Constructive Not destructive

Giving constructive advice is much more effective and productive then making cutting and sarcastic remarks which, not only gets one fuming but also no solution.

Searching For a Friend

Me : Hello, May I speak to Julie L**?
Stranger: Where are you calling from?
Me : I'm L**** calling from V*****
Stranger: I'm sorry but Julie has left the company 4 years ago.
Me : Oh! Is there any way I can contact her.
I'm an old friend of hers.
Stranger: Why don't you give me your contact and I'll pass to herwhen I see her.
Me : Do you have a contact number?
Stranger: No, but Penang is so small, we're bound to see each other.
(Not convinced and still determine to find her)
Me : Do you know where is working now?
Stranger: I think she left for W***** U
Me : You have the number of the U?
Stranger: Let me browse...... Ah, it's ****
Me : By the way just to confirm that we're talking about the same person.
Is she in her forties, shoulder length hair?
Stranger:Yes, yes, and Slim built and wears spectacle?
Me : Yes, that sounds like Julie. Thank you.
3 calls later, I had her direct line. The minute I heard her voice, I know, I've found her, my long lost friend Julie Lim.

X Men

Friday night-Popcorn and movie night aka. family outing. Xmen 1st Class. Action packed right from the start, commented son, father thought it to be too predictable while youngest simply enjoyed the, not too squeamish plot. Eldest had to missed for she was working late.

Abruptly

Arrgh... just as the plot thickens, the story ended abruptly. Upon checking, at wikipedia, this novel is the 1st of a very ambitious 5 part series of The Clifton chronicles!! It'll be years before I can get to the end of this epic story.

BeingSingle

Spent few days last week with SIL. One year my junior a swing single and she has it all planned. For her retirement. She disclosed. When eventually she needs to be pampered and taken care of, she wants to Spent her days with her other single friends playing mahjong and doing her laps in a retirement village. Hopefully by then, there would be such village. If not then an 'atas'/exclusive home. For now, she is wisely investing all her ringgits in properties making sure it'll be enough for her to live in style.

Salad, Chinese style

Popiah, salad chinese style. Lots of vegetable, a sprinkle of protein and carb. Something crunchy with dressing in a form of sweet paste, chinese the way, of course. But, In this case, most ingredients are cooked and eaten warm.

Alway ready to try out the popiah at every new eatery centres I go. Yesterday morning at the KimKeat Palm hawker centre. For 90 cents, it's skin is still moist and soft with the beansprouts cooked just right and a hint of coriander.

After Camp

Perspiring and sweating for 2 nights sleeping in the 5 man tent pitched in the middle of the school field. One whole day of trekking on Ubin Island in the sweltering sun. Youngest came home with a 38.9C temperature, sorethroat and a splitting headache with rashes all over her body. I'm sure when the fever subsides she'll tell me some good times she had. But for now, I'll have to bear with her grouch.

Only Time Will Tell

Finally the long awaited reserved book, arrived. Was looking forward to the hardcopy version for the bigger font. Better to read with. For the next few night, this will keep me absorbed?

Deceiving Title

Titles and book covers can be deceiving. Recently was given a novel as a present. The title and the synopsis sounded like a traveller's tale on an ancient route. However, upon reading I found that it was not. Neither a lonely planet guide nor an account of the writer's trip but rather a fraction of her provocative imagination. I'm sure whoever who presented me the book had no idea of the content.

HolidayCamp

Youngest is off to a 2 day sec2 camp today. However, she is not looking forward to it.Grumbling grumbling for the last one week. She is fearful of heights and one of the activity is the flying fox. No air-con in classrooms where they'll be Sleeping in sleeping bags with 8 fans spinning as if it's about to take-off. No friends. All the girls are randomly group from across all classes. Luckily, She has one classmate in her group of 12. Last on her grumbling list, bathing. They are given only a bucket of cold water to wash from tip to toe. She is not bringing her hair conditioner. No fun when it's not spending 24/3 with friends screaming, laughing, gossiping and snoring. This morning I spotted girls pulling along trolley bag on one hand and carrier bag on the other. Must be taking the bathroom and the bedroom with them too. Wonder what stories will she tell me when I pick her up on friday.

