Little Ms Sunshine

New Old Chapter

2012-01-03T18:34:00.004+08:00

Today officially marks the first day my colleagues all went back to work without me.

Today, I got to sleep in. Then I wasted no time in flitting between my many "projects" - clearing out the wardrobe, packing the bathroom cabinet, cleaning up. In a very disorganized, flighty, sort of way. I decided the quickest way to free up wardrobe space is to pack away all my "work" work clothes - i.e. those clothes which I would never wear if I weren't heading into the office (because, a lot of times, I wear all kinds of rubbish to work. So it is important to explain this...). Mission, accomplished.

Although it's not the first time in my life I've quit without another job waiting, it feels odd to actually pack away my work clothes. Like I'm serious about not really needing them for quite a while. Having worked for so many years, and not been in a relationship (for many years) or started a family, work defines me in so many ways. Without one to define me, I'm busy keeping myself busy, so I don't have to figure out how else to define myself...

It feels like 7 years' ago, when I left practice. But different. This time, I'm intent on making full use of the break to achieve a whole bunch of different things in my life. In the course of which I'm hoping to get my life in order...

So, I've got to get down to making my List. All the things I want to spend my time doing, now that I have a lot of it on my hands. Updates coming.

Countdown

2011-11-20T18:08:00.003+08:00

After an exceedingly long (and painful, anxiety-filled) gestational period, it looks like we're finally on the last stretch of this journey. Proposals are allegedly on the table, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nobody changes their mind last minute and throws a spanner in the works.

I've been waking in the mornings and dreading work, something I've never felt in all 17 years since joining the workforce. Not even when I was putting in 7-day work weeks (or maybe I just didn't have the mental capacity and time to feel dread then...).

In my eagerness to start a new chapter in my life, I started working on The List which I had started at the beginning of the year.

1. Language classes - Groupon vouchers for Japanese classes purchased. Some more research Bahasa Indonesian classes needed.
2. Fitness plan - yoga, swimming, cycling, some short spurts of running. Everything to get my fitness level up to par.
3. Life - sorting and organizing the chaos that had accumulated in my life because life, and so many other things, got in the way.
4. Skills - learning to cook with more confidence. Nothing fancy. Just being able to embark on every day meals without trepidation.

The initial plan is to take at least a three-month break. If I'm not bored by then, I guess we'll carry on living LIFE.

It's a bitter sweet feeling, knowing the end is coming. On the one hand, I'm relieved I don't have to put up with all the pain-in-the-ass people I have to work with, the back-stabbing politics, the secret-squirrel shenanigans. None of which was what I had signed up for, but had foisted on me with a change in leadership and direction. On the other hand, some of these colleagues have made this one of the best environments I've worked in my life.

These six years have been such an eye-opener into a different industry and work environment. People who don't take for granted when you put in extra hours and make sacrifices. People who aren't screaming at the top of their lungs when the going gets tough. People who drop their own work and roll up their sleeves to chip in and help when help is needed. I discovered a world much larger than the little piece of sky I saw from the bottom of the well. Like the proverbial soldiers who have stood side-by-side in battle, I'd like to say, I feel proud to have stood alongside people who have fought valiantly and with dignity to keep the dream alive.

Closing my eyes and taking a leap into the dark, I'm hoping to find myself landing firmly on my feet again, as I've had many times before.

"The sun'll come up tomorrow. Betcha bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be sun"!

Home

2011-06-08T21:12:00.005+08:00

The title deeds to TP.

This is a moment that calls for pause. To savour it. The deeds to my first home, in my hands. Almost ten years to the day I bought it.

I remember walking around the boxes, scattered all over the dilapidated and dimly-lit flat, avoiding a cage with a rat trapped in it, and mentally calculating whether I could bring the renovations in under my budget. I remember steeling my nerves to call the agent and negotiating the purchase price. I remember being shocked at closing the deal so quickly, with a stab of fear over whether I had made the right decision. I remember the excitement of collecting the keys and bringing J over to look at what would be my home.

This brings up so much emotions in me.

Looking at this now reminds me of the "me" then. I remember standing at one end of the tunnel, and wondering how far the light at the other end of it would be. Eleven years was a long time to be committed, for a commitment-phobe. I saw myself growing old in that slowly gentrifying neighbourhood, in my little home with the high ceilings and a backyard full of plants.

Somewhere along the way, the dream got postponed, revised, refreshed, exchanged, extended. Sacrifices were made. Others were delegated the task of looking after my "home". Other "retirement homes" joined the fray. More revisions to the dream. The light at the end of the tunnel just seemed to keep moving back, away from me.

As things turned out, I decided last year that it was time to start getting the monkey off my back. The good times might be ending soon. Need to remove shackles fast.

Today, I look at this "kiam chye" in my hands, and wonder about the journey that had brought me here. A decade of change and adventure. My home, in my hands. Finally.

Old Friend

2011-05-17T21:13:00.003+08:00

My old friend welcomed us back into the fold.

It was refreshing to be in the midst of nature, hearing the birds and crickets singing happily on the sunny day. All is green around us. Flora and fauna, out at play. Though the sound of sirens, warning of lightning, came on almost at the start of our walk, we made it through the entire journey without getting struck down or rained on. And by the end of the walk, we were back in the warm rays of the sun!

I've missed this.

The Hunt

2011-03-11T23:59:00.003+08:00

Our Friend had somehow gotten a bee into his bonnet that he MUST have that most delicious coconut jelly, made from the juice of a young coconut with strips of coconut flesh embedded therein, all contained in the original coconut shell.

And so, we began our hunt. (Mercifully, I had been spared earlier failed attempts to score this piece of delicious dessert...)

Our evening started with a score - a second-hand standing lamp which will sit nicely in our living room. From there, it was a trek over to Hougang Central, getting lost on our way to the "Aunty Lucy", where covert information had reached us that our object of desire had been spotted there previously. Alas, it was a false alarm and we left dejected.

Next, another long trek to Mustafa's Centre - shopping haven, open 24 hours' a day, every day. Naturally, the whole place, including the streets surrounding it, was teeming with people looking for some action on a Friday night. Many was the opportunity to run down some pedestrian or other who kept walking in front of the car. Much restraint was required to not avail ourselves of that opportunity. Failing to find the elusive entrance to the free carpark, we had to settle for the hotel next door. Then we had to scour every single inch (and I mean EVERY SINGLE INCH) of the many miles of aisles, before finally finding the object of our (Friend's) desire.

Tadah!! We've finally found it!! So naturally, we bought SIX of these little gems to make our effort worth it...

We could barely get the groceries out of the bag once we had reached home, before ripping into one of these delicious jellies, to appease the longing in our bellies. Hmm...it was well worth the hunt!

Time

2011-02-06T01:29:00.002+08:00

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about this. And I've made a list.

When the time comes, these are some of the things I intend to do :-

1. Read. Maybe target 1 book a week.
2. Be one of those people attending a yoga class at 10.30 am on a week day.
3. Sign up for Bahasa classes and make a proper effort at learning it.
4. Build up my endurance in swimming.
5. Cycle more.
6. Pack and organize the apartment.
7. Volunteer my time in a cause I believe in.

It's part of the coping mechanism. Somehow, having a plan in place takes away some of the fear of the inevitable and the unknown.

I tell myself it's not so bad. I've known so many people that this has happened to, in this age of uncertainty. The iron rice bowl era has long gone. I, myself, have made a big change in my life not so long ago and started all over again. I can deal with it, I assure myself.

In fact, it could even be something to look forward to. The luxury of time has not been something I've had before. Not in this quantity. Having a plan in place to use it wisely would give me something to show for it when the luxury ends, which it inevitably will or has to.

So, I've been thinking. And planning.

Nanjing 2010

2010-12-19T23:30:00.003+08:00

After much hand-wringing and stressing over details (and coming to the conclusion that our male colleagues are a helluva lot more troublesome than the women will ever be), we made it to Nanjing. Two long days on the road to and fro, which included an impressive hour-long ride on the new express train between Shanghai and Nanjing (and back), and three days spent getting to know each other. It's been quite a journey.

Nanjing surprised us with its modern buildings, and our counterparts' warmth and hospitality was incomparable. Apparently, they just don't do things by halves there. Meal times consisted of at LEAST twenty different courses each time, and much of it was never finished anyway. And the many, many dishes of fatty braised pork...oh man! I think we just shaved a couple of years off our lives with the clogging of our arteries...Of course, we had to legitimize the trip with some charity work, and some team building thrown in. Coupled with all that, some were obviously only too pleased to show off their entire (newly acquired) Winter Wear Collection 2010.

All in, I think it was a good trip. I'm quite confident there'd been sufficient people signing up for the next trip, if we can muster up the budget for one...Vietnam 2011? :)

Lucky Star

2010-12-19T23:16:00.003+08:00

Finally, another item crossed off the agenda. The bamboo chicks have finally been installed in the patio. The impact has been more than I had expected. Instant warmth added, and the patio now looks complete, as opposed to its previous not-quite-there self.

I have sat outside on the patio in the late afternoon, cup of soya bean milk on the table, and a book in hand, enjoying where I am in life. Should I feel guilty? Is it too much temptation for Fate to feel like one has lived under a lucky star, managing to land on one's feet somehow, despite circumstances?

Coming Along

2010-11-23T21:01:00.004+08:00

It's been a hectic year. Since we moved in three months ago, I've been neglecting the finishing touches on the apartment, too pre-occupied with work and other stuff going on. Now that the year is finally drawing to an end, and things are supposedly slowing down at work ("supposedly" being the operative word), I've tasked myself to complete the picture on the apartment before the year comes to a close.

First off, dental and medical check up appointments, and car service appointments have been made. Prices of bamboo chicks to be installed in the patio have been quoted, measured up, order placed, and deposit made.

And the paintings have finally been hung up.

This, the piece de resistance, sits proudly on the blank canvas of a wall right behind the sofa. Doesn't look so gigantic afterall. Man, this wall is huge! :) That was a good call, M, to keep the painting for the new home. It has garnered many compliments (more than the usual creeped-out response to my usual acquisitions!), and I STILL really like it!

There're still a few other things needed to complete the new home. Like bar stools for the kitchen island so that we can eat on it. And some bookshelves so I can have some books out and display items have a home to reside on.

And of course, there's the mammoth task of re-organizing everything, since we basically stuffed them willy-nilly into the cupboards just to get them out of the way when we first moved in...

Next up, celebratory plans for the holiday season! Time to scour cookbooks and order-in menus!

Bo Geh!

2010-11-23T20:57:00.002+08:00

Time flies! It's only been about 5.5 months since his birth, and already Bubba has teeth busting out from his gums!

Back in the City

2010-10-27T21:59:00.002+08:00

This is our only other short break this year, after the bumper crop of holidays we took last year. Must've maxed out our credit, hence the dearth of holidays this year...

Since Our Friend would be flying through Hong Kong on his way home from yet another junket work trip, we grabbed the opportunity.

This year, we managed to squeeze in some obligatory sightseeing, despite the brewing super typhoon offshore. Eventually, that turned out to be a non-event (thankfully), and our holiday was not ruined.

The city was busy preparing itself for Halloween.

