Johor Bahru City Square

As it was my first time visiting Malaysia (since childhood), I was pleasantly surprised that the bus trip - via Causeway Link - from Queen Street in Rochor to City Square in JB took no more than 45 minutes. Great job, both Customs!

All About Me

Thanks to Meishan and her cool iPhone application, this self-confessed nerd can now get to be a narcissistic 'farmer' (in-joke).

The Stare-down

Doncha dare give us that look of despise. Our no-good serfs may have shut out long ago, but we'll continue to stare you down 'til sundown - and you can take that to Woodbridge.

Cathedral

About 14% of Singapore's 4.99 million-and-growing population (mostly Chinese, Eurasians and Indians) practice Christianity - a broad classification including Catholicism, Protestantism and other denominations. The largest House of God here is the 154-year-old St. Andrew's Cathedral at City Hall.

Stars Without Makeup 2: Elva Hsiao

No amount of Rexona or Cappuccino - or even a $44 million inheritance - can make Auntie Yaxuan comely if not for cosmetics.

Flowerball

vth-degree wattage of flowah powah

Komplimentary Kookies

One Man Show's vendors from Google Singapore were kind and thoughtful enough to buy us an assortment of cookies - namely Chocolate Chip, Dog Bone, Classic Oatmeal Raisin, Oxford Ginger and Mexican Wedding - from Spinelli. That means we'll, in turn, be buying more advert space from them.

AVATAR Sinks TITANIC

With relative ease and efficiency, James Cameron's Pandora epic has toppled his own once-thought-to-be-untouchable/unsinkable love ship romance from the worldwide box office throne. Once again, the Canadian-born director has not only proven to be the undisputed King of the World, but also that (1) no other filmmaker in history can captivate an international audience quite like him, and that (2) American auteurs like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg can only dream of his commercial success.

Robotix

** Text revoked on June 14, 2010 due to violation of copyright and confidentiality **

Off to the Vet

While most weekenders were sleeping in on a Sunday morning, we had to shove Jerry into a steel cage and whisk him off in a cab to Mount Pleasant Animal Medical Centre in Clementi to consult the veterinarian on his profusely bleeding left ear. There, a Dr. Leslie Teo (who's a she) attended to us and said our cat was suffering from severe inflammation, which might be caused by formation of polyps. Further examination awaits.

The Story of the Three Bears

Say, how does Goldilocks fit into the greater scheme of things?

Stars Without Makeup 1: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta

Guess the Paparazzi won't be going Gaga over this Lady now...

They Hunt and They Cook

Granted that these tribeswomen are far from the league of Sumaiyah Marope, Emma Wareus and Naledi Willers (who, who and who??) in the looks department, but they can kill a leopard with their bare hands, skin the animal and then cook its meat for dinner. In short, they make good wives. Not your cuppa? Come on, aren't you a little late in the game to be Mr. Choosy?

Raise 'em Up!

No other suburban shopping mall in S'pore – at least not in my short memory – has undergone more phases of expansion in recent years. Jurong Point beside Boon Lay MRT Station/Bus Interchange, for your info, now boasts more retail shops than one VivoCity – and that's really something to shout about. As foto-ed above, it's also gettin' lit up early for Chinese New Year. Fab!

VR MAN

When viewers here knew VR MAN was gonna be made, they hoped the then Teasy-Ass (read: TCS) wasn't serious. Unfortunately, they were; as a matter-of-fact, the superhero wannabe was so straight-faced and strait-laced that he naturally became one of the most spoofed and parodied fiascos in local television history. James, oh James, you really shouldn't have...

Hot Dot

Pizza Hut's really goin' all out to ensure customer satisfaction. Their (new?) delivery box comes with a heat-activated sticker that tells you if your bake's fresh from the furnace. I'm not sure how this thing works, but I can bet more folks will be calling 6-235-35-35.

Trade

gone were laborious coolies carrying gani sacks; in their place are boozers and 'sceners' brandishing beer cans and cue sticks

Bret's Back!

On January 4, 2010, 'The Excellence of Execution' Bret 'The Hitman' Hart returned to World Wrestling Entertainment after a 12-year absence from the company since 'The Montreal Screwjob' in 1997. The 52-year-old WWE Hall of Famer was invited by Chairman/CEO Vince McMahon to guest-host an episode of RAW, but in addition to that gig, the 7-time world heavyweight champion also took the opportunity to find 'closure' (read: reconciliation) with longtime adversaries Shawn Michaels and McMahon - the last of which didn't turn out too well...

Singlish

Why are Singaporeans so proud of Singlish (Singapore Vernacular English)? Does it sound nice? Do we feel 'unique' speaking it? One thing's for sure: This creole language isn't proper, and unless one knows how to code-switch between it and Standard English, users may end up being laughing stocks of others.

Lunch @ Queenstown

A funny incident occurred while I was ordering lunch at 27A Commonwealth Avenue (beside the old Queenstown Police Station), but since it's too tedious to detail I'll just say it involved some mistaken identities. Anywho, my chicken cutlet with butter rice was filling enough even though it wasn't half as gratifying as it appears here.

Partially Open

"Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) opened the doors of its four hotels to the public on Wednesday at 8.18 am - considered an auspicious time by Chinese - paving the way for the launch of a Universal theme park and casino, which will be up and running later. The hotels are the Crockford Tower, Festive Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel and Hotel Michael, which together offer 1,350 rooms and 10 restaurants." - The Straits Times.

Ed: Calling all cardsharps! Time to check in and get ready!

