TAB

Last week, we had to step over steel coils and clamber up to the newly-renovated club via its dingy musty side staircase. The bar was ready, but could only accept cash. Heeee. Drink, we did. The booths that lined the windows had their black frames set up for tables, but no tops just yet. One by one, we made the mistake of very nearly putting our drinks on the 'table' only to have it fall through. Heeee. It felt like a cosy house party then.

This week, we circled the tractor at the front that was still under construction, pushed open the make-shift wooden boarding and strolled through its front doors and up the escalator. The booths' tables had tops plonked on! We went upstairs to look at the space where it was just waiting for the guys to decide which concept they wanted. TAB is nearly ready. One could feel the vibes. How very exciting.

We plugged one of our ipods into the console to provide the music for the night. As the club filled up, we were sure no one would mind about the playlist too much. We picked the 'not-noisy' numbers. :D

More than being a new club in town, TAB promises to liven up the Singapore concert scene and add another dimension to what constitutes as live music around here. I've had enough of (with all due respect) cover bands singing at the pubs. I ummm.....can't bring myself to chill out at these pubs because I don't quite take to that genre of pop and chart hits anyway. After about 30 minutes in any one of those bars, I'm royally bored.

We finally have an alternative comfortable venue to the Esplanade to catch live acts. TAB officially opens next Tuesday. Angie Mattson is resident for the week. Having missed The Album Leaf the last time they were here, I'll try to catch them this September. Dooooods, I love it, we lurrrvvve it. We're going to hang around. We love what you've done to the space and how you've turned dreams into reality. Keep it real, keep it coming.

Meeting Up At Tatsuya

Saturdays are my preferred days to sit down to long dinners at regular favorites or try out new flavors. However, I'm not inclined to try out some of the new restaurants at Marina Bay Sands or the Padang area till a later date.

There're two new establishments that I'm rather interested in. I want to compare the original to what have been set up here. But I'm not in any mood to fight crowds and traffic till after August and perhaps after September. So I headed to a familiar favorite for dependable sushi and sashimi. It was a busy night for Tatsuya, but they squeezed us in anyway.

It was good for us all to connect and catch up to speak of certain events which happened over the past 3 weeks. Dinner conversation was not kept light. As a girlfriend from another circle put it, "We're all angsty this week." Being angsty could very well be infectious. The conversation was heavy, analytical, critical and deeply disturbing.

Our comments and opinions to the topics raised were heartfelt, honest and at times, painful. I can depend on this group to say it like it is without the bullshit. This is a circle of trust. There's a reason why we aren't particularly sociable to others outside of the circle. We left the restaurant and drove away with much food for thought, literally and metaphorically.

A Night Of Wine

Even though everyone swore that they would leave office at 6pm and get to Robertson Quay asap for dinner and drinks, I knew that wouldn't happen. There were too many things going on and people would be held up. I cleverly made a dinner reservation for 7.45pm which eventually got pushed to 8.30pm and everyone finally turned up at 9pm. Not that I minded- it wasn't exactly waiting. Importantly, I had company, all sorted.

We chilled to an easy bottle of Italian white and had light bites first. The food at this place seemed superior to those at the dinner venue. Calamari was ordered at both venues and the earlier version spoke volumes with its tastier sauce and lighter batter. It felt good to be out and about during the last hour of sunlight. Better still, I didn't have to wear formal to work today. I came straight from the office in jeans and a tank top with a gigantic watch and didn't have to go home to change out to casuals.

We finally made it to dinner at 8.30pm. The food was reasonable, but it wasn't anything to shout about. (I've been spoilt by the man's pastas.) There were bottles of red and prosecco. The company was an absolute scream. We made alot of noise. Heeheeee. Luckily there was no table seated near enough to be annoyed by shrieks and guffaws. And I knocked over a glass of red which was thankfully contained on the tablecloth and didn't spill onto anyone's clothes.

Fruitful Discussions At Dinner

Chinese food for dinner is sometimes the easiest. We're finalizing details for yet another project that is done on everyone's personal time and effort. Since it was supposed to be a dinner meeting, it made sense to feed everyone properly.

I'm very comfortable with this group of friends. We've eaten thousands of meals together for almost 20 years now. I could pick and choose the strangest thing to eat and they couldn't care less. I could laugh at their choice of food and be mercilessly ribbed for it. Only the servers at the restaurants would be little traumatized by our assorted requests for foods to be served differently.

Everyone was quite focused on the content of the discussion at hand and no one was in the mood for fancy at Wah Lok. So we asked for a simple menu with a little bit of meat for half the table. The other half wanted fish and soup. I overdid it on the garlic and green chilli. The restaurant was very kind to give freshly diced garlic! Yummz. The mouth smelt of garlic all night and even the next morning. Heh.

Dinner was over in 2.5 hours. The end of the meal concluded the discussion; we arrived at a consensus after some debate and provided a clear to-do list for all of us that would separately begin immediately.

Enemies Of The People

While I've stayed in Siem Reap for a couple of months doing impie things, my interest in Cambodia has never been so intense till these 2 years, somewhat wrought through work. I've been very fortunate to have been given different perspectives of the country, its people and systems.

There're events in the history of the country which have moved me, but there're also structures and processes that have disgusted me. As I move through with the impie projects in this country, it's a tedious task trying to sift out and balance between 'what can be done, what shouldn't be done, what must be done and not what we think should be done'.

Many things can't be studied from history books or be done via remote check-ins. One needs to be there on the ground to get a pulse of the going-ons. The nation hasn't completely risen above its recent history. The pain, conflicted policies and economic yearning are clearly issues that not just Cambodia faces; each country's unique circumstances will shape its new history. So for Cambodia, it's an enigma still. There's something vastly fascinating in the dichotomy of the people's psyche versus the country's history and its current wants.

I wish we have a Curzon cinema in Singapore so that I can watch this film NOW. I've been following its updates on fb and checking out the reviews here, here and here.

Not So Into Soul & Funk

Catching gigs and concerts at Esplanade inevitably means having a drink and an early dinner at Barossa. Well, the food's pretty okay. The pizzas are always fun to share. I really don't mind its fish and chips. A tiny glass of beer fits into the stomach fine.

While some people went for the premiere of Salt tonight, the rest of us went to watch Corinne Bailey Rae in concert. She's a great singer. Talented and an absolute natural on stage. Her band was solidly competent. The vocals were strong and the harmonies were really good. To many in the audience, the 80 minutes were totally enjoyable.

Honestly, I'm not so much into soul and funk. It's quite a different set of audience. Tonight, people dressed 'up' for it and many ladies carried shawls. Accordingly, very few cameras were whipped out because the majority obeyed Esplanade's 'no photography' rule. I could grab some photos. But I didn't bother to. Nobody stood up, of course. I shrank deeper and deeper into the seat till at one point, I literally fell asleep.

Ummmmm......this is really not my kind of music.

Mid-Day Breaks

Since the girlfriend and I were just a tad edgy this week, we figured it'd do us alot of good to have lunches out instead of having lunch at our respective desks. Great idea. This is a quiet week, i.e, few meetings and I've no work lunches fixed, so I'm free to go out! But we can't sit down to check out the nice places in town.

