Bangkok Tonight

Ok everyone.

Today's the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it :)

Tonight i'll be on AirAsia flight to Bangkok with about 10+ of us, conquering Bangkok again.

Shopping Princess Unleashing today!

I'll be back on 1st October.

Meanwhile.... Happy October!!

Nearly poisoned by melamine

I was wanting to blog something about myself, because my kiddo said that i'm always providing information about things that are happening. I do agree with her to some extend.

I've wanted to write about things that matter to me, and what i think people who read my blog should know what's going on. Like this melamine incident. Yeah, i have 2 entries on it.

And, in a weird twist, it has affected me.

I was thinking that i should just read up if there's any update on the China-made products. And i got so freaked out by what i read:

*****

5 more China-made products found tainted with melamine

SINGAPORE: Five more China-made food products sold in Singapore have been detected to contain the industrial chemical melamine. 

Two are flavoured milk and three are confectionaries containing milk powder as an ingredient. 

They are: Dutch Lady Banana Flavoured Milk; Dutch Lady Honeydew Flavoured Milk; Silang - House of Steamed Potato - Potato Cracker; Puffed Rice Rolls - Butter Corn Flavour; and Puffed Rice Rolls - Cheese Flavour. 

The latest findings bring the total number of affected products to eight. 

The other products that were earlier found to be contaminated with melamine are Yi Li Choice Dairy Fruit Bar Yogurt Flavoured Ice Confection; Dutch Lady Strawberry Flavoured Milk; and White Rabbit Creamy Candy. 

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) says the public need not be unduly concerned as it has suspended the import and sale of all milk and milk products from China since 19 September. 

AVA also says only low levels of melamine were detected in the affected products. Consumers have to consume large quantities of the contaminated products over a prolonged period of time to have any potential ill effects on health. 

For example, an adult weighing 60kg needs to eat 13 packs of Silang House Steamed Potato crackers daily for an entire lifetime to be affected by melamine contamination. 

Similarly, a child weighing 30kg will need to eat six-and-a-half packs of the potato crackers for the ill effects of melamine to take root. 

For enquiries on affected products, consumers can call AVA's hotline at 63257625 during office hours (8.30am-6pm, Monday-Friday). 

For health concerns associated with the ingestion of melamine, consumers can call Ministry of Health's hotline at 1800-2254122. 

Consumers can also visit AVA's website for more information. 

*****

Oh my God! When i caught the House of Potato Cracker, there was a jerk in my mind. Instintively, i open my cabinet and quickly take out a packet of the biscuits which i remembered it sitting in my cupboard.

To make it really 'best' ah, i have 2 packs of it. Both packets has 20 small packets. And i have consumed like half of each pack.

I've bought the 2 packs of biscuits at $3.55 at Sheng Siong about a month ago (it was on a special offer). They are actually quite good u know, esp the Potato and Tomato. It feels like u are eating potato chips (and ever since i started eating it, i've swore off potato chips). Which i took it as a substitute. 

And yes, they have a milky taste.

For a healthier snack, i didn't know that it can be a possible product that could harm me. =( I'd figure the reason why it kena the 'quarantine' from consumers is mainly because of where it came from. And there's milk powder in the ingredients. No melamine can escape the tests lah, if u ask me.

Milk products from China is really an accursed thing for this season. I shall steer clear of China-produce milk products. 

Will milk products from other countries be safer? That we are not sure. Though it could be "Made in XXXXXX" but the base milk components may come from China, which is not understood in the labels. Then how? 

To conclude, these 8 products are to be recalled due to tested postive for Melamine:

- Yili Yoghurt Ice-cream

- Dutch Lady Flavored milk : Strawberry, Banana, Honey Dew

- 大白兔奶糖

- Silang House of Potato Biscuits (all flavors including Original, Tomato and Potato and Taro)

- Puffed Rice ball : Butter corn flavor, Cheese flavor.

More about melamine-tainted milk

In my previous entry, i talked about Dutch Lady milk are to be recalled as they are found to contain Melamine.

