Ms Da solitary paradise: November 2006
Sunday, November 26, 2006

「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 11:58 pm 」
0 freaking screams!

Sa-Wa-Dee-Ka!

Went down Golden Mile today to buy coach tickets to KL. It's quite an interesting place with all the thai music playing and small shops selling yummy thai food and desserts. There was a singing competition going on, with Lin Youfa as the host and 4 I-don't-know-who judges. The stage was really small but it was a place to showcase the contestents' talents nevertheless. And I'm quite impressed by Youfa's thai. If I closed my eyes and listen, I would think it's a native thai speaking.


Youfa (left) with one of the contestent

Went to the supermarket after that. I didn't know that they sell Korea products in there. I thought they only sell authentic Thai food and products. Anyway, I saw some interesting stuffs so can't help taking some photos to show.

A basket full of slimy catfishes.


So many aromatic leaves used in cooking such as laksa leaves, mint leaves, etc.



「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 11:45 pm 」
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St. James Power Station

Finally went down St. James yesterday after its opening. I went club hopping from dragonfly to Bellini Room to Movida. I must say, I was pretty impressed.

Dragonfly

This is the epitome of stylish mandarin pop entertainment coupled with live bands n dancers. Check out their lamps. Damn chic and nice!


Bellini Room

This bar is the perfect place to jazz up your night with the house band serving a mix of big band, swing and jazz!

Movida (my fav!)

Meaning 'party' in Cuban street slang, Movida is a live room featuring the sounds of world music. Playing from Caribbean samba to African drums, Brazilian hip hop to Middle Eastern Pop, and served up by live musicians, djs and other performers, Movida definitely is the place you don't want to miss! (P.S: No pictures taken cos too busy having fun! heh.)


Friday, November 24, 2006

「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 6:02 pm 」
0 freaking screams!

Imagine Me & You

How could you possibly know that it would all work out? You don't know, you can never be sure. But you take the plunge anyway. Sure is for people who don't love enough.


Rachel and Heck, long time friends and lovers, finally tie the knot, and during the celebration, Rachel starts a friendship with their florist, Luce. And while Rachel originally intended to match her new friend up with her husband's friend, Cooper, she soon finds out that Luce is a lesbian. During the course of their friendship, Rachel starts to question her own sexuality. And though she comes to realize she may have feelings for her new friend, Rachel must decide who she will ultimately find the most happiness with: Heck, her new husband who is also adored by her family, or Luce, who has turned her life and everything she thought she knew about love upside down.

It doesn't matter whether you're in favour or against lesbianisim, you should watch this movie. Cause it's not only about the love between 2 women, it's also about following your heart and letting the one you loved be happy.

I want you to be happy. And more than anything, I wanted to be the cause of happiness in you. But if I'm not, then I can't stand in your way. Because what you're feeling now is the unstoppable force. Which means that I've got to move.



「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 12:27 am 」
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Be happy when dancing..

Just got back from union. As usual, it was darn fun dancing with my salsalicious mates. Anyway, I learnt one thing today. When 2 person are dancing, they should be enjoying themselves. Usually with a smile on their face. But today, I saw none. It's kind of sad to see this happening. Now, dance may not be an enjoyable thing. It's just a dance.


Sunday, November 19, 2006

「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 11:58 pm 」
0 freaking screams!

My brand new handphone!

I bought an early xmas present to pamper myself yesterday. A brand new mobile phone - Nokia 5300 XpressMusic phone! It comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera, bluetooth and plays mp3! Compared to my old Nokia 7260, it's a VAST difference!

After trade-in, I paid only $38 for this phone! And I got a Creative TravelSound 250 Speakers worth $89 for FREE! What a cool deal!


Check out the first photo I took with my new beloved mobile phone.


Waiting to pay for my new handphone, at the same time trying to act cute!



「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 11:40 pm 」
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Largest HK Tea/Coffee House in Singapore!

Interesting makan place to introduce - Hong Kong Tea House. It's a 24-hr HK tea house situated in the old Joo Chiat Police Station. The place is simply decorated with LPs of HK pop stars on the walls. The food is reasonably priced and the staffs are polite and friendly.

