"ORIENTALized" Potluck All was ready and check out the food we had: Egg tart (traditional, strawberry, chicken and mushroom flavours), Thai salad, dumplings, home-made "zhui kuey", Lemon chicken, Phillippine delicacy, old chang kee, roast chicken and duck, "ngor hiang", hakka abacus, taiwan sausage, fried rice and honeydew sago with chestnut "ah-balling". A total of 18 participants from "all walks of department". The young ones in the office. I'm the oldest among the youngest. And it's not easy working with a group of reali small-sized girls who complain that they need to lose weight. *roll eyes*, then what am i doing?!?! Thanks to the pretty flowers and lovely autograph book which was 'painstakingly' passed around to get the signatures of the colleagues who are closer to us. Even though there won't be any yakkin session durin work, weekly potluck that made us so stress of what to cook next, gossipin and laughin at 'H' and Y', boasting of how you can get nice clothes below $10 and watching TV at the lounge durin lunch (you gals know what's our favourite show), still i treasure all these times and we'll keep in touch. See you around in NUS. haha. Oh no, that reminds me. School is starting. And i've not went back to campus since Nov' 2005. Do i miss that place? No i don't!!! :-(
Monday, July 31, 2006
Last friday, IT'S potluck time at IMS again and well, my LAST DAY of work too. 
Theme: Oriental food
Venue: As usual, at the lounge area
Time: as soon as the official lunch hour starts
V.I.Ps: Those selected by Lijun and who have shown interest in potluck lunch after checkin out on what we've been doing for the past few weeks.
â§_____that's all folks_____â§~ [[ 9:44 PM ]]
Miami Beach, Florida Well, Miami is indeed a place of beautiful people, nightlife, sun and celebration. Next up, Orlando!!!
Monday, July 24, 2006
More than 2months since i'd returned from my trip. I have 5 more places to blog about and MIAMI, FLORIDA is next on the list. Everyone told me how great the beach and clubs are so we decided that 2 full days allocated should be enough since i SHOULD HAVE burnt enough from Daytona beach and i don't really enjoy partying. 
Frankly speaking, the number of babes and hunks on the streets are definitely more than Daytona Beach. bikini babes were seen everywhere despite the fact that they are still far from the beach. The clear water, vast sandy shore, beautiful seagulls and colourful little houses supported by stilts resulted in us taking pictures, one after another, for about 45mins.
Tanning, parasailing, people-watching, photo-taking are some of the activities that people engage in. well, Not to mention that there are quite a number of hot nude babes around (shall not post the pic though i did snap a few shots for my frens from Daytona, oops :p). 
After a warm shower back at the hotel, we visited STAR ISLAND where the houses are guarded by security. All houses are so big and elaborate that they look like a hotel or rather a grand villa. My gosh... And some of them are own by celebrities. So castle-like.. feel like a queen just by walkin around the area. haha
Nikki beach(pictures at bottom left corner grid) is way cool. Almost like "bed supper club" in Thailand. Comfortable beds and cushions to accompany the good chill-out sessions. The best thing is that this is situated near the beach. The night is made much more romantic with the sea breeze and the sound of waves. Sadly, the place is not opened when we were there. When night falls, colourful lights at the BAYSIDE MARKETPLACE (pictures on top row) can be seeen. Just like Clarke Quay in Singapore - Nice restaurants by the river...
Walking along the stretch of restaurants at Ocean Drive is wayyy cool. With the nice music, strong fragrance of food, warm greetings of waiter/waitress, interesting deco of the restaurants and breeze from the beach -->a total relaxation and i really enjoy this part about travelling. Decided to settle down at this particular one (pictures at bottom right corner grid) with 50% off certain food items because of happy hour. Interesting spanish performance and half-priced food items are good to keep us occupied for the next couple of hours.
Some other interesting things in Miami:(1) METRO-MOVER: an LRT which brings you to various stops around the city area. And guess what? it's FREE OF CHARGE!!! (2) Little Cuba: place is a l'il run-down and where most people speak spanish and sell all sorts of mexican food. The real Cuba is just right across the big sea from Miami and for your information, there's no plane flying to Cuba from Singapore because it is a communist country.
