*dimsumdolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

Customer Feedback

So I, being very bo-liao (that means having nothing better to do in Singlish), decided to give some customer feedback regarding the horrible tasting soy bean milk which sure doesn't make it a great way to fly.

I went to Singapore Airlines' website and e-mailed them under the "Feedback & Enquiry" link. Below is the automated e-mail response I got.

==================================================

Dear Miss Xx,

Thank you for sharing your feedback with us via our website on 29/6/06
13:30:56 hrs.

On behalf of all staff concerned, we would like to thank you for taking
the
time to forward us your compliments. They are much appreciated. We will
ensure that your compliments are conveyed to the staff concerned.

Thank you for choosing to travel with Singapore Airlines. We look
forward
to being of service to you again soon.

Thank you

Yours sincerely

Customer Relations
Singapore Airlines

===============================================

Frankly, I hate such automated responses. It really doesn't tell me that my feedback has been taken into consideration. And the reason why it says "compliments" is because you have to categorise your feedback (compulsory field) under "compliments" or some other option which I can't remember now. But there was no "Complaints and Gripes" or "Food Feedback" (I'd have a lot to say about that!) option.

So the best option would be "compliments", which I did give in a way. You see, I started off by complimenting them on including soy bean milk as a beverage and catering to the tastes of their customers in different localities. Then I dropped the bombshell on how I thought the soy bean milk they served was crap.

And one gripe about their website--it isn't compatible with Mozilla Firefox! The fields just don't work when using it to browse. Maybe something else to feedback upon!!!

A friend of mine said I shoulda marched to the place where the flight attendants prepare food and found out what brand of soy bean milk they were using. Anyway, we shall see what the soy bean milk tastes like the next time I order it on board!

Soy Bean Milk on SQ

On my recent flight on Singapore Airlines to and from Beijing, I was pleased to discover that they have included soy bean milk as one of their beverages on board. This is for economy class as well--I know because that's the class I always fly! I'm not THAT high up in the company hierarchy. In fact, I'm not high up. Period.

But if I read the inflight magazine correctly, this is only for flights to and from Beijing, Taipei and Hong Kong. I can't quite remember the exact details, but I know it doesn't apply to all SQ flights.

Anyway, I got excited because I love drinking soy bean milk. And I usually like to have it warm. So I asked for it. Note: it's not usually placed on that trolley when they come round to serve you drinks. You have to request for it. So I guess it's only for those who read the inflight magazine and come to know of it!

Then I realised that it's really no loss if you don't know of it. 'Cos the soy bean milk SQ serves tastes really gross!!! It's so diluted and tasteless, and there's no presence of the smooth, rich taste of soy bean. I don't know which brand of soy bean milk they use, but my suggestion is that they change it pronto!!! I think I shall write in to SQ catering and give them some feedback. Let's see what they say about it!

Busy

I've been too busy at work. So much so that I can hardly find any time to write! And that's not good.

Over the weekend, I indulged in shopping and chocolate. Both wonderful things to indulge in. Out on a Friday night at Paragon, I was browsing the shops and ended up buying another top--a purplish-pink sleeveless one with a white phoenix print in front. I like it a lot. :)

Then my friend finally arrived at 8pm, and both of us settled into a small table at Akashi at Paragon's basement. Before serving the food, the waitress brought us steaming hot towels for us to wipe our hands. I just love restaurants that have this service. It feels so nice and fresh!

We had the deep-fried soft shell crab which was nice. Crispy, not tttooo oily, and it came with a nice dip that tasted a bit like fish sauce. I had the oyako-don set. Lots of chicken and eggs covering the rice soaked in a tasty broth. It was like having Japanese risotto. I liked it, even though some others might find it too watery. Service there was also prompt and friendly.

Then, because we were so stuffed, we walked over to Taka to do some "exercise". What else but thronging the shops lah??? But the only thing I ended up buying was a box of bitter chocolate from Royce at the Taka basement. Yummy. After that, feeling the need for some dessert, we walked over to Lido to have some gelato at gelatissimo. Oh, this brought back fond memories of Sydney! I used to patronise gelatissimo quite a lot!

