does one really give and take?

i had a run in with a pal i had known for over 10 years just now. Originally, steven had wanted to meet for buffet this thurs and i decided that since all 4 of us can meet up, I suggested that we should try some expensive buffet instead, and hence, suggested the ritz.

i dunno how many of you had done it before, but when u are the planner, you would usually ask a few folks and ideally, the best scenerio is all will eventually get to meet up, but sometimes things often do not go as planned and some folk(s) will not be able to make it. If your group is large, then maybe that one person will not make a diff. but when its just a small gp of less then 5, then ideally u would prefer to re arrange the whole thing so that all can make it on another more appropriate timing. How many times as a planner that you had to go through with this crap about having to fit in all together? I mean, you are merely the planner right? You are not their individual PA for christ's sake, so how the hell can you go about trying to know all's schedules so that u can suggest a suitable time? The thing is, there is simply no such thing as a suitable time; either way, sacrifices will have to be made.

Especially for a small group, when one person do not show up, there often exist a domino effect on the rest of the folks, and they will either tell you to re-arrange, or if they are really great pals, they will just meet up despite a small group size. But then again, the activity one do also has its effects on it; a movie can occir despit only having 2 pals, but when its a meal, often than not, food is secondary and chatting is priority.

So, anyway, we all managed to get a place we wanted to go but somehow, timing conflicts caused me to suggest that we should go another time. My friend told us to go ahead wothout her but like i said, when she dropped out, there may be domino effects amongs the remaining 3 on the buffet deal. You can stop here and go on and say that that is so not true but just pause and think about it: how many times do u not feel like meeting up cos one party dropped out? You can say its not often, but still chances are, you would had experienced it.

So, i said "aiya...i think we go another time lah, i managed to get a fren to go with me this sat...hahaha" followed by " planning with you all very troublesome...hahaha"

my pal whom dropped out then went mad saying that why do i need to cancel this because i still have 2 other ppl going with me to the buffet. I am too lazy to type so just copied and pasted...

Gal pal:
you ask A friend to go along
if you ask Qiyou and Steven then ok liao lah

Guy Pal A:
u dumn sucker eh

Gal Pal:
then i already mention i withdraw mah

Guy Pal:
we already say ok

I say:
do u both mind my fren??

Guy Pal:
then now u say such crap
u go both la?
lol

I said:
i just think that is like rocket science everytime we wanna do something lor...so many diff agendas

Guy Pal:
WE ARE OK...
u never hear what Gal Pal says?

Gal PAl:
I withdraw

I say:
then want this to go then that one go...it can get very tiring u noe...

Guy PAl:
hah..its simple mixing of sugar in tea
haha
me and steven ok..the end
jos will join us next time?

Gal Pal:
ya

I say:
i ask more ppl to go k, so if you want just tell me k...haha
its just calling to add more space anyway

Gal PAl:
see see
now you want to ask more

I say:
cos my fren asking her frens too

Gal Pal:
ask 3 already complain we mafan
then ask more

I say:
but at least they are efficient...

Gal Pal:
we 3 meet every time no problem oso
we oso wait for you wat
1 in army
1 was having attachment

Gal Pal:
i have work
then

Guy Pal:
read this..
tsktsk

I said:
like i said, mostly when we meet u all want everyone wat...
so if its not a group thing how whould i know if u wanna join me and my pals?

Gal Pal:
the thing is you ask this side
then you ask your friends
then your friends agree then you just tell us
its ok

I say:
cos we were planning to go fullerton...

Gal Pal:
go another time instead
i going with my friend
thats wat QY is talking abotu '
thats wat you just did

I say:
then since this side like one cannot make it (which i presume will cause all to meet the next time as a group) i told the other side that we go ritz instead lor

Gal PAl:
QY and Steven say OK
why you presume

I say:
then this side next time i'll suggest fullerton

Gal Pal:
have you tot of how they feel?

Guy PAl:
weve got a spokesperson..lol

I say:
maybe they wanted to meet as a group?
and since its only 3 i reckoned they will want to postpone and meet as a gp next time?

Gal Pal:
MAybe again

I say:
when we go and eat ain;t that the case?

Guy Pal:
we didnt say anything..
steven didnt say NO..neither did i
scroll up..haha

I say:
so, if its just three of us will u guys (okm maybe not steven cos he's fine with any) really want to go?
will you, kiyo, want to still pay 65 and go for buffet with me and steven if its just 3 of us?

