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我輩について 男 中華と日本料理 客人数 Counters 通告！ Trip will proceed with 3 pple - Spice Peranakan - budget: $15 - Shimbashi Soba at Paragon - budget: $25 - P&P Thai Food - budget: $15 Reviews 評判 怨言与投诉
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Tuesday, May 30, 2006 Ingrate Have you ever felt really really annoyed and irritated, when you did something for someone out of good intentions to help the person, and when the favour is complete, that person complains that you did not do a job good enough? It's more than once that such a thing has happened, and i'm really pissed about such things. Recently, i was asked to help with something in which i had limited skill and expertise in. Naturally i wouldn't know what aspect of the task is important, in addition to my stunted capabilities to decipher the task clearly. Basically, I was asked to help to do something in which i am much less adept than the originator. So i tried, and with difficulty managed to finish off quite some stuff. I admit they aren't really as impressive as what the other person did, but i can say for sure that i did it to my best ability already. In addition i was kind of busy at the time too. Then the next time i saw the person, said person was displeased with my efforts, saying that i left out important parts, right in front of other friends, and after all that i did. I could have insisted that i couldn't help, that it was really not a job that i could handle. That way i could have had more time for sleep and be less groggy for the whole of the next day. But i still accepted the request. Ended up with no word of gratitude, but only those of dissatisfaction. Said person has all the reason to be dissatisfied, but said person should know and be aware of my abilities, clear enough to know that i cannot perform the task to such great standards. Shouldn't i at least be recognised for my efforts? Instead of being picked on one mistake? It's really easy to see why people say that it doesn't pay to do good. In many cases, that i am sure everyone of us has experienced at least once before, one single mistake or carelessness is all it takes to spoil everything that was done well till that fateful scene. Especially in relationships. We start taking things for granted that the other person should do things to our liking, that we stop feeling grateful for their existence and start nitpicking on what the other person failed to do or do well. In the end, it is often a single trivial cause that spoils the equation. As what Tolstoy's novel's famous quote said, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way" A single cause is all it takes to destroy a carefully constructed relationship. Happy relationships are thus hard to come by, not because of either party doing wrong things, but more likely to be the result of a failure to appreciate the good, and a hypersensitivity to the little trivial mistakes that the other person accidentally commits, even as it was done out of good intentions. Recently I read in the news that the Timorese (who are having some trouble and rioting in their country now) are complaining that the Aussies are not doing enough to help them in easing the tension and gunfire. I really wonder what the hell these people are thinking. The Aussies sent more than 1000 troops there at short notice (1 day) and were the first to respond to the call for help, and the Timorese turn around and complain that the Aussies are doing to little. Australia is definitely not oblidged to help them at all! Ingrates these people are. They themselves can't even handle their own country well and they complain that others are not doing enough to help. All of us are guilty of this ungratefullness i believe, at least in one incident. It somehow seems inherent that we are so sensitive to things done not to standard or wrong, and we regard the so-called good things as a definite obligation and let them go unappreciated. Think over it guys, and next time when you start to pick on someone else think about this. Sometimes a simple thank you goes a longer way than you think it could. Vice versa, a complaint could lead to more drastic effects than you can imagine. Thursday, May 25, 2006 Deferment? I believe many of you have read in the newspapers recently about this person called Ike who wants to defer his NS to go overseas to US ona scholarship due to his expertise with the violin. After the initial report that his deferment was rejected, the newspapers had people writing in daily to argue to and for his case. Today, this Col Benedict from the army actually wrote in to inform readers about the reasons behind