Reason Why I Can't Go To A Fish Spa

Quite sometime ago, fish spas were quite a trend in Singapore and up until now, I have yet to experience it.

The concept of a fish spa is where many tiny/medium sized fishes will nibble & feed on dead skin cells on your feet or body. These fishes are generally called 'Doctor fish' but I have found out that 'Garra Rufa' is the best species of fish to do the deed with full satisfaction.

These fishes are supposedly to clean your skin leaving it healthy and smooth. In fact, people who has Psoriasis or Eczema are encouraged to use this method as it helps alleviates the symptoms.

Despite it's advantages and the fact that I have slight Eczema, I don't think I will be going to a fish spa. 

WHY?

 Because I am very ticklish and when I say very, I mean very, very, very, very, very x 1 billion ticklish.
On almost every part of my body.

Just place your hand on my nape (back of my neck) and I will be like this.

Yes, inclusive that face of horror and I will clamp your hand like crazy with my neck and will stop until you let go. I know it's ironic, how to let go when I am clamping it? I suppose you can picture how it went back and forth. [iyeerr, neck is ticklish just by thinking of it]

My point is, since having fishes nibbling on my feet would probably be ticklish, I can imagine stamping my feet away like a mad woman trying to rid of the fish & the tickling feeling and ended up the pool looking like this.

Fish paste!
hahaha

So to avoid myself from the tickling torture and kill fishes that are simply doing their "job", I strongly believe I should not go to fish spas.

^_^

   

My Dad's Fight With Colon Cancer *Warning: Graphic Photos*

In the first week of November, my family received bad news.

After several check-ups & scans with a doctor at Singapore General Hospital, my dad was diagnosed with Colorectal Cancer.

My dad has never had side effects other than on and off diarrhea for more than 6 months ever since he came back from overseas work in China. There was not even a hint of blood in his stool. So we did not really paid much attention and took it has bad food intake while he was there.

When we had our ‘family meeting’, he showed the report of his diagnosis.

He had a 6.4cm x 4.7cm size tumour in his large intestine which is near his bladder. Not only that, clusters of cysts were found in BOTH of his kidneys; biggest is 7mm. The rest of his organs are healthy.

On the second week, my Sis and I followed my Dad to an educational talk on Colorectal Cancer pre & post surgery. It was a great talk, from prepping for surgery, what to expect after, diet to follow through and maintaining the scar & stoma. There were even 2 cancer survivors in the room to share their experiences.

Imagine living the rest of your life with a stoma.

[Stoma/ Colostomy is a surgically-created opening in the large intestine that allows the removal of faeces out of the body, bypassing the rectum, to drain into a pouch]

The next day, my Bro accompanied Dad for his official doctor consolation. The main focus would be on the tumour and that the cysts in his kidneys are harmless. Tests shall be done on the tumour to verify which stage of cancer. If it is Stage 3, he has to come back to SGH for chemotherapy.

20cm of his intestine will be taken out.

On the third week, 15th Nov, Dad was warded and operated on the next day. We managed to see him after his operation which lasts for 5 hours. Besides asking for my Mom and grandchildren, all he said was that he was thirsty and it’s painful.

[Taken a few days after the OP,Dad rarely smiles in pictures and he looks sad here but he is actually okay lor]

Naturally, we visited him the next day which also happens to be Hari Raya Haji. To my surprise, Dad was talking normally as if his stomach was not sliced open, intestines cut out with 3 tubes poking into his body! I was amazed with his tolerance of pain. He hardly uses his morphine and was a chatterbox.

He even showed us his staples and stoma.

[I will show the stoma later just in case some people are queasy]

On the 2nd day after operation, he stopped taking morphine and was talking small walks (as advised). He said it’s not that painful. -_-

On the fourth week, Dad was discharged since he is recovering smoothly after 9 days not before Sis and I learnt from the nurse how to clean and change the dressing for Dad’s stoma.

Yes, we have to work around his stoma & his exposed large intestine. Well, somebody has got to do it right? Luckily we have to change it once a week if it is taken care properly. The doctor said he will close the stoma after 6 weeks. So 6 times is not THAT bad. =S

Anyways, Dad is doing well despite of the controlled diet (low fibre diet), staples etc. and I hope he will have a speedy recovery.

Now, the stoma with the large intestine peeking through. It't not THAT bad when it's covered by the bag. When you see without it, it's all raw looking.

   

P/S: Almost didn’t blog with photos because I believe it was inappropriate to take photos when someone is in pain but he was the one who asked us to take photos for memory. haha

   

Funny Reason To Refuse Spinach

Jhon and I were talking about eating vegetables and I was telling him that I did not expect to love vegetables so much because I don’t like vegetables when I was a kid.

