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Have a jolly good time, Jaymes!

Jaymes left this morning at 12.20 am for Fukuoka, Japan with 20 selected teenagers from Malaysia on a Lions' Club Youth Exchange Program. He's the only youth representing Singapore. He looked smart in his red blazer & tie. I tried not to cry and I sent him off with a big hug. He will be away from us for 31 days.

Jaymes has a medical condition which up to now many doctors couldn't diagnose. He sleeps at 10 pm every night, wakes up at 6.30 am every morning and throughout the day, he would still feel sleepy. He sleeps in class, it irks many of his teachers including his principal. He cannot control it. He would suddenly become breathless, temporarily paralysed, not being able to speak or move.

He has seen a few specialists in Singapore and taken a few laboratory tests. I have brought him to consult doctors in Taiwan & China. There was so much different opinion. I have always left him to lead a normal life. He swims, he plays basketball, he goes abroad for holidays, sometimes travelling alone.

He almost couldn't go on his first & last overseas school trip to Fushun, China in May this year. His teachers, including the principal & vice principal tried to dissuade him from going. Yes, they were concerned about his health & the inadequate health facilities, but they were more worried about their added responsibility. Funny they didn't mind that there were worse candidates who were such disgrace to the country. I had to accompany him on the trip & after our return, all hell broke loose.

But to Jaymes, it was the most memorable trip of his life. He made many friends and he saw another part of the world. He had a wonderful experience.

If his time is up, he would leave us, no matter what precautions we take. If his life is intended to be short on earth, then he is to live it as normally as he could and to the fullest.

The past few weeks, we have read about the sudden death of 5 young, healthy men. A specialist doctor has warned me, Jaymes could die in his sleep. So should I be paranoid and have him sleep with me every night, so I could wake up ever so often to check on his breathing? It would be a painless way to go.

Every one has to die one day. The family has talked about it. My parents-in-law are in their 90s. They dote on Jaymes. Their wish is to see Jaymes graduate and get married. They are aware of their limited time on earth but they are fighting hard to see this day. At this moment, if anything happens to Jaymes, these two elderly grandparents are going to go too. Chris & I could imagine 2 big & 1 small coffins next to one another. It's very depressing, but that's life. I have learnt to accept and not be bothered by it.

I wish Jaymes a great time with his Japanese host families and Malaysian friends. His host 'fathers' are all businessmen, one even the head of a big corporation in Japan. Jaymes hopes to improve on his golf too. I hope he behaves himself & remembers our teachings. He will be posting on his blog whenever he has time, we'll see.

Fiery Sambal dishes

I brought Jaymes to shop for his winter clothings & then to the money changer to exchange Japanese currency at People's Park. Walbert & Lorentz tagged along. Jaymes has to get 3 white long-sleeved shirts for his formal meetings in Japan. I ended up buying half a dozen coloured shirts for him besides the white shirts because of the steep discounts the shopowner was giving me.

We went to a few more shops to get his stuff before the boys started 'howling' for lunch. I brought them to China Square for fish soup.

I ordered a plate of Sambal Prawns (S$12) & Sambal Squids (S$8) which was so good, there wasn't enough to go around. The squids were fresh. The boys mixed their rice with the sambal sauce which was spicy.

I ordered their popular Fried Fish soup (S$5). The deep fried egg, soaked in the flavourful soup, was delicious.

The boys wanted fried pork dumplings (S$4). I also bought a cup of Iced Longan tea (S$1.30) for each of them to cool down their bodies.

After lunch I went to the shop while they went to watch a movie with their friends.

Blanco Court Fried Fish Soup
China Square Food Centre #01-10

Transport woes

After our dinner, it was 9.15 pm. We walked to the bus-stop after Carrefour Supermarket to take bus number 36. We waited for 10 minutes before a bus came. It was packed. There were more than 10 people waiting for this bus, but only 4 could board.

Chris & I decided to wait for the next bus which came after 10 minutes, but it was also packed. Two people managed to force themselves up the bus. By this time, more than 20 people were waiting for bus number 36.

I told Chris to take a cab but he insisted on waiting for the bus. "The next one should be less crowded," he said.

The 3rd bus came after 15 minutes. This time, some angry commuters were very determined to board the bus. The bus driver tried to get the passengers on board moved further to the back of the bus. He tried to squeeze in more passengers as more people pushed themselves up the bus. It went on for more than 4 minutes. I should have taken a photo.

The bus was really packed. The people who have been waiting for half an hour for their bus were angry. The passengers on the bus was angry too. It was almost 10 o'clock and people were rushing home to their families. Nobody wanted to give way.

There was no way we could get up the bus. I dragged Chris away. I decided to take a cab at the opposite side of the road. We waited outside the Centennial Towers. There were many taxis waiting around, but all of them have a 'On call' sign. We waited for 15 minutes before walking to the taxi stand in front of Centennial Towers. There was a Caucasian guy in front of us. 5 minutes later, two Korean ladies with thier 5 kids queued behind us. We waited, and waited and waited. During the 20 minutes, 9 taxis came, but they ALL have 'on call' signs on them.

Chris was so mad. We decided to walk to the taxi stand at Millinuem. As we approached Conrad Hotel, a taxi had just dropped off a passenger. We finally got our cab. The road towards ECP was jammed, all the way from Temasek Boulevard. We had to take Nichol Highway.

We arrived home, at 11.15 pm. The kids were asleep.

For the past three weeks that I was helping out at the shop, I realised how bad our public transport system was. And how badly I had wronged Chris.

Our shop close at 6.30 pm daily. If we drive, it takes only 25 minutes. Chris reaches home every day past 8pm. It gets me into a rage sometimes because I would be waiting for him to drive me to the supermarket. If I wait for him to shower & have his dinner, it would leave me little time to shop for food & groceries. If Chris takes the MRT, he would come back 10 minutes earlier. Not much difference.

By taking the bus with him these few weeks, I discovered that it was impossible for him to board a bus before 7.30 pm, despite he having a choice of two different buses to take. We wait for half an hour for the bus, when it arrives, it's packed. You either pushed yourself up the bus or you wait for the next one. It would also be packed. And if you managed to get up the bus, you would have to stand all the way to Marine Parade before you get a seat.

There were a few times, Chris & I had to sit at Ya Kun Coffee stall, drinking tea for an hour before waiting for our bus at 8pm. Now we have decided to extend our opening hours so that Chris doesn't have to waste his time waiting for buses.

It would mean less time for the family, less time to rest, less scoldings, less meetings.

So, now you guys know why Chris cannot have a drink with you after work? I was keeping time on his journey home every night!

Big O Cafe & Restaurant

It was 8 pm when we left the shop. Jaymes & the boys have gone to the movies, again. Chris & I took the free shuttle bus outside Raffles City MRT to Millenia Walk. We saw this cosy cafe and there was quite a number of customers having their meals there.

I wasn't hungry, so I asked for a slice of Tiramisu (S$6.95) & tea.

Chris settled for the set dinner of Pan-fried Snapper (S$19.95). The Seafood Chowder was delicious. It was great to drink a hot bowl of soup on a cold night. The Snapper was so-so.

Chris ordered a drink which is called the Sunshine Walker (S$8.95). It is a concoction of orange juice, lime juice, tangy mango ice-cream and soda. It was refreshing & tasted awesome.

I wanted to buy their Coconut Mousse cake & Durian cake for the kids but they were all sold out. The waiter recommended we try their heart-shaped chocolate truffle cake called The Aphrodisiac (S$5.95). I have been eating a lot of chocolate cakes lately & was not about to eat another slice. But Chris wanted to try it, so we ordered one.

