Pamplemousse

I was tired and didn't feel like venturing too far for dinner. So we went to Dempsey and finally got around to trying out Pamplemousse Bistro & Bar.

Quite the fashion now, for restaurants to do a 2 or 3-tiered pricing for their meals. S$48++ for a 2-course meal and S$58++ for a 3-course. A number of menu items require a S$5 - S$8 extra. The grain-fed Black Angus ribeye and tenderloin required a supplement of S$25 - S$30.

I narrowed my eyes at the menu. The mains were very meaty- beef, duck and lamb. The linguine included crabs. prawn and bacon. I didn't want the red snapper or the black cod either. Pamplemousse can whip up a vegetarian option immediately. But I don't want to be stuck with just that. So I opted for 2 appetizers and a dessert.

The caprese salad of momotaro and buffalo mozzarella included Thai basil, watermelon foam, balasmic jelly and bonita. At my request, the kitchen agreed to removing the jamon iberico powder. I didn't mind the uni taglioni in crustacean cream sauce, nori and chives. The kitchen also noted that I didn't want to add the pork gratons in the pasta. The kitchen offered to rustle up the portions of the pasta as a main. I was like, no no, and kept it to the starter serving. I didn't overdo it on the actual food and made it to dessert. There were no issues with my choice of dessert. It was a Valrhona Chocolate Trio. What's not to love?! The man proclaimed his Toast & Milo 'fabulous'- brioche, dulce de leche, Milo ice-cream, caramelized bananas and nutella soil.

We ordered a bottle of unwooded chardonnay. It was randomly selected from the menu and rather surprisingly pleasant. I was impressed with the slightly salted butter and warm fluffy crusty bread. Very nice. Much better than the bread served at alot of restaurants. Service at the bistro was good. I sat down without expectations and left pleasantly satiated. I wasn't blown away, but nothing turned me off either. This is a decent eatery.

Give Pamplemousse a day or two's notice and it'd be able to create an entirely vegan, or a fancier vegetarian menu for us. This consideration, is absolutely crucial in securing me and the FaerieFolks' continued attention.

What will make me happier, dude, is if you could make a greater commitment to let us know that you use sustainable ingredients or list out some dietary considerations to diners. Write something at the bottom of the menu where space prevails. That will be totally in line with the tone of your cool bistro. Don't sell me the food, cuisine and innovation without the where and why.

Is It That Obvious?

What I thought was a nondescript dress was apparently not. More than 5 people, who don't work in the same office, asked, "Is your dress from Marks & Spencer?" Ummm.....yes. I got it in London for 25quid.

See, when I wear Chanel, Chole, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, DvF, Zara or Massimo Dutti, no one knows. A black dress, is a black dress. Same goes for all other solid colors. But when I wear things like this red, beige and black thing, the entire world knows where I got it from. DOH.

A couple of years ago, clothes from Marks & Spencer has never been on my radar. Aside from lingerie and sleepwear, I found its other lines dowdy and eeky. However, of late, it has tried to innovate its office line. There're a couple of pieces I really don't mind; stodgy, yes, but they suit my purposes. Ultimately, it's all about how I wear it right? I like to think that it's all in the attitude.

I wore it out to dinner too. The dress didn't fall too well, but it didn't feel too bad. At least there wasn't a pressing need to hurtle home for a change of clothes. Just don't wear the staid work jacket over it. I felt gleeful because when I first tried it on last December, it was tight. After hanging in the wardrobe for a couple of months, it's now a good fit. No cleavage, snug and not doesn't show a plump silhouette. Yay.

I can only conclude, either the ladies at my office linger alot at Marks & Spencer, or the brand is rather popular among a certain age group. :p

Non-Oily Pasta

The stomach finally got its act together and the hunger pangs struck rather early. Luckily, I was able to head out for lunch in time to quell the rumblings!

Lunch was at Soprano. I'm beginning to like it for its casual vibe and cheap but decent pasta mains. Today, I was especially pleased that the kitchen heeded my specific instructions to put a meagre amount of oil for my aglio olio. I had every intention to finish the last strand of linguine. I did not want to see a puddle of oil left. That was done. Excellent!

As I needed my wits about me for the afternoon's agenda, I declined wine to go along with lunch. But I had 2 cups of coffee. :p That seemed to be the standard now. In my defense, the cups were really small and didn't quite pack a punch like Monmouth! At Au Petit Salut bistro last week where it was such a comforting lunch with eveeleva, I also had 2 cups of good cappucino.

Caffeine still has an effect on my sleep cycle. But since I've been taxing the brains (and emotions) a fair bit, the exhaustion has over-rode the commands to 'stay awake' so far. Ah well, I suppose crawling into bed at 2am and waking up 5 hours later for consecutive days does involve a ridiculous amount of caffeine.

That said, my pasta cravings have struck and I'm hard-pressed to resist the carbs this week. Ugh! Italian restaurants, here I come!

Told You That Skype Is Banned Already Lor!

We're organizing a simple farewell event for the boss in September. However, a colleague would have left for his studies overseas and can't be around. So he emailed this line, "No worries, I'll see you on Skype during the event!" I resisted all impulses to type a snarky reply.

Ummm....hello, didn't he get the memo? When we shifted over to this new system, we've been told, unequivocally that Skype is banned on the work systems, laptops and everything. Not only that, it doesn't meet security requirements of our VC protocols and there won't be a common VC-to-Skype platform that could conceivably connect and flash one's face on the screen.

Therefore, when we travel, we are cut off from the cheapest channel of communication (voice and video) with loved ones. You could get onto facebook chat, but nothing else. In an unspoken rule, we are expected to fork out our own money to buy a smartphone to access whatever cheap communication tool we want or absorb all roaming charges on a voice-call. Therefore, if you don't bring your personal laptop; if you don't tweet or blog, and are both a scrooge and a crybaby who needs to talk to your family and friends everyday when you travel, don't apply for a job in my department. You won't be able to survive a 2-week work trip to Vietnam, Africa or the Middle East.

So, back to said colleague who enthusiastically suggested linking up via Skype to join in the party, well, last I checked, no one bothered to reply to his remark. There won't be anyone to skype with anybody lor, unless we bring our personal laptops and internet tokens to log on because the Wireless at SG at the office is so slow and unstable, still. Or, he can skype to one of the many iPhones in the office. Got iPads too. That will work.

All kinds of wrong. Painful or not, you tell me.

No Monday Blues

These silk jackets from Phnom Penh are the most useful things. They match every black dress in the wardrobe. :) They can meet the strict dress code of all office events. I'm quite gleeful that I swept all the colors off the rack. The designs are rather similar. Heeee. Let me see, there're black, grey, silver, beige, brown, orange, gold, red, blue and green. Quite sorted.

When I left the office today, the moon had half-risen. Luckily the man came to pick me up and spared me a bumpy trip home. It's only Monday and some of the colleagues had been working really hard over the weekend, making it through today with only 4 hours of sleep. I could only help out wherever possible. Turning on the email over the weekend wasn't much, but at least I could swing something immediately if they needed an extra pair of hands. This is an exciting week at work. I'm so glad that today has been very productive.

