my film studies class is proving to be quite interesting. not because of the lectures, much less the lecturer, but because every week we get to watch a film. these films are not your average typical hollywood conventions but rather films that i normally wouldnt watch. i doubt you can get any of these films off the internet either unless you really bother searching. so as much as i complained about watching boring old (pun intended) Casablanca last week, i should be thankful. at least my school fees are being put to good use. ha. watching movies in school, what could be better?

yesterday's film was Rashomon, a japanese film from way back in 1950. shot entirely in black and white, it turned out quite a thought-provoking show despite the slow start and all the comical moments (whether intended or not i have no idea) of the main characters. the film features four main witnesses of a man's murder: the woodcutter who found the dead body, the bandit who claimed to have killed the man, the man's (rather ugly) wife and the man himself whose testimony is spoken through a medium. the show doesnt end with a proper closure and we are left wondering whose testimony we want to believe. somehow the ending even seems to suggest that it doesnt really matter . *shrugs.

met amanda after the film screening and headed down to marina square for a bit of retail theraphy. retail theraphy it certainly was as i was feeling sick and awful (damn that phlue bug going around!), BUT i managed to spend $131 within half an hour of reaching city hall. haha. anywayyyy, moving right alonggggg, i had a great time with amanda. and lo and behold, she's as much a shopaholic as i am! you should see her go. haha. she walks into and stops at practically every shop we pass by. haha. my kind of shopping partner. haha. within our total shopping time of 2 hours we did some considerable damage. amanda got herself an off-shoulder black top, a pair of knee-pants and sunglasses. i got 2 polo tees, a pink top (topshop petite! hooray for small people like me!), a topshop denim skirt, a charm bracelet and a really pretty necklace for amanda. coupled with expenses for dinner (we ate at Out of The Pan) and dessert (ben&jerrys no less) im pretty sure im gonna have to eat grass for the rest of the week. haha.

alright. enough talk. and on to the photos! enjoy (:

my DGL liyue and amanda

charlotte and me

where's my food!

potato salad - was a bit too sourish for me. i'll stick to the mayo-laden one with loads of spring onions!

norwegian smoked salmon with philly cream cheese and (the halved one) tandoori chicken with mint sauce - both get my stamp of yummilicious approval

burp. haha. this is good enough proof isnt it? (except for the veggies. heh.)

Ben&Jerry's eaters of the world unite!

this is probby the reason why im still sick today. haha. but its worth it! *grin

i think we all need to learn to think before we speak or comment.
sometimes we just tend to not realise the effect, intended or otherwise, of what we just said.
*hrmpff.
but one should also not be petty and take it easy.
so yeah.
think first, react later.
and the world will be a much happier place.

anyway.
i think singapore idol is rigged or smthg.
look at the voting.
every week singaporeans are voting out the people who can actually sing.
tsk,
just like ken said, and gurmit who has been incessantly emphasizing, this is a singing competition. vote for those who can sing.
then again, i guess im in no position to comment since i dont vote.
im not about to waste that much money when i dont believe in this whole competition to begin with.
but im just hoping the winner will be someone who actually deserves it.

oh, one more thing.
i know this is totally gonna kill my reputation (or whatever minuscule bit i had to begin with) but anyone with jay chou or wilbur pan cds?
hur.
lend me!
*sheepish grin

(:

finally home after my first day in school.

met up with michele and gina for breakfast at breko and it was great seeing those two after so so long!
we did quite a bit of talking, catching up, senseless chattering about television and what not.
really enjoyed that rather short breakfast session.
i cant say much for the food though.
the strawberry yoghurt drink was such a disappointment and they didnt have my avocado yoghurt drink.
my salmon bagel also took so long to come. tsk. i wouldnt exactly recommend nor want to go back for breakfast.
well, at least it was FREE. hurhur.

had only one lecture today - Introduction to Film Studies.
was ok i suppose. really boring introduction, but then again, most introductions are boring.
at least i had michele and mary with me! and alicia too! and i made a new friend today! charmaine! haha. excessive and unnecessary use of exclaimation marks.
hmm. thats already 5 of us. cool. we can form our group for tutorial. haha.

