Buckaroos

Finally, I get the chance to bring my boys to Buckaroos. Buckaroos is closed on Tuesday and is only open for dinner from 4pm to 10pm clearly stated on the cover of the menu. I tried the buffalo wings at level 1. It is tangy and tasted like how it is like in US. We had the soup that is served in a loaf of bread that has been toasted warm and crusty. I also order a full slab of backribs. The ribs is tough and disappointing. It is definitely not the fall off the bones type. For dessert, we tried tiramisu with ice cream. The tiramisu is frozen and tasted more like ice cream.

I agree with the comments on the internet. The buffalo wings are still the best and authentic.

Different

Youngme Moon is a Professor of Marketing in Harvard Business School. Her course is very popular and she teaches both undergrads and MBA students. The book, Different is highly readable i.e. easy to read and digest. Renegade brands like Apple, Birkenstock, Harley Davidson, Red Bull or Marmite do things differently. Bold, daring to be different. They are not in the chase to be more similar to their competitors adding more features. This is why they are successful as Prof Moon argued.

Different can be wildly successful as Dove decided to veer away from the supermodel look of her competitor. You can type Youngme Moon on the internet and find some of her presentation. They are quite interesting and different.

Buffalo Wings and Buckaroos

Yahoo! news featured food on Sembawang Road. I tried the Malay/Thai Muslim food in a small row of shophouses right beside Sembawang Shopping Center. The food is just so-so. Lunch for 3 cost $20. We had two plates of bryani rice, one mutton steak with bone, dry curry chicken, 2 omelettes and 2 deep fried potato cutlets. Only two drinks - a Pepsi and a teh halia tarik.

I will be trying out Buckaroos next. It has rave reviews in hungrygowhere.com. Also I like buffalo wings and also on the menu is my favorite bbq back ribs. So I can't wait. Buckaroos only opens in the evenings and closed on Tuesday. Hopefully, I get the chance to try it sometime this week.

Slow in Suntec City

No maid. No homecooked meal. So we must eat out. We decided to have our dinner in Suntec City. First my big surprise! There were plenty of carparks. Green indicators were everywhere including covets spots near the entrances to the mall. We surveyed the food court and B3 wanted to eat yong tau, so we decided eat there instead of one of the resturants around fountain of fortune. So many empty seats on the food court. I felt a little peculiar that it is so easy to get seats. No "chopping" or reserving seats required. I wonder if the news on Sunday Times that resturants are having a hard time getting staff for Christmas and New Year is accurate. Maybe it is Monday, maybe it is evening and most people eat at home or maybe the economy is not so good and Singaporeans are eating-in to save money.

A few resturants I passed like Baker's Inn was completely empty. So Monday evening is not a good day for resturant business.

Katong Laksa

While waiting for B3's piano lesson, we go to Roxy Square for the original Katong Laksa. It is the best laksa in Singapore. I remembered bringing all my team members from Malaysia office to try the Singapore experience a few years ago.

Katong Laksa has been around for the last 50 years. Now, the daughter is running the stall. The taste is still excellent. As a boy in kindergarden, I remember eating Katong Laksa and Katong curry puffs before moving forward to Changi beach. It was more than two hours ride from Queenstown to Katong as the expressways of today has not been built.

Katong Laksa is our living history and culture. My boys like to eat Katong Laksa especially B3. B3 loved it because it is not spicy.

After breakfast, we bought 4 bowls to take home for dinner since B3 loved this laksa as well.

A Wonderful Day

The day pass as usual. B3 has piano lessons. After his lesson, we go to Marine Parade library as mummy want to borrow a book that is available only in this library. I borrowed a few audiobooks. We had lunch at the hawker center there. Times has warehouse sale in the old Border's premise. Business is good there.

We then go to ION Orchard to pass time. We bought drinks and some snacks from the supermarket and sat at the rest area. B2 took out his computer and started to work on it. He is hunching and arching his spine in a uncomfortable way. So I decided to go to Jams, a cafe in Prologue to "rent" table and comfortable seats for a while. The place is a nice to sit and watch the rain falling down. We had berry shortcake which was excellent and cookies and cream milkshake. Half an hour later,B3 try a Christmas drink, Iced Chocolate Toffee Blitz. We had a good time to read and work in a quiet environment.

In the evening, we decided to go to SengKang Community Center for dinner. The resturant, Brewer's Break always smells very nice in the evening when we cycled past it on the PCN. The food was quite good actually. Price is reasonable. We had bbq spring chicken, lassagne, slipper's crab pasta and fish and chips. Together with a soup and two desserts, apple pie a la mode and chocolate mousse cake, the bill come to $90. Not bad for dinner for 5.

