This week, we covered the book of Nahum in Sunday School. What got me thinking was the idea of God addressing Himself as jealous and avenging (ch.1 v.2).
In class, we briefly discussed that jealous is actually being zealous for something and that in the case of God, the object of jealousy (which is us) rightfully belongs to Him. Jealousy, I guess, is an outcome of feeling for something and having that feeling getting threaten. Haha... I can recall my female friends telling me that they are actually quite upset when their boyfriends never ever get jealous. Guess this is what it means bah.
Avenging is the second attribute that was mentioned in the verse. Avenging implies taking action, and in God's case, taking action for what is right. It is important to note that in the later part of the passage, it is mentioned that God is slow to anger, which means that He paitently waits for people to change. This implies that God does not delight in having to take punitive action, but will not hesitate to do so if neccessary. I feel that this attribute is slowly diminishing from our society.
I would have loved to think a bit deeper into these two attributes, but there are quite a few other matters that I really need to clear before I fly and time is really running out. So I thought I just pen down my brief thoughts on the Sunday School class that just passed.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
List of Nice Restaurants & Hang Outs
Firstly, I have to tell you that I don’t drive (haven’t even gotten my license yet), so my list will exclude most of the nice restaurants that are hidden in some obscure part of Singapore. Secondly, I definitely cannot claim that I have tried all the nice restaurants in Singapore. I have probably only scratched the tip of the ice-berg. There are a few that have heard quite a bit about, but had not have the chance to visit yet. One such place is Wild Rockets on Mount Emily (which is the hill just beside my parent’s house, sigh… so near yet so far). These will not be in my list as well.
Dining
- Sun Japanese Dining (Chijmes) – Japanese food. The food there is fantastic. Service was good and the decor is nice. The tables are a bit close to one another though. But that is something that I can live with. The dim setting helps. They have a branch at Wheelock Place and one at Clarke Quay, but I still prefer the one at Chijmes. Tel: 63363166
- Waraku – Japanese food. The food and service is good. Usually crowded though. This is one place where you will definitely need to make a table reservation if you intend to dine there. http://www.waraku.com.sg/
- Kuriya (Raffles City) – Japanese food. Good food and service. Nice setting too. http://www.res.com.sg/kuriya_aboutus.htm
- Hard Rock Café – Western food. Friendly service, good music and good food. Perfect if you just want to chill out and have a good time. http://www.hardrock.com.sg/
- Hog’s Breath – Western food. Friendly service and good food. You must try the steaks. http://www.hogsbreath.com.sg/
- Billy Bombers – Western food. The food is average, but the staff are very friendly and generally provide good service. Haha… and this is after all the crazy things that me and the guys have done at that place. That’s what I call professional. Portions are decent for any guy and the menu is very reasonably priced. I love the causal American setting that the place has. Not a hit with many of my female friends but the most guys will generally love this place. http://www.billybombers.com/
- Brewerks – Western food. Decent food quality. Fantastic food quantity. Great place for people who are into beer. http://www.brewerkz.com/
- Au Petite Salut – French food. I was recently introduced to this place by a friend. Very good food. Service was ok. Nice ambience. After tax and service charge, set lunches come up to around S$30 per person, which is a pretty good deal. Table reservation recommended. http://www.aupetitsalut.com/home/
- Crystal Jade Golden Palace – Chinese food. Very good food and fantastic service. Very nice ambience as well. Depending on what you order though, but I would think that you should be prepared to pay at least S$120 for a dinner for two. I know that it sounds pricy, but dining for two at a Chinese restaurant is never cheap. If you going for a plate of fried rice/noodle each, that will slash the cost by quite a bit. Tel: 67346866
- Wah! Noogee House – Chinese food. The food is good and the service is great. The best thing that I like about this place is that it is not very crowded at all times of the day, all days of the week. Forgot to make a table reservation on a crowded Friday evening? Have no fear, you can probably find a table here. If the place is not romantic enough for you, there are a lot of nice places nearby for you to hang out after your meal. http://www.carlton.com.sg/dining_wahh.htm
- Bukom Club – Having candlelight dinner on a deserted island with the swimming pool on your left and the sea on your right. Perfect if it was on the night with a full moon and the sky was clear. Best of all, the dinner for two will cost less than S$10. This is located on the island of Pula Bukom, where the Shell Singapore refinery is based. Unless you know someone who can smuggle you onto that island, this option is out.
