Tokyo Trip 2009

Stayed in Tokyo for 6 nights. Visited 3 theme parks (Hello Kitty, Disney Tokyo and Disney Sea Tokyo), shopped at the Shibuya and Roppongi areas / Tsukiji Fish Market / Sensoji Temple and tried as many new food outlets as possible (especially the local dishes). Most of the places mentioned are my first visit except the Disney, Tsukiji Fish Market and Sensoji Temple.

As compare to 7 years ago, not much major changes in Disney Tokyo. Food served in the theme park is still very expensive and not that tasty. However, I think Disney Tokyo has added more parades and live performance in the programme. It's good for me as I enjoyed these parades and live performance very much because it is entertaining, colourful and creative. The theme seemed to serve more different flavour pop corn (black pepper, honey, strawberry, curry etc) now with nice colourful containers. Really know how to make money from the visitors. It costed S$22 to S$25 per container. S$8 to refill. The strawberry pop corn tastes and smells very nice :-)




Tsukiji Fish Market gives me more local context and content. No aircon, a lot of traffic and pretty messy as it is a wholesales fish market. We went for the sushi and fresh raw fish for breakfast. While the food is fine, what is most enjoyable is to appreciate the culture and ambience of eating in the outlet. Chef prepares your order right in front of u and good customer service. Long queue and needed to have some patience.




Sensoji Temple enjoys the same status as the local Kuan Yin Temple along the Waterloo Street but with more historical years. While both temples are comparable, the standard of the stalls along the road sides is like comparing one from a third world and one from a world class. The stalls that lead to teh Sensoji Temple are organized, presentable, clean and sells more interesting stuff /food. The only funny and restrictive thing is that you can only consume food within or nearby the stall itself. It's a cultural stuff ? Maybe.





I will go to these three places again when I visit Tokyo next time. It is an enjoyable experience to be in these three places. :-)

Started annual vocation

Have been on leave for a week since my last event on 13 Dec 09. This year, I have a full month annual leave so as to clear my last year leave. I dun have much time to cleat it earlier as there is pretty much to do in office in the past few months. I am planning to leave for good, with or without a new job. Anyway, many more upcoming and since I am on leave, I wun want to think about it until I am back to office later :-)

Writing this entry in the Shinjuku Washington Hotel now. Free broadband access in the room. Reached Tokyo today and the weather here is very cold. I am happy that my daughter din make much noise along the way, 6 hours of flight and 1.5 hours of bus ride. She did express her impatient but manage to engage her. The day is shorter than night now in Tokyo and it was pretty dark when the bus left for Tokyo city from the airport though it was only 5pm local time (ie 4pm in Singapore). I dun quite like it.



It is, indeed, very cold. My daughter is more excited over her new attire. Couldn't wait to put it on the moment we touched down. Ha...ha...ha... It's a tiring day and din explore much today. Will begin tmr :-)

Finally bought a replacement

After much research and reviews, I bought a replacement for the old portable DVD player. There are, indeed, a few options. Basically, which option is likely to give the best possible value.

I bought the Asus Eee 1005HA model netbook in the Sitex 2009 with 2GB RAM running on Atom N280 chip. 10.1" screen size with 160GB hard disk and at least 6 hours of effective battery hours. Pretty good review. Would like to go for the Windows 7 Starter edition but was told that it was only available on that Saturday onwards and I did not want to walk through a sea of people again. Hence, settle down with the Windows XP edition. S$660 in total.

The replacement means that I will have the access to internet in the hotel room when i travel (there are more and more free internet access available in hotel rooms). It is also mean the need to copy more of my daughter's DVD titles onto the hard disk as well as on the portable too so that she can enjoy it while in the plane and in the hotel room.

Was very keen to go for the touch screen model from Acer but the making was not that nice (around S$850). The available of Windows 7 also mean that more touch screen models would be made mainstream pretty soon. In fact, there are more notebook models using the SSD as the storage ie 128GB or 256GB in size, from Dell and Sony. I was very impressed with the Sony edition weighing only 650g with 11" screen. Very, very light and slim but it was just too pricey, around s$2,500

I shall have it one day pretty soon because as technology advances, prices will drop and it can drop pretty fast as well. Ha...ha...ha...

