Secret Hideout-Sembawang

Well, amidst the hectic work schedule we managed to snatch sometime off to check out Sembawang Park and its surroundings. Its a really coole area, super secluded and serene. A little known beach, colonial villas, the sembawang wharves, a quick drive around will bring you to Yakult factory in Senoko.

We stopped by this cosy restaurant called
Bottle Tree Village
Location: way in one corner of the world, its not easy to find. You'll have to drive off the sembawang park, past the boring landed singapore houses through a dark one lane road, past a mosque to a cool lil village called Bottle Tree Village.
Food: Its a coole zhi char place, they have chocolate sauteed prawns!!! its so coole! butter prawn. the fish head curry was super delish! Fish head steamboat etc.
Ambience: Alfresco dining, literally under the stars, you can see the neon lights of Johor just across the straits. dim lights, sea breeze, swings, even a playground for kids.
Rating: we tried the
a)fish head curry: it was very fragrant and rich, thick gravy which went well with rice 9.7/10
b) chocolate coated prawn balls: its good choc, prob hersheys. the prawn ball was made of very fresh crunchy prawns ex though but well worth the try. admittedly i feel that prawns and choc dont go. $20 for 10 balls
c) sweet potato leaves: fresh and fragrant
Return factor: Definitely

Des, lets go for dinner here. Pick u up?

We drove around the area and found colonial like villas (haunting) but interesting. they have pretty cool road names like Montreal and Ottawa road.

Well, just a short entry for now.

Photo Album

A photo speaks a thousand words and invokes a million emotions.

1) Car Crash


2)My tennis racquet in Holiday Inn-Batam
Tennis court costs $5 per hour. Not too bad. Decent and well maintained.


3) Nasi Goreng Istimewa at Harris Beach Resort


4) Holiday Inn Batam
Looks very condo like. Lovely pool with jacuzzi fountains, great place to chill and stone. No noisy kids!




5) Tea Tree Spa in Holiday Inn
Nice Cosy place



6) Nasi Goreng Istimewa at Holiday Inn

Holidaying In - Holiday Inn

Yeah! We went to Holiday Inn Batam for a short break. It was fantastic! The company was great! Food was great! Rooms were great! Here's a list of what fun stuff

1) Played tennis! the court was nice, cleverly blocked from the sun
2) Tea Tree Spa! It was gorgeous. There is this huge jacuzzi right inside the spa. We brought choya and chatted and chilled out! the ambience was superdamn!Balinese decor, nice music in the background and in the evening they had romantic lights all over. we did a couple package in this lovely hut like thing. massage, javanese lulur, body mask, eastern massage, foot reflex and a nice cup of warm ginger tea after. the masseurs were polite and professional (as can be by their standards). The open air hut had attached bath and a tub! so romantic!

3) upgraded room! we got the 2 bedroom with a cosy living room and dining table. so coole! 2 bathrooms! it was nice!

4) Buffet in the hotel: Food was good! Nasi Goreng istimewa, comes with satay, ayam goreng, sambal etc.... Pasta and Rotisserie buffet, lovely lamb racks. INdonesian food made by the experts

5)walk to Harris: food there was good and cheap too! the place is full to happy orange people. we went to check out the cable ski which we decided not to do.... hahahaha....

6)pool:lovely freeform pool with jacuzzi and water sprouts, even a slide too! so nice

7) Number drinking game party: it was fun, a bo liao game but good for a party of 9. Baileys, choya, red wine, Bintang beer. overwork the liver a bit. good thing i had ss. hahahahaha

8) Cable TV! so many channels!

9)Shopping at Matahari, so cheap!


Well, I'd rather check out Club Med in Bintan than go back there. But it was such a nice break. *sighs...*

A series of unfortunate/fortunate events

yes, it somes in series. a serial drama with many episodes. unfortunate episodes.

Episode 1
1) car crash
2) repair car
3) motor insurance is lousy (dont use L******)
4) Carless
5)I have to fork out money- cos my insurance is lousy. For the uninitiated: when u get a car insurance, make sure your
a) premium is low
b) access is low or zero
c) easy to report accident at IDAC or preferred car workshop

Episode 2
Found out my workload for next year

Episode 3
More work, no car, no fun

Episode 4
Road tax due

Episode 5
bills for holidays yet to come due

Episode 6
No car.

Episode 7
NO car

Episode 8
No car


But I'm such a lucky chick. I had great ppl to help me through the whole thing.

FORTUNATE EVENTS
1) dad came to help
2) my workshop ppl (family friends actually) were super helpful, with the exception of one &*&*#$%$% who asked me " why u crash the car??" ^&$%@#$%^&
3) the nissan guy was helpful n informative
4) since my car is under warranty, i get all new parts
5)the insurance itself is lousy but the service is not too bad... easy to report n friendly too.....
6) ss was cool abt it
7)my bro is helping me curse (thanks bro! i owe u one!!!)
8) dad offered to lend me his car (for one or two days out of the entire week but still.....)
9) i get to save money on petrol
10) MIL was at my place when i needed critical information

Ok.... will tell u abt happy stuff soon. like my cool retreat in Batam

Equinox and Powderful Cameras

We brought Mil and Fil to Equinox at Westin, 70 storeys above Raffles City for hi tea. Food was much better than before, service was good and the view was EXCELLENT! Check out my zoom!!

