Satisfied A Risotto Craving

I really should have done this eons ago and not when I've only got 3 months left in the job. I've always, at times, lugged the Macbook to the office just so that internet access is easier and quicker. But the Macbook is heavy and discourages frequent lugging around, save for the committed. With the iPad, there is no such issue. The 3G speed to access all sorts of internet websites surpasses the office network's. Yay. I don't feel crippled anymore, I don't have to bother about IT tracking the sites I visit, or get frustrated when the information I want isn't loading fast enough.

Reading blogs near lunch-hour isn't a good idea. It induces all sorts of cravings depending on the content of the blog posts. So when I saw this on a rumbling stomach, I caved. I had to call corsage and ask her if she'd like risotto today. Under stormy grey skies, Oomphatico's was a good choice to get out of the office, out of the rain and have a breather.

The soup tasted rather promising. Good for a cold day. I was pleasantly surprised that the risotto was decent. Not too bad at all. The girlfriend picked a duck risotto and I had the mushroom. The kitchen used arborio and cooked it a tad springy, just the way it should be. The dishes weren't overly salted at all. Tasty and full of flavors, I almost finished the entire portion!

At an average of S$13 per bowl after the credit card discount, I wasn't exactly expecting a good serving of risotto that would be properly done. But ours were. I was quite impressed that the kitchen bothered to use 2 pots to cook our risotto separately, and not just one pot and then stir in the different ingredients after. Can't blame my skepticism- this is a cafe, not a restaurant, and most cafes (some restaurants too) cut corners and use inferior ingredients, get heavy-handed on the salt, and hire chefs who can't cook or understand how the flavors should mesh together.

Service isn't too shabby, for now. I can't speak for the rest of the menu, but I like the risotto at Oomphatico's enough to make a mental note to return for another meal. Lunch definitely hit a sweet spot.

Mark Kozelek At The Arts House

Alot of us grew up with haunting vocals of Mark Kozelek in Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon. Those songs helped me through many dreaded school examinations. I was glad that Mark Kozelek made it to Singapore tonight. It hasn't been the smoothest of trips to the region for him, but he is here in flesh, with a guitar on stage.

Never mind about the terrible sound system and too much reverb going on in that main Chamber of The Arts House. It was a little sobering when I realized that the organizers didn't bother about setting the soundstage because I presume, they figured it was just a guy with an acoustic guitar. SIGH. I don't know anything about lighting, but the lack of lighting control spun the Chamber into darkness with a weird spot on the singer. That certainly induced me to fall into a half-snooze through at least 3 songs.

Mark Kozelek was clearly not in the best of moods tonight. But he played for 2 hours. That was something. He's lost the angst and fire, but he's still got the voice, perhaps better, deeper and richer. When I listen to the old cds and compared it to what I heard, the voice is markedly different. The age has changed something. The gig was, a tad underwhelming. I suppose it's because I was hoping to re-create some of that teenage magic, but it didn't happen.

The fishball kway teow soup and laughs at lunch provided enough horsepower to plough through powerpoint slides and papers till 7.15pm before I had to zoom off for this gig. By the time it ended at 10pm, I was appropriately starving. It's been a while doing the supper circuit. Some friends managed to also have pizza and beer at Timbre before the gig, but we all still went for nasi lemak and teh-o-limau-ais at Spize.

Beer & Mussels

Brussels Sprouts at Robertson Quay must be one of the easiest places for us to hop into any night to chill out. Good location and not-too-bad casual vibes. It's got beer and mussels, what's not to love. We could re-create the same thing at home, especially with the mussels and stock, but I don't want to wash up. The cleaning up for a big group will be horrendously exhausting. So off to a cafe we went.

It was a cool night and all good to sit out in the open. Humans hopped in one by one and made a noisy ruckus of laughter and conversation. These friends are always fun. I was glad that I didn't hide away at home and came out for a breath of fresh air. Strangely, nobody at the table was hungry. We wiped out 5 pots of mussels and clams. There was plenty of fries. Of course everything was washed down with a crateful of beer.

Come midnight, the rest went off to karaoke at some place in Marina Square. KARAOKE. That's a word I run away from nowdays! Eeeeeeps! What kind of mousey Air Supply and Mariah Carey songs were they going to do?! They refused to tell me what went on that night beyond a one-liner of "Embarrassing and really loud." Fine! Hahahaha. Keep your secrets! I've got a wonderful sort of imagination that will conjure up matching images which are fairly close to the events of the night!

Checking In, Catching Up

It was convenient to pop into Jade for dinner. Nice to see that it wasn't crowded. We didn't want too much food. Just something light and something fish would do good. A bowl of hot soup was welcomed too.

I was happy because the red snapper they had was 600 grams. I like a whole fish that is to be steamed to weigh in at precisely that. If it isn't, I'd rather order a fillet. The kitchen steamed it perfectly.

I'm glad to see the girlfriend all chirpy after her vacation. It sounded fab! I want to go on a vacation again too! I'm very free all of December, but I've no energy to even think or plan a destination. We'll see how. I did a little jiggle because the girlfriend got me pencils from Smiggle! I love the label.

Don't Piss Me Off

When people ask what I'm going to do after leaving the job, I usually shrug and tell them I don't know. I really don't. I'm not bothered and I'll decide later. What irks me is the next statement that commonly suggests that I have a baby or start a family. I HATE THAT. My standard answers have been pared down to two that are rotated, depending on context, between "You've gotta be kidding me. No way." or "That's what you would do, but not me. I'd like to do the world a favor and not pro-create."

So you see, if my partner and his mother do not think it's necessary for me to bear children, who are you to even suggest that in a casual conversation. My partner's mother might like a grandchild, but she knows very clearly that when the responsibility of bringing up this kid is left to me, she will not interfere with my decision. I've never indicated any desire to have children right from the start and in fact, stated very firmly and loudly my opinions and my stand on this topic to everyone including the partner and his family. There is no misrepresentation on my part before or after marriage.

Seriously, if you don't know me that well and have nothing to say to me, do not, for a second, assume anything about me. It's not even funny, not even in a random conversation. Make a stupid suggestion and I'll give you a rude answer. Fortunately, my partner's family isn't like some families who insist that the main responsibilities of the daughter-in-law are to bear children and raise them. Mine happens to focus on my OTHER god-given abilities. And thankfully, my friends know me well and will give me all sorts of OTHER suggestions which are rather appealing, to say the least.