as part of the course, we're required to watch one film/movie every week.
i dont really mind since its sorta included in curriculum time and an LT is booked for us for the screening to take place. this means no fighting with 50 other students for the film and finding time to watch.

today's film was the classic Casablanca.
and i totally didnt like it. not even a single bit. i dont get why they call it a classic. its just 2 hours of sappy-ness and men who all sport the same haircut.
i couldnt appreciate the romance either. guess michele is right when she said lit students are just too cynical to be inclined to such things.
to top it all off, it was in black and white. geez. i like my rainbow coloured world thank you very much.

that pretty much concludes my first day in school.
honestly, this last year of uni is gonna be a mere passing phase for me. im just dying to be done with it all and look forward to what life brings.
im at a crossroad at the moment where i have to make one of the biggest decisions in my life.
i have pretty much made up my mind but there remains one more major factor that is stopping the red light from turning green.
but even if the light turns green, the multiple consequences to that decision just keeps putting me off.
sigh.

i'll be praying. he'll be praying. and my friends will be praying.
and i'll be waiting for God.
He knows best. He always does.
(:

can i skip school tomorrowwwww..pleaseeeeeeeeeee!

can i have your attention please.
this is a very important public announcement:

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY

MISHIE MOO MOO COW!

(:

-end of announcement-

Theater Undergoes Freeze

FILE UNDER: Food, Union Square

Several weeks ago we spied representatives from Ben & Jerry's, the hippie-dippy ice-cream company, taking notes and plans for the Daryl Roth Theatre on Union Square Park. They told us a Ben & Jerry's was opening, but the theater people treated our inquiries aas if we were insane.

Well, who's insane now? As evidenced from the photo, Ben & Jerry's has indeed converted the theater, albeit only temporarily, into an ice-cream house of worship. According to a Ben & Jerry's press release, from tomorrow through Aug. 27, "Guests can enjoy complimentary milkshakes while experiencing a total sensory immersion within each of the different flavors."

The Cherry Garcia Lounge allows guests to relax in a funky setting featuring hip furniture, shag-covered walls, lava lamps and a masseuse offering chair massages. The neighboring Chunky Monkey Oasis whisks visitors out of New York City's summer heat to the tropics with rope swings, banana trees and driftwood benches. A few steps away, guests find themselves enveloped in the Chocolate Fudge Brownie Zone, a chocolate-lover's paradise, featuring plush furniture in decadent fabrics to beckon weary travelers. Sweet sights and smells complete the chocolate wonderland and the indulgent Ben & Jerry's MilkShake Experience before visitors head back into the real, unfortunately less chocolate-filled world.

We're still waiting for an apology from the Daryl Roth Theatre management. Our e-mail is to the right.

-Matthew Grace

Posted by The Real Estate on August 10, 2006 12:58 PM

why do such things never happen in Singapore?
sigh.
whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

so while my dear aussie pig is sleeping..let's put in a little blog post shall we..

but first up..the patriotic side of me wants to stand up and shout

HAPPY 41ST BIRTHDAY SINGAPORE!

*ahem*. yes well, what do you expect when i've been put through a good 13 years of national education? oh well. i think everyone has a love-hate relationship with this little dot on the map (oh what a cliche description)*kat looks around..hmm..i think i had better stop here before i get into trouble with any lurking blog-gahmen-spy.

ok remember the post before the last? the one where i talked about the upstaging relatives and their spark of buffet indulgences? yes that one. im sure you remember what im talking about now.

well, it's...

*drumroll

Verdict time!

and away we go...

