Went to Iluma on Tuesday, 21 Jul 09, at around 12.45 pm. Surprisingly it was not packed at all considering that it was lunch hour. Perhaps the building is new, having just opened about four months ago and not fully-tenanted yet. Perhaps the building is so ultra-modern and high-tech looking that people think it is an expensive shopping mall. I reckon there will be more human traffic towards the end of the year when the complex is more “developed” and be the entertainment centre it is intended to be.
Decided to eat at the Empire State Restaurant which is on the 4th floor. I was the third customer. Subsequently, eleven others came in four different groups. The restaurant is quite large. The staff are quite young and all of them wore t-shirts with the face of an ape in front and different one or two-liners on the back, such as “I didn’t trained so hard to be a vegetarian.”
The Restaurant has quite an extensive menu. There were twelve different groups of food, drinks and desserts. Just for pasta, there were eleven choices. You will need some 10 to 15 minutes to finish reading the entire menu.
As I wanted something light, I ordered the Baked Salmon, shown here.
This picture, which was hurriedly taken, doesn’t do justice to the food. I meant the amount of food. I didn’t expect the portion to be as large as what you usually will get in US. There was another piece of salmon about half the size of the front one you see, which was lying on top of a bed of mashed potatoes. The serving of mashed potatoes was easily equaled to 1.5 large KFC mashed potatoes. The salmon, mashed potatoes and greens were not salty and blended well, just nice for my taste. At $16.90 it was worth it.
I will definitely go back there again, if not sooner, then at the end of September.
OK, why bring this up? One, because of the recent total eclipse of the sun thus remaining me of this song, and two, this was an extremely popular song by Bonnie Tyler’s in 1983, which was the same year Peppermint Park in Parkway Parade opened its doors.
Back then, I like to frequent Peppermint Park. Peppermint Park was one of the first, if not the very first,lounge/pub in Singapore to offer live band music and songs. All the bands they engaged were from the Philippines and they were very slick with their music and sung very well.
Sitting inside Peppermint Park made you think you were in a park as the ceiling was constructed to resemble that of a night sky filled with twinkling stars with accompanying sounds of crickets. The twinkling stars could be “switched off” and you could have lightning and thunder effects. Real cool at that time. I loved the place so much that when I couldn’t get friends to go along with me, I went alone!
I also liked the idea that they gave you the option for them to hold on to your credit card and pay for everything when you wanted to leave and not every time you ordered something. But I doubt I would do this now given the various ways one can skim the details off your credit cards.
Anyway, there was one night where four of us guys went there and “unfortunately” we sat right in front. One of the band members on stage asked why the four of us were there and my friend said he was just dumped by his girlfriend and everyone in the lounge went “aw….” So this popular song then was sung and dedicated to him. Though this song is a bit long, the music arrangement was well done. Managed to track down the original mv, which maybe a bit cryptic. Here it is:
After watching the original mv, you have to watch this spoof. It’s quite funny.
If you want the lyrics of this song, here they are:
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming around Turnaround, Every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears Turnaround, Every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by Turnaround, Every now and then I get a little bit terrified and then I see the look in your eyes Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a little bit restless and I dream of something wild Turnaround, Every now and then I get a little bit helpless and I'm lying like a child in your arms Turnaround, Every now and then I get a little bit angry and I know I've got to get out and cry Turnaround, Every now and then I get a little bit terrified but then I see the look in your eyes Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart
And I need you now tonight And I need you more than ever And if you'll only hold me tight We'll be holding on forever And we'll only be making it right Cause we'll never be wrong together We can take it to the end of the line Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks I really need you tonight Forever's gonna start tonight Forever's gonna start tonight
Once upon a time I was falling in love But now I'm only falling apart There's nothing I can do A total eclipse of the heart Once upon a time there was light in my life But now there's only love in the dark Nothing I can say A total eclipse of the heart
Turnaround bright eyes Turnaround bright eyes Turnaround, every now and then I know you'll never be the boy you always you wanted to be Turnaround, every now and then I know you'll always be the only boy who wanted me the way that I am Turnaround, every now and then I know there's no one in the universe as magical and wonderous as you Turnaround, every now and then I know there's nothing any better and there's nothing I just wouldn't do Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and then I fall apart
And I need you now tonight And I need you more than ever And if you'll only hold me tight We'll be holding on forever And we'll only be making it right Cause we'll never be wrong together We can take it to the end of the line Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks I really need you tonight Forever's gonna start tonight Forever's gonna start tonight
Once upon a time I was falling in love But now I'm only falling apart There's nothing I can do A total eclipse of the heart Once upon a time there was light in my life But now there's only love in the dark Nothing I can say A total eclipse of the heart
I was on course for two days and the training centre was in town. The course was from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm. As there was no direct bus there, I had to take a feeder bus service from my home to the MRT Station and then take the MRT there. Oh my, Singapore’s population IS increasing. The buses and the trains were packed with people. Many couldn’t even get on board and had to wait for the next one. And during peak hours, there were so much traffic.
