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

Hiatus

I've been busy packing up and settling matters for my impending departure from Hong Kong ever since getting back from Taiwan last Friday. Taiwan was fantastic and I took many pictures. Updates will come when all this packing up is over. Till then, this blog will be a little quiet! I'll be back soon!

Off to Taiwan!

Taiwan Here I Come...Finally!

I think I must be one of the last Singaporeans who hasn't been to Taiwan. It seems that everyone I know has made a trip there before. So anyway, I'm finally making my way there this Thursday. I thought I'd make a trip there from Hong Kong since it's closer to do so than from Singapore. It also helps that I have just enough Asia Miles and credit card points to redeem for a ticket to Taipei from Hong Kong.

Thursday will also be my last day on the job - I'll be going to work for the first half of the day and then my flight to Taipei will be at 1555 hours. I know, I don't waste any time, do I? :p

I'll be travelling alone and any travelling tips or recommendations are welcomed! Or even better if you can hook me up with some friends who can take me hiking or be my eating companion!

Costochondritis

Yes, I'll bet you did a second take at the title of this blog entry and you're probably thinking 'What the hell's that????'

Until four days ago, I didn't know what it was either. On Sunday, I self-diagnosed myself with this medical condition after some online research using the symptoms I observed on myself. A visit to the doctor on Monday confirmed my self-diagnosis.

So what happened? Last Friday evening I started feeling a dull pain running from my left shoulder, down my shoulder blade and then round the chest. I thought, OK, maybe it'll go away the next day. Saturday morning, the pain didn't go away but I thought I was well enough to go on a hike that was to go round Chi Ma Wan Peninsula in the south of Lantau Island. A quarter-way into the hike I started experiencing chest pains and a shortness of breath as I was going uphill. At that point, I decided to turn back as I still wasn't too far from the starting point. I was afraid that I'd faint and have to be airlifted from the bushes by helicopter if I decided to continue! Thankfully I had the good sense to turn back and get back to civilisation sooner than later.

Anyway, costochondritis is chest pain caused by the inflammation of the cartilage that joins the ribs to the sternum (aka breast bone). It usually involves only one side of the sternum and it tends to be the left side. Apparently it tends to affect more females than males - oh, the injustices of the world! Costochondritis can be caused by virus or bacterial infection or it can be caused by repetitive microtrauma to the cartilage. In my case, it's most likely all the paddling I've been doing over the years and also the lifting of weights etc.

The condition is making it difficult for me to breathe without feeling pain. Taking deep breaths, yawning and laughing have become painful actions. There is no treatment for this condition except to just wait it out and let the body heal itself. All forms of physically strenuous activities are a no-no at the moment as that would mean having to take deep breaths, which would in turn impede recovery. Recovery time can be anything from days to months. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a speedy recovery as I'm bored shitless what with not being able to hike, run and paddle.

I don't know what to do with myself without sports!!!

Home for the Weekend

A rare sight of a rainbow from my home in Singapore, 21 March 2009

Am zipping off to Singapore from 7-11 May, primarily because it's my uncle's wedding on Saturday. Getting on the Airport Express train and zipping to the airport straight after work in an hour's time. I want to go back and have popiah, bak chor mee, and cheng tng!

Post-holiday Blues

Returning back to work in Hong Kong after a good nine days in Singapore over the Chinese New Year period is certainly a bit of a struggle. I flew out of Hong Kong on the night of 12 Feb and got home in the wee hours of the morning of 13 Feb.

It was great to be back home with my family for the reunion dinner, what with my sister also flying back home from Sydney where she now resides. With my cousin, grandmother and her helper, plus a long-time family friend of my dad's, the eight of us sat down to a sumptuous dinner lovingly prepared by my mum. There's nothing like homecooked food and nothing in the world beats anything made by one's own mother or father.

The next couple of days at home were filled with just lazing around at home, meeting up with friends, and spending time with family. Last Thursday, I suggested going to the day zoo. I haven't been there since I was a child and I thought it'd be quite nice to visit again. So like two young kids again, my sis and I headed to the zoo with our parents except this time it was me driving and paying. It was a nice morning out and I was very pleased with the trip. :)

Upon returning to Hong Kong suddenly, a wave of homesickness hit me. Sometimes it's not good to spend such a long stretch back home. You just get used to home again.

Gotta get back into the zone!

If You're Interested ...

For readers in Hong Kong (if there are any), I'm organising an outing with some friends to go strawberry picking in Fanling (粉嶺) this Sunday afternoon, 7 February. Yes, there ARE farms in Hong Kong! If you're interested in coming along, please drop me a line at dimsumdolly@gmail.com.

PS. This has nothing to do with my previous entry about wanting a little strawberry! ;p

Tai Mo Shan 大帽山

After all that eating I've been doing, I had to get rid of some of the calories - though it's not quite enough to help me lose some weight. Right now I feel like a bear going into hibernation during winter. It's getting cold in HK and I'm eating more. My body also seems to be going into hibernation mode by storing layers and layers of fat, a large majority of which centres at my tummy. Gosh, I look like I have a baby bump. It's embarrassing ... a baby bump with no baby inside. Eeeks. But as long as I'm living in HK, this baby bump is unlikely to go away. I think the only way I'm ever going to be thin is if I lived in somewhere in Africa where good food is scarce.

Anyway, in my bid to expand some energy, I went hiking on Sunday. This time it was up Tai Mo Shan (大帽山) the highest peak in Hong Kong at 957m. Its name translates literally to 'Big Hat Mountain'.

This picture was taken on my way to the meet-up point at Tai Po Market MTR station. I'm quite pleased with this shot taken with the Colour Accent function in my camera. I got on at Yau Ma Tai, the first stop of the Kwun Tong line (green line on the MTR map) hence it was rather empty.

The hike of the day was to hike long Stage 8 of the Maclehose Trail which is the route for the Oxfam Trailwalker charity run that takes place in Hong Kong every November. The Trailwalker route is 100km long that runs across the New Territories from Sai Kung to Tsuen Wan. The charity run requires people to be in teams of four. You have a maximum of 48 hours to finish the run as a team. Most people do it overnight. The tough Gurkhas from Nepal hold the record for doing it in 11+ hours. If insanity does strike, I'll do it next year ... am kinda considering it.

Way down below is the hustle and bustle of the busy suburbs. It's so therapeutic for the soul to be up here with a nice view, fresh cool air and tranquility. I find that I need to get away from all the crowds and small spaces every weekend to recharge myself. It's the only way to stay sane in this city.

Once again, I'm awestruck by Hong Kong's natural beauty. While climbing up I'm mentally cursing myself for subjecting myself to such torture, but once up there, all that effort is rewarded by lovely views. The scene is made all that much sweeter 'cos of all that effort put into getting there.

My fellow hikers and I passed through Lead Mine Pass enroute to Tai Mo Shan and we ended up in some place called Tsuen Kam. While hiking, we came across numerous mounds of cow dung. Later, we spotted wild buffaloes grazing in the grassland.

The Hong Kong weather Observatory sits at the top of Tai Mo Shan, and is closed to the public. Hence there is no way going right to the summit. But anyway, we were close enough - probably just about 25m shy of the peak. It was hard work getting up as there were many steep slopes and stairs to climb. Do this every other day and you're guaranteed buns of steel!

Christmas Cheer

Two Sundays ago I went to Flower Street (花墟街) , that's located in the absolutely crazy, but oh-so-Hong Kong district of Mong Kok (旺角), and came across this shop by the corner selling all sorts of Christmas decorations. One step into the shop and you couldn't help but be infected by all that Christmas cheer. It felt like Christmas Wonderland, and even the most cynical of souls would have forced out a smile. I was feeling miserable that day because of something, but stepping into that shop and spending an hour and a half in there with my friend, deciding what to decorations to buy, really cheered me up.

So here's what I've done to my little abode with the decorations I bought that day.

My tiny Christmas tree in the corner

My Christmas tree is a rather interesting and beady version of the actual one. I love it. :) It has green, red and silver beads at the end of each 'branch' which is bendable.

A snowman on the door knob that only cost me HKD16 which is approximately SGD3. A pretty good and cheap find!

A Christmas garland with fake red berries and small little pine corns (these are real) hangs by the entrance to my room. I had intended to hang it on my front grill but decided it added more cheer inside the flat where I could see it.

So even though I don't celebrate Christmas in a religious sense, I'm pretty happy with the little Christmas cheer I've brought into my tiny abode!

Best Birthday Present Ever

My dearest sister (that's us in the photo like eons ago) on the left gave me the best birthday present ever. On Thursday morning I was chatting online with her and saying how depressed I was at the thought of spending my 31st birthday alone in HK on Sat (i.e. today). She, bless her, then said she'd buy a ticket for me to go back. And she did it there and then.

And so I found myself on a Jetstar flight last night on my way back to Singapore. I touched down at 12.20am and got home at 1am. I was then up at 7am, and then found myself at Tanjong Beach at 9am paddling with my Singapore teammates.

Anyway, I'm having a swell time at home and enjoying my 1.5 hours day in Singapore. I fly back tomorrow! This is the most impromptu trip I've ever made.

It's so nice to be home! And a big THANK YOU to my dearest sister - whom I'm not even getting to see 'cos she lives in Sydney!

Big hugs to her!

I'm Still Alive!

OK, just to prove I'm still alive, kicking and eating in Hong Kong, here's a picture of me about to tuck into some steamed egg custard - one of my favourite desserts - taken last Saturday. I've been lazy with my blog and I know I need to start writing again. I know by now I don't have many readers left (not that I had many to begin with) with the long hiatus so I'm not too concerned about putting my photo up. Haha.

More soon, I promise!

I Survived!

An absolutely awesome paddle over the weekend with a total of 140km paddled over two days, taking about 8 hours going there and 6.5 hours returning to Hong Kong (the difference due to currents). We paddled past the south of Lamma Island, Cheung Chau Island, Lantau Island and several other islands. At some points, there were thousands and thousands of fish jumping in and out of the water as we cruised along. Beautiful stuff!

Passport control was taken care of way before hand. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes with such cross-border expeditions. One of my teammates had first taken our passports to Hong Kong immigration to 'check us out' of Hong Kong. On arriving in Macau, she gave a call to Macau immigration upon which they sent two immigration officers to the sea school where we landed to come and stamp our passports. Easy. The reverse happened when we left Macau to return to Hong Kong.

The hot and humid weather on both days made the challenge even more challenging. As a tired me saw the ferries going to and from Macau speeding by us while paddling, thoughts of "Now THAT should be the correct way of doing it!" went through my mind. Trust me, by the 6th hour you're pretty much toast. But nah, I wouldn't have traded the weekend's experience for a ferry ticket. Tis definitely one of my best paddling experiences to date!

Paddle to Macau and Back

Am paddling from Hong Kong Island to Macau on Saturday, staying overnight and paddling back on Sunday. There will be 44 of us in total taking three outrigger canoes across the seas.

Yes, people normally take the ferry. Or perhaps that sentence should read:

Normal people take the ferry.

Reflections on the 1st Month

It's exactly a month since I arrived in Hong Kong, and I think I have been a bit of an overachiever in this one month. I've never done so much in a month. Ever. I'm quite proud of myself if I may say so. Haha. For a quiet Monday evening at home, let me take stock of what I did in the month.

1) Started work on 3 Aug, the day after I arrived in HK.

2) In Week 1, Monday to Friday evenings were spent going to property agents in various areas in Hong Kong Island, and asking to view flats in my budget range. Finally on Friday, I saw one that I decided upon. It's a small studio flat (no kitchen) in an area called Tin Hau. I love the area as it has many small eateries and has a rather villagey feel. It's near to Causeway Bay yet is tucked away from the craziness and crowds that mark Causeway Bay.

Some of the shops in Tin Hau

3) That first Saturday, I went to Lamma Island for some easy trail walking.

Fish spawning grounds in Lamma Island

4) The next day, I went outrigger canoeing in Stanley with an outrigger canoeing club based there. Needed to get my paddling fix.

5) Second Saturday: Went to HK Immigration Department to apply for my ID card. In the afternoon, shifted my luggage into my new place, took delivery of my shipment from Singapore, went to IKEA to buy stuff - lots of stuff! That night, I also met up with friends from Singapore and Australia who were visiting Singapore. After dinner, we went for karaoke too!

6) Second Sunday: Checked out of Hotel Newton and officially moved into new place. Met up with good friend Nadia who was visiting from Hong Kong and we went for dimsum where we had a feast.

We then headed to The Peak where we had a really nice view as it was a clear day. Subsequently headed back to Causeway Bay where I went to buy more stuff at IKEA and Nadia helped me to set up home after lugging back home a truckload of stuff.

7) 3rd and 4th week: Went running in Happy Valley Race Course twice and started paddling on Tues and Thurs evenings. Joined California Fitness gym. Bought a small fridge some time in the 3rd week too. Set up a bank account.

8) 23 Aug: Took part in a 21km outrigger canoeing race. The race started at Stanley beach, went around Po Toi island and then back to Stanley Beach.

9) Gone hiking (see previous entry)

10) Picked up my HK ID card on Saturday - I'm no longer an alien!

Anyway, it's been such a whirlwind month. Am still letting the dust settle a bit. Now I have to work on building a social network again and making new friends. It's like going back to school again. Wish me luck.

DimSumDolly in Hong Kong

Dear readers,

Sorry for the lllloooonngggg hiatus. The blog's been wonky for quite awhile, hence the lack of updates. It's finally been fixed, many thanks to my friend R. The blog being wonky aside, I've also been very busy with the move to Hong Kong. I arrived in this vibrant city three weeks ago and have been in a bit of a whirlwind.

I shan't go into details here. But just wanted to drop a note to say I'm alive!

More later.

Bliss

It's been awhile since I last updated about my life - for those interested in knowing, read on. Otherwise, skip this! Work, freelance work, and paddling have been the main things that I have been preoccupied with. I haven't had the time to really sit down and write, and I've been paddling quite a bit. People who don't understand why I love outrigger canoeing think I, and my teammates, are insane to be making our way to Sentosa's Tanjong Beach on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 6 to paddle. We're out of the water by 7.45am and usually I'm off the island by 8.15am. After which I head to work. Morning paddles are so refreshing and what better way to greet the start of a new day than to see the sunrise as you paddle in the sea with a fresh, cool breeze blowing against your face? Such little pleasures in life are priceless.

The trip to Korea was FANTASTIC. Loved the food, got to meet up with a friend and made some new friends. More photos will continue from the previous two entries.

Well, speaking of little pleasures in life that are priceless, I now have to mention last Tuesday 16 June. That day will always be a special day for me and will be one of the most memorable days of 2009. It's been a long while since I've had such an absolutely wonderful day and on that day I could say I was truly happy. The day started out with a morning sunrise paddle which is always lovely. Instead of having to rush off after the paddle, I lingered around in Tanjong Beach as I had taken the day off. Monoceros and I had agreed to spend the morning and afternoon as beach bums.

The paddle finished at 8.15 and so I lay on the beach and waited for monoceros to turn up. While waiting, I revelled in the quietness and tranquility of the scene that lay before me. For once, the beach was pretty much empty save for a person or two who was walking along the beach or who had come for a morning swim with a dog. Still, it was a big difference from the beach I know at the weekend. Monoceros arrived at the beach at about 9.30am. She took a dip in the water while I lay on the beach to dry off from my morning paddle. At mid-day we walked to Palawan Beach's food court for lunch and then headed back to Tanjong Beach for more beach bumming. I swear I was born to be a beach bum.

Bliss is when there's a quiet beach lying in front of you with the morning sun kissing your skin with warm rays and the morning sea breeze caressing your face. Bliss is when you lie on the beach and look up at the everchanging fluffy white clouds floating past against the backdrop of a massive blue canvas. Bliss is when you hear nothing but the sound of waves lapping up the shore. Bliss is when you're spending a weekday as a beach bum when everyone else is in the office. Bliss is when you're stretched out on the sand with a book in hand. Bliss is when your best pal is lying beside you on the beach and the both of you are talking about anything and everything, laughing and lamenting together about life, men, love, movies, music, books, tan lines, hair, fashion, etc. Read monoceros's account of the day here.

Tanjong Beach may not be the nicest beach in the world, but it is a beach that is very special to me. I've spent countless hours there because of a sport (i.e outrigger canoeing) that I love and I've forged many friendships there as well. At 3.30pm, monoceros and I finally left Tanjong Beach. When we left the beach, I had transformed myself from beach bum to lady. I was wearing a dress and a pair of green high heels and had put on make-up. I then drove myself to One 15 Marina in Sentosa Cove where an ex-classmate from junior college was going to have his marriage solemnization ceremony. There were other ex-classmates in attendance and the wedding was an elegant, simple and intimate affair with only about 40 guests - very tastefully done.

At 8pm, I found myself at Pinchos, the bar and restaurant located at 8 Rochester Park. I was there to join my teammates for pub quiz night! I love pub quizzes. I love being tested on trivia - it's the nerd in me. Yes, my brain stores all sorts of useless information. The night was filled with good conversation and lots of laughter and I felt so blessed to have such great friends. I'm not the most sociable paddler on the paddling scene, but it's enough that I have this small group of paddling pals whom I can really call my good friends.

So yes, Tuesday 16 June 2009 was a day that was filled with many wonderful moments. It was a day that I felt truly happy and blissful especially when I was at the beach. It's one of those rare days when everything goes right and nothing in the world could spoil it. Such moments in life are truly rare and it's a day I'll always look back upon with fond memories. When monoceros and I left the beach, I think a tinge of sadness and nostalgia lingered in our hearts because we were both aware that it'll be a lllllooooonnnngggg time before we get to do something like that again. Why? Well, we'll both be starting new jobs and it'll be difficult finding time to do something similar in the near future. Tanjong Beach at the weekend is just not the same as Tanjong Beach on a weekday.

And oh, one more piece of news for the friends who read this blog and whom I've failed to inform - I'm relocating to Hong Kong for work come 2 August. It was decision that was made three weeks ago and things have been progressing fast in preparation for the move. On a personal and career level, this will be a good change for me and something that has come at the right time. It's something I need at this point in my life. Wanderlust is stirring again and I could do with a change in my social scene. Career-wise, it's also time for me to move on as where I am currently isn't a place I can, or should, stay for long. As monoceros wrote in her entry, "We're horses whose thirst for life and light and landscape is too seldom slaked." Indeed, I'm a bit of a wild horse.

Like a wild horse, the restless spirit in me needs to find new pastures to run and graze upon. DimSumDolly will be continuing her adventures in Hong Kong, the land of dimsum! Hooray! Wish me luck!

Why I'm not Korean

Hello! I'm writing from Seoul...am having a good time exploring the city, eating and doing touristy stuff. I'm staying in a traditional Korean house called a hanok near the area called Insa-dong. It's a lovely area filled with small shops...pictures to come after I return to Singapore.

Meanwhile, after some observation over the past week and a half, here's why you can tell I'm not Korean:

1) I don't have long hair - every Korean woman seems to have long hair. Very few have short cropped hair.

2) I'm not fair. All Korean women seem to be fair of skin. I think they must think I come from the countryside or something...I spend my days in the field farming hence I'm so tan!

3) I'm not thin nor skinny. I think all Korean women and men are born with a skinny gene. They can eat a lot (in fact I've noticed that most can really eat) and yet remain so thin! It's amazing...I'm jealous. Maybe it's all the chilli keeping their metabolic rate up.

4) I don't own or carry around a pocket mirror. It's bizarre...Korean women love checking themselves out in mirrors. The phenomenon is so prevalent that it is even mentioned in The Rough Guide edition for Korea. I've noticed that they all carry a pocket mirror in their bag and they take it out after a meal to check every corner of their face at the table. Even the subway stations have big mirrors along the pillars...I guess it's for people to check themselves out (and they actually do so) as they walk past! I think it's rather bizarre...this obsession with looks. But hey, this is the land of plastic surgery, so I guess i shouldn't be too surprised! I propose that the Korean Tourism Board make the mirror the quintessential Korean souvenir.

5) I don't dress girlishly...every woman is so feminine. I'm like a total tomboy. I hate all those frilly dresses and skirts that the women here are so fond of.

6) I don't put on a lot of make-up. Been noticing that many slap on lots of foundation, powder, mascara etc. But OK, still nothing compared to Japanese women!

7) Korean women love taking photos of themselves with, most commonly, their mobile phone. They are posing for pictures left, right and centre. According to a Korean friend, one of the most important features of a mobile phone is the camera feature. That's the first feature they test out when buying a phone. It's known as 'self-camera' but in Konglish, they call is 'cel-ka'.

Anyway, am enjoying the foreign-ness of the place and what the city has to offer. More when I'm back! ,

To Seoul to Feed My Soul

'You're crazy!' / 'Mad!' / 'Nothing's changed with you. The flighty horse.'

So these were some reactions I got from a few friends when I told them I had booked myself on a flight to Korea on the spur of the moment. I had the thought Monday night before going to bed. By Tuesday afternoon 3pm, I had redeemed a ticket with my KrisFlyer miles to Seoul. I couldn't not make use of the SQ 50% discount on miles redemption.

For the month of May, the cities eligible for the 50% promotion are Zurich, London, Auckland, Seoul and Sydney. The first three were out 'cos they are too expensive. So it was a toss-up between Seoul and Sydney. I decided on Seoul because I had just enough miles for it, whereas for Sydney I would have had to top up with money (seeing that I have at least 70% of the required miles) or redeemed my credit card points for miles.

Sydney would have been the easy and cheaper option actually. I would have free accommodation and it's a city I call my second home. I'm familiar with it, I have family and friends there. But Seoul won out because I decided I needed a bit of adventure. I need to see something new, discover new places and cultures. I need the challenge of being in a place where I don't speak the language. I want to be put out of my comfort zone and have my senses heightened. I need to feel alive.

So this is another one of those last minute, on-the-spur-of-the-moment decisions that my friends have grown accustomed to me making. It's going to be solo travel and I'll probably find myself lonely often during the trip, but nevermind, I'll deal with it. I'll survive 13 days on my own. I just desperately need to get out of Singapore. I haven't been out since end October. I'm going insane.

Actually I know NOTHING about Korea. And as of now, I have no clue where I'm going to go or what I'm going to do, or where I'm going to stay. I'm shitting in my pants. Haha. But nevermind, it'll work out somehow. I'm sure.

If anyone knows any cool people I can possibly contact to take me out, or have any suggestions as to what I should do, go, where I should stay etc, please drop me a note!!! ANY help is appreciated 'cos this crazy dolly's agenda here is like a blank canvass at the moment and is completely open to suggestions! I'll be in Korea 12 - 24 May.

Thank you!!!

Been Plagiarised

I found out a few days ago that I had been plagiarised by a blogger. She had taken chunks of text from two blog entries I had posted last year and passed it off as her own on a recent blog entry of hers. She had used text from my posts Are You Happy? and Move On. More specifically, the following paragraphs.

As much as I'd like to say I am, by all accounts, happy, a stronger part of me wants to say otherwise. Perhaps it stems from the fact that I'm not finding meaning in what I do for a living. Yet, dropping everything to pursue something else is impossible. For me, there seems to be this eternal conflict or dilemma, which ever way you want to call it, between what I like and what actually pays a somewhat decent wage. I am afflicted by the constant inverse relationship of the two. I still can't quite figure out what path ahead I should trod.

I've been feeling down and demoralised of late, feelings primarily brought on by stuff that's been going on at work. When you suddenly suck at something you thought you were pretty good at, your confidence sinks to a new low; you're consumed with self-doubt and you can't seem to think properly anymore.

She had also put up the exact same lyrics from the song 'Move On' which I had posted on my blog. After the discovery of the misappropriation of my words, I left a comment on her blog saying I noticed that she has used some of my text in her blog entry and while flattered, I'd appreciate that I be attributed for it. I shall be nice this once and not put up the URL of the said blog so as not to turn this into a shame post. I checked in on her blog the next day after I posted the comment and discovered that she had written at the end of the blog entry 'Extracts from dimsumdolly'. In the process, she had changed her blog design to one that no longer had a field where readers could leave comments. Hmm.

Well, erm, should I say thanks for the swift action? I don't know, 'cos this really shouldn't have to happen in the first place. To this blogger and whoever is thinking of using someone else's words - it's NOT cool to pass off someone else's work as your own. True, I may be no academic, scholar or accomplished writer, but I don't like the idea of being plagiarised. In the academic or journalistic world, plagiarism is akin to career suicide. Yes, the things I blog about may not be considered as 'serious' publishing, but plagiarisim is fundamentally wrong.

I don't mind being quoted, but it has to come with proper attribution and not just 'Extracts from dimsumdolly'. I expect that you indicate exactly which text have been quoted and attribute accordingly. If you need help in proper referencing, please refer to the APA Formatting and Style Guide.

Thank you.

Catching Up and Playing Guide

Aren't these little dimsum candles adorable??? Of course, it also means I'll never use them. And who but to give me this but my dear friend, A, who finally came to visit me in Singapore after knowing him all these years. It's always been me making trips to Sydney and catching up with him whenever I'm there. It's exactly a week ago that he flew back to Sydney.

Before spending a week in Singapore, A went to Bangkok with a friend and it was there that he spotted these candles and decided that he had to get them for me. I mean, seriously, it has my name written all over it.

A is a big fan of Hainan chicken rice and in the one week he was in Singapore, he must have had it at least five times. I'll need to confirm the final tally with him. But I didn't have chicken rice with him. On Monday night, I cooked Italian-style pork ribs for him. It's a dish I learnt while working in a farm in Italy. It was only my second time making it but thankfully it turned out well! Here's where we went and ate when I took him out:

1. Katong laksa at Queensway shopping centre - he wanted to buy a pair of Asics running shoes so I brought him to one of the cheapest places in Singapore to get it. But before shopping we grabbed a bite at one of the tiny stalls situated in the middle of the shopping centre. I ordered a bowl of Katong laksa each and introduced A to otah. I also somehow managed to charm and talk the Auntie there into treating A to a small plate of muah chee. I told the Auntie that it was A is visiting from Australia and has never tried this before and talked about how to make muah chee and what are the differences between the muah chee in Singapore, Taiwan and Japan. She probably found me very engaging and then decided to play food ambassador to A. Haha. After eating, we hit the shops and A ended up buying a pair of spiffy shoes and a Karrimor backpack.

2. From Queensway, we took a taxi to Chinatown. Walked around and then ended up at the hawker centre upstairs. Here, A promptly decided he wanted chicken rice. So he ordered a plate. While I introduced him to popiah and the drink which we call 黑白 (black-white) - a mix of soy bean milk and chin chow.

3. We then made our way to Orchard because I wanted to buy a pair of shoes. I bought my pair of red shoes and then we ended up at Food Republic at Wisma where he ate satay and I introduced him to rojak, which I like to deem as Singapore's version of a salad. I had the Hokkein Mee but I wouldn't bother queueing up for it again 'cos it's not nice.

4. The next afternoon, I took A to Little India and I went to Komala's to eat Dosai. I call Komala's the Indian version of McDonald's but I'd say Komala's food is healthier. It's just that they are so efficient and the way the eatery operates is exactly like a fastfood restaurant. I enjoyed my Dosai but I thought the mango lassi I ordered was way too sweet. I left most of it untouched. A had the Indian dessert Gulab Jamun, those dough balls soaked in sugary syrup. I'm not a big fan of Indian dessert so I didn't touch any of it.

5. On foot, we made our way to Bugis where we went to have some Cantonese dessert ('cos A was craving for sesame paste) at 记得吃 located along Liang Seah Street. I had the barley gingko nut dessert. We were eating all these at 6pm when dinner with Monoceros was supposed to be at 7.30pm!

6. After eating we walked around the Arab Street here and A got excited at seeing graffiti along Haji Lane. Like wah, spanking clean Singapore has graffiti! At 7.25pm, strands of prayer music sounded from the mosque, enveloping the area with a sense of peace against the backdrop of a sky that was a deep-blue canvas. It was an almost magical moment as we rested at a pavilion at the Malay Heritage Centre. After the prayer music stopped, we made our way to Bumbu at Kandahar Street where we met Monoceros and had a feast! Finally two of my best friends meet and we had Tauhu Telor, Pomelo Salad, Bumbu Special Fish, and Sayur Lodeh.

7. On a Saturday morning, I took A to Toa Payoh Lorong 1 market for breakfast. Going to a place like is as local as one can get. He was the only tourist there of course. We had Hokkein mee from my favourite stall called Come Daily Hokkein Mee (天天来). We also had fried carrot cake, chwee kueh and soon kueh. A went even further and had fried doughsticks (油条) and a red bean bun 红豆饼. I really don't know how he stuffed the last two in. I guess that's why we're good friends.

8. All too soon, it was time for him to head home to Sydney and at the airport (Terminal 3's food court) I introduced one last new food to him - paper/tissue prata!

A, if you're reading this, I hope you had enjoyed yourself and do come back soon!

Broken Relationships

Consider this my warped idea of a post for Valentine's Day, but I thought why not since the day is about relationships. The Museum of Broken Relationships is about love gained and lost.

If you've suffered from a broken heart or cut off ties with anyone or anything, the exhibits in this travelling museum will strike a chord with you and tug at your heart. On the plain, black-and-white photocopied handout given out at the museum, it says that the museum offers 'the chance to overcome any emotional collapse through art creation'. The museum came to Singapore from 8 - 19 Jan 2009 as part of the M1 Fringe Festival.

Exhibits are made up of objects donated by people like you and I. These objects are embedded with memories and emotions of the past which the donor wants to let go off. It's a form of catharsis. The exhibition has been showcased in Croatia, Berlin and Singapore was its first stop in Asia.

The museum was conceptualised after the demise of the relationship between founders Olinka Vistica and Drazen Grubisic, both of whom were born in Croatia in 1969. This is their attempt to 'create and preserve an international collection of our human emotional heritage' and to show that 'despite all cultural differences and political beliefs, we all share a common human experience'. Here are some exhibits that I took pictures of.

"It lasted 300 days too long. He gave me his mobile phone so I couldn't call him anymore."

"You talked to me of love, gave me small gifts every day; this is just one of them. The key to the heart. You turned my head; you just did not want to sleep with me. I realized how much you loved me only after you died of AIDS."

The message written by the donor of the wedding ring picture above.

Yo Quiero Ser Tu Sol

The museum wasn't big in size, but it was certainly big in heart. There were old love letters and letters sent to an ex- as a form of closure. There were many others that had stories which were overwhelmed with sorrow and loss. Others might slip a slight smile on your face brought on by its bittersweet nature. Some will wash waves of nostalgia on you. Nonetheless, there will be something you can identify with. Lonely and broken hearts will know we are not alone.

If you fancy donating something, you can get the details on how to do so from the website. The Museum of Broken Relationships is not the most famous and biggest of exhibitions, nor were the exhibits worth very much monetarily, but it's certainly one of the most poignant I've visited.

Happy Valentine's.

Matchmaker

I received this text message at midnight last night from old pal Van Tan (we go back to primary and secondary school!):

"It's official :) thank you for introducing us!"

Ha, that's now Good Friend No. 2 I've helped hook up with someone! I'm so happy for her! And I'm feeling quite pleased with myself. Haha.

Now people, return the favour! :p

新年快乐，万事如意

Chinese New Year's Eve's reunion dinner was spent with my immediate family and my uncle's family. There were 10 of us in total and the only person was my sister who's now living in Sydney. Reunion dinners should be enjoyed with lots of people...the more the merrier, don't you think? Of course, it's hard work for the cooks and my mum laboured all day for the night's lovely dinner. Kudos to the chef!!!

Here's what we had:

Yu Sheng 鱼生

Bean curd spring rolls filled with minced pork, prawns, water chestnuts, spring onions and black fungus

A traditional Cantonese dish to have during CNY is this stew made out of dried oysters, black moss, sea cucumber and Chinese mushrooms. Oysters are known as 蚝 which sounds the same as the word 好 meaning 'all things good and well' in Cantonese, thus it's something auspicious to have during the new year. Black moss is known as 发菜 which sounds the same as 发财 meaning 'to prosper', so it's also another auspicious thing to eat.

Clear soup with bamboo pith, crab meat and bean sprouts

Thai Red Curry with Duck - a dish contributed by my aunt

Chicken Adobo - a Filipino dish made by my grandma's maid

The centre piece was the Abalone with Spinach and Wolfberry. Abalone resemble gold ingots (元宝) used in ancient China and are meant to represent wealth and prosperity in the year ahead.

