j.b. lunch

(big) j.b. lunch

Click HERE for the fotos.

My bro hadn't got his leave approved and my dad refused to go. Somehow, that sibling of mine suffered a physical mishap and got 3 days MC. Meanwhile my dad, I think he got the idea as to why the 3 families are planning the trip.

...Like duh, his birthday just passed and my cousin's bdae is coming. Their birthdays are 5 days apart and the trip falls right smack in between the 2 dates.

So I guess my dad was flattered by that initiative. SO flattered that he decided to give everyone a treat. Lunch. All 13 of us. At Puteri Pan Pacific. And I had no inkling of that. I guess most of the others don't, too. Cos' most of us are togged in mere SLIPPERS. Heh.

Nothing beats eating buffet with your chums.
Lunch for 12 1/2 pax: RM381.25
All that fun: Priceless

apm

a p m
fri~24032006

Regional/Malayan Music Awards organised by the 2 malay-language 'sister' stations of Mediacorp Radio.

Got pretty good seats despite paying only $40 bux for it ('somebody' bought them for me). Actual price is $48. Got seated behind the sponsors, facing the centre stage directly. Not bad, huh?





Went with moi 3 paternal cousins Sue, Ate & Nor

+

my longtime pal, Tini (her 1st time)




The star-studded line-up sorta' impressed me. I think the M'sian singing phenomenon, Mawi has pretty much improved his singing. He sure got the voice to match that big lungs. Trust the music maestros like M.Nasir to take him in despite others saying that his voice kinda sucked.

The small kids during the Ahli Fiqir performance were uber-cute and I am so glad I get to hear Jaclyn Victor sing live. That and Gigi's energetic performance? Worth.every.cent.

Any gripes?

You bet. And it's all about the venue. The air-con got pretty cold 1/2way though the show. But I dun really have issues with that. It's the bloody SOUND SYSTEM. If you think Indoor Stadium is bad, try HERE. The main speakers blasting mostly noise from the front of the stage and the blardee sound technicians can't seem to prevent the music from the instuments from 'swallowing' most of the singers' voices. And they're making Max Pavilion the main venue for concerts?? Bleargh!

Another thing. Have you any idea how far it was to walk to Hall 9 from the main road/drop-off point? Or even the car park. The poor poor old ladies limping all of the... lets see... 400 metres?? I kid you not. It's THAT far, ok?

Next year on, can we just have the APM at the simple & accessible Singapore Expo hall? Pleaseee???

qi ji

qi ji

Halal Chinese hawker food served in a contemporary setting. They've had quite a number of branches all over S'pore. I guess they do catering too (saw their lorry on the roads).

They're well known for their popiah. I tried that at some branches but I totally dig those made at Qi Ji Gourmet located @ Century Sq. Guess it all depends on the person making it.

Their Chee Cheong Fun is also the authentic kind. Plum Sauce, Chili (with a strong hint of dried prawns) and sesame. Plain & simple but nice!

Oh and don't forget their Soon Kueh while you're at it.



Their Laksa is also pretty good (with cockles). And don't be surprised if you end up liking their Mee Siam & Mee Rebus too.

Not to mention their Nasi Lemak. If I'm not wrong (not too sure here) the rice comes in a slight greenish colour. And there are various sets that have many options for the choice of side dishes to go with that rice and sambal.


Now they have this promotion where they bring out this new dish (dunno if this is permanent or not). Chicken Lasagna. You must be thinking, "Huh, 'lasagna' in a Chinese eatery?? You've gotta be kidding."

They served it with tobasco sauce & parmesan cheese on the side. And the dish is like a combination of lasagna & potato gratin/sheperd's pie. Yeap, they have mashed potato at the bottom of the dish.


Another thing, you gotta try their home made drinks like Chrysenthemum Tea, Barley, Lime Juice etc. Worth it.

morning post IX

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morning quote:

It's my dad's b'dae tomorrow and I have yet to buy anything. Gah!