Yesterday, i was at West Coast Sheng Siong, and was just walking around at the milk section, and i overheard a couple looking at cartons of milk on the shelf. And, suay-suay enough, laid on the shelf, at eye level is Dutch Lady's brand of milk (it does not look like this). It was just innocently sitting there and minding its own business... and is not related to the bottled ones.

Anyway, the lady was telling her husband in Chinese, why the supermarket is like that, still dare to sell the milk. Of course, they are mindful that none of Sheng Siong's staff are around. But i heard it.

After they've stepped away, i walked up to the shelf, took a carton, and immediate check where was it manufactured. It was manufactured in Malaysia.

How safe is this milk, no one really knows. Because it may be manufactured in Malaysia, but where the raw materials come from, we won't know.

Confidence in milk has gone drastically down. What u can do is to switch to Soya bean milk. At least there's no melamine to poison you.

Lack in Updates
Recently i've taken up a 2nd blog project, for my cg. It was mentioned to me last year by leader, but somehow it didn't materialize.

But finally, the blog was established yesterday and i'll be the official webmaster for the blog. I'll probably manage the site in terms of Content, which have been sparkling in my brain since the minute i created the blog. So, this is not going to be my-style. It's W74 style. So it's not gonna have PINK . U can see it here on my humble blog.

Have been squeezing my creative juices just to do up a good banner for the blog. Which i have changed like... 7 times since creation. But it has stirred me on - maybe it's time for a banner change for myself too. =)

Once i'm done with the banner, i'll resume back to my blogging frequency (actually, i've checked - this is my 11th entry for the month. Not too bad huh)

Alright, to our warriors at W74, you can read about our updates at http://w74ers.blogspot.com/

Read the labels on your milk carton

If u haven't been reading the news, there was a big stir.

It is found that baby food (milk) products from China has caused death in 4 babies and kidney stones developed in many young babies.

It was realized that there was melamine found in the baby products.

And after reading the Wiki entry on this accursed product, melamine is actually used to make plastic and things such as your favorite hangout's countertop (?!) and glues (?!?). And yes, it was abused by unethical people who wants to increase the protein content of food (which apparently is the case of the China-made milk powder).

And when u take too much melamine, which was supposed to in the first place, it causes reproductive damages, bladder and kidney stones and even bladder cancer. Which all the innocents babies are suffering from. Now growing babies have to resort to drinking juice to curb all these issues. 

U may think all these only happen in China. But, Agri-food and Veterinary Authority has written on their website on the recall of 3 products which we are very familiar with and that we have been eating since young.

1) 大白兔奶糖 - the one that we always eat with the transparent wrap intact.

2) Dutch Lady milk - All flavors, not just the Strawberry flavor

3) Yili Ice cream 

4) Every other milk products from China.

Anyway, to safeguard yourself from milk products, just take a minute to find out where it was manufactured before u purchase. Unless u wanna find yourself impotent or get bladder cancer.

After a week plus of sickness...

I must say that i'm really surprised at myself.

I've never ever got like 4 days of MC straight in my whole entire life?!

And though i know i'm the type where, though i'm on MC, i'll still be online doing stuff. Which i was.

And i dunno if the lack of required rest is the cause of my nose is still irritated, or that my right ear seem/seems not blocked anymore (this means i dunno whether if once 'pop' will it continue to stay unblocked. Apparently it is still blocked)

Today, i had a thought. SINCE i didn't partake of any hot stuff, i should take all the hot stuff, to make my ear unblocked!

Took as spicy as possible for every meal!!

Until now, i must say, it worked......

......to a certain extent. I ate the spicy meal of the day, at like 9pm. Ear was unblocked, along with lotsa mucus. But from 11pm, everything came back. And darn! My right ear still have that uncomfortable vacuum which i know i can't dig it with a cotton bud. And yea, nose is still irritated , but slightly improved.

But i'm glad that i can be out the whole day and not concuss before the end of day.

