Woof!

I was besieged by a Wire-Haired Jack Russell, a West Highland Terrier and a Beagle on Sunday night. Respectively named Twinkle, Knut and Gini.

Was over at K’s sister’s place that night for dinner. Ordered Pasta Mania and it turned out rather nice. Perchance it was because I was hungry too haha. The pizza was lacklustre though. But anyway, the main point here is about the dogs.

It was Twinkle's the Jack Russell's birthday! And there was a mini cake to celebrate for her... haha. It was devoured in less than a minute by all 3 doggies, with Gini being the biggest winner of the night with loads of cake in her belly as prize.

I love Gini!! She's the beagle. Huge mournful eyes, large floppy ears, smooth fur and a lovely long tail! But she’s got an over-zealous tongue. She was overly-intent on slobbering all over my face. I literally had to fend her off by holding her back an arm’s length. Haah…

The first time I met her, she was cowering in a corner. Too scared and too shy to come out from her hiding place under the TV. This time round, she’s grown a little older (though still less than a year old), a little wiser and a lot less shy. She spent quite sometime licking my toes too…Wonder what’s so interesting about my toes hmm mm….

Knut spent some time at my feet too. Sprawled there whilst I terrorized his ears. I love ears…don’t know why haha…

Twinkle was more bochup. But she loves to play with her toys. She'd bring you the tennis ball, drop it at your feet and wait for you to throw it away. She'd chase valiantly after it and bring it back to you and the process starts all over again. I was scratched by her at a point in time. She got too excited when I hid one of her toys beneath my feet...okok, dumb I know.

Anyhow. Till the next I meet them again..:)
One thing though. I don't really relish the tons of dog fur which clings to your clothes after a night with them. ;p

Another lovely version.

Canon in D - Rock Version

I'm on a roll...
Been listening to all versions of Pachelbel's Canon in D.

This here is a rock version which I absolutley heart haha.
Done by a Taiwanese rocker by the name of Jerry Chang.

Dreamology

I have been dreaming an awful lot over the last couple of days. Since last Wednesday.
The only day I've not dreamed was on Sunday night.

It's giving me the creeps. Because in two of the dreams, it was about running and escaping.
In two of the dreams I've seen terrorists. And the colour red has appeard in at least 3-4 of those dreams...

Hmm mm....

Avoir Besoin De....

J'ai besoin de sommeil et le temp.

Et un direction?

Robert Miles - Canon in D (Remix)

WOOHOO!!!
Friday's are meant for dance music!!!

ADRENALIN!!! Me heart!!!
Totally dig this feeling...makes my work much more productive hahahah :p :p :p

Korean Hip Hop

If you see me blogging, means my mind can't think of work anymore hahah...and I'm trying to take a break.

This here is an interesting vid. An adaptation of "Pachelbel's Canon in D Minor".
Traditional guzheng, hip hop dance moves, beatbox, turntables...
Abit disjointed at times. But still makes for an interesting watch.
Esp the cool dance moves.

A dream which makes no sense...

A dream which was well..…Surreal, strange and downright bizzare.
Had it last night...

=======
I was in Suntec, with Ashley, Charles and of course K. I think Marcus was in the background somewhere but I couldn’t see him. Was walking along and I was staring at the shop windows when Ashley pulled me along. I suddenly realised that Charles & K were running ahead of us and everyone else was running.

Then *poof*. We were in an underground carpark. Apparently, we had to take refuge there alongside dozens of others because a riot was about to take place upstairs. We saw contingents of policemen, riot police to be exact, starting their march from the basement carpark to go upstairs.

Only thing was, they were mainly Indians, heavily moustached and dressed in khaki uniforms. Short-sleeve shirts and shorts, with brown boots. Some were in red berets, others in green berets.

I was huddled with Ashley. Chales & K were somewhere in the crowd. I couldn’t see them but I knew they were somewhere around. Then 2 make Caucasians started quarrelling. Something about one of the men accidentally pushing the other guy’s lady. They were challenging each other to a fight.

But the next thing I knew, instead of fighting, they were singing rock songs and “air-jamming” to try to out-do each other. (Yah, I know…cheesy dream).

Then *poof* again. I was still with Ashley. Charles & K were somewhere in the background as hazy figures. We were overseas, seemed like a resort somewhere in a Khmer country. Could have been Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia or around that area.

She had a big chunky red digicam and wanted to take a pic with a lorry. (Why a lorry I don’t know). I was supposed to take the pic for her. While I was aiming for the pic, K jumped into the frame and all I took was him and the lorry head.

And then I saw Kaemin (an old sec sch classmate whom I've not seen for years) holding a bunch of grapes and walking next to me.

And then voila, the dream ended…
*scratch head*

Brrrading....Blading..

• Hmm..it sorta sucks when you realise you've spent $$ on lessons trying to learn how to do a T-stop and you still can't do it for nuts now.
• It sorta sucks too when you're a slowpoke and can't even overtake a jogger...$#%^$&^%
• It's a little embarrassing when you're chor lor and blade with your legs going everywhere and anywhere
• It's irritating when you've got a bad habit (kickbacks) which you somehow can't get rid of haha..
• But it feels good to blade with the seabreeze blowing at you...
• And it feels nice to be able to blade with your other half
• You feel good and alive when you've worked up a sweat and realise your legs ache after the blading session
• And you feel you've done yourself justice that at least you've tried and didn't give up

*sniff*

I miss K. Alot.

I don't know why but I seem to have withdrawal symptoms today hahaha.

Stomach Spoil

Great. Stomach spoil time.

For those who know me. I get into this every once in awhile. It's here again...zzz.

Feeling bloated. Slightly nauseous.

Maybe too much food over last Thursday, Friday, Saturday? Hmm mm. Too much oil and carbo.

Had macaroni for lunch and fish porridge for dinner yesterday.

I'm very inclined to take macaroni for lunch again later. Need soup and something light.

Else I'll barf.

Me, myself and I

I’ve let slip. And allowed my insecurities to get the better of me.

Every now and then, I get into a self-bashing mode. Major or minor and how often, it depends.
I remember it used to be very frequent back when I was in uni. It got better over the last 2-3 years and I’ve curbed it a lot.

But over the last one week plus or so, I’ve let slip again. And somehow wandered into a hole where I wasn’t feeling too good about myself. It all started with me feeling emo and letting myself spiral down from there.

Tsk. Need to get a grip. I can’t be wallowing like a sick meowing kitty.
Crawling out slowly. But surely. :) Will be back with a vengeance.

Wondergirls - Nobody

Celia sent me this to perk up my Friday.
And it did, in its own little way haha..:)

Enjoy the vid! Quite comical in certain areas.

Kym & XL

I'm happy for Kym & XL...:)
The first baby within our closer clique will pop into this world sometime in early December! :) :) :)

I felt happy for Rohlin & YS when I found out about them having a baby due in Sept.
I somehow feel even happier for Kym & XL hahaa...