The Line
Shangri La Hotel Singapore

first up, some shots of the lobby. (yes i know they are lousy shots, i had to use my hp camera, but they are shots no less):

the very grand reception area with a huge chinese emblem thingy
the bar/lounge area with more chinese motifs in the back
our typical ginormous hotel floral arrangement (and my uncle on the right)


and then we move on to the interiors of The Line:



i was quite blown away at the interior initially only because it wasnt typical of a hotel restaurant and a world-apart from the chinese-influenced lobby area of the hotel. however, i quite like the way u have to take an escalator down to reach the entrance of the restaurant. this allows the first-time (a.k.a swaku) diners to be totally mesmerized (a.k.a unglam open-mouthed) as they take the escalator trip down. must be a marketing ploy. oh well.

another thing that i immediately noticed was the loud orange used throughout. very obvious is the colour palette of orange against white white and more whites.

everything was pretty at first but after a while it got darker as the sun set and i realised the lights were really dim. it wasnt just where we were seated but all the seating areas included. i and everyone else in my family found it uncomfortable and beyond the ambience/mood/romantic level of lighting.

ok now on to the more interesting bits..the food:

plate number 1 - the cold creatures of the deep
well, i was mighty excited when i saw the variety of seafood. but after tasting them, i regret setting such high standards for the food. the thing in the miniature fish-bowl is seasoned raw scallop and it just tasted salty. the oysters were fresh and erm, yeah, fresh. the alaskan crab leg was so salty i drank an entire cup of water at one go (and i dont like drinking water) and the shell thingy (sorry! i just forgot the name! argh!) tasted, tasteless.

plate number 2 - a little jap, a little italian and a little of the unknown
again, i wasnt impressed with the food. starting at 12 o'clock, the quality of the salmon sashimi and swordfish sashimi was on par with any mid-priced japanese outlet (to make matters worse, the wasabi wasnt hot at all), the mushroom cheese gratin was completely tasteless, the avocado salad was the only saving grace on this plate, the unidentifiable salad not worth comenting on and finally the smoked salmon with cream cheese and spinach was plain blah. let's move on shall we...

plate number 3 - fishy dishes and a pizza
since its the odd one out, lets start with the pizza on the left. generous with the cheese and a cripsy thin pizza base. pity i couldnt really taste much of the toppings. at 12 oclock, the dory was dry and pretty much tasteless. but thankfully, just when i was about to give up and run to the nearest hawker centre, the grilled salmon with cream sauce gave me reason to remain seated. perfectly cooked without being overdone the salmon reamined juicy and tasty. the cream sauce was light and complimented the freshness of the fish wonderfully.

plate number 4 - i love desserts!
as u can tell, i gave up with the main courses and went straight for my favourite part. honestly, its hard to go wrong with desserts. at 12 o'clock is their signature tiramisu and i can taste why. creamy, melt in your mouth with just the right amount of coffee liquer. delicious. at 6 o'clock is the cream puff and at 9 o'clock is the jam-filled chocolate layered cake. both of which are lip-smackingly good.

plate number 5 - chocolate overdose
i love chocolate. im a chocoholic. there ive said it. actually, thats not true because i basically love any type of dessert (except mint) but id take chocolate over anything else anyday. hence, my choices on this plate. honestly, i have no idea what these three items are because they dont label the individual desserts. but trust me on the taste. each and everyone are fudgy, gooey, chocolately, rich and oh-so-sinful. yum.


platebowl number 6 - siew mai noodles
i read a review on Asiaone and it said to try their wanton noodles because it costs a whooping $20 on the a la carte menu. by this time i was already really stuffed so i shared a bowl with my dad. and im glad i did because it wasnt worth bursting my seams open for. the soup was alright, the quail egg just tasted like good'ol quail egg and the char siew was just chewy without being sweet enough. the worst has to be the wanton. i felt like i was eating siew mai in a bowl of soup. bah.

plate number 7 - rabbit food
sorry about the half-eaten carrot cake. i was clamouring for something to take away the awful taste of my previous dish i dug in the minute i sat down. and a good choice it was. it was a huge slab of chocolately (see! i told u i lurveee my chocolate.) carrot goodness. not overly sweet with a gorgeously light cream cheese topping, i devoured the cake easily though i was supposed to share it with my mum. oopsy. heh. and see that colourful ruler-like thing? thats a piece of white chocolate. pretty huh? 100 points for presentation.

platecup number 8 - the shocker
let me clarify. i call this the shocker not because it was shockingly good. the waiter explained that it was a promotional drink and so we tried it. tasted alright. like fruit punch that you can make at home with pineapple syrup, lychee syrup and 7up/sprite. but here comes the shocker. it costs an alarming and shocking $13+++. i rest my case. it is well-deserving of the title.

all in all, i wouldnt go back again. the number one reason is that the food doesnt warrant the pricetag at all. $65+++? give me a japanese buffet anytime! although service is top quality and the desserts are to-die-for, burning such a deep hole in one's pocket is just not..not..not ethical!

to sum it all up, let me quote my cousin,
"it looks just like a fancy foodcourt."

well said cousin.
well said.

