Swan Lake

Another Picca-ah-soh's work. One of my favourites.

Taj Mahal fantasy

Recent painting by Picca-Ah-soh.
Will try to update her website soon. In the meantime, enjoy this eye appetiser.

Banana

Kit enjoying his snack, a big favourite.
A BBC, will he grow up to be a.. banana?

Makeup?

Is Taylor wearing blue eye shadow ??

In the email (4)

NEW EVENING CLASSES FOR MEN

ALL MEN WELCOME
FOR MEN ONLY
-------------------------
Note: due to the complexity and level of difficulty, each course will accept a maximum of eight participants
The course covers two days, and topics covered in this course including:

DAY ONE

HOW TO FILL ICE CUBE TRAYS
Step by step guide with slide presentation

TOILET ROLLS- DO THEY GROW ON THE HOLDERS?
Round table discussion

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LAUNDRY BASKET & FLOOR Practising with hamper
(Pictures and graphics)

DISHES & SILVERWARE; DO THEY LEVITATE/FLY TO KITCHEN SINK OR DISHWASHER BY THEMSELVES?
Debate among a panel of experts.

LOSS OF VIRILITY
Losing the remote control to your significant other - Help line and support groups

LEARNING HOW TO FIND THINGS
Starting with looking in the right place instead of turning the house upside down while shouting "It's not there!", You've moved it!" or 'We've run out!"
- Open forum

DAY TWO

EMPTY MILK CARTONS; DO THEY BELONG IN THE FRIDGE OR THE BIN?
Group discussion and role-play

HEALTH WATCH; BRINGING HER FLOWERS IS NOT HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH
PowerPoint presentation

REAL MEN ASK FOR DIRECTIONS WHEN LOST
Real life testimonial from the one man who did

IS IT GENETICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT QUIETLY AS SHE PARALLEL PARKS?
Driving simulation

LIVING WITH ADULTS; BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR PARTNER
Online class and role playing

HOW TO BE THE IDEAL SHOPPING COMPANION
Relaxation exercises, meditation and breathing techniques

REMEMBERING IMPORTANT DATES & CALLING WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE
Bring your calendar or PDA to class

GETTING OVER IT; LEARNING HOW TO LIVE WITH BEING WRONG ALL THE TIME
Individual counsellors available

This vote need not be secret

Taylor! Taylor! Taylor!



Kate is too plastic (fake), so boring.

In the email (3)

Serious World Cup crazies...


" Extremely important advice and recommendations to be passed on to wives, girlfriends, fiancés, mothers, sisters, daughters, etc. (to all women in general) These DISCLAIMER rules are to be communicated prior to the World Cup in June/July this year...

List Of Rules.

1. From 9 June to 9 July 2006, you should read the sports section of the newspaper so that you are aware of what is going on regarding the World Cup, and that way you will be able to join in the conversations. If you fail to do this, then you will be looked at in a bad way, or you will be totally ignored. DO NOT complain about not receiving any attention.

2. During the World Cup, the television is mine, at all times, without any exceptions. If you even take a glimpse of the remote control, you will lose it (your eye).

3. If you have to pass by in front of the TV during a game, I don't mind, as long as you do it crawling on the floor and without distracting me. If you decide to stand nude in front of the TV, make sure you put clothes on right after because if you catch a cold, I wont have time to take you to the doctor or look after you during the World Cup month.

4. During the games I will be blind, deaf and mute, unless I require a refill of my drink or something to eat. You are out of your mind if you expect me to listen to you, open the door, answer the telephone, or pick up the baby that just fell from the second floor....it wont happen.

5. It would be a good idea for you to keep at least 2 six packs in the fridge at all times, as well as plenty of things to nibble on, and please do not make any funny faces to my friends when they come over to watch the games. In return, you will be allowed to use the TV between 12am and 6am, unless they replay a good game that I missed during the day.

6. Please, please, please!! if you see me upset because one of my teams is losing, DO NOT say "get over it, its only a game", or "don't worry, they'll win next time". If you say these things, you will only make me angrier and I will love you less. Remember, you will never ever know more about football than me and your so called "words of encouragement" will only lead to a break up or divorce.