The stomach is better, but still tender. The man's mom left instructions for the maid to prep dinner. But I wasn't in much of a mood to eat. So dinner was whittled down to simply a bowl of hot soup and a plate of fruits. Very light, very nice. Mommy knows I've been mopey. Pile on a bad stomach and I was more or less rendered to staying in bed all Sunday. So Mommy came into the room to give me a kiss on the forehead and ruffle my hair. She told me I could do whatever I want and she'd support all causes I choose to undertake. For those in the know, you'll know exactly what that means. Now, that, is one awesome vote of confidence.

Out With A Little Girl and A Little Boy

Headed out for a much anticipated lunch date with the girls and 2 little ones. It was such a pleasant outing after the horrible week in the office. The not-so-tiny toddlers were on their best behavior today and had the sweetest temperaments. Their mommies laughed and said I had caught them on a good day.

I ate too much beehoon in the morning. Beyond a flat white and orange juice at Jones The Grocer, I couldn't stomach much of anything else. It didn't matter, I was there for the company and the conversation. Though the bloated feeling developed into full blown bad indigestion later in the evening, resulting in only the man and the girlfriend ate stuff during dinner; I watched.

But the little tykes had good appetite! They had their own food of course. Then, they also got to try ours and had muffin and scones for dessert. A certain little girl most definitely had a very healthy appetite. She pretty much monopolized the muffin- none of us got to try alot of it. She definitely out-ate my meagre volume.

On the way out, we strolled through Takashimaya mall. I saw this huge tile motif on the floor, hopped into it and jumped all over, and winked at the 2 little tots. They were absolutely tickled and followed suit. The girls rolled their eyes majorly. Hahahahha! They were positive that our outing involved 2+1 kids!

Ladies, I know how we can go on a vacation together. Say, if it's to Hong Kong or something, you girls can shop and burn up the aisles of the malls. I'll give you my (short) shopping list. Then I'll happily babysit for ya. That will keep the grin on my face for a couple of days.

A Jacket

Do you like my new work jacket? I bought it in Phnom Penh just 3 days ago. It's made of really beautiful silk. The whole point of buying it is because it ages me terribly. Precisely what I need at work. I'm drawn to fabric and design like that anyway. When I caressed the silk, I idly wondered why I bothered to buy it if I wasn't going to need formal clothes very much longer. The girlfriends pointed out that it could go with jeans and still look chic, instead of making it all dowdy by pairing it with a black dress for the office.

I ran into an old friend today, someone who I worked with alot when I was doing public relations and the writing stuff. She commented that I looked really different now. She was trying really hard not to use the word 'stodgy'. What a pity she had to see me at 9.30am in the morning, not at night or during the weekends. Boo.

The one line she said was particularly poignant. She said, "I remembered you said your dream is to travel and write." My emotions were still raw from you-know-what. The eyes were swollen. It took alot for me not to cry at that moment.

Am I not travelling and writing now? Yes. But oh the irony, such irony. It's not exactly the sort of travelling and writing I used to do. What I do now, isn't the embodiment of my dreams then. I realized my dream for a while, for a good number of years, before I, well, in the friends' words "sold out" and went over to the dark side. It's virtually impossible for me to regain that edge now. I've lost out a good number of years in that industry that a glamourous return is not possible although options have been offered and laid on the table. We'll see.

TGIF, Truly

The HR director invited me for a chat yesterday at 5pm. Our organization believed in doing a 360 degrees feedback exercise for a portion of its employees and I wished to opt out. She was a little concerned. I told her why- as a result of this rather shocking management change, I intended to leave by year's end and it wasn't necessary to waste the organization's resources on me.

There is no way I could transfer the loyalty I have for this boss to a new one. I'm not confident that this new boss is able to change her management style that has been her identifying trait in another department for a good 10 years. I've seen and heard enough to know that her style will not sit well with me. This is not a challenge to surmount. It's a confrontation I choose to avoid. Mind you, this is separate from the other part of me that is cognizant of the good the new boss will bring to the department and this change is necessary for the organization to move forward. That is an unstoppable tsunami. And, I don't have to accept or welcome it.

Yes, go ahead and groan- I also brought my bear in for this chat. (I very emo wat!) The HR director was so sweet as to say hi to the bear and not roll her eyes too much. I've already declared my intention to leave before the year is out. I will honor that and submit my formal notice in due time. My boss leaves at the end of September. So the tears must dry in order for me to properly enjoy the last couple of busy yet carefree months in the department.

I appeared in the office today with slightly swollen eyes. To the colleagues' credit, no one commented on the ugly eye bags and asked if it had been a rough night. They knew. Due to that stoopid rain, I was a little late for the morning event, but in time to greet the arriving foreign dignitaries. Still, I was received by a big warm bear hug and lots of smiles and laughter. Such sweet colleagues I have.

Glad that I didn't have to stay in the office today. I was on my feet most of the time. I was so grateful for something to do, instead of letting the thoughts run wild or feeling emo again. They made me the emcee for an afternoon event. It kept me occupied with lots of conversation and schmoozing.

Even better, the day ended with a spectacular view of the city skyline from the hotel-guests'-only portion of the Sands SkyPark on the 57th floor. I took a few quiet minutes in a corner. The respite was enough for me to know that I wouldn't cry again over this. And that's not necessarily a positive sign.

Amidst The Tears

I cried buckets today. I controlled the wailing till I got home and sobbed some more into my bears. I probably shocked everyone who didn't think I could be so emo. Oof, I brought a bear along into a management meeting. Very strange, I know, but nobody objected to the bear's presence. I meant to use him as a proxy when the emotions choked and no words could form in my mouth.

After the announcement that decided the new direction of the department, all my instincts screamed out for me to leave immediately. I've 30+ days of leave to clear, which will fulfill all requirements of a notice period. The other option is for me to pay the organization a month's salary and not turn up after 30th June.

I'm very petulant like that. The imp you know, will simply walk out, with nary a care. But so many people were red-eyed. That drastic drop in morale was palpable. Against all instincts, I also reassured my team-mates that everything will be okay. I didn't believe what came out of my mouth. I didn't know where I found the strength to say those stuff. When I saw how sad my department is, I know I can't walk out on them just like that. What kind of example would I set? I can't deal them another blow. I re-read a post, and I'm reminded that I have to stand by each one.

The next 5 months are the busiest periods for the department and my team. Yes, while a job is just a job, I happen like mine very much. Somewhere along the way, I've fallen in love with the job and believe in certain ideals of the industry. I can't just walk away like that and let others clear up the mess. The imp you know, isn't totally irresponsible.

I'm heartbroken and utterly devastated. Sure, change is for the greater good. But hey, I don't have to like it right? I will leave. But not immediately. Let me get the team through to December.

English and Chinese Can't Be Friends Sometimes

The problem with servers not understanding English at reputable Chinese restaurants on the island is, the guests end up with a huge plate of annoyance and bemusement. Our government needs to continue its 'Speak English' campaign for another decade.

The kitchen served us one tiny piece of abalone that was smaller than the heart of my palm. I looked at it quizzically. "We're sharing?" The man was like, "No. There should be a second plate." We were puzzled because we had intended for 2 servings. We asked the server for the second plate. The server seemed thoroughly bewildered and said that her order chit only reflected one serving. She had also conscientiously repeated our orders back to us, but without stating the portions.

