Flashback for November 2009

• 1st Oct 2009 Thursday - After the regular Thursday night at Orchard gym doing Jacelyn bodypump (double yolk night !?) and William's bodycombat, I got a surprise call from Mr Satosi Japan.. He is being so polite, considerate and helpful for my plans to do a Southern Japan trip this coming late November.. Nice to hear from him!

2009 Southern Japan Autum trip - Day 1 Flying into Miyazaki

I will be away for a trip to country side Japan to experience the Autumn trail

Be back on Dec 6th

Hope all you guys have a fruitful week ahead :)

Movie "Love Happens" + Shopping at Marina Square w Harry

Its Harry off day on Monday (his extra long weekend since last Friday where he went on to send Benny and kel off at airport) and he suggested that we could do a movie together and since its my off day too, I promptly agreed to the plan

• After my swim at Downtown East with Sandy and Joanne, I rushed down to Marina Square to meet him for the movie "Love Happens", of me just right on time
  
  
• harry spotted a super short haircut, cute on him, makes him looks 5 years younger
  
  
• Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston star in the romantic drama Love Happens. When a self-help author arrives in Seattle to teach a sold-out seminar, he unexpectedly meets the one person who might finally be able to help him help himself. Dr. Burke Ryan (Eckhart) is on the precipice of a major multimedia deal, but the therapist who asks his patients to openly confront their pain is secretly unable to take his own advice. Eloise Chandler (Aniston) has sworn off men and decided to focus on her floral business.
  
  However, when she meets Burke at the hotel where hes speaking, there is an instant attraction. But will two people who have met the right person at exactly the wrong time be able to give love another chance? As each struggles with the hurt of love and loss, they realize that in order to move forward, they need to let go of the past. And if they can, theyll find that, sometimes, love happens when you least expect it.
  
  For me its really a sweet charming but forgettable movie
  
  
• We then walked into the new SaladStop! a new 'create your own salad" concept store.. It's a really refreshing and bright interior and the helpful staff explained that they have 10 signature salads to choose from or you can create your own salad by selecting from the wide variety of salad base, toppings and even salad dressings, starting from $8.80 per bowl.. seems to be that we can make do with unlimited combination!
  
  The salad comes in quite a big portion and the ingredients are very fresh (you can have your salad in a bowl or have it in a wrap). I like the sweet honey dressing and it goes well with my mixture of greens, mango, grapes, raisins, seeds, beans, and lots of others.. There is also a corner where u can get pre-packed salads and wraps. They also have thai papaya salad, quinoa salad, yoghurt and fruit juice.
  
  Its really a lovely and satisfying lunch for both of us, very healthy lunch option. SaladStop! @ Marina Square #02-06
  
  
  
• We went on to do some shopping for my Japan trip and for his Paris holiday. I ended up buying 3 semi formal pants from G2000, all black with subtle pattern and a very comfortable fabric.. only S$145 for 3 pieces
  
  
• Went to Suntec City to join in the long queue to change Japanese Yen, all $100,000 of it..wow
  
  
• We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting down at the Marina Square starbucks, surfing into facebook to check out pictures from Benny and kel all the way from San Franciso.. Live updates from the US! Technology really helps to make life so interesting!
  
  
• Before we realised, its already past 7pm into the evening, and I sent Harry to the Bugis gym for his workout while I proceed my way home for a dinner with family
  

Sunday Brunch at PS Cafe Palais with Bill Ho + rest

We had one of a most lovely Sunday brunch at PS Cafe @ Palais Renaissance, and of us having a good chat over coffee and books till late Sunday afternoon.. It was always wonderful to meet up, again, with Dez, Jay, Harry, Zed, Jacelyn, Andreas, at the invitation of Bill.. all while Benny and Kel are away at San Francisco for their holiday

Comments after the gathering..

Jay Jnr 15 November at 16:58 Reply
I was a very very nice brunch experience I had at PS Cafe today. It was my virgin visit the and it was a no regret at all. (I sacrificed all the calories control....). The food was great, the deserts are simple yummy (still thinking abt the coffee cheesecake but too bad I didn't get to try the doorstep...or was it doorstop...I still can't figure it out) and of cos the company lah....