Gomashio

First introduced to black sesame dessert by my brother. He loves his dessert. Black sesame with soyabean curd! Yuks! but after a few spoon of the smooth sweet black paste, I was hooked. Two weeks ago at the japan food fair organised by Isetan Super market I spotted the bottled black sesame paste. Eaten with cheese crackers or bread. Had it with my morning bread and butter. Less calories than eating it as a dessert.

Frying in the Oven

The oven in my kitchen comes alive for the occasional baking and roasting. Other times, it doubles up as a storage space for all the baking trays and sorts. While browsing at the bookshop, I came across this book. After flipping through the pages, checking if the food presented is suitable for homecooking, I was convinced. I just had to own. It'll save me time cleaning off all the oil fumes and splatters in the kitchen. 3 steps, Prepare all the ingredients, marinate, into the oven it goes. Presto, dish is really. And the fact I recently acquired a supersteam convection makes this cookbook a must. Written by a Ms Jo Marion Seow, a Home Econ teacher with MOE, shows, how using the oven, to fry crispy teriyaki chicken chops and thai pandan chicken with just the oven. Braising curry chicken and steaming dum chicken briyani. So for a start, Tonight, stingray with tom yum paste, cooked in the oven.

Numbers reveal

The interpretation of the spoilt vote figures reveals the votes' feeling. In the papers today:-

"Spoilt votes was lowest in five constituencies where opposition parties fared the best. Hougang 1.13% whereas the national share of spoilt votes was 2.17%.
There were fewer spoilt votes in closely contested wards, or where the opposition was more viable, because the voter perceived that his or her vote was more likely to make a difference.


The percentage of spoilt votes was highest where PMLee(3.01%) and DPMTeo(2.85%) led teams against relatively weak opposition.


Where WP was the party challenging the PAP they were willing to vote for the opposition. But if there were no compelling opposition candidate , they would rather spoil their votes in protest"

Hot & Hotter

It's been hot hot and very hot over the last few days. First it was the election feverish excitements, drummed up by the various opposition parties then there's the weather.
Yesterday 9th May must be the hottest. A check on the the inbuilt thermometer in the car showed 37C. Even the cold shower taken in the evening, was warm. My thoughts are with the many foreign workers spending hours under this sweltering heat, going back to the equally stuffy and hot dormitories in the evenings. All for the want of giving their families at home a better life.

Hot Steaming rice

The title "Cooking made us human" by Richard Wrangham sounds intriquing considering the fact that half of the working population these days don't even know how a kitchen looks like let alone cook. An interesting explanation on how we the human evolves physically all thanks to cooked food.

Excerpts:

Cooking makes eating faster and easier, and wrings more caloric benefit from food. Moreover, cooking is vitally important to supporting the outsize human brain, which consumes a quarter of the body’s energy.
By freeing humans from having to spend half the day chewing tough raw food — as most of our primate relatives do — cooking allowed early humans to devote themselves to more productive activities, ultimately allowing the development of tools, agriculture, and social networks. Cooked food is also softer, meaning the body uses less energy digesting what it takes in.
Since physical remnants of fire tend to degrade rapidly, archaeological evidence of fire and cooking dates back only about 800,000 years. Biological evidence, shows that around 1.8 million years ago, Homo erectus arose with larger brains and bodies and smaller guts, jaws, and teeth — changes consistent with the switch to a more tender and energetically rich diet of cooked food.
Cooking is what makes the human diet ‘human,’ and the most logical explanation for the advances in brain and body size over our ape ancestors, It’s hard to imagine the leap to Homo erectus without cooking’s nutritional benefits.”

Lightning and Hammer

Never had there been more interest and enthusiasm on elections in Spore. For the the 1st time in many many years, 2.2m singaporean will get to vote for 82 out of the 87 seats on the 7th May. A walkover for MM Lee and his 4 other group representative constituency.

Huge crowd turns out to listen to the nightly rallies and memorabilia are used to show support and publicity.

I too have been following with interest for it's this constituency that is the fiercely contested. On one team it's the A list team from opposition on the other a foreign minister and 3 other members of parliment at stake.

How will the voters choose? MM Lee has spoken, choose wisely or ......

"The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm.
The boss says ‘I’; the leader says ‘we.’ "

Book Exchange

It's an innovative idea indeed. For the 3rd year running, National Library Board organised book exchange event. Books that have been sitting on the book shelves collecting dust are give a new lease of life. The library issue coupons according to the number of books given. Long Queues were seen as early as 6am for the 8.30 opening, according to a volunteer. With 9 coupons between us, youngest picked 3 while I picked up "The God Of Small Things" and "The ripening sun" amongst the thousands of books that have been given up. Some came armed with huge luggages and trolley bags. Books still have a place in our home.