Guy PAl:
did i say no?
haha

I say:
u can say u dun mind and stuffs like that but i think you would rather go as a gp rite?

Gal Pal:
Dun assume agaun
again

Guy Pal:
i already said im fine to go dinna on thurs
as in,..i told him

I say:
but was that on account that oits will be a group thing?

Guy Pal:
so..tts the final answer
i didnt mention anything about the grp thingy
i was jus askin whether they wana go

I say:
ultimately u go and buffet is to go in gp so there will be fun and talk and gossiping rite? so i was just say that we can postpone and go as a gp the next tim

Gal PAl:
even if there is no buffeet

Guy PAl:
just go la? jos says she can join us another time ma

Gal PAl:
steven and QY is going for steamboat

Guy:
further more..theres alot of buffets in aingapore
LOL

Gal:
and they ask you along
will they still go if you say you du want to go

I say:
for me, i know they will still go even if i dun go

Gal:
same lah
i dun go they still need to eat wat
like how they plan

I say:
but is that the case similar when u look at it from another side?

Gal:
so where did the grp thing come out
from you only
where got another side
Steamboat
change to Buffeet
then

Guy:
ok..chill
haha..

I say:
seriously, i can take no for an answer, there were instences i say i do not wanna do this and that u guys can go do it sans me...

Gal:
thats all mah

Gal:
dun need give in and put 9pm
yhou all will have nothing to eat
just go ahead
so now its only i not going mah
y you want cancel

I say:
like i said from the beginning: a buffet amongs us 4 will be a gp thing, so if someone backs out, why dun we just re arrange and go another time?
that is for the expansive buffet
steamboat buffet
anytime
i mean if u think about it, we are gonna sopenf 48 or 65 and if its just 3, it'll not be as fun, and chances are we will not go back again to the place...so might as well just re arrange

Gal:
you just want to win
then take it that everything you oso right lah

I say:
u can say whatever
but like i said, the buffet is a gp thing, why bother spending a bomb and have so mush unhappiness and then one party who did not go will just sulk and wonder how the food is

Gal:
Assumption again

I say:
thats what u like to say too

Gal:
10 years of friendship
you think i will sulk 1 side then fine lah

I say:
its precisely becouse its 10 years

Gal:
anything you say
lah

I say:
thats y everytime we meet we want to have a gp thing and be happy...so,m why leave someone out?
what;s the reason for us meeting up and eat./sing/mahjong
its to talk and update each other abouth life right?
so, if one party is missing, will it be as much fun?
i dun think theres any issue with postponing a buffet just cos someone cannot make it

Gal:
take it that i am out of the group
never time just ask another gal pal will do

i say:
i am not pointing the fault at you gal pal...i am just saying, that we will go another time

Guy Pal:
yeah lo..dun see things wrongly
we will go buffet next week

And then there came no reply from her side...

is it a wedding?

come july the seventh, I will be heading to a mutual friend's wedding. Here's the problem: I think its is a wedding, but on her (home-printed) invite, it reads solemnisation (not to be confused with a kinky act that sounds rather similar...haha)

So, here's the dilemma. Do I need to get her a wedding gift (which after discussions with friends, we'll stick to the favourite Asian Chinese tradition of giving pure money in red packets) cos since, theoretically, a solemnisation is not an actual wedding. Right? But then again, she will be serving a high tea buffet after that. And considering she is holding her deed at her university campus grounds, is my red packet of 38 (auspicious figure by Chinese standards anyway) too much, cos' her solemnisation or wedding is in far flung area of Singapore in NTU?

Hmmm...so, is there a real difference between a wedding an solemnisation?

misleading scene

Last night, I met up with kiyo, stevie and hyena for dinner and we decided to head to Tonkichi at Taka to have some Japanese pork cutlets. There was a relatively long queue outside the shop and we were all advised to order our food even before we got a table.

When we were finally shown our table after a 20 min wait, I found that the restaurent is actually kindda NOT fully filled! That said, the row of tables which we were assigned was totally empty; the row had 4 table able to fit 10 ppl, and even with 4 of us there, there were still 3 other tables for diners in pairs! Why is there a queue outside in the very first place?! Is the restaurent trying to generate hype and buzz by making diners queue up outside to create a 'Tonkichi is extremely popular with diners' mentality to the passer by outside? Talk about misleading marketing gimmick!

