We found Mr Pogo Stick when he was a wee little one, just a few months old, and possibly abandoned coz he just showed up out of nowhere. He’s completely black, with shinning round yellow eyes. He’s just about the friendliest cat around. He tries to befriend everyone — even a giant huskie doesn’t faze him (or maybe he just doesn’t know what a dog is).

We call him Mr Pogo Stick because he was always bouncing around when he saw us. He still walks with a bounce even though he’s all grown up after a year now. We always thought he doesn’t really have much “cat skills” as he didn’t seem very good at pouncing or chasing anything. That’s until 2 nights ago, when I saw him darting away quickly with a bird in his mouth!!! X_X Was horrified but at the same time I thought — he’s finally a Real Cat now! Haha.

Mr Pogo Stick’s buddy is Marble. I thought Marble was a she, what with the pretty coat of fur and manja nature, but turns out, Marble’s a dude!! He likes to headbump his favourite humans, and leave some of his white fur all over my dark-coloured pants. He doesn’t seem to eat a lot so I sometimes wonder how he grew so big and sturdy.

We’re quite glad these two ended up being buddies. When Pogo Stick was real small, he got bullied a lot by other cats nearby. But I guess after ingesting sufficient amount of kibbles, he’s grown up, complete with a slight tummy. Guess that’s ROI for all the kibbles I bought, LOL!

Besides Mr Pogo Stick and Marble, there’s also Garfield, an orange-coloured cat who’s an old-timer who isn’t always very amused at what Pogo Stick and Marble do for play time. But he humours them and sits with them sometimes. Marble’s mom is also a pretty lady, all white with an all black tail, always sitting pretty, being proper and all.

There are a few more at the other blocks, but these are the few that I always look out for. They’ve all been neutered, and there’s an auntie who regularly comes by everyday to provide them all with a wet meal and fresh water. By the time I get back from work, it’s supper time for them!

Bali was really more of a getaway-from-it-all type of holiday. We just wanted somewhere to chill out, and the right opportunity came along when we found cheap tickets on Air Asia. I didn’t have much time to research and plan our trip — even on our flight over, I was still reading about the island from an old 2005 travel guide I found at Bedok Library — but it wasn’t too hard to fill up our itenerary because there’s actually quite a lot to do there!

Bali is a rather big island, so we decided to focus on Ubud, which turned out to be a truly enchanting place. We loved our stay at Tegal Sari Accomodation, where we got huge villas to stay in for real cheap (about $S90 for a big 2-storey duplex). Nestled amid paddy fields, it was calm and serene, just the sort of place you need to empty out your mind and completely relax. The staff was also super helpful, offering to deliver our bags and put it in our rooms before we even checked in all because we wanted to go eat babi guling at Ibu Oka before it closes. They also drove us everywhere for a small fee, recommended things to do and helped us with our dinner reservations at restaurants.

Beyond our villas, there was much to do:

• Pigging out, trying new food. We had all our targets down before we even arrived. First stop – Babi Guling (suckling pig) at Ibu Oka at central Ubud. We also made reservations for dinner at Mozaic, a lovely restaurant set in a tropical garden that Au Yong had been wanting to try for a while. We also tried Bebek Betutu (smoked duck), another local specialty, at another popular place called Dirty Duck at central Ubud.

• Day trip to the beach. Went to Kuta – too many touts, and no local food to eat whatsoever. The beach and the waves were nice, but it was too touristy. We went to Jimbaran beach in the late afternoon, watched fishermen coming and going at sea, and had freshly grilled seafood for dinner along the beach while watching the waves crash upon the shore and the sun set behind a huge tuff of cloud.

• Nature walk amidst paddy fields and fruit trees, followed by spa. It was meant to be a walk, but it turned out to be more of a trek. We also planted 2 trees on a hill somewhere, part of Tegal Sari’s conservation thingy. After 3 hours, our legs were like jello, and Au Yong had his first kiss from nature (leech bite). *wahaha* So it was a good thing we booked a 2.5-hour spa treatment in the afternoon (which was, btw, damn cheap. Only about S$25 per person!)

• Walking around town. Ubud may be the rustic part of Bali, but it is well-attuned to tourism and offers quite a relaxing shopping experience. Quirky little shops line the streets, offering artworks such as paintings, wood carvings, stone statues and local textile. The handiwork is pretty good quality, which is why it isn’t very cheap either. But the place makes for a good walk. We also passed by the Monkey Forest on our way back to Tegal Sari, but monkeys aren’t our thing.