So, hopefully the blocked ear will clear out in the next 3 days, together with the nose and throat, and i'll be ready to eat my Tom Yum Goong in 7 days. :)

Slapped with another 2 days...

of MC. And another $27 bucks of medical fees.

This is not good news la.

At first, i thought that the Pink Dolphin worked wonders (esp since i've drowned 1 bottle in light of no recovery) after 7pm yesterday. There was a nagging thought in my mind that i'm physically not ready to work.

But i happily woke up early, ate a good breakfast and ready myself to work.

And the dizzyness started at 10am. Then the nausea came..... I was totally at a loss, and i have to go back to see the doctor. And left after lunch.

And the Doctor poked a medical apparatus into my blocked ear, and found nothing. So, he concluded that it's something internal.

As seen in the picture above, i've highlighted 2 areas in the eustachien tube. The doctor mentioned that since nothing was detected inside the ear lobe, it will only mean that the stuck is in through the  throat or the nose. 

So, doctor gave me some (more) medicine for my nose, some Celenid for giddyness, and this thingy called Ginkapran (which i think is related to gingko Biloba). And i must say the nose medicine really knocked me out. I guess i won't be back in office tomorrow.

I must get well before weekend. Because .... next weekend is Bangkok with CG!

MUST GET WELL FAST!

Out of action for 2 days

Throat remains sore and red and painful to swallow.

Ears are still blocked (so it's better for u to IM me instead of calling me on the phone. I might not be able to hear properly)

Nose started running today (Bea-flu's not working as yet)

Out of action for 2 days.

A new bout of sickness

I hasn't really been blogging since my last entry on Tuesday (Yeah, i think as a blogger, it's a SIN if i don't blog once every 5 -6 days.... right, i'm just kidding).

The main reason is because i didn't have much happening things to blog about, because i'm sick.

It happened that my throat was feeling weird, a bit sore on Thursday. The day before Sarah was just telling me that she couldn't take too much biscuits (i offered her some biscuits), in case she gets sore throat....

Anyway, i didn't think of much until Friday. 

Friday was the day of the "Pingpong-mooncake" event. It was really fun. We didn't spent as much as last month, but it's more fun as everyone sweated. And we ate snowskin mooncakes amist the table-tennis courts. Beyond that we carried lanterns from the Bishan stadium all the way to Junction8. 

I sweated a lot, and thought maybe this will sweat out my sore throat.

And the end result is HORRIBLE. I couldn't even sleep! My throat was so bad.. that i flipped on the bed from 1am - 3am. And my throat hurts like crazy!!!

Thankfully for the invention of Pink Dolphin drink, which i literally threw it down my throat, the sore throat has got signicantly better. So off i went to the supermarket and stocked up 2 more bottles of it.

But my troubles are far from over.

Remember my entry a month ago about my suspicion of having IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)? Well, my problem with my stomach is on going, despite i've done, such as drinking like 1 litre of water every (work) day. And u know ah, drinking so much water, i'll visit the toilet like 2 times every hour!

Yesterday was a day where my bloatedness really got on to a level where i only ate fishball kuey teow with soup and i'm so bloated??? What the...

There and then, i've decided that this can't go on lah. Yes, i need to lose some weight but this problem has been plaguing me like for the past 5 years!!!! And so, i went to the Pharmacy and the pharmacist recommended that i take this.

Enzyplex Tablets
What really captured my eyes is the caption on the packaging itself.

Wha Biang eh! Finally! There's something i can really relate to. YES I am literally bursting after every lunch, whether if it's a light or a heavy meal! 

Though the price for this as compared to a few other medicines are slightly more steep, but i think i'll give it a try (it's only a small bottle of 30 tablets), who knows, it might really work for me. At least i don't need to hear comments from ppl such as my colleagues, who commented that my stomach is rumbling too loudly. And it's sooooo paiseh to hear that from others lah (i wish i could hide my head somewhere).

And yes, i did a search regarding to enzyplex. Literally got a shock of my life to see that this name is also a kind of medicine for animals. Hmmmm.. Oh well, i guess animals also have problems with their digestive systems also wa. My Furby has that at times too...

