tropicana ~ life is a kaleidoscope
Join The Princess in her journey of a plethora of changing colours and patterns

Of Slow Mo Sweet Loving Moment

Wednesday, September 27, 2006
The Princess stumbled across this clip. It was taken during the memorable Champions League final between Liverpool and AC Milan in 2005, where The Reds came back from 3 goals down to equalise and eventually beat AC Milan in a penalty shootout.








Phwoar! Go easy, Tiger!

Xabi and Stevie look so decadent The Princess could eat them.
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Of Fortune and Fountain

Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Princess MoMo's friend, Nian, passed The Princess some stuff to be brought back to her. In return, he gave a treat to The Princess. Kinda embarassed, because every time he treated The Princess whenever they are out for meals.

Thanks, Nian. Thanks, Princess MoMo, for I get to sapu corner. :P

Since they're in Suntec City, The Princess mentioned the last time she was here, her friend wanted to bring her to see the largest fountain in the world, but he just couldn't find where it was. So this time, Nian brought her to the Fortune Fountain. Sui Yang, your sense of direction is lousy lar.


Wah, uncle, don't throw your daughter into the fountain!

Star light, star bright,
All the stars, in the sky tonight,
I wish I could, I wish I might,
Have the wish, I wish tonight.



To make a wish, certain steps must be followed. First, dip your hand in the fountain water. Then walk around the fountain in the direction indicated. Make a wish in silence. Repeat 3 times.

On her birthday, The Princess will always make the same wish.

May she have 10 more wishes at her disposal at anytime and these wishes will have no expiry dates and can be brought forward to the following years.

She never tires of the same wish and thinks that's the best wish to wish for, don't you think so?

Anyway, this time she made a different wish and of course she would not disclose it here, suffice to say it concerned fortune.
After walking around Suntec City, they settled for Japanese food. The Princess has been having craving for Japenese food for a few months now and no, she's not pregnant.

The Japenese retaurant chosen was Ichiban Boshi. They were seated away from the kaiten belt so The Princess did not take any sushi, lazy lar.

The Princess ordered soba with beef and beef meatballs while Nian had Teriyaki Chicken(or was it Karaage)bento set. For starter, they ordered Salmon Sashimi Salad and Spicy Chicken Karaage. The Princess saw some cakes being sold at the front counter and took a look. To her surprise, custard coronets were being displayed. She once had some amazing chocolate cream with hazelnut coronet in Frankfurt and missing it, she bought two coronets, one with vanilla custard and the other with chocolate custard filling.

First bite into the coronet, she was dissapointed. The pastry skin was a bit soggy and the custard filling grainy. She must definitely make a mental note to get some coronets when in Frankfurt next month.



Salmon Sashimi Salad




Soba with Beef and Beef Meatballs


All she can say is, the portion is huge so should you order side dishes, do not go heavy-handed. The Salmon Salad was a refreshing change. It was drizzled slightly with garlic oil and the raw salmon, fried chicken and seafood pieces offered a nice texture. Recommended!

After stuffing themselves silly, The Princess did some tourist-sy stuff - She went to the Merlion. Nian showed the way and this time, there would be no chance not to reach there. Sui Yang, take note and once again, your sense of direction is lousy!




The big durian - The Esplanade




The original Merlion opposite Fullerton Hotel




Mini Merlion nearby


The Princess finds the mini Merlion shouldn't be a Merlion at all, but a Merlioness instead due to the softer features (Yaya, she knows lioness does not have a mane, so what?). But it's too plain to be a female, so let's play fairy godmother a bit, shall we?




There, after an eyelash extension and a coat of mascara, it looks much prettier!

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Of Kegel Exercise in Singapore

Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Ni Hao, this is The Princess reporting monthly from the Lion City.

Whenever she's here, The Princess would almost always hit the stores. Window shopping would be the apt term as it's so expensive here (She has since stop converting currencies in her head).

This time she decided to pay a visit to Far East Plaza. And to quote Siah "The place where the Singapore ah lians like to shop". And so I went without much expectation except to expect sky-rocketing platform shoes, super short minis and a smattering of Hokkien being spoken.

Surprisingly, The Princess was spared of such sights. Malaysian ah lians listen up - our southern neighbour's ah lians dress up better leh (Now, don't start flaming me).

To its credit, Far East Plaza houses many tiny shops, some hidden with gems waiting to be explored. Of course, many others are forgettable. Clothes, more clothes, shoes, bags, accessories - this is the place to feed your shopping crave without sending you into a heart attack when your bank statement comes at the end of the month.

Tips: Many shops stock the same items, so wander around taking note of the prices before making final purchase.

Also, if you're thick-skinned like The Princess, you could haggle with the shopkeeper, too!

The Princess bought a pair of shorts in this season's print - tartan! Wear with black leggings and heels and voila, instant Brit chic!





