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29 February 2008

Chest Rest Mousepad


Click Pictures To Enlarge (No Pun Intended)

Apparently, this was making the rounds at the dinner after my golf tournament at ShenZhen Airport Golf Club last Tuesday.

This item was produced by one of the tournament member, whose factory was producing them, and was giving them out to everyone as a momento gift.

My initial reaction was "WALAU!! Like that also can?"

I showed it to MistressGrace who said that it has been around for a long time. She said she has seen it around during her JC days which was around the time Singapore just gained independence late 90s.

However, in my recollection, ergonomic wrist rest mousepad did show up on the shelves during the late 90s but I thought the "hentai-fied" ones came on much later?

A google on the internet and ChestRest Busty Mousepad showed up. The website is a mail-order company for this range of products, presumably started in 2005 which to me was about the right time and not 1965 1997 as MistressGrace has stated. Oh well, I guess we'll never know.

As I crossed over to the website, I saw their Office Safety comic (see below) and it is hilarious! You guys have got to check it out!


Image Credit: http://www.chestrest.com

- Voxeros

1. Mistress Grace left...
Friday, 29 February 2008 11:39 am
Oei.... Can you dont reveal my real age to everyone????


2. JayWalk left...
Friday, 29 February 2008 1:07 pm :: 
Mistress Grace: Don't scared lah. You so young!!


3. Posh left...
Friday, 29 February 2008 2:30 pm
this mousepad is cuter than the one on CBB.... lmao


4. JayWalk left...
Friday, 29 February 2008 2:48 pm :: 
Posh: The mousepad is back inside the packaging. Too paiseh to take out and actually use it. iShy.


5. Gary left...
Friday, 29 February 2008 3:19 pm
lol.. skarli your secretary saw you doing it as the above safety graphics.. you pai seh sia..


6. JayWalk left...
Friday, 29 February 2008 3:25 pm :: 
Gary: It's at home. I don't dare to bring to office. LOL.


7. sj left...
Friday, 29 February 2008 8:55 pm :: http://www.cherified.blogspot.com
you shy???? *worth pondering*


8. JayWalk left...
Saturday, 1 March 2008 2:35 pm :: 
SJ: Yah. *blush*


9. Chocolate gal left...
Sunday, 2 March 2008 9:01 am
Wait, the wife saw it and thought u turn into hamsup ah pek.. so keep it carefully wor..


10. JayWalk left...
Monday, 3 March 2008 11:38 am :: 
Chocolate Gal: Er... a bit redundant to keep the mouse pad when it is pasted all over the blog here, right?


11. Chocolate gal left...
Wednesday, 5 March 2008 11:04 pm
Err.. she read ur blog? thought u wanted to keep it a secret.. haha


12. JayWalk left...
Thursday, 6 March 2008 10:35 am :: http://jaywalk.blog-city.com
Chocolate Gal: She is aware of the blog but whether she reads it or not, remain another question.

28 February 2008

48 Years And Counting...

Continuing from the last entry at Restoran Pik Wah, here's my Uncle and Aunt Tay who were the host of the dinner that night. Owing to the fact that they are prominent public figures in KL, I had no choice but to masked their faces to protect their privacy, for I have not gotten explicit permission to have their images displayed on public domain.

My apologies.

Now that I have gotten the formalities out of the way, let's get back to today's entry proper.

He's 77 and she's 75 years of age and they have been blissfully married for 48 years and counting. With the current divorce rates (for US and I supposed the number is pretty close for Singapore as well) at 53%, I would have to say that the union of Uncle and Aunt Tay is itself a remarkable achievement.

So anyway, as we are all familiar with chinese dinners, the appearance of the noodle or fried rice dish is the defacto last dish of the night sans the obligatory dessert and fruits.

At that very moment, Uncle Tay literally jumped from his seat and declared that he wanted to sing karaoke! Mind you, we were not in private rooms but smack in the middle of a 30-table restaurant! Next thing we know, we have the restaurant staff scrambling to set up microphones, monitors and music.

As the dynamic husband-and-wife duo belted out oldies like 上海滩, the whole restaurant literally stopped eating! All eyes were on the two of them as they crooned the tunes.

The song finished and the whole house applauded only to be followed by Rumba as the couple started to strut their moves to even louder woots, hoots, cat whistles, applause and whatever, short of setting the restaurant on fire, that you could think of.
At the end of the night, we left the restaurant with people from the other tables coming over to the Tays to extend a hearty handshake.
A really heart warming scene.