Jhon shared that he is okay with vegetables accept for one.

Spinach

His reason

He doesn’t want to be like Popeye.

I was puzzled because why not? In fact, children are supposed to be manipulated by like this character so that they will eat spinach because it gives him the ‘added’ strength.

And then he said “Have you seen his (fore)arms?”

As the image of Popeye remerges in my head, I began to laugh. He is right! Popeye technically has deformed forearms.

I just find Jhon’s perspective funny and different and got me thinking.

Sure, eating spinach makes you extra strong to beat up that jerk Bruno, but the side effects are that you have abnormal forearms.

END!

   

That Perfect Relationship

Many people say that there is no such thing as a perfect relationship because there are bound to be arguments.

In their mind:

Perfect relationship = Perfect partner who constantly makes them happy and never ever make them sad and angry. No bickering and always get their way.

Thanks to reading the constant tweets of my emotional followers, who are always depressed, complaining and yearning for that perfect relationship [whether they are single or attached], I had an epiphany during lunch with Jhon.

At first, I was pretending to be cheesy and lovey-dovey by saying that we have a perfect relationship but as I grinned while Jhon began to laugh, it striked me.

What makes a relationship perfect is not that fact there are zero bickering but the fact there are less bickering.

Couples always complain that they are fighting and wished they don’t ever, saying that their partner is being insensitive AGAIN. It’s the fights that strengthen the relationship but of course depending on the situation.

Before I digress, my perspective in a relationship is:

Perfect amount of quarrelling + Perfect amount of love = Perfect Relationship

Jhon and I quarrel once or worst, twice a year and when we do, it is solved quickly. Sometimes I create a fake quarrel because I feel weird that we don’t; we can’t be THAT happy with each other right? I know, I sound like I am in denial perhaps, just pessimistic. We have been together for 3.5 years and still behave we are in the “honeymoon” period.

A perfect relationship is not to achieve that fairy tale but simply to be realistic.

Now, wouldn’t that be easier to be accomplished?

   

Shibly Finally Learn To Spell His Name

Remember I was saying I was trying to teach my nephew to spell?

[click here for the post]

After 3 days, he finally spelt his name! My bro took a video today so I asked him a copy so I can post it here.

Too bad his voice his soft, maybe next time, I will ask him to shout it out. =P

He sometimes blurt out random letters so we have to say the first letter first to get him going.

S.H.I.B.L.Y, SHIBLY!!!
   

Praying Mantis Praying For Me?

Two nights ago, as I just hung up the phone from talking to Jhon and was getting ready for bed when I felt something on my left knee.

As I looked down, I saw an insect, 1 inch in size in the brightest shade of green I have ever seen on an insect in real life.

Naturally, I panicked and tried to swipe it away with my hand. Can you believe I missed the first try because I was afraid of touching it.

I hit it the second time and it landed on my bed where I cover it with my comforter and small pillow for good measure and do what I always do when I encounter bugs in my room.

I called for my mom.

I was lucky she was not yet asleep so she came to my rescue and got rid of it. She took several tissues and caught it to free it at the window.

I didn't know what it was at first, all I knew it looked like a grasshopper but it's not [can't expect to see clearly when you are panicking] until my mom told me it was a praying mantis.

Well, as my mom tried to free it, the praying mantis insisted to come in the house. My mom had no choice but to spray lightly insecticide on it to make it dizzy.

I feel kinda bad the next day because it was just a lost baby praying mantis (in the 7th floor -_-) and it really looked like it was praying for me while it was on my knee.



Some would think it was sent to me with bad intentions (black magic) and some believe that it is a symbol of good luck.

All I know the first thing that comes to my head was "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111"

Insectophobia wins.

I managed to keep myself cool until I laid down on my bed. My body started to itch and I got paranoid on every tickle on my body. I thought I got myself under control with my phobia but I guess not when I started crying while telling Jhon what happened. -_-

   

Mannequin or Many-Queen?

You will be surprised with the number of people mispronouncing the word Mannequin [Many-keen] and pronouced it as "Many-Queen"

Not that I have encounter many of them because most of these accounts are shared by my buddy, Fizah. Many years back, while working as a part-timer as a sales promoter, she was constantly surrounded by people who says "Many-Queen". Like me, she can't stand it and these people would not stand corrected and she sometimes ended up pronoucing it the wrong way too. =D

Anyways, the real reason for this post was to share with you an old video of a realistic robot. She/It is so realistic that it is scary!