It was an awesome chocolate truffle cake! And I strongly recommend it. One bite and you could taste the rich chocolatey filling. It's like eating a piece of chocolate praline. It really blew us away!

You can buy one for your honey on his/her birthday or for Valentine's Day. Actually..... you don't need a special occasion to eat this. I prefer eating it in bed, smear it on a warm body & lick it up. Oops, naughty thoughts........

Big O Cafe & Restaurant
9 Raffles Boulevard #01-26 Millenia Walk
Tel : 6339 6351

Crystal Jade Ginseng Chicken BBQ

Yang Fan has just finished his 'A' level exams, he needs to destress after 2 months of insane preparation for it. Mrs Yang invited me for lunch with them at Crystal Jade Ginseng Chicken BBQ Restaurant in Ngee Ann City. Jaymes tagged along.

Initially, I objected to eating Korean food as we'll be having Korean dishes for 8 days next week. But Mrs Yang's friends' have raved about the food at this restaurant so much, we ended up here finally.

Mrs Yang ordered the set meal for 4 (S$129++).

First, we were given 6 Korean side dishes called banchan. There was cabbage kimchi, boiled spinach, boiled soy beansprouts, chestnut jelly, raddish kimchi and spinach & enoki mushroom kimchi.

I love kimchi. There are more than 200 varieties of kimchi in South Korea. I'm going to try as many kimchi dishes as I could in Seoul. And I'm going to buy some back.

I like the chestnut jelly. It was cut into strips, tasteless, firm and bouncy. It was served in a spicy & savoury sauce.

Then came the Boiled Sliced Pork with cabbage. There were 12 tender slices of boiled pork belly. You place a slice of the pork belly on a piece of cabbage, spread some chilli paste on it, add some spicy raddish kimchi, then you wrap it up and eat. mmmm..... oh gosh, so nice!

There was Korean Bulgogi (BBQ), and we could choose to have the kitchen cook it for us or we could BBQ it at our table ourselves. Yang Fan wanted to 'play' with his food, so we grilled the meats at the table.
There were beef short ribs, chicken meat, pork collar meat and thinly sliced beef for barbecuing. The marinated meats tasted so flavourful & delicious! The meats was so tender. (I'm drooling as I typed this.) Surprisingly, there was no smell on our clothes or hair after all the barbecuing.

There was a plate of lettuce leaves, cucumber sticks, sliced garlic & green chilli. You could place a piece of grilled meat on a lettuce leave, maybe add a slice of garlic, a cucumber stick or sliced green chilli, then spread some chilli paste on them, wrap it up & stuff this delicious roll in your mouth. I still have the taste of the chilli paste & garlic in my mouth after 2 hours!


We each got a bowl of Bibimbap Rice (Rice in Stone bowl) and Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup. The chicken was stuffed with glutinous rice and cooked in the soup with Ginseng. The soup was so wonderfully delicious! We couldn't finish the chicken meat and glutinous rice as we were quite full by then. What a waste of food!



There was still the Teriyaki Saba and Mrs Yang also asked for a Seafood Onion Pancake which we couldn't finish. We had to have them takeaway. Finally, sliced fruits were served. We could barely walk after this heavy meal. Oh boy, that was good!

The Seafood Onion Pancake was crispy & yummy!

I have to bring Chris here!

And please call for reservation if you're going for dinner, as it gets very packed in the evening.

Crystal Jade Ginseng Chicken BBQ Restaurant

391 Orchard Road Ngee Ann City #04-20 Tel : 6733 3229

Serve your country, not the xxx family

After reading my post on MP for Marine Parade GRC Lim Biow Chuan, several readers & friends, questioned me on my support for him. They pointed to his maiden speech in Parliament, where a portion of MP Lim Biow Chuan's speech was highlighted by a ST report. My friends chided me for siding with him & accused me of being a PLP.

"MP for Marine Parade GRC Lim Biow Chuan called on Singaporeans to be more gracious and compassionate and said Singapore is fast becoming a nation of complainers. While the Government can set the tone, he urged Singaporeans to be "encouragers" — not only in encouraging fellow citizens, but also pushing the society to be an inclusive and cohesive one. "What makes a country great? It is not just the laws … the efficiency or the beautiful buildings but the people that make it great," Mr Lim said.

Several bloggers commented on that in their blogs. It was bad. "Die!" I thought to myself. Initially I thought MP Lim had gone raving & ranting on Singaporeans. I didn't listen to his speech because I left Parliament House early that day. But when I had the chance to view the video (http://www.channelnewasia.com/parliament/videoarchives.htm), it was not that bad lah! These people didn't have a chance to read the full content of his speech.

There are only several MPs & Ministers whom I respect. They are there to sincerely serve Singapore & its people. MP Lim is one of those. He's under pressure now, because I'm going to mention him very often in my blog. hahaha.....

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, no nonsense one. Very practical, very down to earth. A devouted Buddhist, I see him quite often at a temple in Balestier.

I have great respect for Dr Lee Boon Yang. He was my MP when I was living in Whampoa. He was also the Minister for MOM then. I seek his help for the approval to hire a foreign maid as my application was rejected. I had to look after 2 elderly parents-in-law & a newborn baby then. He was kind and gave me advice. He was so fatherly.

Years later, when I met him at a Chinese New Year Party at Istana, I brought that up to him & thanked him. He couldn't remember me but he was very nice about it & glad that his letter did help me. He chatted with me & asked about my family for about 20 minutes amidst the many requests for photo taking with him.

The Mr Brown case was a regretful one. Up to now, I don't believe he asked that PR woman to write that letter. One day, I'm going to ask him personally if he did give instruction to do that.

I've turned MP-watching now. Oh, did I mention I was looking for a house in Pasir Ris?

Remy Ong, Go! Go! Go! 加油！

Passports won't buy gold medals

I'm not surprised that almost all of the gold medals are likely to come from athletes born in Singapore. Singapore-born athletes love their country & would do their very best to bring honour to it. Expecting paid foreign athletes to do this for us is just fat hope. Officials are giving excuses & talking cock for their non-performance.

"These athletes often end up second-best to their former compatriots.... and if they were the best they would have been in those national teams." Why pay good money for second best then? Why take other countries' discards? Why can't we spend the money on developing our own people? Our people have the passion and are more determined to bring glory & honour to Singapore. To the Singapore Sports officials, you are not spending your ah kong's money, it is the people's money. And when taxpayers' money are not spent for the right causes, we people kena GST hikes, on excuses of helping the needy.

Singaporean bowler Remy Ong won a gold medal at the last Asian Games at Busan in 2002. The other 4 gold medals came from bowlers Sam Goh and Lee Yu Wen, and bodybuilders Abdul Halim Haron and Simon Chua. All are Singaporeans.

Heavily-funded sports, badminton & table-tennis are getting a total of S$5.5 million dollars a year but the officials don't expect any medals. So it is very natural for the foreign paid athletes to not perform, so why should they try hard? They still love their own countries at heart. They expect to return to their own countries when they can't contribute to Singapore. So you think they would do anything silly to jeopardise that?

What Singapore-born athletes lack is a chance to prove themselves. Singaporeans have the right to represent their country, but their rightful places are given to foreign athletes who really don't care a shit what they are supposed to do.

Remy Ong, I'm cheering for you! 加油！加油！加油！

Ambush

I didn't realise time passed so fast. Jaymes will be leaving for Japan this Sunday. And I have not prepared the gifts for the Japanese hosting families!

