Life Sucks

Interestingly, after JC when I did my full time NS, I found myself back at Malan Road at Gillman camp which was just next to SAJC. So altogether, I managed to spent 4 years of my life in that area. After my BMT and SISLs training, I was posted to the School of Combat Engineers for more training as a combat engineer. That suit me fine since it was just a few bus stops away from my home. After the basic field engineer course, I was sent for further training to become a plant engineer and after that managed to land a deal and stayed back in Gillman as a plant specialist whose job was to train plants in the art of war. You know the movies where killer plants attack people in the forest? That was our tasks to train plants to do it. Can you imagine how advance we were back then? Ha ha ha. Unfortunately, it looks like the plants managed to overcome the subsequent trainers judging from the photo below. This was the long and sloppy road up to our barrack or wing as it was known then. Loo...

It’s that time of the year. What do you get for someone who does not desires branded stuff and is rather thrifty and is more or less happy with the simple things in life? I walked into a watch shop and the Kid said – “not again! Don’t you guys get sick of giving each other watches all the time?” Okay so scratch – no watch. How about sparkies? Doesn’t every lady loves a shiny piece of rock? So I walked into the jewellery store and whoa! Those I like, I will have to go rob a bank to afford it. Does I can afford, she will need a magnifying glass to see the rock. So cancelled out – no diamonds. Maybe get her a kitchen appliances. That coffee maker that she is always talking about. This one I like. Then she can makes me a nice cuppa every morning. But like not a very lomatic gift leh and beside I will have to get the coffee powder that comes in those little capsule. Too troublesome.  Anyway, some people said it’s the thoughts that count. Hmmm maybe there is s...

Those who work in the Boat Quay area or goes club crawling will be familiar with this green place. The Molly Malone Irish pub, a very popular water hole for the angmo. But to me, this is one place that brings back a lot of nice memories. The place originally belongs to my maternal uncle. I spent many happy hours in the quaint little shop and his house which was just a stone throw away at Canton Street. My Uncle runs an electrical shop there. It was as I understand, handed down to him by my maternal grandfather. Below is a picture of the place from the website Good Morning Yesterday . I think the picture pre-date the time my Uncle took over after his father passed away. Photo from Good Morning Yesterday In those days, the shop did a bustling business serving the shops around the area, attending to their electrical needs. Indeed the shop was perpetually stuffed full of boxes and boxes of electrical fixtures and used items. There was only a small desk whi...

This shitty thing is driving all of us nuts. Despite all our efforts, commercial and home made repellents, nothing seem to stop the cat from shitting right in front of the door step. And I don't see why I should clutter my door with cactus or bags of stuff to ward off the cat when it is not my fault.  Now I understand a little of what drove those cat killers ( here , here and here ) to kill the cats cause I feel like flinging the stupid cat down too if I can catch it. But on the brighter side at least it is nice to know that there are many nice people out there who cares about cat. Like the town council guy. It would have been very simple for him to just catch the cats and end of his headache and mine. But I think he knows if he does that, the 2 cats will be culled. Instead he has tried to talk to the owner, got a contractor to spray some stuff for what it's worth. Then there is this lady from the Cat Welfare Society  who frantically called me...

This is about the old SAJC. Not the one at Potong Pasir. We were the 2nd batch to occupy the building. Actually also the second intake. Was so sad to see my former alma mater looking in such bad shape. Since SAJC moved out, it was temporary taken over by River Valley High but nows it looks in a pretty bad stage of disrepair. I have a lot of memories of this place. It was here that I made a lot of new friends. It was also here that I was somehow got 'lost'. Maybe JC was really too fun then but I managed to funk the A level and ended up with zilch. This was the main administrative building. It houses the staff room, Principal office etc. I have the 'privilege' of sitting in the then Principal, Tan Teng Wai's car to go to school a few times. He was so kind - he would stop and pick us up if he sees students at the bus stops on his way to school. But my neighbour and I would try to 'siam' if we see his car coming. Didn't do our image any good to be c...

I love the thrill of going to a new food outlet. You never know what you gonna get. Hit or miss? I also love Thai food. So last week while out hunting for cheapo Thai food, saw this little place tucked among all the eateries along East Coast Rd. How come I never see it there before? Wonderful, can kill 2 birds with one stone. Tom Yum soup So we walked in. At 7pm on a Saturday night, it wasn’t exactly crowded so I was like “oh dear”. The wait staff was most helpful though. Maybe a bit too helpful. He didn’t stopped us when we started ordering.  He walked us through the menu and recommended the Beef Kway Teow soup. And then of course we have to order our favourite Thai food. So we had our usual Tom Yam soup and mango salad; picked another 2 of the Chef’s Special from the menu (prawn cake and pandan chicken) and then because we also love seafood, we ordered the Crab Tanghoon and to round it off a plate of olive rice plus a plate of stir fry kai-lan. On hindsight, that was pro...

I try to reduce my intake of what I call ‘ horror food ’ so that means no foie gras, no snake, no dog, no cat and less shark fins and beef. But the other day, while enroute to some place, walked passed this coffee shop and die die must stop to eat what it was selling – turtle! :(. Weak mind. The last time I ate turtle was probably 6 months ago and the previous last time maybe like 8 years ago? Well anyway, I consider Tan Ser Seng Turtle Soup the best in town and seriously got to try it. So we ordered 1 portion $13.00 each with the yam rice (separate charge). No extra ingredient though. [the first time I was introduced to turtle soup by a friend, he ordered ‘it’ [wink wink’ and it was gross!] Picture from sbestfood.com   The turtle soup was as I remember it – very herbal very favoury. M commented that it was ‘sweet’. The meat was like chicken just a bit tougher. The cartilage was like…er cartilage? Sort of hard jelly actually and it slide down the throat smoothly. The y...

Yes you read the header right. Berlin Wall, Singapore. Yes there is a little slice (4 to be precise) of the Berlin Wall right here in Singapore and it's authentic, not something the people in the big country up north cooked up. And this plague is the Certificate of Authenticity. This little bit of the Berlin Wall was donated to Singapore by the Germans and today it stands proudly in Bedok Reservoir, a testimony of the freedom that the people of East German nows enjoy. Maybe one day the people of North Korea will also be free of their own 'Korean' wall. But hor, if Singapore do really have its own Berlin Wall, I am sure it will be just a plain old boring wall, not this beautiful piece of graffiti art. Cause who dares to draw anything on public property here? Afterward, kena cane and jailed then how?