It's always nice to grow up with a bunch of people and seeing them about to become parents themselves now just feels like a big momentous milestone. I don't know it's almost like as if having a kid marks a huge transition into another stage in life.

Anyway, they've always been good with each other. I'm sure Kym will make a great Dad. XL will be a good mum too...though she might be abit blur at times hahaha...;p

Of Sponges

We were talking the other day about how a colleague erroneously used the word “shrivelled” to describe me. K made a joke about me being like a shrivelled sponge needing to be soaked in water again before becoming more filled out again.

Me: I don’t want to be a sponge!
K: But if I’m SpongeBob, then you have to be Mrs SpongeBob!
Me: Hmm. Actually, what’s the female equivalent of “Bob”?
K: Bob is actually the short form for “Robert”
Me: Roberta? Hmm, Mrs SpongeBoba?
K: No dear!!! I know already! You can be Mrs SpongeBoob!
Me: .................
K: Hehehehe

730

I'm happy for K. He called me a few minutes ago.
He's gotten a very good score for his GMAT! :) :) :)

Applications for Masters underway!
Go Baby!

pensee

Thoughts.
Ebbing.
Flowing.
Thoughts.
Jumbled.
Distorted.
Thoughts.
Floating.
Clouding.
Thoughts.
Everything.
Nothing.
Thoughts.
Permeating.
Meandering.
Thoughts.

snippets

Extremely emo week last week, especially towards the end of the week.
Woke this morning feeling emo again.

Hope this week'll be less emo.

I hate it when I get this way. Because I cannot concentrate on things. And then I get frustrated.
And then all the more I cannot concentrate and then I get more frustrated and you get the drift.....

==========
Caught "Sing Dollar: The Musical Comedy About Money" on Friday night with K, Dan & YL.
Any Dream Academy musical with Selena Tan at the helm has not let me down yet.

Sing Dollar didn't as well. I laughed so much during the 2.5hours I felt light-headed like a giggly schoolgirl.
The set was done up quite well in a witty manner. The performances by most of the cast were good. And Singaporeans definitely could relate to the show.

I was wondering what the ang mohs who attended the musical thought of it. Was wondering too if they could understand some of the colloquial language used, the local jokes given, and the tons of dialects used ha.

=========
Watched "Public Enemies" on Saturday night with K.
Anything with Johnny Depp in it will not fail.

The show was good. The soundtrack was good. Johnny Depp was good.

Enough said. :)

=========
Went blading yesterday afternoon. And started the session with a grand slam.
Lol, there was a slope before the tracks. K went down it first and sorta landed on his bum on the grass patch next to the slope...
And when I went down it later, he was waiting at the bottom of the slope trying to catch me...I slammed into him and both of us went down to the ground haha....

Interesting way to start the blading session hha...;p

I think we hit 11-12km in all...
I was a slowpoke though and K had to slow down so I could keep up...

Whose Line Is It Anyway? Michael Jackson Impressions

I absolutely love these guys hahaha...such talent and humour.
I spent the last 10mins laughing away at my desk.
Silently of course *sneaks a quick look around*
*ahem* Heng it's a Friday. haahhahha

Enjoy the vid!

Dino-bee

As you can tell. Friday's aren't exactly very productive days hahaha...

Came across this pic while surfing the net.

Ain't exactly anything particularly interesting. I just like the colours on the dino. ;p

And the fact that it's a cross-breed between a bee and a dino. Hehe..

Musings

It's a cheerier morning today.
By the simple fact that it's Friday.
By the simple fact that I had an hour's more sleep than the previous night.
And by the simple fact that I had a ham sandwich with 12-grain bread for breakfast.

Lovely.

Hope to be able to go for a run tomorrow morning.
And then settle French homework before setting off for Gran's place and then to class and then back home for family dinner and then out again for a movie.

Il est tres long temps que mes samedis sont libre...Il y a au moins deux annees et plus?
Il est un peu fatiguee quelquefois mais je pense qu'il est "worth it".

Animal Zodiac

So which animal sign are you?

I love how the chicky...opps...I mean the rooster looks like here. ;p

The monkey looks sadly like a jaundiced mouse though. :(

'Nuff Said

Je n'aime pas le matin

I feel unladylike today.

Couldn’t wake in the morning. Grabbed an old pair of pants and an off shoulder black top. Am in total black today again. The handbag doesn’t match the outfit but oh well.
Seriously, I’d much rather be in jeans, flipflops and a T-shirt or tank top everyday.

Hope I’ll be awake for the 4pm meeting later on.

Zoning…I mean…Signing out.
More Zee Avi, The Verve and emo songs for me today perhaps.

See Me No Up

5 of us went out for lunch today. We were having a conversation during the kopi session after lunch, talking about whipping and lashes. HC was talking about lashing Kelvin with a Valentino belt. And so I added my little input to the exchange.

Me: Eh, Kelvin, not bad what! Then your weals will be branded weals leh…
Kel & the rest at the table: Huh? What? “Wheels”?
Me: No lah. Weals as in W-E-A-L-S.
The rest: There’s no such word lah. Dumbo. It should be “welts”.
Me: No, there IS such a word!! You guys don’t believe me!! There’s really such a word!! *pout*
The rest: Hmm mm…*unconvinced faces*

Minutes later…on the way back to office.

Kel: *Fiddling with his IPhone”
Kel: Eh guys, there’s really such a word leh. I just checked the dictionary. So she’s right.
Me: YAH LAH!!! Then all of you didn’t believe me!!! See me no up!
Me: *wails*
Me: Although my level of English is not extremely high, and I speak Singlish, but it’s still considered quite good ok!
The rest: Orh ya yah..okok. *Continues with their other conversations*
Me: .......*sulks*.........

幸福小女人

I’m a 幸福小女人. :)
Went over to K’s place yesterday evening after work. And dinner was prepared by him already. And what was on the menu? Yum Yum.

Beef Steak seasoned with sea salt and herbs
Mashed Potatoes with salted butter, Italian herbs and pepper
Salad with Italian dressing

Every now and then, it sure feels good to not be the one who is doing the cooking. Hahaa. ;p

And to give credit to my dear Mr K...
Hehe, here's a pic of his thumb. With a big blister on it.
Gotten from mashing the potatoes too vigorously.
Orh lalalalala...sayang you ok...:)

Even Singa is Down With Flu???

Gosh. I didn't know they made masks for Singa the courtesy lion too!
Saw this at the Suntec foodcourt and laughed my head off.

Life

This was taken in November 2008.
Moody moody period for me. Lots of things were going on then.
It's interesting how your mood affects what pictures you take. :)
This was along the Singapore River.

I was waiting for Daniel & YL to arrive at Timbre, Empress Place.

They were rather late and I took a stroll by myself along the river.

