Cute baby girl!

Isnt Jerlene just adorable, not to mention well behaved!!! She totally let me carry her around and didnt whimper or cry. Awww... she stole my heart away! Her new nick name.. "Big cheeks". Haaa haaa

Friday nite out

Friday is totally hectic. Ran around trying to get my brothers check in, chat abit, and next thing i knew, I had forgotten about my manicure and pedicure! Shit shit shit! Its 5.30pm and everyone i tried has either gone off or claim they are full. I was rather pissed.

Luckily I bumped into Kathy and she called every number and finally got one grudgingly who took me in when i have already made up my mind to forget abt it. Then those people booted me out at 6.15pm because they wont work beyond hours and my nails wont dry. SHit. Remind me why i hate australian work attitude and service level ok. In asia, this will never happen.

Anycase, I smudge my thumb nail within next 10mins. I was really pissed. Still, I have a 7pm dinner to attend, so I desperately try to flag down a cab on a friday nite... NOT GOOD. I was late of course and almost everyone else have already arrived at La Brasserie...

It was a happy dinner! Eileen, Wah, Tracy and Hubby were all there. Jas joined us a little later and the funniest bit when we were talking about the cute waiters, Jerlene was completely smitten by the french waiter. The baby girl couldnt TEAR her eyes OFF the french guy. We laughed so hard and took so many pictures of her staring straight eye to eye with the guy. Nothing could distract her! Not even when we call her or laugh loudly. It was so funny! I joked with Tracy that Jerlene has her first "encounter" with a french man now!

We didnt leave till about 10.30pm and so much for me and an early nite! Still, every min was fun and totally no regrets in forgoing my sleep!

A lovely day out with jas

YEAH!!! Jas is finally here to visit me!! Happy!!! She was bunking at Stan's place so headed out to pick her before we went to Vauclause house.

It was a gorgeous sunny day with the sun out in full force after a huge rain last night. Had a good time chatting and had a wondering afternoon Devonshire Tea at the Tea house on site.
I didnt realise it till she mentioned that she "followed" me to whereever I moved to.

"See what a good friend I am!" She joked.
I laughed and replied "Of course you are...Admit it, you love me!" Haa haa

Utterly Lovely Day... :)

A THUMB?!!!!

I screamed in shock when I saw this (image below) dropped out of the packet of pork into the sink as I was preparing for dinner.


A Frozen piece of finger?!!!
I shook my head and used a fork to poke at it. Fking hell, its some part of the pig. The freaking TAIL!!!!



My lifespan is shorten from all these scares from food preparation... my poor heart...

white corns

Never seen white corn till now.. strange.. white....

Dinner at Pello (Sydney)

Tried another new restaurant last weekend. Went to "Pello" (http://www.pello.com.au/) for a sat dinner. Decided to give it a try as it has one chef hat and it wasnt too far away from where I lived. Though technically, it is much closer to where stan is.

Parking is horrendous for starters even though it was late dinner at 8.30pm. So if you ever think about it, either head for early dinner or just grab a cab.

I went in without expectations, and I must say I am pleasantly surprised. It was a cold night and since I didnt specify I wanted a seat inside, I was left with the seat closest to the main door near the bar area as it was a fully booked night. It was an okay seat except it can get a bit chilly when people go thru the main door and the wind gets in.

The service was ok, polite and they dun really ask for feedback on the food either. However, food came promptly and while the menu description looks bland and uninteresting, the food presentation is completely the opposite. Much thought is put into presentation and certaintly I was delighted with my first mouthful.

For entree, I had the "crisp pork belly, chestnut custard, apple and a liquorice powder" (A$22). The meat was nicely done but i thought it was kinda bland and there wasnt enough apple bits and sauce to enhance the flavour. For main, I decided to go for the "herb crusted snapper, braised octopus and globe artichokes, saffron opting out on the gnocchi" (A$34). My companion opted for the prosciutto wrapped veal loin, borlotti beans, Jerusalem artichoke puree and caramelised sweetbread.

Both The Main was excellent! My fish was sweet, the herb crust looked absolutely yummy and crunchy to bite. As i opted out on gnocchi, i was rewarded with extra braised optopus and I didnt regret it one bit with my choice.

The best of the night and highlight for me was the dessert. Initially I poured over the menu thinking nothing grabs me (again by the non too interesting description), but decided to have a leap of faith and opted for the "Frozen Yoghurt with fruit bits circling the round centrepiece". It was OMG to die for. It was so good that I licked it up to the last drop! I am so not sharing this plate. In fact days after I left the dining place, I was still thinking about my dessert. Its light, with the right touch of sweetness. It was one of the best finishes to round up a hearty meal for a long time. (The other dessert with mandarin sorbet was equally good!)