Saturday night, I bought a chocolate cake from awfully chocolate to try. I had heard a lot about this cake shop and so decided to give it a try. There are three flavours--plain chocolate, banana & chocolate, rum & cherry & chocoate. A 500g cake goes for $21, $23 and $28 respectively.

I wasn't tttooooo impressed with it though. The chocolate sponge cake with fudge topping tasted exactly like the one from Lana Cake. Honestly, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference had it been a blind tasting. I guess it's just another option if you can't get your hands on Lana Cake (say if you're a die-hard fan) as you usually have to make advance orders and moreover, the Lana Cake shop only opens on certain days.

On Sunday, there was a small celebration at Tanjong Beach for a couple in the club I paddle with who just got married. They had catered some food which was placed under a pavilion and it was a nice and relaxing time for everyone to hang out at the beach to bask in the couple's joy. There's always a good reason to go to the beach!!!

Anyways, apart from that, life is a bit of a bore. No interesting or hot men. Somebody set me up or ask me out already! This is getting boring. I need some fodder for writing you know! As far as I can see, the only hot men (literally and metaphorically) around at the moment are the ones running around the pitch in the stadiums of the 12 German cities hosting the World Cup.

And it doesn't help that I'm having a breakout on my face at the moment! I don't know where all these pimples come from!!! Argh.

But ok, at least something to look forward to this weekend--dragonboat race at Bedok Reservoir!

Ah well. Back to work.

Hug

Hug

The older I get, the more I like hugging, When I was little
the
people hugging me were much larger. In their grasp I was a
rag
doll. In adolescence, my body was too tense to relax for a
hug.
Later, after the loss of virginity—which was anything but a
loss—the extreme proximity of the other person, the smell
of
hair,
the warmth of the skin, the sound of breathing in the
dark—these were mysterious and delectable. This hug had
two primary components: the anticipation of sex and the
plea-
sure of intimacy, which itself is a combination of trust and
affection. It was this latter combination that came to
character-
ize the hugging I have experienced only in recent years, a
hug-
ging that knows no distinctions of gender or age. When this
kind of hug is mutual, for a moment the world is perfect the
way it is, and the tears we shed for it are perfect too. I
guess it
is an embrace.

~ Ron Padgett

----------------------------------------------------

I thought the poem was lovely, so decided to put it up and share it. Indeed, a hug can be something so reassuring. That touch, with another human, or animal (e.g. a dog--I love hugging my dogs), just makes you feel like you DO exist in this world. Know what I mean?

Postcard #2

Another postcard from Finland which, according to the sender, translates to "Luckily there are so many reasons to make life sweet".

I like that optimism. I should keep reminding myself of that fact.

Postcard #1

Several months back, olduvai introduced me to Postcrossing and I've really been enjoying sending and receiving postcards from all over the world. For all those people out there who love receiving snail mail and still enjoy the old-fashion form of communication, please jump on the Postcrossing bandwagon!

This is my favourite amongst the postcards I've received so far. It's from Finland and it has a lovely poem. The writer has translated it from Finnish. I enjoy Postcrossing because it's interesting to read what a complete stranger has to say, it's exciting to see what picture the front of the postcard carries, and it's with a curiosity about the world that I look at the stamps and the things they represent about the country they come from.

Leave one card up a sleeve
Leave one door slightly open
Leave a small drop at the bottom of a bottle
Leave a scent to a pillowcase for the night
Leave a laughter to populate
a lonely room
Leave something small and light
to grow shockingly grand
Leave so much of yourself
that you'll never again
be whole without it

~ Tommy Tabermann

Redeye Flight

Initially slated to return only at the end of the month, my trip was cut short because it turned out that I didn't need to be in China for such a long stretch of time. *leaping for joy*

Last night, I took the 2355 hr flight out of Beijing and arrived back in Singapore at 550 hr this morning. I got home at 630am, washed up, changed, and then went to the office. I must have been running on adrenalin as I managed (surprisingly, as I hardly slept on the plane) to keep awake for the whole day.

