Red Bomb!

I received my first red bomb in Vietnam! hehe...dun panic, its just a red scroll packaged nicely containing an invitation to a wedding dinner. In Singapore, wedding cards are regarded as "red bombs"...mainly becos the cards traditionally are mostly red (duh!) and we have to spend a bomb giving a red packet to the couple to ensure that they do not lose money for each dinner table.

My first thots were.. "oh no another looong boring evening with a hungry stomach while sitting amongst strangers!"But hey, an invite to a wedding held in another country, that I must see!!

The bride is my colleague in the office. I understand from her that it is not that big deal. A week before the wedding and she has not selected what gown she was gg to wear! WHAT?! This is something unheard of in Singapore. We get psychotic if we have not chosen our dresses months ahead of the wedding..then we plan to lose weight, go facials etc etc.hehe..2 days before the wedding, she brings 4 books of her wedding fotos to the office for us to see. Finally the day of the wedding arrived. We arrived at this restaurant that has four split levels.. Wow.. looks pretty grand. About 50 plus tables fill the place...
There is a large stage where a few hired singers were singing on the stage. A little retro I must say...blast to the past..like gg back to our parent's era. But one singer(dressed like Ah Lian) was singing a techno song! hahaha..pretty weird. It was also a tradition for guests of the couple to voluntarily go up the stage and sing a song. Ermmm you can imagine - a free karaoke session complete w horrid dance moves...the poor guests!
We reached our table and each seat has a piece of blue paper with Viet words (of course!)..We checked with some Viet friends and they explained that the bride and bridegroom will mount all the photographs of the event into a website 4 hours later. In the paper stated the website and the username/password..cool!

There were 2 separate large screens in the dining area. One showed the pics of the wedding couple. The other showed the Thai/Vietnam match for Asean Cup! Wah man..there were ppl cheering and all (Viets are known for their extreme interest in football!). So sad...no one was really interested in the poor singers on the stage OR the wedding couple. aiyoh....remember no matter how close you are to your friends, you can NEVER compete with a football match!
Food was served realli fast and I was quite impressed at the design of this steamboat. 1. Firstly the uncooked food is placed at the outer circle 2. Once the the soup has boiled, the uncooked food is swept into the middle circle of soup.
3. Finally the cooked food is brought up again so that you need not "fish" into the soup looking for treasures. When the cooked food are all dished up, we can continue putting raw food in to cook. Efficient huh! No need so many utensils. Here is a pic of Ann(my cuz), me and Tata (my room mate) posing for a pic for our first Viet Wedding.Here is a pic of the wedding couple posing for a table shot. Can imagine how cramp her smile will be...50+ tables leh!!!!

Last Thots:
Vietnamese women are very much like us in Singapore. Many are furthering their studies and ensure that their careers are established before settling down. The age of marriage tends to be in the late 20s and early 30s.
A wedding dinner of 50 plus tables is considered pretty normal for their standards but in Singapore, it would be considered lavish and bloody expensive. AND imagine the number of table photos you must take...a big turn off siah! The wonderful thing is that dinner ended at 9pm sharp regardless of number of tables. It is sooooo different from Singapore where the dinner will prob stretch till almost 11pm!

One thing for sure, it is definitely cheaper to hold a wedding here (abt SGD400 per table) and the gown/foto package is onli a SGD 1000plus. Anyone interested????!!Sure make money one...hahahaha....

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun....or Food!! continued...

It was one of those days where we had the driver at our disposal and the day to ourselves..yeah yeah yeah! Working a 6-day week definitely makes you appreciate your weekend (technically only Sunday left!) so much more..so u ppl out there who work 5-day weeks, dont complain!!

Wat to do , wat to do?Well, eat and shop of course!

First stop - To satisfy our meat cravings! We stopped by a german restaurant to have their yummy sausages. The mash potatoes were fantastic! unfortunately I cannot remember the name of the resturant and forgot to take pics! sheesh....

Next - To walk off the food. We went to Lucky Plaza (no relation to the one in Singapore) for some retail therapy. Bought some reasonably priced Adidas and Nike dri-fit shirts..happy happy! We decided to move on to Saigon Square (a great place for even cheaper clothes, shoes and cheap DVDs!) to continue our shopping. After much haggling over prices and all, we emerged happy and satisfied with our shopping bags. Watz some shopping without bargaining eh?hehe..