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable meal and it definitely deserves it one chef hat!

Stan

Finally went over to stan's place and check out his new rented abode. Its a really a nice modern place and it was bigger than I would have imagined.most of his stuff aint in place yet and still in quarantine. but i loved his Ikea table. so nice, slick and sturdy.

Stan wasnt well that week and so when I went over, he didnt look too bright and cheery just yet. After poking around his place abit, just chatted aquick bit till i registered a funny smell.

I was asking "What is that smell..?"
"It's my dinner" Stan said. "I cooked"
I laughed and replied "It smells like rabbit food!!"
Stan laughed and retorted kinda indignantly "Hey! What RABBIT food! Its..."
I chuckled...
"I have to cook for you sometime soon" as i dismissed his 'rabbit food' jokingly..
Stan didnt wait to jump on that offer in split seconds! Haa haaa

Didnt hang around too long since I had to rush for dinner. Well, will be seeing him soon anyways!

Korean Drama "Yu Hee, The witch"

Finished the korean drama serial Yu Hee, the witch in one go. It started out promising but towards the last 2 cd, the lead actor character started to annoy me quite a bit. Perhaps I am just not the romantic sort...

I am "suppose" to be impressed by the lead guy's devotion and dedication to his love interest but somehow, he come off more like a useless wishy washy guy with lack of determination to succeed professionally. All he does is always run off to the girl at the most critical testing moments when he is suppose to prove himself as a professional chef (which is suppose to be his life long dream). It begins to annoy me when he passes up chance after chance... So it ended up with me rolling my eyes at the last scene and think to myself "This dude is a god damn whimp." I guess guys with no ambition to succeed and only think of love doesnt really sell to me that much.

I surprise myself alittle feeling that way. I mean shouldnt I be going "Awww so sweet.. he give this and that up for the women he loves..." yet,the moviess indecisiveness and procrastination is not something I take very well. Its like "Get a grip man! Move on already! Stop looking back!" .

So while i think its still an ok light entertainment, it lacks the punch at the end. Plus I am still pondering if the doctor actually have any feelings or not for the lead actress? He always looks so "pensive".. hard to tell...

"The story is about a career woman named Ma Yu-hee who seems to have almost everything, and a young man named Chae Moo-ryung who hasn’t given up his dreams and hopes in becoming a professional chef.

Although Yu-hee is skilled and talented at her job, her looks and actions do not attract any attention from men. Her love life is nonexistent, so she has an earnest hope to fall head over heels in love. But she doesn’t know the basics of dating… So Yu-hee comes up with a dramatic plan to transform herself into an attractive, lovable woman.

Her love coach is none other than Chae Moo-ryung!"

Day out to Bronte Beach

A great sunny day today. Went out and have a mini outdoor picnic at Bronte Beach, with fish and chips purchased across the street.

Amy and I were staring at the kids on the train. I didnt know what the row of green structure was till Amy said its the "train house" where the train goes to sleep. We started to crack jokes about the really bored guy maning the train, going round in circles and circles the whole day. I can imagine how freaking bored it must be for the dude. I started to comment about how lovely it would be if they actually paint the green structure with train doors flower etc and Amy went "Yeh!" Then we started imagining how best to decorate the train with painting of doors, building white picket fences instead of the metal fence, have train whistles etc. It was fun for a while.

All in all, a Perfect day! Everyone was just out in the sun just relaxing...

Great French Food! La Brasserie

Had the best french meal today at La Brasserie @ Crown Street

Ok, for starters, this restaurant has the cutest French waiters ever!!! And i mean ALL OF THEM! The straight and the gay ones. The young and the old ones. Not a single female serving staff but all male eye candies. Don't think otherwise too. This place has the ambience, service and the good food all rolled up in one place.

There's a guy waiter so cute when he smiles, he can bloody melt you away!!!!! My fren was joking "wipe that drool off the corner of your mouth!"

I thought he looks a the best combination of the male version of Keira Knightly and Orlanda Bloom. His eye lashes are so long with the deep brown eyes, his boyish smile and his dark brown hair... i'm totally smitten! When he was smiling at me taking my orders, it was hard trying to tear my eyes away from his face, and that dont normally happen!

Anycase, the mussels are supreme at this place. So is the beef and dessert. I heard their oxtail are the best but i didnt try it. If anyone else tells u they hate the place, they are plain biased! However. Dont take my word for it, try it!

Hippo neighbors above

I hate my bloody noisy "hippo" Indian neighbors upstairs. They storm around the house like elephants, blast their Indian TV so loud as if they are half deaf, and totally inconsiderate about the noise they make.

