Wifey needs to watch what she eats...

Wifey has been putting it on recently...

Maybe it's time to watch what she eats...


Oh wait...

Reflecting on 2011

Merry Christmas!


Had an entry Reflecting on 2010 last year, and I thought I should have one again to mark the end of 2011.
Not that my life is all smooth-sailing and happy-go-lucky... but as usual.. I always prefer to spread "positivity"... look back... be thankful.. and count my blessings...




Biggest news of 2011
The biggest news for me this year... If you have not heard yet...

Rest In Peace

Friends and loved ones would have known by now, my father-in-law passed away last Friday on 16 Dec 2011.


Everyone has different ways of coping with grief, I do it by remembering the beautiful memories left behind.
I believe that the best way to honour loved ones who have passed on is to live your life the best that you can. That's what they would want.


How nice was my father-in-law to me? I remember with fondness my previous

Will a person get food craving when pregnant?

You know what they say about 

pregnancy and food craving?

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

It is true....

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Should a wife check her husband's mobile phone?

Should a husband let the wife check his handphone?
Maybe not....


Here's why....
Unless... you are in a VERY VERY VERY OPEN relationship such as my Wifey and I!


Last night... while driving home together with my Wifey...
My phone beeped with messages...


As usual... got Wifey to help me check my phone...


Because she took quite a while to read the messages....

Ben the famous blogger in Singapore!

If you don't know by now... I'm a famous blogger!!!
Read my Ben the famous Singapore blogger entry to find out why...
Either that or like Wifey says...  I'm hopelessly shameless....


BUT..... 


I have further proof... why I'm famous!!!

Pregnant women should take bird's nest...

My SuperMum: When a woman is pregnant, should take bird's nest.. then the mum and baby will have very good skin...


Me: Oh is it... I think the dad also must take... then the dad's skin can also be good...

My SuperMum: 

Aiya... 

.

.

.

What really goes on behind closed doors between married couples?

Before you read any further... be warned.. this entry is not for kids...
It's about what really goes on behind closed doors between married couples.. when they have been away for some time... and when there is... *ahem*.... URGE....


As you may know... I was away for more than a week recently to Monte Carlo...
(Check out 

Monte Carlo, Monaco and Nice, France

How to get from Nice, France to Monte Carlo, Monaco?

Best picture taken from Monte Carlo during my trip)

So what did I do when I had the "urge"?...

I thought of my Wifey and whatsapp her when I was in the hotel of course...

You've been warned of the content... don't say I'm disgusting after reading...

so here's how the conversation went...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

How to get from Nice, France to Monte Carlo, Monaco?

Transport from Nice to Monte Carlo...


Monte Carlo does not have an airport on its own... the nearest airport is situated at Nice, France.


It's a pretty functional airport... Really basic...
But the view at Nice's airport is nice... real close to the seas...

Airport at Nice, France

There are a few ways to get to Monte from Nice... Train... Bus (I think)... or Cab (expensive)... but the best way to get there?

Best picture taken from Monte Carlo during my trip

This is the best picture from my Monte Carlo trip...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Much better than the scenery

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Much much better than the posh hotels

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Much much much better than the famous casino....

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

You know how easy it is to bump into someone rich and famous in Monte Carlo (or so I heard.. I prob can't recognise most of them...)

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

You guessed it....

It's a shot of a famous face!!!!!!!!

Monte Carlo, Monaco and Nice, France

Will be heading to Monte Carlo, Monaco... followed by Nice, France...
Soooooo looking forward to it...


A bit surprised when I first heard... Monte Carlo... the land of the filthy rich and famous... does not have an airport... (Did you know that?!)...
I suppose people there go by yachts??


Anyway, I was told the nearest airport is at Nice..
So from Nice, then you make your way to Monte Carlo...


There are a few ways to travel... from Nice to Monte.. But as everything is sooooo expensive... and in Euros...


I heard most probably I will be travelling by this 

small... 

.

.

.

.

compact.... 

.

.

.

.

bumpy... 

.

.

.

.

loud... 

.

.

.

.

noisy... 

.

.

.

.

mode of transport

I hope she knew what she was buying...

If I get food poisoning.... this is the reason why!!!...
Hungry... and lazy to head out for a meal...
Had to "hunt" for food in the fridge...


Found some chocolates left... think it was a gift from Wifey's friend who came back from overseas... and I'm guessing, a country which doesn't use English as a first language...




Well... I sure hope she knew what she was buying....

Why?

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Sometimes listening to your wife could save your life!

Had to find a way to exercise and burn off some fats... especially since my back got injured...
Soccer (my first love) is more or less out of the question... jogging strains the back as well...
So far rock climbing has surprisingly proven to be quite ok on my back.. less pounding and impact I guess.. (or the painkillers are working really well....)
And... it is far cheaper than wakeboarding!

Managed to CON-vince Wifey to go with me for the course and got my friend to join in too....


Have been climbing a few times since and we are still very safety conscious...
We have to cross-check to make sure everything is in order....


The first time we climbed after the course... during the cross-checking...
Wifey found something amiss with my "double-8" knot....
The knot you use to tie to your harness.. which could save your life....

Wish wifey had kept her mouth shut

All couples in a relationship (married or otherwise).. will understand this.. sometimes you just wish your other half had kept his/her mouth shut.. be it wife/girlfriend or husband/boyfriend...


The below was one such incident when I wished my Wifey didn't talk so much...




We had dinner at Jurong Point and we were just walking around when we walked past a stall selling egg tarts...

Jump martial arts show

JUMP the martial arts show / performance group from Korea is going to be in town..


I think it is a must watch because they have 3 superstars highly skilled in martial arts!!....






Their poster is amazing!!!......

Be in awe..

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Vote for Change!

