Smile

People smile for many reasons. Generally, we smile when we are amused, or happy. Sometimes, we smile in encouragement, in admiration. Sometimes, we smile involuntarily – when something tickles our fancy, and a concerted effort must be made to suppress the smile.

A genuine smile radiates warmth, and shows that the person is sincere, happy, and well adjusted. It relaxes those around us, and assures them that all is well.

A smile also does wonders for our appearance. It is an inexpensive way to change your looks. A face with a smile is never ugly.

Unfortunately, there will also be times when we are so bogged down by life, that we find it an effort to smile.

This is why we should try to make someone smile, whenever we can. We never know how much of a difference we could be making in their lives at that moment. Making one person smile can change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but that one person’s world will be for the better. It is also a way of letting them know that they are not alone. When they can smile, they will find hope, and will realize that things are maybe not all that bad, after all.

So, smile often, smile whenever you can. It cost you nothing, but it gives much. The sunshine of your smile might chase the clouds from someone’s life today. It may be the ray of sunshine that someone needs in an otherwise stormy day.

Besides, you never know who is falling in love with your smile.

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Thought of the Day

Every now and then, we come across a phrase, or a paragraph which arouses certain emotions in us. Perhaps the particular word, phrase, or paragraph has a special meaning which we can relate to, or it may have aroused some feelings or emotions we experienced in the past. Or it may simply be that it describes something so appropriately, or so beautifully, that we always want to remember it.

This is one of them.

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Canton Paradise

Canton Paradise serves Cantonese cuisines, and all-day dim sum delights. Here, you find roast meats, Hong Kong style congee, noodles and wok-fried Cantonese dishes. They are one of the more popular chain of restaurants in Singapore.

They have an 'open' kitchen, which allows diners to take a peak at what the chefs are doing. I am seeing more and more of these 'open' kitchens. I guess it is becoming the trend, or the norm now.

This was their appetizer. A mix of steamed peanuts and chestnuts.

There were three of us having diner on this occasion. As I am not very particular about food, I let my friends do the ordering.

This was the first dish - sweet and sour pork. Pork in thin batter stir-fried with sweet and sour sauce, onions, peppers, tomatoes and pineapple. We were half way through it when I remember to snap a picture of it.

This is sliced fish stir-fried with peppers, onions, spring onions and black pepper sauce.

This is beef stir-fried with peppers, onions, and black pepper sauce.

This is chicken stir-fried with green and red peppers, onions, spring onions, and black pepper sauce.

The base ingredients for the three dishes above are more or less the same. - onions, spring onions, green and red peppers, and black pepper sauce.

This is French beans stir-fried with salted fish and dried small shrimps.

This is prawn dumpling soup - prawn dumplings with chopped spring onions and leaves of iceberg lettuce in a broth.

And there you have it. Our meal for the evening. Quite a sumptuous meal isn't it? Basic dishes, but they were all good. Oh, we had some rice too - rice being the main staple of Chinese cuisines.

As mentioned earlier, Canton Paradise is one of the more popular chain of restaurants in Singapore. The service is efficient and fast, but don't expect finesse. They have outlets all over the island. If you are a member of their restaurants, you get discounts and/or rebates on your bill.

The branch we went to is in Marina Bay Sands. They are on L1-02, Bay Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

Operating hours
Daily: 11:00am - 10:00pm

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Sarcasm

In these uncertain times, there is nothing more appreciated than some humour. Laughter might not solve anything, but it provides a few minutes of relaxation, and distraction from all the negative news that are going around.

It is also said that a sense of humour can give our immunity system a boost, which is what we all need at times as such, with a virus is spreading like wildfire. So, laugh whenever you can. It is cheap medicine.

Call them sarcasm, glorious insults or whatever you can come up with, this selection will surely bring on a chuckle, or a smile at least. Enjoy!