I'm totally knackered now, but extremely glad to be back home in less punishing temperatures.

House Arrest

I feel like I'm imprisoned--by the weather--in the service apartment. You see, the heat in Beijing is sweltering. While it's nowhere as bad as what I experienced in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou last June, it's still a challenge to step out in the sun. And note that this is coming from a sun worshipper. If I say it's hot, it's REALLY hot.

The service apartment is just the opposite. The aircon just blasts like nobody's business. It's freezing cold. I can't seem to adjust the temperature. But the cold is much more bearable than the heat. So I've taken to holing myself up in the apartment. I got back from my meeting at 2:30pm and haven't been out ever since. I was even too lazy to walk out to get dinner. OK, I hear a collective gasp now. You must be thinking, "How IS that possible??? Dimsumdolly forgoing dinner???"

Well yeah, that's what I did. I'm a bit surprised by myself too. Haha. But actually now I'm hungry--at 11:40pm! I think I'm just going to sleep off the hunger. Night.

No purchase

So I did go shopping and tried finding a pair of pants. But I didn't find anything suitable--they were either too expensive or too ugly. Both of which aren't good reasons to make a purchase. So I ended up going to the meeting in my jeans and a top. It turned out to be OK as the other ladies in the meeting were just as casual, perhaps even more so. One, in my opinion, looked like she was headed for the wet market. Enough said.

But my general observation about people in Beijing is that they dress pretty casually when it comes to work. Many of the women also don't bother with make-up. Once, I sat in on an interview that my manager's boss was conducting, and the candidate (a young lady of 26) came dressed in T-shirt, jeans and with no make-up on. She looked more like she was going to a lecture at a university. I was quite shocked to see her dressed like that, 'cos in Singapore it's a definite no-no to turn up for an interview dressed so casually. But it's pretty cool that dressing's so casual. Then there's no need to spend huge amounts of money on work clothes!

So anyway, I don't think I need to buy any pants! Yipee!

Nice apartment

I'm staying at this place called L'accueil Residence at the moment. It's a service apartment-hotel style outfit. It's nice. Everything looks new and stylish, there's a kitchenette, a dining table, a small living room, a big double bed with plush cotton sheets and a clean and stylish bathroom.

Should have extended some invitations to friends to come to Beijing with me!

No pants

Great, just great. I've actually forgotten to bring work pants. All I have for bottoms are my cargo pants, a pair of jeans and the blue skirt I bought from ness recently. I realised this while I was on the plane from Singapore to Beijing. As I was sitting in my seat it suddenly occurred to me that I had forgotten to pack any in!

Sometimes, I really admire my ability to get myself into sticky situations. I can't believe this is happening to me. Arrrgghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paddle Gear

Yes, more purchases. This time for some paddle gear. I'm pretty pleased with them. Haha.

I've finally got myself a paddle bag for my dragonboat paddle. I've had enough of stares coming from people whenever I carry it with me onto buses and trains especially when I'm all decked out in office wear on my way to Singapore's commercial and business district. Putting it in a paddle bag makes the paddle look less exposed and won't invite so many stares. Hopefully.

Once, my colleague who saw me from afar with my paddle thought I was carrying a broom. Another time, a taxi driver thought it was a shovel. Anyway, I like this paddle bag because it has pink trimmings! And my Nalgene water bottle is pink too! Yeah, pretty in pink!

Not too long ago, I also bought myself a pair of booties to protect my feet from all the dirt and grime in Kallang. A teammate once stepped on something sharp as she got off from the boat and since then she has been wearing booties in case she hurts herself again. I decided to follow suit as glass bits and hypodermic needles have been spotted lying in the sand! The booties also give better grip when I have to stand in the boat while coxing and while doing the standing stroke--yes, you can stand and paddle in a dragonboat! But the standing stroke is only permitted in certain competitions, e.g. the one in Penang.