From the moment we arrived at the reception desk to being seated, the staff already had trouble understanding our English. I already made an effort NOT to put on an accent and tried for Singlish. I guess it didn't work. They still went 'huh' and spoke to me in Mandarin. Any effort to speak English was just terrible. There weren't many people in the restaurant at this hour, but those who were there, all spoke Mandarin to the servers. I was a tad irritated already. Why must I speak Mandarin to servers at Chinese restaurants? When did this unspoken rule become so firmly entrenched in practice? This is Singapore, not any other Chinese speaking country.

Then, I realized why. When the server took our orders, she was very serious about it, but spoke little. The man had distinctly said, "One abalone for each". Instead of understanding the correct meaning as "一人一份", the server simply interpreted our order as "一份", meaning, a single portion/serving.

Seriously.

Coffee & Swirling Thoughts

After work was done in the morning, I ran off to have a final cup of coffee and some rolls at The Shop before leaving Phnom Penh. The girlfriends were mildly amused. "Are there no good coffeeshops in Singapore?" I made a face at them. "Need you ask?" The cup comes in quite a small size, but packs a punch. So I ordered 2 cappucinos for good measure.

After the girlfriends returned to work, I was left with yet another cup of coffee, the ipod, a book and plenty of unsettled thoughts and feelings. Would I miss this? A little, but I can always travel on my own. It's the extra insight that work trips provide that I'll miss; feeling the pulse of the country through the work projects and weighing it against all that I know about it.

I'll be back in the office tomorrow, receiving a piece of news that would become certain in the form of an announcement. I should sit next to some coughing person on the plane. I feel like falling ill tonight and calling in sick tomorrow. I'd like to stay in bed all day. I think I might cry hearing it.

This is worse than breaking up with a boyfriend. I've always done that quite mercilessly, especially when the men became a liability more than being an asset. But on the job front, I'm all emo about it. I've already made the decision to leave, and now that circumstances have forced that to happen faster, why do I feel so sad about it? If I'm going to leave, why does it feel so painful?

Mekong Quilts

A few doors up from my favorite cafe stands Mekong Quilts. I've walked by several times and have been tempted to grab one except I don't quite know what to do with it. The girlfriend rolled her eyes at me. "Well, you use it."

This long lunch breaks in Cambodia aren't good for my wallet. I went off to the shops to take a second look at silks and quilts. At Mekong Quilts, of course they do mainly bed quilts. But there're aprons and little bags too. I caved in. Quilts are nice. I like 3 pieces in particular.

The thing about these shops, the handcrafted items are stocked only 1 or 2 pieces. No new pieces. Buy only if you're comfortable and wish to support their local industry. These quilts don't come cheap, but the designs are fairly easy on the eye, and importantly, the stitching and overall handiwork are excellent. So I wasn't fazed by the USD140 (single-sized) to USD170 (queen-sized) price tag for each piece of quilt. It could well be overpriced, but I wasn't going to quibble about it.

It wasn't difficult to squeeze 3 quilts into the suitcase. After handing out the corporate briefs and junking the notes, there's plenty of available space not just for quilts, but for additional silk cushion covers, jackets and whatnots.

Strolling By The Cafes

I love the freshly baked bread and cups of strong cappuccino (i.e. little milk) in this city. I’d be very happy to stay in Phnom Penh for an extended period of time with no issues about food and entertainment.

The man is amazed at how easily good coffee is obtainable in Phnom Penh. He doesn’t know what to expect of the city, except vague impressions gleaned from photos and travellers’ tales. So now, he’s very intrigued with Phnom Penh. Let’s see how he feels when he has to roll up his pants and sink into heavy lifting work in the villages further north which don’t just involve teaching English.

There’re many cafes dotting the developed south of the city, be it in the residential areas or the touristy Sisowath Quay and its adjacent streets. I’m quite sure these cafes don’t exactly stay at the same address for a long time. Some weird thing to do with leasing rules and land laws. They pop up and they close, or they move to a new location.

My lunch time follows the Cambodian habits. Lunch break lasts a good 2.5 hours from 11.30am to 2pm. I blinked a little at that. It's lengthy- I can do so many things in that 2.5 hours that won't involve napping. I can saunter over to a cafe to sit and chill, or have lunch with the friends. As a foreigner here, I like this practice. But to have it ingrained as a way of life, I'm not so sure I'd like that.

Currently, one of my favorite venues for a coffee is ‘The Shop’. The vibe and offerings are about as European as it gets. There’re plenty of sandwiches and wraps available on the menu for a light lunch, an array of desserts (not that fabulous), smoothies, juices and coffee. They do a thick aromatic brew of cappuccino dry. It's not air-conditioned, but the fans keep it cool. A pity there isn't wifi as of now. A good strategy I suppose. This cafe is rather busy and can't have customers staying all day!

The Shop
No.39 Street 240, Phnom Penh
(near the National Museum)

The Room(s)

Lest you think my job entails pretty hotel stays, let it be known that it isn’t the case. I should qualify that the office doesn’t exactly pay for the accommodation. It subsidizes it for sure and I get to decide how to split the allocated subsistence between the hotel room and food.

On trips that don’t involve bosses and colleagues, I’m not bound by strict protocol and etiquette. Often, my choice of a room will inevitably bust the stipulated rate and the personal credit card tops up the difference. (If you're wondering, no, they don't pay me well enough to splurge.) Since the man has joined me on this trip, it’d be much more comfortable to stay in a nicer room(s).

Whilst full of old world charm, the hotel isn’t big on opulence (the way we know it today) and subjective indulgent luxury (i.e. flat screen tv, good toiletries, hairdryers, ipod docks and Nespresso machines). I haven’t stayed in a room that uses this sort of light switch. I keep flicking it! I mean, the engineering principles of turning on the light are identical, but the modern style has caught on till I’ve forgotten how furnishings used to be.

It’s a room reminiscent of the country’s colonial past. The fittings, design of the carpet and most of all, the lacquered wood furniture with the mother-of-pearl inlay instantly transport one into the past. I like concept rooms like that, not the new fangled ones in hotels whose colors and themes hurt my eyes and induce a splitting headache. I don’t like rooms that are too opulent and or so chic till it hurts. (Think Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi and the chain of Epoque Hotels) I like them regular and a little boring. The bathtub gave me a little shock which dissipated after spotting a separate shower stall. Whew. I’d not have liked to stay this nice room only to have to fall out of that tub daily.

What’s not cool, was the toilet bowl that suddenly kept flushing and the water flooded the room. This word ‘flood’, is not a very welcome word in a Singaporean’s vocabulary. I was most irritated because after lunch, I wanted to rest in the room before heading back to work. Instead, I had to quickly pack so that the bellboys could move my luggage to another room.

Also annoying are the short bursts of interruption to the flow of electricity which switches off the television, speakers or whatever gadgets that’s running on the current. After the first afternoon, I’ve developed a teeny obsession about ensuring all my gadgets are fully charged at any one time.

But hey, this is not a spick and span metropolis. Even our internet providers at home can’t ensure steady or fast connection all the time, what more in Phnom Penh. The hotel sent chocolates and all to apologize for the shortfalls. Oh well. It's nothing major. I'd stay here again the next time I'm in the city.

A Tourist Thing To Do At FCC

Last month, an associate told me it was 40°C in Phnom Penh. As we enter into the southwest monsoon, this week hasn't been too scorching. When the sun's out, it’s as hot as Singapore. With the afternoon rains, the temperature drops to a comfortable 28°C. The locals inform me that it’s rainy season from now till September, coinciding with the off-peak tourist season. It’ll rain in the afternoons for now and towards the tail end of the season, the rain comes in the mornings.

