That Whole Lifestyle and Social Set

Picked up 'When Life Gives You Lululemons' (2018) by Lauren Weisburger. This is the author of 'The Devil Wears Prada' (2003), so I'm not expecting anything much from a book that sits in a genre I'm not fond of. I don't know why they term it 'chick lit'. I don't even know why I bother. I finished this book in 40 minutes, and that's already 10 minutes too slow. 

Three women — Emily Charlton, Karolina Hartwell (it's back to her maiden 'Zuraw' by the end of the story) and Miriam Kagan moved in the wealthy circles of Los Angeles and New York. Living in Greenwich, Connecticut, they all have their stories and pain as adults. So this whole story is about them trying to figure out their lives and help one another while at it. 

So they're pretty much decent women. Emily is a celebrity public relations agent married to Miles, but the relationship is faltering and she didn't know if she wanted children and the full works with Miles. Miriam is a high-powered attorney on a sabbatical looking after her three kids and her husband Paul and is navigating the 'suburb mom-wife; possible cheating husband' crisis. Karolina was a supermodel who is done with her career and is devoted stepmom to Harry, whom she has raised since he was two years old. Karolina has been gaslit and framed in a DUI and an elaborate scheme by her evil and delusional husband Graham who wants to marry someone else to help move his senator-political career along. 

They embarked on 'Operation Karolina'. Emily decided to represent Karolina as an agent to revive her career and help her fight for the custody of her stepson, and get back at Graham. Miriam represented Karoline as her lawyer in her divorce proceedings. Through it all, they found themselves, re-evaluated their lives and husbands, and their own attitudes towards all these matters and relationships. At least the friendship between the three women is solidly real.

It was also painful reading the super detailed descriptions of what women wear, the brands and such. Obviously this book was written for television. All these could be taken in in five seconds on a television screen, but it stretches to five paragraphs in written words. Some of their social circles are so toxic. 

The chapter titles are so click-bait. 'The Suburbs Make You Fat- Emily', 'Pinterest's Mom of the Year- Miriam', 'Muching Xanax Like Gumballs- Karolina', 'The Thousand-Dollar Throw- Miriam', 'The Dalai Lama of Blackmail- Karolina', 'The Cocaine of the Kindergarten Set- Emily'.........

The final chapter is titled 'Goodbye Wheatgrass, Hello Sarcasm- Emily'. Everyone started new lives, and or renewed their marriages and got on better with their husbands. It's a new and more settled phase of life for the thirty-something year-old women before another round of hormonal changes hit. Emily could finally move out of LA and to New York and have their baby in their new flat in the city where she is close to Karolina and Miriam in Greenwich, Connecticut. 

When Miles had heard from his company that his transfer from Los Angeles to New York had been accepted, Emily had almost screamed with happiness. Peace out, L.A.! Goodbye, wheatgrass and early-morning mountain hikes and hideous highway traffic and surfing culture and most of all people who either didn't understand or didn't like sarcasm. Hello dirt and bagels and taxis and self-deprecation and edge. It was good to be home. 

She wanted to move back to the West Village, on a ground-floor brownstone apartment with a backyard area like they used to have, but Miriam and Karolina had gotten hysterical when Emily said so. They moaned about staircases and strollers, about safety and security and how moving into an apartment without a doorman to sign for diaper deliveries and hail cabs was basically akin to child abuse. So against her better judgment, she and Miles had signed for a lease on a three-bedroom condo in a brand-new high-rise in West Chelsea, where the High Line jutted through the third floor of the building and out the other side.  

I almost died reading this. My head hurt so bad. Why on earth did I bother. I don't know if it's getting made into a sequel film at some point. But I'm not watching it. 

Are You Team Tight-on-Tight or Tight-on-Baggy?

Grinned when I scanned through the fun headlines. Oh, are we at this now? Apparently we are!!! We do all own sportswear. The fashion has evolved through the years. Leggings used to come in flare bottoms. That was hilarious. I always found that design flaggingly cumbersome while running. 