Will definitely go back there again.. Thanks for organiser.. Have a great remaining Sunday. I'm so Lovon' It

ops....typo error, the title suppose to be "Lovin' it",,,, :-P

Cheers!! Jay


Leon Koh 涵量
just had the most wonderful brunch with the boys and I am so "Lovon" it!!!!


Dez Chua 15 November at 18:35 Reply
THE EXPERIENCE WAS SIMPLY great.......... Great company.. Great food.. Great weather.. though not Great price.. but guess the experience is worth it.... ;)


Jacelyn Lin 15 November at 21:11 Reply
for me,being a patron to that place,its the company today that I appreciate... thank you boys


Harry Tan 15 November at 22:41 Reply
Hey guys... yes, it was a good lunch. Food was great but I find it a tad too expensive. But we paid a bit for the location and the ambience. Of course, great company.

I don't mind going back there but just for coffee or drinks (and the fries !!!).

Have a good week ahead guys. Jay - have a good trip. Leon - will we see you for a meal before your trip? When is your trip?


Bill Ho 15 November at 22:54 Reply
I agree w Harry and Dez, good food great company, its really my first time joining u guys for the brunch. Thanks Guys. ;-)


Zed Ibrahim 15 November at 23:31 Reply
The great company should be a norm to us already la except for Bill. But we are incomplete without Benny & Kel hor. With Benny especially, the group will be even livelier. Okok I miss Benny. Haha.

Bill, you should join us more often. And please guys, we should let the newcomer the chance to speak. We sound as if we are in the wet market just now. Must maintain our poise ok.

PS : Can we don't eat soo much next time? So scary.


Pictures from the gathering..

Nice place... all of us love the setup and ambience of this cafe, not unlike one you can find in Australia.. and this branch do have more attentive crew than those at the Harding branch

Jay and Harry confessed their love for fries, and according to them, this PS fries is a must-try!! and Jay announced : ya ya ya....announce to the whole world..!! It's nice lor. My next visit there, this will be the 1st thing I'll order. heehee.. (We had Bruschetta Bread Board for starter too)

Such a lovely place to have a chat or read till late afternoon. And Jacelyn + zed seemed to be having so interesting conversation huh? or was she trying to PROOF something???

Dez and Jay enjoyed a session of laughter with the rest in this very cozy and charming interior dining space

PS. Brunch Burger made up with chargrilled wagyu & u.s chuck pattie topped with fried egg, crisped bacon, onion ring and melted cheesy provolone on a toasted sesame bap served with pickle & tomato on the side and ps steak fries - very hearty !!

PS. Big Bacon & Egg - you have a choice of poached, fried, scrambled, egg white scramble or omelette for your egg.

Bill also had PS. Big Bacon & Egg, but he had his choice of sunny side up eggs, with toasted bread, char grill chorizo, over dried tomato, crispy bacon and roasted pesto mushroom.. while missy had PS Bolognaise

I adored my Crabmeat on Portobello Mushroom, served with bacon and poached egg.. Their portions were so huge!! new taste for me, really creamy, juicy and full of favor!

Bill wondered how come he didn't know some one took his picture.. haha.. but those cakes did look so yummy and delightful! (Jay : why bill looked so shy hor?)

I love their amber supply of fresh flowers!!!!! And we had to try their cakes - we ordered two; coffee cheesecake and this lemon/orange cheesecake.

Leon : i love the way the cheesecake lady hold the cake,, what a charming "cheesy" smile!

Jay : *looking straight into Leon's eyes*

Leon : This is a nice Coffee Cheesecake. It just melt in your mouth.

Harry Tan : For me, am not a cheesecake person BUT this one is really not bad..

Jacelyn Lin : its good!!!!! worthy of the calories haha

Jay Jnr : this is an "award winning" cheescake to me. I can have the whole sline by myself.

We decided that we will definitely come back to this cafe again...