Rest Time - Off to Gloria Jeans to pump some caffeine into our tired bodies and to satisfy our "sweet" craving! It is located at Dong Khoi street (their Orchard Road) where many shops cater to tourists. Stuff on this street are definitely higher priced...not for bargain hunters like us!

Here is a pic of me and Tata (my room mate) enjoying our ice cold coffee. Coffee will never be complete without cake!! hehehe...

Dinner - After a relaxing massage and facial, we are off to satisfy our kimchi craving at Mi Song (Korean restaurant). We were seated at this low table and had to sit cross legged. Pins and Needles...yikes! Food was great and we had our beef, kimchi soup, seafood pancake and bim bi bap..Yum yum !!

Last stop - To discover the night life in HCM City with one of our Vietnamese colleague. We came to this 4 level building called MGM Saigon. The locals call it a "Coffee Shop". First Glance -nice relaxing brightly lit cafe with a huge number of patrons.

When we entered, WOAH! A loud blast of pulsating music greets us and we saw this DJ spinning. Hmmm...weird...wat kind of place is this? The music was super loud..like gg to a disco... But everyone is sitting down, trying hard to chat amidst the noise. We were pretty amazed and getting half deaf. It was pretty impossible to even chat with each other. Our Viet colleague explained that it was a place to see and be seen. But I spotted some ppl with their kids. KIDS! What kind of concept is this place?A sit down cafe with deafening disco music? I just dun get it. One thing for sure...throngs of ppl are walking in and out and the place is 99% full at all times. It was a thriving business here..amazing!

We decided to ditch this cafe and went up to the disco which was upstairs (level 3 and 4). I was blown away by the even LOUDER music. It was extremely impossible to talk to each other now and we resorted to hand signals, lip reading and all. hahaha... Most of the ppl were sitting in groups, not talking, not dancing, lots of security personnel hovering about...hmmmm..weird weird weird....It soon grew extremely deafening and boring for us....we decided to end the night pretty quickly! hehe...a failed attempt at clubbing I must say.

Last thots :

It has been fun discovering HCM City, which is developing into a city like Bangkok. Food from most countries can be found here...Nepalese, Indian, Korean , Japanese, French, German, Spanish....and the best part is the restaurant owners are normally from the country of origin so the food tends to be more authentic. Of course, nothing beats the Vietnamese Pho (pronouced as Fer) and Spring Rolls that I LOVE! *salivating*....

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun....or Food!!

What do a bunch of gals do wen they meet? Gossip, shop and EAT of course! U must be wondering..in a place like Ho Chi Minh City...where would a bunch of "pampered" Sporean gals go to for food? hmmm.....

Well, I managed to snap a few pics (wen i remembered to do so) of some foodie places I visited.

1. Scenario 1 - When we were feeling "not so rich"
Here are pics of a food court in this shopping complex called Diamond Plaza. U can find Macau cuisine, New Zealand Ice Cream, Italian food and even Singaporean food! I was so happy to discover that they actualli have curry chicken with baguette bread. Yummi! Its pretty comparable to a food court in Singapore. Worth coming back!

2. Scenario 2:When we were feeling "luxurious"
We booked dinner at Le Cordon Bleu to meet up with another Sporean lady who was working at HCM City. Our expectations were sky high for the food here...Cordon Bleu leh...donch play play ah!

Alas.....it was way below expectations man. Stained chairs (yucks!), sub standard food, eeky music, unimpressive table setttings and mediocre service...well they realli shouldnt adopt the name if they cant live up to it! One of those places we will NOT go back again..be warned!
3. Scenario 3: When we feeling "unsatisfied after a meal"
We discovered this charming cafe that is located opposite a public park. It's called Creperie and Cafe. Guess wat tastes bad there?! U guessed it! Itz the CREPES. Wah man..it is so uncooked looking, cold and tastes as bad as it looks. A real dampener for those who were craving for crepes that night. Luckily their warm chocolate cake (called Chocolate Biscuit) that I ordered for fun turned out GREAT. The creme brulee was good too.

Know what's the most interesting part abt this cafe? The public park opp the cafe! hahaha..its like a weird B grade movie - motorbikes parked 1 m apart with couples kissing/making out on the bike parked along the brightly lit road.

