Yesterday, my husband and I skipped lunch in anticipation of the sumptuous buffet dinner.

We had a whale of a time dinning at the Triple Three Buffet Restaurant at Meritus Mandarin Hotel. The seafood buffet we had was one of the best in town! They served premium seafood for their buffet spread. We helped ourselves to endless supplies of crayfish, huge prawns, lobster, lobster bisque, fresh oysters and even baked dory fillet with truffles (a type of edible fungi that grows underground and they look a small ball of hard black mud)!

It was my first time trying truffles. My verdict: It wasn't anything unique or exquisite to warrant the kind of exorbitant prices people will pay to eat them. They definitely cost more than their weight in gold. For that kind of money, I think it makes more sense to keep the cash and store it in the fridge!

For desserts, apart from the usual cakes and fruits, they served Ben & Jerry's ice-cream, hand-made praline chocolates and chocolate fondue! If you have a sweet-tooth, this will be paradise for you!

Though there wasn't a wide variety of food for the buffet spread, the food they served was definitely of premium quality. I must have hit my week's quota of calories and cholesterol intake. But... whatever! I will die a happy person if that's my last meal! It's worth it! = )


Venimus, Vidimus, Vicimus!! (We came, we saw and we conquered)


FYI, this was just the tip of the iceberg. I was so preoccupied with the rest of the desserts that I forgot to take pictures!
I just received this from an ex-student. Real funny! Think many of the students out there will love this. BUT, please don't ever give me such excuses. = )

It's not the fault of student if he/she fails because the year ONLYhas 365 days...
typical academic year for a student:

1. Sundays - 52 Sundays in a year, you know Sundays are for rest.
Days left 313.

2. Summer holidays - 50 where weather is very hot and difficult to study.
Days left 263.

3. 8 hours daily sleep - 130 days GONE.
Days left 141.

4. 1 hour for daily playing- (good for health) means 15 days.
Days left 126.

5. 2 hours daily for food & other delicacies (chewing properly & swallowing) - means 30 days.
Days left 96.

6. 1 hour for talking (man is a social animal) - means 15 days.
Days left 81.

7. Exam days - per year at least 35 days.
Days left 46.

8. Quarterly, half yearly and festival (holidays) - 40 days.
Days left 6.

9. For sickness - at least 3 days.
Days left 3.

10. Movies and functions- at least 2 days.
1 day left.

11. That 1 day is your birthday. How can you study on that day ?!?!?!?!?!

Balance = 0

How can a student pass ?????'

The students were told to clean up their classroom today in preparation of the Parent-Teacher Conference. Much to my delight, I saw most of my 3/3 students working together to clean up the classroom. They organised themselves, got down to arranging the tables and chairs, and cleared up the classroom.

The boys took the initiative to do the more menial chores such as shifting the furniture while the girls swept the floor, cleaned the windows and tables. The end result: a sparkling clean classroom!

This is really a stark contrast from the Sec 3 Adventure Camp at the beginning of the year, where only a handful would help in the washing up. This time round, I saw team spirit and unity. It's quite an improvement from where we started off.

Keep it up 3/3!

The ride out to the sea was a hair-raising experience. Glad that I didn't join them!

This ranks as my worst weekend getaway so far. I was in cold turkey for 3 days, 2 nights. My fingers were itching for the keyboard and the mouse. I felt trapped and totally forgotten by the world. The only saving grace was my story book, The Kite Runner (Yes, I finally got to read it! It was sooooo GOOD!), which I devoured in 2 days. After that, the rest of the weekend was simply nothingness and boredom.

The clear blue sea and sandy white beach were my only companions. The swooshing sound of the waves was therapeutic initially, but it couldn't keep me in a zen-like mode for more than half an hour. I just felt that I needed to do something more constructive, instead of idling my time away at the beach. I needed to check my emails, blog, visit the forums, check out the online stores for new products, set the exam papers, finish up my paper work, etc. Basically, I needed to do something… anything but nothing!

I wonder if that's the problem with being too accustomed to a hectic lifestyle where every minute of the day counts. Life seems to be a mad rush everyday. We need fast food to eat quickly, fast cars to get us to the destination sooner and fast gadgets to double the work in half the time.

I no longer know how to slow down and appreciate the simplicity of life. As I looked at the locals there, they seemed contented with their lot. They didn't have much, but they were happy.

Perhaps it's time to shift my life to a lower gear.
This song summaries a typical day of a mother in 2 minutes 55 seconds. It's extremely hilarious. I'm sure all mothers out there and their children can relate to it.
Happy Mothers' Day!

Click here for the video. Enjoy! = D
Good friends who do not harbour any self-interest are hard to come by these days. Many people will come in and out of your life, and are usually too caught up by the hustle and bustle of life to keep in touch. However, those who do bother, are far and few in between. One may not have a whole lot of friends, but a few close ones whom you can count on anytime are good enough.

Yesterday, we had a wonderful time celebrating Joel's birthday. He has been a steadfast friend and a real joy to be with. We had a simple birthday celebration at our place followed by supper at Melben, the famous crab place in Ang Mo Kio! Best in Singapore and JB, and some say Batam!


Happy 31st Birthday Joel!

We haven't had such a hearty crab meal for a long time and we ate to our hearts' content. The environment of the coffeeshop was rather hostile with empty drink cans and soiled tissue paper littered all over. On top of that, mean-looking cockroaches were scrambling all over too. But hey, being a typical Singaporean, who cares when there's good food right? I'm sure you will agree when you see the photos!




Recently while doing my usual grocery shopping at the supermarket, there was a promotion on Coke Zero and the promoter was offering Coke Zero for sampling. Though I don't fancy frizzy drinks, if I need to drink one, it has to be Coke and nothing else.

Coke Zero is supposedly the healthier choice since saccharin is used in place of sugar. Saccharin is known to have no food energy and it goes directly through the human digestive system without being digested. Hence, it's a healthier alternative for people with a weakness for sugar.

Unfortunately, I'm terribly spoilt when it comes to food. The metallic aftertaste of saccharin was just too overwhelming for me. For me to enjoy junk food, I must have it in its entirety, even if they are laden with trans/saturated fat or 8 teaspoons of sugar.

After all, life is short. I must enjoy it to its fullest. I just have to make sure that I take everything in moderation and exercise regularly!
The love for food is one major common interest that binds both my husband and I together. Other than that, our interests are poles apart.

He likes to surf the Internet for fishing blogs, travel blogs, and read up on forums about stocks and shares, while I like to frequent beauty forums like Flowerpod and Cozycot, and not forgetting my most recent craze - online shopping!

Well, I guess this best summarises the difference between men and women when it comes to shopping.


Yesterday, during the Higher Chinese Exam invigilation, I was completely stumped by a student. He asked for a 订书机.

My reaction: Blink, blink, blink. Huh? What on earth is that? If you don't know what's that, don't worry, you've got company! (The answer is found at the end of this post.)

This incident reminded me of my Business Chinese class I attended in university. Don’t ask me why I took up that module. I must be out of my mind when I applied for it. My answers would usually throw the class and the tutor into fits of laughter, and half the time I didn’t understand the sarcasms of the tutor which consisted of Chinese idioms that I had never heard before.

Determined to prove myself, I studied real hard for the exam. I got a B! Though I didn't get an A, it was quite an achievement for me. I bet my tutor must be pretty surprised that I could even pass the exam.

So my dear students, if you put your heart and mind into doing something, I’m sure you can do well too. Study hard for your coming exams! Remember to take good care of your health too, don’t fall ill.