What's eating you today?

Girl, Domesticated. Kitchen Affairs: Episode #3

2012-01-01T15:20:00.002+08:00

New Year, New Beginnings. And here's the new project.

Back in the kitchen today to try out the salted egg yolk bittergourd and tom yam paste fried prawns. The first was inspired after tasting this delicious dish at a day trip with friends in Pengerang, Malaysia. The second is to try and use up the leftover tom yam paste I had from previous episodes while trying to cook up a tom yam paste pasta.

Tom Yam paste fried prawn

Salted Egg Yolk bittergourd

The tom yam one turned out really well. It was yummy and if I'm doing it again next round, will deshell the prawns.

The salted egg yolk bittergourd was a slight disappointment as it was not as tasty as expected. I should have added some salt as I didn't know mum had bought the 'not so salty' kind of salted egg. Thus, it came out tasting a bit bland.

All in all, pretty satisfied with the results and glad I did this to kickstart my 1 Jan 2012.

Till the next cooking adventure, happy lunching.

Oh and I forgot, yesterday, I also tried my hand at a dessert. Snow fungus soup with longan and ginkgo nuts. Originally intended to make this for somebody but somehow, it became my last project for 2011 and I ate it myself. It was a success, nevertheless.

Snow fungus soup with longan and ginkgo nuts

昨天想的,今天已成事实

2012-01-01T12:26:00.001+08:00

昨天有人发了电话短讯给我。写了一些祝贺。读了之后，感触特多。。。

就这样的，一些事情就变了过去。。。

“撕下墙壁的最后一张日历，不论过去的一年成与败，得与失，苦与乐，都随着时空而成为了过去。

挂上新的日历，新的一年，它依然是三百六十五张。

愿您在新的一年，每一天撕下每一张日历的每一天，都是… 健康快乐，事事顺心，心想事成。”

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-31T09:23:00.000+08:00

The last day of 2011 is a Saturday, 31 Dec.

I didn't wake up for a morning run, but then again, I slept pretty late last night doing pretty much nothing either. I had planned to cook something today but plans are shelved to Sunday.

Probably I will make a simple dessert instead.

I had a fun time yesterday at lunch with colleagues reminiscing the year with all our mishaps and travels. It's great to feel that bond and friendship with a bunch of folks whom I spend almost a third of my time with each day. I guess I enjoy and treasure the camaraderie we've established over the years. I've also made some new amazing friends this year and I do feel grateful for these blessings.

Regrets, I may have a few but not something I should dwell on. There are questions I wished I had asked earlier and things I should probably not have done but living out the experience and consequences being part of that are what builds character. And for highlights, I do have some and they've pretty much made the year more bearable.

So my last post for the year is to hope that 2012 will be a greater year for everyone. And come all rain and shine, we'd live it through with greater smiles. Happy New Year.

Becoming me

2011-12-29T09:19:00.001+08:00

It's that time of the year again when one starts to reflect on the year that has passed and the one that's about to come and start drawing resolutions that never quite seem to get accomplished. At least that's how it is usually for me. Guess my forte is in planning and not exactly in execution.

I don't think I made any specific resolutions this year but I did put out a list of 'long term' ones.

Family
"I will make effort to plan for a family trip at least once a year and cook one healthy meal once a week."

Friends
"I will make time to catch up and connect with my friends at least once a month."

Finances
"I will stay focused on working towards financial independence by saving $xxxx/mth."

Fitness
"I will care for my body so that I can continue to feel the pleasure of being fit and fully alive as I grow older. Thus, I need to continue with my exercise and watch what I eat."

Career
"I'll find a job or activity that feeds my soul and uses my talents to help others."

Looking at them now, I think I've managed to do some of them. There are a few I'd need to work harder at but at least it's not just NATO.

Next year, there are some plans on the family and fitness front on what I'd want to do such as aiming for a trip to Europe and completing a full marathon amongst others. As for finances, friends and career, I can only hope I'd be able to have the good fortune and opportunity to do what I hope to do, and that more good things will come my way in the year of the dragon.

Happy 2012, everyone.

Girl, Domesticated. Kitchen Affairs: Episode #2

2011-12-24T10:33:00.001+08:00

I did it again. After a long 'hiatus' after my first kitchen affair, I'm back.

Inspired by a dish I ate when in US on a road trip, I googled and experimented the receipe and will try my best to replicate it. Tom Yam pasta.

Last attempt was a few weeks back which got the thumbs up from the folks at home, and today, I will try it yet again to feed my fellow runners.

Hope it'd turn out well and they'd like it.

Calling for the inner chef in me, don't be shy today and come out and play...

When we're done with our job...

2011-09-02T09:13:00.002+08:00

slogan for the field marketers to use to promote ourselves to field sales.

When we're done with our job, you'll be all sold out.

Day 13 of more to lose

2011-07-06T10:45:00.001+08:00

Seems like plan is working. 3kg loss in 3 weeks.

Hope the trend and determination continues.

3 more kg to go...

Day 2 of more to lose

2011-06-25T10:01:00.001+08:00

Still hungry.... but I think I found a way to... er... distract myself. Arrange for lunch hour conference calls. Yesterday, I had near back to back calls from 10am all the way to 2pm. Not much chance to eat.

Did a quick weigh-in at night when I got back home and it seems like I did lose some weight already in just 2 days' time.

Guess eating way minimally and not sleeping well has some effect.

Day 1 of more to lose

2011-06-24T00:09:00.003+08:00

So hungry!!! It's a torture to see a spread and yet one can't eat them all like how I'd use to - no holds barred.

It's sad but true. I'm going to become one of those who barely eats and nitpick on their food from now on. I hate it!

But this is a doctor's advice I can't exactly ignore. To lose weight.

The only consolation was the fun social event tonight to hang out with the girls. It was good to catch up and hopefully all the laughing made me feel more full.

Let's see how tomorrow will go.

The importance of being RASCI....

2011-05-19T00:09:00.001+08:00

I didn't realize how important one of the trainings I had attended in Juniper some years ago, would and could actually help me not only in my work but its applicability to many other situations outside of work.

If practiced correctly, it can really help people in getting clarity on what they need to do and become a lot more effective in their various roles.

R = Responsible - owns the problem / project

Responsible - these people are the “doers” of the work. They must complete the task or objective or make the decision. Several people can be jointly responsible.

This is the person, or group, who is responsible for performing a task. Bear in mind the old adage that when nobody is responsible for getting something done then nothing gets done. Also, a similar situation can occur when too many people are potentially responsible with little to no coordination and oversight to ensure that the task is completed. Another issue to consider is when a person has lots of “R’s”. Are they doing too much?

A = to whom "R" is Accountable - who must sign off (Approve) on work before it is effective

Accountable - this person is the “owner” of the work. He or she must sign off or approve when the task, objective or decision is complete. This person must make sure that responsibilities are assigned in the matrix for all related activities. There is only one person accountable, which means that “the buck stops there.”

This is the person who is held accountable for the task being complete. In some cases, risks can be managed by segregating the responsible and accountable roles. In general, one person should be accountable for a task being performed. At the same time, if a person is accountable for most of the steps in a procedure, one must consider if there is a segregation of duties issue wherein the person(s) control an excessive amount of the procedure.

( S = can be Supportive ) - can provide resources or can play a supporting role in implementation

Some groups add this in as a fifth responsibility. “S” identifies a person or group who provide resources for a task to be completed. When charts include this category, they are referred to as “RASCI charts” but otherwise are identical to RACI charts.

C = to be Consulted - has information and/or capability necessary to complete the work

Consulted - these are the people who need to give input before the work can be done and signed-off on. These people are “in the loop” and active participants.

These are the people communicated with prior to a task being performed. Essentially, their input is sought after and factored in prior to action taking place. As the number of parties consulted with increases, the speed with which action can be taken decreases. Conversely, too few and improper decisions may be made

I = to be Informed - must be notified of results, but need not be consulted

Informed - these people need to be kept “in the picture.” They need updates on progress or decision, but they do not need to be formally consulted, nor do they contribute directly to the task or decision.

These are the parties who are notified about a task after it has been performed. If the correct parties aren’t informed in some situations, then incidents can arise from groups wondering what changed. At the same time, if there are lots of people being informed, is it necessary?

Balance eating

2011-04-23T09:45:00.000+08:00

Group 1: The carbs - your body's source of energy
Eat
5 to 7 servings, of which 2 to 3 servings should come from wholegrain products
What's in a serving?
- 2 slices of bread (60g)
- half a bowl of rice (100g)
- half bowl of beehoon (100g)
- 1 large potato (180g)

Group 2: Meat and alternatives - food containing protein
Eat
2 to 3 servings, of which half a serving should come from high-calcium products such as milk and cheese
What's in a serving?
- 1 palm-sized fish, lean meat or skinless poultry (90g)
- 2 small blocks soft beancurd (170g)
- 2 glasses milk (500 ml)
- 2 slices of cheese (40g)

Groups 3 and 4: Fruit and vegetables
Eat
2 servings each. Tip: Don't just stick to your greens. Go for a variety of coloured fruit and vegetables which research has found to be beneficial to health.
What's in a serving?
- 1 small apple, orange, pear or mango (130g)
- 1 wedge pineapple, papaya or watermelon (130g)
- 10 grapes or longans (50g)
- 1 glass pure fruit juice (250ml)
- ¾ mug cooked leafy or non-leafy vegetables (100g)
- 150g raw leafy vegetables

Tips on eating well from TTSH principal dietitian Lim Ai Vee

- Eat regularly. Skipping meals can lead to overeating at the next mealtime.
- Focus on your food. Chew slowly to allow your body to recognise when it is full and thus minimise overeating.
- Snack healthily.
- Beware of drinks containing excessive sugar. Keep alcohol intake at a moderate level.
- When eating out, choose foods from outlets that participate in HPB's Healthier Hawker Food programme or dishes with the Healthier Choice logo.

