Vegetarian MoonCake, Gods & Ancestors

today's lunar 8th mth 15th day, Mid-Autumn Fest. traditionally chinese will pray to the Moon, Gods & Ancestors. many offerings were be made. MoonCake is a must.

perhaps my thinking is 1 kind. if you can afford to eat 'Gold Dust' mooncake, i feel that the same should be offered to your Gods or Ancestors. to me it's certainly Absurd to offer Them low-grade ones! 

as a 'serious' Buddhist, my Buddha & Ancestors are Vegetarians. every year this time, i'll be busy searching for Vegetarian Mooncake. some years ago had this experience. a salesgirl told me No Egg Yolk means Vegetarian lor! Ridiculous! what if Lard is used? to be safe, best to buy from Vegetarian restaurant. supermarkets do sell. some restaurants sell too. 

this's the second year i got fine Vegetarian Mooncake from the reputable Wo Peng Restaurant, owned by HK platinum master chef Ho Kok Fai. in addition to her standard flavour White Lotus Paste with Black Sesame (created by them when they launched mooncake sale last year), a new flavour Green Tea is added. pleased with both types. it costs about $43 before tax for a box of 4. 

Smile & Hope that tonight the Moon is Big, Round & Bright. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

 

Chat: XiaXue & Pregnancy

Eh, Congrats Ah!
The Wedding Date i chose for u not bad rt! Its Auspiciousness of Baby worked well leh!
Admire your Do-Believe-In Traditional Custom attitude. U chose to disclose the baby news only after certain period. Good Girl. Who cares abt 'pan-tang'. Better be safe lor.
U n hubby can think hard about which English names for the baby but leave the Chinese names to the expert lah. Not to worry abt your angmoh hubby's Chinese Surname. I can easily coin 1. Done for many other race b4. Recently did for a French, Mr Fiat, ended up he shared same surname with 2 superstars, Fei Xiang n Fei Yu Qing! 
Collect names between 5-7 days $168, 3-4 days $228, next day $288. After the baby is delivered then contact me lor. Date/Hour of Birth n Gender of the Baby rqd. Your Chinese name oso rqd. U can oso highlight any words tat u like or dislike. Data by email ok. If u n hubby not free to come here to collect name, send your rep lor. Besides naming, will mention other impt infor. By email, fax or post can but might not be too clear. $50 surcharge. 
If your Doc says Caesarean is best then pse hah choose an Auspicious Date. For certain dates strictly not for op or 'chong' u n baby! $100 only. If it's natural birth yet u 1 2 pick a date, don't consult me! I always reject such job. Natural Birth is God's Will. Don't go against it.
Jus kpo abit: no cooling food, fruit n drinks. my malay kawan said mee rebus n bandung tak boleh, too cooling liao. Now trendy to eat durians hor! But traditionally pregnant time shouldn't eat or drink too heaty stuff. Wait baby hard to cum out. Confinement time, yes, very heaty very 'poh' stuff u must eat n drink. If u can wallop a bottle of cognac per day fine u know! Good for your health esp for the future.
During this period, no renovation including simple knocking oso cannot. Wait the baby have many birthmarks! Oso no needle work or cutting esp on the bed! 
Red events can attend. White events including visit the sicked cannot attend! Get some1 to give 'white-gold' on your behalf. If u see funeral wake pse walk away even if u've to detour 1 big round.
Ok, chat again. Take care. 

TimeLess Treasure

This Page is Dedicated to all WatchMakers, & Watch Lovers Living or Dead. In Honour of Your Hard Work, Creativity & EyeSight. To the Watch Lovers who have spent much Time, Effort & $, & perhaps made some too including Pleasure.
Allowing one to show off his Treasure in any environment for you can't move your bungalow or sportscar into other's premises, eg restaurant. Also, pardon me, it's the few Treasures Man can show as compared to Woman's many Jewelleries. 
Appreciation goes to Internet for providing most of the Data. And to an old pal Stanley for introducing this Fascinating Hobby. 
Common & Interesting Watch Brands are chosen as i put them Chronologically simply you know When that Brand was first made. Common is a Brand most people will know once said eg Rolex. Interesting is a Brand that once upon a time was King eg Titoni, caused Revolution eg Seiko (Quartz that swept many mechanical Swiss made out), not all Great Watch is Swiss made, eg A. Lange & Sohne (German).....
Fashion Brand is not listed here unless it's several Hot Sellers. 
According to Alphabetical Order with some Highlights comes next. 
Tried my best to make the facts as accurate as possibles, still E & OE.