Mobile Etiquette

She apologised for asking me again for a phone number I had sms her weeks ago. She explained that her husband had accidentally deleted all her sms while going through her mobile. It's a norm, she continued, for her husband to fiddle and spring clean her mobile now and then. The few of us who heard were startled. Does her husband not respect her privacy? Is it right for spouse to go through each other's mobile history and text messages? I don't and I do not expect him to go through mine. What is the etiquette on this issue?

Century Egg

It's translucent, and has to be eaten with pickled ginger for that exquisite taste of the orient. Century egg served at the Yung Kee rest, at Wellington Road, Hk. Went there for it's roast goose but, was not impressed. Too oily and tough to my liking.

Walking around fragrant bay

A good way to know the place better than to mingle and walk amongst the people.

Opted for a walking tour along the little shops pack with dried seafood and chinese herbs, up and down the cobbled streets into the bustling market. The long long escalator if the legs are not up to it. A rest and it's off on the bus ride. Passing through the many dwellings situated round and round the mountain side. With an international school and a hospital to complete the picture. The bus took a good hour to reach the peak but only 30min by tram.

My trip to HongKong. The visit would not be complete without a ride on the StarFerry and a visit to Poh Lin Temple.

Blood Orange

It's flesh, a deep crimson red, looks and taste like orange. This unique colour is from the chemical anthocyanins, uncommon in citrus fruits, with the blood orange being one of the exceptions. Powerful flavonoid pigments that exist in red and purple fruits and vegetables. Make a nice change from eating orange orange. Found these juicy oranges at Cold Storage.

Physalis

When mum first saw this fruit, her mind went back to the times when she was a youngster exploring her family's rubbler plantation in Pahang. Picking up berries and mushrooms grown in and round the plantation. In mandarin it's "lau shou la tong kwa" (the melon dragged by the mouse) according to her, or locally known as "leletup" by the malays. I too, remember picking these berries normally grown by the wayside These are the local berries that have gone missing in keeping with development. Has it gone extinct?

Winds of change

Before, most eateries would proudly state that their raw ingredients are mostly air flown direct from Japan, Now, they are frantically sourcing from everywhere but Japan. An odourless, invisible and tasteless substance that can lead to painful death has made many wary. Meantime, indulging in a piece of cheese cake made fresh from Japan weeks ago.

Hush

"Dear Ms Jeannie,
On the 10th of this month, my daughter urgently needed a pair of "proper shoes" for the her school band performance.And so we invested on a pair of HushPuppies from Isetan Nex. Indeed at S$119.00 for a pair of shoes which she will only wear for maybe a week in a year for the next 2 years seems a little pricey, but I insisted that it was for the quality that we are paying. Having a 1 1/2 in heels, I was particular about the cushioning of her arch and therefore chose HushPuppies.
My daughter called from school during practise last week to tell me that while climbing up the stairs, the heels suddenly buckle and broke. That was only her 2nd time wearing it.
I would like to know, if this is poor quality control, As I need to have it either replaced or repaired as soon as possible as the school band will be going for their SYF competition early april.
I would appreciate if you could get back to me on this matter.
Attached are some photos for your reference.

regards"

Had pondered quite awhile before penning this email sent out this morning. Will I get a favourable reply?

LunchTakeAway

Saturday lunch menu:
Tsukune rice burger for big chief, ebi rice burger for eldest, fish burger for son and chicken teriyaki burger for youngest. It's Mos burger saturday.

New @ Nex

Did not understand, "Hundreds waited patiently for the doors to open at the new library @ Nex last friday" reported in the news. Not only school students but from all walks of life. I now know why. Visited the library this morning and I'm impressed. Just love the scent of the books. Everyone of them, brand new. With a tasteful interior design, One would think, they are in Borders or Kinokuniya.

A cinema, a library, shimbashi soba, Four leave bakery, Cold storage, Isetan..... looks like I'll be spending more time at Nex.