They worship the ground that he walks away from. - Unknown

He is always lost in thought – it is unfamiliar territory. - Unknown

Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I’ll waste no time reading it. - Moses Hadas

Whatever kind of look you were going for, you missed. - Unknown

Sometimes I need what only you can provide – your absence. - Ashleigh Brilliant

He is an old bore; even the grave yawns for him. - Herbert Beerbohm Tree

Your ignorance cramps my conversation. - Anthony Hope

This is not an office. It is Hell with fluorescent lighting. - Unknown

I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it. - Mark Twain

Stupidity is not a handicap in politics. - Napoleon Bonaparte

Never again will I spend another winter in this accursed bucket shop of a refrigerator called England. - Rudyard Kipling

People say I have no taste, but I like you. - Unknown

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Aspire to Inspire

I believe that Quotes has a place in life. There is beauty in these words of wisdom that inspire and motivate. But most importantly, these words of wisdom are ageless, as applicable now as when they were first uttered by those who had experienced hardship, and who had been through life – some were sages from hundreds of years ago. It will serve us well to pay attention to these words of wisdom.

Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean. - Maya Angelou

When you are in it up to your ears, keep your mouth shut. - Unknown

Every situation, every moment – is of infinite worth; for it is the representative of a whole eternity. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Absence of occupation is not rest, A mind quite vacant is a mind distress’d. - William Cowper

If you want to know how rich you really are, find out what would be left of you tomorrow if you should lose every dollar you own tonight? - William J. H. Boetcker

The source of abundance is not outside you, it is part of who you are. - Eckhart Tolle

All great discoveries are made by men whose feelings run ahead of their thinking. - Charles Henry Parkhurst

When you are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger. - Epictetus

Affliction, like the iron-smith, shapes as it smites. - Christian Nestell Bovee

In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present. - Francis Bacon

The sower may mistake and sow his peas crookedly; the peas make no mistake, but come up and show his line. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

There comes a time when you have to stop crossing oceans for people who wouldn’t even jump puddles for you. - Unknown

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Life's Little Lessons

Life lessons are learned through experiences, and mistakes. Some of the mistakes are costly and/or painful, and took us a lot of time to recover from them, while some lessons took a long time to learn. Unfortunately, time is something we do not have plenty of. We do not have enough time to learn all the Life’s lessons by ourselves.

However, we may be able to get a head's start in life, if we from the experiences and mistakes of others, and by paying attention to the words of wisdom, and advices of the wise people before us, – the sages, the philosophers, the gurus... – and also those who are still with us who have been through the hardships in life.

These are valuable Life lessons not learned in school. Armed with these lessons, we will be able to avoid the potholes of life. We will have an idea of what to expect of Life, and how to live our lives. There will be times when you find that these are exactly the advise you are seeking, or the answers to your questions.

The key to life is just being a happy person, and happiness will bring you success. - Diego Val

A slander is like a hornet; if you can’t kill it dead the first time, better not strike at it. - Josh Billings

When the river is deepest, it makes least noise. - Unknown

Between flattery and admiration there often flows a river of contempt. - Minna Antrim

A slight touch of friendly malice and amusement towards those we love keeps our affections for them from turning flat. - Logan Smith

There are tones of voice that mean more than words. - Robert Frost

Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects. However to be ignorant of one’s ignorance is the malady of the ignorant. - Unknown

A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind. - Albert Von Szent-Gyorgyi

You can muffle the drum, and you can loosen the strings of the lyre, but who shall command the skylark not to sing? - Kahlil Gibran

The surest way to make a monkey of a man is to quote him. - Robert Benchley

The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. - William James

A stepping-stone can be a stumbling block if we can’t see it until after we have tripped over it. - Cullen Hightower

Much Needed Humour

These are not the best of times. The raging of the Coronavirus, caused half the world to be on lockdown, so far. The virus has claimed many deaths, and the numbers are still adding up. There is an atmosphere of fear. The world now is messy, disruptive, depressing…

However, such is life. We have to take the good with the bad. When times are bad, we just need to hunker down, and wait for it to pass. For pass, it surely will. Later on, when we look back, we will all get a good laugh out of it.

Meanwhile, a change of lifestyle and some inconveniences is inevitable. We have to play our part if we want to stay healthy, and not help spreading the virus. Some simple common sense and vigilance are called for. For example, make it a habit to wash your hands as often as possible, and keep them away from your face. Don’t go too close to people, and keep away from crowds. If you are not feeling well, wear a mask, go see a doctor and stay at home. You might want to practise social distancing. Stay at home as much as possible. Go out only when it is very necessary. Although these actions are not fool proof, it will cut down your chances of catching the virus greatly.

During such uncertain times, we should be happy that we are healthy and not sick. We should remain upbeat and keep our sense of humour. It is said that laughter cures a multitude of ills – it is the best and cheapest medicine. As long as we have a sense of humour, we can laugh all the unpleasantness away.