This is the life of Uncle and Aunt Tay.

BIG.

Perhaps another trip to Kuala Lumpur in 2 years' time to celebrate their 50th anniversary?

- Voxeros

1. msvindicta left...
Thursday, 28 February 2008 5:32 am :: http://msvindicta.blogsome.com
this is such an 'awwww....' entry. :)
and sheesh! the rumba at 77! haha.
i do find twirled faces a little scary though.


2. JayWalk left...
Thursday, 28 February 2008 11:36 am :: 
msvindicta: First comment on my blog? Welcome! (in case it is. LOL.)

Here's a thought. 77. That's almost 80 and he can still rumba! Imagine that. He is an inspiration to all of us who are younger that we all need to exercise regularly to stay healthy now and for a long time ahead. Only then can you really enjoy the twilight of your life.


3. grasshopper left...
Friday, 29 February 2008 1:17 pm
Nice to read about happy things like that. Just got a divorce news from a friend in SG. If only I get $10 everytime I hear a divorce. sigh.


4. JayWalk left...
Friday, 29 February 2008 2:24 pm :: 
Grasshopper: At $10 a pop, it is still not too bad. Very soon, we will get to $1 for everytime we hear about a divorce.
 

27 February 2008

Restoran Pik Wah


That evening in Kuala Lumpur, we attended a dinner hosted by Uncle and Aunt Tay whom I have not seen in more than 10 years (or maybe even 20). They have been my dad's friends when he first set foot on Malayan shores back in the early 60s.

Yes, Malaya i.e. Singapore didn't exist then.

The food was excellent and you know how the older folks cannot do without decadent delicacies of sea cucumbers and shark's fin soup etc which personally, I felt was a tad too rich for my blood. We also had the usual Chinese New Year Lo Hei but this time round, there were more salmon then the condiments!

Yup, Uncle and Aunt Tay are still the same after all these years. Everything in their lives had got to be big and grand.

Still the piece de resistance of the night has got to be the humble claypot rice. Uncle Tay specially flew in stuffed goose liver lup cheong from Hong Kong for this dish and my gawd, it was sheer heaven! The best part was we started scraping the bottom of the claypot for the rice crisps after it had soaked up all the juices from the lup cheongs. Yum! Sedap! Oiishi-ne!

To my Malaysian readers who are in or going to be in KL, here's the address of this restaurant which I highly recommend. However, I doubt if you are able to order the claypot rice since we flew in the lup cheongs ourselves. Still the rest of the dishes were very very good.

Restoran Pik Wah (MABA House) Sdn Bhd
碧华楼酒家 (吉隆坡 蓝总大厦) 有限公司
MABA House, Basement Level,
Stadium Block 6, Jalan Hang Jebat,
50150 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 2072-3668 / 2078-3688
- Voxeros

1. JF left...
Wednesday, 27 February 2008 9:42 am
You jin atas lo... fly in lup cheong.. pple fly in ferraris and chefs... u fly in lup cheong....


2. JayWalk left...
Wednesday, 27 February 2008 10:23 am :: 
JF: Postage to fly lup cheong cheaper then Ferrari or Chef leh.


3. Posh left...
Wednesday, 27 February 2008 1:13 pm
waaahhh..... am drooling big time! I think I can possibly finish the whole claypot myself!


4. JayWalk left...
Thursday, 28 February 2008 11:32 am :: 
Posh: Here's something to ponder. Despite all the goodie "liao" onto, the best part is the rice below. I think there is a life's lesson in there somewhere.

26 February 2008

Boing Boing II


I made a last minute trip to Kuala Lumpur last Sunday to settle some business when I walk past this visual presented in front of me. I was captivated by it and instinctively reached for my camera to take a snap.
Make a guess, what do you think it is?

Scroll down for the answer.
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Well, the title of this entry would have given the answer away and yes, it was a stack of mattress springs. It just so happened that I was walking past this stack really close and just happened to be looking through it.

This was something optically illusionary about it.

Nice.
- Voxeros

25 February 2008

Madrina Pizzaria


It was last Saturday and a bunch of us young parents were gathered at a friend's place for afternoon tea (sounds damn atas siah......). However, before we know it, it was time for dinner and neither of us had any plans.