Familiar sights greeted us. We agreed we should do this again next year. And the year after. And the year after that year. Evidently, we agree on our holiday needs. :)

Family lunch

2010-09-20T21:16:00.003+08:00

So, with V back in town, we resumed our family lunch routine this Sunday. After *ahem* cooking up a storm, I brushed off my camera to capture the fruits of my labour and the moment. And then got completely distracted...:)

Bubba's just gotten the hair on his head and eyebrows shaved, and looks like a well-fed little buddha right now. Heh.

Settling in

2010-08-16T22:47:00.003+08:00

After almost a year of waiting...

We spent the long weekend hauling countless suitcases and "body bags"-ful of our worldly possessions between The Cave and ... we haven't even got a name for the new home! For a short while, I questioned myself whether I would be able to adapt to the new home. Something I've never asked myself, in all my years of many moves. Age does all manners of strange things to a person... With time though, we've finally settled in. This is starting to feel like home. Some small gatherings have taken place, and even one home-cooked meal for a friend. Champagne was popped. Tea was drunk. Laundry was washed and hung out to dry. And now, we've "choped" our respective favourite spots in the new home for our "hanging out" activities.

And this is my current favourite "hanging out" view. :)

Chinese Habits

2010-07-29T21:51:00.006+08:00

Gambling - it's in our culture. The Chinese' love of all things material, luck, and one-upmanship is deeply ingrained in all our upbringing, no matter which part of the world we are brought up in. Gambling just appeals to all those things we were brought up to love.

On the back of someone else's good fortune, we got a chance to visit the casino part of the newest integrated resort here on the Little Red Dot.

Driving up to the structure, I have to admit - it took my breath away! The massive structure was interesting everywhere we looked. Not just the sheer size of it, but the design details captured our attention like we were school kids on an outing to the zoo. We pointed, gawked and took pictures, and marvelled at how the sunlight played with the "wind-chime" wall and came in through the many glass windows, throwing interesting shadows onto the walls and floor. Yup. It'll be iconic in time to come.

First, we starved ourselves in order to make the most of the buffet spread before us. It's been a LONG time since we tried to take advantage of a buffet in this manner. When you get older, it generally becomes a question of quality over quantity. However, on this occasion, company dictated that we should go for quantity instead. *burp*

Then, having filled our stomachs, we proceeded to empty our pockets...

This is where the high-rollers get to go. Which is why we didn't get to see what it looked like inside...Lucky for me, Our Friend won my entrance fee back with his beginner's luck in the "common man's" floor. :)

Home

2010-07-29T21:20:00.005+08:00

Can you believe, it's coming to almost four years since I started this blog? Admittedly, the frequency of blogging has decreased, due to "over-exposure" on Facebook. Still, it's been an interesting record of the journey I've taken over the last four years.

The latest event to be filed under this little blog of mine is the coming of the new home. Since we had committed ourselves to this little apartment at the end of last year, we'd been waiting, and waiting. And waiting. One postponement after another had happened along the way, and we only managed to get our grubby little hands on the keys to our new home-to-be a week ago.

And in the last week, it's been all systems go! With trusty Ah Ho at the helm, speedin' through all the renovation works. Owing to the fact that we didn't have a good sense of the actual dimensions of this tiny flat, some works which had been planned had to be scrapped or adjusted, and others added along the way, all amidst a panic attack and a mini-meltdown on my part.

I'm a planner. I just don't like it when things don't go accordingly to (my) plan.

This is the living room, before trusty Ah Ho and his merry ("Bangla") men got down to tearing things apart.

Work-in-progress of our new living room. Gigantic glossy black entertainment unit - poof! Demolished! Kitchen counter cutting up living space in half - gotten rid of! Glass sliding doors to tiny bedroom - installed!

However, some good things have happened. As providence would have it, the sofabed we had been eyeing popped up for sale on craigslist! After (im)patiently waiting until we had the keys to our flat, we eventually managed to score this coveted piece. Delivery expected next Friday! Yippee!

In the midst of all this excitement, I look out the window of The Cave every day and wonder, how much will I miss my tree house when I move out? It's been a good home.

Genetics

2010-06-25T11:27:00.003+08:00

Beady eyes, flat nose, impatient nature. Yup. That would be from his Dad's side of the family. And apparently, the prediction is that he'll be a tall one, going by the size of his feet...heh heh.

Bubba

2010-06-21T15:38:00.000+08:00

There's not been a lot of fanfare for his impending arrival, so I guess we were a little taken aback when Bubba finally arrived! I've finally made it to "Aunty" status legitimately (other than by default of the age-ing process)!

This is possibly the first time I'll be in close proximity to a growing bub, so it'll be a whole new experience. Am still groping in the dark, wondering what I'm supposed to do in the circumstances...

I'm sure all babies are such bundles of cuteness, but this one's a fiesty little bub, winning the crowd over with his many facial expressions and kung fu moves...

Neighbours

2010-05-11T16:35:00.004+08:00

Living in this neighbourhood for the past two and a half years has been a interesting experience, getting to know the weird and the curious amongst us. Other people's lifestyles always seem to deviate from ours by so much as to make us sometimes wonder if perhaps we're the odd ones out...

This was the sight that greeted me on the way to work this morning. Moral Crusader had leashed her cat to a shoe rack outside her door so it could get some sun. The poor kitty cut a forlorn figure in the corridor, shrouded by the morning heat and humidity, barely able to squint at me. I think I can empathise with that look on its face...

And this, is to be added to the "List of Usual Suspects" who had been pooping in my potted plant...Do you see that look of guilt on its face??

Tai Shek Eating House

2010-04-09T12:12:00.000+08:00

Spinach and Seafood Soup. All your day's veggie quota in a soup. :) "Almost like sharksfin", according to my colleague. Well, it's thick, like sharksfin... :) Have to admit that it's tasty though. This place is also famous for its handmade noodles which, the owner tells me, they do not add any egg colouring in during the process of making it. Forgive the lack of pictures, since I was too busy tucking in (hence my half finished bowl of soup). The noodles lacked the "QQ"-ness of Hong Kong-style "rubber band" noodles, but still had a firmness to it that was very pleasant. And more importantly, there was no alkaline taste to the noodles, which made it far more palatable.

The dumplings in soup in the top left hand part of the photo are the Tobiko prawn dumplings. It's made with fresh prawns and has very generous dollops of ebiko (flying fish roe) in it, making eating the whole dumpling a very crunchy experience. I like!

The steamed chicken here is made using spring chicken instead of the usual "hormone-laden" chicken, according to the owner. It tastes quite firm and less oily, which I like. Though I can't say that that would be to everyone's taste. I'm told the whole reason some people like the chicken in chicken rice is because it's smooth and soft and has a layer of fat just under the skin...*ewe*... I like my chicken firm and without fat.

*burp* Another culinary adventure brought to you by the not-very-discerning foodie...

Cocoon

2010-03-30T11:35:00.003+08:00

Re-visited a long-forgotten eatery recently, bringing our out-of-towner along, so she could start re-acquainting herself with the scene here. Afterall, she claims she's determined to move back home this time around...we shall see.

The place has undergone a renovation, and the decor now gives more of a cocoon-like feel to an occupant of its space. I like it, and have taken a picture to try to ascertain the essence of this decor. I have hopes of replicating the same feelings of warmth and comfort in our new home. In fact, I have lots of ideas and wishes (no surprises there), but those fantasies would need to be tempered by budget (very important) and practicality (also important by my books).

Reality bites. We all have to live with compromises. I cannot justify blowing lots of money, gutting and re-doing a place, when the whole attraction of the purchase was the mint condition of it to begin with. On the other hand, we're going to have to live there. How much of the cold modern look can I live with, or do I need some wood-like warmth to be comfortable?

Doubtless, it is a dilemma. But a pleasant one to deal with, in the general scheme of things. Life's good. So far. (You know how lawyers have to qualify everything...)

Duties & Responsibilities

2010-03-29T16:49:00.004+08:00

Clearly, I have been remiss in my blogging responsibilities. It has been almost two months since I had last put my typing skills to use in my own personal narcissistic declarations.

I blame it on many things. But mostly, I think Facebook has changed how people share the mundane minutiae of their everyday life with the rest of the disinterested world. In a blog, you might actually have to make an effort to craft some words to go with the mindless photos taken to share. On Facebook, you merely post countless photos with, at best, one-liner descriptions, or post your guilty status of having just made an impulsive (and expensive) purchase ("But it was on sale!", she protests feebly). No details required. No beautifully worded confessions of guilt and remorse. What's not to like about the ease and convenience of sharing via Facebook? It certainly appeals to the lazy bugger in me!

However, I must not forget the purpose of starting a blog in the first place - that of re-acquainting myself with the pleasure of writing. Not in a manner which is carefully considered to cover my (and the company's) ass from all angles. But in a manner which helps me remember how to express myself without sounding like a robot speaking in monotones.

*Deep breath*

So, here goes. A quick review of the events of the past two months, which have kept me paddling in a frenzied manner, busy trying to stay afloat so I can watch the ending (which will come some day).

Our new home is finally ours! Well, ALMOST. Much drama has unfolded in the recent booming property market, with our sellers being at the receiving end of some unscrupulous demands from their sellers. The gist of it is, they'll be around for a while longer, while they help us pay off our mortgage. Meanwhile, we're stealthy intruders into the condo's compound, helping ourselves to the facilities...but it's all good. We have our "treetop" home to enjoy for a while longer.

My culinary adventures continue. This crappy looking mess actually tasted pretty decent. It was my "translation" of M's "spicy tomato paste prawns" into a spicy pasta sauce. *burp*

The annual round of Lo Hei was tiresome but necessary, to bring forth hopes of much good fortune (in all aspects of one's life) in the coming Year of the Tiger! *Roar* At least, we can say we've hit our quota of veggies for the month...

It was also a month of frenzied packing and moving...on other people's behalf. This was the aftermath of a long day of wrapping and packing, Part I (there would be several more sessions to follow after this). My hands were stained by the ink from newspaper print (and my feet, from the "flood" that had invaded the house just before we started the packing exercise). All in all, tiring but satisfying. It was a good reminder to self that I should de-clutter with a vengeance before it is our turn.

The annual "dong dong cheng" to, again, bring better things in the Year of the Tiger *meow*... Hopefully, this does the trick this year, what with the minefield of office politics stretching out before us...

Walk-walk

2010-02-09T15:42:00.000+08:00

Without my regular jalan-jalan partner this weekend, we decided to do the walk over from The Cave over to New Home, testing distance and time required.

Off we go! Warmed up by hiking up and down the overhead bridge, crossing over to "the other side" of BR Road... This is the view from the overhead bridge at The Cave side.

Through the Siglap Park Connector, which I had first used, ferrying Mr. Yellow Bicycle from Old Home to New Home (a.k.a. The Cave). Or rather, Mr. Yellow Bicycle ferried me over...hehe. An undulating path through the HDB blocks, shaded by trees and dotted with various exercise parks and a "youthscape" type of location, it provided endless distractions along the way.

Finally, after 17 minutes' brisk walk, the end is in sight! Once again, we had to traverse an overhead bridge across the Expressway to reach the New Home. Here's the new view we'll have in time! Not that much different from the other view off the overhead bridge, actually! Cars still travelling at "bat our of hell" speed...

The new address :)

We walked the neighbourhood, looking for Sebastian the Ginger Cat (an acquaintance from an earlier visit), and met Franceska, the friendly feline. It looks like we're going to need a whole new pipeline of new names for all the new friends we'll be making in this neighbourhood...good times ahead!

