As Time Goes By

Doing Favours ....

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:43:00 +0000

Last Friday, I was meeting my dear for lunch at my office, when we saw this guy wondering around, looking for a building. I pointed out the direction, or rather, the direction I thought. So he went in the direction I pointed, after thanking me.

However, I realised it was the wrong direction, so when we saw the guy again, I told him it was the wrong direction. The building sounds familiar to me, but somehow I could not place it at that moment, although I know it must be somewhere very nearby.

So my dear whipped out his mobile and called the company involved, and got the exact directions. Once I knew where the building is, I told the guy the exact way to get there. He could not stop thanking us and sounded so grateful!

This incident got me thinking - to me, it is just part and parcel of life that we help others out of a jam. Afterall, there will be some lost sheep here and there. To my dear, it is also natural for him to help others out.

But when it comes to someone else, it may not be the case. Like if I was the one who was lost, I would probably not been able to find someone to help, as most of them would be in a hurry. I witnessed how my mum brushed off someone who needed her help when she was in a rush to go somewhere.

But even if we were in a rush, what harm would it to spare a few minutes? Would a few minutes really matter? Unless that few minutes was a matter of life and death, otherwise would those few minutes kill?

I remember once when I experienced something similar. I was with my ex, and he pulled me away as we were rushing for a movie. But honestly, even if I were to help that lost sheep, we would still have made it for the movie as that theatre was screening the whole lot of commercials for the first fifteen minutes or so.

So why can we not stop to smell the roses, and do a small favour? It will not cost us any money, or any life and limb. Is it so hard to do a favour to someone? Or has our society evolved to such a state that we have no time to even lend a helping hand?

Bookworm Deluxe : The 69 Love Notes - Secrets To A Loving And Lasting Relationship

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:45:00 +0000

I have not done any book reviews for some time now. Since I have recently made it a point to catch up on all the reading and re-reading, I thought it would be a good idea to chart my progress by reviewing books each time I finish reading one. At least that will keep me going and fulfil my goal!

I thought it would be appropriate to start with a book written by a local author, who also carves a career coaching lovelorn people. Due to my recent change in status, I thought this book would be useful, or serves as a reminder of what to do and what not to do.

I bought this book solely to read the tips on making a relationship work and last. Besides, the author herself is pretty insightful and passionate about what she is doing. She is a beautiful person in her own right, both externally and internally. Her husband is a very lucky man!

In the book, the author gave sixty-nine tips on how to have a loving and lasting relationship. To be honest, the tips are not new to me. In fact, ever since I entered into my very first relationship, I already knew about those tips. The author simply put them into words and described them thoroughly.

Hence, after my own experiences, I can affirm that those tips are really what makes a relationship last. I have known them long ago, but perhaps due to youth, emotions and temper, I often let my emotional outbursts affect what I wanted to communicate, hence the relationship(s) started breaking down.

But after being single for some time, being more in control of my emotions and maturing (I hope), I swear by these tips. In fact, I used to do most of what is mentioned in the book (except the guys were either unreceptive or deemed me unreasonable and picky), and I still do them.

I bought this book, thinking I used to be unreasonable, thinking I did not do a good job the last time round, so I wanted to read the tips and ensure I do a good job this time round. Guess what? I was not unreasonable at all! Nor was I asking too much! Whatever written in the book is actually the very basics to maintain a relationship!

So I am really happy that I did know what to do after all, just perhaps the guys did not know and I did not really communicate well enough? Or that I was just doing things one-sided without much contribution from the guys? Afterall, for a relationship to really work and last, it takes two hands to clap.

So kudos to Kloudiia for her very insightful and entertaining book, with real-life examples and tips that every single looking for love, every couple in love and every married couple can use and benefit from. Hence, I will highly recommend this book to everyone!

Meet The Parents!

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:24:00 +0000

I have not met anyone's parents for a long time. I mean, I have met some of my friends' parents, but not in that sense. So when I decided to meet his parents last Thursday, I was a nervous freak!

I never have problems with anyone's parents, but then, I am able to relate to Chinese parents due to similar upbringing, so when it comes to parents of another race, it may be different, and the least I want is to screw things up.

Technically, it was not really the first time I have seen his parents. His dad ever gave me a ride before, and I have met his mum in church. But it was the first time I met them officially. I know the basic things, like never go empty-handed, never behave in a rude way, never judge. So I went over with six Indonesian mangoes, where his mum cut it for dessert after dinner and kept thanking me as the mangoes were really sweet!

His mum is a superb cook! I kept praising her food to the sky! After the initial nervousness, things went to normal. After the meal, I wanted to help in clearing the dishes and washed the plates, but he told me not to do it as his parents would prefer I just enjoy and not do anything. So we ended up chatting and resting before his dad brought me home.