I'm not bad. Just misunderstood.

2011-03-29T23:39:00.001+08:00

Sometimes it is hard to not pass judgment on people and I always will try to empathize - putting myself in their shoes, trying to see things from their point of view.

However, if time and time again, the behaviour repeats and becomes a habit, and nothing changes, how else can you make yourself understand the person any more or better other then to just accept that so and so is as such?

How much patience and chances should you give before you finally accept the 'misunderstanding' is after all a reality.

Dim Sum @ Taste Paradise

2011-03-26T13:14:00.000+08:00

Recently, I've been asked where's a good place to have a nice dim sum. I do have my own personal list but I must say, Taste Paradise is definitely getting a new high ranking position as of today.

We tried all the usual suspects from har gaw, cheong fun, carrot cake etc etc.

But this glutinous rice in lotus leaf is definitely top notch. I'm not an expert on glutinous rice but I do think it's even better than the one I had in Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong which was awarded a one-Michelin star recently.

Everything was really good - tasty and done very well with 'delicate handy work' and most importantly, the price was not too bad for the food and ambience you're paying for.

Very classy utensils

Don't you love the china...

Fried carrot cake with XO sauce

Char Siew pastry buns

Prawn dumpling with chives

Steamed bun with the yellow custard sauce oozing out

Cheong fun with scallop fillings

Budding food photographer

2011-02-27T11:07:00.001+08:00

Some of my recent attempts at making others drool over food pictures. Taken during a recent trip to Hong Kong, I've submitted them for a contest at this site in Facebook. Hope I win something or at least have some admirers to these pictures... .

Glutinous rice with chicken from Tim Ho Wan, Yau Ma Tei in Hong Kong

Black sesame bean curd sago soup, from Aunty Sweet in Tin Hau, Hong Kong


Strawberry crepe from UCC Coffee Shop in Harbour City, Hong Kong

Girl, Domesticated. Kitchen Affairs: Episode #1

2011-02-27T10:42:00.002+08:00

My first attempt to make poached eggs and I'm pleasantly surprised and proud to say, it's a success.

Next to work on is probably presentation.... but after a good morning's workout, all I want to do is fill my hungry stomach. Bon Appetit!

Ingredients to make poached eggs

The result: A perfectly poached egg

The way I like it - with a runny yellow center

Factors determining stock price

2011-01-29T13:53:00.000+08:00

JNPR

Routers:
1) Juniper's market share in Edge Routers

Network Switches:
2) Juniper's market share in Bottom Layer Network Switches

Network Services:
3) Services Revenue (as % of product revenue)

Network Security & Other:
4) Network Security
5) Network Security Gross Profit Margin

NTAP

Storage Hardware:
1) Storage Hardware Pricing (per Gigabyte)
2) Storage Hardware Market Share (of Gigabytes)
3) Total storage market (Gigabyes)
4) External storage as % of total storage
5) Storage hardware gross margin

Software Maintenance:
6) NTAP storage software maintenance revenue as a % of storage software license revenue

Software Licenses:
7) NTAP storage software license revenue as a % of NTAP storage hardware revenue

Support & Consulting Services:
8) Services revenue as a % of hardware revenue

Which are you?

2011-01-03T14:06:00.000+08:00

Whether you are a creative type or have a brain for analytics and business, there are multiple options to offer you with world-class teams to grow your career. If messaging is your passion, take a look at Marketing Communications, Corporate Relations, and PR Departments. If growing the business is more of your forte, check out Strategy Market Development, Analyst Relations, World Wide Channel Marketing or Outbound Marketing opportunities.

My long-range soul resolutions

2011-01-01T14:32:00.000+08:00

Family
"I will make effort to plan for a family trip at least once a year and cook one healthy meal once a week."

Friends
"I will make time to catch up and connect with my friends at least once a month."

Finances
"I will stay focused on working towards financial independence by saving $xxxx/mth."

Fitness
"I will care for my body so that I can continue to feel the pleasure of being fit and fully alive as I grow older. Thus, I need to continue with my exercise and watch what I eat."

Career
"I'll find a job or activity that feeds my soul and uses my talents to help others."

做个好人

2011-01-01T00:51:00.000+08:00

八、诚恳道歉

七、大度宽容

六、诙谐幽默

五、真诚赞美

四、同频共振

三、心存感激

二、乐于助人

一、尊重别人

People who inspire you, who are they?

2010-12-22T17:55:00.000+08:00

Recently, I attended a leadership course. It was a good workshop and I enjoyed it. I pretty much stayed engaged in class and was mostly participative. However, the section on inspiring people got me a bit stumped.

I mean, how do I unleash talent? And why should I? Isn't this something that one would hope people on the team would already know it themselves and we being the 'leader', just let them go muddle their way through and support by finding opportunities for them to shine?

And again today, while trying to muddle through my profile in Facebook, it asked who are people who inspire me.

And I couldn't name a personal idol.

As they say, if you don't have an inspirational idol, how can you be one for others?

But I'm starting to realise, may be it's not that I don't have an inspirational someone in mind, but it may be because I am the kind who just like to admire various qualities of a person (or in my case, many people...).

The below totally echo what I see as qualities I'd like to embrace and follow myself. If you know someone who has all these qualities, please point me to them so I can put them on my personal altar.

Excerpts from an online mag:

Here are my top ten picks of world-class inspiring people who do not get the proper recognition they deserve:

1.) People who apologize for a wrong they've committed and mean it. (I'm also inspired by people who accept the apology and also mean it.)

2.) People who recognize there's a problem but rather than complain and blame, offer solutions and are willing to carry them out. These people are great teachers.

3.) People who use every ounce of their God-given talents without bragging, and always strive to improve.

4.) I'm overwhelmingly inspired by people who aren't the "best" at what they do, but always try their best no matter the circumstance. Failure is not in their vocabulary.

5.) People who count their blessings. They enjoy what they have whether it's a little or lots, and know how to be satisfied. These people have peace of mind because they are not caught in the non-ending torture of always needing more. They enjoy all, but need nothing--there is a difference.

6.) I'm inspired by people who stop at a child's lemonade stand to buy what amounts to warm sugar water. They are the encouragers of tomorrow's entrepreneurs.

7.) People who take a leap of faith and do as their heart directs, very much inspire me. It's not easy for people to do what feels right, especially if it's something that goes against popular opinion, family members, friends, co-workers. This is undeniable courage.

8.) Good listeners who do not judge really inspire me. What an amazing gift of compassion. They are the world's hope for peace and sanity.

9.) People who stop to help change a car tire, especially if it's cold and raining. Total heroes!

10.) People with a great sense of humor. They put a smile on my face and a spring in my step. When I am with someone like that the weight of the world, at least for the moment, is off my shoulders.

There's much inspiration to be found everywhere, but especially in each other; I could go on and on with examples. Our job is to notice and apply in our own lives the inspiration fostered by this great and growing legion of "Ironmen."

Mary M. Bauer is the author of five books, including The Truth About You: Things You Don't Know You Know (VanderWyk & Burnham, 2006)

One Day's Wages is a new international movement dedicated to ending extreme global poverty.

2010-12-12T11:54:00.000+08:00

One Day's Wages is a new international movement dedicated to ending extreme global poverty.

Blogging from my phone

2010-10-14T23:25:00.001+08:00

Entry número uno:) super tiring week... Can't wait for Friday and the weekends to come. Wish those could stay awhile longer. But can't wait for the next few months to come sooner too... Guess I want my cake and eat it too.

I love Letters to Juliet because it's a fairytale

2010-09-05T18:46:00.000+08:00

It's been a really long while since I've been so in love with a movie and I've got to say, I almost did not want to watch it. Perhaps I've got to thank KrisWorld for the not-too-exciting movie line-ups for a 17 hour or so flight and thus, I thought I'd give this one a shot. And boy, did I end up watching it not once but perhaps thrice or more.

Now I'm wondering if I should give "Dear John" a chance or should I just give it a miss. After all, it's about the same theme with the same lead actress, right?

Letters to Juliet is as cliche a love movie can be. The storyline is so predictable but yet, something so simple can be such a lovely fairytale for us grown-ups. I guess movies with happy endings can never go wrong. The princess, or in this case Juliet, will always have to be with her Romeo prince and true love will prevail.

I still get goose bumps watching the MV. Guess I'd always be a sucker for such love movies.

Letters to Juliet

Best of Hong Kong 2009

2010-09-05T12:32:00.000+08:00

One of my best trips ever.... food, shopping, friends... great times:)

Global Marketing Summit San Jose

2010-09-05T12:16:00.000+08:00

It was a great dinner at a winery, chateau de la close or something.