As we chatted over cups of cappucino at the end of the meal, I realized that no matter which restaurant we are at, as long as it comes to pasta, the girlfriend never fails to order a tomato-based pasta. I always stick to the aglio olio done in varied styles. We're not exactly fond of cream sauces.

We're very different. But sometimes, we're quite similar. For some strange reason, I've adopted her choice use of the word 'clown' for all sorts of situations. She has been scarily angsty, scolding telemarketeers and all. She even considered going to Zouk's 18th Anniversary party tonight that's replete with the roller skating rink. (!!!) She's no pushover, but she's as sweet as button and more understanding than most. She is very affable and is able to make friends easier than I can. Now that she seems to have cultivated an uncharacteristic bite in her reactions to many things this week, I'm rather pleased. Usually, she's the nice girl and I'm the 'not nice one'. I'm just smirking, that's all.

Next year will be exciting for both of us. A new chapter for her. The world is so big. I don't really care where she decides to go, as long as she provides me accommodation that is not a tent out in the cold forests. Just don't pick some place so close to the North Pole. I'll have to fly and transit till my butt hurts. Then I'll be most annoyed if the airline loses my suitcases at the final point.

Broken Social Scene 2 Years On

The last time that I waited till the gig was over, the merch booth had run out of supplies. This time I was smarter- left the humans, pizzas and drinks to enter the venue earlier to buy the rather cute band tee and tote bag. Heh. The friends damn clever, placed their orders with me and I left the queue with an armful of tote bags with tees within. They only sauntered in much later.

The gig lasted for 140 minutes! Wieeeee! What a good long run. Most of the set was of course taken from their new album- Forgiveness Rock Record. The middle part of the gig was a tad draggy and I spaced out for a while. Okay, I sat down because my feet were tired. Heh.

I was happy that they played 'Texico Bitches'. I like that. But I miss the girls. They always don't bring the girls to Singapore. Hmmmmpfff. Okay, I admit I just want to see Leslie Feist and Emily Haines.

They concluded the set with a strong statement, by doing an extended instrumental version of 'Meet Me In The Basement'. What a scream. The evening ended with a short random jam by Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning and Andrew Whiteman. Quite a party.

Never Use Your Personal FB In A Work Capacity

See what happens when an organization allows its employees to individually reply to fb threads and comments. Even the smartest people can screw up.

What happens if I should try to be funny and post "Thank you comrade!"? I dare not even imagine the backlash.

When a department dabbles in 'new' media, it will do well to learn from the professionals, and the mistakes of others.

What personal warmth. Pfffft.

Checking Out The Cake

The dessert angel hopped over with a tray of enticing smells! She brought a banana cake with gula melaka butterscotch. The bananas smelt heavenly. The recipe has been gleaned from 2 different magazines- Bon Appétit and our new Epicure. The dessert angel liked neither recipe on its own and decided to fuse them together to form something different and distinctly unique.

I was a little suspicious of the cake because it looked like a kueh-kueh, mousse, agar-agar type of thingy. I no like kueh-kuehs and the sorts. When it was time to trot out dessert, I asked, "Ummm....scoop? Or knife?" She affirmed that I should use a knife. So I cut it like a cake. Wieeee! It was a proper banana cake! Yummy.

The texture was dense, so I sliced up smaller portions to spread around. I like the layer of bananas! The woman had obviously cut the sugar. In spite of the butterscotch, it wasn't overly sweet. The gula melaka added this oriental flavor, giving a slight twist to the usual banana cakes I'm familiar with. It was neither crumbly nor overly moist.

It's a very good cake. Luckily, we've more than half left to tuck away in the fridge. We're saving it for dessert at some point during the week! *hearts

Having Dinner In

On a weekend when we have some free time, it's quite nice to spend it preparing meals for the friends. It's kinda fun. The best part is of course, sitting down to dinner and catching up about everything and nothing in particular.

The deceptively simple cream of artichoke was not at all easy to prepare. It involved chopping up 6 artichokes, extracting the centres and mashing them to bits, boil, churn and then strain before calling it a soup. It was surprisingly light and tasty.

The vegetable tian crusted with Colby cheese was a good bite. I always like that as a meal. Flavorful and yummy. Gnocchi was the fun portion which provided most of the carbs. The man did it simply with brown sage butter sprinkled with lighty roasted pine nuts and hazelnuts. We agreed that it could be improved further with other versions next round.

My favorite dish for the night was the mujadarah. It was good! It must have been the caramelized onions. It added a sweet and salty tang to the lentils and basmati rice all at once. The man made the mujadarah following a recipe from a trusted site. Even though today was Sunday, we decided to serve it warm.

The girlfriend brought dessert. She made a very yummy, an almost oriental in flavor sort of cake. More of that in another post. Suffice to say, the night was very good, all the better when we realized that there were good clips on NatGeo about monster fishes and the very fun DeYoung Family Zoo.

Maxing Out The Mara

Since we had errands to run at Ion, it made sense to have a quick bite at Taste Paradise. Even when we stepped in at 2.30pm, the restaurant was sooooo crowded. Luckily we made reservations.

Lunch was quick and easy. The restaurant had enough servers to ensure the tables were well attended to. My only gripe- the usual- the servers don't seem to understand English well. There is a clear trend that the service industry have seen a decline in many Singaporeans working in it anymore. Typically, the industry now employs Chinese speaking servers for Chinese restaurants and Filipinos for the western restaurants. But I'm not going to go into a discourse into the topic of migrant labor and the displacement effect of the Singaporean's education.

Done with the errands, Mommy pulled me to MaxMara to check out its current range. I was like, "Nooooooo, you just bought me a new wardrobe in June!" But she was adamant. She was certain that those pieces on the rack were totally what I would pick out.

Next to Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein and Prada, MaxMara is another label I check out occasionally. The label's current designs are quite satisfying. Obviously they stocked alot of black, blue and grey, which are perfect. I like them boring colors. The printed patterns in the centre of the photo below didn't sit well with me. But I like its pockets. So they found others with pockets that have a similar neckline. Mommy was very gleeful that I had picked out many pieces. Silly Mommy.

In case you want to know, I was in and out of that shop in 20 minutes. Again, I'm not fond of shopping defined as 'walking aimlessly all over the mall'. Targeted shopping is preferred, especially when it's zero-ed in to a particular shop and if I find something, I get them. If I don't, then I'm not bothered.

At The Movies

It has crossed my mind to watch Eclipse. I even found a girlfriend willing to suffer through the 90 minutes with me. But we haven't gotten around to watching it for those fakey wolves leaping all over the place. The trailers of those wolves promise that the movie could be mildly amusing. But since this isn't high on the priority list, I'll probably catch it in dribs and drabs somehow.

The girlfriend suggested that I should watch Despicable Me for the cute little minions. But I absolutely refuse to because I don't share the humor in the movie. I've this thing about reading up before going to the movies and knowing the spoilers. I don't like walking into a cinema blind.

We've had a good run of movies recently at the mainstream theatres. Since we've nothing the likes of Curzon, then given our limited choices here, we zealously choose what we want to watch and the rest are sorted over cable and the internet. 2 shows that I do want to make a note about are Inception and The Crazies.