We were stuffed by the end of it and desserts were the pineapple tarts, almond cookies, love letters and other biscuits that we had at home. Our post-dinner activity was the decorating of the Chinese New Year tree, a type of willow my mum buys from the nursery every year. My cousins and I made lanterns and cranes out of hongbaos and hung them up on the tree. The tiny firecrackers are ones that my mum bought many years ago but still make their appearance every Chinese New Year.

And just because it's the Year of the Ox, I took a little toy from my sister's room and placed it here for good measure. :)

Happy New Year and may the Year of the Ox be a good one for one and all!

Year 2008

It's that time of the year again to take stock of one's life and review the year that has passed. It's almost hard to believe that I left Europe a year ago. It feels more like a lifetime away. I miss the travelling...I really do. I miss taking trains cross-country. I miss the anonymity in a foreign land where you can pretend to be someone else if you wanted to and no one would know any better. I miss that sense of freedom. I miss wandering the streets of a new city, exploring its nooks and corners. I miss the mountains, open space, lakes, snow-covered fields, gorgeous beaches and other magnificent natural scenery that can't be found in Singapore. Ah Wanderlust...how do I quell thee?

In review, 2008 hasn't been too bad. Returned from Japan on 3 Jan and then flew off to Dubai a couple of days later to visit a good friend. Wasn't taken by the city at all...the best I could description I could come up with was that it's a 'big construction site' by virtue of the fact that there is a crane on every 3rd or 4th building in sight. With 75-80% of the city's population being foreigners, the city seems to be devoid of local culture. But while there, I managed to have the best carrot cake I've ever eaten at a lovely cafe called Lime Tree Cafe. I also happened to be in Dubai when Bush made a one-day visit to the city. That day, the whole of Dubai shut down for security reasons. Very surreal.

Then in mid-February it was off to Hong Kong for about five days...or was it six? I can't remember. In any case, I always enjoy a visit to Hong Kong. Lots of good food, met up with friends and made a new one over a dinner I crashed. If she's reading this, she knows who she is. :)

After returning from Hong Kong, an active job hunt ensued while still doing freelance work on the side. Eventually I landed a job at a bank. Before starting the job, I zipped off to Australia for an outrigger canoe race in Hamilton Island followed by a relaxing nine days in Sydney where I went to old haunts and caught up with family and friends. Sydney, like Hong Kong, is another city I really love. I find that I really like cities which are surrounded by water. The inlets, bays, harbours, and vast open sea add so much character to the city. The undulating hills of both cities further enhance their beauty. Plus, the food in both these cosmopolitan and multicultural cities is fabulous!!!

Oh yes, the race at Hamilton Island was great fun and it's absolutely beautiful there. The rolling waves and chops made it such a thrill to be paddling there. Whitehaven beach on Whitsunday Island has the whitest and finest sand I've ever come across. It's as soft as powder and it's so white that it almost hurts your eye to look at it with the sun shining down.

After all that fun, I settled down to start my new job. About a month into it, I went took two days off to go to Penang for the World Club Crew Dragonboat Championships. Again, good fun and it was awesome seeing teams from Australia, Czech Republic, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Philippines, UAE, Iran, Germany, Canada, USA, and Russia competing together. It was a competitive, yet friendly, atmosphere and that's what really makes the sport so fun. Of course, there were also lots of hot bods to be ogled at.

A day after returning from Penang, my father met with a mishap while undergoing an operation (which didn't take place in the end) and the incident turned my family's life upside down. Things have settled down now so thanks to everyone who showed their concern during that period of time.

Four months into the job at the bank, I realised that it wasn't really for me and I decided to throw in the towel as it was getting me really down. Tendered my resignation in mid-October and in end October took off for Phuket for a few days over the Deepavali weekend for some chill-out time. I now work somewhere else and even though it's a huge paycut, I'm happier doing it.

Food-wise, it was a pretty good year. Ate at quite a number of nice restaurants and got invited to some tastings. All in all, can't complain too much as long as I have food to eat! I mean, so many people in this world go hungry.

And then I turned 30. Goodbye to my 20s. I hope things are better in this decade.

Love life is still non-existent. While – to borrow a phrase from a friend – 'my eggs are drying up', good friend Olduvai held her ceremonial wedding on Sunday to the brother of monoceros, another good friend. A date Monoceros and I helped set up slightly over 2.5 years ago culminated into a simple and elegant wedding that bespoke of the bride's nature as a person. Olduvai was a gorgeous bride who exuded classical beauty with her exquisite column lace gown that fitted her slim and tall figure and her hair done up in a low bun with two sprigs of white flowers at the side of the bun.

I felt really happy for her when I saw her walking down the long aisle of the church and hearing the couple pledge themselves to each other in their vows. There's something very touching about that moment, especially when you know that these two people actually mean it heart and soul, and you know that this couple can definitely make it all the way and stay true to their vows. Olduvai and her R make a great couple and I wish her all the best in her new life as Mrs R H. I will miss her when she flies off to Frisco next week. But this leaving of hers is a good thing as she's going over to start married life proper!

Some spend their whole life looking for that special someone and still never find it. Some think they've found it only to find that they lose it after awhile, be it in months or years. Still, I consider it good fortune to have loved and lost than not loved at all. But luckiest are the people who find that special someone for keeps and I know that the two of them will treasure each other.

On the whole, I have many things to give thanks for - good health, family and friends. I hope 2009 will bring on more new adventures and good tidings for everyone (and myself of course, hehe) and that it'll be a year filled with happier news!

Happy New Year everyone!

Turning 30

And so I join the rest of my good friends in the 30s club. I never imagined that on my 30th birthday I would be 'enjoying' an unemployed status – yesterday was my last day at the bank – the only reason I thought I be having this status is if I had entered taitai-dom. Alas, I've failed miserably on that account.

Does it feel any different? No, not really. My 20s were a journey of self-discovery and experiences...uncovering what I like and don't like. What I want (somewhat anyway), what I treasure and value. I'm more confident as a person and I've come to understand myself more. However I think it's a journey that's set to continue as we all change as the years go by.

In my 20s, I came to know some really good friends who will, I'm confident, remain friends for life. I came to know what I'm good and not good at. I had my adventures, but I still yearn to have more. I recognise in myself a restless spirit which I find very hard to quell. It's both a curse and blessing really. It disallows one from getting too uncomfortable and encourages change which can be both seen as bane and boon.

Of course, I wished I were more accomplished career-wise. Many people younger than me are earning heaps more than I do. I'm sometimes bitter about it, but I get over it after awhile by taking a Buddhist/Zen attitude towards such things – no point comparing as everyone has a different path to tread in life.

So here's to more adventures, discoveries, kinship, friendship, and health! Happy 30th to me. :)

Last day of 29

It's the last day I can say I'm in my 20s! Aiyah, I'm going to miss writing the digit '2' in front of my age. I'm going to miss ticking the 25-29 age band on forms. Time to update 'About Me' blurb, but it'll stay for a couple more hours. :)

Hong Kong was Worth a Thought

Five years ago, I would have packed up and left immediately upon being offered a job as an editor in a publishing company in Hong Kong. I would have gone without a care or thought, excited by the possibilities that lay head. But today, I choose to reject the offer because at 29 (OK, just indulge me while I can still say I’m 29 for a couple more days - it also means I have to change the 'About Me' blurp on the right) I’m feeling lazy about having to rebuild a life and dreading the thought of living like a student should I relocate to Hong Kong on local package terms.

As much as I love Hong Kong, I think it’s very different when you work and live there. I would have to live in a pigeon hole with the amount I can afford for rent on the far-from-spectacular pay. I’ll end up complaining that I have no money to do anything after paying for rent, utilities, food and transport. No money to socialize and meet people. In which case, I’ll then end up moaning about feeling lonely. After London, I just don’t feel very adventurous when it comes to relocating on my own. I figured I’m just spoilt – I like the creature comforts of home.

I had applied for the job on a bit of a whim and, you could say, desperation. I had a phone interview and had to take an editorial test which was emailed back to the company. At the back of my mind, I think I always knew I probably wouldn’t go even if offered because I had told myself that I wouldn’t relocate again unless if it were with a partner. I had written the same thing several weeks ago to a few people I hadn’t contacted in a long time. But I went through the process because I wanted to see how far I could go. And hey, it doesn’t hurt to open a few doors for one’s self.

So after telling myself all that, it was rather stupid to even think about Hong Kong. Still, it was worth a thought nonetheless. Ha.

End of a Journey

Doing what you love is as important as ever, but if you're going to make a living at it, it helps to find a niche where money flows as a regular consequence of the success of your idea. Loving what you do is almost as important as doing what you love, especially if you need to make a living at it. Go find a job you can commit to, a career or a business you can fall in love with.

~ Seth Godin

There’s never been a time when this blog post by Seth Godin, who identifies himself as ‘author, entrepreneur and agent of change’, has resonated more with me.

Last Thursday morning was another one of those major turning points in my life – I tendered my resignation at the bank I work at after being there for 3.5 months. Perhaps one could say I should have given it more time. But sometimes you just know things. I couldn’t picture myself doing what I was doing for long. I didn’t feel as much for it as I wanted to. I couldn’t - I don’t care what position the bank comes up in so-and-so poll or award by so-and-so financial magazine. I have no interest nor knowledge in what I write about – commodity derivatives, bonds, Asset Backed Securities, what do I know about them? Zilch.

When you don’t care for something, your brain doesn’t think. When your brain doesn’t think, you don’t do what you’re supposed to do well. Sometimes you need to do something to realise that it’s not for you. Life is often a trial-and-error thing, isn’t it? Lucky are the people who seem to know from the onset what it is they want to do with their lives. The rest of us stumble and feel our way around, hoping eventually to see the light.

As for me, I have some other plans which I'm hoping will let me do what I love with some monetary returns in sight. But I'll leave that for another post. Just wanted to say THANK YOU to all family and friends who have lent a listening ear and given encouragement during this difficult period! What would I do without all of you?

To read the entire blog post by Seth Godin, go here.

Carry On Writing

[DSD’s mobile rings and she picks it up]

DSD: What do you mean you can’t write anymore???? You can’t NOT write anymore.

While I will not go into why Monoceros says she can’t write anymore, my second sentence basically says what’s one of the major things that defines her – not writing anymore is akin to cutting off her air supply.

Writing and the love of the written word are her first loves amongst things like music, Argentinean tango and films. Monoceros isn’t Monoceros if she doesn’t write. The beauty of her writing is that she’s able to convey the thoughts and feelings of many others into simple, elegant prose that resonates and tugs at the hearts of her readers. It is this quality which keeps people coming back for more.

I hope she always remembers this and will one day fulfill her dream of being a best-selling novelist.

Mystery Shopper

Several months ago, I was bored and thought the idea of mystery shopping was quite fun and something to bring in some extra cash. So I googled 'Mystery shopper' and landed on a company website which said it recruited mystery shoppers. Looking at the application form, I figured it was alright to divulge information such as name and email address only, and so I signed up. After submitting the application on a wimp, I forgot about it and went on with my oh-so-unexciting life.

Then several weeks ago, I received an email informing me that I had been approved as a mystery shopper and asking me if I was interested in the next assignment which was to visit Häagen-Dazs outlets to evaluate the service staff and the maintenance of the outlet. I could choose whether to be a take-out or eat-in customer or both, and I was given a choice of the outlet(s) I wanted to patronise.

I chose to do only a take-out and opted for the outlet that was closest to home. If you thought being a mystery shopper was all that easy, think again. One has to take note of so many things during the few minutes standing at outlet - what was the name of the service staff, were the tables clean, was there a prominent display of promotions, was there music playing etc. Gosh, too many things to remember!

So while the first assignment was nothing very exciting, I got to eat an ice cream for free and will get paid USD5 for the effort. Pittance really, so don't have lofty ideas of being a full-time mystery shopper.

Hmm....wonder what other assignments there are...how about a night's stay at some posh hotel, spa or some holiday??? :p

The Near Loss of a Parent

I've been very quiet of late, but for good reasons. But first, a bit on Penang. The races were extremely good fun and my team did very well. The women's team came in 8th out of 25th women's teams, beating the Singapore national team and NTU who are our main rivals in Singapore.

On 5 August, a day after I returned from Penang, my dad was supposed to have undergone an ear operation to treat his otosclerosis condition. However, about 30min after being administered General Anaesthetic, he had a cardiac arrest. There's more to this than I'm allowed to say at this point in time, but the thankful thing is that my dad has survived the ordeal.

It was a very scary five days for my family while my dad spent five days in the ICU. He's been transferred out of the ICU but is still in hospital and my mum, sis and I have had to go the hospital every day.

The scheduled ear operation never took place; instead something life-threatening came to hit us right in the face out of nowhere. It was a shocking and scary situation to say the least. So shocking that for awhile, we couldn't quite comprehend or believe the reality of the situation.

Even though my family has never been religious, we prayed to the heavens above during those critical hours while doctors were resuscitating him. We called upon our friends to pray to their gods. We went to make offerings to our ancestors who have passed on to the other world, calling on them to protect those of us who still exist in the earthly realm.

Growing up, you think that your parents are immortal. To imagine a life without them was/is unthinkable. It seems like they're always there. You never really stop to think about the mortality or age of your parents until something like that happens, and then you suddenly realise that your parents are actually old, their movements slower, their hair grey.

The fragility, uncertainty and unpredictability of life slaps you in the face; material things that seemed important just hours before suddenly becomes immaterial.

Anyway, there are now decisions to be made and actions to be taken. Good luck to us.

Update

I've been pretty busy so here are just eight short snippets of my life for those who are interested.

1. Work's been alright, I've been learning new stuff and it's been interesting so far. I do a lot more writing than I did in my previous full-time job. I'm back in the grind of a 9-to-5 job and having to brave the morning crowds in the train and lunch crowds in Raffles Place. It's hell by the way - way too crowded for my liking. So anyway, back to being a minion at the bottom rung of the corporate ladder; the wrong end of the food chain that is the rat race.

2. I was sick for two weeks and sidelined from training. Had the whole works - flu, cough, sore throat. It's some nasty bug that has been going around. I went to see TCM doctor and a Western medicine doctor. I went back to training yesterday and am aching from the workout. Pathetic.

3. I'm pondering whether I should sign up for the Standard Chartered half/full marathon. I'm inclined to go for the full since I think I should do it at least once in my life. You know, just to say I've done it. But I'm pretty daunted by the distance.

4. I watched The Dark Knight on Friday Night. It was pretty good, but perhaps a tad too long. And I agree, the late Heath Ledger was great as the psychotic Joker.

5. I had dinner at Bodega y Tapas, a Spanish tapas restaurant at Orchard Hotel. Food was not bad, if not a little overpriced. Lots of expats hanging out there...looks like it could become a potential minefield for SPGs. The yummiest thing in the restaurant, in my opinion, is the young, dark-haired, and good looking angmoh chef. My girlfriends and I eyed him through the glass window. Haha.

6. Tomorrow evening I am to be event photographer for good friend Monomania's ROM! The couple Monoceros and I brought together are going to be married! So cool. The groom happens to Monoceros' bro.

7. Wednesday night I take a 10-hour bus ride to Penang for the World Club Crew Dragonboat Championship! It's going to be four days of racing and eating and partying. Yipee!

8. Am enthralled by the book Seabiscuit which tells the story of the Cindrella horse which no one wanted, but was later groomed by three men to become the greatest race horse in American history. The story of the horse's, his trainer's, and his jockey's triumph against all odds is inspirational. A proper review to come when I finish reading it. The book was adapted into a film but I doubt the film captures the heart and soul of the story.

New Journey

After several months of looking and exploring options, I'm starting a new full-time job today. It's been a journey in the past couple of months after returning from Europe. I miss Europe yet I know I can't really live there for several reasons.

My new workplace is at Raffles Place. If anyone wants to do lunch or meet after work, drop me a line! So it's the embarkation of another journey and we'll see where this road leads.

Hamilton Cup

The race in Hamilton Island was awesome...to be paddling in that environment, surrounded by that breath-taking wilderness and natural beauty is absolutely incredible. One can't help but be awed and humbled at the same time by the elements - the hills that soar up on the islands, the power of the currents ripping through the water, the headwinds that hit right at you while paddling, the winds swells that whip the waters up like a washing machine, and the two tiger sharks that were spotted on radar feeding away at helpless turtles!!!

Yes, there were two Tiger Sharks spotted at the spot where all the women's crew were allowed to make their first change. Because of that, the organisers shifted the buoy to another spot. Thank goodness I didn't know about this until AFTER the race. Haha. But no worries, no one got hurt or eaten by the sharks - everyone was still jumping in and out of the outrigger canoes to make changes!

The start of a long-distance (42km) outrigger canoe race is a phenomenal sight - it's like the olden days of going to war. At the blare of the horn, about 100 OC6s power past the start line (men's, women's and mixed crews all head out together), as if ready to go to battle. When the support boats join up with their canoes after the first leg of the race, it's an even more impressive sight. Support boats (usually small yachts or speedboats) and outrigger canoes dot the entire waterway. It's amazing how no accidents happen when support boats, canoes, and paddlers are in the water all at the same time!

Anyway, so I had a whole three days' worth of paddling - the 16km (no change) race around Hamilton Island, 500m and 1000m sprints, and 42km change race. Amazing, amazing, amazing.

While my team didn't collect any silverware - we weren't expecting to anyway - we were happy to finish the race without huli-ing (flipping over) and happy that we didn't miss any of our sea changes. We also did it in a time that was better than what we expected of ourselves. It was a fantastic three days of paddling and hopefully we'll be back again!

Wanderlust

I've become some kind of traveling salesman or paid wanderer, both blessed and doomed to travel this world until I can't anymore. Funny what happens when your dreams come true.

It's an irritating reality that many places and events defy description. Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu, for instance, seem to demand silence, like a love affair you can never talk about. For a while after, you fumble for words, trying vainly to assemble a private narrative, an explanation, a comfortable way to frame where you've been and what's happened. In the end, you're just happy you were there – with your eyes open – and lived to see it.

~ Anthony Bourdain in The Nasty Bits

When I read what Bourdain wrote in the introduction of his book The Nasty Bits, I knew exactly what he meant (by the way, I would LOVE to do what he does). In fact, I had written to a friend just a couple of days back, which touched on the same subject.

"Yes, I know what you mean...there always seems to be something else to do and see. The world isn't small enough for people like us! I think having a curiosity about the world is both a blessing and a curse. That curiosity makes you a more worldly person...you become more sensitive to and aware of cultural differences...it spurs you on to want to learn more about the world, people.

Yet, this wanderlust stirs this constant restlessness which is not altogether healthy. Being 'settled' has its bliss too."

The words sum up the situation I'm facing right now with my life. How do I reconcile my love for travelling with a job that makes me bound to Singapore all the time? It's not that I don't like being based in Singapore. I do like it. It's an easy place to live in. I've tried living abroad and it didn't quite do it for me 'cos I felt too lonely. I told myself that if I'm ever going to relocate again, it'd have to be with a partner (boyfriend/husband/de facto/whatever). I figured I should have tried out being a flight attendant years ago. But since that's not a career option right now, I just have to contend with occasional holidays out of Singapore. Why couldn't Singapore be bigger????

So my wanderlust has stirred again and I'll be in Australia from 19 June to 2 July. From the 19th to 22nd I'll be in Hamilton Island to take part in the Hamilton Cup, which is an outrigger canoe race. Am looking forward to ogling at all the hotbods at the race. Hee.

After the race, I'll be in Sydney from 23 June to 2 July to catch up with family and friends. I know, it's the umpteenth time I'm visiting Sydney, but I love returning to this beautiful city which is very special to me. There's always a sense of comfort returning to a city that one knows well.

I've also booked myself on the A380 to experience what flying on the jumbo jet is like. OK, I'm not in the first-class suite but I'm after a cheap thrill. Heh.

Anyway, am always glad to go back to the land of Oz with its lovely beaches, great people, and delicious food!

Doctor Fish

I like to eat fish and I had always thought I was the at the top of the food chain when it comes to my relationship with fish. I didn't think the direction of the relationship between us could be reversed until Saturday.

Well, OK, I'm still alive but some part of me has gone to fish – a dead part of me to boot! On Saturday, I made the acquaintance of many fish of the species Garra Rufa. Out of curiosity, I went to a fish spa with two friends.

All these small fish which come from Turkey are also known as Doctor Fish. They supposedly nibble at the dead skin cells on your body and promote blood circulation. They are supposed to be able to lighten scars on your skin too. It's also supposed to be a cure for psoriasis, a kind of skin disease.

So we are made to wash our feet and our lower leg before lowering our legs into the pool. The fish then swarm around the submerged part of our leg and start nibbling away. It's a ticklish sensation and it takes some getting used to. The fish don't have teeth so they kinda suck away at your skin.

I paid $30 (including GST) for 30 minutes of fish therapy, but it's something I won't do again. It's a novel idea, but I remain unconvinced of its effectiveness. Give me some exfoliating scrub, dry bristle brush, or pumice stone any time!

A Little Less Wise

There are certain situations in your life where, no matter how garang a person you are, you just turn into a petrified mouse. Garang, by the way, is the Malay word to mean 'fierce' or 'powerful'. It can also mean 'impulsive', 'courageous' and 'foolhardy' (definition taken from TalkingCock.com).

Quiet and reserved a person I may be, I consider myself a pretty garang gal. But the one situation which reduces me to a pulp of trembling nerves is when I'm seated in a dentist chair. I've never liked going to the dentist. The sight of all that equipment scares me and I don't like seeing them being inserted into and being poked around my mouth. I hate the sound made by those instruments. I tense up every time I'm in that chair and I grip the armrest like I'm holding on to it for dear life. I guess it's an irrational fear but I just can't seem to get past it.

This morning I found myself in that dreaded chair again because I had to have my upper right wisdom tooth extracted. Initially I had thought I had to have the bottom right one extracted as well, but the dentist said I could leave that one for now as it isn't impacted like the top one was. Before this, I've never had a tooth taken out so I didn't really know what to expect.

Thankfully it didn't turn out as bad as I thought and the procedure didn't take that long either. It was, however, horrible hearing the crack of the tooth and feel the pressure of the instruments pressing on the tooth and gums. The procedure I had was considered a surgery as it involved the cutting of the gums. I asked the dentist what was the difference between surgery and extraction and she said surgery involved the cutting of the gums so as to get to the tooth that's not fully erupted. It would also usually involve the cracking of the tooth so that it's easier to take out. An extraction would apply to a tooth that's already fully erupted.

Anyway, I'm so relieved it's over even though the right side of my face is now swollen and my wound is still bleeding!

Birthday at Timbre

It was the Sassy Slumbering Girl's birthday on Friday night and we had a celebration that night at Timbre, the alfresco restaurant at the Substation along Armenian Street. The venue was chosen by the birthday girl for the life band performance that was to come on at 10.30pm.

The Sassy Slumbering Girl had gathered eight of her closest friends from uni to celebrate the day with her. It was also then that we realised we have known one another for ten years. How time flies! It was also interesting to note that everyone at the table had worked or is still working at SPH (Singapore Press Holdings).

Anyway, we ordered two pizzas and a pasta. The thin-crust pizzas weren't too bad (we had the Cajun chicken and the pepperoni) but they weren't exceptionally good either. It was just normal bar food where the main objective was to fill one's stomach. The sauce in the seafood pasta was also a tad too spicy for our liking.

One major gripe we had was the fact that diners were only allowed to have one small serving of water. Any subsequent cups of water would have to be bottled water. They also stop serving water after 10pm. The staff there also lacked initiative. We had a cake for the birthday girl, and when we requested for it to be brought out, they didn't take the initiative to provide us with small plates and forks. To provide good service, you must be able to pre-empt your customers' needs. They are obviously lacking in that.

The band that played was called The GoodFellas and they sang covers from bands like Maroon 5, Travis, Coldplay etc. The highlight of the evening, however, was when the Sassy Slumbering Girl went to perform on stage! Well, she was sabo-ed by us lah. But she very gamely went on stage and sang the song 'Love Me' by Colin Ray and impressed the band and everyone in the restaurant with her lovely vocals. My dear friend here is the best singer amongst all the people I know. When she sings, her alto voice is like flowing warm honey that's absolutely delectable to the ears. This talented woman also writes (both music and lyrics) her own songs!

The Sassy Slumbering Girl and I stayed on till the band finished their last set at 1.30am. The rest of them who were married or attached left earlier, and us two single and unattached ones enjoyed the rest of the moonlit night chatting to each other and listening to the music.

Happy Birthday dear friend and I'm glad you enjoyed yourself!

Off to Hong Kong till Sunday

Back in Singapore

So I'm finally back in Singapore and will definitely be homebound for a long time to come. My flight from Dubai touched down this morning at 7 and I had a long nap after I got home.

Now I'm faced with the task of unpacking my stuff that I shipped back from London and there's also the stuff I bought from Japan to unpack. My room is going to look like a war zone soon. I took lots of photos in Japan and may I add that I absolutely loved it there!

Dubai was like a big construction site and I didn't think much of the city. My main reason for going there was to visit one of my best friends who has just relocated there. Anyway, now that I'm back home for good, I have to start looking for a job. Friends out there, please let me know if you hear of any job openings to do with writing or editing or perhaps some marcomm stuff. Any form of help is appreciated!

Anyway, photos to come. Eventually. Too many things to do right now.

Christkindlmarkt

The Christmas markets in Germany (known in German as the Christkindlmarkt) are lovely! There is such a festive mood here, but I'm not really feeling very festive myself. I'm finding myself less and less capable to cope with loneliness. Yes, the things I'm seeing are lovely, but with no one to share it with, it just becomes just another nice place and rather meaningless. Still, I'm grateful for the chance to see all these. It's freezing cold in Germany though! Bbbbrrrrr.......

I went to Nürnberg yesterday, today I went to Innsbruck and tomorrow I'm just going to walk around München (Munich). On Wednesday I make my way to Würzburg to meet a friend. Then on Saturday I have a long train ride from Würzburg to Milan via Stuttgart and Zürich. I stay one night in Milan and the next day I fly to Tokyo via Rome.

I can't wait to get to Tokyo to meet up with my friends who are flying up from Singapore. I really could do with some travel companions.

Photos will come when I arrive back in Singapore!

Leaving London...Again

Am leaving London later this afternoon. Will be on the road again. If I don't get to write again until I'm back in Singapore, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!

City Gal Turns Little Bo-Beep

What happens when a quintessential city gal tries her hand at being Little Bo-Beep? Nothing very much, except she gets bored after having to watch them graze for three hours every day and making sure they don't go beyond the ditch that separates them from the dangers of the road just ahead. She also gets out of breath after having to run around chasing and herding sheep to make sure they're going in the direction she wants them to.

Like an animal behaviourist, she also begins to gather observations from watching sheep. Here's a summary of her report:

1) Tending and herding sheep can be rather tiring work when you are new to it - you end up having to run around quite a bit.

2) It is rather boring, so perhaps take a book to read. Just make sure you keep glancing up once in a while to make sure none of the sheep have gone stray. Or just take the time to reflect and muse on life while admiring the scenery around. But really, there's only so much one can muse on.

3) The true meaning and origin of 'herd instinct' becomes very apparent. One sheep moves and the rest follow. It really sucks when they do not move in the direction you want to – then you’ll have to start chasing them back, e.g. the sheep going through the bushes.

4) You have to stand at the back of the flock and then herd them in the direction you want them to go. If you want them to go in the opposite direction they are facing, then in front of them and back them up. They’ll turn away from you.

5) The older lambs tend to form a group of their own after awhile and they graze together. It’s so cute…they’re like a youth group! They are about a month old and old enough to eat grass. They play with each other by headbutting each other. It's really adorable. Occasionally they look for their mother and suckle at her udder. In the photo below, four of the lambs were grazing together. Then one of them, in the background, went to look for its mother to get some milk.

6) The lambs that are a few days old follow their mother around because they can only feed on milk. They’re too young to eat grass. The lambs and their mother locate each other by their bleep. Somehow they’re able to distinguish. It’s very amazing when you see a lamb calling out to its mother and you see the mother going towards it and vice versa.

7) Once a lamb kept following a female sheep around because it had lost its mum for awhile and it wanted some milk. The female sheep’s actual lamb was there too. The lost lamb tried to suckle but got pushed away by the female sheep. Interesting how they know that’s not their child.

8) When grazing, the lambs get tired more easily so they often sit down on the grass. They look like little balls of white cotton in the green patch. The adults never sit. They just have their heads down all the time and are eating away at the grass like lawnmowers. In the photo below, you can see the lambs in the foreground and the adults in the background.

New-born Lamb

On my first morning at the farm, I was pleasantly surprised to find a new-born when I went to the sheep pen. Usually lambs aren't born at the end of the year, but there's a horny male sheep (named 'Jackomino' aka Little Jack in English) which is sowing his wild oats whenever he gets the chance. The male and female sheep aren't separated, you see.

When I first got to the pen, I didn't actually spot the lamb. What I first saw was blood on the mother's legs and I was thinking, oh my god, what happened??? Then my eye glanced towards the right, and there I saw this baby lamb still wet from the amniotic fluid and I saw the placenta lying near to it. You can see it in the photo if you look closely enough (middle bottom).

A close-up of the new-born lamb still having its eye closed. It's so sweet, isn't it? This one has some spots on its body...just like its mum!

The mother nudges the lamb to get up. It was really very cold, and the lamb was lying so still for a long time that for a few moments I actually thought it was dead...frozen to death!

But thankfully, the lamb was a healthy one and its mother didn't reject it. Soon, it was up walking and suckling milk from its mother's udders.

More sheep tales to come.

Making Salami

First you have to tie strings round the cow's intestines. The intestines have to be about an arm's length and string is tied into a knot at one end. The other end is left open to put the mince pork through.

The mince pork is put through the salami machine.

The assembly line. You have to make sure that the filled cow's intestines are very taut.

I'm helping to poke holes through the filled salami to make sure that any air inside is squeezed out. Air inside the casing is no good as it will cause the meat to rot.

Hanging the salami to be cured and dried.

The source of the salami eating its last meal!!!!

Another Update

Before anyone thinks I've disappeared from the face of this earth, I thought I'd better post a short update.

Quite a lot happened after I left the farm. I had fallen ill on the last day at the farm. I don't know what it was that I ate, but I ended up with a terrible bout of food poisoning. On the last night of my stay in the farm, I was vomitting throughout the night and I had the runs the next morning.

The worst thing was that the runs continued for about ten days, which meant that I was in Turin and Bologna and I didn't even get to eat anything. I tell my friends it's like being in a black comedy - a foodie in Italy who's not able to eat! I stayed in Turin for four nights but I could wasn't really eating at all. I survived on sugared water and some plain bread, so I was really quite weak. I didn't have the energy to walk around and also the weather in Turin was cold and rainy. Rather miserable really. I then made my way to Bologna and had bought train tickets to Florence and Rome and then back to Germany while I was in Turin. I had also arranged my accommodation for all those cities. Anyway, all that came to naught as I decided after my first night in Bologna that I couldn't travel anymore. I wasn't getting any better with the medicine I was taking and I was seriously thinking there was something wrong with me.

In the end, I made my way to Nuremberg where I stayed at a friend's place to rest for three nights. I was spending half my time in toilets so I decided that it was better to rest somewhere. Travelling just wasn't fun anymore as I was sick, weak and tired. Plus the weather was crap. Not that the weather in Germany was any better than northern Italy but really all I wanted to do was rest. Staying in hostels to rest wasn't the most ideal situation in what wasn't already an ideal situation!

I went to see a doctor the day after I arrived in Nuremberg. It cost an arm and a leg - 70 euros! Faint. I would have gotten the same service for 9 euros back in Singapore. While in Nuremberg I decided that I really wanted to be back in London which was a place I was familiar with and where I had more friends. I was feeling pretty miserable by then. Thanks to a friend who was online at the same time I was at a Net cafe, I managed to find out about possible flights to return to London from Germany. So on the spur of the moment on a Tuesday afternoon, I booked a Ryanair flight to fly out of Frankfurt Hahn airport on a late Wednesday night.

Wednesday was a long trek. I left my friend's place in Nurnberg at 11am. Took the U-bahn to the Hauptbahnhof and had to take a train to Wuerzburg and then transfer trains to get to Frankfurt. I got off at the wrong Frankfurt train stop. Instead of stopping at Frankfurt Main Hbf, I got off at Frankfurt Main Sud. So after making some inquiries, I had to get back onto the S-bahn and make my way to Frankfurt Main Hbf. After arriving there, it was another difficult search to find the bus which would take me to the Frankfurt Hahn airport. The airport is a regional one and is a 1h 45min bus ride from the Frankfurt Hbf. After asking the tourist information, I managed to find the bus. And from there it was another bus ride to Frankfurt Hahn. The flight itself took only an hour. I arrived in London Stansted at about 0030 local time. By the time I got the back into Central London by bus it was around 2am.