I do not ridicule you for seemingly knowing little else beyond raising children. I certainly do not even make a face when you can't seem to do justice to your honor roll by saying, "Oh, Laos! I know! Angkor Wat is there!" At least you know Angkor Wat.

Over Clean Tables

I was just innocently filling up sweets for the jar in the common area of the office when the cleaning auntie came striding by in a huff. She rattled off a long list of perceived grieviances about what happened earlier in the morning. I sighed. I didn't really need this on this particular Monday morning.

She kept saying "new person new person", blah blah blah. Then I listened closely and gathered it wasn't about the new person per se. In fact, it wasn't even about the new person at all. She was actually grumbling about someone else and how she got a scolding because this someone complained to her supervisors that she didn't do a good job of cleaning the dust in the office and on the tables, and that she didn't clean under the laptop.

There were all sorts of misunderstandings in the rant, of her only knowing her list of tasks and not her full scope, and of someone else who clearly has higher hygiene standards and deems it only the cleaner's job to clean, except nobody saw it fit to tell the cleaner earlier that she needed to do extra work this morning.

I listened to her rant. As the picture unfolded of the little drama, I didn't say a word, except to nod my head at intervals in response to her rant. I took her story with a pinch of salt. How true were her points, I wasn't about to verify them. But I could be sure about one thing- that she was reprimanded by her supervisors somehow. I just feel a little sorry because no matter how much of an attitude problem cleaners have, I disagree with how their supervisors scream at them. I've seen and heard that done to 2 different cleaners a number of times.

Look, our office is a dirty place brimming with bacteria and germs. We eat in here with little thought to cleanliness. There're insects and mites and nonsense around. There is only so much the cleaner can do with her stingy office-issued array of gels and liquids. I'm so damn picky that I ban all cleaners from wiping my desk and its surroundings with the same stained cloth. They can wipe other tables and it's none of my concern. I bring my own wipes and disinfectant to clean my table. On weekends when I come back to pick up things or the suitcases for work trips, I vacuum my cubicle area with my powerful Karcher vacuum cleaner.

I don't really care what the big deal is about, but is a battle with the cleaner over such miniscule things worth fighting? Ah well. Anyway, between going to bed last night and stepping into the office today, I realized I've stopped caring about alot of things at work. My mind is focused on completing the tasks at hand and nothing else.

Colors In The Mall

I was very tickled to see the little girl's dress which was a total match to the colors of Barney and friends, and I just had to grab a photo of her sitting in the thingamajig.

It's been too long since I met the girlfriend for a day out. Her little girl was trying so hard to place me because I hadn't seen her for a while too. She sorta remembered, but not exactly. She quietly checked me out all through lunch before deciding that I wasn't going to eat her. Then she grinned and placed her hand in mine.

She stared at the Play-Doh and dolls, exhibiting little interest. Then she picked out a squirt thingy meant to be used by the pool and started playing with it. I like it too, for different reasons! :P She has somehow taken a shine to the color orange too, it seems. Obviously, 2 squirty-things went home with her. The mother clucked at me for spoiling her, but hey, I'm the godma! I'm allowed to do that!

I swear she has more energy than I do. How on earth does she last all afternoon without a nap?! 3-yr olds still need to sleep at some point. I would love a nap, daily. My mind was also mentally drained by the sounds in the mall, the sights and the screaming of other children at the play area. While I trundled very slowly behind, she zipped along the corridors like a little lightning bolt. I felt tired just by looking at her run!

Brunch At Jiang Nan Chun

I would have picked Taste Paradise ION for its convenient location. I like that restaurant. But I'm not comfortable with its weekend rules of 3 seatings at lunch. 3! What does that leave me with? They said that if I arrived at 12.30pm, I'd have to return the table by 1.45pm. What crap. The one time I tried that, our table of 5 put in the order at 12.35pm and the first dishes on the table arrived only came 20 minutes later. I commented that it wouldn't be acceptable to chase us off at in 45 minutes when their kitchen was slow. We stayed till 2.15pm and swore never to come back for lunches on the weekends.

Traffic was madness in getting to town. All the tiny roads were chockful of cars. Where were all these people going?! Thankfully, Orchard Boulevard wasn't too bad and we made it time from ION to Jiang Nan Chun for lunch.

The well-spaced out restaurant never fails to smooth frazzled nerves. I was running about all morning and could really do with a drink. Champagne is really too easy to down. I would know- I polished off a bottle all by myself. Ha. But that was not the point. I had to have lunch and get some food into the stomach.

There was the usual weekend brunch a la carte buffet menu. We ordered plenty of things, so I wasn't too perturbed when the kitchen forgot my side order of century eggs with ginger. We skipped that soup too. Plenty of shark's fin choices and very little of anything else. The daily soup of some luohan thingy didn't sound tempting. I had a nice piping hot bowl of fish porridge and shared a second with a hungry little tot who already had a bowl of scallop porridge. It was very yummmmy.

I was quite amused that beyond prawns, tons of vegetables, mushrooms and scallops, the girlfriend didn't order much meat beyond the basket of char siew baos. She said she doesn't fancy too much meat or cook a lot of meat at home either. Except for this sweet char siew, her little girl prefers fish and other seafood. All very nice somewhat!

Hot Food Light Food

I was really quite tired. It's been a long long long day. But somehow, I was quite hungry. Everyone had appetite for dinner after the procedure. (Don't ask what this is about coz I'm not tellin'. And I've got very funny friends- I already told some why and how, but they're still suspicious! Hehehehe. No, it's not an abortion. If it is, I'll tell you. In the first place, I won't be dumb enough to have to resort to abortion, isn't it? I'm thoroughly tickled.) But I am well. :)

We wanted something light at somewhere quiet. It was decided that we should have steamboat at Wah Lok at Carlton Hotel smack in the middle of F1 traffic madness no thanks to the road closures. And what did we know- the roads were empty and the restaurant had only 5 other filled tables.

We couldn't get lazier than this. At Wah Lok's fancy atas steamboat, they literally cooked the food for us at the table. We didn't even have to lift a finger to boil anything in the stock. We only need to pick up the chopsticks to shovel food into the mouths. They assigned a server to us and she sorted out everything. She kept piling food on my plate and nearly tsk-ed me at the tiny amount put into the stomach.