I have left a note and spoken to them on seperate occasions and apparently fallen on deaf ears or no impact on the peasize brain they have. They probably have too much fat from what i see and its blocking their hearing and impeding their brain cells activity.

I finally had it last night and told my landlord, who apparently had some issues with them as well and told me to write to him so that he can have some "ammunition" to ask them to move out. He was complaining that he suspected their kids scratch his newly painted lift.

Apparently when my landlord was speaking to them on the phone, he heard the indian kids saying "Let's make more noise to annoy them". Pretty stupid people i must say, to say that jest within hearing distance of their landlord. They just indirectly made my case stronger. Thank you very much "not very bright" neighbors.

Back

Feels funny to be away from "home" now (whereever that is)

It's a fantastic 1.5week back home to sg. Time zooms past when u are having a good time. When it's time to leave, it was not without a trace of regret.

I didnt get to do all the things I wanted to do this trip. I dun think I found what I wanted as well at some part. I wished I had more time.

Nonetheless, it was a fruitful trip back, catching up with some frens, and most of all, some frens that more memories to pack away..

Its funny how you dun see some people for over such a long time and still feel like yesterday when conversation started flowing. Of course, in this trip alone, I have countless "reminders" of the old me. Its funny. I keep breaking into chuckles when i was reminded of all the "torture" I have inflicted in the past, on those waiting for me to arise from my long slumber! (not that the habit has changed! haa haa). The fear of not waking me from my precious sleep...funny... :) I can almost still see W "cringing" when he was describing his fear. Even the girls didnt bat an eyelid when they reminded me of my unspoken rule of "never call before 1pm". Then again, no apologies from a person who loves her sleep. In fact, I have christen my new bed as "Forever bed" because i can lay in it whole day given a chance!!!

Friends who had visited me in my old place could still rattle off my furniture, my display bottles, my posters and tell me the placement. So there, even my stuff gets remembered in addition to me. It's nice.. or either that it means I have too little worldly possessions! ha ha. When C saw my super old JVC cd player the other day and he gasped "You STILL have THAT CD player with you!!!" We both laughed. My player doesnt play anymore, but thankfully the one I got him still does! I half expected him to have swopped to a new model or something by now though.

Funny how the trip seemed so far away now... Canx wait for my next trip back!

Flight back

Dear Norm came to pick me up and send me to airport this time round. He was quite funny, offering me his "Porter service".

I love his van! It was like those Japanese cute little cube box type. And he had all these fasinating soft toys all over!!! Absolutely adorable! I told him if i didnt know better, I would have mistaken it for a girl's car!

After I have checked in (my super heavy 28KG lugguage packed with bottles of Aseop, books etc!), we moved to a cafe and chatted about his new job amongst other updates. It was good talking to him again since I left over a year ago.

Time passed quickly and it was time to go. After waving him goodbye, I stopped by Charles and Keith and faithfully contributed to Singapore economy in buying 2 pairs of shoes. I am not kidding when I say I have too much of a cupboard full of shoes...so much so that I even forgot some of the shoes I still own in singapore!!!

It was an uneventful flight back and i mainly slept through. Yet, I'm missing the people I'm leaving behind already.

Kooning day

Had to cancel my lunch plans with Moo Moo on Mon as I was coming down with something. I was annoyed since i was really looking forward to the lunch and i know i wont get a chance since i was flying off on Tuesday nite. She said it was ok but i still felt bad. Afterwhich I went back to sleep for rest of the day. I think my body isnt use to running around so much and the humidity takes some getting use to, even though I thank my lucky stars that it has been mainly breeezy and sunny most of the days i was back!

I woke up in the eve, only rem to cancel dinner with W as well. Instead, I went dinner with mum at our old market and had some usual hawker food. Mum suggested stingray but i have to turn her down due to my throat. She suggested watercress soup which i vehemently shook my head after recalling the disgusting black worms in my last experience. So we settle for some nice simple soup Kuay Chup.

W drove to my place about 8.30pm and we headed to White sands for icecream. We chatted for a while and he gave me the best present in the whole trip, my ANIME CDs, plus meiji milk choc thrown in! Yippeee! I was over the moon!

I was glad that we caught up because we never really talked much over the last 5 years (as he reminded me!!!) He said I owe him a picture after so long and so I oblige, not before protesting a while that he had to choose my worst grubby, listless moments to snap one. Sigh. I lost the battle lor.

My mum was surprised that i came back so early but I was really tired. C sms to ask when i was flying off and so i sms him back a bit. I chatted on the phone for another hour before finally giving in to the sleep monster. Time really passes by quickly...

Sunday brunch @ Food republic

Had a busy day on sunday and ran a few errands. Most importantly, met up with WK for late lunch in town. I have a preference for something "soupy" as I felt like i was coming down with sore throat and potential cough over the long tiring week, we ended up at the Food republic food court @ level 4 of orchard wisma (http://eatzybitzy.blogspot.com/2005/10/new-kid-on-block-food-republic.html.)