My dear Wifey is on Instagram...

Her nick... which she describes as shameless is.... 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"michisawesome"

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

unfortunately I have to agree...

.

.

.

Jakarta Food

If you read my previous overseas entries.. 
You will know that I feel no trip is ever complete without sampling the local food..
Some of the local food from the previous trips...

Beijing 101 - Local Food!

Seremban, Malaysia Holiday Part 3

Visiting Seremban, Malaysia - Part 2

So this time round in Jakarta.. it was the same thing...
Went to a local shopping mall...
How local?...
Look at the last pic...
The cleanliness level is not for the faint-hearted.. to put it mildly...

Create a First Impression that Lasts

First impression matters.. that we all know... so if you are clueless like me on personal grooming... read on...

As you may know.. I volunteer with CDAC contributing to its blog.. the below is an entry first posted on CDAC blog.. thanks to Lionel Lim!...
But unfortunately as a policy... the administrator has taken out information about Lionel.. Feeling quite bad about it.. I decided to re-post it here...


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

Like it or not, first impression counts. Studies have shown it may take as little as seven seconds for people to form an opinion of you. The good news for most of us is that it is not so much about looks, but personal grooming and how we carry ourselves.

I caught up with Lionel Lim - a certified style coach cum image consultant, personal trainer, sports

The most amazing sight ever?

The most amazing sight to me so far...

The wonders of mother nature...

Had the opportunity to visit Toronto, Canada... and made a trip to Niagara Falls...

Thought it is just one of those *yawnz* sight-seeing thing...

But it was amazing!!!

The boat ride was a  really memorable experience when it went close to the waterfalls...

A must visit... and hope to have the chance to see more of the world!...

In awe of mother nature...

In awe of history in Beijing recently as well..

 http://ginsengtonic.blogspot.com/2011/05/beijing-101-visiting-forbidden-city.html

Niagara Falls

Warning signs?

If you have been reading my blog.. 

You would have read the below entries...

Turning into a Transvestite?

and

Is my husband gay?

I'm beginning to wonder...

is it getting to be more than a joke?

Why?....

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Beijing 101 - Visiting Forbidden City, the Palace Museum

What to do in Beijing? Two of the must-visits when in Beijing must be Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China.


This is part two of my Beijing 101 entry on my visit to Beijing...
(Check out the first one on local food that I tried: Beijing 101 Local Food at http://ginsengtonic.blogspot.com/2011/04/beijing-101-local-food.html)

Unfortunately due to time constraints, I had to choose between visiting Great Wall of China and Forbidden City as I only had one full free day to see the city. Well, if you have one free day, you could actually visit BOTH, if you want to. They have tours to do that. 


But if you... like me... don't like the rush of a tour group and visit for the sake of visiting kind... it may be better to take a pick... I actually spent four hours at forbidden city!


Took quite a few pictures.. so looks like I'll be breaking it into a few entries...




Here are some of the views from outside the palace...
The waters were really still at time and it was a beautiful sight watching the reflections...
And it's still the outside only.. you don't even pay anything yet...

Forbidden City exterior - ginsengtonic.blogspot.com

More pictures...

Forty Hands Weekend Brunch - Worth it?

Forty Hands - a much delay post on its weekend brunch which I tried with Wifey some time back... 

forty hands

forty h4nds shop front

It was our 2nd time there.. the first time we were just there for coffee..
After finding out they serve breakfast/brunch.. we decided to try it out...
So we were there again on a Saturday Morning...
And the place was pretty crowded both times...
So be there early if you wana try...

Interior of forty hands

forty hands interior

Turning into a Transvestite?

If I ever.... 

ever.....

become

a transvestite...

It will all be Wifey's fault!!...

Why?

.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all!!

Especially to....

(from L-R)

My Mum... The Future mum of my kids... My Mother-in-law

and my Sis!

--Ginseng Tonic Maker-- Mothers are the greatest...

Beijing 101 - Local Food!

One of the must-do things for me when I travel is always to try the local food!...
So it was no different when I visited Beijing earlier this month...


After visiting Forbidden City... (a must-visit!... but will blog abt it later... MUCH later coz there're lots of pics....)... I went searching for food....

This shop caught my eye...

Looked local enough...

Unfortunately my Chinese isn't so good...

Totally regret not studying harder for it in school...

Beijing Food

Local Beijing Food

So what does the shop sell?

Give someone a reason to smile - Operation smile

Celebrate Mother's day with a good deed... (or just enjoy the cake)


Give more kids a reason to smile!
A 45 minute surgery can change a child's life for the better forever... 

From this...

Sweet Enchantment - All natural rock candy in Singapore

Sweet Enchantment is a rock candy store tucked away in Vivocity #01-159.
Wifey and I decided to drop by and check it out one of the weekends.




After checking the directory..... we found the all natural rock candy store.. it is just beside OCBC bank..

Sweet Enchantment Rock Candy Store

The sign at the front of Sweet Enchantment says it all...
All natural... no artificial... handmade...

All natural rock candy

Here's a look... up close at the rock candies of Sweet Enchantment..

Michelangelo's at Holland V - Expensive or not?

Received a stack of spa and dining vouchers after a credit card renewal.
As usual, all the expensive spas that even after the discounts, I will still think twice (or thrice) about visiting!


The dining voucher of Michelangelo's at Holland Village caught my eye though. Because I vaguely remember seeing it.


Not sure on how expensive it is, I thought of doing the simplest thing....
Check with Wifey...










Me: Baby... there's this Michelangelo's dining voucher here... have you heard of it?... it sounds expensive already...






Wifey: Oh Michelangelo's... the one at Holland Village right?... We were eating nearby the last time...






Me: Is it?... Ok... so is this Michelangelo's expensive??






Wifey: Well... it depends......