Cassie and Lynn treated me to lunch as a farewell gift. They brought me to Plaza Market Cafe at the Fairmont Singapore. Lisel tagged along and caught up with us.
I counted all my $1 and $0.50 coins in my "Piggy Bank".
Guess how much I have saved?
$1300!
After this, I have decided I will stop saving coins, because its really a hassle counting them in bulk, as well as looking for a shop to change them. I usually don't go to the banks because they are blood sucking in nature. They charge a fee for every 100 pieces of coins!
Caught Alaric Tay filming a section for "The Noose" outside the Cathay Cineplex.
I admire the whole gang in The Noose, Alaric Tay, Michelle Chong and Chua En Lai. They are a bunch of talented impersonators, at least better than Channel 8's The Black Rose, or whatever that Variety Program is called.
We took Nick to the Raffless Hotel Long Bar as well as the Swissotel New Asia Bar for a visit when he was here in Singapore.
Ironically, though we hosted him, it was my first time in the Long Bar as well.
Raffles Hotel Long Bar is THE BAR that concocted the FIRST Singapore Sling.
Wow, the Singapore Sling here really tasted better than almost all Singapore Slings I have tried.
Oh, and in Raffles Hotel Long Bar, please throw your Peanut Shells on the floor. You will not be fined. When we first walked in, we were wondering why the staffs didn't sweep the floor, but Nick, who had read some tour book prior to the visit, told us that its a tradition in the Long bar, thus all patrons throw the Peanut Shells, all over. We took this opportunity, and threw Peanut Shells at each other, like kids. LOL.
Feels good to litter openly... Just kidding.... LOL
Some neighbours are really inconsiderate.
If they had to displose junk, they could spare a little more effort, and bring these junk down to the Disposal Centre!
After KTV at Teo Heng, I decided to pop by Kim Choo, to buy their famous Bak Chang (Rice Dumplings). Their Dumplings cost $2.50 per dumpling when I bought it, but a closer look at their price list revealed that their dumplings will go for $4.50 during the Festival!
Albert treated Yuki, Joanna and myself for lunch for his birthday.
As we could not get seats in most restaurants during lunch hours, we ended up at Gangnaroo, The Korean Restaurant.
We have passed by this restaurant countless times, and each time, it was packed.
This restaurant is operated like a family business, as apparently only the husband and wife were taking orders and serving the food. Yes, they are Koreans, so you can rest assured food here is authentically Korean.
Of late, I have been having bad dining experiences. Either the food was not up to mark, or the service standards were poor. This one belongs to the same flock.
IndoChine Waterfront Restaurant.
IndoChine has a good reputation for providing great dining experiences with great ambience. I must say they only satisfy the latter.
The menu was tantalising. Just looking at the description of the food, one could salivate.
I chose Menu B. FYI, one set lunch costs $50++ per head.
My appetiser was pathetic. I didn't expect to see one pathetic rice roll as appetiser for a $50 set lunch.
The main course was well presented. I was impressed.
Of the 4 items on the main course, only 2 were nice.
Whats with the raw vegetables?
A closer look at the 4 dishes.
We had a massive movie outing yesterday, and my oh my, it was mind blowing, watching a movie with 64 other colleagues, and having a dedicated queue, with our company name, for our Popcorn Combo Set Collection! And yes, this outing was organised by none other than yours truly, ME. Another successful event, before I leave the company.
Killers, starring Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl, is in short, FUNNY. I do not know if I should categorise it as a Romantic Comedy, or an Action Comedy, because it has a mix of both, and a very good mix indeed. I have been a big fan of Katherine Heigl, since her Ugly Truth in 2009, but wow, I never knew Ashton Kutcher is one charming actor (Lucky Demi Moore!). He charmed the shit out of all the girls (and me) sitting in my row, with his witty one-liners, and of course his killer ABs.
There were several scenes where Ashton was topless, and you could almost hear girls whistling, and see them drooling, at his god-damm-gorgeous-almost-perfect body.
The storyline is great! There is a twist to the story, though not entirely unpredictable. Katherine and Ashton really displayed great chemistry in this movie, and I give it a 8.5/10. Do watch this movie, if you are not too serious, otherwise, you might end up saying what one of my colleagues said. "This movie is unrealistic. How come he doesn't have to pay for all his crimes." LOL.
Its just a movie, so just sit back, enjoy, and put all morality aside!