Ok, normally I am not a fan of food court on weekends because i hate crowd. I hate jostling for food, and hunting for seats in the ocean of relentless parents and bloody irritating kids that makes so much noise. Most of all, food court food typically isnt tasty and expensive. However, WK assured me that the food was really good and the variety is good. So I went along like a tourist, giving our infamous foodcourt a chance to redeem itself.

I suppose we must have missed the usual lunch crowd at 2pm+. It was still busy and humming with lotsa of customers but surprisingly there were pockets of empty seats around some spots. We found a quiet corner and I too found the herbal soup store (Ah ma soup) to give it a try.

This trip is like paying dues to my old friends. WK is another old fren from uni, though luckily I did meet up with him in his last trip to HK in Jan. I still feel bad about not having spend enough time when he visited as i was over my head with work. WK laughed it off and he said I definitely looked better than I was in HK. I looked much fresher and relaxed and younger. I laughed my head off.

We talked alot, mainly about what I read off his blog about his work. Of course I was elated that he had found another job elsewhere which I instantly congratualate him for his upcoming slavery. The company is well known for working long hours! No matter, I wished him the best and hope this change will work out well this time!

We moved on to borders and he helped me search for the book i wanted. I only found one of the few titles i had intended to purchase. Still, I must say the staff at borders are certainly well trained, polite and helpful. Kudous to the training and recruitment team!

Wk couldnt stick around as he had to meet another friend for dinner. So we parted, promising to keep each other up to date. I moved to taka Kinokuniya and found 2 more books to load my bag with. Its amazing, books in singapore are truly cheaper than elsewhere and if it wasnt weight being an issue, I would have carted more off the shelves!

Before I knew it, I was running late for dinner back home and I had to hail a cab before i missed my precious nephews! I just cannot believe a week has already passed me by so quickly! I am already starting to miss home before I have even left!

A big reunion

Mum suggested buffet dinner @united square. I really am not keen with buffet dinner. I dun even remember when was the last buffet dinner I had...college or uni? Anycase, went along with it since she said my cousins love that place.

It was fantastic to see all fav my cousins and uncle. Best of all, I get to see my cousin's son yang and I was so amused that he is almost an exact replica of his dad!!! The voice, the "pattern", the mannerism is almost exactly like my cousin that I had to laugh. He had the same cheeky grin and i couldnt help recalling all the times when we were young and our play time each time my cousins stayed over at my place. We would fight, tear at each other's throat, share our comics, play our make believe games and conspire against my mum, and hiding in the toilet and under the bed. The grin on my face just surface automatically just thinking about memories 25 years ago. While the crowd and service annoyed me tremendously, I chatted with my cousins endlessly. I felt abit bad that I kind of neglected my uncles but I have so much to catch up with the girls!

After dinner, my cousin's husband sent us home and the whole entourage came up for a short visit. My mum suggested to bring yang down to visit the "frog" pool and so everyone shuttled down. Despite the cold water, I was impressed that he actually went into the pool by himself! I ran up to grab a towel so that he wont catch a cold later.

It was getting late and so my cousins and uncle started to make their move, afterall it was a long journey back to JB. The house fell quiet again after they left. I didnt eat much that night and my mum had to cook noodles for me later that night to fill my tummy. What an irony, feeling hungry after a buffet, I have got to be the first.

Sigh. If only they didnt live so far, they are about the only cousins that felt like siblings to me. For the first time, I wish I have another sister to chat with like my cousins. I wonder how that would have been like. Ha! What a dream.

Catching up at Wine company

Met up with the rest of the guys on Friday after their work. Met Jas at Tampines before we headed out together. Today, am trying a new place for dinner - Wine Company @ Evans off Bukit Timah area near NIE.


We met CK at Wisma Taxi stand so that he could pick us up. Ck hasnt changed much and it was good chatting and congratulating him on his second baby to come. KF arrived next after sending his wife and baby girl. Not long after, the rest of the group fall in and it was one funny topic to another. Was quite touched that everyone made an effort to join in for the night due to my trip back. Its a nice fuzzy feeling of warmth and friendship. In the middle of chatting, we teased Jas alittle after Vincent let on the little nickname he had for her. We all went "Wahhhh!!!" I could almost see Vincent blush at his own forwardness! haaa haaa.


The wine company was surprisingly a very nice and cosy hideaway. I knew of the one at Dempsey road but not of the one near NIE since It is almost impossible to get here without a car. The food was not too bad. The lotus stew soup was pretty tasty but the cod was kinda bland. However, the chicken wings and the fried calamari rings were quite good and the German white wine we ordered was plesantly light and sweet, with a supposed hint of lychee. Only annoying thing that i rem now is that, I misplaced the label which we peeled off the wine! Darn!