It was a lllooooonnnggg day, but I was never more glad to be back in London. Seeing signs in English and speaking English at normal conversational pace seemed to be such a relief.

I also managed to catch my cousin who was holidaying in London and we hung out together for a few days before he flew back to Singapore on Tuesday night. I've also been able to catch up with friends and ex-colleagues and go back to eat at my favourite spots! Yes, I'm back to eating normally again...thank god!

My wallet got stolen while in Borough Market on Saturday. Such a bummer. I lost quite a lot of cash, my Singapore credit cards, my UK debit card and Singapore driver's licence. I'm so jinxed!!!

Anyway, will be hanging around London till next Saturday then I fly to Germany to meet a friend and her boyfriend. After Germany, I'm flying to Japan to spend Christmas and NYE! I can't wait!!!

In Italy

Hi, just a short update 'cos Internet connection time is precious!

I left London and went to a farm in Italy near to a city called Carmagnola. Carmagnola is in the Piedmont region and its capital is Turin (Torino in Italian). I worked on a farm for a week herding unfenced sheep, bringing out the pony, donkeys and horses, and mucking up horse stalls.

The most fun part of the working farm stint was making salami from scratch! Saw a pig being slaughtered - a very bloody affair. Anyway, I spent my 29th birthday on the farm making salami on 14 Nov. Yes, it's my last year of having the '2' in front of my age. Anyway, I hope being surrounded by food on my birthday will mean I'll never ever be for want of food!

Am now in Turin, and am going to head to Bologna in a few days. After that no plans yet. I'm just winging it as I go along. Actually it's a very stressful way of travelling but oh well, c'est la vie! I just haven't been organised enough!

Leaving-do

I had my leaving-do last night with my colleagues at a pub called The Perseverance in Holborn and I just had my farewell lunch at a nice Japanese restaurant. It's strange to be leaving after five months of working in London. I've made several good friends at work and I'm a little sad that I'm not staying longer to know them better.

On the professional side, I've found it interesting working in the London office of the company I was with back in Singapore because I got to learn more about the ELT (English language teaching) market in Europe. Learning about the work culture in another country has also been interesting.

So another chapter of my life has come to an end. But the end of one is the start of another and I'm looking forward to that.

Packing Up

Very short update from me:

1. Was in Bath on Saturday. Went on my own since I couldn't find any travel companion. Spent the day walking around the city. My third time there but still a nice getaway from London nonetheless.

2. Spent Sunday helping my flatmate move to her new place. Didn't do anything much after that except to spend some time in Kensington Park reading a book and just watching the world go by. Very chill. Found a Spanish bistro in Bayswater that made the thick, molten chocolate that I absolutely love. And they had churros too!!!! That really made our day. Slurping on that potent chocolate was just pure bliss. Happiness.

3. One of my best mates from SPC (Singapore Paddle Club) arrived in London on Monday for a week's long visit. Haven't seen her in ten months as she's been working on a cruise ship and travelling over the high seas to the world's loveliest beaches since February. Was so nice to see a good friend from home.

4. Busy packing up all my stuff and having them shipped off this Saturday. Am leaving London in about two weeks!

Salisbury Weekend

Darn...company policy to block out certain websites (many websites in fact...Facebook, Flickr, blogspot, Couchsurfing etc) has disenabled me to upload my photos to Flickr and hence post them on the blog. So no pictures from me for awhile.

Anyway, went to Salisbury for the weekend. Saw the cathedral with the tallest spire in the UK. Paid homage to Stonehenge and went to see some old castle and cathedral ruins at Old Sarum.

Spent Saturday night at the Salisbury YHA. It was a nice big house with a big cedar tree right in front of it. It looked so homey! My flatmate and I slept in a 8-bedroom dorm. I really like these hostels.

Nice and relaxing weekend away from London. And now back to the grind of a new work week.

Silverware for Souvenirs

As you can see, I had a very memorable and rewarding weekend of racing in Nottingham in the British Dragonboat National Championships (full results below). The cups belong to the club but I get to keep the medals. This is a great souvenir for me.

I love travelling around to different places to paddle and even though I didn't get to see Nottingham apart from its regatta centre, I had a great weekend. I always enjoy racing and I just love the adrenalin rush of being at the start line, getting ready to make that dash down the stretch of water, and in those few minutes you feel like your heart's going to burst, your lungs are screaming for air, your blood can't pump through your veins fast enough, yet you're filled with that desire to win and beat other teams. Well, at least I hope everyone in the boat has that burning desire to win. More often than not, it's that desire which makes that little bit of difference between the winners and losers when two equally strong teams are pipped against each other.

Nothing makes it more satisfying when your boat crosses the line first and when the whole team has fought a good battle. The camaraderie and team spirit that permeates the whole atmosphere is fantastic. Friendly rivalry exists between teams and when a good race is fought, winners and losers come and pat each other on the back for a race well fought.

I LOVE THIS SPORT!

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Premier Open Competition

200m - 3rd
500m - 2nd
1000m - 3rd


Premier Mixed Competition

200m - 1st
500m - 1st


Premier Women Competition

200m - 1st
500m - 1st


BDA League Awards

200m - 1st
500m - 2nd

Parisien Philistine

OK, culture vultures will beat the crap out of me and the Skinny Epicurean when they learn that we did not visit a single museum during our time there. I mean, nine days is a decent amount of time to at least pay homage to Mona Lisa. Ostensibly she wasn't our top priority as we preferred paying homage instead to markets, restaurants, boulangeries, patisseries and other eateries around Paris. After having our fill, we walked it off by wandering around the lanes and alleys of this lovely city which is best explored on foot or bike.

The pictures below are potentially incriminating pictures which I hope culture vultures will never use as evidence against me as cause for arrest!

An absolutely to-die-for gelato from La Pozzetto in an area called Marais. The pistachio, hazelnut and chocolate combo was so richly flavoured it was just heavenly. I couldn't stop smiling as I ate it.

Sinking my teeth into a sugar crepe made by an eccentric crepe maker who takes his own sweet time making crepes even when a long line of people are waiting.

The diva's eating her macha millefeuille at Sadaharu Aoki. Do not disturb!

Many thanks to the Skinny Epicureans for the pictures!

Back in London

Am back in London! Got back last night and am now swamped with work and lots of matters to attend to in the month of October. Pictures to come later...hopefully! Am much going be extremely busy from now on because I'm planning to pack up and leave London to head home.

Well, I've realised that London isn't the city for me due to several reasons. I've got to tie up matters here and plan a bit of travelling before I return home so that's all going to take up a lot of time from now on.

This blog will probably be very silent henceforth, but will try and put occasional updates!

Au Revoir, Paris

So all good things must come to an end - I leave Paris tomorrow for Munich where I'll drown myself in beer during the Oktoberfest and stuff myself with sausages.

The past eight days in Paris have been an endless stream of eating - going from one place to the next in search of the next eating spot on the Skinny Epicurean's eat-list. She, the very organised person, brought along with her a list of food places we should pay homage to. I'm so thankful to her for planning every day's agenda and itinerary! Thanks, dearie!!!

The main things on her agenda were patisseries and boulangeries 'cos this dear girl loves baking. Suited me fine 'cos I love desserts! It's a sinful indulgence but oh well, this IS Paris. Worry about the calories later.

Thankfully the Skinny Epicurean is great at reading maps. I'm hopeless - even with a map I can still get lost. When I travel on my own, I just go by the 'feel' of the place, which sends me in circles quite often but it's fun too 'cos I end up discovering little places I never intended to go to.

Anyways, while I head off to Deutschland, she goes back to Singapore the day after tomorrow and I guess she'll have lots of stuff to regale our other foodie friends back home. Get this - we are in Paris and we haven't even stepped into one museum!!! Ostensibly, food is the main agenda for us! Paris has been kind to us too - the City of Love has blessed us with good weather what with the sunshine and not-so-butt-freezing-cold temperatures.

Many thanks, too, to Umami and family who have been the most generous hosts. Her little daughter is an absolute delight to play with! The girl's a real charmer with her apple pink cheeks and cherubic face.

So I say goodbye to the land of fantastic food, cheeses, wines, pastries, breads and will next say hello to the land of sausages, pork knuckles, beer, beer, beer and beer.

*Burp*

Paris Je T'aime - Part II

Oooh, it's so wonderful to find myself back in Paris again after not having been back for seven years. Last time I was here, I had just finished my 2nd year of undergrad school and was backpacking on my own in Europe at that time. Everyone thought I was crazy to do it alone and I remember my mum saying she was given flak from her friends for allowing me to do it. Not that she really had a lot of say in it! Haha.

Anyway, it's great to be in this lovely city. It has an innate charm about it and it seems impossible to eat badly in this city. I love it how the French, unlike the English, adore their food!

With the Skinny Epicurean, us two girls have been eating our way around Paris and we're absolutely pampered at Umami's place. We're so thankful to her and her family for their generosity in hosting us!

Skinny Epicurean and I went to Taillevent for lunch yesterday, and it was an experience for us as it was the first time eating in a Michelin-star restaurant for the both of us. More details of that to come.

But anyway, now it's time for breakfast and another day of walking and eating around Paris!

And oh, forgot to add that I love the charming French men! There was a very cute waiter at the restaurant yesterday!!! :p

Paris Je T'aime

It was a great weekend of racing along the Thames River. Paddled 22 miles from Richmond to Greenwich. Great atmosphere amongst all participants, paddle boats of all kinds were on the river, some people dressed up and it was just awesome. Loved it!!!

I felt like a tourist attraction myself especially when we paddled past the Westminster part of the Thames, passing all the icons of London - Big Ben, the London Eye, St Paul's Cathedral, Oxo Towers, Tate Modern, Tower of London, Tower Bridge etc. We paddled past a total of 28 bridges and people on the bridges cheered the passing boats on. Awesome.

Sunday I went to Hampton Court Palace by myself and spent most part of the late morning and half the afternoon there. Lovely palace gardens and the exhibits are fantastic. Very good and informative piece of English Tudor and Georgian history. Definitely worth a visit and it's worth taking food for a picnic in the gardens too! Well, that pertains only to when it's sunny of course!

Anyway, am off to Paris tomorrow! And I haven't even packed!!! My Eurostar train leaves at 7am so you can imagine that tonight will be a bout of maniac packing for me!!! But nevermind, I'll catch up with sleep on the train. Heehee.

Last Minute Entrant

Am participating in the Great River Race tomorrow. Someone from the Thames Dragon team pulled out at the last minute and I'm going to take his place. Got the call only last evening - 48 hours before the race! Anyway, I'm really excited 'cos I really wanted to do this and it's going to be really good fun paddling along the Thames River and seeing all the sights of London! But it's a competition too, so I must paddle hard too and try not to get too distracted by the sights along the river bank!

Washing Machine Blues

The washing machine in my flat broke down last night - finally. I say 'finally' because it has succumbed to the constant abuse by one of my flatmates. My other flatmate and I keep telling her NOT to bang and hit the washing machine every time she starts it up, but she never listens. She keeps hitting and slamming the door until it starts spinning. She doesn't get it that it just needs some time after the 'Start' button is hit to start up.

So the perpetrator used the washing machine the night before last. And I'll bet it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I tried to use it last night and found that it didn't seem to spin after filling with water. Great - I had clothes stuck inside and the door remained locked due to some safety mechanism. I left it for the night hoping against hope that it might sort itself out in the course of the night. But of course, no such thing happened. In the morning, it was the status quo. I desperately wanted to get my clothes out. I tried turning the dial to 'Stop' (thankfully it did) and thank god the door unlocked. My clothes were dripping wet as the water wasn't drained from the machine. I had to wring my clothes as much as I could before hanging them. Still, it left a big pool of water in the living room and I had to wipe up as much as I could before going to work. What a great way to start the day.

I shot an email to the property agent first thing after I got into the office but I still haven't heard from him. He's hopeless. I hope he gets it fixed soon. But he's a really useless property agent!

What I hate about London is that property agents and landlords have the upper hand because it's their market. Rental property is always in demand and 'cos of that, we, tenants, always end up being the ones getting the shorter end of the stick. We're suppose to be the clients, but we're treated like shit.

My tenancy agreement has got 35 clauses protecting the landlord. It has only 5 for the tenant. Is that skewed or is that skewed?

I hate this whole renting thing. I never want to do it again.

Transport Strikes

Great - Tube workers are staging a 72-hour strike from 6pm today. I take the Tube every day to and from work.

I told you before, right? I heart London public transport!

Give me Singapore efficiency already!

Sunday Dinner Spread

We had a fabulous homemade dinner on Sunday. While still lounging around on Devil's Dyke, Yukiko texted Olduvai to say she had bought some mussels and would like us to join her for dinner if we didn't already have dinner plans. We were planning to have a homecooked dinner anyway, so it was just perfect. The more the merrier! Seriously, eating alone is just depressing. Companionship and good conversation are all integral to a good meal.

Our dinner spread consisted of mussels, baked pork ribs, mixed salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil, baguette and dessert.

The mussels were SO easy to make. The tedious part really was identifying, one by one, which mussels were still alive by having to tap them and making sure they clam up. Then we had to scrub them individually as well. Mind-numbingly boring task. But after that was done, all we had to do was put them in a pot [fyi - Brits call it a 'saucepan'], put in 200ml of white wine together with some garlic cloves, chopped tomatoes and a bunch of basil leaves. Cook for about 4 minutes and it's done!

The mussels were really fresh and it tasted fantastic with the fresh flavours from the wine, tomatoes and basil.

Olduvai's baked spare ribs were great and satisfied my meat craving.

Our dessert platter had the absolutely divine Duchy's chocolate tart. It's seriously good with its dark bitter taste and the buttery shortcrust pastry. I ate far more than I should, but what the heck. The strawberries, grapes and English plums were the healthy desserts. And lastly, some Stilton and Gongozola cheese - but we kinda passed that over in the end 'cos the chocolate tart was too tempting.

Needless to say, we were completely stuffed!

Devil's Dyke

On Sunday, we decided to take it a little easier by going up to Devil’s Dyke for a picnic. This time it was just Olduvai and myself as Yukiko had a lunch appointment. So us two gourmets trotted off to the supermarket and got some food for our picnic.

Then we took Bus 77, an open top bus, to our destination! The open top buses are used only in summer and what a treat it was! I felt like I was going on a tour! I love feeling the wind in my face and the sun on my skin in such glorious weather!

For our picnic, we had a baguette, Stilton cheese, green grapes, roast chicken drumsticks, salad, two apples, and tuna pasta with butter beans (made by Olduvai). OK, we didn’t eat ALL of it – as much as we would have liked to, we couldn’t! And of course we didn’t dump the food – we had other uses for them, details of which will appear in the next post. Anyway, we also bought the Observer – the Sunday edition of the Guardian, a newspaper we both hold in high regard for its quality of writing – for our reading pleasure up on the Dyke.

The views we were accorded of the West Sussex countryside were gorgeous! Cows and sheep dotted the green open pastures that spread for miles below us. There were other holiday makers there as well to enjoy the fresh air and beautiful scenery. But there was enough space for everyone without it feeling too claustrophobic.

There were many people paragliding and Zorbing there as well. It was fun watching the paragliders take off and land. The one I photographed here was rather inexperienced, and once airborne, didn’t quite know how to catch the wind to stay high in the sky. He gradually went farther and farther down and ended up right smack in the middle of a farm down below. Poor guy. We wondered how he was going to make his way up again!

A herd of free-ranging black cows were grazing close by and two got up close and personal with some of the people. I had never come so close to cows before. But I didn’t really want to touch them as they were very dirty! Their faces were full of snot and there were so many flies buzzing around them! I’m not that into bovine creatures anyway, except when they're on the dinner table. Hee.

Anyway, a very lovely afternoon spent in quiet and soul-nourishing surroundings.

Beachy Head Coastal Walk

Got my fix of countryside and exercise! I hate not being to do much outdoor stuff in London. But thankfully last weekend I managed to get my fix at Beachy Head. Olduvai, her friend Yukiko and I did a long coastal walk from Beachy Head to South Downs. We walked for a good 12.8km along the towering chalk cliffs that hug the southeastern coast of the UK and were treated to fantastic views of the sea shimmering in the sunlight, undulating green fields, and open fields where cows and sheep grazed. LOVED IT.

Had a pub lunch before the long walk. The gigantic guiness, steak and mushroom pie was fantastic! I've been eating way too many pies in the UK for my own good. This pie was made with shortcrust pastry - that's the way I like my pies to be made!

Then one of the waitresses came round with a whole plethora of sauces and dips. I was very thrilled. Haha. I went for the mustard seeds, some mint sauce and some chutney. OK, doesn't really go but just felt like something sweet. I wished I could have tried a bit of everything though!

Beachy Head Lighthouse

Wind-swept flowers

Along the way at Birling Gap, I treated myself to ice cream. Heehee.

We started way beyond what you can see from this photo. We were dog tired at the end of the day, but what a fantastic day it was!

Finally we reach the South Downs where other walkers are heading to their cars and for us, the bus to take us back to Brighton.

Saw a green phone booth near the bus stop at South Downs. Was amused 'cos it's the only green one I've seen so far in the UK!

Temporary Thames Dragon

Took part in a dragonboat race on Saturday 21 July organised by the Thames Dragon dragonboat team (the team that I'm joining). It was held at the London Regatta Centre and in the background you see aeroplanes parked at the London City Airport.

And here you see, moi, the temporary Thames Dragon.

A Little Bored

Hmm…it’s been awhile since I last posted. Actually there hasn’t been much to tell really…I haven’t been doing anything very exciting. Last weekend I went outrigger canoeing on Saturday morning, spent a bit of the afternoon in Camden market with a friend from the dragonboat team where I saw the weirdest people around in London. All that goth!

It’s crazy – there was this bald middle-aged man who had tattoos all around his head, face, neck and torso and had his nose, eyebrows, ears, and nipples pierced. He was wearing a black fish-net long-sleeve shirt (if it can even be called that) with a black patent skirt. Yes, you read correct, SKIRT. And he wore platforms boots which were – no kidding – about 25cm high. They were the tallest pair of platforms I had ever seen. Honestly, I don’t know how he walked in them. He was kinda stomping around in those huge-ass footwear. I mean, you can all sorts of people dressed in weird get-ups in Camden, but this one really takes the cake – for now. I’m sure I’ll see more if I go to Camden often enough. Though interesting to see all the people dressed up in goth, it’s not my kinda thing, so I doubt I’ll go there very much.

Then headed to the O2 arena to have a look. Nothing very much there except for restaurants with massive queues – all pre-concert goers. Scissors Sister was performing that night so we saw lots of gay and lesbian couples. I wouldn’t bother going there for dinner. Eating somewhere beforehand and then heading to the concert would be a better option. And the restaurants there don’t seem fantastic either.

Sunday morning saw me at dragonboat practice at the London Regatta Centre. After practice, went to have dimsum with a teammate and some of her friends. The restaurant, Lotus, is located at Crossharbour DLR station. Food was pretty good and it was cheap! For £7 each (albeit with a 10% discount) we ate a lot! Definitely want to go back again for my dimsum fix.
Then it was back to home to do household chores like laundry and cleaning up of the place.

Meanwhile, work’s been fine. I think work’s less stressful here. No complains there! If only it came with more pay…

Gosh, I feel like my life is so unexciting. Need to find more free and less expensive stuff to do in London! But at least this weekend I have a weekend at Brighton to look forward to. Going to visit olduvai again and we already have our weekend menu planned! I just love how organised we are when it comes to eating matters. :p

Contactable Again

Got my phone fixed - I brought it to one of the dodgy stores along Oxford Street run by Indian Ah Bengs which offer "Mobile Unlocking" services, mobile repair servies and sell fake mobile phone covers. I'm now £50 poorer 'cos of that expensive step I took. Broke the LCD screen. The new screen's colour resolution is not as good as my original Nokia's but oh well, at least my data and everything are still intact. But the screen costs more than what I had paid for the phone back in Singapore!

Why do such things always happen when I'm bordering on the poverty line??? Damn Murphy's Law.

Uncontactable

This morning i accidentally stepped on my phone while I had it lying on the floor while charging and it's now dead! :(((((((

Argh - i have to try and get it fixed or get a new one. But i think there's no hope of resurrecting it...it looks bad. So to all out there who might need to contact me by phone, just email me if anything. I'm going to try and get a new phone by today or tomorrow or over the weekend.

I don't know why i always get myself into such freak accidents. Argh. Feeling heartbroken and totally handicapped by the no-phone situation!!!

I Heart London Public Transport

YEAH RIGHT!

You'd never believe how arduous a journey it was to get home last night from dragonboat practice. I live in the west of London but practice is in the east in Zone 3 at the London Regatta Centre. I already think it's a trudge in itself without having it to be compounded by this:

First I have to take the DLR (Docklands Light Rail) from Royal Albert to West Ferry. At West Ferry, I alight and get another DLR train to Bank. Then I have to walk a million miles from the DLR platform to the Central line platform at Bank to take to Oxford Circus. At Oxford Circus, I change from the Central to Bakerloo line and walk another million miles to get to the Bakerloo platform. It takes forever to change lines. It's like walking through some labyrinth.

OK, so I get on the train. Then it suddenly terminates at Paddington 'cos apparently some idiot was walking along the tracks between Kilburn Park and Queen's Park station!!! So basically the Bakerloo line was suspended because of some crazy person.

I was like ""£^"*&£###$^&^£"*!!!! So I had to get off at Paddington and find another means of getting back. Thankfully Bus No.6 goes to where I am. BUT this No. 6 that I took didn't go all the way to Queen's Park. So it stopped somewhere and I had to get off again, cross the street and wait for ANOTHER Bus. No. 6 to come along! I got home only at 11.40pm when it could have been about 45min or a whole hour earlier!

And this morning, trains couldn't stop at Oxford Circus (where I usually alight) 'cos of some fire brigade investigation! Great.

Welcome to London.

Back from Spain

Back from Spain! The later part of the trip turned out to be a lot better and I had a really good time in Tarifa. Took two day-trips out of Tarifa. Went to Tanger (the 5th largest city in Morocco and only a 35min ferry ride away) and to Cadiz, a city which is a 2-hour bus ride away.

Now that the fun is over, I'll be starting on a temp job on Wednesday. This is going to be a two-month stint. After which, I guess I'll travel again. Will need to think where now to avoid any last minute booboos!

Anyway, photos to follow in the next couple of days. To start, here are three I took in Torremolinos. The only three I took actually, 'cos there weren't many things worth photographing. I really hated that place. Was a real shithole. It didn't help that the hostal I stayed in wasn't very nice...the room didn't have its own bathroom and there wasn't enough hot water in the shower. I was miserable. Was almost tempted to fly back to London earlier!

This is one of the streets in Torremolinos that leads down to the beach. It's lined with touristy shops and cafes which sell mostly British food. I swear there wasn't even one restaurant serving tapas. Every single one was selling fish & chips, roast chicken, and pizza etc. Like I came to Spain to eat all that crap???

A very festive looking Sangria I had in Torremolinos. The only I had in Spain actually. I turn red SO fast when I drink alcohol that it's really embarrassing. So i try to avoid drinking when I'm out...will only drink in the confines of a home and with close friends!

Grilled sardines are apparently a specialty of southern Spanish food. It's just lightly salted and grilled over charcoal. I must say this was good!

Off to Malaga, Spain

It's a really last-minute trip taken on the spur of the moment. We were like, "OK, let's go to Spain! Which part? How about the south coast for some much needed sunshine? OK! Check for cheap flights on the net. Let's head to Malaga!"

My friend and I booked our tickets only last week.

To the land of tapas, paellas, sangria, Zara, Mango, Pull & Bear, Camper, beaches, hot sun, hot men etc!!!

Back in London on 28 June.

Brighton

Hello everyone, am writing from Brighton at the moment. It's a nice, seaside town south of London and I arrived here yesterday to spend the week here with good friend, olduvai.

Brighton's a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of London. It's much quieter and it's lovely to look out to the sea from olduvai's room.

Anyway, this is just a short note for now...more later!

One-Way Ticket

Hello everyone, I'm now writing from London after arriving here last night local time. And now for the second part of the change I'm making in my life – I've relocated to London for awhile on a working holiday visa. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to be doing at the moment but it's just going to be very different from Singapore that's all. And I think that's what I need for the moment. It's not going to be all smooth-sailing, but it's going to be different.

I don't deny I'm scared...who wouldn't be? Leaving the security of home and venturing into a foreign land with no job waiting and few friends. It's having to build a life all over again. But it's something I've always wanted to try and I know I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I don't give this a try. I mean, what's the worst that could happen, right? Just go back to Singapore and find another job if I don't like it.

I bought a one-way ticket for myself. Well, I redeemed airmiles accrued through work travel in the past three years. I didn't have enough miles to get a return so I just opted for a one-way ticket instead and paid $111 in tax for the ticket. It's probably the only time in my life that I'll ever get a one-way ticket. It is quite liberating to do so. Haha.

Thank goodness the immigration officer didn't make things difficult for me. One girl at another counter had a very tough time with one immigration officer. I think she was also trying to enter UK on a working holiday visa. I also had to have a chest x-ray done. They were screening for TB. Anyway, clearing immigration was a real bitch. The queues were horrendously long and I took a total of about 1hr 20min to clear immigration. And when the plane landed, it waited on the tarmac for about 15min for parking space. All in all, it took me about two hours from landing to get out of the airport. Fantastic introduction to English efficiency.

I'm not sure how long I'll remain here for even though the visa is valid for two years. But I can only work one year out of the two. The rest of the time I'm supposed to be travelling, which is what I want to do anyway.

But I have no concrete plans as yet and I'm taking a play-by-ear attitude to things. I'm now staying with two very good pals, Joe & Keith, who have kindly offered me couch space in their living room for the moment. Thank you my dears!!! They're staying very near Leicester Square, Covent Garden and Chinatown so it's a really nice place.

So the dimsumdolly is now conquering London! More tales and pictures to come!

Officially Unemployed

Eeeeeekkks!!!

Health is Wealth

A really unlucky streak has seen me being down with a cough for almost a month now and on Sunday I sprained my left ankle while missing a step as I stepped off the road pavement. Argh. I stupidly thought the ankle would heal on its own and that the pain would go away. Obviously it didn't.

So finally I went to a Chinese sinseh along Upper Paya Lebar Road and got the ankle fixed back into place. By this time, my left leg had already become slightly shorter than the right and the bones in the foot were slightly out of place. He told me I shouldn't have left it for so long and that I really should have gone to get it treated straight away. OK, so everyone please learn from my mistake. Now the foot is being bandaged with some Chinese herbal medicinal paste under it. I'm not supposed to let my foot get wet - so that means putting a plastic bag around it when I bathe. And that also means no paddling! Boohoohoo.

Because of my cough I've already been out of action for almost a month. And now this. Sucks big time.

Indexing

I've been attending a three-day course on indexing and it has really opened up my eyes to the work that indexers do. I used to think that indexing a book was really easy - all you needed to do was find that particular word on that page and note down the page number. But no, it's not that simple. It really requires a good command of the language and good understanding of the subject matter and the intended audience of the publication. In addition, an indexer needs to be just as meticulous and detail-oriented as a copyeditor.

If a word appears on that page but is only mentioned in passing, the page doesn't have to be indexed. Conversely, if a word doesn't yet the concept of it is talked about in the pages, these pages have to be indexed. So a lot of judgment calls to be made and thankfully, indexing is not something that can be done by computers. Computers can only aid to make the job easier, but indexing still requires the human brain to play around with words.

There really is a fine art to indexing! So next time you flip through those pages at the back of a book, do make a mental note of all the hard work that has gone into it!

Sick of Being Sick

That same stuffy nose and persistent cough which plagued me two months ago is back to haunt me. Gosh, it's so not fun with the blowing of the nose and the wheezing cough. Because of it, I slept the entire weekend away. Very depressing for me since I almost always spend weekends paddling in the lovely outdoors...paddling to Sisters Island and St John's etc. I feel like my muscles are now all turning into fats...i haven't been able to exercise at all! Argh.

I went to see a doctor at Eu Yan Sang clinic so I've been taking Chinese herbal medicine. The good thing is that it's in powder form and placed in sachets, so it's really easy to take around. When I went on Monday, the cough wasn't there but now it seems to have hit me with a vengeance. Think I need to pay the doctor another visit. :(

p.s. Don't ask me how I managed to finish all the food at Novus!

New Beau

I don't normally let on too much about the romance part of my life, but I just found a new love! Ooh, I'm so happy...he's so good-looking, very modern and sleek. And as many of you know, I like my men intelligent. This one's great - has an elephant-sized memory and thinks so fast! I'll never ever worry about him forgetting anniversaries or any errands I might ask him to run. Also, normally people look horrid in white. But he seems to wear the colour very well. Anyway, I'm totally in love with my white knight!

And oh, his name's Mac. Family name: Book.

Update from Australia

Hello from Sydney! I arrived in one of my favourite cities on Friday and it feels like I've never left the place. Sometimes it's just so nice to come to a place there's such a nice feeling of familiarity and I don't have to think about which new places I have to check out and going through the process of figuring out maps and transport systems.

Before Sydney, I was in Surfers Paradise, Evans Head and Brisbane. Surfers Paradise certainly lives up to its name - the weather was sunny and gorgeous, the ocean beautiful, the surfer dudes hunkalicious with their bronzed bodies. Woohoo!

I was staying in a two-bedroom apartment with four other teammates. Our apartment faced the beach and we girls were just totally in love with the apartment!

Our race went well. Even though we were second last, we were basically doing our own race. We managed to achieve what we set out to do, i.e. to finish the race below 4 hours and to make all our sea changes. There was a lot of encouragement and spirits were high. There was no negativity and it was just a fantastic feeling when we finished it. You would have thought we had won the race when we crossed the finish line as we all were beaming and cheering. The driver of the support boat we were in said he was very touched to see how our women's team never gave up and was so positive throughout the race. He has been doing involved as a support boat driver for the past seven years, but he said it was the first time he has seen a team that's so positive throughout the entire race. That was such a nice thing to say and it's so touching!

For a first race, I think the ladies did really well! Eight out of 10 of us were racing for the first time. And compared to the Australians, we are so tiny! Many of the other women paddlers look like men from the back! They were so muscular and tall compared to us. Even me, a big Chinese girl, am small in comparison. I like being in Western countries 'cos I can feel like I'm average-sized...maybe even slim! Anyway, I'm so proud of the ladies!

The days after the race were spent relaxing and having fun. Five other ladies and I went to MovieWorld for a day of fun and screaming on roller coasters! I had many doses of adrenalin rushes as I went screaming my head off on all the roller coasters. I screamed so much that I ended up with a sore throat which lasted several days. Haha.

From Gold Coast, we made our way to Evans Head, a small town in the north of New South Wales. One of my teammates is Australian and her sister lives not too far from there. She was visiting her sister so the rest of us followed her. It was a very nice change from the big city. At first we wondered what we were going to do in a small town where the main "shopping centre" is just two rows of shops. The town only has 8000 people and it was a complete change for us big city dwellers.

Like one of my teammates said, it was like being in a twilight zone to find ourselves there. Like being in a reality TV show...city girls being planted in a small town to see how they would survive! Surprisingly, we liked the change. We took everything slow, drinked wine slowly, slept in the afternoon when it was hot, went for a surfing lesson, went kayaking along the rivers, took leisurely lunches and dinners, chatted the day and night away etc. And surprisingly, time passed. It was nice to take things slow for awhile. But we all concluded that we can't stay here for long as it would drive us crazy after with the lack of things to do.

From Evans Head, we made our way back to Brisbane where we spent Thursday night. We drank a lot of wine on the last night together. We drank and chatted the night away. Definitely a good way to end the road trip. We had a lot of fun during the past few days together and it's a memory I'll always treasure for the rest of my life.

So while the rest made their way back to Singapore from Brisbane, I flew to Sydney. This past weekend was lovely. I didn't do much really. It was just a very relaxing weekend that's all.

Saturday i was out with a friend and she brought my sister and me to this island called Scotland Island. It's a small island in one of the bays in the north shore. There was nothing on the island except for private homes. The homes were really nice. We didn't know anyone on the island but we just went to have a walk around the island. It'd be lovely to own of these homes which overlooks the waterfront of the bay. But I'd still prefer a home which faces the beach. There's nothing like the sea and the sound of the waves lapping onto the shore!