Better still, on his b'dae, instead of having a lovely family dinner, both my mum & I are scooting off to attend the APM. Heck, my mum even took leave to attend THAT (she works permanent night shift).

Too bad, what I intend to buy, needs the presence of my bro. And he's got outrageous working hours. What a bummer...! -_-
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food entry

food entry
Ok, ok. Food entry. My bro had his off day yesterday. He always had his off days on Tue but since the workplace is open for the whole week due to the school holidays, he got it on another odd day, which is good news cos' that'll mean that my parents & I can finally bring him to our new favourite haunt, Razack's Kitchen.

Not exactly new, lah. We've patronised them since they first started around 1995, when they're just a small stall in the Geylang Serai coffeeshop (under blk 3). Then they moved to Bedok. Then to Joo Chiat (or is it vice versa?). Then we lost track of their current location. I remember once, my parents ordered mooncakes from them. And it's not the regular, baked ones. It's the 'snowskin' version. YUM! Very delicate, in terms of both the texture & taste.

Then they came out on TGIF sometime ago. But I forgot to check their location. It wasn't until a friend mentioned about the place that I finally get to bring my parents there. Even then, I had no idea how to get there so I end up making 2 rounds at Changi Road-Kembangan (because the roads are 1-way). And we finally got to eating their food once again.

The owner is a Muslim from Hong Kong and they serve mainly Cantonese & Szechuan food. Cantonese food is mostly seafood cooked with a savoury, mild taste. Like those we commonly eat at seafood restaurants. They also serve superb dim sums like dumplings, paus & siew mais. Like those you see in H.K restaurants.

Szechuan food consist mainly of inland food like chicken, meat & veggie. And the food's spicy. I LIKE! Szechuan ppl have this 'Szechuan pepper' which totally spiced things up pretty good.

My family totally dig their Hot & Sour Soup.Consisting of mainly chinese mushrooms, sliced chilli & soft tofu in broth thickened with beaten egg (like shark's-fin soup). They mix in some chilli oil for that extra kick and some chinese vinegar, hence the 'hot' & 'sour' taste.


And THIS is why we wanted to bring my bro along. He's a fussy eater and like some guys, he like chicken & fried food. Like this Szechuan dish, Deep Fried Chicken with Hot & Sour Sauce.

The sauce is the killer. My bro insist that it taste like the Sweet & Sour sauce we eat with seafood (esp. fish) but I can swear it taste like homemade BBQ sauce. REALLY! Savoury & tangy at the same time.



The wantan is the reason why my family love coming here. The filling is 100% prawn. AND it's CHUNKY prawns. Not the paste kind. Unlike those outside, they mix the prawns with some chicken paste which create a pretty weird taste.

And we also ordered their recommendation, the Shanghai Fried Dumplings, which is rather similar to the Japanese Chicken Gyoza. Fabulous! The filling is so full that the dumpling practically bulged.


My parents had the Wantan Mee and I had the Braised Beef noodles (yup, they're good). My bro had the chicken, Chilli Kangkong (which is also a Szechuan dish, didn't know that!) with rice. Then there's the soup & dumplings. We had our own drinks and the bill actually came up to less than $35! Amazing! Will definitely be a regular here. The owner and his family is very friendly and they always make a point to see that everything's all right with the food.

The eatery's closed on Tuedays, though (which is my bro's day off, bummer!).

morning quote VIII

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morning quote:

I've had Jason Mraz's 'GEEK IN THE PINK' playing in my head since the past week. And I DID try to sing along to the song with the aid of the lyrics and BOY! was it difficult.

That guy sure can sing fast. Hello, he's not Mr A-Z for nothing. And you should try reading the lyrics. Words jumbled up together that seem to kinda make sense, somehow *surprisingly*. The first few times singing along had been such a futile attempt cos: fast singing+weird words strung together=a struggle to sing the darn song. REALLY!