• Cultural showcase. Part of Ubud’s way to draw in tourists is their nightly cultural dance performance. Bali has its own unique dances (Barong and Kecak), performed to mesmerising gamelan music. The best performances are all in Ubud. We went for one which featured an all-female gamelan musicians and children dancers at the Ubud Water Palace. While it would have been nicer if the spectators weren’t only tourists (no locals to be found except on stage), it was a fine show indeed – very captivating!

There was a lot more that I wanted to do – see the sunset at Uluwatu, spend more time on the beach, probably at Sanur, and visit the temple at Tanah Lot. But we just didn’t want to pack the itenerary and rush through everything. We’d rather enjoy everything at a relaxed pace, and make a trip again. Because we definitely will return to Bali – it’s hard not to after having enjoyed it so much.

Two months ago (Dec 2008), we went on a short weekend getaway to Taipei. We had enough miles on our Kris Flyer to each redeem a ticket, and we were given the option of choosing Hong Kong, Shanghai or Taipei. Cheap food, affordable hotels and friendly locals – it’s a no-brainer, so we went to Taipei for a short 3-day 2-night weekend getaway.

We stayed at TS Hotel, located on a street just under 5 minutes from Ximen MRT and Ximenting. It’s cheap, the room’s nice and comfortable, location’s convenient and the service is personal. So if you’re looking for good and cheap accomodation, that’s the place to go to.

At Taipei, you never stop eating. You never really have complete meals as much as you just walk around eating every snack in sight that smells or looks good. That’s probably why I never ended up eating the stinky tofu. I was determined to try it, but I’m sorry stinky tofu, your stench was just too much for me. Everything else was super yummy and super cheap. Gotta love the exchange rate! :p

I enjoyed walking on the streets. It’s filled with people, and food. It’s vibrant and surprisingly welcoming. And a new snack await at every turn, just like this potato chips stick I found. It’s a half-potato that’s carved in a continuous spiral, fried on the spot on a stick, and it never ever crumbles into a million pieces when you pick at it to eat. The trick, as the hawker told us, is to eat from the bottom up. It’s totally coated with MSG (as with every other fried snack in Taipei), but it’s yummy! I’ll worry about hair loss after the trip. :p

Even though our trip was really short (and I agree with most that to have a good tour of Taipei you’ll need 4 to 5 days), but we did manage to check out quite a few spots. The best thing about Taipei is that it’s really very easy to get around, so the only itinerary planning we did was the night before we flew, on Google. Their MRT service is very much similar to Singapore, and I’m very glad that I can comprehend their Mandarin better.

I think my favourite spot was Danshui (æ·¡æ°´). Located in the North of Taipei, it’s a quaint harbour-side town. Away from the hip and happening city, it’s a nice place to just relax. We went there on a Sunday, and it was obviously a popular spot for the local families as well. Thankfully it wasn’t too crowded, so you could still have a slow stroll down the streets on the waterfront while still enjoying a fun carnival-like atmosphere. Again, there’s lots to eat. I especially love that ice-cream is so cheap.

I’ve uploaded some photos that’ll explain more about what we saw on the trip. Hit on the Photo Gallery button on the navigation bar on top, and check out our 2 Taipei albums. If you’re too lazy to scroll, click on this right here.

It’s pedestrian friendly. Like the city streets of Tokyo and NYC, except without the pesky cyclists (Tokyo) and filthy sidewalks (NYC). It’s safe to walk around on your own, train stations are near everything, so you can just basically take the train somewhere and spend the entire afternoon walking around doing nothing — which is something that I can’t do when I’m back in KL unless I’m hoping to get mugged or leered at by weird sleazy people and pollute my lungs with exhaust fumes. yuck.

So yes, despite the stiffling weather, random walks around the city is something I enjoy doing on some weekends. Once in a while, I’ll bring my lil’ camera around and take random photos of things. Kinda like a tourist. Except I don’t do those stand-in-front-of-merlion-and-do-the-peace-sign shit. That’s for real tourists.

My favourite building is the Gateway, near Bugis. It’s just awesomely sharp. It’s like, you can cut yourself by just looking at it.

Sometimes the best views are just outside my window. Being on the 16th floor has its perks (besides being mosquito-free).

I think it’s the practice for national day or something.

For more snapshots of my random walks, just go to Photo Gallery, and look for the album “Look Up”.  Click and view!