Giant

2010-02-01T12:05:00.001+08:00

Now THAT'S what I call a gigantor!! Compare the size of this to the regular-sized prawns on the upper part of the photo! Wonder if it's tough...and how old this prawn is when it lost its life...must be an "old bird"...

Freedom

2010-02-01T11:57:00.000+08:00

Xiao Ding Dang, caged and staring longingly into the outside world

Kickin' off the Weekend

2010-01-25T09:40:00.000+08:00

Yay, it's Friday! Tested out the new-ish highway and made our way to the little food enclave in Hougang to search for something worthy to kick off our weekend with. Found it in a dingy kopitiam. "Never say no to pork satay!", says Our Friend.

Fried hokkien prawn mee, and a side of ngo hiang. Our Friend promptly declared that he would be starting on his "ngo hiang" phase with immediate effect...:)

Saturday afternoon was spent at the matinee performance of "Men in Tutus". It was a slapstick sort of performance. Enjoyed it, but probably wouldn't go back to see it again. Don't see how it could be fresh and funny again after the first time. Some of the men looked scary in their makeup and tutus... Rounded off the night with Thai-style BBQ and steamboat in Little Thailand. It was thoroughly enjoyed all round, though Our Friend and I both paid the price for it via "detoxification exercises" in the loo for the next two days...:P

Organized

2010-01-17T00:08:00.003+08:00

The frenzy continues.

First, a stop at the Toyogo warehouse to stock up our arsenal of organizing tools - a popular stop for many people (you can tell this from how far we had to park from the storefront, and fight through the people inside). We bought plastic tubs aplenty, and headed home to continue what I had started two night ago.

First to be tackled was the pantry, a.k.a. snacks cupboard. This had gone a bit out of control, what with the purchases of new supplies of snacks (I blame Our Friend), soup material (I own up for this part of the mess), and abandoned baking materials. Armed with plastic tupperware to sort them into organized clusters, which are also now in more space-saving squarish shapes which group better and are stackable, I have managed to finally get them all squeezed into the original shelves with space to spare. Teabags, instant mix drinks, sugar and others have been sorted and organized into more tupperware. In the process, the space has also been more efficiently organized.

Next, the knick knacks, jewellery, and luggage storage space. I've long planned this but procrastinated from inertia. Finally, I got the necessary ginormous plastic tub, burned through countless ziploc bags, sorted all the contents which were previously stashed in the luggage bags into said ginormous plastic tub, stowed tub away, and found new space for our luggage to reside (in the kitchen cabinet, no doubt. But this is what one has to live with, when one does not have a store room).

Next, under the bathroom counter. I've done a re-org of this space before, but found it exceedingly inconvenient to access stuff, which meant great reluctance on my part to stow things away under, instead of on top of, the counter. I am beginning to recognize the power of drawers, and hence, have finally succumbed to plastic drawers for this space (yes, I am most likely turning into my mother. Horrors). Finally, bathroom and beauty supplies have been stowed in easily accessible drawers, cleaning equipment organized into a plastic tub I can easily access without having to get down on my hands and knees and shoving the pail out of the way first. Oh happy day!

And now, it's time for a break. Intermission : dinner with visitors from Jakarta. We decided frog porridge and chilli crab is definitely called for, so reservations were made at G7. Truthfully, I don't remember having the chilli crab here before, but tonight, they seemed to have outdone themselves. The crabs were EXCELLENT. Thick, spicy and full of body, the gravy coated the meaty crab and got everyone hunkering down to the job of polishing off every single piece of this dish. *burp* The only regret tonight was not being able to fit in a dessert of ice cream at The Island Creamery (due to a curfew restrictions on our visitors. Whoever's heard of CURFEW at a guest house??). Back home to my mochi ice cream...

Tomorrow, the wardrobe.

Time to Say Goodbye

2010-01-16T23:49:00.003+08:00

It's been a long time coming. In the frenzy of de-cluttering and re-organizing our space, Our Friend finally agreed to let go of Mr Yellow Bicycle.

In the space of a short 2 hours, Mr Yellow Bicycle has been adopted.

Good-bye Mr Yellow Bicycle! We've had good rides together, through good and bad times. A new journey's begun, and it's time to move on. I hope you've found a great new owner and home, who'll take you on great journeys together! Au revoir!

Re-Org

2010-01-16T00:11:00.004+08:00

You can't see it clearly here (because I couldn't get the lighting bright enough), but that cupboard has taken two night's hard graft to achieve this level of neatness!

By default, due to it's size and convenience, I had started out assigning the bedlinens to this space right when I had first moved in. And so it has stayed through these two years. Cohabiting cosily with the bedlinens was a whole range of stuff, including the multitude of electric cables and wires which one accumulates over the years together with the acquisition of all manners of electric gadgets, and anything else which would not fit into a smaller cupboard space elsewhere. This space was so full, the doors couldn't be closed properly!

I had originally planned to do some culling and re-organizing of possessions over the long break between Christmas and New Year. Unfortunately, I hadn't foreseen the number of parties and dinners I'd be busy with, and hence didn't manage to get down to any part of the original plan, apart from managing to finally clear the mountain of paperwork I'd accumulated over the year (does "filing" those papers into the bin count??). With CNY 2010 looming, I decided it was time to light a fire under my ass.

Armed with plastic freezer bags of 2 sizes (big and small), plastic tubs of different sizes, I started pulling out things, assessing them, sorting them into bags either for binning, donation, or passing off to friends who might appreciate them more. The remainder got bagged, tagged, clustered, boxed, and re-arranged back into the same space. Et voila! SPACE - miraculously created! I even managed to organize and slot in more boxes of electrical cables which had been residing in 3 other plastic tubs and shoved into another cupboard space.

Nothing like success to drive one's fervour! Next up, wardrobe and kitchen.

Weekend Away

2010-01-15T23:52:00.003+08:00

It was a little indulgent, but seeing as we're mostly peopled by expatriates at work (foreign talent?), the weddings of our colleagues have always been on foreign soil.

This time, it took us to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Arriving at the airport, we immediately sought out food and our daily caffeine fix. Teh tarik, satu! Kopi-c kosong, dua!

Next - Penang Hae Mee!

Satisfied, we made our way at a leisurely pace to our hotel, checked in, relieved ourselves of our meagre luggage contents, and headed straight down to the hotel cafe for more food.
After a brief nap, and a flurry of brushes slapping on our war paint, we were ready to rock and roll! There was no sharksfin soup, no wedding ceremony against the backdrop of a sunset on the beach, not even fireworks. But we all had a blooming good time, and nobody was complaining about scuffing their stilettoes on the gaps in the boardwalk, sun in their eyes, wind whipping hair out of shape, makeup melting in the late afternoon sun, suffocating in the marquee waiting for dinner to end...We all had a good time celebrating the union of the newly-weds, and that was the most important thing afterall!

Old Neighbourhood

2010-01-06T22:05:00.002+08:00

Had occasion to be back in the old neigbourhood recently. Apparently, there's a magic armour out there that protects your reputation... and it can be had for a mere six bucks!

Finally, I had the chance to try out the famous porridge place near my old home. This was the place that had long queues, and where you'd have to wait over half an hour for your order to appear, munching on a prata meanwhile. It's got a whole spanking new look now, and there was actually no queue! Aaah, Ah Chiang's Charcoal Fire-Cooked Porridge. Thick, smooth, Cantonese-style porridge. Tasty! Risked a parking ticket for this...

Score!

2009-12-06T23:11:00.002+08:00

Yet another lucky find at a secondhand sale. This Mid-Century modern side table will go nicely with the chaise longue sitting pretty in my living room. :)

Striking while the iron's hot and before the enthusiasm cools, this year's Christmas decor have been un-plastic bag-ged, and strung up on the decorative twigs. The same ones which have been multitasking for over a year, through X'mas 2008, CNY 2008, and "rest of the year 2009".

Ho ho ho! :)

New Day

2009-12-06T23:09:00.003+08:00

View from my front door, after an early morning airport run.

Nyam nyam

2009-12-06T22:57:00.003+08:00

Browsing through a copy of a magazine we'd picked up at the Japanese supermarket, we came across pictures of juicy pieces of beef ribs, tempting us. To assuage the disappointment of a failed trip (due to arrogant Americans and their bureaucracy), we decided a full on greasy meal of barbeque-d meat over charcoal fire would be THE thing called for on such an occasion.

Starting with an array of appetizers/accompaniment to the mains...

Ah, juicy pieces of meat, wrapped in lettuce, dobbed with chilli, and garnished with onions and raw garlic. *burp* No vampires tonight! Har!

The Kalbi beef ribs! It was good, but the Kalbi pork ribs were better! *salivate* Brings me back to the NYC food fest, but this did not live up to my expectations...

After that meal, we decided a walk by the riverside was called for. Nothing too hectic, just a slow jaunt. Afterall, we DID have lots of veggies, so that counts for something, right??

Chinese Roasts

2009-11-24T10:46:00.002+08:00

After being tempted by a juicy-looking picture on some foodie's blog, I jotted down the recipe and logged in some hours in the kitchen.
Marinated Char Siew and Siew Yuk, roasting in the hot oven, dripping fat onto the vegetables under it. Yum yum!

Dinner is ready! So, I was a little optimistic about the portions...:P

Two geeks with their entertainment for the night...

New Home, Old Home

2009-11-24T10:45:00.000+08:00

One weekend evening, spurred by the excitement, we peddled to what would be our new home in the new year. It took all of fifteen minutes, moseying through the park connectors, for us to reach the overhead bridge, overlooking our soon-to-be home. We peered curiously at the residents jogging on the threadmills in the gym, and others frolicking in the pool. And proceeded to wander around the neighbourhood, getting acquainted with the many friendly feline residents nearby.

One not very sociable feline friend was sitting on a ledge, refusing to be enticed down by Our Friend's vigorous meowing.

What? As opposed to DEAD ones?? Strange ads received at the soon-to-be Old Home.

Monsoon

2009-11-18T21:25:00.005+08:00

The monsoon season is truly upon us. It's been storming daily, and the weatherman is warning of flash floods well into the new year. There are many things to be grateful for at this time...such as not being on a 2-wheeler, subject to the elements on a bad day...

In preparation for the hibernation such cool weather calls for, we barricaded ourselves in The Cave with some nice choco-mocha-something else muffin, warmed up in the oven, a cup of Yorkshire tea, and the papers on a Sunday morning.

This is the life...:)

In an effort to eat more healthily during the week (so that we can justifiably pig out on the weekends), and also to fortify our immune systems against the many assaults on it that the cold weather normally brings, we've embarked on a liquid diet of sorts...

I've always been a big fan of Chinese soups, the only thing I'm fairly confident of whipping up successfully in the kitchen. So tonight, I've thrown all manners of somewhat healthy stuff, like 2 kinds of veggies, mushrooms, a bit of lean meat into the mix, and boiled the whole thing up for a meal. Satisfying. Though, I might start to feel hunger pangs after a couple of trips to the loo...Still. It was comforting to fill the tummy with warm sloshy stuff on a cold and wet day.
And for good measure, I've steamed up my own brand of "essence of chicken" to nourish our bodies, if not our souls...