It took only 40min to walk around the island. We then took the ferry back to Churh Point where we parked the car. We had lunch there and after that we drove to Narrabeen Beach, one of the northern beaches.

In the evening, my sister, aunt, two cousins and I went to Darling Harbour to have dinner. We went to a Moroccan restaurant called Sumac and the food was pretty good. The restaurant is by the harbour so we kind of sat along the waterfront.

I went to one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney's Chinatown to have dimsum today with a very close friend who lives in Sydney. Of course I was on cloud nine after leaving the restaurant! Good friends and good food - nothing can top that!

Today was also the 75th birthday of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the bridge was closed to traffic so that people could walk across the bridge from the north shore to the south. It was really crowded! I had to take the train across (my aunt's place is in the north shore) to the city so I saw all the crowds.

After having afternoon tea with my friend, i made my way back home. I was chatting online with a friend in Singapore just now and she asked me what programme i had on for the night. I said "nothing". It might seem weird, but I actually just enjoy being at the house with my aunt and cousins and just watching some TV and going on the Internet. I also enjoy playing with their dog, Biscuit, a very lovely and cute gold retriever. I miss Rex. After I got home, I got my cousins to go cycling with me! I'm the cousin who makes them go exercising all the time! Haha. So we went cycling along the road their house is on. It's a very long road and it made for a very good cycle. So yes, that's what I enjoy - some exercise in the evening, playing with the dog, followed by a homecooked meal, some dessert, watching some TV and then going to bed. I'd rather do this than go to a pub or disco.

Anyway, the week ahead will just be meeting up with friends and very soon I'll find myself back in Singapore.

The Land of Oz

Yes, I'm putting on my red shoes, putting on a blue and white dress and going to be with my my friends the Lion, the Tin man and the Scarecrow in the Land of Oz!

OK OK, the truth it's not that magical and I'm not going to meet any wizards or wicked witches, but the magic is going to lie in the beaches and waters of Gold Coast and Sydney!

My teammates and I are going to Gold Coast for an outrigger canoe race which will take place this Saturday. There will be a men's and a women's team. This 42km race is going to be a change race, meaning we will be changing paddlers in and out of the canoe. The men's team will have 9 paddlers while the women will have 10. At any one time there be 6 paddlers in the canoe. The remaining will be on the support boat (this will be a small yacht) waiting for their turn to get into the canoe.

So when you're supposed to go into the canoe next, you're going to be dropped off into the sea by the support boat some distance away from the canoe. Normally about 2-3 paddlers will change out at one time. So you have to tread water for awhile and wait for the canoe to come to you. When the canoe comes, you grab on to the side of it and get into the canoe as fast as possible while the one that was in your seat before would have just jumped out a few seconds ago. The moment you get in you start paddling while the one that just jumped out waits for the support boat to come and get them.

Ooh, I'm so excited just thinking about it. Eight out of the 10 women in the team are taking part in an outrigger canoe race for the first time so it's a mixture of excitement and nerves that all of us are feeling. I fly to Brisbane tonight and will arrive Friday morning. We'll then be taking a bus to Surfer's Paradise where we'll be staying.

After the race, five other teammates and I will be going on a road trip for a few days. It'll be an all-girl affair! Woohoo! It's beginning to sound like one of those Hollywood movies you know. Have some hot men waiting for us, please (think Brad Pitt in Thelma and Louise). Heehee.

After the road trip, I'll be making my way to Sydney for the second part of my trip while my teammates will be heading back to Singapore. I haven't been back to Sydney since June 2004 and I'm really looking forward to visiting the city again and seeing all my friends. And of course, I hope to chomp on some good food while in Aust. I've already got a dimsum lunch lined up on 19 March with some pals!

Oooh, I can't wait!!!!!!!!

Belated Update

Ah, it's been a long while since I wrote a half-decent entry. I've missed writing. And yes, I've had friends bugging me about my lack of updates. Things have been crazy at work and I haven't had the time or mood to write. To keep my friends up-to-date on what I've been up to for the past 1.5 months, let's do this in point form.

1) Jan 15 - I watched John Legend in concert at the Esplanade! Went with my buddy Van Tan and we were completely bowled over by the oh-so-sexy and smooth vocals of John Legend. He's mean on the piano too! That guy's HOT.

2) Jan 16 - Went to KL for the company's annual Asia Sales Meeting. Stayed at the Marriott right smack in the city centre. But I hardly had the time to go out and wander about. Went drinking every night during the five nights I was there. I had never drunk so much in such a short time. Went to the Beach Club with some of my colleagues. It's like some Mecca for tourists, or more specifically the sleazy male tourists. There are so many prostitutes there and it was an eye-opener observing them pouncing on the men the moment these men step into the club.

By the way, Feast Village at the basement of the Marriott is really nice. Love all the restaurants there which are done up so nicely. There's Luk Yu Chinese restaurant - the offshoot from its famous HK branch. While having dimsum for lunch there with three other colleagues, we spotted HK actor Kenny Bee. Of course, all food at the Feast Village is halal. Other cuisines available are Thai, Korean, Lebanese, American, Indian (Vaansh), and Malaysian (Enak). But of course the really yummy street fare is found outside of the swanky hotel. Unfortunately I didn't have time to go sniffing out all these good food. I was basically stuck in the hotel for the most part. I only managed a 1.5 hour visit to Sungei Wang on the morning of the day I left KL. Managed to buy a pair of shoes for 25 ringgit. Cheap! But my golly, I really didn't like the weekend crowds at Sungei Wang. It gave me a headache.

3) Jan 21 - returned to Singapore after a long bus ride from KL. What could have been about a 5-hour bus ride straight to KL turned out to be an 8-hour one. No thanks to the bad planning by HR who had arranged for a detour to Malacca to have dinner. Come on, I'd rather just stop by Yong Peng to have dinner. A request by me to change the plan to stop at Yong Peng was rejected, claiming that reservations have already been made at the restaurant. I don't understand why can't they could have just called to cancel. It's not as if the food has been cooked! And I don't understand why others didn't make the same request when they clearly didn't want to stop at Malacca at all when I asked them! Argh. Singaporeans just accept everything they're told to do. It's annoying.

4) Jan 22 - Bought my red iPod Nano! I love my new toy!

5) Jan 23 - Flew to Beijing for work. Had a slight cough as I made my way to Beijing. The cough got worse when I arrived in Beijing, what with the cold, dry and polluted air. I was coughing my lungs out in the next couple of days I was there. I had to go and see a doctor. Apparently there aren't any private clinics and everyone just goes to the hospital for illnesses whether major or minor.

My colleague brought me to Renmin Hospital and goodness, I felt like I had stepped back in time to Singapore in the 70s. I didn't see any computers at the reception desk, there were beds lining the corridors, the building was so old, and the place was just horrible. Singaporeans really have it good. Anyway, the bottom line is this: Don't ever get sick in China!!!

6) Jan 31 - Flew back to Singapore after having cut short my work trip in Beijing. Was supposed to stay till 6 Feb, but because I was so sick, I had to come home earlier than scheduled. The medicine I got from the hospital didn't help and by Jan 31 I was really feeling so weak and sick from coughing non-stop. The moment I stepped back on Singapore soil, I felt better. The cleaner and warmer air in Singapore certainly made a difference in my condition.

7) Feb 1 - Spent the whole day in bed and coughing away.

8) Rest of Feb - Recovering from cough...went to try TCM instead after Western medicine didn't seem to work. TCM really helped! I really believe in Chinese medicine...I think it's much better for colds and coughs etc. The use of herbs as medicine is much better than the drugs used in Western medicine.

In the past two weeks, I've also been getting back into paddling...I have an outrigger canoe race coming up next Saturday March 10 in Gold Coast!!! Ooh, boy am I excited!

9) Feb 19 - Ate at the House of Hunan at Novena Square. It's part of the Tung Lok group of restaurants. The food there isn't fantastic and basically I don't think Hunan cuisine (known as Xiang Cai) can quite match up to the sophistication of Cantonese cuisine. The service was good, but frankly I wouldn't go back there again.

10) Feb 24 - Met up with some food bloggers at Tampopo for lunch. The food there isn't fantastic. It's famous for the pork from the Black Pig...some special breed of pig famed for its meat. Read ivn's review here.

11) Feb 25 - Got myself a new mobile phone, the Nokia 6288. Another new toy. This is only my 3rd mobile phone. Last time I changed phones was Nov 2003.

12) Sick and tired of work - can't wait to go to Australia next week for a much-needed break from work! Going to KL and Beijing doesn't quite count as a break!

OK, that's it for now!

I'm Back!

Hello everyone!

I'm back and blogging again! Had to sort out some technical issues so that's why I wasn't blogging for awhile. I felt like I was being given a gag order when I couldn't write.

More updates from me soon, but just wanted to say I'm still around! :)

Why Ladies Today Are Still Single

Got this from a friend...

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

1. The nice men are ugly.

2. The handsome men are not nice.

3. The handsome and nice men are gay.

4. The handsome, nice and heterosexual men are married.

5. The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men, have No money.

6. The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men with money think
we are only after their money.

7. The handsome men without money are after our money.

8. The handsome men, who are not so nice and somewhat heterosexual, don't think we are beautiful enough.

9. The men who think we are beautiful, that are heterosexual, somewhat nice and have money, are cowards.

10. The men who are somewhat handsome, somewhat nice and have some
money and thank God are heterosexual, are shy and NEVER MAKE THE FIRST MOVE!!!!

11. The men who never make the first move, automatically lose interest in us when we take the initiative.

NOW, WHO THE HELL UNDERSTANDS MEN?

"Men are like a fine wine. They all start out like grapes, and it's our
job to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into
something you'd like to have dinner with."

My New Baby

OK, not that new actually 'cos I got it end Nov, but just that I didn't have a camera to take a photo of it at that time. Last month, I also bought myself a Canon IXUS 850 to replace my IXUS 400 which decided to malfunction after being with me for three years.

So anyway, I got this hybrid (carbon blade and wooden shaft) outrigger canoe paddle from Xylo, an outrigger canoe paddle manufacturer from Australia. It didn't come cheap - my paddle and camera set me back $1000! I feel the pinch. Ouch. But I've been using my own paddle ever since and I've been enjoying my paddles a lot more! :)

Happy New Year

OK, I've been really lazy with this blog of late, and I really should start off the new year on a better note.

But first, just a little on 2006. Overall, it was a good year. I got to do two things I've always wanted to do - see the Terracotta Army in Xi'an and take a cruise down the Yangtze River. I was also lucky to be able to go to Boston on a work trip. I learnt how to steer a dragon boat and an outrigger canoe. I ran a half-marathon. I made new foodie friends. I matchmade a couple! The low of the year was of course the death of Rex, my collie.

New Year's Eve was a rather subdued one spent at home with two of my oldest friends, tiggie and fatgirl. They came over to my place and we baked cookies just for the fun of it. Pictures of the cookies to come! We baked way into the night, until about 2am! What better way to start off the new year than with food, right? We also opened a bottle of Shiraz when the clock struck midnight. From my home, we could see some of the fireworks coming from Marina Bay. Very pretty.

Earlier in the morning of 31 Dec, I had gone outrigger canoeing. We paddled to St John's and because one part of the island is a restricted area and we paddled past it, the navy apparently got all frazzled up and decided to send the police coast guard to check up on us. Apparently, they thought we were trying to smuggle ourselves in from Indonesia. The six of us had our personal particulars taken down by the police coast guard. Geez.

Anyway, no resolutions made yet for 2007 but I really should draw up a list and rethink my life. Meanwhile, Happy New Year to everyone!

Of Wine & Men

Hermitage at One Raffles Boulevard is the latest kid on the block of wine wholesalers. Only three weeks old, it is conveniently located at the basement of NTUC building – good for the yuppie crowd they’re trying to target.

The place is spilt into two levels with the upper level used to house the bottles of wines and the lower level has several tables and chairs where people can sit around to sip wine. It’s very pleasant with its wooden shelves and panelling and sleek, modern black furniture.

I went for a wine-tasting session there on Saturday afternoon. It was actually a wine-tasting cum speed dating thing organised by a friend of mine. But really, all I wanted to do was drink and wasn’t in the mood to make any conversation whatsoever 'cos I was so bloody tired after paddling for about 1¾ hours just awhile ago. (My teammates and I had paddled to Kusu, Lazarus, St John’s and Sisters Island again! Was a great paddle!)

We tasted one sparkling wine, two whites and two reds. We also tasted four types of cheeses. One of them was my Brie, a cheese that I like. The sizes of the cheese we were given were really disappointing though. They were the size of 1cm cubes. Pathetic! They really could have been more generous. The wines were OK, but I wished, Soo Hoo, the owner of the place could have said more about the wines and taught us how to taste the wines, and maybe write tasting notes. We were given a sheet of paper with a small write-up, but I thought he could have gone further with the tastes and smells we should be looking for.

I had asked a friend to come along with me. She later told me that she spoke (we didn’t get to speak to everybody which was really fine by me!) to one guy who didn’t drink anything 'cos he said a friend of his was sentenced to a few weeks imprisonment just the day before for drunk driving. For god’s sake, if you’re coming for a wine-tasting session and you’re afraid of getting drunk, leave the car at home or just ask for a bucket to spit the wine into. DUH!

Another complained to her that he was disappointed the wine wasn’t free-flow. Hello? This is a wine-tasting event not a wine buffet. *roll eyes*

Another was so sleepy and groggy that he looked as if he was going to fall asleep anytime. OK granted, he said he had been working from 5am – 1pm, hence the tedium. I don't think gulping down wine really helps in staying awake though...

One complained that Singapore’s VERY boring. I had to argue against this statement by saying that there ARE things to do in Singapore. It’s just a matter of looking for them. In my opinion, people who say Singapore is boring are the boring ones themselves. I don’t understand these people. To them, I guess visiting new clubs/pubs equates to ‘having things to do’. I suggested sports to Mr. Singapore-is-Boring as a way of filling his time. Mr Singapore-is-Boring goes on to say, ‘Oh, it’s so difficult to do water sports when I stay in the West 'cos all the water sports are in East Coast.’

Well well, you just haven’t been looking hard enough, mate! I have teammates who stay all the way in Jurong West yet they can make it for dragon boat and outrigger canoeing practice. I don't live near Sentosa yet I can make it there for practice at least twice a week. It’s only a matter of how much you want to do it, Mr Singapore-is-Boring! I could think of a million things to do if I had more time and money to do so. I think people who say such things are so bloody lame.

Anyway, this is my first and last time going speed dating. It's just so tiring having to introduce myself and reiterate what I do ten million times. I happened to sit with another girl and at any one time there would be both of us and two guys at the table.

Once, one of the guys said 'Oh, since you work as an editor, your English must be very good, right?' And being too tired to act falsely modest as any good, demure Chinese woman should, I just went 'Er, yah' in a very deadpan, nonchalant manner. (But of course I'm hardly demure even at my best. Hahaha)

Oh you should have seen their reactions to what one might consider my social faux pas. That was a truly comic moment I tell you. The guy who asked the question said, 'Aiyah, when people say such things, you're supposed to say "No lah, not really. OK lah."'

Whatever. I would have retorted that it was a rhetorical question he asked, but I doubt he would have understood the term 'rhetorical question'. OK, as you can see, I'm in a very bitchy mood now. Anyway, I left it as that and I doubt I left a very good impression. Hahaha.

No more speed dating thank you very much! Anyhow, it's a cesspool of men here!

Weekend at the Beach

After my home and office, Sentosa's Tanjong Beach is probably the place where I spend most time at. I reinforced this fact over the weekend. After an early evening paddle on Friday - I steered (under instruction from a more experienced teammate) to Sisters Island and back - three of us girls stayed behind as we planned to spend the night at the beach. The plan was to camp out, wake up at 7.30am, then go for a 5km run from Tanjong to Siloso Beach, then go for the usual Saturday morning paddle.

One of the girls had roasted a kampung chicken with mixed herbs, cooked brown rice, made guacamole and brought nachos, and tossed some garden salad with balsamic dressing. A bottle of Cabernet Merlot blend was the cherry on the cake for our gourmet camp-out. We even had an iPod plugged into small speakers for some nice jazzy music to complement the sound of waves lapping up the shore. Desserts were sugar plums, kiwi fruits and apples. Oh, there was chocolate too. Hee.

After being so stuffed from dinner, we decided to be healthy and walk off our dinner. From Tanjong Beach, we walked to Sentosa Cove to check out "the world's most desirable address" (that's how it's marketing itself). Nothing much there at the moment. There are already condominiums up and people living in them, but we couldn't get past the security post guarding the residential area as the security informed us that there's a big-shot living in there. It's amazing how many obscenely rich people there are in this world. Anyway, it took us 1.5 hours to walk there and back at a leisurely pace. I thought we had done enough to walk off our dinner.

We then pitched our tents. We had two big tents that we set about 10 metres from the water. At 1.30am, another teammate of ours came to join us after her company dinner & dance. So us four girls slept in the two tents, under the stars. We were really lucky it didn't rain!

Next morning, we dragged ourselves up at 7.30am and went for a 5km jog. Upon returning from the jog, about 20 other teammates had arrived for the regular Sat morning practice. Everyone was shocked that we had actually gotten up to run. Obviously no one believed we could do it! But I'm so happy we stuck to our programme and didn't give in to the temptation of sleeping in! The waters that morning were really choppy and it wasn't exactly a very fun paddle with choppy waters.

Anyway, camping out at the beach was good fun! We intend to do it again sometime!

This morning I was at the beach again. The morning was so gorgeous that we couldn't not take the opportunity to canoe to Sisters Island. I steered again and from Sisters Island we went to Lazarus and Kusu Island. We encountered some really rough waters and strong currents at some points and it was actually pretty scary when we were being hit head-on by the currents. The canoe just couldn't move. My crew really had to pull real hard and my steering skills were really put to the test. Yikes. It's at such times when you really feel extremely small against Mother Nature.

Both times I steered on Friday and today were good lessons for me in learning how to read and understand the waters. Partaking in sports where you're up against the elements really gives you a more profound respect of what nature is capable of. Of course I was steering under instruction from a more experienced paddler, otherwise I'd never dare risk going out there. Being a steer brings with it much more responsibility in that you'll have to ensure the crew's safety by steering and reading the waters well.

Often I think it's just much easier being a paddler and I shouldn't bother with learning how to steer. But I guess my desire to learn comes from the fact that learning how to steer makes for a more complete and versatile paddler. The club also benefits from having more people knowing how to steer. The best thing about outrigger canoeing is that no one situation is the same. Every time you're out, conditions are always different, be it different tides, different boats coming your way, weather conditions and wind direction etc are always different. There's always something to learn each time you go out. That's what I really love about the sport.

So there's my weekend!

Official Results

Gun Time: 2h:34m:52s
Chip Time: 2h:31m:1s

Placing in entire field:
2916th place with 3249 finishers behind. About 47% of finishers ahead.

Placing in gender (Female):
663rd place with 1151 finishers behind. About 36% of finishers ahead.

Placing in division:
131st place with 323 finishers behind. About 29% of finishers ahead.

Facts

Who's who
Of the 6165 who finished, 29% were female and 71% were male.

Opposite Sex
For the record, you were ahead of about 48% of male finishers. (Oooh, I love it when I beat the boys! Haha!)

Half-Marathon

“Why do I do this to myself????” Those were the thoughts that crept into my mind when I woke up at 3.30am this morning and got ready to leave for Bishan Stadium to catch a shuttle bus to the Esplanade. The Esplanade was the start point of the Stanchart run.

I had signed up for the half-marathon (21.1km) in end August, having had grand ambitions of training for it. But those grand plans fell through – I was paddling a lot but I hardly ran as I didn’t feel like running at one point in time in September and October. This is the first time I’ve run in any mass running event.

I arrived at the Esplanade at around 5.30am where I met up with a couple of friends. There was an excited buzz in the air and all the runners were rearing to go. The full-marathoners were flagged off first at about 6am. This was followed by the half-marathoners 30min later.

Before completing this half-marathon, I had never even run a distance more than 7km at a stretch. On hindsight, it was really quite insane to take something like that on without having trained for it. But I guess my regular exercise in other sports helps. At least I had enough stamina to last the distance. I maintained a slow and steady pace throughout and I told myself that my goal this time is not to stop to walk, no matter how tempting it is to do so. I managed to do that and am really pleased with myself.

I started off running with my friend who was maintaining the same pace I was for 8km. After that she had to walk as her knees were hurting. I went ahead without her, keeping at that steady running pace. I finished the half-marathon in about 2h 32min (exact time not known yet at time of writing). For someone who didn’t train for it, I guess it’s a pretty decent time! It helped too that we had good weather for running. It was cool and cloudy – unusual for Singapore! Thank god for that, ‘cos hot and humid would have killed me.

It's actually very motivating running with others. As I don't usually run with any music plugged into my ears, I motivate myself by setting small goals for myself at every step. If running alone on a road, I set visual markers for myself to reach. This time, I targeted a person in front of me and told myself I had to overtake him/her. Once overtaken, I aim for the next person. That really kept me going.

I should have heeded the advice of the running booklet to put petroleum jelly on the inner thighs and arms to prevent abrasion of the skin when running. Now I have bad abrasion on my inner thighs. I have to walk like a duck now. Next run I do, petroleum jelly will be my best friend.

In all honesty, I never thought I could do this. I’ve never been much of a runner and running isn’t my favourite sport. But I guess like many other things in life, it’s something I have to try once. For many people who take part in such runs, it’s more of a personal challenge than anything else. In completing the half-marathon (everyone who completes it gets a medal!), I feel a great sense of achievement and clichéd as it may sound, it’s true that often you’re actually a lot more capable and can achieve a lot more than you think you can. After awhile, it’s more mental than physical. Mind over matter. One thing I’ve realised in sports is that it really helps to build mental strength and character which can also be applied to other areas of one’s life.

So what will it be next year? Half- or full-marathon? Don’t know yet! But if it’s going to be a full, I’d better start training for it early. That’s just a whole different ballgame altogether!

Flaming Lamborghini

Thank you everyone for all the birthday wishes and presents! Monoceros gave me the Postsecret book today! I'm so happy! Love, love, love the book!

Dinner last night was at Kinara, a north Indian restaurant along Boat Quay. We had butter chicken, fish tikka and a spinach and ricotta cheese curry. The food was OK. Edible, but I've definitely had better curry. The garlic naan was pretty good though. It was fresh and soft and had the right amount of garlic.

After dinner we headed to Fez Bar (located just above Kinara) for the pub quiz night. My friends and I just enjoy pitting our wits against others as we are such competitive women (being competitive paddlers)! Ahaha! But no, we didn't win the quiz 'cos it was quite tough. Mainly 'cos a lot of the questions were of stuff before our era. And one round was about weapons! I mean, who gives a damn about weapons??? We told the quiz master that we want a round about clothes and shoes in future. ;p

Anyway, one of Fez's operators made me down a Flaming Lamborghini. Oh man, you should have seen that thing. He had stacked up a few glasses with the bottom one filled with a very potent mix of various kinds of alcohol. But just the bottom one filled was bad enough. And with a flick of his lighter, the entire glass tower burst into flames and I was given a straw to suck that very potent mixture down at one go.

Well, I managed to down everything in a minute and the next 1.5 hours saw the alcohol working into my system and going to the toilet twice to puke...

BUT I was still very sober; mainly 'cos I had thrown up everything. Wahaha. That's going to be my first and last Flaming Lamborghini. That thing's evil!

Left...

... 27 and picked up 28 today. Years, that is.

And I'm all set to party with my girlfriends tonight! Woohoo!

Second Place

Great weekend of racing. Us ladies did quite well, coming in second in the Minor Final. So we got some metalware! It's great paddling with the ladies and feeling that connection in the boat where everyone really wanted very much to win something.

Anyway, a few updates to come on eating places but have to get back to work first! Flying off to Beijing on Friday. Yucks.

Singapore River Regatta 2006

If you don't have anything to do this weekend, you might want to consider dropping by Boat Quay to catch the dragon boat races at the Singapore River Regatta. It's the last dragon boat race for the year!

Jinxed

I must be really down on my luck during this period of time. The stars must somehow be misaligned for me.

I drove to Vivo City last night to watch a movie and when I went to get my car at the end of the movie, I was faced with a car that would not start. I've NO freaking idea what happened, there was no reaction whatsoever from the engine when I tried to turn on the ignition. This happend at 11.15pm. Just great.

Anyway, I had to leave the car behind in the carpark. I caught a taxi home. As of this point in writing, I think my car is still sitting there. AA (Automobile Association) refused to turn up 'cos I'm not a member. My dad's one, but he wasn't with me. Anyway, he's sorting it out now. I'm so gonna join AA now.

Maybe I might have forgotten to turn the lights off. But I think I did remember turning them off. I don't know. Can't remember! Argh!

Rest

The body finally caved in today and told the mind to sleep in for once. Too many late nights and early mornings does this to you. On normal Sunday mornings, I would be at Tanjong Beach by 9am and paddling till about 11am, after which it's lunch with my teammates either at Coastes or at Seah Im Food Centre. By the way, the Tiger Prawn Pizza and the Beef Burger at Coastes are really delicious. Chilling out there with some comfort food is a nice way to spend Sunday.

I was supposed to crawl out of bed at 7 this morning, but when the alarm went off, I didn't seem to be able to move at all. I decided that the wise thing to do was to obey my body otherwise I would find myself really sick. A prompt sms was sent to my teammate to tell her I didn't need a ride to Sentosa and I was back to dreamland, only to wake up three hours later. Nice.

This week has been rather hectic what with the early morning paddles and late nights. Wednesday night was dragon boat practice. Thursday night saw me partying at Fez Bar (at Boat Quay) with my teammates as part of a farewell get-together for one of the ladies who is one cool gal. She's going to India to do volunteer work for three months, after which she'll be heading to New Zealand to study viticulture, which is the art of grapegrowing and winemaking. After a short stay at Fez Bar, I hopped over to Wine Bar for another friend's birthday celebration. I didn't stay for long as I knew I had to get up early Friday morning. Got home by 12mn, washed up and was in bed by 12.30.

Alarm clock rings at 5am. I'm out of the house by 5.45 and in Sentosa by 6 for another morning paddle. I do my blister no favours by bursting it as I brushed my leg against the boat by accident. It pops, of course. Ouch. At night, I have dinner with three colleagues at the Hokkaido restaurant Azabu Sabo. I'm beginning to take a huge liking to this place. The food's not too bad for the prices and I love the Japanese desserts. I had the cold ramen in sesame sauce and for dessert I had the soft ice cream with sweet potato and black sesame. Liked the cold ramen, except that all the pork strips that were inside were mostly fat strips! But I liked sauce and the springy texture of the noodles.

Saturday morning saw me out at the beach again and my boat paddled to Sisters Island and back. Then three other friends and I morphed into beach bums by going to KM8. We lay on the deck chairs with our drinks and soaked in the sun - whatever that was peering through the haze that still clouds over Singapore. The sun was strong enough to make me sunburnt. Ouch.

Left KM8 at 2.30, went home for a nap, and was out again to Vivo City to catch the Danish film The Green Butchers, one of the featured films in the European Film Festival. I caught a Hungarian film called Vagabond last Saturday but that was so lousy that my friend and I walked out after an hour. We didn't get where the film was going.

The Green Butchers (De Gronne Slagtere) was, however, very quirky. It's about this two men who start their own butcher shop after being fed up at working for their pompous boss. At first, business is slow if not non-existent. However, because of a secret ingredient, their business becomes a roaring success, but soon they find themselves running out of this secret ingredient. At the same time, a few people have become missing in the town they live in. Watch it to find out how they keep their supply going...

Burnt

I suffered a very bad burn on my shin last night. No thanks to an accidental knock onto the mind-numbingly hot exhaust pipe of a swanky, yellow Harley Davidson. It was my teammate's bike and because it's not drilled into my subconscious that I shouldn't stand near the exhaust pipes of motorbikes, I leaned it a bit too much when I was talking to my teammate who was standing on the other side of the bike. Boy, did it sting. But I still carried on with dragon boat training despite the sting.

Anyway, I now have a patch of burnt skin about 5cm long and 2.5cm wide, with blisters. Ouch ouch ouch. It looks awful! I went to see the doctor this morning and she said it will take about 3 months to heal! And it will likely leave a scar. Sob. I still want to wear shorts and short skirts you know!!! :(

In other happenings...

Went for a "makan outing" with fellow foodies on Tuesday night. We went to Shatin Kitchen at Geylang Lorong 27. The last time I went to Shatin Kitchen with my family, I thought the food was fantastic so that was why I was really looking forward to dinner on Tuesday. However, the food on Tuesday turned out to be very mediocre. I was disappointed. Go here for the pictures.

The boat blessing on Saturday went well. We named the blue OC6 Lokahi [Lo-kah-hee], meaning "Unity" in Hawaiian. The idea is that as a club we want to paddle as one. Also, whenever you're in a boat, you have to paddle as one, else the boat won't move. Not as fast as it should in any case. The yellow OC6 we named Lea [Lay-ah]. In Hawaiian, Lea is the Goddess of Canoe Builders. Because the OC6s were bought over from a women's club in Surfer's Paradise who believe very strongly in the spiritual element and traditions of the sport, we decided we should retain that feminine quality and hopefully the boat will excel with that feminine touch.

Our first canoe, a white-coloured one, is aptly named "Kinohi" [Ki-no-hee] meaning "Beginning".

At the blessing ceremony, we all had to link hands and form a circle around the two canoes. We had flower leis draped on everyone and no talking is allowed during the ceremony. The person who blesses the canoe then says some prayers (in Hawaiian) and then puts some ginger tea leaves on the nose of the canoe. He/She then proceeds to put some tea leaves on the heads of the paddlers who are to paddle the canoe out.

I was one of the 12 paddlers that day. After the canoe blesser finished putting the tea leaves on our heads, we paddled the canoe out in silence. At sea, we gave an offering by putting a slice of bread into the ocean. We then paddled back to shore.

And so that marked the end of the ceremony - we have welcomed the boats into our family!

Another Sunrise

Paddling in the morning before work is getting addictive. I went again this morning and it feels fantastic to go for a morning paddle. Unfortunately, I won't be going again anytime soon as the teammate who gave me a lift won't be working late again until the school holidays start (she works as a teacher). Taking a taxi there on my own would cost me a whopping $20.

A hard, solid paddle really wakes you up. Sixteen of us took 3 boats out today. It's wonderful to see 3 boats all out at the same time. As hard as it was to drag myself out of bed, it feels really great to be at the beach before starting a day at work.

Sunrise at Sentosa

I never thought I'd do this - wake up at 4:45am and then make my way to Sentosa for 6:15am paddle. I got a lift from a teammate and both of us arrived at Tanjong Beach at 6am.

The beach was nice and quiet and while waiting for the others to arrive, we sat in the dark chatting and enjoying the relaxing sound of the waves lapping up the shore.

We saw the sun rise to greet us and welcome us to the day as we paddled. The orangey-red ball of fire made its slow ascent as I paddled in the first seat. After 20 minutes, I was exhausted already. Being in Seat 1 is really tiring 'cos you're pulling dead water. But it also shows that I need to work on my strength and endurance. That means more running and more weights training for me - both of which I don't particularly enjoy. Blah.

The next 20 minutes saw me steering the canoe and getting more practice as a steerer. I did OK, I think. 'Cept for a few zig-zags and one instance of heading straight into a boat's path. But anyway, I steered everyone home safely. Haha.

After washing the canoes and washing up and changing into work wear, I still managed to reach the office on time! Was 10 minutes early in fact - stepped in at 8:20am. It definitely was a good morning workout!

OC Steering

My planned trip to Guam for an outrigger canoe race is now cancelled due to a screw-up in flights. So the 12 of us in the team are not going to Guam now. It's probably just as well since we didn't plan well for this and I'm not exactly very fit for a 21km race.

In any case, race or not, I've bought myself an outrigger canoe paddle. The ones I've been using so far belong to the club and most are too long for me. It's difficult to paddle with too long a paddle as it makes it difficult to switch sides quickly. Also, it's bad for the shoulders as it can cause shoulder rotation injury. So anyway, i'm waiting for my paddle to be shipped from Australia. I can't wait to use it! It's my major expense of the month. And talking about expenses, it looks like i have to buy myself a new camera. The LCD screen of my camera is spoilt and it's more value for money if I buy a new one altogether.

We rigged the two second-hand outrigger canoes we bought from Australia on Saturday. I paddled on both canoes over the weekend. I steered both canoes as well! We had a guy from the Sydney Pacific Dragons club give some of us a lesson in steering. It's pretty cool that we get visitors from clubs in other countries come by when they are here in Singapore for work for just a week of two. We also had visitors from Guam on Saturday. The sport is fantastic in bringing people from all over the world together.