Bali Escapde 2010

2010-09-05T12:08:00.000+08:00

Green green grass of home... Rice padi field in Bali during the Cycling tour conducted by I Made Wari

Almost 360 Panoramic View overlooking Sentosa. Taken from sky ride. Thanks to Robert for piecing the shots together.

2010-08-31T02:32:00.001+08:00

Thanks to Robert, he helped me to piece the shots together to form a panoramic view of Sentosa.

Chinese Heritage Museum

2010-08-31T02:27:00.001+08:00

My favourite display at the museum. Had a fun time trying to identify the variety of food.

Chinese Heritage Museum...did you know?

2010-08-31T02:23:00.001+08:00

Interesting day at the Chinese Heritage Museum. I didn't know my family name originated from Pengcheng, which is present day Xuzhou city of Jiangsu Province. However, most of the teochew (which is my dialect group) descendants are from Guangdong province. They must have moved...

Bali Escapde 2010....sunsets

2010-08-31T02:17:00.001+08:00

One of the sunset scenes at Canggu Beach, Bali. Although I did use picasa to touch up the picture, but nevertheless, the Canon S90 was superb to capture the 'basics' beauty for me to enhance with technology.

Dinner @ Pamplemousse

2010-08-31T02:15:00.001+08:00

Lucky me, to know someone who has a friend who's a budding chef. Was treated to scrumptious dinner and this is the appetizer. Scallop carpaccio. Taken with my trusty Canon S90.

Thai fish cake in SF

2010-08-31T02:09:00.001+08:00

Dinner in SF at a Thai restaurant. I couldn't resist taking the shot with Robert's Canon EOS 550D.

World's most crooked road

2010-08-31T02:08:00.001+08:00

Yet again, another people shot. It's because Robert asked me to... Hope I did him justice! Or Lombard road for the same matter.

People

2010-08-31T02:03:00.001+08:00

It's fun to snap away while your subjects are distracted or engrossed in something else other than yourself, the photographer. Portraits of people in the mirror shot is something I learnt from the pros like YF. Looks good, yeah?

Portraits

2010-08-31T02:01:00.001+08:00

I'm not good with people... much less shots of people. I prefer shooting the non-living, like food or maybe even sceneries. But I thought this one turned out quite well:)

I love eggs benedict.

2010-08-31T01:57:00.001+08:00

Doesn't this just make you drool?:) Credits to me for the delicious shot but with compliments from Robert's Canon EOS 550D.

Budding photographer

2010-08-29T18:05:00.001+08:00

At the last GMS in SF, I helped myself to my colleague's Canon EOS 550D. Here are some of the shots I took. Needless to say, most of it related to food, would be my handy work:)

Bali Dreams

2010-08-29T13:08:00.002+08:00

It was a good trip. A much anticipated one, albeit it started off badly for me. Left my passport in the office, bringing the wrong type of rupiah currency and having so much work left unfinished... but I guess if you have to go, you have to go.

What I liked most about the trip was probably the villa. It was a great idea to rent one for the 4 days we were there since we had a group of 7 people. The location of the villa was a tad 'far out' as it was about a 25-30mins drive to the more happening places like Kuta, Seminyak areas where pubs, shopping and crowds were a plenty. But the enjoyment was that the whole place was for ourselves and that we could eat, drink, swim and chill in the same place, any time, any way we want it, was really cool.

Oh, and not to forget the chauffeur who was available to bring us into the 'city'.

The outdoors activities were also not too bad, although I had serious 'butt' issues after the cycling exercise. Guess my ass needs extra padding the next time I ever try to do it again.

I definitely hope we get to do this again.... together.

My Facebook

2010-08-29T12:57:00.001+08:00

Low Cindy | Create your badge

What's your life mission statement?

2010-08-12T16:32:00.000+08:00

Do you have one? Or more importantly, do you need one? According to Covey, you can and you should.

And so, here goes my first draft.

Always be proactive and take initiatives.
Like David, to be a fearless leader.
Like Fiona, to have tenacity.
Always show persistent determination.
Always be compassionate.
Always be trustworthy.
Always be genuine.
Collaborate, don't compete.
Create success through leadership.
Be real, Be brave.
Have great qualities to share.

Am I inspired? Hmmm.... I'd need to ponder on it some more.

My Big 5 for 2010 - cont'd

2010-08-01T13:08:00.003+08:00

Five things that need to happen by the end of this year for you to feel its been your best year yet.

It's harder than I thought but here goes. In no particular order....

*Finish 10KM in Dec within 55mins or less and complete at least one 5KM run in 25mins

*Help others - find time for volunteer work and/or do something for others

*Research on a topic and post my findings on my blog at least once a quarter

*Identify my personal values and develop a mission statement for life

And one more to go.... any suggestions?

The day my iPhone came to the rescue

2010-06-28T18:52:00.001+08:00

So it's no question that I'm pretty much an Apple convert today. I love using my iPhone and it's really a useful tool. There was one day when I had to get something done at a government agency. We brought down all the necessary paperwork but lo and behold, we missed one important document which we didn't know we had to bring it and without which, we can't get the administration process going.

Luckily, my dad reminded me that I had an attachment in my email (my trusty Gmail). I quickly searched for it, found it, opened up in PDF, showed it to the officer and she said that's the one! I emailed to her and she printed it and viola, I got the job accomplished without having to drive back home to get the document.

Thank goodness for technology. Thank goodness for iPhone.

I heart my iPhone

2010-02-17T10:41:00.005+08:00

I never thought I'd one day say this, but I really think I do love my iPhone.

Firstly, you've got to know I'm no Apple fan although I was once dazzled by their iPod some years ago (when I was working for another digital audio brand...) and loved my iPod Nano which I had purchased last year. Other than that, I had serious user problem operating my first Mac during Uni days (since I was a true blue Windows gal) but I must say, this little smartphone gadget is really one of its kind.

Firstly, to own an iPhone, one must rethink about mobile phones and its functions or capabilities it'd have today. Back years ago, when I had my first Ericsson then, a mobile phone was a mere device for people to reach others easily without the hassle of finding a public phone to return calls from tiny paging gadgets.

I guess it's really a case of right time (or in this case, right technology) where supply meets and fuels demand. With the advent of technologies like WiMax, Edge, 3G etc, the mobile world becomes the new "fast speed Internet" platform for us to access information any time, almost anywhere and everywhere on any smartphone devices.

To fuel this further , smartphone vendors help boost demand with faster, seamless OS to aid application access on their devices... and soon, adding and enhancing security on them so that users like you and I can access secured private information back to corporate or personal sites. Do you hear cloud computing humming in the background of all these?

There are many things I can do on my phone now - surfing the Internet, reading emails, watching videos online, chatting with friends and colleagues, updating my facebook, twitter and other social network mediums, posting my other online profiles and status etc etc and so many more.... The usage is pretty endless and exciting.

If I were a smartphone apps developer, I think my chances of making my first million in this lifetime is a pretty feasible quest.

I chanced upon this article that was trying to size up the market potential of iPhone users in Singapore. And the data is pretty compelling.
http://digitalmedia.typepad.com/digital_media_observation/2009/11/how-many-more-apples-iphone-3g-users-can-we-add-in-singapore.html

There's an estimated 1M+ iPhone users in Singapore by 2010... and if we assume one user makes 12 apps 'purchases' a year, that's 12M+ transactions in a year. Assume if one wants to capture 10% of this market and charge $0.99 per app, that's about $1.1M+ business revenue we're looking at in a year...

It's just amazing - makes one wonder how to get one's fingers in the pie.

My Big 5 for 2010

2010-02-15T12:14:00.001+08:00

Five things that need to happen by the end of this year for you to feel its been your best year yet.

It's harder than I thought but here goes. In no particular order....

*Finish 10KM in Dec within 55mins or less and complete at least one 5KM run in 25mins

*Help others - find time for volunteer work and/or do something for others

*Research on a topic and post my findings on my blog at least once a quarter

I haven't quite figured out what my last two should be... but hopefully in the next month or so, I'd be greatly inspired by something or someone to pen down my big 5 for 2010.

Wish me luck!

How far will you let technology run your life?

2010-01-25T20:47:00.000+08:00

We live in the modern world where the Internet and devices of all forms and sizes like smart phones, laptop and gadgets are a part of our daily lives. In fact, most of us can't function if we don't have our phones with us or don't surf or use the Net at least once a day for emails and watching online videos. We probably own more than one such devices to get connected, communicate and learn or educate ourselves and others about the latest knowledge and events in the world via the WWW.

I couldn't help laughing when I saw this video. It's a clip about this couple in the midst of their most significant moment of their lives - their wedding in church. It's a most solemn and serious affair, until the groom decides to whip out his smartphone (I'm guessing iPhone) to change his relationship status on facebook right there and then.

Watch it and learn about this new generation. Enjoy.