But I'm determined to conquer that song, no-matter-what. I can sing along with him now. Yeah! What?! Memorise?? Naaahhh... Too difficult. Too toublesome. Anyone going to his gig at The Esplanade??
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2 1/2 dates

2 1/2 dates

That Satuday night, the 3 of us planned on a 'girls-nite-out'. We tot of our routine shisha-session but decided to skip it for a movie instead.

Maybe it's our choice of movie but a date meant for 3 girls became a '2 1/2 dates'. Both of Tini's & Deanna's other 1/2 insist on watching "The DATE MOVIE" together. So there I was, sandwiched between ....





... these 2 couples.










After which, we chose to just chill at Yishun Dam. But girls being girls, I guess it's their responsibility to 'feed their guys' and bought some rojak mamak at this 'Teh Tarik Korner'.



Not bad, leh. The gravy similar to the Waterloo Rojak sauce.

Left at 4+am. Deanna & Azari were filling in the M'sian arrival cards when we left. They still can head for J.B, ok? I'm bushed.

So was it weird moving around with 2 couple whiile I'm still 'flying solo'?? Heh.

I'll tell you what's MORE weird. Reaching home at 5am and yet, having to drive around by noon, with your grandparents in the car. And my grandma shall 'accompany' me in the front seat. Goodness gracious me!

date movie

date movie

After all those oscar-nominated heavies, I watched Date Movie. Heck, I dun even know this movie existed! Watched it because my girlfriends want to (afterwards, their respective other 1/2s insisted on watching it too & I got sandwiched between 2 couples, haha!).

This movie is seriously full of crap, lar. Go if you wanna have a good laugh. It's weird watching this movie on the big screen cos' this is the kinda movie where my bro & I will watch in the wee hours on a Friday night-DVD of course. And laugh our ass off in the dark living room with midnight snacks of grilled cheese sandwiches, chips and Milo Dino... Mmmmm....

morning quite v

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morning quote:

The racing season has started!!!!! At last, something else to watch on ESPN Star Sports besides soccer! Woweee!

Anybody watched the Bahrain Grand Prix yesterday?? Intense! I totally dig those occasions where they let us listen to the conversations between the techie guys & the drivers. U figure out their strategies and u know what they had in mind. I figure out the Kimi Raikonnen's 1-stop plan and the timing strategy the Renault team had in mind for Alonso (which eventually led him to the win, yee ha!).

Now, where's MotoGP??! Gimme Rossi. Gimme Pedrosa!
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sentosa

sentosa

sat~04032006
Had been darn sick on the 4 days preceding this picnic. Considering that we've been planning this since eons ago, I believe it's not fair of me to just back out.

But I dun regret it. The fresh air and nice surroundings sure did me some good. But not the heat. Nayyy.

For I come back with a fever higher than the past few days. Thank goodness my parents ain't home so I hurriedly tried to bring the fever down before they come back. I dun wanna risk getting an earful from them for insisting on going despite my condition.

I just had to go there again. When I'm all well and dandy. I.dun.care.

crash

crash

Those around me will know just how much I love Brokeback Mountain. And when that movie was trumped by 'dark horse', Crash - I tell you, I could not be happier.

On one of the days that I was on mc sometime last week, I manage to catch Crash on DVD and boy, was I blown away! I remember, I was only 1/2way thru watching it and I already sms a fellow movie buff about how good it was.

"...Crash is superb! There are no good or bad guys. A lot of grey areas. Great acting, nice soundtrack..."

I dunno how many times I cried towards the end. You can almost feel the hurt each character felt; spaced-out in society.

"....It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something..."

GO. Watch it!

jg double-up

jg double-up

What's 'jg'? Well, not exactly 'what'. 'Who' is more like it. Jake Gyllenhaal (JG). Yea, watched 2 of his movies over the weekend.

jarhead
It says there, "Welcome to the suck." I couldn't agree more. No, not the movie, actually. It's what the story's about, that is.