Here comes the big challenge. Where to find a place for makan for 4 sets of parents and their screaming kids on a Chinese New Year weekend without a reservation?

By a stroke of genius, Trench suggested Madrina Pizzaria at Block 3 Farrer Road Estate. However, being the Type A personality of Trench, he called up and made reservation only for us to arrive 5 minutes later. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, we were VERY VERY VERY closed by. :P

In his defence with flailing arms, "I want to make sure the restaurant got space for us mah!".

He had a point there.

The Pizzaria was empty when we got there. Business was critically bad for a Saturday night. I would attribute the main cause of this to the bloody road works along Farrer Road for the new MRT line that has been going on for years. The traffic there during the evening is a nightmare and I'd be surprised with people even think about dining around here. If the traffic don't kill your mood, then perhaps the dust and dirt from the MRT tunneling will kill your appetite.

One of the few consolations was that the staff were very friendly and endearing that you would almost want to beg them to run a child care centre alongside. Ok, I kid (no pun intended) but I like their idea of engaging the kids while the chef cooks. Every kid get a little pizza dough to knead and later which would be place in the oven to bake. Thereafter each kid will get to each his/her own creation (which turned out more like a naan than a pizza).

All these while the kids watched the chef in action, creating our dinner from scratch. Educational indeed.


Another good thing about this place is the location. The special thing about Blocks 3 and 4 of the Farrer Road Estate is that the ground floor is the covered car park (Remember to park only in white lots. Red lots are for residents only unless you itching to pay parking fine to the over zealous Parking Aunties) and the second floor, a flight of stairs above are the restaurants (e.g. Westlake Eating House) and old shops. Between them is the vast expanse of a deck for which the kids can run all over the place to their hearts' content and be relatively safe since there are no cars on this level and the deck as big as it may appear to be is actually an enclosed place, encircled by all the shops. Great place for the kids to run around leaving the tired parents to eat and talk in peace.

What about the food? Sadly, it's no good but not to the extend of being terrible. It's a place you would still return but only because it makes your kids happy. The food is just mediocre at best.

However, in their defence, it is hard to fault them for it for business is really really bad in that area and all the deficiencies in quality standards are a result of cost cutting measures in order to make it through another day. My iced lemon tea tasted no tea but a sour diluted lemonade should give you a rough picture.

This is a dangerous and vicious cycle. Bad business > cost cutting > compromised quality > bad business > rinse> repeat.

A friend suggested that they should move to another location but I can tell you that there isn't another place in Singapore that has the "Deck of Blocks 3 and 4" (See below). You have to be there to see the "deck" to understand fully what I am talking about. It was the very same deck which, I too was screaming and running amok when I was a kid myself.


The bad news is that there is no solution to this. Relocate and lose the deck to become just another pizza place peppered all over the island. Stay and there may not be enough revenue to pay rent.

Food is not good enough for people to beat a path to the doorstep and so for now, this is just a kid friendly albeit pricey Curry-less Prata Place.

p.s. On another note, Westlake Eating House which I mentioned earlier was in business as far back as the early 70s. I was there for dinner the night before Madrina's visit and I have to say that business dampened significantly since their heydays. Again, it was obvious how serious the impact of the tunneling works have on the local businesses. I wondered if the Gahmen compensates these business owners for the loss of revenue?

I imagine the scenario of a NO. Then these establishments would eventually shut their doors only to make way for new businesses to take over. Ironically, these new businesses would have come at a time where the MRT works were completed and even a MRT station right at the doorstep!

It is a bitch of a cruel world, I tell you. I feel for the guys at Madrina who work their hearts out but still  everything seems to count against them. KNN.....

- Voxeros

22 February 2008

A Sibling Moment


It was one of those rare moments to see the two of them doing something together. To many, it may not be that big of a deal but to us, it is a totally different story.

Remember how I used to joke that Gabriel is "Spaced Out Man"? Well, at the age of 2.5 years old, the joke no longer sound funny anymore as we suspect that Gabe has a mild case of autism.

Not being able to speak at the age does not worry me as I have seen children developing speech skills as late as 6 years old. Right now, Gabe is able to communicate via gestures such as taking your hand and placing it on the knob of the door that he wishes you to help him open.

My only concern is the impossibility to get his attention. Calling his name yields no response as if he is deaf (and blind). And yes, we checked with the doctors and various tests, his hearing is normal.