7. You are welcome to sit with me to watch one game and you can talk to me during halftime but only when the commercials are on, and only if the halftime score is pleasing me. In addition, please note I am saying "one" game, hence do not use the World Cup as a nice cheesy excuse to "spend time together".

8. The replays of the goals are very important. I don't care if I have seen them or I haven't seen them, I want to see them again. Many times.

9. Tell your friends NOT to have any babies, or any other child related parties or gatherings that requires my attendance because: a) I will not go,b) I will not go, andc) I will not go.

10. But, if a friend of mine invites us to his house on a Sunday to watch a game, we will be there in a flash.

11. The daily World Cup highlights show on TV every night is just as important as the games themselves. Do not even think about saying "but you have already seen this...why don't you change the channel to something we can all watch??", the reply will be: "Refer to Rule #2 of this list".

12. And finally, please save your expressions such as "Thank God the World Cup is only every 4 years". I am immune to these words, because after this comes the Champions League, Italian League, Spanish League, Premier League, etc etc.

13. For all other women (who are not wives, girlfriends, fiancés, mothers, sisters) reading this - pls do not (WE REPEAT - do not) come to the bank too early in the morning or decide to make an insurance claim or pay your electricity or water bill or for that matter expect US (Men of the World) to provide you any service at all.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Regards,
Men of the World"

Feel the breeze

Take a dip

Five chairs to every person there. Take your pick before your dip.

Natural rhythm of Life

Cultured landscapes

Gateways and Dwellings

Gardens of delight

Breath and float

The foyer of the Grand Hyatt. It is very spacious and combined with this being the low peak season, it is great for the guests although not so great for hotel business.

White sand that stretches forever

Moon bright bright

My first nite in Bali. A full moon. I am struck by how bright the moon there is. A unsual sight for me. Not gently reflecting the light but like a torch turned on in the sky. Glowing...almost sparkling.

I cannot help but be reminded of Li Bai's poem and with great amusement.

The moonlight pouring down on my bedside
Like white frost spreading on the ground
I look up to the bright moon in the sky
And lowering my head, think of my dear hometown.

er.. the literal version rhymes better:

Bed front Moon light bright
Looks like floor frosted white
Head lift gaze Moon glow
Head dips Home aches flow


Hello.. in Bali, where got miss home wan.

Chill

First trip to Bali. The resort and its beaches are so pristine, it is almost surreal. The colours are vibrant with the clouds so few and the sky so blue.

ai si ah, no M.C.

Someone wrote in to the Today's paper yesterday (p48) to complain that when she was not able to pick up the book she reserved at a branch library, being bedridden unexpectedly, she wanted to arrange for someone to pick the book up on her behalf and the branch library manager demanded a medical certificate to be mailed over as proof of her illness. No wonder the writer is mad. Makes you wonder which end of the body this library manager's head is attached to. I am partly amused and mostly appalled. This is what happens when people do things without putting themselves in the other person's shoes. In any case, what is the bloody business of the library if the reservee wants to have someone collect the book on his/her behalf for whatever reasons. Now the people in NLB are scrambling to find out who this clever manager is amongst their midst although more likely the involved staff will act blurr.

Aerophile.. the what?

Here are some fabulous pictures of Singapore taken from a hot-air balloon, the latest tourist (or local) attraction, stationed at this empty lot next to the (oddly named) 7th storey hotel at Bugis.

A colleague mass-emailed out the discount coupon which gives a ride that lasts around 15 minutes for S$16. Someone asked if the thing simply goes up and stay or actually travels around. So another replied cheekily that if balloon moves around, a few minutes into it and we would, opps, intruded into Malaysian airspace or, opps, gone into Indonesian airspace...so it only moves upwards and stay.

Shucks.

This might be a good idea as Mother's Day treat (trip?) or in the case of a mother-in-law, you can trip her over.