~Menu~


Roasted Vegetables
Roasted Potatoes

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

Chicken Kebabs

Tomato-based Pasta with Mushrooms and Minced Beef

Aunty Daisy's Fruit "Cake"
Apple Crumble with Vanilla Icecream

Assorted Soft Drinks
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Event: SPG (university) Potluck Dinner
Venue: The Wong's Residence
Time: 5.30pm

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

it almost appears to me that my relatives are trying to upstage each other.
about 6 weeks ago we were invited to the Ritz Carlton for a buffet dinner and celebration of my auntie's 70th birthday.
and tonight we're due for another buffet dinner. and this time its held at Shangri-La "The Line". its also another birthday celebration, but for my uncle's 69th birthday.
just for the uninformed, the Ritz Carlton buffet costs about $45+++ and the Shangri_La buffet costs about $65+++.
gosh. i'll be sure to skip lunch, and load up on the sashimi, softshell crab, oysters, desserts and the $20 bowl of wanton mee.

im definitely not complaining about such invites as it gives me a chance to indulge in such extravagance. honestly speaking, such places would never cross my parent's mind at all and neither would i dare dream of even suggesting these throat-cutting venues to them.

so even though it is a little awkward, considering the fact that we seldom meet up with this side of the family, and even more seldom do we see (much less interact) with this uncle, all is good in the stomach and tastebud department. let's just hope the food sounds as good as it does in the reviews ive read and warrant that exorbitant price-tag.
we'll wait and see wont we?

(:

cheers to another weekend of good food!

p/s: anyone interested in going for the australian education fair tomorrow?

today i decided to make myself vaguely useful in the kitchen and contribute something to the dinner table.

and so i had a brilliant idea that popped into my head.
ok ok. maybe not so brilliant since
1) it obviously is not my original idea
2) its a super-duper-easy-no-brainer sort of sidedish to put together
3) the idea surfaced due to excessive viewing of channel 16, weekdays from 8-9pm (woohoo! i love cable!).

so there.
now that ive successfully discredited myself of taking any credit whatsoever from my little contribution,
here's the final product:

(you know, i just realised i havent yet told you what i cooked. hurhur. so..presenting..*drumroll please...)

Roasted Potatoes (the usual kind and the sweet purple japanese kind) with dried basil and olive oil

here's another shot of mum scrapping the potaotes off the aluminium foil.
(it makes for easier cleaning. at least i dont have to scour the tray.)

i told you it was a sidedish. haha.
the main dish was obviously prepared by my mum.
oven-baked chicken thighs with spicy tomato sauce, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms.

and here's another shot just because i cant decide which looks better
(a.k.a more presentable and professional..
oh wait..i hear shouting in the background.."neither!"
tsk..cant u people be more supportive?)
my sidedish turned out better than expected.
i was actually anticipating undercooked potatoes OR burnt-to-a-crisp potatoes.
i was also expecting bland mushy-tasting cubes of starch.
alas(!), all my fears were but unnecessary.
my brother was helping himself to spoon after spoon of that carbo-laden stuff quietly
while my mum and dad raved over it.
(then again, they could just be being nice, as my parents always are.
but my bro? now thats a positive sign.)

so here, i conclude my very first
foodie-post-of-smthg-i-actually-cooked-on-my-own-this-year-without-adult-supervision.
ha.

cheers to more!
(:

on a sidenote,
(since we're on the topic of sidedishes..ok..fine..stop rolling your eyeballs. i'll shut up)
i've got new havaianas!
i love it i love it i love it i love it i love it i love it i love it i love it i love it!

one *ahem* small problem though.
its current residence in somewhere in the western part of socceroo country.

bah.
humbug.