Soon enough I found myself a nice corner under a shady tree and just sat there.

A slight breeze was blowing and I felt rather alone then.

Dusk came.

I thought the landscape to be extremely pretty and I took this picture.

Pity it was with my mobile.

A digicam would have captured the colour nuances much much better.

Eight of Spades

This was taken awhile back.

More than 6 months ago, on the 2nd last day of 2008.

At a time when I wasn't feeling good about things.

I remember it was a dreary morning, when I was waiting for my bus to arrive.

I noticed a little poker card. It was left stranded on the roadside.

Sitting atop the yellow line bordering the side of the road.

It looked like it felt darn lonely to be there. And so I took a pic of it.

Eight of Spades.

I thought it to be a nice omen cos there was a nice ring to it.

s-t-r-e-t-c-h

I think I need to do more stretching again.
I've stopped for about two months and for the last 2-3 sessions of jogs I had, the back of my right knee would ache. :(

The ache travelled all the way to my right ankle yesterday. Bleah.

Ok, time to start stretches at home again..

Younglings

I’ve been conducting several interviews yesterday and today to look for someone to replace my current admin staff who’s leaving to further her studies.

Looking at the young fresh-faced girls and speaking to them, I thought of how much I was like them all those years ago. 22, 23 years of age. Some only 19 or 20. Fresh out of school, hesitant, raw, eager to please and just ready to accept any job coming their way, whether perm or temp. Some of them are good, and speak well and confidently enough. Some are still very much in their shells. Others were nice girls but lacked any punch.

For those whom we have not short-listed, I truly wish them the best of luck on their forays into the working world….where monsters lurk in hidden nooks and serpents hiss in other crannies…;p
And I hope these younglings will cross paths with worthy mentors who will guide and teach them well on their way forward.

In time to come, they will be like me. Looking at interviewees and thinking about the time when they were once too young eager beavers.

Another Something to Brighten Our Tuesday

After Dinner Activities

It was after dinner. And there we were. The two of us.
Seated on my bed and staring into space.

Brows knitted in concentration and furrowed with effort.
You could almost see droplets of sweat dribbling down our temples.

There was total silence. Except for the low humming from my air-con.
There was no movement. Except for the constant gnawing of our jaws.

We were on a mission.
A quest.

To knot cherry stems with our tongues. :)

Just Something To Brighten Our Monday

Good Weekend

It was a good fulfilling weekend.

Friday Night
Dinner with the Duckie ladies. And for once in a very long long time, we had full attendance. Actually, not only full attendance, we had partners in attendance as well. :)

K was there and the poor lad had to undergo a grilling session by the ladies & Sasi.
How did you guys know each other? Since when did things start? How did things start? Yada yada…;p

Loads of laughter, loads of stories and loads of round-table updates yet again.
Next gathering is scheduled to be in September perhaps. :)

Saturday
Stewed chicken soup, mustard leaf fried with dried scallops, steamed fish.
Simple lovely dinner and wonderful company makes for a great evening…:)

Sunday
SHAPE run! :)

I waited for a year for the run to arrive and it’s gone in a jiffy. Completed the 5km and it felt good to be able to do it. A year ago, I’d only have managed to run 10% of it? Hahahahaha…

Am wondering if I should try the 10km SCM at the end of this year…5 more months to go. Hmm.
Timeline abit tight to try to train myself for it. haha..

Had a nice light macaroni lunch at K’s place before heading out to watch Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. The show was good at times. But extremely slow-moving and a little draggy at times. Butt and shoulders were aching at the end of the show haha.

Dinner was at The Garden Slug (Telok Kurau Lorong L, Bright Centre). I’m in love with that place. Everytime we’re there, 95% of the stuff we order turns out excellent. :)
Cosy, quiet, idyllic and nicely tucked away from the hustle and bustle of town.
Many many thumbs up.

More Jai Ho!!

I realised something strange.

Haha. Jai Ho in the original version motivates me to work!!

Lol, I was looping the song over and over again yesterday. And it gave me the much-needed boost to work work work.

:)

More Jai Ho for today! Woot!

Chords, Trebles, Rhythms

It always feels great to start the day with good songs.

Glenn, Vernetta and the Flying Dutchman consistently churn out good stuff on Class 95's Morning Express. I love them for that hahaa..
These 2 songs were the first 2 songs I heard this morning.
Have I mentioned before I rather like UK singers? Enjoy.

Music maketh moods :)

Valerie - Amy Winehouse


Go West - Pet Shop Boys
Classic classic song from 1993.

Jai Ho - Pussycat Dolls

This was the first song I heard this morning. The Pussycat Dolls version.
A pity I couldn’t get the official video for this.

Great song to get you grooving for the day ahead.
I spent 3-4 minutes just dancing in the room and feeling great about it. :)



Here's the original version from Slumdog Milionaire.

Me no heart mornings

I’ve all along known I’m not a morning person.

But I never realized I was that much not a morning person till I….

Slapped eye cream on my cheeks this morning.

And oh yes.

I put my spectacle case into my bag this morning.

Without my specs inside.

Ugh.

I hate mornings.

Someone You Used To Know - Zee Avi

As a follow-up to the vid posted yesterday.

Interesting to see it from the other viewpoint.
Songs are usually about the person who was dumped.
This song is about the person doing the dumping. i.e the dumper and not the dumpee.

Enjoy the lyrics. I like the mellowness of it all...:)

==========
Someone You Used To Know - Zee Avi

It was helpless anyway
There's nothing much we could do or say
Darling don't you think it's a shame?
That it had to end this way

So here's to say goodbye,
Olove is lost, and we cant figure why
Maybe it really is about time
That we finally made up our minds

So Darling, here's to you
I hope that when you find someone new
That she would always be true to you
To love and understand you

Soon you'll build new memories
Then slowly you'd forget about me
Then i would slowly be
A distant memory

Soon i'll just be
That someone you used to know
But darling you will thank me
For letting you go
Time is not for wasting
I hope you'll find your intended
But i'm sorry that your intended isn't me

It's not an easy thing
To shake off our history
I know that's what you want from me
But they will always stay with me

I admit i made mistakes
But darling with you it's just the same
If we stay there will be more to make
I dont know how much more we can take

Darling, it would be unfair
To stay with something no longer there
But it doesn't mean i no longer care
But i'd feel like a burden you can't bear

No Christmas for Me - Zee Avi

What can I say...I like this girl. I'm on a Zee Avi rampage now...
Enjoy this one. Mellow and soothing.

Suddenly wish I could sing and strum like her. :)

Someone You Used To Know - Zee Avi

This is by the same singer who sang Bitter Heart.
Lovely airy vocals...Lovely slow tune...Lovely guitar accompaniement...
I am very partial towards emo, angsty or jazzy songs...'nuff said.

I need a hug now...

I want I want I want...more time

There are many things I want to do in Singapore...

