Neglected...

Ok, I've definitely neglected this blog for the longest time!  LIfe has been a roller coaster of emotions lately - with the wedding coming up, and house "building".

The dust should settle after 11 September 2011, and I'm so looking forward to it.

There are so many things to be done at work and at home, hope to go through this period fairly un-scathed and have peace in body, mind and soul soon.

Will try to update short posts on the blog to remember this period of time before my life takes on a new chapter...

God Bless!

General Election 2011

A lot of comments, opinions, views were thrown around the past few weeks about how unhappy Singaporeans are with the current government.

And I keep thinking, what are they unhappy about?  I simply cannot think of any valid reason that has caused such unhappiness, and at times very rude and uncalled for accusations were thrown at the government.

I firmly believe that everyone is in charge of their own lives.  Just because you cannot afford a HDB flat or own a BMW, you blame the government for it?  I do not know why people think they deserve all these when they are not putting in the effort to work hard and attain their goals or the lifestyle that they want?  Why are you even dragging the government into this?

And all the hoopla about Nicole Seah - I only have 2 words to say - "not impressed"!  Criticizing the MPs $15,000 salary is just so low class.  If she become MP one day, is she going to reject the S15,000?  Will she say: "Oh it's ok, just pay me $2,000 because I love Singapore and serving Singaporeans is rewarding enough!".

Do you not think that the current Ministers care enough about the country?  Who are helped the country weather the 2009 crisis?  You think you are just lucky that you did not get retrenched?  It was the reserves that the government had built up over the years that has helped you!  Duh!

Why do you think there are so many foreigners in Singapore?  It's because they are attracted to the stability of the country!  And now they are being insulted for coming here to do the jobs that no Singaporeans want to take up?

I have been hiring for the past 11 months, and I rarely receive a Singaporean's resume.  Do you know why?  It's because it's a customer service role, and non of the young Singaporeans wants to take up the job!  They want to be instant managers where they earn $4,000 a month, and think that they deserve the salary.  This unrealistic expectation of earning power has led the country to encourage foreign talents to come in and take these jobs.  And these foreigners are now being labelled as a nuisance who compete with Singaporeans for jobs.  I can only say - let the best man/woman win!  If you are an employer, be honest and see who are the people working really hard in your office, and who are people complaining and being a nuisance in the office?

Most Singaporeans just have no drive, and they just want to be spoon fed because they think they deserve it.

It really makes me very upset to see Singaporeans being emotional and not subjective in their rationale for opposing the government.

I totally agree with MM Lee that those who do not vote wisely will have the next 5 years to regret their decision.  I can confidently say that this will be the case because the opposition has not provided a good cause for me to sway over to their side.

The current government is obviously not perfect, but then again, are you?  I hope Singaporeans will vote wisely and not just follow the crowd, and vote for the opposition just to spite the current government.

When that happens, I know I would need to find another safe haven to live in.  May God bless MM Lee and all the Ministers.

FJ Bistro

After an afternoon of furniture shopping, a late lunch in tranquil surroundings is in order!  So we headed down to fail-safe FJ Bistro in Kemang, Jakarta.

First up, a refreshing glass of juice!  I can gulp this down in one shot!  Yes, we were that thirsty!

Next is the FJ Salad which my cousin ordered and generously shared with everyone.  The salad comes with a tangy citrus sauce, and there are loads of chunky vegetables inside.  I love the addition of "skinless" orange slices!  

My cousin's healthy main course of grilled fish.  I love how the vegetables were placed in a filo pastry basket.

And my main course is the star of the cafe - the Lobster Thermidor.  I wanted to eat something else, but cousin insisted we order the lobster as it's not available everyday.  It was indeed a delicious treat!  Sweet and chunky pieces of lobster baked in a creamy sauce with mushrooms and capsicum.  I love it!  And you get a whole lobster to yourself!

The Bistro is housed in full floor to ceiling glass - enabling you to view the tranquil garden grounds surrounding it.  It was drizzling when we were there, and it just add on to the ambience of serenity.

It's a perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon in Jakarta!

FJ Bistro

Fj Bistro, in Fj'L Boutique
Jl. Kemang Raya No. 25
Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Kemang

I declare...

this is THE BEST Penang Char Kway Teow I've ever had!!

Love how the cool Aunty with the big red floppy chef's hat slog away at the stove!  The char kway teow is delicious with an unbeatable "wok hei" flavour...and look at the size of the prawns!!

Each strand of kway teow is deliciously coated with some gravy and eggs, and the bean sprouts add a crunchy texture to the slightly wet kway teow.

Hmmm...I still can taste this char kway teow lah...how??  I need to fly back to Penang to eat this!!

I can't remember where this stall is located, but it's the famous one where the Aunty used to wear goggles to cook her fantastic kway teow!  Check this out if you are in Penang!

Nando's + Hard Rock Cafe, Penang

We touched down in Penang in the middle of the afternoon.  Having only had a pathetic salad for lunch before taking off from Changi Airport, I am ready to gorge on some substantial food!

We ended up at Gurney Plaza, because the place where we wanted to eat at was already closed!  But no worries, as I'm more than happy to eat Nando's at half the price in Singapore and Australia!

 

Me want drinks!  I was so thirsty and quickly ordered a jug of iced lemon tea...aaahh...

Chicken galore!  I simply love the peri-peri sauce in Nando's chicken.  It is dangerously addictive and make you feel like eating more of it!  I bought back a bottle of their Garlic Peri-Peri at like MYR10.50, and I'm as happy as a lark!

The sides were not too bad, the fries were decent.  The coleslaw was ok.  There was also a serve of butter rice, which I didn't like too much because of the frozen peas and carrots in it.

It was a happy meal alright!  And the price makes me even happier and there was NO queue, unlike the Nando's in Singapore.

After resting in the hotel for awhile, we set off to Hard Rock Cafe Hotel.  It's always fun to go to a Hard Rock establishment.  

This mosaic of The Beatles on the wall is freaking awesome!  Wish I can do something like this at my new place.

These lights changes colour every so often and it's a real pretty sight to behold.  The band was playing some music when we reached there, and it was a nice place to chill and have a nice glass of cocktail or beer.

I should book a room here for my next trip to Penang!