There are several meetings to chair. A very important lunch meeting on Thursday. The PSLE results are also out on Thursday. The cookies I promised to bake for Shiromi. I'll be leaving for Seoul next week. These few days are going to be so busy for me that I might be too exhausted to enjoy my vacation when I'm in Korea. And I planned so hard for it! Aarghhhh......

I was in Ngee Ann City to pick up some gift samples, Sharon recommended this eatery at Takashimaya food hall.

I tried their Japanese Baby Scallop Linguine (S$10.50), Raspberry Soda (S$3.50) & Tiramisu.

The pasta came in a huge bowl! And I mean really huge, it was more than enough for two! The sauce tasted great. They added Japanese fish roe which goes pop pop pop in your mouth when you accidentally bite it.

Tiramisu (S$5) was too soggy & bland.

After the huge bowl of pasta, I was already full, I had to force myself to swallow the Tiramisu. he he he .......

Ambush 391 Orchard Road Takashimaya S.C. #B2-04-2-1. No GST & service charge.

In the evening, I went back to Asia Pacific Food Fair with Jaymes to buy more food products for him to bring to Japan. He will be showing off his cooking & baking skills. I'm so proud of him.

Colorgenics, see yourself as others see you....

Wow...... this is so freaking accurate!

We are all profoundly affected by light. For example, it is now a medically accepted fact that some people become chronically depressed when deprived of adequate daylight. They suffer from what is called Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.).

We are also affected by the spectrum of colours that are the components of natural light. We often express our emotions in terms of colour - "feeling blue" or "seeing red". What is less well known is that careful analysis of our own preferences for individual colours can accurately reflect our unique personalities and state of physical well-being.

What is new is the Colorgenics system, and the way it harnesses 21st century computing power to analyse those color preferences.

By examining your individual colour preferences, Colorgenics speedily reveals to you your underlying character traits, and also provides an incisive insight into your physical well-being.

The Colorgenics program is made up of eight standard colours - you simply select these colours in your preferred order. The number of ways in which these eight colours can be ordered is vast, and it is in the analysis of these permutations - and specifically the one personal order that you choose - that the power of the Colorgenics program becomes apparent.

Colorgenics makes no claims to infallibility, but the results consistently show a high degree of accuracy. In fact, 87% of respondents in a recent survey said that their analysis results were 'amazingly accurate'. Men and women across the world have found Colorgenics irresistible - Over 9 million people have experienced Colorgenics.

Try this yourself.

Health benefits of Cranberries

Cranberries are among the top foods with proven health benefits, according to Amy Howell, a researcher at Rutgers University.

Cranberries are full of antioxidants, which protects cells from damage by unstable molecules called free radicals.

The National Institutes of Health is funding research on the cranberry's effects on heart disease, yeast infections and other conditions, and other researchers are investigating its potential against cancer, stroke and viral infections.

So far, research has found:

• Drinking cranberry juice can block urinary infections by binding to bacteria so they can't adhere to cell walls. While women often drink unsweetened cranberry juice to treat an infection, there's no hard evidence that works.

• A compound Howell discovered in cranberries, proanthocyanidine, prevents plaque formation on teeth; mouthwashes containing it are being developed to prevent periodontal disease.

• In some people, regular cranberry juice consumption for months can kill the H. pylori bacteria, which can cause stomach cancer and ulcers.

Preliminary research also shows:

• Drinking cranberry juice daily may increase levels of HDL, or good cholesterol and reduce levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol.

• Cranberries may prevent tumors from growing rapidly or starting in the first place.

• Extracts of chemicals in cranberries prevent breast cancer cells from multiplying in a test tube; whether that would work in women is unknown.

I love cranberries. Now there're even more good reasons to eat them.

Hainanese Food Fair

The Hainanese community is one of the smaller dialect groups in Singapore. They are the 5th in size after Hokkiens, Teochews, Cantonese & Hakkas. This group constitutes 5% of the Chinese Singaporean population. As late-comers to Singapore (late 19th century), most of them worked as shop helpers, chefs, and waiters in the hospitality sector. Hainanese Chicken Rice is a famous dish.
Chris & I brought Jaymes to the Hainanese Food Fair organised by Hainan Huei Kuan at Beach Road. A number of food stalls were set up. Most of the visitors were Hainanese. Chris bought S$20 worth of coupons and bought some snacks and dishes for us to try.

This is the famous Hainanese Chicken Rice Ball and steamed Chicken.

This is noodle ( 粑仔汤 ) made with the juice from a type of plant (鸡屎藤）. I asked for the recipe but they didn't have a printed version.

These are the various Hainanese snacks 海南果，三角馏，粑压....

This is a dessert called 'cooling noodles' 凉粉. The soup is sweet and ginger is added.

抱罗粉This is like the local version of braised noodle ( 卤面 ).

Chris bought the food for his parents. When they saw the food, they were so happy. My mother-in-law was teary when she saw them. Perhaps she thought she might never taste it again. She found the food not as good as during the old days but she was just glad to eat them again. She really misses her homeland.

I am more determined to learn how to cook these Hainanese dishes.

Asia Pacific Food Expo (APFE) 2006

From 17th Nov to 21st Nov 2006, Singapore Expo Hall 5

Jaymes & I sent my friends off at the airport very early this morning. We had our breakfast at the canteen in Terminal 2. As it was still early, we hang around the airport until 9.30am. Jaymes bought food for Chris. We took the MRT & I alighted first at the Expo station.

The Asia Pacific Food Expo opens at 11am but many people were gathered outside the entrance by 10am. By 11am, the crowd swelled to more than 300. Once the doors to the exhibition hall opened, the people surged forward. Now I could image how Hungry Ghost Festival commences every year!

Capitalising on the growing trends of the Food Market in Singapore, Asia Pacific Food Expo aims to bring the best food from the Asia Pacific Region into Singapore and establish Singapore as the food hub in Asia. There were several participating countries namely, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and Indonesia. The numbers of exhibitors increase to 145 this year. More than 520,000 people are expected to visit APFE 2006.

Some participating exhibitors offer free food samples while most choose to sell their products. When I attended the first APFE in 2004, because my friend had taken a stall, it was chaos. I left after half an hour. Most of the stalls offered free samples & by the evening of the 2nd day, most of the food were gone. My friend told me some people came to eat for the 5 days that the Expo was on, not buying a thing. They were either groups of friends, students in school uniforms, couples, office workers nearby or families with children. They rushed for the free food. It was horrible.
You could still see some free-loaders at the Expo. Particularly some parents who came prepared. They brought their children and whenever there were free samples, you could see them pushed their kids forward, telling them,"Go! Go! Eat! Take! Take la! Take some more!"

I browsed through some of the stalls and bought some new food products to try. There were too many products, that are offered at promotional prices, to buy. There are many new products too. I didn't bring enough cash with me & I couldn't carry so much purchases. I would come back with Chris & Jaymes so they could help me carry. Oh, and I shall not forget to bring my own trolley.



This stall sells steamed Hairy Crabs, mini Lobsters, Crayfish, Sharks Fin soup, Black Pepper Crabs....etc. Jaymes would sure go bonkers over them!






I love these Taiwanese Pork Balls (台湾贡丸，赞!) They are huge, the size of ping-pong balls. Tender and delicious! I just have to buy them. mmmmm....... S$3 for a bowl of 4.






The promoter offered me a sample each of Wasabi, Orginal, Tom Yam and Japanese sauce flavoured seaweed. They were salty but tasty! The kids love to snack on seaweeds so I bought some. 3 packets for S$5.



I bought these ready made sauces from Malaysia. Buy 5 packets for S$10 and get 1 packet free! I'll try them over the next few days.