I like to recommend the xiao long tang bao. Take a small bite and the soup inside are eager to flow into your mouth. A must try! Another interesting item is the yuan yin (coffee plus tea). It's served in a metal cup rather than your normal coffee cup.

The disappointing thing is that the bo luo bao were sold out by the time we were ready for dessert. I'm not sure if it is nice, but take note it's only sold on weekends. Another disappointing item is the butter and sweet milk tu si (toast). It's not the thick bread that is normally used but the ordinary white bread.



「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 11:22 pm 」
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Wine, a taste of life..

Went for a wine appreciation class at WineAmigo yesterday. We were given 6 wines to taste - 2 sparkling wine, 2 white and 2 red. Basically, we were taught the correct way to appreciate wine through sight, smell and taste. Although it is just a 2-hr workshop, I feel that it's worth going if you want to learn more on wine appreciation. Look for Tommy, owner of WineAmigo. He's an interesting guy.

Doulos, bringing knowledge, help and hope

After the wine appreciation class, I went down Vivocity to visit the world's oldest active ocean-going passenger ship - Doulos. It was purchased in 1977 by Gute Bücher für Alle e.V. (Good Books for All), a private, non-profit, charitable organisation registered in Germany. It is a floating book fair that has been to many countries including Africa, Australia, Singapore and many others.



Doulos visits port cities throughout the world, supplying vital literature resources, encouraging inter-cultural understanding, training young people for more effective life and service, promoting greater global awareness, providing practical aid and sharing a message of hope in God wherever there is opportunity.

Volunteers from over 40 countries serve on board Doulos. They are mostly young people who have chosen to dedicate two years of their lives to be on board, learning to live and work together, and serving the communities in the ports visited.




Thursday, November 16, 2006

「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 9:01 pm 」
0 freaking screams!

Those were the days...

Was looking for some stationery when I stumbled across this old exercise book that was used for writing chinese composition during my secondary school days. Those with neat rows of squares printed in green.

It's been a long time since I last used this kind of exercise book. It brought back many fond memories of my secondary school days. Those days when things were simpler, people were more innocent, and relationships were less complicated.

How I miss those days! Come to think of it, I love my secondary school days the most. How about you?



「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 8:25 pm 」
0 freaking screams!

Another Story of Contentment: The banker and the fisherman

An investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman replied, "Only a little while."

The banker then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"

The fisherman said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."

The banker then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, go for walks with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my friends. As you can see, I have a full and busy life."

The banker scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat! With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to the capital city. After that, who knows, maybe you could take on the world!"

The fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"

To which the banker replied, "I'd say about 15 to 20 years."

"But what then?" asked the fisherman.

The Banker laughed and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions? Then what?" the fisherman continued prodding.

The banker said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, go for romantic walks with your wife, and in the evenings you could sip wine, play guitar and sing songs with your friends!"

To which the fisherman mused, "Now isn't that strange? Isn't that what I'm doing now?"


Wednesday, November 08, 2006

「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 7:30 pm 」
0 freaking screams!

Commitment? I'm afraid too.

Why are men afraid of commitment? According to a book I read, brains of the male species are not hardwired for monogamy - having one partner during a period of time, or literally means being married to one person. So when the female species asked for commitment, the male worried that their freedom will be taken away and they may become weak and powerless.

Without a doubt, there are plenty of guys who are ready to commit. Similarly, there are many girls who don't. But I guess those who want to get committed, sad to say, are mostly trying to beat the bio clock, which is ticking every minute. Guys, however, don't seem to have this problem. Even when they are 60 years old, there are still 20-somethings who are willing to marry them. You don't see many young men falling for old ladies, don't you?

But seriously, commitment is a rather scary thing. So I can understand why many men, and women, are afraid or unwilling to commit. Imagine the things you have to give up, the things you have to compromise and all the fun you will be missing. Call me selfish, but this IS scary.

Commitment
to female: desire to get married
to male: trying not to chat up other women while out with wife or girlfriend



「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 7:12 pm 」
0 freaking screams!

The Straits Times Monday, October 23, 2006

Interesting article: You say commit, I say wait a minute.

Women carp about men who can't commit, but are they the sort of gals men want to commit to in the first place?