I wasn't sure if prawns were the best idea, but I'm in the mode of avoiding them for now. Hopefully I don't react to them. It'll be fairly dumb to have to confess to the office that I can't turn up at work tomorrow because I knowingly sipped soup and food items cooked in prawns. I have to go into the office because I kinda owe the big boss an overdue proposal. :p Anyway, the prawns jumped and were clearly in the throes of death. ARRRRRGGGHHH. I literally shrieked and would have jumped away if I could. Naturally, I avoided the prawns like plague.

Though hungry, it wasn't extreme hunger. A little plate of food was sufficient. I stuck to scallops, fish, blanched cabbage and spinach. Very fresh, very yummy and of course, very light.

Clifford

I haven't been to The Fullerton Bay Hotel's Clifford. My friends are evenly split between liking it and being ambivalent about it. Most like it for its ambience and posh-nosh factor. But they're not too fond of the selection of wines nor its food.

There is ONE thing that everyone's telling me about- that's the the butter served at Clifford- Beurre D'ISigny. They know that this nugget of information will move me to go try it. At home, we stock Beurre D'ISigny semi-salted, but it's not often that restaurants would invest some costs to serve that too.

So at the last minute when I realized I had time and the appetite to do dinner, I decided to make a trip to Clifford. It wasn't too difficult to pull friends to make up a dinner table, not when everyone is heading home this way and none has an excuse not to come by at 9pm.

We had all the soups on the menu. The fish soup was a little unexpected though. I was thinking of something clear, but it came looking and tasting like lobster bisque. The special for the evening was a whole grilled red snapper, bones and all. That was really good. Someone had the roasted cod with saffron-chorizo risotto and another had the roasted monkfish and paella in lobster sauce. They were out of mussels. Hahaha. Just as well! We had too many mussels last night already! The meats appeared- there was a baby chicken variation, the rack of lamb Provencal, duck confit with truffle mash. No, we didn't have any sort of space for dessert. Only to nibbles of petit fours which included kueh lapis and chocolate-coated almonds.

Yes, I like the piping hot breads slathered with the lovely butter. There was a tiny dish of duck rillette along with it too. Those sides of truffle fries and mashed potatoes with truffles were AWESOME. Okay, in my books, anything with truffles is generally fabulous. I came away liking the architecture, interiors and decor of the place. I like the tiny stools provided for the bags. The food at Clifford, though pleasant and decent, is underwhelming.

Pulling It Off Nicely

I had forgotten about a work event held at the office in the late afternoon. I had promised to go, so I stayed on to say hi to some familiar faces and check out the happenings.

There was alcohol. There was this blue-ish cocktail going around. I eyed it rather suspiciously. There was NO WAY that it could be Blue Lagoon. There would not be vodka in this one. I wasn't quite willing to try it. It could only be Blue Curacao and & 7-Up or Sprite.

There was wine, red and white flitting about. I took one teeeeeeny sip and left it aside. Tart, young and only good as a sangria base, it wouldn't even make it to my kitchen as cooking wine. UGH. Sorry for the bluntness, whoever chose the wine, the S$19.90 per bottle budget isn't going to get an average bottle in the little red dot! All the better. I drank water instead. Since I've been accused of being 'high maintenance', I'd go further to add that this water had no lemon slices in it; pity it wasn't sparkling. :p

I enjoyed the sounds of the harp. Quite melodious and non-grating. It sang fine. The harpist took ALOT of musical liberties with the sentimental ballads though, stopping some of the songs halfway to lead into another totally different. Hehehehe. Whatever. It added a classy touch to the evening.

The team who organized the event worked really hard that day. As far as I knew, they had 3 major things happening on this same day, starting with a 7am run-around-the-hawker-centres to buy breakfast for the entire organization and ending only at 7.30pm after this event. I've no idea how they pulled it off. I wouldn't have cared so much about the organization. It's a thankless job, really. So, nicely done, people, I appreciated it.

Farewell, Boss

We had our 'Moving Out Party' for the boss outside of the office premises. He kinda didn't know it and was properly surprised because we conspired with his wife to organize the details, right down to scheming to occupy his calendar and making sure he turned up right where and when he was supposed to.

The catered food items were all his usual loves of chicken wings, siew mai, har kow, ngoh hiang and the assorted favorites. There was also a chocolate-banana cake from his favorite pastry shop, because it would be the last birthday we would celebrate together as a team. There were presents, hand-written notes and plenty of photos. There was some video thingy- but because it was made by boys, it wasn't that touching. :p It was very meet-KPI-sort-of-factual. Hahah.

A colleague commented that he thought some of us (me included) would cry at this farewell party. EH? Why would we do that? Crazy ah?! The crying's already been done. The shock and dust have settled. Que sera sera. We've all moved on! Duhhh.

For me, it's a farewell to everyone as well. Personally, I don't like this sort of parties and I deathly hope that my team won't do this for me. If they want to buy me something, a card will suffice. I'd rather they donate the budget to a charitable organization or a cause of their choice- that will be my best gift. My leaving isn't a big deal. I just want to quietly slip away into the night.

Like I've been saying, it has been a good run. I'll leave with fond memories, gratitude and happiness. What's not to like about it? I guess this is it. As I move into a very busy October, my countdown has officially begun.

Dave Turncrantz Of Russian Circles, In Singapore

(Awesome composition framed by Aloysius Lim of Photo Pit Access.)

A Heavy Lunch

Saturday was too eventful for me. ARRRRGH. I'm too old for all this nonsense. See why I generally dislike humans and am not very sociable. Since I was somewhat peeved at bedtime last night, I didn't get up till noon.

The general peevishness was fortunately mollified by a very good lunch at Tatsuya. Japanese food is easily my favorite cuisine. I never tire of having it even if it's a daily affair. Sashimi and sushi are almost staple in my weekly diet.

Of course the sashimi was awesome. The chefs gave me extra slices today. There were plenty of food in between and I had no more stomach for sushi. I only asked for a salmon skin handroll to end off. After the pieces of sweet melon and peach, I was ready to roll into bed and nap. Heeee.

Swimming didn't help that much with the digestion. ARRRRRRGGGH. My metabolic rate is slow! Instead, I decided to take out the vacuum cleaner to do the carpets. Not too difficult. I had to move the limbs anyway. It's nearing dinner and the stomach has no sign of indicating any sort of hunger. I'm heading out for a movie in a while and it looks like supper later will be blanched broccoli and fruits.

