Raphel
Having planned and celebrated the girl's birthday, it was now her turn to plan for mine. The girl was sure having difficulties on what present to get and which restaurant to book for us to have a wonderful meal together. Nonetheless, she managed to find one and gosh, it was a posh and expensive one!

We were at Keppel Bay Marina! The name of the restaurant, Prive. I supposed we were there quite early and that's why there were not much people seated. The ambiance, however, was great! I would say we were given personalized services! Haha. And so, we started ordering our food, given some recommendations by the waitress.

While waiting for our orders, we were treated to a complimentary ’starter’. Somehow, we forgotten what it was known as. Well, nonetheless it still tasted good!

Our starter was crudo, made from hokkaido scallops, sakura prawns, olive oil, yuzu and shiroshoyu.Yea... Sounds nice huh? Yummy seafood!

The girl had the rare duck breast and confit of duck leg for the main course, while I had the grilled kurobuta pork chop. Both comes with free fruits? Haha. For hers, it was paired with the persimmon-like fruit and the combined taste was really really nice. For mine, need-less to say. It's apple and the apple sauce was really good too especially when the whole piece of pork chop is being covered with apple sauce! Haha.

Look at the portion of our main. It was huge....!!! We both had our fill and I would say it was really nice. But that's not all, up next is our dessert.

We had the molten center chocolate soufflĂ©. Nice, fluffy and soft, it’s no doubt it was the recommended dessert by the waitress. We were kinda wobbling after our meal. Haha.

Our happy faces!

And so, we decided to have a stroll round the place for some photo-takings again. We were treated to nice lighting and views of the marina.

Another couple shot and a big thanks to my dear girl for planning the wonderful dinner =D


Last but not least, a nice gift from her. =)

Raphel
Wow. Time passed so quickly and I've not blogged for like 2 months! Rest assured friends that my blog is still alive... Haa

With all the back dated entries, I really need to get things done. (Guess the girl is already smiling just by looking at this entry. =P)

With the girl's birthday coming up, it is also my turn to get busy as I need to plan for her celebration. It is really quite a headache as her birthday always clashes with the F1 race! Omg, 3 more years of misery... Nonetheless, I still managed to come up with something. This time round, I made a reservation at Serenity (A Spanish restaurant and bar) at Vivocity.


Having seen some good reviews about the place, I decided to go for a try. It was our first time trying out Spanish food. The ambiance was nice, with a live band going on. And the best thing is we were given a huge sofa seat which fits 6 people!

My smiling birthday girl. =D


For a start, we ordered the Gambas al Ajillo. (sauteed tiger prawns with garlic and olive oil) The prawns were extremely fresh and yummy! The main course was the Paella Valanciana. (saffron, chicken, Spanish chorizo, tiger prawns, squid, half shell mussels, rice)


Interesting dish with lots of seafood! We even had 2 glasses of red wine to go along. Hahaha...

(The Complimentary cake as well as a birthday song from the restaurant)

That's not all the next early morning, we went on to Riders Cafe. As the girl had always wanted to try out the food there, as well as to catch a glimpse of the horse trotting, I made an early reservation in advance. It was a wise choice as the place was really crowed as early as 10 am.


The girl ordered the Norwegian Salmon Benedict while I had the Rider’s Breakfast, both of which cost less than $15! Good deal! Not to mention the fact that their food tasted really really good, that it made us both fall in love with the place.

A Happy us!

At the end of the weekend, I was so happy to see her with all smiles on her face. Happy Birthday Girl. =)
Raphel
Recent weeks, I'm really feel I'm overwhelmed with work, stress and problems.

I'm really stressed up. Feeling very tired...

I'm trying to control myself. Almost lost my cool at work. Felt helpless...

I fell sick. Lost my appetite.

I need a break. A long one in fact or maybe a permanent one...
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Raphel
I am not feeling good.

Issues around me and things are certainly not going well for me.

Quarrels came and go, experiencing a roller coaster life.

Am I happy or am I sad?

Understand that there’s no equality/fairness in this world.

Accepted the fact that this wouldn’t even exist in a relationship.

I felt lost… drifting into a state of wilderness…
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Raphel
Question: Ms America, how do you describe a male sex organ in your country?
Ms America: Well, I can say that the male sex organs in America are like gentlemen.

Question: How can you say so?