- Vertigo – Al fresco eating on top of the 61-story Banyan Tree Hotel in Bangkok. Great view, good food and fantastic service. The waiter knew my name the moment I stepped into the restaurant (probably because I called to reserved a table). Worth a visit if you happen to be in the city. Definitely one of the best dining experiences I ever had. Be prepared to pay at least 5,000 baht for a dinner for two. http://www.banyantree.com/bangkok/dining_vertigo.htm
Post Dinner Places
- Divine Society – One of my favorite hangouts these days. The decor is grand, and the service is good. The fact that an angel will “fly” up to fetch your wine for you is an interesting sight for those who are there for the first time. Plus, the place is not very crowded, so I never had to wait for a table despite not making a reservation. Reservation, I believe, are for members only, but the place is open to the general public. http://www.parkviewsquare.com/tpl/concourse.htm
- Marina Mandarin Atrium Lounge – It has a very nice setting and the entertainment is very good. I believe it starts from 8pm onwards. Maybe earlier, haha… but I am never there before that. A very nice and cosy place to hang out after a hard day’s work. http://www.marina-mandarin.com.sg/dining/atrium_lounge_senses_patisserie.htm
- Hooters – Contrary to popular belief, most of my guy friends are not very into this place but my female friends seem to adore it. At least they don’t hate the place. It is not as sleazy as some people make it to be. I wouldn’t go there for the food, except for their buffalo wings (samurai sauce) which is simply out of this world. www.hooters.com.sg/
- One Rochester – The location is a bit out of the way. But nice ambience and decent service. I would think that it is at least worth a visit. http://www.onerochester.com/home.htm
- Altivo – On top of Mt Faber. It has a great view and the resident band there is very good. Wouldn’t go there for the food. I ordered Fish and Chips and it was very ordinary. Service was very slow. Maybe it is because there is not enough staff. But for the view and the band, I think it’s worth a visit. www.altivo.com.sg/
- Café Del Mar – A nice cosy place to chill out with your partner. But with anyone else, you will probably just sit at a table. I wouldn’t go all the way to Sentosa for that. http://www.cafedelmar.com.sg/main/
- City Space – The last time that I was there was a few years back. In fact that was my first time there. I was a bit put off by the fact that I had to wait quite a while for a table. I would avoid it on Fridays and Saturdays. Besides that, the place is actually quite nice, haha… but I have not been back there since that time. http://www.equinoxcomplex.com/cityspace/index.html
Choosing a Restaurant
After my previous blog entry, a few friends have been asking me to write more about the food in Singapore. Haha… to be honest, I am probably the worst person to talk about this topic because I am not able to appreciate good food. I usually gauge the quality of the food from the feedback that I get from the friends who dine with me. However, I believe that the quality of the food is only one of the many factors that one should consider when choosing a restaurant. I shall narrow my scope to talk about choosing a restaurant for a casual date, since this is the most fun of all the dining experiences.
Note to guys: In general, it is basic courtesy to ask the girl if she has any preference on the restaurant, type of food and location. Usually you will be asked to decide, but that does not mean that there is no need for you to check with the girl still.
1. Type of food
Food allergy, dietary preferences, preferred type of cuisine etc… These are some of the things that you should look out for when choosing a restaurant. You probably do not have to worry too much about food allergy, unless you are thinking of The Garlic Place and your dinner companion is allergic to garlic. If you are not sure if your date is a vegetarian or not, it is good to choose a restaurant that serves a decent salad. Most restaurants that serve Japanese or Western food do. When in doubt, just go for Japanese. It’s simple, light and tasty.
In fact, I would generally seek the opinion of my date on the restaurant before making a reservation. I don’t really see a need to withhold this information from him/her unless it is for someone special and you want to surprise him/her. If you do not know the food preference of that special someone, you deserve to be slapped.