Now, with renewed emphasis on fitness and all sorts of gyms coming up and with more than IronMan and duathlons, we also have Spartan Races, CrossFit, and the still-hot format of Hyrox, gym wear has never been soooo popular. And it's not just shorts and tees. People could live in it all day. Many live in sportswear exclusively on weekends. At least I do. And many dog owners I know do too. It's practical and comfortable for our crazy humid weather in Singapore.

Are you team tight-on-tight or tight-on-baggy?

We're at this, 'Millennials and Gen Z Are Fighting Again. This Time About Gym Clothes.' by Madison Malone Kircher, published in The New York Times on March 17, 2025. I couldn't stop laughing because I had to pause even while reading this short article, to get onto IG and TikTok to actually check it out. 

And here I thought we were done at gym socks! Apparently not. It now extends to everything one wears at the gym. 

The infamous “war” between millennials and Gen Z has found a new battleground in recent weeks, with a fight brewing on TikTok over workout clothes.

There are two camps: People who like wearing tight-on-tight outfits to the gym — think leggings and a well-fitting tank top — and people who prefer baggier ensembles. According to some users on TikTok, these preferences fall along generational lines, with millennial women favoring the tighter outfits.

My gym offers tees and shorts, and socks on loan to gym-goers. Many people take it up so that they don't have to deal with stinky and wet clothing fermenting all day in the office before they get home to launder them. I don't bother wearing the gym's stuff because I'm more comfortable in my own clothes. 

I can wear just a sports bra and leggings at the gym. But I prefer wearing a tank or crop over it. Sleeveless. Sleeves are warm and cumbersome for me. Baggy or tight — I only care about whether they flap too much or get in my way during a workout. A workout at the gym ain't a dance competition. I can't wear a baggy top that flips into my face if I'm doing inversions at Pilates right? I live in activewear because of the dog and the crazy Singapore humidity. 

I wear leggings or pants most of the time because I'm not into wearing skirts or even shorts. Running gives me that 'runner's itch' in my thighs, so that's ameliorated by wearing tights even in this heat. I've grown used to it. Sometimes I get that itch on my arms, stomach and neck too. It's exercise-induced urticaria, a response by my allergic mast cells. Zzzzz 

Are you Team Crew Socks or Team Ankle Socks? 

I'm all ankle socks because I'm not bothered to get out to buy new socks. Socks that end higher on the calves give me a rash. I need certain types of toe socks for the gym for my bunions and such, so I don't bother wearing thick crew socks or anything. Dohhhh. 

So I'm not into tight-on-tight. Neither am I into tight-on-baggy. I LIKE SLIM-FIT, CAN? 

Seriously. FFS. Just wear what you want and what makes you comfortable. 

A Whole Murray Cod

Fireplace by Bedrock at One Holland Village is fast becoming a favorite hangout. The dog-friendly sheltered outdoor area meant that we'll be okay on most nights in the fickle Singapore weather. The tiny fans in the area aren't enough, so on those super hot nights, bring portable fans. 

The man had cleverly signed up for dunno-what credit card promotion of which this restaurant honors without much fuss, and for the now, it extends those discounts to even our drinks. WIN. We like their list of single malts and whisky priced reasonably. We were so pleased with the whisky. 

Had easy starters of savory chicken-fat-flamed oysters on a bed of chorizo and chives, grilled asparagus with garlic chilli crisp, and couldn't resist the ox-tongue with roasted leek and sesame sesame dip and ponzu dressing. I loved the onions atop the ox-tongue. Mmmm. 

Tonight we weren't in the mood for its 300-gram aged ribeye or 650-gram Porterhouse steak. Opted for a whole Murray cod. It's one the largest freshwater fish, very predatory, territorial and aggressive. They're completely unrelated to the Northern Hemisphere's marine cod. It used to be critically endangered, but now the numbers are back up and Australia has managed to sustainably farm the species. The 1-kg fish arrived beautifully filleted. I was impressed. I couldn't have done it better. It was absolutely delightful. The seasoning was kept minimal — just salt and pepper and lemon juice, I believe, topped with grilled cherry tomatoes.  

We even made it to dessert. Had an apple crumble that was so good. No 'cake'. I like this iteration that isn't a cake or a pie. It's literally just caramelized apples and layered with crumble on the top, and a giant scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream.