Procreation Blues

The report reads,"New measures to boost birth rate to be introduced in August... "Hopefully, with a new package of measures, which will be announced next month, and a strong collective desire towards supporting family life in Singapore, our baby count will increase. Employers have to support better work—life practices, friends and relatives have to chip in to help, and most of all, Singaporeans must desire to get married and raise families in the first place. All these require a societal mindset change." Singapore is also studying the procreation policies of countries like Sweden and the United States.

IMO, if it has to do with $$ as it seems to be the case for many, then there's not much the govt can do as afterall raising a family is not about incentives. In the long run, onus is on the parents to raise their child(ren) bonus or not. There's only so much the govt can try to intervene, I think. Ultimately, decision lies with the couple.

Just a thot. Maybe they should introduce wedding bonus before baby bonus because wedding dinner packages are getting so expensive these days it's hardly affordable.

Hmm... If it be not such for me, what care I have good it be?

Passion or Lust?

2 mornings ago while onboard the LRT I was standing next to this young couple who looked like tertiary students. They provided everyone with a good 5 mins of live entertainment. They were smooching so loudly and hands all over I think even those standing 2 metres away were trying hard not to watch. This makes me wonder if these people so shameless displayed their passion in public, what happens when they are behind closed doors? Their world probably turns topsy turvy - in a good way I hope.

Sad to admit I'm finding it difficult to work with my boss aka Flipper. He is good at flipping his words hence the nickname; and he always never register much in that head of his. G asked if I felt like hitting his head when I'm upset and he is so right. Hmmm... some of us came up with real nasty party ideas to get back at him and it's most probably the tongue twister. This is a bit challenging - Red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry.

Finally got the wine for Grandma's 90th birthday bash. With a small budget to work on and only a handful of wine drinkers - or appreciates wine - at the dinner we got 8 bottles of Wolf Blass Red Label (Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon). and 4 bottles of German Riesling. I've ordered the longevity buns and noodles (mee sua) and Charsiew took care of the cake, I think we're all set for the big day, except we need to make sure to collect the $$$. Okay, women all petty creatures, but we get the work done (this line is for my darling to note...).

Pork Rib Talks... Oven Walks

Dun ask me what title is that as I'm also not sure. Simply adopted it from the show "Coffee Talks Hawker Walks". How lame.

Tried preparing a meal with my new "toy" last Sat and it turned out pretty well. We bought 1.5 slab of pork ribs only to find out later they are meant for Bah Kut Teh. But at least it tasted quite good with my seasoning (it was done spontaneously) that consists of oyster sauce, plum sauce, sesame oil and a good dose of shiraz glaze... and it was ab-fab, man! The sausages went very well with grilled cherry tomatoes and olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme.

Tried a new bottle of wine - Lengs & Cooters, Shiraz. It's easy to drink and light-bodied with a hint of spice.

Finally managed to squeeze out some time to visit Sean, E and SP's latest (and hopefully last) addition. He's a pretty big baby for a 2 month old and adorable looking like most babies. He's also a smiley boy because I caught him similing a few times, though I'm not sure who he was similing at.

Happy Birthday Vicki

Time flies... 11 years ago I could pick her up with one hand, today she weighs about the size of a small bag of rice... Vicki celebrated her 11th birthday yesterday. Had a quick dinner at MIL's and off we went to grab a cake for our dearest friend. I was pleasantly surprised to see this cake on display as it's exactly what I'm looking for. Perfect!

Vicki in her 'birthday suit'. Bought a few pieces of outfit for her and all but 1 fits nicely. This one she's wearing is my favourite piece but it's one size too big.

Bangkok 2008

Day One

Finally, we got to check-in to one of Bangkok's hippest boutique hotel nestled in the heart of chinatown, Shanghai Inn. Who would have guessed the existence of such a cool looking hotel just by looking at the unimpressive facade of the building. Never judge a building by its looks; it may seem rundown but there's a gem within.

Hotel Lobby. Cool huh?

Our room. What you see on their website is really what you get, no more no less, no surprises.

Read positive reviews of Yin Yang Spa located in the hotel so decided to give 'em a try. Had foot reflexology with extras - ginger wrap. It was so hot and hurt a bit... Asked hubby jokingly hubby how he like my knee to be done - well done or medium. Our knees were red and sore from the treatment.