Inception

While it's rather entertaining because it doesn't carry the usual Hollywood stink of brainlessness, it isn't as intriguing as I had hoped. I came out of the theatre with slight disappointment. The movie isn't shallow, but it isn't as complex as expected; not to people who stay deep in the world of fantasy epics. The premise isn't mind-blowing. The actors aren't the best. But the portrayal of the concept is characteristic of the brilliance that is Christopher Nolan. However, I very much prefer Memento for its mind-boggling-ness. Do not even mention Primer in the same paragraph. I'm of the view that Primer (2004) is the true mind-fuck sci-fi movie of the decade.

The Crazies

What I do like, is laughing my guts out at The Crazies. It's a good B-grade re-make of the 1973 film with the same name! The action-sequence is quite exciting. Of course how the events unfold is totally predictable, it's still cool to see the 2010 interpretation of what happened in 1973! I love how there isn't one mention of 'zombie' throughout. It isn't a zombie movie per se. The blood, gore, punches, screams, explosions and all are so delightful! The man was beyond tickled. He cackled non-stop in the cinema and sniggered at my preferred genre of movies. Hey, brainless flicks are cool. Watching them arms you with a great sense of humor to deal with the real crazies out there nowadays.

The Cathay Restaurant

Each time I head over to Cathay to catch a movie, I don't mind grabbing a quick bite at The Cathay Restaurant after. They serve the food quick and are open till 11pm, which makes it ideal to have a late dinner.

If I don't want fast food, then this is a good choice for a meal. You know I'm not exactly adventurous when it comes to ordering food at Chinese restaurants, I've a couple of boring favorites. The amount ingested is so little, so when it's just the 2 people, we've learnt to order very little.

Hot soup can be good, only if they aren't the herbal sort. The rest of the menu's quite extensive and one can always find something to please the tastebuds. I state upfront politely that I'll send food back if it's too oily. I hate shiny food. So when I remind them to use little oil in my food, they listen. The stir-fry vegetables come out well.

The lobster noodles are tasty. The handmade noodles don't carry that thick taste of flour which makes is eeky. I like the noodles and its gravy. As much as I avoid carbs especially for the evening meal, I can't resist finishing up the noodles. At this restaurant, I declare the noodles the winner over the lobster anytime.

Making Gnocchi

The man is experimenting with making gnocchi from scratch, including the dough. Nothing is store-bought instant. So the iPad comes in handy. The laptops can't exactly be thrown around or sit in the kitchen. Too unwieldy. The iPad is smaller and shaplier. It can be propped on a shelf playing youtube cooking videos while he fusses around the kitchen.

The man waved me over with dough-stained hands. "Want to play?" While PlayDoh was marginally more interesting than Barbie Dolls, I remember a time when I wanted to build castles, trains and monsters, not make spaghetti, burgers or cakes. I shook my head, backed away and stood very still in a corner, zipping around only to take photos.

The first attempt of having gnocchi sitting in a homemade tomato sauce is pretty decent. The taste and texture seem steady. It doesn't remind you too much of potatoes and doesn't taste too much of flour. The man doesn't want to serve what he has today to the friends just yet. He states that this isn't the best that he can do. So he's going to make a second batch tomorrow and see how he can improve upon it.

Trying To Clean The Air

We don't have fabulous hygienic air circulating in the office. Even though the air-ducts are cleaned out every 2 months, it's inevitable that with so many humans sharing close proximity, viruses never really leave the building.

For years, I've considered lugging in those standing air-sanitizers for the office. But I've never actually gotten around to doing it. Now, with so many people pregnant and falling ill, maybe I should finally do that. Also, I've been spoilt by the colleague who brought in her air-sanitizer. It's the simple type we see lying around- a green-top glass container.

Every other morning when I step into the office, the fresh scent of lemongrass and ginger hits the senses, eliciting a quiet 'Ah' from me, in a good way. The container is taken out of her cubicle and left in a public spot. All these months, she doesn't say a word about it, but quietly changes the water, tops up the anti-bacterial oils and whatnots, bringing a soothing measure of aroma to frazzling days.

I don't know about the real health benefits scientifically defined by air quality. But I do know her actions make my day feel alot better, and somehow, I don't fall sick much. It's the fact that this colleague, in her own way, cares about the department which warms my heart.

The Change

Motherhood really changes women. Not just physically. But it alters their entire concept of life, humans and the universe. Women become the opposite of what they are when they have children. Sometimes, it's for the better; often, it's for the worse.

Quietly I sat, listening to some girlfriends chatter about pre-schools, competition, getting into primary schools and whatnots. They groused about the waiting lists to pre-eminent pre-schools and the humongous effort they must undertake to put their kids in elite schools for a proper start to education. These children are signed up for so many additional classes that I'm not even sure they know what's a hobby anymore. Like what these girlfriends and I went through as kids- piano, ballet, golf, abacus, calligraphy, speech and drama, art...the whole gamut, their children are going through the same mill with additions of trending activities like fencing, poetry-writing, pottery, etc.

The ears perked up when it was mentioned that the schools their children attend dictate the cars they buy and destinations chosen for the three-to-four-times-a-year vacations. Clearly, these girlfriends are very very focused on the next chapter of their lives. They embrace their new status and bill it as a 'major project' and approach it with the same energy and more passion than closing negotiations and securing multi-million dollar deals. They've always been competitive in school. One or two who're quiet achievers then have become outrightly aggressive in chalking up the 'medals' of motherhood and 'what my kid can do at this age'. I'm not sure how it rubs off on their children. I can only say that these precocious pre-schoolers are at the top of their classes. (Though how this is defined, is beyond my meagre understanding.) So the parents have full intention to have them stay brilliant and shiny for the rest of their lives. I'll decide on the merits of that in about 15 years.

Since when is motherhood a competition? I suppose it has always been. Worse now. When we're done with competing over grades, boyfriends and whatnots in school, material acquisitions and career achievements, home decor, financial investments; we compete in the matter of motherhood. For women who feel that they haven't made much of their lives, moulding the younglings' future offer another shot to re-work their dreams and pin their heavy hopes on their offspring.

I think this parallels the corporate rat race. Very painful.

Definitely Visiting Gattopardo Again

We trudged up a construction site (the soon-to-be boutique Hotel Fort Canning) on Fort Canning to have dinner at Gattopardo. Don't worry, the restaurant and its nearest washrooms don't resemble the mess outside and in the carpark.

The friends have been raving about its food and how it offers that twist away from the usual Italian restaurants due to its Sicilian heritage. Some of us haven't made it there so far. So we just have to allocate time to sit down for a meal at the understated restaurant.

The seafood stew was a great appetizer that succeeded in being hearty, tasty and light at the same time. The 'holey' semolina pasta with fresh sardines and fennel provided a good balance to the overall meal, something different from the usual choices of pasta in the local dining scene. For the pizzas, I kinda felt bad to insist on a vegetarian pizza. I could ignore it and the others could still enjoy something meaty. So we also had the arrotolata that was presented in a similar way to a chopped-up calzone. I had half a mind to have the fresh lobster. Till I saw it move and try its best to scamper away from the display. My heart twitched and there was no more talk about killing that lobster.