It was okay, I think. The next day (Friday), I was invited to his cousin's place for a birthday party, and met his aunt's family. Being Eurasians, the unique feature is that the people look different. Due to the mixture of various races through the generations, some look pure Caucasians, some are more dark-skinned, some look like a mix of Caucasians and locals. Very interesting!

Since it was his cousin's daughter's birthday, I ordered a strawberry shortcake and brought over two more mangoes. His family is very jolly, everyone seems nice and humourous, which kind of releases my tension a bit. I even felt rather at home with them!

And the food is fantastic! It was all home-cooked! The family likes to give parties and host people at their place, cooking their own food, which is what I like to do too! All I need is to get more recipes and start improving my cooking!

I really enjoyed myself, so I believe it was good for a first impression. Hopefully no one has anything negative to say about me!

Cathechist Briefing

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:06:00 +0000

Since signing up to be a cathechist, I was waiting to be called. Last week, the coordinator called me for a briefing on the expectations and what is required. We went through what is required, the kind of commitments like AGM, school terms, social nights and thanksgiving parties and masses, as well as how our schedules are like.

In other words, we have to be really involved, and ensure we go for every event. This Ministry is the biggest in my church, and I do feel honoured for being able to serve in it, all for God and the kids.

The coordinators asked questions like why did we want to be a cathechist? What made us think we can be one? What can we contribute? What age did we like? How much can we commit? In short, it was like a job interview, where we were grilled on the most difficult questions!

At the end of the briefing, we were told we seem acceptable, so we were asked to teach Sunday school. Hence, starting January, every Sunday morning, I would be teaching kids of ten to eleven years, and he would be teaching the Confirmation teens, which would be a commitment of three years each round.

I feel so excited about this new challenge! I am sure looking forward to it and hopefully, with God's blessings, I will be able to do well in it and grow in my faith as well!

Scenic Cycling Trip

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:18:00 +0000

After the cycling trip where we all enjoyed ourselves, we decided to venture further last Saturday. Hence, we started cycling the entire stretch of the East Coast beach to the far eastern part of the island, about twenty kilometres in all!

We passed by a scenic coastal route which I have never seen before. Come to think of it, there are pretty nice places here, that are just waiting to be discovered! We took a break at a point with white sands, clear waters and lallang growing all around! The only thing undesirable was the amount of litter thrown by others! :-(

We also cycled past the entire stretch of the landing strip where we can see the planes taking off and landing. Plus forested areas, trees of five metres, winding paths of woods. These are places that one can never imagine ever seeing in this cosmopolitan island city!

I did not manage to capture all the photos, but I managed to take the most scenic place of all.

One can hardly see waters like that here!

Scenic Coastal Point

This tree is actually growing at a forty-five degree angle

Would have been totally unspoiled save for the clutter of litter

Traces of neighbouring islands in the background

The pavilion where we stopped for a break

Strands of lallang growing
(I have not seen these for ages!)

It was a very good experience overall! I wonder if I am up to the cycling challenge which my friends are talking about next year, to cycle forty kilometres? Hmmm... looks like I have to start cycling vigorously from now on!

Lining Of The Eyes ....

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:18:00 +0000

I am not an eyeliner person. My one makeup necessity is lip stick or lip gloss, as in even if I do not apply makeup to the rest of my face, I still must make my lips slick and glossy. Just like some cannot live without eyebrow pencils, some eyeliners, some mascara, I cannot live without my lipsticks and lip glosses.

However, I have seen the difference eyeliners can make to one's eyes, especially to Asian eyes that are not as deep set. I wear eyeliner only on special occasions like if I am attending a party, or wedding dinner, or any formal dinners. Definitely I do not wear eyeliner all the time!

But I have to admit, after applying eyeliner, my eyes simply look different. I look almost sultry and seductive. For some reason, I look more attractive if I apply eyeliner before mascara, then if I just bat my mascara lashes without eyeliner.

So I started applying eyeliner more often. But for someone who was using pencil liners, I find it rather hard to apply. Firstly, the pencils are quite hard and it tend to pull at the skin on my eyelid. Secondly, the effect may not be as good.

So I switched to powder eyeliners, but it needs a rather steady hand and just the right amount, as too hard and too much will give a too harsh effect. Hence, I came to a sad decision that eyeliners are perhaps not for me.

Until I discovered liquid eyeliners. One stroke, and my friend's eyes really stand out! So I decided to give it a try. Coincidentally, liquid eyeliners are now more widely sold than pencil eyeliners (at least down here), so I bought one and tried it out.

There are liquid eyeliners that come in tubes like a mascara, in jars with an accompanying brush, and even those that come in a pencil form but looks like a small marker at the end. I chose the one that looks like a small marker pen. It is as steady as a pencil, but not as hard. So one stroke and I could get my eyes looking good and perfect!

I really swear by liquid eyeliners now!

In Tandem ....

