When Heroes Turn Bad

Something I saw outside an Astroboy shop. Now I always thought that was a rather rude gesture, from Europe I think...kinda like an 'up yours' or 'F**k you' with elbow and raised fist...what do you think?

To A Crisp

I seem to have this strange habit of coming across bikes in various states of ...er...'despair' on me way to work recently. Man, do I live in a mean neighbourhood or what?

Thought I'll just toss in this other little more colourful or vibrant pix as a contrast to the one above. Well, I just thought it's a pretty neat shot.

Haven't been updating much actually, late nights at the office and all that. When I'm back home, I just wanna hit WOW or catch up on some reading. Good news is I haven't placed a single soccer bet since ...er....my last entry? At least since me birthday, I think. Speaking of me birthday, am still trying to figure out how to convert videos for me PSP. Having some problems trying to watch them.

Public Service Warning

A close friend of mine got the new Nokia 5500 Sport and believe me when I say it’s probably the worst phone we have ever seen and used.

Stay away from this phone at all costs! For starters, the rubberized keypad is almost impossible to use, keying in SMS has become a chore. The screen is small compared to most other phones out there. It’s supposed to be packed with features that count your heartbeat, play music, etc. as you work out BUT seeing how heavy this thing is, who would be dumb enough to lug it about while excising? There are better, smaller, lighter and cooler devices to carry with you while working out!

Now here comes the worst of it. The rubber seal at the base of the phone pretty much fell apart not long after he bought it. Now the connections at the base are exposed with the rubber thing flapping about. Poor material? Shoddy workmanship? His bad luck? I dunno. And it ain’t cheap either!

If there’s anyone out there reading this. Just warn all your family and friends to stay away from this piece of monkey crap. The Nokia 5500 Sport SUCKS! For the kind of price you are paying, there are better Nokia and non-Nokia phones to choose from.

We Need More Hookers!

After all the tight security crap and strong arm tactics the Government here is dishing out for IMF meeting and along comes this beautiful headline in the state-controlled press.

I love it! I can forgive the Government for all that brown shirt crap after reading this article. It states in no uncertain terms that “We need more hookers!” for the thousands of IMF delegates. Seriously. That’s the crystal clear message. Check out that quote "New recruits know what the escort industry is all about so they are aware of their duties."

It’s so serious, it’s freakin’ hilarious! It’s written in such a straight-faced, matter-of-fact manner, complete with interviews with escort agencies (aka pimps), their rates ($1,000 for an overnight) etc. If you lived here, you would know that this is not the kind of article you normally see in your daily papers.

Remember boys and girls, prostitution is LEGAL in sunny Singapore, it's only soliciting that's illegal.

Just Another Day

Ah...finally got the day off on Friday yesterday. Was me birthday. Went back for a great home cooked meal at me mom's place. She still makes the best steak (and pork chops and spaghetti)around. Then it was back home to catch Slither on DVD. Not a bad horror/comedy, kinda like Tremors. Someone once said, you know you are old when you look at your CD collection and realized that all the bands have either disbanded or the members are all dead.

Dinner was at Checkers at The Hilton. It was a seafood buffet. I think it's seafood every friday nites and Japanese every saturday nite. The best part was freeflow of wine! Woo-hoo! We actually thought of heading to The Line at Shangri-la but decided to try somewhere new for a change. What's more, The Line doesn't have free booze and it's more expensive but they do have a wider selection of food. Anyway, it was a pretty good dinner. They had oysters from four different countries, I only had the ones from France. I was told the cheesecake was pretty famous. Me being the wise-ass that I am, I did ask if they were going to play the Paris Hilton CD over the PA system. Heh.

Today was a little more interesting. Camper shoes at Takashimaya was having a 50% off everything but there weren't that much good guy shoes left. Lots of women shoes still around. Oh yah, reunited a lost 5-year-old girl with her mother and finally treated meself to this.

Sunday Breakfast For Two

So we got to 4 Rochester Park at 9.20am and realized that we were the restaurant’s first two breakfast diners. Our reservations were at 9.30am. We chose the outdoor table instead (I made indoor reservations just in case it rained) and placed our orders about 20 mins later.

Now I read some pretty mixed reviews about the place. Mostly it all came down to great food, good ambience but bad service. And I have to say from my Sunday experience, it’s kinda true.

We didn’t have to wait that long for our food but about half hour later, after we finished our meal, I noticed that most of the other patrons that showed up not long after we did, they were still waiting for their food.

It all just seemed like a very long wait to me. Although I must admit, the staff all looked very, very busy. It’s not like anyone was lazing around. Anyway, the omelet we ordered was supposed to come with mushrooms, bacon, sausage and potatoes as per our choices. They forgot the mushrooms.


Fortunately there was a generous serving of mushrooms in my Cast Iron Pan breakfast, so I passed some over.


Oh yah, we fed breakfast to a couple of mosquitoes too.

Hot Summer Nights

Ever had one of those hot summer nights when you had one too many beers and all your old childhood ceral box friends suddenly started showing up? Dammit! What did you guys do to Captain Crunch?!?