So anyway, now I can steer the canoe up and down the coast quite comfortably. It feels kinda cool to be able to command a crew you know. Haha. In an outrigger canoe, the steerer is the captain and he/she commands the boat. But still, lots more to learn about different water conditions, techniques and lots more practice needed in terms of paddling and steering a canoe! Good fun! :)

OC Blessing Ceremony

I'm going to pull a shameless plug for the Singapore Paddle Club here. We're having a canoe blessing ceremony next Saturday, 14 October on Sentosa's Tanjong Beach.

We're acquiring two more outrigger canoes and it's traditional to bless the canoes for good luck. It is believed every canoe has a spirit and life of its own so it needs to be accorded its due respect.

Before the blessing ceremony, the coaches and SPC members will be introducing the sport to anyone who's interested. People who want to know more about the sport can come down and have a quick paddle under supervision. Don't worry - it's perfectly safe and we're not about to tip you over in the canoe.

Introductory sessions start from 12 noon and the blessing ceremony will start at 5pm. If anyone's interested, please feel free to come down or you can drop me a note if you want to find out more.

Weekend Report

Saturday morning: Went to Tanjong Beach for OC. (outrigger canoeing) and had a preliminary lesson in steering the canoe. Unlike dragonboating which usually takes place in closed waters and is thus easier to steer, OC is done in open waters, so a steer needs to be able to read the waves, wind, etc - not easy!!! I still have loads to learn. I guess what's important for the club is to train up more steers to increase the depth of the club and provide more flexibility in training.

Saturday afternoon: Went home and spaced out on my bed for awhile. Continued to read Zadie Smith's On Beauty. First book of hers that I'm reading. Not bad so far. She's pretty good in fleshing out her characters.

Saturday night: Girls night out with my secondary school pals! It was a belated birthday celebration for monoceros. Five of us dressed up (just for the fun of it and to feel good about ourselves!) and headed to Ristorante da Valentino for a lovely Italian dinner. A review is to follow. The food there was excellent. After dinner, we headed to Wine Company along Evans Road and opened a bottle of Gewurtztraminer to share. The evening was punctuated with lots of laughter, silly jokes, wisecracks and just a lot of mucking around. Pure girlish fun.

Sunday morning: I woke up at 6am cursing myself for signing up for an 8am OC session. Tempting as it was to fall back into a slumber, the thought of 5 others waiting for me at the beach to take the canoe out prevented me from doing so. It was a tough session - I was at point (i.e. Seat 1) for the first 20min set and was totally knackered after that. It's always toughest at Seat 1 'cos that paddler is pulling dead water. Two other 20min sets followed but thank goodness I swapped seats after the first set.

It was good to start the day early though. After practice there was still so much of the day left. I went to Thomson Plaza and borrowed some VCDs from VideoEzy. Went home and had a nap in the afternoon.

Sunday night: Watched my VCDs - Le Papillon (The Butterfly) and L'Enfant (The Child) a French and Belgian film respectively. Enjoyed the former more. Anyway, it was off to an early snooze for the night despite a nap in the afternoon. Just too tired! I think I'm getting old!

Proud to be an SPC-er

My weekend was FANTASTIC although now my back and shoulder blades are aching from all that racing! On Saturday it was the 200m races and on Sunday it was the 500m races. On Saturday, us ladies from the Singapore Paddle Club (SPC) did well by qualifying for the Grand Final but unfortunately we weren't good enough to earn a medal. We don't do as well in the 200m as we do in the 500m. The SPC men won the Plate Final (which is like the Second Divison league in football terms 'cos they didn't qualify for the Grand Final). But at least they won the Plate! The Mixed Team B (unfortunately i wasn't in this team) took Silver for the 200m Grand Final! But I was in the 500m Mixed Team B and we also took Silver for that one! We lost to the Filippino team by just a little - but this proves that we are the best Mixed team in Singapore!!!

We ladies did better than the men by qualifying for the Ladies 500m Grand Final. We went into the finals with the worst timing. Three-quarter way into the race, we were last, but at the last 100m, we sped up and caught up a lot but still wasn't good enough to get a 3rd. We were up against very fierce competition, 'cos the team that won was the Singapore National Team, the 2nd was a very good team from the Philippines. We only lost to the 3rd by about a dragon's nose - seriously - it was only by 0.21 seconds!!! And we tied for 4th with the team from the National University of Singapore - girls half the age of many of the women in my team!

But we really paddled our hearts out. I'm SO proud to be paddling with these women. I know everyone gave it their all. The drummer and the steers were our coaches - both guys. And they said we were really good. Even though we didn't win, we beat our own best timing during trainings. And they said we were really moving as one body. And to crawl back from 4th to 6th in the last 100m was fantastic. The guys supporting us from the stands said it was one of the most fantastic races of the weekend. Oh my god, i can't even begin to describe the feeling when we got off that boat and feeling so good about what we did - we had no idea what was going on until we were told. After that we all began hugging each other and some of the girls (I call us "girls" but really, all of us are quite old - in our late 20s and 30s. Haha.) started crying. The guys shared in our joy too and I know they were proud of us too.

Because we did well in the races on both Sat & Sun, the ladies qualified for the Ladies 1000m Super Cup. Only the top 6 teams of the competition get to compete in it - they give you points for qualifying for events and points for the position you get in the race. So anyway, now I can say my team is one of the top 6 teams in Singapore!!! That was was the first time doing a 1000m race for most of us. But we wanted to do it even though we were really tired from all that racing. Before the women's final, 10 of us had actually raced in the Mixed Final where we came in second. So the moment we got off one boat, we got onto another and went to do another race.

That's why I'm so proud of all the girls - we really gave it our all. I know i felt like dying at the end of the race. But knowing that everyone put in that same amount of effort to pull the boat gave me a HUGE amount of satisfaction and joy. That was THE race of the day for me. So now I take back what I said about me beginning to enjoy outrigger canoeing more. I love BOTH just as much! Dragonboat has given me so much and the sport will always be special to me.

Anyhow, the 1000m race was really an experience not to be forgotten. It's neverending!!! Just paddling to the starting point itself was an eternity. But unfortunately, we didn't win this one, coming in last. :( But oh well, that was a bonus. We did what we had set out to do and that was good enough.

The girls and I can be proud of our achievements 'cos really we were up against girls much younger than we were, who were fitter and had more time to commit to training. It's different when you're schooling and the only commitment you have is school and training. For working individuals like the people in my team, work commitments will always have to take priority - after all, it's what we do at work that funds our love for paddling. Work commitments often take us away from trainings, making us unable to turn up for trainings. Family and personal commitments will also take people away from trainings as well. It's all a fine balancing act. So despite training less than many of the other teams, we came back with very good results.

So I got myself a Silver medal! After the race, we went for dinner as a team and drank a lot of beer with people making speeches, lots of toasts and laughter etc. Fantastic atmosphere - our post-race celebrations are really the most fun part. Haha.

It was a good weekend for the club as we bonded again as a team. I'm proud of SPC and it feels great to be a part of this family!

Catch Those Dragons

There's going to be a dragonboat race at Bedok Reservoir this weekend! So come and catch some of the action if you're interested in doing so. Of course, moi's going to be taking part and paddling her heart out!

OC Workshop

I spent my entire weekend at the beach and out on the water. It was a good weekend and one which left me so exhausted that I went to sleep at 9.30pm last night. The only downside of this fun weekend is that I’m now slightly sunburnt on my face! If you see me, don’t ask me if I’ve been wearing goggles to swim. No, I haven’t. I’ve only been wearing sunglasses and have been out on the water A LOT. And yes, I did apply sunscreen! Anyway, I now have uneven tan lines from face to toe. Eeeks.

Saturday morning was spent dragonboating at Kallang, after which 19 other teammates and I went to Tanjong Beach for our outrigger canoeing (OC) workshop. Twenty of us had paid to fly this outrigger canoe world champion from Australia to conduct a workshop over the weekend. She was doing it for free really. We were paying for her airfare and the cost of a support boat (a speed boat) for the weekend. Well, it helps that she’s the good friend of one of my teammates and so we didn’t have to pay for her accommodation.

The thing about the OC fraternity is that everyone is so willing to help out new clubs starting up. As the only club, and a fledgling one at that, who does the sport here in Singapore we need all the help we can get to build the sport here. People all the over world have been really helpful and it’s very heartening. There’s competition, but it’s friendly competition and there are none of those bitter rivalries you get in professional football.

Anyway, so she corrected our stroke technique and talked to us about many aspects of the sport like nutrition, cross-training, seat positions etc. I’m beginning to really love OC – much more than dragonboat actually. I never thought I would say that!!! Although I like the more social aspect of dragonboat (by virtue of the fact that more people are in the boat at one time compared to on an OC), I like the thrill of being in the open sea when OC-ing. Surfing the waves (whatever little we have in Singapore) and having the sea breeze blow into your face when you’re out on the water, canoeing to Sisters Island, St John’s and Kusu – there’s just nothing like it. Unlike the more abrupt and fast dragonboat strokes, there’s a certain elegance in the long and graceful OC stroke and the graceful glide of the long canoe as it zips through the water is like seeing a red-hot Ferrari on the road. It’s beautiful!

I learnt a lot more about the sport and am glad I’m getting the stroke technique right. Apparently, us girls have better technique than the guys ‘cos unlike them, we can’t muscle it so we rely more on proper technique. The coach said she was willing to put her money on the girls to win a 16km race over the guys. She said they would be ahead of us only up to the 10km mark after which we girls would be zipping past them ‘cos the guys would have burnt out by then. Haha. That certainly massaged our egos!

But what I enjoy about both sports is that there’s a lot of “heart” in both. “Heart” refers to the team spirit and the camaraderie that links everyone in the team. A team with terrific individual athletes but without this X-factor is not a good team. Some people might not believe that but I firmly believe in this “heart” element in making a team strong.

So I’m now more fired up to improve in both sports and if anyone out there is interested in knowing more about OC or dragonboat in Singapore, please feel free to let me know!

Thank You

Thank you to every one of you who left a note of consolation on this blog and to everyone else who sms-ed me, sent messages over msn, emails or come round to me to console me of my loss. Your words are very much appreciated and they have brought comfort.

Dealing with loss is never easy and nothing really prepares you for the death of a loved one. You might expect it, but that doesn't mean the loss is any less painful. I guess you could say the same for relationships. You might have already anticipated the break, but when the break finally comes, it doesn't make it any easier to forget that someone who was once special to you. Rex, however, went a bit too quickly. I had known he was old and was expecting to lose him in the next year or two and NOT in the next day or two. I think it was a viral infection that took him away from me too quickly. I didn't bother to ask for a post-mortem as I didn't see the point in it. But when I told a friend of Rex's symptoms, she told me her boss' dog had the same symptoms and was gone within two days.

Rex had gone to see the vet for a foot injury three weeks before his death and after that he was doing and eating well. He was even capable of going for walks about a week before his death. Then disaster struck. I guess the only consolation is that he wasn't in prolonged pain and he didn't make me make the decision of having to put him to sleep. Maybe he knew how painful a decision it would be for me to make and wanted to save me the agony of doing so. For that, I am grateful. I don't think I can forgive myself for being the one to say to the vet "Yes, please give him that jab." Even though it's a decision that would ease the suffering, it's never an easy one to make.

I also finally know what death smells like. As Rex lay outside my room, the air that was hanging was pungent and it reeked of death. It was like food gone very very bad. It's the smell of hospitals, just much worse. It's a sad smell and you know something bad is happening when you smell it. The mix of foul odour, sadness, deep sorrow and tears is a heartbreaking one. I couldn't control my tears when I slipped his motionless and hard body into a big, clear plastic bag and then wrapped a cloth around his body. My neighbour then helped carry him to the car. Rex was quite a big dog. He weighed about 19kg - too heavy for me to carry. I would have carried him in my arms if i could.

I'm only sad that the rest of my family members weren't with Rex when I brought his lifeless body to the hospital to be cremated. My father didn't go to the hospital with me because he wasn't feeling well. My mum had just left for New Zealand on a worktrip the previous evening. My sis is studying in Sydney at the moment. So my neighbour very kindly came along with me to the hospital. I felt horrible leaving him on the operating table, his body wrapped in a plastic bag, and the nurse said she would arrange to put his body in a cold room and later they would cremate him with other dogs. So my final goodbye to him was a kiss on his cheek and before i left for the hospital, i had cut off some fur from his body so that there's something of him to remember. I liked the fur at his pointed ears best 'cos that was where his fur was the softest. But I couldn't cut it 'cos it was too short to be cut. So I took some from his body.

How I managed to drive myself to the vet and back and then even go for dragonboat practice later in the afternoon, I don't know. Maybe it was just that the reality of the situation hadn't sunken in at that point. I might have been numbed for awhile.

Now, it's still weird to not hear Rex's deep-throated bark when I come home. It's weird not to see the handsome dog wagging his tail in joy at my return. It's weird not having him follow me around the house as he liked being around me. It's weird having no Rex to hug - I loved hugging him. Big dogs are always nice to hug.

But I suppose he wouldn't want me to be grieving forever and he would want me to be happy again in all aspects of my life. They say time will heal. I certainly hope so.

Anyway, thank you to all my wonderful girlfriends who have been wonderful during this difficult phase of my life. You know who you are and I really don't know what I'd do without you all. Love you all.

And don't worry, the dimsumdolly will bounce back with happier posts and her eating adventures - she hasn't stopped eating!

You Will Be Missed

"Not the least hard thing to bear when
they go from us, these quiet friends,
is that they carry away with them so
many years of our lives. Yet, if they
find warmth therein, who would
begrudge them those years that they
have so guarded?
And whatever they take,
be sure they have deserved."

~ John Galsworthy

Goodbye to a Dear Friend

Rex came to us in Sept 1997. An abandoned sable-coloured collie. My dad found him at our block's lobby. We couldn't understand how anyone could abandon such a lovely dog. No one came to claim him after we had put up posters. In the end, we kept him for oursevles.

On the first night, he didn't so much as make a single sound. I thought we had adopted a mute dog. But soon, he began to come out of his shell. He soon became a dear friend to me with his even temperament and good nature. He was gentle with everyone.

I once wrote a poem for him and introduced him and my other dog, to my readers.

Sadly, Rex left us today at about 7:30 in the morning. As I write this, his body still lies outside my room -- it's still too early for the vet to be opened so that I can call to find out how to have him cremated.

He had been feeling unwell for the past few days and at first we thought it was just a stomach upset. But on Friday night, he started having really loose stool and we realised he was having blood in his urine. His condition deteriorated really fast. I was supposed to bring him to the vet this afternoon and I was prepared to have to put him to sleep. At least he took away that painful decision from me.

He was probably closest to me and I guess I am grateful for the fact that I spent his last night with him. I slept next to him on the floor and comforted him through the night as he lay barking weakly in pain. When I awoke this morning, he was still alive. Then I went to the toilet and about 5 minutes later, I returned to find that his heart had stopped beating.

To one of my dearest friends, I will always remember and love you and may you rest in peace.

Back to Reality

OK, just got back from the land of beer. Still jet-lagged. But now it's back to work and reality.

Beer & Wine

Am in Germany at the moment, enjoying lots of beer and wine!

*burp*

Am OK

I woke up this morning in Boston to learn about the thwarted terrorist bombings in London. Sigh...I hate all these senseless conflict. Thankfully, there are no fatalities.

I'm leaving Boston tonight and I expect to see insanely long queues at the airport so I'll definitely be there early. But meanwhile, just wanted to drop a note to say that I'm OK.

Off to Boston

Yes, I'm flying to Boston tonight for work! It's going to be my first time there and I'm really looking forward to it as everyone tells me it's a really pretty city. I'm also looking forward to the seafood, especially the lobster which I'm told is a must-eat.

Mr Lobster here I come!!!!

Weekend Report

1) Had dinner at PS Cafe at the Paragon branch. Ate the beef brisket tagliatelle which I found a little too sweet for my liking. I mean, I thought the beef was actually pretty tender and I liked the vegetables that came with it, but the sauce was just a tad too sweet.

2) Then went for drinks at Free Banana, the cafe along Orchard Road just outside Wisma Atria. The drinks there are awful. My ice calamansi, my friends' ice coffee and hot chocolate were all too sweet. Definitely not going there again.

3) I finally got back onto the outrigger canoe on Saturday morning. The paddle at Sentosa was a good one focusing on mastering proper technique. The stroke for outrigger canoeing is so different from dragonboating that I'm having to learn to paddle all over again. It's tough. Very tough - especially when people are pinpointing mistakes all the time and your brain has to channel that message to the rest of the body to somehow move correctly. So I got my weekly dosage of sun. It's like I run on solar power. I need to recharge my batteries by getting out and feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin.

4) Watched Pirates of the Carribean 2: Dead Man's Chest. Didn't enjoy this as much as the first installment. I think the plot really lost it at around the 2-hour mark. The show became one big circus with all the running around and fighting that was going onscreen for what must have been an eternity. At first it was exciting with all that action. Then after all you're just thinking "Get on with it already!" But anyway, I love Johnny Depp. I don't think anyone can play Captain Jack Sparrow like he does. Orlando Bloom is, as usual, bland as Will Turner. Keira Knightley's plays Elizabeth Swan (Lizzy) well. Funny how she always plays characters with the name Lizzy (Pride & Prejudice) and they all seem to have the same personality--feisty and a woman way ahead of her time.

5) The Singapore Paddle Club's annual general meeting was held yesterday and I will serve another term as the club's Secretary (not that anyone contested any of the positions anyway). So there were some changes in the Executive Committee due to people relocating. It's sad to see people go away but that's life. People move on and life goes on.

Anyway, it's the start of another week. Let's hope it'll be a smooth-sailing one.

Stalked

Yes, by my colleagues in China. I get the same question from them almost every day in various word permutations--"When can we get the books?", "Can you please give us an update on the schedule?", "What's the publication schedule for the books?", "Can you give this to us by so-and-so date?", "Why do you need so much time for this? Is it because you're slow? [NO!!!!]"

And so on and so forth. I'm telling you, it's getting to the point of harassment. Just get off my back already!!! Being hounded by these people is just f**king annoying. Like how many times do I have to repeat myself to get understood??? Bombarding me with emails that basically border on the same premise does not serve to make me work any faster. In fact, it's just counter-productive 'cos it only annoys me and makes me hate my work even more and it could result in lower productive. They can't seem to get it into their skulls that certain things just require a certain amount of time to get done. Then they complain about quality. Like look, if you want quality, you gotta give people time. That's the reason why even though many books in China (from the local publishing houses there of course) can be published really quickly, many of them are of really low quality.

But obviously these people don't see it that way. I really hate the way the mainland Chinese work. They give you short notice when it comes to everything, and then expect you to perform magic to get it done for them in that short span of time.

Anyway, I guess I should just learn to block them out and remind myself of the bigger picture. This is not all that defines me. This is not all there is to my life. Even if I get fired because of these annoying mainland Chinese, big deal. There's always something out there for me to do. Heck, I'd be some data entry clerk or even toilet cleaner if I have to!!!

10 Happenings

It's terrible--I haven't had the time to write a half-decent entry in the past month. It's been difficult trying to squeeze time out to write with all the deadlines looming at work. Anyway, here's a quick summary of what's been happening with the dimsumdolly.

1) The weekend of 1-2 July, there was the dragonboat race at Bedok Reservoir. Our team was a very small one this time as several members were at an outrigger canoe at Hamilton Island, Australia, while others were abroad. In any case, we didn't do well in this race. The loss was a deserved one and it only shows that we really have to train much harder in order to be a threat to the rest of the competition.

2) The club's taking a one-month break from training to let everyone recharge and come back refreshed and ready to go for more competitions in the months ahead! But the problem is, I don't know what to do with myself now. And it seems like my teammates are all having the same problem. Our coach said after the competition, "Now you can all go get a life for one month!" And I'm thinking, "But this IS our life!"

3) I had my first lesson in rigging an outrigger canoe this morning at Tanjong Beach. I've never been good at all this knotting and tying stuff, but still I feel it's something one needs to learn to become a more complete paddler. Rigging an outrigger canoe is hard work. It requires sssooooo much pulling of the string in order to keep the tension. Our fingers were all numb and palms all red after that. Anyways, I need to start getting back into the outrigger canoe. Been away from it for too long. Miss it. Hopefully I'll get to for an outrigger canoe race this year, if not next. And speaking of the club's outrigger canoe that's stored at Tanjong Beach, we discovered today that members of the public have been damaging our canoes and the canoe rack. It's annoying!!!! These people ought to be shot.

4) I got my first lesson in jewellery making from my cousin last weekend. I made two pairs of beaded earrings for myself. Hope to make more soon!

5) I ate at The Ship a steakhouse on the 4th floor of Shaw Centre. It's an old establishment and has definitely seen better days. It's like it's stuck in a early 80s timewarp. I had steak set dinner. The food was OK. Edible, but not fantastic.

6) I ate at Spring Court. Had a set dinner at Spring Court, a Cantonese restaurant at Chinatown's Upper Cross Street. Food was not too bad...but it was the usual Chinese set dinner fare--cold dish, sharks' fin soup, steamed prawns, steamed fish, salt-baked chicken, spinach & mushrooms, Ee-fu noodles etc. Boring.

7) I had tea at PS Cafe with Tim, a friend visiting from Sydney. We were at the Harding Road outlet. It felt like I was sitting in a greenhouse with all that lush greenery you can see through the glass windows. I had the strawberry scone with a cup of old ginger tea. The scone was rather dry and was a bit disappoting. But it was a giant of a scone!

8) I ate at Desire, the restaurant at the Scarlet hotel. Tim was staying there for a night, and he wanted to have dinner at the restaurnat downstarirs. I only had dessert as I had already eaten dinner before meeting Tim there. I had the banana fritters with walnut ice cream. The caramelized banana fritters were lovely and so was the ice cream. Service is also good.

9) Dimsumdolly hasn't been exercising and she is getting fatter by the day.

10) Dimsumdolly can't possibly go for a navel piercing as one of her readers suggested. Firstly, she has no washboard abs which would justify having one. Her abs (or lack of it) are more like bouncing pads. Secondly, she's too terrified by needles. However, she (crazily) contemplated going for a tattoo (she wants a tribal dragon on her lower back), but knows that she will never do it as she'd be scared shitless by the needles and pain.

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!

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.

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!

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!!!!!!!!!!!!

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?????

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!

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!

Friday Morning Breakfast

We went in search of some yummy food straight after we arrived in Penang. We had Apom, an Indian bread, which is slightly sweet. Doughy at the centre and crispy at the sides. Then we also had what Malaysians call Roti Canai, but more commonly known to Singaporeans as Roti Prata. In any case, it was really yummy and was a great way to start the day!

Penang for the weekend

Am heading to Penang for the weekend for the Penang International Dragonboat Race. Will be taking an overnight bus tonight and arriving in Penang Friday morning. I didn't want to do it like last year--leave on Friday night, arrive Sat morning and head straight to the race site without any breakfast! That was just insane.

So this year, a small group of us decided to take it a little easier and go up a day earlier to rest and relax before paddling away like crazy on Saturday and Sunday. Wish me luck!

On Cloud 7.5

Dimsumdolly is feeling on cloud 7.5 (not 9 'cos she has to come back to face a lot of shit at work) at the moment because she has finally managed to get rid of all the trackback pings on her blog--all 189,000 of them. Phew. That was a feat.

In one hour's time, she will also be treated to lunch by two grateful beings whom she helped bring together. Her very first matchmaking attempt was successful! Oh, she is so happy for the newly attached couple!

And to keep to the celestial theme, just 'cos she's a goddess (hee), the picture below shows the dimsumdolly at the final steps leading up to Heaven's Gate Pavilion at Hong Lo Temple (红螺寺). It was a long walk up a few thousand steps. Definitely an aptly named pavilion as it's so high up!!! Quite a challenge but definitely worth the climb as the view's great. Thank god for regular exercise and a fair bit of stamina on the dimsumdolly's part!

Back

I'm back from my trip! Lots of beautiful sights and interesting experiences. Pictures to come. But for now, work (loads of it) beckons!!!

Bad News Bearer

I feel horrible. Every time I write to my typesetter, I deliver bad news. It's not that I want to, but it just is so. My hands are tied too and I wished the situation could be better for everybody. But I don't know why things are just going wrong at work all the time. It's utterly depressing and I wished I didn't have to face it.

Sigh.

Red-eye flight

Been in Beijing for the past two nights and ready to fly home in a few hours' time. Yipee! I survived the dreaded meeting I came here for. It's weird that I was so reluctant to come to Beijing 'cos this is supposed to be DSD who loves to travel! I was actually SCARED to come.

I'm taking the 11:55pm flight out and I'll be back home nice and early in the morning and onto a nice lunch appointment with olduvai. I love how I have my lunch planned already. :p

Site May Go Down

The website may be down because the server's CPU cannot handle the trackback spam from my friend's website and all other domains hosted on her account. Lousy server.

If it's down, do check back in later.

Seletar Camp Run

I went jogging last evening at Seletar Camp, thanks to a friend who brought me there. The area is lovely with all the mature trees lining the roads, the black and white colonial bungalows, the open fields and the winding roads which snake around Seletar Airport.

It's so quiet and nice to jog there and the area offers many different routes. Such a peaceful run with the lovely surroundings. The British really knew how to live it up last time--they built all these big and nice bungalows around the whole area, named all the roads after roads in England, in a bid to re-create their homeland. The names still remain as the roads still have names like Bays Water Road, Sussex Ridge, Lancaster Drive etc.

It's fun running past houses and trying to peep into other people's living quarters to check out the interior decor. I also ran past the runway and the Seletar Airport Passenger Terminal and saw several private jets--those rich bastards.

Last evening's weather was perfect for jogging. The air was cool and there was still a light rain falling which served to cool our bodies as we jogged. My friend and I jogged for about 45min around the area. We'll definitely be back to explore other routes!

The Amateur Coxswain

Ooh, very happy that I learnt how to cox a dragonboat last night. And I didn't do too badly on my first attempt! Well actually that was my second attempt.

My first attempt was during training nine years ago when I was still in junior college. Then, I lost my balance and fell into the water very ignominously. Embarrassing. After that, I never attempted coxing again until last night at practice.

So anyway, just happy that I've learnt something new and can say that I can cox a dragonboat! Although of course I still need lots of practice!

My Other Family

Race Weekend

Start of another week and I'm starting it feeling exhausted from an entire weekend of dragonboat racing. But no complains--the weekend was fun. I'm convinced I run on solar power. I need the warmth of the sun to keep me sane and healthy.

Anyway, the team did well. What I like about the team is that everyone paddles with a lot of heart. And that to me is most important.

Food wasn't high on the priority list over the weekend when one was at Lower Seletar Reservoir for most part of it.

Also went to have two friends joint birthday celebration after the race yesterday. Slumbering girl and B share the same birthday so they decided to invite mutual friends over to celebrate their birthday with them. All of us were uni mates so everyone knew everyone. It was a small intimate dinner of eight which I thought was nice. It was held at B's place and we had some yummy satay and chicken curry from Alexandra Village amongst some other food.

Got home at 11:15pm and promptly crashed into bed at 11:30pm, thoroughly exhausted from the weekend's events.

Matchmaker

Just because my own life is so boring, I've taken to setting up a good friend of mine on a blind date with a good friend's brother. The guy is an eligible bachelor and actually another good friend, D, said we shouldn't be letting this good catch of a guy get out of the circle (different group of girlfriends you see). Haha.

But you see, I just don't think I could ever go on a date with my good friend's brother. It's just weird lah. So I might as well introduce two really nice people and see if they can hit it off.

I even thought of the location! It's going to be Wild Rocket--great place for a date if you ask me. Anyway, I know this friend of mine has always wanted to check out the place, so even if nothing comes out of it, at least she'd have gotten a nice meal.

Anyway, TGIF. It's been an extremely rough two weeks at work. I feel my head throbbing and pounding whenever I'm in the office...getting panic attacks. Very unhealthy. Also just learnt that I have to go to Beijing in two weeks' time. I'm so NOT looking forward to it as I have to see this particular woman whom I absolutely don't want to see. I almost wished I could have a black screen in front of me during the meeting just to avoid having to see her face.

Finally, there's a dragonboat race this weekend at Lower Seletar Reservoir. My entire weekend's going to be spent there. Pop by to have a look if you're interested in muscling in on the action. Ladies, there's going to be lots of eye-candy!!! ;p

Break Bread with Me

So at least some good came out of the bad date--I got a good meal and a great story. I'm glad it has brought some laughter to you, my dear readers, going by your responses. Heehee. I'm beginning to think that I should have started writing some single girl's column a long time ago--the Misadventures of the Single Dolly!

But I think no man wants to break bread with me anymore after that post on Mr. B. They're all going to think dimsumdolly's going to chop them into mince meat with her scathing words after dining with her. But your loss, I say. Haha.

I got a request from someone to post that entry on a blog 'cos the people who read his/her blog would appreciate it as Mr. B reminds all of them of someone they know. I said, fine, go ahead! Be my guest!

I got another comment from a guy who said who wouldn't dare dine with me 'cos he wouldn't know what would happen after that. Well, it's all very simple really--either you end up on the chopping board or I just keep quiet and not write about you at all. That's supposed to be a good thing--the not being mentioned.

Then another comment from a guy friend who said I have too "dominant" a character such that few men will be able to fit my requirements. All very comforting words.

So who's still up for breaking bread with me? ;p

Sunday Morning Runs

My ex-teammates from junior college and I have been meeting every Sunday morning at MacRitchie for the past few weeks for a run and I'm really enjoying this arrangement.

It feels like we're training together again just like we did 10 years ago--and it's good fun. It's a great chance for us to meet and catch up with what has happened to us throughout the week and we're also doing something healthy (instead of the usual meet somewhere to eat). Running together also serves as motivation for every one of us as running alone can be quite a boring affair. Having running partners really spurs you to continue running even when you're trying hard to catch your breath and you're sorely tempted to stop those legs from lifting off the ground.

We've been doing a 7km route all this while which takes us between 40-45 minutes to complete. I like running at MacRitchie as the air is fresh, the trees on both sides of the route provide good shade with their canopies, and the slopes provide a good challenge. I guess we've never lost our love of exercise. Most, if not all, of us have continued to keep an exercise routine even after graduating. Besides, given my love for food, I HAVE to exercise. Otherwise, I'd be seriously obese. I mean, even with exercise, I'm not thin--I'm a size 12. So can you imagine without exercise???

Doing these weekly runs and getting it fixed on everyone's schedule also means we don't have to go through the hassle of arranging meet-ups to fit everyone's busy schedule. I've come to realise that as we get older, it's just so hard to arrange group meet-ups as everyone is so caught up with work and whatever else is going on in their lives. As I grow older, I'm also beginning to appreciate the presence of old friends and also realise the importance of maintaining friendships. I'm glad my Sunday morning runs also serve this purpose. :)

Sunny Weekend

The weekend was pretty good. Lots of exercise and fun in the sun! Happy happy!!! I love sunny days, especially when they occur on weekends. Got a bit sunburnt on the shoulders though. Sleeping has been quite painful for the past two nights because of that! Ouch!

Email from CIA

In the aforementioned party in yesterday's blog entry, one of the few people I chatted to was an insurance agent. My friend has since named him the CIA--Creepy Insurance Agent--'cos he was leaning a bit too close to me as he was talking. And I in turn was leaning away towards my friend as he did so. CIA wasn't very interesting to chat to in any case but he asked for my email address and being polite, I gave it to him. Then I find an email from him in my mailbox. I read both a professional and personal interest in his email, and I present it below as a lesson on how NOT to ask a girl out.

Hi Xxxx,

Nice meeting you at X's party on Sat night! Please visit www.xxxxxx-xxx.com [that's his name which he has used for his personal website which, by the way, is really cheesy!]

I would like to get to know you a little better, and vice versa. Perhaps we can meet for a chat over coffee next week? Let me know

While I'm not entirely keen on his website, I shall not fault him for giving the URL to me 'cos had it been some other more interesting guy, I'd have been quite keen on checking it out. Hehheh.

But I have a big problem with the line "I would like to get to know you a little better, and vice versa." The problem lies in the part of the sentence that comes after the comma. What is "and vice versa" supposed to mean? It doesn't make sense 'cos what he has done is presumed MY interest. That's too presumptuous if I may say so, especially when there isn't any.