More Photos for viewing :

• The complete collection of all 18 collages can be found at my web Picasa album here
  
  
• These same pictures with comments from friends are at my Facebook album too
  
  
• Harry also posted his version of photo collages at his Facebook album

Pictures of my new fighting fishes

See that Chun has a pretty collection of Fighting fishes and that got me interested too.. and so that day when I passed by Yishun aquarium shop, I stopped by to get to pieces... only S$2 each

But gosh.. yesterday my mother went on to change the water for the little tank and the water overflowed and the two fish swam together for the whole night!! and they must had fought a tough war, for I could see there were broken fins all scattered on the floor of the tank

No choice lah.. so pity to see them in this stage, but they are hardy fishes, should be able to recover well

And Chun had to notice that the blue one is the winner .

haha

Sunday breakfast w family at Bedok South old marketplace

Its already been many years since we moved out of Bedok (in the East) to Woodlands then to Sembawang (Northern part of Singapore).. and we took notice that, for a long while, we had not set foot to this Bedok South marketplace, ever since my father passed away some 10 years back

Now that me, my mother and lay hong's family have shifted back to East Coast, around Siglap area, we thought it may be lovely to revisit this old marketplace again.. a old wet market, the many busy hawker stalls, and a few crowded coffeeshops, these were the place we used to hang out every weekend with our parents when we were little..

And so on this beautiful Sunday morning, the whole family of us, including Sandy's, Jennifer's and Wee Peng's family, decided to travel down to this marketplace's coffeeshop for a hearty breakfast.. to rekindle that old feeling of a nostalgic yesteryears..

Nothing much but casual snap shots of us doing our routine as a family, but I am sure such family outing would be lovely memories down the road

Its really a charming look-back on things for all of us


Its the same old marketplace @ blk 58 Upper Changi road, but the facade all looked new.. obviously upgrading works had change the look and feel of the old place.. and the messy and filty stall selling raw meat and stuff has all but been replace with neat rows of clean hawkers who now sell their meat wearing gloves


The few coffeeshops are still packed with people, friendly neighbours and friends from the few blocks of HDB flats all gathered here for a drink and catch up with each other..


Lay Hong and Wee Peng's family.. Always nice to meet up all for a lovely breakfast. Kyler's always seem smiling!


Mother with Sandy's family. The kids were a little grumpy, must have just woken up from sleep.. haha


Some of the local delights we enjoy as a family.. like the popular laksa, the fried carrot cakes, the mee sian, the wan ton needles, the fish porridge, the Chee Chiong Fan, not forgetting our fav of the toasted bread with kaya and butter, and a cup of traditional coffee!


Some of the shops we know as a kids are still around, like this renovation contractor shop where I used to help out a little when I was small, and there's the optician shop when I got my first pair of glasses, and the dependable chinese medicine hall which helped me with all my fever and pains since young..They all still there, looking exactly the same throughout those years!


What used to be empty plot of land between the HDB flats are now turned into multi storey carpark..but its still a headache trying to find a single lot on this Sunday morning!


Catching up with each other over the newspapers and the TV.. Wee peng decided not to do any more working trips overseas, and Christin expecting her second baby


I am so surprised that Kyler knows how to "play" the piano! he was really looking like if he knows what he was doing.. and of him and Nini enjoying a moment exploring the new piano in our home.. And I must compliment Yu Jing and Xin Ping for so quick learners.. I was explaining to both the kids about the double score sheets and the different notes to them. and to my surprise both of them were able to pick up all I have taught them and were able to play a simple tune just 15 minutes after. I had to practice for 4 days to do what they were doing

I think I finally see it, again.. been a long while

It came to me as a little pleasant surprise, something I had hoped for, but didn't had any expectation, but its coming on steadily, also naturally..

And it bring out something of me that I have not experienced for a long while, and I realised I can finally see it, again..

(listening to Beyonce's Halo)

Indeed, the wall is tumbling down,

and there wasn't even a sound

Its some risk I am talking about

But I can see your Halo somehow

I got my angel now