Dinner at Mad Jack's Cafe

I was at Cathay two days back and had a craving for quality comfort food full of red juicy meat and heaps of carb laden potatons. Aston's is the natural choice, but the queue was so long, I think my gastric juices might burn a hole through me if we waited so we (SO and I) decided to try out Mad Jack's Cafe at Paradiz centre instead.

Here's my review!


What:
Western fare that's just a tad more expensive than Aston but on par with Botak Jones pricing. They have steaks, chops, baked rice, pasta, cakes etc. Check out the menu here

We tried:

The tallest burger in Town - The Blue Mountain Beef Burger and chips (Candid diner photo on the left, WYSIWYG)

Three chewy beef patties topped with minimal vegetables and two slices of dairy cheese goodness. Plus a generous helping of spicy fries. Costs $9.90.

Two people can share this burger if you are not intending to eat too much. The beef patty is easily the size of my palms (but I have small palms lah... don't get so excited k?)

It tastes good but not exceptionally so. If you are in the mood for meat, this will fix it just right. Only thing --- the patty tasted a tad more floury. Other than that, all good. Try the Fries, they may be a side but they are really good. I love potatoes.

We also tried:

Grilled chicken in black pepper sauce ($7.90)

My favorite order at untested eating places. You just can't go wrong with black pepper grilled chicken right? Anyway, this is just nice!

I was intrigued by the side --- Apple peach salad. When the dish came, I zoomed in on the side. Actually was a bit disappointed. Wasn't fresh peaches was canned peaches with a small cube of apple. So this is really like a more meat and potatoes kinda place. I found that Aston's kinda more healthy (their house salad is fantastic, k... i digress). Again I love the fries. Chicken was well marinated and nicely grilled. All in all a pleasant meal.

Overall ambiance:
We were there on a monday night so there wasn't too many people. There are nice couches around and the atmosphere is really relax. There's free internet access too. Great place for chill outs. Hopefully the kids don't discover this place soon. Or it will be flooded with project groups.

Where:
Mad Jack Cafe
Selegie Outlet - Paradiz Centre 01-04/05, 1 Selegie Rd
For other outlet locations click here

Note:
My main gripe, they don't serve PUB water. Need to pay for your mineral water. If not, a can of coke costs $2. So we opted for one of their juice mixes. Okay lah... just juice loh... costs $4 each.

Will revisit! Hee :)

And will try try their dessert. The cake slices look humongous!

Disappointed with L'Oreal Sale

Recently there was a L'Oreal sale at the Concorde hotel. Heard of it through the flowerpod forum.

I was very eagerly looking forward to repurchase my star beauty secret:
La Roche Posay Effaclar K

They didn't have it. Only had the drugstore ranges such as Garnier etc.

Efflaclar K has LHA’s & salicylic acid. Two ingredients necessary for exfoliation of dead skin. LHA works by:

1. Breaking up particles that block the pores
2. Impairing the ability of bacteria to adhere to material inside the follicles.

After using this, my skin really became clearer. But you must use it consistently. The pores are still there lah, I don't think you can ever get rid of pores. However, I found that the blackheads formed less slowly and I have less incidences of break up.


A lot of podders also recommended this product: http://flowerpod.com.sg/forums/La-Roche-Posay-t14403.html

There's now discount at Tan Tock Seng Hospital Pharmacy!

Metro Sales Part 1

Long overdue post...

Was at the metro sales and bought this black satin SugarLink dress for $16. The sales was very crowded. Lots of people queuing for the fitting rooms. Long queue for the cashier too. It was held at the Expo. Anyway, love this tunic dress. Wonder if this is formal enough for work? hmmm. Best thing, it fits perfectly so SugarLink is going into my "can consider" brands.


Also bought a floral dress (forgot the brand) @SGD$9.90

It is not really floral, but has cool black stick figures hiding behind trees. The straps are a little too long for me. So I had to shorten the shoulder straps. Otherwise, it looks great paired with a belt.

Fashion Lab 50% sale now at Compass Point

Happened to be in Compass Point just now in Seng Kang and saw Fashion Lab having a 50% sale now!

