Blind Lady & Esme Guide Dog in Yahoo News

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blind-lady-places-her-life-in-four-paws--023826370.html

I find it unbelievable that SG people would react unkindly to her and Esme. I always thought Singaporeans are kind people. Or at least a substantial majority.  So much so that SG people have been run over by their own government that has let in all the foreigners. Simply because Singaporeans are such wimps.

Are those who reacted badly to Esme really Singaporeans or some other rojak people living here?

It is troubling that people can react in such bad ways to her.

To be honest, I like dogs more than gay people. 

It is possible that people don't realize that she's blind because she looks like she can see and is just bringing around a dog into supermarkets etc...

Hearing her say she went travelling with her family to Thailand and Korea for a break, I wonder what can travelling mean when she can't see? I began to realize that the main part of travelling to enjoy a different place is being able to see. That's how you know you're in another country.

Without sight, and just going through customs, how do you feel you are in another country and not just in another part of Singapore? What benefit or relaxation is there in a vacation where one place is the same as the one you left (without sight)?

When she said her dad wouldn't go out dinner with the family because of Esme and the bad reactions of the public, I feel it's not right of her dad to do that. As a dad, shouldn't he stick by her? It's just public opinion.

When someone tries to be funny, her family member should just shout at the offender:

She's blind and this is her guide dog. You want to be blind also? You wanna give her sight back? If not, shut the hell up.

Hamanoya Japanese Restaurant @ Marina Square Review

A few days later, I am still thinking of their rice (but can't return for it because Bro doesn't like the food there).  It is authentic Japanese rice.  I like it even better than Yayoiken, although Bro thinks Yayoiken's rice is more flavorful.

At the door, while we looked at their menu with a waitress attending us, a waiter came out to say they specialize in grilled stuff.

While I'm not a fan of grilling or BBQing, their menu looked interesting with rice meals and affordable enough for us to try. So, we walked in a few days ago on a weekday.

There's a flyer that prints this restaurant on 1 side and Hifumi on the other side. So I'm guessing these 2 belong to the same company.

Service @ Hamanoya is excellent. The main waiter (captain/asst manager?) actually knelt down to our table level when taking our orders. Very polite man when replying to our questions.

After he left, a waiter came over to present us with 3 wet, small, dead fish decorated a little around with raddish slices and a few yellow plastic flowers. I couldn't take my eyes off the 2nd one that had a brown body with an oblongish head with little spikes along the top and a sad white open eye looking at me. Christ.

I looked at the waiter wondering why he brought it over.  It's a rather sick presentation.

After some elaboration on his part, I came to understand that it was the catch of the day that they would grill for us if we chose.  I assumed the presentation was to show that the display was fresh.

Rather disgusted inwardly, I acknowledged his explanation and said we wouldn't be grilling those and he went away.

We were then served a small charcoal grill on our table, the waiter first making an exaggerated show of dipping 2 sticks of meat in a sauce before putting it on the grill.

The meat ... I recognized the stretch of it, the shape of a shell even though there wasn't any shell, that said it was unmistakably snail/Mollusc.

The waiter informed that it was complimentary. I asked if it was chicken meat and a Japanese sushi counter guy came over to explain it was whelk and spelt it.

Whelk is a sea snail. The sort that clings to rocks and people eat it by steaming it and sucking out the meat. 

With that amount of meat on the sticks, it should be rather large snails to supply it.

I could only look at it but not bring myself to eat it.  I think the restaurant should not serve complimentary food like this. If it's complimentary, at least serve something usual like chicken meat, not something that only connoiseurs would appreciate.

I wondered if it was stuff that couldn't be sold and thus had to be presented as complimentary to get it off/out.

We didn't know how long to leave the sticks on the grill until I asked that main waiter. He replied very politely that actually there was no need to grill so long (or at all) because it's already done.  It can be eaten raw.

Raw snail?

As I said, I don't know what the restaurant management is thinking.