If you're looking forward to a war movie like Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down, you'll be sorely disappointed. No one got killed. Ammunition; heavily under-used.

But it's testosterone-packed. Guys watching with their girls will definitely bore their other-half. Well unless, of course she had the hots for JG (check out the scene where he did a jig wearing just a santa's hat covering his front, yee ha!).

Yea, that thing on his head? Imagine it covering his 'front'. Just that. And he jiggying around wearing just that? On that hot, hot bod? Of course you can see his bum! *duh*

brokeback mountain
Would have been pretty boring had it been about 2 heterosexual people.

Gorgeous scenery. Poignant storyline. Superb acting (Heath, especially). If only Heath Ledger's character had not mumbled throughout the movie (yeah yeah, Wyoming accent and all). It's a pretty sad story, y'all.

"Ya' know, I ain't queer."
"Me neither." Whatever.

A definite Oscar bearer(s). If not the movie, then Heath. Or Michelle. Or Ang Lee. They gotta get at least one of that gold thingy for making me stay up in bed for half of last night.

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So am I now a JG convert? Naah.....

Not YET.

the constant gardener

the constant gardener

Watching The Constant Gardener, I felt like packing my bags for Africa (Kenya, to be exact) almost immediately.

Even the slums and scruffy streets seemed to beckon to me. The kids' shy smiles and their big, big expressive eyes.... The mothers with their babies held close to them, protecting them.... And do you know how gorgeous their countryside is?? It's not a side of Africa that I've never seen before. It's just that I've never seen it in this light. This alluring and resplendent light.

I watched this movie without remembering much of the background (I read the reviews ages ago and it took such a looong time coming to S'pore). I was thrilled when I saw the trailer for 'Firewall' cos' I thought it to be a conspiracy-themed film (actually it's not). Turns out, the movie I was watching right then was THE conspiracy-themed (political thriller) film I had always yearned to watch.

Was surprised it was labled NC-16... Maybe it's due to the sight of the pregnant Rachel Weisz in all her glory. I didn't realise it was Ralph Fiennes playing the leading role. He's just sooo.... different. Some scenes may overlap but it's all for the right reasons. The scenes where the sad, sad African song played in the background, showing every faces of the people that were being made use of; naive and helpless. The kids, the mothers.... all of them.

And when they finally manage to expose the ruse in the most unexpected manner, I almost felt like jumping out of my seat, with my fist punched into the air, screaming, "YESSS!!! Good riddance to you!!" Yeap, that's how strongly I felt about this movie. Yeah, it's fictional but it doesn't mean that what was potrayed didn't happen in this selfish, sadistic world. Deep inside, I know there's a possibilty but can we even act on it???

geez!

geez!

Just where in the world is my ATM card??? (that's just hypothetical, cos' I'm sure it's still in S'pore)

Went to SPC Pasir Ris yesterday and paid for the petrol using NETS. I was holding both the SPC and ATM card. The SPC card is always kept in the glove compartment while the ATM- my wallet.

Somehow, when I was about to make payment for my purchases is Mustafa Centre later on, I was befuddled to find the SPC card INSIDE my WALLET and my ATM card- nowhere. I just assumed that muddle-headed me must have made a switch and kept the ATM in the glove compartment instead. WRONG. I could have turned the car inside-out later on but the card's nowhere to be found. Even the receipts for the petrol top-up are absent. Sheesh! And all my $$$ is in THAT bank and NOT the other. I need that ATM card!!!

Called SPC Pasir Ris just now. No ATM card found..... *sigh* Guess I have to queue up at Parkway Parade tomorrow morning to make a new card. Need.to.wake.up.EARLY. On Saturday??? Geez!!
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Talking bout' Mustafa Centre, have you ever eaten at Mustafa Cafe?? Ya'know, where there are some (very) low tables & plastic chairs along the walkway? I used to be so tempted seeing others eating their fare. Till' I gave it a shot some months back. And got hooked. You should try their Masala Wedges. Powerrr, I tell you!

