, things can always be better and hopefully they will become better progressively. But you know, there's no Shangri-la on earth and I think for what we;ve achieved so far, we can give ourselves a little pat on the back...(if there's any government officials reading this... a few more monetary package would be most welcomed. ^^ )



P/S- I do not belong to any PAP group....grassroots or otherwise.

Cross cultural differences?

Last weekend, the writer of the regular Sunday column, 'Hubby Tubby' in The New Paper was writing about cross cultural marriages. Like me, she had married an 'ang mo'- an Englishman. She was asked if there was any cultural differences (ie, difficulties) in her marriages. It got me thinking....did I ever have any cultural differences with my hubby?

I thought long and hard about it and like her, I honestly can't think of any. What we do have are individual differences. Of course, I can't discount the fact that these individual differences could be due to cultural differences. Afterall, we are who we are because of the way we were brought up. But they are no different from a normal couple from the same race/ culture.

So he prefers proper English tea to the regular 'tei' in the coffeeshop. And I'm not too keen on soup and crackers for lunch. He can't really bring himself to call my father 'dad'. I find it impossible (not to say totally rude) to call his dad by his name. They are not major issues.

What keeps a relationship going, in any relationship, whether is is an inter-racial one or not, is an open mind and an open heart. Plus the ability to know when to shut up and just listen. ^^

However, there is one thing that I've picked up from hubby (as part of the cultural difference), it's saying these four phrases often in our everyday life:

Please
Sorry
Thank you
I love you

Just because he's my husband and we've each other for 10 years does not mean I have to be rude to him.

If I can say 'please' to the hawker when I'm ordering that plate of char kway teow, then all the more I should say 'please' when I ask him to do something for me.

If I can say 'sorry' to a stranger for blocking his way, then all the more I should say 'sorry' when I make him wait for me.

If I can say 'thank you' to my friends, then all the more I should say 'thank you' to the person who's done so much for me.

And as for the 3 words, 'I Love You'. Well...I don't only love him on birthdays, Christmas and Valentine's Day, so why should I limit myself to saying those words only on those occassions?

In this aspect, I do believe that the Westerners are on the whole, better in this. Asians will generally feel that there is no need to say them out loud. We think it's enough to let our actions show if we're grateful or sorry.

Luh Luh wrote about 'expressing gratitude' recently on her blog. The Chinese is normally incapable at expressing gratitude. Actually, I think it's not just the Chinese who are bad at expressing themselves, but Asians in general.

As the Chinese saying goes- 礼多人不怪。(Nobody will mind if you are more polite than usual). But often, we think this phrase only apply to the friends, strangers but not family.

Perhaps if we are a little less reserved.
Perhaps if we start with family first.

The Handphone

I noticed a strange phenonmenon on 2 occasions very recently....how people behave in a restricted area with strangers. Both involved the 'indispensible' accessory- the handphone.

I attended a briefing yesterday. The room was small and there were about 11 of us. Except for 2 girls who knew each other and were chatting away merrily, the rest of us were strangers to each other. So what happened?

1 of them read a magazine
3 of them just sort if starred into space
The remaining 5 were on their handphones. Now I'm not sure if they were reading /sending smses or just starring blankly into the phone (it's better than starring into space right? At least, you would seemed to be busy and don't have to make eye contact)

Today, in the crowded train, I noticed a similar trend. Though this time, they weren't 'using' their handphone so to speak... Out of my carriage of about 21 people, 7 of the passengers had their headphones. That's about 33%.

I asked hubby:
'What did people used to do before the invention and easy availability of handphone in a room of strangers?'

He said:
'They talked to each other.'

Hmm... it's probably true, isn't it?

So is the handphone making us closer or further apart?

What do you think?

Me? I'm not sure..let me know think about is whilst I listen to the music on my handphone. ^^

Driving hazard

I heard this news over the radio yesterday..that a 105 years old lady become the oldest driver in the world. She's been driving for over 70 years and she doesn't have a driving license as such thing didn't exist then. They just buy a car and start driving. But she does not have a single accident in her driving record.

Sigh...

And me? I just had my first driving lessons last week and probably became the latest hazard on the circuit.

I'm not sure if I can live to 105 and even if I did, I'm not sure if I can still drive at that age.

Heck...I'm not even sure if I can pass my test.

I'm certain I'm going to have an accident within the circuit whilst I'm learning driving. My driving instructor kept asking me if I was very nervous...which I was.

I mean...all these cars on my left and right...not to mention all those motorcyclists as well. If only they can get out of my way, I wouldn't be so nervous. As it was, I gripped the steering wheel tightly everytime I see a car either on my left or right.

And don't even ask me the number of times I stopped suddenly and threw my instructor off.. He kept saying 'brake slowly, apply the brakes gently'. BUT that's what I did!!!! Well, I thought that's what I was doing, anyway.