Anyway, I had a 20 dollars meal with huge pork cutlets servings and I think that, though the standard is good, it'll never compare with those cutlets I had when I was in Tokyo 4 years back. Also, Stevie ordered the Jap Curry and I kindda think that Curry Favor has better curry.

While waiting for our food to arrive despite having ordered like 20 minutes ago, I did what is my forte: irritate ppl. The victim was hyena and you can so see how annoyed she was having to take a photo with me while being hungry.

unch and museum time

I had lunch (thai express) with Vanessa today cos we both ended our lessons at the same time and things are so much better now cos her lesson has shifted to the room besides mine from today, meaning, we'll see each other every M/W/F haha...

So, we had lotsa time to kill b4 she had her modern dance (yeah, i was equally puzzled) practice at 7.30, and my dinner with Ad and Mel also at 7.30. So We went to Esplande library where Van picked up some DVDS and then i ,managed to coerced her to go to National Museum juat next to our campus with me. I mean, we both had never been there b4 after they added a new modern wing after reopening from a year long (??) closure and its time we get aqquainted with our local history again.

Interior of the Dome

The Modern Glass extension behind the Colonial building:

We also stumbled upon this exhibition singapore sent for the Architectural Venice Biennale last year where highlights of local architectural highlights were showcased. Saw the drawing for my very own university and Van and I both think the the completed building tooked EXTREMELY different from the pictures! Dera fellow SMU mates, does our SESS look like this:

first glimpse into world of PR writing

I had my first lesson of summer term 3B today (as usual, the lessons are thrice weekly, from 8.30am! to 11.45) and I think this is a class i will enjoy. First, the lecturer is a very seasoned PR professional who has been with the industry for over 20 years, and secondly, the class has only 14 students! I just love such a class soze cos it is supposed to be more interactive.

Oh, and I had also just finished dying my hair at home with help from mum. It's a very oriental color of brownish black now. And I look so fair with such dark hair color...

Oh, I also met Lauren for Dinner tonight cos we both have tons of time to spare...haha...so we just met at our neighbourhood mall, Juntion 8, and had foodcourt dinner followed by desserts at Secret Recipe, where Lauren ate the Choco Banana cake and me, the Choco Fudge. I personally think that my pal is getting more and more gorgeous by the day! haha, jeremy...when are you gonna make your move?

my oh my! what a night!!

Finally, after countless hours of pestering and trying to convince people to go and try out Shangri-La Hotel's Mother of All Buffet at The Line, I finally realised this once in a lifetime opportunity to splurge a staggering 80 buckeroos for dinner with Tina, Elise, Huiling, and 2 friends of Tina whom she managed to cheat them with flowering words of how great the buffet is gonna be! The buffet was wonderful! Wonderfully blend actually. Despite 16 stations offering tons of various cuisines. all 6 of us think that it is over hyped and really, none of us will ever venture there again. Unless we are freaking cash rich and has nothing better to do. Even the dessert section which most folks having been there raved about turned out to be a slight disappointment by my standards. And I also found out that all desserts with orange stuff in it sucks...what a great way to ruin my favourite colour!



The only high point after realising the seafood selection does not have Alaskan crabs is the sole saving factor of having some lovely lobsters, actually these creatures are not really all that lovely. From someone whose family is in the seafood business, these crustaceans really do not fit in the bill for 1 that should even appear in a 5 star hotel establishment. Hell, even my neighbourhood chinese joint Crystal Jade have better qualities! haha...



Anyway, after the filling buffet at the amazingly blend Line, we retreated to Clark Quay for booze. Elise brought us to this place she went with her Barclay's interns called China One (??) . Had lotsa beer and i kindda lose control at Da Pump cos I bought a Tower of Beer despite no one really is in the mood to drink anymore! Oh, and the farking cheater waitress gladly took my order for the tower although she knowingly realised that the place will be closing in like erm...15 minutes?! Talk bout improving service quality...a point which I reckoned Singapore will never ever be on par with other places (and trust me dah-lings, a globe trotter like moi does knows a thing or two bout service standards!) In the end, I tried my very best to coerce Douglas to down his beer but still, it was just toooo much!