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-sg&vid=f8bacc8f-3624-484d-b3ed-a89af924c0df

Ministry of Food

2010-01-24T21:38:00.000+08:00

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Ministry of Steak

2010-01-24T13:48:00.001+08:00

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Resorts World Sentosa Singapore

2010-01-23T10:55:00.000+08:00

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Seafood Paradise @ Singapore Flyer

2010-01-23T10:32:00.000+08:00

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Marutama Ramen @ The Central

2010-01-22T20:46:00.002+08:00

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It's nice but it's chicken stock. I'm more of a pork stock type of ramen girl I guess but it's still alright and I still liked what I ordered. I chose the spicy one but it didn't have the same kind of kick I was looking for. We also ordered side dishes of gyoza as well as radish simmered in stock. Nice and it's two thumbs up.

Morton's

2010-01-22T20:42:00.002+08:00

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So for the 3rd time of the week, we celebrated Dad's birthday. This time at Morton's and the price on the menu was definitely jaw-dropping. But must admit the steak was really good. I opted for the crab cake instead but I felt the one I had in Colorado, Denver was nicer..

As you saw from the price list, this is a place one won't exactly come on a regular daily basis but more for that special occassion. And indeed we heard the pool of waiters and waitresses belt out Happy Birthday for 2 other tables before ours and one other after us. Must be a tough job to have to sing the same song on a 3 times average daily basis.

Nevertheless, it's a nice place and one could look for that special occasion to come here. It's a two thumbs up but it's one where you'd need to look to find the opportunity to raise your thumbs for it.

PS Cafe

2010-01-22T20:21:00.009+08:00

So after a night of none event, we ended up at PS Cafe for night cap. Or more like a sin-stop. Although a colleague had recommended this place, I never had the chance to visit it until that day. It's actually quite splendid, and the desserts were divine.

I wasn't too sure how to get there but luckily my 'natural radar' and instinct brought us to the place quite safely.

We ordered hot honey lemon, banana mango crumble, ginger pudding and something dark chocolate banana cheesecake. All were great and here are the pictures to justify. Two thumbs up and can't wait to come back again.

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Chili Crab

2010-01-16T14:32:00.005+08:00

Every Singaporean has got to have his or her favourite outlet. It's almost like you haven't had chili crab, you haven't been to Singapore (or call yourself one).

Thanks to hungry go where again, we've got a listing of some of the top restaurants. Glad to say I've tried most of them.

http://www.hungrygowhere.com/top10/Chilli_Crab/

The usual suspects like Long Beach, Jumbo, No Signboard are the most regular. Out of these three, I think the best one if No Signboard, while the black pepper at Long Beach is great.

It's been a super long while since I've been to Palm Beach but if memory serves me right, I think they're not too bad either.

The one that had me scratching my head was Roland Restaurant. Although I remember it was in Marine Parade since we used to live in the east side, but never once tried it. Mostly because nobody we knew had recommended it by word-of-mouth.

Anyway, probably it's time to give it a try since it garnered number 1 ranking.
And if you've tried it before, let me know if it's really worth the effort?

Hong Kong food feast debrief - Cha Caan Teng 1

2010-01-16T09:48:00.000+08:00

Needless to say, we had our fair share of cha caan teng (茶餐厅) in Hong Kong. This one is at Sheung Wan area and we had our standard luncheon meat with egg instant noodles and yuan yang. However, this outlet was also supposedly famous for their claypot rice. We ordered the mix one. It was nice but a bit too filling for breakfast.

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Walking directions to 115 Jervois St, Hong Kong

0.3 km – about 3 mins

Via Bonham Strand - remove

Sheung Wan MTR Exit A2

71-87 Wing Lok St

Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong

Edited - Show original

1.	Head west on Wing Lok St toward Hillier St	25 m
2.	Turn left at Hillier St	40 m
3.	Turn right at Bonham Strand	0.2 km
4.	Turn left at Morrison St	42 m
5.	Turn left at Jervois St Destination will be on the left	31 m

115 Jervois St

Hong Kong

Hong Kong shopping feast - Shoes

2010-01-16T08:15:00.000+08:00

I'm not a fan of flats, but do know I'd need a good pair to accompany me on my many travels, no matter for work or fun. Thus, when my friend proclaimed that she's found a pair that made one felt as if she was walking on air, I had to try it. We went to Joy & Peace. This pair was suppose to have it in colours of blue, purple and black. I had originally wanted the black pair but the sales lady said the purple would be better as it looked younger and different. I said I'd still like to try the black one, which was out of my size, but when placing the two side by side, it was true that the black one looked... sadder and a tad depressing. The deep purple one was indeed more youthful looking. Might be harder to match, but I don't want to look like some old school principal.

Oh, and the walk-on-air effect, well, let's just say it's really comfortable and I can see myself coming yards of land, dragging my luggage and barang barang through the airports and customs.

Joy & Peace have many outlets so you can quite easily find it in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong food feast debrief - Wanton Noodle

2010-01-15T21:26:00.010+08:00

Mak's Noodle (麥奀雲吞麵世家) at Wellington Street. We didn't try the one here but had it at another branch near Causeway Bay. The first time I tried it was by sheer coincidence of sorts. I was reading the inflight magazine which had a review of wanton noodle and Mak's was mentioned. When I landed in Hong Kong, I 'bumped' into my colleague and decided to meet for dinner. She told me about this little shop at the corner near our corporate hotel in Causeway Bay that served nice but super small portion of wanton noodle.

When we arrived, I realized it was the Mak's Noodle shop that I had read and wanted to try it myself anyway. Thus, during our HK escapade, we went to the one at Causeway Bay since it was nearer to where we were hanging out. It's good and I love the chili sauce (yes, it's chili sauce not chili oil). But the portion is definitely not filling. For the same price one'd pay for a 'normal' bowl, it's over priced. However, if you have a small stomach and intend to have, say, dessert or supper, then I think it's serving size is just right.

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HK MTR Central Station J2 Exit

Hong Kong

Edited - Show original

1.	Head west on Chater Rd toward Jackson Rd	22 m
2.	Turn left at Jackson Rd	0.1 km
3.	Turn right at Des Voeux Rd C	0.2 km
4.	Turn left at Ice House St	0.1 km
5.	Turn right at Queen's Rd C	0.2 km
6.	Turn left at D'aguilar St	89 m
7.	Turn right at Wellington St Destination will be on the right	0.2 km

麥奀雲吞麵世家

Hong Kong

威靈頓街77號地下

Hong Kong food feast debrief - Egg Tart

2010-01-15T21:05:00.007+08:00

Tai Cheong Bakery at Lyndhurst Terrace near MTR Sheung Wan Station. It's got really the best egg tart and was about SGD0.70 only. We had it just almost freshly baked out from the oven so it's super hot and fresh. The egg part was fragrant and it was not too sweet nor bland and just simply tasty. The tart part was real complimentary and not too hard either. I'm not a big fan of egg tart, but if I am dying to have one, this will be it.

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Sheung Wan MTR Exit A2

71-87 Wing Lok St

Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong

Edited - Show original

1.	Head east on Wing Lok St toward Man Wa Ln	23 m
2.	Turn right at Man Wa Ln	47 m
3.	Turn left at Bonham Strand	94 m
4.	Slight right at Wellington St	0.2 km
5.	Turn right at Graham St	80 m
6.	Turn left at Gage St	72 m
7.	Turn right at Lyndhurst Terrace	32 m

泰昌餅家

Hong Kong

擺花街 35 號地下 (近閣麟街)

Dim Sum

2010-01-15T09:43:00.000+08:00

Thanks to hungrygowhere.com.... Now I have a list of Dim Sum places to go to!

http://www.hungrygowhere.com/top10/

Top of list is Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant at 76 Bras Basah Road, 2F Carlton Hotel that garnered 25 votes, followed by Yan Ting at 29 Tanglin Road The St. Regis with 29 and Royal China at Raffles at 1 Beach Road #03-09 Raffles Hotel in 3rd place.

And if my stomach can take some more, we have:

4. Red Star Restaurant 红星酒家 at Blk 54 Chin Swee Road #07-23

5. Hua Ting Restaurant at 442 Orchard Road Orchard Hotel

6. Noble House by Tung Lok 金玉满堂 at 5 Shenton Way #06-13 UIC Building

7. Man Fu Yuan 满福苑 at 80 Middle Road 2F Intercontinental Hotel

8. Asia Grand Restaurant (Odeon Towers) at 331 North Bridge Road #01-02 & #01-05/08 Odeon Towers

9. Summer Palace at 1 Cuscaden Road 3F The Regent

10. The Cathay Restaurant at 2 Handy Road #02-01 The Cathay

Au Dieu 2009 in Hong Kong... I Love Hong Kong

2010-01-05T22:02:00.003+08:00

Having been to Hong Kong quite a few times for work, it's been a long while since I've gone back for R&R.

It's great to have good company and to have our 2010 new year countdown in foreign land.

Our HK expert, Ms Chew, was really great in arranging the itinerary. From the way it was planned and the way she maneuvered the group around, one would have thought she's lived there for years.

The trip affirmed my love for the shopping and food in Hong Kong. Highlight of the trip was that I got to taste very delicious food (but still no chance to try private kitchen) and did do some shopping especially at my beloved all-time favourite Flower Garden Market (although, I wish I had a bigger luggage and more cash). I managed to get my boots, but wish we had more time to do shopping at Island Beverly and Nu Front where they had nice shoes and clothes.

