Bookclub - what are you reading?

[man_tou_bear]

Avid, no worries... heehee.. i cook a pretty mean fried spaghetti in horfun style.. i cook more than my hb. Lucky me he eats watever i cook.. i bake too!! heehee... trying to learn how to cook curry chicken and assam pedas from my mum.. she is one mean cook!

We don't use all 3 toilets. In fact we keep the lid of the common loo upstairs down. yet algae still manages to grow there. so we have to wash lor... do u have a part time maid? we are thinking of having one so that we can spend the time doing chores earning more money! wahahaha... my balcony ah? i roofed it up and have a raise platform there for frens to chill out on. no plants there.

Alhana, we also nv say 'will u be my gf/bf' either!! just one day we started holding hands and that's it!! heehee... i play the guitar... very tom boy hor.. to us gals from convent its ok to do such things.. but those from the cheena schs would think otherwise.. hrmm i didn't do those things to meet guys lah.. in fact it was a gf that introduced me to skating and i always wanted to pick up a musical instrument. forgot how to play liao... heehee.. soccer wise i have been watching it since 4!!

Hey any of u keep dogs? my hb and i went to look for puppies over the wkend. almost bought a labrador retreiver back but they are not allowed in flats!

 

[alhana]

Hi Bear

Nah, I wasn't insinuating that you did those things just to get to know boys....you don't seem the desperate sort

Nope, no dogs. Find them too needy Plus I live w my folks and my mom has a 'No Pet' policy. Sis, hubby and I are more cat lovers and we've pleaded w her to allow us to keep a cat before, and all we got was a firm 'NO'. Thinking of using my daughter in future to psycho grandma into allowing her to keep a kitten..haha. Lab retrievers are cute! But one thing that really dissuades me from getting a pet is the sad thought of it dying

Don't think I can take it. My fren had to put down 2 of his pet cats recently and his wife was sooo distraught. Think I'd be that way too.

 

[avid_reader]

I love dogs too but no dogs for me also.. I think it's very pitiful if I've to leave the dog at home alone. My hubby and I work quite long hours also.. by the time we got back home it's at least 8pm+. I've only enough time to water my plants and then it's straight to the TV room! Having a dog is too big a responsibility...

 

[man_tou_bear]

Alhana, who says? I AM despo.. WAHAHAHAA.. dun every woman fears being left on the shelf?

I dun mind cats accept i m allergic to them.. heehe.. i m prob allergic to dogs too. I know i m allergic to my pigs even though i didn't test for them.. but i love animals too much.. heehee... ya i know wat u mean abt the pets dying. 3 wks ago my long suffering guinea pig finally died. he waited for me to rush home before he died.. i cried buckets!! my hb was worried if we have a dog and it dies, i will have a mental breakdown!!

Avid, sounds like u got a hectic lifestyle! i dun watch tv and my doc told me to start exercising so i think having a dog will motivate me lor.. heehee.. i think that is an excuse lah. i just want to have companionship.

 

[levynn]

alhana... actually i also dunno wat makes me go put my head on his shoulder. but i'm also like u la... we dun have those "can i be ur bf/gf?" thingy... it juz happens. n my hubby still say that i purposely go hold his hand when we were going out as a group, to let our friends know... n i cannot remember it at all!! hahaha...

bear... u sound like a good cook leh... next time must ask u for advice. or u can join us at the Chinese Soup Recipe thread... to give us some coaching... heh...

 

[alhana]

Bear

You..despo??? I can't believe it Hmm..dunno if I was ever worried abt being left on the shelf. My hubby was actually my first ever bf, so I started really late in the dating game.

I'm lousy at cooking. ONly thing I ever made was pasta dishes..lasagne, baked penne and spaghetti. My parents are both great cooks though...should take the oppty during my 3 mth maternity leave to learn how to cook My dad makes great hainanese chicken rice and ipoh hor fun. Mom makes great everything..hehe. Sis and I hv started a baking thing tho...tried baking cupcakes and cookies over the last few weekends. Cupcakes were quite nice..we even made a frosting of chocolate ganache which tasted great!

Levynn

I think asking 'can I be ure bf/gf' is kinda weird...hehe. Do people really do that? I'm so inexperienced in the dating game..dunno what people actually say/do when they first hook up.