Can you see the Merlion? Its probably rather puny eh?


This photo was taken at the same spot with my zoom maximised. A good optical zoom is a much have! with an image stabiliser of course. this was taken with the pocket camera.... imagine if i brought my Fx 10 with carl zeiss lens!



Food at Equinox
Salads/ Starters


The buffet Spread....



Great Views (not very clear cos of the reflection from the glass)
Check out the lawn tennis courts!


Its no Wimbledon but.....


Suntec from the Top




Quick go! Citibank ppl get 20% discount!

International Wine and Beer Fair

Hey hey! Its nice to read fun blogs eh.... enough of those dreary old tsunami like waves which wash out all fun and play... its the hols.... (predicted: tsunami like waves will be back once hols end... bleah....)

Ok, so we went to the International Wine and Beer Fair (who wants to twangle with the crowd at Comex) at Raffles City. It was so coole! Free tasting of wine and beer from all over, the highlight for me was finding the semi sweet red which we had everywhere in Greece. Its damn good. But I din buy it at the fair cos you can get it at Carrefour anyway. Here are some highlights

1) Cornerstone has ice wine.... not as rich as inniskilkin, a bit young....
2) At the greek wine section, there was a french man promoting greek wine.... I found that interesting..... he had such a strong french accent. We bought the Samos wine (also avail at carrefour)
3) Some bitter sweet beer from Belgium
4) Tasted a japanese sweet potato liquer, very much like sake, very much like hard liquor, not sweet at all.
5) All were at a reasonable promotional price.

Lowlights
1) SO many aunties!!!! Either curious and asking stupid questions or show offy (like most singaporeans are) Blocking my way!
2) Too many comments.... one thing i realise about singaporeans. So silly. they give comments to the ground staff who are just carrying out orders.... they may not even have the courage to bring up the good comments to management to improve the situation. the aunties just blast them with suggestions to improve, what it should be, how it should have been done. So irritating. The ground staff just smile politely and nod their heads. the.....

Wine tasting
So I decided to rate wines we have bought and tried. This one we bought from Carrefour for $35.


it needs to breath a little, we found that a day after opening it, the flavours mellow a little more and was slightly smoother. Goes really well with grapes. Look at the colour, rich goldeny brown, sweet dessert wine. Not too heavy, not too viscous. French I think. Not worth the price really. I expected better. Then again, I'm no wine connoisseur, just going with what I feel about it.

Will take another photo of my expanding collection and show you... need to get fire insurance soon.... hahahahahah

Its the Hols!

Come on everyone now 5, 6, 7, 8. Lets sing it *

happee holeedaze.....
happee holeedazee (echo)

its short and sweet,
fun and neat,
some of work and
some of play

We'll all be away
from the little greenies
we have seen all day
toiling and boiling
coiling and annoying

happee holeedaze....
happee holeedaze.....

its fun to be away....
HEY!

Some pathetic tune lah. Bored. I'm still digesting from the fantas wedding buffet. If you didnt realise, this blog is written on the same day as the " a Simple Wedding". So Federer's still playing. A boring game this one is. Did you catch the match between Andre and Bagdadtis? Andre's 2nd match and he won! yay! I would love to see him get trashed by Nadal. Wahhahahahaha.....

HEy des! great to find some excuse to call you.... So what new inventions are u working on? do you have to kill me and all my blog readers after u tell me? Anyway, will let u know when I get my web cam then I can see u!! hahahah

Tennis reflections
ss is down with the flu.... seriously doubt i passed it to him. No tennis for u till u get better.... in the meantime u can just watch me play..... wahahahaha. was just thinking of how i got started on tennis. its an interesting reflection. I think it really started in sec school where we were made to play mini tennis with those stupid sponge balls and plastic raquets. But I was too busy with bowling and my home ec club and netball to really play....

Jc: was made to play in the poorly participated house games. had enough good ball sense to hit the ball across the net ( but not in the court) . IT was hilarious. I remember playing with J my house captain. All I had to do was serve and he's suppose to "gao tim" the rest.

Uni: perhaps that was when I really got started, graduated from orange balls to ugly pink balls. it was embarassing! The only court with pink balls flying around. I'm not surprised if some flew over to the highway BEHIND me..... hahahahah

Work: played here and there. did some pathetic SSC course which i didnt complete cos i went to India to work for 3 weeks. Played with ss. now taking group lessons.

Making up for loss time, playing as much as i can before i get tied down by you-know-what. Wished I took lessons when I was younger. Sighs......Kill me.....

Well, still bored and still cant sleep. How? Nadal's not playing tonight.Okielah. till then.