Nevertheless, Bro was hungry, the food we ordered hadn't arrived (we just ordered). After hearing what the waiter said, he took a stick and tried the meat while I looked on and asked how it tasted.

He said it tasted somewhat rubbery (probably because we left it too long on the grill), but otherwise tasteless. Just taste the sauce only. A little is fine, but it got to be too much (too gross) and he abandoned it after eating 1 stick and a little of the other stick.

For our orders, I got the Chicken Karage. Bro got the Oyakodon. While I liked my rice and karage with the sweet sauce on it, Bro didn't like his.

He said he much preferred Yayoiken's Oyakodon. I think with the snail inside him, he wasn't hungry anymore and that probably skewed his taste for the Oyakodon he ordered. 

My Karage came with miso soup that had a little Salmon skin with meat attached. The Salmon meat probably floated away and wasn't in my soup. Nice touch to have Salmon as part of the stock, but the soup loses to the Salmon miso soup that was offered free to us some time back at the sushi shop at Vivocity (the shop is still there but changed name. Back then, the waiter and cook were very good to us when we used to visit. One night we came for sushi and the waiter gave us each a generous portion of Salmon miso soup that he said was the remainder for the day. It had generous amounts of Salmon meat). 

For drinks, we ordered just water. ^_^

Overall, I would go back for Chicken Karage and rice. The meat was lean. But since Bro isn't keen on returning, I probably wouldn't also unless I really must have that rice.

Mad For Garlic Review (Food Wine @ Suntec New Wing)

Update 9 Jan 2014:  Went to eat their Garlic pizza again yesterday for dinner.  Somehow, it's not as nice as before.  Was it because the Indian waiter put too little cheese shavings when serving? As I considered, it seems less sweet than before, as though the chef skimmed on the pizza sauce? Or skimmed on the sweet garlic pieces? In any case, something was less.

The crust was however, still excellent and very nicely crispy and flavorful.

I ate half plate (about 6 pieces) and didn't want to take home the rest.  Take-away will just ruin the crust and taste.

I asked the Filipino woman manager if the chef was the same. She said yes. "Everything the same?" I asked. She again said yes.

Hmmm.... (did my taste change?)

She was as puzzled as I, said she will check with the kitchen later. At the end, thanked me for the feedback.

She also gave us a 40% New Year voucher (pretty surprised it's 40%) to be used for next visit.
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Update 16 July Tues:  Yesterday ate the Banana Chocolate Pizza and BBQ Ranch Chicken Pizza. Bro said his BBQ pizza was a little too salty while I found the BBQ sauce a little sourish (as BBQ sauces tend to be although this was less so). The Banana Choc Pizza was nice, the chocolate sauce is perfect. I was surprised to see a few garlic pieces in there, but couldn't taste them at all (they were marinated).

Overall, I still prefer the Spicy Cream Chicken Pizza and Chicken Mushroom Risotto of the previous time.

A tad of a pity that the floor staff are Filipinos with the Asst Manager being rather insincere and lacked knowledge.
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My compliments to your chef/s.
Excellent. 5/5. 10/10. 100/100.  The most perfect food and drinks in an SG restaurant.

Service: Good.

Day/Time of visit: Sat 13 July/ Evening

Lovely ambience, lovely place. 

I had the Grilled Chicken and Mushroom Risotto $22.50. Bro had the Spicy Cream Chicken Pizza $21.40. For DBS/POSB card, just pay additional $12 to get their dessert and 2 Signature Ade drinks and a $10 return voucher!

I chose Garlic Berry ice cream and Yujaade; Bro chose Lemonade.

Total cost = $65.80

The most excellent meal I have ever eaten. Drinks were perfectly done.

Bro said his Lemonade was sour but a nice sour.  I liked my Yujaade which is a citrus drink that was nice and just slightly bitter because it's Yuzu (I didn't try bro's lemonade since he said it's too sour for my stomach to take and denied me it).  I asked, but it's not possible to change to other drinks besides their Signature ade drinks which are all citrus.

