Vet Clinic

If I didn't interpret this sign incorrectly, this isn't your ordinary clinic for pets; instead, it's one specially meant for vets. Are we surprised? Even veterinarians require medical attention from time to time. After all, they're exposed to a myriad of germs and bacteria from sick animals on a day-to-day basis. Wait a minute, is this all but a big misconstruance?

Jingwei Chin Choo Bee

By the way, that's not her full name up there. 'Chin choo bee' is colloquial Hokkien for 'really cute', which Mrs. Au is. And, just for curiosity's sake, is that piece of bread charred until pitch black??

HungryGoWhere

Well, not to some haughty food review site, for sure. The problem with such sites, which Ally would agree with me, is that they tend to recommend pricey eating places that 80% of the population wouldn't pay to visit. Why? Because most people prefer to go for cheap and good food - and I, for one, am all for hawker food. If you think you can't get gloriously good food for under 5 bucks (or even 4 bucks), then you're dead wrong!

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Symphony Lake

One of the central set pieces of the Singapore Botanic Gardens (AKA Pinays Picnic Park) has to be this serene Symphony Lake (shot here with my 5-MPX SEY). And in the center of this man-made lakelet is an islet on which the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage sits on.
The peculiar thing is, there were lotsand lotsa lily pads in the pond, yet not a single Kermit could be sighted...

Survival of the Longest

Longest running, that is. After 20 sweaty seasons over 10 (less-and-less) lucrative years, the great grandmother of American reality TV apparently has no plans of calling it quits. Yet. So keep that bonfire burning for the next back-stabbing Tribal Council as CBS won't be snuffing out its own torch anytime soon. Doncha know? SURVIVOR 21: NICARAGUA is currently gracing our goggle-box, which prompts me to ponder: (1) Haven't the producers run out of remote islands to film? (2) Can they still afford the US$1 million payout in spite of flagging ratings? (3) Why hasn't Jeff Probst aged at all??

No Mercy

Yours kindly has a soft spot for animals, so I've never intentionally harmed any before. But when it comes to insects, it's a different story. I vacuum spiders (even though they're arachnids and supposedly the 'good guys'), wipe a line of ants away with wet serviette and literally spray the shit out of those feelered kachuas. It's ruthless aggression, CeNation!

A Railway Runs Through It

Dear readers, sorry for the(se) sparse postings. Until I'm done with tomorrow's PowerPoint presentation, I have no mood to blog :-(
Plus, I'm down with fever and an upset stomach. Sighhh.
Still, here's an entry on the (soon-to-be-defunct?) railroad track that passes through our industrial estate. This is the view from the 10th-floor toilet.
I actually enjoy looking at those trains with their passenger and cargo carriages.

Men in Black

We've seen them on TV or in the movies - shadowy stalkers suited in black who appear from nowhere and disappear without a trace. (And, no, we're not alluding to Agents J and K.) Who are they, exactly, and where are they from? CIA, FBI, Secret Service, Planet Zorg?

Still Surviving...

This is how despo (yet dedicated) I am as a blawgger. Despite being burdened by the impending prospects of becoming a legitimate laughing-stock on Friday, I've finally un-toyed with the idea of taking an impromptu break from here.
Oh, about Nivea Baby the gentle nourishing lotion! I apply it on my calves every evening after shower. Don't ask me why :-P

Studio Mandi?

Here's Mandy Cat doing her best mimicry of Totoro-chan. In order for the youngest member of JHM to convincingly pass for Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli mascot, she definitely has to pile on more tiger prawns and...come to think of it, that's about all this fussy felina feeds on :-X

skype

Never been a user of the application software skype until latterly and solely for work purposes. In the past, ICQ was all the rage (where anonymous chatters would go by UINs). Then came MSN (now Windows Live) Messenger, which I'm most adept at and accustomed to. As mentioned, skype's our current workplace communicator (or 'Intranet') - and methinks I should be more 'adventurous' with the emoticons (learn from my colleagues!) since there are so many to select from :-D

Go, Unker, Go!

Mr. 'Standee' Tan Boon Huat (who?) going the extra mile to pitch for Nestlé's Nesvita Omega Plus.

Not Ours (So Whose?)