2. Food quality
You should also try to find out if the quality of food is important to your dining companion. When in doubt, chose one that is at least slightly above average. If your date does not have a sensitive palate, a restaurant that serves average tasting food will do. Bringing your date to a place that serves lousy food is just plain evil. Please don’t do that.
3. Price
When you are out on a date, the last thing that you would want to do is worry about whether you are able to pay for the meal. Chose a place where you know that you can comfortably let the lady order whatever she wants from the menu and still walk out of the restaurant without anyone of you having to wash the dishes. For the ladies, you wouldn’t want to choose a place where your dinner companion only orders salad for himself. As the saying goes, a hungry man is an angry man. How true…
By the way, it is advisable that you to carry along a credit card or a debit card. You never know when something unexpected may come up. For example, the government may decide that they should raise the GST yet again.
4. Service
To me, this is the most important point of consideration. I personally believe that the service of the restaurant staff will make or break your whole dining experience. After all, the dining experience is about having an enjoyable time. There are enough things to worry about on your date. It helps when you are in restaurant where the staff are ever ready to attend to your needs and help you and your dining companion resolve any issues that may arise. The waiter and waitresses are there to enhance your dining experience. They are not there to be ordered around by you. So be nice and smile. It is a nice gesture to give an additional tip if good service has been rendered. Promote good service!
5. Ambience
This sets the mood. It really depends on what you intend to be doing over dinner. If you want to chat, chose a quiet setting. If you don’t expect a lot of conversation to go on, you may want to choose a place with live music or some other form of entertainment. Live telecast of the English Premier League does not qualify unless your dinner companion is a soccer fan (most guys) or a fan of soccer players (most ladies). If you are having a bad hair day or recovering from a pimple breakout, a dim setting may be just exactly what the doctor prescribed.
Note to guys: If you are going to be sitting on the floor or some floor mat, please warn the lady beforehand. If the lady had made the effort to wear a nice skirt for you, the last thing you want her to do is feel uncomfortable for the whole evening.
6. Queue
I always try to avoid having to wait for a table when I am out on a date. Whenever possible, please make a table reservation. It helps if you have been to the place before. If there is a table that is too near the toilet, please specify that you do not want to be seated there. If there is indoor/outdoor sitting or smoking/non-smoking sections, you may want to specific your preferences as well. Murphy’s Law: Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.
Sometimes, it is not possible to make a table reservation. For example, you cannot confirm the timing or if it was a last minute dinner appointment, chose a place where it is very likely that you will find a table without having to wait for it.
7. Location
A lot of nice restaurants are actually located in some obscure corner of Singapore. If you are not driving, just make sure that you and your date are able to get to the place and get out from there without having to hike a long distance. It is no fun to be walking in humid Singapore. It helps to have the numbers of all the cab companies in your mobile phone. Unless you intend to spend the whole evening at the restaurant, make sure you consider the possible post-dinner activities when choosing a restaurant.
Oh dear, I had only wanted to list down a few of my recommended restaurants, but I guess I got carried away with writing about the factors of consideration. Anyway, from what you can see, choosing the right restaurant can be a daunting task. Therefore it helps to keep a list of decent restaurants that you can depend on. That is in my next post.
Note to guys: In general, it is basic courtesy to ask the girl if she has any preference on the restaurant, type of food and location. Usually you will be asked to decide, but that does not mean that there is no need for you to check with the girl still.
1. Type of food
Food allergy, dietary preferences, preferred type of cuisine etc… These are some of the things that you should look out for when choosing a restaurant. You probably do not have to worry too much about food allergy, unless you are thinking of The Garlic Place and your dinner companion is allergic to garlic. If you are not sure if your date is a vegetarian or not, it is good to choose a restaurant that serves a decent salad. Most restaurants that serve Japanese or Western food do. When in doubt, just go for Japanese. It’s simple, light and tasty.
In fact, I would generally seek the opinion of my date on the restaurant before making a reservation. I don’t really see a need to withhold this information from him/her unless it is for someone special and you want to surprise him/her. If you do not know the food preference of that special someone, you deserve to be slapped.