After dinner, we returned home and the boys milled around the living room for a while before we all adjorned to do our own things. It is the end of a good family day.

Busy as a Bee

My wife is busy doing the household chores. Washing, drying and stacking up the clothing. She is training B1 on the washing machine for his army clothing. We are eating out to reduce the need for washing the dishes.

Luckily, we are going for holiday soon and will have no need for a maid.

The right side of my jaw is aching. It is a dull ache. I wonder if I am having a toothache or it is due to stress. I remember going to my dentist once on similar complaint and was refer to a dentist who specialise in stress treatment.

I will need to practice my relaxation techniques again. Life and work can be stressful indeed.

Naan!

Just opposite City Square Mall is a coffee shop that has a North Indian foodstall that makes good naan. B2 is having a gathering with his classmates in City Square Residences. So we lunch there with B2's good friend and classmate, H. She is a very sweet girl and we enjoys her company.

We always ate plain naan at a dollar each. I saw garlic naan that was prepared for someone else and it looked yummy. So we tried one piece and then go for second. We have on plain naan leftover to bring home. We also tried the mutton biryani. It is only so-so. Best biryani is still in North Point Mall in Yishun.

Our maid wants to go home today because she was given a lot of stories on her transfer. We know she is being cheated and we, here current employer will be left holding the bag. So we refused and she became upset and wants to go home right away. We have to scramble to get her a ticket home. So home sweet home for her tonight.

B2 and B3 was hungry and I toasted the leftover naan and butter it while it is still in the toaster. Mmmmm! It was yummy! Unfortunately, naan is all carbo and very fattening. It is so delicious! Simple and good food.

Creative, Innovative and Design

Left brain is easy to develop. Problems are deal with solutions. Usually one right answer. Try solving any mathematical problem or physics or chemistry or any of the science subjects. The Right brain is holistic and analog and deals with different shades of grey. There is no right answers or correct answers.

Recently, I am trying to develop my right brain using the techniques recommended by Daniel Pink in The Whole Mind. I am reading up books on design and practicing sketching. It is hard work. Left brain is so much easier to train and develop as we learn throughout formal school system as well as business trainings.

In time to come, I hope to be more creative and innovative.

Sad News

Today I discover someone I know many years ago has died. He was one of my first customer when I was a technician repairing Apple II computer. He had a boat and my girlfriend and I went sailing with him once. It was very nice to sail using wind as the boat is quiet and only the sound of waves and swishing as the boat cuts through the water.

He worked in GE and I guess it is retirement that killed him. He was a senior leader. I remember having a meal with him and he wanted to buy some small companies to run. After that we lost touch. Now I know he has returned to US in 2000 and died in 2005.

I am sorry to get this news. I always remember riding on his gold Mercedes. His Malay chaffeur borrowed money from me and disappeared. His secretary was very sweet but died young of cancer. Another chapter of someone I know has close.

Festive Moods

I love Christmas. We went to AMK Hub for dinner. Entering the basement carpark, the piped-in Christmas carols can be heard easily over my car stereo system. The sound of Christmas music lifts my moods.

When I first immigrated to Canada, life was very miserable. We went there in Feburary thinking it will be spring or close to spring. What does a person who live all his life in the tropics know about the seasons?! I did the regular maths - divide the calendar by 4. December being the last month of the year must be the end of winter. I only found out later from my colleagues that Feburary is the coldest month for the Toronto. So it was freezing and looking for jobs in Toronto is not easy. Every job interview, the key question or statement is do you have "Canadian experience"? I learn that "Canadian Experience" was applied to white immigrants from Britain and Europe as well.

First winter in Toronto was hard and this is an understatement! I found my first job through "connection" which is from a friend of a friend. Then I managed to work as a temp in the company I worked for in Singapore and eventually converted to a permanent position and moving on the bigger responsibilities.

Working in Canada makes me appreciate Christmas. The malls will be decked with Christmas decorations, Santa Claus will be prowling the mall shouting Ho-Ho-Ho and giving out candy. Our company will shutdown for 9 to 10 days from Christmas Eve to New Year. Every employee will be given ham or Turkey and the President or Vice-President of the company will hand it over personally to us(we still have to queue for it). There will be a lot of excitement counting down to Christmas and watching out for snow. White Christmas is something all of us like to have. During the Christmas/New Year shutdown, we will be visiting friends and inviting friends and colleagues over. I will have the fireplace light-up. It is easy with gas fireplace. It is nice, toasty warm inside while outside is below freezing. We will be exchanging stories and enjoying the food. It was fun and enjoyable especially to watch snowstorm from inside the windows of our home and need not drive to work.