And oh, he didn't put a full-stop at the end of his sentence "Let me know". Unforgivable. To think he has "writer" down as part of his portfolio. But please, none of you are to say he needs an editor 'cos I ain't offering my services!!! ;p

Lasik

It's true what those have gone for it say--it's like having a new lease of life!

Am ready to practice my geisha stare now--stop men in their stride with a single look! ;p

The New Year

The countdown to the New Year was spent at a hotel suite on the 29th floor of the M Hotel with eight other people. We had booked a suite complete with a jacuzzi, DVD player and wide screen plasma TV to count down to the new year together instead of squashing in the crowds with thousands of others in various countdown parties around Singapore. It's probably a sign of age. Heh. But it was a wise choice considering the fact that it was such a rainy night.

Anyway, we watched DVDs we had brought, played the game Scene it!, drank wine (which I couldn't 'cos I was on medication), talked and joked.

On NYE, I also attended the wedding of a friend. It was really just a simple solemnisation ceremony with about 50 close family and friends of the couple. That was all she was going to have. Something short and sweet and very lovely.

Something funny happened there. Picture this: We girls are coerced/forced/held at gun point to go up to the front. And we have to squeeze along the aisle (which is REALLY narrow 'cos it was a really small room) and await the bouquet to come hurtling through the air.

The first time the bride throws the bouquet, it goes right down the middle of the aisle with all the ladies lining along it backing away from it like a time bomb. The lovely bouquet made up of pale pink peonies and a greenish-white spray of orchids lands on the floor with a gentle thud.

Round 2: Bride throws bouquet again. Where is it going this time? Left/right/centre? Some gravitational force decides it should head left at a possibly 45 degree angle. The bouquet comes straight at me. Like a flying bomb. I can't duck 'cos if i do so, i will either knock down the flower stand or fall onto someone's lap. Both of which aren't options. Hmm. The bouquet hits me and for a split second i am torn between catching it and just pretending not to know it hit me and let it fall on the floor. But anyway, the brain decides to be a sport and so with deft hands, i grab hold of the bouquet!

This practice should be abolished and banned for all eternity! Girlfriends should beseech brides to not inflict such torture on them. Scenes where the ladies are clamouring and rushing for the bouquet only happen in American sitcoms. Reel life does not equate to real life! Someone said it looked hilarious from the back with all the ladies backing away from the bouquet. Now if only i were as lucky when it comes to lottery! Ha.

And on New Year's Day, I attended another wedding dinner. This was the typical Chinese wedding dinner which I dread. Again, there was the dreaded "cold dish dance" where the lights are switched off, and some track by Bond (the sexy string quartet) is played and the cold dish is brought in by the waiters and waitresses. When the lights were off, I went "OMG. Not THAT again."

And as usual, Singaporeans are never on time. I just don't understand why people can't be punctual. Food was just the usual wedding dinner fare. Unexciting.

Seriously, is there some clause which states that you're NOT allowed to have your wedding dinner if you don't allow this "performance"? I mean, don't people find this tacky? Many people do find this tacky so why do so many places still have it? I don't understand.

Anyway, I'm going to be more selective with weddings I'm invited to henceforth. Will only go to weddings of people I'm really close to. Otherwise, it's a complete waste of time.

The lovely bouquet with the peonies and orchids and twined sequinns. It cascades down like a gentle waterfall when held. So don't be surprised if I suddenly announce I'm married some time this year! Haha.

The Year in Review

I�m not any closer to knowing what I want to do with my life, so what�s new?

I�m not any closer to getting married and settling down, so what�s new?

I�m not any thinner/lighter despite exercising (mainly �cos I eat just as much. Haha.), so what�s new?

What�s new is that:
- I picked up dragonboating again after a hiatus of a few years. It's been fun so far.

- I picked up outrigger canoeing. I love this sport! I love riding the waves in the open seas. Fun!

- I visited cities I haven�t been to before, namely Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Zhouzhuang.

- I took part in an overseas dragonboat race in Penang and it was an eye-opener. Enduring the 10-hour bus-ride to Penang was another achievement.

- I went on an outrigger canoe expedition to Batam. First time I cleared immigration in the middle of the straits!

- I got caught in a typhoon in Hong Kong resulting in me and my teammates not being able to race in the outrigger canoe race for which we flew all the way to Hong Kong for.

- I stayed in a shit hole of a hostel in Wanchai�an experience I don�t want to repeat. Ever.

- I made new friends because of dragonboating and also through my blog. And I'm very grateful for all of them! While we're at it, if anyone out there is interested in joining a club which does both dragonboating and outrigger canoeing, come join us! Do drop me an email if you or any of your friends are interested in knowing more about the sport.

- I pierced my ears. Finally! Girlfriends, you can now give me earrings for presents. Heehee.

- 2005 was the year I clocked the most number of plane rides so far in my 27 years of existence.

- I went to Hong Kong six times in 2005. I ate myself silly there.

- I helped a friend assembled a TV console from IKEA. I now think I�m capable of doing up more complicated stuff.

- I�ve learnt how to brew Cantonese soups for myself and I think I can make pretty good soups.

- I signed on a dotted line which authorized the bank to take money from my CPF account every month and put it in a mutual fund. First step to planning for my retirement since taitai-dom is nowhere in sight.

Overall, I would say it's been a good year and here's to a better 2006! Happy New Year everyone!!!

Ministry of Sound

Checked out the newly opened Ministry of Sound with some friends last night. When I got there at 10pm, the queue was horrendously long. So long that for one moment, I didn't even know where to start queueing. There was actually a ladies' queue, but because two of my friends were guys, we had to queue in the main queue.

In the end, the guys decided to head to Zouk instead, and us four ladies stayed at MOS. The place is huge! Anyway, it was Mambo Night (they're giving Zouk a run for their money!) and the ladies get in for free. Yeah! Ladies, it might be a wiser choice to make it a girls' night out to avoid the long wait in the main queue.

Music wasn't too bad. We danced till 1.30am and I think we would have gone on if not for the fact that all four of us had to be at work early in the morning. By the time I crashed into bed it was around 2.30am. And I actually managed to get up at the usual time (body internal clock just wakes me up!) and got to work by 8.30!

Anyway, taking half-day off today. Am scooting out now!

Peek-a-boo

Half Day Off

Taking half a day off work occasionally is a nice way to break the monotony of everyday life, and that was precisely what I did on Monday. I met olduvai for lunch and we went shopping in Orchard. Yes, I bought more stuff! OK OK, I do feel a wee bit bad about spending so much money over these couple of days. I bought two pairs of shorts from Bodynits meant to be used when I go paddling. Then I bought a pair of white pointy shoes for work. Finally I�ve found a pair! I�ve been looking for them for ages. Best of all, it wasn�t too expensive at $19.90. Hee.

Then I, with some support from olduvai who was there to make sure I wouldn�t back out, went to get my ears pierced! Finally. Slumbering Girl and olduvai were egging me on to do it last Wed night over dinner. Admittedly, the only thing that�s been keeping me from doing so is my fear of needles. Vanity and the lure of earrings calling out to me every time I�m out shopping finally made me do it. It was funny how I became this spectacle while I was getting my ears pierced. This four-year-old girl, with her mum and aunt beside her, was being coaxed by the salesgirl that the process wouldn�t be painful and the little girl was told to look at me! Like hello, I�m like the biggest baby of all there!!! So despite my fear (very unfounded as I realized later), I put up a brave front (cannot sia suay with so many people looking right?) and sat on the chair and waited for the pain. It came and gone in a flash. Haha. OK, I feel very silly now. I should have done this long ago! I have missed out on so many pretty earrings!

After that, we headed for the Project Shop Caf� at Paragon for tea. Ooh, I love this caf�! We purposefully chose to sit next to the magazine rack because we wanted to devour not only the food but also those magazines!!! Both of us shared a big slice of chocolate cake which was delightfully sinful. So rich, so decadent, so yummy. Actually I thought I had a better time devouring the contents of the magazines albeit vicariously. There were food magazines like Gourmet, donna hay, Bon Appetit, Martha Stewart Living. Women�s magazines like Vogue and InsStyle satisfied girlish cravings for beautiful dresses and accessories. Men�s magazines like GQ and Esquire had many hunky male models in glossy advertisements. Haha.

We then made our way to the Champagne Room at Caf� de Amigo for a wine appreciation course with five other friends of olduvai�s. It was pretty interesting and I think I now have a better idea of how to taste and describe wine. But seriously, I would so fail a course in wine appreciation if it were graded. It�s so difficult to describe wine! I wonder if people who wax lyrical about wine and can write an entire page about one bottle are just imagining things in their head. The teacher was going like, �don�t you smell the plum [er, no???]; doesn�t it smell like cut grass [rrreeeaaalllllyyyy???]; can you smell the honey? [eerrrmmm�.]�. You get the idea, I�m hopeless at it. I figured I would need to be transplanted with the nose of a dog. And so one thing I�ll never become is a sommelier.

First Pedicure

My weekend started early what with five other colleagues and I taking half a day off on Friday to go on girls' day out. We left the office together and made our way to Plaza Singapura for lunch and then headed to celebrity nails at Park Mall to pamper ourselves with a pedicure.

Ooh, I never knew pedicures could be so fun. I've never had one done before! I still haven't had a manicure but I will make sure I do so soon. Hee. I chose to go for a more vibrant colour and went for a colour called Magala Wine (it seems like I can never move away from food & beverage) which is like a dark cherry red. I like looking at my toes now. Haha.

After that, we headed for Raffles City where we had dinner at Shahi, the Indian restaurant which serves great curries. After dinner we went to do what women do best--shop!

Saturday I went shopping with my cousin and my haul for the weekend include:

1) a necklace
2) a beaded bracelet
3) a scarf from Esprit
4) a lilac top from ness
5) some pretty little things from Women'Secret thanks to a voucher a friend gave for my birthday

Sunday I was planning to go for dragonboat on Sunday even though I haven't fully recovered. I just felt I needed a bit of exercise. But then the nose started acting up big time and I was grounded again. It feels terrible, this not being able to exercise. Anyway, the afternoon ended up with me lazing on my bed for some rest, then getting up to help my mother bake some banana walnut muffins and watching a Cantonese drama on DVD.

Then at night my family and I went to visit a relative who had just given birth to a baby girl early yesterday morning. The little bundle of joy was so sweet--but then all babies look sweet don't they? And they all look alike to me. She looked so fragile that I was almost afraid to touch her.

Anyway, time to start another week.

Pride & Prejudice

Went to a workshop about Pride & Prejudice at the Central National Library on Saturday. It was conducted in conjunction with United International Pictures and the British Council to tie in with the film of the same title, starring Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFayden.

The interactive workshop centred on the life and times of Jane Austen, and there was discussion of the book and the characters in it. It was a little bizarre that only 1/3 of the people there actually read the book, and the others seemed to have no clue whatsoever of it. Cynical me thinks that most of the people were there only for the complimentary movie pass that came in the goodie bag (oh yes, THAT's another reason why they were there). The goodie bag had postcards which had photo stills of the film on them, and bookmarks with Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFayden in character! Plus there were also tea sachets and potpourri satchets from Crabtree & Evelyn (how very English).

I love talking with others about books that I've read. It's fun to dissect the book and its characters with fellow book-lovers. But sadly, reading is still not that popular a recreational activity with Singaporeans!

I must thank monoceros for registering me as well for this workshop. I think we should do more of this. It was fun! The book holds particular meaning for the both of us as it was our Literature text back in Secondary 2 and we remember how we and our classmates enjoyed the book! Go here to read her take on the event.

Still Under the Weather

I don't know what's happening to my body, but it doesn't seem to be able to combat this virus that's been plaguing me for two weeks now. It's really bad 'cos it's preventing me from functioning at 100% at work and I'm not getting proper sleep due to the constant sniffing and coughing.

Argh. Miserable.

Under the Weather

Been feeling under the weather for the past week. I've been nursing a very bad cold and cough which has been plaguing me for more than a week now. It's very annoying to have to cancel appointments with friends 'cos the body just isn't feeling up to it. It's even more annoying when I can't exercise because I will just end up coughing and feeling out of breath. It's also downright stressful when there's so much work to catch up on 'cos I haven't been able to function at 100% at work! Depressing! And now I have to endure another weekend sniffing away. *sob*

River Regatta

If you're still wondering about what to do this weekend, perhaps you might want to head down to Boat Quay to check out the dragonboat races in the Singapore River Regatta. Races are in the afternoon so you'll definitely be able to catch some action if you happen to be there around lunchtime.

Needless to say, I'm taking part in it! :)

27 Today

I'm back in Singapore! Not only that, I'm one year older today! And so I'm edging ever closer to 30. Oh well. C'est la vie.

I got back from HK yesterday at 4pm, went home, rested for awhile and then headed off to a friend's wedding dinner at 7pm. It was another boring affair with all the kitsch trappings of Chinese wedding dinners--the "cold dish dance" (that's what I call it) where all the waiters and waitresses enter the hall to the beat of some tacky techno music with the cold dish platter in hand, the yum seng, the slide show showing the couple's life history (this one even better--it started with their parents!) and how they met etcetc.

Food wasn't good. Very run-of-the-mill fare. Firstly, I don't see the need for sharks' fin soup. Then there were drunken prawns, roasted chicken, teochew-styled steamed pomfret, mushrooms with broccoli, glutinous steamed rice, and Or Ni for dessert.

I couldn't stomach very much down as I have been having all these rich food for the past couple of days. In HK, the only things I spent my money on were food and transport. No shopping whatsoever. I ate and I ate and I ate. Hairy crabs, lots of seafood, pork, chicken etc...was pushing my cholesterol levels up the roof! Also pushing my waistline to the wrong end of the measuring tape. Oops. But I had a great time in HK and more stories to come when I have the time.

Anyway, another year older and it feels just like another day. A few of my colleagues gave me Kinokuniya vouchers for a present. Yipee! Can buy books! I'm not doing anything special. I'm going straight home after work to recuperate from all the eating. I told my mum I could just have plain porridge for dinner tonight. The stomach needs a rest in preparation for the big meal on Wed night!

Bye Bye Beijing

Good riddance. I'm outta here. Happy to be. Off to HK. Yeah.

MAJORLY PISSED OFF

The frustration just doesn't end!!!! Hotel #3 just refused to give me water when i asked for it!!!! Oh my god, i just want to die!!!

The button on the phone dial pad that's supposed to bring me straight to housekeeping isn't working so I have to go through the operator. But the silly operator refused to transfer me to housekeeping so that i can get two bottles of drinking water from them!!! She tells me I'm only allowed two bottles of water a day and if I want more water, I should get it from the mini-bar. The damn mini-bar is not even switched on and there's only mini bottle of water inside. Forget it!!! I'd rather go and boil water for myself...which is what I just did.

And i'm supposed to be a business club guest! I've never been refused water before in this hotel. Dammit.

SSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ANGRY!!!!!!!!!!

I've just about had it with Beijing. Seriously. I'm fucking pissed off with this entire trip. I think I'm beyond the point of having the energy to get angry. I just can't believe this is happening to me. I'm glad I'm out of here first thing tomorrow morning. I almost don't want to return anymore!!!!

Outeat, Outlast

I had dinner with my boss and other male colleague last night at a restaurant which served Hangzhou food. It was a bit disconcerting that I ended up eating more than them. I was still going on when both of them had stopped. And get this--we all had the same amount to eat during lunch! AND mid-afternoon, I also wolfed down two bananas soon after I checked in at hotel #3.

These are two grown, adult, 30-something guys we're talking about. So is it just me or is it them???

A Decent Shower

It's amazing what a good shower can do. FINALLY at hotel #3, I have had the first decent shower in the four days I've been in Beijing.

First night in hotel #1 which didn't even exist on the city map, I didn't have much of a shower. The showerhead wasn't working properly and the water didn't drain away. I stepped out of it before I flooded the place! And as it was already late by then, I decided to sod it and jump straight into bed. It was very unpleasant though, as I was really looking forward to a nice, warm shower after being on a plane for most part of the day.

2nd & 3rd nights in hotel #2 which existed right on the edge of the city map--but still far from civilization--I didn't have a decent shower either. The showerhead wasn't working properly either but the water drained. I got my shower, albeit not a good one which left me feeling nice and warm.

And now at hotel #3, I finally get what I've been longing for in the past few days. Though no Hansgrohe shower set it is, at least its shower is in working order. The water pressure is decent and the water spray comes down as it should. The warm water comes down on me and I feel so grateful for it after my walk in the cold night.

My happy disposition is slowly returning!

Hotel #3

Three hotels in four days within the same city. Am I tired or am I tired of moving? But I am glad to be in Hotel #3. It's the hotel I normally stay at whenever I'm in Beijing.

A sense of relief washed over me when I stepped into hotel #3. Just when I had thought all was going to be OK from now on, I get a call five minutes after I step into my room. It was from the receptionist telling me that she had forgotten to swipe my credit card as a deposit and so I had to make my way down again. Gggrrrrrrr.

I was originally slated to remain at hotel #2 till Tuesday. But my colleagues and I decided that we couldn't take the place anymore and that we wanted to move. I mean, the rooms are so old and the hotel has NOTHING around the vicinity and the hotel staff are just so dumb. I don't even want to go into that! It's just been highly frustrating. And the food there has been absolute crap. I haven't had breakfast in the past three days and I've had to drink water to curb my hunger. That's pure torture for anyone, not to mention a foodie!!! Lunch has also been yucky. I've never felt more pathetic on a business trip.

Anyway, now that I'm in hotel #3 I'm happy. At least there are restaurants and a massage place nearby. I know what I'm going to do tonight!

Trying My Patience

The Internet connection in hotel #2 is REALLY trying my patience. I have to click a zillion times on my browser icon before any connection to the hotel proxy can be detected. Then there's another field to click on before it can be connected to the Internet. And this takes ANOTHER zillion times to be detected. Geez.

I've never been so stressed up in Beijing before. I feel my blood pressure being at a dangerously high level. The crawling pace of traffic kills me and I can't fathom why people would want to own cars here (OK fine, it's a status symbol and all I know!). I would sooner own a bike if I lived here. It would get me to my destination in half the amount of time!

I know, I sound like a typical spoilt Singaporean. But seriously, I could live with this if I were travelling for leisure AND not paying that much for accommodation. But when travelling for business, I like to have Internet connection and stuff all in working order so that I can work in comfort and get to meetings on time. Ah well, never at this hotel again!

And I haven't been having any good food 'cos there's not much to eat around this hotel. Hungry ME = Angry ME. Stay away!

A Rough Ride

So I have moved to Hotel #2. But things just don't get any easier.

Sorry, I just want to rant. So bear with me.

I switched hotels this morning...but that came with a lot of hiccups as well. When I told the hotel I wanted to check out, I was told I couldn't 'cos they had to consult the organisers first. Like wtf? You mean I'm being held hostage? Then as I'm packing up my stuff in my room, I get a call from the event organiser saying that if I want to move, I have to pay for the additional two nights which they had already paid to the hotel. I was supposed to stay for the duration of the conference you see. So if I move to another hotel that isn't designated by them, I lose that money and still have to pay at the new hotel.

Well, so it looks like I'm stuck with them. So I ask if there are three rooms available at the hotel in which the conference is held. She gets back to me five minutes later and says there are. And I'm thinking why the hell didn't you put us up there in the first place???? Earlier she asked me why I wanted to move and I very frustratedly told her it's because it's so bloody far from everything and it's so inconvenient to attend meetings. I don't know why it never occurred to them!

And her reply was that but they had comfort in mind for everybody and that they had arranged for shuttle buses to take us to and fro. I felt like telling her, Look, i've stayed in better hotels of about the same price range. This hotel doesn't even give boxed tissues. No complementary water either. And what's the use of a shuttle bus which comes and go what? Every four hours???? Your idea of comfort is obviously very different from mine lady!

It's so god-forsaken that no taxis go there and they had to hire illegal drivers to drive us to the hotel i'm at right now.

Then i got into a quarrel with the drivers as i thought they were trying to cheat us of our money. There were three of us and one car wasn't enough to take all of us and our luggage. So i got the hotel bellboy to get us two cars. And he told me i had to pay 100RMB. I thought it was 100RMB for each car. That's expensive for ONE car. But that was what i thought so when the driver asked me to pay for the toll (10RMB) at the expressway, i told him i won't be paying it as 100RMB was very expensive already and the toll fee should be included in it. And he agreed!

So upon reaching the hotel, they wanted us to pay 120RMB, 'cos toll fee for two cars will be 20RMB. I refused and said 100RMB 'cos that was what the bellboy told me. Anyway, i was very frustrated by then because of the whole hotel incident and said "NO!" to the 120RMB. They then drove off very angrily after taking the money. Later, i discovered they had meant 100RMB for both cars when my boss only gave 100RMB to the drivers. I was really losing it by then. Can you imagine me screaming at people??? I seldom do that OK.

But hotel #2 isn't very much better though.

It requires me to put a stupid deposit at the reception to get them to activate the phone lines. And they don't have an extension plug i can use to plug in my laptop and phone charger 'cos the Singapore plugs are different from the ones they use in China. All the hotels i've been to have the extension plug but this doesn't! What the f**k am I going to do about my laptop and phone charger??? I'm running my laptop on batteries as I type this! And I have to pay 50RMB/day for Internet! That's double the amount of last night! No complementary water either. But at least they have boxed tissues.

The only good thing about this hotel now is that the conference is held here so i don't have to wake up so early to go to the conference. Other than that, it's terrible. I wished i could go to the hotel i stayed in the past few times i came to Beijing. But it's too far from here.

This really hasn't been the smoothest of rides and i just can't wait for this to be over!!!! One lesson i've learnt is that i will NEVER allow anyone other than my colleague or myself to arrange accommodation for me again!!!

What's more, the food is awful. I didn't even have breakfast this morning. And lunch was crap.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Misery Personified

I've had it with people who are uncouth and are lacking in social manners for the day!

On my flight to HK, I was stuck with a whole group of middle-aged Malaysians who were on a plane and probably to a country other than Singapore for the first time. It's my conjecture because they had no idea why they had to fill in an immigration form and they were visibly excited when the plane took off and landed. But that's not the point. The point was that they were noisy on the flight and I found it annoying. But at least they weren't so bad as compared to the Chinese nationals on my HK-Beijing leg of the journey.

On the flight, I was stuck with this big group of Chinese nationals. Noisy and smelling of stale beer all of them. And the one beside me kept jabbing his elbow into me. And they can't seem to understand simple instructions. They stand when the plane hasn't come to a complete stop. They scramble and jostle to take their bags down from the overhead compartments as if the next person to come along will steal them. Argh...can't stand them!!!

Then when I reach my hotel, I'm told that I have to go to another hotel to register myself for the conference first! This at 9:45pm. I'm like you've gotta be kidding me, right? You want me to trudge all the way there just to sign some stupid document and make my way back halfway across the damn city??? Thankfully, I didn't have to in the end. I was really up to there already, and if I had been made to do so, I would probably have flared up.

But that's not the end of my misery. I find out that the hotel charges for Internet usage. Like hello? I thought by now this should be a given. It should now be a guest's right and not a privilege so to speak. Fine, whatever.

I'm made to sign for EVERYTHING in this damn hotel. I have to sign for an extension plug I get them to bring to my room. I have to sign for the Internet cable. I have to sign for a hair dryer I get them to bring. I mean, why don't they have a hair dryer in the room for god's sake??? Like I now have three "Article On Loan" forms sitting on the desk.

And at 10.40pm, I got a knock on my door saying it's for "Room Service". I was perplexed 'cos I didn't ask for room service. But I open the door nonetheless. And get this--this bellboy or whatever he is, gets me to sign another receipt for the Internet cable! The difference was that this receipt had the amount of money on it. I was SO pissed off. Like hello? Surely this can wait till tomorrow or when I check out??? You don't go around knocking on guests' doors at 10.40pm asking them to sign a fucking receipt. I told him off by saying very angrily, "太晚了吧!!!" (it's a bit late isn't it!???!!???!)

Then I want to take a shower and find that the showerhead is not working properly and the water doesn't drain!!!! Oh my god.

AND I have to be at breakfast at 6.20am and leave for the conference (which is like a million miles away) at 7am! The organisers have arranged for the buses to come at 7am!

This is misery personified.

Hello from Changi

Hello from the Singapore Changi Airport. Oh, every time I'm in the departure lounge, I'm reminded once again why my country's airport is one of the world's best. I know this sounds very nationalistic, but it's true OK, Changi is one of the best!

Anyway, it's going to be a long day of travel for me. I have a two-hour transit in HK and then it's off to Beijing where I'll be there for a conference. Hopefully, good food awaits too!

And now I want to go in search of some breakfast. Hungry!

Run, Run, Run

To answer monoceros' question which she posted in my last entry, "YES!", I managed to go for a run to end the beautiful Monday. Actually, it got less and less beautiful as the day passed as the skies turned grey in the afternoon.

As I left the office, I was lucky to make it to the MRT just in time before it started to pour. By the time I reached my stop, I saw that the rain had come and gone in my part of the island. The ground was wet, but it was still alright to go for a run. And so the minute I got home, I changed into my running attire and hit the road.

The air was nice and cool and I ran for 40min. Based on my usual speed and time, I would think that's about 6.5km I ran. But at the tail end of the run, I was becoming like a punctured tyre. More work to be done on my endurance!

But the run was just the thing to end the day. An endorphin and adrenalin rush. After which, I sat down to some delicious Cantonese soup made with black chicken and wolfberry that was made by my mum. Steamed spare ribs was also on the dinner table. Yums.

And Monday passed.

Sedate Weekend

The weekend past was a very sedate one. For the first time in many weeks, I didn't have anything planned on a Friday night, Saturday and Sunday. I fretted about what I was going to do as restlessness took over.

Having not made any prior arrangements with any friends, I ended up at this dinner at Raffles Town Club with my parents, aunts and uncles. One of my uncles had bought tickets to this dinner cum dance event called The Great Waltz. My main aim there was really to have dinner as I can't dance for nuts.

But it was quite an interesting event where one got to see how these high society people fraternise with each other. LOTS of exchange of air kisses. So much it almost makes you want to gag. There were lots of toyboys dancing with the tai-tais who adorned themselves with high heels and flowy dresses. Some also looked like they ordered hair spray in bulk. The toyboys were easy to spot--slim, pert butts, tight shirts, slick hair, nice leather shoes. It was like a congregation of them!

The international buffet spread was pretty good. The prawns were especially good as they were so fresh! But after I ate my fill, I decided to leave as I was bored with just watching people dance. I then went off to Adam Road hawker centre to have dessert with my cousin. I had the tau suan from the dessert stall there, but found it a little too sweet for my liking. I wonder why they had such good write-ups about it (judging from the newspaper articles it was displaying at its stall).

Saturday I had lunch at the Indonesian restaurant Tambuah Mas with my parents. Tambuah Mas must have been losing a lot of business to The Rice Table and that's why they have started to have the lunch and dinner a la carte buffet. We opted for the buffet which was better value for money. The food is pretty good, but I think I still prefer the food at The Rice Table.

My mum and I then headed to Chinatown to meet up with my aunt and cousin. It was like some mother & daughter outing. Was pretty fun! We walked into a GG5 shop and I ended up $180 poorer but two capris and one cardigan richer. ;p

At night, I went to pick up the book The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco which I had reserved from the library. Yipee...more reading fodder.

Sunday, I finally started work on my assignment which is part of my "training and upgrading" at work. It's a distance learning course and so it really requires lots of self-discipline on my part to get things going! Oooh, difficult!!!

Anyway, Monday morning looked really beautiful as I made my way to work. Hope it stays that way!

Windows

As I came to work this morning, I noticed that it was such a beautiful morning. The sun was shining brightly and it made my heart sing.

I wanted to have the sunlight stream into my office but alas, my basement office doesn't have windows. It feels like a dungeon--it's almost a human rights issue here we're talking about.

Perhaps more emphasis should be placed on the importance of windows. Hmm. There's just something nice about being able to see what goes on outside. A room with a view gives one a sense of space and it's somewhat healthier in certain ways. To me at least. I guess I've been spoilt by my own home. My home is an apartment that's surrounded by windows. Light streams in all day and being on the 21st storey, I have a really nice view.

I hate homes where lights have to be switched on during the day because the layout of the house requires one to do so. To me, that's just ridiculous and unhealthy--there's something about natural sunlight that lifts your spirits and artificial lighting just isn't the same. Such a home is just badly designed in my opinion and the architects really ought to be shot.

I want windows!!!

Spot Me If You Can

So what's on for the weekend?

Tonight I'll be at Club Momo with my paddling mates. It's going to be a celebratory get-together and thanks to a teammate who has good networking skills, we're going to have the cover charge waived, 15% off all drinks, and a nice corner to ourselves! I think it's going to be fun! If you want to come along, you're welcomed to do so!

On Saturday, I'll be participating in the Waterfest launch at Marina Promenade. You just might be able to spot me paddling in the outrigger canoe in the sail past. Heehee.

So come down for a look if you feel like you're in for some sun and sea!

Reluctant Receptionist

I start on my first session of reception duty today. I am almost tempted to REALLY suck at it out of spite to prove that actually women CAN suck at this too and it's not "known that females are better at this". (in the words of a FEMALE colleague. I almost wanted to wring her neck for saying that.)

I want to leave a line of people standing outside the glass doors for the sole reason that I don't know how to press the button situated just under the desk to let them in.

I want to leave all calls unanswered for the sole reason that I don't know how to lift the receiver to pick up a call.

I want to have people screaming at me for transferring calls to all the wrong people because I just can't understand the phone directory with everyone's extension listed on it.

I want to sign on the FedEx delivery form to acknowledge that I have received four packages instead of five because I just can't count up to ten.

Bittersweet

We were probably the most un-uniformed team at Bedok Reservoir--we didn�t have club singlets or jerseys like all the other teams had (shirts are still in the making!), but I think we were the team with the most heart and sportsmanship.

On Sat, a women�s team which had been disqualified from the 200m women�s heat we were also in came over to ask if we would let them stay in the competition by not protesting their crossing of the wrong lane at one set of buoys. It was a tough decision for us to make as that would have meant us having to go into the repecharge and compete again for a place in the semis when it seemed like it was on the plate already with that team�s disqualification. But in the end, we decided to let them stay as a display of sportsmanship and also because we wanted to do it based on our own strength. But turns out that we didn�t have to do the repecharge (for some reason I never found out) and we were through to the semis. We made it to the finals as well, but missed out on the bronze medal by a dragon�s whisker. Darn. The consolation was that the mixed team I was in won a bronze for the Mixed 200m race.

Sunday was a day of highs and lows. A gamut of emotions. This was the day for the 500m races. What we had trained for. Our women�s boat made it through the semis. During the semis, every single one of us paddled our hearts out and gave it our all. We synced as one. The boat flew. The final timing of 2:52min was our personal best and it was certainly good enough to have us emerge about a boat length ahead of all the other five boats. We were ecstatic and were eagerly anticipating the finals where we were hungry to bring back some metal ware.

But the opportunity for competing for some metal ware was cruelly yanked away from us as the Philippines team protested the fact that one of our teammates also happened to be part of the race�s organizing committee and that it�s not right for her to paddle. The judges bought the argument and that protest brought on a disqualification and tears of anger and sadness when news of that disqualification sank in for all of us. Sore losers I say. And a complete lack of understanding of what the word �sportsmanship� means. �Cos you see, our disqualification would have meant THEIR entry into the finals as they had come in fourth. It was almost painful to watch the women�s 500m final and the women�s 1000m Super Cup final as they were taking place. WE should have been there if not for those sore losers. And it�s not like they had lost by a photo finish. It was a more than convincing win by us and they couldn�t stomach it. Despicable, I say. Thankfully, they didn�t win in the end and got trounced and came in 4th. Yeah to that. That's what you get for an undeserved place in the finals.

To cheer us up, Crystal and Cheryl were so nice (even though they were just as upset) as to buy up all the cookies Subway had at their both, and had Michelle G (our women�s captain) to distribute it as medals. So we bounced back and had our little heartwarming awards ceremony with the guys in the team cheering us on. We deserved our cookie medals!

After the disqualification, some of the ladies (myself included) had one more race to go for--the Mixed boat 500m finals. We came in third, and picked up a second bronze.

I must admit that not long after I joined this team in April, I had considered quitting as I didn�t feel like I could row with another team again after my previous team back in junior college days. Not being the most sociable person in this world, I found it hard getting to know people and assimilating into the team. I didn�t feel part of them. But I gave the team and myself a chance by hanging on a bit more and giving myself more time to know people and for people to know me. It has paid off and I now find myself with new friends who enjoy being in the sun as much as I do. We train hard, and then we go and eat lots of yummy food after that. I love such people.