Below are some humorous quips / witty comments. Some of them have a lot of truth in them too. I hope they bring on a chuckle, or put a smile on your face. So, relax, stay calm, and enjoy these quips.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up a thousand times the memory. - Unknown

I am determined my children shall be brought up in their father’s religion, if they can find out what it is. - Charles Lamb

For every wound, a balm. For every sorrow, cheer. For every storm, a calm. For every thirst, a beer. - Unknown

Dealing with stupid people is like playing soccer. You can use your head but a swift kick is more effective. - Aunty Acid

An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools. - Ernest Hemingway

Discrimination will lose its power when we all end up beige. - Unknown

Don’t give cherries to pigs or advice to fools. - Unknown

Everyone seems normal until you get to know them. - John Ortberg Jr.

For every action there is an equal and opposite government program. - Bob Wells

Here’s to our wives and girlfriends. May they never meet! - Unknown

What is sanity, after all, except the control of madness? - Unknown

As we grow older, our bodies get shorter and our anecdotes longer. - Robert Quillen

Of Quips and Quirks

Don’t take life too seriously. Relax, have a bit of fun and most importantly laugh as often as you can. Life is too short to waste it worrying about things you have no control over.

Enjoy this selection of quips. And may your weekend be filled with laughter.

Alcohol does not solve problems, but then again, neither does milk. - Unknown

If you want to change the world, do it while you’re single. Once you’re married, you can’t even change the TV channel. - Unknown

As long as there are birthday Gifts, I don’t mind celebrating my birthdays every day. - Unknown

Housework can’t kill you, but why take a chance. - Phyllis Diller

People have an annoying habit of remembering things they shouldn’t. - Christopher Paolini

Hold your wife’s hand in the mall because if you let go, she’ll start shopping. It looks romantic but it’s actually economic. - Unknown

Age is just a number, totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine. - Joan Collins

Congress would give the people what they wanted if the people knew what they wanted, and if Congress could give it to them. - Evan Esar

People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile. - Lee Mildon

Before I was married, I had a hundred theories about raising children and no children. Now, I have three children and no theories. - John Wilmot

Pretending to care what men think is an art. It takes moments to learn, but lifetimes to master. I’d like to believe I’m an expert. - Dennis Sharpe

If love is the answer, could you rephrase the question? - Lily Tomlin

Meme / Humour

Facets of Life

I have found that reading inspirational and motivational quotes give me an emotional, and ‘spiritual high’, lifting my spirits immediately. The next time you are feeling down, or depressed, give it a try. Go to any quotes site, and spend a few minutes going through the motivational and inspirational quotes. You will find your spirits uplifted immediately.

Meanwhile, here are some quotes to give your spirits a lift – if you are in need of one now.

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought. - Dr. Albert Szebt-Gyorgyi

It takes a minute to have a crush on someone, an hour to like someone and a day to love someone – but it takes a lifetime to forget someone. - Unknown

Beware the wrath of a patient adversary. - John Calhoun

We exaggerate misfortune and happiness alike. We are never as bad off or as happy as we say we are. - Honore de Balzac

A tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use. - Washington Irving

We forget ourselves and our destinies in health, and the chief use of temporary sickness is to remind us of these concerns. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The sure way to be cheated is to think one’s self more cunning than others. - Duc de La Rochefoucauld

There aren’t any good guys, and there aren’t any bad guys. There’s just us. People. Doing our best to get by. - Neil Gaiman

A thief believes everybody steals. - E.W. Howe

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. - The Buddha

We easily forget crimes that are known only to ourselves. - Duc de La Rochefoucauld

There is a condition worse than blindness, and that is, seeing something that isn’t there. - Thomas Hardy

Aspire to Inspire

There will be days when we feel discouraged, days when we feel that everything we do is meaningless, hopeless, and we find that everything is a struggle. During such moments, all we need is some words of understanding, some words of encouragement to keep us going.

Take a note of the following for days when you feel you need a motivational or inspirational boost. Or you can bear these in mind, and use them for the people around you who you feel are in need of some motivation or inspiration.