There was an incident that made The Princess like Singapore a little bit more. Taking advantage of the free hotel shuttle bus from Orchard Road to Holiday Inn, she was stucked in a traffic jam (very rare in Sinagpore) near Chinatown. Of course, on normal days she wouldn't have care a bit, but this time she was in DESPERATE need to empty her bladder. There she was, with excruciating pain in the stomach, goosebumps all over literally squeezing very hard to hold it all in. The cold air from the air-conditioning unit made it a Herculean effort, so much so she thought THIS would be it - the day she soiled her pants in public!

Upon reaching Chinatown, she literally jumped out of the bus. Thank you not God, for the sudden call of nature but thank you God, for at least making THAT happens in Singapore, where clean public toilets are everywhere (with toilet paper, thank God!) instead of say, in Dhaka.

After the whole situation had been managed with aplomb (pun intended), she realised it was a blessing in disguise. That day happened to be the Mid Autumn Festival light-up in Chinatown and a parade was going on. That explained the traffic jam.

A stage was erected near People's Park and some performance was going on. However, it was just impossible to see it as too many people were milling around the cordoned off stage. It would be better if a giant screen is erected as seeing the situation, unless you're standing real in front, all you can see is the sweat dripping off the hair of the uncle in front of you.









This guy looks like he's carrying kavadi




Can you spot Change Er?

Quite an eventful day. innit?

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Of Dark Mood

Monday, September 25, 2006
Do NOT label me as something that I HAVE guts to admit, while YOU are hiding behind your fake facade and feign ignorance.

Save the play-acting for your other unsuspecting victims.

Manipulated luck is no good luck at all. The well will soon be left high and dry.

Beware, do not get caught with your lies....cos I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER.
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Review: Laksa Shack

Monday, September 18, 2006
The Princess was in One Utama the other day and had absolutely no idea where to have dinner. Her sister suggested Laksa Shack so off they trotted. The Princess has been dining here for many times, so this review is somewhat due.


Laksa Shack, as the name suggest, serves a variety of laksa. Assam Laksa, Melaka Nyonya Laksa, Laksa Sarawak, Laksa Johor - every state in Malaysia seems to have their own version of this highly popular dish. Laksa is basically yellow noodles, kway teow, hor fun or beehoon in spicy gravy made with spices and ingredients such as chilli, turmeric, shallot, tamarind, coconut milk etc (The ingredients and the quantity used vary in order to create different laksa). Besides laksa, one can find lontong, nasi briyani, otak-otak, keropok lekor, roti canai and a host of other traditional Malay food here.




Assam Laksa

The assam laksa was nothing to shout about. Pretty run-of-the-mill and I suspect canned sardines are being used in preparing the gravy instead of fresh mackerel.



Makan Berdulang

Makan berdulang reminded me of every Hari Raya when my neighbours used to deliver ketupat, rendang and cookies in the same dulang (tray) to us. In return, my mum would arrange some fruits, cookies and a green packet in the dulang before returning to my neigbours.




Nasi briyani

The set is good for 2 person. The nasi briyani was quite a lot. The rice was too soggy for my liking as I prefer fluffy, grainy rice cooked to perfection - not too soggy and not too hard. Ayam masak merah, begedel, agar-agar and egg curry complete the set, which cost RM 19.90.




Ayam Masak Merah


Kari Kapitan




Laksa Sarawak

The Princess could not give an account for the Laksa Sarawak as she did not taste it. However, according to the person who ordered this, it was "not very nice". Hmm....


Name of the dish was forgotten. Was it Nasi Johor? Kedah?



The last dish, which I have forgotten due to the many states of Malaysia naming system, consisted of sayur lodeh and rendang ayam with a small serving of sambal belacan. Could not comment on this dish either, but judging from the extra rice The Princess' brother ordered, it must be pretty good. Or he's pretty hungry.


And so The Princess ends this post with a cam-whore picture of her and her sister.


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Review: No Name Bakuteh Stall

Monday, September 18, 2006
Ah...it's nice to be home. The familliar faces, smells and sights are like balms to the soul. Not to mention the food, of course.

The Princess simply adores nasi lemak and bakuteh. Going to Klang for BKT is simply too far, so she settled for something near but nevertheless good.

It's this ubiquitous stall with no name near Taman Jaya. No shop, just a stall with chairs and tables by the roadside. Ths stall is manned by a father-son partnership, with the father taking orders and the son preparing the food. We ordered the usual - BKT without innards, nasi minyak and lettuce in oyster sauce topped with fried garlic.


Clockwise: Pot of BKT, Lettuce with Oyster Sauce, Extra Broth, Yau Char Kwai



A pot of artery clogging goodness


The broth was very flavourful, more to the herby type rather than the peppery kind. The pork-rib was so tender the meat fell off the bone the moment you bite it. The best part was the beancurd skin - soaked thoroughly with the broth.


Nasi minyak literally means oily rice



Nasi minyak is a must to enjoy BKT, although I find yam rice is the best which is hard to find in PJ. Add to that finely chopped garlic with bird-eye chillies in soya sauce, The Princess was soon in seventh heaven. In less than 15 minutes, this was what's left.





Cheap and filling (not to mention delicious), the total bill came to about RM50 for 4.