The first thing that came to my mind is Jhon because he has this fear of mannequins. He would literrally walk in an arc away from them. He said that they are scary.

I thought he got over it when we went to the Body World Museum on Feb 2010 where he was surrounded by real life bodies that were plastizied. He was very cool and managed to keep his composure at that time but apparently, his fears remained.

Well, here is the video.
I seriously don't want to find this in the middle of the night..... or even in the day.
In another words, NEVER!

   

Manny Pacquiao VS Antonio Margarito

Live yesterday morning at 10am in Texas aired the boxing match to watch:

Manny Pacquiao VS Antonio Margarito

You don't have to be a boxing fan to know who is this famous filipino, Manny Pacquiao. He is everywhere in the media and had won 7 titles before this match.

I like to jokingly call him the 'kiasu' [fear of losing/missing out] boxer because it seems that he is trying to get every title in the boxing championship, from light weight to heavy weight when usually people focuses on one category.

Anyways, I didn't get to watch the match but my boyfriend did at his place.

Surprise, surprise, Manny won again.

Jhon told me that it was a really good match and of course I have to source out some clips and photos of the match.

I was amazed.

Manny & Antonio during the weigh in, look at those packs. I can wash my clothes on them.

Look at those punches.

What I was more amazed at was how they looked like after the match.

Antonio looked like crap and as if he has just had a fight of his life and Manny, he looked like he just finished his strenuous training. The difference was remarkable and you don't have to be genius who received most of the punches.

Watch the clip below for snippets of the match, scary worr... I can't help but winced at the punches. That gotta hurt but I have to give credit for Antonio for not backing down and keep on taking the quick but strong punches.

Photo & Video Credits to: Yahoo!Sports

   

My 3 Year Old Nephew Trying to Spell

I have try to teach toddlers new things while playing with them. Not all the time because it would be boring. They would think "This auntie is so uncool and boring, everytime I want to play, she forces me to learn something. -_-"

Mind you, I am an awesome playmate for toddlers okay? Only because I can be pretty childish and playful when it comes to playing around. >_<

The last time I taught Shibly, my 3 year old nephew how to spell was the word 'STOP'
He knows what it meant but not to spell so I keep on saying,

"S.T.O.P, STOP!" and grinned at him.

By doing so, I made it like a game on trying to spell/say it really fast. He took the bait and started to say

"S.C.O.P, STOP!"

Yes, trouble with pronoucing the letter 'T' haha but he managed to get it right eventually.
So a few days ago, I decided to teach him how to spell his name.

As I was playing with his handicapped Ultraman with him, I slowly said,

"S.H.I.B.L.Y, Shibly"

I knew it was a bit longer than he was used to so it was no surprise he gave me a slightly blank face. He continued to play as I repeat those letters. There were times where he seems to be in deep thought and mouthed something but he didn't saying anything. I stopped after a few times because I knew he needs time to digest.

The next night, he stayed over again and as we were playing around, I said the same thing to him,

"S.H.I.B.L.Y, Shibly"


He looked at me, mumbled to himself and with full concentration, looked into my eyes and said,

"Y........A.......B......"

[at this time I knew he was trying to spell something out so I was undoubtedly concentrating to every letter he spoke]

...he continued after taking a deep breath,

"B.....A......Q"
and shouted "MAK SU!!"
[he calls me Mak Su]

Yes, he tried to spell my nickname.

Y.a.b.b.a.q = Mak Su

I laughed and told him nicely that is not how my nickname was spelt but it was a good try. hahahaha

Nevermind it was horrifically wrong, but I think I will give him an A for even trying to spell even though he has no clue how to spell.

One thing that this kid has, Effort and Confidence. ;)

That Malaysian SMS Scam

Been meaning to post this but eventually forgot about it until I received another SMS this morning.

On 27th October at 4.42am, as I was blissfully sleeping, I was 'wonderfully' interupted by an SMS.

Sent from Malaysia and translated in English:

Congratulations! Your sim card has won a prize, $20,000 from PT.COC@COL@. Please call the office: +6287841455526, Thank you.

Sender: Coca Cola 

Wow personally sent by COCA COLA!

I don't know how they get my number since I dont even make calls to Malaysia and always off my HP whenever I am overseas because I don't have overseas roaming.

This is my 2nd SMS received in the 'wee' hours again, at 5.42am this morning.

Translated:

Congratulations!! Your sim card has won a cash cheque prize $9,000 from a Dangdut Mania Contest TPI. Please dial officer's number: +62818817299.

H.IBRAHIM SULAIMAN

When did I ever join a Dangdut Mania contest? hahahahahahaha!