Straighttalk by Nicholas Fang

One of my colleagues recently wrote a column that touched on the fact that some men are afraid of commitment and how this wreaks havoc among the women of the world.

After reading it, I was moved to ask the question: Just why are so many men seen as being commitment-phobes?

I'll admit that many of my guy friends are less than prepared to jump headlong into a long-term commitment. But, at the same time, many of my peers have had no qualms in settling down at, in my opinion, a very early age.

Personally, I've had charges of being a commitment-phobe leveled at me fairly often over the years.

And I suppose my track record warrants it: still single at the age of 31; the last serious girlfriend I had was two years ago, and with no signs of a long-term relationship on the horizon.

But I think being wary of commitment can be a good thing.

Now before I'm set upon by hordes of women who have been frustrated by non-committal men in the past, let me explain why I think this is so.

First of all, I want to know: What's the rush?

Yes, I know women are plagued by the dastardly biological clock that we men seem blissfully unaware of. And yes, men do seem to have a longer shelf life in terms of attracting the fairer sex (think Richard Gere, Sean Connery and other legions of old, but still oh-so-sexy, leading men). But hasn't society as a whole moved on so that women are less inclined to be in a hurry to settle down, get married and start a family?

I've often been reminded by my female friends that women are the equals - if not more - of men in today's society, be it in terms of earning ability, social status or power in the workplace. Gone are the days when women were supposed to stay at home, cook dinner and have babies while the men brought home the bacon. Even the most traditional of my relatives are fast coming to terms with this idea. So what's the rationale behind finding someone quickly to get hitched?

Biological reasons aside, there doesn't seem to be that same pressure from society these days to rush to tie the knot. So who can blame guys for wanting a little more time before settling down? This is not to say that I condone the cavalier behavior of love 'em and leave 'em types who lead women on with no concern other than their own personal gratification.

But there is quite a simple reason as to why guys just don't want to take a relationship to "the next level", as it were.

After speaking to some of my other single male friends who have concerns about commitment, I realized that, in many cases, there was an underlying thread - we guys just weren't that into our girlfriends, to borrow a line from Sex and the City.

That does not mean that we were looking for an immediate exit. We enjoyed their company. But we were not sure enough to make the next move, be it declaring that we would "go steady", move in with each other or get down on bended knee.

Should we have spelt this all out in black and white for the girls at the beginning?

Well, it might have been presumptuous of us to take it for granted that that was what the ladies wanted from us in the first place, and we might have been laughed at for doing so. However, it seems girls who complain about us so-called commitment-phobes do want us to spell it out for them. And when we fail to do so, I guess it's easier to brand us cowards in the face of commitment. Easier, that is, than facing the likelihood that the sparks just isn’t flying between them and us.

So, to be fair to us guys, it might not be a case of fear of commitment, just fear of commitment with that particular girl.

And surely it is better to be true to our feelings, rather than pretend things are fine and end up committing to a relationship we are not 100 per cent sure about?

If we feel that we have been pressured into a relationship, the resentment and unhappiness will most likely fester and evolve into something unpleasant for all concerned.

Also, I'd like to point out that, over the years, I've met girls who are happier to play the field than settle down, causing their share of heartbreak to their male partners as well.

So it's not just a guy thing.

To all the girls out there who are tearing their hair out over a man, could I just ask for a bit of patience?

Give up that notion of a fairy tale ending. If it's not meant to be, making excuses for us, clinging to us and hassling us will not make us a Prince Charming to your Cinderella.


Tuesday, November 07, 2006

「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 3:30 pm 」
0 freaking screams!

First you take the lead, then you STEP UP!



Every second chance begins with a first step.



「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 3:10 pm 」
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Relationship matters.

2 weeks, 2 breakups. The girl initiated it, but the guy didn't even try to make her stay. Accepted it just like that, as if it's meant to be.

Love and relationships can be so fragile nowadays. Gone were the days when love is steadfast, true and strong. Today he can say hundreds and thousands of "I love you", tomorrow he may be leaving you. How sad. Is this what love is all about now? How disheartening.

No doubt there are many out there who are blissfully in love, but how many are like them? Not many I suppose. They are the lucky ones, who are able to find true love.