• blade at ECP
• explore tanjong chek jawa
• visit changi boardwalk
• run at ECP
• indoor-climbing
• visit all the museums
• visit all the Nature Parks
• visit all the beaches
• kayaking
• search for the best and nicest place to watch the sun set
• explore the Arab Street area
• explore the Katong/Joo Chiat area
• and the list goes on and on and on...

Oh...I hope I make good on some of these things...

Granny Updates

She's out of CGH. Back to the nursing home.
With a permanent catheter in her.
And more bags of medication. New pills on top of the old ones she's already taking everyday.

No strength to walk on her own now.
At least, we need not worry about her getting up and about on her own and risking a fall.

Hope the nurses over at Econ takes good care of her.

So far, no mention of extra monthly fees by the home director.
But given the amount of extra care needed for Gran now, I won't be surprised if the director pulls us in for a re-negotiation soon.

Friendships

Sometimes, you wonder if it pays to be the proactive one who organises gatherings and all.

There are groups of friends whom you know will appreciate it definitely.

Then there are others who don't seem to appreciate it and take things for granted.
Or those who assume it should be you doing it since you've been doing it all this while.

Sometimes, you wonder if it's worthwhile to go through the hassle.

Perhaps it's time to stop trying. And just focus your efforts on those who matter and those who appreciate.

Hmm.

Countdown

Voila.

One more day to go.

And then I'll be in Phnom Penh.

Visiting temples, ancient shrines, the Killing Fields, the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, the Cambodian National Museum, the Royal Palace, Sisowath Quay, Oudong, Russian Market, Central Market, etc...

Woot woot! :) :) :)

Neck-breaking?

I was doing warm-downs at my void deck. Pacing around one of the tables there.
Was leaning against it for support when I noticed that the table surface was bare, save for 2 lines of scribbles in black ink.

I walked round the table to read it.

"You break your neck trying to keep your chin up"

Hahahha, it was definitely amusing.

*pant pant*

Just got back from a run.
Did good today...3.5km at a very slow but relatively steady pace.

Only thing is that the back of my right knee is sorta aching now. Couldn't walk with my full weight on it hmm. It's happened once before already...hope its nothing serious. Hmm.

En route to SHAPE run.. haha.
I won't be able to finish 5km at one shot...but oh well...I'll do better the next time round ;p
At least I've fulfilled one of my targets for this year...:)

Or rather, I've been wanting to do it since a year ago!

19th July 2009.
Akan datang. :) :) :)

p/s: michelle running. who would have thought? heeee....

Hooked On

• Fish
• Coldplay's "Viva La Vida". I've heard the song at least 7 times since this morning.
• My mum's cooking
• K
• Day-dreaming
• Doing any other thing except working
• My bed
• HL Milk
• The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony". Heard this at least 4 times since this morning.
• Lily Allen's "The Fear" Heard this maybe 4 times as well since this morning??

Hmm.
Am getting to be a bore. I can't write interesting stuff anymore. Lol.

Hmm.

Hmm. No good.

Don't really feel excited going to work.
A dull dread looms each night before I sleep.
And I suspect I don't want to sleep early because when I open my eyes, I'll need to get my butt to office.

Hmm.

But the $$'s good though.
Am I just working for the $$ and the other perks?
Sounds a little pathetic but I'm beginning to believe it might be the case.

Hmm. No good.

Gnocchi Gnocchi

K & I made potato gnocchi for dinner last night.
With clam chowder as the accompanying sauce.

A little bland but still a good first effort...:)

For those wondering what the hell gnocchi is, check out this link..haha..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnocchi

Cheers to more cooking and more experiments!

Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Fantastic song to start the day with.
Heard it on Class 95's Morning Express and it's ringing in my head till now.
One of those songs which will still be an absolute favourite 20 years down the road.

I heart, I heart!!

Coincidences, Surprises, Life Ahead

Life is all about coincidences and surprises ain’t it?

When you close your eyes for a second, something uncanny clicks into place.

When you least expect it, things happen.

When you round the corner, something greets you there.

When you open the box, something pops up in your face.

When you pull out the drawer, yet more things unfurl.

As Mr Gump puts it, "Life is like a box of chocs, you never know what you're gonna get."

I wonder what life brings for me tomorrow and the day after and the day after the day after and yada yada…. :)

More Musings

Taking a 10min break from work.
=============

Can't help but notice how many of my peers have become parents or are en route to becoming parents.

I take a look at my facebook and MSN and it's evident.
Avatar pics are now thumbnail photos of their newborns or of their little toddlers.

And then I start to wonder.
About myself. About whatever "shelf life" people seem to have imposed on me. About how nowalso I seem to be slowly wondering about my own shelf life too (and those of my eggs haha ;p).

And also, about how I'd be as a mum. How I'd bring up my kid(s). How I'd influence them and shape their lives.

I don't know how I'd be as a mum. Hmm.

My guess is, I'd know how to care for their physiological needs more than adequately enough.
In terms of emotional needs, hmmm...I don't really know how I'd fare in that department...

Way to go Girl~!

I just received a piece of news from an ex-colleague which warrants me to go online to blog a small entry. ;p

She is moving on to a new endeavour!

Leaving LHUB after so many years is no small feat.
But I'm happy for you babe that you finally took the first step...:)

The going might be tough initially, but wahey, you're young, you're dandy!
You'll never know till you try and I'm glad you're giving things a shot!

Jiayou yah....and pls, KEEP IN TOUCH! hahaaahha

*hugs*

p/s: you know who you are hahha....

morning musings

It wasn't exactly a good day yesterday.

Hope today will be better.

========
It's official.

The first half of the year is over.

We're in the second half of the year already.

Supposed to be a good year for Monkeys.

If I were to take stock now.

Life hasn't exactly been all rosy this year but I shan't complain too much perhaps.

Wonderful things have happened amidst various sprinklings of not so good stuff.

Hope things get cheerier and perkier as the year moves forward...

I've been a little pensive these few days.

A little emotional, a little sentimental, a little distracted.

Oh darn, it's too early in the day to be feeling like this again.

Ok, logging off.

I need to. w-o-r-k.

Granny

When you have a gran who's 93 and has a whole host of health problems.
When you have a father and an aunt.
When you have a situation where the nursing home might start charging exorbitant rates.

When you have a gran who's 93 and whose major organs are failing.
When you have a strained relationship between mother and gran.
When you have a frustrated father who is aging himself.

I forsee more family discussion sessions.
I forsee more dollars and cents flowing out of my pockets.

Cleaning & Cleansing

I initially intended to clear just two shelves of my cupboard.
I ended up cleaning all 4 shelves of it.
And discarding about a trashbag worth of stuff from it.

There was another small bag of stuff which my mum salvaged, saying either she or my dasao might be able to find a use for the things.