Later, inspired by the Yujaade, I bought Yuzu peel fresh drink in a carton from NTUC and found that the Yujaade is superior with better taste and flavor and less bitter.

The Spicy Cream Chicken Pizza was very paper thin. The cream is perfect and the pizza base is soft (impossible to pick up with fingers). Amazing the sauce doesn't seep through (the pizza base is not soggy). Excellent taste and flavor, just the right amount of ingredients! Bro said it doesn't look nice but tastes great (on arrival, it looked wet with few ingredients and a few sprigs of spring onion).

My Risotto was perfect! Lots of mushrooms in the lovely soft rice. Topped with perfectly grilled lean chicken slices. Bro said it's the first time I eat the plate so clean.  Unfortunately, I was unable to finish just the last spoonful (too full already). ^_^  I had wanted to wait a bit to continue eating, but I placed my cutlery in such a way that it signalled I was done, so the waitress removed it after we asked for the dessert to be brought. No matter, I was really too full anyway.

The Garlic Berry ice cream was lovely also.  On first thought, it doesn't seem as if Garlic and ice cream can go together. But it is actually Garlic Berry and ice cream.  The ice cream is vanilla flavor and the sweet garlic pieces are at the bottom with a surrounding of raspberry-blueberry sauce (with berries that look like red bean). 

Their garlic in horizontal halves are marinated in sweetness/syrup.  So the taste isn't that strong but still there if you can taste it.  Bro couldn't taste it and just ate it like any other ice cream. I could taste it when eating a garlic piece alone and had to "wash" it down with the ice cream. ^_^ Still, a lovely, perfect dessert.

On exit at the cashier, I asked where the restaurant was based. The cashier said Korea. So this is a Korean concept? Yes, she replied.

Amazing. Korean? Not Italian at all?

We will be back. I want to try the Banana Chocolate Pizza next time!

Unfortunately, bro and myself are not wine people. So, can't comment on their vast-looking collection of bottles.  But I'm sure their wine is delicious too.

The location is not difficult to find, although it is a little deep in.

According to their website, they just opened @ Suntec on 1 July! From this post, only 12 days ago!
http://www.madforgarlic.com.sg/

Google Roswell Doodle (The Best!)

I love this latest one so much!!  It appeared on 7 July night till 8 July.  They have taken it off the Google page today, but it's still available here: http://www.google.com/doodles/roswells-66th-anniversary

This is even better than the one with the flowers, river and sky previously.

I played with this Roswell one a few times before it was removed.

Roswell information is kinda messy, I only read some, but the doodle is really amazing genius fun!! Who did it and how was it made?  Rather lazy to find out. But it would be a pity to miss playing it!

I didn't know there was a feather and a sleeping man until I read some comments in Google.

Turns out, there are 2 pathways to this game at the end. Pretty damn amazingly done!

It's very simple: Just collect the 3 items that would allow the alien to fly home.  The top cover, the middle ring and the bottom.

60~70% Spoiler Alert below!  


At the start, the top cover is there for the picking.  After that, the alien can go left or right. Either way, the items still have to be collected before the alien can fly. But going by the right is a longer route (because that radioactive tank on the left is super useful!).

Once you've picked up the radioactive tank after turning left (I leave you to figure out how to get it), go to the right once you have gotten out.  Bonus fun: make the cow bigger!!

At the right, there's a barn with a horse in it. I leave you to figure out how to make the horse appear and how you can get that middle part of the spacecraft suspended up there. As mentioned, that radioactive fluid is super useful!! 

After that, here's the best part! The 2 pathways.

Choose to ring the bell under the light to wake the sleeping man. You won't be able to see him by doing that, but once awakened by the doorbell, he'll throw out something which you will pick. That would be the last piece that would allow the alien to go home.

Alternatively, bypass ringing the doorbell and continue to the end where you will see a chicken beside a leafless tree. I leave you to figure out how to get the feather from this chicken.  (The chicken and sleeping man scenario will only appear if you bypass ringing the doorbell. Once you ring the doorbell, it's game over).