VV invited Lisel and I for a farewell lunch at Thanying Restaurant at Amara Hotel.
We were touched by her gesture.
Tom Yam Soup
Singapore is at the top of the list of the top 10 countries with the greatest proportion of millionaire households. This means that Singapore has 530,000 millionaires! OMFG!
1) Singapore
Population: 4.7 million
Percentage of Millionaire Households: 11.4%
Who would think the tiny Republic of Singapore would be crammed with so many millionaires? The country, all of just 247 square miles, has emerged from the recession and has rebounded in a big way. Its GDP, exports and manufacturing are all rising, and so, too, are home prices. That has led Singapore to boast the highest concentration of millionaires anywhere on the planet. Among its very rich: Ng Teng Fong, a real estate tycoon, and Wee Cho Yaw, who runs United Overseas Bank, one of Singapore's big lenders.
2) Hong Kong
Population: 7.1 million
Percentage of Millionaire Households: 8.8%
Hong Kong, the home of Li Ka-shing, who runs conglomerates Cheung Kong and Hutchison Whampoa, had 205,000 millionaire households in 2009 and takes the number two spot for percentage of millionaire households. Hong Kong's close relationship with mainland China brings benefits and risks, but it's been good for many of the wealthiest, who made their money by investing in a real estate market that has no shortage of swanky hotels and malls.
3) Switzerland
Population: 7.6 million
Percentage of Millionaire Households: 8.4%
The Swiss economy is recovering from slow growth during the recession, but a good many of its citizens thrived during the upswing, bringing it to third place in percentage of millionaire households. The country boasts 285,000 of them, up 19.5% from 2008. Driving the recovery: manufacturing, rising exports and consumer spending. Among the country's rich: Swiss biotech tycoon Ernesto Bertarelli, who is, perhaps, better known for winning the America's Cup in 2003.
4) Kuwait
Population: 2.8 million
Percentage of Millionaire Households: 8.2%
The rising price of oil has led to more millionaires in this tiny country. With some 100 billion barrels of crude, Kuwait has been growing rapidly. But the oil-dependent nation now plans to spend up to $140 billion over the next five years to diversify away from oil and to attract more investment -- a move that could help it ascend this list's ranks. Such a strategy may help billionaire Nasser Al Kharafi, chairman of one of the most diversified and largest conglomerates in the Arab world. His food division, Americana, has the Middle East franchise rights to KFC, Wimpy, TGI Fridays and Pizza Hut, among others.
5) Qatar
Population: 841,000
Percentage of Millionaire Households: 7.4%
Qatar's economy expanded by about 8.7% last year, thanks to growth in the natural gas business. That helped the country, already the world's largest gas exporter, to emerge from the global economic crisis pretty much unscathed, leaving many of its millionaire households in good stead. Among its megarich: Bader Al Darwish, with a fortune of about $1.7 billion. Al Darwish runs Darwish Holdings, which operates businesses including real estate, investments and retail services.
6) United Arab Emirates
Population: 4.9 million
Percentage of Millionaire Households: 6.2%
As the world's third-largest oil exporter, the UAE's economic growth is expected to rise to 3.2% this year, after posting a 1.3% increase in 2009,. Like others, its oil business has generated wealth among its citizens. It also helps that UAE isn't expected to suffer from the eurozone debt crisis. The country is home to Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair and his family, who run Mashreqbank and the second-largest flour milling company in the Mideast, as well as megamalls.
7) United States
Population: 310.2 million
Percentage of Millionaire Households: 4.1%
The 4.7 million U.S. millionaires in 2009 was up by 15.1% over 2008. But as a market percentage, the U.S. falls relatively low on the top 10 list. The country, which is home to two of the world's wealthiest people, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, saw its economy bounce back in 2009 from the year before as the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 40%. By the end of 2009, the economy grew at its fastest pace in more than six years, even though many businesses put the brakes on hiring.
8) Belgium
Population: 10.4 million
Percentage of Millionaire Households: 3.5%
Suffering from spiraling debt and political problems, Belgium still managed to hold on to a number of millionaires. The country has set a goal of getting its budget deficit to 4.8% of GDP in 2010, which is far below Europe's average. But Belgium's total debt will rise above 100% of GDP, placing it behind only Greece and Italy. The debt crisis in Europe will also likely take a toll on the country's economy in 2010. The good news is that Belgium has a trade surplus, and household savings are high. Among its richest: Albert Frere, who founded the media, utilities and oil conglomerate, Compagnie Nationale a Portefeuille.
