Sheep go to Heaven

I am having a bad hair day - cave woman style bad hair day. Slept at abt 2am and woke up at 830am for work. Fought w my boss yesterday. Still not in very good mood.

Didnt wanna go meet DK, Poo and KC last night partly because I was pretty tired and partly because I wasnt in the mood to speak to anyone that late in the night.

But i am so glad my lovely husband forced me to go meet them. Went to Genie Pub near Bukit Pasoh - KTV with lots of uncles.

It was such a pleasure meeting up w David Kung again. He’s still the same old Kung with infectious calmness. No wonder he doesnt think he has enemies. Who could ever hate him? Hes just too nice.

Was reminded by DK + KC that Poo Poo puked on my bed 13 yrs ago cuz he was so smashed which i suddenly recalled only this morning.

I had to go on my knees to scrub the carpet clean. If i am not wrong, DK helped me with the cleanup. Had to leave the window wide open in the middle of winter to air the room and even spray "Eternity" to cover the smell up, which in retrospect, probably made it worse.

I met one of my best friends in the entire world, whom i have not seen for more than 10 years last night and it has made my dreadful day, the best day one could ask for.

"Friends can be like shares - some to buy and hold, some better off as contra"

Jo

Slightly more than a decade ago (ya that long), I had a Sunday night ritual to perform almost every week for 2 years and that was to have at least 1 slice of New York cheesecake at TGIF, Beijing with Lalith to ease off the beginning of each high school week.

Slightly more than a decade later, I find myself sitting at a coffee house in Singapore on a Sunday morning eating a cheesecake with Lalith at Vivo City, which was, well, all too surreal.

Lalith, as some would know, has an over sized brain capacity and for some strange reason has the scary innate ability to remember many things about me that I have seemed to have gladly forgotten; like my favourite bright yellow wool jacket, and how much we disliked "x" and "y", or the mozarella cheese sticks at Frank’s Place.

All in all, I am so glad to have been able to catch up with him and once again after 10 years, watch him try to imitate Mandarin opera singers.

Thanks Lal.

Rockys Pizza (Bukit Timah)

This place has been around for a long time. My sister, neice and I can finish 1x large pizza in 15 mins flat.

Rating 9/10. Great pizzas.

This place serves up the most deliciously tasting wood fired oven pizzas ever.

1st favorite point - Their thin pizza crust - which is freshly made & non greasy unlike pizzas from pi–a hut or calif–nia 2-4-1.

2nd favorite point - The fresh tomato paste they use….OMG…the paste is just amazing. Spread generously, it is what makes their pizzas so special. Just imagine warm fresh tomato paste mixed with cheese squirting into your mouth with every bite you take. Real good stuff.

3rd favorite point - The abundance of ingredients on their pizzas. When you bite into the cheese, you will know why most females wanna marry Italian men. Their cheese is warm, fresh, creamy, sticky and gooey all at the same time. Not too rich, yet not sprinkled thinly.

Must try.

Joyce

Marina Square - Dian Xiao Er (hhmmm now was it on the 3rd or 2nd floor)

Great food. Always crowded. Service is only so-so. Ambience is not fantastic.

My favourite dishes on the menu are:

Tang Kwei Duck - Rating 8.5/10 (Superb texture and taste)

Mai Ya Veggie with a tinge of lemon - Rating 8.5/10 (Crisp and very tantalizing)

All the different kinds of soup on the menu - Rating 7/10 (Tasty enough. No MSG)

Disclaimer: Taste of food is subject to individual preference. i.e. If you dislike, chinese herbs, then avoid the duck.

Not in mood to go into detail. All i can say is the food is ok and worth a try.

Cheers

Joyce

X-men movie review. Not saying much about the plot so that those who havent seen it wouldnt come after my arse for telling them the ending. (Elaine - you are an exception :))

If you have watched the 1st and 2nd edition of the trilogy or is a marvel comics x-men fan, you will simply enjoy the 3rd edition, "x men, the last stand".

The xmen gang’s all geared up for the final show down, which sees a mutant civil war sparked off by the introduction of a "cure" for their attributes or in some cases, afflictions.

Conventionality aka "the cure", offered by Warren Worthington Sr. alienates the mutant society with grave ramifications, causing a war, once again between good and evil.

The "cure" prompts a sociological showdown between Charles Xavier aka Professor X and Magneto, who vows to demolish both the remedy and its supporters, human and mutant alike.

On a more limited level, Logan, aka Wolverine is thrown into an emotional turmoil when the telepathic, level 5 powered, Jean Grey appears from what was alleged to have been her watery grave with her powers notably increased and uncontrollable.

Although the show, with its basic themes of sexual identity and isolation, is intriguing enough, the "Last Stand" is more concerned about getting to the next special effects cycle than it is about tapping into the related connotations.