Asian Children's Festival 2006

17th Nov to 19th Nov 2006, 11 am to 9 pm
Singapore Expo Hall 4B

There are many exhibitions happening at to the same time at Singapore Expo this weekend. You could spend a whole day here and go exhibition-hopping! There is a furniture fair, a food expo, Penguin Books Warehouse Sale...etc.

Bob the Builder - Bob's Big Surprise show opens today at Singapore Expo. Bob the builder is a television character beloved by preschoolers in 200 countries. It was created by animator Keith Chapman.

60 percent of the tickets for its 9-day run have been sold so far. During the 50-minute show, kids will learn about teamwork & a positive work attitude while dancing along to songs like Bob's famous mantra, Can We Fix It?

Asian Children's Expo - KidsASIA!
Featuring 4 Activity Zones (Culture, Sroeies, Games & Food)and a wide range of interesting and fun programmes, cultural performances from exotic landsand workshops for children and their families.

Expo Highlights
Asian Tales by NLB talespinners

..........listening to entrancing Asian folktales

The Zoo goes to the Asian Children's Expo
Cultural performances from Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, India & many more
Traditional Kampung Games

.................make and play interesting traditional games

Mr Magic Puppet Show
Groove with Jimmy Neutron
Traditional Childhood Sweet Treats

..........enjoy the sweetness of forgotten childhood treats

Asian Costume fashion display
Kids Athletics
Asian Herbs & Spices workshops

Singapore Sports Council is hosting a series of hands-on workshops for parents and a sport carnival for children! Lots of activities for the children this weekend!

World's largest Sand Mandala!

The world's largest Sand Mandala, appeared in Singapore. Working days & nights continuously since 7th Nov, the multicoloured Mandala was painstakingly created over 10 days by 20 monks from Nepal. Starting from 17th Nov to 22nd Nov, it will be opened to the public at the site next to Eunos MRT station.

Practitioners use the Mandala to visualize in meditation the steps along the Path to Enlightenment. It used more than 2000 kg of fine sand, grounded from white marble and mixed with opaque water colours. In the Mandala, deities are portrayed within a square of some 55 metres in the form of miniature human, animal and flora forms, abstract pictographs and Sanskrit syllables.

To facilitate public viewing, the organiser constructed a 4-feet high walkway around it and specially built a ramp for those who are wheel-chaired bound. The public could have a great view of the exquisite & colourful sand mandala from higher ground. The organiser also welcome believers who wish to pray for blessings.

There is also a golden statue of 4-faced Buddha at the same site.

In a lesson about the impermanence of life, the completed Mandala will be destroyed and the sands will be distributed. The ceremony will take place on 22nd Nov between 9 am to 5 pm.

How a sand mandala is created

Kim's Cuisine

After his work, my younger brother brought his elder daughter Jas to our shop for NeuroVision Powervision Training Program. Later he and my family went for dinner. As some road were closed due to US President Bush's visit to Singapore & also we couldn't fit into one car, I suggested we dined at a restaurant nearby. We walked to Beach Road where there were some Chongqing steamboat eateries.

The 4 steamboat eateries were so packed with diners. There were many people standing at the side waiting. The kids were hungry so we decided to eat at a Chinese restaurant.

I remembered Kim's Cuisine. It served a good set meal the last time I was there. So all of us walked to Kim's. There weren't many diners, so we got a table inside the restaurant, away from the smokers.

I did the ordering. All except Jaymes wanted to eat crab. And we skipped the seafood, much to Jaymes' disappointment because of the high cholesterol. I ordered Braised Pork Chops (S$10), Thai Sauce Chicken (S$12), Kim's Special Tofu (S$6), Fried Sambal Sweet Potato Leaves (S$8) and 4 plates of the very famous Kim's Hokkien Prawn Noodles (S$4 each)!The kids enjoyed eating the Braised Pork Chops. It tasted sweet and sour. The Thai sauce for the deep fried chicken was not very spicy and it was very appetising. Jas kept spooning it over her rice!

The homemade Special Tofu was wonderful. The sauce for the tofu was flavourful too. A healthy dish which the adults enjoyed. There's another version with Thai Chilli sauce.






The fried sambal sweet potato leaves was Chris', my brother's and my favourite. My brother and I remembered that when we lived with our grandmother, she would frequently asked us to go down to the vegetable plots to pick the sweet potato leaves. We hated doing it and would always get into fights over who should go. And at the dining table, we would fight again over the dish. Kids!


No gift for guessing the winner. I would always be the one in tears because my brother really hit hard. Plus I would get scolded by my grandmother because he was her favourite grandson.

The best dish came last. We were thinking of cancelling the fried noodle because we were so full after the dishes. But since this is their famous dish, we decided to eat a little and maybe packed the rest back.

Once we tasted the noodle, there was no way we could stop! Chris and I shared a plate of it. My brother and Jaymes ate a plate of noodles each. Jas managed to clean off half a plate of it by herself. Gosh, it was so delicious that we almost swallowed our tongues along with the noodles. There were bits of crunchy deep fried pork lard at the side. Cholesterol was the last thing on our minds then! The sambal chilli that came with the noodle was heavenly!

We could barely walk after that. It was a great meal.

Kim's Cuisine
101 Beach Road #01-01 Kimetal Building Tel : 6336-1721

US President George Bush in Singapore

US President George W Bush arrived this morning in Singapore, a staunch ally in the fight against terrorism, en route to a gathering of Pacific Rim leaders in Vietnam.

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From Paya Lebar Air Base where his plane landed shortly after 7am, Mr Bush, accompanied by First Lady Laura Bush and key US government officials, was whisked to a hotel for an overnight stay.

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This is Mr Bush's second visit to Singapore. He was also here in October 2003.

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Mr Bush's agenda included his first meeting with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, a speech highlighting the importance of Asia in the world at the National University of Singapore, a call on Acting President J Y Pillay, a visit to the Asian Civilisations Museum and a dinner hosted by the Premier.

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He is scheduled to depart for Hanoi early tomorrow for the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit.
article from Today papers

What Is Politics ???

A little boy goes to his Dad and asks, "What is politics?"

Dad says, "Well son, let me try to explain it this way: I'm the breadwinner of the family, so let's call me Capitalism. Your Mom, she's the administrator of the money, so we'll call her the Government. We're here to take care of your needs, so we'll call you the People. The nanny, we'll consider her the Working Class. And your baby brother, we'll call him the Future. Now, think about that and see if that makes sense,"

So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what dad had said.

Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper. So the little boy goes to his parents' room and finds his mother sound asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room.

Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed.

The next morning, the little boy says to his father, "Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now."

The father says, "Good son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about."

The little boy replies, "Well, while Capitalism is screwing the Working Class, the Government is sound asleep, the People are being ignored and the Future is in deep poo poo !"

Our Future is in deep sh*t!

Dinner at Vietnamese Restaurant

I brought my Indonesian guests to the Vietnamese Restaurant in Suntec City for dinner. It was their first time eating Vietnamese food, so I had to order the right dishes or else they will have a bad impression of this food.

I ordered Beef Noodle Soup, Vermicelli Salad and a Vietnamese Seafood Soup. For appetizers, I ordered Vietnamese Salad Rolls (Rice Rolls) and Egg Rolls (Spring Rolls).

I love the Vietnamese rice rolls. It's very healthy, non-fattening, and dipped in the sweet & spicy sauces provided, it's so yummy! I can eat two fat rolls at one time. For the Egg Rolls, you wrap each roll in a lettuce leaf and eat!

