Au Revoir 2010, Bonjour 2011!

I can't believe it's already the end of 2010. The new year is in front of us. It's imminent. However, I don't really feel ready for the new year. It seems like everything is happening too quickly, and I haven't really done as much thing as I had hoped for.

Reflecting on this past year, overall, I would say that 2010 was a good year for me. I tried many new things and I traveled to many places. I felt happier and more successful in things that I did. Although, I have to admit that I had a lot of expenses this year than ever before, not to mention that I had gained weight too.

Sure, there were a lot of obstacles too, particularly at work. But I have come to an understanding that there is more to life than work. So I have decided to enjoy life more. The coming new year will bring new opportunities, and also new challenges. It's both exciting and frightening at the same time. C'est la vie!

I remember my 2010 new year resolution that I posted on my facebook last year was to "live and be happier, healthier, and richer" (for those who are wondering, yes, I did checked my last year facebook status to confirm this, and that's about 100 clicks to show older posts up to last year). I think that goal was only partly achieved. So, my 2011 new year resolution is to "live healthier, happier, richer, and better than it was before".

Now let's say "au revoir 2010, bonjour 2011!" And here to wish us all bonne année!

 

Wishing You...

Holiday season is finally here. This is the first time I spend the year-end holiday in Singapore as I spent the last 2 in Indonesia. Unfortunately, being located in tropical area, there is no snow in Singapore, hence no Noël sous la neige (white Christmas) here. Although, my wishes go to those who are stuck in European airports because of the heavy snow.

Tonight is la veille de Noël (Christmas Eve) and tomorrow is le jour de Noël (Christmas Day). And here to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Or, as said in French, Joyeux Noël!

And for laugh, here is a cartoon to make your holiday more cheerful.

Moulin Rouge Enligthened

I just learned that "moulin" in French means "mill". I knew of Moulin Rouge as a tourist destination in Paris and the red-neon-ed windmill building. It makes sense to me now, because now I finally know what Moulin Rouge really means: Red Mill.

Just in case you're visiting Paris next time, it is close to the Paris red-light district of Pigalle. Show tickets might be costly, but at least you can take pictures in front of it for free. Oh, and by the way, I am going to watch the movie as soon as possible. I can't believe I haven't watched it, and yet I've seen Twilight.

DesignStream Christmas Dinner 2010

My company was doing a Christmas dinner of this year as a part of annual tradition. This year, it was hosted at Marriott Hotel, Singapore. It was a buffet dinner. Not so many varieties though for SGD 80++. From all of the food there, there are two that I want to share.

First: les fromages (the cheeses). So I was trying to see how it would feel to be a French. There were three types of cheese and out of curiosity I tried them all. The first one tasted quite subtle; the second one was very salty; and the third one was my favorite, not too mild not too strong. I didn't know the names of those cheeses. I ate them with a bread with some herbs hints which was very soft and delicious.

Second: les macarons (the macaroons). I had heard about this type of dessert from some podcasts and books, but never had a chance to eat it before. So this was a perfect moment to try this. I took the whole plate which consisted of 4 flavors of macaroons. I liked the chocolate one best, but I still can't figure out the flavors of the other three, though I think the green one might be the green tea flavor.

Of course I won't compare them with the famous Ladurée in Paris. Although I never taste one, based on what I have heard I am sure it is very delicious and, of course, expensive. But I promise if I ever visit Paris, I will definitely try it, maybe from the shop at Champs Elysées.

Besides feasting, we also exchanged gift. We had arranged secret santa a week before the dinner, and I became Mull's secret santa. I knew that he's going to Paris next February, so I bought him a pocket travel guide for Paris. I thought it would be both appropriate and funny to use one of the NATAS travel brochure (not because I didn't have money to buy the wrapping paper). Cute, isn't it?

My secret santa was Andreas. I got a tuque, which is a knitted cap from wool. This is usually used in cool weather or in winter.

I hope I will be able to use it if I happen to travel to other countries in winter. Because God knows I won't use it in Singapore.

A Visit To A Dermatologist

I have this condition on my skin that manifests as rashes. It started when I was in college. It's on my upper arm, front thigh, and on my back. I had visited 2 specialists in Jakarta before. The first one, a grumpy female doctor, said that it was because of the heat and instant noodles. I don't remember what kind of medicine she gave me, but I know it didn't work at all. The second one, an old male doctor, said that it was genetic. The cream he gave was actually quite good, but then I ran out of it and never visited him again.

After 2 years since my last consultation with that male doctor, it looks like the rash is getting more and more now. I finally decided to visit another specialist in Singapore. This is partly because I need to spend my annual medical allowance for 2010 too. So, I booked an appointment for a dermatologist at Changi General Hospital last week. After waiting for 1 hour in the waiting room (because the patient before me apparently had to went under a "procedure", said the nurse), I had my consultation which lasted only about 10 minutes.