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. - Albert Einstein

Big, sweeping life changes really boil down to small, everyday decisions. - Ali Vincent

In everything the middle course is best: all things in excess bring trouble to men. - Titus Maccius Plautus

If you will only take the trouble always to do the perfectly correct thing, and to say the perfectly correct thing, you can do just what you like. - George Bernard Shaw

Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. - Lou Holtz

Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it en-kindles the great. - Comte Debussy-Rabutin

When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you. - Lao Tzu

In great matters men show themselves as they wish to be seen; in small matters, as they are. - Gamaliel Bradford

We dance round in a ring and suppose, but the Secret sits in the middle and knows. - Robert Frost

Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance. - Eckhart Tolle

There comes a time in a man’s life when to get where he has to go – if there are not doors or windows – he walks through a wall. - Bernard Malamud

Every individual has a place to fill in the world and is important in some respect whether he chooses to be so or not. - Nathaniel Hawthorne

Laughter Amid Uncertain Times

These are uncertain times. So much depressing news everywhere. The Coronavirus is spreading like wildfire across the globe, claiming many lives along the way. The numbers are adding up very quickly. Towns, cities and whole countries are on lockdown. How did it get so bad so quickly? It is surreal, like a scene out of Stephen King's novel, or a horror movie.

No doubt, these will all pass, and all will be well again. Meanwhile, if you are having problems keeping cheerful, here are some memes/jokes/humour to help lift your spirit, even if for a moment. Afterall, with the virus raging around you, one way of protecting yourself is to boost your immune system. And what better way than a strong sense of humour.

Life has to go on despite all the unpleasantness. We just have to be a bit more mindful and vigilant. Keep in mind to wash your hands regularly. Keep them away from your face, and keep your hands to yourself as much as possible. Keep away from crowded places. Stay home for the time being unless you have urgent errands to run. Apply these common sense steps, and you should be safe from the virus. The virus is contagious, but not deadly - unless you have a weak immune system. Just relax, take care and keep well. May the virus run its course soon.

The following memes/jokes/humour are from all over the web and whatsapp messages from friends and family. Enjoy them.

On Love

We have all loved, and been in love at some point in our lives. Was it as beautiful, as wonderful as we expected and imagined? Probably only briefly. As with everything else, love loses its magic after a while. And if lovers do not keep rekindling the fire, love will die.

Love is an emotion, and emotions can be controlled. Rein in your emotions. A sensible, practical attitude, and approach will allow you to enjoy this warm, fuzzy feeling call love, be it in giving or receiving – again and again.

Loving someone who doesn’t love you is like waiting for a ship at the airport. - Unknown

Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love. - George Eliot

One can still be in love at an old age without being ridiculous. It is at this age that one most needs one’s heart warmed up again. - Unknown

Never leave things unsaid with the one you love because you will never know if you will ever have another chance to say them. - Unknown

There is no feeling more comforting and consoling than knowing you are right next to the one you love. - Oscar Wilde

Between what is said and not meant, and what is meant and not said, most of love is lost. - Khalil Gibran

Maybe love isn’t what we’ve been told. Maybe it’s not all romance or attraction. Maybe love is a friend. Someone who understands you. Someone who’ll be there for you… even at your worst. - R. M. Drake

When we lose one we love, our bitterest tears are called forth by the memory of hours when we loved not enough. - Maurice Maeterlinck

Just because two people argue, it does not mean they do not love each other. And just because they do not argue, it does not mean they do. - Jiddu Krishnamurti

When you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain. - Mark Twain

It is difficult to know at what moment love begins; it is less difficult to know that it has begun. - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Love is the free exercise of choice. Two people love each other only when they are quite capable of living without each other but choose to live with each other. - M. Scott Peck

Thoughts on LIfe

Life is hard, tough and difficult. That is a fact. We must learn to see life for what it is. Once we can understand life for what it is, we will be able to accept the reality of it. And we will not be bothered by the fact that life is difficult. We would have understood that the joy, tears, pain, difficulties… they are all part and parcel of life, that is what life is all about.