By the way, last night also gave me an opportunity to use my newly bought Sony Erricsson phone to zap some photos! I lurve the new camera with flash!

what a wait!

realised it has been ages since i've updated my blog! let me see, what has happened so far? hmmm...i've screwed up my sleeping hours (I'm zzz at 6 am and waking at 4pm), had dinners with Sa'adia, my pal whom I went to LatAm with in Dec 2004 and asked her bout life in HSBC as a management trainee, had mahjong session with my pals and, oh! missed out on the supposed Shangri-La hotel 16 station buffet at The Line cos Tina fell sick. What a great life I have...Whoa! ~

Ok, anyway, I just came back from shopping today with Mum, and boy! We had lotsa fun! To start things off, I've gotten mum a cellphone line, and gotten myself a new Sony Ericsson K810i phone! Yeah groovy! The phone is totally awesome! It has a 3.2 Megapixel camera with Flash! That means, I do not have to turn the farking light in my old w800 on whenever I take photos in clubs now! Most importantly, it has the best pic function where a click lets the camera takes 9 photos at one go! Then you can select which one you want! Ain't that cool?! Now I have to wait till the next computer show in end August to buy a bigger storage card for this phone!

Oh, and Mum got something for herself too! She bought a new LV tote called the Neverfull, which I think is gorgeous! I lurve the side strings where you can pull to make the bag look more vertical! And at the price that she paid, I reckoned the Neverfull is a real steal for an LV!

barter trading

Dad is back for 2 nights to attend his friend's daughter's wedding (I do not really know how that actually concerns him in the first place, think it's just an Asian thing to invite everyone to someone's wedding even if you are not directly related to the bride or bridegroom)

And Dad is very lucky to get a surprise from this ungrateful asshole-ish son of his. Anyway, today was not very smooth sailing for me cos I was suppose to meet Sheryl before she sets off to USA for Summer Camp, then she'll be spending a semester at sea (so I'll only get to see her in Dec.) We're suppose to meet at 5 pm but I forgot to bring my cell out with me so I was un-contactable. I had to go through Tina who in turn had to go through K.S who in turn had to go through another of his friend to get me Sheryl's cell number! I also used the 10 cent public phone for the first time in ages and I feel so much like a
a)lost Malaysian in Singapore looking for my auntie's place,
b)Filipino calling home or
c) Bangladeshi worker calling home

Anyway,s after I got to Sheryl, I'd realised that the place we are suppose to meet has more than 1 exit so she can be at any of the 3 exits! Another call to her before I finally meet her! We went to Royal Plaza Scotts hotel's Heat Lounge where they have a daily Heat hour from 5-8.30 where drinks goes for 9.90 nett with free munchies! Today, we had beef fillet sandwiches! yummy!

After parting ways with Sheryl, I decided to walk and shop around Orchard and it was when I was at Taka that I realised that it's been ages since I last gotten Dad a gift. Yup, he's my sponsor for my countless trips and I've only been busy pampering myself and mum with her Bottega and Coach bags that I completely forgot about him. So, it's...Pressie Time! I got him a Dunhill Double Usage (as in the belt has 2 colors and can be reversed) Belt at a very staggering 300 bucks! Gosh, if I had needed another pair of Gucci shoes, he will soooo not have gotten that belt! But then again, I realised that Dad's belt is extremely old and he really needs a new one.

He came back from an outing and surprise! He bought my favourite pork jerky from Lim Chee Guan! So in a weird kindda way, we actually had a barter trade. haha...

shrek 3

i met tina and k.s. for dinner-cum-movie at vivo today. What do i mean by dinner-cum-movie? well, cos the movie's at 7 and since tina only knocks off at 6 we reckoned that we'll be better off smuggling fast food into the cinema rather than trying to sit a a chic place and eat and chat about life and how scary snow white was in shrek 3 after the movie.

K.S. and I decided to have BK while Tina decided to try Superdog, since I was the only free and nothing to do one amonst them, I reached Vivo earlier and packed dinner for us and cos' Superdog has too many hot dogs to choose, I waited for Tina to arrive and while waiting, I tried their chili dog whoch i think the stellar performance gotta be the bun and not the hot dog. I also bought curry puffs and Tau Sar Piah from Little red shop, which i think is oh-so-divine. I am not gonna go into the nitty gritty about these delicious Green Bean Paste pastries but rather, let me direct you a review by one of my favourite foodie website

dinner like a king

I had dinner with Ling, Brandon and Peiyi (who eventually missed dinner due to a meeting) at Rice Table on Friday night. I love Rice Table, cos what they do is they'll display all 20 dishes on your table and if you like a particular dish, you can just get them to refill that. Besides, there's just something bout Indonesian food that makes me craving for more! Look at how delicious the food are!

