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WanTon Mee

Here's where you can get the best food in the CBD area.

Amoy street food centre, located just a stone throw away from Tanjong Pagar MRT station, has a variety of great food ranging from Nasi Lemak to Wan Ton mee. Let's begin with Stall 02-123 which sells Wanton Mee. The best part about this stall is the portion the auntie gives for $3. For that money, you'll get at least 12 wanton, of which 6 are fried and the remaining 6 are non fried ones. The noodles, vegetables and cha siew (meat) portions are certainly above the average that other stalls selling the same thing would give.

Portions aside, the noodles itself taste very average but one distict factor that sets it apart from other stalls selling wanton mee is it's unique yet blend taste. This coupled with the sauce and chill added makes the noodles and the dish as a whole taste different. However, the soup is too sweet for my liking. More salt should have been added in order to complement the taste of the wanton. On the whole, I would give the thumbs up for this stall though the snaking queues might put one off.

Rating
Taste: 7/10
Overall presentation: 6/10
Ambience: 5/10
Service: 7/10
Value for money: 9/10

Overall: 6.8/10

The next phase

This is the next phase of life; life after 12 years of blood, sweat and tears in primary, secondary and JC. Life has to go on. People will change. Anyway, gaining valuable work experience has been quite satisfying. No doubt about it. You will get to meet all kinds of people, encounter different situations and experience it all most importantly. In the end, it will be worth the time and effort.

Life skills taught in school can finally be put into practice. Perserverance, a very widely used word to describe the qualities a person should possess, is especially very relevant. As the saying goes, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Once you possess this quality and focus on the ultimate goal, you will easily get through the day though work may be mundane and tiring at times. The most important thing is to use something as a source of motivation, anything will do as long as it helps you achieve your final goal. In this case, it is the sense of satisfaction knowing that you have granted someone else the opportunity to claim his money. At the end of the day, numerous people will benefit because of that little effort that you put in. How nice is that!

Now it is not a matter of how much you have done, but what you are doing it for. Purpose. That involves looking at things from a different perspective. The conventional thought may not be appropriate. For example, two people may do the same job but one drags his feet to the work place every morning whereas the other person comes in with a big smile on his face and a positive attitude. Why the contrast? Again it boils down to perspective and purpose. Sounds simple?

Looks like it will be in two weeks time. I'm sure lives will change. No doubt about it. Major decisions will have to be made which will ultimately determine people's future. There's only one bite at the cherry, so don't waste it.

God bless.

Prison Break

First and foremost, I'm glad to say that 3 of my articles have been published on the Strait Times online interactive forum. Do have a look at them.

The first article was published on the 18 of Jan, titled 'A two year insight into rigours of University life'.

The second one was published on 19 of Jan, titled 'Sweet victory for the Lions against Laos'.

Finally, the third one is just out today. It is titled 'Students would suffer if combined science were scraped'.

Noticed I said third one and not final one. This means there would be more to come. Haha..

To access them, go to www.straitstimes.com.sg and click on 'ST forum' on the left hand column. Look for the dates, and look under 'Online Letters'.

Anyway, Prison Break, the TV hit series, has been fantastic thus far! Below are some pictures from the show.

The escapees....

From left to right (Back row): Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), Fernando Sucre (Amaury Nolasco)
From left to right (Front row): Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell), LJ (Marshall Allman), Veronica Donovan (Robin Tunney), Dr. Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies), Warden Pope (Stacy Keach)

Interestingly, Michael Scofield is a graduate of Princeton University in real life and was born in Chipping Norton, UK. His fater happens to be a Rhodes Scholar meaning to say that Miller must be smart too, just like in the show.

Touring the West (Finale)

I guess this is long overdued... But better late than never....

So after spending 9 days in Italy, Switzerland and France, it was back to our home ground, London. Once we got into London via the Eurostar train from Paris, France, I immediately noticed the difference in culture and people. People were much nicer and friendlier, quite unlike France. Thank goodness we did not have to spend precious time looking for an accomodation because we already had one. My Dad's friend, Paul, met us at Waterloo Station and brought us to his suburban home in Beaconsfield, about 1.5 hours away from central London by train. They say first impression counts; it certainly did when we stepped into his house. It was splendid to say the least. It had 2 floors, one big kitchen, one nice and cosy dinning area, one huge hall, one music room and 5 bedrooms on the upper floor. Very big indeed for a couple.

Many have heard of the wax museum. Also known as Madame Tussauds, it houses many of the wax figures of famous people around the world ranging from hollywood stars to football and historical figures. The likes of David and Victoria Beckham, Jamie Olliver, Simon Cowell, Brad Bitt, Angelina Joline, Big Brother, John Travolta and Nicholas Cage were all there. It was marvellous to be able to see them though they were all just wax figures. But that is as close as you can get to the real thing. At times, some of us were fooled. You could even mistaken a wax figure for a live human! That's scary!

That's Brad Bitt and Angelina Joline.... Looks live like eh?

Flanking the "UN Ambassodor" is Tony Blair and George Walker Bush

The best part of it was not the wax museum, but rather it was the Emirates Stadium, home ground of Arsenal Football Club. Shall not say much here except that it was simply sensational and magnificent! The pictures below says it all.....

Starting the tour outside Emirates stadium courtesy of the tour guide.....

From inside....

Can you believe it? A pool for the players that can be lowered or raised to make it deeper or shallower.....

Players' changing room. Notice that Henry, Arsenal Captain, seats right in the middle. The entire dressing room was designed by Arsene Wenger.