I also bought a lemongrass and a tangerine coloured Patagonia top. The material is very light and it's marketed as "Silkweight Capilene", whatever that means. I actually ordered a crimson coloured one as well, but the printer printed something on it by mistake so I didn't take it in the end. These silkweight tops are meant to be worn for paddling as it's light and dries fast. Decided to get long-sleeved shirts for paddling to protect from the sun...think I've been getting too much sun exposure. Anyway, I like these shirts because they're great to bring for travelling...light and don't require ironing!

Dumped

No, not by a boyfriend (not that I have one to begin with), but by some bitch of a woman I work with in China. She has specifically said that she doesn't want to work with me on the next project. My manager has since taken me off this project. This woman is notorious for being extremely difficult to work with. My manager and another colleague spent an afternoon having a meeting with her, and they came out of it agreeing with everyone else's opinion of her. Much less me, who has had to work with her for the past two years! Argh. I feel indignant, 'cos I should be the one doing the dumping, not her!!! It's no love lost really, just wounded pride!

By right, I should be quite happy to have work taken off me, but I'm not. Not when it's taken away like that. It's one thing to say I'm too busy so I need to have the project taken off me, and another thing to have the project taken off me in such a manner.

I had a mid-year appraisal with my manager yesterday. It didn't go too well as some negative things were pointed out. One was that I don't display enough enthusiasm in taking up new responsibilities. I guess I could have exhibited more enthusiasm, but it's difficult when faced with shitloads of work and a woman who drives you up the wall. I'm not exactly some meek and docile person and I have a fiery streak in me too. So it kinda made the relationship strained. Even my manager's boss knows about it. Not good. Hmmm. So ok, I could have managed my temper better. But it's not that I've ever flared up at her directly. I think we both just flare up behind each other's backs and my Chinese colleagues (who are the account managers) get the brunt of it from both ends. I feel bad about it. But I've always apologised to my colleagues after my rants.

My manager said to me that he thinks we're both motivated by the same thing when it comes to the work we do at our company--money. Very perceptive of him. We both are motivated by the comfortable life that money can provide. Not that I have a lot of moolah OK. One doesn't earn very much in the type of work that I do, but it's comfortable enough such that I don't have to live from hand to mouth. So to achieve that end, we should try to do the best we can to help our colleagues in China so that they can sell the product we produce.

But all this just brings me back to the question of what I want to do with my life. I don't want to be just motivated by money alone. OK, not that I absolutely hate whatever I'm doing now, but let's just say it's not my life's ambition. There was a quote a friend sent me once about my profession. The quote by a famous person (can't remember who) said that no child ever grew up wanting to be in the profession I am. And it's true! So that's quite depressing.

I know there's something I've always wanted to do, but I lack the courage to try. It'd mean having to give up lots of things. Material things. I guess that's the problem with humans--we grow attached to material things and comforts. We become prisoners to it and it stops us from moving forward and/or making changes. Hence I admire people who have made big career switches. Slumbering girl is one case in point and I really admire her for her bravery. Kudos to this sassy slumbering girl!

But I guess my manager's right. Even if we're not crazy about the job, at least do the best you can while you're at it and look forward to that pot of gold, even if it's the only motivating factor. And I'm going to be perfectly honest and say that money is important to me. I don't come from a rich family and I know I definitely have to depend on myself to build up my retirement nest. I won't be coming into any huge inheritance nor do I have some million dollar trust fund waiting for me. And I don't want to end up having to work my butt off even when I'm terribly old and grey.

Another thing my manager said about me was that I tend to be too emotional. He cited an email I sent to someone which sounded snappish as I had written it while I was still feeling irritated. So I was advised to hold off on answering emails until I was calmer and more collected. I just don't seem to have that kind of filter to filter out things which make me react so strongly. As my good friend, fatgirl, says of me, I leap before I think. Yes, I'm the type of person who lets my stupid heart rule my head and end up in sticky situations because of it! Sometimes, I put my foot in my mouth because I'm too quick to express my opinions.