2. Food quality
You should also try to find out if the quality of food is important to your dining companion. When in doubt, chose one that is at least slightly above average. If your date does not have a sensitive palate, a restaurant that serves average tasting food will do. Bringing your date to a place that serves lousy food is just plain evil. Please don’t do that.
3. Price
When you are out on a date, the last thing that you would want to do is worry about whether you are able to pay for the meal. Chose a place where you know that you can comfortably let the lady order whatever she wants from the menu and still walk out of the restaurant without anyone of you having to wash the dishes. For the ladies, you wouldn’t want to choose a place where your dinner companion only orders salad for himself. As the saying goes, a hungry man is an angry man. How true…
By the way, it is advisable that you to carry along a credit card or a debit card. You never know when something unexpected may come up. For example, the government may decide that they should raise the GST yet again.
4. Service
To me, this is the most important point of consideration. I personally believe that the service of the restaurant staff will make or break your whole dining experience. After all, the dining experience is about having an enjoyable time. There are enough things to worry about on your date. It helps when you are in restaurant where the staff are ever ready to attend to your needs and help you and your dining companion resolve any issues that may arise. The waiter and waitresses are there to enhance your dining experience. They are not there to be ordered around by you. So be nice and smile. It is a nice gesture to give an additional tip if good service has been rendered. Promote good service!
5. Ambience
This sets the mood. It really depends on what you intend to be doing over dinner. If you want to chat, chose a quiet setting. If you don’t expect a lot of conversation to go on, you may want to choose a place with live music or some other form of entertainment. Live telecast of the English Premier League does not qualify unless your dinner companion is a soccer fan (most guys) or a fan of soccer players (most ladies). If you are having a bad hair day or recovering from a pimple breakout, a dim setting may be just exactly what the doctor prescribed.
Note to guys: If you are going to be sitting on the floor or some floor mat, please warn the lady beforehand. If the lady had made the effort to wear a nice skirt for you, the last thing you want her to do is feel uncomfortable for the whole evening.
6. Queue
I always try to avoid having to wait for a table when I am out on a date. Whenever possible, please make a table reservation. It helps if you have been to the place before. If there is a table that is too near the toilet, please specify that you do not want to be seated there. If there is indoor/outdoor sitting or smoking/non-smoking sections, you may want to specific your preferences as well. Murphy’s Law: Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.
Sometimes, it is not possible to make a table reservation. For example, you cannot confirm the timing or if it was a last minute dinner appointment, chose a place where it is very likely that you will find a table without having to wait for it.
7. Location
A lot of nice restaurants are actually located in some obscure corner of Singapore. If you are not driving, just make sure that you and your date are able to get to the place and get out from there without having to hike a long distance. It is no fun to be walking in humid Singapore. It helps to have the numbers of all the cab companies in your mobile phone. Unless you intend to spend the whole evening at the restaurant, make sure you consider the possible post-dinner activities when choosing a restaurant.
Oh dear, I had only wanted to list down a few of my recommended restaurants, but I guess I got carried away with writing about the factors of consideration. Anyway, from what you can see, choosing the right restaurant can be a daunting task. Therefore it helps to keep a list of decent restaurants that you can depend on. That is in my next post.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Great Friends & Great Hangouts
I manage to catch up with a few friends on Friday and Saturday. Also managed to revisit a few nice hangouts. I have not been to some of them in a while. Very happy that I achieved a lot those 2 days.
Friday, 20 Jul, Lunch.
Visited Au Petite Salut with Shihui. It is a nice cosy French restaurant that is tucked away in Tanglin Village. Ambience is great and the service was not too bad. If you are interested, their url is http://www.aupetitsalut.com/.
The snails were very fresh, but the taste was a bit blend. The garlic butter could have been stronger.
The duck leg was fantastic.
And so were the beef cheeks.
So sad, my Crème brulée was slightly burnt. Hehe... but I was too lazy to get the waiter to get me another one.
Choux buns filled with vanilla ice cream in warm chocolate sauce and sliced almonds. Ah... this can't really go wrong. Not in hot sunny Singapore.
In fact, it was so good that even the ants came to pick up the crumbs.
That's me and Shihui.