Once you've the feather, climb the tree... and you'll find that it's too short for the alien to reach the sleeping man.  I leave you to figure out how to reach the sleeping man.

The best part is when he giggles! So cute and funny!

I leave you to figure out how to make him giggle. Once he does, the alien gets the last piece to fly home!

Lovely, lovely, lovely! Love it so much.

2 items are extras in there with seemingly no particular use: horseshoe and rope.

Gataomo (Hair Salon Review Singapore)

Update: Thurs July 11:  I have just gone to QB to get my hair fixed.  It's been only 6 days since I went to Gataomo and I really dislike the green stubble at my neck and back cut. The top is also not satisfactory (it was left uncut at the salon to achieve an overall look which isn't cool or stylish). The front is also too short.

QB at least cleaned up the green stubble a little, so it's less obvious. The back part has more bounce now, although it could have been better if it hadn't been ruined at Gataomo. It just looks like a normal-looking average back cut now.

Just have to wait it out now. In another 2 months' time, will be able to visit another salon. No choice but to wait.

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

Day/Date: Fri 5 July
Time: 3pm
Stylist: May Chong. Randomly assigned to me.
Walk-in, less than 5 mins wait.
Dry cut  (short hair)

Length of stay: About an hour.


It is only now after just getting back that checking their facebook, I realize my haircut was done by the manager.   And I am surprised because she was tactless and rather displeased me.

Out of the whole team of guys, I got the manager. Normally, it might have been a good thing (to be attended to by the manager) since she charged only $32 (for first-timer and I didn't specify a stylist).

At the end, she said it would be $40 if I asked for her the next time.

There won't be a next time that I would ask for her.

From the photos provided in Beauty Undercover's link (in comments section of that post), I thought a few guys' haircut looked good. Hovering my mouse over the photos, the salon name came up: Gataomo @ Far East Plaza.

Before deciding on Gataomo however, I checked online as usual for reviews. Positive reviews are all in their Facebook. Negative reviews are few online.

It is from the replies to the negative reviews that I find that the salon or their representative who posts, is very protective and defensive of their stylists.  That in itself might be a problem if anything goes wrong with a customer's visit.  Something to keep in mind.

From the photos I saw at their facebook, I didn't like the ones by "May" (just glanced at the name but didn't commit it to memory).  I liked the styles by the assistant manager Jenzson but didn't ask for him when I was there.

While I didn't have great expectations (I don't have much expectations of any Far East Plaza's hair salons),  I hoped this might be a salon I would visit again.

Unfortunately... I most likely won't be returning (not after this review), even if I might want to try Edwin Lee (more likely) or Jenzson.

1) No proper receptionist. For a moment after entering and standing there, I thought I would remain a standing piece of furniture. But fortunately, a male stylist working on a customer beside the empty booth managed to speak to me, asking if I wanted a haircut. The other staff hardly acknowledged the entry of a customer.

2) The place is too small.  I discovered the seat that I was in, near the glass side, is actually useless because it doesn't allow the stylist to cut on the left side.  I only realized it when she asked me to move to the next seat (after a male customer just left). 

3)  Hairwasher was a man with body odor. The hairwashing was bland. So far, I keep saying only Reds @Takashimaya has the best and sexiest washes.

4) The stylist was tactless, as mentioned. So far, 2 salons have learnt to avoid pointing out things that the customer might not like: Kim Robinson and La Coco. 

I noticed that when I dropped by Kim Robinson and La Coco previously, the stylists asked if I wanted to dye my hair. I had assumed they wanted to earn extra cash from the extras such as dyeing. Also, dyeing would create depth and highlights for my black hair.

But on second thought, I realized later that they were probably being tactful about my strands of white (besides wanting to earn more money).

On those occasions when they asked if I wanted hair dye, I had said "no", and they had wisely left it at that.

From reviews I read, young ladies dislike stylists pointing out their hair flaws.

May Chong however, further negatively mentioned the customer's appearance another two or three times, which really puzzled me.

