Sunday, April 29, 2007
Dying in the throes of passion......
Dad screamed at me to throw away the fruits that were in the fridge. He had cut them for me about 2 nights ago, but i was too tired to eat them. What a waste... As i took the plate out, 2 things caught my eye. Fruit flies! Even more interestingly, was their very.. *ahem* compromising positions as they breathed their last...
Upon closer inspection, I was pretty sure that they were in the mating position. But i just cannot phanthom how they died in such a position? So coincidental meh? "Honey.... just one more......" *deadlines*... Ha ha ha ha.. while i amused with myself with even more comical scenarios, i showed my Dad the plate of fruits... he had a good laugh... then he said " now throw it away!" Parents just have no sense of humour....
Upon closer inspection, I was pretty sure that they were in the mating position. But i just cannot phanthom how they died in such a position? So coincidental meh? "Honey.... just one more......" *deadlines*... Ha ha ha ha.. while i amused with myself with even more comical scenarios, i showed my Dad the plate of fruits... he had a good laugh... then he said " now throw it away!" Parents just have no sense of humour....
I just dun understand
Hmmm..... was having my breakfast and reading the papers when i happened to see a picture. The picture showed a guy, with a pair of scissors, trying to cut another person's hair. Now, this would have looked pretty normal, except for the fact that these 2 people were sky diving.... yes... sky diving. Apparently this guy was trying to set a Guiness world record by cutting hair, 4250 ft in the air...
Ok, besides snickering at the possible scenario that he might cut the strings of the parachute accidently, i just found the whole concept of it quite stupid really. If you have a natural ability to do something that other people can't, then yes, you are worth mentioning in the Guiness Book of World Records (GBWR). Like, if you are able to stick metal spoons on ur body, or u can protrude ur eye balls etc etc. That is seriously amazing. Or, if you are pushing the limits that no man has done before. Like, riding ur bike over 10 cars, or you travelled from Australia to the USA on foot without stopping, that still perks my interest. But this??? To set the record of cutting hair from 4250ft?? If the guy can gimme a Japo hair do from the moment i jump off the plane, till when i touch down, then yes, I would be impressed. But from what the picture showed, he was just snipping of hair that was already tied in a ponytail! What skill does that require?? Oh, i have to be extra steady with my hand because of the altitude blah blah blah??
Sigh.. that's just lame... the distance some people go just for fame.......
Ok, besides snickering at the possible scenario that he might cut the strings of the parachute accidently, i just found the whole concept of it quite stupid really. If you have a natural ability to do something that other people can't, then yes, you are worth mentioning in the Guiness Book of World Records (GBWR). Like, if you are able to stick metal spoons on ur body, or u can protrude ur eye balls etc etc. That is seriously amazing. Or, if you are pushing the limits that no man has done before. Like, riding ur bike over 10 cars, or you travelled from Australia to the USA on foot without stopping, that still perks my interest. But this??? To set the record of cutting hair from 4250ft?? If the guy can gimme a Japo hair do from the moment i jump off the plane, till when i touch down, then yes, I would be impressed. But from what the picture showed, he was just snipping of hair that was already tied in a ponytail! What skill does that require?? Oh, i have to be extra steady with my hand because of the altitude blah blah blah??
Sigh.. that's just lame... the distance some people go just for fame.......
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
How far would you go to eat?
I still remember the day that I confessed to a fren that I ate rabbit meat. The shrill screaming still resounds in my head: " WHAT???? How can you do that, it's so inhumane! No wonder my rabbit bit u the last time u went to my house". I ate rabbit meat when I was in France. That was 2 years before my fren owned a rabbit. And during that period of time she was totally unamoured by the French people (which i think she still is till this day).
Recently, this fren sent me a link entitled "the massacre of dolphins". Basically it highlights the cruel practice going on in certain villages in Japan, where they kill dolphins and pass it off as whale meat. The flick showed how the dolphins are disoriented from the sonar sounds made by the fishing boats, after which they are encircled in a perimeter of nets and trapped. As they trash about, the fishermen spear certain dolphins. They do that because they know that dolphins do not leave the wounded, causing the dolphins to stay and reducing their chances of escape. Mother and calves are seperated, causing more distress and making it even more difficult for them to have the desire to escape. The dolphins that have been hauled up are then taken to the wharves on the back of trucks (without water) or dragged on the roads. And at the wharves their throats are slit with machetes where they die a slow, painful death.