Russian Circles

Like I said earlier, 2010 is a great year for the indie gig scene. So many bands are coming through and I'm thrilled to be able to catch so many bands. Nursing a single malt and bobbing to The Album Leaf at TAB 2 weeks ago brought a really chill note to the weekend.

Last night, after a good lead-up by In Each Hand A Cutlass, Russian Circles blew my ears out with the sheer volume and intensity of their soundscapes. Their soundscapes were grand, earth-shattering and delicate all at the same time. It was awesome to stand and feel the music wash over my whole being like a giant tidal wave. The layers and layers of sounds incited this high that no alcohol could. There was a certain sort of violence in there that made me think of striding through an epic battlefield with a battle-axe and a black war stallion. I felt ALIVE.

What a fabulous gig. We adjourned for a quiet chat and some chow, and somehow, stupidly allowed ourselves to be dragged back to Zouk. That was the downer from the high. Since my Saturday already started on the wrong footing, I should have gone home chirpy, happy and thrilled from the early evening whisky and champagne. Instead the night ended with me chugging bottled water for the next 4 hours, stifling an urge to punch humans in the face, annoyed and sianzzz. Remind me never to go to Zouk again for any sort of outing beyond catching a gig. WTF. I'm 32, not 23. I don't fucking need to prove anything by staying on for after-parties which don't exactly require my presence. Too old for all the drama and shite.

So besides the man, who else is having a hangover? I'm perfectly fine, except for the some parts where I'm still feeling pissed off.

Colors In The Fridge

The maid won't be back for another 2 weeks. WAIL. I'm starting to miss her a fair bit. It's like, I really can't make my bed the way she pulls it straight and neat. :( I very much prefer dealing with tenants and their list of demands than say planning meals or doing laundry, moping or vacuuming. Keeping house is not my forte nor part of my built-up competencies. These things are best left to the cleaning agencies or the maids.

The fridge is finally more or less emptied out of meats, fish and all foods for cooking. We don't bother stocking those since no one eats at home much. When the maid is away, there is to be no cooking at home. We have our meals out since that's a more convenient option. Otherwise, there's truckload of cleaning to do each time we cook. It's too tiring to have to deal with that.

The one thing we stock on, is fruit and raw vegetables. Tiny little apples, seedless grapes green and red, tomatoes big and small, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, oranges, pears et cetera. Plenty of options available in the fridge waiting to be consumed. Fruit is very refreshing in the nights or as a meal if I'm not inclined to have a heavy dinner. The only hassle- I've to pick up a knife to cut those fruits, and I'm not very good with knives this way. Sigh.

Feeling At Home

For once, I didn't pack in too many things to do or events to attend this weekend. I skipped taichi and slept in before being woken up by some senseless neighbor. After rushing about, I barely made it in time for lunch with the girlfriend.

I ate nothing but fish congee and Vietnamese fresh spring rolls in Hanoi. I really like those stuff. I had no time to sneak out for any sort of decent cappuccino or flat white. I'm not big on Vietnamese coffee. Back home, I want a change to the palate. I wanted hearty Japanese food that wasn't grilled or fried. Chiraishi-zushi at Tatsuya totally hit the spot.

The girlfriend had a couple of errands to run and we sorted that out. Then we simply strolled through the malls and stopped by a cafe for a bit. That was a really good cappuccino double shot I had! I was feeling a little disconnected. Work trips do that to me sometimes, and what's more, the humans on the recent trip had boggled my mind a little. It was kinda calming to just aimlessly stroll through the streets and the shops, looking at a couple of things, but not thinking about anything in particular.

Easy Dining At Le Bistrot du Sommelier

Straight after I stepped off the plane, I rushed out to dinner with the friends at Le Bistrot du Sommelier. After the grime of a day's travelling even though I didn't perspire much, it was nice to have made it with a hot shower and a change of clothes thrown in.

Totally glad for this laidback and unpretentious restaurant where I could turn up anything I want and no one will raise an eyebrow. It can sometimes be a little warm too since the air-conditioning doesn't quite seem to work very well. The vibe is quite fun.

It's such a tiny place that the tables are placed so close to each other that there is no way I could avoid eavesdropping, and often, most human voices are terribly grating. The next table is less than 30cm away. I hate that. The cosiness of this restaurant will not work for people like me who don't want to smell the other's sourish body odour. The friends and I have learnt to dine at this place at 9pm and no earlier. Before that, it's ridiculously crowded.

By now, we've tried so many dishes on the menu. The portions are generous and we like to dine in a group so that the food could be shared. Beef, fish, lamb, pate, soups, bring 'em on! We always appreciate a good bottle of wine to go with the meal. But as a group, we've failed to 'complete' each dining experience because we've not been able to stomach dessert. So yes, we haven't gotten there yet. One day, perhaps.

The food is excellent.

Le Bistrot du Sommelier

46 Prinsep Street

#01-01, Prinsep Place Singapore 188675

T: +65 6333 1982

Riding The Wave

The work trip has been filled with an interesting schedule, but not overly intensive. I could have been more on and drafted the notes of meetings in the nights, but I was too lazy to do so. It could wait till I got home. That wouldn't be the difficult part. I dreaded ploughing through the unread emails. I resolutely avoided checking the inbox these couple of days. It would be positively horrifying to comb through the sea of red.

When the big boss arrived safely in Singapore, he sent a texted that ended with "Sure you won't miss [insert firm's name]? ;-)" The heart twitched a little. Of course I will. This trip has been pivotal in illustrating what exactly I will be missing out, and also, in a strange sort of way, affirmed that my decision is correct, for me.

With the end of this trip, a full cycle with the department has been completed. I must move on. As I bid goodbye to Hanoi, many of the responsibilities in my work scope are also quietly shed.

The Cute Children

We hopped into an elementary school in Hanoi. Lacking in facilities and IT equipment, there was a certain simplicity and about it. In stark contrast, the infrastructure of primary schools in Singapore are so so developed compared to what I saw. The children seemed, earnest, in comparison to ours who could seem a little older and snootier than their years. In many ways, our students are so much luckier and therein, lies a different set of challenges and issues to overcome.