We like how the restaurant flies in fresh fish and seafood a couple of times a week. I especially appreciate the note on the menu which bravely declared its seafood are sourced from fisheries which practise sustainable fishing in the Mediterranean Sea and Japan. We passed over the turbot and John Dory for another time and picked the sea bream. Salt-baked, the sea bream's fresh flavors assaulted our tastebuds. It was absolutely divine.

Chef Lino came over to convince us that the dessert platter was a MUST. So we figured that one portion to share wouldn't be so bad. Well, dessert, apparently, as my learned friends noted, was sweet and lovely. To someone without a sweet tooth like me, it was just a tad cloying. They also served us a complimentary plate of beautiful cookies. I liked that much better!

Service was surprisingly excellent. The servers had good knowledge of their food, and ours was able to balance an acceptable degree of friendliness with the right amount of unobtrusiveness. For that 2 hours, I didn't feel like I was in Singapore. :) It was a very delightful evening.

The Usual Drink

It was incredibly liberating to run away from office at 6.25pm to head to Postbar for a drink with the girlfriend on a cold rainy evening.

I was late and had to text the girlfriend who was already striding into the bar and said I'd get there in 15 minutes if traffic lights were in my favor. Her reply read, "I've ordered your drink!" That was so cool. We didn't even have to discuss what sort of drink that would be. She knew. I heart girlfriends. This one definitely knows me well, and not just about what alcohol I'd prefer in which bar. Of course it totally made my day when a well put-together Bloody Mary arrived just as I settled into my seat.

I was quite intrigued by the bar menu. The girlfriend, who is somewhat of a regular fixture at the bar told me that the menu was created during the recently concluded World Cup. It has obviously remained. It seemed popular. All evening, plenty of people ordered food and the chef behind the counter in the corner was kept busy. I had to try something. A tapas of lobster tail with guacamole cream and a bowl of thick-cut yummy fries took care of dinner.

Best of all, early drinks meant that I could get home with sufficient time to read a book, slap on a face mask and fit in a hot soak before bedtime.

A Glass Of Wine Is Good

I didn't realize The Wine Company served lunch. The menu was quite extensive. In addition to the minestrone and mushroom soups, I was most tickled by the appearance of the very random 'salted vegetable and duck soup'. I grinned even wider at the description of the soup.

So note to self, stick to the wine at these places. The spinach pizza I mostly had was edible, but it was in no way qualified to be termed as a pizza. The radish cake was barely decent- its accompanying sambal belachan was way tastier. Don't even get me started on its coffee. I almost wished we went for prata and curry next door instead.

I just like sitting down somewhere at a lunch venue that is further away from the office. It provides a good mid-day break. The ambience at The Wine Company's Evans Road location is quaint and fairly soothing to the senses. Always nice to sit down for a glass of wine, and a platter of assorted cheeses. Just those.

Two Cups Of Coffee

Strolled down the road to Black for a cup of flat white. Normally, in the mad rush to get from home to the office within a reasonable time, I grab coffee-to-go. I've all but forgotten how much more awesome a cup of flat white would taste when I have it at the cafe. The coffee smell is stronger, more aromatic if you will. Of course, I always feel better sipping it knowing that there is no appointment in sight.

So it came to pass that with my huge sunnies firmly perched on the face, I sat for almost 2 hours with 2 cups of coffee, an antihistamine, 2 drips of eyedrops into each eye twice over, and laughing my head off at online comic strips and a couple of fabulously snarky sites.

I could get used to mornings like this. It gave me a clue for things to come. Oh well. But yes, I'll be bored if I do this indefinitely. A week or two sound about right. The eyes finally protested. Tired, I headed home to bathe the eyes and slip under the covers for a forced nap.

Stopping By The Bakery

This morning, when I stepped into the bakery to grab my usual loaves and a banana cake to go, I grinned. It was a rare day when I needn't rush to work and could literally stop to smell the freshly baked breads. Absolutely delicious. Too bad I had no appetite to sit and eat. It was just to stock up a bunch of items for next 3 days.

I'm not fond of those loaves commonly stocked at the supermarket. I don't bake either. I like, well, indie breads. :p Okay, this deli I hop by once a week isn't very indie. It's super mainstream but Something To Go does good breads. My preferred deli is this one located at Killiney Road. Understated and dependable, Freshly Baked by Le Bijoux has been my supplier for breads for as long as they've been opened.

After checking out Pumpernickel last month, I wondered where I could take the friends to a similar cafe when they're in Singapore. Now, I remember. I'll take them to Freshly Baked. It doesn't serve pumpernickel though. It makes a fluffy cinnamon loaf and another good walnut raisin. Fairly decent sandwiches are available on the menu. A pity the coffee isn't exactly up to par. I rather walk further down the road to Black where the coffee is better brewed.

This is a slice of Singapore that is easily forgotten. Support our indie coffeeshops and bakeries. They offer good bread and a flat white if one doesn't care for the island's signature kaya toast and kopi-o siu dai.

Can't Be The Durians

The shock was priceless when I stared at the mirror this morning and realized I'm allergic to durians. (??!) This time, the skin and eyelids didn't just swell, the corneas hurt too! The lower portions were covered by a thin film of something which made them itchy and painful. I hustled to the doctor's for eyedrops and pills. "Allergic conjunctivitis" he pronounced.

As much as I dislike the smell of durians, I bravely ate 2 tiny seeds last night, which didn't taste as bad as expected. It was nicely bitter and rather palatable. I've not exactly taken durians for a long while. I don't recall being allergic to them. Nothing more than one seed is ingested at a time and I probably eat durians in like, once in 2 years. Okay, durians will explain the swelling, but not what's happening to the corneas. How can durians be linked to allergic conjunctivitis? So dumb dumb. That's not possible, unless there's something on the fruit or in the stall that causes it. It was raining all of yesterday, which should alleviate alot of weird stuff floating about in the air.

During a recent medical, the blood work revealed allergens in my system. The doctor said he wouldn't know what allergies could trigger them unless a specific test is done. We'll see how. I don't fancy being pricked. I did that test twice as a kid and once as a teenager. I can figure out what sort of things I shouldn't be eating or touching. As long as the allergies manifest as non-life-threatening reactions, I can live with it.

Anyway, allergic conjunctivitis means I'm not infectious, just ugly for the day. I could go to work. But you know what, I don't feel like it- not with the eyes burning up. Since there're no major issues to sort out today, I'll just stay at home. Two doses of medication and a nap reduced the swelling quite nicely. The corneas are still swollen though. Gritty, but not that painful anymore. I shall sleep some more later. What a wonderful excuse to stay in and play with my bears!

Over Brunch

The girlfriends took me out for brunch at Hai Tien Lou for brunch. I was quite happy with the venue. These lunch buffets are very friendly to group dining. The portions are small enough for us to not feel guilty about gorging and varied enough for the different dietary preferences on the table. I've been returning to this restaurant a fair bit these couple of months because they've been giving me attentive service. I like how they do the food.