However, my gut feel is that he is just a late developer and with the help of specialist therapies and what-nots, he should eventually turn out to be a normal kid.

Que sera sera.

- Voxeros

1. JF left...
Friday, 22 February 2008 5:24 pm
mai worry.. come out with Uncle JX and i will make sure he shout and scream


2. Eddy left...
Friday, 22 February 2008 5:37 pm
bring him out with us. All the bar uncle and auntie will surely bring out the talkative side of him.


3. rn left...
Saturday, 23 February 2008 4:15 am :: http://rationalneurotic.liquidblade.com
my brother was 4 before he spoke and he turned out fine. You're right about Que Sera Sera! it's all in His Hands.


4. Gary left...
Saturday, 23 February 2008 9:08 am
i can admit to you that im one of the rare cases as well.. i didnt speak until i was 4-5..


5. Red Queen left...
Saturday, 23 February 2008 10:24 am
Ah Mal didnt speak until 2 plus too.. my cousin's kid didnt speak until 5 and my brother didnt speak until 3 plus.. they all turned out fine too.. maybe he just doesnt know his name... Ah mal din react to his name until we convince him he is malcolm and he should react to malcolm mak. Maybe you should try that, now he doesnt shut up even when u tell him to


6. JayWalk left...
Saturday, 23 February 2008 11:47 am :: 
JF: Where? Thai Disco har? Walau... neber jio me?!!

Eddy: I scared he drinks you under the table. Kelly will keel me.

RN: Yah. I supposed just let things develop on its own natural pace. Rush also no use.

Gary: On contrary, it is fairly common but of course it is every parents' wish for their kids to be within the bell curve.

Red Queen: I am aware of the stats but I do concede that it gets a bit unnerving where your kid is the only one among my group of friends' kids to be falling "behind schedule".


7. Zhiyi left...
Saturday, 23 February 2008 6:01 pm
hi, just happened to chance upon your blog.
just want to offer some encouragement and i personally think that nothing about autism can be confirmed until about 3-4 years old so maybe your son is just a late developer(boys often are)? it is an encouraging sign that he communicates well non-verbally, so not all hope is lost :)


8. JayWalk left...
Sunday, 24 February 2008 9:35 am :: 
ZhiYi: Welcome to the blog and thanks for the well wish. My gut feel says that everything should turn out ok but I just felt that I should make some room for mental preparation, just in case. Either way, Gabe will always be Gabe. God made him who he is for a reason and we should just learn to accept that.


9. Chocolate gal left...
Sunday, 24 February 2008 3:53 pm
Don't worry too much.. i'm sure he will turn out as cheeky and talkative as you are.. After all, apples don't fall far from the tree _


10. merryfeet left...
Sunday, 24 February 2008 7:23 pm
ellen.soh@gmail.com


11. Cowboy Caleb left...
Sunday, 24 February 2008 9:02 pm
I asked my mom about this (she's a kindergarten teacher) and she said she's seen many cases like this. It's not common, but it's not that uncommon as well.


12. Posh left...
Sunday, 24 February 2008 10:58 pm
Gabe is God's blessing to you and the family. Am sure he will turn out fine.


13. JayWalk left...
Monday, 25 February 2008 12:10 am :: 
Chocolate Gal: Thanks for the well wish. Appreciate that.

Cowboy: I guess we'll have to leave this to God's hands. Hopefully things turn out for the better at the end of the day.

Posh: Regardless of how he turns out. He will always be a blessing.


14. grasshopper left...
Monday, 25 February 2008 8:27 am
My younger bro developed his own language *Jibberish* and refuse to speak like the rest of us. We actually learnt to understand him and it was surprising fun. Kids are kids lor, they have their own world and I remembered it was a much better place.
Dunch worry lah~
I think he ignored you purposely one... ... heehee


15. JayWalk left...
Monday, 25 February 2008 1:45 pm :: 
Grasshopper: If on purpose, it would have been fine but he ignores everybody which is what I am worried about sans his mother and the nanny.


16. J left...
Monday, 25 February 2008 5:28 pm
it MAY be developmental issues..MAY. if anyone is truly worried, perhaps it will be good to speak to a psychologist.