A)   1.   1735   Blancpain
       2.   1755   Vacheron Constantin
       3.   1768   IWC
       4.   1775   Breguet                 
       5.   1777   Perrelet
       6.   1791   Girard Perregaux 

B)   1.   1830   Baume & Mercier
       2.   1832   Longines
       3.   1833   Jaeger LeCoultre  
       4.   1845   A. Lange & Sohne (Germany)
       5.   1846   Ulysse Nardin
       6.   1847   Cartier                   (France)
       7.   1848   Omega
       8.   1850   Waltham                (USA)
       9.   1851   Eterna, Patek Philippe
     10.   1853   Tissot, Revue Thommen
     11.   1858   Vulcain                          (USA)
     12.   1860   Chopard, Tag Heuer, Panerai (Italy)
     13.   1862   Cyma
     14.   1864   Elgin                              (USA)
     15.   1865   Zenith
     16.   1874   Piaget
     17.   1875   Audemars Piguet
     18.   1881   Movado
     19.   1882   Seiko                            (Japan)
     20.   1884   Breitling, Bvlgari            (Italy) 
     21.   1887   Titus
     22.   1891   Ball                               (USA)
     23.   1892   Hamilton                       (USA)
     24.   1894   Universal Geneve
     25.   1895   Rotary

C)   1.   1904   Oris
       2.   1905   Rolex
       3.   1908   Concord
       4.   1911   Ebel
       5.   1912   Fortis
       6.   1914   Glycine
       7.   1917   Rado
       8.   1919   Titoni, Milus
       9.   1923   Bulova  (USA) Van Cleef & Arpels (France)
     10.   1946   Dubey & Schaldenbrand
     11.   1950   Timex                                   (USA)
     12.   1955   Corum, Sea Gull                   (China)
     13.   1961   Sinn                                     (Germany)
     14.   1969   Gerald Genta
     15.   1974   Casio                                   (Japan)
     16.   1975   Maurice Lacroix
     17.   1976   Raymond Weil
     18.   1980   Hublot, Roger Dubuis
     19.   1983   Chronoswiss                        (Germany)
     20.   1987   Titan                                     (India)
     21.   1988   Federique Constant
     22.   1989   Daniel Roth
     23.   1991   Frank Muller
     24.   1992   Bell & Ross                   (France)
     25.   1994   Glashutte Original                  (Germany)

D)   1.   2001   Richard Mille
       2.   2002   Linde Werdelin, MontBlanc   (Germany)
       3.   2003   Dewitt
       4.   2008   Azimuth   (S'pore's Idea/$, Swiss)

Well, a picture paints a thousand words:

Nice Words & Slogans:

 You're Not Dressed At Your Best Unless You're Wearing A.....

 Live Your Passion

You Merely Look After It For The Next Generation

Other Than Swiss:

                                                    Takes a Licking & Keeps on Ticking

1.     A. Lange & Sohne 1845   
2.     Audemars Piguet 1875 1st Skeleton Watch. Big 4.
3.     Azimuth    2008    
4.     Ball          1891
5.     Baume & Mercier 1830
6.     Bell & Ross          1992
7.     Blancpain                     1735    
8.     Breguet     1775 Tourbillon Creator
9.     Breitling    1884 'Best Chrono Watch' 
10.   Bulova      1923
11.   Bvlgari      1884
12.   Cartier      1847
13.   Casio 1974 Baby-G, G-Shock
14.   Chopard     1860 Happy Diamond/Sports 
15.   Chronoswiss      1983
16.   Concord            1908
17.   Corum  1955 Poker Watch
18.   Cyma                1862
19.   Daniel Roth       1989
20.   Dewitt               2003
21.   Dubey & Schaldenbrand  1946
22.   Ebel                  1911
23.   Elgin                 1864
24.   Eterna  1851 Patented the 1st Alarm Wristwatch
25.   Fortis            1912
26.   Frank Muller 1981 Crazy Hours Watch
27.   Frederique Constant  1988 Tourbillon w Silicium Escape-Wheel
28.   Gerald Genta 1969 Designed PP, AP, WC etc
29.   Girard Perregaux   1791 Tourbillon 3 Golden Bridges
30.   Glashutte Original  1994
31.   Glycine                 1914
32.   Hamilton               1892
33.   Hublot                  1980
34.   IWC                     1768
35.   Jaeger LeCoultre   1833  Reverso. Big 4
36.   Linde Werdelin  2002 Digital Instr for Skiing/Diving
37.   Longines     1832 1st Modern Day Olympics 1892
38.   Maurice Lacroix  1975
39.   Milus                   1919
40.   MontBlanc          2002
41.   Movado              1881
42.   Omega   1848 1st Watch on the Moon. 
43.   Oris        1904
44.   Panerai   1860  XL Watch
45.   Patek Philippe  1851 39 Complications. Big4
46.   Perrelet              1777
47.   Piaget   1874  Precious Stone Dial
48.   Rado    1917 Ceramic Dial
49.   Raymond Weil       1976   
50.   Revue Thommen    1853
51.   Richard Mille         2001
52.   Rolex  1905  1st in Many Innovations
53.   Rotary           1895
54.   Sea Gull 1955  Largest Maker of Mech Movements
55.   Seiko     1882  Quartz Movement Revolution
56.   Sinn       1961
57.   Tag Heuer  1860
58.   Titus           1887
59.   Titoni         1919
60.   Tissot         1853
61.   Ulysse Nardin  1846
62.   Universe Geneve  1894 1st Chrono Wristwatch
63.   Waltham              1850
64.   Vacheron Constantin   1755. Big4
65.   Van Cleef Arpels  1923 Jewellery Blend w Watch
66.   Vulcain   1858 American President Watch
67.   Zenith  1865  1565 1st-Place Precision Awards

Other Related Watch Page in this Blog: Rolex & Friendship, Watch-BT Supplement, Vintage Watch, Seiko, What's The Time. 

Here's Dedication to 3 Very Nice & Affordable Watches of Popular Average Class Fashion Brand. It happens to be all American. 

Skeleton Watch by Kenneth Cole. 45mm. Even the Buckle is in very Chic Design. Leather Strap. Automatic. Japanese Movement.

2012 Dragon Year. the other dragon watch that's nice is piaget but that easily costs few hundred times more! 45mm. Black PVD S/Steel Bracelet. Qtz. Japanese Movement.

Guess labels it Guess Collections to brand it Hi-End. It's a Boutique in MBS. 40x42mm. S/Steel Case with Fine Leather Butterfly Lock. Qtz. Swiss Movement.

14/10/12: inspired by the latest Bvlgari Octo to include WATCH REVIEW from an Amateur's point of view. Love at 1st Sight. Simple & Straight Forward. No Hard Technical Data. 

since it's inspired by this Italian brand, it's only fair to chat about it 1st:

i did some research on Bvlgari before buying its Dual Time. now with this Octo series, it shows that in addition to High End Jewellery, Bvlgari is going into Watch very Seriously! 

1st saw Bvlgari Octo in the very informative WOW, World Of Watch magazine, #24 Summer 2012. my conclusion was  Oh! it did away with the Signature Bezel having its Brand on it. but its advt in today's suntimes really caught my interest! Unique, Beauty of a kind, esp the Alligator Strap. of course the Twin Barrels & 50-hour Power Reserve are Special. $11000+ for Steel, $33000+ for Pink Gold. 41.5mm isn't large in today's size. it'll be an Icon some day. 

18/10/12: MontBlanc, King of Pens goes into Watches is quite a surprise! well its Chronograph esp Time Walker series is quite impressive. Why move back to Basic or Classic Design? so plain! unless one's an ardent fan of this German brand, a miss is no regret. 

19/10/12: Cars & Watches share many similarities. Design, Engineering, Movement, Technology, Fashion, Passion, Creative etc. Interestingly both are not Necessity! For Time, you can always ask thy neighbour or peep at his or her watch. Moreover hand phone tells time too. For Transport, plenty of public systems including your feet. Haha, don't say a watch is so much cheaper for some watches are priced above $100k! Car in S'pore is expensive partly because of the taxes & COE! Both are Proud of their Vintage category. Plenty models & series to suit one's budget & liking. Many Car & Watch companies work parallelly eg Ferrari, Posche, Tag Heuer, Girard Perregaux etc. Some are proud if not snobbish about what they wear or drive. Whatever, it's Art & Science On The Move! Enjoy Them.