9) Israel
Population: 7.4 million
Percentage of Millionaire Households: 3.3%
Unlike other markets, the story in Israel wasn't about rising real estate values or credit, but about gains in technology, which some say will help lead the country to continued economic growth. While 2009 was a good year for the economy, the current eurozone crisis could hurt Israeli exports because about 33% of them go to Europe. Rich man in Israel: shipping tycoon Sammy Ofer, worth north of $6 billion.
10) Taiwan
Population: 23 million
Percentage of Millionaire Households: 3%
Taiwan may be last on the top 10 list -- but that's still quite a feat. The country was hit hard by the recession mostly because its economy depends on trade. But as the world economy skittishly improves, Taiwanese families have seen their fortunes rise. The country now has some 230,000 millionaire households. That's an increase of 22.1% over 2008. One of its richest is Terry Gou of Foxconn, a maker of electronics for Apple (AAPL), Nokia (NOK), Nintendo and others. That company has been in the news recently because 13 of its workers have committed suicide or tried to.
(Extracted from Daily Finance)
After watching Buzzing Cashier 2 on MobTV, I decided to visit this cafe which is located in Hougang Central Bus Interchange. The food critics and the chefs were raving about how good the food taste, but it was a HUGE disappointment!
Firstly, I visited the stall on a Sunday morning at around 11am, and it was still not opened. I looked around the exterior of the shop, and I could not find a single notice on its operating hours. FAILURE NUMBER 1: Not keeping the customers well informed.
When I re-visited the shop again at around 11.30am, it was finally opened. I saw the lady boss, who was featured in the program. She was busy preparing food. I was served by this rather young chap, probably her son or nephew. I asked about their operating hours. His reply was that on weekdays they open from 7am to 7pm. Thats fine. But when I asked about weekends, his reply was that they will come around "11 plus, no fixed timing on weekends".
FAILURE NUMBER 2: No fixed operating hours, open shop as and when they feel like it.
I decided not to be judgemental, and asked to buy their famous Filo pastry which was highly recommended on TV. I also wanted to try their famous Chicken Wings. To my disappointment, the food were ALL NOT READY, and I was told I had to wait 45mins, if I wanted those items.
FAILURE NUMBER 3: Poor time management. You don't ask customers to wait 45mins when there was no queue! If you open your shop at 11am, you jolly well get your food ready by 11am, thus, go to the shop EARLY to do your preparation!
I did not wait and left the shop disappointed.
I went back to the shop again in the afternoon, as I was dying to try the food.
This time round, I saw Chicken Wings on the display tray, and a lot of Filo pastries. I thought to myself, "Finally!"
A girl was mending the pastry counter, and I asked her which Filo Pastry was nicer, the mushroom or Tuna, and her answer was "Depends on your taste, I don't know, because I have not eaten before."
FAILIURE NUMBER 4: Staffs are not well informed of products. The least she could tell me was which was more popular among customers, and not tell me something an idiot will know, that is that the food depends on preference.
I bought both since she couldn't give me a satisfactory answer. I then also asked to buy 2 Chicken Wings, as there were 5 of them on the display tray. This time round, the counter girl told me the wings were sold out. I pointed to the tray, and she told me, someone else had bought it, but there was no one!
FAILURE NUMBER 5: Inadequate supply of food. Unless you are an extremely popular food outlet, like the Donut Factory 2 years ago, you should never tell your customers the food is sold out. You ensure there is always enough for anyone who walks in. Its only pardonable if its close to the end of the day.
I will NOT visit Winkz Winkz ever again, because after trying the Mushroom and Tuna Filo Pastry, I give it a D-. Both tasted really bad, at least not to my liking, and not worth all the hassle.
STUPID VAN DRIVER CUT INTO MY LANE WITHOUT SIGNALLING CAUSING A MINOR ABRASION TO MY CAR! FUCK YOU!
Da Jie Esther invited her bunch of closest friends for dinner at the famous Pu Tien Kitchener Road (one week before Jiada had the food poisoning incident at Pu Tien City Square!)
One thing you might have to take note is that the original Pu Tien at Kitchener Road and the imitation Pu Tien at Kitchener Road are just a few units away from each other, ALONG KITCHENER ROAD. So please be careful not to enter the wrong Pu Tien!
Their famous noodles here. Its really good, though it looks bland!
Birthday girl, looking lavishing!