Also, we managed to get ourselves up to The Peak for the countdown as we watched the fire works on the HK island side. We got up there 'early' at around 11pm and not long after, the guards stopped people from going up to the roof area. Thus, we were the lucky few who managed to get a spot on higher grounds. The fire works was nice and different from what we've seen in Singapore. But ever since I had experienced fire works in South Bank, Brisbane in 2005 where they were so close I could feel the heat and went on forever, everything else seems to somewhat pale in comparison.

I also got to meet Adrian's lovely children. It's such a small world that his wife, Roslyn, is a colleague of my friend and I've also met and got to know Roslyn from an event before. All the 'aunties' will surely miss their kids.

Low light of the trip was that since we took Jetstar, we had luggage weight limitation. That really got us worried towards end of trip. Luckily I managed to quite comfortably stay within limits, but that was also because my initial idea was just to splurge on my religion - food.

The other one was poor planning to The Peak for the count down. As we had steamboat dinner prior and temperature reporting at 15 deg cel, we dressed quite 'thinly' and forgot that when you get up there, it gets windier and colder. Needless to say, we froze our butts off and I felt slightly sick after that (and had to skip supper/dessert with the group and head back alone for an early night). Also, since we decided to do our countdown there, we went to 7-11 to get our own booze near LKF area (I think it was LKF) and it was hectic and packed. Guess everyone else had similar idea.

All in all, it was a good trip. I wish we didn't have to come back but it's a good start to what we all hope will be a great year for all.

Prive at Marina @ Keppel Bay

2009-12-21T20:21:00.009+08:00

Having been to a few of our company's X'mas dinners and lunches, this one is definitely the best of all. Not only is the food really good but the price is really affordable. Located at Keppel Bay, the venue reminds me of a dining experience one might get in Brisbane where you can see yatches parked or docked out near the bay whilst one enjoys a delicious seafood meal while basking in the lovely sun and sea. The lunch was slightly marred by a light shower as the original plan was to dine open air al fresco style. But because of the downpour, we had to move the tables in... which was not too bad, just that we weren't as close to the 'bay' but enough for us to catch a glimpse of the fleet of yatches in the sea area.

The X'mas menu set was a course of 3 selection. I went for the chestnut & apple soup which was a tad too sweet for me. The mushroom soup was thick and creamy and definitely will be a much better but albeit safe choice for many. The other starters were the christmas salad and casear salad. Strangely enough, our table of 3 guys opted for salads whilst the ladies went for the soup. So much for dieting, ladies.

For mains, I took the miso cod burger whilst my counterparts mainly opted for the steak. The steak was really good too and definitely will recommend that to all red meat lovers. My miso was nice and reminded me of this other restaurant near One Fullerton where I had first tried this combination. Comrades at the neighbouring tables also confirmed that their prawn patty burger was equally scrumptous.

For desserts, I ordered the mini log cake while others tried the cranberry apple crumble. I think it's all good but perhaps I was too stuffed, I started wishing I had gone with the 2 scoop ice cream instead. The mini log was mainly vanilla flavoured and instead of your typical chocolate or butterscotch chiffon fluffy cake, they had used some waffle type of cake, which reminded me of those $1 ice cream waffle biscuits from push cart uncles.

All in all, it gets my two thumbs up and definitely will want to come back again for the food and ambience. Let's put it this way - if it motivated me to post a food blog after such a long hiatus, you can sure bet it's got to be something good enough for me to lift my fat stumpy fingers to type in this entry!

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Walking directions to Prive

1.9 km – about 23 mins

Harbourfront MRT Station

Harbourfront MRT Station, 098867

Singapore 098867

1.	Head north on Harbour Front Walk towardTelok Blangah Rd	27 m
2.	Turn left at Telok Blangah Rd	0.6 km
3.	Turn right at Keppel Bay Dr	35 m
4.	Turn left at Telok Blangah Rd	0.5 km
5.	Turn left at Bukit Chermin Rd	0.6 km
6.	Turn left	0.2 km

Prive

2 Keppel Bay Vista

Singapore 098382

Good morning Singapore

2009-11-11T21:46:00.000+08:00

In my longest run yet, I woke up at 5.30am and dragged my sorry ass to east coast park around 6.30am and managed 11.27km.

It was rather good except timing wasn't up to my expectation but I think I'm getting close.

I am still hoping that come 6 Dec, for the Standard Chartered run, I'd be able to complete my 10K run in about 58mins. I hope. It's good to hope :)

By the time I finished, it was about 8am.
I like to think that while I was up working my legs off, I had a head start while the rest of Singapore were still in bed.

Uncle Sam's Claypot opens in City Square Mall

2009-11-11T21:35:00.001+08:00

There's no doubt that City Square Mall will become our favourite hunt since we have grown quite bored with Novena Square, United Square and Thomson Plaza.

We tried Uncle Sam's Claypot and verdict is that it is just as good as the one in Robinson Road. But service was horrid, horrible, terrible.

I guess (and hope) it is due to opening season stutter. We had to wait for food to be serve at really long time and tables earlier than ours got served first (so guess there's screw up at the ordering side). Plus we pretty much felt ignored.

However, they were still waiting to recruit more waiter/waitress, dessert makers, cooks etc.

Hopefully things will turn out well in the next month or so.

Streets Cafe at City Square Mall

2009-11-11T21:27:00.000+08:00

City Square Mall around Kitchener Road finally opened this week.

We went to try Uncle Sam's Claypot over the weekend and came back again to try Streets cafe which is the Hong Kong style cafe.

It's one of my current favourite right now and glad to find it in the mall which is very near home.

But as with the Uncle Sam's Claypot experience, the food is alright but service is really atrocious.
Perhaps, it is in the opening week so its service is really not up to par to other outlets. Let's see how things go over the next month or so.

Hopefully they beef up on service.

How to improve your 10K performance

2009-10-31T12:41:00.001+08:00

How To Improve Your 10k Performance

The arrival of spring no doubt means you'll be running 10-K races more frequently. You'd like to do as well as possible, but trimming your 10-K times requires a smart, systematic approach to training, not just a hodgepodge of interval sessions and longer runs.

All of the training sessions here emphasise intensity. Remember to limit each workout's quantity of fast running to no more than 10 per cent of your weekly mileage. Use your favourite sessions from the ones listed below twice a week for a minimum of six weeks, recover properly between workouts, and you will start running your 10Ks faster

Workout No. 1: A 5-K race at your goal 10-K pace.

Benefit: Raises VO2max and economy, gives you confidence that you can set a new PB

Workout No. 2: Warm up by jogging easily for 10 minutes, and then run 1200-metre work intervals at your current 5-K race pace. Jog easily during recovery periods, and let each recovery last about a minute less than the amount of time required to complete the 1200-metre work interval. As with all interval sessions, don't let the total work-interval distance add up to more than 10 per cent of your weekly mileage (Example: You run 30 miles per week. Since 10% X 30 = 3 miles, or 4800 metres, you can ramble through four 1200-metre intervals per workout).

Benefit: Heightens VO2max, makes 10-K pace feel easier

Workout No. 3: Mark out a 10-kilometre route over terrain you'd like to run on, or simply use the 10-K course used for a local race. Warm up by jogging for 10 minutes, and then sizzle through the full 10-K route, alternating 2- to 3-minute bouts at what feels like goal 10-K pace with 60- to 90-second jog-recoveries.

Benefit: Teaches you that you can handle a 10K at high intensity and that you can run well even when you start to become fatigued

Workout No. 4: Warm up with 10 minutes of easy running, and then cruise through one mile on the track at a tempo about 10 seconds (per mile) slower than your current-best 10-K race speed. Jog for just two minutes, and then scamper through a second mile at 10K pace. Jog easily for two more minutes, and then blast through a final mile about 10 seconds faster than 10K velocity. Warm down with a one-mile jog, and it's over!

Benefit: Gives your 'lactate threshold' a shot in the arm, which will make 10-K race pace feel much more comfortable

Workout No. 5: Jog easily for 15 minutes, and then run 800 metres at your current 10-K race pace. Jog lightly for two minutes, and then scurry through 400 metres at 5-K race speed. Amble easily for 60 seconds, and then dash through 200 metres at current one-mile race tempo. Rest for 30 seconds, and then launch yourself into 1000 metres at 10-K pace. Jog easily for four minutes, and then repeat this 800-400-200-1000 pattern. A 30-mile per week runner can complete two of these combos per workout; at 45 weekly miles, three 800-400-200-1000 combinations are possible.

Benefit: Improves foot speed and fitness, enables you to run at 10-K speed while tired, makes 10Ks feel easier

Workout No. 6: Warm up, and then run 10-minute intervals at your current 10-K pace, recovering for five minutes between intervals.

Benefit: Raises lactate threshold and makes current 10-K pace feel easier, enabling you to step up to higher speeds in the race

Workout No. 7 (straight 800s): Warm up, and then run 800-metre intervals at current 5-K race pace, with recoveries lasting no longer than each work interval.

Benefit: Lifts VO2max, makes 10-K velocity feel more comfortable

Workout No. 8 (straight 400s): Warm up, and then run 400s at a pace about four seconds per 400 faster than current 5-K speed. Recover until you feel comfortable enough to do another 400 with good form.