SVC

does volunteering for a day at the assisi hospice back in my school days qualify me for this?

Call the Medic!

One of our soldiers' suffering from hyper-hydration! Whose 'bright' idea was it to conduct water parades before standard obstacle courses?! Look how intoxicated this poor sumbitch is! How're we supposed to answer to his parents?!

X-Boy

dr. gunther von hagens should take a look at this

Reporting the News

Yours truly became an on-location reporter and experienced the thrill of broadcast journalism for the first time. So malu to have so many pairs of peepers set on you, but at least I didn't fumble over the autocue/teleprompter. Now, can I audition for Channel NewsAsia? :-D

Hey, Angela!

If not for Facebook, I wouldn't have 'rekindled' my 'special friendship' with the now-married Angela Chew, my bubbly ex-colleague from Pearson Education Asia. I remember how we used to exchange e-mail correspondences, which I dubbed 'letters from heaven', during office hours whenever our editorial work got slow. Hehe!

Hey, Xixin, let's meet with Janetta!

Kampung Life

Far away from the hustling and bustling of the concrete jungle is a rustic and idyllic lifestyle of a Perakian midwife-cum-matchmaker Mui Por (top left) who listens to Rediffusion all day and Sarawakian housewife Janet Fang (top right) who scrubs clothes on a wooden washboard all night. Those were the days for us.

Tiger Trek

A bored (read: strutting left and right) Bengal white tiger snapped afar in its enclosure. No suicidal keeper this time - thank god.

nuffnang

Was recommended by Mrs. Porcupine to be a part of Cheo & Tiah's regional online platform, but realized this blog's content may prove too crappy to make any AdSense -_-
Still, gotsta thank those unique visitors for popping in!

Spring Is Here!

wake up and smell the pollen grains

Happy Shop

"If you're happy and you know it, step inside. If your shoes are damp and dirty, use wet wipes. If you're happy and you know it, and you really want to show it, then go eat a pie and later go pang sai." (Rated by Blogorator as #1 lamest entry labeled under 'Random' in January)

Shahrukh Khan

Popularly known as King Khan and SRK, the impossibly handsome Brad Pitt of Bollywood is a prominent figure in Indian cinema who has won seven Best Actor Filmfare Awards for his work in such movies as DEVDAS and KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI. In this photo, he even looks a bit like one Mr. Bob Durgude.

Wet Pouring (PG)

To hopefully drown the Nipplegate scandal rife in the village.

Kachua

No need to squeal, this is not the real deal - only a realistic model. Just trying to make a point that some peeps can be harder to get rid off than primeval roaches.

Old Changi Hospital

For those who aren't so acquainted with the Singapore paranormal scene (if there's deemed any), the now-abandoned Old Changi Hospital at Netheravon Road's widely regarded as a 'fertile ground' for things that bump in the night.

High-ceiling wards, an underground bunker and even a torture chamber that witnessed history from the pre-war British colonial period through the Japanese occupation and beyond are perfect 'investigation sites' for people from SPI, for example.

Get spirited and go explore the place with your friends, if you dare!

Pork Rib Rice

The due-to-be-demolished(-for-refurbishment) Hong Lim Complex in Chinatown, meanwhile, still serves up some savory non-claypot pai gu fan seasoned with light soy sauce. It's priced at a standard $3.00, and we assure you that such value for money can't be commonly found in upmarket food courts. Goes well with a bowl of peanut-cum-cuttlefish soup, too, as I'd tried.

Hair-raising

we only pray that the pepsi pyrotechnic accident, which scarred emjay for life, won't scathe curly sue so much...

IL MARE

5The lake house: Sublime cinematography defines the mood in SIWORAE.

Hollywood had a good reason to remake this 2000 South Korean romantic drama (with fine turns from Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock): it's an old-fashioned love story interwoven into a modern-day time warp. Pre-MY SASSY GIRL's Jeon Ji-hyun, then only 19, plays a girl from the future who communicates - via a magical mailbox (acting as a 'gateway' of sort) - with a man (Lee Jung-jae) in the present. Not always believable, to be sure, but alternately sweet and poignant. Title means 'The Sea' in Italian.

Women and Children First

Whoever, I wonder, came up with the protocol of evacuating women and children first - before men, that is - in the event of a sinking ship? Whilst chivalrous a decorum, I can't help but feel worried for those 'dearie furries' - when will be their turn?

The Body Show

Not to be bedlamized with its rival Body Worlds @ Science Centre, The Body Show @ Clarke Quay, an affair not graced by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan, showcases essentially the same anatomical parts at different geographical locales. Battle of the Cadavers? What gives?

DIAMOND CLUB

For sofa spuds who can't get enough of AMERICA'S GOT TALENT, this is the Formosan version featuring transgender hostess Li Jing (fourth from right) and a weekly mélange of entertainment stunts and performances. If you ask me, it's frankly not too shoddy.

Carousel

"Who is the girl at the window pane, watching the rain falling down? Melody, life isn't like the rain; it's just like a merry-go-round."

- Bee Gees

'L'-OSER!

FOR TAKING YOUR UGLY STEPSISTER TO THE HIGH SCHOOL PROM AND PRETENDING SHE'S VANESSA HUDGENS.

extra

It's Nowhere

It used to be "everywhere", but now MediaCorpse's tvmobile service has been discontinued (w.e.f. last week) upon the expiry of its agreement with SBS Transit. No more catching ET and JUST FOR LAUGHS on the bus. "Mommy, it's (really) over!"