Yes, Christmas is coming and I love it!

Overrated?

Trying out something featured on the newspaper can bring disappointment. I tried the Drip Coffee in Tiong Bahru as it was featured on Sunday Times. The cafe is fairly hip. Coffee price looks reasonable until my latte arrived. The size is petite. Chocolate chips cookies cost $5.50 for 100 grams or 8 pieces size of 50cent coin. Maybe my expectations are set too high since it is on the national newspaper. The latte tasted ok.

I always like to try hawker stalls featured on Straits Times. It is an adventure to go to different place to experience cheap and good dining. This also allow me to explore what the different HDB neighbourhood offers. It also give me nostalgia. Oh! yes, I forgot! Not all the hawker stalls featured are better in taste.

Another Family Day

I forbid the boys from going out so that we are together all day. We had lunch at Gurney Drive which is Penang Resturant. I love Penang food. We keep ordering stuff. Our lunch starts at 11:20am and we finished closed to 1pm. We had rojak, lobak, fried kuay teow, Penang assam laksa, grilled seafood and drink bandung with chinchow, iced water for the boys and hot tea for me as usual.

Then we adjorned to Popular in Bras Basah for manuscript pen set for B2 and practice booklet. I bought some blank page book that is for drawing. I want to practise drawing to develop my creative side. After that we had tea and buns in Toastbox in Plaza Singapure.

For dinner, we have instant noodles B1 bought in Taiwan. B1 and B3 is playing computer games together. They are very happy together.

I am so glad we just spend time together basically doing nothing, I mean accomplishing nothing except renewing our relationship.

Saturday Night Out!

We did not cook tonight and so have to eat out. We decided to go Plaza Singapura for dinner. We left our home at quarter to eight and exiting from CTE to Orchard Road took a long time. The traffic is very heavy and there is a long queue going to the carpark. We managed to get into the carpark after 10mins on the queue. Just lots and lots of people out on a Saturday. Most resturants are full even though it is late. Maybe it is late for us since we usually have our dinner between 6:30pm and 7pm.

After dinner, we wander about the mall and at Carrefour and met my brother-in-law and his girlfriend. We had a conversation on the hovercraft that is quite a good deal at S$30 each. The battery pack alone should cost $30 new. However, playing hovercraft is not so fun as the battery life is about 7mins. My brother-in-law is thinking of modifying the hovercraft to make it a retrieval craft for his boat if its propeller stalled or jam. However, I doubt hovercraft make good retrieval craft as the power time is too short and using air propulsion, it will not have enough strength to pull the stalled craft.

It is half past ten when we reach home. The boys had a great time.

Complete Again

We are complete family again at meal time. We lunch at Hillman Resturant. Hillman is very popular with Japanese. B3 keeps asking why are there so many Japanese in the resturant. The table beside us is a business man hosting two Japanese businessman. Four other tables were occupied by what I think is Japanese tour group. There is a Japanese woman who wear a pass that says "Staff".

Dinner was at home with stewed cabbage with fried beancurd skin and bbq pork ribs and honey roast chicken from Cold Storage together with homecooked brown/black/red rice combination.

Tomorrow, B1 and B2 have their own program and we can only sit down together during dinner. I am a happy camper!

B1 is Returning Home

At about 3pm, B1 called and told me he will be going to the airport in an hour. He will board the aircraft at 8pm and will be home tonight. This was a change from what he told mummy before he left for his oversea training. He is supposed to return home tomorrow afternoon. Anyway, I am happy to get this news. He should land about 12:30am if there is no delay.

We will go to airport to pick him up. It will be a late night. I am feeling so sleepy now. I usually sleep by half past eleven. So I will have to drink some coffee to keep awake tonight.

Age of Innocence

I finished this book by Kishore Mhabubani. This book discuss US policy and the how it affected the rest of the world. Americans are puzzled by the reactions of the people they "freed" from the dictatorships. They viewed the rest of the world should read their actions based on their "good intention" and if the consequences are disastrous, they should not be blamed. However for their domestic policies, they are concerned with the consequences of the policy change. This double standard is observed by the rest of the world.

It is an eye opener to read about all the world events and how US affected the rest of the world and do not suffer any consequences of her actions. American's attitude is it is fine as long the problem is not my backyard.

Fantastic Response by NParks

I noticed the PCN was dark, very dark last night. So I sms to the manager-in-charge and she got it fixed right away. The PCN is all glowing and bright tonight when I drove by. NParks is a well-run organisation. It is better than private companies!!