So while all the x men, as well as newcomer, hairy, blue-tinged Dr. Henry McCoy aka The Beast, are all in fine fighting form, their superpowers ultimately are made redundant in the midst of fancy dialogue that does injustice to x-men mark.

Visual effects, meanwhile, doesn’t disappoint — among them the dramatic moving of the Golden Gate Bridge and a chaotic alteration of Grey’s home — all worthy of the X-men name.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Enjoy!!!

Cheers

Joyce

Food Recommendation: Local validity only

Eng Kee - Small coffee shop located at what is known as Commonwealth 16.

For those w/o a car, take the mrt to commonwealth, walk across the road and head on up the hill until you see a signboard with a fried chicken wing on it.

Cheap and yummy fried chicken wings.

2 TV culinary awards given

They also sell noodles and ngo hiang.

We ordered 3 plates of noodles, 1 plate of assorted ngo hiang and 5 chicken wings and a plate of ko lei veg for $9.30. Drinks sold separately.

Teh o ping factor: 5/10

Fat factor: 8/10

Taste factor: 8/10

Value for money factor: 8/10

Overall Rating: 8/10

Gong xi fa cai

Joyce

Movie Recoomendation of the Month

Memoirs of a Geisha:

As I began watching the movie alongside with all of the negative things I have heard and read about it, I prepared myself for the worst.

The film, hailed as one of the best films of the year, which raised so much controversy, turned out , I thought, to be neither positive, nor negative. Instead, after watching the movie, i wasn’t quite sure whether to sing its praises or to condemn it.

The plot and scences are elegant enough. During some scenes, the colours melt off the screen, and a few others look like paintings on your grandfather’s living room wall.

Downside: Memoirs of a Geisha feels too much like an American film, a superficial untruth of that era. To me, the film seems to lack detail as a facade of talent. I was drawn not to the actors whom are, supposedly messengers of the story, but to the film making instead.

Everyone seems to feel that the Chinese actresses don’t have well polished enough english to act in the english speaking movie, but my theory is, if I can understand what they are saying then that’s good enough for me.

All in all, the film didn’t create a very deep impression on me. It was entertaining but I wouldn’t bother watching it again. To be honest, I preferred reading the book, which had more life and detail to it.

3 Stars to Memoirs of a Geisha.

Cheers

Joyce

Yup yup my best friend is officially "off the shelf". And to think that we thought we would never get rid of her. Hee…

Photos can be found in my album.

Todays Recommendation:

The Soup Spoon

Beef Goulash - Hearty soup with tender beef cubes, carrots, celery, onions etc. Its savoury taste is attained thru hours of simmering…i think….For those who like savoury foods and cannot live without tomatoes, the soup is a tastier version of minestrone soup….yup.

Drink the soup with Garlicky Foccacia (Judy’s recommendation) and you’d start feeling like snuggling up to a loved one in front of a fire place in Aspen.

Garlicky Foccacia is really really really good. Like eating garlic bread except this is crispier and fuller than normal garlic bread. I guess its the herb bread that makes the difference. Eat it while its hot though cuz it turns real dry 5 mins after its been served.

Price: Between S$7 - S$8.

Rating 4.5/5 Stars  (The -0.5 is due to the garlic breath you will aquire after eating the foccacia)

Recommendations for week ending 24/09/05:

Sugar Rolls for a Quick Sugar Buzz

I had forgotten how great tasting Polar sugar rolls were until Elaine offered me one today. The moment I sunk my teeth into the bite size sponge cake, I swear I was a 5 yr old standing next to my mom at the Polar cake shop in Ang Mo Kio Central again.

The layers of cream in between the cake gives it just the right amount of moisture. Its fluffy texture is further enhanced by the sugar coating on the top exterior layer. Girls, this stuff is seriously good for PMS. Sugar Roll from Polar Cake Shop: $0.80. Rating: 4/5 Stars

Cuscaden Patio: Ming Arcade B1: Recommended by Elaine Chan. Edited by Joyce Ong.

I would have loved this place as a teenager.

Cuscaden Patio is one of Singapore’s best kept secrets, a nice cozy chill out corner tucked away in the basement of Orchard Road’s Ming Arcade, opposite of Hard Rock Cafe. Ambience is nice and welcoming, nothing flashy and yet always cheerfully inviting.

Drinks are affordable - a jug of tiger draft cost $14.00 nett. Chill out with friends and family at this place. Friendly owners and staff treat everyone just like a member of the family coming over to their house for a visit.

It’s like a christmas gathering all year round. Fried rice is delicious. Comes with chicken wing and an egg - like mummy’s cooking. Tasty home made sandwiches like corn beef sandwich and home made burgers come with fries.

Pool is $2.00/game.

I will not recommend this place to people who fear cats because the owners have a cat named Tiger patrolling the premises. 

However, If you get bored and have some form of musical talent and would love to express it, hop over to the jamming studio next door. Feel free to jam your heart out into the wee hours of the morning for just $15 per hour at S Studios.