Ms America: Because it stands every time it sees a woman......

(Applause!Applause!)




Question: Ms Spain, how do you describe a male sex organ in your country?

Ms Spain: Male organs in our country are like our very own Bullfight or
Toro(Bull)

Question: How can you say so?

Ms Spain: Because it charges every time it sees an opening.

(Applause! Applause !)




Question: Ms Iran, how do you describe a male sex organ in your Country?

Ms Iran: Well, I can say that male sex organs in Iran are like thieves.

Question: How can you say so?

Ms I ran: Because they like to enter through the back door.

(Applause!Applause! Laughter! Laughter! Applause! Applause!)




Question: Ms India, how do you describe a male sex organ in your country?

Ms India: Well, I can say the male sex organs in India are like labourers.

Question: How can you say so?

Ms India: Because it works day and night......

(Applause!Applause! Applause! Applause! Applause! Applause! Applause!)




Question: Ms Singapore,how do you describe a male sex organ in your country?

Ms Singapore: Well, I can say that male sex organ In Singapore is very Kiasu
(Afraid to lose).

Question: How can you say so?

Ms Singapore: It always wants to rush in quick and leave 15 minutes before
the show is over.

(Applause! Applause! Applause! Applause! Applause! Applause!Applause!)


Question: Ms Philippines, how do you describe a male sex organ in your country?

Ms Philippines: Well, I can say that male sex organs in our country are like
gossip or rumors.

Question: How can you say so?

Ms Philippines: Because it passes from mouth to mouth.

(Applause!Applause! Standing Ovation! Applause! Applause!)


Question: Ms Malaysia, how do you describe a male sex organ in your country?

Ms Malaysia: Well, I can say that male sex organs in Malaysia are like
Proton car.

Question: How can you say so?

Ms Malaysia: Looks tough (hard) on the outside but in reality is very soft.

(Applause! Applause! Laughter! Laughter! Applause ! Applause!)




Question: Ms Taiwan, how do you describe a male sex organ in your country?

Ms Taiwan: Well, I can say that a male sex organ in Taiwan like Chen Shui
Bian....

Question: How can you say so?

Ms Taiwan: Incompetent… trying to show that it can perform its job when it obviously cannot!

(Applause!Applause! Applause!Applause! Laughter! Laughter! Applause! Applause! Applause!)
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Raphel

It may seen like a childhood cartoon to all boys, but this movie is one which really kickass! It's simply cool and awesome! One should see the costumes used in the show as they are simply cool... The new age laser guns and the slick black leather suits! =P Characters like Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes have great martial and sword play skills. Storm Shadow, dressed in white in the show was really cool, even though he was the bad guys side.

The girl was simply in awe throughout the whole show, so it was a thumbs up for the how! Go catch it! =)
Raphel
Lighthouse at Fullerton


Left: Foccacia bread with black olive dip
Right: Bake salmon cake

Buffalo mozzarella with candied tomato petals, green beans and caprese sauce

Wagyu beef carpaccio with basil, anchovies dressing, parmiagiano cheese and mixed salad

Butternut squash tortelloni with light parmigiano cheese and thyme fondue, and crispy pancetta

Drum wheat spaghetti, tomato sauce with fresh ligurian basil

Pink guava sorbet with mixed fruits
Raphel
17-20 July 2009

It was our last day in the foreign land, therefore the girl and I decide to scramble for any last minute items.

A couple photo before we checked out of hotel

Having heard of the R Burger that is due to open in Ion Orchard, we thought that we would like to try it out in Bangkok first, where it was first discovered by the Singapore actor who decided to open the franchise here back home. The bread was actually the man-tou bread! Special and healthy isn't it?

We would never have thought that we would actually catch a movie to mark the end of our trip. Harry Potter it was, and by sheer luck or misfortune, we actually chose the theatre that was like our very own GV Gold class. There was a mini blanket, with retractable seat! It was really quite an experience especially when we had to stand before the screening of the movie as all cinemas would play the national anthem of Thailand. Different yea...

Last but not least before we head on to airport, we treated ourselves to the long lost A&W where I had my root-beer float. Slurp slurp. Nice! =D

Me with my root-beer float! Wahaha...