So well, it was probably just a shift of junk and gunk from my room to her room and/or over to my brother's flat in Pasir Ris.

Sensing I was in the right mood and frame of mind, my mum jumped on the bandwagon and dredged out 5 bags worth of soft toys to see which ones I wanted to keep and which ones I wanted to throw and still, which others I wanted to donate to the Salvation Army.

It was sort of an emotional afternoon.
Going through stuff which I'd long forgotten about. Remembering things associated with each item, be it good or bad memories.

Remembering who gave me what and for which occassion. Discovering things long forgotten.

I came across my autograph books from secondary school and JC days.
I came across old photographs from 15, 16 years ago.

I saw photos of me, Ally & PQ fighting with each other in a chalet room. I saw pics of Parwin, Hidayah, Gurmit, Yazid...TH, Poh Chuan...

I came across old art drawings I did when I was in Sec 1.
I came across batik cloths I made when I was in Sec 2.

Gosh, it's times like this when you think to yourself "Shit, you mean that much time has passed us by??"

Then there were other things which had a certain amount of sentimental value to it but to which I just closed my eyes to and threw away. Sometimes, I guess there's no point holding onto various things in the past. What matters most is the present ain't it?

Sure one might argue that the present was built on the past but oh well, concentrate on the present and your future will be built upon it.

There were loads of soft toys.

Hello Kitty collectibles from the days when MacDonald's was giving it away. I think that was at least 9-10 years ago?

Still wrapped in the see-through plastic bag. There was a pair dressed in Korean traditional costumes. I kept those. And there was another pair dressed in Western clothes. Kept those too.

Hehe, collectibles leh. I almost threw them away actually. My mum asked me to keep them. Lol.

Then there was a racoon with a squeaky tail from a suitor when I was in P6. Some birthday toys from secondary school. And tons of other toys from my stay in SGH in 2005.

I wanted to give away quite a number of them to the Salvation Army.
Interestingly, my mum couldn't bear to. She said they were rather cute and were still very new.

Oh well, so back into the top of cupboard they went.

The irony of it all. She's alway the one who wants me to throw throw throw.

Phase 1 is over.
There's still at least 6 phases more to go. Or 7 maybe.

Long way ahead...but en route to a cleaner and less cluttered room!!

And en route to a newer Michelle.

I

Need to:

• clear more stuff from my room & cupboards & drawers
• focus on work & projects
• plan for trips
• blade blade blade
• eat moderately & healthily

Thinking of:

• quitting french and taking malay again or spanish
• taking up pottery
• exploring options and possibilities

berlari-lari

Went for a run.

Cham. Less than 2 weeks of not running and I lost my stamina????

At this rate, SHAPE run seems like an impossible task.

Only covered 3.3-3.4km today. And I had to walk at least 3 times in between.

Legs felt like lead.

Guess this is what an overseas trip can do to you.

:(

This will not do. No, this will not do at all.

*growl*

Day 8 - Little Fat Bird Flies Home. Any Fatter And That Would Be Impossible Already.

27 June 2009

Happy Lark
Let’s just say I felt strangely happy to go home. Very happy actually. I was beaming when I stepped off the plan onto the aerobridge. :)
And of course, the first person I saw when I was dragging my luggage out was K. Haha.

A380
Little birdie in a big birdie. I watched “He’s Just Not That IntoYou”, “Confessions of a Shopaholic” and “Duplicity”, the new show by Julia Roberts and Clive Owen.

“Duplicity” was alright. A little confusing at times though because of the way they jumped from now to sometime in the past then back to now then back to the past. Cried during “He’s Just Not That Into You” and was just generally amused at “Confessions of a Shopaholic”.

They served Roast Chicken for dinner. And bacon quiche for refreshment. Lovely. Who said airline food sucks? Got give you food good enough already lor. Other people starving elsewhere, and you’re still complaining. Hehe…

Luggage
Let's just say I went with one and came back with two. I didn't shop for clothes. I shopped for nuts.
Macadamias specifically. And nougats and chocs. Heh. My hardcase luggage was full of nuts.
Dumped all my clothes into the smaller soft-case luggage.

Went there with 14kg worth of things. Came back with 24.6kg. ;p
Nuts Nuts Nuts!!

Day 7 - Little Birdie Saw Big Big Fish!!

26 June 2009

Whale Watching
Me and HC went whale-watching today! Haha…it was a 3.5hour boat ride. Went out to the open sea and it felt nice. The skies were bright and sunny. The clouds were lovely, huge, white and fluffy. Seagulls were flying and there was a bunch which followed us a little way…

I saw albatrosses sitting on the water just bobbing along to the tides. It felt so surreal!! I’ve only seen these things on NatGeo or Discovery Channel and right now I’m in the midst of it all. :)

And then. The guide yelled out in the PA system. Humpback whales sighted. Woohoo!
There were two of them. Spouting water through their blowholes. I could only see their backs though as they surfaced to get some air…and then I could only see their tails and then they vanished beneath the water surface again..

It takes an average of 2-4 minutes before a whale will surface again to get more air. According to the guide, those we saw were young whales. Probably only a year or two old. Because the water that spouted did not reach very high levels.

Managed to catch a far-off glimpse of a fur seal…munching on fish apparently. Also managed to see 3 or 4 pygmy killer whales! They were leaping in the air much like how dolphins do…which made most of us on the boat think they were dolphins till the guide clarified with us.

I went back to shore feeling like a happy lark :)

Night Walking
The evening was spent exploring the parts of Pitt Street and George Street which were catered for the Japs and Koreans. I seriously felt like I was in Jap-land or K-land. Shops with names like Shinjuku, Harajuku…restaurants selling Jap and Korean food, convenience stores selling Jap and Korean goods. Japs and Koreans populated the streets. I heard Jap and Korean music blaring out of shops…gosh. Haha.

Peck-Peck-Peck
And of course, a good Korean bowl of hot Kimchi soup made for a lovely dinner on a cold cold night haha. I loved the amount of vege they had in the soup.

It was oh-so difficult trying to get my hands on a decent amount of vege over the past few days. The only vege I saw were those used for garnishings. I would have loved to grab that carrot flower or capsicum flower…but I think that would have just smashed my reputation to the floor….

Day 6 - Birdie Explorations

25 June 2009

Meetings/Greetings
T’was the 2nd last day of meetings. I was lazy. I felt tired. And so I spent the most part of the morning logging in remotely to the meetings. Thank god for the filming of meetings.
Thank god for the existence of transcribers and thank god for technology :)

I was in my bathrobe, sipping tea and listening in to the meetings. Ahh….that’s the way working life should be hahahah. ;p

Mid-Day Peckings
HC, boss & I headed to the Sydney Fish Market for lunch! The whole place surprisingly smelt okay. I thought it would be a smelly fishy affair. Haha. A snippet: Did you know that 65 million tonnes of fish and seafood go through the fish market every day? Amazing man!!