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:49:00 +0000

Last Saturday morning some of us went on a cycling trip along the East Coast. For someone who cannot really cycle, I had to ride tandem. I brought my dog along and we put him in the basket of the tandem then we proceeded to ride.

We rode from McDonalds (around the middle of the whole East Coast beach) to Bedok Jetty (around the end) for a pitstop. After that we continued on from Bedok Jetty all the way past the Sailing Centre, past the SAFRA Clubhouse and golf course, past the coastal point to almost to the point of Changi, the furthest east of the island. Can just imagine by the time we started to cycle back to return the bike, I was feeling sore all over already!

But it was great working out. I have not exercised for so long that I must really start keeping fit. My dog was also so excited that all he could do was look at the scenery passing him by, keeping quiet in the basket and looking out without a single sound!

By the time we returned the bikes, we had cycled for more than two hours. I thought I would feel wobbly but luckily, I was still steady after having both feet on the ground again. My dog was also happy about having his feet on the ground that he was walking around excitedly!

We then proceeded to the hawker centre for brunch. After the two hours or so of exercise with burning of calories, in just half an hour we put back all the calories! Who said exercise helps one to lose weight then? ;-p

Halloween Fondue

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:41:00 +0000

Last Saturday was Halloween, so some friends and I went to La Fondue at Dempsey for dinner. It was a very rainy night, with torrents of rain splashing down. Most people would be late, and by the time we reached the restaurant, it was five minutes past the stipulated time. Luckily my friends are the ones who keep promises, so rain or shine, they turned up and we had a blast of a time!

It was the first time I entered the restaurant. Initially, we were supposed to go to White Rabbit, but that was closed for a private function, hence we settled for La Fondue instead. The set meals consist of cheese fondues (what else?), with meat, vegetables, appetizers and a dessert of chocolate fondue!

The set meals range from a three-course to a sumptuous six-course, so the price is dependent on what one orders. Personally, for just two people, a normal three-course is already filling enough! Since we have about twelve, we ordered three different meals and all had a sumptuous feast!

The interior of the restaurant looks cosy and quaint. It is situated in an colonial house (like most of Dempsey), so the space is not that big. The restaurant can seat about twenty the most. Still, it is great for big groups and yet cosy enough for just two.

Interior of the restaurant - hanging chandelier of sorts

I am not sure if it was due to Halloween, or the restaurant itself has a mystic feel to it, but we saw masks, different kinds of masks, hanging at every wall, next to candle stands.

Different kinds of masks

Table setting

The appertizers of caesar salad, garden salad and shrimp cocktail

The blue cheese fondue

The brie cheese fondue

The pure cheese fondue

Vegetables sides

The bread

Dipping the bread into the fondue

The different varieties of meat (beef, fish and chicken)

Cooking the meat (cooked by my dear!)

Dessert - chocolate fondue

Platter of fruit
(bananas, strawberries, kiwis, pineapples, marshmallows and vanilla ice-cream!)

Dipping banana into the chocolate fondue

Dipping the strawberry into the chocolate fondue

Dipping the marshmallow into the chocolate fondue

After our fondue feast, some of us adjourned to Brewerkz for drinks. We saw many people in costumes along the way, there was a Count Dracula, two monsters from Scream, even a Twitter guy! All in all, it was a great get-together, filled with fun, laughter and cheers!

Guest Blogging

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:39:00 +0000

Many have said I am a very prolific and consistent blogger. Perhaps, perhaps not. To me, I will not consider myself as prolific or consistent, I shall say I am long-winded to say the least? I have considered whether to let others post to my blog, but with my perfectionist and picky personality (in some areas), I rather stick to myself, as others may not write the way I write, or follow my style and format.

But then variety is the spice of life, is it not? It will be too boring and mundane if everything sticks the same. Things become very predictable after that. Hence I have invited him to be a guest blogger. (Can refer to his blog for some socio-philosophical issues close to his heart.)

He can write anything he likes on my space. This is the first guy I have been with who actually and totally appreciates my blog as much as I love it, others would either deem me too expressive or emotional, or else they are not comfortable with being "exposed" in cyberspace. Hence I have given him carte blanche to post anything he wants anytime he wants. He says I can post to his space too, but I have yet to receive an invitation. ;-D

Black Coffee ....

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:15:00 +0000

The dear loves coffee. But I am not that much a coffee person. So whenever we go to a cafe, he will always drink coffee and I will always drink hot chocolate or tea. In any case, it is hard to find good coffee here. The coffee overseas is another story altogether. The aroma is so strong that I can never resist it. Hence I always drink coffee whenever I am overseas, but not here.

Whenever my Aussie relatives come, they will look for nice coffee. But I have no place to recommend them. I do not mean the coffee from coffee shops, I mean gourmet coffee. So when I came across the Black Coffee Dessert Bar near my office, I was intrigued. With reviews that the coffee there is up to standard, I decided to bring the dear along.