And since we are chinatown it makes sense to treat ourselves with at least one round of sharksfin, birds nest and other delights.

Day Two

Another must visit for us is the Chatuchak market. We're always there with the same mission - hoping to find good buys for our place, and so we did (again). Bought 2 sets of lightings for our dining area. Happy!

Who would have thought of finding a French cafe in the weekend market? We did. I. It's always nice to find a decent cafe for a cuppa and rest our legs after the amount of walking under the sweltering heat.

The words are too small but I think it's Lann CHA

Day Three

No photos because we were out all day shopping. First stop was to Platinum Fashion Mall, and it was no turning back. Bought T-shirts, shorts, dresses, accessories... almost everything except for shoes and bags.

(Day Four) My Nightmare...

I think I will think twice about taking CX on my next trip to Bangkok. We had the privilege to travel with at least 2 groups of PRCs from Guangxi (that's what hubby thinks) on our way back. It was the most excruciating experience I've ever had since the first time I flew on a plane. They were rowdy to say the least. One very helpful ah soh even volunteered to stack up their food trays by the emergency exit... can you beat that?!! Thank goodness one of the flight attendant was firm and made her re-distribute the trays to her respective friends... Geez...

Hubby said the flight attendant tried to stop one of the lady who stood up to collect her bag immediately after landing but realize it was pointless as the entire village soon follow suit. This is what you call, Monkey see money do. It was one of the most horrigible (horrible + terrible) plane ride I've experienced.

Makan Feast

This week has been non-stop wine and dine. First stop was Le Nicolas at Keong Siak Road - food tasting for Christmas party. Their set lunch at S$38+++ is well worth it. I ordered beef tartare for starters and lamb for main, and I enjoyed every bit of it; savoring the sweetness of chopped raw beef and the seasoning that goes with it; the lamb was done perfectly to my liking. Divine...

The 2nd stop was Au Petit Salut. A and P received their promotion at the same time and it's our office's practice that new promotees have to buy the lunch/dinner. Food and ambience was good, although I would choose outdoor dining if were to go back again. There were 16 of us, yet only 1 waiting staff. I had a good time, but YL wasn't as lucky because she was seated opposite boss who is what I would call 'de classe'. He ordered the most expensive item on the menu and got YL to share it with him and his table manners is worse than a 5 year-old... He stuck his finger in the mouth to.... shall not be descriptive lest I lose my appetite.

Last evening we had dinner at Pietrasanta at Portsdown Road. It's a cozy Italian restaurant owned by a nice couple - hubby runs the kitchen while the wife manages the operation of the restaurant. We had pizza, parma ham with mozarella, calamari, escargot, kurobuta pork (I will save the fats for S the next time as tasted creamy), and dessert was tiramisu and lemon cake. I thought it's your regular cake but it wasn't. It's actually marshmellow with shredded lemon rind. You would appreciate it better if you don't dislike marshmellow like me.

So much for a foodie... Hubby and I are off to Bangkok for the weekend soon. Charsiew said it rained a bit when they were there. Let's see if we can bring the sun with us ; ) Till then, have a good weekend and update soon.

Public (Transport) Encounters

Type 1 - passengers without backbone. She leans against the pole and reads a book, not sparing a thought for other passengers, like me, who are trying to balance on 3-inch heels. I tried to be patient then I lost it and slipped my hand behind her boneless back to grip the pole. Of course Missy wasn't pleased but sensed that I wasn't about to give up, she stepped aside.

Type 2 - passengers who are running late for reincarnation aka gan(3) qu(4) tou(2) tai(1). Everyone was waiting to board the bus and then this aunty had to squeeze her way to the front. At that moment a thought crossed my mind... perhaps I should just reach out and squeeze her butt and she won't even know who had just molested her... since she likes to squeeze then squeeze her I will .

Type 3 - what you see is not what you get. I can't decide if the lady standing in front of me is pregnant, fat, or fat and pregnant. She was in a baby doll dress, pumps, and I swear to God her tummy was sticking out. Obviously my first reaction was to give up my seat, right? But I shouldn't have... I found out she's not pregnant... Wah.... I was so embarrassed I could feel my face turning red.... got off at the next station to cool down.