Shihui said that I should show some teeth. She also got me to tilt my head downwards. Haha... I still prefer the first photo, but she like the second one and got me to put it on my blog to ask for opinons.
We started the day by having lunch at the food court in Vivo City.
Friday, 20 Jul, Lunch.
Visited Au Petite Salut with Shihui. It is a nice cosy French restaurant that is tucked away in Tanglin Village. Ambience is great and the service was not too bad. If you are interested, their url is http://www.aupetitsalut.com/.
The snails were very fresh, but the taste was a bit blend. The garlic butter could have been stronger.
The duck leg was fantastic.
And so were the beef cheeks.
So sad, my Crème brulée was slightly burnt. Hehe... but I was too lazy to get the waiter to get me another one.
Choux buns filled with vanilla ice cream in warm chocolate sauce and sliced almonds. Ah... this can't really go wrong. Not in hot sunny Singapore.
In fact, it was so good that even the ants came to pick up the crumbs.
That's me and Shihui.
Shihui said that I should show some teeth. She also got me to tilt my head downwards. Haha... I still prefer the first photo, but she like the second one and got me to put it on my blog to ask for opinons. Friday, 20 Jul, Dinner.
Met up with my university classmates at Bugis for dinner. Haven't seen most of them in a while and it is great to find out that everyone seems to be doing quite well. Haha... Jian Ling is now Engineer II. We had dinner at some Hong Kong cafe along Liang Seah Street. The food was not too bad. According to Wen Fei, it is better than Kim Gary at Vivo City. Hey guys, thanks for the dinner treat. We then went over to Parkview Square for drinks. It is one of my favourite lounges in Singapore. It has a 3-storey high wine cellar and the lovely waitress, who is dressed like as angel, will "fly" up to fetch your wine for you. It's url is http://www.parkviewsquare.com/tpl/concourse.htm.
Tze wei came up with a nice phrase that night. "Dinner with old friends $100. A bottle of white wine $80. A photo with the waitress, priceless." Haha... looks like the wine brought out the poet in him.
Friday, 20 Jul, LAN Game.
After meeting my university classmates, I met up with the Friday Evening Gang for some fragging. Only play two games. Won one and lost one. Ok lah. But very happy that I managed to meet 3 groups of friends that day. Hehe... the day ended at around 2:30am for me. Just nice, because I gotta wake up early the next day. Going to Sentosa with my RP colleagues.
Saturday, 21 Jul, Sentosa.
We started the day by having lunch at the food court in Vivo City.
Took a photo with the guys,
and then another one with the gals.
Some chinese tourists asked me to help them to take a photo. Yi Xian thought that I should take a photo with them instead. I thought why not. Haha..
We caught some live jazz by the beach.
Took the cable car to Mt. Faber.....
and had drinks at Altivo.
One of those nice places that I seldom go because it is a bit out of the way.
The last time I was here was at least 2 years back. Great view with live music. Average service though.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Back to Blogging
Was checking out a friend's blog recently and was forced to sign-in when I wanted to leave a comment. Haha... that was when I realised that I actually had a blog. It was interesting to read what I have written two years back.
A lot has happened during this two years but sad to say, I have not really kept a journal or blog. I left my job at Shell and joined Republic Poly last May. Got an offer from the University of Florida to do my PhD there, so I tendered and left Republic Poly last month. Given my current status, the two questions that I keep getting is:
1. How is the study preparation coming along?
2. You very free now eh?
The answer to Q1. is that it is really bad. Will be flying in 3 weeks time, but I have not settled my accomodation yet. Sigh... will have to sleep on the streets on Florida liao. Also need to do my IPPT quickly so that I can apply for my exit permit, else the next time I come back to Singapore, MINDEF is going to charge me and I gotta pay a "dunno how much" fine. Problem is dunno if I can pass my IPPT or not, never really exercise for so long liao. Sigh... should also start to dig up my medical records cause I will need it when applying for health insurance there. Did I mention also that I have not even start to think about what to pack? I know that it sounds like I am in a big mess and to be honest if it was me five years back, I would definitely be super worried by now. Haha... but I have grown to realise that worrying does not help and somehow things will fall into place. So still keeping my cool, but yup it's about time that I sit down and try to tie up the loose ends. At least I have the offer letter from my school, my plane ticket and my US Visa. Haha... which means that at least I can fly and enter the United States.