We went to the Foreign Correspondents Club or FCC for short, to catch the sunset. Heavy winds and rains blanketed the city all afternoon and trailed to a drizzle in the evening. Instead of colorful purple and orange streaks, we had a good look at how the horizon over the Mekong looked like in the dreary grey and stared right out at the Singapore flag flapping proudly in the wind. FCC was a good respite. It was a proper bar, not one of the many girlie bars in the area. And you know what, despite rains the night before and all afternoon, the roads didn’t flood, although the road in front of our hotel did, and no, it wasn’t the road in front of the Singapore embassy.

Although we shared a very good pizza as an appetizer, plans for a sizeable dinner at FCC were quickly scrapped when we realized that there was a huge projector screen showing a giant green field with 11 men running after a ball. (No, of course we didn’t bother to find out which countries were playing because none of us were interested in the game) Strangely, the buzz of the vuvuzelas wasn’t too jarring because the Cambodian presenters talked a lot and covered the annoying buzz.

Honestly, the drinks were quite good. A shot of Glenlivet 12 y.o went for USD7. We were there at happy hour and it was 50% off. We had a further 10% off the total bill, so, my my, alcohol is seriously cheap in this city. We had glasses of Bloody Mary and mojitos too. Some ordered a pineapple, Malibu, vodka concoction which went down quite well.

Going Around

I don't have a habit of carrying cash when I travel. I depend alot on credit cards. I forgot that restaurants and businesses in Phnom Penh still use cash. Few places accept credit cards; Visa mainly. Luckily Mekong Quilts and Amara Spa do.

For a lot of other expenditure, cash (USD) is necessary. Tips are a way of life here and I've to put that on the personal expenses too. I didn't bring enough cash and had to draw from the ATMs and bear the USD4 admin charge. Grrrr. Do not like paying money to banks.

I spent most cash on transport. There aren't cabs in the city. So often, it's either the tuk-tuks The hotel arranged for one pick-up from the airport upon arrival. Then the enterprising driver quoted me a lower rate than what the hotel would charge and offered me his services for the duration of my stay. He knew all the right things to say. So I said okay. At the traffic light, he bought a flower garland from a passing vendor.

The driver picked us up in a sedan. Furry seats. I no like furry seats!!! I pointed to the random display of vehicles and said “I want this” (pictured above). He made it happen.

For the amount paid to the hotel, I'd rather pay it directly to the driver. I do not want to trek distances in the sizzling heat, nor do I want to take the motodubs which make my heart stop each time they cut across the lanes. Not at all environmentally friend a 4-wheel drive is, I know.

Our driver is really committed. He's always early in picking us up and spots us from a distance when we're heading back to the car after a stop. When he took the man to the airport, he asked if I wanted to go along and he'd send me back. "Free!" He offered. I declined. There was work to attend to! Once the week began, I'm no longer just a carefree tourist.

He also told us stories, stories that tourists would like to hear about life in modern Phnom Penh. I'm not sure how much to believe it. I'll take it with a grain of salt. I'm very pleased with how he has carried out his job. For his wonderful service, now, I just have to decide how much to tip him before I return home.

Seeking A Massage

I like Phnom Penh at this juncture of their urban development. It is still attractive and offers something for the seasoned traveler and curious tourist. The previous trips have been so rushed till I haven’t had time to check out the massages. This trip, I do.

There aren’t very many sleazy massage parlors in town. In fact, those are discouraged and frowned upon by the Cambodians. I’m pleasantly surprised to find rather nice spas that have recently sprung up or refurbished around Sisowath Quay. By ‘nice’, I mean clean, well ventilated with private rooms and decorated in a pleasing manner where I’ll be comfortable stripping down, not one with dodgy signboards that’s full of incense and sandalwood smells with the stench of oil still lingering. If I don’t want to pay USD85 for a traditional Khmer massage and USD25 for a foot rub at Raffles Hotel’s Amrita Spa, there’re other options which offer a reasonable rate of USD25 and USD8 respectively within a 10 minute drive (20 minute walk) from the hotel.

Favorite picks are the spas Sayana Rumdul, Amara and Bliss. The traditional Khmer massage is effectively a Thai massage. As a layman, I can’t tell the difference. Which originated from where and whom? I’m not bothered. The only thing of concern would be the good therapists who can could do a decent massage.

My pick is always the traditional Khmer massage. It’s fabulous. I’ve been pulled, twisted and stretched at all angles. The therapists iron out the teeny kinks and cracks in the body and bones, all felt good.

A Khmer Lunch

As this is the man’s first trip to Phnom Penh, it seems appropriate to have Khmer food for our first meal in the city. We went to Khmer Surin South Gate (No.9, Street 57) for lunch. The friends have warned that this sort of restaurant would belong to the “expensive and blah" category. They are absolutely right.

I don’t dig Khmer cuisine- it just doesn’t appeal to my tastebuds. The ingredients and menu are very Chinese based and hasn’t exactly evolved into a stronger identity. I’m not quite used to Khmer food with its modifications that stemmed from the usual Chinese food I know, and I don’t even like the latter very much to begin with.

The red curry chicken didn’t look like anything I knew. I still bravely took a sip of that oily looking concoction. It tasted really strange. The chicken was literally swimming in chilli oil. Needless to say, I left the meat alone. The best was the omelette and the morning glory stir-fried Thai style. Once fish sauce and chilli were drizzled all over, they tasted rather good. I was very impressed that they offered the option of brown rice. It was almost fluffy. I liked that a fair bit.

I’m no cook or historian. But as I eat my way through Indochina, it does seem to me that Khmer food and flavors are somewhat confused. There is a distinct lack of spices used and most food turns out a little bland. I’m not sure if how much of it has anything to do with the history and culture of the people. In the region, Vietnam has a distinctive cooking style and focal points for their food. Food in Lao PDR is so similar to Thai flavors but with a few variations of their own. Further down, Thailand, of course has developed its food to fine dining levels and found a delicate balance between street eats and hearty homestyle fare.

I’m not sure how other tourists and expatriates feel, but I find it a little odd that in Phnom Penh, western food tastes a whole lot better than its traditional foods. Perhaps it's all about tastebuds and what appeals to the individual.

Zeppelin Cafe (Yo RAWWK!)

For an evening out, we merrily skipped down to Zeppelin Cafe plonked at 109C Street 51. We wanted somewhere away from the usual sleaze and tourist glare. The friends raved about Zeppelin and the owner's 1000+ vinyl collection for some old skool metal, punk and rock and roll.

The evening promised to rock when we walked in to Iron Maiden's 'Prodigal Son'. It was a damn quaint rock cafe lor. Zeppelin Cafe is owned by a Taiwanese dude named Jun. He said he was 51 years old. He didn't hide it, so I'm sure he won't throttle me if I reveal that on the blog. The point is, he didn't think we knew what he knew because to him, we are the young 'uns. What do we know about Henry Rollins right? :)

Jun sat at the console to select gems from his treasured records. The reasonably decent sound system spun tracks from Racer X, Metallica, Type O Negative and many others. The man also requested for The Stooges. Jun introduced us to this garage, punk rock Japanese band Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, which didn't suck.