At times, I really hate myself. Why must we grow up? Why is adulthood so difficult? Why do some people know what they want to do with their lives right from the very start? Why am I still searching? What am I searching for anyway? Why am I afraid of change, of risks? Why am I so emotional? Why was I born? Why am I ME?????

Wiener Kaffeehaus

Wiener Kaffeehaus is a recently opened Austrian coffeehouse in one of the shophouses along Neil Road. It has a modern European feel to it with its dark wooden panels, gold and yellow paintings strategically placed amongst mirrors which serve to make the place seem bigger than it actually is.

Olduvai, slumbering girl and I had dinner there on Friday night as we wanted to check the place out. Olduvai was the early bird--she arrived there at 5pm and had the sachertorte which I had a nibble of when I arrived. It was a tad too dry for our liking though. While waiting for slumbering girl to arrive, we ordered a Caesar salad to share. This was just average. Nothing very mindblowing.

For our mains, we ordered the Schnitzel and the Fiaker Gulasch to share amongst us three. The Schnitzel was a huge piece of deep-fried pork cutlet and it was just right for three to share. To eat one portion on one's own is a bit too much. I liked the gulasch as it was served with tender pieces of beef, a sunny-side-up, a bread dumpling and a sausage. The gravy was very tasty and I preferred this to the Schnitzel which I thought would be better had the meat been more moist.

We didn't stay for dessert as the desserts didn't look particularly enticing. The crepes looked (I spied another table's order) very pale, as if it were uncooked. The apple strudel looked OK, but I'm not fond of the European apple strudel as I don't like the raisins in it. I much prefer the Australian spin-off with the cream and custard.

I didn't try the coffee 'cos I'm not a coffeedrinker. But olduvai and slumbering girl did so, and I think they said the coffee there's pretty good.

The place was very well-patronised on a Friday night. Service is generally good and friendly. There's also wifi broadband access as well for those who lug their laptops around. For a full meal there, be prepared to spend about $20-$25 per person. All in all, it's a nice place to chill out to enjoy a cup of coffee!

Wiener Kaffeehaus
148 Neil Road
Tel: 6226-3148
Opens: 10am to 10pm daily

Good Morning!

This morning, when i got on Bus Number 162 to come to work, the bus driver greeted me, and everyone that boarded the bus "Good morning". Tis a rare thing to happen in Singapore.

And that's why i really like this bus driver who greets all the passengers. It's the third time i'm taking his bus. 'Cos sometimes i might take other bus numbers as this is not the only bus that can take me to work.

But now i hope that i'll be able to catch his bus because it's nice to have a friendly bus driver who greets his passengers. It's just a nice way to start the day. So much more pleasant.

Why isn't it a common occurence for people in Singapore to say "good morning" to strangers? Once, when i went jogging in the morning at a park, i just smiled and said "good morning" to a woman walking in the opposite direction, and i think she thought i was mad 'cos she was shocked and a strange expression came onto her face when i said it.

And actually I can understand why bus drivers don't greet people. 'Cos when they do, Singaporeans are such idiots--they don't greet the person back! Instead they just have a shocked expression on their faces, as if thinking that the stranger who just greeted them "good morning" is mad!

Thankfully, i think Singaporeans are getting better. The other day, i observed that most of the people acknowledged the bus driver's greeting and greeted him back in return.

I think such little things make the world just that little bit nicer and more pleasant to live in, don't you? :)

China-bound again

I'm slated to be in Beijing for the last two weeks of June for work. I think I'll be really bored over the weekends. I need to make friends in Beijing so they can take me out and show me around, 'cos I'm sure there are still many nooks and corners I've yet to go to. But it's so difficult...one just can't make friends just like that. Anyways, so I figure I'll just hole up in my hotel room and work, work, work.