So... after watching the flick, will i eat dolphin meat? My answer: YES
I can already hear my fren screaming at me again. But my point is this: my life is short and I would like to try new stuff. So, at least in this lifetime, I would like to try dolphin meat at least once. Just once. I have no intention of making it a staple on my diet. But does that desire to just try dolphin meat once make me a murderer? That I have a hand in the deaths of the dolphins? That, it's because of people like me that they die in such an inhumane way? After all, if every single person on earth just wanted to try dolphin meat just once, it accumulates into a lot of dolphins being killed just to supply the demand.
Sure, it makes me guilty, but have you looked at it at a different view point?
1) Do people bat and eyelid when chicken is served on the table? Or pork? Or beef? No.. cos these are accepted meats in Singaporean society. But the way that these animals are killed, are they any different from how the dolphins are killed? Chickens throats are also slit and they are hung to die while their blood drips down. Its still the same slow painful death. But do we bother? No......
2) Chicken, beef, lamb etc are accepted meats in many countries. But rabbit is an accepted meat in France; Dogs are a delicacy in China; people eat cat meat to celebrate special occasions in Tibet; there's kangaroo jerky in australia; and dolphin meat is coveted in Japan. So.. just because the meat is not served in SG, doesn't make it a inhumane way of eating. I'm pretty sure that if u go to the above mentioned places, people don't bat and eyelid when they eat the various animals. It's a culture thing. Hey, I'm also pretty sure that people in other countries find it revolting that turtle soup is served in SG. But do we care? No... we go "hey, the turtle soup at geylang lorong XX damn shiok"...
3) People in thailand eat bugs... but do we stop them? No..... cos bugs are not considered meat. But these bugs are also cooked ALIVE in spitting hot oil....isn't that considered inhumane too? But yet, I don't see any documentary being made on such inhumane practices.
So my point is this... before u think i am a murderer of sorts, look at yourself first. You think it's inhumane? Then why are u urself craving for bacon, ham and cheese, various other meats etc? The pig died a slow painful death too you know? And how about the examples I raised above?
I guess I don't like being judged. You want to judge me, you can do so when you are a pure vegan who eats organic food. But then again, i can always dispute that plants have a life to.. wow, it's going to be a never ending cycle... and in the end, we will all be eating air. Ohm..........
But I have been toying with the idea of going vegan. A fren of mine went vegan becos she felt that the animals these days are living in such inhumane conditions; being given various boosters so that they can grow bigger at a faster rate; just to meet the increasing demand of a manically growing global population where natural means are just not possible. I felt that it's seriously a good cause. But Black Adder was telling me: but plants are also being boosted and they are living things too. So i decided to go vegan when I have enough money to purchase ONLY organic vegetables. You know just how freaking expensive it is right??? But till that day comes, I will still try various meats.
And for the record, rabbit meat is by far, the most delicious, tender meat I have ever tasted! heh heh heh
*Disclaimer: I did not write this becos I was provoked. More like it got me thinking of certain issues. I am not singling out any fren whatsoever. In fact, another fren shot me daggers from her eyes when I said I would eat dog meat. Maybe she thought i was going to skewer her dog for a BBQ? As I said, i do not intend to make such exotic meats a staple on my diet!
Recently, this fren sent me a link entitled "the massacre of dolphins". Basically it highlights the cruel practice going on in certain villages in Japan, where they kill dolphins and pass it off as whale meat. The flick showed how the dolphins are disoriented from the sonar sounds made by the fishing boats, after which they are encircled in a perimeter of nets and trapped. As they trash about, the fishermen spear certain dolphins. They do that because they know that dolphins do not leave the wounded, causing the dolphins to stay and reducing their chances of escape. Mother and calves are seperated, causing more distress and making it even more difficult for them to have the desire to escape. The dolphins that have been hauled up are then taken to the wharves on the back of trucks (without water) or dragged on the roads. And at the wharves their throats are slit with machetes where they die a slow, painful death.