Eh..must ask you gals whether any of you have seen Planter's Cheez Balls in the supermarkets. I've been craving for them for AGES and I've not been able to find any for more than a year

 

[man_tou_bear]

Levynn, no lah.. i m not a gd cook.. heehee.. still a novice.. u got a Chinese Soup Recipe thread ah? hrmm my fav soups are.. wah i got hard time thinking man, cos i LOVE soups.. heehee.. there is the kiam chye/ tomato fish soup, chicken soup with golden shower mushroom, kiam chye with duck, tofu with mince meat AND this one.. this is a family recipe.. so there isn't a name. there is mince prawns, chicken meat in slices, tofu cubes, beat an egg into it, thicken the soup with corn flour and when drinking it, add pepper and black vinegar.. heehee.. *slurp* i m drooling just thinking of it...

Alhana, hrmm i believe that no lady in the proper frame of mind would wanna be left on the shelf. I got one really independent fren, she dated many guys, but can't seem to gel with the concept of dating. But now all of a sudden she has the urge to settle down. said she has begun to feel lonely..

Ur hb is ur first ever bf?? wow! u know nowadays youngsters would have multiply bfs/gfs before they hit 21!! heehee.. all puppy love lah.. my hb is my 4th bf.. but the rest before all play play one..

Planter's Cheez Balls? erm, i dun snack either, but i will keep a look out for ya!

 

[alhana]

Hi Bear

Yup, he was my first, altho I definitely wasn't his first But he was telling me his past r/s never lasted more than 6 mths..so I'm the record holder..keke. My hubby quite poor thing..said that all the girls he liked always nvr liked him back...felt that he was too much of a nice guy..they wld always go for the 'bad' guys instead..maybe they find them more cool. I find that some women are like that...my best friend included. She's made so many bad r/s choices, and yet she finds nice guys boring...dunno what to do with her!

Yah, the last time I saw Cheez balls was in BKK!! Can't find any in Singapore...dunno what happened

But I guess it's a good thing too...I've been known to go thru one whole can in one sitting! That usually happens when I'm watching TV/movie...then I'll feel sick after that Heng I nvr found any during this pregnancy..else I'll be feeding the kid too much junk!

 

[levynn]

alhana... i also really wonder if pple really ask those qn now... maybe for youngsters la. u see those couple holding hands in orchard... getting younger n younger... scary...

bear... ya, there's a thread on Chinese Soup Recipe... but we dun really talk only abt soups there. we also chit-chat n share other recipes.

hmm... your family special soup sounds interesting...

 

[man_tou_bear]

Hahaha Alhana, okok i will keep a look out for u.. where's Avid today? and serene MIA for a loooong time...

some gals are weird lah.. 'gd' guys complain boring, 'bad' guys complain nv give them security.. haizzz...

Levynn, yups i saw the thread.

u guys can really talk!

 

[alhana]

Levynn

Yah, my 15 year old niece already has a 'steady' bf...so much so that she even brings him to our aunt's place during CNY! And I hear she has had bfs since primary school...scary man. Won't be surprised if she has already lost her virginity. Sigh..kids today...really growing up too fast for their own good.

Bear,

Yup, some women just cannot be satisfied. Pick a bad boy and they'll forever complain that he doesn't care abt them etc..pick a good guy, and he's boring...dun think they know what they want.

 

[avid_reader]

Hello all! I not MIA.. rushing my work cos gotta leave office early today.

hmmm... interesting topic we have here. Must look for a cross between bad boy and good guy. I think I've found mine

Alhana remember to watch Prison Break tonite at 10!

Gotta run.. talk tomorrow.

Errr... please help vote for Jonathan Leong for SI!!

 

[avid_reader]

to vote for Jon, sms '3' to 43657

hehehee.. think nobody here watches SI anymore though.

 

[alhana]

Hi avid

Prison Break debuts next Thur, not tonite! It's the Lost finale tonite

Sorry..I don't follow SI at all We're watching Rock Star: Supernova instead.

 

[avid_reader]

Good morning all!

Alhana, oh I thought Prison Break starts last nite. Anyway I did catch a bit of part 2 of LOST finale.. must say that I'm now more lost than ever!

We watch Rock Star Supernova too.. if only our 'idols' can sing like the contestants on Supernova! Anyway I'm glad Jonathan is going to the final of SI.

 

[avid_reader]

Bear, sorry to hear about your guinea pig. The only pets I've were koi fishes when I was young (actually my dad's). It was also very sad when they started to die one by one......... and I stopped eating fish for quite a while.

Yay it's already Friday! Nice cooling weather.. wish I'm home reading/sleeping/watching tv/lazying!

 

[man_tou_bear]

Hello!