Not sure what kind of car (vehicle? can we call it a car?) that was. So since I had my camera with me, why not snap a shot. My mom happily obliged by following behind the tow truck so that I can get a decent shot of the strange car. She even pulled up right alongside it so that I can get this shot:

Those seats look like some kind of race-car seats? Check out the seat belts, and the old-school stick shift heh. But hey, it’s still a pretty cool car — or whatever it is. :p

Here’re some items from United Colors of Benetton. They’re all brand new (price tags still attached). Some are still wrapped in plastic. lol. All items are in XS size and I only have 1 unit for each item.

If anyone is interested in purchasing and plumping up their wardrobe, please contact me on this blog or e-mail to tsewei [AT] wackywombat [DOT] net.

Here goes!

#1. Long-sleeved collared shirt in eggplant purple

• Original price: 4,900 yen (~S$68)
• Now selling for S$50

Click to see details.

#2. Sweater jacket in white cotton

• Original price: 8,900 yen (~S$123)
• Now selling for S$90

Click to see in detail.

#3. Cardigan in deep forest green

• Original price: 4,900 yen (~S$68)
• Now selling for S$50

#4. Pink wool turtleneck sweater

• Original price: 2,900 yen (S$40)
• Now selling for S$23
• Wool, 3/4 sleeves

#5. Knee-length skirt in navy blue

• Original price: 5,800 yen (~S$82)
• Now selling for S$60
• Front zip with button, slit on the front, pockets on the back and front.

Click to see in detail.
#6. Handbag

• Original price: 6,900 yen (~S$96)
• Now selling for S$80
• Canvas with leather trimming, zip-top closure.12″ (L) x 6″ (H) x 5″ (W).

Click to see in detail.

* 100 yen = 1.39 SGD

I pretty much love japanese food (ok, except for natto, which is fermented soy beans, and most things fermented taste/smell foul and should be ample warning for people to NOT eat them). But Japanese food in Japan tastes way better than japanese restaurants at home. It’s kinda like when you’re in US and chinese food taste nothing like the chinese food you have at home. (e.g. WTF is General Tso’s chicken?!)

A piece of Japanese food knowledge that I picked up in Japan was about wasabi. Behold – fresh wasabi!

Yes, this is the real deal, the root. To eat, you have to finely grate it first. The flavour is a little lighter and more fragrant than processed wasabi paste (which may not even contain wasabi at all according to this wiki article!), and the hotness does not rush up to your nose and threaten to destroy your nasal passage. It’s all very subtle and pleasant to eat.

Another big surprise about Japanese food (in Japan) is pork. Contrary to the popular belief that seafood and raw fish is all the Japanese people ever eat, pork actually does figure quite heavily in their cuisine. Not only do they eat pork quite often, but they can cook it darn well too! The kind where the pork literally melts in your mouth. It is that good.

Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of their yummilicious pork to show you, because well, pork + soupy ramen = instant respite against winter chills and palatte satisfaction, so we basically attacked the food right when it reaches the table. There is no time for nilly-willy things like posing and selecting shutter speed on cameras. This is my 3rd trip and I still don’t really have pork-y pictures for you.

Besides the fine art of roast pork, there is also the very cute fast food pork: McPork burger (100yen only!). McDonald’s in Japan is Makudonaludo, and McPork is makupoku. And when Mario wins a challenge in Super Mario Galaxy (Japanese version), it is “star get”. English is a whole new language to me in Japan.

Anyway, I’ve posted some photos of my makan adventure in Tokyo. These are the few moments when we actually stopped ourselves from devouring the food just as it’s served and behaved all civilised and snapped away with our camera. Just go to our Photo Gallery and check out the album titled Eating Marathon.

Other food-related thoughts:

• Japanese people eat a lot of radish. I seem to get radish everywhere. I like it in oden (an assortment of boiled stuff in light broth soup), but not so much as a condiment. While shopping in the supermarket on new year’s eve, I see at least 1 big radish in almost everyone’s shopping basket.
• They also eat a lot of rice. I cannot understand how, in between slurping down a whole big bowl of noodles, typical salarymen can wolf down mouthfuls of plain white rice as well. Lunch sets with noodles + rice + condiment are pretty common.
• They eat horse meat too. I’ve seen places sell horse sashimi, but I cannot bring myself to eat horse meat. However it’s not really a common thing, unlike fish.
• I love how restaurants always serve water for free. Some even leave you with a whole big pitcher. Some restaurants in Malaysia should learn: We should not need to pay for plain water, especially when your food is salty.
• They eat innards too! Yay! I’ve eaten chicken heart, chicken gizzard, chicken butt, pork belly, bbq-ed (yakitori) and deep fried, and they taste great! I believe bak kut teh will do extremely well if sold in Japan.