Sitting at this familiar table of eight is always a lovely feeling. While we've always kept in touch via Skype and email (not fb because they're not on it!), we haven't caught up with one another in person for months. It's a good thing to be able to pin everyone down, turn in up jeans and tees and chill out over a 2-hour meal. I want to find out what these girls have been up to and if their experiences have shaped another facet of their personalities.

One has been buried deep in South America sorting out her research work. How I wish I can follow her to her next destination in August! I will definitely be able to contribute lots and earn my keep. She could really use my help! It'll be like Celebes all over again! Two have just returned from Hong Kong's Lung King Heen and raved non-stop about its dim sum. Don't I know?! I love its food too! We have such separate good memories of the island.

I stared around the table. For some reason, we all sport short hair! Wahahahaaha. It didn't occur to me till today. I guess we just like short hair at this stage of our lives. Not that it means anything. More like a random observation. Generally, I like my short hair so much better compared to it sweeping the shoulders.

A Strand Of Pearls

There was a period when I wanted pearls to look older. But I wouldn't wear them outside of work functions. With the passing years, somehow, I begin to take a shine to pearls as an accessory for social events as well.

Don't need many variations of pearls or a statement piece. I like my jewelry simple. I'm no collector, so rare pieces don't feature on my radar. Wearable pieces do. A minimalist design is usually preferred. Boring, but it works for me. I don't wear necklaces often. It's definitely not an everyday accessory for me. I'm not fond of precious stones hanging off the neck. I find necklaces restrictive. They don't do anything fun and aren't quite me. While I put on colored natural stones as an accent piece once in a while, pearls are a welcome diversion nowadays.

Somehow, the double-strand Chanel look isn't quite attractive to the wardrobe. Too much, methinks. I'm partial towards single strands. A bigger diameter is more dramatic, but difficult to match with the current choices of clothes. A smaller round is quite easy to slip in with alot of age-appropriate clothes. Maybe not with a dress. Too Mad Men-ish. I won't mind pairing it with tailored pants or jeans paired with a simple top.

My first set of pearls from the same jeweler is South Sea black. What else, that's my favorite color! Although technically, they're not exactly so. Those are a joy to wear. These newly acquired white pearls are a welcome addition to the jewelry box. They're very delicate. The clasp is well made and elegantly framed. Surprisingly, the strand is heavy and the pearls feel cool against the skin. Exquisite craftmanship.

Today I Rest

There was talk of doing tai-chi this morning with my old folks. But the Great Singapore Rains and Floods came, so no form of any sort of work-out at the public basketball court was possible. Another bunch of people took the roster today. So after tsk-ing at all the flood photos and wondering if this is what Singapore has to contend with each time it rains heavily (as if rainfall magically increased this year) like how we're told to do so by a certain personage, I went back to bed.

The work laptop resolutely stayed back in the office. I've had enough of it this week. Between long naps, I only woke up for a bowl of cereals, sorted out culled bags for the girlfriend to come pick them up for sale at the charity luncheon, tinkled with the piano for a bit, then I went back to sleep. All this while, the man went out to Tekka Market to grab all the stuff needed for tonight's dinner. I'm not so interested in his three pepper chicken chilli. I'm eyeing the uni bottarga pasta. That will be nice!

The man has prepped the oil to be used to cook the pasta. A little bit of this and a little bit of that. Tarragon and garlic. The concoction smells heavenly. I've always been fascinated by the going-ons in the kitchen, but never intrigued enough to try cooking. I remember those days when none of my grandmothers cook too. They left it to the maids to do so. They generally supervise the cooking and will step in to stir a pot or brew something only on special occasions. So for the now, I'm quite content to sit back and watch the man take over the kitchen.

Between the laptop and books, it's an absolute indulgence to just chill and space out without needing air-conditioning. At some point, I'll have to get out of bed and dress for dinner. For now, I'm enjoying the breeze this cool evening.

Lunch Reflections

At a lunch we co-hosted for a group of guests from Guangdong, conversation went all over the place. Even though it was the first time I met them, they were rather friendly in a competitive sort of way. Everything points to the pride of a country and a growing economy versus ours. Earlier, there was a comment that almost bordered on criticism about how Singaporeans think in English and then speak it aloud in Chinese, making little sense and losing the initial flavor and meaning of a concept or expression. It's just saying that our Mandarin isn't up to par. Fair comment. Of course I had to smile and acknowledged that shortfall due many Singaporeans using English as the main language of communication even at the social and family. When one's language skills aren't quite there, whatever structure one creates, collapses.

There was this part almost at the beginning where conversation touched on the comparative beauty of 华山 (Mount Hua) versus 黄山 (Mount Huang), with almost everyone at the table expressing their opinions about it. These mountains in land-locked provinces aren't exactly near Guangdong, so it makes sense that they'd travel there for a vacation jaunt or something. Of course I kept quiet lah. What would I know about it that the table didn't? Then one suddenly turned to asked for my views and looked at me expectantly. I swore that was a test. In the prep for this lunch, there was no way I could have known they would ask this; no background brief could have covered it, and they knew it.

Luckily, I've been gone up the trails for both. Mount Hua is such an easy place to throw yourself off the steep precipice and ultra-narrow boardwalks. It's so easy to slip and die there. I was too chicken to climb the real deal up its South Peak. I went up the North. But what a trip that was. I'll never do it again though. Mount Huang was an exercise in frustration. Those stone steps were a breeze and an annoyance all at once. And the teeming mass of humans who flock to Mount Huang induced out-of-this-world vein-bursting experiences. NEVER again as well. But of course, I re-crafted all replies with great and appropriate use of euphemisms. :p

There were no more tests after that. Conversation flowed easy in both putonghua and Cantonese. The table confided in me just how many items they bought from designer labels and a whole load of assorted electronic items because those weren't made in China, i.e there isn't a point to buy goods made in their own country. o_O So on the matter of tests, it reminds me of the olden imperial examinations. How to bloody study for such a test that ranges from everything under the sun?! If you know it, you know it. If you don't, then die lor.

Teochew Muay Restaurant

[The restaurant has closed as of April 2011]

We kept walking past this Teochew Muay Restaurant (yes, it's really called that) and it was always empty. Recently, it started filling up. Then I realized it was because it had switched its full a la carte dining concept to that of a buffet. So for S$16 or so at dinner, you get a pretty good deal in air-conditioned comfort, hence the crowds stream in.

Intending to give the stomach a rest, we hopped in for porridge. The owner was warm and offered us alot of food. He pointed out that the restaurant didn't use msg in their food. Well, all restaurants should NOT use msg in their food. (Unlike the caterer at the office who liberally dumps msg into its selections, especially for its fried mee siam, fried carrot cake and fried beehoon.) I didn't quite have the heart to tell him I didn't want pork, goose, chicken or any sort of meat. The man was enthusiastic about trying everything. The good thing was- the portions were kept small and it could be finished by one person.

In the end, the table was filled with plenty of food that I wasn't keen on. I took the salted egg, steamed tofu (brushed off that pork floss thingy) and vegetables. But I didn't really want those preserved stuff- they taste funny to me and I don't know how to eat them. Neither did I want the salty bak kut teh which was quite stinky in spite of its pepper, goose meat, eeeky intestines and cockles. The man loved them and ate them all up.