How come u guys all came in to post only when i left? heehee...

Yups Alhana, some gals just dunno wat they want. i got a fren, who had many many guys aft her.. she chose the rich types, that ferries her to sch everyday, yet she not satisfied, two-timed him for another rich guy who gave her $500 diamond necklace for V Day ($500 is a lot when u are still schooling). In the end she met a guy who isn't that rich, wanted to settle down but the guy doesn't want to do it. They bought a flat tog but the guy kept pushing the ROM idea away. He didn't wanna fork out a single cent for the house reno and insisted my fren to do it. Then she got preggie (whether to get him to marry her i m not sure) and think she delivered last nite. Love IS blind.

Avid, i voted i voted! heehee. i like Jon.. and his sooooo kissable lips!! wahahaaha.... but i think Hardy will win the contest though...

Ya i was pretty depressed when my pig died, cos he was my fav and he waited for me to get home, cuddle him before he died. so sad. he was struggling and struggling to breathe until i told him to let go and he died. I wrote a looong post in the pets forum and to my surprise, my fellow forumers cried when they read it.. haizz.. i will always miss him.

 

[alhana]

Morning avid

I didn't watch the Rock Star finale last nite coz I already knew who won and I don't like Lukas Rossi

Was hoping either Magni or Toby wld get it, but I think they could be better off getting separate deals. Hee...dun think SG will ever come up with singers of such calibre. Heard that this season of SI may be the last, coz the quality of contestants is really poor.

Haven't watched Lost 2 at all this season, save for the first few eps. Think Prison Break will be much more fun to watch..can't wait. Wentworth Miller is CUTE!

 

[avid_reader]

Alhana, I like Magni too! I don't like Lukas and Dilana... both quite irritating/obnoxious. The person who won definitely don't deserve to win....

Yah Wentworth Miller looks quite cute. He's that botak guy who presented an award with Evangeline Lily (Kate from LOST) at the Emmys recently right?

Hi Bear! Great that you voted for Jon too! It will really look like history is repeating if Hardy wins...

Bear you have 2 other pigs right? You better think twice about getting a dog...

 

[alhana]

Bear

Awww..that's so sad. See...that's what I wld really hate abt keeping pets..seeing them die! After all, our pets are like our children. So do you still keep guinea pigs?

Avid

I used to like Dilana but my opinion of her plummeted mid way thru..she became too cocky, and her mouthing off other contestants just made her look real bad. She was so drama twds the end...couldn't stand it. I must admit she can sing well though. Dun like the way Lukas sings at all....sounds like he's gargling or singing underwater!! Read from the TV without Pity forum that Supernova liked him from the start, and that it was really no contest...they wanted him early on...so he was nvr in danger of getting kicked off. So sian.

Yup, Wentie is the guy who presented together w Evangeline Lily. He was also in this hallmark series called Dinotopia, and in one of Mariah carey's videos. Do you like watching movies/series based on historical figures? They're showing Elizabeth I (the one which recently won a few emmys..starring Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons) on Hallmark next weekend. Definitely wanna catch that..hope I don't go into labour that weekend..hahaha.

 

[levynn]

hey... i support Jonathan too!! personally, i think Hady is getting a bit too cocky...

 

[man_tou_bear]

Heehee gals, let's rem to vote for Jon the during the finals.. Hardy ah, i keep thinking his voice very thin. dunno why ppl say he sings well.

Avid and Alhana, i still got 3 more pigs but none of them is as smart as the one that died.. Avid, the dog i buy (if i do get one) will be one that is ok with small rodents. If u buy terriers, they will bite and kill them. but dogs like the golden and lab retreivers are ok with pigs. anyway u can train the dog not to go for the pigs.

 

[lux]

hi girls...


sorry to barge in ...

Me looking for some books.. anyone have them and interested to sell them?

anthony bourdain -
Kitchen Confidential
Travelling cook.

Oh .. and I am up for the idea of book swap.. but I rather have something for Singapore. To send them overseas would make better economical sense for me to buy it at book shop. =) We can start a small forum for book swapping purpose!

 

[lux]

oohhh... and my 2 cents to the discussion in the thread...

1) I dont like Jon personally..His hair do him in... and he trying to look sexy everytime the camera chance upon him make him look... hmmm needy.. yeeeeeeeeeeee..... although his voice is good but than again Hardy also not bad... the latter got stage presence.