Playground at home

My daughter's playground at home.

I thought I have not bought many toys for her but I must think otherwise.
I dun really feel that it is a waste of money as toys help and facilitate learning. It also creates a platform for communication. What can she do with all these collections and our "investment" ?

- She likes to play cook cook and to lay table with many dishes and drinks. She enjoys taking order from us. :-)

- She likes to build tall tall with lego or other blocks. She can now form story about it and has the idea how she wants to build it.

- She likes to lie down to drink her milk milk on the colourful mattress and placing one of her leg over the other :-(

This is where she learns and we talk.
This is also where her childhood is and our sweet memory.

Ha...ha...ha...

Learning with technology

Ever since I started to use iPhone, my daughter has been pretty active using it and engaged / amazed with the touch screen feature. She can easily navigate and using it to get things done accordingly. She learns it with minimum help from me. The screen is also big enough for her to enjoy her favorite video clips. It is really fun and amazing to see the way she uses it. My only worry is when will she slip the iPhone from her small hand :-(

I have also started to introduce youtube to her. Quite useful when i bring her to library as we can access the youtube information from the public terminals besides borrowing books and reading to her.

Technology can really help to facilitate and enhancing learning experience. Just need to know when to rest and go for some outdoor/physical activities to sweat it out. Leading a balance lifestyle is very very important not only to a kid but also for an adult.

Flexi working hours

We have been practicing flexi working hours for awhile though not too long.

The first thing about flexi working hours is that the responsibility falls heavily on the individuals to manage the time, job priority and accountability of his/her work area.

The worst of it is to mis-use the flexi working hours ie using less time on work as needed. It is not an issue to use the morning 1 to 2 hours to exercise or as family time with kids and then devote more focus and efforts on work at the appropriate time shortly. The purpose of the flexi working hours is to make individuals more productive at work. Hence, you can properly feel how individuals are coping with the flexibility by assessing one's quality of work. Of course, individuals will need to be given a bit of time to adapt to the new arrangements but should not take too long for it. One's quality/character/commitment could judge/assess would appear in the process.

The next observation to make is how much your supervisor and management believe or trust the individuals in the flexi working hours. It is definitely easy to preach by mouth and can fail pretty badly by actions. A new working arrangements with the supervisor or management has to be established along the way to make the system robust and effective. Some understanding is needed as well to support both parties in the a new working space/place.

The last challenge is how to build a flexible and effective team with excellent communication, co-ordination to meet organizations' objectives ? Flexi working hours mean properly less physical time/space with the team members and likely more time on air and the use of technology such as email, sms, conference call, facebook, twitter, intranet etc. Technology cannot replace the needed human presence to build trust, relationship and team. It can only facilitate it. Hence, all have to find more creative ways to build an effective team. All must also willing to make time to build a team. Individuals who dun feel part of the team or organization or no longer motivated will likely to drift further and further away from the team / organization.

The end result of the last challenge would be the mis-use of flexi working hours as shared earlier.

Tokyo

Was planning to visit Hokkaido this year but we are not allowed to extend if we go for the package tour. Since we have shared with girl girl to visit the Disney and Seaworld Tokyo, we decided to go Tokyo first and visit Hokkaido in the near future.

My first visit to Tokyo was 7 years ago when I was on school holiday while taking my Master programme. It was, indeed, a great place to visit and I had enjoyed it very much. Japan demonstrated the meaning of a gracious society and we still have a lot to catch up. It has a very rich and interesting culture. There are so many good things to talk about Japan and Tokyo. The only thing is that it is pretty expensive to be in Japan and Tokyo.

We din sign up for Tokyo package tour rather go for a free and easy arrangement. Again, staying in Shinjuku area but in a different hotel. Weather is going to be cold. Looking forward to the public bath and tasting the local dishes.

7 years, I am sure there would be much changes and many more to explore. Ha...ha...ha...

