Touring Orchard Road 2

Today I went to Orchard Road again for dinner with my friends. Before the dinner, I went to Orchard Road early to see what interesting things I can find. Oh yeah, my friend Ana accompanied me for a few hours before leaving to do her stuff.

I alighted at Orchard MRT and saw this advert on the floor (it's interesting how advertising companies are trying ways and means to find places to advertise).


There's a question with 3 choices. What's the answer? Quite simple actually. One very big hint is the hand mark. Do you jog with your hands? When rope-skipping, do your hands touch the floor (I am assuming you don't fall down)? Do you use your hands to support your body weight to lift the lower part of your body up in the sky while break-dancing? There's your answer. Nope, I didn't send my answer via SMS as I don't normally win in such competitions.

I took the escalator up and met Ana. We went to Takashimaya and saw this.


It's Kung-fu Panda! Aw...those kids just love him. However, seeing that Panda reminded me of the "Eats, shoots and leaves" joke. Anyway, when I came back to Taka later on I found the Panda scratching his bum.


Then he has two friends who showed some kung-fu moves.


Seeing how the kids react to all of Mr Panda's actions somehow reminded me of when I was small.

Next I went up Cathay to see see. Along the way, I saw this.


Can you see the writing on the black strip of processed polymer? The words written are "JC". Beside the two words is a smiley. I guess the Singapore Arts Fest left a mark here.

I reached the level where the movie posters were and I saw this. When I saw this poster a caption immediately hit me. Here's the poster.


"Yeah like Prince Caspian is actually Princess Barbie" or "Your actual GPA is above 4.5". These captions just hit me. See if you can come up with some...it's interesting...haha.

Then the time came for me to meet my friends and we went to Pastamania in Cathay to have our dinner. These are some pictures of the food we ate.




Cool huh? It was nice. The cost was around $55.00. There were 5 of us and so each of us paid $11.00. Quite ok lah I would say. After eating, we walked around and after some walking, I went back home. I would like to thank my friends for having this dinner with me before I leave Singapore.

Touring Orchard Road

This afternoon I went to Orchard Road as a tourist. Sometimes as a Singaporean, we tend to miss things that other people (tourists for example) may notice. So my adventure began at noon.

I took an MRT to Orchard and alighted there. As I walked, I saw this.


Cool huh? It's a glass panel with blue lights behind! We don't have that over at where I stay (Jurong). Imagine if they start to flash people's faces instead of lights...hm...

Then I saw this promising advertisement.


Sounds too good to be true huh? Just use only AND win! So based on that sentence alone, you can use your card AND win SGD$100,000. Wah...tempting man. I think Singapore is giving away lots of money. They have another one here.


They should have stated some terms and conditions. Instead of saying use AND win. It's kinda deceiving don't you think?

Anyway, I went to the bus stop and saw this.


Pardon the poor quality. It's a board that informs commuters when a certain bus service would arrive. Pretty neat. They don't have this in where I stay. Sad.

Next is the shortest pedestrian crossing I have ever seen in my life. Here it is.


Just look at it! One car is enough to fill about 70% of the pedestrian crossing! It's definitely the shortest I have ever seen so far. In case you want to go there and take a look, here's another picture with the street sign.


It's at Angullia Park.

Then I saw this poor man who was just simply too tall.


This happens when you are too tall.

The next thing I saw is a very interesting form of advertisement. It's like a display on the floor where commuters can interact with it. Here's a picture.


In that picture, two kids (they are not mine) are playing around trying to "kick" the virtual balls. It would make an interesting FYP project for Engineering students.

Then I went to Plaza Singapura and saw this.



These are exhibits for "Science In The Mall". It's basically about insects and stuff which I am not really interested in. However, I saw this.


The poor butterfly was having an acupuncture session and died suddenly. Apparently, it had an overdose (or overkill) of needles. Hence it ended up as a display in the exhibit.

Here's a set of colourful butterflies which does not have any needles.


After looking around at the exhibits, I got hungry and ate this.


Tempting huh? Mango flavour somemore leh and I paid only $3.50 because got special student price. Mwahaha.

That wasn't enough. I went on and ate this.