Itz a phenomenon at all the parks...the couples are so near each other and visible to all those going pass them! weird huh...Instead of ppl watching, pple at the cafe were "couple watching"!We understand that they are in the public park doing this as they have "no other places to go to make out"...i mean come on...isnt privacy required for such stuff?!!! BTW, I din manage to snap any shots of the couples in the park (tho I realli wanted to show)...in case I kenna chase by them! hehehehee...

If you ever decide to come to this cafe, remember - Dun order crepes + Remember to come at night to witness this "phenomenon". hyuk hyuk..;)

My Pseudo Tai-Tai Lifestyle in HCM City! ;)

Never would I have thought that coming to Vietnam would include my training to be a Tai-Tai (lady of leisure)! well, not totally, but almost!! hehe ..

Being an extremely lazi person, asking me to do a facial is akin to asking me to eat bittergourd. I will do it onli if absolutely necessary. Massages, manicures, pedicures...I will probably do it if I feel the need to pamper myself and if it is realli convenient. My beauty regime was almost non-existent.

WELL, coming here has been a real eye-opener. Suddenly I am swept into the world of creams (face, body, eye, lip, hands, nails etc), solar defense systems(sunblock for face, body, boosters etc), spa essentials(hydro mineral salts, exfoliant scrubs etc). hair care... all to ensure that U, as a Yuppie, have to be in tip top shape and there is no excuse if u let yourself develop a freckle, acne skin or congestion on your face! 8(

I have never been so confused and yet intrigued. Staying with 3 other women who religiously apply a whole range of creams day and night somehow rubbed off me. Like osmosis or diffusion, I started observing and learning. Now my stash of creams can be proudly called a "range".

I am READY! I can defend all parts of my body fr the sun..ensure my skin is hydrated, reduce the chances of fine lines in my face...all part of my regime to become the yuppie Tai-Tai! haha...

To understand why I can upkeep this "lavish" lifestyle, take a look below.

Here is one of the 3 salons we own. It is on the same level as my office at Saigon Trade Centre. It has 12 rooms and its where I get my facials, waxing, and massage fixes! Wen I feel the need, I just pop by and do the deeed before gg back to office, extemely convenient yah? hehe...

Situated 2 doors down is the Hair Salon we own. This is where I can get my manicures, pedicures, hair treatments and even a mini back massage when required! When we have any formal dinners or events, we can easily pop in for a makeover and a chic hairdo before gg off...convenient to the max and so Tai-Tai hor?!

Last Thots of being a Pseudo Tai-Tai:

After almost 4 mths here, it is safe to say that I am definitely more knowledgeable in prolonging the "fountain of youth". I am definitely more discerning and KNOW when a therapist is doing a good job or just going through the motions.

Well, my life will return to "normal" and non Tai-Tai once I return back to good 'ol Spore. sad sad.. UNLESS DH (Dear Hubby) is willing to sponsor my beauty regimes?!! :) hehe...Yes, No, Maybe?

Party at Lush in HCM City (Vietnam)

Every year, the company's annual D&D is held in conjuction with the boss's birthday which is in January. This year I was lucky enough to be present as I am doing a project for the company.

It was done a little differently this year as they booked a happening pub called LUSH for this event. The theme of the party was "Masquerade" and we had all these cool feather boa masks to wear. They also flew in a Sporean emcee for the event as he was the boss's friend. Finger food and Moet Champagne were served the whole evening. Incredible and luxurious eh..The waiters from the pub were also extremely attentive. Service was great!

It was a pity I was unable to take enough fotos as I was occupied being a judge for the evening for some items performed by the staff. Here are some pics!

The day started with a Snake cake (pic below) being sent to the boss..dun worry, they are not calling her a cobra or snake, it's her horoscope! I am not tellin u her age!!!hehe... interesting looking cake to give your boss huh..AND the snake is made of cream! cool eh

As I was saying, each of us were given a feather mask to wear..here are three important ppl from the company dressed realli nicely...dun you think they look serious and all? Prob having a meeting on staff performance..haha..

Here is a pic of some activity on the small stage. It is so small that the emcee had to play games on the dance floor. But it was pretty impressive that a group of 4 staff managed to perform a song and dance item on the mini-stage...now u know why we say Vietnam gals are realli slim..

Finally, here is a view of the pub.It has 2 levels and the place is filled up with the staff of the company.