The interior decoration is pretty cosy. When we were there last evening, the staff was in the midst of decorating for Halloween. It is just a small space that can cater to fifteen people, no more than that. What I like is the menu - the menu is written on a black board with different coloured chalk. Somehow I have always liked this concept!

The menu

The interior decoration - does it not reek of nostalgia?

I wanted to order coffee, but the variety is about the same as any other cafe - normal coffee, espresso, mocha, cappuccino, au lait. Where is Blue Mountain? Hence I decided to get molten chocolate, which is stated as their specialty.

And molten chocolate it is. It is thick chocolate that is melted down, put into a small cup with a marshmallow on top. One taste and it is heavenly! Kudos to the molten chocolate!

My molten chocolate with marshmallow

His mocha espresso (I like the leaf shape on top!)

We also shared a Shepherd's Pie between us. But frankly speaking, the pie is not that fantastic. I have tasted the best Shepherd's Pie in England, that somehow the local ones here do not cut it. So for food, I will give it two stars the most. Drinks wise (I am biased since I have onl y taken the hot chocolate), four and half stars! Ambience three stars and pricing four stars.

Our Shepherd's Pie

I do not mind going back there again though. I saw a variety of cakes on display which look really yummy. Perhaps next time I shall order the oreo chocolate cheesecake, and a cup of coffee!

Sketches Brasserie

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:37:00 +0000

I always wondered why some cafes choose to call themselves "brasseries". After all, that word kind of conjures up something else in my mind. Later on, I realise that the word "brasserie" is French for "brewery" or "a type of restaurant with a relaxed, upscale setting, which serves single dishes and other meals." It can have service staff and printed menus, opens every day of the week and serves the same menu all day.

We were at Sketches Brasserie next to Hotel Intercontinental last Saturday. The last time I was there was a few years back when I had a gathering with some former co-workers. I remember the pizza was pretty good.

However, this time round, I was not happy with their service. The service staff seems quite confused over the menu. Perhaps because the menu is hand-written, and one has to state the preference on what kind of pasta we like.

The standard of the food has dropped a lot too. The pasta is tasteless, the soup is normal Campbells soup, and the garlic bread is not well-toasted. The interior decoration is cosy with a nice ambience, but it is hard to look beyond physical appearance when the food is not up to par.

In short, I would rate it only one out of five for food, three for ambience, and one for price (it is not that expensive, but not worth the price for the kind of food!) This is one place I am not going back if I can help it!

Interior of the restaurant

The bar counter

The table setting
(I kind of like the wooden table, gives a rather quaint feel)

The menu (see how confusing the menu can get?)

The garlic bread

Mushroom soup

My spaghetti with onions, bolognaise sauce and bacon

His spaghetti with mushrooms, bacon and ham

There was actually some confusion over his order. He does not eat onions and he wants mushrooms, but when my spaghetti came, his came with the same ingredients. Turned out the poor girl was confused over our orders in the menu slip.

So we had to explain that this plate consisted of mushrooms, bacon, ham, bolognaise sauce and NO onions. But at least she was kind enough to bring it back and the chef gave us a new order. Hence three stars for service!

Dessert - Creme Brulee with tea

This was the worst creme brulee I have ever tasted! Firstly, the texture was so hard that I could hardly put my spoon in! Creme brulee may look hard on the outside, but once you dip your spoon inside, the texture is as soft as custard. The hardness is only the top layer, where the sugar coating is. Creme brulee should best be eaten in an authentic French restaurant!

Mahjong Galore!

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:36:00 +0000

I do not come from a mahjong family. As in, none of my family members (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins) play mahjong. My entire family does not indulge in the vices like smoking (ok, there were a couple of smokers from the older generation, that is about it), drinking (except for social and light drinking), or gambling (no mahjong, no card games, except for light UNO, Gin Rammy and Blackjack, but we do not play with money).

Strange right? Normally for Chinese families, in a big family setting, people always play mahjong or gamble. But we do not. My family believes in family bonding, so when we have the big get-togethers, they will sit around, feast and chat. Hence, either people are overwhelmed by the big gatherings as most come from small nuclear families nowadays, or they deem it strange that we have so many people at the gatherings yet not a single one plays mahjong.

So I was not brought up to play mahjong. The only times I attempted mahjong was the computer mahjong and a celebration with some friends who were all mahjong addicts. The game itself is pretty addictive actually!

For some reason, I was asked for two mahjong sessions last week. The first one lasted six hours. I could still remember which pair and which sequence, but I have totally forgotten the exact calculation of opening sequence, what tiles needed to win, and whatnot. Hence I was quite confused in the beginning.

But after shuffling the tiles, losing a few rounds and winning due to a big stroke of luck, I managed to get the hang of the game. In fact, it is a rather good game to exercise your brain. It helps in quick thinking, strategising and analysing, plus improves your powers of observation. I wonder why no one in my family thought of playing? In any case, we do not play with real money, not as if we play big stakes and lose hundreds at one go! It is just a fun and friendly game.