17. Faith Sim left...
Monday, 25 February 2008 9:35 pm :: http://faithstransientlife.blogspot.com
Can across your blog through Sheylara's blog. She's my monster....Anyway, I'm a teacher and I've worked with kids that are slow developers and kids with special needs. With slow developers, sometimes they suggest develop late and they do catch up in upper primary. Seen that happen numerous times. Pop me an email if you want suggestions to help him with his non verbal skills. Sometimes helping him with non verbal skills can lead to him speaking faster.


18. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 26 February 2008 10:22 am :: 
J: Hi J, Welcome to the blog. Right now Gabe is seeing some therapist and so for now I think that is all we can do.

Faith Sim: A warm welcome to the blog to you too! As I am stuck in Spitland, the wife is very much in charge of things as far as Gabe is concerned. As I have said earlier, I think we have done all we can do for now. But nevertheless, I would like to keep you as an available option. Who knows? I may need your help in the unseen future. Is your email your msn account as well?


19. okiedokie left...
Tuesday, 26 February 2008 5:04 pm
dun worry too much... I didn't talk until i was 4-5 yrs old (as told by my grandma) and I turned out fine... And since he does gesturing to indicate what he wants, should have no problem.. (coz I did the same thing when i was that age) probably he's just lazy to talk =p


20. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 26 February 2008 8:10 pm :: 
okie dokie: I certainly hope that it is as you think it is. *fingers crossed*


21. Faith Sim left...
Wednesday, 27 February 2008 4:46 pm
Hey Jay,
Ya, my email is the same as my msn. Just pop me an email any time. Will be more than willing to help. So of the stuff, can even be homemade.


22. JayWalk left...
Thursday, 28 February 2008 11:42 am :: 
Faith Sim: Added you on MSN liao. I have forwarded your offer to the wifey. I let her decide how to take it from here. Coz as much as help is good, there is only so much we can undertake at a time. Still like I said, I would like to keep you as an available option if not for now then for later.


23. Faith left...
Thursday, 28 February 2008 10:33 pm
Yup, just let me know if you guys want help. I'm currently based in HK. But no worries, just pop me an email and let me know how I can help. My sister is also in education, actually, she's in early childhood education, and she's doing her masters in special ed as well. I'll probably be able to get some tips from her.


24. hiaoauntie left...
Thursday, 28 February 2008 11:21 pm
jay u can also count on me for any help.... dun forget i have a diploma in early childhood and if u so require, i can do an observation report (over a period of a few days or weeks) on gabe if u need one to pass on to the child psychologist or therapist for further follow up... i hv already done a few reports for other parents... just that now i am a little unwell due to treatment and once i am well enough, i can help you....


25. JayWalk left...
Friday, 29 February 2008 9:26 am :: 
Faith: Which part of HK are you in? I am practically a skip and a hop away from you! Anyway, again thanks for the offer. Will let you know if we need anything.

hiaoauntie: Thanks for the offer too but for now, I think it is wiser to first get yourself up and running first. How's the treatment coming along? Finishing soon?


26. hiaoauntie left...
Friday, 29 February 2008 4:54 pm
suffering.... lots of side effects


27. JayWalk left...
Saturday, 1 March 2008 2:37 pm :: 
hiaoauntie: Sorry to hear that but it will be over soon. Get well soon!

13 February 2008

Who Wants To Sell A Hand Chicken?


Was at Holland Village and subsequently at Beauty World where I did a double-take as a I walked past this sign.

Anybody has a "hand chicken" to sell?

*facepalm*
- Voxeros

1. hiaoauntie left...
Monday, 18 February 2008 11:49 am :: http://hiaoauntie.blogspot.com
we saw the same ad.... read my blog.... maybe it is done on purpose.... cute!


2. Chocolate gal left...
Monday, 18 February 2008 5:04 pm
Ppl chinese not good, don't like that mah... at least it caught your attention, right? _


3. barffie left...
Tuesday, 19 February 2008 12:03 am
Saw this long ago, but din take picture kakakakkaa. I believe all are under the same 'syndicate' I saw mine at Jurong.
Ya handchicken is ok but I duwan choking the chicken.


4. spinnee left...
Wednesday, 20 February 2008 9:42 am
i saw that the other day too but i forgot to bring my hp to snap a pic... hahaha


5. JayWalk left...
Wednesday, 20 February 2008 12:10 pm :: 
hiaoauntie: Yeah. I saw that on your blog too. What coincidence!