Picture by rambling Librarian

Destruction Wave

They are safe. My japanese friends, one in Osaka. The other in Yokohama wrote this:

"I was walking toward the bank when the earthquake occurred. I would not walk straight and waited it stopped. Although I kept walking, several quakes occurred. The electricity was cut, the bank was dark and ATM did not work. The traffic light was off. When I got back home, my daughter was home alone so scared, but prepared evacuation with backpack full of warm clothes, drinks and snacks. We did not have to leave home, stayed home with flash lights and candles without electricity even till dark. The only information we could get was from the radio powered by (my) hand. Because all the trains stopped, my son had to come home on foot. When the electricity got back on and watched TV, we were horrified what had been happened in Tohoku Area... "

We may have the most sophisticated equipments but mother nature is still unpredictable.

Going solo

Last month Eldest travelled alone up north to spent a week with Aunt, Son and his secondary school buddies went on a short holiday to a higland resort in Pahang. Tomorrow youngest will be going on a 4 days an immersion programme to HongKong with her school. One by one my brood is going solo.

Liam, Unknown?

Unknown, Liam Neeson is no Matt Damon nor Pierce Brosnan but he sure has character. A movie with a refreshing twist to the ending. Totally kept me mesmerised for 119 minutes. Fast pace action packed with no time for a breather.

Went to the shaw cinema at Nex last evening as hubby wanted to watch this on the big screen for a greater sound and visual impact. And it did. At some point I just had to shut my eyes to avoid the cars and buildings seemingly crashing towards me.

Oil crisis

All the chaos and bloodshed in the middle east is affecting us surely but slowly. At the petrol counter this morning, even my regular cashier lady, prepared me. The petrol bill came up to nearly $S100. As at 3 March, Shell 95 is now at S$2.077. Already the food bill is on the rise. Is there a sliver lining to all this?

Short n Sweet

Imagine my shock when he announced that he's ready to go at 63. Retire? No, to meet his maker, he corrected me. At 48 driving home one night very drunk he crashed through hundreds of flowerpots at the flowerpot expressway, and survived. Believing he was given a 2nd chance, he mended his ways. Was introduced to the lord. Quit his lucrative paying job to settle for a less pay, less stressful but meaningful profession. Always helping, always improving the lives of others. His reason is simple, rather a shorter life span full of zest and meaning than one of suffering and hopelessness. He has a good 6 years to target. Reminded me of Paul McCartney's song "When I'm 64"

Body Language

Mum accidentally kicked her big toe against the leg of a chair. Just one of those accidents when in a hurry and a furry you walked into the table or chair. 10 days later when the swell and the nagging pain did not subside, did she see the doctor. This morning An x-ray was done and mum ended up going home with bandaged on her right big toe. A hairline fracture was seen and a bandage was necessary to restrict it's movement. Take nothing for granted after the age of 70. Be aware of any nagging discomfort, aches and pains. It's the body sending SOS.

MondaySights

This naughty lion did nothing but leaving trails of peels and puddles of 'gold' as he slumps all over, when he should be prancing around.

Personal Touch

Cookies were what she wanted to give her friends on monday. Youngest Spent saturday night baking for friends she spent nearly all her waking hours with. Thought this is a sincere gesture.

Rabbit habit

Pet rabbits are much easier to keep than dogs but do you know:

Rabbits need minimal cleaning Provided they are potty trained!

Rabbits are odourless Unless the potty is cleared daily off the soiled bedding and poo poos

Rabbits hardly make a sound but, Call and cajole as you might, they will only respond at their own time.

Rabbits should never be treated as a eat and poo pet. It's an animal with limbs, therefore need space to hop and explore.

Rabbits diet are simple, hay and grass pellet with occasional raw carrots and apples But while hopping around the house, they do chew on wires, Books and such.

Rabbits are Like dogs, need annual checkup and their nails clipped.

Something Sweet

Starting the lunar new year with something sweet. My version of eight treasure dessert.

Ingredients

Dried longan and pitted chinese red dates

Boiled together with

rock sugar and chopped crystalised winter melon

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile

soak and boil separately

white fungus, sterculia seed,barley,gingko nuts and sago.

Add all the boiled ingredients into the sweet longan syrup. Pop the dessert into the fridge and serve cold. Oh so refreshing!

Tossing to a Good Year

All gathers for the toss, where chopsticks clashes and shreds of salad flings high up, tossing and mixing for another good year ahead.