Benefit: Improves basic footspeed

Workout No. 9 (traditional fartlek): Find a forest path or a place where you really enjoy running. After warming up, run at a tough intensity for about 30 minutes or so, alternating spontaneous bursts at about 10-K race pace with shorter periods of easy cruising when you feel tired. Enjoy the workout, and focus on relaxing and running smoothly

Article courtesy of Running 4 Women

http://www.running4women.com

Asia Garden Restaurant

2009-10-25T15:14:00.000+08:00

We finally tried the dim sum at Asia Garden at Odeon but only thought it was so-so.

However, it's not easy to find delicious dim sum in Singapor anymore.

We arrived at 10am and although most of the dim sum were available, the 'hot' dishes like Peking duck and fried silverfish were not available as the chef doesn't come in until around 11.30am.

Anyway, it was a pleasant experience.

Chicken Hot Pot

2009-10-25T15:08:00.000+08:00

The last time I tried it, it was at Temasek Tower and didn't like it too much. Somehow wasn't too 'wowed' by the taste.

Thus, it was with much reluctance I decided to try it again at another outlet in Novena. But after some persuasion, I might say, I won't mind coming again after this second experience.

We ordered the chicken hot pot and the beef one (with extra chilies). The good thing about this outlet is they actually come over to 'top up' some soup so that one can continue 'stewing' the ingredients in the hot pot.
All in all, it's quite nice and won't mind coming back to try again.

Blooper to Nike+ Human Race

2009-10-24T14:32:00.001+08:00

All excited about today's 10K run, I happily woke up early and started to prepare to step out of the house. Then, I wanted to change shoes as I had the nike+ reader in the lunartrainer and wanted to put it into the evo.

But strangely enough, I couldn't find the reader. Thinking I might have left it in the bag in the office, I went back to get it. Anyway, by the time I went to ECP, it was around 8am or so. Wasted one whole hour searching. In the end, it was in the lunartrainer.

Anyway, didn't do too well but at least I finished the distance. Got to do better next time.

La Cantina in Venezia

2009-10-09T23:42:00.002+08:00

So Valentino was out tonight.. Fully booked as it seems and you'd have to make reservations as early as 3 weeks in advance. Ha!

So we went to La Cantina in Venezia in Changi Village hotel instead.

Firstly, the view is lovely. Basically, you're seated on the 8th floor and out on the 'patio', you can see the sea. Sunset would be lovely to watch.

The most ideal plan would then be to get there early around 6pm and hopefully catch some sunset while chilling out with a nice glass of wine.

Then order some appetizers after soaking in the wonderful view before diving into the main agenda. Problem was - the waitress was too good at selling. I think she forgot Singaporean girls generally do not eat alot. We set off with warm bread (which was lovingly buttered and went down well with the olive oil and vinaigrette), calamari, the platter of mixed italian sausages and luckily, we were wise enough to cancel the mixed antipasti.

The portion for the sausages were gigantor. Thus, main agenda was reduced to only a plate of pizza (which I'd declare as the highlight of the night) and pasta. We took the vegetarian pasta which was delicious but I felt it was not well cooked enough (a tad 'hard' if you ask me, but was told that's how 'real' Italians do it). The pizza was thin crust and the parma ham was lovely... plus I enjoy generously dipping my portion with tabasco sauce.

To end the night, we shared lemon sorbet which was wonderful.

All in all, would like to come back again... with more time to spare and indulge in other selections on the menu. Two thumbs up and would like to grow a third....

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Driving directions to La Cantina in Venezia

7.9 km – about 12 mins

Simei MRT Station

30 Simei Street 3, Singapore 529888

1.	Head northeast on Simei Street 3 towardSimei Street 5	0.5 km
2.	Take the 3rd left onto Simei Rd	0.6 km
3.	Continue onto Tampines Street 31	0.4 km
4.	Turn right at Tampines Ave 2	0.5 km
5.	Turn right at Tampines Ave 7	0.8 km
6.	Continue onto Loyang Ave	4.7 km
7.	Slight left at Changi Village Rd	0.3 km
8.	Continue onto Netheravon Rd Destination will be on the left	0.1 km

La Cantina in Venezia

Netheravon Rd

Singapore 508502

I heart Tampopo

2009-10-05T19:25:00.001+08:00

I love this ramen place so much, I went back for seconds on Sunday. We had the black pig ramen, kyushu style I think and the tonkatsu ramen as well as hokkaido style ramen with pig stock. Apparently, the difference in style was the quality of the ramen. Hokkaido ones are thicker and more chewy.

Finale was the cheese chiffon cake. It was very light and delicious and not too overly cheesy. Perfecto!

Can't wait to come back again for thirds! Two thumbs up and would give more if I had extras.

Imperial Treasure lives up to its name

2009-10-03T21:49:00.001+08:00

One of my favourite La Mian place, with good selection of chinese cuisine. Yes, even better than Crystal Jade if you ask me.

We had spinach, giant meat balls with lettuce, ma po tofu, xiao long bao, deep fried white bait and porridge.

All was good, except the porridge as the soup stock smelt fishy... . Otherwise, it was a most pleasantful dinner.

Seoul-full week Finale

2009-09-26T13:05:00.003+08:00

On the last day, the ladies brought me to somewhere I think called Apgujeong-dong.

As one of them told me, it's kinda like our Orchard where the top '1%' super rich in Korea lives.

Originally, we wanted to try pasta but guess we couldn't find the restaurant, so we ended up at a korean one, which is just as fine for me.

And then we had 'tea time', complete with pastries.

We had tiramisu, peach tart and grape tart.

The lovely afternoon 'brainstorm' session was good, casual and relaxing.

Thank ladies for the hard work put in and I think you deserve an afternoon break. Couldn't ask for a better way to end the week.

Seoul-full week Episode 6

2009-09-26T11:45:00.001+08:00

Besides finally finding my 'perfect' Jajangmyeon, I've been introduced to a new dish which I'd declare as my new current 'squeeze'... Called Jjam bong, and I was super happy to know that it's also available in korean restaurants here in Singapore.

As some of you might know, I was pretty 'obessed' with finding the 'perfect' jajangmyeon as I always see it on korean drama and had the impression (or imagination) that it'd be super delicious.

Unfortunately, the hunt has been disappointing until that afternoon when we had lunch with a business partner, they brought me to the korean chinese restaurant which had it. And it was to my imagination and satisfaction.

Jjam bong doesn't disappoint as well. It's a super spicy dish that is mainly seafood ingredients and is something one will take post drunkard stage to sober up.

Oh, and I think the ladies ordered some fried chicken sticks as well for sides.

Seoul-full birthday Episode 5

2009-09-26T03:20:00.001+08:00

We had dinner at an 'expensive' bulgogi bbq place with business partners and colleagues. Apparently, this is the korean answer to Japanese kobe beef and Australia's wagyu.

I must admit, it was super delicious and I've never tasted anything like this before.

Oh, and I had my colleague pose with the soju and mountain strawberries wine.

Chocolate cake and chocolate in a box were from colleagues in office and hotel.

Sweet.

Seoul-full week Episode 4

2009-09-26T03:07:00.001+08:00

Seoul-full week Episode 3

2009-09-26T03:00:00.001+08:00

Lunch was sam gye tang, but not the one I had last trip. But it was just as good. The restaurant was actually in a 'home'... or rather, the place was formerly a residential place but guess they converted it into a restaurant. So it was like having lunch at a friend's home or something. Pretty cute idea.

Dinner, again, I didn't get what I wanted. Originally, I was aiming for this korean traditional porridge I saw at Myeon Dong area... but I was darn hungry and poor sense of direction, I gave up searching and popped into a restaurant that I think was Chinese.

The weekend when I was in Myeon Dong, I saw a line of people queueing so I assume it must be good. I ordered the signature dish (don't ask me what it was, but it felt like mee hoon kuay, ban mee style) and was overall alright.

Seoul-full week Episode 2

2009-09-26T02:49:00.002+08:00

Day 2, I tried to get to Myeon Dong and Ewha Women's University. But I think I exited the wrong stop.

Couldn't find any shop open for breakfast so popped in to CBTL.

Lunch at Myeon Dong wasn't up to expectation. Wanted Soondubu jjigae or kimchi ramyeon, but ended up with some spicy cold noodle.

At night, at least I redeemed myself with a surprise fine at a restaurant near the hotel. Whatever that I had, think it was spicy pork rib soup or something, was good and left me finally satisifed.

Seoul-full week Episode 1

2009-09-26T02:43:00.001+08:00

Day 1 of my food escapde - had the my first craving satisfied with Doenjang jjigae, which is a bean paste based soup. Had it at one of the restaurants we went near Dongdaemun in Jan this year.

At night, I couldn't find a restaurant that had kimchi related food. Ended up at this place that had beef broth and cold noodles I think.

Great company, good food and excellent wines! More team building please

2009-09-18T09:37:00.000+08:00

Had fun at a colleague's house yesterday. Had fun chatting, eating, joking, drinking and laughing.

Some more on Hoi An

2009-09-18T01:16:00.001+08:00

More on Hoi An

2009-09-18T01:11:00.001+08:00

Hot for Hoi An

2009-09-17T15:18:00.000+08:00

We are back! Boy, much to update about this hot trip. Firstly, it was a tad short. Probably my fault for not checking out the flights as we had wasted about 2hrs taking this flight as it had a connection to stopover at Siem Reap.