23/10/12: Chopard, high-precision watch of Swiss. its Happy Series, Diamond, Fish & so on captures one's heart although mainly Quartz made. this latest in Solid Diamonds will attract both sexes. no detail is provided by the advt. Impressive!

25/10/12: Patek Philippe, Top Brand. Much Talk about its Mechanical watches. Here's the popular 24 Diamonds model but it's Quartz. Why can't it be Mechanical? Quartz Revolution still!

15/11/12: Panerai, a young Italian stallion that have won many hearts! Howcome? A middle age teacher friend is its big fan. He's many books of this watch. Whereas an elderly pal who owns several hi-end watches felt that buy Rolex is better. He also didn't like the many limited edition series of it!
I spent quite some time to read up the subject & even went to its Boutique. Still quite confuse about its series. But I found the following interesting infor:
When Panerai 1st serious entry to the Watch market, 1 of the movement it used was Rolex. Some weeks ago felt that the iconic Panerai looked like my vintage Rolex Precision! Today's Straits Times showed the 1st Rolex Oyster. this further shows the Likeness between the 2! Look at the following photos carefully & judge it for yourself.
Will I own a Panerai? It's an Interesting & Not Too Expensive Watch.

 

Is LEE a Saint?

if u slap his left, he'll not kick your !@#$%^&*, but wants u to slap his right too! if u give him a foot, he'll return u not a yard but 10 yards! dun say he's no temper. in a cafe, our 2 lady guests (late 30s) went to the ladies. tan, a young man, told lee "give up lah, lee, they won't like u, look at your silly face!" he challenged the young man to repeat his statement. tan did. a punch from lee was landed on the young man's face! i told tan to apologise to lee, & the matter was closed.

who's this Lee? he's Fong Soon. son of a manager of the then radio & tv of s'pore. mother a housewife. his eldest bro was a dir with moe then retired as principal of RJC. 2nd bro was a giant in the advertising industry who coined the famous slogan 'Grow like a Champion'. a sis nurse married to a dentist in down under. another sis married to a businessman who manages regional garment industries. younger bro teaches in a top sch. younger sis, a financial controller, married to a banker. he lives with a bachelor older bro, same as him doing minor jobs! most of his nephews, nieces, grand nephews & nieces are professionals, eg doc, lawyer etc. at his dad's funeral, most male guests wore black ties, & women in formal dress, many big cars too!

at this point, am sure you'll wonder why this guy is so different from his high-profile siblings! according to him, when he's a kid, his parents overlooked his high fever! that in a way burnt his brain & his later life too! causing him to speak slower than his mind! he's from ACS. well he's the sch captain for the english chess team. a sch closely associated with his family. after that he went to study book-keeping.      

i know him in the 80s when i was the newly elected president of a pte college's alumni. lee, due to his accounting background, was made the treasurer. hardly know him. 1 night he phoned & highlighted that some members of the management committee created politics! not too long, that alumni was dissolved.

lee was robbed into my angling club to be the secretary & not treasurer cos i felt he could contribute more. he's a good administrator & eloquent in english. he speaks queen's english. (i can't tell noun & verb). he's a good english tutor.  although he knew nothing about fishing, he's willing to learn & contribute. over the years, he disclosed that many competitors actually invited him out for good food & tried to buy him over. for many years, he gave his heart & soul to the club.

his career was changed by me. in the 80s he lived in bt timah & worked in kranji. a clerk in a timber co. as usual the co made him to do all kinds of jobs. he's even an unofficial timber grader. in the middle of the night got to go to the port for custom clearance.... i urged him to quit. he then switched jobs a few times.

now in his late 50s, he found his dream job. he's a security officer. in sch, he's a BB. he's a VC. think he liked uniforms & discipline! 