I always wondered, just what about the dish that's 'masala'. I tot' it's the wedges itself, cos' it does taste a little 'spiced'. Then I remembered the sauce (yes, they have a special sauce for that). Thousand Island mixed with some vege. SPICED. Yea, maybe that's it. It's the sauce. YUM! And cheap too. A whole styrafoam box at just $3. Served.piping.hot.

Their fish & chips are not bad, too. They used REAL fish. Not those cheapo fish 'fillets' that they try to pass off as 'fish'. Their sides of salad and fries could be a little better but the fish is worth the shot. Only $4.

They have this "Power Grill Cheese Sandwich'. Sinful! Spread with some butter and stuffed woth mozarella cheese, then grilled. Ouhhh.... Only $2.50.

Going to Mustafa will never be the same if I've gone in the day. My visits there have always been at 11++pm (after sending me mum) and my the time I leave, it's already the next day. Parking's easier and the crowd.. WHAT crowd??

this.is.funny

this.is.Funny


Better warn the politicians to keep their distance...

"...Be careful y'all!"

another dinner

another dinner

Yea, it's V-Day yesterday. Wouldn't have known if not for the constant, excited reminders from the radio DJs....

No significance, really. But one thing for sure, it's Tuesday and my family usually eat out on Tuesdays cos' that's when my bro had his day off and we can have dinner as one family.

Went to one of those murtabak shops opposite the Sultan Mosque (no, not Zam Zam).


They went there previously-WITHOUT me. I guess they felt pretty bad, eating out when I'm not around so they brought me there. Frankly speaking, I wouldn't mind cos' they went there for the briyani and I dun really fancy that.

We sat beside this big family of 7. Our family of 4 sat at a table meant for 6. But we sure ate like there're 6 of us. The peeps at the next table kept looking at us as we keep adding orders... Haha! I would be shocked, too!

My mum and I shared a large murtabak. My dad had 3 chappatis (w/ chicken curry and vege). My bro had chicken briyani. Then he felt like he had space for more. Ordered onion prata. Then I saw the next table ordering this splendid looking 'Paper' prata (was later told that it's called 'Tissue' prata). It was perched on the plate in all it's triangular glory, looking all crispy. Boy, was I tempted! Yea, we ordered that. That eventualy became our dessert cos' it tasted pretty sweet.

Should see the look on the faces from the next table. All 7 of them. Looking at us FOUR. And the table for SIX, full of empty plates. Heh.

$$$ headache

$$$ headache

... Dunno what came over me but I suddenly got really curious about my personal finances. It's always been a mystery- the way my $$$ seemed to siphon outta' bank, leaving me high & dry towards month-end.

So the mood kicked in and I opened up MSN Money and reviewed my online account statements from both banks. In the flurry of keying in all the numbers, I discovered the various 'creative' ways my moolah had been put to use. Somehow, I regretted my actions.


Wasn't long before I got an even BIGGER headache KNOWING where my $$$ had gone; as compared to when I was still in the dark.

Conclusion derived from this over-zealous effort? Travelling can surely wreck MAJOR havoc on your budget. I mean, SERIOUSLY. Some things are just better left unknown, aren't they? Curiousity killed the cat, doesn't it? Sheesh!

morning quote VII

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morning quote:

I'm still sore from the fact that I didn't manage to catch the Rock Revival concert @ Downtown East last Sat cos' I'm on a kinda' tight budget. That, and the fact that my bro & frens got in with the help of a CERTAIN SOMEONE - a 'who's who' in the industry. *Ugh!*

Another thing I'm sore about is that both Channel U and Arts Central screened 2 great movies AT THE SAME TIME last night. I watched the climax of the movie 'The Whale Rider' and end up missing out on the crucial scene of this HK movie, 'Blood Brothers' starring Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Shawn Yue & Edison Cheng. Till' now, I had no idea what happened in the end.. *%$#&@!