Jas told me the dessert choc cake was suppose to be very good but we completely forgotten about it in the midst of catching up and sharing of the platter. I simply have got to try it out the next time!

Dinner @Sushi Yoshida

Havent seen some of my old high school frens for ages! So thurs was a good opportunity to catch up! Cyn wanted to try the Japanese restaurant Sushi Yoshida at Devonshire Road (Behind sommerset in town) since she hasnt had any after her birth. Apparently Allan is not big on seafood and sashimi. She had read it up from some food blog and wanted to try it. Of course I was happy to oblige! I wasnt going to say no to Japanese food!

As I didnt know where it was, I sms her if it was at Somerset. She smsed that it was near barstop and that we can meet there. I scratched my head and replied her "which bus stop?"

Finally we decide to meet at the somerset Mrt station exit near the PUB building. Lyn was there first and she definietly looked much better than I last rem in our last meeting. I guess a change in job can do that to people sometimes.

Lyn was laughing and said "i was wondering who was going to turn up next after me." I laughed and said "I cannot be possibly the last with Cyn around!" Luckily though, cynthia arrived shortly and she led the way to the restaurant.

When we arrived, I burst out laughing. Right in front of me was the sign "BAR STOP", a new waterhole! I turned to Cyn and said "And there i was for the last few days thinking your sms typo and u meant bus stop! So i was scratching my head which bustop at sommerset you were refering to!!!!" Both cyn and lyn laughed.

We settled down comfortably at the back of the very small and narrow restaurant. A good part is outdoor dining but we opted for indoor. Each of us have to pick a dish and the orders were pretty much quickly settled since we were game for anything. The nite conversations started on catching up on the latest news, and eventually turned back to IJ days and the other girls from our class, and who ever else has given birth of late.

The food came and i have to say it was average. There were some hits and some misses. The clam cooked in sake was excellent and the 3 of us were pretty happy with the order. The scallop and salmon sashimi was fresh and it didnt have any light fishy smell i feared for some scallops. I liked the tuna sushi but cyn was not particularly keen on it. The seafood yasai (vege) tempura and grilled eggplant turned out to be quite a disappointment for me. The eggplant was too oily and tasteless, while the tempura wasnt deserving in being called seafood. There was only a few pieces of squid which i almost missed if the girls had not pointed it out to me. Plus the batter wasnt crispy as u would typically expect from a good chef. We had some other dishes which wasnt that memorable and ended up with a final plate of sashimi again as parting dish. It came up to about $66 per head and I didnt feel like it was value for money. Thankfully, I had lovely company and so the food didnt matter half as much.

Again, cab was impossible at 11pm and took the train home. It was a bloody long stand back and I wish people around me didnt stink so much. Don;t they bathe or can't they wash their hair properly. It was a warm sourish smell for that painful few short train stops. Luckily it all went away when those people alight at Bugis... Relief for my poor nose! This is the moment I wish I have my car!!!

Middle of the week

Running around and Wed and Thurs was so tiring. I actually got less rest than expected! Everyone who saw me complained I had lost too much weight. People were expecting me to be fatter than before! However, with sleeping longer hours and eating less meals, there is no way I would be gaining weight I suppose. Jas was commenting "You lost your butt" and I told her, "Damn, that mean i lost my boobs too!" Haa haaaa.

I didnt have a chance to meet a few other old friends I planned to meet. Wee wee had wanted to meet on the weekend but I didnt have time to catch him and his daughters. What a waste! C sms me a few times to check if I was still out but I was always exhauted and steeping thru the door. So ended up with smsing instead of hanging out. My thumb was actually tired from smsing over an hour! Luckily I had a $100 value to spare for these few nights!

Tiring but happy!

"Blackmailed" by Sg cab driver, who is so overbearing

I had serious issue trying to grab a cab at Boat quay after drinks with Terence. We were both heading opposite directions and so we effectively had to hail 2 cabs after 11pm.



While both of us were standing by the roadside trying to flag for one, after close to 30mins, I was also trying to call the taxi line. Nothing annoys me more immensely than listening to the "waiting music" while my prepaid card $$$ is ticking away by the minute. Yes, my heart is feeling the pinch, frustration building and wishing for cinderalla's fairygod mother delivering a personal pumpkin coach to me.



As I scanned around, i saw several white Mercs cab, gathered at one spot with the taxi drivers grouping together chatting. I signed to Terence and motioned to him, "couldnt we get those cabs? are they on call?" He laughed at my "ignorance" and told me that those cabs are not on meter. Apparently, I am suppose to "negotiate" a price to hail these cabs. I was totally shocked, not to mention flabberghasted that such a rogue tactic still occur in singapore!