She should learn from Eric Lim of Kim Robinson. He has perfect tact. When I didn't know what to say about their hairwash when he asked how it was, he helpfully provided, "Can be better?".  It saved the conversation and spared me from having to say how bad it was.

5) When I came home and bro saw the back, he exclaimed, "Ai yo. So short.".

Before the stylist started, I had made it known that I didn't want it too short. I said I wanted a different style but not too short, and give it some volume.

The result is that the back of the neck now has green stubble that she told me she couldn't remove cleanly because they don't have shaving blades.

The back end is almost a straight cut.

Her idea was to shave up beneath and cover over with the back hair.  (Makes me wonder what Eric Lim/Kim Robinson would have said).  It was to prevent a duck's tail from forming.

Although the idea of shaving up and then covering over didn't sound good, I thought to give it a try since the actual thing might turn out to be nicer than described.

Furthermore, when I mentioned it was too short after it was done, she "moved" the "blame" to me by saying it depended on what I was looking for, how bold I was willing to go.

It's just typical outdated defence from a Malaysian "stylist".   How many stylists actually blame/convince their customers like this these days?

"Cool-looking" was the word I had also used when describing to her what I wanted.  I had already specified I didn't want it too short. Green stubble is definitely too short and not nice.

Ironically, she had said she wouldn't slope up my nape because it would look like a guy, not nice.  So now with green stubble, it's nicer?

While I was talking to her about the green stubble, a male stylist who might be Edwin/Jenzson was sitting behind watching my reflection in the mirror that was in front of me.

I wondered what he was thinking.  Did he see the mistake and think he would do it differently? If he can do it differently, I welcome it.  Unfortunately, he just sat there with a female stylist beside him, and later got up and left.

-----
Overall, after hair wax, the style would look good from the front and sides. The back when volumized would also look pretty good. The only mistake/flaw is the back end with the green stubble. And my displeasure about her comments.

Also, the service from the stylist and hairwasher was good. Two of them blew dry my short hair at the same time (when most of the customers had left, leaving another person and myself). The stylist took her time to ensure everything was "perfect".  She also took time to brush off the hair on my face and neck with a tissue just before I walked out from the cashier.

Next up = another salon for the killing in 2~3 months' time.

The Stupidity, Utter Crap & Hidden Truth Of Pink Dot (2013 Singapore)

21,000 turned up. Yet at the same venue, only 4,000 turned up to support against the White Paper.  

I really cannot sit and let it go by.

4,000 people cannot even be compared to the 10,000 in Pink Dot of 2011. 

How many of these 21,000 Pink Dot supporters were even among the 4,000 against the White Paper in-the-drizzle event? 

How many among these 21,000 Pink Dot supporters are Singaporeans?  

How many of these 21,000 supporters who aren't gay/whatever have actually been among gays/whatever as one of them and know what they are really like? 

The numbers just show that gay/whatever people and their supporters are stupid and only care about themselves and their bubble in which they live. 

To know the truth about gay and transgender people, pose as one of them and talk to them. That is how you will learn what they are really like. 

Not just by sitting around and thinking that "everyone should have equal rights regardless of sexual orientation". 
 
In theory, that is the premise of the Pink Dot event. A very good front banner. Sure, free love for all. 

But this "free love", if you know gays, is a door opening to literally free love everywhere. It will give them the freedom to do what they love doing best in parks, toilets, etc... They love free love. 

Trust me on this. I have talked to enough gay men and women on Trevvy and Fridae.  Although I have communicated less with transgenders (since I avoid them), the few I have communicated with have impressed even less. 

It is not good enough to say you have gay/transgender friends. You do not know what they are really like. What they show is the surface. 

Discrimination against race/culture/nationality etc... is not for nothing.  Reason/s exist based on observation and what the subject of the discrimination displays. 

Fact is, not all humans are equal. Just as certain groups are good at certain things, and certain diseases are more inherent in certain groups than in others, it is the case that discrimination against gays/transgenders is not for nothing.