Then, on Saturday, after a foiled attempt to meet Kiyo et al for dinner, I went to meet Lauren and Jeremy for dinner at Food Republic. Of course, the highlight of the night was how I keep on irritating Jeremy haah...Lauren feels like the poor best friend of mine with a jerk-like boyfriend (Jeremy) and she had to keeo on making us 2 feel at ease with one another. haha...

We also went for some drinks at Emerald Hill and we had like 6 martinis among us and Jeremy chose this thing called Zen, which turned out to be not very Zen at all, unless you consider having facial cramps from the drink is considered similar to attaining nirvana. haha...so we played stupid drinking games just to see how will finish the dinks...I think i drank the most cos Jeremey kept on winning! See! He hates me! haha...

one unhappy neighbour

i had a run-in with my neighbour from 2 floors down just now, in fact, the confrontation with my mum made my inner bitchy self so craving to quarrel, that it drove me up from my bed and confront them.

so, here's what happened, apparently, my split unit a/c had water dripping and the water apparently (like what the neighbour said) is causing too much noise when the H20 hits her a/c and her table is ruined cos of the water splashing into her room from the rebound of H20 hitting her a/c's processor.

Well, its not as if I did nothing on my part ok, I had my a/c serviced regularly, and the a/c guy had told me that it's actually impossible to rid the water condensation from the a/c cos in such humid weather, it's so normal to have condensation at the a/c processor. I have the same problem from upstairs too and all I am doing is to cover my a/c unit with a rubber mat.

So, O advised her to do the same, and that woman had the nerve to keep on yakking how having a rubber mat will not solve the root of the problem She said that I should have my a/c re-installed! RE-INSTALLED?! Bitchy mood fully charged up for me, man! I started talking and acting like a Prima Donna and keep telling her that no way am I gonna spend so much mooh-lah re-installing the a/c so just your problem is solved, cos I have the same problem as you too! And I do not see why, if a piece of rubber mat can do the trick for me, why can't it do the same for you? She then said she's here for 10+ years and the a/c had been giving her problem since it had been installed. Well, I said that I'm here for 16 years and I also have the same problem too! So what if you are here for 10+ years, I am the pioneer of my block you know!

Then she said that the rubber mat will only reduce the noise and not solve the water splattering onto her desk and she likes to keep her windows open for fresh air. So i asked if her Windows are sliding ones or those that are pushed, and! she had the nerve to ask: how does that concern you?

Ha, well, it does cos, i can tell you how to slide your windows so that you get fresh air and not the water, Idiot! My mum keeps the side facing the a/c processor closed so water will not splash in and she only slides open the part of the window where it does not faces the a/c processor so fresh air can still get in!

And she was like, a rubber mat is not recommended you know...I was like, well, that is what the contractor had told me, do you think i got this idea by suddenly waking up with a eureka thought (of the rubber mat)?!

She was also like, I finally understand why the HDB officer (whom she brought up the complaint with at the central body) told me that they are having difficulties bring about my case. Well, I had actually chatted with your HDB officer and in fact, both of us were bitching bout how arrogant and want-it-all-in-your-way months ago! In fact, the issue of me no longer getting any more letters from HDB means that the woman must have got her case futile at HDB and hence she decided to come knocking on my door to seek her grievances!

The classic moment was when she said she wished someone was here towitness the whole thing cos I am a very interesting person. Haha...Of course I said: Well, I am a well known bitch in my school. And I also like how I kept telling her: I am giving you advice on how to minimise your discomfort, if you choose not to follow it, then I do not know what to do.

Finally the other classic was when she turned to her hubby besides her and ask: So, how? where are we going to get a rubber mat? Who's going to pay? Then I jumped in! I was like: Hahahaha, that's what i faced last time too when i had been given this option. I toldmy mum, as if its so easy to get a rubber mat, and who's going to pay for it? Then she left and keeop harping bout how difficult I am like the HDB officer had said. Well, woman, HDB is too tired of your complaints that they no longer want to hear from you too!

a firmer support

yes, i think the whole world ought to have something with firmer support, especially the hours spent resting those beautiful peaks of ours on them. No, I am not talking bout a certain female piece of clothing, but rather, the matress. I got my new firm mattress delivered this morning and boy...let me tell you, i had been waiting for this day for eternity! the new matress feels so firm and dah-lings, I feel my back to be so very well supported when i lie on them; I'm already all excited about my virgin sleep tonight on this matress!