It's time to change my handphone

My handphone goes haywire in the past few weeks.
Not able to use some of the numbers/characters. Have difficulty using it to sms and making calls. Maybe both my daughter and myself have dropped it too many times. Anyway, decided to change it.

Again, there are so many brands and models to consider and explore. Not my cup of tea and very tiring.

Finally bought a new replacement and I go for iPhone 3Gs. Have been using Nokia for many years and wanted to make a change - brand and the interface (ie touch screen).

I am not very fancy over handphone and just hope that the iPhone suits me and will facilitate my communications with all. Taken a few photos and find it tends to be a bit dark by nature :-(

Most importantly, dun drop it too often. Else, iPhone will just go haywire as well as a matter of time. Ha...ha...ha...

IQ and Wisdom

What are the differences between IQ and Wisdom ?

- IQ seems to born with one while Wisdom seems to grow with one;
- IQ can be measured while Wisdom is more fluid;
- IQ can bring much competition/trouble to you while Wisdom brings more peace/happiness/calm;
- IQ has a limit while Wisdom has no limit;
- IQ can only get you so far in life while Wisdom has the potential to expand your life;
- IQ may make you short sighted while Wisdom gives you a long term perspective;
- IQ is just about a number while Wisdom is about your "depth";
- IQ may makes enemy while Wisdom will win you more friends;
- IQ may destroy an individual while Wisdom may help to build ones;
- IQ is a constant in life while Wisdom grows with life;

Do you want more IQ or Wisdom ?
It says much about your attitude towards life and state of mind.

Happy Birthday

My daughter turns 4 year old a few days ago.



Her birthday is always a big thing to me. I will explore what presents to buy for her, where to bring her for celebration and how to organize a simple celebration with her friends in the childcare center, etc. She will start to receive red packet a few days before her actual day from the Seniors. We also involve her in the process, especially for the session with her friends, to let decide what goodies bags to buy for them within a budget.



I will get her to hold a number on her actual day and take a picture of her. :-)

After much exploration, I din buy her any present this year. She already has many toys, DVDs, clothings, books etc. Maybe, it is time for her to learn that birthday is not so much about presents but more about sharing....sharing time with her family, her friends and sharing her joy with all. In this respect, i believe I am celebrating her birthday everyday. Of course, she will still receive scoldings from me whenever she is out of the limit that we have set for her.

As a parent, it is always fulfilling and happy to see how much she has grown, physically, mentally and emotionally. Ha...ha...ha...

Promotions information at your fingertip

Surfing for indoor swimming pool on the internet and come to know about a website that provides promotional information that is happening locally. Examples:

- 30% at swensen during weekdays as part of its 30 years operation here;
- 50% discount at crocs online;
- Fish & Co also started its membership imitative
etc

You may have already knew all or some of these happenings but it is still pretty nice to have all possible promotional information centrally accessible. Added its updates in twitter or facebook, u can be sure to learn the latest best possible buy.

Interested to find out more ? Great Deals in Singapore

Nokia netbook

I read with surprise that Nokia will be launching its first netbook next month. It's called Booklet 3G. The netbook space is definitely very crowded with all brands but pretty the same specifications. That's can make the purchasing decision a bit tougher.

I think netbook has managed to realize the dream of a true mobility fueled by its small form factor of 10" screen size, longer battery life, affordability and being internet ready. The bonus of it is the ability to also supporting multimedia entertainment at the same time.

Ideally, the netbook is going to be a stronger "killer app" with the following configurations:
- not more than S$500 per unit
- 200GB of SSD "hard disk" space
- 12 hours of effective battery life
- 4GB RAM
- Broadband in-built with the local telco
- TV out port

To me, it will wow me much :-)

Going to school

I have been driving my daughter to school in the morning whenever the timing is feasible. However, my daughter prefers that i walk her to the school instead of driving her. Initially, I though that she was tired of being in a car. After awhile, I realize that it is not.

It takes about 5 to 7 minutes to walk to the school. Along the way, there are 3 spots that there would be general slope. My daughter enjoys the thrill of moving down fast these general slopes. In addition, she can chase cats as and when it appears. I think, it is an enjoyable walk with fun activities. Sitting in a car is just too boring.