Geeks............. Backstreet boys.... No they're not supposed to be here......

Anyway, here's other facts you might not know. Found this out after visiting the museum at Arsenal and after speadking to the museum curator, one of the high ranking officials at the Club. A box season ticket which includes a parking space, food and other membership entitlements costs a whopping 25,000 pounds!

The 23 million punds made from the sale of Nicholas Anelka to Real Madrid was used to build their new training ground and finance the building of the Emirates stadium.

Emirates, a middle eastern airline company, paid 100 million pounds as a sponsorship deal with Arsenal which lasts over 15 years.

The current Highbury ground has been converted into apartments. The money from the apartment sales has gone into financing the Emirates stadium. The kick off area (circle) of the old Highbury ground has been preserved in its original state and location.

Denis Berkamp, a former Arsenal player, owns a box seat and turns up regularly for Arsenal matches. Fans still chant his name till this day. That shows how strong the Arsenal spirit is!

Visited Cambridge, a rather old town popularized Cambridge University. Some sights from the old town...

An old Church......

Hope to study there one day!

Breakfast at Uncle Paul's house..... Full English breakfast.... Delicious.... yum........yum......

Here are the other attractions we visited... I'm sure its no surprise to many...

London Eye.... Largest Ferris Wheel in the world....

View from above......

The famous clock tower, known as Big Ben, in central London.........

That's Tower Bridge...............

Basically, that's about it. This trip has been enjoyable and fun filled one. Seen new things and experienced the sights, sounds and cultures of 4 countries... And to think we did it in 2 weeks, that's incredible!

Must thank Uncle Paul and Auntie Peng for their hospitality towards us. They have been the best host ever, providing us with breadfast and dinner for all the 4 days we were there....

Signing off.....

History?

Yup, 2006 is history. 2006 has gone and passed. Everything that has been done has been done. It's time to move on and look to the future with optimism and enthusiasm. The path ahead may not always be smooth, the struggles may be tough, the setbacks may dampen one's spirit, but ultimately, it's the survival of the fittest. To survive, we must constantly adapt to the changing environment and learn to leave the past behind. We must learn new things, meet new people and face these challenges head-on, like a bullet punchuring a wound. It is as simple; take it, or live with it.

The past year has been filled with numerous obstacles and trials. It has been a difficult year struggling with work and performing to my maximum potential. But things happen for a reason. The challenge is to find that reason and correct the problem. So have I found the reason? Have I corrected the problem? My answer is simple; I'm not sure. But I'm convinced I have. Only time will tell and the time is coming, soon.

Friends. Yes they are important. Friends help influence and inevitably shape our lives. They are crucial and sometimes liable for our character and personality. Without good friends, our world would be very dark and isolated. I've met many great people, teachers and friends in 2006 who have helped me in one way or another and I must thank these people for their concern and encouragement. In general, all my subject teachers in school, family and friends from school.

My new year resolutions? Well, I have already made them.....

Finally, HAPPY NEW YEAR to one and all! May this year be a fruitful year! Best Wishes!

God Bless.

Touring the West (Part 3)

Paris, France was our next destination city.

Had the unique opportunity to be on board the widely publised TGV railway network which has served France so efficiently for the past decade. For most of the journey though, it operated at snail's pace due to the numerous number of stops along the way. However, once it crossed the Swiss-French border into France, it started to pick up speed and eventually attained its maximum speed, bursting through the French countryside at over 200km/h. It was fascinating to be able to finally feel what it was like to be on board one of the world's fastest high speed trains and gaze upon men's ingenuity from within.

Noticed an old lady sitting nearby us in the TGV and watching us play cards. She was busy knitting a scarf and periodically shifted her gaze towards us. Felt kind of funny as if someone was watching over us. But seeing her reminded me of the life of the Swiss and French people. How nice if old Singaporeans can be like her, taking her time and enjoying life to the fullest. That would be magnificent! However, in our fast paced environment, that would be almost impossible. That could also be the reason why the Swiss live longer!

Anyway, we visited some of the famous and world renowed landmarks in Paris. Probably no surprise to some, we visited the Eiffel Tower, the Arc De Triomphe, the Lourve museum and the Notre Dame De Grace De Passy, all nothing short of marvellous. Obviously the Eiffel Tower was the highlight. Going up the tower, you would be able to have a bird's eye view of the entire Paris city and also get to experience men's accomplishment and share the glory with those brave construction workers who built this tower in the early 20th century. That in itself was a marvel! Of course, the winds were really strong, so strong that you had to hold on or be instantly knocked off your feet. That was also why we could not go all the way to the top.

The Lourve museum was fantastic as well. Full of paintings, sculptures and modern art. Perhaps the most famous of them all would be the critically acclaimed Mona Lisa or La Jaconde as it is known in French. It was painted in 1503 and brought to France in 1553. It was suppose to depict a young girl who lost her daughter when she was 4 years old as portrayed by the dark veil she wore. Other painitings were not as famous but perhaps had more depth to it than the Mona Lisa. For instance, a painting depicting St. John, a firm believer of Christ, tied to a pillar and being used as target practice was gruesome. It was definitely against human rights by today's standards. What a brutal way to torture a man! Some painitings like the Les Noces De Cana, on the other hand, were simply sensational. They were extremely huge! In fact, the painiting mentioned in the previous sentence is the biggest painting in the Lourve and probably the biggest in the world as some would dare suggest. It took 3 years to complete this marvellous peice of art.

Next up would be London, home of Arsenal and Chelsea football club, home of the London Eye and Big Ben.

Will try and upload pictures soon.