Hot In The CIty

Hey, I'm back! Is it just me or is the weather really, really hot these last couple of days ... just out of the shower and I'm already sweating. Geez, I don't know about you guys but I say we could really use some of these, just like in Japan.

My Addiction?

How should I start this...one of me earlier posts was bout this four main vices of me younger days. Well, of those four, one of them is still haunting me to this day. It's the one on gambling and do I have a gambling problem? I dunno. Maybe I do and maybe I don't.

The reason I'm writing this now is cos this weekend is the the start of the new british soccer EPL season. And that's what I used to bet on. I have always loved playing games, almost all kinds of games and puzzles, and to me, betting on soccer was a kind of game, a kind of mental challenge. You study the facts, analyse the tables, look at the stats etc. And you try to make your guess. And when you win, the feeling is great, simply exhilarating. You tell yourself you are smarter than the system and you outwitted it. Of cos, when you lose, the feeling is really sucky.

I started out with little five dollar bets and that became hundreds later, er...much later. I used to bet hundreds every weekend. I have won lots and have lost lots too. Fortunately, things never got to the point where I had to borrow money or anything like that. I still paid all my bills on time, bought the things I wanted, ate and drank well, gave my folks money etc. Nothing much changed in terms of living expenses. So why did I stopped? Or at least am trying (and succeeding so far!) ....cos I know if I didn't it's only going to get a lot worse.

I used to spend hours searching the betting forums online. Not the online gambling sites but a particular Asian forum where people exchanged tips. I think almost every local soccer gambler knows this site. Hehe. I have seen guys surfing the site in public on their laptops numerous times! I stopped visiting the site months ago. Looking back, I do have some pretty funny gambling stories to tell.

I'm just writing this to remind myself to not gamble or place any soccer bets this season. It's gonna be a long season so wish me luck.

Hmmmm....maybe next time I'll talk bout me other three vices. Definitely not as somber as this one.

More Geek-ing Out At Home

One of the cool things about having your own place is the chance to do it up however you like. Don’t think most of you remember me very first post. Anyway, here’s the wine rack part of it. See that guy behind it, guarding the wine rack? That’s my X-Men Sentinel action figure. One of the best-looking and detailed action figure ever. Simply amazing sculpt! It was released last year and become one of the most sought-after, best-reviewed Marvel comic book figures around.

In the comic books, the Sentinels are giant mutant-hunting robots that fought the X-Men on a regular basis. If you watched the last X-Men movie, you might remember the opening scene with the X-Men fighting in the Danger Room. They were under attack by some huge thing and Wolverine leapt (aka Fastball Special) at it. Then this big purple metal head dropped outta the sky and crashed to the ground. That’s a Sentinel head. I guess the movie budget wasn’t big enough to put those guys in.

Anyway my point is if I was still living with me folks, I sure doubt if I could get away with incorporating me action figures with the rest of the furniture! Hah. I just thought it would be neat to have him looming above the wine rack. What you think of the wine rack? I kinda like that too, got it on offer at Takashimaya last year too or was it the year before? Its got a nice leathery feel and I thought it looks kinda classy as well.

Geek-ing Out At Home

It's Tuesday nite and you know what that means to a World of Warcraft player. Server maintenance nite! Figured I'll just update here a little while waiting for CSI: NY to start. So here’s how I spent part of me Saturday.

Decided to get a second bedside table at IKEA on Wednesday and was putting it together on Saturday. Didn’t have much trouble with it except the hinges were kinda wonky.

A Hydrangea By Any Other Name

Here’s one of favorite non-food pix from my last trip to Japan. It’s the beautiful Hydrangea flower or Ajisai in Japanese. Snapped this in Kyoto at the famous Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

My aunt actually grows the flower here in Singapore too, funny thing is when I first heard the name ‘Hydrangea’, and I heard it as ‘Night Ranger’. I remember thinking to myself ‘that has got to be the coolest name for a flower ever!’

And here’s how it looks with a snail munching on it! I'm trying to make this a food blog so I had to show someone or something eating!

Singapore In Pole Position

Tomorrow's our National Day and I guess nothing says it or more local-like than this.

That's right, it's still out there! I can’t help it, I took this latest pix yesterday. Every time I walk pass the wash pole flag, I feel like saluting to a pair of freshly rinsed undies or washed sheets. Over three weeks and counting! I gotta admit, I’m surprised it’s still out there for everyone to see.

Can anyone come up with a better title?

Ah Crap!...I Mean...Crab

Guess what we had for dinner? S$11.50 for about 850g. Cooked it at about noon and served it cold for dinner later. Not as much meat as I expected even though it was one of the bigger crabs in the tank. Forgot to snap a pix of it being served...heh...it wasn't bad. Maybe next time, will try doing some white pepper crabs which is one of me favorites.

Bet you thought I forgot but it's now five down and one to go! Haven't been eating much ice cream at home cos of all the Japanese snacks I brought back.

