Fire in the Hole!

I was cooking my self-proclaimed legendary Humba with added hard-boiled eggs. While the concoction was simmering, I went to my room and played Restaurant City. Big mistake. Time passed and while I was feeding my restaurant workers, my flat mate who was hanging his clothes frantically knocked on my door. He said he heard a popping sound from the kitchen. I rushed out to see and when I reached out to turn off the stove, the eggs... exploded, BOOM!!! Bits and pieces of eggs and burnt sugar were splattered on the kitchen walls, the overhead cupboards, the kitchen sink, the covered plate rack, and the refrigerator. Not to mention my white Singtel t-shirt. Thankfully, the meat remained intact and were still edible. We ate Humba that night without its sweet thick sauce because it turned into an added layer to our teflon-covered frying pan. My beloved told me that I'll be spending the rest of the night cleaning the kitchen. Of course, cleaning was easy because she was there to help me. That's why she's my beloved. We're always there to help each other straighten things out after one of us screws up.

Moral of the story: When managing a restaurant, don't try to be a cook at the same time.

Violators Will Be Shot

No matter how strictly the law is enforced and how high the fines are, some people just need a lot more attention.

From Riding the Bar Bus to Dining in Seoul Garden

First of all, Happy Independence Day to all the Filipinos around the world!

My beloved and I spent the day off from work today - not to celebrate Independence Day but to complete the formalities of our Permanent Resident (PR) application. It's also her birthday and we want to spend most of the day for ourselves.

On our way to the Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) building, we rode on a one-of-a-kind bus. From the outside, it looks like your ordinary SBS bus but inside, it's customized to resemble the interior of a bar - a product of creative advertising.


The back seats were fancier but were occupied the whole time so I didn't get the chance to take photos.

The process of completing our PR formalities took less than an hour and we were required to surrender our Employment Pass (EP). Goodbye, green card. In a week's time, I'll be saying hello to your replacement.


Aside from the Entry Permit and Re-entry Permit, we were given booklets about the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA). To quote:

HOTA allows for the kidneys, liver, heart and corneas to be recovered in the event of death from any cause for the purpose of transplantation.

All Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents between the ages of 21 and 60 years and who are of sound mind are included under HOTA unless they have opted out. Those who are under HOTA will not only have the chance to help others, but will also have higher priority on the waiting lists should they need an organ transplant.

We then attended mass to celebrate my beloved's birthday and had a sumptuous Korean buffet at Seoul Garden in Tampines Mall. The restaurant is unique. On the buffet table are raw meat, vegetables, seafoods, noodles, etc. and on your table is a hot plate and a pot of boiling soup base. It reminds me of Kublai Khan but you get to cook the food yourself like in Pepper Lunch. There is also free-flowing ice cream, softdrinks, and Nyonya Kuehs - native sweets that are the Peranakan versions of our kuchinta, puto, biko, bukayo, and cassava cake. They remind me a lot of home.