the rejection. The main reason is to uphold the equity of the people who are conscripted every year. The newspaper also carried on its front page, a report that Mindef confirmed his rejection, and how he and his family decided to accept "god's big plan for them". Some readers might remeber some months back when that famous musician (he's famous , but i haven't even heard of his name before nor is able to remember it) came back to singapore after 30 years when he is successful and all. He got away with a simple slap of $5000 which incurred plenty of uproar from the public. After that whatever happened I don't know, but after that happened, i guess the ministry couldn't afford to allow another such case. Anyway, i felt quite strongly about this whole issue. My stand is that no, he shouldn't be allowed to defer. Because of this two years, many of us had to put aside our goals and what-not, to give 2 years of our lives to the country, so why should he be a special case and be allowed to continue his dreams without obstacles? Many of us have got oversea scholarships too, and i'm sure no one will say i'm wrong, that 2 years of NS effectively just stales the brain, and makes people forget a large part of what was taught back in school. To re-tune ourselves back to the previous state in order to cope with the work in Uni is no simple feat yet we have no choice but to do that, so why should he be exempted from this, just because he has got talent in a separate niche and people think he's a prodigy. So what would that amount to? That because he is considered smarter than others, he should receive special treatment? The so called equality would be lost. Society is already not equal and fair, and so i don't see why it should be undermined further, especially on an issue that concerns such a large number of people. Some people might also have recieved special scholarships effective for only a year, and most probably these didn't get approved too, so why should his? It would be terribly wrong to the rest who were in effectively the same situation but not the same niche. Simply put it is just plain unfairness to others. And if SAF were to make this exception, it is essentially creating a slippery slope for itself. By allowing one case, it will open itself up to further attacks from others requesting for deferment, even for insignificant reasons. When that happens, hehz...there will be no end to the problems. Then people might bring in the case of deferment for those attending local medical school in NUS. The reason is simple. If SAF doesn't allow deferment in this case, it would easily run out of Medical Officers to run all the medical centres in the military camps. So by allowing deferment and subsequently have those defered to return as MOs for 2 years, SAF solves the problem of not having enough MOs in the camps. Those with places for medical school overseas however fall into the same situation as Ike. What will happen if those people who defered decided to stay there after their studies and refuse to return? We'll end up with more problems not unlike that of the musician who was fined $5000. Ok, maybe people will think that i'm selfish, but the truth is this, if i was in his shoes i would hope to get defered too, but he will be selfish, because he is not considering the rest of us who are serving NS while he is there working for his future. Saturday, May 13, 2006 On My Country's Politics So, with election day over i believe i can finally write what i have been itching to say. I won't take any sides with any party at all. This is just my take on this whole furor of politics, democracy and what not. Simply put, this country is NOT ready for Real democracy or anything like the system of that in US. I'm not advocating any other schools of thought either. This country attained "developed country" status in a mere 40 years. 40 years is not even two complete generations of people and the "founder" of this country, Mr Lee is still very much alive and sharp. Even though he is not holding the prime post in government he still is very much involved in the ongoings of this country. Before the independence of this country, it was still very much a colonial style state, and because of being ruled by a foreign government, it is no wonder the people may not have saw a not to get involved in the politics. Life then was poor and most peopl were much more concerned with breaking out of poverty, which basically meant working really hard to ensure theirs and their descendents' survival and guarantee of a future. These descendents are currently the 20-30 somethings that have come to enjoy these fruits. There wasn't much need