The Vietnamese Seafood Soup was a surprise! The soup tasted wonderful. It has a tangy taste and it really 'opens up' your appetite. The two guests and I couldn't stop drinking the soup.

My friends love the Vermicelli Salad too. It has marinated sliced beef & pork and an egg roll in it. And grounded peanut is sprinkled on the dish. I poured the bowl of sweet and sour dressing over it, tossed the ingredients together and voila! A healthy and delicious dish. Very appetising!

I ordered a Vietnamese Traditional Drip Coffee for them to try. They said it was so-so only.


There are lots of vegetables in these Vietnamese dishes. For those of you who don't like beansprouts, these are added in large quantity in almost every dish.

Pho House 3 Temasek Boulevard #03-008 Suntec City Mall

An unexpected announcement

I can't believe my ears when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that there would be a 2% increase in GST. The Goods and Services Tax will go up from 5 to 7 per cent. The lame excuse for this increase, to finance more government spending to help the lower income.

It's like, "You all want to complain about inadequate support for the needy and I'm sick of all this whining from you ungratefuls, so this is my solution."

I will forever not speak up for the less fortunate and needy from now on. I will mind my own business and concentrate on making money to spend on myself. Sorry to the rest of the Singaporeans that I opened my big mouth to ask for more help for the needy.

Did PM Lee seek the advice of our many Economists in Singapore? Did he discuss this with his Cabinet? Is raising tax revenue the only choice? And creating another package to offset the impact of the GST hike? jeez...

Why don't cut the Ministers' and MPs' pay and allowances?

Why can't we entirely scrapped the Asean Scholarships to save costs? The countries where the scholars come from are actually richer than us now. The so-called scholars came from well-to-do families who could easily pay for their education. They are not only taking free rides from Singapore but laughing at our Government for being so stupid to offer them scholarships.

The Singapore Government is reluctant to take care of its own citizens and yet is helping other countries take care of their citizens.

It's time to raise the school fees for foreign students. The government spends more than S$23,000 on a student yearly. Why should we subsidise heavily on these foreigners? Some are not even here to study and offer no economic value.

PM Lee is born with 'a golden spoon' in his mouth. He would never understand the hardships of the poor. He has never had to drink porridge mixed with soy sauce. And he definitely would never have known how being starved of food feels. He has never experienced not having electricity and water for days and weeks. He doesn't eat hawker food or he would know what is Mee Siam and it doesn't have hums (cockles) in it.

PM Lee expects his people to know the history of Singapore and yet he doesn't know the local food of Singapore well. He is more than half a century old, man.

He tells people to eat more fish and less pork to keep healthy. He has no idea fish costs a lot more than pork. And for the manual workers, there's no way they are going to eat porridge and still be able to have energy to do work!

I think his idea of the merger of the local banks is such a silly idea. Who benefits? I am at the mercy of my bank. The young talents at the bank are cold and uncaring and kiasu. Take it or leave it. What choices do I have?

Some of the former Bank Managers who were laid off after the banks merger are still unemployed or working in jobs paying much more less than their previous jobs. These are people with years of experience and have done much for our country.

2% to a high income earner is chicken-feed but to the lower income earner, that's quite a lot. And it brings on a chain reaction. We can expect the hawkers to increase their food prices. We have to pay more for our purchases. People would not be willing to spend and our economy would be affected again.

Tough times ahead.

Parliament Speeches on website

Latest news!

Channel NewsAsia (CNA) has video-streamed the new MPs' maiden speeches on its website (channelnewasia.com). It will also be putting up all MPs and ministers' speeches on video at its website as a pilot project for six months. The videos will remain for two weeks after their posting.

Hooray! I don't have to sit for hours in a crammed seat (the seats in airplanes have better legroom!) with others and endure the freezing cold air-con. I can cheer and sprew expletives whenever I like. I don't have to wear the hard ear phones which caused my ears to smart like hell after 20 minutes and I have to constantly adjust it to relief the pain.

What will Wee Siew KIm speak on?

We were having breakfast with friends and the conversation mainly centred on the Parliamentary Meeting and what the MPs spoke on. We are concerned about the future of Singapore.

In fact many people are curious to know what MP Wee Siew Kim would speak on. I guess many are waiting to criticise his speech whether it is good or bad. It is interesting to note that the common people already has a dislike for him and would shot him down no matter what he said. It is a case of damn if he does or damn if he doesn't.

Would he even be allowed to speak? Maybe he would only sit in this time and speak at the next one.

There are people who feel that some of new MPs 'wasted' their precious chance to speak on the various issues or policies on Singapore in Parliament. It is never enough for only one or two MPs to speak on the usual issues. I myself felt that it is silly to speak to SM, PM and the more senior colleagues about 'Being Happy'.

Who are you to tell them how to be happy? Say this at a Toastmasters' meeting lah.

There are more important issues like the Study Mama policy, the illegal prostitutes issues, our Education system, the rising costs of living etc that need to be addressed .... how could any commoner in Singapore be happy when there are so many worries on one's mind? I myself have a lot to say if given a chance to speak in Parliament.

People who are earning a good salary, hold a good job and have enough disposable money might be happy. The MPs and Ministers looked happy, they don't complain, they don't whine like us, ordinary citizens. Whatever.

Heartwarming Food from Jakarta

Ibu Neni arrived in Singapore about nine in the night. I met up with her in her rented room in an apartment in Devonshire Road. This apartment is owned by an Indonesian who lets out the rooms in her apartment to Indonesian tourists for S$95 a night. There are 4 rooms. There is only a maid to take care of the apartment. Quite an enterprising lady!

I know of many such apartments in the city that are rented out to tourists. I saw one apartment in Lucky Plaza that had 4 rooms but were knocked down and partitioned into 10 rooms to rent out to tourists! This is not only illegal and I think the owners don't pay income tax.

Ibu Neni brought some food from Jakarta for me. There was my favourite, the famous Medan goreng pisang (deep fried banana fritters). I used to buy 100s of that to give away. It is really delicious. Many Indonesians buy them to give as gifts to friends or family members living overseas. They would have them half-cooked and then packed. You can keep them in the freezer and deep fry them whenever you crave for it.

There are many foreign brands of food in Jakarta. The famous Australian Apple Strudel, Corica from Perth has also set up shop here. Ibu Neni bought me one box of it. Chris loves Apple Strudel. He couldn't wait to eat it the moment we reached home.

The flaky pastry was a bit soggy but the custard was not too sweet and real yummy!


Krispy Kreme doughnuts! I saw it in Taipei and the queue was sooo long. People were buying boxes and boxes of them. I was told I have to wait more than half an hour in the cold for them then. I didn't queue for it as I only wanted to try one! Friends who tried them have been telling me how wonderfully they taste!

In Jakarta, it was the same thing. People have to queue to buy it. My student Jhonnatan queued for them in Jakarta. Awwww..... so sweet of him.

Last but not least, the Indonesian Harum Manis Mangoes! My diet plan is going to be postponed - yet again!

I shot SM Goh & 5 MPs!

Ya, I 'shot' SM Goh Chok Tong today, along with Marine Parade GRC MPs Mr Seah Kian Peng, Dr Ong Seh Hong, Mr Lim Biow Chuan, Dr Muhammud Faishal Ibrahim and South-east CDC Mayor Matthias Yeo. hahaha.....

Carnival 2006 at Block 61, Chai Chee Road.

Chris needed to report there at 8 am. So we got the kids & Tun up early. They put on red T-shirts provided by Marine Parade Town Council. I didn't want to put on the T-shirt because it looked awful.