Phase 1 of the Gardens at the Bay is open. At Marina Bay Sands, the Gardens is taking shape. It is going to be a fantastic garden, far better than Botanic Garden. It is the power of money. The Gardens at the Bay cost S$1 billion. 80% for infrastructure, this mean $200 million for the plants. We can now afford to buy 200 years old and even 500 years old tree. I shudder to think what will happen if the tree did not survive our climate.

Work, Live, Play is a great concept by our government. Next should be the cost of living and happiness index. Then we will be living a in paradise.

Marina Bay Sands

My sister-in-law has a room in Marina Bay Sands Hotel. So she invited B3 to join her boys. We send him there in the evening and take a quick tour to the 57th floor and walk along the long and narrow swimming pool. The view is amazing. Thunderstorm was brewing and plenty of lightnings. So all the guests were not allowed in the pool.

My brother-in-law brought his family to the pizza place and had a bottle of wine. He says they ordered very little food and the bill come to more than $200. A free spender, even he felt the meal was expensive. I felt lucky I did not eat with them. Otherwise, it will be painful for me to pay exorbitant price for pizzas.

Tomorrow is the final paper for GCE "O" level. B2 is all excited and he and his classmates plan to have dinner out on their own. This is the typical Singaporean stress relief - eating.

Black Rice

After buying the brown rice cooker on a sale, beside brown rice, we tried black rice. Organic Black rice is sold in Fairprice for $9.60 per pack of 2kgs. It is very fragrant when cooked. The new rice cooker is simply amazing. I remembered for years that it was impossible to cook brown rice properly with regular rice cooker or simply cooking it on a stove. Now it is so simple, just wash the rice, put them in the rice cooker, program the cooker and a few hours later, the best smelling and tasting rice. It is easy as my wife is the one who learn how to use the cooker. I have not even touch any of the buttons till now.

I understand the black rice is so rare that they can only be eaten by the Emperor. No ordinary citizen is allowed to eat this rice. Since black rice is so flavorful, it is easy to convert. Best of all, there are plenty of benefits like reducing risk of heart attack, preventing cancers and many others that you will find in the internet. I will recommend the rice cooker and black rice to all my readers. It is cheaper than going to the doctors for any ailments.

So Much Rain

Rain nowadays is quite scary. The lightning and thunder are quite violent. The huge amount of rain going into Punggol Reservoir must be huge. Water is just pouring in from everywhere. The flow from the field is right at the junction of Yio Chu Kang and Buangkok is massive even though the field is quite small. The water level on the canal rise up almost to the brim. As I watch the water flow, I imagine that it may overflow. I wonder how it will be like to be like Bangkok when our homes get flooded.

On Channel News Asia, a study report that Oil will reach US$180/barrel. This mean our way of life will change forever. I hope we find alternative energy soon.

Yong Tau Foo

The food center in People's Park serves the most delicious yong tau foo. It is standard fishball, rolled beancurd skin, fried taufoo and boiled taufood. The soup is liberally sprinkled with crispy deepfried anchovies. The soup is flavourful and a delight to slurp on a spoon.

The queue is long and slow moving but as soon as the food reaches the mouth, very clearly it is worth the wait. There are two yong tau food stalls with long queue. Both are equally good. So go ahead and queue.

KL - A Food Haven

KL has plenty of excellent resturants and great hawker food. I gained weight in just two days. Usually, I lose weight went I travel nowadays and regain them when I reach home. KL is the only place I have to go on diet after touching down on Changi Airport.

Hawker food is slightly different from Singapore and different flavours are a must try. Duck King resturant has excellent Cantonese food and Old Town Coffee, the real thing is rich and aromatic. The Bak Kut Teh is excellent. Hence my weight gain. I will need to eat less and exercise more to bring down my weight gain for this trip.

Eating good food and talking help foster a closer and stronger team. An effective team that will achieve company's goals.

Down Again

Stock market is down dramatically again. I am wondering what to do with such volatility. Up, we are relieved and down, it is worrying. My heart is like a yo-yo going up and down. And now it is the most worrying time again.

We have a team gathering today. It is good to talk to the team on everything under the sun. The economic conditions are unfavourable and we have plenty of work ahead of us. Sigh! Stress in so many different ways.

Mid Valley Megamall

It is good to come back to the Megamall, one of the largest mall in KL. Borders is still alive and well here;) I chat up with the staff a bit. Told them that Borders Singapore has shuttered. They says Malaysian's Borders is owned by Bejaya Group. Berjaya Group is financially strong. So it is going to be around for a while. I like it!!