BunnyYear

Lunar new year is just round the corner, but on home front, youngest spent the weekend finishing her tons of homework, band practise (for SYF this year) studying for her test this week while, son is trying to finish his written project and eldest, rescheduling her tutorials which she will not be attending on tuesday evening. Somehow, the festival mood is missing this year. The continuous rain for the last 2 days also did not help. Skipped chinatown visit this year. Will be driving up north tomorrow evening. Praying hard, it would be a good day to drive, with minimal traffic congestion. A Healthy And Peaceful Lunar New Year To All.

BunnyTeeth

First visit, 4 teeth removed. Left top and bottom molar, Left top and bottom premolar.

2nd visit, 4 teeth removed. Right top and bottom molar, right top and bottom premolar.

3rd visit, cavities found and fixed.

Girlfriend's daughter, putting up with the(excruciating?)pain and discomfort(and hunger?), all for the preparation of bracing her teeth. Aesthetic reason. All within the last 3 weeks. And the braces are not even fixed yet. Surviving on milk shake and campbell soup. And I'm still trying to keep the wisdom teeth till the last possible moment as my top wisdom teeth,not aligned with the bottom, will eventually bite onto my gums.

As the ice melts...

On the radio this morning this piece of news tugs the heartstring:

"In a remarkable feat of endurance, a polar bear has been tracked swimming for nine days continuously in a desperate bid to reach new ice floes, covering 426 miles in the process.
The bears are excellent swimmers and are known to travel long distances in search of seals. But scientists working for the US Geological Survey, who logged the animal's plight using a GPS tracking collar, said the animal's exertions were exceptional – and further evidence of the extent to which the melting of the bears' natural habitat due to global warming is threatening their very existence". The Independent

GingerTea

Into boiling water A knob of ginger, smashed. Two stalks of lemongrass, bruised. Turn the fire off. Steep for a few minutes. Honey to taste. A hot cup of lemongrass ginger tea to keep the flu bug away. It's into pandemic level here in recent week. Eldest just returned home last night with a sniffle.

5 Week Month?

Check the calendar this month, it's a windfall of 5 weekends!

Check your Cheque

Three cheques stapled together were dropped into the cheque box in Hougang s'pore. One week later, on checking, over the phone, the bank confirmed that these cheques had not been cleared as they were never dropped. Employee insisted he did. Decided not to push the issued with neither the bank nor the personnel as, we had no proof and also employee had just joined not too long. No official letter/email was written. After profuse apologizing, Two companies, reissued the cheque, while the 3rd kicked up a fuss, charged us S$30 for the cancelled cheque and made us wait 2 months (we now know who we should Not be doing favours to!) This happened in Sept 2010.

Alls well and forgotten until last week, a letter from the bank came. Two bounced cheques. On checking, these were the missing cheques. According to the bank,(over the phone again) these cheques were deposited in Tampines the previous week. The 3rd cheque in fact cleared.

Question: How did the cheques ended up in Tampines 4 months later?

How should the situation be dealt with in future?

The bank made no apologies, as it was not their fault. They were just doing their job. So how safe is dropped cheque system? Should we have push the issued and check the camera? The cheques must have gotten lost in transit and was found much later. As they bear no deposit date, and still valid, it when through the system.

Mothers know best?

This article was published in the saturday NewstraitsTimes. Spent much time pondering thereafter. Are we still holding on to the same expectations and demands from our children? Or like the west, we, the westernly brought up and educated, want them to experience each stage of growing up. Experiences beget adaptivity and creativity. Think Einstein, Bill Gates, Zukerberg. In life nothing is certain

Can Key

With a can opener, eldest went about the task only to find out she could not pour the content out in one piece. Looked at the key stuck on the can(which was pointed out to her earlier). Pondered, then finally she understood. Lesson of the day: Opening a can of luncheon meat with a can key.

Gentleman In Truck

Flick the indicator to change lane and you'll see the true colours of the drivers. In a crawling traffic most(99%) will immediately speed up to close the however tiny the gap, the moment they spot a blinking light.

Exactly what happened when this morning as I breeze past a line of haughty drivers before a gentleman driving( Not Lexus nor Benz) a pick up truck stopped and signal me to change(as I made no effort to jam in). Indicator lights these days seems to be more of a threat than a friendly signal.

Being with family

Been up north, celebrated winter solstice(Tang Yuan) and craving turkey with the families, toasting champagne with brother(just got a promotion). Being with family/relatives at the close of a year becomes more meaningful as one grows older.