Sophie and Her Pout

This is what you get when you ignore Sophie for several minutes while you are busy with the boys, or busy with your stuff while you are in the same room.

Sophie is pretty vocal when she wants your attention, and she does this by blowing bubbles, giving you various vowel sounds, and also, sounding really pitiful when you approach her but do not attempt to carry her out of her 'cage'. I love it when she grins with delight as soon as she is carried. Though I know I shouldn't be doing it too often, my heart melts whenever she moans for attention and no one else but me is interested in 'rescuing' her.

Still, her pout is the cutest!

Sophie's been Bitten!

Yes, it looks awful, but it's OK. Sophie was recently bitten by an insect or mosquito, and it caused a big swelling on her left hand. You can see the difference when you compare her 2 hands together. Fortunately, the swelling does not itch, so she is not bothered by it, but we have since seen a doctor and have given her some oral medicine, and ointment to apply.

Looks really scary actually.

Bak Kwa

I had a short walk around Chinatown and you could see the bustle of activity as Chinese New Year is approaching. Tentages have been set up to sell New Year decorations, tid bits, etc etc.

One item not to be missed for the season is 'Bak Kwa'. It smells irresitably yummy when you approach it. They BBQ it on the spot, and you can eat it on its own, or eat it together with bread (like a sandwich). It can range from $33 to $42 per kg, depending on the season. In the coming weeks, the price will increase as New Year approaches.

Mmm...we already ordered ours to make sure we avoid the queues that form when you NEED to buy it near New Year dates...Phew!

For those overseas, you can 'lick' and savour the picture here.

HRM Awards 2007

I just returned from the HRM 2007 Awards where Sony was nominated for the Best HR Team. It was the 2nd time we were nominated and the 2nd time we did not win :-(

Much like the Academy Awards in terms of award presentations, each of the categories is presented, the nominees read out and the winners announced following the tearing open of ‘the envelope’. All winners remain strictly confidential until the announcements during the gala awards ceremony itself.

Anyway, it was tough competition as we were placed amongst other MNCs who were just as well-known for their HR practices. We just have to work harder next time!

Dinner was 'so-so', with salmon as the main dish, and tiramisu for dessert. Service at the Marina Mandarin Hotel was unspeakable if I may say so - too many 'blur' temporary staff who do not know how to handle guests and their needs. Cutlery was missing, water was not served when requested, coffee/tea cups were placed nicely for us but nothing was served after dessert. (Sigh) - I wonder what happened to GEMS ('Go-the-Extra-Mile for Service').

It's sad.

Gluttons Bay

My hubby and I had the chance to eat dinner at Gluttons Bay yesterday, thanks to a mix-up where we were supposed to go for an evening movie (but the movie was not being shown at the cinema that we went).

Anyway, we ate the Alhambra padang satay, Zhong Zhong Fine Spice (Ngoh Hiang) and Hup Kee (Orchard Road) Fried Prawn Noodles. The food was simply to 'die for'!!!

We have yet to try some of the other food stalls that are also critically acclaimed. The only catch is, they open daily from 6pm to 3am - they are not open for lunch.