The Shopping Spree and Dinner with Mark

Ultra Detail Figure - Metal Gear Solid 20th Anniversary: Snake(MGS4 Version)

Found during my last retail therapy trip, I could not resist buying this baby off the shelves from Movie Replicas. This is Old Snake(from Metal Gear Solid 4), bought at an unbelievable S$89.00! Burnt a big hole in my wallet but it sure as hell rocks.

Anyway, I met up with Mark again this week. Lawrence and I were invited over to his house for dinner and we had this extremely succulent(and I mean succulent) roasted duck from Ipoh. It was too bad Jacq couldn't make it, because we had 2 pizzas later on along with a bottle of red wine courtesy of Lawrence! Damn good dinner.

After our meal, Lawrence decided to watch Ip Man on DVD while Mark occupied himself with FaceBook. We entertained ourself and waited for Jacq until around 10pm in the evening when we headed down to her place for another round of drinks and talk cock session. Thanks to Lawrence for throwing in the Russian Vodka(not German, thank you Jac!).

Sadako Visits

Sadako decides to drop by in broad daylight. (No worries, that's really just my mischievous little sister)

The Indian Rojak Incident

I've had a constant temptation to comment on the food hygiene of Singapore's F&B industry ever since the recent case of severe food poisoning. As a chef, I must say that it is tragic that hawkers and others alike lack either education or dedication to food, and most importantly their customers. I have myself seen chefs dip their spoons into the saucepan and into their mouths then back into the saucepan, then the cycle repeats. Absolutely disgusting. I can only wonder what runs through their minds when they're handling food, that's going out to millions.

Of course, it is amusing that hawkers out there in foreign countries still survive to this day, such as street hawkers in Taiwan or Thailand. I sometimes wonder, are Singaporeans too pampered, tamed or just simply weak? Okay that's not the issue anyway. Coming back to my point, the food industry is something easy to survive on no matter where you are on the globe, however I realise more than often these days that alot of people fail to pay attention to basic hygiene. They're more concerned about money going into their puny pockets rather than what's really going out to the people who matter. C'mon, who's paying for your salary right?

There might be other factors, such as lack of education; as I've mentioned. Tragic... real tragic. Nevertheless I believe every hawkers, cooks and chefs should take an initiative to ensure that they understand basic hygiene. It is their responsibility, or rather their job afterall don't you agree? Especially the management. (It is often the people at fault and not the organisation that's flawed)

I feel sorry anyway for the many who make a living by selling Indian Rojak.

Rest and Recreation

I finally met up with Jacqualine again last night at Timbre Substation along with her two fun loving friends XY(or so she calls herself) and Kevin, a fella who looks like a rendition of Gurmit Singh and a very youthful Lim Yu Beng, after a brief dinner with Mark at Sushi Don.

Speaking of Sushi Don, Mark and I each had a Salmon Don, his being cooked and mine raw. The dish was served was the salmon slices on top of the rice, with raw greens below and bit of ebiko(fish roe) on the salmon. The calrose rice was pleasantly sweet, the raw Salmon was fresh..... but you know what? The chefs mixed the wasabi somewhere along the lettuce! Thank God I had a cup of hot Ocha to suppress the taste or I would have teared to death. If you ask me, I'd probably go back there again but I'd watch out for the hidden Wasabi the next time round.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun with Jac, XY, Kelvin, Mark and his friend Christine. Many thanks to Kelvin and XY for their lovely jokes; which had me and Mark laughing ourselves half to death, Jac for her wonderful entertainment and of course the food... and not forgetting her hilarious antics. If I had any stress at work and whatever, it was gone with them. Thanks alot guys, for your company!