Chocolate Gal: I disagree. If you want to make money, you should at least put in the effort on getting basic stuff like language correct. How difficult is it to write "手机"?

Barffie: I saw it at Tiong Bahru also. Apparently this was pasted all over Singapore. As for choking the chicken, leave that to your boy boy lah.

spinnee: Well, you are welcome to "borrow" my pic for your blog.

10 February 2008

RunForFunds 2008 - February Update

Got this from in the email from Adrian which I thought I mirror it over here (with a little bit of editing).


Dear friends,
It's been a busy month of January for me. Other than work, I've been called away for 2 weeks of holidays at SAF's Choa Chu Kang resort. Was also given the opportunity to enjoy SAF's Lim Chu Kang's nature reserve, sleeping under the stars.
Am now back to civilisation.
I've been in contact with Donna (Director @ D'Joy) to discuss how the funds ($10k++) will be best used.
Part of it will go to upgrading of teaching aids / equipment.
Part will go to enrichment programmes and offering financial support to students who can't afford the fees.
The remainder may go to facilities repair.
Will keep all of you posted on how the funds will be deployed.
YOUR RFF CONTRIBUTIONS : PAYMENT
Quite a few of you have asked me how do you pay me this year.
(ED: Please get in touch with me directly or via this blog to get contribution details. Thanks.)
I aim to close the contribution collection for D'Joy by end Feb 08 and start using the dedicated funds in March 08.
Will also send you all a note to confirm the total unds collected in end Feb.
Thanks all.
Cheers,
aL


 - Voxeros

09 February 2008

Farewell, Dear Ah Meng


It was in the news and a shock to the entire nation that Ah Meng has passed away at the grand old age of 48 years old on 7th February 2008.

Ah Meng was a female Sumatran Orang Utan who first stepped into the Singapore Zoological Gardens way back in 1971 and has been the icon of the zoo since.

Despite being an Orang Utan, the people of Singapore has always regarded the Grand Dame as one of us and her passing was indeed sad news for everybody.

Click Here for the official press release by the Singapore Zoological Gardens.

(Extracted from the press release) 

"Ah Meng will be reposed at Garden With A View from 9-11am on 10 February (Sunday) for members of the public wishing to visit her for the last time.

There will also be a memorial service held in tribute of Ah Meng. Details of the service are as follows:
  • Venue: Garden With A View, Singapore Zoological Gardens
  • Day / Date: Sunday, 10 February 2008
  • Time: 11am"
On the first day of the Lunar New Year when we usher in the Year of the Rat, we send off an Orang Utan.
Farewell, Ah Meng. Farewell.

Image Credit: http://www.smh.com.au

- Voxeros

1. Chocolate gal left...
Tuesday, 19 February 2008 10:55 pm
Errr... i thought she died on 8 feb?? *scratch head*


2. JayWalk left...
Wednesday, 20 February 2008 11:03 am
ChocolateGal: It was 7 Feb. The press release was 8 Feb.


3. Chocolate gal left...
Wednesday, 20 February 2008 8:33 pm
Sorry, my mistake for not highlighting why i asked... u put died on 7th Jan, instead of Feb.. :p

08 February 2008

Trump National Golf Club - Los Angeles


I learned about this golf course on one of the episodes of The Apprentice and thought this has got to be one of those course where I have to play once before I die. The others would be the St. Andrews Old Course in Scotland and the Augusta in Georgia, USA, just to name a few.

I remembered when I was wow-ed the first time I played in Ria Bintan as the ocean view backdrop was breathtaking. Then I up the ante when I played in Pebble Beach back in July 2004.

Just when I thought it couldn't get better than that, I present to you the The Trump National Golf Club, Los Angeles.

At USD 375.00, the green fee is a sliver cheaper than the USD 420 (and a 1 year waiting list) at the Pebble Beach. As prestigious as the Pebble Beach was, I felt that I had a better deal at Trump as the scenery was way better than that at Pebble Beach.

It was a perfect day for golf at sub-10 degrees Celsius temperature when we teed off from First and gradually climbing up to a more comfortable 12 degrees as we progressed into the day. Perhaps due to the chilly weather, there weren't many golfers out on the course (probably due to the price too) and what we had was a quiet game among the three of us at our own leisurely pace.

I shot a comfortable 91, solely on irons with the occasional 5-wood.