The thing is, the first two or three times I played, I was so nervous and could hardly know what was going on, only followed what others did. Then after that I did not play for the next four or five years. Until recently when I was asked to go for a mahjong session again.

Yet this time round, I am able to grasp the concept rather quickly. I wonder is it because I have played before hence able to catch it fast, or for some reason my intelligence level has increased? I hope it is the latter though!

In any case, it had been two great games, coupled with food, great company and nice drinks! It is a good way of bonding, having fun and chatting at the same time!

Bad Eggs Come In Threes ....

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:27:00 +0000

I have been trying to refrain from grumbling, complaining, cursing and swearing, et al, for some time. But in just a week, three different people have irritated the hell out of me. People who really know me know how outspoken I can be, so to be totally quiet is really unlike me. It took all of my grace and manners not to kick up a big fuss!

First was last Sunday, when I met up with friends at a train station before proceeding to the harbour to take the ferry to Batam for our Rempang teaching mission. There was a drink stall that was doing business at that hour of the morning. Since I was thirsty, my dear went to get two drinks for us.

The drinks stall is situated just at the edge of the train station. We were standing away from the gantry, nearer the walkway. The drink stall is just about a metre behind where we were standing! So when we started drinking, a guy who came out of the gantry suddenly told us off that "no drinks allowed".

Who did he think he was? We were not in the train nor past the gantry! We were outside a drinks stall for goodness sake! In that case, does it mean there should be no food and beverage stalls scattered along the train station then? Still, my friend told me not to let that guy spoil our day.

The next incident happened on Tuesday. My dear and I were hitching a cab home after the sumptuous dinner. There was a cab in front of us dropping off a passenger. There was another cab coming up. It was a premium cab, hence the charges were higher.

But that was not the reason why we did not take that cab. Since we already had a cab in front of us, we decided to wait for the passenger to alight before taking that. However, after the passenger had alighted, the driver remarked that she was not picking up anymore passengers, and drove off.

So the premium cab behind us then went onto the spot just vacated by the previous cab. Before we even got in, the driver said in a sarcastic tone, "Twenty cents difference only, cannot afford is it?" I was so pissed! Who does he think he is? It is our choice which cab to take! Does he think everything is to do with money?!

Then when I told him where we wanted to go, he asked if I was going to I road. So I said yes, I am staying around there. But the direction the cab came from happened to be at the other junction, where S road is. (My house is accessible from all North, South, East, West and Central directions.) I road would be coming from the West, S road would be from Central and South.

So anyway, since he was coming from that direction, I told him to turn left at a traffic junction, because if he was going to I road, he would have to go further up and make another U-turn, and the traffic at that point has always been heavy.

But when I told him where to turn, he said in a sarcastic tone, "That is not going to I road, it is going to S road." I said, "Yes, I know, just turn in." Does he think I do not know the way to my own house?! And he still tried to prove himself right and refused to take directions from me! When I told him to turn left, he went straight. Luckily my house is near the corner, so it is rather accessible no matter which way he turns!

I was so pissed when he finally dropped us off! What kind of attitude is that?! Who is he to remark which cab we want, look down on us for a mere twenty cents (according to him), and still insist he knows the way to my house better than I do, when I have been living there for almost sixteen years?!

The last one was on Wednesday, after the photoshoot. I mentioned the pushy studio manager who kept convincing us to get the VIP package. The thing is, we were at the photoshoot just for fun, since my dear have always wanted to go for one. We never intended to get anything else. It is our right to say no, yet why did the manager kept insisting?

He said if we are to get married, the package will cost much more, said that his price is already very reasonable. Yes, we know all that, but honestly, by the time I get married, I will have my own plans in mind, so I do not need his services! It is not the cost but the necessity. We really do not need their services! Which part of that does he not understand?

Again, he said if it is due to the money, we can always negotiate. But we have to keep emphasising that it is not the money, we just do not need it. Yet he kept insisting at the end just boils down to money. And he even said it does not matter to him even if we do not get it, since there will be others who are willing to get it.

Now what kind of attitude is that? Is that the way to get business? When we stood our ground and insisted no, he had a sudden attitude change and was even reluctant to talk to us anymore, when he was so polite and warm in the beginning!

The thing is, if people are in this kind of line, they should expect rejection. Firstly, not many people can afford their packages. Secondly, even if they can afford, it may not be necessary. My money can be better spent elsewhere and not on something which I may not even need in the end!

Still, I like the way my dear told him off. I am still so proud of him for that! Thank goodness the week is about to end. Hopefully next week (and the subsequent weeks) will be much better!

A "Free" Makeover

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:28:00 +0000

Some time ago, someone from a makeover studio called me, saying I have won a free trial makeover. Nowadays I am quite wary of things like this, as the last time I won a "free" makeover, I was asked, persuaded, convinced, etc, to buy the entire album, which was charged at an exorbitant price to cover their "free" makeup, hairstyling and photography services.