And how on earth do you co-ordinate all those movements between the legs, the hands and the eyes???? I'm forty, my refelxes aren't that good anymore...I can only do one thing at a time.

Sheeshh....

Well..I'm having more lessons next week, and the week after that, and the week after that. Actually I'm having lessons for many weeks to come. And I'm convinced that either I or my driving instructor will have a heart attack before the end of my lessons.

Wish me luck people!

Give me the Simple Life

And on with the continuation of food.

What would you do if you could pay for your food as you wish? No GST, no service charge, no fixed menu price...

And what if this is in a proper restaurant with nice cutlery, nice ambience, and good food?

Would you

1) Pay a little more than usual because you would rather err on generosity?

or

2) Pay as little as possible because this is a rare chance to get cheap food?

I wonder..

The Annalakshmi restaurant has been in operation since 1986 and this always been their mode of payment...Their motto?

'Eat what you like
Give as you feel
We believe in you
and trust you'
In other words, they believe in the goodness of man.

That people will be fair.

Makes quite a statement in today's highly competitive and fast world, doesn't it?

I've been to the restaurant quite a few times. Often, I've observed that people actually do pay a decent amount for their meals. I try to pay the amount that any decent restaurant would charge...I know my friends have done the same thing too. Of course, there are the exceptional few who seems to think it's ok to take advantage of such a situation. But I think it's not very often.

Strange isn't it?

When you leave it up to people, they tend to be more generous.

Imagine if this method of payment was carried out in the rest of the world. All of us would be happier and rich as well.

Consumers pay more than enough to retailers for the products
Retailers pay their suppliers more
Suppliers pay the manufacturers more
Manufacturers pay the workers the right amount of wages

There would be no more poverty in the world.

And because we trust each other to be fair, we would be happier and lead a simpler life too.

Give me the Simple Life

A cottage small is all I'm after,
Not one that's spacious and wide.
A house that rings with joy and laughter
And the ones you love inside.

Some like the high road, I like the low road,
Free from the care and strife.
Sounds corny and seedy, but yes, indeed-y;
Give me the simple life.

In case you would like to try out the food at Annalakshmi restaurant, (which is pretty good) it's at Chinatown Point. You can go to their website here for more information.

Just remember that they trust you.

Uniquely Singaporean- Food

Hawkers are 'in'. At least, they've been in the news for the last few days.

At the Singapore Day event, which was held in New York last week to connect the overseas Singaporeans, food was an important part of the programme. This despite local artistes like Hossan Leong and Kit Chan entertaining the crowd with our uniquely Singlish. Food always comes first.

But it's not the posh food that Singaporeans crave- it's the simple hawker food that draws us. The chicken rice, the laksa, the carrot cake and the char kway teow.... they unite the Singaporeans- regardless of race, language or religion.

Anyway, according to KF Seetoh, who helped co-ordinated this important event, the first item to sell out was the very, very humble 'chwee kueh'. Not very surprising actually, as even my 'ang mo' husband like it. Actually, he likes the 'chai po' and 'sambal' more than the actual 'chwee kuei'. Hehe! Over at my market here, they cost $1 for 4 pieces...that's about US$0.65.

Just in case you don't know what 'chwee keuh' is, go to this site for a look and a recommendation of the 5 stalls worth sampling.

It has often been lamented that Singapore has no identity to speak of...we are too young and hence there isn't anything to really unite us. Yet, I think many people would agree that food is probably the one identifying factor that connects us all- especially if they are good and cheap.

You only need to look at the number of 'food' tv and radio programmes, the numerous reviews in the various newspapers and magazine to realise just how important this is. And this obsession has resulted in every other stall having won/ featured/ been reviewed in one way or other. These owners proudly ang up the neatly framed newspapers clipping/ awards at their humble stalls. Out of the 3 coffee shops near my place, at least 3 stalls have been in the media.

At this rate, is it any surprising that some of these hawkers are millionaires? In an article in The Sunday Times (29th April), it was reported that some of them earned as much as $100,000 per month. Wow! This attention came about because a few of these hawkers were hauled up by the Inland Revenue dept for not paying enough taxes. I wonder how these officials know these hawkers were under declaring their income. Did they sit by the store and count like the journalists from ST did?

So next time you go to your favourite stall in the kopitiam, don't turn your nose up at the uncle frying the hokkien mee ok. He is probably driving a BMW and has a few Rolex watches stashed away at home.

Hehe!

S$2.4million

Recently, a couple of overseas friends were in town for a day. We thought it would be fun to go on one of those duck tours. It was quite fun and along the tour I managed to take a photo of this private esate- Tanjong Rhu.



Nice right? I checked up on the prices and found that it could cost as much as S$2.4million. Wow! That's alot of money.....