The diversity of people in the team makes the team interesting. We have people from different nationalities, races, backgrounds, occupations, ages etc. It's a great mix of people. I definitely think the weekend's events brought us closer as a team and it's wonderful to be paddling with such a great bunch of people!

Sava Sprints

Ooh, I'm excited! Dragonboat race over the weekend. And I'm participating of course! I love the eager anticipation and the adrenalin rush of competing.

The Sava Sprints dragonboat competition, to be held at Bedok Reservoir over the weekend, will have international teams joining in the competition as well. So if anyone out there wants to join in the fun, please head down to Bedok Reservoir. The event lasts from 9am - 6pm.

Wish my team luck!

My Pottery

Well, here's some of my more presentable pieces that came out of the few sessions of pottery classes. I threw away three pieces 'cos I thought they were terribly ugly and I couldn't bear to look at them.

This was made by using a leaf as a mould. Pretty cool huh? If it had been a bigger leaf, I could use the completed work as a sushi platter! But we were only allowed to make small leaves as my teacher only had a small kiln. I suppose I could serve one or two sushis on this one.

I handpainted this piece using a mixture of green, yellow, blue and black to get this effect. I also added bits of green glass (from a Heineken bottle) to melt into the colours during the firing. Surprisingly, it turned out looking pretty decent (I'm really terrible at painting and drawing and the likes).

The aerial view of two pieces made from the throwing technique. Big teacup, small teacup. A male classmate of mine noticed I make things always having the intent of using them as crockery and asked me, "What's with your obsession with food???" Obviously he doesn't know me!

The side view of the same two pieces. I used a yellow cracked glaze for the one on the left. For the other piece, I used the same yellow cracked glaze for the inside and a blue glaze for the outside. It's white at the bottom 'cos my teacher had put a layer of wax so that the bottom wouldn't stick to the kiln during the firing process. Because of the wax, the glaze couldn't get onto the clay.

A vase which was supposed to be blue in colour, but turned out this colour instead 'cos my teacher got the firing temperature wrong! He had set the kiln's temperature way above the optimum temperature for that particular glaze and so the colours melted and resulted in such an effect. It's not too bad actually. An accidental error gone right I suppose. Someone remarked it looks like bamboo.

NYE Plans

Thanks to a friend's penchant for planning (this friend of mine is Miss Dependable and I love her for that!), my New Year's Eve plans have already been fixed.

Instead of squeezing with the crowds at NYE parties around town, a few of us have decided to book a suite in the M Hotel and count down to the new year there. Other friends will also be invited for some booze and chatter. Gosh, can't believe we're already into the 4th quarter of 2005!

Boring Weekend

The weekend was rather uneventful, mainly 'cos I was transformed into a sick cat on Friday. On Friday afternoon, the nose and throat started feeling funny and acting weird. The head then got dizzy. So after-work drinks at Morton's with a friend had to be cancelled.

This continued onto Saturday. I was utterly depressed to be stuck indoors on a perfectly sunny weekend when I should have been at the beach or at the pool or something! Instead, I slept most of my Saturday away.

Sunday, I felt a little better. Just that wee bit better. I managed to drag myself to dragonboat training at Bedok Reservoir. The sun was shining (yipee!) and we had a good training in preparation for the competition taking place there this weekend. Oh, can't wait!

It's amazing how much of a difference sufficient sleep does to your body. I went to bed at 10.15pm last night and I feel much better this morning compared to other days where I've gone with much less sleep the night before. I really should aim to sleep earlier or maybe just exercise A LOT more so as to make myself really tired in order to make myself fall into deep sleep.

I should stop fooling myself into thinking I can take work home. I try, but I never get anything done. Lugging those stacks of books home only accomplished one purpose--it gave my arms a bit of a workout to and from work.

A review of Xi Yan in yesterday's papers spell a thoroughly good food experience to come next month. Something to look forward to. Yipee.

Anyways, so much for all the meandering thoughts. Boring weekend. Hope it won't be repeated.

Eyebag Girl

If you could see me now, you would be forgiven if you thought I had just gotten socked in the eye because of some brawl I got myself into (not that it's a common occurence, if any at all!). My eyebags and dark rings are SO pronounced that it's downright depressing to look at myself in the mirror.

Other bimbotic musings:

I was all out to get a Crumpler Fux Deluxe edition bag for myself last night, but alas, they didn't have it in the colour I wanted. And I'd have to wait till next Feb before they launch new colours! Tis not fair! Does a gal really have to wait THAT long for a bag????

In 15min, I bought a pair of jeans I never set out to buy when I was just walking past a shop in the basement of Far East Plaza. But I guess when a pair fits right and it seems to have some kind of magical prowess to make one look silm with a pert butt, you just have no choice but to buy it. Heh.

Somewhere, Something

OK, I just looked at my calendar and found that I have nothing to do this Saturday night. Somebody find me something to do, somewhere to go, something to see, somewhere to eat.

Typhoons

Back from HK...but it was a disappointing weekend. We didn't get to do the marathon race due to typhoons. The winds were howling fast and furious, making it extremely difficult and dangerous to paddle at sea.

Rain poured throughout the weekend and we only found ourselves doing some paddling on Saturday where we had sprint races instead at Deep Water Bay. Still, the winds were strong and it was a struggle to paddle in the head wind.

I realised I've had it too good in HK all this while because prior to this, I had always been staying at my aunt and uncle's place at Tsim Sha Tsui each time I was in HK. Their service apartment is big by HK standards and has a kick-ass view of Victoria Harbour.

This time, doing HK on a shoestring with my teammates, I stayed in a crummy hostel along Paterson Street in Causeway Bay. "Cramp" is an absolute understatement. Maybe to make it sound a bit more posh, I'd call it "minimalist". More to describe about living conditions, but I'd leave that for later.

Anyway, instead of a canoe marathon, I changed course and went on an eating marathon instead. ;p

HK Round Island OC Race

If I told people that, in actual fact, I have a secret lover stashed in HK, they might believe me going by the number of trips I've made there since Nov 2004.

Well, I'm making way there again today. By evening, I will find myself having dinner in Causeway Bay or somewhere around there. Yipee!

This may be a strange notion for a holiday, but my paddling mates and I (12 of us) are going to be in HK for a HK round island canoeing race. The race starts at Causeway Bay 铜锣湾 (north of HK Island) and ends at Deep Water Bay 深水湾 (south of HK Island). But the day before, we actually have to paddle the canoes from Deep Water Bay to Causeway Bay. So it's like we're doing the race twice.

After this, I'm locking up my passport for the rest of the year. I looked at my expenditure for last month in my bank passbook and I totally freaked out. Eeeeks. No thanks to my travels and my indulgence in food.

And no, I don't have one.

Deep Water Bay 深水湾

Thanks to a friend, I was really lucky to manage to squeeze in a paddle on the outrigger canoe at Deep Water Bay 深水湾 before catching my flight on Saturday. Located on the south side of HK Island, Deep Water Bay is where the HK Paddle Club houses their outrigger canoes.

Unlike the waters of Sentosa which have gigantic tankers passing along the channel, Deep Water Bay is devoid of such monstrosities. Instead, lovely green hills surround the bay and the water is clear for a smooth paddle along the coast. Three outrigger canoes went out at the same time, and we hugged the coast and paddled our way to Stanley Beach. We had a ten-minute rest at Stanley and then paddled back.

I was in awe of HK's beauty with its snaking hills and meandering coastline. One feels so at one with nature when out at sea with the soaring hills that envelope the space. There's so much beauty in HK, but I wonder if the locals take time out to appreciate it amidst their busy lives. It'd be a real pity if they didn't.

Another Goodbye

I bade farewell to two dear friends last night. As Shakespeare once wrote, goodbyes are such sweet sorrows. These two globetrotters doing this HK-Sydney-SG-HK-India-London kinda thing. They've been shuttling between these places several times, and god knows whatever cities, in the past couple of months that I can't quite keep up. So really, that chain I just drew doesn't quite give the whole picture.

While they were here, we went to the Botanic Gardens and visited the National Orchid Garden within it. Believe it or not, visiting the National Orchid Garden was also a first for me. It's a really lovely place though. Lots of pretty orchids. After we were done with the orchids, I thought of going to Halia for lunch. But upon looking at the menu, decided it wasn't too interesting when it came to local flavours. So I thought of something better--I brought them to Samy's Curry Restaurant at the Singapore Civil Service Club tucked away along Dempsey Road which is a short walk away from the Botanic Gardens.

We had a yummy banana leaf curry lunch with cooling lime juice for drinks. We then walked around the surrounding area and had a look at the furniture shops which peppered the area. Then it was off to Orchard Road for a bit of shopping.

For dinner on Sunday, we went to the No Signboard Restaurant at the Esplanade as one of my friends hadn't tried Singapore's famous Fried Chilli Crabs before. So we had that dish, and I also introduced a dish to them which they hadn't tried before--Fried Cereal Prawns. I'm glad to report they enjoyed their dinner.

Dinner last night was at Soup Restaurant along Smith Street, Chinatown. We went for the set meal which included a soup, garlic prawns, mushroom with broccoli, stir-fried San Yu fish slices, the famous ginger chicken, and dessert. After dinner, we walked along Ann Siang Road and Erskine Road where many new and hip shops have opened recently. Pretty interesting and it's worth a browse. After-dinner drinks was at IndoChine along Club Street.

And then we said goodbye and I promised to visit them in London sometime where they would be based for quite a fair bit of time. I hear London calling!!!

Back home!

Had some interesting adventures in HK but tons of work beckon for now. Will update more when I have more time!

Off to my Playground

Ah, this is my last night in Beijing for this trip. I'm quite happy to be getting out of here actually. While I'm sure Beijing has its charm, I haven't taken to it like I've taken to Hong Kong. This stems mainly from the fact that I don't have friends and family here whilst in Hong Kong I have both. Also, I don't really like the food in Beijing.

I didn't venture much this time around. For some reason, I just didn't feel like going out. Plans to visit the Temple of Heaven (天坛) were scrapped because I saw from afar on Saturday that it was undergoing renovation. The main structure was surrounded by scaffolding. Though the park at the back of it was opened, I didn't see any point in going when the main attraction was closed!

The other more interesting place I went to was 荷花坊 (Lotus Lane) also known as 后海 (Hou Hai). This is Beijing's equivalent to Singapore's Boat Quay but much more happening if you ask me. It was buzzling with lots of activity even on a Sunday night and there were people dancing at the start of the lane.

Anyway, can't wait for Hong Kong! That's my playground!

$600 gone!

Oh gawd, I just blew about $600 on a tailor-made cashmere coat and a pants suit. And I'll probably have a shirt made as well. So more money will be burnt. And this also means no more massages for me during this trip.

So now time to justify my purchases. Why do I need a cashmere coat? 'Cos I don't have a nice winter coat that's really warm. You know, something that's more dressy than a windbreaker. 'Cos every woman needs one to complete her wardrobe? Something like the little black dress of winter wear? But why do I need a cashmere coat when I spend most of my time in Singapore? Errr....(*sheepish look*)....'cos sometimes I travel to Beijing during winter for work? I seriously nearly froze to death in Beijing in January without a good winter coat. And I might want to go for a ski trip? I think I'll need to plan for a winter holiday now just to justify my purchase.

Why do I need a pants suit then? Well, I don't have one at the moment. And I figure there will come a time I'd need it for work. So far, my job doesn't require me to dress up much, but I think it'd good to have one on hand. Right right?????

I wanted to make a cheongsam top too. But the samples the tailor and his two female assistants brought weren't nice. If I had chosen any one of those fabrics, I'd end up looking like a waitress in a Chinese restaurant.

I hope and pray that my bonus next year will be good!!!

Beijing Blue

Oh, I finally get to see blue skies in Beijing! The day's been a lovely one. For the past two days, I've only seen fog and clouds covering the sky. Quite depressing. I think I'm a perfect candidate for Seasonal Depression. So perhaps it's a good thing that I live in Singapore where it's pretty much sunshine all year round.

Great Hall of the People 人民大会堂

Highlights of the day:

- despite sleeping late, I actually awoke at 6.30am. And then I felt like I needed a bit of a workout to get some colour in my face. So I went to the hotel gym and ran for about 30min. After which, the red returned to my cheeks and I felt better. :)

- Had one of the worst meals in Beijing--an economy rice pack (three dishes with rice) from 7 Eleven. Pathetic. I feel sorry for myself already. OK fine, I'm being overly dramatic. Still, the food sucked. I feel like I've wasted my calories.

- went for a foot, neck and shoulder massage. Felt good to loosen the tight muscles.

- Attended an opening reception of the Beijing International Book Fair at 人民大会堂 (Great Hall of the People). It's a rare opportunity to enter the banquet hall as usually only dignitaries are allowed to do so. 人民大会堂 is on the western side of 天安门广场 (Tiananmen Square), which is a big and impressive square. Chairman Mao's portrait on 天安门 flanks the square on the southern side, the National Museum of Chinese History flanks it on the eastern side and the 毛主席纪念堂 (Mausoleum of Mao Zedong) flanks it on the north. Just behind the 毛主席纪念堂 where Mao Zedong's corpse lies, is the 前门 (Front Gate). Just behind the 前门 is the 鼓楼 (Drum Tower) where in ancient times, a drum used to be hit at certain times of the day to let the people know what time of the day it was.

You experience a sense of grandeur when you step into the area which has lots of political and historical significance. At night, lights that line the buildings are lit, and there's a kind of beauty of this old city that's hard to describe.

In Beijing

Hello from Beijing! This is going to be a short note as I just arrived in my hotel after a llloooonnnggg day of travel. My flight got delayed in HK due to engine problems and I only arrived in Beijing at about 10pm.

Am in Beijing for work, so probably no time to sniff around the streets of Beijing for touristy and culinary exploits. And I forgot to bring my Lonely Planet guide with me! Argh.

Okie, the nice and cushy queen-sized bed beckons.

Spinning Wheel

Yesterday's pottery lesson was good fun albeit a little messy! You see, we've finally progressed to the lesson where we learn how to use the electric wheel (think Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in THE scene). That method of clay-making is called throwing. It might look easy, but making something that looks decent is no piece of cake.

It's all messy and gooey and it certainly wouldn't be my choice of activity for foreplay! How Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze made it look so good, I don't know. But I guess Hollywood always has its bag of tricks.

Anyway, it's not easy shaping the clay. There's quite a lot of strength involved as you have to press the clay with both hands, taking care to apply equal pressure or else the clay will go off centre, which would then result in a lopsided pot/bowl/cylinder (or whatever you're making).

The spinning wheel can be quite hynoptic as it swirls in a continuous circular motion. Did you know that if you are right-handed, you're supposed to turn to the mode which makes the wheel turn anti-clockwise, and if you're left-handed, it should turn clockwise? I didn't know until yesterday. But it's supposed to be so because it makes it easier for your stronger hand to control the clay.

Still, it was a good experience in getting to know what it's like to be a potter (not easy). Next week, I should be glazing the pot that I made. I'll show it off once it's done!

Tango, anyone?

Sunday night, I was exposed to the charms and seductions of Argentinean tango at Opium Bar. Answering to a girlfriend�s call (that's Monoceros--yeah, she's back! Yipee...one more girlfriend to bother. heehee.) for companionship to check out the dance scene there, I went along despite the knowledge and self-awareness of my two left feet.

When I got there, Monoceros was already there and waiting for me by the bar. The number of women outnumbered the men, and I think many of them were just waiting for the men to ask them for a dance. After some observation, Monoceros and I concluded that Singaporean men are very timid! They just stand around when there are so many women they could have asked to dance!

Monoceros soon got to dancing with a guy and I just watched them and other couples dance. The sensual Latin sounds and rhythm were intoxicating as were the movements of the bodies�the leaning in of the woman�s body onto the man�s, the flirtation of the legs, the twist of the hips, the closing of the eyes as the mind takes over the body�

It�s a good spot for people who are into the dance form, and it�s very social and informal. Guys can just go up to a woman, extend a hand, and ask for a dance. I don�t think I saw anyone being rejected. Monoceros told me that in Buenos Aires, the asking of a woman to dance is done through eye contact. A guy looks across the room to a woman and asks her with his eyes. A subtle nod of the woman's head and both of them will meet halfway on the dance floor. Cool. Anyway, it's a pretty good way to meet people too.

I was literally a wallflower. Now spell that with a capital �W�! One guy offered to lead me after I told him I didn�t know a thing about tango, but I was too timid to try. I would be stepping all over his and everybody else�s feet! But I had a fun time looking at the shoes the women were wearing. All so pretty!!! I was lusting after every pair and almost wished I could rip those shoes off their feet! Those high-heel shoes in pretty, elegant colours, sometimes adorned with ribbons and other subtle details, just took my breath away. The clothes the ladies were wearing were really lovely too. Dresses and skirts in soft, flowy fabrics dominated as they were perfect for the billowing effect when the ladies danced�just like twirling clouds in the wind.

As I watched those ladies, I felt thoroughly unfeminine though. All I know is to jump in and out of boats!

Monoceros is now egging me to try it out. And I might just do so just for the fun of it! After all, life is all about new experiences isn�t it???

Hemophobia & Needlephobia

If you ever want to blackmail me, you might want to do it with a bag of blood and some needles. (Now, why am I telling people what to use to extort me???)

Anyway, I'm totally freaked out by blood and injections. My attempt at donating blood was somewhat of an anti-climax. This happened last Saturday.

I was with some of my teammates who had gone to a community centre which was holding a blood donation drive. Several of them urged me to donate but I was just really afraid to do so. You would think my fear stems from having not donated before. But no, I HAVE donated blood before. It's just that during my third time, the doctor didn't insert the needle into my vein in the right position and there was no blood flow after 1/4 of the bag was full. They attempted to insert the needle a second time. Some blood came out but then it stopped again without filling the bag. I think my vein probably collapsed or something. The doctor asked if I wanted to have the needle inserted a third time, and I was like "Er, no thank you." So my blood was wasted and I ended up with a big bruise.

After that third time, I became terrified of donating blood and injections altogether. But believe it or not, I actually tried to donate a fourth time. But this time, I was rejected because the nurse said my veins were too small.

And last Saturday, I thought I could overcome my fear. After deliberating for more than an hour, I filled in the blood donation form with my personal particulars and answered a whole series of questions. I had my blood pressure and iron levels tested (all well and good, thankfully!) and was given the green light to donate blood. On sitting down and lying on the bed however, I suddenly got cold feet and I felt myself turning faint at the thought of needles sticking into me. I freaked out and turned blue. In the end, I just couldn't go through with it and felt really sheepish at backing out at the last minute.

And all these also explains why I'm not in the medical field. I would never make it!

Pink Pyjamas

My cheery new PJs! I'm still on the lookout for more though. I want a pyjamas overhaul!

Quick Summary

Been very busy at work...no time to update!

But just a quick summary of the more interesting things I've been getting up to:

Sat night: Went to Marina South and saw the Firework Festivals and Taiwanese band 五月天 (Mayday) in concert. Ooh, they really rock! Ashin (their lead singer) is so cute. But as far as fan fervour is concerned, I still can't beat slumbering girl and fatgirl. I went there with the both of them and we had a great time! And the fireworks display was lovely! I just love fireworks...there's just something about it which lifts your spirits. One can't possibly be sad when looking at the wonderful spray of lights.

Sun: We did glazing in pottery class. I think my pieces are going to turn out crap. I have nary a creative bone in me. But what the heck. Just doing it for fun.

Mon night: Had olduvai and slumbering girl over for dinner. But the highlight of the night was the christening of my chocolate fondue set. We had a mini diaster with the chocolate. More details to come! But suffice to say it was really good fun in the end.

Tues: Singapore turns 40. Yeah! Public holiday! (Really, the public holiday's all that matters. haha.) Crazy me woke up at 5.45am. Did some stretching before meeting my uncle at 6.30am to go for a jog at MacRitchie. My uncle jogged all the way from his home in Pasir Ris to meet me at place (he's into long distance running) and then we went for a 5km jog at the reservoir park. After returning from the jog, I took off immediately for Sentosa for some paddling in the outrigger canoe.

Later in the evening, I met up with VanTan, monoceros and fatgirl for a girl's night out! We went to Soup restaurant to eat and had a very yummy dinner. Always enjoy eating the ginger chicken there. We were walking around after dinner and I chanced upon a Women Secrets outlet and saw all the nice PJs calling out to me! So naturally I had to scoot into the shop and try some. Anyway, I'm happy to say I walked away with one set! Ooh, quite happy with the buy 'cos it looks bright and cheery!

Yes yes, pictures of fondue and PJs to come!

Paddles Up!

That's me up at the front. We were still paddling in Indonesian waters, but look in the background and you can actually see Singapore's skyline. Our outrigger canoe was a beauty on the water as it glided, cut and rode the waves on that gorgeous Sunday.

Caught In A Storm

Anyone got caught in the storm which rained down on Singapore on Saturday? Well, I will certainly remember that particular storm for the rest of my life �cos I happened to be caught in it right smack in the Straits of Singapore while on a leisure yacht. On a canoeing expedition with 23 other teammates, we were attempting to paddle our six-man canoe to Batam with the accompaniment of two leisure yachts and one powerboat as support boats. The idea was that the crew would be rotated so when not paddling, you would be resting on a yacht.

The morning started off well enough with fine weather as we set off from Sentosa and stopped about 200m from Sisters Island to clear Singapore immigration. The Singapore Marine Police came towards us in their boat and we waited for what must have been the longest time to clear immigration. Once that was done, the three vessels and the canoe headed in the direction of Batam.

Not too long after crossing the channel, which is one of the busiest shipping channels in the world what with numerous oil tankers and cargo ships going to and fro, the brewing storm from Sumatra began to come down on us. Curtains of rain surrounded us, visibility was extremely poor, winds were blowing at 50 knots (92.5km/hr) which caused wind swells in the water, making it extremely choppy. I was in one of the yachts and was being flung around like a rag doll with all the rocking. It was also freezing cold and my windbreaker provided mild relief. Rain of such extent seldom occurs so I guess you could say we were �lucky�. Due to all the rocking, many of us became seasick. We were quite a sorry sight�like a bunch of refugees!

Our poor canoe suffered some damage during the storm and we had to tow it to Batam instead. The annoying part was that the sea was all nice and calm after the storm passed! It was a slow, slow ride to Batam because going at full speed would have damaged the canoe behind. As we were bored to tears, we suddenly spotted four dolphins frolicking in the distance! They then swam towards us! I think they wanted to ride the wake of the boat but were rather disappointed when they came because we were going so slowly. They then swam off in the direction of Singapore and as they swam further away from us we could still see them doing acrobatic flips. We also saw many �flying� fish. I�m not sure what fish these are, but they are able to �stand� and skid along the water surface. All very lovely! To think that all these life form exists a short distance away from Singapore!

We stayed one right at Nongsa Pura Resort in Batam and the next morning we set off on our return journey. Nature, like what one of my male teammates says, is like a woman�temperamental. One minute she�s angry and all hell breaks loose, and the next minute she�s all nice and calm. Sunday�s weather was simply gorgeous with sunny skies and calm waters�perfect for paddling. When not paddling, we rested and suntanned on the yacht as if we were on some leisure cruise. We paddled along the coastline and skirted through the smaller islands of Indonesia before crossing the channel again and making our way back to Sentosa.

Food wasn�t a big feature in this weekend of mine. It was really a case of eating for sustenance. Museli bars, bread, biscuits and nuts were the main orders and house specials of the day for most of us.

Still, it was very good fun and a thoroughly unforgettable experience what with the whole episode of the storm. It was, in many ways, a very humbling experience for the team as we had underestimated the power and might of Mother Nature.

This was a charity expedition supporting two charitable causes�Seeing is Believing and Keyboards for Kids. The first beneficiary, Seeing is Believing, is a programme which aims to restore sight to one million people in Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The funds collected will go towards cataract operations, training of eye care doctors, building of training facilities and vision centres.

Keyboards for Kids, the second beneficiary, is a programme that collects used computers for donation to schools in Bintan Island.

If anyone cares to support the cause, please go to this link to make a contribution. Thanks!

Lobster Red

Back from a weekend out at sea, red as a roasted lobster. More later. Work beckons.

Pottery & Crockery

At pottery class yesterday, my plans to make teacups went astray again. Last week, what started out as a Chinese teacup ended up as a bowl. This week, it ended in a big mug. Then I tried making a second piece. It started off quite well. The first half of the supposed teacup seemed like I was FINALLY able to make one after all. My heart was kinda starting to leap in joy.

Then I spinned the wheel. No no, please do not think I'm doing the Demi Moore thing in "Ghost", though of course I would like to have a hunk like her character did! ;p But no, I wasn't using the electric wheel. Mine was one where you had to spin it manually and I was making the cups and bowls using a method called coiling. It's one of the basic techniques of pottery before being able to go on to the electric wheel which is a method called throwing. I'm looking forward to that 'cos really, that's where the real fun lies. Coiling is just time-consuming and actually, i hate it!

So yes, I spinned the wheel as I tried trimming the surface. And lo and behold, my cup flew off! Aaahhhhh! My heart flew with it. It didn't land splat on the floor but still, it lost its shape as I caught it in my hands. I tried replacing it and starting again. And again it flew and lost even more of its shape. :(

In the end, I ended up with a small cup which was slightly lopsided and definitely not the prettiest of cups. Ah well.

Foodies Luncheon

It was with a bit of apprehension when I turned up at Mag's Wine Kitchen for lunch on Thursday. After all, I didn't know anyone who was going to be at the luncheon that was scheduled at 12.30pm. The only thing I knew about the other people were that they were fellow food bloggers in Singapore.

But I guess that link alone was enough to get the 12 of us chatting away like we were old friends. Well, in a way we were--after all, we all had come across one another's blogs at some point or another and finally being able to put a face to a name, or URL rather, was great.

Many thanks to the organisers ChubbyHubby, Joone and Gwenda for organising the get together.

The baker even brought some of her very delicious chocolate cookies for the rest of us to savour! Others at this little foodie gathering were Kuidaore, Umami, Cheat Eat, AromaCookery, EatzyBitzy, KitchenCrazyDaffy, Como Quierasand one ST reporter.

ChubbyHubby even managed to get us sponsors! A big Thank You to BATS Singapore for the three pieces of Staub cookware and one Chroma knife they sponsored. We even had a goodie bag each containing a little toy crane (Staub's mascot) and a Staub spatula. It was such a pleasant surprise!

We also had sponsored champagne by Veuve Clicquot. Lunch was a 5-course menu. Unfortunately, I only got to savour three of the five 'cos I had to rush back to work! :( Still, the meal was delicious. Let's see what we had:

1) Grilled Belly of Swordfish with Pickled Fennel
2) Seared Sea Scallop served with Soy Mirin dressing
3) Smoked Duck on Arugula
4) Seared Beef Tenderloin Slices served with Buttered Spinach, Caramelized Baby Carrots and Veal Jus
5) Cream Caramel

I only had the first three, but boy oh boy, were they good! ChubbyHubby took some fantastic pictures of the food. Go to his blog to have a look!

So we had a lucky draw to decide who would walk away with the sponsored gifts. I must have had a lucky star shine on me that day, 'cos I got the Staub chocolate fondue set!

Oh oh, so happy about this! It's a tiny pot meant for four...but knowing how I love chocolate, I say this is only good for two! Three at most! I will have to start having fondue get-togethers!

Eating with fellow foodies is real good fun. And for once, no one felt bad or was embarrassed when whipping out a camera before a meal. Anecdotes were told round the table of how friends of ours get irritated when they had to wait for us to photograph the food before they could tuck into it. There were also those who said that they friends have grown accustomed to it and now even help them to arrange the food in a more aesthetically pleasing fashion!

Anyway, I think every one of us had fun going by what I've been reading in their blogs. Certainly hope to have another one of these gatherings again!

First Body of Work

My first pottery works! Sans the paintwork, they all look very amateurish and cetainly looks like something a four-year-old came up with.

All three were painted by my teacher though. I only came up with the shape. For some reason, he decided to colour it for all of us. So the colours were really his inspiration rather than mine. In fact, I had zilch to do with it.

On the left is just some container which I will probably use as a pencil holder. Put it on display in the office or something. Next to it is a very lopsided Chinese tea cup. I think I'll just use it to put paperclips. Ha. The one on the right was meant to be a smaller and taller cylinder. But I made a mess of the thing and tried to remedy the situation by patching up with bits of clay and all. Eventually I ended up with this bowl, which had a bit of shape at least. I guess I could use it for soup?

For my second lesson yesterday, I made two bowls. One's a good size for a rice bowl and the other looks more like an alms bowl which monks use, because it's shallow. I think it's a good size for tidbits. See, everything goes back to food.

I was actually thinking of making teacups but somehow it evolved into a bowl. Heh.

Apart from pottery class, I've been keeping home:
- Bathed my two dogs, clean up their mess, feed them, walk them;
- Washed my clothes, hung them, collected them, put them back in the wardrobe;
- Cooked for myself (stir-fried broccoli and egg), made soup again (Cantonese-style vegetable soup);
- I've been diligent with watering the plants and topping up the bird feeder in the balcony;
- I've been wiping the floor every night

Oh man, I think I could actually make a good housewife! ;p

Home Alone - Day 1

I'm going to be home alone for 10 days. It's just going to be me and my two dogs. The Father, Mother and Sister have all gone to Sydney. The Sister is going to be there for the next 2.5 years pursuing a Masters while the Mother and Father have gone along to help her settle in.

Well, today I woke up at 5.30am and woke my two dogs from their slumber as I had to bring them down for a very early morning walk. I think they were very unaccustomed to waking up that early! But anyway, we returned from our morning walk at 6.15am and I proceeded to top up the dogs' water bowls and food bowls. Then I watered the plants. Failure to carry out these two tasks will result in me getting a tongue-lashing from my parents when they return 'cos (1) two malnutritioned and/or dehydrated dogs ain't the prettiest sight (2) withered and/or dead plants will cause my parents heartache as they just adore their greens.

I then headed back to my room and attempted to do some sit-ups to quell that expanding waistline of mine. But I didn't get very far 'cos it just got so darn boring. I think I stopped at 30. Heh. Then I went to have my daily morning shower. Got dressed for work and pottered about the house a bit, read the newspapers, made breakfast and then it was off to work.

And here I am again at work but my mind's already wondering what's for dinner. (I've got lunch planned out already!) haha!

So how will the DimSumDolly survive the next 10 days? Watch this space!

Good Weekend

Tis was a good weekend. I must strive to make all my weekends eventful so that the euphoria garnered from it can last me through the new week.

Let�s start from Friday night. I had dinner at Beijing La Mian Kitchen at the Esplanade with ex-teammates from junior college. It was nice catching up after such a long time of having not met up with the rest of the girls. The problem is that nobody except yours truly bothers to organize gatherings. Am a bit sick of being the Gathering IC (a name which they coined for me). OK fine, don�t mind being it as long as people respond to the call. But I wouldn�t mind someone taking over the baton if not for a while!

After dinner, I met up with two of my colleagues. We were planning on having drinks at Harry�s Bar (the Esplanade Branch) but upon failing to get a table, we headed to Boat Quay instead. We ended up at The Penny Black because my colleague said she kinda liked the music the band that night was playing. The music was alternative rock, and I thought they were just ok.

Saturday afternoon was a leisurely one spent on a yacht. I was lazing around as the yacht made its way around the waters of Changi. No, I don�t get to do this every week�it was just one of those one-day yacht sailing event. But how I wished this was a weekly affair! It�s so therapeutic to be out at sea and just getting away from the city. I saw many planes flying in and making their descent at Changi Airport. It was very fun looking out for the planes and seeing which airline it belonged to. Once, the yacht was directly below the landing plane and we could see the belly of the plane. The plane seemed sssoooo close. Actually it *was* close. So cool! I got to steer the yacht and that was quite fun. Plus the skipper of the yacht was one dark, muscular and handsome dude. ;p (No, I didn�t get his number or anything. I can�t even remember his name! But he provided some good eye-candy for the afternoon.)

After a lazy afternoon, I rushed to Siglap Centre to meet up with my sister and four other cousins for dinner. The Sister is leaving for Sydney soon so this was like a farewell dinner of sorts. We ate at a zichar coffee shop just opposite Haagen Daaz. We had pig stomach�s soup which was very yummy, hot plate beef, herbal chicken (I loved the chestnuts in there!), sambal squid, fried beansprouts and fried mix vegetables. The food was pretty good and it came up to only $63. For six persons, that was a good price (including drinks)! We then crossed the road to Gelare Caf� for dessert. I liked the Chocolate Overload (very chocolatety! Definitely enough for that needed chocolate fix), Raspberry Sorbet, Pistachio, Passionfruit and Mango.