So... after watching the flick, will i eat dolphin meat? My answer: YES
I can already hear my fren screaming at me again. But my point is this: my life is short and I would like to try new stuff. So, at least in this lifetime, I would like to try dolphin meat at least once. Just once. I have no intention of making it a staple on my diet. But does that desire to just try dolphin meat once make me a murderer? That I have a hand in the deaths of the dolphins? That, it's because of people like me that they die in such an inhumane way? After all, if every single person on earth just wanted to try dolphin meat just once, it accumulates into a lot of dolphins being killed just to supply the demand.
Sure, it makes me guilty, but have you looked at it at a different view point?
1) Do people bat and eyelid when chicken is served on the table? Or pork? Or beef? No.. cos these are accepted meats in Singaporean society. But the way that these animals are killed, are they any different from how the dolphins are killed? Chickens throats are also slit and they are hung to die while their blood drips down. Its still the same slow painful death. But do we bother? No......
2) Chicken, beef, lamb etc are accepted meats in many countries. But rabbit is an accepted meat in France; Dogs are a delicacy in China; people eat cat meat to celebrate special occasions in Tibet; there's kangaroo jerky in australia; and dolphin meat is coveted in Japan. So.. just because the meat is not served in SG, doesn't make it a inhumane way of eating. I'm pretty sure that if u go to the above mentioned places, people don't bat and eyelid when they eat the various animals. It's a culture thing. Hey, I'm also pretty sure that people in other countries find it revolting that turtle soup is served in SG. But do we care? No... we go "hey, the turtle soup at geylang lorong XX damn shiok"...
3) People in thailand eat bugs... but do we stop them? No..... cos bugs are not considered meat. But these bugs are also cooked ALIVE in spitting hot oil....isn't that considered inhumane too? But yet, I don't see any documentary being made on such inhumane practices.
So my point is this... before u think i am a murderer of sorts, look at yourself first. You think it's inhumane? Then why are u urself craving for bacon, ham and cheese, various other meats etc? The pig died a slow painful death too you know? And how about the examples I raised above?
I guess I don't like being judged. You want to judge me, you can do so when you are a pure vegan who eats organic food. But then again, i can always dispute that plants have a life to.. wow, it's going to be a never ending cycle... and in the end, we will all be eating air. Ohm..........
But I have been toying with the idea of going vegan. A fren of mine went vegan becos she felt that the animals these days are living in such inhumane conditions; being given various boosters so that they can grow bigger at a faster rate; just to meet the increasing demand of a manically growing global population where natural means are just not possible. I felt that it's seriously a good cause. But Black Adder was telling me: but plants are also being boosted and they are living things too. So i decided to go vegan when I have enough money to purchase ONLY organic vegetables. You know just how freaking expensive it is right??? But till that day comes, I will still try various meats.
And for the record, rabbit meat is by far, the most delicious, tender meat I have ever tasted! heh heh heh
*Disclaimer: I did not write this becos I was provoked. More like it got me thinking of certain issues. I am not singling out any fren whatsoever. In fact, another fren shot me daggers from her eyes when I said I would eat dog meat. Maybe she thought i was going to skewer her dog for a BBQ? As I said, i do not intend to make such exotic meats a staple on my diet!
I want my own bachelorette pad!
I have been toying with the idea of getting my own bachelorette pad for the longest time. My motivations? Well, not having to put up with a nagging mum who keeps complaining and couldn't understand why ur clothes are not dry despite hanging for the past few days because its been raining non-stop and insists that you take them down so that she can do your fathers' laundry; also, not having to do swap deals with your bro on which days you can wash your laundry.
Ok, so it may seem that my motivations so far have been very " laundry" based. However, I'm pretty sure that if i do get my own pad, I can survive pretty well. What's going to be so different? So far, i do my own laundry, i clean my own room, i eat meals out or if need be i try to poison myself with various self experimental concoctions. The only problem is of course... paying for it... that I know very well i cannot handle at this point in time.
Recently went to a fren's house warming. He bought this 3 bedroom condo at Hougang for S$350k. And he is my age dammit!!!! made me regret my choice of degree in uni. I digress. The condo definitely has security: you have to enter your key in order to operate the lift. If you're a guest, you have to press the unit number, where the phone will ring in the house u r going to. The host must answer and press the button before the lift door opens. There are individual lots right under the houses. You park, it's sheltered and u just get in the lift. It also has other amenities like the swimming pool etc.