Though i prefer fetching her to school in the car so that i can go to work after that (and save some time), I follow her and walk to the school. While she is enjoying what she can possibly does along the way, i enjoy watching her learning and having some light moments "interacting" with the living environment. I can also show and explain to her how to cross the road. I will definitely miss the wonderful opportunity if i insist driving her to school just because I say so.

It is, indeed, a relaxing and enjoyable 5 to 7 minutes walk :-)
Ha...ha...ha...

Busy month

I dun have any event this month and yet it is a very busy month for me.

Many meetings, many changes, many fundamental issues to discuss and to make a stand on it. Adjusting, learning, sharing, co-ordinating and adapting. At times, i feel that things seem to be out of control and heading no way. Busy apart, the ability to continue spending quality time on non-office stuff does help to balance life and giving one's vision in check.

I dun quite like the busy days. At least, I dun feel it fulfilling. It's just a job to meet my ends. Need a change ? Maybe .....

Cantonese cuisine

It has been almost 12 years that i revisited the same place to dine.

Why 12 years ? No particularly reason, just happen to be. My first visit was with my JC friend who liked the food so much as that he kept promoting how the nice the dishes tasted. Then , i was not really pretty keen on food and it was just another dish. What is so big deal about it. Of course, I did enjoy the food, partly also because of his accompany. He is now in US, PhD trained and married with 2 children.

Read a food review and I was attracted to one of the dishes. The outcome is .... let's go to try it. :-)

Restaurant name: Lai Wah Restuarant.
Address: Blk 44 Bendemeer Road #01-1436
Tel: 62949922



Do u know what is the above dish ? Yes, a fish. To be exact, it is a red garoupa.

The chef prepared two different tastes on the same fish: half steamed and half flour then fried. I wun say that it is something totally new but it is quite a piece of art to be presented with the dish. A lot of preparation work and skills to do it well. It tasted nice :-) The fried portion smelled and tasted better but the steamed portion tasted pretty smooth with gravy. It is very filling and dun have to order too many other dishes if dining in a small group of 2 to 4 people.

Surprisingly the restaurant also provides vegetarian dishes. Good for me as I have one more option on the 1st and 15th day of the month :-) The place itself is quite cramped. The business is pretty good. Parking facility is convenient with a nearby HDB carpark.

wii or not to wii

I dun play computer games. Why ? Properly dun have much patient to learn and to move from one stage to another stage as the game progresses. However, I do enjoy simple gaming such as PCman. Ha...ha...ha...

I am presently exploring some games for my daughter and is considering wii. I am not very sure of wii world. Hence working hard now to learn a bit more from the Internet and seeking advise from colleagues. Why wii ? It just happens that the office has a wii platform and it seems suitable for my daughter to play around with it.

Why for my daughter ? I like and enjoy introducing her to the wonder of the world out there so that i can better guide her and engage in the learning together. Reduced surprises and risks as she grows.

Comex 2009 Singapore

If u have missed the last technology event at the PC Show from 11 to 14 June 2009 at Suntec, dun worry.The next event is Comex 2009 Singapore from 11 to 13 September 2009 at Suntec.

I din attend the last show in June as I was not in Singapore. As shared earlier, I was considering a netbook and I think I have made up my mind to get one this year to replace the dieing soon portable DVD player. I have been exploring the options of the replacement for quite awhile that would maximize the investment. Major considering factors include average battery life, screen size & quality, weight, price & values and the likely 80% usage of it ie watching movie and surfing the internet. Within the netbook category, there are also a few options to explore. Almost all hardware companies have a netbook product to offer. It is quite "xiong" to work out the best fit.

If cannot decide or some new unknown factor, I will give it a miss again. The next fair is SITEX Singapore from 26 to 29 November 2009 at Expo. I still have a bit of time to do some research and reviews as long as I replace it before early Dec 09. Dun want to rush into it and rushing will usually mean making a bad decision.

Wanted to bring the new "toy" along when I go for a holiday at the end of the year. :-)

Tiramisu promotion Now !