What a gem among the girlie bars and pretentious places in Phnom Penh! A true indie joint. No dance floor. You can create your own party. The man loved the vibe and the music. We spent many happy hours there, literally. It must be because the owner's Taiwanese- the dumplings served at this cafe are really tasty. Drinks are, for now, priced at USD1.50 - USD3.50 per shot. Best place to chill. Okay, we're going to be there every night actually.

Remembering The Unspeakable Horrors

As well-travelled the man is in Europe and US, he isn't familiar with Asia, or Asean. He's quite curious about our neighboring cities. So when I got called to a work trip to Phnom Penh, he booked a ticket to join me in the city for an extended weekend. He didn't stay longer because I insisted on packing him away home during the work days- I dislike distraction. :p

I took the man to the site of Choeung Ek where it was one of the killing fields during the regime of the Khmer Rogue when Cambodia was known as the Democratic Kampuchea. I had been here several times and by now, the emotions had settled into something quiet and unruffled. But the man hadn't. I wanted to see how affected he would be. He was. Our guide was very eloquent in his description of the horrors the victims faced. As we meandered among the uncovered graves that now seemed serene, the man's face was unreadable.

We saw the skulls and the rags of what used to be clothes. The guide pointed out bone fragments on the ground, visible between the grass covered mounds. I imagined the rivulets of blood that seeped into the ground not that long ago, and the screams of the thousands of innocents that permeated the villages then. This is but one of the 300 over horrifying sites of murders and it's a stark reminder of how a group of humans could change the face of a nation's history and send it spiralling down into the darkest depths of the human soul.

Then I watched the man's lip curl in repugnance at the thought of how the victims suffered on those beds at the Tuol Sleng S21 Prison. The torture instruments and the metal beds remained in the cells as a tangible, graphic focus of all that had taken place in this venue. Though scrubbed and bleached clean, the linoleum flooring from a recent past were darkened in many areas with patches that could not be washed away. Those, were presumably stained from all the blood.

The man was glad to have seen these places for himself. To be in Phnom Penh, standing at these sites, conveyed a myriad of feelings that the 1984 film couldn't evoke. The revulsion was nauseating. It would do us good to remember Cambodia's painful past and quietly support the country as she emerges out of the economic and social regression into something, hopefully, better.

Finding Sushi

It was a packed day at work. I was so thrilled to make it out of the office before 9pm to shed the staid dress and heels and don slippers and a casual dress for dinner. Too bad there wasn't time to hit the shower, much less to dry a wet mop of hair.

I almost wanted to back out of dinner. The suitcase was not packed for the early morning flight out and I hadn't even looked at the schedule for the next week. But to get out of the funk, I should just go out, socialize and have a little down time. It would mean sleeping at 2am tonight. But I guess sleep can wait.

Where else but to Tatsuya to satisfy sushi and sashimi cravings that had been brewing for a couple of weeks. I ate all sorts of things except Japanese food. Most of all, not sushi or sashimi. These were the items I religiously avoided since the travel destinations weren't in Japan. I'm surprised actually- given my love for the cuisine, I don't have any plans to head to the country anytime soon.

Once the first sip of cold sake went down the throat, I was glad I didn't take a raincheck on the evening. The whole dining-out thingy perked me up. The food was especially stunning. See this big fat juicy oyster? It was huge! It was bigger than my hand! (I've got big hands.) The rest of the meal was simply beautiful, as always. I knew I'd regret having 2 sips of that thick prawn head broth. It was so rich and flavorful that I knew that the body might react to it later. Ah well.

Eating Right

As always, after a getaway, one is plunged straight into work. The moment lunch rolled around, we zoomed off to Carousel with our guests. Now, this is a restaurant we frequently host visitors at. It's an easy fuss-free place which serves decent food from a halal-certified kitchen. It has got a good variety of an international spread that is very attractive to guests with varied tastes.

The colleagues went wild and piled their plates high. Like all Singaporeans, they really liked buffets. (I should stop nagging at the colleagues to eat healthy. :p) I'm very bad with buffets and in a personal capacity, I avoid them where possible. There's no way I could stomach alot of food at meals nowadays. I definitely hadn't digested all the dim sum from Hong Kong.

As a result, my lunch consisted of alot of cheese, greens, onions, tomatoes and dips. Now, if this were London, it wouldn't be a big deal. But this is Asia and worse, Singapore. People will automatically assume I'm strange if I don't take carbs for lunch. I've given up explaining or justifying. However, many people have stopped asking also because increasingly, they're more mindful of healthier food options to keep the body in tip top shape. As one gets older, it isn't about what you like to eat. Haven't you eaten enough junk in your youth? It's now about what the body needs so that it won't be riddled with illnesses as you age.

Luckily everyone else was busy with the many food options available and nobody queried me on my choice of lunch. The mood was light and everyone was fairly focused on the conversation. Our guests really liked their sweets. The dessert spread at Carousel was quite substantial and kept them going back for seconds and thirds. Good! So long the guests were happy!

Goodbye Hong Kong!

Me and my bears boarded the plane with much wistfulness. Little Sydney was rather sad too. He didn't want to sit with me and bawl, preferring to sit by the window to see the last sights of the city and drop quiet little tears as we lifted off the tarmac in a melodramatic grey drizzle. He didn't cheer up till the very hilarious meal was served.

Would I return to Hong Kong again? Yes, but not without the girlfriends. I'd need to go hiking, say, on the MacLehose Trail (麥理浩徑) and finish half of them. I've done the trail at Tai Po Kau ((大埔滘) nature reserve but I want to do it again. I'm not interested in coming to solely eat or shop. I'm not surprised that nothing (groceries are not counted) has been purchased on this trip. The family isn't bothered about these almond cookies and whatnots- nobody eats them, so thank goodness I don't have to buy any. Getting new clothes, shoes and bags isn't attractive because I live in a giant shopping mall. I don't need more of those. I appreciate the other facets of the city more than its exciting shops and neon lights.

This has been the trip of a lifetime- not the fact that I get to go to Hong Kong, but rather, the exhilarating feeling of being in the same city with girlfriends who live in different countries and still took the effort to meet. This isn't going to happen again anytime soon. I mean, I knew it earlier, but it didn't sink in for real till now.

We hung out, had random conversations and laughed. We came with no expectations and left with a bagful of smiles and happiness. It wasn't so much of it being 'Oh I flew up here for you.' I loved how we also reminded ourselves that it would be 'my vacation' too. No such thing as apportioning blame or responsibility to someone else to make our days in the city fruitful and fun. It's amazing how much we enjoyed ourselves during this short trip, saw so much of a city that's not quite the same as what travel ads say; understood a little bit about its people, culture and social policies. We did it. :)

Sunset Over Victoria Harbor

There was dinner fixed for my last night in Hong Kong. The afternoon was free for a massage and facial. There more than enough time to take a hot shower and change before heading out. But I was late because I wanted to stay in the room a little longer to catch the last sunset in the city. The skies were surprisingly clear and cooperative for the hour.

I hugged my new bear and perched by the window. The new bear hadn't learnt how to babble yet and was the perfect companion compared to the other naughty ones. I was just a tad pensive. There were thoughts swirling in my mind, about friendship, about trust, integrity, chemistry and laughter. I wasn't going to analyze these thoughts or sink down. I let them swirl beneath the mind while I watched the boats sail. It was a picture of serenity. I like to do my thinking this way. Somehow, my subconscious mind will work very hard to sort out those thoughts and when I return to the depths for a conclusion or some sort of decision, it's easily done.

