Mr. Songwriter Wannabe

While Mr. Robotic is often a harsh critic on Mr. Songwriter Wannabe on his compositions, Mr. Robotic is very proud of Mr. Songwriter Wannabe making it to the finals of the NUS song-writing competition and even recorded a compilation album for the event. How many of us actually manage to enjoy minutes of fame like this?

The song, 保存, is the first song which Mr. Songwriter Wannabe wrote. It is a love ballad about retaining the memories (both good and the bad) for a broken relationship.

Please support local music and vote for Mr. Songwriter Wannabe if you think he is worthy of your vote at the link: http://mediaecho.com.sg/xqrj_vote.php. You can also find out more on Mr. Songwriter Wannabes music on http://www.streetvoice.com/cyongkang.

Lala

Mr. Robotic really thinks that 徐佳莹 aka Lala is a very talented songwriter and singer. While her album has been out for some time now, her songs are very listenable and invoke one's emotions. Below is the lyrics to 失落沙洲 which is Mr. Robotic's favorite song on the album. While a happy song will perk you up, an emotional song will help you to release all your pent up sadness. This song is the later. Enjoy...

又来到这个港口
没有原因的拘留
我的心乘着斑剥的轻舟
寻找失落的沙洲

随时间的海浪漂流
我用力张开双手
拥抱那么多起起落落
想念的还是你望着我的眼波

我不是一定要你回来
只是当又一个人看海
回头才发现你不在
留下我迂回的徘徊

我不是一定要你回来
只是当又把回忆翻开
除了你之外的空白
还有谁能来教我爱

又回到这个尽头
我也想再往前走
只是越看见海阔天空
越遗憾没有你分享我的感动

我不是一定要你回来
只是当又一个人看海
回头才发现你不在
留下我迂回的徘徊

我不是一定要你回来
只是当又把回忆翻开
除了你之外的空白
还有谁能来教我爱

我不是一定要你回来
只是当又一个人看海
疲惫的身影不是我
不是你想看见的我

我不是一定要你回来
只是当独自走入人海
除了你之外的依赖
还有谁能教我勇敢

除了你之外的空白
还有谁能来教我爱

Time to say goodbye...

Yes, as the title suggests, it is time for Mr. Robotic to say goodbye. Not that he is leaving his work, or shutting down this blog but rather, Mr. Robotic is gonna clean up his table and bid farewell to the junk that he has been keeping.

If you didn't know, Mr Robotic is a hoarder when it comes to junk. His laptop table is constantly piling up with receipts, bank statements and what not... At a point where he can't find his stuff on the table anymore or when he can't stack anymore things on the table, Mr. Robotic would then spend a lazy afternoon like today, sorting through the mess while listening to some laid back music.

Going through the receipts and stuff, Mr. Robotic reminisces about the past events, the friends he went out with, the places he had been, the stuff (useful and useless) which he had bought etc. At the end of the process when all the dust has settled (literally), it is almost a mini victory celebration moment for Mr. Robotic for he has managed to organise a small portion of his life on track among all the other things which he cannot control nor predict.

Goodbye junk... Till the next piled up...

Friends matters

Christmas, new year... a few weeks of celebrations and cheer. But somehow behind all the laughter and happiness, Mr. Robotic can't help but feel that there seems to be an emptiness somewhere which he can't really describe that left him kinda sad. It could be the fact that another year has past and Mr. Robotic is reaching the big 30 or a case of self triggered mechanism that is out to nullify Mr. Robotic's happy emotions...

Fortunately for Mr. Robotic, he get to chill out with Mr. Congeniality (he has friends almost everywhere) and Ms. 大眼妹(apparently she still wants to be known as this moniker cause it is more adorable and sweet and fitting for her). The group tested the Crystal Jade Hong kong Cafe located at a quiet corner of level 7 of Orchard Central. The best part about the cafe is that a window seat allows you to have a bird's eye view of the buzz on the streets.

The drinks come in interesting glasses. Mr. Robotic chose warm Jasmine Tea which was served in a little clear teapot (which is refillable) and teacup.

Mr. Congeniality chose a Milk Tea thingy that came in a flask and a shot glass. Your eyes ain't playing any tricks on you. Dry ice was added to the hole in the middle of the flask which explains for the smoke coming out of it. It does look like an experimental concoction from the science labs, doesn't it?