If you love and enjoy Tiramisu, there is a promotion at the moment at Bakerzin, 44% off. I have not tasted the tiramisu from the outlet, hopefully it tastes great :-)

Newspaper promotion

Went to buy Shinmin recently and when I was about to pay for it, the counter staff asked if I would also like to buy Wanbao at a dollar. A dollar ? A dollar for two ie Shinmin and Wanbao :-)

Newspaper promotion ? It comes as a surprise for me. I dun know if it is only for a limited period of time or it is going to be permanent. S$0.50 per copy is definitely cheap and SPH can also claim to increase its circulation.

Maybe the company should consider having ST / Zaobao or BusinessTimes / ST or BusinessTimes / Zaobao for a dollar as well ?

Why Smoke (4)

Today's zaobao news article : Want to die young, then smoke.

Basically, I dun care if the smokers want to die younger or older. Just dun smoke when there are non-smokers around. I wun stop smokers to smoke till dead but u have no rights to drag and force me to die with you.

Come to think about it, the Tokyo Tabacco is indeed a gas chamber. Maybe we should have one in all shopping centers here. Help them to die faster. :-)

ezyhealth

I am a subscriber of ezyhealth&beauty magazine, publishes monthly.

I used to obtain a free copy from pharmacy but will usually miss some issues either the latest copy is not ready or already all distributed. Hence, I decided to subscribe for S$28 a year. The magazine is pretty informative. I enjoy reading about keeping fit and diet/nutrition related articles. The July 09 issue is very informative. I have enclosed two pieces of information for your reference.

Marathon list for 2009:
showing all the marathon runs happening from now till end of 2009





Recommended Frequency of Health Checks



Besides information on 10 parks to revisit, benefits of inline skating, high blood pressure in children, walking is great etc, it also has some relevant information related to some of the events we are working on shortly.

For more information, please visit the Ezyhealth website or read online. now.

Bill Gates

Ever since Bill Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft years ago, he has focused his effort and energy on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill Gates is my super hero though I am sure he is not perfect, nobody is.

If u what to know what the Foundation is working on and its progress, I would like to suggest that you read the 2009 Annual Letter from Bill Gates. You can download it from the Foundation website, under the "About the Foundation" menu or read it online. Though 20 pages but pretty easy to read and informative. For example, it is shocking to know that there are a few diseases that cause half of the children (age 5 and below) deaths worldwide.

As quoted in the annual letter (page 4):

"We were surprised when we saw a newspaper article in 1998 showing that only a few diseases cause most childhood deaths and showing how little money was being invested in creating and providing vaccines for these diseases. A chart in the article showed that a particular type of diarrheal disease — rotavirus— was killing over 400,000 children per year. How could a disease we had never heard of get so little attention and kill this many children? We sent the article to my father and asked him to look into how we could help."

The saying "How could a disease we had never heard of get so little attention and kill this many children?" really gives all a wake-up call and he takes immediate actions to help out.



As reported in zaobao on 26 Jul 09, India presented an award to Bill Gates to recognize the Foundation's effort in contributing to help the needy. In the article, Bill Gates shared that he has given up his facebook account as there are just too many people who wanted to add him as friend - 10,000 people.

Ha...ha...ha... he is still as popular as he was.

Chatterbox

It has been pretty awhile since i visited Chatterbox by Mandarin Hotel in Orchard. Decided to dine there again and realized that the Chatterbox had moved from the ground floor to 39th floor.

What is so special about Chatterbox ? The chicken rice - the signature disk that SQ will serve you if you travel by First Class and also the same one that appeared on the newspaper when the chef who had created it left the hotel to start up on his own (now selling it in the Downtown East - Mr Chicken Rice).

How does it taste ? Not very bad but also but very good. You pay for more than the dish, ie the service, dining experience, culture + scenery since it is now located at 39th floor. Of course, they do provide much chicken in each portion. The chili sauce is great :-) I have come across chicken rice that tasted much better than the one provided in Chatterbox.



How much does it cost ? S$24 per person before all taxes ! I requested another bowl of rice for my daughter and it costs S$3.50 ie much more than what i pack from a hawker center ! It is definitely expensive. But if u have American Express Card, you can enjoy the 1 for 1 promotion. However, there are still many people dining in the restaurant.