Why do normal people shun gays/transgender? 

In the beginning, I didn't know, and thought like what others thought:  that it was unfair and that gays/transgender are just like other people.  For transgenders, I was given an impression that they are to be pitied, being neither male nor female.

Fact is, gay/transgenders are not like other people. They are inferior in terms of personality and character. 

The reader might be upset by this. But as I said, I used to think like the supporters of Pink Dot, until I went to check it out myself.

Although I am not entirely pro-government,  I have to commend the government for the wise decision not to allow gays more freedom than they already have.  

Consider this: Gay men have a club (in Singapore) that allows them to strut around naked on the rooftop on a full moon's night. (Do gay women have that? Do even heterosexuals have that?). They easily "connect" with hot bods they see online and offline. Many are hardly shy about what they want and say so in the classifieds and in PMs.  How much more freedom do they want?  Don't they already have more "rights" than other people? 

The fact that there is even such a club is already a concession.  Neither are they actively persecuted by the government or society.  So far, gay men can do whatever they like with themselves even despite that particular section of the penal code.  What more do they want?

Yet every time, they keep bringing up wanting the abolishment of that penal code, wanting to score the same "victory" as western countries. To what end?

Get married and play house? Love ever after? Domestic bliss or farce?  Ordinary man-woman relationships are problematic enough, let alone 2 men, 2 women and other combinations.

The turnover rate among gay people is so high that marriage is just a waste of time.  They get together and break up faster than they change mobile phones. 

Even if they manage a victory over that penal code and get married, it's just a matter of breaking up after that. How is divorce going to be done then?  More administrative work.

First of all, do they even understand the purpose of a marriage and why there is a need for official sanction in the eyes of the law? Certainly, a marriage is not to protect gay/transgender/other combinations people.  It is to protect women and their children from men who would renege on their obligations and duties as fathers.

That being the case, how does a marriage even apply to gay people?  Any marriage outside of a normal man-woman relationship can only be a farce and a mockery of what a marriage has been intended for.


What are gay/transgender people really like? 

Immature. Low self-esteem. Low self-confidence.  Low self-worth. Shallow. Selfish. Narcissistic. Untrustworthy. Not intelligent.   

Qualities that are not favoured in anyone, man or woman.  No surprise that gays/transgenders have a hard time finding "love".  What they are seeking will elude them forever, simply because the problem is in themselves, not in others.

When the problem is internal, it matters not whether the person changes gender or sexually prefers one gender over the other.  

If there is any persecution, it is within themselves. 


Among gay men, there is a division of sexual position preference which is very significant to them. 

Whether you are "top", "bottom", "versatile", has meaningful significance, along with age and how hot your "bod" looks.  Their common introduction starts with age (always abbreviated to "yo"), height, weight, sexual position preference.

They do not consider more than that as long as the target's photo is hot, and happens to be approachable. There is no looking beyond the face/front.  They apply the same way of  "preference" to men in trains, buses, random eye-to-eye contact etc...

What they are preferring is simply the vessel/body.   There is no real love.

Consider this: If their love is so great, would they still love their lover/partner if everything about the person were the same except that it is in the body of the opposite gender? 

Know what gay men really think about women?  There are those who look down on women, saying women's privates are smelly.   

Certainly, such imbeciles wouldn't also realize that men aren't odorless either.  But in the ecstasy of hot sexual passion between 2 men, it is understandable that each other's smell is preferable.

"Smelly" is a matter of personal hygiene, whether men, women or kids.  Men who just moved into an army bunk stink up the room in just 1 day as though they have been in there for weeks.


If I am an employer and before hiring I find out the person is gay, I will hire someone else who isn't. Not because of  the sexual preference/orientation. But because I know the negatives in the person's personality and character that are in that word "gay". 


Gay women and transgenders, I may post about next time, and perhaps more on gay men.

It is quite useless to say that what I have come across are minorities of these people. I have communicated with many, enough to know their minds. 

Thank goodness the SG gay politician is in the opposition party and not in the one that counts.