I shall lay in wait to see how effectively it is. So far i don't see how it's 'anti-flatulent' is working as yet.

Evolution of Mocca Ads

Remember this ad?

And And and this?



I'm sure u do remember them. They are the catchy ads of Mocca.com, the search engine powered by MediaCorp Technology. Not forgetting this attention-grabbing ad (Check out my matching-green pipes!). Gross!!

However, these ads does bring people to know what Mocca.com is, but it does not really bring out what Mocca.com really is - A search engine for products. 

Mocca.com is up against quite alot of strong contenters [and presumely could not make a bang against them]:

(all in my opinion, it doesn't represent any other persons)

- ST 701 = This is really strong, thouigh it's new, the job portals are really good and can give the 2 superb-huge job placement portals a run for their money.

- Yahoo! Singapore = I don't have to say much. They run their own auctions, and their free webmail spaces are increasing and getting friendlier with every update.

(Now, i'm comparing only the Singapore products search engines, therefore Google is not in my list)

For the past 3 -4 weeks, Mocca.com came back on our screens, with a new set of TVCs that has depict what they want, BETTER! (though it still come with slapstick humor)

Looking for a car

Travelling with the 'sweetheart'

Last year's ads positioned it to be like a buy and sell website. But this year's ad, positioned it to be helping those surfing on Mocca to LOOK for what they want. Be it figuring out between having a topless car or convertible, or a travel package that involve your beloved pet, and (absent here), finding the best plastic surgeon, i see that Mocca has re-positioned itself to be what people are looking for in them.

And to give a thumbs up to its marketing effort, it has a bald-but-clever-looking guru and a lingo that is hard to miss:

THIS I KNOW, BUT NOW, THIS YOU KNOW!!

On a final touch, the interface looks much easier on the eye that on the previous one, which was overly cluttered. 

To be a guru of what u want to be, just click HERE to start your way to becoming one!

Specially for Sam....

My member who left for Sweden last night to study his PhD in Immunology commented that my blog entries are too long. (Yah lah, i very lo-so, ok :P ) So what he usually did is this:

-read the first paragraph

-read the last paragraph

(-____-)"'

I'll long words short speak (长话短说):

Hi!!! Have a great time in Sweden. Study hard, get your scholarships and be back to visit us soon yeah!

Dedicating this song "That's what friends are for" to u from 7th - 10th Sep on my blog. :)

Mr Google is my friend :)

If you dunno who Google is, ARE U SURE U HAVE BEEN LIVING ON PLANET EARTH????

Everyone knows who Google is. 

It's a most user-friendly search engine (IMO) in the world!

I came across Google while i was just starting out in my 2nd year of my degree course. And Curtin being a kinda research-based university, we need to research a lot. The search engines i knew that could only do that much. And someone introduced Google to me. From there on, my life changed completely.

Be it to search for sites, or to look for pictures, Google has been the easiest platform for me to find my stuff - Fast!

And they can help find stuff u want, wherever you are!

In my current work, i needed to do research regarding to Singapore and those in Malaysia. And Google Malaysia has helped me tremendously. Even looking for a bank address in Thailand, Google TH has enabled me to find information, in the twinkle of an eye.

When i first started out blogging on Blogger, i used a ID and password. It was last year (??) that i realized i could sign in with my Google Mail account!! Wow! Wow! Wow!!! And the functions are getting better and better by the day! I love the way that i can blog easier, and change my layout with more ease (u will know if u are using blogspot).

And, on the day that i turned 28, Google announced their new browser called Google Chrome. Hahaha... so in the sense, we share the same birthday, Just that i'm 28 years older. Read here for their announcement

And yes! I've downloaded and installed Google Chrome on my Vista laptop, about 10 mins ago. And what i can say is:

I like it! 

Introduction video of Google Chrome

And i do agree on what is written on some forums, that Chrome does load much faster! And the interface seems much much cleaner than that of my current one, it looks better on the eyes.