How strong a relationship can be depends on both parties. But if only one party is putting in effort and the other is just taking it for granted, it's not gonna work out. It takes time and effort to build and maintain a relationship. It's not easy but if it turns out well, it's worth it. If not, I guess you're better off without it.



「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 2:26 pm 」
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To help or not to help?

A friend complained to me over msn today:

My friend X needed help with her pc so I recommended someone to her. But I told her this person's quite slow and may take a long time to get things done. But X don't mind and went ahead to contact this person. Till now the person still haven't return the stuffs to X, and X is blaming me.

That's the problem with helping others. I guess it's in individual's mentality. When something bad happens, or when something goes wrong, many would not put the blame on themselves; they will shift it to others. I guess blame shift is human nature. They expect others to clean up the mess or solve the problem.

So helping others involve a risk too. You are just being helpful. But when things go wrong, you are held responsible. How ironic. So, to help or not to help? That's the question.


Friday, November 03, 2006

「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 1:37 pm 」
0 freaking screams!

Read this from a friend's blog. Very meaningful, so I decided to share with you all..

Story of Contentment

Have you ever, at any one time, had the feeling that life is bad, real bad, and you wish you were in another situation?

You find life make things difficult for you, work sucks, life sucks, everything seems to go wrong..

Read the following story. It may change your views about life:

After a conversation with one of my friends, he told me despite taking 2 jobs, he brings back barely above 1K per month, he is happy as he is. I wonder how he can be as happy as he is considering he has to skimp his life with the low pay to support a pair of old parents, in-laws, a wife, 2 daughters and the many bills of a household.

He explained that it was through one incident that he saw in India that happened a few years ago when he was really feeling low and touring India after a major setback. He said that right in front of his very eyes he saw an Indian mother chop off her child's right hand with a chopper. The helplessness in the mother's eyes, the scream of pain from the innocent 4-year-old child haunted him until today.

You may ask why did the mother do so; had the child been naughty, had the child's hand been infected? No, it was done for two simple words - TO BEG!

The desperate mother deliberately caused the child to be handicapped so that the child could go out to the streets to beg. Taken aback by the scene, he dropped a piece of bread he was eating half-way. And almost instantly, a flock of 5 or 6 children swamped towards this small piece of bread which was covered with sand, robbing bits from one another.

The natural reaction of hunger. Stricken by the happenings, he instructed his guide to drive him to the nearest bakery. He arrived at two bakeries and bought every single loaf of bread he found in the bakeries. The owner was dumbfounded but willingly sold everything. He spent less than $100 to obtain about 400 loaves of bread (this is less than $0.25 per loaf) and spent another $100 to get daily necessities.

Off he went in the truck full of bread into the streets. As he distributed the bread and necessities to the children (mostly handicapped) and a few adults, he received cheers and bows from these unfortunate. For the first time in his life he wondered how people can give up their dignity for a loaf of bread which cost less than $0.25.

He began to tell himself how fortunate he is. How fortunate he is to be able to have a complete body, have a job, have a family, have the chance to complain what food is nice and what isn't nice, have the chance to be clothed, have the many things that these people in front of him are deprived of.

Now I begin to think and feel it, too! Was my life really that bad? Perhaps... no, I should not feel bad at all...

What about you?

Maybe the next time you think you are, think about the child who lost one hand to beg on the streets.

"Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, it is the realization of how much you already have."

When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us.

It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

How true. This story really brought tears to my eyes. Thank you Jack, for posting this in your blog.


Wednesday, November 01, 2006

「 Ms Da Yakking Away At 10:25 pm 」
0 freaking screams!

I NEED A VACATION TOO!

Met up with a few friends for dinner last night. One of them just got back from his EUROPE trip. Germany, London and Paris. Can you imagine this guy just applied leave from work, packed some clothes and went on a 2 weeks long vacation? How cool is that?

I really envy this guy. How many of us can simply let go of everything on hand and go on a vacation just like that? Most of us have too many commitments; have to worry about this, consider about that. It's not easy to do whatever we want, as freely as we wish we could.

Talking about vacation, I WANNA GO ON A HOLIDAY!! Somewhere beautiful, somewhere nice. Somewhere to rest and relax and recharge. A quick getaway from this busy noisy city.