â§_____that's all folks_____â§~ [[ 9:38 PM ]]
Apple-Friday menu for the day is so interesting: APPLE fritters (Me)~pineAPPLE w chix (Chiev Fah)~APPLE-seafood salad (Eileen)~clafouti aux POMMES (Mr. French guy - Marc) ~APPLE kissel (Lijun)~APPLE strudel (Yvonne + Apple) ~APPLE-potato salad (Bonnie)~APPLE juice (Rachel). Some other non-APPLE items: $50 worth of KFC and pandan roll. Hopefully, Photo-taking session can aid digestion. ~Marc~~the favourte spot for phototaking when someone is leaving the company~~Apple and Eileen~~Apple-the main character for the day has been cut off from the pic. oops~ At the end of the day, overheard some colleagues' conversation, discussing about the next potluck. heehee. ~Nice
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Our dearest Apple has ended her contract in the company and Friday was her last day. As lame as it may sound, the idea of having a potluck with the theme <Apple
Pictures from the top row (left to right): Apple kissel and apple fritters 
All except KFC was cleared and everybody was so full that we were offering food to whoever's walking into the lounge.
â§_____that's all folks_____â§~ [[ 5:10 AM ]]
Can't stop feeling excited about The LINE The brilliant idea of having chef situated at a particular station which they specialize, is simply amazing - Because you get to try the chef's own creation and make challenging request to your dish. For instance, kylie had Chef Kenneth to whip up a cocoa-flavoured pasta with dozens of ingredients and sauces. Kylie was so attracted to him that she can't stop smiling at the lump of brown-coloured 'stuff'. The different stations are categorized according to the cuisines - indian, chinese, sea food, the grill, italian, salad, nonya, dessert etc. Everything looks really delicious and the both of us can't stop feeling excited about the experience! woohoo!!! Oh man, has "COLD STONE Creamery" from the US arrived in Singapore. Well, the idea is there but still, great difference in the taste and the 'feel'? Our long awaited moment - the dessert!!! As we sat really near the dessert corner, we can't stop but eyeing the colourful cups that were prettily displayed on the shelves. Cakes were no exception. I promised myself not to miss out any and look how greedy we are-> Plates full of desserts.Check out the red one!! it's actually chadonnay-flavoured jelly. Over-dosage of sweetness to end off the day. i SIMPLY ADORE this experience n totally enjoyed the dinner and company! ~Splendid!!! Left the place feeling sleepy and stuffed. . . :-( heehee
Monday, July 17, 2006
After 2weeks of serious discussion about which dining place to splurge, Kylie and i decided to try out THE LINE @ Shangri-la Hotel. *click on picture for bigger view*
As what we've expected, the place is totally gorgeous. The modern design with white and orange as the main theme colours are absolutely remarkable because if the purpose of the plain background is to contrast the various colours of the food, making them look more appetizing and yummy, it definitely did! I have nothing else but compliments to the place. two thumbs up for the amazing display of food, the concept of 16 stations with specific chefs mending each cuisine, the design of the place and the helpful service staff. Alrightttt, check out what's on my first round to start the ball rolling. My favourite of all on that plate - salad served in martini glass. To make the money worth, i've tried stuffing as much seafood as possible. 
â§_____that's all folks_____â§~ [[ 9:50 PM ]]
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Last Thursday, More colleagues joined us for potluck-lunch and my challenge this time round is creme brulee. Pretty easy to make. Other than Lijun who made a casserole dish, the rest actually went to buy the food for contribution. Totally forgot about the ground rules - home-cooked food. But, food that were bought look so much more presentable and thus, our pictures turn out nice. The good thing is, the next day, we had french and oriental cuisine in return. Wow, culture-exchange. so interesting
Then off to meet Kylie for dinner at Kenny Rogers. All thanks to a friend (in order not to get him into trouble, his name shall not be mentioned) who's working there, we managed to get half a slab of ribs, half chicken, 6side dishes and huge chicken pot pie. ~super filling for 2 to dine.
at 9:30pm, we are all ready for private screening of "PIRATES OF CARRIBEAN 2" for lexus club members. free popcorn and cocacola on every seat. After the only commercial played-Borneo Motors, the show started! Hate shows that leave you wanting for more because it has no ending. Anyway, sadly, we didnt manage to know any lexus-drivers to send us back after the show. sigh...