lee was jobless after his indon boss closed shop. due to age, he can't even be a petrol kiosk staff! although his x boss passed him some contacts, those were too small for him to survive on. he took on 2 jobs, kitchen helper with several hotels & clubs, & surveyor. he did all kinds of surveys eg how many people checked into budget hotels (lol), how many cars enter the car parks....  once he needed my help as a whisky co wished to know drinkers behaviour..... he & i ans many questions with many rounds of whisky & of course some $. 

another interesting topic about lee is romance. from the 80s till now, many women were intro to him but failed! a lady friend once highlighted that lee got no look, career, education or charisma. she suggested that he should go for overhaul! some friends teased that howcome i didn't advise him on romance luck. honestly he never ever ask, & i don't see the need. only once he drew his bedroom plan for me to advise.

my mum ever commented that where do find such a good man who doesn't smoke, gamble, womanise. drink! those women who're not interested in him must be blind.

he looks at women in a very shy & decent way. candidly he admitted that he's the last good virgin man in s'pore! in the tempting bangkok & batam he managed to stay clean & keep his virginity! 

recently almost weekly he invites me to dine at nice english & chinese restaurants. it prompted me to ask him what's the occasion. he said no special occasion, only coz during his bad times, i paid for his meals...... also lent him money.

some friends & i felt that due to his strong family background, for him to work with them shouldn't be a problem. but he felt that he should be on his own, & he didn't wish to trouble others.   

due to overwork... all his previous co made use of him to do lots & lots of work......
he went into a coma! 2 team of specialists led by 2 leaders came to his rescue. A team led by a younger prof felt that he should be operated on! B team led by an older prof felt otherwise. 

in a half awake stage, while been pushed into the op room, lee, an unofficial christian, heard a voice: "Son, Your Time Isn't Up Yet!" when he's awake, he's told that B team actually rushed into the op room to stop the op! 

now he's a dedicated christian. attend church service as often as he could (due to work). he also help in the home service or self-help group.

entertainment is his favourite leisure. he loves hk tv dramas. only you is his signature tune. and he could sing many english & cantonese oldies. he often throw himself into decent karaoke w/o women. now he also attempt mandarin christian songs. in a way he learns chinese to assist the chinese speaking bro n sis. 

former pm goh chok tong is lee's idol. lee likes goh so much that he could speak in his accent & style. lee sees goh a gentleman. lee has his humour side too: once i told him that egg was added to a tonic drink package. he questioned who put the egg in? in bangkok only then he realised that pig blood was banned in s'pore while we're having noodle soup. in batam his chicken king friend was so eager to book a girl for tomorrow morning. lee teased him that tomorrow first thing in the morning he to make sure his watergun was full of water!

sometimes i wonder why or how our friendship can last for so long! guess he likes an honest, sincere, & no-nonsense fellow. i see all these qualities in him too. 

i've no particular motive to write this page. just feel like letting the world know that there's a Living Saint. as defined by times-chambers dictionary, "Exceptionally Good and Kind Person". 

if i could create an award, prize or foundation for friendship, humanity or virtue, it'll be called LEE FONG SOON. it's an Honour to have Him as Friend!

more about him can be found in older posts: Vision on Batam, Rolex n Friendship, & Brotherhood Kindness Keeping inThailand.

Ill Health & Funny Property

 

Awful & Dangerous!!! not to frighten you: a relative lived in such same design, shortly her Health went Havoc then Left Earth!!! (not only her health left this planet, she too!).

this Chandelier is Too Big for this 540 sq ft (not sqm) apt! the diners below the lights must pray hard that its crystals, bulbs & perhaps the whole thing is screwed tight! 

i'm not saying that all must know or apply Feng Shui, but should have common sense. Artistic Level: 0!

from the Geomancy view, this Lollipop House in South Korea is OK. rule out its main entrance position. well locally unsure this can be accepted or approved by not only the owner but the authority. no harm to use Fruit as Theme. look at our Durian Centre! what if you like Mermaid, LOL!
Full Report in Life page, Straits Times, 22/9/12.

Yes very Arty! Odd Shape property is always a No No in feng shui. it can't hold Wind n Water ie Luck & Wealth. also Off Balance all Elements inc the Environment! wish all architects will go tru a basic geomancy course. full report in Life pg E19, ST 17/11/12.