So I was not really that interested in going for that. Then last week, someone from the same studio called again. I was about to hang up when I was told I could bring a guest and it will be free too. Knowing that my dear has never gone for a makeover and he is quite keen on a "couple" makeover, I agreed to try out their services.

Last night, we went to the studio. Before I stepped in, I already had a bad feeling. The studio is located at the basement of a building in the midst of renovation. When we stepped in, it is the only office in the entire floor! Imagine if I had gone alone, would it not have been more dangerous for me?

When we stepped in, I had to fill in a form. Then we were asked to change into the traditional Japanese wear of both a male and female kimono. After that, the makeup artist started her work. Again, it was not professional. She did not even bother cleaning my face and just applied makeup over my original makeup!

That is a no-no! Anyway who knows how to do makeup knows that the old makeup must be removed first before applying new makeup! All the other makeovers I had done would at least clean my face first before applying new makeup! Furthermore, the makeup she was using is mass produced, which means my face can be allergic to them! All the other makeover studios I went to at least use rather reputable products!

Even the costume looks tattered and torn! Still, after the makeup and hairdo, we were ushered into the photography room for the photoshoot. The photographer is good. He gave us a variety of poses, and the photos turn out looking pretty good! Still, perhaps due to the makeup, I kind of look older than I actually am!

At the end of the photoshoot, we went to check out the photos. Now that was the "real deal". We had to listen to a sales pitch on paying an exorbitant amount to be their VIP member and getting a lifetime membership, which includes yearly makeovers, family portraits, wedding and other functions. So that is the catch!

I am not so naive to think that it is totally free. There is no such thing as a free lunch. I was getting irritated by the pushiness of the studio manager, when my dear did something which made me look up to him in awe. He actually told the manager off! Wow, all these while I have known him, I never know he can be that assertive and firm! I thought I am the louder one whereas he is the more soft-spoken one. That really make me so proud of him!

We stood our ground and finally the manager had no choice but to let us have the two photos as promised without charging us a single cent. He chose one and I chose one, and so, we had our two photos and exited the studio after that!

Well, it was not a total loss. We had fun posing and got our photos as mementos without needing to fork out any money. So it was a relatively fun experience! All the dating specialists say couples ought to have fun doing things together, and that is a good sign!

Morton's Of Chicago

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:54:00 +0000

I was at this restaurant for a birthday dinner last night. My dear is so thoughtful, he made a reservation, telling the staff it was my birthday. When we stepped in, the lady at the counter greeted me happy birthday and we were ushered to a table decorated with stars and little hearts.

The table setting was really good! What I really like is the personalised menu, with the words "Happy Birthday" on it. It made me feel really special!

The table setting

The menu

My personalised menu

Everything there are in big portions. The roll with butter was served first, but frankly speaking, the roll could feed at least ten people!

The big roll with butter

My friend recommended us the Prime Cut, but that is only available on Fridays and Saturdays. In the end, we settled for a Ribeye Prime. My friend has already cautioned on the big servings, so she told us to order one steak and split it into two for us to share. Then order two sides. So we did just that, with macaroni and cheese and spinach and mushrooms as the sides.

For appetisers, I ordered French Onion Soup and he Lobster Bisque. Dessert was on the house, compliments of the restaurant. It was chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream, with a candle too! When dessert was served, the staff crowded around our table and sang happy birthday to me! The lady at the counter even took a photo, put it in a special album with all the staff signatures on it for me! Now this is really special!

My French Onion Soup

His lobster bisque

The main course - USDA Prime Ribeye, medium rare,
with macaroni and cheese and spinach and mushrooms

His portion of the steak

Me enjoying the food!

Dessert on the house

Candlelight effect

The special birthday album

With the staff signatures

It was a really enjoyable dinner! If I must rate this, I will give it four and a half stars for food, four and a half stars for ambience and service, and three stars for price (it is a bit steep, but every cent is worth it!). This is definitely a place I am coming back again!

Sentosa In Half A Day

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:45:00 +0000

It was a great birthday yesterday. Thank you so much for everyone who had texted me, emailed me and wrote on my Wall! It had been a wonderful birthday, not just because I have had so many wonderful people around me, but also because it is the first birthday in several years that I have a special someone to celebrate with.

Due to the Deepavali holiday last Saturday, we could take an off-in-lieu from work yesterday. So he specially baked a cake and brought it over to my place! I am so touched! It is a very good cake too, better than what I would have come up with!

The chocolate cake he baked!

Then we went for a day trip to Sentosa. We went via the new Sentosa Express (which replaced the old monorail), and bought a package of three attractions and one adventure. So we ended up going to Images of Singapore, Tiger Sky Tower (which used to belong to Carlsberg), had lunch at the Sky Bar, Fort Siloso, and took the sky train and luge ride.

