Sarnies

Nothing pleases me as much as the reassurance of unfettered access to good coffee, salads and sandwiches at the office. I need those for sustenance, and the occasional lunch. I get really grouchy if there're no thick soups, sandwiches and salads to munch on. I can only deal with so much fish soup and vegetarian beehoon. Or for the matter, "rice, a couple of dishes and soup". I can deal with fruit for a meal. :)

There're 3 cafes in the area (spr.mkt, Sarnies and The Naked Coffee), and more over at Raffles Place (Joe & Dough, Coffeesmith, etc). I like Sarnies. An out-of-town friend who's here for a 3-month project urged me to try it out. But I've never found a reason to come down to the busy CBD even on weekdays. So it's opportune that I could just hop in for a takeaway morning cuppa. Even better, Sarnies have got bagels from Mama Bagel. Garlic and salt bagels. Onion bagels. Mmmm... They're baked fresh early in the week. Best cure for Monday hangovers. (More about Mama Bagel at notabilia.)

Come lunchtime, it's fairly packed in the cafe, and again, typical of shophouses, not enough attention has been paid to air-conditioning when there're no open windows for ventilation in the heat and humidity. Sitting outdoors can be cooler, but it also means you'll have to contend with smokers. Anyway, if you don't work in the area and make a special trip downtown, you won't starve. Besides coffee and muffins, there's a staggering range of eateries dotting the adjacent streets, and the Amoy Street Hawker Centre will satisfy cravings for local carbs and spices.

I haven't bothered to arrange for lunches with friends. Can't shake off the habit acquired- I prefer to tapau and lunch in, or work through lunch. Not big on spending the hour away from the office. Don't exactly need time-outs in the day for the now. The cup of caffeine is like a psychological booster for the day. What I do need on stressful days (coming soon), would be whisky at 6pm before continuing with work matters in the night. If I needed a break, I'd just not go into office and work from anywhere else that has a stable wifi connection.