Direct flights to Danang is available and is about 2hrs plus. Secondly, I can't ride a bike. It was just overwhelming for me, but I love being a pillion rider as long as someone is willing to take my load. It was super fun but I'm sure it'd be much more fun if I had and could ride the bike myself. The feeling of wind blowing your hair and face plus Hoi An is 'deserted' enough to ride quite safely and almost recklessly, it was fun, fun, fun! At first, I had to hold on to Sim but gradually, I mustered up the courage to just hang myself via the back of the bike without having to hold on to my dear life by wrapping my hands on Sim's f(l)abulous shoulders. We wanted to extend our bike rental for the last day but unfortunately, we couldn't come to terms with the prices the store was charging us so we opted to return the bikes and travel by taxi. Taxi wasn't cheap - we paid about VND350,000 (USD20) for a 30mins plus ride from Hoi An to the bustling Danang.

I wish there was more time so I can laze by the beach. It was great that we chose an off peak season as practically the hotel, beach and restaurants were like 'exclusively' ours for the 3 days we were there. But that means, I don't have much people to watch, which is typically what I like to do on the beach - bum oggling as I call it. Nevertheless, we had fun pretending the 'island' was reserved privately for us.

If we had more time, we could explore more places in Hoi An but that would mean poor Sim would have to take me along as his piggyback rider. He must have missed out the joy of riding dangerously by himself if I weren't pillion.

Thirdly, the food was quite a disappointment. Didn't have anything that excited our palates too much. The water spinach cooked in garlic was just about the highlight for the trip. Duh. Even the pho was good to great and not even excellent or maybe we had our expectations set up too high?

Fourth, we figure this area is going to be quite a hot tourism place in about a year's time. When we were there, so many constructions were going on by 'branded' hotels such as Le Meridien, Hyatt etc. Most of the establishment were local branded ones but gradually, you see the foreign forces coming in. This oughta tell you something. We found out that it costs about USD95,000 to own one's personal (retirement) pad in Hoi An. Not a bad idea if you think about it - provided it doesn't become overly commercialized like your Phukets and what nots. We joked around we should consider buying and investing in real estates here... Probably Hoi An is the next retirement paradise? The pace and lifestyle is easy and laid back. It is great if you have dough in the bank and looking for simple and peaceful life.

All in all, it was fun for me. Might have missed out some details here and there but can't wait for next group trip with the rest.

How much beef do you need to eat to equate to bovine based collagen intakes like botox?

2009-09-13T22:36:00.004+08:00

I think we ate a whole cow today at Yakiniku Daidomon at Novena. We ordered almost every possible parts and combination of beef except the tongue.

I even ordered the raw beef but er... would say that didn't go too well for my stomach. It was alright, and tasted and felt like those japanese raw octupus except it's red and it's beef. Reminded me of that Mr Bean episode where he ordered from some Russian restaurant and ended up with a raw beef pattie which he tried hard to get rid of. Me, I just cooked it.

All in all, the food is quite nice and service was great. Every time we were just studying the menu, some waiter or waitress would pop by our table to ask if we wanted to order anything.

For $50++ per pax, I guess you can't complain too much. Will come back once I've sold more ESPP shares...

Tea Cafe at Seah Street

2009-09-12T19:16:00.001+08:00

Great ambience, great company, great tea and food. Must check out Tea Cafe at Seah Street if you have a leisure afternoon to catch up with friends or your reading. I had hot sour plum tea, tea egg, cucumber sandwich and assortment of snacks. Lovely! Can't wait to come back again.

Narcissist fool

2009-09-12T11:07:00.000+08:00

There are no more narcissist ones than you are; but it's a good kind of narcissism which one could find lovable and charming. You also have a great need to please and charm, with a strong penchant for conquest.

Your main flaw is your too great self-indulgence, your tendency to self-satisfaction. If you don't succeed in fighting it, it may prove to be a serious obstacle to the good development of your personality. On the other hand, you've pride and courage. But when you fear being badly judged or appreciated, you won't hesitate to resort to cowardice and compromising.

You've a profound esthetic sense and don't do anything which could harm beauty. You're very much gifted for music, dance, writing, artistic criticism, material exploitation of beauty, and can make a fortune in such branches. You easily attract helps and supports.

You couldn't live without being loved and surrounded. Your amorous successes can be numerous. Prestige plays an important role in your attachments you're interested only in those of whom you can be proud for one reason or another. Furthermore, you need a scene of beauty and refinement so as to live your sentimental or conjugal life satisfactorily.

Personal QBR... 3/4 point review

2009-09-11T21:56:00.000+08:00

How the year of the OX is turning out for me thus far:

Jan: It was a good start as I went to Seoul for shopping with friends. Spent more than my usual as the girls had fun with my 'makeover'. Best part for me was the food of course... I miss the sam gye tang. I think I'm still the slob that I am but as Mdm Coco Chanel had said - "..it's best to be as pretty as possible for destiny". Point taken though may not be fully adopted at all times.

Feb: Missed that 'exciting' Phuket trip and a bunch of stuff that made me think a lot about issues I've never quite thought about and how I have been treating me, myself and I. Health and possibly 'life and living it' took an exceptionally important focus that I hope will continue to be key point for many more years to come.

Mar: House Arrest and keeping sanity; I'm a home person but being couped up at home 24/7 is no joke. I wonder how Ms Aung San Suu Kyi survived... but then again, maybe she is living in a big house that has a big garden and backyard for her to wonder around?

Apr: Gathering at my house to celebrate my 'release' - it was quite fun but unfortunately we had to end the night early as my place had a curfew to adhere. Did my 5km JP Morgan Run for second year running - which I'd shamelessly say I am yet again the most unfit person I know where even men older, fatter and 'balder' outran me effortlessly. I was panting like mad and barely made it to the finishing line. I know I've never been a long distance runner before but this was quite outrageous. Set myself to 'correct' this blip in following months by training... resulting in me setting myself up for this objective by signing up for Standard Chartered 10km. Crazy but true. Went to Bangkok for eating and shopping with parents which was quite fun and I hope next year, we can do something with brother in tow. Went to HK for meeting and met our new dynamic CMO.

May: My favourite month because I was in New York. I love the place; it has its quirks and is all messy and chaotic and all, but it does have its magic. Wish I could have spent more time there and if only H1N1 wasn't so prevalent, probably could have gone to Queens, Brooklyn and so many other areas of the great city. Well, I brought something extra when I came back and once again, I found myself under House Arrest. The whole H1N1 experience was painful - I'd tell anyone you won't die from the virus but you'd probably die from being couped up in isolation first before the virus gets to you.

Jun: NY withdrawal - I miss the place. Found out CK was a closet moonwalker and that he was also a Kevin Kern fan. I enjoy irritating him and I think he secretly enjoys being irritated too.

Jul: Night at the museum (not the movie but the real gig) - one of the most interesting event I've ever been to and thank organizers for putting up such a nice idea. This is also the month where I start putting goals for 5km run, which eventually extended to 10km. Dreaming of more getaways as I suddenly crave for more holidays...

Aug: Got my Nike+iPod and started looking at distance running like Bay Run 6km and RunNUS 5km to sign up. Eventually booked myself for 10km which was something I didn't plan for... kinda fell into it, thanks to people like Daniel, Sim, Beni, Andrew, Sri.... all culprits in making me swallow more than I can bite :P But it really pushed me to train myself up and thankfully with support from my boss too :)

Sep: This is the month where we head off to Hoi An getaway with colleagues. I hope it'd be fun as most of the CEOs (chief entertainment officers) are not coming. Planning for a gathering with colleagues-in-crime at somebody's house and hopefully it'd be just as fun as the Apr one. Hope everyone who comes will have a good time. I'm going Seoul again, but for work purpose although I have planned for some personal R&R as the week I'm there would be my birthday week - I usually take PTO on my birthday but not this year :) I'd be by myself but I've always been great at self-entertaining so I think I'd do fine exploring on my own as usual.

For the next and final three months, I can't really point down what else would be in stored for me but I hope it'd something colourful and exciting.

MOS burger

2009-09-10T22:01:00.000+08:00

MOS burger at Velocity @ Novena. Fast food the Japanese way. It was tasty and good. Plus it's got pippin' hot soup which we love. Wanted minestrone but only left with cream of corn.

Those interested might want to know there's a promotion for 'hot' teriyaki chicken set.

Oh, and they are giving away uchiwa, the japanese fan.

Chicken rice

2009-09-09T21:44:00.001+08:00

Lunch today was at Boon Tong Kee, but we went to the 'high end' one at River Valley road.

This is the one they'd go out all on presentation to impress the tourist.

We had guest today so we figured that's reason enough to eat here, instead of the usual suspects like Kia Hiang and Thanying. As usual, whenever we have guests in town, there are a few local food they'd have to be introduced to. Yesterday night, our guest had already 'met' our famous chili crab so today, we introduced her to Hainanese chicken rice which can't be found on Hainan island but only in Singapore. Just like a colleague who rightly pointed out, you can only find Singapore fried noodle overseas which you'd never find it here.

Liked most of the selection, except the ribs which our guest liked most because of the sauce. I wish there's more chicken to go around but all in all, it was good.