2)Dog.. dont buy them please.. ASD and SPCA have plenty of dogs. I have a dog aged 13.. he's a mongrel but he's my super cutie pie. I loath the day he will die and fear for it everyday since he turned 10 although he's one healthy old boy. My thoughts on this is.. if both of you have to work dont get a dog.. no one's home to keep him company and dog live for that moment when someone's home.

3)The 4400; alien abduction stories. Very intriguing if you into TV series..Not sure if ch 5 ever telecast it before..

=)

 

[avid_reader]

Hi Ling!

Welcome to the bookclub! Don't worry you are not intruding.. this 'bookclub' is opened to all 24/7.

Not exactly sure of the technicalities involved if I would to start a website.. any idea how we can go about swapping books? Perhaps we can all list down the books that we have currently that we are willing to swap? Or list down our 'wish list' - like what you did, in case someone else chance upon this thread and happen to have the book/s you want?

Abt SI.. hmm.. who knows, history may be repeating and Hady may eventually win? Haha but my votes go to Jonathan. Hope he will emerge as the winner!

Bear and Levynn, we must vote for Jon!

Alhana, Elizabeth I will be shown on Hallmark soon? I'll look out for it! I watch everything lah.. I think we are both big time tv addicts

 

[man_tou_bear]

Hello ladies,

Avid, ya will def vote for Jon.. heehee. when's the grand finals ah? i dun really watch it.. heeehee.. why is it split into 2 days? i tot for the last SI, they had it at the indoor stadium and it was only one nite??? i can't really rem liao.

Alhana, have u packed ur bag yet??? my fren just gave birth on fri aft a marathon 20hrs labour!! she refused to take the epidural!! superwoman man.. And i went to Black Canyon last evening for dinner. we waited for 30 mins before our food arrived. Business was very very gd. but the waiting time is too long liao. heard a lady seating at the next table cancelling her order cos her dinner mates all finished eating their dinner and hers had yet to arrive...

I would go back there again but not during peak periods.. and the fried fettucini with chilli paste... didn't taste very nice leh... too sweet for my liking...

 

[avid_reader]

Good morning all!

Bear, the finals is on 24 Sep (Sun) 6.30pm at Singapore Indoor Stadium. The results show is on the next day.. gotta give us time to vote mah.

Hmmm.. Alhana went into delivery already?

 

[alhana]

Hi Bear & Avid

Nope, still at work Went for another check up on Sat...doc thinks her birth will happen soon. Yes, I've finally packed my bag..it took me like 15 min. Hehe..fast or not?

Bear..you went to the Black Canyon in Katong? Wow..30 min is a long wait. I was there for lunch, so it didn't take too long. Think coz they're new..the kitchen and staff still not that efficient. Thai food tends to be sweet, so I'd rather eat Thai food there rather than their fusion dishes. But I luuurve the tom yum fusilli...dunno y But I dun really care much for their other pasta dishes..wld rather eat the thai or western dishes. That's from my experience eating at the BKK branches.

Oh, some GRRM news. Apparently, he's trying to get the 5th book out by end of this year. Keeping my fingers crossed that it'd happen, but he's been known to overshoot his schedules. I'm looking fwd to this book more than the 4th, coz I'm more interested in the 5th book's characters (Tyrion, Jon Snow, Dany).

Avid

Yah, we sure are couch potatoes, aren't we Yup, Elizabeth I airs this Sunday at 9pm. It's a mini series..dunno how many eps in total. Read that Helen Mirren was superb in the role. Man, hope I don't go into labour until after I get to watch it..LOL.

Last but not least..welcome Ling! Like avid sez, dun worry abt intruding..this is an open forum! And we talk abt anything under the sun..not just books

Any Robin Hobb fans out there? Saw that the second book in her new series is out on hardback..and I haven't even seen the first book out on paperback yet...duh.

 

[avid_reader]

Alhana, 15mins to pack the bag? Wow that's really fast. Just out of curiousity.. what are you supposed to pack? Just your change of clothes right? And baby stuff as well (sorry pardon me for my ignorance..)?

So there's 2 new shows to watch this week.. Prison Break on Ch5 on Thur and Elizabeth I on Sunday on Hallmark Ch.

Read about the Hatyai bombings.. hmm.. just when I'm planning a trip there this Dec. Actually wanted to do what we did last year.. we went on a KL/Penang/Langkawi/Hatyai trip last year and it was so fun. For this Dec, we actually planned to go KL/Langkawi/Hatyai/BKK. Looks like gotta change the plan a bit...