for real democracy at all in the past. I wouldn know how to classify the political system in the 1950-1960s but it was definitely not true democracy, yet the country prospered rapidly in a few decades. It is this rapid progression that may be the cause behind what is happening in this country today. Traditions and habits die hard i guess. The majority of this country are people who have been slogging and slogging, with not much of a care towards politics. After all one cannot deny that the ruling party has not played a dominant role in making this place look like what it is today. Singapore is still very much a country of close knit family and family before self and nation kind of country. The elders always tell the young ones to work hard work hard work hard and build a happy family, but never encourage liberal thoughts and the dabbling in politics. Especially the middle class who are living in HDBs, these families are still in the state of trying to have their kids break into the higher class living in terrace, semi Ds and condos. Who really thinks much about politics. The country "suddenly" attained first world status, too rapidly to allow the mindset of the people to slowly change and have a much more active role in the politics. That is why the opposition is still so weak, and that is why most youngsters who proclai themselves politically active are all talk only. Many of you remember the program in which MM Lee was "interviewed" by a group of youngsters. The prevalent issue was "no opposition" "weak opposition" "your party is getting all the good ones" etc. I think these people are just all talk. Politics is not about just talking and ranting, it's about DOING something. And with the way they complain about opposition parties, it just shows that they are just finding fault. It leads me to believe that the so called politically active youngsters today are mainly influenced by the US system of democracy which they think is oh so awesome. With this thought they start to ask for a better opposition and start to question the ruling party over the apparent lack of able people in the opposition. Sigh, what i can make of this is that at this stage the young ones only know how to complain. Ask any of them to join an opposition and fight the ruling party chances are that they will immediately agree to, but after that you don't see them doing anything. I have to say at this point that it might be another aspect of "americanization" of today's youth. IN view of all these, it is simply easy to see that we aren't ready for true democracy. The nation's next generation of citizens have only the complaining, but as for constructive suggestions and actions, i cannot be sure of them. In addition, it appears that today's people only know how to complain and not do anything to improve things, expecting others to do it instead, but others are also guilty of the same things, so the problem gets passed on and on, with more limelight on it but never really having any conclusion. Democracy is not for this country yet, as in the real sense of the word. Tradition in this country has had it that we are more interested in working hard for ourselves and the family to be bothered with politics more than bantering and complaints. Well, i foresee it being that way for the next few years. The consequence? Who knows? i won't answer this here. But you can view the progress of this country till now and debate with yourself...hehe Wednesday, May 10, 2006 黄花的复活  两天前，在一个温和的星期一早上，我被空气里的一股若隐若现的香气所叫醒了。一刊出窗外便看见了奇迹! 几星期前已谢而落的黄花(angsana)又奇迹般地再次开放！瞧，在东边刚升起的太阳的金黄光色的照耀下，黄花似乎在仿照，像是挂在树上的金币似的，多么的漂亮！ 这些黄花散发的清馨香气带有一点的叶子的味道，甜甜的，让整个人感到舒畅。遗憾的是，我本身却有花粉症，若嗅到太多的花粉必定会开始流鼻涕。。。 这张是下午时候派的照，比较自然地显出那些花的色彩。 的确很美对吗？可惜的是，这些花通常在一两天内就谢了，那时候地面会洒满这些花瓣，也带有他们自己的独特美。我个人喜欢站在树底下，看着花瓣在我四处漂浮而落。现在好像写首歌喔！ 美丽的是永远都是短暂的。在写这些的当儿，这些树上的花都已经谢了。只好等到明年的春夏季节吧！ Sunday, May 07, 2006 One Rochester After a really full dinner, the mentor was in the mood for a drink. So the entourage went by cab to Buona Vista, to Rochester Park, where all the colonial houses are. Upon reaching the end of the small road leading in to the one way circle which reached all the colonial houses, look left and the first house is the destination. Fantastic ambience, the courtyard was renovated into a really Zen-ny feel, with water features and plenty of greenery to relax amongst.    The ambience was so Zen and relaxing, the Great Mysterious Mentor got into his Zen position...Face censored due to explicit content. (^_^)V  So anyways, the mentor ordered his long craved Kilkenny Irish beer, and because the three guys don't drink beer, wine was the alternative...Gerald asked for dessert wine, to wash down the dinner, but the only varieties available were not very attractive, furthermore i wanted to try something else, having had Rieseling before. So we asked waiter to reccomend others, and in the end we decided on a Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 from Los Vascos, Chile by the Domaines Barons de Rothschild.  