On a side note, I steered for three sets last night during dragonboat practice. Boat went a wee bit off course at some points, but for the most part, I managed to keep it going straight. Not too bad for a beginner. Quite pleased with myself. Hee. But going to Beijing will mean missing out on the last two weeks of practice before the competition on 1-2 July. Damn. But what to do? Dragonboat isn't the one that's bringing in the dough!

糖水

I love those Hong Kong-style toasts where the slice of bread is about 5cm thick, and dripping with honey and oozing melted butter. It's slightly crisp on the surface, while the inside of the bread is as soft as a bed of feathers as you sink your teeth into it. Now, THAT's comfort food for you.

Anyway, on Saturday I found a place which serves up a really good toast like the one just described. It's an eatery along Zion Road called 糖水 (Tong Shui). It serves other Hong Kong 茶餐厅 (Cha Chaan Teng) favourites like 车仔面 (Che Zhai Meen) and Cantonese desserts.

The place has a cheery feel with its fuschia pink and grass green coloured walls. It opens from 12pm - 6am, so it's a great place for supper!

Shopoholic Unleased

Having not flexed my shopoholic muscles in awhile, I gave my muscles and my credit card a good workout over the weekend. The haul:

- a cherry-red shirt-dress from Raoul. Oh, I LOVE this dress. I'm so glad Monoceros and Fatgirl convinced me to buy the red instead of the boring black one. In Monoceros words, "you look ike you're going to a funeral in black."

- a white tank top with some pink floral prints and a few sequins from Dorothy Perkins. It's casual, and a great wear for the weekends. The white colour brings out my tan too! Again, I'm grateful to Monoceros for convincing me to buy this more flirty top instead of the more sporty-looking one I was looking at as well. It was one or the other.

- Two necklaces, a ring and a brooch from Mollusc

- a pair of shoes from barcode

- three pairs of earrings from a tiny shop in Far East Plaza

OK, will see if I have time to take and post pictures!

The Definition of Me

Merriam Webster's Word of the Day for June 02 is:

foodie \FOO-dee\ noun

: a person having an avid interest in the latest food fads

Example sentence:
A serious foodie, Beryl reads cookbooks like novels and scours specialty shops in search of exotic ingredients.

Did you know?
"Foodie" is a relatively recent addition to our language (dating from the early 1980s), but it derives from a much older word, "food," which has been with us for as long as there has been anything that could be called English. "Food" can be traced back through Middle English to the Old English form "fōda," which is itself related to Old High German "fuotar," meaning "food" or "fodder," and Latin "panis," meaning "bread." "Panis" is the source for "empanada," a Spanish turnover with a sweet filling, "panatela," a type of cigar, "panettone," an Italian bread containing raisins and candied fruit, and "pantry," a room used for the storage of provisions.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Motorbike Ride

I was out at Zouk last night for Mambo Night! Didn't party enough on Sunday night after the race, so this is Part 2 for some of my teammates and me. :)

The good thing is that ladies don't have to pay cover charge. Yipee. So anyway, danced the night away till 2am. And surprise surprise, I still got to work on time--8:30am!

Also, I sat on a motorbike for the first time last night! A teammate of mine gave me a lift home on his bike. Very exciting to be sitting on a motorbike! Fun!

Danson Durian Chocolate

The driver seemed to know my weakness--chocolates. He brought my friends and me to Malaysian's only chocolate manufacturer (or so he says). But anyway, the visit to Danson left me 50 Ringgit poorer and two boxes of Durian Dark Chocolate richer.

I love durians and I love dark chocolates, so I couldn't walk out without buying it. Of course, I tried a sample first before deciding to buy. The dark chocolate was smooth and had enough bitterness in it. The durian inside was nice too and surprisingly went very well with the chocolate. This combination apparently won itself the accolade of Chocolate of the Year in 2004 accorded to it by the Malaysian Cocoa Association (or something like that).

My parents loved it too and the two boxes of chocolates (containing 9 pieces in each box) were very swiftly wiped out in two days. So if anyone's going to Malaysia, please help me get these chocolates!