Tako Pachi! The card on top allows you to collect stamps as you buy from them. When you have 10 stamps, you get a free packet! The $1 coin was there as the auntie short-changed me by $1. When I asked her then she remembered. Anyway, here's how it looks like inside the yellow styrofoam box.


Nice huh? Too bad, I ate all of them liao.

Next I went and shopped around. I saw this



Cute animals waiting for someone to adopt them. I wonder whether anyone will buy them.

While touring Orchard Road, I met some interesting people. I met two sisters posing on the road. Guess what their names were? Prada.


The next person was a lady staring at the Marriott logo with a handphone. What's the handphone for? Maybe to text someone that she finally found where Marriott was. Here's the picture.


Next was a lady who was busy for almost anything. Here's how she look like with her name.


Don't disturb her...she's bysi.

Finally I met a lady by the name of Elle Active.


Interesting name and surname.

There's one thing I don't understand. Why have an advertisement on the Razr phone with a lady beside the phone? How is the lady even linked to the phone? If you remove the lady from the picture, the advertisement still makes sense, but if you remove the phone from the advertisement, it won't make any sense. So from here we can see that the lady is not necessary. Why not have a man to hold the phone?

The same for the two sisters by the name of Prada. Prada refers to the bag. Why have an extra to hold it? Why not ask Barney the purple dinosaur to hold the bag? Okay for the Bysi advertisement that I understand. It's a women clothes store so they have a woman to wear one of their clothes...fine...logical. You can't ask a man or anyone else to wear as they are clothes for woman. The same for Elle Active. Okay maybe I asked too many questions but these are the thoughts that came to my mind.

Then as I went back home, I took a bus. I sat on my seat and saw something interesting.


Did you notice something? No? Look at the level of the seat. The seat is slanted towards the left. The one sitting on the left is a lady (see the ponytail?) and the one on the right is a man. So you have a lady and a man sitting on a seat that is slanted downwards towards where the lady is sitting. What conclusion can you draw? Yes! The lady is so heavy that the seat slanted towards her! But is it true? Or maybe the seat was originally like that. Hm...I can't possibly ask the lady to stand up and see if the seat bounce back. So I waited for her to alight.

Finally she alighted and my guess was true.


The seat is still slanted to the left. So the seat was originally slanted! (Or maybe the lady left with the seat permanently damaged).

What would happen if the man left. Do you expect anything to happen?

Here's the answer.


Nothing happened. The seat is still slanted.

THE END

The Smoking Bowl!

Have you seen a smoking bowl before? No? Well let me show you hot it looks like.







It's a bowl with white "clouds" coming out from it. Cool huh? It seems as if something's gonna pop out of it. Now you have a reason not to eat that horrendous bowl of soup.

Here comes the interesting part - The Question!

What caused those smoke? No...it's not Steph who photoshoped all those smoke there.

I don't have any prizes for the correct answer, but the first to answer will get the satisfaction of being the first to answer :D

Update 29th May 2008:
Bob was the first to guessed the correct answer. The answer is dry ice was placed in the bowl of water.

Observations At KFC And Kopitiam

First Observation (Jurong Point KFC)

The other day I was at KFC eating by myself. I ordered the new Fish Zinger meal and sat at one of the empty seats.

Next to my table was a mother and child. The child was a primary school kid. As I ate, I overheard the mum talking to her child. I can't remember the exact words, but the gist of it was that the child did not do very well for his exams and his PSLE was coming. Then the mother said something which I remembered.

Mother: You plan to go to HCI (Hwa Chong Institute) but with your results how to go? With your results you'll most probably end up in Commonwealth Normal Stream.

There! My secondary school's name was mentioned. I didn't know he aimed to go to my secondary school but she's true that my school does have a normal stream.

So what's the lesson?

First lesson: Never discuss exam results with your primary school kid while eating KFC with your child. The meal will taste like exam papers to your child and you'll look like your kid's form teacher for that short period of time.

Second lesson: Discrimination still exists in education. The point that the mother wanted her son to go to express and normal (also HCI instead of some other school) is an indication that discrimination still exists. It's a sad truth.