Curious, I looked through the property prices on the internet.

For the same S$2.4million, you can also get: A private island of your own in New York.
According to the site, the island has deer, wild animals and ginseng. It is also only about 4 hours away from new York City.
More infor, go here

Don't want an island, then how about a nice country house in Devon, England?

This place has 6 bedroom, 3 bathrooms and 3 reception rooms, 3 garages and a nice big garden. There is a nice meandering stream near the summerhouse.
For more infor, go here

England and US too far away, how about something nearer home then, like a villa in Bali.

This villa has its own tennis court, a separate 2 story guest pavillion as well as a guest cottage. With river view, a huge garden and lawn.
For more infor, go here

So now you know what you can buy if you have S$2.4million, which I do not....

25 years

I've known these girls for more than a quarter of a century. It sounds scary, doesn't it? 25 years.

Those times we shared seems so long ago and yet at the same time, I can remember them as if they were only yesterday.

The strict discipline mistress who could whither us with just a look
The stumpy PE teacher
Having our breaks in the school canteen
Making sure that our uniform was fashionably just above the knee
Going shopping in Orchard Road
Having crushes (on both boys and girls^^)
Cramming for exams
Girls talk

But I don't think we ever talked about future..where we would be..what we would be doing..At 15, we were only concerned with now and tomorrow. The future was too far away.

I shared many happy memories with these group of friends during those carefree days. They are a part of me..of who I am today.

Through these years, we've all had our ups and downs, walking our own paths, getting married, raising children, establishing a career. Some of us have children now who are the same age as we were then when we first met. But we've stayed in contact somehow.

I remember watching this Korean movie- the teacher told the class. It went something like that:
Within the universe, there's this earth that we live in
Within this earth, there's Singapore
Within Korea Singapore, there's this school
Within this school, there's this class

It is truely amazing how in this whole wide universe, total strangers could become classmates and friends.

I had a great time the other night girls but let's not wait too long for the next gathering. I believe it's Nora's turn to host? ^^

Rainbow Connection

The other week, I heard someone doing a cover version of the song, 'Rainbow Connection' and somehow..it sounded all wrong. There wasn't anything wrong with the singer (who had a rather sweet voice) and the music arrangement...it just lacks that certain something.

Composed by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher and used in the 1979 movie, "The Muppet Movie", I grew up watching The Muppets and Sesame Street as I'm sure many of my peers and those before me did.

I guess subconsciously, it also brought back memories of a simpler life and simpler time. Besides I like Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.


Written by Paul Williams and used by Kermit the Frog, of The Muppets, Jim Henson Productions (lyrics credit to this site)

Why are there so many songs about rainbows
And what's on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,
And rainbows have nothing to hide.
So we've been told and some choose to believe it
I know they're wrong, wait and see.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that every wish would be heard and answered
when wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of that
and someone believed it,
and look what it's done so far.
What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing?
And what do we think we might see?
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
the lovers, the dreamers and me.

All of us under its spell,
we know that it's probably magic....

Have you been half asleep
and have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name.
Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?
The voice might be one and the same.
I've heard it too many times to ignore it.
It's something that I'm supposed to be.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
the lovers, the dreamers and me.
La, la la, La, la la la, La Laa, la la, La, La la laaaaaaa



Listening to Kermit the Frog (Jim Henson) sing this song on a banjo, it brings forth and conveys that feeling of the dream and hope that each of us have within us...that certain peace and oasis that we search for in our everyday bustling life.

A truely simple, sweet and touching song.

Enjoy the clip... and may you find your rainbow connection.
(if the clip buffers, just let it run through once and the subsequent viewing will be smooth).

A splashing good time

In a squeaky clean country like Singapore, most Singaporeans are reluctant to 'get dirty' with nature, and this often extends to their four-legged family members. Quite often I've seen owners walking their dogs dressed in little booties...to prevent them from getting dirty.

So imagine my surprise when I saw this scene from my flat...





The dogs had great fun... ^^

Coincidentally, Yee Lee was also blogging about dogs but her post alot more 'cheam'.

Salut d'amour - Love's Greetings

I have always said and belive that music is universal. It doesn't matter if the song is in French or Italian or Chinese or that the music is classical or jazz or Indian and you don't have a clue as to waht they are singing.

A good piece of music will be able to speak to your soul.

Last Saturday, I went to the SSO concert and found myself touched by this piece of music.

It's Salut d'amour- Love's Greetings by Edward Elgar.

He had composed the song as a gift for his wife-to-be. It speaks volume of his love and happiness. And if it touches you like it did me, then I guess you have felt the love in this little piece of music.

For more information on the composer and the music, please click here

You can find out more about the version I'm playing now here

Love is like the sun coming out of the clouds and warming your soul.
- Author Unknown -

May your soul be warmed today.