â§_____that's all folks_____â§~ [[ 12:47 PM ]]
"Hat-trick"
Sunday, July 09, 2006
This is what gonna happen anually on a particular day of July. The celebration of 3 BITHDAYS in my family - my younger sis, aunt and cousin. And this year, the party was held in my house. 
I seized this opportunity to experiment with some baking which i've always wanted to. Needless to say, i whipped up a STORM in the kitchen. Yes, I meant it LITERALLY!!! There's a storm!!! The whole kitchen is in a mess after 3hours of struggling. Chicken pie, pizza, fruit tart, brownie and creme brulee <-- all from scratch and i wonder how much flour i've used. *i agree that they don't look very appetizing. haha.but... I'm IN LOVE with BAKING. 
Then i was off to collect the 3 birthday cakes. Ranked according to popularity among the guests: "MACHA" (all-time-favourite from CANELE), COCOA NAPOLEON (THE PATISSIER) and LE ROYALE (CANELE).
My brother and i had our first times tryin to start the fire for the BBQ. We took about an hour before the charcoal catche a good flame and i can still feel my arms aching. We were perspiring so "unglam-ly" despite trying to look presentable as hosts earlier on. 
Check out one of her gifts. Plain tee shirt and cup which she was supposed to personalized it herself. But my brother and i intend to 'design' for her. haha. fun! oh well, To my surprise, my sis is quite sensible. She offered to share her red packets (ang bao) and presents with us since we've helped in preparing for her party. ~well done!â§_____that's all folks_____â§~ [[ 10:33 AM ]]
Martini Party...
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
2 V.I.P were invited to the Martini Party at Kylie's humble apartment. Or rather, we forced our way in, and get her to mix some cocktails for us because she has a newly-bought shaker and unethically-owned martini glasses. Why is it called a MARTINI PARTY? Because all our drinks are served in martini glasses. haha
Despite the necessary garnish and the limited liquors, i'm surprised that i actually enjoyed most of the drinks (when i don't really savor alcohol).
From the pictures:
(1)Grasshopper (2)shooter with kahlua, creme de menthol and baileys (3)Kylie using the right amount of strength to mix the drinks (4)Mudslide (5)the opening of a brand new bottle of ice-wine (6)the entire selection of Kylie's collection (7)screwdriver (8)failed attempt of Waterfall (9)the highlight of that night - ICE WINE MARTINI
Woohoo, Kylie, i'm so impressed by your bartending knowledge and we really enjoyed the "cocktail-appreciation class". hehe! Thanks!!!
â§_____that's all folks_____â§~ [[ 12:49 PM ]]
"false alarm"
Monday, July 03, 2006
It was supposed to be my last week of work and thus decided to meet different friends, who are supposed to be working around the same area, for lunch.
First was Qijia from JP Morgan and we headed to amoy street food market for a yummy plate of Nasi-Lemak-look-alike. From campmates, then to Mahjong kaki,
then to lunch kaki. This is working life - More of serious work and less of leisure. 
Then met auntie for my most expensive lunch in the past 1 month at Tanjong Pagar. But for a 3-course-meal and a good catch-up with aunt, it's all worthed it. 
"Potluck lunch" with the gals at work is getting more interesting and the standard is getting better. Menu for the day: creamy macaroni, chicken salad and rosti. The gals indeed makes my stay at this company more enjoyable. 
Wonder if i'm impatient or is my supervisor hard to deal with. She, being the secretary and such a perfectionist, sent me a file which i had finished with the data entry, to make changes. Guess what she wanted me to edit?!?! From "postal code" to "Postal Code" and make sure all the borders are of the same thickness. ok, can't she do that simple mistakes instead of sendin them to me again?! That's just one example.Perhaps, she's trained by her direct boss who can't make a call himself. Just this mornin, i was told to make a call for him and once it get through, transfer the call to him. Maybe i haven't seen enough of office scenes. Didnt know it works this way...
Went to catch Superman with Progistics without ah-HUI. Oh man, "hot body with good looks shield the boring story line". haha. Thought i won't be travelling back to Tanjong Pagar to work, so i insisted that shaikh & Rongsheng try the best-muffin-ever hot from the oven on that day!
ok, on friday, i was told to extend my contract till end of July... so here i am, back at work... Still, i have nothing to do and paid to surf the net.
â§_____that's all folks_____â§~ [[ 12:24 PM ]]