Road Trip

2009-10-24T20:30:00.002+08:00

A road trip around the island, recounted in pictures.
Udders - An ice cream parlour in Goldhill Shopping Centre. Read a review somewhere that recommended the Mao Shan Wang premium ice cream, so of course, we had to trek our way there one Saturday afternoon. In comparion, the D24 was a disappointment after the rich creamy taste of the Mao Shan Wang. The Rum Rum Raisin was not quite to my taste, being a bit too rummy. I still prefer the Rum And Raisin from The Ice Cream Gallery. :)
Dried Chilli Crab from Uncle Leong. For this, we trekked all the way to Ang Mo Kio. The slightly burnt dried chilli gave the crabs a slight tangy taste which was very pleasant. Makes a change from the usual chilli or pepper variety. Definitely worth a rerun!
Not content with the crabs, we headed off to a new joint in Newton, District 10. Surprise surprise! Chef Dean (from our Paella Night) now works at this joint! Didn't taste the cuisine (afterall, we were stuffed to the gills with crabs). Merely had a creme brulee and some drinks before calling it a night.
On a lazy Saturday, I met up with an ex-colleague for lunch, and a tour of her newly rented apartment. Wow! What a view! Tempting, tempting...but way out of my budget, and not within my requirements. Oh well. Always good to have a chance to kaypoh...

Hero Lai Lo!

2009-10-10T19:00:00.004+08:00

So, I've been impatiently waiting for my mobile service contract to be up for renewal, so I can get my grubby little paws on a new phone ("I don't care which model! I just want one of them fancy touchscreen things!").

Yesterday, I made a call to the service provider, got myself a handset upgrade voucher, found out that one of the phones I was eyeing was on special promotion "ending today" (*panic*), rushed myself down to the shop (thankfully, located only next to the office), only to have my excitement deflated by the notification that said phone was out of stock. So, like one of those eager birkin bag fans, I optimistically placed myself on the waitlist, and settled down for a long wait.

Surprise surprise! The very next morning, I got a call from the shop, telling me the new stock is in, and I could go down and get my hands on my very own set of the new HTC Hero! Alas, Ah Ho was trying to complete the repairs of my ceiling (a portion of which had threatened to boink me on the head just weeks ago). So I waited very impatiently, trying to rush him through the job (including the additional job of replacing the not-working-very-effectively bathroom tap). After an hour, I threw my hands up in despair and gave him my keys to lock up after himself. I HAVE to get my hands on my new toy!!

Aahhh...satisfaction!

Except, even the geek in me had some problems figuring out how to transfer contacts, message, undo default settings for contact views, etc. This is a tricky little monster! Urgh! And, I was exceedingly frustrated, trying to type on the screen with my fat fingers! Fortunately, Our Friend very cleverly suggested turning the phone to "landscape" position, so that the qwerty keyboard keys would be more spread out, and make easier targets for my fat fingers. Success! Yay!

And while I was already out in town on a Saturday afternoon, I decided we might as well head to one of my favourite shopping haunts to hunt for my latest fashion must-have - trendy necklaces. I've been busy checking out online shops, on occasion, even braving the big bad cyberworld out there to make a few small purchases. On some of these sites, I had spotted some very trendy-looking necklaces (or at least, what *I* would consider trendy now. A few years down the road, I might very well demand to know why my closest friends did not stop me from leaving home with something that hideous looking hanging around my neck...).

I present to you, my friends, my haul from this afternoon!

1 cheapie edge-y ring (the light blue one), and 2 very ostentatious dressy rings which were not all that cheap. But in my own defence, I have to state that they were on 50% discount! Still, they cost about $30 in total. Not too bad.

1 of the 2 "feather" design necklaces I've been searching for.

Couldn't resist choosing the peacock feather design. Besides, it was 2 for the price of $10! So, of course I had to choose 2!

Success!

2009-09-21T17:02:00.005+08:00

New baking powder, new flour, and a whole lot less brutal whipping of the batter.

Et voila! Easy-peasy! Steamed banana cake! At least, it's risen! Haha! We'll see whether the taste made all this worthwhile. *waiting impatiently for cake to cool down*

Meanwhile, I've also gotten some green tea powder from the baking shop. Next on the list - Green Tea Steamed Cake!

Nocturnal Adventures

2009-09-20T22:42:00.004+08:00

Ever since I had tasted 4th Aunt's yellow wine chicken in KL, I've been making a half-hearted search for a bottle of glutinous rice yellow wine to further my culinary adventures back home. Thus far, I had been most unsuccessful.

Until now.

FINALLY! After much googling and asking around (supermarkets, TCM shops, local grocery shop uncle, chatting to customers in TCM shop), I've managed to get my grubby little hands on a bottle of the above - "Kiukiang Glutinous Rice Chiew"! And where was it hiding all this while? Why, in the bottom shelf of the condiments section in the neighbourhood "Shop n Save", of course...

I've never had much confidence in my culinary skills, and would not usually attempt any western recipes which called for any sort of slightly more exotic ingredient than "dried oregano" or which required more than 2 steps in whipping the whole thing together. But when it comes to chinese recipes, I am somehow filled with less trepidation in exploratory adventures.
So, armed with some recipes from the internet, and my magical bottle of yellow glutinous rice wine, I set off on tonight's effort. Ladies and Germs, I present to you *TADA* - Yellow Rice Wine Chicken, with (copious amounts of) Ginger, Red Dates, Wolfberries, and Shitake Mushrooms (the last ingredient is my own addition, mushrooms being one of my favourite food). Not half bad, if I say so myself! Good enough for me to offer to share some of it. Hehe! Chucked in a good half bottle of the good stuff. Once you're through slurping up all the soupy goodness, I'm sure you'd (be drunk enough to) give me the same compliment for this dish too! HAH!

Alas, the other experiment tonight (Steamed Banana Cake) failed miserably to rise (to the occasion). Our Friend blames it on the flour. This means, of course, that we'll have to scout for fresh new flour, and MORE ripe bananas, to test out the recipe. So off to the baking shop we'll go tomorrow...

2009-09-19T22:52:00.002+08:00

To celebrate the start of our long weekend, we trooped down to Shashlik, and feasted on Borsch soup and Chicken Kiev. It was all a quaint experience for Our Friend, but one that evokes warm memories of the place my parents used to bring us to, for a "western treat" of steak on a hotplate. Dim lights, old fashioned slightly grumpy service, and the smell of food lingering in the air. I was particularly amused that the Chicken Kiev was served with a piece of paper decoration resembling a chef's hat on what looked like the chicken's BUTT...! :) That old place is long gone now. But the memory flashbacks I get when I drive past where I guess the old restaurant used to stand along Orchard Road still brings a smile to my face.
Kick-starting the morning (well, it was noon by the time Our Friend deemed it appropriate to roll out of bed on a weekend), I'd planned ahead and shopping for stuff to make our breakfast with. It being the long weekend, a greasy, salty, sinful breakfast of fried bacon is DEFINITELY called for! The only redeeming features are the vegetables (portobello mushrooms and vine-ripened tomatoes) accompanying the greasy bacon (hey, I patted them down with paper towels first, you know!). Aah, satisfaction! And, there's more where THAT came from! :D

Ok, we tried to burn off some of the sinfully greasy becon (and some of the cabin fever) with a brisk walk round the reservoir, before hitting the local supermart for some chicken pieces to attempt this - Chicken with big dates and wine. Tasty! Now, let's see. With the long weekend ahead, what else shall I attempt? Hmm... Where can I get me some yellow wine?? *-)

Meow!

2009-09-17T20:22:00.005+08:00

Left to my own devices for another evening, inspiration struck.

Our Friend is no fan of the King of Fruits. Which means, I've been deprived the entire recent durian marathon season...I've been casting longing looks at stalls packed with huge baskets of the fruit, sniffing at the aroma lingering in the air.

In spite of heatiness boiling over within my body, I could not let this opportunity pass! Carpe Diem! With Our Friend otherwise occupied this evening, I merrily acquired a box of the famed Cat Mountain durians to feast on.

The verdict? Disappointing. It's tasty and creamy alright, but a tad too light for my taste. My preference is for the pungent ones, bursting with so much flavour it's almost bitter, melting in your mouth, intoxicating your taste buds and sending your brain sensors into overdrive. With all the hype and rave reviews, I wonder if I've been conned into acquiring poor imposters? Nonetheless, I saved the two remaining seeds from the haul to freeze and to decide on manner of hoovering it in at a later date.

*burp*

Tick Tock

2009-09-15T22:12:00.005+08:00

While the minions continue trudging through their lives,

autumn arrives on the Little Red Dot (not the Little "RAD" Dot, mind you...*boomz*).

The sun sets on another day.

A Birthday Celebration

2009-09-15T21:40:00.006+08:00

It's a long time since we'd gone out to "party", so to speak. But for M's mini birthday celebration before she jetted off to Spain, I wanted to depart from the usual food binge routine and so, did some serious googling in the days before.

We eventually settled on a night out with live acoustic music by the Lovejacks at Timbre @ The Arts House.

For the occasion, we got all decked up, trooped down to the riverside, and shared some pretty decent pub food in the warm and humid, non-air conditioned al fresco atmosphere. I have to say, the hand muddled Mango Mojitos went straight to our heads. It was enough for us to sing and clap along to some pretty lame Oktoberfest games before the band struck up.

But when they did, boy was it worth the effort expended! It's been a long time since I'd sat down to a night of serenading by some very competent musicians with dulcet voices, and this night brought back some very pleasant memories of being very impressed with the talent out there, outside of "Singapore Idol"...

After all that "excitement", we rounded off the night with a late supper of prata, roti john and teh si (the horlicks ice cream apparently doesn't serve late night owls like us). *burp*

Something slightly different, yet not too far from the familiar path of what we've always enjoyed.

Plans are being made...

Hole

2009-09-15T09:32:00.004+08:00

*Puts hand up and pleads guilty to neglect*

On the one hand, nothing much has happened.

On the other hand, things HAVE been happening. Just not compelling enough to blog about them. Besides, I blame someone else's apnea problems, causing my feeling constantly too tired and uninspired to blog. :P

After the spate of holiday-ing earlier, it's been a big "thump" back down to earth, scurrying around the workplace. A few friends have since become mothers (some first time, some the second time around). I chucked out a whole bunch of stuff to make space for someone else's stuff. Some old furniture got replaced by some new retro stuff. And a piece of my ceiling came down.

In the middle of the night, after I had already crashed landed on LaLa-Land, there was apparently an almighty crash somewhere abouts The Cave. Our Friend, true to horror movie style, went to investigate the cause with nary a baseball bat to arm himself. Lucky for him no horror lurked around the corner... We found the kitchen cornice, with bits of the ceiling, shattered into many pieces and scattered on the kitchen counter and around the floor.

The next day, I called in trusty Ah Ho to offer his professional opinion on cause and rectification, and was duly informed that various other parts of my ceiling were also on the verge of boinking me on the head soon. Serious expertise to assign blame was called for. So I called in the officials this morning for a thorough investigation (from 6 feet away, with a torch light pointed weakly in the general direction of the raw concrete dent in my ceiling). The official verdict was issued on the spot, informing me that they could help me rectify the problem if I would only go join the thronging crowds at the next Meet-the-People session, and beseech the MP to endorse my request for assistance in fixing my crumbling ceiling. What?? I believe the man failed to understand the issue (don't even get my started!).