Can you imagine if an old malay uncle received this SMS and his wife saw this SMS? How in the world would he explain this?hahha 

I must a very lucky person too, I have 'won' $29,000 in just a few weeks!

In all seriousness, you will be surprised with a number of people who will fall into this trap.

Please spread the word before it's too late.

   

A Vegan Burger Experience

Every now and then, Jhon and I like to try different kinds of food and this time, we decided to try a Vegetarian Burger.

Being a meat lover that we are, I think it would be an interesting experience.

It would be a first time for me and I always wanted to try how it really tastes like since I have heard that if it is done properly, you can hardly taste the veggie. As for Jhon, his first try was back at his place in the Philippines and he utterly hated it until he had to vomit it out. D=

When I noticed a new vegetarian restaurant has opened/opening a couple months back, I eagerly insisted that we should try since the place is located 5-10 minutes from our house! [Details later]

Naturally, Jhon was hesistant from his first encounter but he managed to summon his strength and decided to give vegetarian burger one more try.

Introducing,

VeganBurg®

44 Jalan Eunos Singapore 419502

Tel: 6844 6868 Fax: 6844 1021

Opens Daily from 11am to 10pm

Vegan Burg is a fast food restaurant with a twist and there is no need of clue what makes them special.

They serve only the freshest and healthy vegetarian food.

Now, before some of you cringe thinking of those green leafy vegetables, think again. Their aim is to introduce plant based diet in a much more fun, young and vibrant concept.

I promise you, when I show you some of their menus, the last thing you would do is cringe. You would probably go "fuuuwarr!"

Vegan Burg is located in a cosy corner opposite Eunos MRT station with a chilled and calm ambience.

Now, the menu, thus far, have 5 types of burgers to choose from and also provide a kid's meal, perfect for families that consists of children or maybe people with small appetite? hehe



Yummmy right? They don't even look like its all made of purely vegetables and these are only part of the menu because they also serve Vegan Hotdog, soups etc.

Jhon ordered the Cracked Pepper Mayo and Smoky BBQ meals.

While waiting for the food to arrive, we tasted our drinks.

Mine was Cherries Berries which was a standard fresh juice so there was nothing much for me to comment.
Jhon ordered Premium Brewed Coffee and he said it was pretty good mostly because he can taste and tell that the coffee beans are freshly brewed.

While checking out the rest of the place, absorbing the athmosphere with a board of Vegan related issues etc...

The food arrived!

Firstly, the fries were heavenly. If you are a fan of crunchy fries, you would love these!
Crunchy exterior and soft interior, I simply can't stop munching on them.

The burgers were pre-cut into half which was convenient for Jhon and I to swap burgers. hehe

Smoky BBQ:
"A thick patty of succulent minced mushrooms, oven-baked and slathered in smokey BBQ sauce, coupled with layers of fresh lettuce, tomato and alfalfa, nestled within the softest organic rye bread you’ll ever savour. Simply delectable!"


My first bite was slightly weird because my brain has already hot-wired itself, expecting that meaty taste from eating a burger. As I took my 2nd bite, my brain was struggling with adapting with this new taste. It was as if fixing a circle into a triangle hole.

After the 3rd and 4th bite, I was hooked. Although it was not as BBQ-y as I expected it to be, I can't deny that I thoroughly enjoyed it especially the fresh lettuce, tomato and minced mushrooms.

Jhon obviously love it. As I was savouring half of his burger, he had already finished my half!

Cracked Pepper Mayo:
"Savour the robust flavour of our Cracked Pepper Mayo Burger! With a wonderfully crispy, yet moist Vegan patty, accompanied by fresh lettuce, our Cracked Pepper burger will entice you with its alluring aroma, and keep you hooked with its bold flavour."
 
Fuh! I lovvvvvee the Cracked Pepper Mayo. Perfect amount of pepper, accompanied by fresh lettuce & mayo. What I love the most is the crispy outerlayer of the Vegan patty.

If I were to choose a Vegan burger to introduce to a first timer, it would definitely the Cracked Pepper Mayo.

Now the price...

It maybe a tad costlier than your standard fast food restaurant, between Jhon and I, it costs us approximately S$20 but we find it was worth it. 

Why? Because Organic Vegetables are never cheap in the first place but they are the freshest kind you can find. Plus, you will leave the place full and satisfied without feeling the guilt of eating oily and fatty food!!

By the way, deliveries are coming soon!



Oh yeah, we were so engrossed with our delicious food that we didn't realised this.

We have been resting against synthetic grass. hehe

 [Please don't mind our after work faces.]

If you have a craving to eat a flavorful, juicy burger but without that guilty feeling of eating fatty foods,

VeganBurg is your choice.