Though the journey wasn’t that long, I arrived at my destination drained and stressful. Going home was no different. I reached home exhausted, not by the training, but by the journey. I think it is also because I basically just don’t like crowds. I don’t go to sales events. Nope, I have not shop for anything, except chocolates and ice creams, during the Great Singapore Sale. I hate queuing up to pay. If I need to buy something, I will usually go first thing in the morning when the shops just opened for business.
I am very glad that I don’t have to take the MRT to work and I never had. Even in my previous jobs in Shenton Way and Orchard Road, I was fortunate that there were premium or private bus services that originate from my home to these places. These services usually just go around a certain estate or location and then head straight, non-stopped via expressways, to the destination. The marginally higher transport cost was definitely worth every cent as you are usually guaranteed a comfortable seat and arrived or reached home still fresh!
I hope I will never ever have to take the MRT to work.
Errr… I still have to go back there in September for another two days.
The Weakest Link, which started in UK in 2000 and is still ongoing, is an internationally popular quiz game show where nine contestants take turns answering a series of general knowledge questions. The object of each round is to answer a chain of consecutive correct answers to earn an increasing amount (£20, £50, £100, £200, £300, £450, £600, £800, £1,000) of pool money within a certain time limit. At the end of each round, one of the contestants will be voted out as the “weakest link” till two are left to fight for the final prize money.
Anne Robinson, the host of the UK series, had earned herself the title “Queen of Mean”, as she dishes out the most caustic remarks about the contestants lack of knowledge or intelligence.
Here are some of them:
Who has left his brain at home? Who forgot to wind up their brain this morning? Whose IQ is the same as his age? Who can get lost in a lift? Who can’t find a needle in a needle stack? Who should have spent their money on a brain implant? Whose silicon is sadly leaking into their head? Who has the brain of a brussels sprout? Who has problem counting his legs? Who makes a duck looked intelligent? Who has the intellect of a flea? Who is as thick as a club sandwich? Which of you was a plank of wood in a previous life? Who would get splinters if they scratched their head? Who’s got varicose brains? Whose brainstorm is merely a light shower? Who is as much use as a toothless vampire? Who has one eye missing and thinks they have double vision? Which of you goes to the opticians with a broken toe? Who’s the bottom among bodily parts? Who’s as quick as a tortoise on Prozac? Who’s had “idiot” written all over their face? Who has merely sipped from the Fountain of Knowledge? Who believes in bungee jumping without the rope? Who’s the dummy who should go home to Mummy? Who’s more Frankenstein than Einstein? Whose intelligence is their best kept secret? If brains were taxed, who would get a refund? Who has gone into hibernation? If ignorance is bliss – you here must be very happy. Don’t smile. You might confuse yourself. When God gave out brain cells, you must have been at the back of the queue
I have enjoyed watching the Hong Kong series (一筆OUT消), which was hosted by Carol Cheng in Cantonese, very much. As per franchise licensing agreement, besides wearing all black, she had to be as cold and sarcastic as Anne Robinson. But apparently such “mean behaviour” did not go well with the audience because of their Chinese culture of “giving face”. Subsequently, Carol Cheng was allowed to soften her approach towards the contestants and the series was well received.
Though I have also watched the Singapore series I cannot remember much of it, probably because it was a very short series, other than it was hosted by model & VJ Asha Gill.
You can catch The Weakest Link on BBC Entertainment on Starhub TV Channel 76 every weekday at 6.00 pm.