We were clearly a distraction for these children who were in the middle of their classes, even though they had been primed about our visit. The school children attended classes from 8.30am - 10.30am, then 2.30pm - 4.30pm. Quite a long day actually, to have to sit in classes all day. SO CUTE the little children were! They read in a cheerful chorus from their books and the English classes said hello. All of them waved and grinned.

I was really taken by this very pretty little girl of 10 years old. Her eyes were sparkling; she was solving VERY DIFFICULT Math questions which involved fractions. I really hope her education is her passport to a brighter future. No one should tell children that they should grow up to be this or that. Beyond elementary school, the children should be able to be anything they would like and work towards that. I hope these children can rise above their economic situations somehow and triumph.

On The Streets

The city of Hanoi is progressing at a really slow pace, in stark contrast with the seemingly increasing wealth of a percentage of the citizens. I haven't spent enough time here to make a concrete assessment, but I'm not sure I care to. I'm not charmed by the city.

Driving across the cities for our meetings, invariably, we're always tangled up in not just the morning and evening traffic jams, but also the lunchtime jams. ARRRGH. I'm a little boggled at the cars on the roads. I can't wrap my head around what I'm seeing versus the facts on paper. There's the one distinctive red Merc SLK which zips around town quite a bit. There're plenty of Porsche Cayennes, BMW X5s and Lexus-es. They can't all be the same few, and mind you, not driven by expats, but owned by locals.

Still, the number of motorcycles is a menace on the narrow streets and roads which haven't kept up with the rising social developments and consumer demands. I can't even imagine how there is any semblance of urban management in the city centre, which houses the most chaotic roads frequently accessed by travellers and business people.

The city is celebrating its 1000th year on 10 October 2010. It seems content to keep its way of life. Its dated infrastructure seems to be almost bursting at its seams. The clearest indication of urban development is found in its 8 industrial parks and a good 5 more that will complete construction soon, and many more smaller scale versions mushrooming.

It's not all bad. Sometimes, another city of skyscrapers is what we don't need more of. If Hanoi is happy to keep its charms, that perhaps it will be its strong point yet. Then, certain aspects and challenges of urban management must be dealt with rather than have the city dwellers resign to an inconvenient way of life.

Lunch In The Courtyard

I'm a total wimp when it comes to al fresco dining in the region. The humidity makes it unbearable to sit down anywhere in clothes that are not skimpy or made of dri-fit material. Hanoi this month is the same. Even evenings are not conducive for al fresco dining unless one really relishes the heat. At the prettier restaurants, there is no breeze coming through because of the design of the buildings. Sitting outside only invites mozzies to come kiss my flesh. Eeeeps.

At some point, we needed to feed the colleagues. So the group trooped to the super touristy Khai Brother's Cafe for lunch. Needless to say, I melted. 2 cold bottles of water couldn't cool the merciless heat from the noon sun that was beating down from overhead. There was a wave of heat from the grill in the corner that layered the entire courtyard. Not a breeze stirred. I didn't notice if there were fans, because obviously, they didn't work very well. I was perspiring like crazy. There was nothing to do but TAHAN because the big boss seemed perfectly fine with his shirt buttoned up and tie still intact.

It was an interesting spread and in the manner of all food, most of it were filled with steamed chicken, fried chicken, minced chicken, sliced chicken, and pork, pork, pork, pork and more pork. Got beef. Some. So I stuck to the raw vegetables, corn and vegetarian Vietnamese fresh spring rolls. The dipping sauces were quite awesome, probably because of the fish sauce and lime juice base in many of them. Khai Brother's Cafe serves very sanitized portions of street food. But I was all hot and bothered and not inclined to take much food or any boiling soupy thingies.

I think the stomach has really learnt to cut down on unnecessary food. My portions were quite tiny, but hey, they were enough to sustain me through the day since there was not going to be much muscle work involved in anything. As I watched a colleague pile her plate high with food, making trip after trip to the buffet spread and ingesting 3 bowls of pho, the stomach lurched and felt full already.

Green Tangerine Hanoi

The schedule is packed out, but there are pockets of time which I can capitalize on, especially if I choose to sleep less. Heh. I managed to steal some time away to have dinner with the friends. We went out to Green Tangerine.

The restaurant doesn't exactly serve delicate, dainty sort of food. It dishes out hearty fare with its Asian flavors coming through much stronger over its western basics. The menu makes for a very interesting presentation and interpretation of French-Vietnamese cuisine.

There were 8 of us and we ordered everything on the menu. The mains didn't blow my mind although this concoction of grapefruit and Cointreau-baked Alaska cake that accompanied a Provencal candied quail was tartly delightful. I didn't bother with the quail, but stole the concoction to try it out with my fish. It was very decent food.

The best food in Hanoi, honestly, is found in the kitchens and homes of the people and expatriates. The food at the restaurants, is always a little lacking in that oomph to make me declare it "wonderful". The dining scene in Ho Chi Minh City is much more exciting. I'm not too hot about Vietnamese food or intrigued enough to squat by the roadside on one of those tiny stools which are smaller than my butt to slurp pho. I like pho, but not that much because the taste of chicken, pork and beef are dominant ingredients. EEEEPS. The seafood pho isn't too bad, but it depends on the mixture of ingredients and of course, the freshness isn't guaranteed.

The friends are whisky lovers too, and brought along a bottle of lovely Laphroaig quarter-cask. It was with much merriment that we sipped from the tiny glasses. We didn't finish it of course! The quarter-cask is meant to be savored just that little bit after a satisfying dinner. Conversation was fabulous. I love these friends and how we've managed to keep in touch all these years. I'm in admiration of how they've left a familiar life dictated by social norms in pursuit of another calling elsewhere.

The Official Dinner

So there was a work dinner to be done at one of the hotels in Hanoi. A full buffet spread a la Singapore style contained a good mix of Vietnamese and Singapore food. Chicken rice, laksa and rojak were on the menu. However, the laksa was watered down to suit the palate of our Vietnamese guests. They usually eat really light dinners and given their rather healthy soupy preferences, the laksa gravy contained very little coconut milk.

Naturally, I didn't bothered about eating. The food didn't interest me at all. It was much better that the other guests were rather taken by the food. This was work and I preferred to keep it that way, to make conversation and lurk around to make sure everything was going on fine- i.e. everyone who wanted a beer, had a beer.