I didn't need financial assistance in fixing the ceiling! I need to know who would be responsible for the prevention of my being boinked on the head by a piece of falling concrete!

Official Shirker having issued his verdict, I decided I'd rather have someone I trusted to save me from potential harm. Trusty Ah Ho it is then.

Meanwhile, bits of the kitchen ceiling continues to crumble...

3 Weddings, A Funeral, and a Couple of Holidays

2009-08-18T23:05:00.005+08:00

It's been a helluva month! Sitting down and recounting to my colleague about the number of trips I've made this year, I surprised even myself on how much travel I've chalked up this year. Considering I'm not a business traveller, I've traversed quite a bit of the globe in the last eight months.

First off the block was the end of last year, when we duly trooped off to Bali for a wedding. Then, less than a month later, I was jetting off to Sydney for another wedding. Three months' later, we drove up to Ipoh for yet another wedding. Two months after that, it was to my old "hometown" of Hong Kong for a shop-and-feast. A month thereafter, it was time out across the Causeway with the girls for an enjoyable birthday treat (creepy hotel room experience notwithstanding). Barely another month passes, and we were rushing up to Ipoh on the overnight bus to bid my aunt a final farewell. Weeks later, we jetted off on the free air tickets I managed to score on the budget airline to Langkawi, and I finally got to see what all the fuss about fine sand on the beach was all about. And immediately after putting in one measly day of hard graft at the office upon my return, I was off to Hokkaido!

Breathless yet??

All this doesn't even take into account the short trip across the bridge to Sentosa for a short weekend break away from the madding crowd, thanks to J2's wedding. You have to consider all the above in the light of my usual "big holiday every other year" (which got upgraded to "big holiday once a year" after my midlife crisis).

After a year and more of feeling like I couldn't possibly be enjoying myself, I am. Finally. I look forward to getting off the plane in a foreign land, laughing stupidly with good company, throwing caution to the wind and trying tempting untried cuisine, taking countless photos of banal details of travel, hauling heavy backpacks around, and even the part where I whine about my feet being in pain from too much walking.

So, after sorting through the hundreds of photos for "the best of" selection to upload and stun others. After sorting out all the dirty clothes and laundering them. After distributing all the souvenirs and gifts hauled back from the foreign land. I'm prowling the papers and cyberspace for the next break...

Carpe diem! Plenty of fun to be had in sunsets in foreign lands!

Siam

2009-07-19T18:41:00.004+08:00

After a tiring few days up north, bidding our final farewells, we headed back home for some quick shopping before S had to leave to go back to Chi-town. Kelantan Lane's business transactions spiked for that day...

Then, in the evening, A&W (harhar) brought us to experience the all-new (to us) experience of Siamese Steamboat/Hotplate Grill.

First, you oil the grill part with LARD so your food wouldn't burn and stick to it...

Then you pile on as much food as is possible, without it sliding down into the lower rim, which is filled with soup. Then you shove it into your gaping mouth, after dipping it into the tasty chilli sauce mixture they serve with this. Yum yum!

Then look back at (possibly) the youngest slave in employment in Singapore cleaning up the mess you've made...

Big Bang

2009-07-19T18:15:00.002+08:00

It's just a number. But a milestone nonetheless. And to celebrate it, we took a girlie trip across the border, ate, spa-ed, and shopped ourselves silly.

Kick starting the day with a breakfast of fluffy, cripsy roti canai and a cup of teh tarik. How else should we start the day? :)

Present gratefully received and carefully unwrapped

Making our way swiftly to the spa to get our bodies scrubbed down and kneaded. Aaahhh! That's the life!

After the pampering treatment to the skin, it was time to feed the stomach! Onwards to the mall, to gorge ourselves!

In the evening, we met up with S and C, who took us to a scrumptious seafood location, and thence to an extremely local joint, where we had Tulang Mee Rebus! Eeks to the tulang, but the mee rebus was tasty, and all was consumed in the quaint atmosphere of atap huts on a hilly location. With a birthday cake of sinful kueh lapis too. *burp*

Creepy hotel experience notwithstanding, we enjoyed ourselves tremendously. And vowed to make our way back there again in the very near future (all in the name of stimulating the global economy, and heeding the advice to "spend our way out of the recession", of course!).

Follow Up

2009-07-19T18:06:00.002+08:00

How could I have missed out on loading pics of these cutie pies up??

Poley bear, out to play

Strength in numbers...

Corporate Animals

2009-06-21T23:20:00.004+08:00

After 4 years in the company, I've finally lucked out and successfully balloted for the company's corporate zoo pass! Yippee! Must be my birthday luck rubbing off. A great start to the decade, that's what it is!

One of Ah Meng's successors doing a song and dance...

An old fogey of an orang utan, sitting sullenly in a corner, refusing to munch on his brekkie.

The lioness, relaxing on a hot and humid morning. Feeding's over, so nothing much else to look forward to all morning....*yawn*

Zebra crossing...the pen...HAR HAR.

A banana flower

At last! We've arrived at the white tiger exhibit! The very same place where a taunting keeper was mauled to death! These aren't the same white tigers though. Those, sadly, have had to be destroyed after tasting blood..

Ah Mao...enjoying a scratch in the afternoon, mid-nap. :)

Decade

2009-06-21T22:58:00.003+08:00

It's been the best of times, it's been the worst of times.

At the start of this decade, I was the prodigal daughter, ready to return from my escape from home via a stint overseas. In the past 10 years, I've bought (and sold) my first immovable property (spawning a hobby which has become a bit of an obsession), bought my first set of matching mugs (no more free mugs from petrol stations!), changed a career, lost both parents, re-prioritized my life, set up a roof over my head and surrounded myself with the things and people that matter to me. At many points in this journey, the scenery and cast have been changed many times.

I find myself ending the decade in a great place in life. Not bad for 10 years.

The sending off the end of the decade started at mid-day, with a dum briyani lunch at Tekka Market.

A walk through an exhibition after a nice nap in the afternoon in a cool dark room

Wrapping our minds around the abstract artistic expressions on display

And of course, what's a birthday without a cake send-off/welcome? My first candle-lit dinner, carefully planned and researched by Our Friend (albeit upon my instructions to do so). But much brownie points given, since thought was actually expended. My expectations have been exceeded! :)

Mother Nature's Many Gifts

2009-06-21T22:51:00.003+08:00

It's funny how I'm a little more observant when surrounded by nature now. It's not just about the panting and raised heart rate, and the burning off of calories. Occasionally, I stop in my tracks because something in nature has caught my eye.

Sometimes, it's a palm frond many times my own palm size.

And sometimes, it's a spectacular colouring of the sky at the end of a hot, hot day.

Labrador Park, June 2009

Day Out

2009-06-13T23:15:00.004+08:00

A precious weekend with no "obligations" or "set routine".

We slept in, travelled westwards for a long-forgotten dum briyani, hunted down a much-remembered Norwegian cheese, trawled through a retro secondhand store, ogled at an exhibition, then arrived at an early birthday celebratory dinner. An eventful Saturday, rounded off with a migraine (probably from too much sleep and missing my usual caffeine hit early in the morning!).
Hunting down an obscure little mission for Norwegian seamen, which had a little church sitting right on top of a hill.
Getting excited when we sighted the flags!
Ah, an anchor! Surely we must be at the right place!
Received a warm welcome from the surprised regulars, who probably rarely see any dark-haired visitors hanging around the vicinity. Heh heh. Success! We've finally acquired our half block of Brunost cheese! Now, let's hope it's worth all the "hype". :)

Lorgan's. Fondled a Flensted mobile, and pondered over its acquisition. Regretfully returned to shelf to allow further pondering on its purchase...
Decorations on a riverboat for the River Festival. Interesting, and a little bit creepy. :P
Arriving at the entrance to the exhibition - The Kangxi Emperor - Treasures from the Forbidden City. I've always been fascinated by history. This treasure trove went someways towards satisfying my curiosity and fascination.
Taking a break, killing some time, before heading off to dinner with J2. The atrium at Funan the IT Mall.
At the end of the night, after a satisfying dinner, shoo-ing out my 30s. One more week to go before it's truly over...

First

2009-06-07T16:51:00.004+08:00

Our first birthday celebration :)
Paella Valencia at The Tapas Tree
Tapas galore, and a tad too much sangria...*burp* Most enjoyable evening!

Dinos

2009-06-07T16:43:00.002+08:00

A dinosaur (Baryonyx, I think) in our midst! Moving and growling, it was rather more impressive than I'd thought it would have been. With the school holidays upon us, most public places were filled with activities to keep parents and their kids busy. This dino display next door really brought in the crowds.
Fossil dig for the kiddies. It was hilarious, watching them cluelessly sifting through the sand while the parents exhorted them to "dig your hands in and look here, darling! Pose!". Haha!

Run, Forest, Run!

2009-06-07T16:20:00.006+08:00

Thanks to the generosity of the Repatriating Expat, we are now in the running for "most obstructed corridor" and "breach of fire safety rules" unit contest in the block. After a full last LAST farewell dinner for the departing family, we managed to get our hands on some movers' trolleys and a van, and with some hard graft from the muscle men, all under the cloak of night, we have created a jungle right outside The Cave (getting more and more aptly named by the day).
The "delusions of grandeur" potted plant that used to welcome visitors (and me) to The Cave seems dwarfed by the new additions.

Even Len and Squig's got a new plant to frolic around, and new leaves to balance and sleep on at night! :)

Latest Karaoke Obsession

2009-06-05T10:25:00.001+08:00

Even found the Cantonese version!

HOURS of "hard work", singing along in the privacy of the Cave... :D

Honkers 09

2009-05-27T17:56:00.005+08:00

A long awaited break. I decided a familiar location would be the easiest route, seeing as Our Friend prefers to leave all the planning and control operations to me. Plus, the lure of easy availability of much shopping and eating could not be discounted...heh heh.
Old Hong Kong - Fa Yuen Street. We were in search of sports equipment amongst the grey, packed buildings.
New Hong Kong - en route to Hong Kong Station for our ride to the airport, for the flight home. Busy busy bee...The constant buzzing energy of Hong Kong.
The cityscape, with its edges blurred out by fog and rain. Pity about the constant bad weather there, but it also yielded us some good bargains. Vendors were far more amenable to price negotiation due to the lack of "hardy" (or gullible) tourists like us, out braving the weather!
Didn't get the chance to wander through all the "oldies but goodies" pre-loved (some of it, for decades or centuries) stuff in Cat Street. Shame. Perhaps it was just as well, since the luggage was packed to the brim, even with my excellent packing skills... :)

And now that Our Friend has discovered the many "wonders" of Hong Kong (chiefly, it's shopability), it ranks pretty high on the list of "Places to Visit Regularly".

Hai kum seen! Mm hai, mieh ah! :D

Botak!

2009-05-19T19:00:00.004+08:00

It's an absolute travesty! It started early this morning with sounds of electric saws busy at work. I came downstairs to see these workers, busy wielding their electric saws against the lush canopy of the trees at the carpark.
By the time I got home, a big portion of the lush canopy I used to look out onto from my kitchen window was gone! Aarrghh! My tree house is no more! More like, house amongst stilts!! BAH!!