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead, Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves, Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
He was my North, my South, my East and West. My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.
The stars are not wanted now: put out every one; Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun; Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood. For nothing now can ever come to any good.
The above poem was written in 1936. It became more widely known after it was recited in the 1994 movie, Four Weddings & A Funeral. If you have not watched this movie you should try to rent it and watch. I believe this is the only movie which the first line of dialogue begins with “F**K! F**K!” When it was screened in Singapore then, the audience could not hear those two words!
We used to say so and so have died. Often times, we say so and so have passed away. Now, it seems it is only appropriate to say so and so have passed on.
The deaths we usually encountered are frequently of those elder than us. As we grow older, more of our peers passed on. But I have three friends who passed on when they were only in their 20s.
I tried to avoid going to wakes or funerals. I didn’t attend any of my three friends; two of which I couldn’t even if I had wanted to. Nothing superstitious; just don’t know what to say or how to “behave” at these usually sad occasions. Not many wakes or funerals are about “celebrating the deceased’s life” and not “mourning the deceased’s passing”.
Am I afraid of my own death? One no and two yesses. No, as I am not worried about whether I will be enjoying ice-cream and chocolate in heaven or be burned in hell. Yes, if I am going to be in great pain and suffering prior to my death. Yes, if I were to die before my mum does. I don’t need to live to a very old age. I just need to live just one day longer than my mum so that I can take care of her till her very last day and she does not need to “experience” my passing on.
Cremated or buried? Why bother to get people to dig labouriously, boxed my dead body up, slowly rot inside and underneath and be food for maggots? Scatter my ashes? That’s pollution. Besides who is willing to bring my ashes to the Tibetan mountains?
Three of my friends have passed on many years back.
The first was a friend whom I got to know through social gatherings. We liked the same music and singers. We got along quite well. I lend him one of my favourite cassette tapes. He didn’t appear much at our gatherings because he was always busy either with his final-year studies in NUS or something. We kept in touch with the occasional phone calls then. Usually he was the one to call as I didn’t want to bother him as he seemed to be very busy. Then the calls stopped. But I didn’t think much of it as it was natural as sometimes friends don’t keep in touch constantly. But when they do, you know they are going to be your same old friend.
A year went by and I decided to give him a call one evening in 1984. A girl, whom I later found out to be his sister, picked up the phone. When I asked for him, she hesitated and paused and asked me who I was. I replied I was a friend of his. She slowly told me that his brother had passed on for slightly more than a year of bone cancer. I was too distraught to listen carefully and to continue with the conversation. When she asked me what I was calling him for, I remembered I murmured about wanting the cassette tape back. I apologized and hung up. Though he was already limping when I got to know him, he was a very cheerful person and there wasn’t any hint to his condition then. In hindsight he did seem “quiet” at times and there was always that aura of peace within him. He seemed contented with the present then.
The second was my secondary school classmates. He was part of the “gang” we belonged to. I used to go to his house to do my technical drawings homework. Why? I was bad at technical drawing and it was the only homework that I could do, talk and listen to music at the same time. In fact I timed my technical drawing homework to the radio pop chart programmes. He was also my neighbour. After I moved, we didn’t keep in contact other than the once-a-year birthday and Christmas cards. Then the cards stopped. I thought he had moved away or something. Many of my other friends also slowly “disappeared” when there were no returned Christmas cards. Then a number of years later, in 1987, I read about his passing in the obituary. Though his family members knew me then I wasn’t sure they would remember me and I didn’t try to find out his cause of death. Did it matter how he died? Sometimes not knowing is better.
The third was a Malaysian guy with family and work problems. Sometimes he talked about ending his life in a joking manner and I used to help and offered advice on how to tackle his problems. Was extremely happy for him when he found a girl friend. He seemed happier and the three of us hung out a number of times but I eventually declined so as not to be in the way. Months passed. One day his girl friend called me and said he got work problems again and had talked of dying. I told her not to worry as this had happen a number of times before. The next day she called me and said he had committed suicide by jumping off from his block. I felt so horrible and guilt-ridden then. Even as I write this now I still feel guilty as I did not take him seriously and thought his girl friend should be able to console him. As usual, and especially this time round, I didn’t want to go to his wake and funeral and I was too ashamed to call his girl friend. He was only 28 years old; three years my junior.
