Wan Hao Tim-Sum

19 Feb 2011

We were going to Wan Hao restaurant for our lunch at Marriott Hotel and decided to take a bus down instead of driving as the bus-stop is just outside our place.

Also Eugene likes riding in a bus and has been asking to ride in one.


 Aiyoh, father and son got that 'smirk smile' , ha ha

Mommy's cool guy.

Gosh, he looked so grown up already.

My friend SY and I used to frequent Wan Hao for tim-sum.

It was a already a bit expensive at that time but now, the price has increased even more and the portion has decreased.

Most of the tim-sum in the basket comes in only 2 pieces! Usually you get 3 or 4.

Well, at least the food is good and service is very good too.

WAN HAO

MARRIOTT HOTEL

6831 4615

HOME

HOME - the wordings (lyrics below) and the music never fail to leave me teary and with a lump in my throat.

I like both versions though in the new version, I don't really like the rapping, kind of spoil the seriousness of the song but I guess they are trying to make it more upbeat for the youngsters - ya, I old fogey already.




Yes, HOME is where your family and friends are - otherwise as my fren QYL said, it would just be another cosmopolitan city to live in.

So this is dedicated to you QYL, yes you! QYL!

COME HOME!

The old version




The new version





HOME
Whenever I am feeling low
I look around me and I know
There's a place that will stay within me
Wherever I may choose to go
I will always recall the city
Know every street and shore
Sail down the river which brings us life
Winding through my Singapore

Chorus:
This is Home, truly
Where I know I must be
Where my dreams wait for me
Where that river always flows
This is home, surely
As my senses tell me
This is where I won't be alone
For this is where I know it's home

When there are troubles to go through
We'll find a way to start anew
There is comfort in the knowledge
That home's about its people too
So we'll build our dreams together
Just like we've done before
Just like the river which brings us life
There'll always be Singapore

Chorus:
This is Home, truly
Where I know I must be
Where my dreams wait for me
Where that river always flows
This is home, surely
As my senses tell me
This is where I won't be alone
For this is where I know it's home

Chorus Repeat

This is Home, truly
Where I know I must be
Where my dreams wait for me
Where that river always flows
This is home, surely
As my senses tell me
This is where I won't be alone
For this is where I know it's home
(For this is where I know, I'm HOME)

Composed by Dick Lee
Original singer Kit Chan


All the singers of the new version of HOME.

Chinese New Year 2011 - with long time friends

11 Feb 2011

Gathering with my long time good friends at my place.

These 'lo-hei' pics were taken by Eugene. Hence some chopped off heads, ha ha...

The Pro at work.

Eugene's artistic shots.

Happy Rabbit Lunar New Year!

and

See Ya Next Year!

Chinese Stress

Chinese stress - for me!

Every lesson that Eugene attended once a week, he will be given a booklet and a set of the words that he learned in class.

We, as parents have to revise the booklet and flash-cards during the week before the next lesson.

Now, my Chinese is really, very bad and so is hubby.

For the first two lessons - hmm..... ok leh, I can read it.

Then everything went downhill from there. Four, five lessons later -  wah, can't recognise most of the words and this is only at toddler stage.

So, how?

Now, I have to ask my neigbour's son who was from Pei Chun for his help. Quite embarrassing lor, he must be laughing his head off behind closed door.

Olympus Camera Misleading Advertisement

I was thinking of getting a camera. Was thinking of Lumix when I came across this advertisement of the latest Olympus camera - the Olympus XZ-1.

Wow, the pic got nice depth for such a small camera which is not a DSLR....... till I saw the small print that reads "Photo taken with Olympus DSLR (E-5 + 12-60mm F2.8 - 3.5 lens).
What the ????

The fine print - up close...

If you are going to show how a photo turns out, you use the camera that you're advertising, right? - not another camera range. What is the purpose?

If I had not read the fine print, I would obviously presume that the photo was taken by the XZ-1.

Now instead of wowing me , one gets a bit put off by the advert as well as doubting what was being advertised.

Why do you need to use another camera? Is it the XZ-1 is not capable of doing what is being advertised - which is as you put it - "DSLR can do it, so can XZ-1"?

Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk .......

