Breakfast
We all hear about the correlation between eating breakfast and body weight... now there's another one!

Pearls of Blessings
Made for someone - though life's journey is never round and smooth, may her's be bright and pure

Cheesy Weddings



Coming from the mouth of a male, Terry Tan may easily be (mis)understood as a stingy man - one who uses such excuses, in order to save $.
Coming from the mouth of a female, comments received include:
- She say only lah...actually it is simply cos no man has agreed to be the groom yet
- Aiya..when it is your turn, then say

In a way, the irony is that many females started off not wanting weddings but yet developing into mental patients of "i want the most perfect wedding - obsessive compulsive disorder". It can be seen in Sex in the City (the movie) and in real life...

Do you know of anyone who experienced such? I definitely have...
- Weddings die die must be hosted in hotels, and die die must pray that the ang baos are enough to cover the cost. In the interim, better apply credit cards from all banks as back up
- Wedding invitations come with *hints* about the cost of the dinner. The most classic case happened to my facial lady, she received an invitation card which states that all ang baos must be of minimal xx dollars!
- Brides having 2nd thoughts (more like 3rd, 4th, 5th...) prior to wedding but yet continue to aggressively work towards having the 'perfect' wedding and sending out hundreds/thousands of invitations; while privately weigh if the groom is the right man
- Due to the stress in trying to have the perfect wedding, the wedding eventually never take place.
Just take a look at online bride-forums, they are full of sales threads re-selling bridal packages and banquet bookings. If the bridal packages are as attractive as they have described, why are they still selling them at a lost? Either they are lying or the wedding is off...

Dollars & Cents
On keeping cost down when buying, running & selling a car

Legoland







After the opening of the 1st heartland mall (i.e. Northpoint), todate, we have malls literally at every single mrt station. And most interestingly, they all seem to have similar shops.
Now it seems that in the future, every country may soon have the same tourist attractions

Double Chocolate Cupcake

Wine & Vine..
We can never bring vines to our island, not to mention bringing to the heartlands; but we can always bring on the wine

www.winefella.com.sg

Quarter-life crisis?
Are you silently asking yourself this question?

Finally..?
Not so keen in Steaks..but more about wondering if Sembawang Shopping Centre will really open by this month. It doesn't look ready at all!

Vanila cupcake with chocolate chips

Another no-no...Everyday, there's news & reports on food items being recalled and suitable for consumption. As if, that's not enough, even incense shouldn't be used... ...

Australia may cut migrant flow
Hope that this doesn't affect my friend and her hubby's plans to continue in Australia after graduation.
Of course, I would love that she is back to Singapore. But ... ... for all I know, she may decide to settle in yet another country, even if not successful in Australia yet.

Pimples on the face
The pimples on your face, may be trying to tell you something....
Found this, as requested by someone...

Creative PhotosHeehee...thought that this is quite cute

Yishun LibraryWonder when it will open.....similar to Sembawang Shopping Center, reopening of Northpoint has been delayed! I haven't been to facial for > 2 months as it's reopening is delayed...sighhh

Laser TreatmentsCheaper & more convenient alternative?

Investment Risks
With today's climate, all investments look so risky! Nevertheless, this article attempts to rank the risk levels of various investments

Lemon Chiffon
Hmm...obviously I need more practice [or simply move on to other types ... ]

Recipe - Chocolate CupcakeHey, give this a try and send me a pic of your results !

A picture speaks a thousand words ...

Hit is Pamper; Scold is LoveThe next time you fight with him/her, you can always tell him/her that "Dear, it is cos I want us to be together for a longer time".
Hmm....but do you prefer "many days of fighting" or "fewer but romantic lovey dovey days"? Difficult to make a decision!

Stems & Thorns
Arranged this during one of those "one off" floral arrangement class.
Actually, it is more of : squeezing everything into a bowl

Sembawang Shopping Center
Ooh....
It is reopening in Dec2008!
Going to have Daiso...
Wonder if Giant Supermarket is returning;
and what other shops will there be ?!?

Hmm...
but this place supposed to reopen in 2007 and got delayed.
No further delays pls!

Mooncake
Made some snow skin mooncakes and 'practice' photo skills.

If you like to make them..the below is for about 35 small Pandan/Green Snow-Skin Mooncakes

Skin :
300 g fried rice flour + 120g shortening + 450g icing sugar + 1.5 cup pandan water (boil from pandan leaf or using commercial pandan-extract)

Filling:
1kg lotus paste (or others)

1. stir the flour and make a well int he middle
2. add icing sugar, pandan water, shortening & mix well for about 3 mins
3. roll 30g lotus pastel into ball shape
4. roll 20g skin into ball shape, flatten and wrap around the lotus paste ball
5. press into mould and tap it out..... that's it!

Yes...no further cooking needed as the ingredients above are all cooked ingredients. Now you know why I make them - when I realise, during the cooking class, that no further cooking is applicable, I dare not eat those made by others! Wonder how clean their hands are...oops ....

Watering hole
New place @ bishan park.
Though i am not a fan of the owner (the ex-tcs actress who also open bridal shops..), would still say that i do find the spa furnishing/design nice.
Especially liked the cafe which is built around/onto the existing old tree i.e. you see the trunk and roots right smack in the middle of the cafe.
Hack..for an anti-wedding person, I even say that the gowns at her bridal shop is quite pretty. Ok enough.... *from ms anti-tcs-"any actress/actor"*

Fundsingapore.com
Yet another website for tracking of the performance of funds

Two sides to every coin
For every action, there is a reaction.
Some people prefer to say that there is a pessimistic or optimistic view to every thing.
While others simply say that opportunities are everywhere; be it bulls or bears.