But there are downsides too. The place is damn ulu... chinese say: niao3 bu4 cheng1 dan4 de4 di4 fang1. Nearest NEL is hougang which is 1km away. The place is small. I was generally ok with the kitchen, living room, dining area etc. But it was the rooms that i felt was too small. The Master bedroom was about my current room size with an attached toilet. The other 2 rooms were pathetically small.... There is an in-built wardrobe in each room. Put in
a bed and that's about it. No space to put computer table whatsoever... goodness.
But i guess if i did own the place, I would knock down the walls between the 2 small rooms, so that it is a bigger room. It's not too bad a place for 2 room mates to live in. Just a thought to think about for a while... and how the hell to get S$350k....
Ok, so it may seem that my motivations so far have been very " laundry" based. However, I'm pretty sure that if i do get my own pad, I can survive pretty well. What's going to be so different? So far, i do my own laundry, i clean my own room, i eat meals out or if need be i try to poison myself with various self experimental concoctions. The only problem is of course... paying for it... that I know very well i cannot handle at this point in time.
Recently went to a fren's house warming. He bought this 3 bedroom condo at Hougang for S$350k. And he is my age dammit!!!! made me regret my choice of degree in uni. I digress. The condo definitely has security: you have to enter your key in order to operate the lift. If you're a guest, you have to press the unit number, where the phone will ring in the house u r going to. The host must answer and press the button before the lift door opens. There are individual lots right under the houses. You park, it's sheltered and u just get in the lift. It also has other amenities like the swimming pool etc.
But there are downsides too. The place is damn ulu... chinese say: niao3 bu4 cheng1 dan4 de4 di4 fang1. Nearest NEL is hougang which is 1km away. The place is small. I was generally ok with the kitchen, living room, dining area etc. But it was the rooms that i felt was too small. The Master bedroom was about my current room size with an attached toilet. The other 2 rooms were pathetically small.... There is an in-built wardrobe in each room. Put in
a bed and that's about it. No space to put computer table whatsoever... goodness.
But i guess if i did own the place, I would knock down the walls between the 2 small rooms, so that it is a bigger room. It's not too bad a place for 2 room mates to live in. Just a thought to think about for a while... and how the hell to get S$350k....
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Going Botak over Botak jones
Wow.... didn't realize that it has been 2 months since I last wrote anything. Life hasn't been that busy, but just didn't have the urge to write becos i didn't have the mood. Until my frens were like, bugging me to write something! Ha ha.. ok ok... I'm writing I'm writing!!!
The Sat was spent trying out a new eatery. Perhaps some of you may have tried it before: it's called Botak Jones. They have 4 outlets in SG: Tuas, Clementi, Ang Mo Kio and Toa Payoh. We tried the Toa Payoh one since it was the most accessible of the 4, easier for some of us non-driving folks to get there.
They weren't kidding when they said that they were in a canteen. Nestled in Toa Payoh Industrial estate, there were only 4 stalls open: Botak Jones, some teochew noodles, fruit juice and Botak Jones drinks (I think it's called brewski). My guy friends compared it to a cookhouse! The Brewski reminded me of a Cabana, only thing missing was the sand and beach. There was even a pool table and LCD screens showing soccer matches as well. The best part? They had Stella Artois & Hoegaarden on TAP!!!! YES, ON TAP!!!! To sweeten the deal, a jug of Stella was only S$20! A pint only S$8.50. Hoe was going for S$10.50 a pint! And it's a magnum, mind u! My goodness... happy hour prices every hour! It just made me want to bring out the inner ah pek in me, sit there, drink beer and watch soccer. And call referee KAYU!
We went early at about 6.30pm. There wasn't a lot of people there.... YET. People started streaming in at about 7pm and soon, the whole placed was packed. Everyone was there just for Botak Jones (i think the noodles stall wasn't too happy). Thankfully, we ordered early. Although the lady said a waiting time of 20 mins, food came very quickly. We got our appetizers within 10 mins. We ordered quite a spread:
Appetizers:
Caesar Salad - a bit on the dry side. Not enough dressing
Chicken Gumbo X 3 - portion quite small: think the miso soup bowls they have at food courts. But quite a lot of stuff in it: rice, big chuncks of chicken, tomatoes, potatoes etc etc etc
Stuffed Jalepeno peppers - my Fav! Can just return there to eat this with beer! Not over stuffed with mozzerella, seeds taken out and tangy tartare sauce to cool ze taste buds. Yummy!