Many years later, I met his girl friend at a shopping centre. I was basically stunned but, from a distance, she smiled at me. The smile was an it-is-alright-now-don’t-blame-yourself kind of smile. I smiled back still a bit guilty. We didn’t exchange any words and we walked in different directions.
Spoken: Think about the generations and to say we want to make it a better world for our children and our children's children. So that they know it's a better world for them; and think if they can make it a better place.
There's a place in your heart And I know that it is love And this place could be much Brighter than tomorrow. And if you really try You'll find there's no need to cry In this place you'll feel There's no hurt or sorrow. There are ways to get there If you care enough for the living Make a little space, make a better place.
Chorus: Heal the world Make it a better place For you and for me and the entire human race There are people dying If you care enough for the living Make a better place for You and for me.
If you want to know why There's a love that cannot lie Love is strong It only cares for joyful giving. If we try we shall see In this bliss we cannot feel Fear or dread We stop existing and start living Then it feels that always Love's enough for us growing Make a better world, make a better world.
Chorus: Heal the world Make it a better place For you and for me and the entire human race There are people dying If you care enough for the living Make a better place for You and for me.
Bridge: And the dream we would conceived in Will reveal a joyful face And the world we once believed in Will shine again in grace Then why do we keep strangling life Wound this earth, crucify it's soul Though it's plain to see, this world is heavenly Be God's glow.
We could fly so high Let our spirits never die In my heart I feel You are all my brothers Create a world with no fear Together we'll cry happy tears See the nations turn Their swords into plowshares We could really get there If you cared enough for the living Make a little space to make a better place.
Chorus (3x)
There are people dying if you care enough for the living Make a better place for you and for me. There are people dying if you care enough for the living Make a better place for you and for me.
You and for me / Make a better place You and for me / Make a better place You and for me / Make a better place You and for me / Heal the world we live in You and for me / Save it for our children You and for me / Heal the world we live in You and for me / Save it for our children You and for me / Heal the world we live in You and for me / Save it for our children You and for me / Heal the world we live in You and for me / Save it for our children
My cousin’s son introduced a flash game to me that got me hooked. I have been playing it for the past several weeks.
Based on the Transformers, you deploy Autobots to kill the attacking Decepticons, thus preventing them from breaking into your Stronghold.
You need currency, in this case Sparks, to purchase the Autobots. You are given 30 Sparks at the start of the game. Killing the Decepticons will earn you more Sparks, which in turn can be used for more Autobots purchases.
There are five Autobots, each with different level of capabilities in terms of speed of fire, range of fire, and fire power (damage level). They are:
Bumblebee – rapid fire, close range, low damage (cost 10 Sparks) Jazz – moderate fire, close range, inhibits movement (cost 15 Sparks) Ironhide – moderate fire, mid range, homing missiles (cost 20 Sparks) Ratchet – reduced fire, ground attack only, wide blast range (cost 30 Sparks) Optimus Prime – moderate fire, upgrades to multiple targeting (cost 50 Sparks) (only available from Wave 25 onwards)
You can upgrade the speed, response, range and damage levels of any of the Autobots by paying the corresponding Sparks required. Just select the Autobot, and the level and cost of upgrades will be shown on the bottom left side, which is the blank portion in this screenshot.
You can also sell away any Autobots that are no longer effective though you will get much lesser Sparks than you originally paid for.
There are also different types of Decepticons with different speed and resistance to fire. They come in waves and each new wave increases the game difficulty. You can send the next wave earlier and that will earn you extra score points. Complete all 50 waves for a massive increase in your scores.
Though I have completed the game, I still play it once in a while using different teams of Autobots to see whether I can improve my overall score, which at the moment stands at 1,702,219.
No, there is no spelling error. Yes, there is no “e” at the end of chocolate as far as this chocolatier from Spain is concerned.
Chocolat Factory has been in Singapore for more than three years now. Shanghai is the only other Asian city that carries this brand. Do not confuse them with the local chocolatier previously known as Chocolate Factory. I understand there was some dispute over the similarity in names. Though the local Chocolate (with an “e’) Factory is now known as Laurent Bernard Chocolatier, its website still used its previous name.