Horrible Doctor!

God forgive me for having murderous intentions against my new doctor in Jurong Point.

Why are doctors nowadays so smart and so unsympathetic?


So what triggered my angsty diatribe against doctors? A mean doctor (henceforth nickednamed “Mr. Toe”) did it.

I was in Bintan a few days back and I hurt my toe. To be specific, I kicked a stone step and my toe nail (the one on the biggest toe, no less) came off. The toe nail was dangling from bits of skin on the edges of my toe and blood dribbled all over. You can imagine the sight and the pain…

Bo pian, stuck in Bintan what to do? Somemore I had a snorkeling trip lined up. So I bandaged it up as well as I could and went snorkeling. Sea water is good for wounds isn’t it?

My bravado lasted only one day thanks to my friend, C.

She pointedly looked at my toe and said “You know, I had a friend who once had this rice grain stuck in an open wound in her gums. The wound healed over the rice grain and she didn’t know. Then she started getting massive toothache. After a long time, they finally realized that the rice grain was rotting in her gum and she had to have an operation to get it out. You know? I also had this scab on my knee once. I didn’t pull out the dead skin and the wound closed over the scab. The old dead skin was rotting beneath the new skin. I had to have an incision to remove it.”

My overactive imagination went into overdrive mode. Memories of news stories about flesh eating bacteria found in soil and sea creatures causing sure-death infections tormented me. The oddity of having one less toe on my foot aroused in me a curious affection for all my toes --- something I’ve never felt before.

So when I got back to Singapore, the first thing I did after depositing my luggage was to look for a doctor.

And for all my bad fortune, I had to meet the mean doctor – hence forth known as Mr. Toe.

The nightmare started the moment I entered the clinic.

“My toe nail fell off in Bintan. I tried to bandage it but I’m scared there would be some infection.”

I proceeded to gently tug off the bandage on my poor toe.

Mr. Toe swept my futile attempts away. Swooped down and he tore off the bandage as if he was tearing open the wrappers of his X’mas presents. Ouch.

After just a glance, the learned doctor said “I can’t do anything for you.”

Huh? What does he mean?

ME: “So is it okay? Is there any infection? Cos I went snorkeling you know?”

DOC: “Well, you shouldn’t have.” (said in a cool, ya ya papaya tone)

DOC: “I will give you some antibiotics and cream to apply on it.” (said in a “I’m done with you” tone, pls get out of here now, I’m dying to go home tone).

ME: “Huh? You mean that’s all? I mean, I buang my toe quite badly and it is now sengat (displaced to one side). Would it (the toe) grow out sengat next time?” (said in a very Singaporean kan jiong tone)

DOC: “Hmmm. You can always get a pedicure for that you know?” (said in a sarcastic matter of fact tone)

ME to myself: WTF? I paid $28 of consultation fee for you to tell me that I can get it fixed by a pedicurist? Very pain you know, my poor toe. Plus this is the first time I’ve ever buang my toe so badly that the nail was torn off… very unsympathetic doc lei!

ME: So how can you tell that my toe is alright now and the medication will work? Do I need an injection to prevent infection?

DOC: I told you, there’s nothing I can do for you.

ME: HUH? Waddya mean there’s nothing you can do for me?

DOC: (speaking slowly as if to a retard) There are three possible outcomes. One, this is a minor injury and your toe heals without problems. Two, there’s an infection because you went swimming. So I’ll give you antibiotics. Three, there’s a hairline fracture. However, if there’s a hairline fracture, there’s nothing I can do for you. Because you need to have an x-ray to see if there’s a hairline fracture. And even if there’s indeed a hairline fracture, you need to have an operation to insert a rod into the toe. I don’t think you want to insert a rod into your toe.

ME: Need surgery? (sickened)

DOC: Like I said, there’s nothing I can do and I don’t think you want to insert a rod into your toe.

ME: So what are the symptoms so I know I need to have a surgery? I mean, what will be the consequences?

DOC: Like I said, there are three outcomes and I don’t think you want to go for a surgery.

ME: So how do I know if I have recovered well?