There were a few rows of restaurants where you could pick and choose your foods. Fish, sashimi, loads of different types of prawns, tons of different types of oysters and fish and cockles, clams, scallops and other shellfish…

I thought to myself: I think K would have a field day here!! Haha..I could imagine him gong ballistic at the variety of seafood there and the freshness of it all.

The 3 of us ended up having a seafood platter for 2. And we still had a hard time trying to finish it haha. There were scallops, oysters, chips, fish fillets, calamaris and squids..:)
Cholesterol laden food..yes yes I know…

Hop-Shop-Hop
The evening was spent heading out to Market City with HC. Market City is this shopping centre on the fringe of Chinatown which houses several factory outlet stores of brands like Espirit, Polo Ralph, etc. I didn’t get much there though. Just a bottom from Esprit and a top there for K. Erm, I guess I ain’t really that much of a shopping person haha.

Peckings of Chinese Food
Dinner was over at this North Chinese Cuisine restaurant in Chinatown. Wasn’t feeling hungry at all so all I had were some chive and prawn dumplings. That’s the lightest thing I could find on the menu haha.
But it was nice though. Dipping the dumplings into vinegar and sipping Chinese tea.

Day 5 - Fattest Bird

24 June 2009

Gala Dinner
There was a dinner gathering for all the participants of the entire conference. That’s like hundreds of people. It was held at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, a building situated right next to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and overlooking the Sydney Opera House.

Dinner was done in a cocktail style. Grab your own food from food islands all over the huge room. Plates and plates of fresh oysters, sticks and sticks of salmon kebabs, bowls and bowls of fresh steamed prawns, trays and trays of fillet mignon and chicken, plates and plates of lamb sandwiches and containers and containers of sauces and condiments.

It left most of the Chinese Asians wondering if there were main courses which would be served later on. I guess we’re just not used to having dinner this way. Haha.

Birds of a Feather
Flock together. When like-minded people hang out together, it’s always fun. :) The few of us, from the Asian countries. Talking, eating, laughing, drinking, joking, gossiping and of course, taking pictures haha. It’s always nice to catch up with people and to “bond”.

And it’s always funny. How relaxed you see people get in such social situations. Some let their hair down and are totally different from the “work” personas they have on during the day.

Animal Kingdom
There was a little corner at the dinner, where the Australian Wildlife Reserves had a team showcase a koala bear, a gecko and a baby kangaroo!! I was one of the idiots queue-ing up to have a photo taken with the animals hehe. I fell in love with the joey. Super cute, huddled up in the makeshift pouch the volunteer was carrying, which doubled up as its mother’s pouch.

Sips
Free flow as usual. As with all other such events haha. Red, white, sparkling, champagne, beer, you name it. I went with champagne this time round. Am turning into a white and champagne lady haha.

Sydney Opera House
After the dinner, 4 of us, HC, me and 2 others from Malaysia took a brisk walk over to the Sydney Opera House. It was really a brisk walk. Bordering on a half walk, half jog actually haha. Reason being it was damn freaking cold!!! We had to jog a little to keep ourselves warm haha.

We were by the sea and a breeze was blowing. Way too cold for my liking. My ears, fingers and nose were numb ahhaa..But the view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from the Opera House was lovely…:)

I felt lonely walking there that night. Despite the 3 others who were with me. Was missing K so much that I rang him from there. And this silly bird was close to crying already lol.
Guess the winds, the chills, the night scene and the soudns of far-off gulls just added it all up into one big conglomerate of emotions. ;p

Bleah
It always happens. I had bought the brolly. And voila. It didn’t rain for the last 3 days. Not a single drop.

Weather
Damn cold!! Enough said!! I had to stand under the hot shower for a long while to thaw out haha.

Day 4 - Fatter Bird

23 June 2009

Sponsored Dinner – Jones Bay Wharf
It was an interesting place situated right next to the wharf, about a 15-minute ride from the hotel. The place looked cold on the outside but was rather cosy on the inside. I ended up being seated at a table together with the Taiwanese and Chinese. One of those dinners where you have to develop and nurture the “guan xi” ties between yourself and the other countries/organizations.

And it’s natural too. The Asians tend to flock together. Especially the Chinese-speaking ones.

The food turned out to be so-so. Some dishes were good, some were strange.
The entrée was some dish which had strange flour-like blobs coated with a cream sauce. It really looked like the Chinese “tang yuan”. No filling nothing. Just flour. Hmm mm.

For mains, lamb or barramundi was served. Somehow the server put a plate of barramundi in front of me and so I had that same fish for the second night in a row. It was quite well done and the grilled potatoes which came along with it were very well done as well. I stole a pice of lamb from the guy sitting next to me and the lamb was very good too. Tender and no overpowering odour of any sort haha.

Tiko Bird
There was a “tiko” uncle from Taiwan seated across the table from me during dinner. Tried to hit on me in front of the rest...it was a little too obvious. Gosh. I hope my rep wasn’t dragged down by him or anything…

One instance was the conversation between us that happened when a communal plate of dessert was placed in the middle of our table

Him: Meijin, have some have some. (bear in mind I was the youngest at the table and the smallest fry. It wasn’t appropriate of me to take anything in terms of etiquette)
Me: Oh no, it’s ok, you guys better have it first. Anyway I think it’ll be too sweet for me.
Him: How do you know it’s sweet if you’ve not even tasted it yet?
Me: It looks sweet enough..
Him: And you look very sweet too…
Me: *acted blur* *laughed it off* *turned to the lady next to me*

Chinese Twitterings
Language has improved. Hehe. I can’t say my Mandarin conversations are decent but at least, I’m able to handle it better than before lol. Hanging out with the Chinese folks have given me a beter grasp of my mother tongue...

And they love calling me by my Chinese name. They’re just so amused that my Chinese name is read as “US Dollars” haha….oh well, makes for good small talk whenever I meet a new Chinese person.

Weather
Cold again. But much better than the day before. I’m beginning to fall in love with scarves.

work

working from home these 2 days.

fucking fucking fucking frustrating dealing with some people.

especially when it's your team members you're talking about here.

don't know how long i can take this.

perhaps it will be time soon?

je ne sais pas.

quoi je dois faire.

Day 3 - Fat Bird

22 June 2009
Meetings here and there. Nothing much happened for this day. The only highlight of the day was perhaps the sponsored dinner had in the evening. Or rather, I sould say in the night actually.

Nick’s
It was a sponsored dinner by one of the Asian registries. We headed to Nick’s over at the Darling Harbour, which is just a 10 minute walk form my hotel. Nick’s is a popular seafood restaurant with loads to offer and a cosily situated by the sea. By the time the 35 of us arrived, it was already 9pm and by the time the dinner ended, it was already 1130pm.