As shown in the photo, the wine had a nice ruby colour and the bouquet was very fragrant, with pleasing yet not stinging notes. On first taste, the Cab does not have as strong a tannic sharpness as normal Cabs, possibly due to its origins and it's 4 years of aging. The next grapey taste was sweet and fruity, followed by a woody nutty flavour that was reminiscent of almonds, or pecans. At the end of it is a very subtle and discreet chocolatey fragrance. For an amateur like me, the wine was mild enough to be very pleasing and irresistable. I especially liked the strength of the tannins, just right, not too strong. Anyway, we spend a great time just chatting and enjoying our beverages, and it was a pity when the wine was finished. The ambience in the evening was incredible too. ONLY complaint, DAMN the weird music. It totally spoils the setting. I would have preferred just silence with the sound of the water. Food: Um...it's a bar...well, the wine was great...but credit goes to the winery right?Ambience: Fantastic, best ambience i ever experienced. Colonial house with a naturalistic concept outdoors, with soft lighting in the evening. Cost: ??? Depends on what you ordered. The wine bottle was $78 I don't know whether there are hidden charges though. Be prepared to spend over $100 if you come here for wine though. Location: 4/10 Kind of hard to get to, the colonial house is kind of hidden in the shrubbery and Rochester Park is an obscure side road somewhere opposite Biopolis. Go by taxi, don't drink and drive. 1 Rochester Park The colonial house...um yes, the address is just 1 Rochester Park  Saturday, May 06, 2006 餃子の王将 この料理の紹介を日本語で書くと思う心算だけど、ブログの読む人は大部日本語を分からない人の為に、英語を書いちゃった・・・ Today, to reciprocrate for the number of times i have received great dinners from the mentor, the three dudes decide to give a treat to the mentor for a change. Having went to dine here for two times, i decided to suggest this place, which offers value for money food without all the gimmicks of great ambience. The shop, in english as Gyoza No Ohsho, has it's origins in Japan, and this is the only branch in singapore, but the chef is a Japanese. The shop is nondescript, a little run down and totally no frills, situated in a run down section of cuppage plaza behind that huge OG known as Orchard Point next to Centrepoint. It was so inconspicuous i missed it the first time i went there. On to the food. I had a Chilli Ramen, which was ramen in a pork bone stock with beansprouts and 3 slices of the fantastic Chashu (roast pork slices) and chilli oil in the soup.  It was absolutely fantastic. The soup was filling and creamy, a result of the chef's secret recipe. The soup was distinctly flavoured by pork bone instead of the cheapskate method of using milk.Gavin had the Nagasaki Champon, another pork stock ramen with assorted vegetables and seafood.  Similarly it was delicious! The other two ordered Tamago Ramen which is a must try for first timers. The ingredients include two halves of a braised egg, BUT with half runny yolks which is the highlight of this Tamago Ramen. In addition we ordered an extra helping of Chashu, Chicken Karaage and Gyoza, which carries the shop's reputation. The Chashu was aromatic, and the layer of fat simply melts in the mouth, letting loose a flow of fragrant oil. The meat was flavoursome too...I loved it..The chicken Karaage was prepared with a japanese seasoning, crispy yet not chokingly oily. The Gyoza was fantastic. Crispy skin on one side, soft on the other, and bursting with stock inside the dumpling. The ingredients were fresh too, consisting of pork and spring onions..All four of us walked out totally bulging, and it only costed $58, which was a steal. A must try for Jap fanatics who are on a budget! Oh yes, don't miss out the rice dishes and the chinese derived japanese dishes like Mabo Tofu and Ebi Chiri! Food: Jap fanatics looking for authentic taste at low prices. Also for those who want to try Jap cuisine beyond the sushi and the ramen Ambience: Run down no frills road side dining Cost: 9/10 Superbly value for money. No service charge, no GST. Price on menu is the price you pay Location: 9.5/10 Along Orchard road, how hard can it get? Only problem is not missing the shop #01-10 Cuppage Plaza Orchard Road Tel: 67357068 |
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