 

[levynn]

good morning all!

alhana... u giving birth soon, n u still go to work ah?? did u mentally prepare your colleagues?? heh...

avid... if u really wan to do book swapping, maybe can start a forum or sth. but i think need to pay for it. or else, we can do it here?? but will Chin Leng allow it?

 

[alhana]

Hi avid

Yah, I'm quite fast when it comes to packing stuff...same when I'm packing for trips abroad. I always have a list ready..so when the time comes for me to pack, I just throw everything on the list into the bag. Voila!

What to pack...I've got maternity sanitary pads, disposable undies, nursing PJs, nursing bras, baby's clothes/booties/mittens/receiving blanket, toiletries, hospital admin forms, baby bonus forms, breast pads, bank book (for baby bonus claims), socks, going home clothes..I'm not 100% done. Will wait till the actual day itself to pack things like the camera, mobile phone, book etc. Not really much to bring actually. Anyway, if I forget something can always send hubby home to get it

Yeah..lotsa new shows to watch this week. The new season of The Amazing Race premieres on AXN tonite, and the new season of Project Runway premieres on CH5 this Wed...ALOT of shows to look fwd to.

Yeah, things in the Thai south are quite unstable now. Looks like you've got to stay w/in M'sia to be safe.

Levynn

Yah, gonna be busy doing handover work this week. Anyway I think baby will arrive next week, not this week...well, that's what I keep telling her anyway HOpe she listens to me! The diameter of her head is ard 93mm...man...dunno how that's gonna fit thru my vagina...*shudder*

 

[man_tou_bear]

Hi ladies,

Alhana glad to hear that u finally packed ur bag.. heehee.. wah even forms also need to pack? dun the hospital have them? u get the baby bonus immed?

Aiyoh dun think abt the delivery lah... ur body will find a way to accomodate ur baby... heehee.. just relax and have fun.. u gg for epidural?

Avid, thanks for the heads up.. i think i have a birthday dinner that nite so won't be able to catch it.. nonetheless i will still vote for JON!!

U planning for another trip liao? that's fast! heehee.. why dun go go somewhere further this time instd of Thai?? heehee....

I m gg to the hospital later. not sure if i told u gals but i was in the hospital last yr for meningitis. anyway, i m losing my memory now. i m not joking. i have been missing meetings cos i forgot abt them! i even set reminder in my Lotus notes and i still forgot abt them. I went to the building where the meeting was supposed to be held, plug in my laptop and forgot to go for meeting. Last fri nite was the scariest. I made an appt to collect the 'no sharksfin' cards for my wedding dinner and promptly forgot to go and collect them that nite. I even set a reminder in my hp with the add. I only rem it at 3am the next morn!! needless to say i got a earful from the person cos she purposedly waited for me despite having plans that nite...

so i have to go for a memory test later... u know, when i realised i forgot abt the appt, i really felt like crying. cos i m not sure wat else i might have forgotten to do. or forgot wat i did in my life.. sometimes i have prob remembering the route home even though i have been to that place before...

i m just so scared... like i live my life for nothing..

 

[alhana]

Hi Bear

Oh dear, that sounds bad. Do let us know how the test turns out..will it be conclusive? And did this start after your bout with meningitis? I hope everything will turn out ok. Take care woman.

I've already gone thru a pre-admission thingy with the hospital and they gave me a bunch of forms then. Supposed to bring it down upon admission so that I dun have to queue to wait to get admitted. And they gave us the baby bonus forms there and then too..can submit at the hospital after the baby is born. You can also submit later, but might as well get everything done in one place (if not, think must mail in the forms...and once baby is born, may get too busy to bother with all these admin things).

OK...here's wishing you all the best in your test. Keep us posted Bear. *Hugs*

 

[lux]

Hi girls...

Avid reader.. me a real certified IT idiot. The thing is, it will make sense to list them in forum for better management BUT.. the way the forum archive and our lazy way of searching past threads I think wont work out too cool.

anyway for reference sake : www.bookmooch.com is good and there are Singaporeans in there.. if there is a singapore concentrated one.. That will be excellent!!!

Bear, I think it wont be that bad... maybe the taxing days do you in . Dont worry relentlessly.. you know more when you come back from the doctors.

alhana, The babe's coming and welcome to the world of sleepless nights as accordance to people-who-have-kids welcome message. Wishing you a fast and painless delivery! and duh.. New season of amazing race! That's what we miss out when we dont have cables at the new place! *grumble* luckily ch 5 still putting project runway and ANTM on...