Alright then, I've plenty days of leave left and no more time to take any more vacations between now till end of the year. Work calls. Is it depressing? Not really. Quite exciting. The fun part is how to pull it off and complete all the projects. Work stress is painful, but it doesn't get me down. I like it. It's all the other things that can be annoying- like people dynamics, no access to Skype while on overseas work trips with the office laptop and, especially this one extra-curricular activity that I've been drafted for.

The feelings of resentment are reaching this tipping point where it induces serious contemplation of resigning from the industry (again) to avoid these responsibilities that have been rudely thrust upon me without seeking my permission or care a hoot about my opinions. I've fulfilled my obligations to a very good boss. I'm free to leave from this juncture. My love for what I do isn't enough to absorb all the rest of the bullshit. My completed letter of resignation is sitting quietly in at home, waiting for the day the decision is finally made. The other option would be to drop dead. It's not even funny anymore.

Well, it's wonderful to have taken a good break with the man and short getaways with the girlfriends. Such relief that I got to do all that I wanted to do on these trips without pissing too many people off. They remind me about the positives in life and encourage me to try to look beyond my resentment for this one thing that hey, thousands of other people have to do. It's like National Service you know. They understand why I'm so affected and resentful about it. But they hope I can rise above the bureaucratic crap. I'm not sure. Everything I've actively sought out and experienced so far has only emphasized on another side of life that I can choose to embrace.

Not A Big Fuss

We've gone round to the Michelin-starred restaurants and have eaten very well. The girlfriend bought me so many nice meals! What a treat! The service at these restaurants, I must say, has been excellent, and a little hilarious. Though I didn't bother with Tim Ho Wan. I'm not that fond of Chinese food to stand in the queue for 45 minutes for pork done in different styles. (Although they say in reality, a wait of 15 - 20 minutes would be the average as queue numbers are given out and skipped to the next if the person isn't there to put in his order.) There're other nicer hole-in-the-wall joints with equally good food.

I'm not familiar with the social scene in Hong Kong, so for many meals, I didn't dare to take the camera along. I remember how strict London and Paris' restaurants are about this no-photography rule or the clientele simply frowns upon it. After a couple of meals and observing people's behavior, I gave up all pretense of etiquette. Sure, it's fine-dining. But the people strangely, don't dress so. They're more casual than I remember. They're in jeans!! People take photos of food all the time, and indiscriminately use the flash. Rather annoying. And what is with the volume of conversation in these restaurants?! If you want to talk so loud, for heavens' sake, get a private room!

After Europe, it's quite a culture shock to realize that the top end restaurants in Hong Kong aren't exactly as posh or as delicate as I expect. Quite a disappointment really. I'm looking for something different or better than what dots the scene at home. Ironically, I didn't find anything in these Michelin-starred restaurants in this city. Honestly, I'll say that at home, we've a number of restaurants that are on par with, and better than Hong Kong's finest. I found the exceptional taste of food tucked in the streets of the city hidden away in obscure stalls around the corners.

Sitting By The Pool

No books were brought on this trip because I knew there wasn't time to read them. Magazines, on the other hand, fared better. The bite sized articles were easy to digest. I was surprised that there was an hour or so squeezed out daily to chill out by the pool. Well, one just had to wake up earlier. The smog was terrible. But it was the norm. Blue skies were quite a rarity in the city.

We had no breakfast provided for. Why would we want to have that in DimSumLand?! I requested for room credits instead. This wasn't Bali where I needed energy and carbs. This was dainty Hong Kong. This early in the morning, I only wanted a freshly squeezed juice and a coffee. I also didn't mind the frozen bites (grapes in this case) provided as refreshment.

I couldn't exactly do laps at the pool. The bikini didn't allow for real swimming. Dammit. I could only dip and flounce around, or head to the spa to use the jacuzzi. The girlfriend loved the gym which overlooked the Victoria Harbor. She said while on some machine, the view was so mesmerizing that she continued doing many stretches while soaking it all in.

I told the girlfriend that I didn't even mind the smog. She patted my head and said that was because we were sheltered in a bubble which floated in the surreal part of the city. We stayed in a business district, not in the heart of the residential area. Well, my other girlfriend had hightailed out of town when she heard I was coming- that's why we couldn't stay in her big big big house on a fancy stretch of road. If I sit down and think about it, I can quite easily work and live here for a couple of years, no problem, although there isn't much impetus to do so.

Girls In A Room!

The girlfriend isn't fussy about hotel rooms. I am. This is MY vacation, not a work trip. I'm not restricted by any sort of budget. So she left the choice of our hotel, location and all other details for me to pore over. I'm spoilt and have my preferences. She only wants a clean room, hot shower with a strong water pressure and a comfortable bed, but wouldn't mind anything really. I love my girlfriends. When it comes to this sort of thing, they always let me make the final call.

It's a short trip. But we've vastly different interests. Although this girlfriend is very indulgent of me, I'm of the view that little things help to keep the peace, like having enough space in the room, thick towels, warm beds and a clean carpet. I was considering the suite when she pointed out that we wouldn't be in the room very much. So I skipped the suites and picked a normal room. I'm very pleased with the 45-sqm room. It's spacious for the both of us to lounge, line up 8 pairs of shoes along the wall, hang up all our clothes for 5 days and have enough sitting areas for friends to come over to chill. The bathroom is big enough to contain each of us in a comfortable dry space after a bath or a shower. That allows us to towel dry and dress in peace. Importantly, it has a separate shower stall so that I don't have to fall out of the tub each time I take a shower!

The girlfriend placed full trust in the hotel toiletries and refused to pack her own, except for facial products. She forgot her toothbrush and toothpaste as well. Win lor. So the very nice L'occitane stuff sitting around with a proper toothbrush came in very handy. The lemongrass shower gel provided in cute bottles is one of my favorite scents.

The service at the hotel is excellent, precisely what I expect each time I stay at one of their chains. This stay is no different- they said yes to everything I requested for. Internet access was fuss free, steady and fast. :p Naturally, I didn't have to get bottled water on this trip. The hotel provided an endless supply of Fiji water. I forgot the speakers, so it was great to see a cool Bose ipod dock all ready to be utilized. Obviously I also liked the hotel's meet & greet services at the airport which swept me from passport control to baggage to the private in-room check-in within 50 minutes from the point the plane disgorged me.

It's been all VERY NICE.

Steamboat In Summer

Even though it's summer, it was still lovely to have steamboat (They call it hot pot) in an air-conditioned restaurant. Although sitting outdoors for steamboat in Hong Kong's mild winter would be better! Neptune's Hot Pot (漁王世家海鮮火鍋料理) at the Western District (西環) was the girlfriend's recommended venue.

There were so many things to eat! Plenty of vegetables, fishballs, fish dumplings, mushrooms and meats. We rejected the server's suggestion of having a whole fish and went for large cuts of eel instead. I flatly rejected the idea of having sashimi here. I'm picky not just about the freshness of the fish. It's also the skill of the chef and a whole lot of ambience and culture that makes sashimi sashimi, not just the fact that it's raw. And this is obviously not a sashimi sort of place. There was no doubt that kikare must have been seriously worried about what to feed this picky imp with.