Chile Con Carne - portion a bit small for 6 ppl to share. Same sized bowl as chicken gumbo. But extremely satisfying.
Main courses
Fish & Chips X 3 - sampled my frens. Felt that it wasn't too bad. Fish was tender, didn't break up easily and didn't have the fishy smell.
Rib eye Steak X 2, Disappointing. The sauce was not watery and the meat a tad pale for my liking. But the portion is big, even at the minumum of 200 gm.
lamb chops - tried a fren's portion. Felt it wasn't too bad. But be warned that they are very generous with the rosemary herb.
All of these were regular size, which, thankfully, was a good call. If we had ordered large, the food would probably be piled up like a mountain (judging from what other tables were having)!!! All the main courses came with extremely generous servings of cajun fries and coleslaw, which were tasty too! The total damage for all that plus drinks? S$119. Extremely affordable, considering the portions.
I wouldn't mind going there again. But... not so soon though...
The Sat was spent trying out a new eatery. Perhaps some of you may have tried it before: it's called Botak Jones. They have 4 outlets in SG: Tuas, Clementi, Ang Mo Kio and Toa Payoh. We tried the Toa Payoh one since it was the most accessible of the 4, easier for some of us non-driving folks to get there.
They weren't kidding when they said that they were in a canteen. Nestled in Toa Payoh Industrial estate, there were only 4 stalls open: Botak Jones, some teochew noodles, fruit juice and Botak Jones drinks (I think it's called brewski). My guy friends compared it to a cookhouse! The Brewski reminded me of a Cabana, only thing missing was the sand and beach. There was even a pool table and LCD screens showing soccer matches as well. The best part? They had Stella Artois & Hoegaarden on TAP!!!! YES, ON TAP!!!! To sweeten the deal, a jug of Stella was only S$20! A pint only S$8.50. Hoe was going for S$10.50 a pint! And it's a magnum, mind u! My goodness... happy hour prices every hour! It just made me want to bring out the inner ah pek in me, sit there, drink beer and watch soccer. And call referee KAYU!
We went early at about 6.30pm. There wasn't a lot of people there.... YET. People started streaming in at about 7pm and soon, the whole placed was packed. Everyone was there just for Botak Jones (i think the noodles stall wasn't too happy). Thankfully, we ordered early. Although the lady said a waiting time of 20 mins, food came very quickly. We got our appetizers within 10 mins. We ordered quite a spread:
Appetizers:
Caesar Salad - a bit on the dry side. Not enough dressing
Chicken Gumbo X 3 - portion quite small: think the miso soup bowls they have at food courts. But quite a lot of stuff in it: rice, big chuncks of chicken, tomatoes, potatoes etc etc etc
Stuffed Jalepeno peppers - my Fav! Can just return there to eat this with beer! Not over stuffed with mozzerella, seeds taken out and tangy tartare sauce to cool ze taste buds. Yummy!
Chile Con Carne - portion a bit small for 6 ppl to share. Same sized bowl as chicken gumbo. But extremely satisfying.
Main courses
Fish & Chips X 3 - sampled my frens. Felt that it wasn't too bad. Fish was tender, didn't break up easily and didn't have the fishy smell.
Rib eye Steak X 2, Disappointing. The sauce was not watery and the meat a tad pale for my liking. But the portion is big, even at the minumum of 200 gm.
lamb chops - tried a fren's portion. Felt it wasn't too bad. But be warned that they are very generous with the rosemary herb.
All of these were regular size, which, thankfully, was a good call. If we had ordered large, the food would probably be piled up like a mountain (judging from what other tables were having)!!! All the main courses came with extremely generous servings of cajun fries and coleslaw, which were tasty too! The total damage for all that plus drinks? S$119. Extremely affordable, considering the portions.
I wouldn't mind going there again. But... not so soon though...