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Of Tulan-ness

Monday, September 18, 2006
Ok, The Princess is very pissed off at this moment. Upon signing out yesterday, a big fat, red ROSTER CHANGES message was flashing at her. Thinking it was just some aircraft change, she did not find out what the changes were as the printer was out of service anyway.

So she had a nice nap until 8pm+. Asked Princess MoMo to check the roster changes for her.

And found out some biatch had swapped away her SIN-CGK at the end of the month.

Without letting her acknowledging the swap.

Or putting her signature on the swap form.

In short, insensitive, rude, lying, signature-forging first class biatch.

Anyway, she just complained to Welfare and her SIN-CGK will be returned to her. According to Welfare anyway. She hopes that biatch will not have SIN for 8 months.

And Princess' curse is pretty accurate.
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Of Hair-Tearing Inducing Logo Quiz

Sunday, September 10, 2006
This is doing The Princess' head in. It's a logo quiz sent by Jojo. Some of the logos look so familliar but she just couldn't figure out the name. Please, if you have the solution to any of the unresolved logo name, I beg you, let me know and release me from the misery!
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Of Girls, Food and Fun...Minus Alcohol

Monday, September 04, 2006
The Princess was rudely awaken from her sleep by Ken Lee. Dinner time, apparently. To celebrate our one-year anniversary in our chosen career and STILL manage to keep our sanity intact, we decided to pamper ourselves with some Italian dining.

Guess what happened while we're preparing to leave the house? Power outtage. Poor Princess Momo had to make-up in the dark and ended up with uneven colour on her face. Thank God the electricity was restored in a few minutes' time.



Where's Jac?


All onboard


Nothing fancy about Biella Restaurant, pretty common restaurant decor and all. The moment we received our menus, we started clicking the camera away. The tables next to us gave us glances. They must had thought we had never taken photo in our entire life.





Quin and Jac


We took ages to order eventhough the menu was not extensive. There were the usual Italian fare like pasta and pizza, but being the meat eater that we are, all but Quin (she's a vegetarian cos she said "kesian lar the animals") ordered either fish or meat. And poor us had to settle for mock cocktail as no alcohol was served. *Pout*



Pan-fried Salmon


Saffron Risotto With Seafood

Pan-fried Hammour On a Bed of Pasta


Tender Veal in a Creamy Sauce


Wild Mushroom Cream Sauce with Spinach Fettuccine


Rib Eye Steak



After stuffing ourselves silly, we decided to take a stroll around the mall. Went into La Senza and saw the biggest bra.


One cup is bigger than my face!


All the better, we can make into this. Two can go at once!





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Of Crazy Horse in Rainy Days

Sunday, September 03, 2006
The Princess was in Singapore last week and had the chance to attend an artistic nude show in Clark Quay - Crazy Horse Paris.



The brochure taken from the ticketing stand


An introduction of Crazy Horse taken from concierge.com.


"In French the phrase L'ART DU NU - the art of the nude - is synonymous with an elegant saloon on a beautiful street in the stylish Eighth Arrondissement of Paris. It is the world famous Crazy Horse, which has been unsurpassed for half a century as a radical innovation that exalts the female form as both artistic expression and entertainment. More than five million people have watched the Crazy Horse show in its beautifully appointed theatre on the Avenue George V, two blocks from the Alma Square. Since its founding by Alain Bernadin, it has evolved through three distinct phases."



To watch a Crazy Horse multimedia presentation, click here.


The ticket per person is SGD 87 (inclusive of SGD2 SISTIC fee) with 1 standard drink. The Princess and 3 of her friends set out at 7 pm in order to be able to catch the 8pm show as they decided to walk to Clark Quay, which was a comfortable walk from the hotel. However, it was drizzling went they stepped out from the lobby, and hence had no choice but to take a taxi there.


After paying for the tickets, they went for a drink in the Le Lounge as there was 30 mins to go before show time. Upon entering, The Princess were impressed with the cabaret decoration - deep red, plush love chairs with matching pillows and thick, velvet drapes in deep red. Very Moulin Rouge-ish.


I could almost picture Nicole Kidman lounging, sipping champagne


The Princess ordered a Singapore Sling to get herself into the mood for the show, but before she could have a sip or two, the bartender announced that entrance to show was open. So they brought their drinks along to the theatre. On the way, they pass by the restaurant, and you guessed it, the red theme continued here.



The ambience in the theatre was cosy and intimate. A nice view would be available from every corner, even from the bar. The red suede seats were comfortable, of course not as plush as the couches found in the VIP area. The stage was not big, purposely built so as to make the performers appear larger I suspect. The shimmery stage curtain looked amazing when lights was shone on it.


The show was divided into mini segments with individual theme lasting about 5 mins+ each, with interval after 50 mins. Those girls looked gorgeous! Oh, The Princess would kill to have body like that. The dance, sound and lights choregraphy worked in perfect precision as the girls gyrated, swayed and taunted with oh-so-sexy moves. Amazingly, the show did not leave any vulgar aftertaste but was classily executed.






Whoa, Singapore's trees are very fashion concious ok? They are dressed in this season's hottest print - polka dots complete with matching earrings.


So kawaii, no?
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He Says, She Says

Royal Entourage