I remember the nights after partying at Zouk, the ritual was to hop over to a teochew muay place nearby for supper. I also remember not eating very much because it was quite unhygenic and I was never hungry enough to want to eat something beyond salted eggs and hot porridge. So while I appreciate this new place for its higher hygiene factor, its spread of food is still something I can't quite appreciate. But I'm fairly sure others will like what this restaurant will have to offer.

I Hate Fb

I was fuming when I turned up for drinks at Klee. I had to rant to the friends. A most suitable audience, I thought. These are PR and Comms professionals, as good as anyone can get within the industry across ad agencies, in-house, international, alternative and traditional media. They would be able to give me their objective opinions about this rant.

A foreign guest had left a comment on the organization's corporate fb page. I had very politely sidestepped MarComms' request to reply his comment from my personal facebook account and offered to set up a new team account to sort out the matter of replies. I was going to let it go, but no, MarComms insisted on us replying from a personal account because it would sound friendlier, and had the cheek to suggest then, someone else who had seen the guest reply from his/her personal fb account. So I didn't let it go. I thought really hard and sent an email to all relevant people, demanding for clarity in this request and follow-up action.

Since when did this become a policy directive? How is it even possible to have it encouraged as a move undertaken by the Marketing and Communications department? I'm furious. As much as I understand that MarComms would like our attitude to clients to be friendly and warm, this is the wrong approach to take. It is frankly, a juvenile marketing strategy that doesn't thoroughly consider the can of worms it is opening.

What are these people in the department doing? Do they even understand what social media is before utilizing it? What happened to privacy and space? Even if we don't talk about privacy issues, is it fair to expect everyone to have personal facebook accounts? Have they considered the repercussions of such a reply from a personal account? It's very disgraceful when one takes this discussion (in context) to the professional public relations viewpoint. That avatar photo you put on your fb intro page might be completely contradictory to the organization's image. Is MarComms able to dictate and control what I say to the client from my personal fb account? Can they control what happens when I ignore the clients' 'friend' requests? What message I'm sending- that 'it's okay for me to reply you, but you can't be my friend?' What more if someone doesn't set privacy controls and opens up all sorts of political opinions and thoughts to all and sundry, and provides an ease of access to our clients? AND, when one leaves the organization, is it right that these fb contacts become one's personal liability? A bank would never allow that.

A visit that I hosted on Monday had its roots on facebook. Clients who made friends with a colleague, wrote on her wall that they would like to visit and thankfully, followed up in an email. I knew it first because I happened to be on facebook scrolling through her pages. Even if she doesn't mind work contacts talking about work on her personal account, I do. Other people would too. But do MarComms realize what this means to our department? If we set a precedent, our clients will simply use facebook as a platform to get to us because it's a communication tool. So our personal and professional spheres mesh into one.

If a reply from a name on a fb account is expected, then I want clarity from my senior management that I'm expected to set up a fb account in my name for work purposes only. Then, I want to find out what sort of personal life I'd have since this account has to be tended to 24/7 according to the service standards of the organization.

The nature of our business dictates the communication strategy and how we should maximize the potential of social media. Being friendly to clients like how social enterprises and small businesses or people-centred businesses need to be, don't quite cut it for us. Jumping on the bandwagon of the social media platform requires a modicum of brains. Obviously, my MarComms department doesn't possess that fully. PR and Comms professionals, you'll know exactly where I'm coming from. We know that this sort of a fb/twitter/plurk/tumblr account is heavily monitored and intentionally engineered by social media professionals to send out the right messages for a certain purpose.

Fed-up. Drinks at Klee were great. I was glad to be talking to the true professionals in the industry who could offer unbiased opinions, positive and concrete marketing solutions, not half-baked ideas forced down my throat.

If my organization thinks it's perfectly fine to answer clients from our personal fb accounts and sort out work issues from there, clearly, I feel that something is very wrong.

Memories A Cup Of Coffee Stirs

I was very late in meeting the girlfriends at Jones the Grocer this evening. Luckily I didn't promise to do dinner; only drinks. There is no way I could do dinners on weekdays these few months unless they begin after 8pm. I arrived just as dessert was served. I skipped that. I wasn't exactly hungry. No appetite. So I had a bite of a muffin and a swipe of the chocolate cake. That was dinner. I was a little tired and zoned out of the conversation as the girlfriends talked about jujitsu, meniscus tears, Chaumet bling and whatnots.

I stared idly at the cup of coffee. There was a presentation scheduled tomorrow morning. Clarity of mind and a good night's sleep would be ideal. I'm so going to regret having this shot of caffeine. But what the heck, I felt like it. With a little jolt, I realized that this set was the exact cup and saucer also used by Pumpernickel in Hong Kong. Ahh. That trip to Hong Kong seemed like eons ago already. Memories, vivid, how very nice.

To think I had wanted to cancel on the girlfriends because I only left the office at 8.15pm. But they told me to haul ass into a cab and get there asap, no excuses. They were absolutely right. It was a much-needed quick catch-up with the girlfriends. So happy for 2 who live in the estates next door and either one could give me a lift home in quiet comfort. Well, not really, they put the tops down and we yelled across at each other at the traffic lights. That was fun!

Now home, the taste of coffee lingers beautifully. I'm not sure if it's from tonight or from the memory of that remarkable morning at Pumpernickel. I can't tell. I remember the aroma. Trust me, that cup of coffee tasted fabulous.

Steamboat For Lunch

Glad the girls grabbed me out for a very quick bite at noon. I almost didn't want to step out because of the many meetings scheduled. But they insisted. Wanting a lunch venue away from the crowds, we drove to West Coast Plaza to check out this new steamboat restaurant.

Located on Level 2, Chuan Jiang Hao Zi Restaurant (川江号子火锅楼) is just a month old. I thought there was something familiar about the name, but couldn't place it till the end of the meal when the manager mentioned that the original outlet is at Smith Street. Ah. That's the outlet that many people blasted as having varying degrees of freshness for its food, and the crappy yellow noodles.

There were no other customers in the hour that we were there. Awesome, for us at least. The service was excellent. The manager accommodated to all our requests. The ingredients that came out were surprisingly fresh, including the prawns and slices of fish. I think some would term the portions as small. But for 3 girls, 2 plates of food are decent enough. Too much, in fact. We ordered 2 portions and were billed S$30 (S$15 for each plate of raw stuff). The prices are inclusive of GST and service charge. Quite a fair deal. We were told that a chef from Sichuan would arrive next week and menu offerings would expand beyond ingredients for steamboat.

I'm no expert on mala hotpot (麻辣火鍋). But the soup didn't taste bad at all. Medium-spicy, it was quite a good accompaniment lend flavors to the food. The girlfriend who is really into mala hotpot, proclaims this one is "quite alright". The other half of the soup is made up of some chicken based herb thingy. Not too bad. I don't like that soup by itself, but prefer it mixed with some spice. :) The dip for the food is crazily oily. Don't know what exactly goes into it, although I identified grated ginger, peanut sauce, spring onions, sesame oil and the sorts. That's kinda nice on the first 2 dips, then it gets eeky. No crappy noodles were served. Tang hoon replaced that.