O My God! Tomb Design for the Living! So Clamp! Skies Miltonia. although a 'geomancer' advt claimed that he owned a unit too doesn't mean anything good! if a property isn't up to basic good feng shui standard i'll reject to speak at its launch although the fee might be good. i've to be honest.

 

WaterFront Property

Water is Wealth. Property faces Sea is VVIP! No Seaview but other Water Views also Good, eg River, Reservoir, Swimming Pool etc. & Water View property always command a Better Price.

 Nice Design n most importantly Bungalows By The Sea is SeaFront! it's off Sembawang Park. 

 Heron Bay Executive Condo faces Serangoon River. it's all the modern features. Punggol Park is behind

Both these 2 properties are Impressive BUT on 99 Years Lease! You Don't Wish Your Grand Children to Remark that Why the Silly Grandpa Didn't Add one more 9, & now we've to shift!!! 
many years ago one Indonesian Chinese client expressed that Singapore was good at Reclaiming Land. today's waterfront, tomorrow Building Front!!!

Vision on BATAM

lee n i were 1st timer to Batam. what attracted him wasn't the Woman, Massage or Branded Goods. a $300 pair of spects he made in a famous spects shop in sg spoilt in less than 1/2 a yr! no replacement or repair by that shop! same when he approached other shops even in Bangkok would cost him a bomb! his fr Lau, a bachelor in his 40s n a regular to Batam made for lee a new pair over there for less than $50! lau told lee about all the good n cheap things of Batam. lee invited me along n on sep 8 we set sail to the Island of Fun.

2-way air-con Ferry from harbour front costed $48. about 45 mins ride. it's sat quite crowded w loads of Men. lee n i left all the arrangement to lau the old bird. Harbour Bay was the terminal point at Batam. taxi from there to Hotel Hallo Batam costed $4! a 1-star hotel near the famous district Nagoya. $19 nett per night per room. size of hdb masterbedroom. very simple. TV channels were good. staff were friendly n keen to intro you to the famous 'Massage'.

in the 3D 2N trip lau brought us to major shopping malls n massage centres. on the avg good decent massage costs $5 an hr. impressed by some of their upmarket malls. but Shocked that most shops including those not in the malls sell mostly locally made Branded Goods range from Watches, HandBags to Fashion, eg Rolex, Prada, Gucci, LV etc etc. No QC! Batik stuff quite costly.

thought we're hv lots of Indonesian Food eg Nasi Padang, Kuey Lapis.... well lau chose s'pore food instead. lee n i followed our leader's choice.

Kopi-0, Coffee-Town, upmarket mall, $1 (coffee shop 1/2 price). Marlboro $1.50. Pork Ribs + Pig Organs Soup with Rice, Coffee Shop, $4. Nasi Ayam Penyet set with soft-drink, upmarket mall, $3.  Roast Chicken Congee, upmarket mall, $2. 

although lee is a Christian, i Buddhist, lau brought us to the famous Taoist Temple, Tua Pek Kong Bio. we'd the wonderful coconut $1.20 n traditional freshly brew coffee 60cts.

it's a fruitful trip for lee as he managed to get 2 pairs of glasses repaired at $80 (800 deg). a roadside watch repair stall brought back Life to his badly damaged Seiko auto watch (markers, second-hand came off, not working) for $5. the same big optical shop got my 26 yrs old Rodenstock frame to have new lens (300 deg) with Photogray for $60. Never Can You Get Such Prices in S'pore! i went just to accompany a good friend.

exchange rate is better there. S$ widely accepted. hokkien, teochew n mandarin oso boleh lah. 

Some Disappointment are lau didn't bring us to see The Other Side of Batam! Taxi official n unofficial ones always move by your side n horn for business! Motor-Bikers came often to see if you want Girls! 1 shop at the ferry point sells Kueh Lapis for $21 per 1 1/2 kg (didn't buy when she told me same as your Bangewan Solo). couldn't find it elsewhere. Hard to find Smoke Free Hotels, Restaurants n Malls. 

This part of Batam we went surely not for the family esp with kids. If you don't like locally made branded goods, fun massage n ktv, n women, why should you go? No sign of public bus or mrt. 1st n last day by taxi to hotel n ferry point, other time by foot!

will i go again sayang? maybe to other parts of Batam. or if good friends in need. otherwise..........