I put in a call to the Town Council when I got into the office, to find out what their plans were, and they promised to get back to me by today. Of COURSE they didn't! (BAH) Said something about how some residents must've complained about birds and such, and therefore, they are "bollarding" (whatever. That was the term they used. Thought that was a noun for a little cement pillar-like structure, usually found at spots where they wish to prevent vehicles from entering. But what do I know??) the trees to prevent the birds from roosting or resting there. Huh?? Isn't that one of the purposes of trees?? Are we human beings supposed to have sole "reign" over trees, to the exclusion of other occupants of this planet??

BAH!!!

May Day, May Day

2009-05-08T17:32:00.004+08:00

In spite of all health warnings to avoid crowds under the "imminent pandemic" conditions, it being the long weekend, we plucked up our courage (and dug deep into our energy reserves), to join the masses in making the long trek from Bukit Timah Nature Reserve to MacRitchie Reservoir. It was a distance of more than 10 kms (somewhere 3/4-ways through, I was too damned wiped out to do the math), which was a killer in the heat and humidity of this tropical island.

We started off chirpy enough, jauntily walking down the path, swinging our bottles of water alongside us and chatting happily away.

We even took time to observe the little critters of nature. This was a giant spider, basking in the morning sun, surrounded by several little spiders (not all that little, up close and personal!), hence the shaky photo taken from a distance...

Like Hansel and Gretel's breadcrumbs, we followed the path marked out by these little posts with a red band.

Over mountains and hill(ock)s...and expressways...

Checking the map halfway through, to ensure we weren't headed to Mandai or somewhere COMPLETELY off the beaten track...

Came upon what appeared to be someone's sanctuary at one time, now abandoned. We wondered who had occupied this idyllic little piece of heaven, tucked away in the forests.

"Why did the tortoise cross the road?"

We startled this little one as we trekked noisily through the forest. I think it was a little stunned and petrified of these noisy giants trying to get up close with a phone camera...

Stopping for a breather, and proof that we DID trek all the way!

Two days after the walk, some folks were still suffering the effects in the form of sore leg muscles...heh heh.

AWAREness

2009-04-27T21:55:00.004+08:00

Everyone who knows me, knows well enough how little interest I pay to politics. Apathetic would be an understatement. Oddly enough, since I've become a citizen 8 years' back, I've had the privilege to cast my vote twice in the General Election. Some of you may not realize this, but that IS a real privilege on The Little Red Dot. Some citizens have lived to my age without ever having had this privilege.

Having said the above, it surprised even myself to know how much I have been riveted by the recent saga that had been unfolding at AWARE - a 26-year-old organization which is devoted to "promoting equal opportunities for women, so as to improve the quality of life of women in the Singapore" (mission taken from their website).

I'm moved to blog just this little bit of my opinion, chiefly because I can't help drawing parallels between this and what is currently playing out at the workplace - that the legitimacy of leadership rests on more than just procedural compliance. Without honour and integrity accompanying the process, there can be no respect.

Those who have no choice may do as they're told. But you'll never have their whole-hearted support. And why should this matter, you ask? Because you'll soon realize the weight one should accord to such terms as loyalty and support when the tide turns against you. As the new guards are now finding out.

And, it just seems odd to me for people to only want equality for SOME people. How soon before things descend into, "Four legs good, two legs better" territory? Where do you draw the line on that slippery slope?

Back on the Road

2009-04-25T22:56:00.004+08:00

Go, go! Go after the little piece of rock thrown into the canal!

Er...maybe not...one gives up and turns back...

It's been a while since I managed to get back to my morning rounds in the neighbourhood. We overslept again this morning, but managed to haul our asses out anyway. We were just having lots of fun, enjoying the wind in our hair and the fiesty Jack Russell's attention, when the bike Our Friend was on popped its tyres with a very loud crack. Sigh. This meant pushing our bikes all the way back to the old fashioned bicycle shop downstairs for repairs...Mr. Yellow Bicycle's time may be up. Time to move on...

On our way back, we bumped into... The Little Grasshopper, basking in the sun! Tsk, still frolicking and singing the day away... *Heeby-jeebies*

Culinary Adventures (Part Deux)

2009-04-25T22:40:00.004+08:00

The evening begins - Sexy Sangria and Paella Night at The Palate Sensations Culinary School! Ola!
Here we are, stirring the Valencian paella bubbling away on the stove after taking instructions from Chef Dean Fisher. Smells divine!
And while the paella's being cooked in the oven, we (finally get to) start on the sangria!
Finally! Busy hands are thirsty! Fill up those glasses!
Finally, at the end of the evening, we all sit round around the table to eat our fill of each other's efforts. It's funny how, even though we all had the same ingredients and the same teacher giving instructions, our paellas all came out tasting slightly different. It was an excellent night out with the girls. Much less hard graft than the baking class, and we got to eat and socialize with our "classmates" in the end. Must scour website for more fun! :)

No Gahmen

2009-04-22T14:19:00.000+08:00

With Boss on the road, it's "no gahmen" time! Scooted off work early, and took the chance to finally take the newly-inherited bike for a tour round the neighbourhood. It's lighter, steadier, and at least, the gears can be changed successfully...Haha. Took it for a long cycle, detouring off to a PCN offshoot, and took a shot of the sunset this evening along the canal. Times like these, I feel really lucky in life... :)

Felt a sudden craving for 'ABC' soup last night, so I bought the ingredients and hurriedly boiled up a huge pot just before yoga class. You think I overdid the quantity a little bit?? :P

Culinary Adventures II

2009-04-20T23:19:00.003+08:00

Part One of our Adventures at the Cooking School!

*chop chop* busy hands are roughly chopping up the nuts! Wait, where's the electric whisk??

Our carrot cakes are out of the oven! Smells heavenly! All that whisking by hand had better be worth it!

Carrot cake, decorated with icing made from scratch. More whisking by hand! Urgh! Topped with walnuts and lemon zest.

Our lao shi, Dean Fisher, all the way from Great Britain!

And more ganache topping for our chocolate cake! Yum yum! Slap it on liberally, girl!

Coming up, Sangria and Paella Night with the girls! *hic*

Eating Out Together

2009-04-20T22:22:00.002+08:00

It's been an endless spree of gatherings and eating out all month.
On a family lunch outing, pork chop at Aston's in Bedok. This place has been causing queues to form outside, for the good quality of western food served, hawker centre style. So now, the franchise is growing...growing... The pork chops were good. But Big D's were better. *burp*
Marmite pork chops on an outing with the girls and a guy. Cz' Zhar at Great World City. I'm not a fan of Marmite, but these were GOOD!
They're not actually hunched over food...these are the next generation after us. SM's recent trip to the Little Red Dot spelt more crowding round the dining table. This was one of those moments when we had a breather from all the binge-ing. The boys (and girl) were constantly on their little DS machines. The funny thing was how well they got along, when two of them spoke English, and one of them was well-versed in French...I guess blood IS thicker than water! Haha!
The little doll who charmed us all, until she started getting stroppy from the heat and kept wanting to lick everything she could get her hands on...including such tasty morsels as doorstops...

The Weird and Wonderful

2009-04-18T20:53:00.004+08:00

A colourful Moray Eel darting out from its hiding place in the rocks.

Jelly fish! Ghosts of the Deep...

...or Angels?

Davy-Jones!

Garden eels!

Some weeks back, since we were already "offsite", Our Friend and I did our bit to keep the tourism industry on the Little Red Dot alive by fighting our way through the thronging children at the Underwater World. Plastering our faces up against the glass aquariums separating us from the creatures inhabiting the deep blue, and gawking. Dipping our tentative hands into the water to touch the star fish and other swimming inhabitants of the "touching pool". Recoiling with fear and laughing nervously when the stingrays swam past and playfully splashed water at us for taunting them by waving our hands in their pool. It was all for fun, and fun for all.

The Underwater World is well worth a visit, even for (childish) adults. :)

Pot of "Gold"

2009-04-18T20:43:00.004+08:00

View from the front of The Cave, after a storm in the late afternoon (21st March 2009)

The Rainbow Connection

Written by Paul Williams and used by Kermit the Frog, of The Muppets, Jim Henson Productions

Why are there so many songs about rainbows
And what's on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,
And rainbows have nothing to hide.
So we've been told and some choose to believe it
I know they're wrong, wait and see.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that every wish would be heard and answered
when wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of that
and someone believed it,
and look what it's done so far.
What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing?
And what do we think we might see?
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
the lovers, the dreamers and me.

All of us under its spell,
we know that it's probably magic....

Have you been half asleep
and have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name.
Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?
The voice might be one and the same.
I've heard it too many times to ignore it.
It's something that I'm supposed to be.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
the lovers, the dreamers and me.

* you know to do the la-ing bit on your own... haha*

壩羅

2009-03-31T23:21:00.004+08:00

A wedding in this family means a good excuse for yet another knees' up. Time to catch up on the latest family goss, happenings, happy and sad events, and to tease the young ones who're bewildered by all the activity going on around them. :) This latest round, the venue was Ipoh. It was certain it would be worth the long drive up and down.

From one of the worst hospitality experiences we have ever had the misfortune of coming across, to being conscripted at the last minute for various errands related to the wedding, this trip had been marked by happy chaos all round. Even as events unfolded, we could still muster up laughter at the incredulity of it all. Our sense of humour reigned, together with our willingness to step up to the plate. Family.

Rising early on the morning of The Day, we were greeted with fantastic views of limestone mountains rising in tandem with the buildings of Ipoh city. The same mountains that gave the city its nickname, "Little Guilin". A well-deserved alternate moniker, it was like we were looking out at a scene from a Chinese ink painting.
After a long and tiring morning spent taking endless shots of those serving, and those who were served, tea (yours truly had enough seniority to be served, yet enough good fortune not to have to part with cash for it! Haha!), we needed nourishment. What's a trip to Ipoh without a taste of the famous Ipoh Kuey Teow?? And this, apparently, is the "best in the country". We shared table with an old couple, who educated us on the highlight of the chicken and prawn kuey teow in this place - it's in the soup. Fresh and delicious, with soft smooth kuey teow!

See proof...:)

On the last morning, before we packed up and made our way home, naturally, we needed to fill our stomachs one last time. Just "one for the road", you know... Unfortunately, the "second best curry mee" in Ipoh was WAY too crowded for our party of 11. So we settled for the "third best hakka mee" just two doors away. DBK, as usual, over-ordered, and we all over-ate. The YTF that came with the noodles was nothing spectacular, but the noodles were well coated with the tasty minced meat gravy. I had mine with a teh c, while the others had the "Ipoh White Kopi"-peng. A very satisfying meal. *burp*
Walking back to our cars, we came across pomelos - a specialty of Ipoh. Some came back lugging these as souvenirs. :)

All in, an exhausting but happy get-together this time. Can't wait for the next gathering...minus the chaos, please. :)

Sunset

2009-03-23T14:26:00.003+08:00

夕阳无限好，只是近黄昏

Sometimes, one is wont to spend too much time worrying about a future (good or bad) which may never arrive. One's sight is cast so far ahead, one misses whatever is before one's eyes. From young, the story of the little singing grasshopper and the hardworking ant is drilled into one's consciousness, leading to a fear, bordering on paranoia, of starvation should one let down just a moment's guard to enjoy the present.