Entrance of the Sentosa Express

In the Sentosa Express

Look at the big bug!

My hot dog lunch

With a root beer

Chocolate-flavoured New Zealand Natural ice-cream

The Tiger Sky Tower

In the Sky Tower going up

View of the Merlion from the Sky Tower

View from top of the Sky Tower

View from the Sky Tower, coming down

Outside Images of Singapore

Sitting in an old rickshaw

The sky train and luge ride

View of the Sky Tower from the Sky train

Towards Fort Siloso

Tram going to Fort Siloso

One of the cannons outside Fort Siloso

Our shadows

Replica of British soldiers looking out during World War II

The Surrender Chambers - where the Japanese troops surrendered to the British

The Christmas tree at Vivo City (from the Sentosa Express)

After that, we had dinner at Morton's of Chicago. All in all, it had been a really wonderful day! :-)

Stuart Anderson's Black Angus

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:58:00 +0000

My parents brought me for dinner at Stuart Anderson's Black Angus to celebrate my birthday on Monday. They asked my dear along (by the way, he sent me flowers and chocolates to my office on Monday! Thank you so much dear!). At least it is a relief for me that they seem to have accepted him. Initially I was worried the race issue would be an issue, but my mum said what is important is for both of us to get along.

Black Angus is famous for its steaks. We can order the set meal consisting of a choice of appetiser, main course, and a side with vegetables. All of us ordered steaks. My parents shared a ribeye steak with garden salad amongst themselves, my first brother had a New York strip loin with baked potato, I had a sirloin steak with mashed potato and my dear had a sirloin steak with baked potato.

The meal is really good! Even my parents were happy with it, and they are normally not that receptive to Western cuisine as they normally prefer Chinese food. So if I am to rate, for food, I will give it four out of five stars, ambience and service, three out of five (since the waitress took a long time to come to us), and pricing about three and a half.

The menu at Black Angus

The ribeye steak my parents ordered

The New York striploin my brother ordered

My dear's sirloin steak, medium rare

My sirloin steak, medium

My brother's New York cheesecake, with raspberry sauce

This is a place which I will definitely go again!

Rempang Teaching Mission

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:28:00 +0000

I have always wanted to go on a mission trip. It is not just mere donating money to good causes, but actually going down to a site to help out in terms of building homes and whatnot. So when a friend told me about a voluntary teaching trip to Rempang, I jumped at the opportunity. Thank goodness my dear is of the same consensus, so he not only supports me, but goes along for the mission trip too!

Thus on Sunday 18th October, we all woke up early and took a ferry to Batam. Then a van to Rempang. The school is in the premises of a church, which does not really look like a church, just some wooden makeshift houses on a grassy field.

I think this must be what those old village or kampung schools used to look like, something I never had the priviledge of seeing, as when I was born, my country is already rather cosmopolitan.

Hence the teaching trip is an eye-opener and enriching experience for me. To be in a wooden classroom with wooden desks and chairs. To see a blackboard (how long have I not seen one?!) and chalk. To be in an area with no electricity and water being pumped out from somewhere. And flies infested!

Things like these make one realise just how lucky and fortunate the students here are. Yet why is it that there are so many here who take their education and good facilities for granted? We never had a blackboard since the early 1990s, all classrooms have been switched to whiteboards and markers.

We never had a fly-infested classroom. The classrooms all had brights lights and strong fans, yet we hear students complaining of how hot and stuffy the classrooms are, with high percentage of myopia among kids.

We never had to read by candlelight, yet we hear of people here who shun reading and claim it is the most boring thing in the world! We never had to use hand-me-down stationeries and books, yet we hear of students here complaining just because they do not like the colour of a certain textbook or pencil and pen!

Sometimes students ought to go for exchange programs in places like these to see just how fortunate they really are! Anyway here are some pictures of the school grounds :

The entrance of the school

Some of the classrooms

I was assigned to a Primary Four class. The students will be taking their English oral examinations soon, so my task was to give them a mock oral exam. It was actually the same as the syllabus here - reading aloud, comprehension and picture description.

The students I tested were all able to read and recognise the words. Of course the pronunciation and intonation were a bit off, but considering their backgrounds, they were pretty good already. There are students here with English education but still not able to pronounce anything properly!

Their comprehension was okay, as in they were able to grasp the passage and knew where to find the answers. However, it was hard for them to describe the picture. It needed lots of prompting from me before they could describe it.

All in all, I am really glad I went for this! Even though it was just a two-hour lesson, I have not lost my touch after being out of the education industry for so long. Being around kids again really make me yearn to do more for them!

The whole thing wrapped up about one o'clock and we then took the van back to the Batam Ferry Terminal. There is a mall opposite the Ferry Terminal, so we went for lunch and did some shopping there before catching the ferry at five.