The doctor was a female, and she was very nice and pretty. I thought that she looked very young. Maybe because she is a dermatologist and know how to treat her skin to endure aging process. Anyway, after examining my arms, back, and thighs, her verdict was it is a genetic condition and it has no cure. Usually the rashes usually start showing up from adolescent age. She gave me 2 big tubes of urea cream to last for 2 months, and she wanted me to come back for follow up consultation again in January.

But at least it's a very benign condition, not harmful at all, and not infectious. I just have to put up with the fact that it will make my arms not look so good when I'm half-naked on the beach or when I wear super-tight t-shirt with very short sleeves.

So it has nothing to do with viruses or bacteria, internal organ function problem, food, or even heat. Going to a cool-weather country won't make it goes away. There goes my plan of moving to Scandinavian region.

New Ice Skating Rink in Singapore

I remember the times when I frequently went ice skating at Mal Taman Anggrek, Jakarta. But that was back then when I was in college. I have never been in once ice rink in Singapore. The only rink in Singapore that I know is the Kallang Ice World, whose damage is quite big for one visit.

Today, I got this very exciting news that there will be one new rink that will be opened in Singapore. It's in Marina Bay Sands, hence the name "Marina Bay Sands Skating Rink". It's a huge 600 meter square rink! Moreover, it's cheaper than the one in Kallang. The opening date is 18 December 2010, and they invite Michelle Kwan for performing!

So the price for adult is: S$7 per hour
Skate rental : S$3
Additional hour : S$5

It's kinda exciting and I will surely pay a visit after it's opened. But maybe in 1 or 2 months after the grand opening, because we know how kiasu people in here is. I just hope that I still know how to stand on ice and brake.

Applying For Credit Cards

The banks in Singapore have a very high minimum limit of salary for foreigners to get a credit card. So after working in Singapore for almost 3 years and after 3 times of salary raise, I finally applied for 4 credit cards:

• OCBC Titanium
• HSBC Platinum
• Standard Chartered Platinum
• Standard Chartered Manhattan Platinum

The result: I was approved for both cards by Standard Chartered, but I was rejected both by OCBC and HSBC. I am not sure why I was rejected (given the fact that I passed all the requirements to apply for those cards, otherwise I wouldn't try at all), but I am not intending to find out. At least I got 2 cards out of 4. Not too bad, huh? Now I finally have the real platinum cards, unlike the UOB Direct Platinum debit card that I always have whose "platinum" doesn't really mean anything.

 

Usually you will need around 2 weeks for your application to be processed. But Standard Chartered is actually really fast, and you can receive the cards as early as 2 days! And there is this service guarantee policy by Standard Chartered that if you don't receive your card in 2 days*, you will get $50 credited to your credit card. And for both Standard Chartered cards that I applied for, they were late. So now I am going to claim my $100!

* Terms and conditions apply

French for Beginner #1

As you might be aware of, I am currently learning French. For me, French is a very beautiful language, and I have always wanted to be able to be fluent of it. French is one of a Romance language: languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome, hence the name "Romance". I think it's safe to say that it is indeed a very romantic language.

For a couple of weeks, I will be posting some posts about French phrases for beginners. Nothing fancy for this series of posts though, just common phrases that you might need if you are traveling to French speaking countries or if you just want to impress someone. Believe me, I have impressed a lot of people myself by just saying "hello" in French.

So, in this French for Beginner #1, we are only going to learn how to say 3 very simple phrases in French: "hello", "goodbye", and "thank you". However, as French expressions can be in form of formal and informal expressions, there might be 2 sets of each expression.

1. Hello
Formal: Bonjour! for morning until afternoon (literally: good day) or Bonsoir! for evening (literally: good evening)
Informal: Salut!

2. Goodbye
Formal: Au revoir.
Informal: Salut!

3. Thank you (very much)
Merci (beaucoup).

It's been ages!

It's been ages since my last post on this blog. I guess I just didn't have the time to blog (although the main reason is really the laziness).

As you might have noticed, I finally had the chance between my busy weeks to change the skin of this blog from The Lord of the Rings, to this simple yet lovely Eiffel Tower background. I hope everyone like it!

For those who are wondering, yes, I am still in Singapore. It's been almost 3 years now. And many have changed since then.

• I have been a permanent employee in Singapore for more than 2 years. 
• I am getting fatter (yeah, unbelievable right?). 
• I picked up some new hobbies, things that I couldn't afford before: photography, scuba diving, and French language.

I know Singapore is pretty small, but I won't say that after all this time I have explored entire Singapore though. Instead, I have been to some places overseas from here: India, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines. There are still a lot (literally, a lot!) of other places to go. If only I had money (sigh).

After living here for a while, I found this city to be really boring. It might be heaven for shoppers, but that is just not me. Because of Singapore's geographical position as an island, it feels like you won't be able to go to someplace fun on weekends. And this is a big downside for someone like me who really likes to travel around. Alas, only very few things can excite me in Singapore now.

I'm hoping that situation will change soon for me, at least for a short period. Keep your eyes on this blog, because something exciting in the quite near future is coming.

Till later, or as I would say in French: à plus tard!