I loved the pieces of fried fish skin. It can be a little dry even when taken with beer or whisky. I didn't want to dip it in sauces- my preferred way of eating is to dip it in hot soup before munching it. There were plenty of condiments available. I stuck to the boring garlic pieces and soy sauce. I was just SO DAMN THRILLED that the restaurant chopped up fresh pungent garlic pieces without being asked to.

Conversation was hilarious. A good 80% of the conversation was conducted in Cantonese! I've never spoken so much Cantonese in my life! Kikare and L didn't laugh too badly at my pronunciation. I could only surmise that the HK tv serials are fabulous tutorial tools. I've also learnt that my preferred genre are the supernatural, forensics and cop dramas, not much different from all my favored English tv series.

We didn't notice the passing of time. We ate for a good 2.5 hours. At the point of dessert, I had out-ate everyone else on the table. Believe it. I even finished dessert because it was gui ling gao (龜苓膏) - next to bird's nest, this is the only Chinese dessert I like. The girls were amazed at how much food was squeezed into the stomach. HKD300 each. No carbs. I ate enough for 2.

Eating Local

In Singapore, I equate an order of 'wonton noodles' as a dry plate with char siew (叉燒) and some miserable meat dumplings in a bowl of soup. I never knew that the authentic stuff isn't exactly like that. I've been taught that in Hong Kong, these sort of things are separate. Wonton (雲吞麵) noodles are served in soup and char siew is separately chopped up and placed over rice. No wonder the girlfriend was bemused when I asked her about dry wonton noodles. My idea of the dishes isn't even reflected in the words!

I asked to go to a char siew place for dinner. These shops would also serve siew yok (烧肉) and roast goose (燒鵝). Roast (燒臘), I'm told. I'm not a fan of these meats and I don't know how to appreciate it. The girls can't be arsed about going to the famous shops in Hong Kong, like Yung Kee (鏞記) or travel all the way to Sham Tseng ( 深井) to one of the popular shops or even to Mongkok for a branch of Chan Kee (陳記燒鵝茶餐廳), we very much prefer to head to somewhere local. So we circled the neighborhood and randomly plonked ourselves into one that wasn't exactly crowded because everyone else was holed up at the pubs or at home to watch one of those World Cup matches. The shops that did only take-out boxes of food looked like they were doing a roaring trade.

The meal came with a bowl of soup! It tasted rather homecooked. So I was sure that the soup was simmered with pork, but I didn't know what were the root vegetables in there. Kikare didn't know either. We simply stared at each other. Jomel declared that those were slices of burdock root. Okay. She would know! She's excellent in the area of cooking!

I couldn't resist a bite of the char siew. It was tender and tasty. Now, repeat after me, char siew is not pork, char siew is not pork, char siew is not pork. Though honestly, I preferred just to have the gravy over the rice. It made for tasty rice. The 2 small pieces of char siew already made the tummy churn ever so slightly. So I buried the rest under the rice that wasn't finished.

Through The Wet Markets

To see more colors and how people live, I had a ball of a time wandering through the residential neighborhoods and its wet markets. It was just about 10am, a little late by the standards of housewives. But there were still plenty of going-ons and things to see.

There were a couple of items I wanted to purchase from the grocery shops. There's something about how the small shops make their sauces. The shopkeepers kindly opened up their wares (the 'tester' bottles) for me to smell. Each one smelt different from the ones bought from the supermarkets at home. I've had the broth from the beef brisket noodles and my goodness, they're so good, better than anything I've had in Singapore. The zhu hou sauce in there taste different from the ones bought in Phnom Penh. The ones sold here are tastier; richer almost. Naturally, I had to buy bottles of zhu hou sauce (柱候酱), hoi sin sauce (海鮮酱) and watnots for the man.

The locals also call it a 'wet' market. It isn't housed under one roof like how it is in Singapore. It's just rows of shops lining up both sides of the streets with all sorts of stuff- meats, vegetables, fruits, flowers, dried goods, Chinese medicine, seafood, incense, funeral products, paper, etc. I don't exactly get to see this in Singapore. Since I don't really cook, I don't bother to go to a wet market in Singapore; the occasional jaunt to Tekka Market doesn't count. As a tourist, I love walking through all the hustle and bustle, weaving through the myriad of the smells and colors.

Walking Into The Central Library

Just across the other side of Victoria Park stood the Central Library. The girlfriends and I chatted about the architecture of the building and how the people felt about the building that seemed to be a little confused about the theme for the external facade.

I wasn't about to pass by the building without stepping in. I was quite curious about the collection in the reference section and would have loved to pop up and stay for a while to flip books for an hour or two. Unfortunately, we had things to do and didn't have that luxury of time.

I was ignorant about the reason for the outdoor lifts (which didn't seem practical to me) till the girlfriend pointed out that these lifts were built to ease the passage for the elderly and the disabled to get across to the other side. Ahh. For some strange reasons, the museums weren't on the to-do list. I like museums. Whether the museums are worth a visit, let me be the judge of that. However, small, I can't quite diss all museums, unless they happen to be a shrine.

At least the girlfriends indulged me and walked into the Central Library to feel the vibes and see the kids study. I guess not many tourists venture in. I must return to sit at its reference section. It's especially intriguing to me because the home system has a strong focus on English. It'd be very educational to look at another city's system that is predominantly in Chinese.

Dim Sum (點心)

I suppose the thing to do would be to go out to have dim sum on the weekends. I'm not hot about it. But I'm a tad curious about the entire dim sum concept and culture. So we accepted the invitation and went to Che's Cantonese Restaurant (車氏粵菜軒) along Lockhart Road in Wan Chai (灣仔). Apparently, this is one of the very reputable dim sum places that locals frequent too.

Eating on a table of 7 was a great idea because there were plenty of dishes on the table for everyone, but I wouldn't need to justify which to eat. Even though there're very limited things I could eat at dim sum, I appreciated the generous invitation tbecause it meant taking another look at the island through the many sets of eyes, of people working and living in this vibrant city. The dynamics are almost amusing.

I made sure that there was always a piece of food in the chopsticks, deftly avoided all that the tastebuds didn't take to and ate only the stuff that I liked. The prawns in the dumplings were crunchy with thin skin that didn't taste thick with flour. In fact, all the items which required wrapping in some sort of flour, tasted great. The century egg porridge was beautiful. I was very sure that the porridge was pre-cooked before throwing in the ingredients for the customers' orders later because even though there were slices of pork in there, it didn't carry a distinctive stink.

I didn't know the names of half the items ordered. But from whatever I tasted, it was safe to surmise that the food in this restaurant was very good. Not delicate by any means, but so tasty. There was a fair number of dishes ordered. After all that, the bill was just HKD200 per pax. I can't help but be constantly surprised by how relatively inexpensive a good meal can be in this city. No wonder people say to throw a stone in Hong Kong and the chance of hitting a good eatery is almost 100%.

Po Zhai Fan At Temple Street

The girlfriend is big on sweets, Chinese desserts and all. She met up with some friends and had desserts at 4 different places while they shopped the entire afternoon away at IFC mall and Causeway Bay. Those, totally, weren't my idea of fun. Woah.