I was very mindful not to bother too much with the networking; but to check out possible contacts and built on the relationships that stemmed from the meetings in the day before passing all the information to the others. This was a job best left to be done by other more appropriate colleagues since I wouldn't be around to continue these vital links.

There was no wild drinking to be done. Only beers were going around. No wine or any sort of hard liquor. Whew. While the colleagues shared a can of between between 3 glasses, they still left half of that can of beer for me! Tsk. So cannot drink one meh? But all good. Some of the colleagues went out for a massage and the rest simply stayed in, exhausted from the day's activities. Of course, as usual, I snucked off elsewhere with the friends for a good spot of music and single malts at Minh's Jazz Club (moving to a whole new location now!). The night out felt really good, although the tumbling into bed after at 1am wasn't too kind to the 7am roll call.

Playing Tourist

Obviously I schemed to make arrangements to run away to explore the city on my own. The friends sent a car for my use. After I strolled through the nostalgic and almost traditional prints of Nguyen Duc Loi's photographs and lingered at a gallery, I had time for a coffee and a 30-minute spot of shopping. It was very festive in the city, with the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and the city's celebration of 1000 years on 10 October 2010. All very auspicious.

The bamboo dragonfly which is perfectly balanced, is the ubiquitous souvenir from Vietnam. My office buys them in the dozens for our guests and clients. It's fun and colorful. There're plenty of those hanging precariously along the ledges of the cubicle walls, but never falling off. We've had enough I think. There's even a stash somewhere in the cabinets.

I've little interest in the lacquerware, ceramic, paintings and sorts. The silk and cotton stuff attract me. But I'm very particular about the shops I buy from. There is a huge difference in the handiwork and how delicate a embroidery pattern is. Not all products are hand-sewn. Strangely, alot of the cheaper ones are machine-made and roughly hewn. I'm not interested in browsing for cheap buys at the markets. There're table-cloths and table-runners, the sorts that I regularly stock up on.

For clothes, design is also imporant. I prefer a mix of traditionalist and modern. That's where the designers come in. I like Tan My and Khai Silk. I had earlier ordered jackets and dresses, so it's a breeze to come in for a final fitting before the shops send the final versions to the hotel. Quite painless.

I've forgotten about the silk sleeping bags that are so popular. I bought a number. I can think of so many friends who generally dislike hotel beds and always bring a sleeping bag wherever they go. This silk version is light and can add a tad of luxury anywhere. :D

Heels In Hanoi

I grinned at this particular headline about drainage on Viet Nam News this morning. It's been alternating between blazing sunshine and dreary heavy rain. Of course the streets puddled up and in many places, flooded ever so gently. :p Not too bad. Top that with the humidity and it feels almost like home.

When the friends in Hanoi heard that I'll be in town this week, and knowing my penchant for flip flops or birkies, they advised me against it because it's been raining every day. They told me to wear covered shoes. "Covered Crocs would be the best." But I don't exactly want to wear open-toe shoes here or in most ASEAN cities for that matter. I'm not keen on getting the feet grimy after a day of trooping around the little streets.

I brought a pair of grungy comfy El Naturalista heels. To my surprise, they haven't killed my feet. The rubber heels and sole absorb alot of ground impact. Considering how uneven the streets are in Hanoi, the shoes have held up really well. I can walk fast in them too. I love travelling with shoes from this label.

On the streets, I was quite horrified when shoe-shiners kept offering to polish my shoes. After being annoyed by the nth offer, I told off this one persistent guy. He trailed me for a good way and kept insisting that my shoes would look good shiny. My leather shoes look best distressed and dirty, and I fully intend to keep it that way. I don't even bat an eyelid if for some reason, I step into an eeky brown puddle. The rubber heels are doing a great job in keeping my feet dry.

Xin Chào, Ha Noi

Internet access via lan cable works quite steadily. I'm pleased. That's all I need. The work schedule is so packed that I doubt I can get much done online beyond checking emails. My energy has to be prioritized to that task, unfortunately. A couple of tweets could be squeezed in quite easily still!

It's quite a nice room with a bathtub and NO SEPARATE SHOWER CUBICLE. I looked at it and sighed. That will add an extra 8 minutes each to my morning and evening routine since I've to now climb in and out of a tub rather slowly, not to mention the potential embarrassment of falling out of the bathtub at some point this week.

I've been out all day without spending much time in the room. Now done with the emails, I'm twiddling thumbs as the 2 worried-looking technicians try to repair my wonky air-conditioning which refuses to go lower than 30°C. YAWN. Faster leh. I really need some sleep in order to be awake at 7am tomorrow. This isn't a work trip where I can just 'wing it'. I will look really really stupid if I even think I can pull that off.

What Next?

Stepping off the plane, I saw the sign that lead to customs and arrival. It read "Loi Ra" (Exit). It was a sad little private smile. This isn't the easiest of work trips. Yes, it requires a little more attention than the usual, but it's somewhat tough for me to rein in my emotions. I didn't think I'd feel emotional, but I do. Not the hysterics, but rather the sort where it tugs heavily at the heartstrings.

This work trip is particularly poignant. My first trip with the department was to Hanoi, and with the then-big boss, and to attend a dinner. It is fitting that one of my last trips with the department also includes the now-big boss, and to a continuation of the theme of this dinner in the city where it all began.

One thing has remained constant- My command of Vietnamese is still crap. I knew 5 sentences then and about 10 sentences now. Not much of an improvement, one would say. I was so green then, with long flouncy hair that didn't quite fit. A little wiser now and almost ready to take on the world, I sport a short bob which conveys confidence. All that I've experienced through the years have shaped me in so many positive ways and kept me grounded. It has been a really wonderful period on the job.

Porridge In Cool Weather

After a morning of pilates and going into the office to clear a little bit more paperwork, the brain was still tightly wound up. There's lots to love about the work, and increasingly, plenty to dislike about it. I struggled to shake off that stressful headache as I headed to lunch with the girlfriend at Li Bai before she jets off on a break. She'll have plenty of fab coffee and great weather. I'm envious!!!

It was a grey rainy day and hot soupy dishes appealed. The stomach was extremely satisfied after this lovely delicate bowl of fish porridge. We had a little bit of this and that, and other stuff. The food at this restaurant is still good. The headache that threatened to spill, dissipated within minutes of the first mouthful of food.