Third lesson: The Fish Zinger meal tastes nice!


Second Observation (IMM Kopitiam)

Today I went to IMM and ate with my family. While waiting for my family to order their food, I sat down and looked around. The couple behind me had just finished their meal and the lady was deciding whether she should leave her empty tissue packet on the table and walk off. I looked at her. She ignored me. She still hesitated, taking the packet and leaving the packet on the table. This went on for a few seconds and finally she walked off. I guess she expected someone else to throw it for her. I almost did the following...

Me: Excuse me Miss, you forgot your empty tissue packet.

I didn't do it as her boyfriend was there. So I decided that having a peaceful meal with my family is much better than an argument with a stranger. Maybe she's some big-shot or white horse. I don't know.

Anyway the Kopitiam cleaner (an old auntie) came and threw it away.

One more thing. Have you noticed that those Kopitiam cleaners normally consists of two groups of people? They are the elderly Singaporeans and the young foreign workers. Then there was this foreign worker (he's a cleaner) who argued with an auntie (she's also a cleaner). They argued about him not cleaning certain parts. The auntie was like "How come you never clean here?" and the foreign worker was like "Later lah!". Wow...it's my first time seeing such a thing and it's a sad reality.

First lesson: Please throw your own tissue packets. Pity the old lady who has to throw it for you.

Second lesson: Say "Thank you" to these senior citizens who clean your table after your meal. Show them that you appreciate their help.

Third lesson: The Grilled Fish Set at the Indonesian BBQ stall tastes great!

Viola And Lee Ann

Lee Ann was the only child. She never ever got to see her parents and wondered who they were. Since small she was brought up by a lady with a disfigured face and horrible skin. The lady's name was Viola. The people in the village did not like to be around Viola due to her hideous appearance. Viola was treated as an outcast. They lived in a small house that has two rooms. Lee Ann stayed in the bigger room while Viola stayed in the smaller room.

As Lee Ann grew up, she became more and more beautiful. Soon, she became the most beautiful girl in school.

Everyday at school, Viola would wait at the school gate for Lee Ann. However, Lee Ann despised Viola. The reason was that Lee Ann was the most beautiful girl in school and Viola's company may spoil her image as the most beautiful student. Lee Ann would try ways and means to avoid Viola.

Then it happened...

It was raining. Viola waited outside the school for Lee Ann under the heavy rain. She saw Lee Ann walking out with her group of friends and approached her.

Lee Ann: So are we going out later?

Friend A: Look! Who's that?

Lee Ann saw Viola and turned angry. She had told Viola before to stop waiting for her but apparently, Viola did not listen. Lee Ann walked quickly to Viola's side and talked to her.

Viola: Lee Ann, take an umbrella. I brought one for you to keep you dry.

Lee Ann: What are you doing? Don't you know that I am the most beautiful girl in school?

Viola: Yes...I know that. You are beautiful.

Lee Ann: Then can you please stop waiting for me? What would my friends say if they see me with you?

Viola: ...

Lee Ann: Don't you know that you look terrible?

Viola: ...

Then one of Lee Ann's friends walked over to Lee Ann.

Friend A: Hey, who's that?

Lee Ann: Ah...don't bother about her...she's just some ugly maid my parents employed to take care of me.

Friend A: I see. It's raining heavily...why don't we use my umbrella? It's big enough for the two of us.

Lee Ann: That's a good idea.

With that Lee Ann walked away with her friend leaving Viola behind under the heavy rain with two umbrellas. What Lee Ann did not notice was the tears that rolled down Viola's cheeks in the midst of the heavy rain.

When Lee Ann came back, Viola approached her.

Viola: I am sorry that I made you angry today.

Lee Ann: Well what did you expect? I told you to stop coming and you never listen!

Viola: Lee Ann, are you free?

Lee Ann: Not really. Why?

Viola: I have something to show you.

Lee Ann: Argh...okay...okay...but be quick.

Viola: Please wait here.

Lee Ann waited at the living room while Viola entered her small room.

Lee Ann: Are you done yet? I am busy you know!

Viola walked out of her room with a small wooden box towards Lee Ann and opened the wooden box.