... Can anybody be kind enuff' to inform me??? *bats eyelids*
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Long break

Long break

As always, my bosses gave my collegue and myself the week after CNY off. Came back from Bangkok on Monday.

Not wanting to waste any opportunity of having me (the family driver) at home, my mum asked to go to the cemetary. It was Awal Muharram (the Islamic New Year) and my mum recalled the graves of her sister and my grandpa which was pretty much barren. So we bought some plants from this ah-pek who trying to sell-off his stock from the CNY bazaar. Got down to some gardening there in Lim Chu Kang.

Wed, 01 Feb~ Had a girls-day-out with my ol' buddy, Tini. Watched the sneak preview of NORTH COUNTRY , this superb movie starring award-winning (my fav!) actress, Charlize Theron.

Then it's some shopping before we chilled at Parkway Parade for some coffee, hot chocolate and cakes.

Thu, 02 Feb~ Still bored. Been a long time since I hit the beach (in the day, I mean). So met up with Tini (again). Very slack. Brought tuna, mayo and cheese. Brought bread later on, with a megazine and the all-time fav. Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia.

Bored with the beach (which felt soo. different cos' it's sooo empty), we hit the bowling alleys for a couple of games. Then some tea-time snack at McCafe. *sigh*... another day well spent.

Fri 03 Feb~ Supposed to spent time with my bro. Somehow, his off-day got pushed to the next day cos' his Chinese collegues were still in festive mood and refused to work. For once I be a good daughter and stayed home...

...but went out at midnight with my cousins and hung-around at Changi airport. Heh. Then fetched my bro. Made it home only at 5+ am...

Sat 04 Feb~ Despite the lack of sleep, we woke up early to rush to the blood bank @ HSA, Outram. His friend told him it closed at 12.30pm on Saturdays so we flagged a cab. Turn out, they closed at 4.30pm. Sheesh!

I dunno why but we were both the last to be attended to but we're the first to fill up the bags with our pint of blood. My bro pumped so hard he got a bruise. Haha!! Then, they wrapped our elbows with this coloured elastic bandage.

I chose my fav colour. I had this cute dinosaur motif.

There are the colours yellow & orange but my bro chose THIS colour. It came with some HEART motif, ok. So.... metrosexual.

Spent the next few hours exploring Chinatown. Then my bro had a little 'emergency' and insisted we took a cab down to Marina cos 'their toilets are cleaner'. He had known which toilet he planned to rush to over there (yep, he has a 'fav' toilet in Marina). Thing is, the last time he went there was a year ago. Marina had undergone a major renovation since. His 'fav' toilet was nowhere to be found. So he went ahead to one on the 2nd storey.

In less then a minute, he was out. Surprised, I asked him why. He said, "Aiyah later I tell you. Let's go up. The toilets should be emptier." His face was scrunched up pretty bad, ok.

He finally told me the whole story over lunch.

**He had walked into the toilet and waited outside the cubicle door. The guy who went in after him then tapped him on the shoulder and asked, "Bro, where's the urinal?" My bro looked around and replied, "Yah, how come got no urinal, one."

Moments later, two GIRLS stepped out of the cubicles. Shocked, my bro asked the guy, "How come got girls?" That's when one of the girl said, "Erm... guys, I think YOU'RE IN THE GIRLS' TOILET."

The other guy was quick to exclaim, "Aiyoh, I followed this guy, leh!" He was pointing at my bro. My bro was holding back his pain and embarrassment as he apologised to the girls before rushing out. The other guy, red-faced, was already grumbling under his breath. Hahah! **

back from bangkok

back from bangkok

... actually, I came back like.. erm.. last Monday..? Yeah but I decide to give myself a break from the computer altogether. In fact, I uploaded my photos only this week. After a year of slogging using the computer, I tell myself it's time I give myself a break. Heh.