How and when did this can of Carlsberg end up on the top deck of our fridge, amongst the other sodas? Neither Mom nor I are beer drinkers (just like my Chief Publisher, who doesn't take "a single drop" of it), and I'm quite affirmative that JHM are quaint but not that queer. Ah, I know! It must've been from Uncle Patrick. Mystery solved! :-D

Another One Bites the Dust

These guys were pretty prominent at the last Career & Education Fair, taking up a magnificent island booth that resembled one of those Greek palaces (complete with part-time 'models' in togas and sandals). Then what happened? Couldn't afford to pay their hefty bills thereafter? Pity them poor students...

Wadeva!

While waitin' for the PF folder to be restocked, I hereby present...ME!

The Archer

Albeit botching an attempt to assassinate Pharaoh Tutankhamun (due to a malfunctioning bow string that produces melodic music), Asim (Egyptian name for 'Protector') is still worshipped by his fellow villagers all the same.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2

Horror junkies who somehow didn't find themselves adequately unsettled at the first PA outing (suggesting they must be asleep or heavily sedated) can step into this spine-chilling 'sequel' (which is mostly a prequel) all but guaranteed to make skin crawl. Again.

HOF

Inductees to be announced at this year's black-tie ceremony include Dr. Joseph Ong from Temasick Review, Wailing Wacko from Terror Train and Bossy Biatch who wouldn't give way to no one...oh, I'm sorry! This is the Hall of FAME, not the Hall of SHAME!

Birds of a Feather

Eagles, flamingoes, kingfishers… Just some of the water favoring birdies the SSC hopes to lure to the Sengkang Sports Complex. Will they succeed?

The Hood

Because we didn't install a kitchen hood/smoke extractor at home, we can't use our cooking stove, either. Sigh.

Ear Candling

Has anybody attempted this alternative form of medicine that purportedly originated from the indigenous Hopi tribe in Native America? AKA thermal-auricular therapy, it's claimed that the flame from the lit end of the cloth cone/cylinder creates negative pressure, thereby drawing wax and debris out of the ear canal, which appears as a dark residue. Fact or myth? You decide.

The End of Justice?

Now that both City Hall and the adjacent Old Supreme Court Building have walked into the annals of Singapore history (and are earmarked for conversion into the National Art Gallery by 2013), what'll happen to our judicial system? If CJ Chan isn't shaking in his boots, why should we hoi polloi worry?

Mei Kurokawa

Never so much heard of her until the end credits of THE HAUNTED APARTMENTS, that middling late-night J-horror showcase Mom was forcing herself to stay awake and watch, started to roll. Kinda cute, eh? But, then again, aren't they all?

50 37 28

Are these the respective present ages of Sylvia Chang, René Liu and Angelica Lee years after making the movie 20 30 40? Screw ratio and proportion! They're actually boxes of chocolates from the new Chocolat Factory cache at the basement of Great World City. Who would've guessed, right? The bold-faced numbers probably represent the weightage or composition/concentration of creamy chocolate in each tantalizing bar? Mm...

Mr. Postie

Got a letter or greeting card to mail to grandma and grandpa overseas? Use a good courier service. But if you have something to send around the neighborhood, then you can call upon 'Mr. Postie' Sam Krantz from the Toytown Post. He's fast, efficient and does parcels, too!

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

5Music of the night: All Christine (Emma Rossum) asks of Erik (Gerard Butler) is that he not break into random Spartan mode all of a sudden.

Through countless reincarnations over the generations (most notably the celebrated Broadway/West End musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber), French auteur Gaston Leroux's 1920 gothic novel has stood the test of time and seen its protagonist's stylish face mask reduce in size with each updation. By the time Joel Schumacher got to it in 2004, barely half was left. Maybe the disfigurement ain't that bad to begin with?

Zhi Char @ Circuit Road

When you choose to eat out at an all-rounder cooked food stall in a coffee shop setting that whips up à la carte dishes from a shopworn menu, you can be almost sure that (1) their steamed grouper is 90% fresh-caught (and so comes with a double-digit price), and that (2) fried beancurd (here topped with minced pork and salted fish) is more often than not plugged by the house. Why?

SHA 2010 A

Can they (i.e. organizers i.e. Y.E.S. 93.3 FM) secure some A-listers this year? Locals, small-timers and over-the-hillers don't count.