We will definitely eat there again. ;)

 
P/S: Jhon was enjoying the burgers so much that he dramatically declared that he wants to be a vegetarian for a year. haha 
 

   

Jhon's 28th Birthday

We took leave on his birthday and had an early start with the day with me wearing the blouse & accessory that Kak Yana picked for me.

I picked Jhon up at his place and gave him his birthday present.

We headed to McDonald's for breakfast and guess what? as soon as we arrived, Jhon realized that his Ray Ban sunglasses fell apart. It turns out that the screw came out. Jhon was a little upset but I consoled him saying that my area has a few optic shops that could fix it in just a few minutes.

Good news: Fixed

Bad news: Screws does not fit nicely because of the length so we have to go to a shop that sells orginal Ray Ban sunglasses

Good news: It's freeeeee...

After breakfast, we headed to Pasir Ris to play bowling.

Well, as expected, I sucked with an average of 100 out of 3 games but I definitely had fun and that is most important right?

We also saw a cute kid playing bowling. He was not so great himself but he know how to spin the ball okay?

After 3 games, we bought tickets for a movie, "The Last Exorcist" which is not ultimately awesome in the begining but it definitely makes you think in the end.

While waiting for the movie to start, we ordered a root beer float which was super yum. You can never go wrong with root beer float.

We also took alot of photos because the natural light there was awesome!

After the movie, instead of exiting to the lobby, we purposely exited to the carpark. The sky was gloomy so we HAVE to take pictures. haha My hair was standing up most of the time because of the static and we found a condom wrapper... hmmm..

We headed to my place to chit chat and Jhon gave me one of his awesome head massages.

*sighs* I am so lucky haha

P/S: Yes, I noticed that I tend to make those girly poses/facial expressions. I blame the blouse! It makes me so girly haha.

   

Make Me Your Barbie Doll

It all started with a supposedly rhetorical question on what to wear on Jhon's birthday outing on twitter.



To my surprise, someone answered me and that someone is my lovely sister-in-law.

    Now, my SIL, who I call Kak Yana, has always known as one the fashionable person I know. Eversince I knew her, I always see her wearing those quirky but pretty outfit. Not exactly my taste but I am always amazed on how she managed to 'work it'.

[sorry Kak Yana, I stole your pictures lol]
And these are the somewhat "tame" outfits okay? She can get very colorful and random with her outfits.;)

Of course I am excited because I trust her with her fashion sense and she knows me long enough to know my preference in clothes. Even Jhon was really open to the idea which was to my suprise because I imagined him freaking out thinking Kak Yana will dress me up with colourful leggings (no offence Kak Yana, you look cool in it, definitely not on me hehehe)

So we made a last minute plan to meet up at Parkway Parade a day before Jhon's birthday which was on the 29th October.

And yes, I have a budget; $50.
Shopping in Parkway Parade with $50 is not an easy task so we agreed that we would probably get a top and accessories if we can afford it.

With baby Syihab slung across her chest and a big bag on her left shoulder, Kak Yana was clearly focused in finding me something different from what I would normally wear without going out of my comfort zone.

I would classify myself as average when it comes to clothes just no girly-girl outfilts and since I am not a big fan for shopping, I tend to also repeat my outfits. Thus the abovementioned tweets. 

Well, I thought it would be a somewhat difficult process because I can be really choosy but it was amusing that we managed to find a really nice blouse at the first shop we went!

And we went, "That's it?" So boring one can? haha So we went to other shops just to make it interesting. We also found a very nice blouse at the second shop and it can't be THAT easy right?

So we force ourselves to walk around the mall until we got tired and made Jhon choose which 2 blouses from the first 2 shops we went.

He made his choice (2nd shop) and we were superbly happy that its was cheaper than expected and even managed to get a great deal finding a necklace to match my new top.

Enough jibber-jabber.

Introducing my new lacy, off white, off-shoulder blouse with a green necklace and all below budget.

Although I have worn lacey outfits in the past, this is the first time I wore an off-shoulder top.

Yeah, yeah, perhaps to most of you, it's nothing different or special. But to me it is, because I was so stiff with the blouse because I am forced to be all prim and proper and can't jump around, flail my arms around. So Jhon likes it because sometimes he wishes I can just be normal and sit properly. >_<

And no, Kak Yana did not manage to put make-up on me since Jhon and I plan to have an early start. Don't think Kak Yana would be into waking up early. hehe

Shall end with my attempt to camwhore and act pretty. haha

[I know, lipstick would make the picture so much better]

Thank you, Kak Yana! We love it. ;)

Anyone else want to dress me up?