Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Tuesday, 16 sep

The long awaited steamboat came true today as we all were free on this day. It was also a "no school day" tomorrow for most of the people and hence we feel that we can play our hearts out for the night. Although the steamboat activity has been pushed back many times but at least the effort of remembering and wanting it to be fulfill was worth applause. *open champagne*

And so, the usual people meet up during the first breakout so that we can kind of do a headcount of those that are going. The loquacious people includes: Me, Teresa, Sherman, Yuenky, Marcus and Lester. To put it nicely, we are doing headcount. To put it in an unglam form, we are actually hungry and kiasu for eating food, Gossipping about other people, laughing and talking out LOUD!

Especially when you have an outing after school, you seem like someone who is happy, jovial and contented. This is the feeling I got that afternoon. After we returned to class, we were like continue chatting on the MSN. At this time, we were already catching out the potential people that does not want to go already. However, we didn't say anything as we do not want to force people. (I didn't want to go also, hehe)

My class ended at 3pm and we were chatting at MSN again. This time, Lester said he not going as he need to meet his girlfriend. "Zhong sei qing you", this chinese idiom is especially for you. In the end, the people that are going: Me, Teresa, Sherman, Yuenky, Marcus, Jeff and Lester.

We took MRT to bugis with empty stomach. We were so hungry and we keep asking whether we had reached or not. Along the MRT rides, we were like thrashing things out as we didn't meet for some time for some of them.

When we reached there, we were in dilemma as we don't know which steamboat to go. The first place we saw was quite old but has lots of people. We decide to give it a try but the outside seats has only 1 steamboat. The inside seats had two steamboat for the six of us but it was hot stuffy inside. Across the streets were a totally different one called "Tian Tian huo guo". I don't know for others but this one seem like it has been on advertisement before. Besides, it was air-conditioned.

In the end we set foot on another one which was more "U-LU". It was at the end of street and it looks old. I guess we were too tired and hungry to choose or even walk back to Tian Tian's and we just anyhow sit down and order the soup base.

We ordered the chicken and spicy soup base and went on to take the ingredients that will make the soup taste better.




Then after that, WE THROW EVERYTHING INSIDE, HUAT ARRRRRrr



Yuenky says she will start off with the corn, but the corn has just been put inside. Then she say she don't care already because she was too hungry.

There was a group photo here but it was with Teresa's camera. We shall replace that with the prawns photo, each representing us.



We took alot of Golden mushroom, "jin zhen gu". I kept telling them that the golden mushroom look like the monkey's penis. They don't believe.




NOW YOU SEE.

Actually I didn't eat alot. I ate mostly vegetables like seaweed, mushrooms and broccoli. Hotdogs, crab meat, fish balls and Wan tons. I couldn't eat prawns because I had allergy. In fact, I noticed no one ate the prawns except Marcus! The prawns were either used to make the soup sweeter or it was left to boil to its death! All was lazy to use the hands to peel the prawn's shells.

Teresa was quietly eating and seldom had I seen her so quiet before. She was happily shaking legs while waiting for her beef to be cooked. She was using the ladle and skimmer the whole time. Sometimes her cellphone rings but she continued "kiap-ing" the food with her chopsticks while the other hand holding the phone and talking into it.

Jeff was happily throwing meat balls into the soup from high places making sure that the hot soup will have droplets splashing and landing on Yuenky's hand. Jeff was especially happy when yuenky shouted "Ouch" or whatever.

Yuenky was bearing with the heat. Once, she ate something (forgot what she eat) and because it was so hot, she had to release it. She look at other people hoping that she will not be seen. She even smirk because she thought no one saw her. Luckily I managed to saw the WHOLE PROCESS or else I will regret it for the rest of my life

Sherman was having fun with the skimmer. A skimmer look like this...



Looks fun hor? He pour the egg liquid into the skimmer and the liquid flows through the holes. As you already know that egg has that "sticky sticky" forms, it looks disgusting when they refuses to flow through the holes and creating that saliva-lish looks.

Marcus was even awesome, he ate prawns like nobody's business. I peeked at him to see how he do it. First, he remove the head. Then he remove the tail. Once these were done, he went on to catch another prawn and repeat the procedures. After that, he went on back to the first one as it has already cool and ready to eat. The remaining shells of the body was chicken feet to him. He did it all without using hand! Can we call him CHOPSTICKS MASTER?

Ok, we really couldn't finish the food and there was too much left. We left it there and I kind smell something burning. The auntie came over to like scratch the bottom of the steamboat using the ladle. It was to remove the burning things that were buried in the steamboat-bed. After that, no one has the appetite to eat anymore.

We were worried that they have a system of charging wastage food. This could be doom's day for us as the food left over was like a meal for "Zhu ba jie". We kay kay left the table without looking at the waitresses and walked away quickly.

We went to Parco to buy drinks. We were so thirsty after the steamboat. We do not know where to go as it was very early. We sort of walk around and decided to try the Sheesha at Haji lane. As most of us haven't tried it before, we were excited to give it a try.

At first I was reluctant to go as they said it was like smoking. I had never like smoking or anything of that sort. Alot of thoughts went through me and you know those kind of peer pressure feelings? I couldn't control myself and succumb to "their" ways.

For more information of Sheesha or Hookah or whatever, go here. It's actually not very nice. Little were known about whether it has harmful effects. There were no standards for scientist to gauge whether it is harmful or not. But after trying it, I went home and feel like vomiting as the smell lingers in my throat or stomach.

Actually we didn't try the Sheesha straight away right after Teresa brought us to Haji lane. We were more interested in taking pictures at Haji lane as the buildings, lighting and ambience were good. We decide on the "EMO" themes and everyone was into the emo phase right away.







There was actually a group photo here but it's with Teresa's camera again. Teresa had to go off because she is meeting someone. We went on to take many photos and we were super tired.



It brings back many memories where we used to chat endlessly



I kind of like this picture the most because it's really artistic. Jeff, I think it's yours.



Teresa not around~



So difficult pose. LOOK AT YUENKY! enjoying herself. Still can put the hand at the waist.



The graffiti made Haji lane so unique.

Along the way, lots of cars and lorry went past and we had to be really careful with it. As it was a lane that were squeezy for vehicles, it can only allow one vehicle at a time, a one way lane.

After that we went to try Sheesha. We ordered the Green apple flavour. It was $15 per sheesha and the idea was to suck in a big amount of it and smokes will come out from either mouth or nostril.



Each of us had a go at it and I wasn't able to produce any smokes. They told me to suck really hard at it but I was afraid that I might choke at it. After awhile, I was able to produce "a little smoke" and that kind of satisfy them abit.

Actually, the Sheesha wasn't that choking. I expected it to be smelly and spicy. The air that was inhaled has a soft tinge of green apple and you couldn't actually feel the things that you inhaled. The throat gets abit minty when it enters, just abit minty only. I guess it's really smelly when the smoke is puffed out. It has a smell of incense buring plus abit of green apple. It can get abit dry along the throat region but it was still ok.





Drug addict







In the end, this was the only picture that successfully taken the "puffing-out-smokes-effect". If you are unsure that your friend is a smoker, bring him or her there to test it out. The results will be clear for those that were experts in it.

Towards the end, Jeff finally know why I had no smokes coming out. He said that I "swallowed" all the smokes in and that's why there are no smokes produced. Thinking of it, it sounds logical.



The aftermath of Sheesha...

After that, we left Haji lane. We left with a coming back attitude. As we were really tired after today's activity, me, jeff and marcus shared a cab home. As for yuenky and sherman, they took MRT home.

by Anonymous at 11:48 AM |