The place was teeming with residents of Marine Parade GRC. Buses were chartered to fetch those living within the GRC. Residents and their MP from each constituency was given a different-coloured T-shirt and a goody bag.

There was an Early Bird Draw and winners got a S$30-NTUC voucher.

There was a Children's Colouring Contest.
Young kids had fun jumping up & down on inflatables.
Pingyi Secondary School Band gave a lively & stunning performance.

There were two stilt-walkers. One of them was dressed as 'God of Fortune' and he 'gave' a lot of handshakes because the people wanted to have some good fortune 'transferred' to them.

There were several games stalls. Many residents, old and young, were seen queuing to try their hands at the stalls. There were long queues for popcorn, candy floss & balloons.

My kids queued 50 minutes for a cup of popcorn each & they complained about the 'old aunties' who jumped queue. They didn't have time to play at the game stalls nor watch any performance. SM Goh Chok Tong arrived in his Mercedes. There was the usual Lion Dance troupe to welcome SM Goh and the other MPs. Some of the elderly residents approached me, asking me to help them see the car licence plate. Today is Sunday, so they need some inspiration to buy 4D (lottery).
The Mountbatten team waiting to welcome SM Goh.

It was very hot & humid. Due to the huge turnout of residents, it was difficult to walk without knocking into anyone. I had to stand in the sun, waiting for more than an hour just to get some shots of the VIPs.

The security people and staff on duty didn't help at all. They stood in the path of my photo taking. While standing near the garden plot, waiting to take pictures of the Tree-planting event by the VIPs, a security personnel warned me and another resident against crossing the line by stepping onto the grass. All passerbys were shooed or stopped from walking on the turf.
When SM Goh started to hoe the soil onto the little sapling, the press photographers & TV crew turned wild. They blocked my view entirely. I had to move forward for my pictures too. The security guy bellowed,"I'll have to pull you all out of here if you continue to step over the line!" Oops!

Oh, take a look at SM Goh's bodyguards. Those Oakley sunglasses don't suit the faces of bodyguards. They should visit our shop for a more suitable pair of shades!

Rich & Good Cake Shop

Jaymes & I walked to this cake shop at Kandahar Road after our lunch. I read about it from a food magazine. It is in an old shophouse. It has been around for years but I have not heard of it until recently.

There was a family in there buying several boxes of cake rolls, Durian Puffs and Chocolate Eclairs.

I couldn't decide what favour cake rolls to buy. Their most popular was Kaya Roll followed by Durian Roll. There were also Mango, Chocolate, Coffee, Blueberry and Strawberry rolls.

Finally I bought a box of Kaya Rolls (2 rolls in a box costs S$10), half a dozen each of Durian Puffs(S$3) & Chocolate Eclairs (S$2.50).

The kaya filling was not too sweet and tasted awesome. It has a strong creamy coconut taste. The sponge cake was soft. Lovely!
I do not like its durian puffs & chocolate eclairs. The choux pastry was stiff. The durian paste filling was good though.

Rich & Good Cake Shop
24 Kandahar Road Tel : 6294 3324
Closed on Sundays & Public Holidays

House of Briyani

I brought Jaymes to Kampong Glam for a unique lunch experience.

There were several Nasi Padang & Briyani food stalls. After looking around, Jaymes decided on the House of Briyani. It offers Middle Eastern Briyani Rice. This hip and cosy eatery offers 3 choices of Briyani rice - Iranian, Afghanistan and Turkish Dam. The difference between these 3 types of rice is the types of spices used and the greasiness of each rice.

There were 3 types of meat dishes, you can pick either a piece of Tandoori Chicken or Black Russian Lamb or Istanbul Chicken.

Jaymes wanted to try Afghanistan Briyani rice with Tandoori Chicken (S$5.50). I tried a little of his choice, the rice was appetising. There was a tangy taste to it, seemed like tomato sauce was added to it. The Tandoori Chicken was a little dry but went well with the rice. Jaymes liked it very much.
I had the Turkish Dam with Black Russian Lamb (S$5.50). The rice was very flavourful but not that greasy as mentioned by the stallowner. The Black Russian Lamb looked an awful black colour but tasted wonderful.
After our meal, we bought a packet of Afghanistan Rice with Istanbul Chicken for Chris. When Chris opened the packet of rice, the whole shop was filled with the aroma of it. Chris enjoyed it very much, he loved the Afghanistan rice the most. You can actually eat it on its own. It's so good! The Istanbul Chicken was moist and juicy. Ichiban!

House of Briyani
742 North Bridge Road

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan Rocks in Parliament!

It was raining heavily at 1.40 pm when I stepped out of The Adelphi to go to Parliament House.

When I arrived at the Parliament House, I was told by a police officer at the security post that the Parliamentary Meeting has started & I was not allowed to go in. I told him I was also late the day before & was allowed entry. I was puzzled. Was it because they found the posts on my blog offensive & have been given orders to ban me?

The officer finally relented. When I walked into the reception area, there were 3 foreigners registering to observe the Meeting. I joined the queue & was issued a visitor pass.

When I finally settled down in my designated seat (for two consecutive days, same seat), I discovered that there were many foreign guests. There were more than 20 China nationals. There was great excitement among them when MM Lee Kuan Yew walked into the chamber. Then again when SM Goh Chok Tong arrived. They could point out PM Lee Hsien Loong, and that's about all they know of our Parliamentary leaders.

When the 1st MP spoke, they still listened, but as the 2nd & 3rd speakers spoke, they became restless. They talked among themselves, passed notes, some dozed off and later they kept going in & out of the public gallery. They were so distracting, someone had to shhh them several times.

At around 3.30 pm, they finally left. Phew!

Opposition ward, Potong Pasir MP Chiam See Tong was the 2nd speaker. He has certainly grown old over the years. He spoke of 'the unfair treatment he got from the government. While MPs from the PAP have their own offices at their respective wards, his was the void deck, no air-con and exposed to the elements.'

I couldn't help but pity him. He has served this country for more than 20 years and his road as an opposition member was fraught with difficulties & obstacles and yet he persevers on. You look at this 70-plus old man, you couldn't help but salute him. I believe he has no regrets doing it. It's tough being an opposition party member in Singapore.

Come on, PAP members, what atrocieties have MP Chiam done to deserve this. He's just a Singaporean seeking to provide an alternative voice in Parliament. He has done no harm to Singaporeans. By the warm support shown by his residents at his victory at the end of the last election, it tells a lot about him.

The President talked about an inclusive society in Singapore. But Potong Pasir residents, also Singapore citizens, are excluded. MP Chiam asked SM Goh today for the 'S$80 million promised to the residents of Potong Pasir'. Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Inderjit Singh told SM Goh not to give the S$80 million to Potong Pasir but to give it to his Ang Mo Kio ward instead. "Because the residents of Potong Pasir rejected this carrot of S$80 million!"

MP Chiam jumped up to rebut him,"Not all the Potong Pasir residents reject this carrot, you know 45% didn't reject it!" Wham!

I wish MP Chiam gets the intended S$80 million for his ward. Potong Pasir residents don't deserve this shit. These residents are also our brothers and sisters! There is this Chinese saying that I want to share with the leaders :

煮豆燃豆萁, 豆在釜中泣
本是同根生, 相煎何太急 !

And taking cheap pot shots at the opposition members do not pay. You can impress your superiors but not the people. Opposition MPs Low Thia Kiang and Chiam See Tong are elected by Singaporeans. By wanting to 'fix them', you are also fixing the people. Residents of PAP wards are people, residents in opposition wards are not, is it? Respect the people's choice and be gracious.