The answer to Q2 is NO! Been trying to catch up with as many friends as possible. My remaining weekends in Singapore are all fully booked. As for dinner, I am packed all the way until next next Sunday. Sigh... but there are still so many friends that I have yet to meet. In addition, I hope to quickly settle the paper that I am working with Dr Ng. I have delayed it long enough, hopefully I can finish most of it and throw in some examples before I fly.
Haha... enough of my complaints. Got something happy to share. Bumped into my first crush at Bugis Junction on Tuesday. She is getting MARRIED!!! It was a pleasant surprise because I was not expecting it. Haha... don't get me wrong, she is a fantastic lady. Mind you, her major was in social work. Cool huh. It is just that we seldom communicate, so I did not see it coming. Her wedding is going to on 6 Jul 08. Oh plus, Valerie a.k.a. partner is getting married on 14 Jun 08. Looks like I will definitely be back in Singapore next summer. Really looking foward to the wedding of these two lovely ladies. Can't help but smile every time I think about them getting married. Haha... Valerie said that I was more excited than her, but that woman was really super bochup initially. Haha... but she's getting into the swing of things liao.
Sigh... my friends are getting married liao and I am still fooling around like a small kid. Feeling old and young at the same time. But then again, if you are still a student at age 27, you probably would have the same feelings too. Haha... :p
A lot has happened during this two years but sad to say, I have not really kept a journal or blog. I left my job at Shell and joined Republic Poly last May. Got an offer from the University of Florida to do my PhD there, so I tendered and left Republic Poly last month. Given my current status, the two questions that I keep getting is:
1. How is the study preparation coming along?
2. You very free now eh?
The answer to Q1. is that it is really bad. Will be flying in 3 weeks time, but I have not settled my accomodation yet. Sigh... will have to sleep on the streets on Florida liao. Also need to do my IPPT quickly so that I can apply for my exit permit, else the next time I come back to Singapore, MINDEF is going to charge me and I gotta pay a "dunno how much" fine. Problem is dunno if I can pass my IPPT or not, never really exercise for so long liao. Sigh... should also start to dig up my medical records cause I will need it when applying for health insurance there. Did I mention also that I have not even start to think about what to pack? I know that it sounds like I am in a big mess and to be honest if it was me five years back, I would definitely be super worried by now. Haha... but I have grown to realise that worrying does not help and somehow things will fall into place. So still keeping my cool, but yup it's about time that I sit down and try to tie up the loose ends. At least I have the offer letter from my school, my plane ticket and my US Visa. Haha... which means that at least I can fly and enter the United States.
The answer to Q2 is NO! Been trying to catch up with as many friends as possible. My remaining weekends in Singapore are all fully booked. As for dinner, I am packed all the way until next next Sunday. Sigh... but there are still so many friends that I have yet to meet. In addition, I hope to quickly settle the paper that I am working with Dr Ng. I have delayed it long enough, hopefully I can finish most of it and throw in some examples before I fly.
Haha... enough of my complaints. Got something happy to share. Bumped into my first crush at Bugis Junction on Tuesday. She is getting MARRIED!!! It was a pleasant surprise because I was not expecting it. Haha... don't get me wrong, she is a fantastic lady. Mind you, her major was in social work. Cool huh. It is just that we seldom communicate, so I did not see it coming. Her wedding is going to on 6 Jul 08. Oh plus, Valerie a.k.a. partner is getting married on 14 Jun 08. Looks like I will definitely be back in Singapore next summer. Really looking foward to the wedding of these two lovely ladies. Can't help but smile every time I think about them getting married. Haha... Valerie said that I was more excited than her, but that woman was really super bochup initially. Haha... but she's getting into the swing of things liao.
Sigh... my friends are getting married liao and I am still fooling around like a small kid. Feeling old and young at the same time. But then again, if you are still a student at age 27, you probably would have the same feelings too. Haha... :p
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