 

[man_tou_bear]

Hello gals,

Back from the doc's... here's the news...

I dunno how to tell u guys this in simple manner but i will try lor. I was given a set of diagnostic tests, like remembering words, numbers, drawings and make to do exercises. Aft the whole thing, the psychologist said my IQ is in the range of 120. but for some tests i m performing at 90 only, meaning at 30 pts decrease. These tests were those that required me to rem short term stuff and multi-task. so there is abt a 20-30% memory loss. He thinks the most likely cause is the meningitis cos if there isn't a lost i will be performing 120 consistently.

So right now, i m advised to be writing in notebooks and set up a routine. The gd thing is that my memory can recover, over a period of time. but as to how long is another matter. its been a yr and the loss is still there. Some of u think its no biggie writing on paper wat has to be done. but for someone who nv needs it, its a big adjustment.

All the same, i was pretty depress when he told me there was some memory loss. only 25 and i have lost 20% of my memory function... wat abt when i m 70??! haizzz...

Alhana thanks for the explanation.. baby bonus is kinda confusing!! heard that its quite tough getting the $$$ is that true? which hospital will u be at????

 

[alhana]

Hi Bear

There there..at least the doc says you can recover...just take things one step at a time. Try not to stress yourself out too much coz that may hinder recovery. I guess we tend to take things for granted..so when such things happen, we're really thrown for a loop. I'm sure you'll get alot of support from family and friends.

Well, regarding the baby bonus..it's not hard to get. Just fill up some forms and the money will be banked into our accounts in 4 installments (think over a one or 2 yr period..can't remember). As long as you fill up the forms correctly, it should be pretty easy. So far I've not heard any of my colleagues complain abt it being tough getting the $. I'll be at Mt E.

Ling,

OH yeah, am training up for the sleepless nites. As it is I already hv difficulty sleeping the full 8 hrs uninterrupted. Think I'm only doing 5-6 hrs right now. Yeah, not sure why TAR's not showing on CH5...it doesn't seem to be on CH5's schedule at all. Last nite's ep was pretty cool...first country was China! Talk about making it tough right at the get go.

 

[man_tou_bear]

Gd morning Alhana,

U are right, we take things for granted. PPl who nv encountered memory loss prob won't know how scary it is. I m trying to keep things in my diary. I do have one, and i do use it, but aft checking it, i tend to forget abt it. Hence the doc said i should check it every hr.. scary right? My hb was a bit surprised cos he tot it was the combination of the wedding stress and the lack of slp that is making me 'oversensitive' to any memory loss.

Strange enough, my parents are blaming it on my lifestyle... i dun have the most supportive parents in the world. They are the ones giving me the most stress becos of the damn wedding. haizzz....

Hrmm a couple of my frens said the forms were pretty confusing.. may be they did it in a distracted env. heehee.. and becos of that there were some probs getting the $$$. apparently those progs in other countries get one lump sum. not so confusing...

 

[alhana]

Hi Bear

I guess parents can sometimes unwittingly add more stress. I'm sure they do it out of concern, but they can sometimes be insensitive in how they deal with their children, esp the older generation.

I dunno..thought the forms were pretty straight fwd Maybe coz there are many forms, hence the confusion. Basically you just fill in your particulars, bank account number and sign some stuff..that's it lor. That's why I'm doing all this before i give birth...think after giving birth I'll be too busy and distracted to bother w such things. For those with second, third, fourth child etc...there are more forms to fill coz of some bank account thingy where the govt matches the parents' contributions dollar for dollar. Since this is my first child, am not entitled to that. Maybe that's the one people find confusing.

 

[avid_reader]

Good morning all

Bear, so sorry to hear about your memory loss. I think all that wedding prep stress does contribute a bit to it right? Would it help to eat more 'brain' food to increase your memory? I heard ginko nuts is good for increasing memory.. and fish too. Anyway it's a good habit to jot down all the things in a diary. Don't worry too much ok?

Hi Levynn and Ling, my dream all this while is to open a 2nd hand book store. Perhaps a virtual book store will do for now. Ling, thanks for the link on the book swap website. Will go check it out. There's just so many things I want to do but there's so little time. Ok I confess... if I watch lesser tv it would help a great deal

Talking about watching tv... Alhana, which team are you supporting for TAR? It's a shame that Ch5 is not showing it... could it be bcos MediaCrap already bought TAR Asia so no more budget for the real thing? Survivor's new season is not going to be shown on Ch5 as well.. cos the teams are divided according to their race..