I did not have to time to check out MPH. Will try to do so tomorrow.

Reading Diet Change

I have been reading Kishore Mahbubani recently. He gave me a huge historical perspective of US, Europe and Islam. He has a well thought out reasoning and used published articles to support his arguments.

I am apathetic when it come to politics which Kishore is as a Professor in LKY School of Public Policy. Hence, I ignored his books for the longest time. It is the interview by BBC in the internet that intrigued me enough to finally read his books. It open up a totally new world to me. A global perspective and history of some of current issues facing the world today.

The thing about learning and knowledge which is also my greatest regret is it does not translate into financial gains or increase earning power. Still the joy of learning is always with me. I always remember the advice from Mr. Shudt, the Managing Director of a German Optical Company in 1983. I was a greenhorn repair technician working for Microage Computer in Beach Road. Mr. Shudt is a balding and quite senior (old to a young man like me!). I asked him how to get to his current position.

His advice to me was "Just learn and keep on learning. Do not worry if what you are learning is not relevant to your current job. One day when you need it, it will be there."

I am still heeding his advice.

GABA Rice Cooker

It is a public holiday as Hari Raya Haji was yesterday. The Punggol Water Park is crowded with merrymakers and family picnics. In the afternoon, it is going to my usual haunt Kinokuniya to spend time browsing on the new books.

Right now, we are testing out new diet of brown rice with a newly acquired GABA rice cooker. I am also trying out Rolled Oat. Brown rice and boiled oats are quite filling and after eating them, I do not fill hungry for a long time. However, the habit of eating is strong and I ate at meal times even though I am not hungry. Over time, I hope I can reduce the quantity of food I eat and reduce weight and be healthier.

GABA is short for gamma-Aminobutyric acid. GABA is good for the brain and CNS or central nervous system. I am also hoping for weight reduction. So it will be a win-win for me.

Jogging Niece

My wife decides to join me in cycling. Her cycling motto is very simple - Just Sit and Talk. So I have to take her on my hybrid bike while she ride on the pillion seat. She is pretty heavy and I will not be able to sustain having her on my back while using my muscle power alone. We had a pleasant surprise when we were at the new Punggol Water Park. Our middle niece was jogging with the mum and waving merrily at us. It was a nice surprise. We did not have family meal for some time now due to exams pressures our boys are in.

This morning I was just discussing on the timing of the family gathering. I plan to organise it on Friday, 30th Dec just at the start of the long weekend. I need to advise my sisters and see how it go.

This afternoon it is the first time we go to Marina Bay Sands Mall. It is really nostalgic as the mall design is the same as the malls in Toronto. The curve glass roof, the shops on both sides of the pedestrian walkway, shops stretch away and allow us to walk for exercise if desired and resturants and eateries at the end of the mall. Now I know where to go to feel like I am in Square One or Eaton Center!

Weight Up!

My weight always gain at least one kg the day after I reached home. I have teh halia and lontong in Bedok for breakfast. Lunch at Food Republic in Wisma Atria and a teh-C for pick-me-up. The lunch must be full of MSG and caused me to feel very thirsty. I drank half a bottle of 1.5 litre 100Plus! Even though I skipped dinner, the weighing scale read 91kgs. Sigh!

Flight Delays

Changi Airport is so congested. The flights are always delayed taking off. SIA is also cutting cost a little too much. The aircrafts seems to be getting mechanical problems and have to be switched at the last minute. It is quite disruptive and stressful. My loyalty to this brand is a little shaken.

Still it is better than travelling in Indian Subcontinent. I hope the capacity of Changi improves and Singapore Airlines's standards does not drop. Otherwise, I have to seriously considering switching to another carrier.

Oversea Training and SCOOT

B1 is going for training oversea tonight. It is a red eye flight both ways. He will be tired when he arrived and very tired when he reach home. I hope he is safe as oversea training risk is higher.

I will be in China tomorrow and will not be able to update my blog for a few days.

B1 also ride the Punggol PCN with me. We took slightly over an hour. His back hurts as he does not ride often and is not used to the long ride. I enjoyed his company. He is too distracted as he keeps sms-ing to his girlfriend.

SIA launch SCOOT, the low cost airline to compete in the low price segment. So it will be interesting to see how it can compete with the big boys like AirAsia. The good thing is we will have more choices and able to fly cheaply. I do not have a travel bug. So I do not really care now. However, when my boys starts to live overseas, I will welcome the ability to visit them frequently at an affordable price.