The menu was fixed, but we could still choose between various offerings on that fixed menu. Entrees were between ½ dozen oysters or grilled prawns. Mains were between grilled salmon or barramundi or fillet steak.

I ended up taking the grilled prawns and the grilled barramundi.

The prawns were fantastic. Sweet, succulent, juicy. Yum Yum.

The barramundi fared worse. The fish tasted good enough with the meat being sufficiently juicy and tender and not overcooked. The accompanying mix of veggies turned out to be disappointing though. It was a sour sour mix of artichokes, asparagus, spinach, bellpeppers and I can't remember what else. Totally sour to the tastebuds and well, it definitley did not sit well with me and the others who took the barranmundi as well.

Chips
I have to say this. Chips in Australia are very very nice. We call it fries back home in SG but I think the Western communities generally refer to them as chips.
Lovely chips, probably made from Russett Burbank potatoes…Chunky bits, fragrant and salty enough yum yum. :)

Weather
It was bearable today. At least, it did not rain. But I'm still huddled up in my jacket with my trusty scarf. Hands perpetually tucked into my pockets though.

Home Sweet Home (soon enough)

I have to say. I'm atcually looking forward to going back home to Singapore.
Somehow this trip hasn't been as lovable as my past trips. Perhaps it is also because I left Singapore on a note of reluctance. Quite abit of reluctance actually.

Granny
On the day I left for Sydney. Granny was admitted to hospital. It's not the first time definitely that she's been warded.

But it's the first time ever that the docs have told us to be "prepared for the worst". I've been calling home everyday for updates from Dad. About her wheezing, her pneumonia, her infection, her tainted blood, her weak kidneys, her breathlessness, her pacemaker, her blah blah blah. About how, during her states of forgetfulness or mental "instability", she would pluck out her feeding tube from her nose or her drip plugs from the back of her hand and cause lots of bleeding. About how she fidgets with her catheter.

Hell, the docs have even discussed life support procedures with my family. Dad discussed it with me on Tuesday. About whether we'd put her on life support or not if the time came to it eventually.

On a good note, she's doing slightly better the last 2-3 days. Still very unstable though.

I hope Dad's holding out okay.
Especially when I'm in Sydney, and Adrian's in Korea. Sigh.

K
It's been a tough week for him. And I'm missing him terribly. Nary an hour passes by without my thoughts floating over to him. I'm feeling very bad that I'm not by his side during his down moments. And well, a little frustrated that all I can do is to talk to him over the phone.

Being there on the phone with him is different from being there with him in person.

Sorry baby...But I'm coming home soon, see you tonight...

========
Trip updates will be coming up soon. Apologies for the lack of photos.
You know me. I can be a lazy bum.

Day 2 - I'm a Free Bird

Morning
Woke and found myself still positioned snugly in my little cocoon made of pillows, a quilt and the towel bathrobe I used as an extra blankie.
Warm and cushioned, I refused to get up. Till I found myself almost late.
Washed up hurriedly and tiptoed around in the bathroom because the tiles were freezing cold to the touch.
Went down to the meeting area, found a nice spot. And voila the meeting started….zzzz.

Mid-Day Peckings
Lunchtime was on my own today. I was deciding between cup noodles or heading out. I ended up heading out. Did a quickie shopping trip and ended up with a wooly brown-grey scarf :) I like scarves! Hehe..

And I dabao-ed fast food from Hungry Jacks, the equivalent of Burger King in SG. Brought it back to the room and gobbled the thing up. Burgers and fries have never tasted that good hahaha.

Social Chirpings
I hopped off from the afternoon discussion early hehe. Went round to the exhibition area and fluttered from booth to booth. 4 of them in all. Said hi to all the folks I knew.

Might I add, all the Asian folks I knew. Haha…It always feels good to see familiar friendly faces and discuss common topics amidst the hordes of ang mohs at the conference. ;p

Exploratory Little Bird
I managed to do what I like this evening. I headed out on my own.
Armed with a map and a bounce to my step, I trotted (I initially misspelt this world as “trottered” sheesh…I definitely hope I don’t have trotter legs) out of the hotel lobby with a smile on my face..:)

And it was off to Chinatown. Left turn, straight down George Street, right turn on Liverpool Street, past Sussex Road and then, left turn on Dixon Road and voila! Chinatown!

Unsurprisingly, there were many Chinese restaurants around. Some were Thai or Vietnamese. There were also ittle quaint shops selling funky street clothes and one or two feng shui shops.

Had a fulfilling bowl of wanton noodles which cost me SGD$8 but which had 7 wantons in it and a huge load of noodles. Each wanton was almost twice as large as the ones in SG. Well worth the price paid!

Popped into a bread shop also and bought a blueberry bun for tomorrow’s breakfast. Yum!

Weather
Blimey. I did not think I was that suay. But apparently, Murphy’s Law happens rather oft. “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”

I was in a branch of Woolworth’s just a block away from Sydney Hilton. It’s a chain of supermarkets in Sydney. I saw this little black foldable umbrella and my mum’s words said to me the night before rang in my head again. “You better go and get an umbrella just in case it rains again!! I don’t want you to catch a cold!!”

I looked at the brolly. Innocuous looking thing.
And then I walked away. “Nah, it won’t rain. The weather’s been good all day along.”

TMD. It did rain. Less than two hours after I thought to myself that it wouldn’t.
I was heading back from Chinatown when it drizzled and then got heavier...
Got back to the room with bed-draggled hair.
Met a HK guy and a UK guy along the route back to the hotel. Aiyoh. Unglam. :(

I think. I shall pop by Woolworth’s tomorrow and buy that little black brolly afterall. Bleah.

Musings
I think I am pretty much a loner afterall, despite how some people might choose to disagree lol.
I enjoy walking around the streets of a foreign city, exploring on my own. Taking my own time to walk.
I stop as I please and I go where I want. I last felt this way when I was in Paris. It felt good to get that feeling back again :) However brief that evening exploration was.

Nightfall
Oh by the way, it turns dark at 430pm over here now.

Day 1 – I’m Like a Bird. A Freezing One That Is.

19 June 2009 Friday
Flight was scheduled to be on 19 June 2009 at 835pm from Changi Terminal 3.
Had dinner with K over at TCC and then bid a reluctant farewell to him at the departure gate…Was feeling a little tired as well from a long draggy business lunch..

Anyhow, the plane taxied around and only took off around 850-855pm. Mr Captain said Changi was rather congested that night. Hmm mm..interesting hor?
H1N1, economic downturn and still so many people traveling.

It was an Airbus 380. My virgin time on one.
Nothing great, except that things were newer compared to the other fleet models. But it was darn cold as well. Had to have 2 blankets and my thick jacket to keep me warm.
And even with that, my fingers were still freezing and numb.
p/s: I forgot to bring my gloves…:(

Watched “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” on board. Cried buckets. Damnit.
So embarrassing, hope I didn’t sniff too loud hehe. Eyes were puffy after that.
Thought that since I was tired out, it would be easier to sleep. But I was wrong.
Turned out that I was too busy freezing, I couldn’t really fall asleep.