I'm glad that we've friends in the city during this weekend. While the girlfriend and I share common views, we don't quite share the same interests when it comes to travelling. We could do alot of stuff if we're in New York or London. But in Asia, we've vastly different inclinations. She needs to fill her day with activities, I don't. So it's good that the girlfriend has others to accompany her out to the shops and do all the activities I'm not interested in.

Way after midnight, we wandered over to Hing Kee Restaurant at Temple Street (廟街) for supper. This place is known for late night dining and for its po zhai fan ( 煲仔飯 - claypot rice). I had dinner earlier and was only interested in a spoonful of the rice just for a taste. Very glad that I'm not swayed by food anymore. It's getting easier to say no. My diet is very peculiar and even to the friends, it can be very unfriendly at mealtimes. So it's also brilliant that on this trip, the girlfriend can share food with others because she's much more flexible and eats most things.

The table had a good spread of 3 varieties of claypot rice, fried oyster (tiny) pancake and vegetables. I was a little horrified at the oil that slicked across every dish, including the luscious green fresh vegetables, and ummm....of course the hygiene of the open-air eating area by the drains. I had what I wanted- 2 tiny spoonfuls of rice from one of the claypots. I sat back to enjoy a drink and the very hilarious conversation. I've half a mind to repeat it, but for the fact that I'll get clobbered. Heh.

The singular annoying thing about walking along the streets would be getting dunked by the dripdripdrip of the air-conditioning units perched outside the flats above us. Worse, when the eeky water droplets fly into the food. That's quite disgusting. I can't quite bring myself to knowingly sit down at these 'da pai dong' (大牌檔) for meals. No wonder everyone else sat under a makeshift canvas top while we 'clever' people took a table without a 'roof'.

Mongkok At Midnight

After a full day out walking, I was all freshly showered and comfortably ensconced in the room when the girlfriend came back with the other friends to collect shopping bags. We each had a separate agenda. They were inclined to shop and I wasn't. So it was ideal to split up and head out to do different things. Very nice to see they had a good haul- plenty of shopping bags.

I was already in pyjamas hugging a bear, uploading photos and skyping other friends. I had a good dinner and so much food throughout the day. In spite of my vigorous protests, I was dragged out to check out their room at W and then to Mongkok (旺角) for a stroll and supper anyway. They insisted that I shouldn't come to Hong Kong and stay in the room. Hmmmmpf. It's a VERY nice room wat. When I travel, my interests are rarely in sync with what people usually do.

We took one of those mini-buses out to Mongkok. The streets were chockful of people. Lotsa humans were awake and the area was alive, bustling with noise. I'm glad that the friends pulled me out. Very colorful. Lots to see. The friends merrily hopped into this Espirit factory outlet at the basement of a building. I rolled my eyes, squatted on the steps at the check-out and waited for them to be done. I had nothing to buy and didn't want to browse the aisles. They managed to come out with 2 full bags of dunno-what-things.

I was most interested in the smelly beancurd, which was quite disappointing. It didn't stink at all. Boo. Tak shiok. I managed a piece of the grilled squid. Quite nice. But I was hesitant to take a whole stick of it. There were curry fishballs which I wasn't interested in. The rest of the fried stuff didn't appeal. The tastebuds are too particular about the oil used to create that taste. They were fried with like dunno-what-oil with about a thousand calories! I don't eat this stuff at home. I'm most certainly not eating these here.

A Traditional Cafe

Between the 3 of us, I'm not really sure who's more embarrassing. We whip out cameras to capture random photos. But the best thing- nobody uses flash. YAY.

We strolled to the heart of the residential area in Tin Hau (天后)and sat in a quaint little 'cha chaan teng' (茶餐廳) that had been in operation since 1957. But it announced its coming closure by the end of June. We had to pay it a visit and sit down for a bite in the unhurried way like most people do in the neighborhood.

Pushing open the front doors was like a step back in time. The peeling wall was painted in a shade of green that was the vogue of the yesteryears. The cash register was seriously ancient. But hey, it seemed to be working fine. I was very fascinated by the sheer age of the ceiling fans, rice cooker, the kitchen utensils, and yet they had managed to install proper ventilation and air-conditioning.

The menu contained all sorts of fun stuff. We had the standard milk tea and bo lo bao (菠蘿包). I liked the milk tea very much. Unlike Singapore's teh-si, this version wasn't sweet at all! The bun was werid. I don't really know how to eat bread like that. That's probably why I'm not a fan of those flavored buns (pork floss bun or curry bun) in the Chinese fusion bakeries. Obviously this bun didn't need butter. It was tasty on its own, soft and fluffy. Rather fun to share just one bun.

There's this sense of history about a place that is almost half a century old. I like being in the heart of the residential area, although technically, Hong Kong isn't that big and one could just wander anywhere and people live in apartments everywhere. But it's just pleasant not to see many tourists around the area where we stroll.

Pumpernickel

I didn't bother with breakfast at the hotel. There's so much good food around the city that a staid morning buffet isn't necessary. It can't be more interesting than what the little streets have to offer.

Bright and early I got up to potter around, check out the news feeds, eagerly awaiting the girls to pick me up! I haven't seen them for some time and it's so exciting to meet in Hong Kong!

We went to Pumpernickel for breakfast. I left it to the girls to select and pick out what to eat. When the warm bread baskets arrived on the table, the smells were intoxicating. There were many slices of good bread. Light and tasty, the slices of blue cheese, yoghurt and cheese, and pumpernickel were fabulous. Very European, very well baked.

The breads are really tasty. Now, if only they serve Lurpak, that will be ideal. Good butter always brings out the best in breads. I ate so much. Not a problem since we walked all day, burning off all those calories. The sun was out! So much better than a dreary drizzle. Hot, but not as humid as Singapore. I was as pleased as a fish in water. Like I said, I do very well in heat.

Of course we didn't leave without some good strong coffee. It wasn't so much of keeping awake. (For one girl, it was- she slept only 2 hours the night before!) It was more of wanting to taste that aromatic bitterness, chat and savor the passing of time.

Drinks At Sevva

We didn't want to hang out at noisy clubs or the grating Lan Kwai Fong (蘭桂坊) where many people would be 'celebrating' the upcoming World Cup, which doesn't mean a thing to me and most of the friends.

We wanted something quieter. We did what most tourists do- slipped out of our dinner dresses into jeans, kept the high heels and headed to the poseur-ish Sevva for drinks. Sitting indoors for dinner would be fine, although most would advise against it as the standard of the food hadn't stablized. But one should take a drink and go out to the terrace to take in the concrete jungle. The city's air is by no means clean. But standing outdoors for an hour or so won't kill us.

The evening was cool. A light breeze stirred, helped along by the fans strategically positioned at each wall. It was pleasant to chill outdoors without air conditioning. I liked the choice of single malts because they offered a Bowmore 18.yo and a 25 y.o. That got my attention. Needless to say, single malt was what I ordered. They took the trouble to take the whole bottle out to pour a dram before my eyes.

Is Sevva exciting? No. It's just a bar. But it offers a good view of Kowloon (九龍) across the pond and a peek into the offices of the poor sods still crunching numbers at 11pm. I was thrilled with how the DL4 performed at night, capturing the brightly lit buildings brilliantly. I was also very pleased with my Bowmore 18y.o on the rocks. I liked the glass it came in. Heavy. Nice. But the friends weren't so impressed by their drinks which came in full size plastic wine and cocktail holders.