I couldn't help falling for the charms of Minister of Community Development, Youth & Sports Dr Vivian Balakrishnan. Soft-spoken and looking cool, he delivered his speech so convincingly and eloquently. I was told he was voted Best Debater during his university days. Oh!

Later in the Ladies' restroom, the young ladies couldn't stop talking about him. If MP Teo Ser Luck is a Prince Charming, Minister Vivian Balakrishnan is a lady-killer! hahaha.....

Singapore MPs spoke for the needy

Blogger was down again. I tried to post at 8.30 pm last night but couldn't do so. I waited until 11.20 pm and finally have to give up. I spent those couple of hours playing computer games. Didn't know 'wasting time' can be so fun!

I applauded MP Sin Boon Ann on his speech not because he spoke on the Wee Shu Min episode. I didn't bring a recorder into the public gallery so I couldn't do a transcript of his speech. He spoke on the issues that I was concerned about. I'm glad that there are MPs who think like us commoners and understand our feelings.

Parts of his speech can be found here http://www.todayonline.com/articles/153541.asp

What I hate are the PLPs (Hokkien slang for ass-lickers, this was given by a Taiwan minister to his Singapore counterparts), who agree with what his superior said. Sometimes, these PLPs also don't know what they are supporting. Their excuses are lame.

Second day of the 11th Parliamentary Meeting, I was there for the first part of the session. Sembawang GRC MP Ellen Lee, Marine Parade GRC MP Seah Kian Peng and Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Liang Eng Hwa voiced their concerns and made suggestions. Look out for these new MPs and let's see how they are going to do during their 5-year term.

I emailed my concerns for the less fortunate & needy to the adviser for Mountbatten constituency, Marine Parade GRC MP Lim Biow Chuan. And asked him what he planned to do about it, a week before the Parliamentary Meeting. He addressed my concerns with two long letters. And he took action shortly after that, despite he being in pain and on crutches.

My husband is a grassroot leader in Mountbatten Constituency that's how I know about MP Lim's swift actions. I have met MP Lim on several occasions. MP Lim is a humble, practical & no-nonsense man. The residents of Mountbatten Constituency should be glad to have such a man as their member of Parliament.

I live in Joo Chiat constituency. Wild horses couldn't drag me nor my husband to serve here. This will be a post that many Singaporeans and other MPs should read.

MP Sin Boon Ann - Speech of the day!

I am not into politics. I hate politics. My son has taken an interest in it. I have to read up and learn in order to answer or debate his many queries.

I sat in to observe the 1st day of the 11th Parliamentary Meeting. 15 MPs spoke that day, including 7 new faces. The MPs called for more to be done to bridge the widening income gaps.

I sat up when Tampines GRC MP Sin Boon Ann spoke. He mentioned the episode of 'the 18-year-old RJC blogger'. He was of course referring to the Wee Shu Min incident. I was surprised he brought it up in Parliament. I thought Ang Mo Kio MP Wee Siew Kim, who is the father of WSM, wished there was a hole to hide himself then. He looked uneasy sitting opposite MM, SM and PM.

MP Sin spoke of Singaporeans who view society as a divide between the elites and the common citizens, the gifted and the ordinary. He spoke on the need to break down the institution of snobbery within our society. It should start in the civil service. He said that in the civil service, the overseas scholars are favoured over non-scholars. They are destined for promotions & have better prospects.

I could have stood up to cheer and applaud him if it is allowed in the public gallery.

Way to go, Sir!

Jurong GRC MP Halimah Yacob spoke on providing a stronger safety net for the needy. She proposed 5 ways.

I have always found her to be a voice for Singaporeans, especially the blue-collar working class.

Hong Kah GRC MP Dr Amy Khor warned against welfare schemes that would erode people's will to work. She also spoke on immigration issues regarding the foreigners that seek to sink their roots here.

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Christopher De Souza spoke on the issue of foreign talents who do not have to do National Service and their using Singapore only as a springboard to other countries.

The Parliamentary Meeting started at 1.30 pm. There was a 15-minute rest before resuming at 4.15 pm. I left at 6 pm after Pasir Ris-Punggol MP Teo Ser Luck's speech. I had to meet my boys for dinner.

Chippy British Takeaway

I heard of Chippy a year ago when it opened in Far East Plaza. I didn't have a chance to try it as it was out of the way for me.

I was glad to see it open a branch in the basement of The Raffles Market Place.

I bought it's Beer Battered Fish (S$4.45 for 12 pieces). You can have it with salt & vinegar or ketchup & mayonnaise. I left it in Chris' air-con office for 3 hours & when I ate it later, the battered fish was still crispy!

I once saw a recipe for beer battered fish on a TV programme on Discovery Travel, too bad I didn't take it down. I would appreciate if anyone could give me the recipe for it.

And I bought its famous Deep-fried Mars Bar with a scoop of Vanilla or Chocolate ice-cream (S$2.90) too. The Mars Bar was already loaded with calories, yet they coat it with batter & deep-fried it. And with the scoop of ice-cream, the dessert looks to add more to my weight. Awww, shucks,....be happy, don't worry.

Chippy British Takeaway Raffles The Market Place Basement

Jaymes' encounter with Geylang hookers

Jaymes protested vehemently when I told him to do the experiment. He felt awkward and was worried that the hookers would drag him to a hotel. Seng assured him that he would be following closely behind.

I made Jaymes wear a school uniform (not his school's) and carry a backpack. I hid a recorder in his pocket. Jaymes was breaking into cold sweat. I pushed him out of the door.

From the apartment above, I could see Jaymes walking slowly down the busy street. He would sometimes look up at me. I was hiding behind the curtains.

From the moment he walked onto the street, the women noticed him & some went up to him. The women either grabbed his arms or embraced him. You could see Jaymes cringed in discomfort. hahaha....

He was shaking his head a lot. And he tried to pull his arms away from their grip or push them away from him. All the women spoke to him, & then some let go of his arm and turned their attention to others. Some clinged on to him, trying to persuade him. You could see Jaymes struggling to break free from their clutches. When he finally left one, he would immediately be pounced upon by others.

It looked like it was going to be a long journey down this short street for Jaymes. It went on for a good 15 minutes. I could sense that Jaymes was getting worried that he might not be able to get to the end of the street. He was getting desperate & began to quicken his steps.

Suddenly he was accosted by an older Chinese woman. She was plump & dressed in a tight tube & mini skirt. She held his left hand & started talking animatedly to him. Jaymes tried to pull his hand away. He shook his head several times and tried to walk off. She grabbed his arm with both hands as she continued talking. She started pulling him to one side.

Feeling panicky, Jaymes looked up to me for help, he seemed to be pleading. He was frightened. I was prepared to rush down when Seng approached the woman. He spoke to her and she released her grip on Jaymes. She was cursing loudly in Mandarin. Ah, a China woman. (From her accent.)

Seng put his arm around Jaymes and brought him back safely upstairs.

When Jaymes entered the apartment, he was pretty shaken. He looked plae. He was drenched in his own pespiration. "What!? You looked like you've been raped!" I exclaimed.

He glared at me & slumped down on the sofa. Seng got him a drink while I removed the recorder from his pocket. I rewind the tape & listened to the conversations that took place earlier. I was particularly interested in what the older China woman said to him.

Below is a translation of the conversation.