My dear and I had lunch at A&W, something which can never be found here again! I really miss the food there, especially the root beer float! Lunch was a chicken set with curly fries and root beer.

A&W lunch

I miss the cuddly bear from A&W!

Overall it was a really fruitful day! I hope to have the opportunity to do that again - able to help others as well as helping myself at the same time.

Getting Crabby ....

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:42:00 +0000

I went for a crab feast on Saturday. After all the heat wave going around, it was a nice welcome to eat in an air-conditioned environment, especially in partaking steaming hot curry crab with garlic bread!

Since it was a crab feast, we (all nine of us) also ordered salted egg yolk crab, kangkong, seafood beancurd and fried noodles. All in all, it was a great feast! After that, we went nearby to join some other friends to chill out at a joint, where the live music ended at ten-thirty at night.

The night was not any cooler though, which made my mood even crabb(pp)ier! How I wish I can have a real cooling mechanism right now!

Watching The Merlion Spew

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:28:00 +0000

Since we had the special Julia Child set lunch on Friday, we decided to just take the afternoon off and give ourselves a break from work. Hence we started wondering around the Esplanade area. Just nice I have my camera with me so we could snip pictures of the Merlion!

The small merlion

The big merlion (spewing water as usual)

Close-up of the big merlion

View of the "Durian"

Reflection of the water on the cement

The weather was very hot, so we decided to go indoors and ended up at the Fullerton Courtyard and had an afternoon English tea. Then we walked to Raffles City and met up a friend for dinner at New York, New York, before going to St James for a night of partying! All in all, it had been a fun and fruitful day!

Afternoon English tea at the Fullerton Courtyard

The French Kitchen

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:14:00 +0000

We tried this new restaurant on Friday afternoon. Not so new actually, but new as in we have never tried it before. Since there was a promotion on a Julia Child set lunch, we took the opportunity to try it.

And I must say, the food is heavenly! Kudos and compliments to the chef! The beef is so perfect! I have never tasted a juicier and more tender beef than this! And the creme brulee, it is just so sweet and just the right texture!

The ambience is great too! Nice interior decoration makes for a cosy meal, the service is pretty good, and the pricing is not too bad for lunch!

I am not a food blogger (aka flogger), but if I am to rate the place, I will give it 4 stars out of 5 for the food, 4 stars out of 5 for service and ambience, and 3 stars out of five for price.

If you have not tried that place, I will highly recommend it!

The French Kitchen (entrance to the restaurant)

Table setting

Part of the interior decoration

Raisin and rye bread with butter

Pre-Appetizer : Consomme Ambassadeur

My appetizer : French Onion Soup
(how can I not have this in a French restaurant?)

His appetizer : Foie Gras de Canard a la Plancha

His main course : Boeuf Bourguignon
(which later ended up as my main course)

My main course : Cabillard En Nage
(which later ended up as his main course)

Partaking the heavenly beef

My dessert : Moelleux Au Chocolat

His dessert : Creme Brulee

Hot Housekeeping Day!

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:45:00 +0000

It had been a few very hot days! So hot that my entire house is emitting heat! So hot that my dog ran away when I tried to shower him with the hose (fixed to the tap at the backyard) because it spewed out boiling water! Talk about having hot water without even boiling it!

Normally my dog is pretty well-behaved when it comes to his bath. He would just stand there, not moving, while we splashed him with tap water, scrubbed him, and splashed him with tap water again to wash his shampoo off.

But last Saturday, he ran away the moment the water touched him. I was puzzled, but when I came in contact with the water, I knew why. It was boiling! He had shampoo all over his body, so in the end I had to carry him into the kitchen bathroom to use the shower hose to wash him off.

Again, the shower hose spewed out hot water! Finally I had to use a plastic wash basin, fill it with cold tap water and rinse him off before he was satisfied. Poor fellow! He must be wondering why I subjected him to such "torture"!

It was too hot to even clean the house properly. I was assigned the upper level since my maid is away on home leave. I specially stayed home on Saturday (partly due to the late night partying on Friday night and I did not reach home until four in the morning on Saturday) so I could clean the house, but it was just too hot!

In the end my dear came over and he volunteered to mop the floor for me. What an angel! My mum even commented that the floors are pretty well-cleaned, although if she knew who was the one who cleaned them I am going to be in trouble!

Re-Registration

lefemmepetit@gmail.com (juphelia) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:02:00 +0000

I just re-registered for next semester. This time round I must make it a point to finish my course faster so that I can meet my goal. Hence I registered for four modules this time - the maximum load allowed. Plus two minor core subjects required by the school.

The subjects I will be taking next year will be : Understanding Components of Language, Introduction to Language Systems, Analyzing Prose and Understanding Poems and Plays. Plus Learning to Learn and Critical Thinking.

I think it is going to be a fun semester! I cannot wait for January where the semester starts! Hopefully I can progress this time instead of deferring all the time!