Barracks Cafe @ Dempsey

09 Feb 2011

Today happened to be my in-law's wedding anniversary and as well as 'everbody's  birthday'.

Nice ambience.

I ordered the Red Snapper (fish as usual for me, not much of a meat person).

Oh, so delicious the broth was.

Hubby had the Ahi Taki Salad - good too.

My ma-in-law had the Lobster Linguine - it was dry and tough. Why, oh why nobody can cook a tender lobster - it was the same story at Angus.

Think my pa-in-law had Steak which was also good.

Except for the disappointing Lobster pasta, the rest of the dishes were above average.

I will definitely come back to try the rest of the menu like Squid Ink Paella and Truffles Fries.

Hey kakis, shall this be our next gathering place?

Barracks Cafe

80 Dempsey Road

Tel : 6475-7787

http://www.dempseyhouse.com/

The Kid Said........ (1)

(1) Walking back home together after Eugene's class, Eugene picked up a purple flower on the pavement.

Me : is it for me?
Eugene : no, for me
Me : I like flowers too...
Eugene stopped in his track : I'll go pick another!

Eugene went to pick up another flower.

I thought that he would just pick any flower on the pavement but he actually looked and picked up a couple to look at it and discarded those that was really wilted and flattened.

He managed to pick the nicest one that he could find.

Aww........... I felt a lump in my throat.



(2) Eugene was hyper-active.

Me : stop being a monkey (sounding exasperated)
Eugene : I'm not a monkey. I'm Eugene, Eugene L* Y* G*** (his full name).



(3) Hubby going out to meet some friends.

Me : where is daddy going?
Eugene : to meet galfren
Hubby & Me : ???!!!



(4) We passed by an elderly Singh. He was chubby with a pot-belly, white moustache and beard and of cos wearing his turban.

Eugene : hello Santa Claus!!!

I quickly pulled Eugene away before the man could react. A young malay couple was behind us and had a good laugh.

Chinese New Year 2011 - Day 2

03 February 2011

The below photos were taken by Eugene!
Again, no cropping, retouching etc on my part.


 With my favourite cousin PH (actually PH is her nickname)

Peope tend to be less serious looking and more child-like when a small child is photographing them - like my cousin and his wife and also my dad!

Was my dad trying to act like a monster?

My sis-in-law said that she saw Eugene trying to photograph this stool. Eugene was in fact trying to take a pic of his feet through the holes! So creative and artistic hor!

Abstract art!

So I think Eugene is getting better at using the camera.


Of cos, there were shaky and blurred shots but he's having more in-focus, sharp and steady shots too.


As can be seen from above shots, he's able to frame his subjects or at least capture them reasonably well.

*****************************************

Below photos were taken by my cousin using her Olympus Pen series camera.

Wah, so crisp and clear and sharp.

Chinese New Year 2011 - Day 1

03 February 2011

Visit to Aunt L's house.


The kids having a betting game. Hmm... should we do an exclusion order for them now?

*********************

The below photos were taken by Eugene. 

Completely no cropping, brightening, sharpening, that is, completely no-retouching at all.

Open your eyes!

I noticed Eugene going in to Ah Po's room on his own to look at her and stroke her.

Then he went in again with the camera and according to an aunt who was in the room, Eugene asked Ah Por to "Open your eyes".

The 'V' sign - instead of photographing the person, Eugene chose to capture his 'V' sign.

I think he tried to photograph some leaves and moved a little, but I thought it looked very artistic.

The below pic is of the floor. I've never really noticed the texture of the floor till now.

For a 2.5 year old kid, I think he's doing a fantastic job of trying to frame and holding the camera steady to shoot.

More pics that Eugene took on the 2nd day of CNY coming up!

The next Russel Wong?

I've found that Eugene have got a knack for photography.

Eversince I showed him my camera and how to hold and use it, he's being having a go at it and getting better and better.

His holding of the camera is steady (though not all the time). He has learned to look at the screen to frame his subject (though sometimes off-side).

He also shoots things which I would not look at and it's very interesting to see it from his perspective. I think it's fresh and imaginative and creative.

I'll post some of the photos that he took during the Chinese New Year and get to see things through his eyes.

(Note : Russel Wong is a famous Singaporean photographer.)