Woman : Hello. Little handsome boy, looking for some fun? Let me play with you!
Jaymes : No. No.
Woman : Aiya, don't be shy. I teach you some new tricks so you can impress your girlfriend.
Jaymes : No. Don't want.
Woman : Come! Come! I'm very experienced. How much money do you have?
Jaymes : Don't want. I have no money.
Woman : Don't bluff me. You come here to have fun but have no money? I give you special price. Guaranteed you will be very happy with my service.
Jaymes : Don't want! I'm going home for dinner.
Woman : OK. OK. S$10. S$10. OK? Come to my room. Come. Come. Come.
Jaymes : No! No! No! I have no money! No! (sounding hysterical. hahaha.... )
Woman : Come! I will give you such good service that you will come back again. Try lah!
(Seng stepped in at this juncture.)

Jaymes is going to have a nightmare tonight. hahaha..... And he said I'm a sick mother. muahahaha........

Red-light district Geylang

In every city, there is a red-light district. Geylang is a well-known for its prostitution trade. You may be curious, you may hesitate, you may find it familiar but you might not want to try it.

I got in touch with a contact who is counselling these girls in Geylang. Bringing Jaymes with me, I brought him to see the dark side of Singapore. Let me introduce you to this flourishing flesh market in Singapore.

My contact, let's call him Seng, said," In Geylang, there are hundreds of prostitutes, many are young China girls. There are also women from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Russian, Philippines, Cambodia selling their bodies here.

They work from 7 pm t0 7 am. They earn an impressive S$1000 to S$1500 per day. Some can earn up to S$60,000 of fast money in a month! "

Wah, no wonder the foreign hookers like to flock to Singapore! Can earn big money in such a short time! There is such a huge demand in Singapore for sex providers? Singapore men are so sex starved? Singapore women are too frigid or not good in bed that the men need to turn to pros? This is one industry in Singapore that has so many job vacancies that 'employs' mainly 'foreign talents'. Many of these sex workers are illegal.

There are licensed sex workers in Singapore too. They work in licensed prostitution dens which can be easily identified because they hang red lanterns at its entrance.

There are local prostitution rings here. They have contact with those in China & Indonesia etc. Their girls will stay for 28 days, taking their menstrual cycles into consideration, they do their utmost to make their short stay worthwhile.

Seng drove us through several lanes in Geylang where you could see many scantily-dressed women standing along the walkways, calling out to the many men who were selecting their 'goods'. Some were quite young, in their teens or early twenties, and some were pretty and have good figures. Some were so old and fat, my god, who would want to do them? There were lots of men - foreign workers, young & old men in office attire, elderly men.....

Once they chose their sex partners, they would disappear into one of the myraids of budget hotels located all over Geylang. S$20 for 4 hours of use.

Seng brought us to an apartment where we could observe the dealings from upstairs. More men came to buy for sex as the evening got darker. Some were alone, some came in small groups of 3 or more.

It was noisy as they haggled over the prices. I could hear most of what they said from where I was. The Indian hookers charge from S$30 to S$50 for a session. They can go down to S$20 sometimes. They usually service the foreign workers from India or Bangladesh.

The prices for the China women vary. A young, pretty one would get S$80 to S$100. The older ones charge from S$40. Seng said some over 40s China women are willing to charge S$10 for students. Eeeewww, won't it be like doing your mother?

I then made Jaymes walk down the street. Let's see what happens when Jaymes walks along a street lined with hookers. See my next post.

New York New York

After work, Chris & I walked over to Citylink for dinner. I had passed this new restaurant called New Yok New York on my way to Suntec City one day and I had wanted to try their food.

At 7.05pm, the place was packed and we had to wait in a long queue for about 30 minutes before we got a table. There was quite a number of young foreign waiters and they were cheerful, courteous & attentive amid the huge crowd in the restaurant.

I ordered a Mushroom Cuppaccino Soup (S$5.50). It was creamy & loaded with bits of mushroom. There was a layer of frothy whipped milk on top of the soup and a sprinkling of cocoa powder. Delicious.









Chris ordered a plate of Tagliatelle Alfredo with Battered Fish Fillets (S$10.90). The fish was fresh and tasted great with the pasta sauce.




We share a Hawaiian Pizza (S$12.90). The crust was thin & crispy. It was really yummy. I ate almost 3/4 of it.




The fun part of this restaurant was a candy floss making machine. Diners can make their own candy floss. Chris made me one with the help of a staff. It looked so skinny!

New York New York 1 Raffles Link #B1-47A Citylink

Swearing-in Ceremony at Parliament House

I walked over to Parliament House at 4pm to witness the swearing-in ceremony of the 24 PAP newcomers and their senior colleagues.

It was my first visit to Parliament. I had to go through several security checks and was only allowed to bring my purse to the public gallery. While I was registering myself, lawyer M. Ravi came in, creating a slight commotion. He didn't get to register because he didn't have his NRIC with him. There was a tourist from India who brought only his photocopied passport, he was also denied entry.

I took a lift to the 3rd floor where there was another security barrier. When I was led into the gallery, I had to bow to the Speaker before I took my seat.

The Parliament House had undergone a recent refurbishment, and there was a newly-installed glass security barriers. In the gallery were the families of the MPs, members of the establishment and the public.

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi was re-elected as Speaker of the House. The MPs took their oaths of allegiance in 12 batches. It was a solemn ceremony.

I sat facing the Cabinet Ministers. All the men were dressed in dark suits & some of the ladies in cheongsums. Pasir Ris-Punggol MP Teo Ser Luck looked so dashing in his dark suit. Marine Parade GRC MP Lim Biow Chuan was in crutches as he had a fall & fractured his meta tarsals. Poor Mr Lim.

The ceremony was over within an hour.

Economy of Singapore is good??

Chris was going to talk to the landlord regarding the renewal of our shop lease. We expect him to raise the rent - again. Didn't the newspapers & ministers say our economy has improved & that our GDP was 7.6%? There isn't any better time than now.

We met the landlord, Yeo at his office at 10am. He & his wife were waiting for us. It was my first time meeting them. The couple look young for their age. Their only grandson was in their office that day with his maid.

After some small talk, we started our negotiation. The new rent would be increased by about S$300 because of higher maintenance fees & property tax. Ouch!!

We explained to Yeo our difficulties in meeting his demand. He told us his problems too. Those 'people working in ivory towers' think commercial property owners & companies are rolling in money because of the 'good times' now.

Business hasn't been good these two months, particularly October. First it was the IMF/World Bank meeting, then the haze, followed by the final year school exams. Many businesses in Singapore are affected too. All the employers are shaking their heads & wringing their hands. there are a stack of bills & employees' salaries to pay.

Those in the government are the only optimistic people around. Yeah! Why not? They are still going to get their bonuses at the end of the year even if you go hang yourself or jump onto the MRT tracks! The ordinary citizens are suffering. Not those in the government service. They might be getting a pay raise due to the 'good' economy.

How does S$690 million look like when placed in stacks of S$1000 bills? Can't image. I will never see this sort of money in my lifetime, so does the majority of Singaporeans. To the civil servants, this is just another number. MOE is going to build indoor stadiums for all the more than 300 schools in Singapore, so that students don't have to play in the sun or rain.

Huh? Unheard of in most parts of the world, right? Singapore students are made of sugar, they will melt in the sun or rain.

Singapore dreams of winning gold medals in the Olympics or some international sports events. Dream on!!! Some of the top athletes in the world train in very tough conditions. Our people are too pampered, at home & in school. You expect them to win? In such comfortable environment? Ha!

Singaporeans are taxed to pay for these? The 'durians'. The scholarships of foreigners & the Singapore elites. More huge, beautifully-designed government buildings which some Singaporeans called the Wonders of Singapore.......?

Oh, and please don't whine, lest you be called old & unmotivated.