For what would be the point of rueing the little paper wealth one manages to scrounge together in this life, when none of these are "transferable" to the hereafter? Would we only realize, too late, that the sunsets from our window have always been spectacular displays of fiery colours across the majestic skies, but we had been too busy dreaming about the bigger window to look out of?

Recent events are a timely reminder to re-align one's perspective with what one values in one's life.

只是近黄昏, 夕阳无限好

And sometimes, a touch of bitterness lends one the ability to truly appreciate the sweet parts of life.

Weekend Getaway

2009-03-16T22:13:00.003+08:00

It was one of the most fun I had ever had at a wedding! I guess it made all the difference that I was there for people whom I actually cared about.

I had a smile welling up all the way from my heart throughout the entire proceedings. I was THAT happy for the couple. For having found each other in the sea of searching singles out there, for persevering, for keeping an open mind, for overcoming doubts and differences in religion, race, and even values, to finally take that plunge to share a life together. I guess it's the romantic in me feeling all that LURVE is all around us...heh heh heh.

We took the opportunity to spend the night at the hotel. A little getaway from the main island. It turned out to be a most enjoyable break from the usual routine. For a change, we actually had to get up early enough for the free breakfast that came with the room! :P After checking out, we took the chance to play tourists and visited the Underwater World. Been meaning to pay a visit there for a long time, but somehow, just never got around to it. It was small and crowded with children on their school holidays, but we enjoyed the outing like we were school kids on an excursion, experimenting at the various stations, snapping photos and squealing away (well, I did anyway) when the stingrays swam by and splashed water at the naughty children taunting them at the water's edge (*hah*). Much fun was had all round. Pics of the outing another day, when I can get those photos out of W's camera. :D

Meanwhile, here's one of the peacocks which roam the island freely. Did you know they climb trees??

But the weekend ended too soon. 48 hours is too short for a weekend! Must conspire another break soon...I so need a break!

Storming!

2009-03-07T16:06:00.004+08:00

After an unusually dry spell in January this year, marking a 10-year historical low, the rains are back with a vengeance. It's been raining every day of late, long and hard! As I type this, it's absolutely pissing down outside, complete with lightning, thunder, and a howling wind. All windows have to be closed to barricade against the invading moisture, even the usually secure louvred windows in the back!

Thankfully, we had risen early this morning, and ran through a gamut of errands, including scoring a decent office chair at a secondhand place at a discount (for a slight defect to the chair), before the rains came. But plans for a brisk cycle in the early morning were scuttled as the rains came early. So, without having a chance to burn off all that cholesterol consumed during the week...

The last stop before heading back to The Cave was Flower South (Hoa Nam) Prawn Noodles at Tai Thong Crescent, to slurp up some delicious prawn/pork rib noodles for sustenance. *burp* Verdict : Better than 人人大虾面! Thumbs up!

On Friday night, we picked a safe comfortable favourite. A real hole-in-the-wall cosy little Japanese restaurant, serving grilled food. That's the BBQ-ed beef in the foreground, which we were trying out for the first time (very tender, but the fatty bits freaked me out). One of our favourites, the enoki mushrooms wrapped with strips of pork and grilled over an open fire, is in the background. Biting into the wrapped mushrooms, there is a burst of juice, with the fragrance of butter! Mmm...! Every single bit is freshly prepared in front of your eyes before the chef pops them onto the fire. Izakaya Tamako - thumbs up!

Let's see what sinful great food J2 introduces to us tonight...

I really gotta find a chance to go burn off some of all this good food that's being consumed endlessly. If not for beauty's sake, then at least, for health's sake. My cholesterol count is not exactly in the "optimal" range...darn it...I blame it on the faulty family genes... Besides, I need to try out the new expensive bike I have just recently inherited. :D

Culinary Adventures I

2009-03-04T20:41:00.003+08:00

I name this Part I because I seem to have embarked on a culinary adventure of late. Not helped by our friend not really taking any interest in being responsible for ensuring we are fed, so I've been spending a little more time and making a little more effort in this aspect of our lives.

Over the weekend, it was my turn to feed the family. I got the recipe (and the secret ingredient!) to dish up a big bowl of vongole with angel hair pasta. It went down well enough (though there were no rave reviews except from myself. Probably because I knew how low my competency level has been all along). Heh.

So this evening, with leftover chicken stock and wine sitting in the fridge, I was inspired to repeat the performance. Alas, the supermarket was not co-operative, and there were no clams to be had for the evening. So I changed tack, and went for prawns and oyster mushrooms instead.

*Burp* Mm, mm!! An excellent effort, if I may say so myself! *pat on back* The aroma of the mushrooms, wine, and chicken stock, wafting through the cave, was mouth-watering. The best part of all this was, it took less than half an hour to throw the whole thing together, including trimming the prawns' unwanted bits. The prawns rounded out the chicken stock, giving it a robust flavour, and the chilli gave it a real kick. A hit recipe, by my books! Now, I'm inspired to vary the recipe, and attempt a herbal prawn soupy thing. :) I can't believe I'm actually excited about cooking...

On a separate note, CMY decided we HAD to try the durian puree dessert in this shop along Liang Seah Street. Yes, she is a real durian freak. So she and M had her favourite, the durian puree with pomelo and mango bits. Whereas I was a little more "adventurous" and went for the double boiled milk with durian puree. It was basically durian puree "injected" into the soft and smooth double boiled milk dessert. Both of which were good, but really, shouldn't be eaten together for full enjoyment. :P

Akan datang - our Paella & Sangria Night, and Baking Tea Breads session will be coming up next month. Looking forward to getting pissed and pretending it was all in the name of picking up a new skill. Heh heh. :)

New Beginnings

2009-02-27T11:10:00.000+08:00

It seems Mother Nature knew a little about what had been weighing on my mind these days.

The leaves of this lovely lush tree that grows right outside my kitchen window, forming part of the greenery outside The Cave which sometimes makes me feel like I'm living in a tree house, had initially started turning reddish brown, and then falling off in clumps (much like my hair has been doing...). I started worrying that a horrible disease might have gotten a hold of it, and that I might lose part of this green canopy, and contemplated whether I should call in the NParks people to have a look at this public property that is so greatly appreciated and enjoyed. Yesterday, my concerns were soothed. Out with the old, and in with the new, with tender young shoots sprouting throughout. Nature's periodic renewal process is in progress. My tree house is intact. So's my life.

Accomplished

2009-02-24T21:25:00.004+08:00

It occurred to me recently that I no longer have the luxury of time. Time with which to pursue frivolous interests and hobbies. In a previous life, before I had embarked on my latest adventures, I had had all the time that was leftover after work and catching up with friends to explore whatever took my fancy. I'm not all that fantastic a multi-tasker. It's probably due more to the fact that I'm lazy, and if I don't have to, why would I want to juggle more than one thing at a time? I'm no energizer bunny, that's for sure!

Without the luxury of time, where would I have found the opportunity and energy to research, explore, visit, compile, surf, look up, borrow books on, inspect, discuss, spend HOURS doing calculations for (and generally indulge in) my obsession? Heck, I probably wouldn't even have had the time to develop such an obsession in the first place!

Without the luxury of time, where would I have found the opportunity and energy to get what was necessary for me to now enjoy Bella and Lulu?

Without the luxury of time, where would I have found the opportunity and energy to learn to what had fascinated me about art and its creation? The translation of what the eye sees, into what the mind perceives, into what the hand could express, onto canvas?

With the luxury of time, I had even worked up a "shopping list" of things to get around to eventually, before I checked out from this life. I have good reason to believe that, had I not been given the luxury of time due to the choices I had made in life, I would never have been as "accomplished" a person (as someone from Jane Austen's era would have put it) as I am now. As a student back in school, I had never had the opportunity to pick up such basic culinary skills as baking. In fact, it was only recently that I had ventured outside of the (easy) comfort zone of "stir-fry"and "braise" into "roast". In spite of the fact that I've never been a confectionary person, I've always been fascinated by others' ability to create a dessert from a bit of flour, cream, sugar, butter, chocolate, what have you. So, baking's on that list.

Having spent the past year idling and pursuing other goals, I was starting to wonder whether it was high time I got back to checking something off that list. Afterall, one never knows how much time one has before the bell rings to indicate closing time and it's time to head to the check-out counter. Trawling through various sites, most of which were too advanced/complicated/expensive/inconveniently scheduled or located, I was starting to become disheartened when I finally chanced upon this place. I scrolled through the various courses available and found one which promises to teach even aspiring newbies like me how to bake some "tea breads". Hmmm....

The Other Obsession

2009-02-23T22:43:00.006+08:00

Those who know me know well enough, know that my other obsession is criminal who-dunnit drama series/documentaries on TV/movies/books. So of course I had to click on this when I saw it...

*Chunk Chunk* :D

HortPark

2009-02-16T17:17:00.000+08:00

Having gotten a little sick and tired of the South Ridge Walk, M and I decided we'd check out the Kent Ridge Canopy Walk instead. It was a welcome break from the usual scenery, and we thoroughly appreciated the fact that we didn't hv to zig-zag our way around the crowds who've taken to the South Ridge Walk every Sunday.

On our way back, we passed the glasshouses of the HortPark, testing out various types of blooms (some of which were surprisingly huge). With the sun setting in the background of the glasshouses, we felt like we were trespassing on some rich guy's ultra-contemporary mansion, sited on a vast expanse of manicured lawns.

Waking this morning to a gloomy morning, this was the sight greeting me - a timid sun peeking out from behind an enormous cloud of dust particles that have been enshrouding the island for the past few days. It's been hot and muggy, even at night. Apparently, according to the NEA, we cannot lay the blame for this on the doorsteps of our nearby neighbour and their incessant burning of crop land. So WTH is happening?? Yet another sign of global warming/warning unheeded until it's too late??

Where Angels Fear to Tread

2009-02-16T16:43:00.002+08:00

Some fool's declaration of love via multi-coloured glow sticks carefully arranged on the ground under our block of flats. One was tempted to shout out the window, "I love you too!", just to see if anyone else would contest the claim to this declaration...:P

Refusing to have our wallets ripped right out of our pockets, we chose instead to eat a home-cooked meal of vegetables (such was the amount we whipped up, it qualified as the main course that night) with a side of well-done sirloin steak on the side. Well-done, because our friend insisted the germs needed to be annihilated before the slabs of beef could hit our plates.

Choya with sparkling water to wash all that down. *hic* Much merriment all round.

Last Lo Hei

2009-02-16T16:40:00.000+08:00

It's our last Lo Hei of the year. Dragging a couple of friends along for the ride, we Lo-ed our hearts out at The Chinese Box, hoping for good news some time before the next CNY rolls around. More importantly, we wished for things to go well in everyone's personal lives. For we all know, money can't buy you happiness. :)

Naturally, all that "healthy" vegetables had to be "balanced" out with chicken fried to a crisp.

Let this be the year we focus and make progress on aspects of our lives which had been neglected in the past, in favour of more tangible stuff we could see in the bank statements. With the full moon as witness, a crime of littering was committed by some near the sea. :)

The Way We Live Our Lives

2009-02-11T20:12:00.006+08:00

"When the end approaches and we look back on our lives, will we regret the mobile phone or luxury car that we did not acquire? Or would we prefer to die at peace with ourselves, knowing that we have lived lives filled with love, friendship and goodwill, that we have helped some of our fellow voyagers along the way and that we have tried our best to leave this world a slightly better place than how we found it?"