Last thots on the party:

The music was great except for the hired band...there was this super effeminate guy who sang "Lao Shu Ai Da Mi"(the mouse who loves rice). This was a popular song around Asia a long while back. Gosh, my hair was standing and I had to control my laughing fit. He was so horrific, the emcee asked him not to continue after he sang another weird song called "Happy New Year". haha..

AND it's so damn cool to celebrate your birthday in a pub filled with your own staff right?! This will go onto my "must do" list for myself!!

PS: pardon the blur pics above!

Workin in HCM City (Vietnam) !

Working in Ho Chi Min(HCM) City ,Vietnam has been a cool experience for me. For some of your info, HCM City is also known as Saigon.

I am constantly amazed at the scary number of motorbikes (1/2 the population has bikes!) that dominate the roads. Cars drive at a super snail speed at gear 2 as they try not to knock the gutsy bikers down.

For a lousy "road-crosser" like me, it is a super pai-seh (embarrassing) ordeal as I stand at the side of the road staring at the hordes of bikes speeding across! What is cool is that the bikes will avoid u as u daringly just walk across..just dont ever ever dash across! (PS: excuse the bad pic taking)

A rare opportunity has led me here to work on a short project. My office is situated in Saigon Trade Centre in District 1 (biz district). I see loads of foreigners here which pretty much says it all - Vietnam is the next booming country.

The pic below is of my office which houses 7 persons (including the boss's cubicle) + a long meeting table. Itz definitely crampy but we manage to move ard without mishaps! heh..This is the corporate office and it is the coordinating arm for a sales distribution office, 3 spa/salons and a hair salon.

And for all the woman power in the office, we definitely need our fuel - see the stash of goodies (lays, ritz, oreos, cadbury..) below..hyuk hyuk...NOT good for the waistline at all! Worse still, this mini mountain of snacks is just behind me! temptation temptation...sigh..

Part of my project was settg up a spa/salon in Chinatown (District 3). What u see is the ground level of the spa/salon in a 6-storey building that is wholly occupied by us. As this pic was taken in Dec 06, you see Xmas decorations and all. Oh, and the 3 blue pots of flowing water smack in the middle of the salon..that's a fengshui requirement..hehe...

Here is a pic of the salon skin therapists taking a short break while the caterer prepares the food before the launch party for the salon... there r like 8 of them squashed in the small space behind the counter!

I m so tickled by this picture of the pineapple decoration! So creative and cute rite? Just in case u are wondering why there is a pile of fruits surrounding it....we actualli ordered "fruits" as an item for the buffet. We definitely did NOT expect fruits in their original form to appear instead of cut fruits....sigh...expectations totally not aligned...heh..luckily the pineapple was so cute..

Last thots on wrking in HCM City:
It was definitely an eye-opening experience working with ppl of a different culture altog...I must say it wasnt as scary as I thought it would be...my knowledge of the Vietnamese language is also improving a little more each mth! Yeah! :)

My debut entrance to Blog-dom

Yes! I finally decided to do it. What d'ya know. I started a blog! My first thot is "do i have that much crap to blog about?". What the heck. I might as well do it. If it is that boring, it will just be my personal journal.

Hitting 30!
I am about to enter the scary-wary age of 30 this year. Tho it is jus an age.. a mere number after 29...it just scares the h*ll outta me. Am I considered middle-aged already? Can I still go Mambo-Jambo (Zouk) and not get stared at? hmmm...i think i better not try!

My passion in life
Travelling and Food are both my passion. I try to schedule 2-3 trips overseas every year. I have yet to find a place that i truly hate..every country is fun, colourful...SHOPPING is definitely on top of my list..FOOD is always an interesting discovery..

Gemini gal
As a true blue Gemini-gal, I need to cater to my need for exciting and interesting new experiences but a good book and a cup of steaming milky latte will also satisfy me.

My humble house
Ever since I gotten my own place, the kitchen became my territory (except for the washing machine & dryer which Dear Hubby(DH) is in-charge of..hehe). It is MY lab where i get to concoct fancy dishes a la Jamie Oliver, bake yummy to-die-for cakes, muffins n other delectable goodies..it is also where DH discovered that he was my guinea pig for all my culinary creations! hahaha...

Changes galore!
2007 is definitely a year of changes for me.. i undertook a project in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was an eye-opening experience as i based myself in HCM. DH was also posted to Perth, Australia so I will be making trips to Down Under...yippeee more shopping and glorious FOOD!

Adjusting and Adapting ...key words in 2007! Cheers! :)