From 8.30 to 12 we were glued in front of the tv - watched TAR followed by ANTM, then watched Restaurant Makeover on Asian Food CH (CH69).

 

[alhana]

Hi Avid

Read Life! this morning and they explained why Mediacrap (hee..i love it that I'm not the only one who calls them that!) isn't showing TAR. Apparently it's becoz ratings for the last few seasons were down! Funny..I always tot TAR was popular..more so than Survivor. They may show it later though..like mid-way thru the season...sheesh. I'm so glad I have cable! I don't hv any fave teams at the moment, but I must say I admire the girl w the prosthetic limb..climbing up the Great Wall was already no mean feat..and she managed to scale it! Ditto for the other not-so-fit looking ladies. Next week's ep looks hilarious..what with all the crazy yaks (were they yaks?)..reminds me of Colin shouting 'My Ox is Broken!'..man that was classic.

Hmm..i was watching tv till 11...watched TAR, followed by House (and snippets of ANTM). Man, why is Gina still in ANTM? She looks so lianish. And Furonda is a major fug. Hubby thinks she looks like Stephen Chow. Looking fwd to Prison Break this Thu! Oh, do you watch 'The F Word'? I love watching Gordon Ramsay's reality shows..he's so funny and wicked!

 

[lux]

Bear.. everything will get better. I think worrying only make the brain cells works for the wrong reason. Just concentrate on recovery and everything will back in place. *pat bear's back*
On second thoughts, you get a fine excuse to get a nifty palm to record everything.

Avid, My good friend's folks operates a 2nd hand store and they say is tough work. I helped them out when I was younger during the school holidays... Note.. you have to rent every sorta book esp the legitimate romance 'porn' with fabian on cover sort to get revenue. That is like 80% of the business! You could try to do it online 2nd hand book store.. it be unique for Singapore at least.

I am so jealous... NO FAIR!! why Ch 5 not playing TAR!! I want to see how they get lost in China! Looks like I got to stow at the folks to catch that epsiode! Anyway got to give Ch 5 credit for screening ANTM and Project so fast.. until we figured when is it economical feasible to put cable in the new place... blah..

 

[avid_reader]

Alhana, I can't believe that ratings were down for last few seasons of TAR. Yeah good thing we have cable. I admire that girl with the prosthetic limb too.. think the race is going to be very challenging for her. At one point the other teams were complaining about her boarding the plane first because she's handicapped. I mean, if your tickets are already confirmed and seats are likely allocated, does it matter if you board the plane first?

The F Word is that cooking programme where they invite a celebrity to the show for each episode? I know about that show but have not watched it. Is it good? There's some contest going on about using a specific number of F words to describe the show or something right?

I'm wondering why Gina is not out yet as well. She has this really common look leh.. I mean if you walk down orchard road you will probably find lots of girls with that kind of look?

 

[lux]

I like..dissecting contestants on ANTM! *evil*

What is wrong with Gina.. give the whole world over the impression we are build like that! Arrgghh.. Thank god she's korean not chinese! blah..I thought Kari looks really good as goldilocks! Think the platform did her in...

Another person I cannot tolerate is Jade. what is wrong with her... keep mouthing she's the next top model!?!?! I hope she fall flat on the face next week follow by Gina right behind her ass!

Personal favourite.. mollie sue.

 

[avid_reader]

Ling, those romance 'porn' books bring in 80% of the business?! That's not what I imagine my 2nd hand book store to be.. there's already a few 2nd hand websites in singapore.. here's one which my hubby has bought some books from: www.fingerbooks.com

 

[man_tou_bear]

Erm wat are u guys talking abt? all the acroymns! heehee...

Avid & Ling, thanks for ur concerns. I m not a techie hence i would be more worried abt where i placed my PDA then using it. I m more of a notepad, doodle, kind of person... I m taking lotsa fish liao.. i think i just need to set up a routine and stick to it.

Avid, i believe the 'soft porn' books are many women's guilty pleasure! heehee.. the closest i got was VC Andrews' books... i find them really disturbing! lotsa incestous stuff!

 

[alhana]

Ling, avid

I can't stand Jade too. I was telling hubby that only insecure people wld feel the need to constantly put down other people..and that's what Jade does! Think Tyra called her out for it during the first or second ep. I like Nnenna, Danielle (the gapped tooth black girl..she looks really good once she's made up..but kinda plain w/o make-up on) and Joanie. Wish Gina, Furonda and Jade get kicked off! Mollie Sue is pretty....she looks v model-ish..but her expressions tend to be quite blank..hope she can inject more emotion into her face. Those platform shoes were scary! I always hv this phobia of twisting my ankles while wearing high heel shoes...that segment made me reeeeaaallly uncomfortable Poor Kari...she really struggled in those heels.