One of the common thing I hear people say about Tokyo is that everything is expensive and you can’t holiday there without a ton of cash.

That’s only true to some extent. Yes — hotels are expensive, public transport isn’t cheap like in Singapore, and forget taxis if you value your money.

When it comes to shopping during sale time, it is fantastic. I’m talking about 10 bucks a piece and up to 70% for clothes, and for brands that are normally considered a little pricey back home, like GAP, Zara, Benetton, etc. And finding an XS isn’t like searching a needle in a haystack of XLs like the sales back home either.

This largely explains why I went there with one luggage and came back with two. LOL.

Also, it isn’t too costly to dine at a nice restaurant, where service is always top-notch. Ok, even the neighbourhood aunty shops have good service. And beer is cheap, and good. I will have a follow-up post solely dedicated to all that is fooood.

This post is all about my favourite place to shop: Harajuku, and adjacent to it, Shibuya. Trendy, with wide array of shops from quirky to classic, streetwear to couture, and cheap to expensive, it’s a nice place to just walk around even if you’re not out for shopping.

It is an interesting place to people-watch. But turns out it’s also a nice hang out for fashionable doggies out for a little sun-tanning on a warm winter day.

And beyond the glitzy main street of Omotesando are the little back lanes and quirky shops, which houses possibly the thinnest (yes, thinnest) building I’ve ever seen.

This is not an optical illusion. And I’m not sure if I can fit into the corner of that shop.

As you walk deeper into the network of criss-crossing alleys, you’ll find a few little houses squashed in between boutiques and designer shops. And that’s where we also found our favourite burger joint – Freshness Burger.

I like the concept of this particular outlet. It’s like going into someone’s little house and dining in their kitchen or in their courtyard (depending which table you get). But the whole look and feel is of a very homey and comfortable setting.

The front of the house is non-descript: small signage, a low black grill gate, and a cobble-stone walkway. Inside it’s warmly lit, with wooden furniture and kitchen utensils. And burgers grilled to order. We’ve eaten at other outlets of theirs, but this one’s the cutest.

For more pictures of Harajuku / Shibuya, just head on to our photo gallery. Check out the album titled: A day around Harajuku & Shibuya on page 2. Mouse over photos to read the captions.

It’s a public holiday (auyongtc: not for me, Jesus is not that popular here ), and everything’s sparkly everywhere. That’s what I like most about Christmas. Not Santa Claus, Jesus in the manger, or turkey, but the trees and the lights. I guess I’m like a magpie that cannot resist anything that’s tinsly and shinny, especially the baubles.

Everything is prettier, and the atmosphere’s a little lighter than normal. Maybe because everyone’s looking forward to the drinking and partying, or maybe the end of the year is in sight, but it always feels a little more carefree.

Well, for whatever reason you celebrate this festive season, here’s a little wish from us:

And lets hope it’s going to be a better year ahead.

postscript: yay, will be in Tokyo on New Year’s day. But will definitely avoid the crowd going to the shrines. I prefer my shrines quiet and serene, not packed like a shopping mall.

Convocation was last Wednesday in NTU’s Auditorium. Ceremony was, well, long-winded, especially when I thought it’d be quick with our cohort of only 160+, but turns out there were as many masters fellas as there were mere degree folks like us. 0_o

My whole family travelled all the way to Singapore just for this, so haha, what an honour. :p We were probably one of the largest family to attend, but thankfully plenty of extra tickets were available so I don’t feel so bad taking so many extras, and my sisters didn’t have to sit outside and drink coffee for 90 minutes.

Nice seeing everyone again after my 3-month-long holiday. Took me a few seconds to recognise some people. Must be the gowns, made us all look like some harry potter congregation hehe. Took lots of photos too, so thanks to friends, friends of friends, family of friends, who helped with the photo-taking.

My sis Tse Mei and me (with the mortarboard that gives me extra height). She’s leaving soon for her final year studies in the US, so all the best (with the snow)!

me and some of my choir friends who arrived after the ceremony for our lil’ photo-taking get-together.

After convo (and some touristy activity around Singapore with my family), I went back to PJ with them, spent the weekend there fooding around, and now I’m back in the little island, hoping someone will hear my plea for a job (and money to pay my rent). lol. On with more job sites browsing.