Q&A

Will Google Chrome become my No. 1 browser?

I believe so, i'll take some time to cold-turkey from my current, and have a habit of using Chrome.

Will Google Chrome become the next big thing?

It has become one to me. It's practically the hybrid of Internet Explorer and wonderful graphics of Mac's Safari.

Will i recommend Google Chrome to my friends?

YES!! To everyone reading my blog, RIGHT NOW, Install Google Chrome and have a great experience on Google Chrome (If u are on MAC..... Akan Datang ok? I dunno if Google Chrome's next version will provide for Mac users)

Click here to start on your Google Chrome experience!

Thanks to those who love

Since the night before, i've received birthday sms-es from ppl from:
- Chorus board (Thanks Laura, Si Hui, Sarah, Jacelyn and MeiHao)
- CG members
- Office
- Special birthday sms all the way from my aunt working in Indonesia.
- My tuition kid, Ariel

Birthday wishes msn:
- KL Office
- Singapore office

Birthday messages on blog tag:
- Weiying
- May

Yesterday evening, i was supposed to meet up with Well-travelled Friend, who weirdly suggested eating dessert before dinner. Hmmm.. it should be the other way round hor?

But when the 2 of us was just getting our butts warmed on the seats in Nihon Mura, suddenly i sighted:
- Esther
- Hugo
- Christal
- 郁景 (Esther's dancing friend. Esther, Hugo and her are rushing for another birthday celebration)
- Diana
- Sky
- Becky

Man! I soooooo touched! Even though Well-travelled Friend doesn't really know how to smoke through.... or maybe i'm too alert. Hohoho.

Then Ryan came for the Starbucks and some catching up.

Beyond the food and the super duper delicious mango pudding cake from Prive? Rive?, the love that was shown to me, touched me the mostest.

Though u guys may not get to read this, but i wanna shout out loud!

Love u all!!!

Lookalikes from my doggies

I have 2 doggies that i lurve very very very much.

And being a pet owner, you have the joy of:

- sayang-ing them every single day (yes i hug them everywhen when i reach home, as they ran to the door to welcome me back)
- cleaning their pee and their poo (u be surprise if they don't do that, which it means that they are constipated. eeewwwwW)
- being amused by them, incessantly, at any moment.

a) They started to fight for attention (ok, they fight CONSTANTLY for attention, for the fun of it)




The things they do:
-Barking at each other (they must be scolding each other in their own language that only they understood)
- Jerjer (the one in white) scolding at Furby (white and grey one) + some fake biting.
- If Furby gets pissed off, he started to growl angrily, and fight back. See picture on top-right. Furby must be thinking: "老子不发威，你当我病狗？？"

And when we tried to separate them, it took quite a bit of strength, because they can really be so engrossed into it. Then they start kissing each other, as if there wasn't a fight.

*Sigh, they are so 姑娘 at times.

b) They get so close to each other
- Whenever someone comes back from outside, Furby will be the one who will run to the door. And when Jerjer doesn't come, he'll bark and 'ask' him to come out.
- Similarly when we ask Furby where is Jerjer, he'll run to find him, and bark at him, seemingly telling him that someone is looking for him.

Amazing huh. Yeah, it's quite interesting when u have 2 doggies of totally different personalities. They do have traits that we find really intriguing and amazing.

c) They mimick famous (or so call famous) people
Both of them like to imitate Mr Quaker, u know Quaker Oats?


Furby has always been known within the family to be constantly imitating Mr Quaker.


Jerjer's imitating of Mr Quaker - had to change the lightings as he was sleeping in the dark

Nothing offensive to Mr Quaker Oats, but whenever we see this picture, we couldn't help but feel that they really looked like Mr Quaker.



Furby imitating Spidey...

Don't blame me for this forlorn and constipated look on his face. I didn't ask him to pose in this way, it's just naturally out of him. And a rare one, since he's very very camera-shy.

HAHAHAHA...


Hmmm... Happy 28th birthday to me.