"Are you sure?" I pressed on, still seemingly unconvinced. Terence told me to watch. True enough in less than 5 mins, I saw a bunch of caucasians spoke to one driver and they took off. I wasnt sure what the deal was since I was too far away but those taxi drivers obviously saw us trying to hail a cab and didnt bother to offer their service to me, left me suspecting much truth was in my fren's word.



After 10mins, I still couldnt get an "available" taxi via the phone. A red car drove up to me at the curb, wound down his window and asked me. "Do you want a cab? My passenger no show. Book already never come. You want? But you have to pay the booking fee."



I was stunned. Is this blackmail? He lost a client and even though I was ready "demand", I had to pay for the booking fee because he sense i was in need. My fren told me to board the cab because it will be difficult to get one. I asked what about him, and he assured me he will be fine. So after much internal struggle, I boarded the cab alittle unwillingly yet with relief that "the long wait" was over.



Before the cab drove off, the cab driver asked me where my fren was going. "Yishun" i replied. The cab driver "nicely" asked if my fren want to share the cab since he could go via SLE to Yishun from where i was as my concerned driver shared that "cabs will be difficult" at this hour.


I called Terence but luck was with him and he boarded another cab.



While i was reliving the "moment" of being extorted, the cab driver asked me where I was from. I told him I was Singaporean and he exclaimed "surprised" as i didnt sound like a local, or rather I didnt have the Singlish accent. He started complaining to me about living standards in Singapore, how tough it is to live here. After 15mins of being involuntary submerged into his bitching and complaing, I had had enough. I started my verbal "retaliation", which was to shoot his points down, one by one.



He told me he wanted to move to Shanghai. He keep praising the virtues "The Motherland" and how he never want to return to singapore as it "is such a hard life". I rolled my eyes in disgust.



I told him that in my experience "living standards in China is not comparable to Singapore and things isnt exactly that cheap if you want the same sort of quality as per singapore. Not to mention pollution and constant food contamination by unethical businessmen." You live with concerns for your health under the grey skies. Then my driver decided he wanted to go to HK and be taxi driver there, which again i shot down his notions that life is much better there.



My cab driver was obviously not convinced. He belittled me and said "How much would you know? You look so young. Just finish school?" I told him "Uncle, I cannot speak for other countries but I lived in HK and travelled to Shanghai ALOT, so i know what I am talking about. And i am NOT young and I have worked for about a decade. Medical and dental is expensive in HK. Employee insurance also sucks big time and coverage is bare minimal. Housing and rental is expensive and food is not cheap either, which then depends on if you are in HK or kowloon side."



Then my cab driver starts to say how about Taiwan. Taiwan is better he claimed.

Thankfully i reached my destination and I give up. If he has a fixed notion so be it. Its not my fight to begin with.



That night, I didnt know what bugs me more. The fact that I was being "blackmailed" $4, or the fact that I am losing "touch" with the ground perception of life in my own country.

A late story night

Fortunately it didnt take very long from cityhall to raffles place, so i wasnt too late for my next appointment, not that Terence will sue me over it. Ha ha. He was prob too busy trying to finish up all other important cases he has on hand before his family trip the next day.

We headed to boat quay next to his office for a quick drink since I didnt want to hold him back from his work. Considering its 8.30pm and a weekday, I figure business is pretty alright along the stretch from the crowd I saw. He havent eaten and so I let him picked whichever favourite haunt of his since I have no preference.

Its pretty strange. I havent seen him for over 5 years as well and considering the circumstances we first met, its funny how we stayed as frends till now. T and I are not the sort who stay in touch all the time, and we certaintly didnt share any historical events from work or school. We just hit off, and I guess for the fact that the little he knew me, it was easier to tell him things I wont commonly share with anyone else. Plus the fact whatever we share strictly stays between us helps letting the defences down. I guess we all need friend as such once in a while- one who listens and offer nothing else but his time and honest company.

The minute we sat down and place our orders, he started the conversation immediately from where our email left off before i came. I laughed. He was more ready to listen than i was ready to start, but i did anyway. It was good getting the story out of my system. The good thing about sharing things privately makes it feels theraputic. When he said he didnt envy me about the things I shared, I laughed in agreement. He told me his views candidly and it made sense. He told me to update him when my week stay is over. So instead of the planned one hour session, Terence decides to stay till it was close to 11pm, talking about other things as well like his fatherhood, some common friends and reliving about other funny things of the past.

The night lights by the river was pretty. Lights have that effect on me. The lights from fullterton hotel was goregous, so was the asian civilisation museum across the waters. So i whipped out my camera so that I can remember this night.