Of course, they have other dishes such as Laksa, Hokkian Mee, Nasi Lemak, Wanton Mee, local dessert, fruit juicy, western food, coffee/tea etc. Btw, u may wish to consider dine at Chatterbox and enjoy the National Day fireworks on 9 Aug 09.



Opens Daily:
5am to 1am (Sun – Thu; Last order at 12.30am)
24 hours (Fri, Sat & Eve of Public Holidays)
Weekend Local High Tea – Available on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays from 3pm to 5pm

Reservations: 68316288

The Great Singapore Feast

I am sure u will like to enjoy good food and to pay as low as possible ?

The Great Singapore Feast 2009

Organized by Restaurant Association of Singapore,
from 24 July 2009 to 31st Oct 2009.

173 restaurants participating in this event (eg. Tung Lok, Crystal Jade, Jumbo Seafood, Palm Beach Seafood, Jack’s Place, LingZhi Vegetarian, Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant, Pu Tien Restaurant etc).

Diners are able to buy food vouchers to use it at the participating restaurants. Voucher is selling at a 30% discount ie paying only $35 for a $50 voucher. Limited to 4 vouchers (each of $50 value) per person and payable only by Citibank credit card.

I have tried to buy some but the online portal is overloaded with high traffic. Cannot make any purchase at the moment. Need to try again later. :-(

Helping out at home

It is, indeed, the time to encourage my daughter to help out at home.

At this moment, she is still very excited to wash things such as vegetables, car, plates etc. Of course i know that she is riding on the opportunity to play with water and soap. Nevertheless, it is a good start and hopefully she will continue to do it willingly and happily.

Meanwhile, it is the parent's job to "promote" it positively rather than making it as a dirty and unimportant chore especially as a mean to punish a kid who made a mistake.

15 Children

As reported in zaobao (also reported in peopledaily.com in China), this family in USA has 15 children.

Wow ! for today's standard world wide, not just locally, whereby the normal is 1 to 3 kids per family. The youngest just born in March 09 and the parent has also setup a family website to respond to queries.



Such news definitely wun have much value or even appear at all 50 - 60 ears ago unless you have a family of 20 children or more. Family planning has changed so much so that a lot of countries are cracking their heads how to encourage the people to get married and to give more birth.

The story also highlighted that news worthiness must also catch on the "right wind" to appear. In 100 years time, family with 5 children maybe given a national award for making significant contribution towards national building. Not possible ? Who knows, right ?

I wun be around by then. Ha...ha...ha...

辉哥

Last week, I came across a small carnival in one of the Pasir Ris neigbhours and saw 辉哥 (Henry Thia) invited as a special guest. He was on the stage singing and entertaining the crowd with jokes, making some funny remarks and giving away prizes for the lucky draw.

Shared one of his jokes with you here:

An elephant and an ant decided to get married. The solemniser tried to discourage them but they insisted and hence became husband and wife. Just after two days, they decided to go separate ways. The solemniser was not surprise but curious enough to ask why?

The ant said: "Do u know, in order for me to kiss the elephant, I have to climb at 10 minutes before reaching the elephant mouth. It's just too tiring and not fun at all".

The elephant replied: "U think it is easy for me meh ? To kiss the ant, I have to use a big and powerful magnifying glass to scan through the ground/grass north south east west before i can locate the ant and kiss it. How dare you complain against me."

Hee...hee...hee...

Rambutan

Brought home some rambutan last night. Worried that there might be ants, I decided to peel all and put it in the fridge first. My daughter saw what I was doing and quickly went to get a small chair wanting to help me.

I showed her how to do it and she dare not to bite off the "shell" and has no strength to twist it open. Hence, I open part of it for her and she finished the rest. She enjoyed herself and sweating much at the same time. Ha...ha...ha...



But got scolded from me later because she dragged again when asked her to brush teeth, almost every night and every morning. :-( tiring

Swimming Pool and aircon

Queuing up to enter into swimming pool ? That's what happened in Wuhan, China as temperature climbs to 39. People are rushing to the pool to cool off. 5,000 people !