I was told that the air-conditioning, hygiene, utensils, cutlery and decor at this new outlet are superior to the original. Hmmm. I did have a very comfortable lunch at the restaurant. It's clean and sanitary. I like. I don't have the stomach to squat at eeky ones situated next to the road. Oh, currently, the menu is entirely in Chinese. *grimace* Since I understand it, there aren't any issues, except that I had to explain to the girls the difference between a portion of S$13 versus S$14 versus S$15. I understood what was written on the menu, I knew they meant vegetables, but I didn't know the English translation. How would I know whether it was Chinese cabbage or plain cabbage, kang kong or just green vegetables? To the girls' credit, they didn't laugh. I gave up and took the S$15 set. :p

Another Not So Fab Indonesian Restaurant

Since there were errands to run at Ngee Ann City, lunch was sorted out at Pepes Indonesian Restaurant. The food isn't fantastic; it's noisy and that particular cd played during the hour we were there, was very heavy on drums. Generally the vibe felt like we were sitting in an air-conditioned food court. The decor and walls don't absorb sound; the clank of cutlery, tables and chairs and the chatter of humans are amplified. If the iPhone app is to be believed, the restaurant registered a noise level of 86db from the time we were seated. Don't go there expecting excellent service. Expect adequate but barely-existent smiles. Although our orders were taken by the lady boss and the food came fast. Since it was a quick lunch, I didn't really care either way.

I had to go to Hugo Boss to pick up my altered dresses and 2 new tops. Then it was to Hermes to punch extra holes in my belts, as well as collect some bags. One bag is supposed to be my birthday present- it has taken ages to arrive. But I'm quite pleased with it. The other 2 Kellys are collected on behalf of the girlfriends who've gone gallivanting elsewhere. I love the smell of new leather. Gorgeous bags the girls have got. I ran home to post photos of evidence of my collection of bags. What luck, they were on Skype. Best. Video call! They told me sternly not to ruin their new bags with my grubby fingers. As if I don't know how to handle a bag! Hehehhe.

Being in town on a weekend is always rather frazzling. There're too many humans milling about to walk in comfort, and driving in the traffic is harrowing. Once I'm done with the errands, I make a quick escape. I hate the malls on weekends. Walking through it is like navigating an obstacle course which I can't punch down the cones (i.e humans). It's a necessary evil to be put into the schedule, I suppose, to have to pop in once in a while to run errands and collect laundry.

Drinks At Kome

[Kome is still Kome. But the original chefs Lawrence and Gary now have shifted to Hinoki, as of February 2011]

No better time to trot out the Laphroaig 18 y.o than to have it accompany a meal with the friends at Kome. There is debate about this bottling versus the 15 y.o that it's supposed to replace. On a personal preference, I favor the 18y.o. It's surprisingly not as peaty as expected, and the hints of vanilla came through very strongly.

This expression, while still smoky, goes down easy on the palate and complements tonight's sushi and sashimi, as well as steamed fish. I love it on the rocks. Another winner. We're definitely going to get more of those bottles!

On a happier note, Chef Gary gave me lots of sweet cherry tomatoes. YUMMZ. Chef Lawrence didn't exactly have a chance to annoy me tonight. Kome was packed out and everyone, including the boss were kept really busy. By the time he could breathe, we were the only humans left. Luckily there were a number of us; I left it to the boys to entertain him, basically talk cock together. I don't understand how they do it. Is it a guy thing? *shrug*

Along with the whisky, there was plenty of sake going around the counter, then came the riesling to finish. We drank, steadily. Everyone's home now and logged onto every social networking portal. We're all fine, except for the man, who at this moment, is, knocked out in a drunken haze after 2 bouts of puking. I'm terribly tickled by how the man can't do this mixing of alcohol anymore. Poor thing, he's going to wake up with a hangover. HAHAHA. Yours truly, doesn't even have a headache or heavy eyelids. In fact, I'm quite awake!

Saturdays With The Girls

Many Sundays with the family will see us plonked at Hai Tien Lo for a meal. I like its food. It's well portioned and proportionately flavored. Today, the girlfriends and me braved the NDP road closures to have lunch there. It speaks volumes when the camera didn't capture a single photo of the food on the table, but plenty of a little girl and bears.

Lil' Missy came along. In the car, she picked up Ed the Bear and refused to let him go, so the bear got taken out to lunch too. At the start, she was VERY ANNOYED because she knew she couldn't eat the spicy appetizers that I was happily munching, and she wanted to eat some. She was so miffed that she threw Ed the Bear to the floor and whined to her mommy. But she smiled when the proper food orders were placed on the table and she got a full serving of cod with black bean paste.

That left the adults plenty of time to chat. I'm so glad that we managed to meet up with one another often. Not always together, but also separately whenever our schedules allow. It's not easy when we've our lives to lead, a toddler to nurture, jobs to fulfill, but somehow we always made it. There're lots of friends whose schedules fit mine and we catch up on week days over late dinners and drinks. But it's a little tough for lil' Missy's mommy and I. She knows that Saturday lunches would be the best window to catch me and she tries to fit that into her schedule, often booking me weeks or even months in advance. The other girlfriend's schedule is no less punishing, but we somehow could do the week day meet-ups which never fails to make me feel so much better each time. I'm grateful for their efforts.

By the end of the meal, lil' Missy was friends with Ed the Bear again. She hugged the bear and toddled out with him to the lift, charming everyone along the way. Because lil Missy is such a darling, she received a Pan Pacific Sasha Bear who can almost rival her in the cute stakes! I was so jealous! I want one too! But cannot- I've got too many bears already. :p The little girl had a grand time bossing her new friends around, ordering them to sit, stand and flop around.

As we went our separate ways, lil' Missy was pre-occupied with the new bear. So I managed to spirit Ed the Bear away, but not before lil' Missy caught a glimpse of a furry ear from the window of the cab and her mouth formed 'AH!', along with a matching frown. That resulted in me togging a bear along across to Ion because it was too big to fit inside my tiny bag. I wrapped the bear in a sweater, thinking he wouldn't be seen, merrily forgetting that 2 legs were sticking out straight. DOH. I must have been a strange sight. Worse, I bumped into a friend with his new girlfriend, and stayed to chat a bit. There goes my image.

Something Bright

Who could have missed the huge rainbow last evening that stretched from horizon to horizon. I was at home, and stood at the balcony in awed silence at the bright colors and its supernumerary that majestically soar over the new skyline of our city. Rainbows are magical.

Amidst the angst about the job that I need to sort out on my own, the man has been incredibly supportive. Since I married the dude, I'm kinda obligated to inform, or involve him in any major decisions I undertake. He reiterated that I should do what my heart tells me. It isn't the loss of a regular salary he's worried about. That won't make any difference to our lifestyle. My income isn't solely derived from a salary given by a job. Importantly, we have few financial commitments, little overheads, zero debts and no mortgages.

The man is more concerned that I'm giving up something that has turned out so wonderful, a job that I love and feel immense satisfaction for. He saw how sad I was for the last 2 weeks. He knows I'll be better off beginning a new chapter next year. Life after university years was fabulous- I didn't have a full time job, I did what I wanted when I wanted. Then, for a lark and to try out staying in Singapore, I took on this full-time job. It has turned out to be a good call, giving me an amazing 5 years of my life.