Life is…

Complicated… Over the years you get to see what a struggle life is for most people, how tough it is, how easy it is to be judgmental and criticise and stand outside of situations and impart your wisdom and judgment. Well, it is not so easy. There’s a lot of mystery and suffering and complication. Everybody’s out there trying to do the best they can. And it's not such an easy business. - Woody Allen

Dull... Most of life is so dull it is not worth discussing, and it is dull at all ages. When we change our brand of cigarette, move to a new neighbourhood, subscribe to a different newspaper, fall in and out of love, we are protesting in ways both frivolous and deep against the not to be diluted dullness of day-to-day living. - Truman Capote

Life is constantly testing us for our level of commitment, and life’s greatest rewards are reserved for those who demonstrate a never-ending commitment to act until they achieve. This level of resolve can move mountains, but it must be constant and consistent. As simplistic as this may sound, it is still the common denominator separating those who live their dreams from those who live in regret. - Tony Robbins

Life is distressing insomuch as we give exaggerated importance to altogether unimportant matters. Drifting along, I have observed that we men and women disturb ourselves about trifles, overlooking in the needless excitement the innumerable beauties which wait upon the way. Every ripple is not a wave, every wind is not a hurricane. Why worry whilst we are still upon the stream? It will be time enough to trouble when we meet the sea. - Charles Edward Jerningham

Life is always speaking to us at every moment. The subtle whispers, cues, and nudges are there as guideposts, to gently carry the humble listener along the path back to the source and the true self. Always choose to trust yourself and your ability to listen. - Bryant McGill

That's Life

Sometimes, Life makes little sense. And that’s how it is. That’s Life.

Wacky Humour

Life would be dull, and gloomy if people did not have a sense of humour, if there were no laughter. It is through humour, and laughter, that we soften some of life’s demand on us. And once we can find laughter, no matter how painful the situation might be, we can survive it. Cultivate, and develop your sense of humour because it is when things are not going well that we need our humour most.

Have a great weekend. May it be filled with laughter.

Always keep several ‘Get Well’ cards on the mantelpiece. That way, if unexpected guests arrive, they’ll think you've been sick and unable to clean. - Aunty Acid

One doesn’t generally look into mirrors when one is especially angry; one has better things to do, like pace the floor or throw things. - Robin McKinley

I was thrown out of college for cheating on the metaphysics exam. I looked into the soul of the boy next to me. - Woody Allen

Women love when you kiss their neck … just not when they’re driving and when you’re in the backseat. And they don’t know you. - Unknown

A man loses his sense of direction after four drinks; A woman loses hers after four kisses. - H. L. Mencken

I once wore a peekaboo blouse. People would peek and then they'd boo. - Phyllis Diller

A man in love is like a clipped coupon - it's time to cash in. - Mae West

I retired early for health reasons – my company was sick of me and I was sick of them. - Unknown

A stockbroker urged me to buy a stock that would triple its value every year. I told him, 'At my age, I don't even buy green bananas'. - Claude Pepper

Once in a while our school has half days, and the teachers spend the afternoon ‘in service,’ which I think must be a group therapy for having to deal with us. - Neal Shusterman

At Christmas, many of us sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of our socks. - Unknown

After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say, “I want to see the manager.” - William S. Burroughs

Collin's Gastro Dining

Collin's Gastro Dining is a local award-winning F&B Brand. They have some 25 outlets in Singapore.

My friend and I had lunch at their branch in Funan Lifestyle Mall recently. The restaurant is trendy, and unpretentious. There are partitions between adjacent tables giving guests some privacy. I like this. The seating arrangement are designed to accomodate families or small groups.

I like their open kitchen concept.

This is the bar.

They had a 'special deals' for lunch. An order of main course comes with three side dishes - a selection of any three side dishes, or two side dishes with a drink.

I went for their Signature Roasted BBQ Pork RIbs., served with Skinny Cajun Fries, Corn Cob, Mesclun Salad and Coleslaw. For the sides, I had onion rings, Caesar salad and ice-lemon tea.

My friend ordered the Argentine Angus Ribeye Prime steak served with Sauteed Edamame, White Bean, vegetables, mushrooms, Potato Au Gratin, Pesto Sauce and Black pepper Sauce.

His sides were Caesar Salad and Mash potatoes.

I enjoyed the ribs. I think Roasted BBQ pork ribs is my favourite western dish. That's what I usually go for. So, I have enough of BBQ ribs to say, this restaurant serve one of the better ones.

My friend's steak was, to quote him, "For this sort of price, I can't complain."

So, all things considered, for a restaurant in a prime location which is newly redeveloped, serving good food, their prices are very affordable indeed.

They have a display of aged beef, and a wine rack right at the entrance. This is something I have never seen in other restaurants.

Collin's Gastro Dining
107 North Bridge Rd, #01-15 Singapore 179105
Hours: 10:00 am - 11:00 pm