Viola: Lee Ann, take a look at this photo.

Lee Ann: Is this...

Viola: Yes...she is your mother.

Lee Ann: She looks beautiful...she looks just like me.

Viola: Yes...she is beautiful just like you...and her face is similar to yours.

Lee Ann: Well, what are you waiting for? Tell me where she is now! I want to be with her instead of you!

Viola: It happened a long time ago in this village. You were young then. There was this lady who went to the market. As she bought food for her child, her neighbor went around and shouted "Fire! Fire!". The lady immediately asked the man where the fire was and the neighbor told her that the fire was at her house. Hearing this, the lady immediately dropped her bag and went back home because she realized that her child was alone at home. When she reached the place, the house was burning. She tried to rush in but her neighbors restrained her. However, seeing that no one was able to save her child inside, she found the strength to break her way through the human barrier and ran into the house.

Viola: She could hear the cries of her child. Immediately, she rushed through the fire to the child's room. As she made her way to the child's room, the fire around burnt her skin. Then she saw the child crying in the crib amidst the fire. The lady immediately ran to the crib and took her child and ran to the nearest exit. However, she did not notice the dangling lamp above. It fell and cut her face. Nevertheless, the pain was negligible in the midst of the fire and her child's cries. The child's safety was more important. She emerged from the burning house with badly burnt skin and a bleeding face. However, the most important thing to her then was her child.

Lee Ann: You mean...

Viola: That lady used to be the most beautiful woman in the village.

Lee Ann: ...

Viola: That lady is your mother.

Lee Ann: ...

Viola: That lady's name is Viola.

At this point of time, Lee Ann cried. She didn't realize that the mother she so longed to see has always been at her side. She took the photo and looked at Viola. Lee Ann realized that behind the scars and burns on the lady in front of her was a beautiful woman, just like the one in the photo.

Viola: I am sorry Lee Ann...I did not tell you earlier as I did not want you to live with the fact that your mother is a hideous looking woman with scars and burns on her body. I knew you would grow up to be beautiful and...

Before Viola could continue, Lee Ann hugged her and cried...

Lee Ann: Mum...I am sorry...please forgive me...

That moment was the very first time Lee Ann ever addressed Viola as "mum". Viola shed tears...tears of joy...and hugged her daughter Lee Ann. A mother had found acceptance and her daughter had found her mother. It was a joyous moment shared by a mother and her daughter.

And that day was Mother's Day.

(This is a Mother's Day Story I thought of during the week. It is a tribute to all mothers out there. Happy Mothers Day. I hope that you will appreciate the love and concern your mother has shown you through your life.)

The Chicken Rice Encounter

A few days ago, I went to a particular food court. I can't remember if it's Kopitiam or Koufu or some other name. It's located in Orchard area. I was hungry so I went around looking at the different stalls.

Then I saw this chicken rice stall. I stood at the counter there and the man behind seemed busy with some documents. So I waited. When he lifted his head and saw me guess what he said?

.
..
...
....
.....

He didn't say anything.

Me: "Uncle one plate of chicken rice".

Then the man went to prepare a plate for me. At this point of time, a foreigner (I won't say from which country) came and stood beside me. When the chicken rice man lifted his head and saw him guess what he said?

Uncle: Good Morning Sir! What can I do for you?
Foreigner: One chicken rice please.
Uncle: Sure coming right up!

I was like "Er...er...er...I was totally ignored just now and this guy gets greeted"?

Anyway, at this point of time, I was very interested who he would serve first. Technically, I ordered first so...I should get my food first right? That's why I was interested to see who the uncle would serve first. I waited. Ah...there's a plate ready.

The uncle took the plate, lifted it and placed it on the foreigner's tray! Then he lifted the other plate and placed it on my tray. Apparently, he prepared two plates and served them at the same time. Interesting...I can't help but smile at all these.

Was it due to bias or was it done to save time (since cut one chicken might as well cut another one to save time)?

Anyway, I took my tray and walked towards an empty table. The rice was surprisingly nice and he gave me the chicken parts with minimal bones.

Lesson learnt: Don't wear berms, sandals and a T-shirt else you'll be treated as a kid.