Hotel Security

Seen one of these in your hotel rooms before? This here is my hotel fridge in Tokyo. The moment you take one of the cans out of its slot, the check-out desk would immediately know about it, even if you replace it a minute later.

So when you check out, it'll be reflected in your bill and you have spend probably a few minutes explaining that you only took it out cos you never seen one of those before. I guess it's a little harder to explain than the porn channel in your bill.

So ...er.... does this count as a food or drink entry?

Things Not To Talk About On A First Date

Ah, looks like this is a good time to geek out. Pretty damn sure I’m not going to get much comments here, if any at all. Hehe…but that’s cool.

Some really geeky stuff (aka things you DON’T want to talk about on a first date) that I’m currently overloading on…

Been back to reading Batman comic book series again. Picking it up cos its written by Grant Morrison with art by Andy Kurbert. One of the best and most surrealist comic book writers in the biz today, Morrison has taken Bats back to his roots. After the events in the Infinite Crisis storyline, the entire DC universe has been rebooted. DC’s holy trinity Bats, Superman and Wonder Woman are back in the main spotlight. Written the way they should be! The current Superman titles have already been getting rave reviews. The last Batman story arc One Year Later with the return of Gordon as everybody’s favorite Commish and Two-Face as the villain was great too. Great ending with Bruce Wayne officially/legally adopting Tim Drake (3rd Robin) as a son. Dick Grayson (1st Robin) was only his ward.

By the way, the new Wonder Woman comic book is written by Allan Heinberg, the television writer and producer, on shows like The O.C. and Grey's Anatomy. He’s also the writer on Marvel’s Young Avengers comic book and that’s already a certified sales hit.

Oh yah, there’s another Kinokuniya book sale this weekend. Will finally pick up the best-selling The Astonishing X-Men Vol.1 hardcover written by Joss Whedon, producer and writer of Buffy, Angel and Firefly TV shows.

Still on the super hero bandwagon, got back to collecting the new Marvel Heroclix figures from the latest Sinister Expansion. Although I don’t play the game, I sure as hell enjoy collecting them. They not cheap either as it’s a tikam situation to guess what figures are in each box but damn, those little critters are just so irresistibly detailed!

Ah crap, there goes my original plan to make this a food blog again….and I haven’t even gotten to yakking about me World of Warcraft character….yet.

Maid In Japan

Awww man, what a sucky day at work and it's just gonna get worse in the coming weeks. Anyway, here's a little hotel souvenir from Kyoto that I just couldn't resist. Hang it outside your bedroom, office door, etc and let the fun begin!

Speaking of maids, check out me new handphone accessory, also from Japan. Bet you won't find this being sold openly here. They got another tied up in a tight little cheongsum too!

Its like Friday morning now as I post this when I actually started writing this on …er….Tuesday? Had a little problem uploading the pix. Like I said, work is pretty crazy right now. Thank goodness for You Tube and Mystery Science Theatre! Best comedy ever! Any fans out there?

Coming up next! The latest on the Wash Pole Flag! It's Week 2 and is it still up there?

Patriotism On A Wash Pole

Holy crap! Its been like four or five days already and it's still out there! At first I figured it was hung out to dry but I'm beginning to think that it's really meant as a flag pole! Well, nothing says 'I'm a Singaporean' better than having the flag hanging on a wash pole right out of a HDB heartland window. Here's another close-up, suitable for all you patriots out there looking for a wallpaper or screensaver. Don't thank me, just doing my bit for the country.

Wash Out

Something I saw on me way to work the other day. Yup, someone took the national flag out for spin and rinse and hung it out to dry on a pole (probably right next to the undies). That's something you don't see everyday. Now, I could make some social commentary about how this country needs a cleaning up in more ways than one, but I shan't.

So What's Your Favorite Holiday Movie?

So there I was, flying to Tokyo and scanning all those free in-flight movies, lots of latest ones that I have yet to catch including King Kong and The Pink Panther. I flipped through the movie pages until I saw one of my favourite Xmas movies! It’s a popular movie set during the holiday season in Los Angeles and opens with a crisp Jingle Bell Rock soundtrack. I have watched this movie about a dozen times on TV and it never fails to bring a warm glow to my heart and smirk on my face.

I am of course referring to the hit movie Lethal Weapon starring a young Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. The other favourite Xmas movie of mine is naturally Die Hard. Who can forget that classic line “Ho Ho Ho! Now I have a machine gun!” written on a dead bad guy’s chest. Yes, not many people remember it but those two blockbuster action movies are actually Xmas movies!

Well, I watched it again and what can I say? I still loved almost every minute of it! Hey, those two movies pretty much kicked off a couple of whole new action genres. The familiar buddy cop action genre and the lone-desperate-man-vs-army-of-elite-baddies genre!

I was very tempted to watch it yet again on my return flight but I resisted and picked up Kong instead. And speaking of return flights, there are just SOME of the snacks I brought back with me. Look and drool folks!

From left: Tako ball-flavoured Pretz sticks, Royal Milk Tea (favorite drink!), Green Tea/Red Bean Kit Kats (perfect!) and black sugar candy (not sure what's the actual name).