Chocolat Factory, who call themselves the Pleasure Experts, carry quite a vast range of chocolate products in unique packaging, which won design awards not only in Barcelona but in London and Germany as well. There is chocolate jam with sweet pear, bitter orange, chestnut or mint ($14 per bottle) and even chocolate pasta.
Its truffles and pralines are made with Belgian chocolate. They also have a vast range with liquor. The size of the non-liquor truffles is bite-size – you get about 10 pieces per 100 gsm. It is creamy and smooth and very good indeed. You cannot just eat one
At $15 and $17.50 per 100 gsm for pralines and truffles respectively, it is cheaper than some of our local chocolatiers, and taste just as good, if not better. What’s more, there is currently a 15% discount for purchases above $80 when you use either your UOB or Citibank Credit Cards. So head on down to Paragon (B1-K11) or OUB Centre (01-06) now. Chocolat Factory doesn’t have a local website but there is an English version of its website in Spain.
I am not going to talk about Leonard da Vinci (1452-1519). I will leave that to scholars and historians.
I was at the Singapore Science Centre (SSC) on 24 Jun 09 for the Da Vinci The Genius Exhibition, with my cousin’s family. The Exhibition will be on till 16 Aug 09.
Exhibits include the analysis of two paintings, the Last Supper and the Mona Lisa, anatomical drawings, the codices (manuscript, notes and drawings), military models, and the famous Vitruvian Man. For details of exhibits, visit the official website. Do note that what you see at the official website are photos taken from exhibitions in other cities and thus not representative of the SSC.
I find the additional $15 entrance fee for an adult ($10 for a child), on top of the usual entrance fee, somewhat pricey. I think an adult entrance fee of perhaps $6 to $8 would probably commensurate with my experience there. Whilst I was fascinated by many of the exhibits, I didn’t get a sense of being overwhelmed or in awe. I think it is because, overall the Exhibition, was not extensive enough. The only extensive exhibit was the Mona Lisa – details replicate of each layers of the painting were produced, 25 secrets of the paintings were highlighted (though not the identity of who she was who or could have been), and a video clip of, I think, 10 to 15 minutes, which was played repeatedly. There was another, of equal duration, video clip playing on The Last Supper. As expected, you couldn’t touch, neither were you allowed to photograph, the models. Those few that you were allowed to touch, were apparently not “working”, though I have to be fair and said that perhaps we do not know how to “operate” them.
At one section was a projection screen screening a documentary on the life of da Vinci. This perhaps was the most informative, fascinating, and “extensive” part of the Exhibition. It would have worth the additional $15 paid had it been played at a theatre-style setting with comfortable seats. But unfortunately it was just a small sectioned off area with wooden benches. Many people were sitting by the sides of the benches because if one was to sit inner or in the middle, he would most likely blocked the view from those behind him. I actually stand for more than half an hour watching the video. And mind you, the video, which I found out later, was just one part of a three-part documentary series produced by the BBC in 2004. It would take 2 hrs 40 minutes to watch all three parts.
As we were hungry we decided to leave. Though we were allowed to re-enter if we chose to by showing the “DV” that were stamped on our hands, we didn’t.
There is a DVD on the Mona Lisa on sale at the merchandise section but not the BBC video that we enjoyed. However some kind soul has broken each of the three-part documentaries into six parts each, which means 18 parts in all, and uploaded them to You-Tube. And this is what I want to share. Do take the time to view all 18 parts. You will come to admire the man who without any doubt is (was) THE Genius.
Part 1 examines the first half of Leonardo's life, from his birth near Florence to his famous achievements in the great cities of the Italian Renaissance. Studying his notebooks, and some of his most famous paintings and inventions, we discover there is far more to Leonardo than you may have thought.
For the second half of his biography, we find Leonardo in Venice. Here he experiments with his inventions - a diving suit, glider and robot - which were make and put to the test. We also see him mapmaking for the notorious Cesare Borgia.
This final Part centred around Leonardo's greatest masterpiece - the most famous image in the history of art - the Mona Lisa. It investigates the identity of this elusive woman and tell us the final years of Leonardo.