Waraku, oiishi desu!

2009-09-08T23:21:00.000+08:00

After some belly shakin' tonight, we had to settle our stomach.

So we went to Waraku at Starhub Center. It's been a really long while for me to eat here as I remember the last time was probably about a year ago or so when I was still 'cramping' for my weekend masters courses and would come here with team mates Shal, Lydia and Dawn for lunch.

Tonight, the place doesn't disappoint either. We had udon, Marilyn had soba and shared side dishes like tonpei yaki and agedashi tofu. Heavenly.

This undoubtly is still one of my favourite Japanese restaurant. Two thumbs up.

Back to The Mussle Guys again

2009-09-08T23:15:00.001+08:00

Lunch time shopping - we went to Challenger at Vivocity as Ah Sui needed to change his keyboard from the store. I ended up buying a pretty neat webcam and can't wait to use it for the next team web conference as it's got this cool avatar application. Which means, I can look like almost anything without having to show my real face!

Anyway, we ended up at Mussel Guys for lunch and this time around, the food is a whole lot better.
I had the wild mushroom spaghetti which was what Jac had the last round.

Compared to the horrid pasta experience at Sketches last month, the pasta here was great and well done. No sipping water to dilute any sauce of any kind. Even the cream of mushroom was a whole lot better than the last round and was indeed creamier than previous occassion.

Only bad thing was the set allowed you to choose a complimentary cool drink but we were told it was not available and could only choose tea or coffee.

However, other than that, it was really good and won't hesitate to come back again.

Prelude to Hoi An

2009-09-07T22:33:00.003+08:00

Dinner tonight was divine. Simple and soupy, it was healthy (relatively) and flavourful.

We went to Pho Hoa at Suntec (yes, they have a branch there now) and it's been a really long while since I had Vietnamese food.

They used to have a branch in Siglap years ago and glad to see they have made a come back.

I had steak & flank as well as the salty plum soda. We shared 2 rolls of fried 'popiah'.
Nicely done.

9.68 happy that I made it feeling

2009-09-07T17:36:00.000+08:00

If you haven't already heard, I met my objective on Sunday covering a total of 9.68km (if you believe the accuracy of the nike+ recording) at a pace of 6'42"/km. The best thing is I could still breathe and walk after that (and my legs aren't terribly sore today post-run). I didn't meet my pace goal of 6'30"/km but hey, I'm just happy I covered the distance I wanted and came out of it... alive!

Jack's Place

2009-09-06T20:54:00.000+08:00

Jack's Place is really the place for dinner sets. We usually go to the outlet at Novena.

The food was quite alright but today, because we had dinner earlier than usual, we think the quality and 'freshness' was a lot better.

The soup was pippin' warm, not stale cold, the chicken and fish sets were smokin' hot and the dessert was... cute.

By the time we finished our dinner, the crowd was pouring in, so we had to remind our table server that we were still waiting for dessert. All in all, it was good. We'd come back but provided we come early.

9.66 mixed feeling

2009-09-05T15:43:00.001+08:00

Tomorrow, I'd have to run 9.66km and I'm both nervous and excited. Hope the weather would be great and I'd be all charged up to go. Report in tomorrow on my results.

Sakae Sushi

2009-09-04T22:03:00.000+08:00

Nothing great about Sakae Sushi but I couldn't resist being trigger happy and snapping away with my camera phone.

How many user error incidents can one have in a lifetime?

2009-09-04T18:49:00.002+08:00

What was suppose to be a 'good' Friday for me turned out to be a bummer.

I was suppose to run today, according to my nike+ coach but I had program tonight plus I know I won't be able to make it for morning run as I have a 9.30am call to make. So, I'm already feeling somewhat inbetween the whole day. Thus, I decided I'd lunch in, get back to work ASAP then target to go home around 5ish to do a quick run before I set off for the night.

Now, here is the user error incident yet again with me. When I logged in to my nike+ site, I forgot there is the US version and the SG version. What's the difference you ask? Well, the difference is that one of them calculate distance in miles and the other in kilometers.

So, silly me just logged in to the 'default' one, without checking carefully if it is miles or km they were recording and just blindly took down the distance I was suppose to cover according to the 'training plan'.

Somewhat happily came back from run and load up reading only to find that I am 2km+ short of target because what I had assumed was 4km was actually 4miles.... So that meant I was suppose to cover 6.43km or so today but I had only completed 4.12km.

But I was quite disappointed with self today also. I had set target for 5km but at around 3ish, I was feeling tired and sore already. Don't really know what's wrong... too much focus on my foot landing I lost my focus to push myself on? Am I coming down with something?

Anyway, next target on Sunday is a holy 9.53km... longest ever distance to-date. I hope I can make that one in time and in one piece... don't want the cookie to crumble, do we?

Runner, runner, wherefore art thou?

2009-09-03T21:09:00.002+08:00

The plan was simple. Meet at 5pm at east coast and we'd do a 'quick' run and then have dinner. Mr Ong said he'd send out the invite but since he didn't, I took the initiative to send it. But as my dumb laptop died last Friday, I was working off a spare machine the last few days. So a lot of contacts and info aren't with me and I sent the invite to the wrong email address to one of our comrades and she didn't get the invite. Mr Ong, lagi best, accepted the invite but around 3ish, sent an SMS to say he can't make it as his boss asked him to do something.

Mr Sim, on the other hand, got the invite but couldn't confirm if he could make it but did say he'd try to join. So today, at 4.45pm, he said he'd run but it was a different stretch from what I had in mind and he'd be running a totally different direction and distance to what I was planning to cover.

So, I was once again the lone ranger runner for our group run. Duh! I did pretty well but not good enough. Managed 8.3km at a pace of 6:51/km in 56mins 56sec. Still can't hit my 6:30/km target.

I did the same stretch as covered last Saturday. Today the weather was better as by the time I set off, it was about 6.07pm. But the wind was pretty strong. So although it was cooling to have the wind but I could feel its resistance as I ran against the wind's direction. Guess, there can never be the perfect weather. Still have some way to go to achieve my target, but I think I can make it. I know I can try harder. Keep on!

Love thy greens

2009-09-02T00:20:00.000+08:00

Guess what I had for lunch today...? Wendy Lang's stable daily dosage - (Hakka) Thunder Green Rice.

I've tried it before but decided then that I'm no cow to be grazing that much greens in a single day or month for that matter. But today, since it was raining and I was lazy to move my stumps, plus I'm starting to 'live healthy', I thought I'd give this one a second chance since Wendy was lunching in - so I piggy back on her order.

Lo, and behold, it was better to the taste than I last remembered. Even the 'weird' green soup mix tasted somewhat nicer. All in all, I quite enjoyed my packed lunch today and felt good that I wasn't ingesting any unnecessary fats and saturated oil for just one meal.

My twiike report card

2009-09-02T00:10:00.000+08:00

It's a pretty cool site this twiike.com. Go get one all nike+ lovers. Here's a sample: Check out cindylow's run from @Twiike - http://bit.ly/8pxD1

I'm also pretty proud with http://my.nike.com/cindylow and enjoy looking at the bar charts and trend lines...

What can I say? I love data and looking at stats.

Gotta calibrate my nike+

2009-08-31T21:37:00.003+08:00

Last Saturday, I went for a run with colleague at East Coast but a different stretch. Instead of my usual Sunday morning runs, I opted to try out a Saturday evening one instead. Plus it was a new route to me (which I found I love it and am going to try it this coming Sunday morning... yoo hoo!).

But, boy, it was a totally different experience after all.

Perhaps it was just that particular Saturday but at 5pm, it still felt extremely scorching hot for me. I think I've run before around that time of the day, but that Saturday, the heat was not in my favour.

At the on-start, I could already feel 'uncomfortable' but perhaps, it was also because I was trying to pace myself with an expert runner and that'd mean the speed would not be my usual slow-coach one.

A short distance away, there was a toilet break but my ego said no, no, I can push on and didn't take advantage of the opportunity to cool my body down with splashes of water (which I later regretted). And from then on, I felt I was going to die from dehydration or exhaustion but once again, my ego pushed me on as I had previously covered a distance of 8km before.

On the return route, I gladly helped myself to the cool water to hose myself down and from then, I felt so much better, like as if the aircon was blowing at me and I could almost sprint my way back. But then, it was the return route, so maybe psychologically too, I was also charged up to complete my run and somehow found the extra energy to push on.

Finally for a few minutes, I managed to 'over take' the expert runner but couldn't sustain my lead for long.

My final nike+ reading showed a distance of 8.51km at a pace of 6:53/km completed in 58 minutes 38 seconds. Minus the inaccuracy of my nike+, I'd say it should have been about a 8km if not, 7km at worst distance.

Felt good and felt proud. But I've got to get to a stage where I can do this and come out breathing normally without panting excessively... like the expert runner.

I can get there... I know I can. Like Nike, just do it.

Ichiban Boshi - Oishi desu

2009-08-30T21:50:00.001+08:00

We went to ichiban boshi at novena square and wazen sets it was for Sunday night dinner. Dad had his beef curry again while I tried the Unagi Tofu one which is excellent.

Mum and bro had ala carte sushi.

All in all, it's definitely two thumbs up again and a third thumb if we all had extras.