- Dr. Lee Wei Ling

A helping hand proffered. Maybe one day, when the same is needed, someone else would proffer theirs as quickly and without a second thought. And if the need never arises, then our lives would have been blessed.

This is a footprint I'd have no shame leaving behind.

一本万利

2009-02-03T14:34:00.000+08:00

The annual ritual to scare away whatever evil or ill-luck that is lurking about the offices and cubicles, and to ring in good fortune for the new year. Much more so this year than in the past.

If You Could Smell This...

2009-02-02T20:21:00.004+08:00

The Western world have their Campbell's soup. Convenience food in an iconic image made famous by Andy Warhol.
In the eastern world, we have finally caught up in this area of convenience food. Not just "soup in an instant", but TONIC soup in an instant. Spotted this new line of products a couple of weekends ago, and finally decided to try it out. After some deliberation over whether I should go for the "balance", "nourish", "revitalize" or "renewal" condensed tonic soup (all the goodness of various chinese herbs, distilled into a little glass bottle), I settled for "revitalize" (reckon one could always do with some "revitalizing"!), which contains American Ginseng (cooling. Always a good option). Mm, if you could only smell the fragrance of all the goodness of a chicken soup wafting through the Cave! *burp* Satisfying!

Intact

2009-02-02T12:11:00.000+08:00

New Year's resolution still intact. At the end of the walk along Labrador Park, which has been revamped and extended. We walked on, to the sounds of many good wishes being said as the members of the nearby club did their "lo hei-ing". Many folks toting big cameras were out in full force, capturing the brilliant end of the day. Naturally, I had to whip out my little SE C902. :D

At the End of the First ...

2009-01-27T16:23:00.005+08:00

..day of the Lunar Year.

A walk on the seafront, letting the wind whip our hair into a very unbecoming look, and soaking in the negative ions. *Happy as clams*

Fellow beachgoers, waiting for a spectacular sunset. Or maybe they were just waiting for a fish to chomp on the bait. :)

New decor near the reservoir, infusing the air with cheer, as we MOOve into the Year of the Ox. Hopefully, it'll will bring with it much less gloom than what we're told to expect. Gong Xi Fa Cai, y'all!

Happy 牛 Year!

2009-01-26T16:03:00.003+08:00

The family reunion dinner was done early, at V's home. We had the Hokkien favourite of steamboat (a phenomenon which has swept the nation in the name of convenience. Anything to avoid slaving over a hot stove for HOURS, cooking up a storm...). Naturally, we stuffed our faces, leaving no room for dessert whatsoever... No pics were taken as we were too busy stuffing our faces...Harhar.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, to usher in the (hopefully) Oxpicious year, we had a mini reunion dinner of our own. After googling various recipes and consulting several 师傅s near and far, et voila!

A rather decent effort, if I may say so myself! :D

Some were hoping for more luck in the "prosperity" aspect, and getting ready in all departments...

Sunday

2009-01-19T22:21:00.002+08:00

Ok, so we wasted part of the morning sleeping in...then we finally got off our asses and made our way to the Eastern tip of the island for a dose of dim sum. Yummers! Not the most delicately made dim sum I've had before, but better than quite a lot of the imposters out there. Worth recommending, if just for the steamed carrot cake!

A walk along the beach after the binge to burn off some calories. Maybe squinting into the bright sunshine burnt some calories too...*hopeful*
As part of our New Year's resolution to stay fit (and stave off the advancing years and its damaging effect on our being), M and I went back to our weekly walks, going back to the Southern Ridges Treetop Walk this week. On our way back, the setting sun's rays were peeking through the clouds, giving us an awe-inspiring moment right at the end of the walk. Perhaps that was Someone's idea of a reward for getting off our asses. :)

Down Under

2009-01-19T21:55:00.003+08:00

On the recent whirlwind tour Down Under recently, WC took me on a beach walk, from Bronte to Tamarama (@ "Glamarama"). The walk in the cool summery air at the end of the day, with other more serious joggers and walkers, against the breathtaking backdrop, was exhilarating. I now know why the Aussies spend so much time on the beach!
A view of The Gap, where people regularly leap off to their deaths. All very morbid (but fascinating, nonetheless :D).
The obligatory visit to Watson's Bay for the famous fish and chips, fighting tooth and nail with the gulls and pigeons who're hungry predators of what we were feasting on...
Our Lady of Sacred Hearts in Randwick. The church my parents got married in! What a walk down nostalgia lane!

Impressive

2009-01-15T22:59:00.002+08:00

Peirce

2009-01-07T11:14:00.000+08:00

It being the holidays towards the end of last year, we took the opportunity to visit an old friend after a long hiatus. Check out the ominous rainclouds blowing in just above the reservoir. Long-tailed macaques were the order of the day, providing endless photo ops for our first-time visitor.

A little shot of colour, overlooking lower Peirce.

After a long morning, we rewarded ourselves with some food from the nearby food centre. The vongole was as good as I remembered it to be. *burp* All in, a most satisfactory day out. :)

En route to our favourite Orchard Road eatery last night, we chanced upon a "bookfair" of sorts. Picked this up. 101 ways with pork belly! Geez! 2009 is going to be a busy culinary adventure for me! :P *busy clogging up the arteries*

Things I've Been Getting Up To (Pt 2)

2008-12-31T22:56:00.004+08:00

On Christmas Eve - Family dinner, featuring the roast pork rib specially prepared by a friend. Succulent!

Morning after - big breakfast to aid recovery!

For New Year's Eve, it's the Chinese-style roast pork, to go with the...

Ikan panggang specially "couriered" from Jakarta. YUM-my!

Reduced to a pile of bones! *Burp*

Things I've Been Getting Up To (Pt 1)

2008-12-31T19:06:00.004+08:00

The "salted egg yolk" colouring the sky at the end of a hot, hot day

Wesley's little fist, gripping my finger

Boxing Day - an excuse to deck up like a Christmas tree and head to town. Dinner at Tapas Tree, which was quite excellent (apart from the initial bad service). Well worth another visit! :)

Front row seats at the riverside

Haven't been to Clarke Quay in such a long time, I was surprised by the massive changes to it! It's all hip and happening now! Worth another visit. We walked through the happening crowd on our way out, gawking...

Lost and Found

2008-12-24T22:10:00.005+08:00

人人大虾面

I was dismayed when I discovered that my favourite prawn noodles stall had uprooted and moved to a new spot somewhere in Chinatown. And before I could visit their new location, they had uprooted to somewhere else again. One day, while driving to work, I noticed a familiar name along Jalan Besar Road. Lo and behold! My favourite prawn noodles shop has been found! Naturally, I had to drag the first crowd I could gather here, at the first available opportunity. Even if it meant having to create some excuse for it! :P

Alas, one's memory and reality appears to be two different things.

The soup stock was not as thick and tasty as I had remembered it to be. A case of memory enhancing the experience remembered? Or have they lost their touch? Still, it's a pretty decent bowl of prawn noodles (though I ordered the pork rib noodles instead). And now, I'll know where to find them.

Three Weddings and...

2008-12-24T21:52:00.005+08:00

At this age, one would expect to have exhausted the spate of weddings that one ought to have attended by this age. Afterall, most of one's friends are of the same age, and hence, ought to have held all their weddings (if any) by now.

Now, it's seems there's a second wind. And this second wind seems to have picked up speed quite suddenly. For the month of December 2008, I had three weddings to attend. Count 'em. THREE. Come 2009, there's one more wedding in January in Sydney, and two more weddings in March in Singapore and Malaysia. *kwa kwa* The interesting part of all this is, the bridal couples are mostly in my age group. We're not hitting that second group that comes with the generation gap, where younger cousins/friends/relatives/colleagues are all rushing to the altar.

The bright side of all this? I can finally dig up all those purchases in my wardrobe that were bought with, "In case there's a special occasion requiring me to wear such a dainty/delicate/dressy/ornate/formal outfit" and start amortizing their purchase prices down...

Ho, Ho, Ho!

2008-12-24T21:06:00.007+08:00

Jingle, jingle, jingle, jingle...As with last year, I did the Christmas dinner for the family this year, catering the food in from the same source which had received rave reviews last year (why fix something that ain't broken, eh?).

Was a little better planned this year, collecting the food in advance, with sufficient time to clean up, wash and set the table with all the nice crockery and cutlery I have in store, wine glasses that get an airing once a year (yes, it was exactly last December these glasses were last used), and even the nice coffee cups I've never used since I purchased them in a vintage store in Melbourne some years back!

Table's set. Candles are lit. Appropriate aroma scenting the air. Music from iPod plugged in and playing in background.

Food's heating up in the oven. All set for Christmas Dinner 2008!

Needless to say, the succulent pork ribs were a hit. They were as tasty as we remembered it to be.

Merry Christmas, to one and all! May 2009 be a year as full of blessings and happiness as 2008 had been.

"First of many more Christmases together."

Here's to more stories coming up.

P/s. I even got my act together to shop (and wrap) all the requisite Christmas pressies this year! Many gold stars for me! Yay!

Snack

2008-12-18T15:56:00.000+08:00

Dipping the duck-shaped cookie into my Milo at 3.30 in the afternoon. That plate of Hainanese pork chop rice didn't go very far... :D

A Beach Wedding

2008-12-09T00:10:00.003+08:00

For Mx's wedding, we jetted across the straits for a whirlwind weekend of activities. But not without some (quick) moments of indulgences. Such as, drying off in the sun after a quick dip in the pool. Ah, that's the life, isn't it? To be able to say that one has just landed and is off to the villa, with plans for a dip in one's private pool? :)

And of course, we scheduled a quick spot of shopping in Ubud. This little old lady kept telling me I was bankrupting her after I bargained her down to 1/5th the opening price for a hand-painted woven basket. Good deals were had all round, as I'm sure I paid WAY too much for that basket! Haha.

Colourful slippers on display, tempting gullible buyers like us.

The little fountain leading to the wedding venue was most idyllic, with...

...the sunset as a backdrop to the exchange of vows. It's the first beach wedding I've attended in my life. Though romantic in every aspect, I think I'm far to pragmatic a person to not keep thinking, "Might have been better if the wind wasn't around to whip the bride's veil all over the place, almost strangling her", or "Those flower petals strewn oh-so-casually about are going to wilt in no time in this heat". So much for the romance of it all...like pearls at swine...HARHAR.

Afternoon Tea

2008-12-01T10:15:00.000+08:00

After a thirsty but satisfying noon spent trawling through the wares at the Toyogo warehouse, we decided a long cool drink was in order, and headed to Colbar for a short getaway from the realities of the world. Don't order the mushrooms on toast the next time you're there. Waste of time.

But the Kickapoo was nice and cold. :)

Jingle Bell

2008-11-24T00:22:00.004+08:00

The X'mas twigs have been decorated, and I'm feeling exceedingly festive this year. *Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?* Hmm, what will this year's Christmas season bring? Parties, gatherings, food, friends, song, much merry-making? *ponder ponder*

Old Dog, New Tricks

2008-11-23T23:54:00.004+08:00

Pan cakes - check.

Mashing the bananas - check.

Whisking in the flour - check.

Pouring the mixture into the loaf tin - check.

Banana bread - check.

Someone is teaching this old dog some new tricks. :)

Funnies

2008-11-23T23:30:00.001+08:00