My major bugbear with Li Bai is its chopsticks. Never mind that the chopsticks aren't of an even thickness. It's the perceived hygiene that is quite unacceptable. They use the beige sort of chopsticks where the ends looked rather worn (chewed off, maybe) and streaked with strange brown stains. It was a little gross.

The server looked a little worried as she complied to my request of exchanging the chopsticks on the table for cleaner pairs. The new pairs were stained too, though not as badly as the previous ones. Eeeeeks. How can Li Bai let its standards slip? They should really invest in a new set of chopsticks. Black, preferably.

A Ridiculous Amount Of Wine

The evening progressed rather healthily. While I slogged away in the office scrambling to complete last minute stuff before a work trip, the girlfriend/s went for this kickboxing class that was apparently fairly decent. (Obviously I beg to differ. Why do wimpy kickboxing in the air when I can actually kick someone?!) We had a late dinner, and then somehow we ended up in a bar drinking copious amounts of wine, again.

If you think I'm an alcoholic, you should check out my friends. They're way worse. They merrily use ME as an EXCUSE to ingest alcohol. TSK. One said that she would send me home, and on the way, conveniently stop at some bar and get some wine. Win lor. Too bad I don't stock good wine at home. If they want whisky, I'd have plenty for them to choose from. If they're very nice to me, I might even consider handing out a shot each from my precious Bowmore Trilogy.

We were in the mood for cheese. I was very pleased with the selection available. Plenty to choose from. I had a craving especially for the truffle infused pecorino. Pungently nice. Cheese for dinner would have been perfectly okay, except that this wine session was completely impromptu! I was in the mood for a pretty good champagne, but decided not to indulge after the girlfriend gave me this disapproving look. Boo.

As usual, conversation somehow had a way of becoming hilarious. The sort of frank hilarity that could only happen among friends who are familiar with one another's habits. Anyway, 2 bottles of wine split among 3 people over 1.5 hours weren't alot, right?

Shana Tova Umetukah!!

Mussels!

It was a beautifully rainy evening as we strolled to a quick dinner of mussels and fries at Brussels Sprouts. There must be some reason that causes us to ALWAYS end up at 'gastropubs'. The girlfriend ALWAYS uses me as an excuse to get her mug of beer. In this case, it was a glass of wine.

Of course at any public place, there's bound to be this one annoying person somehow- the night's honor belonged to this guy who walked by to call for the bill, and wonderfully coughed without covering his mouth 50cm from our table in the direction of our food. I HATED that. If I weren't with this girlfriend who usually exerts a calming influence on my moods, I'd have literally exploded. He did it a SECOND time when he went to the toilet! She saw the look on my face, did a facepalm and muttered something about disowning me if I turned violent. Ah well. I'd tell him off if he did it a third time. I had to promise her not to throttle him.

The irritating guy left and it was all cheery again. The meal continued happily in peace. It was late and this light dinner was perfect. Mussels, beer and fries did the trick to keep the stomach quiet.

As the girlfriend sheepishly recounted how her arms ached for days after a 60-minute session of kickboxing on an evening and another 60 minutes of canoeing on the Wii the next afternoon, I couldn't stop chuckling. It was rather hilarious when I tried to imagine her wincing in pain each time she wears a t-shirt. WAHAHAHAHAHAH. How can kickboxing and wii, separately, over 2 days make arms ache?!! Girl, cannot just be an office drone and drink beer. Time to move those arms more!

The Darkness Returns

The familiar darkness visits with an intensity I have not felt in years.

A streak of anger has somehow ignited and I let it roam freely. It is not discontentment, disillusionment, dissatisfaction, disgruntledness or disappointment. It is unadulterated anger at everything and anything. I'm barely keeping it contained. It is not about screaming at humans, complaining, whining sulking or being sullen. Neither is it about throw tantrums or fling vases and glasses around. I don't want to do those because they hold no satisfaction.

I laugh and smile. But there is greater awareness somehow, and a disquiet lies within. That anger has wilfully built up into an insane rage, spiralling into life itself, fuelling a depth of forgotten emotions that have kept sleep short. For weeks now, my nightly sleeps are dreamless and deep, but each lasting no more than 4 hours. Instead of killing me, the restlessness is pushing me to fill my waking hours with a variety of activities to exhaust the brain.

I've blasted thousands of zombies into smithereens on the Wii, shot clay pigeons, hit tiny white balls at the range, gone jumping, hit the sandbag with merciless cruelty, swam laps, twisted the body into extreme stretches, and the fury is still not satisfied. It has joyfully met every brick thrown at it. The scary part- physical pain soothes the ferocious anger and keeps it from rearing its head for a bit. That brings back memories of a bleak period in an early part of my life that I'm not in a hurry to re-visit in details.

The beast refuses to be quelled. I'm not sure I want to appease it. It isn't exactly changing me. It's reminding me who and how I've always been and that this streak will never be subsumed under another layer of control tagged over it. I've never felt more alive than now. What have I been missing out? What is it asking of me? What have I been suppressing that is now rekindled?

The rage burns.

Mooncakes Again

The whole practice of giving away mooncakes is just a tad annoying like the business of angpows. Each year, we still receive a ton of mooncakes which we merrily pass on to people who enjoy it. This year, many boxes arrived in time to be recycled and given away the next day to a Mid-Autumn Festival community dinner as door gifts. The guests definitely appreciated those assorted boxes from the various hotel restaurants.

In the usual fashion, we put in our orders with a hotel to deliver the mooncakes and tins of a decent grade of bi luo chun or oolong to the family and friends. At least they like mooncakes and will actually eat a couple of pieces for the month, or make an effort to mark the festival.

I've decided to stop getting mooncakes in a box of 4 simply because people don't eat copious amounts anymore. Many confess that they buy their own or get plenty of boxes as gifts as well. Nowadays, a box of 2 mooncakes works better in our circle. While the hotel would sort out delivery for most of the addresses, I still lugged home a couple of boxes to pack and give away to others. What I really like, are those rather pretty 'recyclable' bags that accompany the boxes. Some have told me that they like the bags better than the mooncakes. DOH.

Stories On A Sunday

Since I had caught up on all the latest episodes of the favorite tv series, I didn't want to stay at home to watch some more movies on dvds. So I went to watch Poop. It was a fairly heavy play for a light-hearted Sunday. But it was food for thought with strong emotions wrought from the good acting.