Burkill Hall

Situated at the highest point of the National Orchid Garden, Burkill Hall not only "provides a commanding panoramic view" of its surroundings, but is also a hot spot for solemnizations and wedding ceremonies. So, of the 830 couples who said "I do" on 10/10/10, how many of them did it here?

What Women Want

A lavish, Kappa Kappa Gamma lifestyle befitting Wilhelmina Slater?

Or a perfectly toned and trimmed body that Heidi Klum would be proud of.

Lu Chen

Asia's Heavenly King of Magic Liu Ch'ien has been credited as his country Taiwan's only enchanter extraordinaire to perform in Hollywood's Magic Castle. An admirer of illusion legend David Copperfield, Lu 'Louis' Chen has also mastered the former's stage presence and profound showmanship.

Keluar

MELARIKAN DIRI SEMENTARA ANDA MASIH BOLEH!

The Fruiterer

This fruitseller @ Carrefour's perishables section was appearing positively bored when I passed him by. So did I pick up a pineapple or pitaya from him to make his day better? Nah. I merely wondered which poor army recruit's green beret did he pilfer :-P

Zhenhong

He was one of my best buds back in JC. Being an antisocial recluse wasn't easy, and Chang Hoong (here with his girlfriend/ fiancée Caroline) certainly didn't give up on me. LOL. Now all we need to do is locate the last member of our '3 Musketeers' clan - Bruce.

St. Joseph's Church

Was cabbing along Victoria Street on the evening of The Excursion when the vehicle stalled - courtesy of rush-hour traffic - beside this 1851 Catholic church with beauteous columns and corridors. If only I could teleport instantaneously to the Vatican right then and there.

Get Groovy!

it's grapelicious!

Do You Have Any CLUE?

This is how deprived my childhood was: I'd never before played Cluedo, the whodunit board game by Waddingtons/Parker Brothers that makes gumshoes out of ginnahs. So, for those who have, can you tell me who overturned the blackcurrant jam in the kitchen?

Who Let the Dog Out?

This Alpha Alsatian can really stare you down, brotha!

Work & Walk

I concur with the adage "everything comes full circle". After a complete cycle of the Chinese zodiac, I find myself back to where I first began - sort of. (And it doesn't just mean Year of the Tiger, my 'horoscopic' animal.)

My first paycheck came from a book publishing company in Bukit Batok (Kelwaram Hillview, to be precise). The office was housed within a flatted factory and I told myself then "no more such places in future".

Who knew? I'm now working at Henderson Industrial Park in Bukit Merah (top left), (sometimes) take my lunch in a canteen and walk home via a shortcut along a small canal (top right) off Lower Delta Road. C'est la vie.

Bobby Heenan

They don't call him 'The Brain' for nothing. Throughout his 40-year managerial career, one of professional wrestling's most distinguished (and yet detestable) personalities, Bobby Heenan, has masterminded the stellar successes of more bona fide superstars than today's Raw and Smackdown! rosters can boast or summon. Then again, they also call this WWE Hall of Famer 'The Weasel' for his cowardly (kayfabe) character and uncanny ability to draw heel heat onto himself by trash-talking.

Battle Box @ Fort Canning

Got an hour or so to spare? Keen to learn some history about the Royal British's surrender to the Imperial Japanese during the Second World War? Head up to THE BATTLE BOX at BUKIT LARANGAN for a now-pricier $8 (which used to be a dollar less) guided tour of the restored underground bunkers and signal rooms, but bear in mind that the holograms are all out of order! :-X

Olympus

flex away, steve carrell! you won't always get to be this macho

Would You Wear This?

Are the Spaniards outta their minds? First, the World Cup. Now, spray-on clothing? Unheard of. And, frankly, the fabric's a tad skin-tight for comfort!

Just for the Sake of It

Truth be told, there's not a specific purpose or reason for me putting up this post. I mean, I've done, like, half a dozen claypot(-related) compos since 2006 and practically run out of different things to talk about. (Again, I ain't no Thanh Do and can never be.) But, hey, there's Jew's Ear in this one - in case you're fond of fungi. Guess that's the best I can muster for now. Until next time!