The food however is a tad disappointing. Japanese food is best reserved for Japanese restaurants.

Would not recommend this eatery if you are looking for delicious food. However, if you are looking for a chill out spot to make small talk with your friends or you prefer your drinks served in unconventional glasses, you can give this place a chance.

Importantly it is not the food that matters but the company. Mr. Robotic really appreciate Mr. Congeniality and Ms. 大眼妹 for brightening his otherwise depressing and moody week. Thank you you!

Tarts!!

Goodness Gracious Me... You did not hear it wrong. For this post, Mr. Robotic is going to talk about Tarts!

Well, Ms. Gourmet likes to share delicious food with people around her and hence, Mr. Robotic is very fortunate to be introduced to divin-licious goodies from time to time which he didn't know existed. This time round, it's silky smooth bean curd tarts from LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry!

Mr. Robotic has always been a fan of bean curd and egg tarts and thinks the creator who came up with the marriage of bean curd-like filling with tart is simply amazing and brilliant. The taste and texture is great and not to mention that it is a much less sinful pastry compared to egg tart. Mr. Robotic crazed for the tarts so much after trying them till he decided to go to the middle road branch and walked an out of the way route just to get his hands on them. Alas, the tarts is so popular that it was sold out on Mr. Robotic's day of visit. So do drop them a call if you want to get these tarts.

Shucks... Mr. Robotic is drooling over those tarts just trying to remember the whole eating experience. Got to get them soon...

Happy Cooking 1: Lemon Cheesecake

So it is the start of 2010 and therefore it is time to re-start the count of the no. of recipes attempted. First of the list would be Lemon Cheesecake!!! And it is non-bake too. Good for people who want to try pastries but do not have an oven.

Mr. Robotic has been saying that he wanted to try the supposedly 100% success rate recipe (even Mr. Wild Animal tried making it and remarked its a piece of cake, puns intended) back in December 2009, but alas the year whizzed past Mr. Robotic to his dismay. It is all good though, as it is a good recipe to usher in the new year!

Unlike previous posts, Mr. Robotic will not be providing the steps to making the recipe as he thinks that the author from Food 4 Tots has a very good illustration on the steps already. So, if you are keen to try out the recipe, please visit the Food 4 Tots webbie.

Experience:

While you can surely beat the cream cheese and the whipping cream using a mere hand whisk and sheer perseverance, if you have a electrical mixer, choose the latter, no questions asked. The only comforting thing about hand whisking is you get to burn some calories and tone your arms before putting yummy calories into your tummy. Lol.

Wow, this cheese cream sure is stubborn!!

But Mr. Robotic is more fierce! Finally beat it into cream-like texture.

After 5 long hours of waiting, the lemon cheesecake is ready for sampling.

Time to put the taste to the test!

The lemon twist is a good balance to the richness of the creamy cheese. And Mr. Robotic like things sour. While Mr. Robotic can't claim credit that it is the best cheesecake that he ever tasted, this is a nice home made cheesecake which Mr. Robotic can visualise himself bringing to gatherings. Anyone up for Oreo cheesecake?

A new year, a new chapter...

While Mr. Robotic is sad to bid farewell to year 2009 (well, a new year means a year older ain't it and Mr. Robotic is one year closer to the scary 30 digits), the start of a new year is akin to a fresh chapter in Mr. Robotic's life story. It is a much needed point for Mr. Robotic to look back and review the past year at what he had achieved or failed to complete and plan and work towards on for the new year, AKA new year resolutions.

So Mr. Robotic's goals for 2010 (or Part 1 at least) are as follows:

Improve Fitness Levels:
- 2 workout sessions per week (1 session for chest and biceps, 1 session for shoulders, triceps and legs)
- 1 sport per week (be it swimming, jogging etc.)
- Start training for IPPT in January and hopefully pass by May 2010 (so it will be at least jogging twice a week during this period)
- 2 abs sessions per week (this can be done in mini breaks while surfing the net or between TV commercials)

Improve Cooking Skills:
- To have 2nd attempts on the "failed" dishes in the past
- To learn 20 new recipes

To explore the World:
- Travel to 2 new destinations (hopefully Mr. Robotic can save enough for Japan)

Wish Mr. Robotic luck on the above. Lol.