Dinner at Kuriya City Hall

Tues was utterly a rush day. Had 2 appointments with 2 old frens back to back. Luckily W knock off early and so we could settle for an early dinner, leaving T to finish up his work as much as possible before I meet him later.

Went to Kuriya at Cityhall and the food was excellent! The best thing was that Ivy, the serving staff had moved from Shaw to this new branch! So I knew I was in safe hands without having to worry what was good or not. In the end, we mainly let her recommend the dishes and portions. It's always good to have a familiar face where u are eating!

I was not disappointed! Dinner was fabulous! We had a seasonal fish (pix below), which Ivy recommended cooking it in 2 ways, the sashimi and the lighly seared version. W and I thought the seared version was better as it has a light salty taste that enhance the sweetness of the fish. The sashimi was eaten with spring onion and ginger which tasted pretty light to the taste as well. We had other varieties like the duck, egg plant, beefroll with mushroom etc. They were all polished up quickly and too late by the time i rem to take any pictures. All that were left were empty plates!

After dinner, I had to rush off, not before staking out the cd shop and grabbing the 3 ATB cds I had been eyeing on. They didnt have 2 of the cds i had wanted but I aint complaining! Felt abit bad that I didnt have a chance to grab any dessert but i was so full that if I had, i would be bursting from the seams by the time i meet T.

It had been a good chat. I didnt realise it had been 4-5years since we met up. So am pretty glad I did!

Ouch! This taxi fare hurts!

On the way back to the east taking the train, I was horrified at how crowded it was closing to 11pm. It was packed to the brim!!! Not to mention, crowded, warm, and well, kinda assault of my senses in the smell department... I had assume Elaine was exaggerating when she described during our dinner, her train horror every morning and eve to/back from work taking the train. She described at one point, she had to disembark the train because she couldnt handle the crowded pushing and the bad smell up her nose (her being taller than average height). How wrong i was! It was truly as bad as she had described!!!

I was left squashed near the door with no handle to grab on, the guys in front of me either had very bad personal hygience or the humidity gets to their sweaty pores. I almost gagged...
I cursed and sweared internally. I had wanted to grab the cab but the girls told me to "forget it, it would be pretty difficult to hail for one unless you call. And even calling will meet with difficulties i was told.

In that instant, I didnt know what was worse. Suffering for 25mins on the train standing after fighting for a space in the cabin at cityhall, or to be held ransom and slapped with a hefty cab fare.

I guess the bloody taxi fare hike and cabs hiding near the midnight hours now at 11.30pm isnt helping the situation. I was completely shocked when i was informed at the peak hour raised to $2!!! So even before my taxi ride begins, I have effectively lost $8.80 ( $4 booking fee + $2 peak + $2.80 boarding fee).

If this isnt ridiculous pricing, I have no idea what this is anymore. This is the only rare moment i missed the abundant taxis and mini bus in HK, appearing like a genie in a bottle at the snap of your fingers! What has gone wrong in Singapore?

Girls gathering!

Jas took half day on mon and so after doing what we had to do, we roam around "aimlessly" in orchard from one mall to another until its time to meet the rest of the girls for dinner.

I love the changes and all the new brands coming in. I love Ted Baker for ages and finally they are now in town! No more having to wait for trip to London or drooling over their catalogue! However, I decided to be good and told myself i wont be buying any more clothes unless they are dirt cheap. I have a long list of things to buy and i need to make sure everything is going to fit into my luggage (without exceeding weight limit!)

For a change, the girls had arrange to have our meal at central @ Clarke Quay. We went inside one of the japanese restaurant but none of us were impressed by the selection and so we walked out before they even have a chance to serve tea. In the end, we opted for Sun and Moon Jap restaurant by the river. Thankfully for the nice breeze, it was actually pretty good dinning alfresco. The only minor bit that marred the moment was the occassional diesel from the scenic view boats coursing thru the river. Then again, i think only the few with sensitive nose like mine would be affected.

The food was pretty decent but Jas's salad was really good. My beef rice was alittle chewy but still edible. It has been a long while since El joined us for our gathering. She had drifted away for a while but since we had a few emails to and fro while I was in HK, just thought of asking her along. It's good to see her especially with all her train encounters, plus the ah beng and ah lian jokes. Funny. Then again, nothing beat doreen's question, asking "Eh, where is the central station?" when she was making her way to meet us. And I thought I was the "blur sotong" getting mystified at Outram inter train connections earlier on! Doreen beat me hands down..ha ha!!