Avid

Exactly..dunno what's the fuss abt them boarding the plane first..it's not as if the seats are first come first served. And c'mon, even though she seems quite comfortable running ard on a prosthetic leg, there's no way it can compare to running on a normal leg! The 2 black ladies should stop whinging.

Yeah, The F Word is good. But then again, I'm a Gordon Ramsay fan. Enjoyed watching 'Gordon's Kitchen Nightmares' which aired a few mths back on AFC. He's very fun to watch..more so than other celeb chefs like Jamie and Nigella..think coz he cusses like mad and isn't afraid to offend anyone

 

[avid_reader]

Bear, fyi:

TAR - The Amazing Race
ANTM - America's Next Top Model
AFC - Asian Food Channel (Ch69 on cable)

Yeah I have read VC Andrews' books when I was young also... very disturbing indeed. Oh wanted to ask you how's your wedding prep coming along? Better for you to put everydown on a to-do list. There's just too much things to do preparing for a wedding! You also need to plan the schedule for the actual day... and the duties of your jie mei, friends etc.

Alhana, the way TAR selects the teams is quite standard right? Housewives/single mother team, gay team, models team, beauty queen team, etc. I find the korean brothers a little irritating. Trust them to fool around with water guns at the airport. So childish!

About those celebrity chefs.. Ling, you must really like Anthony Bourdain since you are looking for his book? Oh I have always thought the food cooked by Floyd is inedible! It's probably his cooking style.. and the way he drinks while he cooks etc.. Much more fun to watch Kylie Kwong's cooking programme.

Oh, I cannot wait so I have gone to the website to check who won ANTM Cycle 6!

 

[lux]

Avid,

I think the office aunties *heck I think we also part of that entourage group ald!!* digs that genre. When I was helping out at the shop, some rent them in 10s. That's a tidy profit plus the books get recycle. I read them a couple of times but I think too erotic for my liking.I mean too descriptive and I didnt see any point in reading that. Me a sucker for autobiography. I think the site you recommended not a lot of reads for selections actually.

Bear.. me also no tech chick but with a PDA I think it will be neater and easier and you can doll up your PDA! ha... When I was in uni, I wrote my essays in paper than transfer to PC. LOL.. talk about productivity I sure have none..

al, the platform shoes are killer killer... I am so afraid they twist their ankles right off on set! Ohh.. Danielle is pretty as snow white.. but without make up.. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Nnenna's picture was great! I love how the fabric flows on the photo! Who's the wolf.. she looks very sensual as well.. I like.

Talk about celebrity chef.. I like to watch some of their shows but without cable I have no access to their show @#$@!% darn it. I love the chemistry involved, bringing raw ingredients and turning them into food. I am trying to get Kitchen confidential because I love dirty little secrets... hahhaha.. just a small summary.. apparently bourdain wrote the kitchen expose and behind those kitchen lurks secrets you wish you never know before you dig that plate of fettucine. LOL..

you know what? it seems we are all alike in some way on this thread!

 

[alhana]

Ling

It's a pity you don't hv cable...I honestly cannot survive on Mediacrap alone. Anthony Bourdain's 'A Cook's Tour' was fun to watch, but his latest series isn't as fun. I've heard of Kitchen Confidential..they actually made a TV series based on his book, but it got cancelled after a few eps. It starred Bradley Cooper (the cute guy from Alias).

Yup, Danielle looked really good as Snow White. She looks so different w make-up on! Almost can't tell it's the same girl.

Avid

Yeah, the Korean bros were silly. I already dislike them coz they seem like dumb infantile jocks I was sad at the 2 eliminations, esp the first one. That was cruel! It's like you haven't even started the race for real yet, and you're out. But I was wondering whether they'd have a problem with food thru out the race. Guess it's not gonna be a problem anymore.

You naughty girl...checking out who won already!

 

[man_tou_bear]

Erm... i don't know wat u guys are talking abt?! heehee... so i think i will just duck out of this..

Avid, wedding is just fine the way i like it.. but what my parents like is another matter... my to-do list is growing and everything i write down, i would inform my hb so that he rems it for me. heh.. honestly i dun really care abt. its just ONE day.. not like it will define my marriage.