Logan in a tux!

How frigging cute is this?! Logan was at my sister's wedding photoshoot and he has his own tux! I bet someone is holding food that's why he's looking in that specific direction. Greedy boy that one.

Things to do this weekend

File SG Taxes (fill in all blanks ZERO, hopefully it will be easy)

Update resume (very outdated mine is)

If can finish updating this weekend, look to sending it to headhunting agencies in SG.

Go H&M to try to find a dress for Diana's wedding.

Try to find time for a hair cut (very unlikely)

Pack away winter clothes (but got no space to put if I pack them away, they are better off hanging...)

Feel happy all weekend that G will be here on Thursday!

Monosodium glutamate

...or more commonly known as MSG.

I've always known that MSG is no good for us, it makes you thirsty, it just enhances flavour that probably wasn't even there to begin with and it's the magic ingredient that makes instant/fast food oh-so-tasty.

But seriously, excessive MSG is just... ridiculous. We had a lunch meeting today to discuss some work stuff with boss who is going to be overseas for the rest of the week so we ordered lunch from this eatery that I have never tried before. Nothing looked appetizing at 11.30am when we just had breakfast at 10am, so I ordered what I thought would be safe - pork chop in tomato sauce.

We were eating and the pork chop just didn't feel right. It just felt way too salty, but on the other hand it wasn't even 'tasty', it was just heavy in taste and texture. Not one to waste food, I tried various parts of the pork chop to see if that might be better and ate with rice but seriously it was leaving one heck of a nasty aftertaste (if you can even refer to it as a 'taste')that I left it largely uneaten. But the power of MSG! I felt heart palpitations I tell you and I had difficulty trying to focus and also felt a bit short of breath. I was like 'no friggin way!!' and I downed 3 huge glasses of water and still felt parched with a nasty feeling in my tongue. Tried to drink ice lemon tea to see if it will 'dissolve' it somehow but seriously my body was resisting anything with a 'taste' - it was begging for H20 and loads of it! I also tried chewing gum! I'm not exaggerating, it really felt nasty. H suggested some oranges and I got my colleague to buy a fruit box consisting of a slice of watermelon, some slices of oranges, a few pieces of mango and felt better after eating some 'real' food to replace the taste of all that 'fake' food earlier. I felt a bit sick frankly. Gross.

It really pays to watch what you eat. Down with MSG! This is why I try to cook at least once a week and have a veggie/fruit rich diet. Old already what to do - the body is protesting. Sigh....

Ridiculous Hokkien story about 'Singalella'

Having a rough day at work. Super irritated so ended up not having done much this whole morning. I just need to prepare myself for two presentations I have to do next week. I am heading to Bangkok this weekend for the meeting, and staying an additional 2 days to go do massage, eat and shop.

In any case, about work - I did something I thought would be right only to be told by my boss 'you should not have simply done this'. Well I AM SORRY that I had some form of initiative therefore from now on, I will just sit here and wait for YOUR instructions so I will not get it wrong. Gosh I can't wait to get back to SG so I can start my job hunt and move on from pretending to care if any crappy artistes come and promote their crappy albums.

In any case, the below story has been circulating for a while I believe but it's still a good laugh if your Hokkien is any good. I burst out laughing and my colleagues are like 'share!' and for once I can tell them 'you guys won't understand coz it's in Fukien (canto word for Hokkien).

;)

Instructions:
1. Read the passage carefully
2. Grade yourself with the grading system at the end of the passage after reading.
3. Not that difficult, chin chai do lah !

Section A: Orrler Exeminetion (60 marks)
Question: Singalella why become rich ?

Koo zhar wu chee ay char bor kia, Singalella. She got two sisters, but the stepmarder and the sisters all damn kuai-lan, so she quite zhia-lat oso. Last time Singalella got own maid, but now she become the amah. Everyday must cook lah, clean lah, simi sai mah bao-kah-liao.

If her sister say liak kar zhuak, she liak. Tak jit zho kah tau-hin. EPF poon boh.

But then, kay piak eh ah-pek got one son call Ah Ming got party. So he say, 'oeh, long chong lai ah.' Singalella very happy because she never go party before but then her step-marder say, 'Lee Mana eh-sai kee, this one bahru lu eh sisters wu standard.'

Then Singalella must zho sui-sui for her sisters and step-marder. Tap pai how, buay zhia, buay koon and buay pang-sai. That night she only can wave bye bye and then she go back to the kitchen and cook Maggi mee. Her neighbour came over and ask, 'Eh, an-zhua lu boh kee party?' So Singaalella kong, 'I-wan, lau-bu kong buay-sai, so boh pian.' She never expect but the neighbour say, 'Aiyah, kee lah, I give you money.'