On the way back taking the train, I was horrified at how crowded it was closing to 11pm. I guess the bloody taxi fare hike and cabs hiding near the midnight hours now at 11.30pm isnt helping the situation. I was completely shocked at the peak hour raised to $2!!! So even before my taxi ride begins, I have effectively lost $8.80 ( $4 booking fee + $2 peak + 2.80 boarding fee). If this isnt ridiculous pricing, I have no idea what this is anymore. This is the only rare moment i missed the abundant taxis in HK, appearing like a genie in a bottle at the snap of your fingers!

Surprise dessert treat from an old friend

I was truly surprised when my friend sms and called me. 


Ha! Didnt expect Mr Forgetful to honor his word of calling me when he got back from his Malaysia golf game! I wasnt expecting to catch him since it was pretty late but he swung by anycase, not before "complaining" about me and my beancurd and my remote residence from his. heh heh. 我的宵夜甜品有着落了! After 7 years, he remains he only guy I know who still opens the car door and close it after me.



We headed to Geylang for my fav soyabean curd while he chewed on his black jelly drink. There isnt much place left to choose from at 11.30pm. Of course his relentless questioning started the minute he sat down with my orders in his hands. Sigh, so much for my peace and quiet. Knowing him, it will be a long long night. 


I answered half of his questions and avoided the other half. Problem was that he knew me too well and so it was kinda hard to pretend that was it. So when he said "so what else?" I was thinking "Damnit!". I felt apologetic but I just didnt feel like talking much that night. Thankfully I could always count on him reading me well. If I didnt want to say it, he would know and wasnt going to force it out of me after his first attempt. So he tactfully changed topic to him and the china women walking out of the KTV bars along the road. It was a relief, a huge one.



It felt strange and surreal sitting there. Right now, I wished he wouldnt ask me further because I havent sort out alot of things in my head and sharing it will truly sound stupid. Plus, for a change, this is one thing i never plan to share with him as he canx solve it. However I told him I quit my job and he whined "There I was planning to visit u next month! Why couldnt u wait!! sigh..." I laughed looking at his expression.



I dun remember much of the ride home. Just another comforting familiar road home.
Nothing much has changed, yet everything has changed.
Funny how life is sometimes, isnt it?

Sat nite

Taught my nephew how to write his first picture composition on sat nite. As i didnt want to rush him and ending up with sloppy work, I shut ourselves in the room till he was done. Ok, while the essay writing was a success, the little excercise toss my plans quite a bit coz dinner became later than expected and I was gonna be late meeting Jen in town. So I had to sms Jen and push back our date while I was munching down the yummy BBQ stingray and squid...yummy....

We changed our venue and moved to H.V instead of town since it was quicker for me to get there. It was also at the same time i discovered how OLD my bro's street directory was!!! So many places are MIA on his map!!! I nearly "fainted" while my sister in law was laughing away at the back.


By the time i reached the meeting place, Jen was already there waiting. I was abit lost at first since i havent been to the various stores there and didnt know where she was. Eventually I got it right.



It was nice catching up that nite. We spoke alot and it was a good sharing session. We only left when the place was closing. I didnt realise it was over 2am+. We went to the 24hr cold storage and chatted as we stroll along. I dun know if the chat has made her feel any better, but it certainly reminded me of many things that night. The memories were fuzzy since it has been years since i spent much thoughts on it, so what i had was snippets of events. It felt strangely abstract, like you are watching someone else's movies as your mind sifts thru the past.



We hugged our goodbyes and promised to stay in touch. I didnt want to give her any more advices because she knows what she needs to do or shouldnt. I guess all of us are such. Most of the times we knew the answers, we just didnt want to face it. Perhaps such is the complication of life.

Catching up with D

Woke up feeling strange. The surrounding was unfamiliar and then i remembered I wasnt back in sg. Sigh.

The first weekend (sat) I had was to catch up with D since he was living closest to me. We were supposed to have lunch at Bark cafe behind our place but my mum had bought lunch so i ate before heading out. Was hoping the place would have decent desserts but they only had icecream. Still better than nothing!

Finally saw D's new foreign gf and prob due to language barrier, we didnt speak much. When I first saw her, I was slightly taken back because at certain angle, she reminded me of a friend. Thru'out the rest of the day, D and I mainly talked about what's going on around him since my last trip back. I had to agree with him, timing is all bad and I dun envy him being in his position. Guess all i could do is to wish him luck since his problems are not something i can help him with... I asked him if he has contacted Leo, but he hasnt. We both know he missed his company. Man and their ego. Sigh. I have said all to be said, what's left remains in his hands. Knowing D and his character, there is only so much of a button i can press... The day quickly turned to eve and we parted our ways on the bus.

As i strolled home, I think about how quickly your life can turn and the path you thought you knew vanishes and replaces by uncertainty. I wished you, my old fren, well and happy.