A good 90% of what I do earn from this job, is allocated to my charity projects. I'll have to sit down with my accountant to divert some porfolios to supplement sustained expenditure to committed projects without making too big a dent to the pocket. The man patted my head and told me not to worry over things like that. I should focus on doing all the other things in life that I've always wanted to devote more time to. I remember how he quit being a lawyer and took 2 years off work to devote his time to making music, and that made him so happy.

The man reminded me that happiness and a sense of self-worth aren't defined by a job, career achievements or pandering to social norms. It's been 5 years working in the same organization, an eternity by any standard. There's everything right about leaving. He has firmly emphasized that he doesn't believe that a woman's ultimate role is to breed babies and be a mother. To him, having an offspring doesn't even feature on his to-do list. He wants us to fulfil our larger roles within the society. If I'd like to bum, that is fine by him. He knows very well that I wouldn't be able to sit still and do nothing productive for more than 2 months! :p

I don't know what I want to do come January 2011. I don't have a new job lined up nor am I looking for one. I don't have any concrete new projects to take on because the current ones are humming along fine. I don't have a strong urge to pack up and hit a new city in the uni semester to begin a postgraduate degree. (London during last December cured that!) I don't need to run away to visit the friends immediately. I don't have a focus or a theme for this new chapter. But I'm not clueless. It's more a matter of having too many options till I just want to chill at home and hibernate for a couple of months. And really, where's my sense of adventure? It shouldn't be lost as I get older. Always, things have a way of working themselves out. On this rare evening when I could catch a rare spectacular sunset at home, I shall take this huge happy rainbow as a positive sign for come what may.

To Harry's For Lunch!

You know how deprived I am at lunch. Mid-day meals are either structured into work meetings or I simply skip it to clear the pile of stuff waiting to be tended to. I never get a chance to eat at fancy schmancy places with the friends whose offices are in town. There's rarely an opportunity to have a good meal to break up the monotony of the day and keep one's sanity instead of full-on work for 8 hours.

Today, it was just so cool to have an impromptu lunch date. I've obviously not been to many exciting places in the day (note that most photos of food on this blog are taken in dim lighting at dinner) till I found it a merry thing to go to Harry's for fish and chips, and their cottage pie. They gave us a bottle of chilli sauce that had about a quarter left. I finished it all. No, I didn't have a beer.

Then the girlfriend looked down at our feet and laughed. "I thought what were my feet doing across the other side! Look at our shoes! We're like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum!" We were both in similar comfortable heels from ecco. We sport a short bob. Hahaha. Yes, but we ain't roly poly! Clowns lah, both of us.

I Eyeballed A Bowl Of Sharks' Fin Soup

It was a question gingerly put across to me. "You won't be too offended right?" I made a face. I was none too pleased at the choice of restaurant, but I'd live. There were other interesting things to eat.

In the end, the bowl of sharks' fin was ordered only for a single person's consumption. No one else was bothered with having sharks' fin. After all, we were only interested in the crab tang hoon. The food's not the most delicate nor the best. But it was hearty and tasty. The crab tang hoon was done well. I skipped the crab and ate lots of tang hoon. That was quite delicious. And I ate tons of the abalone with spinach in really nice stock. Too bad the slices of abalone came out of a can.

It was a wonderful dinner where there was no conversation about the World Cup because none of us are into soccer at all. But we're really fascinated by the parakeet and the octopus. I was immensely encouraged by everyone's support for my impending state of gainful unemployment. I'm being offered accommodation, alcohol, food and company throughout Sydney, Melbourne, London, Paris, Sweden and both the east and west coast of US! SCORE! The man is very jealous now. Hahah. I'm going to be able to catch all the gigs he can't! I can pluck alot of weeds come spring! (Big hint there people! I so do not want to freeze my ass off in winter.) I'm going to get plenty of mileage out of that air-ticket to Heathrow and another to Newark. Honestly, I'm excited already.

The general sentiment of "It's about time" gave way to "Let's do a new slate to make sure you buy us dinner at Tatsuya for Christmas or Tetsuya after!" Those are terrible suggestions, people. NO deal. Go listen to that taco and bet on the soccer match later tonight. You might get better returns. I, on the other hand, will probably drift into what will hopefully be a peaceful sleep without disjointed dreams.

A Beer In The Afternoon

I had to take leave urgently this afternoon. I needed to hang out with a girlfriend. Who am I kidding? I've been dying for any reason to get out of the office, to the extent of wishing that I'm on mc! This is about the time when going to office is just....sianzzz, even if I'm committed to fulfilling the projects on my plate.

There wasn't a better reason than this to suddenly grab an afternoon off. However, before I zipped out of office, the colleagues yelled out that 2 emails came in to formally announce the leadership swop for our departments. I glanced through, rolled eyes at both and sighed really loudly. Whatever.

Then it occurred to me that Boss knew I was late this morning when he wanted some information and I wasn't at my desk. He wouldn't be able to find me this afternoon either and would realize I was on urgent leave. He's so going to think that I'm either a closet football fan who can't keep her eyes open, or I'm being emo again and high-tailed out of office because I didn't like what was said in the emails.

Oh well. Who cares?! The decision is done. That's that. The girlfriends have all been lovely. They took me out for movies, hair-cuts, massages, sessions of foot reflexology, drinks, coffee, sushi, everything. They gave me bears to chase the tears away. Phonecalls, texts, emails, skype chats, everything. They've been more attentive than all those times I broke up with boyfriends! They know what I'm made of and definitely know when I can't deal with things on my own. They don't want me to mope. So thank you ladies. I'm okay. No more angst or whining. Only a huge dollop of wistfulness is left, tinged with a long streak of sadness.

It felt good sitting down to a beer and having a conversation filled with random topics. The conversation's rather enlightening, to say the least. We're both quite done with this chapter of our lives and are more than ready to move on to the next. Some changes are for the better. Some, are not. But in a not-so-strange twist, at this juncture, when we start thinking about ourselves more than other people, we'll realize that these changes we're making, can only mean positive steps for us.

A New Bear Who Likes Wine

See this new bear?! It's a lovely present from Suvarnabhumi Airport from a girlfriend who was definitely tired out by a lengthy work trip, but swore that the bear talked to her and asked to be brought home. I was so thrilled with it that I took it (haven't decided if it's a girl or a boy) out at the hairdresser's and during drinks at Wine Garage. The girlfriend I was out with, rolled her eyes. The guys at the hairdresser's were totally tickled. So were the other patrons at Wine Garage. I didn't care! Tis fun!

It was a really hilarious night out. The girlfriend would swear that I got drunk on 2 glasses of wine. I'm telling, that's impossible. The man texted me to see if I needed a lift home. Merrily I replied, "Don't worry! She's dropping me off at the bar!" Then I gasped and hurriedly texted a another. "I mean bus-stop!" The man was very amused.

The girlfriend who was dropping me home, couldn't stop giggling. She shrieked, "Freudian slip!" Grrrr. But yes, I got out at the bus stop to cross the road home, not at the bar for more alcohol! The wine was quite enough for an evening.