I'll be lying if I say that I didn't do much but there's just too many things to write about-which I just DON'T bother to do. Went there with my 2 paternal cousins, Sue & Yati (siblings) and my collegue cum travel buddy, Sri.

Bangkok Int'l Airport pretty much screw-up during the time I arrived. There were like, 20 planes?? that landed around the same time and can you just IMAGINE the crowd???Incredulous! We only made it through after 2 hours. Worse than the J.B Causeway custom on Saturday, I tell you.

Stayed at Baiyoke Sky, the tallest hotel in Thailand. We checked in quite late because of the airport screw-up and since they can't give us adjoining rooms, we got UPGRADED to JUNIOR SUITES. 2 persons in such a big room.... Wowee! On the 43rd floor, some more! And the view.... superb!

Anyway, the first night we got on the tour to the she-man ('cut' already) cabaret show and the tiger show.

A very flamboyant show, I'd say. A Mardi Gras of sorts, minus the parade. The over-the-top costumes, the ridiculous lip-synching of mostly Japanese & Cantonese oldies and the bevy of (artificial) feminine beauties. As the show's raunchiness upped several notches, I began to wonder about the young kids sitting in front... But the ladies are HOT!

Did I mention about making it to the Tiger Show? Yeah, so I did. Same ol' thing. What others saw, I saw. Yeah, nothing much. Except for the 'man-woman' part, the process which our guide jokingly called 'cooking'. But I'm still taken aback by the location of that show. After the mega-stage and huge auditorium of Ratchada Cabaret, the dark & dingy nightclub in that seedy neighbourhood (yeah, Patpong) was such a contrast.

The next day had been reserved solely for Chatuchack. That huge-ass market deserve a whole day from us. So we stuffed our face during breakfast (at the restaurant on the 78th floor) cos' I don't want us to waste time having lunch. Yeah, getting to that high floor is pure torture. Down from 43rd-18th (Lobby). Then change lifts to get to the higher level. From 18th to the 77th floor- DIRECT. My ears!! Owwwww!

The first thing I had after all that crazy bargainings and lugging of goods? Som Tham. Yes, that delectable Green Papaya Salad. I've been so crazy about that dish that I went on a frenzy looking for a stall selling that in Chatuchak. I got it in the end. Sooooo delicious! So happy..... :)

The next morning, with the aid of the Bangkok map, I tried to locate the buildings in the Siam Square area (MBK, Siam Discovery, Siam Paragon) from my hotel window (43rd storey, what). Happy to know that the buildings are within sight and the fact that our guide had told us that the area is a mere '10mins walk' from our hotel, we went ahead on foot. BOY, was that a BAD idea. We ended up walking for more than 1/2 hr. In the AFTERNOON.

The cool and dim Siam Ocean World in the basement if Siam Paragon was such a respite. It's similar to our Underwater World (inc. the entry charge). Since we paid so much for entering, we made it worth and spent like 2hrs in there.

Since it's our final night there, I made it a point for us to have a dinner to be remembered. The 2 times that I've been to Bangkok, I had my meal at Al-Maedah Rest'n. Owned by an Arab fellow and the workers are all muslims.

Ordered my fav. Fried Seabass with the famed Thai Chili Sauce; this spicy beef dish that's cooked with chili and basil (almost like rendang but much lighter); mix veggies and Tom Yum Goong. Their Tom Yum is much lighter with a some mild milky (maybe coconut??) taste. Their side salad of pickled baby cucumbers and spring onions served with spicy tomato salsa was refreshing. They've had that since the 1st time I came, like 9 yrs ago???

Spent that evening packing and the next morning we wentdown for last minute shopping in Pratunam, only to be disappointed by the fact that it's a weekday and the bustling weekend market had disappeared. It's suddenly so weird to see the roads all open with vehicles freely moving around the area.

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As the saying goes, A Picture Tells A Thousand Words. I have over 100 pics in the album.
Hope it tells something.. :P

Go HERE for the peeks