Click here to view the rest of the photo set. Do enlarge to the maximum of the picture where the ducks were all over the white tee!
 
- Voxeros

1. Posh left...
Saturday, 9 February 2008 5:20 pm
the pics are fab!


2. JayWalk left...
Sunday, 10 February 2008 4:59 pm :: 
Posh: Good thing I was using my Lumix. Had it been a say, Casio Exilim, it would have done the pictures grave injustice.

07 February 2008

Missile Testing?


We were driving back to Los Angeles when we spotted this en route in the middle of the desert.

Usually, this would have been an airplane cutting through the air and leaving a trail of vapour but those are usually straight as commercial airliners do not fly erratically.

That was why it prompted me to take this photo as the vapour trailing was highly unusually, it almost seemed as it was that of a missile or a rocket of sorts.

But where would they end up?

Anyway, click on the picture to enlarge the picture. That should allow you to examine the vapour trail in greater detail.

- Voxeros

06 February 2008

Fire Aftermath At The Monte Carlo




Earlier, I mentioned about the fire at Monte Carlo just a couple of days before I was to head into the city of Las Vegas itself.

So naturally when I arrived at Las Vegas, I was eager to see the extent of the damage first hand. Initially, I saw nothing amiss except that there was no traffic coming in and out of the hotel, all thanks to the police cars blocking the passsage ways. A look up at the building showed no signs of fire damage either.

Initially, I thought that perhaps they did a quick "liquid paper" cover up job like that of Ch1na Airlines, only to realised that I was looking at the building from the wrong side. Instead of the Strip side, the damage was on the highway side as I later found out while returning to the hotel, hence traveling in the opposite direction and on opposite side of the hotel building.

Investigation reports points, albeit unverified yet, towards welding works carried up in extremely dry and windy conditions. I hope the workers up there were unhurt.

So anyway, it was said that they are going full speed ahead with the restoration work and should be back in business in time for the Super Bowl weekend.

Let's wish them luck.

p.s. Click on the picture to get the full enlarge to see the fire damage in greater detail.

- Voxeros

05 February 2008

The Most Expensive Hotel Rooms In Vegas Are The Free Ones


Caesar's Palace was where I was staying during this trip. I took the picture on the 36th floor from the window of my very large double-Queen bed room, that had enough floor area to accommodate another round table for 4, a writing desk as well as a sofa + coffee table set, with room to spare. The best part? It didn't cost me a cent as the room was comped by the casino host.

However, before anyone misunderstood me for being some big shot gambler, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you here. It was a friend of mine who has the privilege of being the Big Whale and the room comp was courtesy of him.

Before anyone thinks that I kio tio gu lan with a free room for the week, let me assure you that there is no such thing as free in Vegas. My room was complimentary on account of a loss of USD 300,000.00 at the Baccarat table, the month before when my friend was in Vegas.

So remember this. The most expensive hotel rooms in Vegas are the free ones.

You have been warned.

- Voxeros

04 February 2008

Of Blue Skies And White Caps


It was the first day of sunshine since I got into Los Angeles and it was a wonderful morning with clear blue skies. Not a cloud in sight as I stood outside in a nippy sunny morning of 10 degrees Celsius.

Would have been the perfect day to golf but alas, duty calls first as I have several errands and meetings to attend that day.

One of them involved me heading to Ontario, California (not Canada) and it is located at the foot of the hills where upon looking up, was a row of gorgeous snow-capped hills, untainted and untouched by the human hand.

- Voxeros

1. Everton left...
Monday, 4 February 2008 6:37 am
Nice photos. It's a rare sight to see the snow-capped mountains in Los Angeles.


2. JayWalk left...
Monday, 4 February 2008 7:22 am :: 
Everton: Weather anomalies are getting common these days. Global warming effect?


3. aloe left...
Monday, 4 February 2008 10:08 am :: http://www.xanga.com/aloeve
Nice photo of the mountains!! =)


4. JayWalk left...
Monday, 4 February 2008 3:43 pm :: 
Aloe: I don't think they are big enough to be classified as mountains. Hills more apt actually.


5. Everton left...
Tuesday, 5 February 2008 11:20 am
These "hills" sure look taller than our beloved Bukit Timah Hill :-)


6. JayWalk left...
Tuesday, 5 February 2008 2:56 pm :: 
Everton: Oh please. Our Bukit Timah is more like a mosquito bite! LOL.