However, whether you want to be so opportunistic or simply don't mind enjoying the time ticking by (at times...not all the time thou), the choice is up no-one-else but you and yourself

PhotographyWith the decreasing prices of digital cameras, more and more people are being interested in photography.

Saw this photo from the 'photography' thread of the gossip forum I frequent (yes..even gossip forum also have a thread on photography!)
I especially like the unfocused bits infront as well as that the main attraction is not right smack in the center. What do you think?

Seoul Plastic Surgeon to set up Clinic in Singapore
Wonder what will the charges be like ?
If it is similar to Korea, then maybe should still go there instead. After all, the intend of doing plastic surgery overseas is not so much of being secretive but simply to reduce all the pre/post-procedure kpo non-constructive comments from anyone and everyone. Of course, with the immigration stamp on the passport, one also won't be swamped with such questions from office side - "Take long leave but not going anywhere?"

Steamer
For those who are against usage of microwave ovens, you may want to consider this. Find this very useful, in fact, you can prepare your complete meal at the same time. Simply by making use of the different tiers to prepare your meat, vegetables, even rice!

[this post is especially for a friend who is currently in Melbourne]

Java Enterprises
The prices look good, can't wait to explore the place. It is near by too!
Anyone wanna go together?

Farm & Hotels in Kranji

Wonder what's the spa and prices are like.
Hmm... think that unlikely to beat the price & view of neighbouring competitors such as Batam thou

Brownie-cheeze Cake

Made brownie with layer of cheeze. Niece ask me to make brownie only (without cheeze) in future; while hubby prefer thicker layer of cheeze ?!?!?
Aiyo, one same item, but such differing wants/wishes/preferences.

No wonder, we always hear people saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

M&M Butter Cupcakes
Made these for a charity fun fair..eer...am not going to ask on the sale outcome thou

Orange Cupcakes
They turned out with a rather brown look. After 'investigation', realised that I need to deduct few mins of baking time as was using a dark baking pan...

A ball of a time
Zorbing, a popular outdoor activity that 1st took off in New Zealand in the mid-90s, is now in Singapore.

It took close to 20 years to arrive; but better late than never!

Parenthood
Many a times, parents complain about their live-in maids, that the maids are not able to properly bring up their children. Oh pls.... the job and responsibility lies with the parents, and not maids or teachers or dogs or cats. Pls use your brain cells (if you can find any) and realise who are to blame, if anything goes wrong.

When we bring life to a child, we need to ensure that we nurture him/her to be an independent thinking adult. We need to set some boundaries where there should be; and yet provide the necessary freedom for him/her to grow, be self-accountable and learn from his/her own actions. It is this "freedom" that I am not ready yet. I refuse to be a parent who answer to the child's questions by saying "when you are older, you will know lah". Oh pls, if "when you are older, you will know lah", then now that I am "older", why don't I know what 4D number to buy?

The Innocent
More often or not, the innocent_lookings are the deadliest. Is it because of us ourselves not taking precautionary measures?

Do not judge a book by its cover. Especially if the cover indicates that it is a wordy classic literature, the Ah Pek at Chinatown cinema could actually be holding a copy of playboy...

Getting Married vs Having a wedding
What is meant by getting married and what is meant by having a wedding? When you think about getting married, do you visualize a grand/white wedding?

Wedding, to me, is but a celebration event. In fact, (being the nerding old me) per dictionary definition, wedding is indeed a celebration ! How often do we hear about people delaying marriage because they cannot afford a wedding? Oh please... if you are so happy getting married to your "darling", do you still need to spend all the effort and money to have a wedding? Getting married to "the one" - this action itself- is enough bliss and happiness on it's own.

In fact, marriage (based on laws of Singapore) is but a piece of paper which confirms that both parties are of different sex (same sex marriage is not legal here..), knows how to hold a pen and have a identification card/passport. And of course, it does serve many functions such as to claim for dependent's benefits for your spouse, from your employer (ha!)

"Growing old together" is what the 3 words are i.e. "growing old together". See... no 'marriage certification' is mentioned!

What is needed is our own brain cells telling us that we made this decision to be together; and not a piece of paper. To be pessimistic, locked with a marriage certification, polygamy continues.

Many people seems to have dreams of a 'wonderful' wedding; (i want to repeat this again) my dream is "NOT to have a wedding"

Live to Work .... or Work to Live?

Sumiko mentioned that 2nd week into her leave, she started to miss her colleagues and dressing up each morning to set off for work, and missed her cubicle life.

A familiar repetitive routine does give me comfort, however, I didn't/don't think that such a routine is restricted to working. We can always set up routines to (part of) our lives if we want to, example: go marketing on alternate mornings, go exercise, go visit old folks' homes, go take up a course etc Hey, if want to, can even set the alarm clock and wake up every day to make breakfast.

Many a times I agree with her grumbling; sometimes I don't. But hey, that's the fun part - to have diversity and to hear/see how different people can react differently to the same situation.

We don't need others to agree with all our opinions; what's important is that we do think and have opinions of own own. What is sad is not that we have a bad opinion but if we do not have an opinion...

Lotte S$6.90

When was the last time that you truly enjoyed some 'me-time'...
To do whatever you and only you yourself wanted...
Not waiting to strike the coming lottery...
But just simply being at peace with oneself...

single sided 925-silver ear stud with dangling swaroski crystals

Deianira

Some things simply come in pairs....

Sirvat - Rose of love

Rose quartz semi-precious stones -
believed to bring love to our lives