WYSI-N-WYG

So game over. The results are out and we all know who won lah, despite such massive turnout at the other parties, that at first look, I thought it was a turnout for some rock concert. Cheh.

In the Email (2)

Recently, my white MP,
Knock on my door, and very kek ki..
Say 'I've worked so hard, so vote for me',
'Or rubbish won't be cleared, in your vicinity'..
I said 'Dear MP of my GRC',
'Dun remember u, so please pardon me'..
'I only saw you on TV',
'Dozing off and jiak liao bee'..
Last GE I voted for thee,
2% up in GST..
Cut CPF and up utility,
Are still very clear in my memory..
5 years later, then you come to me,
Fresh from your slumber of ivory..
Say that only, you can help me,
Escape from a life of poverty..
Just take a drive on CTE,
Count the number, of all the gantries..
Or squeeze a ride on the MRT,
That has not been cleared for ye..
My life since the last GE,
Has been downhill though I voted PAP..
If I vote the same for your sleeping spree,
I can expect the same misery..
So this time round, I vote for somebody,
Who will kachiao you, to productivity..
Forms fill wrong, no big deal to me,
If there's someone to speak up for ah bee..
So dear MP of GRC,
If life no improve, vote u cho simi?

Water Lily

Found water lilies and lotus plants being sold at the market. I decided to try growing some. It has been my dream for awhile to have a 'mini pond' at home. After much deliberation between lilies or lotus. I picked lilies to start off with.

Then of course, one thing led to another. It has to have fish in it to prevent mosquito breeding. Next thing I know, I am a proud owner of 4 guppies, 6 neon tetra, plus a host of longkang (drain-water) variety which I have yet to identify. Oh, I also discovered 3 tiny snails.

At this moment, one flower has bloomed and 2 other young buds are promising to. The flower is pink with some yellow inner petals. It opens up under sunlight and closes towards the end of day. I am told lilies flourish rapidly, so I am really looking forward to see lots of pads sprouting in my container of 2' diameter soon. *rubbing hands with gleeful anticipation*

Lady Snow Blood

My latest read - a manga about a female master assassin who is for hire at 1000 yen (at a time when 150kg of rice was 6 yen and the monthly salary of a school principal was 13 yen). Just take your salary and multiply 1000 times to get the picture..

You would think, one job and she can shake leg for the rest of her life. But then she is not doing this for money (wow, don't we wish not to have to work for the money). I guess her jobs are like for practice to sharpen her skills towards a larger goal - to revenge the unfair deaths of her family. Her mother conceived her just for this purpose. The chapters cover cases of her assignments and how she strategised to meet the victim and carried our her task. The drawings are raw and ruthless, in typical japanese horror style.

The story is authored by the same Kazuo Koike who did Lone Wolf and Cub. Hmm.. I think I enjoy Lone Wolf and Cub more but then maybe I am prejudging too early, since this is only Vol 1. Maybe the idea of a assassin with Samurai training is more romantic. The manga shop in Orchard Cineleisure sells these english translated manga much cheaper than other bookstores like Kinokuniy, for those of you into these sort of literature too.

Middle East

According to the statistics, the retail sector in Middle East has surged by 38% since 2001 along with their petroleum-fueled prosperity. No wonder we hear more and more of companies targeting the ME market.

Guang Zhou snacks

Another shot of a snack stall

Blend is anything but bland

My best part of the trade fair that I was at last week was the discovery of this manufacturer called Blend. Check out their website, it is awesome!!! Move your cursor over the scenery of the street scene when you get to it to see the options. Aiyah, their stuff is so me.

Their literature says "Blend's ambition is to introduce Chinese folk art and legends into the western living environment, breathing new life into ancient traditions. Our distinctive designs juxtupose traditional Chinese motifs with a chic modern aesthetic, creating unique decorative products that tell a story....Take a closer look ar any of our items and you will notice details that set them apart from anything you have ever seen. We are confident our pieces will brighten your favourite room or the face of a friend who receives one."

The stuff don't come cheap though, eg, the medium size box "lively lizard" was already USD35. *faint* Will that stop me..?