US Open 2006

Its windy eh, at Flushing Meadows. Watching the match between Federer and Henman
I love Federer's backhand. Its between calm (slice)or devastating (winner/killer topspin). Of course he has other styles as well. His precision is second only to Nadal.Hahahahaha. I'm a big fan eh. Whats that stupid tune they play during breaks. Its so crap.

Anyway, I havent congratulated my best babes! Congrats darlings! Cant wait to carry your little bundles of joy! YY and Az. Dont count on me to join the club anytime soon k.

Went out with the family to this delightful hangout near Dampsey Road, Harding Road to be precise.

PS cafe
Tucked away in the far corners of eerie (haunted?) singapore is PS cafe. Its so coole with indoor and alfresco dining, the wine list goes on and on and though the food menu is not as extensive, its delish!

Ambience: 10/10 I love it cos there are separate sections for dining, just chilling on sofas and alfresco. it was cosy and very relaxing.
Food: 8.6/10 we love the thick cut fries with the creamy limish dip. We tried the mousakka, the prawn penne, the steak sandwich, the beef stew, the salad and shared the key lime pie. Other coole stuff on the menu were : duck rendang, grilled fish, some other types of pasta, some salads, etc. dessert menu ranges from sticky puddings to banana cream pie and some other hip expanding stuff. on the bar counter were mouth watering glass domes of chocolate cakes, cheese cakes and pecan pies and whatever else.
Service: okla. some cute waiters but not very attentive and quite "duh!" moments. 5.6/10 i suppose
Return factor: definitely, i wanna try the longan martini! their cocktail list is fantabulous! More treats BIL? haha.... just kidding! Thanks for the treat!

There were many other antique shops around that area, not much light from the streetlamps. But a damn fun area. Just come slightly before sunset to see more stuff.

Tennis n me
I found something which relaxes me. I find myself thinking about it alot. if its not bio, its prob tennis. I've not really given up on baking but since I've put on like 100000000000kgs, i think I better put a stop to my concoctions of butter, sugar and flour. It's relaxing too but why do something to compound the 1000000000000kgs issue I have when I can hit some balls and exercise at the same time.

A Simple Wedding

I was thinking of how entitle this blog dedicated to yet another wedding couple. It was a nice cosy meaning full wedding with the couple singing, the childhood photo preview, cake cutting, toasting (not champagne cos the couple was muslim). It was nice, sweet, meaningful and simple. Easy. Well, let me describe the wedding to you and you can decide for yourselves.

Debby & Aza
It was held at Royal Scotts, one of the few hotels in Singapore which serves halal food. The owner is some Bruneian Royalty, the Sultan himself I heard. Anyway, the buffets there are damn good! and the desserts are lipsmacking! Okie enug sidetracking.... back to the wedding

The reception was held by the poolside, as we entered the place we were greeted by the gorgeous bride herself and the beautiful guests (ladies) were presented with a rose stalk. so sweet. And were were given envelopes which told us which table we were at and in the envelopes were blank cards for us to fill in our wishes (pens/markers were on the dinner tables in the banquet hall)We hung ard the pool area, served fruit punch and cashew nuts. Not long after, we went into the dining hall.

Balmoral Hall or something, the room was just by the pool. Simply yet elegantly decorated. They had a band an and mc. Buffet dinner. Not the normal rendang and sambal goreng type ok. it was ....

Menu
Starters
1) Mango salad
2) Squid Salad
3) Thai salad
4) Nachos
5) Ham and cheese
6) some greens
7) Greek salad
8) Cream of asparagus and crab soup (yums!)

Mains
1) Roast beef (where the chef slices it up for you)
2) Chinese style fried rice
3) Seafood Paella
4) Lamb in garlic sauce
5) duck ala orange
6) Prawns
7) BBQ chicken
8) Chicken Pie
9) Salmon in Creme sauce

Dessert
1) Cherry triffle
2) tiramisu
3) bread n butter pudding
4) strawberry cheesecake
5) cherry thing
6) mango pudding
7) Fruits
8) coffee and tea

NO (whats that stage thing called? where the bride and groom sit stone- beautifully of course) No throwing of rice etc, not the usual kompang kamping-silat, gotong royong wedding where makciks sit around with huge vats of ayam goreng and beef rendang (not to mention gossiping on their latest models of handphones while doning on huge chains of gold around their necks and wrists)

It was very modern with a 3 tier cake cutting and not champagne pouring but some juice pouring on a cascade of champagne glasses. Photo video, band, not a single malay song- from Kenny G to Bee Gees. Table to table photos.

Another difference was that it was kept small. 11 tables only.

As usual, as i unconsciously do at all weddings (I'll be the last person to cry if thats what u were thinking!) I over ate, went over the credit limit at the dessert spread. The cherry triffle was good! So was the bread n butter pudding!

The wedding token was a sandalwood fan with their names engraved on it and cute tins of tea. So unusual right?!

Sighs....... I wish I was at your kenduri Az! It must have been crazy!!! 2 days of entertaining and dressing up! I havent seen your pics!!!

All in all, it was great. Congrats Debby n Aza! May your lives be filled with romance, passion and unconditional love.