It is also hot and humid locally but dun really see many people rushing to the swimming pool, at least no queue at the entrance. Maybe the temperature here is usually around 32 to 34 (and not 39) and most people already used to it. With so many aircon-ed places, it is easier, cheaper and more convenient to just jalan jalan in the shopping centers, airport or staying at home with an aircon running.

Besides being recognized as a garden city, we are also fast becoming an aircon city. Do u know that MM Lee once said that one of the greatest inventions was aircon.

Departures

I first read about this Japanese movie, Departure, when I was reading Cailan's column in zaobao 2 or 3 months ago. Being a producer himself and had studied filming as a subject in Japan, I thought I should watch it after reading his review.

It is, indeed, a very nice movie.



The first thing that comes to my mind after watching the show is to be sincere and show respect towards life. People who are mentally sound but have the tendency to end one's life should really watch it.

Life is precious. Since we all have no choice coming here, we all have a choice to lead and live a fruitful one, to the best possible we can. When the day eventually arrives, the departed and waiting for departures should not have regrets, sorrow and sorry. However, we all know well that it is usually not the case.

For whatever reasons, we have conveniently forget about it, forget about treating each other with the basic sincerity and respect. We compete, we compare, we fight, we get angry, we feel jealous, we hate, we dislike, we look down and we ignore. We all may have fail badly.

The second thing that comes to my mind is how fate could command and help to reveal the truth about life. The actor's father deserted him when he was pretty young at age 6. Of course he hated him and could not even recall how he looked like. A series of happenings - losing his job in a city, going back to his rural home town and landed in a new job until he knew that his father was dead in a nearby fishing port and to pay his father a last visit though he was pretty unwillingly - lead him to realize that his father had not forgotten his son at all. In fact, the actor still missed his father as much too.

Last but not least, all jobs exist with good reasons and contribute its values in a unique manner.

A very good movie. Dun miss it. Watch it asap.

French cooking with local ingredients

Attended a French cooking class conducted by a French chef, Mr Emmanuel Stroobant. A handsome Chef. What makes me decided to go for the class is more than the French cuisine but also the use of local ingredients and done it in the French way. 4 dishes in total:

- Prawns and Tomato;
- Risotto Rataouille;
- Braised chicken with mushroom and
- Lemon tart

The class of 8 participants was conducted in his apartment (nearby the Great World City complex) that has a very nice view of the neighborhood, a very well decorated and modern kitchen. I like the kitchen very much. Wine, coffee, rice crackers and some smoke salmon in between while the Chef demonstrated and explained the dishes. Mr Emmanuel Stroobant speaks well and is lively in his presentation.



We started with a visit to the Smith Street market to buy some of the ingredients for the day. Though I have been to market pretty regularly, I was still surprised to learn that the stall owners spoke good English. When we were back to the kitchen, Mr Emmanuel Stroobant played background music as he started to explain about how to prepare each dish as he was doing the actual cooking.


Participants are free to move nearer to see how he did it, to ask him questions along the way and to have some hands-on to prepare the food voluntarily. Mr Emmanuel Stroobant shared more than just the dishes but also talked about French cuisine, his restaurant, basic skills in handling some of the kitchenware etc. In fact, Mr Emmanuel Stroobant made some minor changes to some of the dishes to better suit the day. The food is served once done. The food presentation is good just like those served in a restaurant.



I have enjoyed the session and of course picked up some knowledge from the Chef himself.

A bit more about Mr Emmanuel Stroobant. He has been in Singapore for 10 years and owned at least one restaurant such as Saint Pierre. A very easy going and friendly Chef with much passion to share his love for food. If u are interested to learn more about their cooking class, pls feel free to contact Mr Gene Mok at gene@ Emmanuelstroobant.com or Tel: 64380887.

Next cooking class? Will try a new session organized by the Raffles Hotel. I prefer a smaller class else I should have already signed up for the class conducted by Sam Leong. 40 participants are just too big a class to share and interact with the Chef.