DOC: I won’t know unless you go for a X-ray scan and there’s nothing I can do for you on that.

ME: Okay, just gimme my medication. (FED UP).

BOOOOOOO! Went out of the clinic feeling like I've been cheated of my money and made fun of and trivalised by an arrogant and cocky doctor. Will never go back there again and will tell all my friends not to visit this doctor.

I miss my old doctor!

China Chinese vs the Singaporean Chinese Stomper

It was an AFC match between SAFFC and a China soccer team and the animosity was sizzling hot.

"I hate Chinese" said a Singaporean Chinese queuing in front of me. Haiz, Chinese hate Chinese. So sad. Can't the world have more loving and less hating?

Just as I was waxing lyrical over love & peace ala John Lennon - An ah tiong cut my queue.

And that's that. I went berserk.

All's fair in love, war & queues.

Unconsciously I whipped out my camera phone. "I must stomp the idiot Ah Tiong!"

At that moment, I'm no longer rational, nor am I just Chinese. I'm Singaporean Chinese and like the Singaporean Chinese in front of me, I'm deeply ashamed to be remotely associated to the Ah Tiong queue cutter, race and all.

I felt an insatiable desire to shame him --- this audacious PRC queue cutter. But just as I was going to take the picture, something in me snapped. No, I cannot behave like a whiney, compliant Singaporean. These PRCs are tough and I must defend my rights myself and not by complaining to the gahmen/press.

So, I turned to him, tapped him on the shoulders and said... "You must queue" (in mandarin lah). I felt pleased with myself for having the courage to speak up and confront the man instead of stomping him and seething away in virtual annonymity. Then the man did the unthinkable.

He went to cut my boyfriend's queue.

I almost whipped out the phone again.

At that moment, I kinda understood Stomp's appeal for Singaporeans. My general frustration with foreigners who come here and behave badly was stirred up by this queue cutting Ah Tiong. This frustration has been shared by many other Singaporeans who have also stomped, complained and written to the gahmen and the press on the same matter. But the problem just kept getting worse and there seemed to be no avenues for recourse. I feel as if my country has been invaded by foreign workers and as a Singaporean (muzzled, censored), I can only stand still with both hands tied and mouth gagged while the yellow tide reduces my home to their common spittoon.

Deep in my consciousness, stomping this act was a way for me to add to the increasing number of documentary evidences of how unpleasant life is becoming with these foreign invaders. Why? Why isn't something being done? Why? Why does the economic objective of keeping labour costs competitive warrant such unpleasantness? Why aren't our views taken into consideration?

At work I received resumes from Indian nationals with MBAs (mostly from dubious private institutions) offering to work in any positions for as low as SGD$2,000 a month. Coming back from work, I battle hordes of Indians, Burmese, PRCs at Boon Lay MRT station. While taking rides in the MRT trains, I cringe from the many loud PRC voices and Burmese voices chattering loudly on the phone. Upon reaching my flat, I am greeted by the sight of a NTUC fairprice trolley parked infront of my Burmese neighbour's flat.

The mentality of coming to Singapore, getting rich fast and getting out quick irks me. Even if you shame these migrants, they wouldn't give a damn. This is just a money pot to them and manners or Singapore be damned to them.

Unhappy thoughts.

That day I cheered lustily for SAFFC. I cheered my guts out when we scored. I fell when that last minute goal was conceded. And when the match ended, passions were so high there were loud cheers for SAFFC and for Duric. We needed a win badly to temper our angst against the PRCs but seeing the SAFFC team tried their best to hold on to their lead makes me think --- at least we held our own.

More Petite clothes from Europe

Heh, this is long overdue, but finally found some time to blog.

Parents and sis also bought the following for me:

From Austria

I wore this to work and my colleague asked me if it is a t-shirt. Hmm, it is a one piece lah. Wonder if this is suitable for office wear? I can't be bothered, my dad chose it for me!



From U.K.:

Dorothy perkins top. It is a bit big so I'll have to return this to my sister when she returns! Wonder if Dorothy Perkins has a clothes range for petite sizes?


more to come... but no time to take photos yet.