Again, it was nice and enjoyable shopping trip with the girl. =)
Raphel
17-20 July 2009


Glimpse of the Hotel Lobby

We woke up to a beautiful Sunday and where are we heading to today? Chatuchuk Weekend Market! Yes, it's the hot and stuffy market, but the stuff sold there were cheap, with a huge variety too. However, both the girl and I still didn't manage to get much things there and we left after walking just 2 rounds round the market.

The girl had wanted to go to Siam Ocean World since the day we touched down. Since we were pretty free and tired after a round of shopping, we decided to go have a look. (One should see the girl's excitement as fish is her favorite seafood)


It is interesting how we did not see this attraction last year when we were there. And now, in less than half a year, Siam Paragon has another tourist attraction.


One thing to note is that the attraction does feature a fair bit of weird sea creatures. Deep sea creatures which looked like aliens, with a predator face! Oh ya, as part of our admission tickets, we were entitled to a glass bottom boat ride!

Not only that, we were entitled to a 4D movie! Cool, isn't it? We have never tried watching a 4D movie before and were pretty excited over it. And guess what, the seats were motion moving seats and that vapors were sprayed onto peoples' faces to add extra effects to the show. One could hear the non-stop screams of the ladies in the theater. (Even the girl was not spared...) Haha... =D
Raphel
17-20 July 2009

It was an early start to our second day, having to wake up real early in the morning for our breakfast and our half day tour. International buffet, Blue Spice! See, got label one... Haa. Not to mention dining by the pool! Lovely isn't it? Too bad there's no pictures of me in swimming attire. Hahaha...

After breakfast, off we went for our river tour, accompanied by an English speaking local tour guide and our very own private transport, a limousine... (It's just a Volvo)

And that's our private boat lookalike.

The ride was fairly interesting. We were brought around the river, Thailand's most famous river, Chao Phraya river, where we get to view temples and the living conditions of the people who lived in raised homes just above the river, by the river. The tour guide even joked about that we were at the Venice or even Amsterdam! =S

A boy feeding the giant catfish...

The ride ended off with a stopover at a reptile park which we didn't go in, before making a U-turn to the starting point. One sad thing is that we didn't get a chance to see the floating market. Well, it's still not so bad after all, for we have been to their most famous river. =)


The actual tour actually brought us to some other places like the jewellery shops and silk shops. Guess the girl wasn't interested in all these and so we hurriedly made our way from one shop to the other. That's where they brought us to another tailor shop - James Fashion International. Guess I already had enough shirt and pants so I gave it a miss. Perhaps, next time round when we return yea.

A Pic of me stealing food... Wahaha...

And so, it was more shopping for us after the tour followed with a nice MK steamboat dinner to reward our tired legs. (Go try it for those who didn't. The sauce was extremely nice!) Yummy... =) We wrapped up the night by heading to Sum Lum night market for a stroll, before heading back to the hotel for a good night's rest.
Raphel
17-20 July 2009

Who would have thought of getting away for a trip during the flu pandemic, especially to a country where it's infested. Heck, Singapore was badly hit anyway.

So off we go to the airport early in the morning at like 4.30 am in the morning!

A snapshot of the airport in the early morning

Leaving on a jet plane...

Well as usual, the girl was piggy in wherever she go! =P

When we first landed at the airport, we were greeted by a concierge who said that as part of some promotion, we were entitled to one of three free half day tours. All we had to do was to pay 250 baht per person as part of government tax. So we decided to just give it a try, especially when we chose the Chao Phraya River tour, of which starts 7.30am in the morning! I really missed the colourful taxis in Bangkok. Since there's no MTR service to the heart of the city, we hopped on to a colourful taxi to our hotel in Pratunam.

The lobby

And the room. Yes, that's a kitchen! Woot!

My colleague suggested me a very convenient service apartment located in the prime location in the city. And we decided to try it out. With us being too early to check in into our service apartment hotel Centre Point Petchburi, we were all set for our very first activity just across the street, the girl's favorite place – shopping at Platinum Mall!!

As I was back there with a mission this time, and that was to go tailoring for some shirts and pants, for it is much cheaper than making suits in Singapore. Our first stop was Savile Row, located near to Rose Hotel. There, I made 3 shirts and 1 pants. But that was not enough, I went on to another tailor, Pinky Tailor, where I tailored 1 more pants and shirt. Wahaha... By then, the sky turned dark and we decided to just proceed back to our cosy service apartment for a good rest and in preparation for our next early morning. =)