20 June 2009 Saturday. 540am AUD time. 740am SG time
Touched down in one of the smoothest flights I’ve had in awhile. The landing was rather well-executed :) Hung around the airport for close to 45minutes waiting for an Indian guy (who’s a HongKonger and speaks fluent Cantonese) who’s attending the same conference. Was supposed to share cab with him to the event hotel.
Zzzzz, it’s a “guan xi” thing so no choice.

How difficult can it be to spot an Indian guy at the airport. Answer: VERY.
Tons of Indians milling about. Tons of whites, tons of Asians, tons of Middle-Eastern-looking men. My eyes grew even more tired seeing the hordes of people walking here and there.

Late Morning
Went to visit The Rocks Market in the late morning. Weather was dismal. Drizzles, light then heavy then light again. Torrential downpour at various times. My shoes were wet through and through. (Heng I brought other pairs)
My toes were wrinkled from being soaked in rainwater…Fingers were numb the whole day hahaha. Darn darn cold lah. I suddenly miss the heat back in SG lol.

Met up with my boss and a Hong Kong boss for lunch before heading back to the hotel for a quick break. And then it was off to explore the surrounding area again. Ended up buying a lot of snacks, macademia nuts and nougats!

Night
Went back to the hotel again, unpacked my stuff and then napped for a little while before being woken up by HC for dinner.
Had a quick visit to Darling Harbour and the Darling Harbour Bridge.

Supposed to have gone to the Sydney Fish Market for cheap and good seafood after that but the area was closed off. Perhaps they are closed on Saturdays. Anyhow, found a simple place and had nice prawn and spinach pasta.

I wasn’t good company today. I’ll accede to that fact.
Partly cos I lacked sleep and felt irritable. Partly cos of the cold. Partly cos my lower back was aching. Partly cos I was missing someone….

Wines
Was at the supermarket. And I realized to my horror that a bottle of mineral water costs up to AUD$3.40. That’s almost SGD$4.
And a bottle of Jacob’s Creek Riesling wine can be gotten for AUD$9.99 which is about SGD$10-something.

What the???? Wine can be bought in Australia for only AUD$6 more than a bottle of mineral water bottle?? Gosh.

No wonder there are so many watering holes littering the streets of Sydney. At almost every corner you can see a little drinkhole to slink into.

People
Australians are generally a very happy and chirpy bunch of people. Think Steve Irwin (god bless his soul), but with a smaller dosage of the bubbliness.

And they love to use the word “love”. I’ve been asked tons of times today :
“What can I do for you love?” or….
“How’re you doing love?” or…
“How’s things love?”….
“Where are ya from love?”

Weather
I think I need not elaborate more here.
C-O-L-D. period.
R-A-I-N-Y. period.
C-R-A-N-K-Y. period.
Hope tomorrow brings some dryness and just a tad bit of sunshine.

Goods
Things are generally expensive. At least what I saw was pricey.
eg. SGD$10 for a bottle of spice. SGD$20 for an atas looking box of biscuits.

The Streets
It was strange. There were alot of police cars with sirens going at full blast and lights flashing like there's no tomorrow. These vehicles were just going round and round the city area...Don't know why. Perhaps it's the norm to have them patrol the streets like this at night.

It was initially unnervering to keep hearing the sirens and see the flashing lights but after awhile, it sort of becomes part of the city's landscape haha.

Aim. Footing.

Firm. Slide.
Where. How. When. What.

Manger

Sunday
Bee Tai Bak with Liver and Minced Meat

Monday
Buttered Mashed Potatoes with Dill
Honey Roasted Chicken Wings
Pong Tau Hu Soup (Meatballs & Bamboo Shoots in a Preserved Soya Bean Base)

Tuesday
Bee Tai Bak with Crabstick, Eggs, Cabbage, Fresh Button Mushrooms, Minced Meat
Cabbage with Bamboo Shoots, Fresh Button Mushrooms, Baby Corn and Garlic


It's always nice to eat food cooked by yourself. :)
And when you have excellent company with you.

Barracks @ Dempsey

I’ve never dined at Barracks before. I’ve been to House to chill but never to Barracks to munch. So happened that dinner was there last night and it was a good opportunity to get a feel of the place and what it had to offer.

Was there with Dan, YL, Chiewz, Wendy & K.

It was relatively populated on a weekday night. Ambience was nice though I felt it was a little too dim. Service was okay. The servers kept coming over to ask if we are doing alright.

Food wise. Rather good actually.
Or at least those stuff which I had a taste of seemed rather good to me haha…
But take it with a pinch of salt…when it comes to food, I’m easy to please and am not really picky ;p

I tried a little of Chiewz’ pumpkin salad…it was good. J Served in a mess tin which we all felt looked like a dog’s food tray lol.
I tried Wendy’s fish and chips. It was good. J the fries had an accompanying white truffle sauce. Lovely.
I’m not a fan of risotto so K’s mushroom risotto did not really sit well with me… hehe. ;p
YL’s ribeye had an “OISHI~!!” from her…
Dan basically just went around snitching stuff from everyone lol….on top of his grilled pork loin.

I had the lobster linguine in black pepper with salmon roe sprinkled on top. Relatively good. Portion was quite big. I was struggling to finish it. Considering my big appetite for a girl ha haha…you get the drift.

Desserts were panna cotta agar agar, strawberry shortcake and a warm choc truffle cake. The agar agar turned out nice! Haha…I liked the shortcake...
The choc truffle was fine for me too..though K felt it could be better. ;p

Will I go back to Barracks again?
Yes I would.
To chill, if not to eat.
To eat, if not to chill.
And/or both.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

"My office harddick just crashed."

=========

This wsa on Kok Weng's MSN nick this morning...

Waahhaha...I burst out laughing like a hyena!!

Yum Yum

Some stuff I'll be dishing out for the weekend...with the eager approval of K.
Rough concepts in mind already...but actual execution remains to be seen hehe.
Will react and play by ear when standing at the stove lol.

Pong Tau Hu with loads of bamboo shoots
Bee Tai Bak witih liver

Other dishes akan datang.....:)

Naggings from The Coll

I don’t need this early in the morning.

Anti-competitive behaviour? Against competition principles? Watch our behaviour? Be careful about exclusive tie-ups?

You’re no longer a regulator. You’re with a private entity. Start being a little bit more flexible or has 10 years slaving for the agency pigeon-holed your mind? Stop hinging on competition principles and all the crap about regulations and policies and laws!

Aiyo. Geez.

It's been ages since I last griped about The Coll.....
Trying to improve my karma a little hehe...
But irritating me first thing in the morning warrants an entry to let off some irritation. ;p