A very Singaporean play. Most of the terms used are local slang, but they weren't over-used, so it was quite alright. The play should have brought a tear to my eye, but it didn't. The ideas of religion, death and reincarnation (the humans in the play are supposed to be Buddhists), illness and how a family deals with it, take a backseat for me. One could interpret it different ways, but I thought it celebrated the quiet strength of women and portrayed the extremes of the human mind and spirit, and reminded us how some families suffer because of the unfavorable cards destiny has dealt them with.

Then I went off to Trove to play with little crochet animals that the girls brought in from Hanoi. There were different-colored dinosaurs, octopus, snails, turtles and horses. I put together to tell a corny little story of which my friends rolled eyes at. It was time for light drinks before dinner. So I brought some out for a beer (half pint) downstairs. As always, it was good to share a laugh and conversation with the friends.

Prints

I'm not hot about heading to dinners straight from the office without shedding the rigors of the work day. My brain can't seem to shrug off the work mode and it's annoying not to be able to relax properly. Whenever I can, a hot shower and a fresh change of clothes are very welcome luxuries before an evening social event.

So one evening, I was in the mood for a bit of prints instead of the usual monochrome solid colors. Between running out of the office, stepping into the flat and tottering out to meet the friends, I had exactly one hour for a shower, to dry the hair and slip into a dress that was suitable for dinner.

Late dinners are good, like this one which required a little bit of dressing up. It meant that more of us would take the effort to wear a proper dress and perhaps veer away from conversations relating to work or any sort of stress in that direction. I dug up an almost forgotten dress at the back of the wardrobe and found a matte gold minaudiere to match. The dress wasn't particularly exciting. But it satisfied the girlfriends who were super relieved not to see me in a black work dress or a big tote. I was kinda happy too. I felt a little more alive.

Tai-Chi & Tea

I've made it to a number of tai-chi sessions so far, which involves waking up at 6am on a Saturday morning. Don't ask me why I do it since I keep falling asleep halfway. Whatever that makes my old folks happy. The last time when I sat through a theory class on the concepts behind the Yang and Chen styles of tai-chi and their differences, I was knocked on the head with a ruler because I dozed off. :p

During the last 2 sessions of tai-chi, I finally begin to understand a little bit of the whole point to the movements. It has taken a while for me to translate the softness into something harder. Once I got that into my thick skull, I could see how a faster interpretation could aid me in knocking an opponent off his feet. Importantly, I'm reminded about balance and gravity, something I depend on a lot when I'm trying to do a round of parkour. Also, doing a pilates session on the machines or hitting the pool for laps after tai-chi is totally ace. The workouts make heavy lunches and dinners on the weekends guilt-less affairs.

I almost couldn't make the date with the girlfriend today. She would have seriously strangled me if I bailed out because we made this date like 2 months ago. Heeeee. So luckily, nobody died and I made it in time. WHEW. Since I had a chockful of adrenalin and taut muscles after the morning, I was quite happy to slip into a short and sorta tight dress for the afternoon. After picking up some stuff at the mall, the girlfriend and I retreated to somewhere quieter for a quick cup of tea. It was good to sit down and catch up for a bit. I love to hear her quirky views, frank opinions and discourse on various matters big and small. She is one of those unflappable humans with a ton of common sense whom I'm privileged to term 'friend'.

Casa Latina, We're Coming Back For Sure

Sick of the usual eateries, the friends insisted on Mexican for dinner. We usually end up at Cafe Iguana for its fabulous margaritas made with Patron tequila. But tonight, we wanted somewhere else not as crowded. It wasn't easy to be brave to try Casa Latina. We've all heard about it, but none of us have actually popped down to try it proper.

So when the clock struck nine, we were all seated to dinner at Casa Latina. Dress down or wear flats and hop by. Parking is a little bit of an exercise in frustration. One would need to either take a 10-minute stroll from the nearby HDB carpark or from the basement carparks of the hotels on next street.

Tortillas, enchiladas, fajitas and quesadillas galore. It was a homey, cheerful laidback restaurant. I think this might just the closest to an authentic Mexican joint in town. Most of us are acquainted with Tex-Mex rather than Mex per se. Whatever. As long the cafes do good margaritas. Although we requested for Casa Latina to replace the not-great housepour tequila in our margaritas with another of our choice.

One bite into the mushrooms and we were certain that it wasn't the usual browns or whites found at the supermarkets. The consistency and flavor indicated that it had to be imported; a quick answer from the kitchen confirmed that. The tortillas were fabulous. Fluffy and almost light. It's like how another girlfriend hates beansprouts in all forms. I absolutely can't bear legumes in general. Many items on the menu contain beans, so I gingerly avoided those and still had plenty to choose from.

Casa Latina is definitely another venue where the friends and I could merrily gather and eat because its menu caters to carnivores and herbivores. The vegetarians among us take cheese and eggs, onions and garlic, which gives them quite a fair bit of selections on the menu. For the pescestarians, grilled fish features in a number of dishes too.

For once, there was no Scotch ingested at dinner or drinks after. The night was concluded with music, naturally. Between suffering under cheesy Top 40s music at Pump Room and the unbelievably bad singing (but quite a tight band) of Carnation at Home Club, of course I picked the latter.

Went Drinking

We don't see the boys and girls often. But when we do, we get hours of fabulous quality time. I'm so relieved that this group will not talk about auntie-topics and HDB flats, or which car to buy next. You cannot imagine how I rolled my eyes the last time at a gathering when mere acquaintances started discussing about which area would fetch higher property prices. Sorry guys, these sort of topics are too adult for me. Neither do I want to talk about IWC or Hublot, Hermes or Chanel. Want to buy, buy, don't want to buy, done. I'm not interested in an in-depth discussion about their virtues. I really rather hear about Thunderbird (nothing to do with Angry Birds).

There were many bottles of Bowmore on the table. Many friends have been quite sold on the distillery now. Heheehehhe. Then the friends decided that they wanted to get the Dalmore 15 y.o to plonk on the table as well. AIYOH. There're more bottles than humans at any gathering! We're quite fond of the Dalmore from the time we received a gift of a good bottling. So we were quite intrigued by the rather sweet notes of 15 y.o.

I'm very proud of you, boys and girls. All in all, 2010 is a good year. You're the 30-somethings who never gave up your dreams and passions. Each time we drink, it's a hoot. Like what the girl predicted, we got home at 2am.