So singalella brush teef and zhang-zhui, chen-kor, after that look very different. She quickly run to opposite of the beh-chia-lor, already 11 o'clock. At the party, Ah Ming also quite sian because the char bor all boh sui one. Dance floor even got one ah pek dancing.

Just as Ah Ming told himself, 'Aiyah see-pay zhia-lat', Singalella came in. Ah Ming straight away lau nuar. 'Wah-lau eh, see-pay heng ah, chee kor buay pai.' Ah Ming say to Singalella, 'eh, sui eh, wah ai kah lee zho flen!' Singalella say ok but Ah Ming like octopus, touch here touch there.

But then just it was 12 o'clock, one ah pek die on the dance floor. He become ghost and tell Singalella all the good 4D number.

So after that Singalella quickly go and buy 4D, and then tiok tau-pio, zhit-pak ban. So she pay back the kay-piak eh lau-kay-poh and then kah kee cho sen-lee.

Simi kuan eh sen-lee wah mana eh zhai.

Section B: Grades - Gauge Your command of Hokkien....

A1. Can understand the story and pronounce Hokkien correctly. Hokkien eh sai, bo beh zao.

A2. Can understand half story and/or cannot pronounce Hokkien properly. zhia lat

E8. Don't understand story and/or catch no ball. leow leow, mai ka lang kong you is Hokkien Singabolean

F9. Don't understand rating. kee see lah, wah mana eh zhai lee kong simi? ?

'Cold' jokes

Trish just told me a 'leng xiao hua'! Wah kao. It is SUPER 'leng'! She got it from SJ & Addy.

Lao Por Bing ('wife's cake') and Man Tou (plain bun) are watching TV together and it's a sad scene. Lao por bing cried profusely while Man Tou did not. Why is this so?

Answer: Because Man Tou has no 'filling' (feeling)

WAHHAHAHA! I know! It's so bad right! Wait! Got Part 2!

Char Siew Bao and Lao Por Bing are watching TV and it's another sad scene. This time round, Char Siew Bao cried but not Lao Por Bing. Why?

Answer: Because they have different 'filling'

WAHAHHAAH!

Sorry I know it's very lame lah but I can't help it!

Random photos

A Ferrari convention at the hotel in Bangkok when I was there last December. THIRTY OVER Ferraris parked. Very cool.

Snow in Beijing. The view from my hotel room. Obviously all that white stuff is the snow. Brrrr!

Korean artiste 'Seven' at the Hennessy show last year. We had a good laugh!

At the Backstreet Boys soundcheck party!

Saw this cute 3-legged mini schnauzer during the hike and had to take a picture! Amazing how it managed to accomplish the hike coz I was struggglingggggg....apparently his owner says he's very good with these hikes...despite being handicapped!

Logan in his 'Da Chang Jing' pants. The reason why he wears clothes is coz the bugger keeps biting his fur until an entire patch will go bald which makes him super uncute. My mom made these pants, and they look like some weird ass Korean outfit that's why we call it the 'Da Chang Jing' pants!

Cajun tenderloin steak at Morton's at Oriental Hotel, Singapore! Friggin brilliant and oh-so-huge. I put my Blackberry there as a gauge for size. Man, I feel hungry now.

Me on top of some hill at Langkawi last July.

Christina Aguilera singing 'Beautiful' at the concert last year.

Some protest going on in HK downstairs my apartment. They are always protesting about SOMETHING.

Very random right? I KNOW! Hahahah!

Yeah! BSB!

Those of you who know me long enough, should know that I used to be a huge BSB fan in my late teens! I have met them before two years ago in Singapore but my ex-boss introduced the band to me backstage and I just shook hands but no pictures! This time round, sans Kevin Richardson who has since left the band, my colleagues and I got a picture with the band! Heh! Well there were no takers for the spot between Brian and Howie so I slotted myself there!

Their concert was also much better this time round compared to two years ago. The arrangements for their older songs were more modernized and I think they also toned down the synchronized dance moves. Parts of the show were still quite funny - while singing 'All I Have to Give', they stood around a barrel of fake fire and pretended to be homeless hobos or something. I guess they had to go with a theme of 'but my love is all I have to give...' Friggin' hilarious. For 'Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely', they sat around a table and sang while 'playing cards' and 'drinking brandy'. We were like what has that gotta do with the song but we reckoned it was likely that they were kinda tired after the opening set (they came out in a boxing ring, that was pretty cool I guess) so they had to sit down as much as possible! Haha!

It was great fun all in all! Next up - Santana in concert this Friday and Incubus next Monday! Also - Harry Connick Jr in Bangkok 17 March! Will also be catching Duran Duran on April 12!