My sister and I then took a taxi home after dessert. But that wasn�t the end of our night. We had a change of clothes and she headed off to Velvet while I made my way to Prince of Wales for drinks with olduvia and her friends.

The band playing at Prince of Wales that night was called Raindogs. Pretty good band playing alternative rock music and fronted by a female vocalist who so doesn�t look the part of a rocker but boy can she sing! Pretty cool. I liked their twist of the jazz classic Summertime. It was a good rock interpretation of the piece. Sadly, the band stopped playing at about 10.45pm! Bit too early ain�t it??? But well, they stopped while the night was in its infancy! Still we liked the place enough to hang around a bit more as it was quite a nice place to chill and just chat.

Sunday was fun too because I went for my first pottery class. I�ve always wanted to learn pottery and now I�m finally doing it thanks to a friend who organised a class. I pinched, kneaded and rolled clay which was all good fun as it reminded me of playing Play Dough as a kid. I made a very distorted Chinese tea cup (I don�t think it�ll stand. Ha.), a distorted cylindrical container about 15cm in height and a distorted bowl. Looked pretty bad. Haha. But oh well, can�t be fantastic the first time or else what�s there to learn?

After class, I went to meet two friends at Plaza Singapura. The plan was to go to Ballet Under the Stars at Fort Canning. But alas, the heavens decided to bless us with some showers. Actually the rained had stopped by the time the concert began but we decided not to go as the ground would be mushy. I guess it was easy for us to just forgo the concert �cos we had free tickets. If we had paid for it, I guess we would have gone. In any case, we made our way to Raffles City and sat ourselves down to a delicious dinner at Shahi Maharani.

The North Indian food there is fantastic! The garlic naan was so soft and they were generous with the garlic. One of the best naans I�ve ever had. The curries were so smooth they slipped down your throat like ice cream. We had the Kashmiri Fish Curry, Murghi Tikka Masala and Vegetable Shahi Korma for curries. We also ordered a Cucumber Raitas (which is actually yoghurt) which complemented the curries well. And additional order of saffron rice gave us some extra carbohydrates to fill the tummy. The amount we ordered was just right for three. Service at Shahi is very good. The waiter who took our orders also kindly recommended that we change our order of butter chicken to something else as the curry was similar to the Kashmiri Fish Curry. It is such service and product knowledge that is much lacking in restaurants in Singapore! Prices are mid-range as we each paid about $24 for the meal. I would definitely recommend this place for good North Indian food. And oh, make sure one of you has a Citibank credit card 'cos can get 10% off the bill.

After dinner, we were up for some retail therapy. Actually I bought quite a number of things in the past week. On Tuesday, I bought five necklaces and two bracelets at a shop in Novena Square. Yesterday, I bought a belt, two sunglasses, and another necklace!

So anyhow, that was my weekend. Hope the rest of you had great ones too!

Q1 & Q2 Travel Report

I've been really lucky in the first half of 2005 in terms of travel. Frankly, I've never travelled so much in six months.

January: Away for the second half of the month in Beijing and Hong Kong for work. In Beijing it was more work than play, but in Hong Kong it was really more play than work. I was just there to attend meetings and conferences which frankly didn't require my presence nor much of my thinking skills. But hey, I'm not complaining! haha.

March: Went to Hong Kong for a weekend getaway during the Easter weekend. The trip was only marred by my bout of food poisoning. Otherwise, Hong Kong was as usual a blast!

May: Went to Beijing for work and stopped over in Hong Kong on the way back for a few days over the Vesak Day weekend. Got to go to the Great Wall and Hong Kong was, again, good fun!

June: Paddling in Penang over one of the weekends and it was off to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou in the later part of the month.

But now, the second half of the year looks bleak in terms of travel. Seems like I haven't spread my vacations out too well!

Oops!

I think the heat got so much to me so much so that i entered AND used the Gents by mistake at the Hangzhou railway station on the way back to Shanghai.

It was a public toilet and I had assumed that I was going to the Ladies 'cos the sign outside had the figure of the lady on the right and the man on the left. And when I went the wrong way, the man sitting outside peddling packets of tissue didn't stop me! He was obviously too bo-chap (a Singapore slang for can't be bothered) to care.

When I entered the toilet, there was no one inside so it didn't occur to me that it was the Gents. But when i was done with my business, I saw men entering and I nearly died on the spot. One guy was even in the midst of doing his business against the wall! There weren't any urinals so it didn't occur to me that it was the Gents when I entered. Anyway, I scurried (actually I sprinted) out of there and i think he was just as shocked as i was.

Aiyah, all very embarrassing! The situations the DSD gets herself into!

Back Home

I never thought I'd ever say this, but boy am I glad to be back from a holiday. Any longer in Shanghai, and I would have dissipated from the heat. Apparently, it's the hottest summer Shanghai has ever had and because everyone's having the aircon on, the record of electricity consumption levels were broken three times last week! Not surprising considering the high temperatures. I mean, 38 degrees celsius plus high humidity is no joke.

I never perspired so much in my life! If I perspire, then it means it's REALLY hot. I don't perspire very much, even when I exercise. Something wrong with my pores I think. So when I do perspire, it just means it's terribly hot.

I strongly do NOT recommend travel to Shanghai and its surrounding areas during the months of June, July and August. Do so at your own peril!

But more on Shanghai later. Now it's time to get back to the grind.

Waiting to leave

I'm bored. I'm waiting for 10.30pm to come so that I can head for the airport. My flight's at 0110hours....an unearthly hour but probably good 'cos I can sleep on the plane and arrive in Shanghai ready to start the day!

*bubbling with excitement*

Off to Shanghai

Am off to Shanghai (上海) for 10 days! Also intending to go to Hangzhou (杭州) and Suzhou (苏州).

I hear my lovely little Xiaolongbaos calling out to me!!! And I want to sip Hangzhou's famous Longjing Tea (龙井茶) in some teahouse by the famous West Lake (西湖).

Tata for now!

Working from home

I've been granted permission by my boss to work from home today and tomorrow because there's renovation going on in the office unit next door. The occasional drilling can cause quite a disturbance to a usually quiet office.

When I complained about an oh-too-quiet office, I really didn't mean it to be remedied by the sound of drills and hammering.

But guess what? I'm back in the office! I decided to come into the office 'cos there were some things I needed to do which could only be done at work. Moreover, it's not like the drilling and hammering goes on all day. It's very occasional and something I can live with for those few moments.

I think working from home requires plenty of discipline. I could do it--but only if set up properly with everything I need to work with in my study. But if I had to choose, I think I'd still prefer to go to work in an office. At least it gets me out of the house and there's a change of environment. The best is if I had a choice as to when I want to work at the office.

The nature of my job does actually allow that kind of flexibility, but due to corporate rules, I'm can't do so. Bummer. It'd be great if I could work from home on alternate days, coming into the office only when I need documents signed and handed over to relevant parties or attend some meeting.

But I guess I could just dream on.

Rudolph

I'm back! Red as a tomato! The sun in Penang was scorching over the weekend and despite applying sunblock, I've become darker. My face, especially my nose, is also very red. I look like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Penang was great fun--lots of racing and excitement! Despite no silverware to show for our efforts, my team and I had loads of fun. It was exhausting with seven races each on Saturday and Sunday, but one could say it was real value for money! haha. We were competing in several events, and each event had its own heats, repecharges and finals. That's why I was rowing so much.

On Friday night, the bus departed from Beach Road at about 9.10pm and we arrived at our hotel in Penang at about 7am. We had 1/2 hour to change, have breakfast before boarding the bus which took us to the competition venue. It was all quite crazy as I didn't sleep well due to a very bumpy bus ride. Lousy, old bus we had!

The competition venue was a dam that was, unfortunately, running very low on water. One could see the parched soil surrounding it. But it was still kinda picturesque as the damn was surrounded by green hills and in the distance one could see the open sea.

Anyway, after a whole day of racing on Saturday, we had dinner and after dinner, three teammates and I went for a massage. I had a much needed shoulder and back massage. It was pure bliss!

Sunday's races were more exciting as we were competing in the finals for some of the events. At the end of the competition, our bodies were spent but everyone was feeling very good.

Food-wise, I didn't eat much actually. I didn't have time to explore Penang and go around trying all the yummy food. Pity. I was just dousing myself with water all day because of the heat.

The bus ride back was more comfortable as the bus was newer and the seats more comfortable. Plus I was SO tired that nothing could have stopped me from falling asleep. I arrived back in Singapore at about 10am yesterday. Not long after arriving home, I went out again to watch Mr & Mrs Smith with my teammates who had also taken the day off from work.

Well, all I can say about the movie is that Angelina Jolie looks damn hot and really sizzles the screen. Brad Pitt looks good as usual, but it's like he's playing the same character from Ocean's Twelve, except that John Smith is a little more skilled in combat and arms. Usual Hollywood fare and the kind of show to catch for mindless entertainment.

And now back to the daily grind.

Off to Penang

I'll be in Penang over the weekend for some dragonboat racing! I'll be leaving on a coach (unfortunately not on a jet plane!) at 8.30pm tonight and it's going to be a lllooooonnnnggggg ride up. About 11 hours...geez, two more hours and I would have reached London if I were to park myself on a jet!

It's been eons since I last dragonboated competitively. It's like I've sudden come out of retirement or something. But anyway, I decided to go 'cos I wanted to see what it's going to be like racing in another country apart from Singapore.

There are going to be many strong international teams competing and it should be interesting.

I'll be leaving Penang on a Sunday midnight bus and will be back in Singapore on Monday. Eeeks. I will have to make myself as comfortable as possible on the bus.

Anyway, wish me luck!

To Change Or Not to Change

And yet another week has gone by. Why does time pass so fast?

Highlights of the weekend:

1) I met up with an ex-student for dinner. That was nice.

2) Watched Monster-In-Law which was a crappy show. The only thing I enjoyed was drooling over Michael Vartan (you should have heard the whole row of teenage girls behind me squealing and giggling every time he came on screen! Geez! Like get a hold on yourselves girls!). Jennifer Lopez's character was annoyingly sweet and perfect. It was positively nauseating. Jane Fonda as the mother-in-law from hell was at least more entertaining. But still, a totally crappy show.

3) Bought two books and adding to my list of waiting-to-be-read books lying in my room. They're Lin Yutang's The Importance of Living and My Country, My People.

4) Bought a dragonboat paddle.

5) Bought a new top while braving the crowds at Orchard Road. But I gave up after 1.5 hours and headed home because I just couldn't take the stress of weaving through the crowds. But at least I had something to show for my outing!

6) Had my last tennis lesson with my tennis coach. The Sister is going abroad for further studies very soon, so decided to stop as I don't want to learn alone. And more importantly, I can't really afford to pay. Heh. Anyway, I'm pretty crap at it. But I think I'm good enough for a social game lah.

7) And I'm still trying to decide whether to give up this domain name dimsumdolly.com and change to a free blog account. I don't know if I can deal with all that technical stuff of transferring servers and files etc. Argh.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

What I Do

For those of you who haven�t met me before and if you�re to do so sometime in the future, you�re most likely to ask me what I do for a living. My answer to that would be �Editor�. But do not follow that up (in my case) with �Which magazine?� or �Which newspaper?�

�Cos much as I would like to say I work at some glossy magazine, I don�t.

This may or may not interest you, but I thought I'd just give you a better understanding of the publishing industry aside from that of newspapers and magazines (where an editor�s role is quite different). The information below was something I nicked from a presentation my boss gave, but here are the different kinds of editing explained:

Commissioning / acquisition: Identifying market needs; specifying book contents and format; clearing interval approval for projects (budgets etc); selecting and briefing authors; shaping sample units; managing projects � authors, editors, freelancers.

Development: Working with authors and authors� manuscript to shape the material. Usually involved at a content/evaluative level�do activities work? Is the level of difficulty correct? Are the topics interesting/relevant, etc?

Copy: Language editing, usually not requiring specialist knowledge of the subject. This usually involves checking for grammar and punctuation.

Production: Liaising more directly with designers, responsible for overseeing page make-up

Editorial Support: Sometimes tasks such as indexing, copyright clearance and other administrative tasks can be done by assistant editors or freelancers.

However, there is often overlap in all these roles. I find myself doing everything mentioned above in my job. So there, I hope I�ve given you a better idea of what I do!

Time to Detox

Just got back from a weekend spent in Hong Kong. Ooh, lots of eating and eating and eating. You get the idea.

But now I'm dead beat. Will write more when I've slept off the fatigue.

Bored At Airport

Checked in a tad early and so I'm now feeling very bored while waiting for my flight. So I now find myself at the Free Internet kiosk blogging away. I need breakfast! But none of the small eateries in the departure lounge really catch my fancy. Behind me there's Delifrance, Sushi Tei and Coffee Bean. Bleh. Will prob just wait till lunch is served on the plane.

Anyway, my time in Beijing will be filled with meetings and more meetings. HK is where the real fun begins! Olduvai will be there too with her friends and we're planning to meet up and party! Can't wait!

And I must have been thinking too much about the fun, so much so that I nearly forgot to bring my laptop with me when I left the house! Thank god I remembered it in the nick of time (i.e. just before I entered the lift!). Sheesh.

And I so don't look like a business traveller. Casually dressed in jeans, a sleeveless orange blouse and carrying a backpack, I look more like I'm going on some backpacking trip. The only thing that gives it away that I'm travelling on business is the laptop.

Alrighty, will report more from Beijing if I have the time!

Off to Beijing

Sea-nic Night

Until I canoed at night yesterday, I never knew that canoeing at that time of the day could be such a calming experience. I was out at Sentosa�s Siloso Beach canoeing with five others last evening. We started at about 6.45pm, canoed east towards an offshore island on the left with the fire ball of red setting on our right.

For once, I saw Siloso Beach in its quiet state�without the sunbathers, beach volleyball players, cyclists and pedestrians along the road just up the beach, and the tourists milling around happily snapping away with their cameras�and it was lovely.

We canoed to the offshore island and back, spending about an hour and a half out on the water. From afar, I could see the Central Business District with its skyscrapers all lit up and it actually felt kinda surreal being in an office cubicle situated in the CBD one moment and a canoe out at sea the next. Pretty lovely sight actually. The sea was rather choppy which made paddling a little tougher but also somewhat more exciting with the bumpy road and just riding out the waves.

Up above, sparkling diamonds could be seen making shy and fleeting appearances on the part of the black canvas not obscured by clouds. The calm and solitude of the night was soothing until it was disrupted by the sounds of several Singapore Air Force pilots powering through the sky in their mean fighter jets, in what must have been some night exercise.

That said, the workout at sea was definitely a nice end to the work day. :)

New Racket

It was a good long weekend. Managed to catch up with some reading, and despite the scorching temperatures, I was out dragonboating, cycling at East Coast Park and playing tennis over the weekend. Lovely!

As a result of being so much in the outdoors, my skin has become a shade or two darker. I look even more golden brown than before. In any case, it was all good fun!

And I bought a new tennis racket for myself too. Spent a fortune on it. Splurged $240 on the Wilson n5 (100") racket, a red and white racket, which I think, looks pretty. :)

I'd better start practising more and play better from now on to do justice to the racket!

Contact Me

I know it's pathetic, but I've only recently (actually only four days ago) figured out how to put insert my email contact on my blog. I finally bothered to check out what a basic html e-mail tag is like.

Yes I know, this comes like way way late, especially when this blog's almost two years old! But better late than never, right?

So yeah, if you need to contact me for whatever reason, please click on the "Contact Me" section on the right!

Niceland

I was intent on buying some new clothes when I went out yesterday. But nothing in the shops caught my eye. Well not absolutely NOTHING, but the ones that did, I couldn't afford. Bummer. Don't you just hate it when that happens??? Gosh, this is going to sound so bimbotic, but I'm so sick and tired of the clothes in my wardrobe. And then I'm thinking: Maybe I should lose some weight first before buying new clothes. But I've given up on that notion 'cos it never seems to happen given my love for food.

So I didn't end up buying any apparel, but instead ended up with a book. I was actually out looking for another--The River Sutra by Gita Mehta--but ended up with Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton instead. I would have gotten the former as well, if not for the fact that it was out of stock at Sunny Bookshop and the last copy at Kinokuniya was in less than perfect condition. So I'm waiting for Sunny Bookshop to place an order for me.

Then it was off to watch Niceland, a film that's part of the Singapore International Film Festival. What was cool was that Icelandic director Fridrik Thor Fridriksson was also there. He happened to be in Singapore and before the film started, he gave a short introduction to it. After it ended, there was also a Q&A session. I love such exchanges as it involves an exchange of views, and in the process the viewers get to understand the film in greater depth.

It was an interesting film dealing with the themes of mentally handicapped people in society, love in its various forms and also the meaning of life. Nothing too commercial and also stripped of Hollywood fanfare (thank god!).

Mysterious Ang moh

Friend�s sms: �Btw a little bird told me dat u are seeing an ang moh guy.�

My reply: �I wished I could say it�s true, but it isn�t.�

My friend�s sms perplexed me. I mean, really, like I replied, I wished I could say it was true, but it so isn�t! I haven�t even been out much recently! I swear it�s a case of mistaken identity and whoever this little bird is, he/she had better get his/her eyes checked!

While on the subject of dates, I was again reading Her World at the hairdresser�s last week. And one mindless article was about how women should multi-date. Like date several men at one time with the understanding that you�re not seeing any one of them exclusively. So they interviewed several women about their multi-dating ways and their views on it blah blah blah. Oh, one of the most bimbotic suggestions the article had was that one should keep a record of the clothes one wears when seeing which ever guy so that the next time you meet him, you won�t be seen wearing the same clothes. The reasoning is that it�s easy to get confused over outfits what with the numerous men. And oh, another helpful suggestion is to keep a record of each man�s likes and dislikes in case you can�t remember. Geez.

OK, don�t get me wrong. I don�t have a problem with multi-dating. Why not? As long as both parties have the understanding that you haven�t entered an exclusive relationship, I think it�s perfectly fine. But of course, I wouldn�t condone any more of this dating around once both parties have agreed on going into an exclusive relationship. My problem with this multi-dating is that where does one find so many men to date?????

The answer to that question has been eluding me thus far. But a columnist in Sunday�s issue of The New Paper (SPH gave ST subscribers free copies of the paper over the weekend in a bid to get us to subscribe to TNP. Hell no. But I won�t complain either if they want to keep on giving to me free. Haha!) seemed to have found at least one answer to the conundrum. She said that several of her girlfriends have taken to recycling ex-boyfriends. That is, women are setting up their girlfriends with their ex-boyfriends because of our constant lament of the dearth of good men. The column, by the way, is titled Sexless In the City.

On a related note, I was having dinner with a secondary school friend on Saturday night. And my friend said that she had a quarrel with a boyfriend �cos she had been evaluating their six-year relationship and she had remarked to him that she wasn�t sure if she really loved him �cos nothing major/drastic has really happened to test their love. Has he just become a comfortable presence and life would just be easier with him around than not? She said she wasn�t sure, but one thing for sure is that she definitely wants a companion and that she doesn�t want to end up being a single cranky 40-year-old woman. She says that such women are a bit wonky in the mind.

In any case, I think I�m getting a bit worried for myself too. I�ve gotta admit, I�m afraid of loneliness in old age. Oh well. Maybe I should think about renewing my membership with SDU (they sent me a notification that my free two-year membership has expired!). Hahaha!

Muscling In on the Action

Lots of athletic and well-built men were there for olduvai�s and my eyes to feast upon as we muscled in on the Rugby Seven�s action at the National Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Thanks to olduvai�s contacts, she managed to get free tickets to the event and she very kindly asked me and another one of her friends along to join in the fun.

I was planning on doing some shopping in the afternoon as I really need to stock up on some work clothes. I�m not a huge rugby fan but I couldn�t resist the lure of free tickets. The only rugby event I went to was the Rugby World Cup held in Sydney in 2003. I mean, that�s like THE event to go to for rugby. Nothing else tops that. So Saturday�s event kinda brought back some memories. Ahh Sydney�how I miss the city!

We were only there for about three hours. For the first hour or so, we were sitting in front of these very loud, brash and irritating Americans. They were supporting the Wallabies (there wasn�t any American team to support) and would probably have been mistaken for Aussies from their outward appearance, but their American twang gave them away. Oooohhh, that bunch of them were just making a nuisance of themselves. The women were squealing in high voices like the witches of Eastwick, the men were just loud and brashful, making fun of the weaker Asian teams and laughing at how these teams were being trashed by the bigger guys. Olduvai�s friend was probably right in saying that the Americans who can cut it are all in New York and those that come out to Asia are all the ones who couldn�t make the cut. So in Asia we get all these crappy and rude Americans. (OK I know, terrible generalization here, but what to do? I was pissed off!) We decided to move a few rows down when once people had left �cos we couldn�t stand those irritating people.

In any case, the Saturday matches were all very one-sided. Most of the Asian teams were trashed by the four big boys�the Wallabies (Australia), the Springboks (South Africa), the All Blacks (New Zealand) and England. Hong Kong�s team was interesting�it was made up entirely of expatriates. But still, they lost pretty badly. Not much fun in watching one-sided matches.

I thought there was more fun in watching people in the stands. There were dancing Irish leprechauns dressed in green, the Mask with all the works (green face and yellow tuxedo), an Elvis Presley impersonator, clowns, a strawberry, a bunch of grapes and several other funky get-ups.

So it was quite a fun and different way to spend the afternoon. And I just read in the papers this morning that the All Blacks won. Yeah I thought they were good and was actually hoping they would do the haka before the start of the match I watched, but unfortunately they didn�t.

Anyhow, here�s a note of thanks to olduvai!

Broken Frame

Don't ask me how I did it, but I broke the frame of my tennis racket while playing with my colleagues last night. And I had just had it restrung earlier in the week! It was my first time using it again after it had been restrung and it had these lovely, shiny golden strings.

Maybe it's because the racket's old already and last night's playing (no, I wasn't hitting very hard nor did I whack it on the ground) was the straw that broke the camel's back. Anyway, there's no hope for the racket now. The top part of the frame is twisted and mangled. You'd think I'd have to be a real hard-hitter to have it reduced to such a state. I plead innocence!!! The thing just sort of disintegrated!

So I have to get a new one. And of course, being the superficial being that I am, I'm going to shop for a PRETTY racket.

Come Fly With Me!

Has anyone out there NOT watched the play Boeing Boeing yet? Is anyone interested to watch but can't find anyone to go with (that's me btw)? Does anyone know some cute and eligible bachelor who's interested in going to the play but can't find anyone to go with? ;p

If yes, please let me know asap!

Bovine Friends

Has anyone been spotting those cute and colourful cows around Singapore? I�ve been seeing these two-dimensional cows made of wooden planks perched on grass slopes around Bishan and Stevens Road. They�re really cute and they make for such a dash of fun as you drive past them! You really can�t help but smile when you see them! I haven�t been around other parts of Singapore, so I�m not sure if these bovine creatures are making their foray there as well.

In any case, I applaud whoever came up with this idea! Absolutely fun!

Pretty Boy

I had a haircut yesterday. I think my hairdresser was a little too liberal with her scissors. It's very short and tapered to the skull now. I think I look like a pretty boy.

But thankfully my hair grows very fast. So hair, please please please grow faster!!!

The Search Isn't Over

Searching for pictures is a pain in the a**. I'm having a splitting headache from looking at the computer screen all day and scrolling through stock photography websites looking for suitable pictures for the books I'm working on.

For every picture I need, I need to trawl through several hundred photos in order to land on that one coveted picture. And I have to look for about 40 pictures! God help me.

Car Rally

So I did the weekend warrior thing again. Lots of exercise, but I'm not feeling too bad today. Maybe 'cos my body is getting used to the exercise and also I'm trying to increase the frequency in which I exercise.

But the highlight of the weekend was really a Car Rally company event I participated in on Saturday. Twenty-three other colleagues and I were divided into six groups. Each group was in a car and we had to go around Singapore looking for answers to questions in the booklet we were given. The theme was local history, so we were made to go to places like Kent Ridge Park, Labrador Park and the Cenotaph at the Esplanade Park, where there were World War II tunnels, artillery and memorials.

We were also given anagrams and other puzzles to solve along the way, so everyone was kept very busy solving puzzles and figuring maps and answering questions throughout the four hours we were given to complete the tasks. There were also games to be played at two checkpoints.

Going to Kent Ridge Park and Labrador Park was very interesting for me as I had never been to these two parks before. There are some nice views from both parks. I found both parks very lovely and am glad to have discovered them.

My company paid a group of volunteers to organise this. We call them volunteers because they donate the money we pay to charity. It's a really cool concept, ain't it?

At the end of it all, we convened at the NUS Guild House at Suntec City and had a BBQ seafood dinner. And that wasn't the end of it. There were prizes! The winning car won $500, the 2nd prize was $400 and the third was $300. There were also prizes for Best Shopping, Best Puzzles and Best Games. My team won for Best Shopping (there was a shopping list which consisted of things like a bus ticket from Bus 97, a coconut tree leaf, a hibiscus flower etc) and we each got an Eagle Creek toiletries bag.

Everyone had fun and I really can't fault my company for a lack of generosity towards its employees!

Free Beer

I'm starting off my day well. I'm munching on my favourite scone--a warm, fluffly and buttery one from Cedele Bakery. I popped by the cafe before strolling into the office. Ooh, I'm so happy! I'm even happier that it's Friday!

And last night was great too. Went for free beer at Brewerkz with olduvai and we got to meet our ex-uni mates. It was a free Happy Hour session sponsored by our uni faculty alumni. We're getting back our dues after paying four years' worth of school fees. Yipee. So anyway, it was good to see familiar faces and keeping up with what the rest of the cohort's been up to.

Time to start work!

Misconceptions

When I'm overseas, I often find myself having to dispel many "myths" about Singapore. Things like you'll get thrown into prison and/or caned for littering, chewing gum or parking violations.

While I would say that Singapore is a somewhat social-authoritarian state disguised under a democratic (or so Big Brother says) regime, it is NOT so draconian and totalitarian as to warrant a sojourn in prison for minor offences such as littering or chewing gum.

After the Michael Fay incident many years ago, it seems that all foreigners know about Singapore is that people will get caned for anything and everything. We need a good PR campaign here!!! The Singapore Tourism Board obviously hasn't been doing a very good job on that account!

But yeah, life in Singapore isn't that horrible!

Still Alive

So what happened over the last couple of days?

My sister, two dogs and I are still alive. We didn't gas ourselve in our sleep. The two dogs are very sick of eating just dry food though. They're missing (I am too) my mum's very delicious Cantonese soup. Yes, I think my dogs eat better than some people! See, my mum makes soup if I'm home for dinner 'cos I'm the only one in the family who likes drinking soup. And for that, my dogs benefit too. They get to eat the ingredients that were used to boil the soup. We usually add the ingredients like carrots, potatoes, winter melon, chicken, pork ribs etc to their dry food.

Having gotten used to such delicious fare, they haven't been taking well to just having dry food for dinner. But hunger and survival prevail after all, so when they see that they don't have a choice, they just eat it. Probably very grudgingly. But hey, it's not like I'm having fantastic food either.

The plants are still alive. No wilting leaves or rotting roots. The clothes have been washed regulary and hung to dry. The floor's been wiped. My sis also whipped up lunch and dinner yesterday while I was out dragonboating. We split the chores--she does the cooking and I the laundry, floor and dogs.

Other happenings: Went to Bebel Gilberto's concert on Thursday night. Her vocals are akin to warm, silken honey. But it wasn't a fantastic concert. Thank goodness I bought one of the cheaper tickets! Go to my friend's blog to read a review of it.

I got a parking fine on Saturday. Dammit. Those parking wardens are so vigilant and always on the prowl. I parked at the National Stadium carpark and had forgotten to put parking coupons before leaving the car. Yes, I had truly forgotten! When I remembered that I had forgotten to put coupons, I was already in the dragonboat. Couldn't possibly get the whole boat to row back for me to put coupons! It was raining and I was hoping (against hope) that the wardens might have been put off by the rain. They're like flies you're unable to swipe off I tell you.

So anyway, that's me. Still alive. And yes, my mummy and daddy are coming back today!

Latched-Key

Yes, for five days, my sis and I are going to become latched-key children. Of course, our biological ages don't quite warrant the "children" label. But then, we're always our parents' children right? Heh.

My parents are jetting off to HK in a couple of hours for five days! It's like some love affair my family has with the territory you know. What led to this trip was really the incredible offer that SQ was having two weeks ago--$98++ per person (two to travel) to HK! My parents, having not been back to HK in a long time, then decided to go. Hell, their two tickets combined was cheaper than mine! In any case, I think my Dad is very excited because he hasn't been back to his place of birth in a long time. And my mum is getting all excited about the wet markets (I, like my mum, enjoy going to wet markets and imbibing the local flavour of life), the lovely scenery of Lantau and Macau, food and shopping. Incidentally, I didn't buy any clothes and shoes from HK this time! (I deserve some applause here for such a feat.)

Before my sis and I said goodbye to our parents as we were leaving for work this morning, we had all these instructions meted out to us. Remember to:

- Feed the dogs and change the water in their bowls (they are obviously afraid of coming back to two canine carcasses)
- Change the newspapers in the dogs' toilet. (Yes, of course. Even my dogs are smart enough to refuse to step on the newspapers once they've dirtied it. Now, why can't we ever train dogs to clean up after themselves????!!!!)
- Water the plants (my mum's precious mini-nursery which dots the apartment needs a lot of TLC. She would kill me if they all wilted after five days.)
- Check that the stove is switched off before leaving the house and going to bed (if you read in the newspapers of two sisters being gassed in their sleep, you know what happened)

So for the next couple of days, I won't have my morning freshly squeezed fruit juice lovingly prepared by my mum every morning before I go to work. *sob*

Yes, it makes me realise (very embarrassingly) what a kidult I am. And the exchange my sis and I had before we left for work:

Sis: So what are we eating for dinner?
Me: Don't know.
Sis: I'll call you when I get off work.

Ah, let's see how we two cope in the next couple of days. Say, someone should do a reality programme on kidults being left to cope on their own.

Watch this space!

Up & About

Thanks for everybody's concern and well wishes. I'm pretty much fine now. At least I hope so. Well, I didn't throw up what I ate for lunch today so that should be a good sign.

The only good thing that has come out of this bout of food poisoning is that I've lost weight. Over night, that is come Monday morning, my jeans became looser. Amazing. But then it's all water loss. Very soon, I'll put all the weight back on again.

And who needs colon irrigation once you have had a bout of food poisoning? My gut is clean as hell.

Anyway, my stomach doesn't seem to be rejecting food anymore. On Sunday night, it was rejecting even the medicine I was taking! For my stomach to be rejecting food is just about the greatest tragedy ever.

The DimSumDolly is up and about, alive and kicking again!!!!!!!

Food Poisoning

Back from an Easter getaway in HK. Had good fun except that I came down with a bout of food poisoning on Sunday evening. From Sunday evening to Monday afternoon, I threw up a total of 11 times and had the runs for the nth time. I almost thought I couldn't make it onto the plane. But a plane I had to catch and thankfully I was OK on the plane.

Anyway, am now back at work, with a whole lot of stuff screaming for my attention. I'm overwhelmed. I need to breathe. *help*

Wished I could write more, but work beckons!

Something's Wrong...

...with my blog. I don't know why the graphics are not loading. I don't know how to fix it either. :(

Something's wrong with my face too--the skin on my face and neck is in a horrible state. I've got eczema on my neck and a bad case of oil clots on my forehead. My mother's beautician is horrified at the state of my face after I went for a facial this evening. Clots, freckles, dry skin, wrinkles, eczema--everything a woman shouldn't have on her face--I have it all. From her horrified expression, I think I'm going to look like a 60-year-old by the time I reach 30 in 3 years' time. Fantastic.

Weekend Warrior

I really shouldn't do the weekend warrior thing. It's not very good actually. Yesterday, I went canoeing at Sentosa. It's actually outrigger canoeing--a sport I've yet to try so I decided to give it a go. Good fun, and pretty similar to dragonboating except you paddle on both sides on the outrigger canoe. Have to change sides after every 15 strokes. It's a team sport which requires six persons in the outrigger canoe.

So I spent the morning at the beach soaking in some sun, sea and sand. Very nice to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin.

Come evening, I had my tennis lesson together with my sis. I think I've no aptitude when it comes to tennis. I'm really quite crap at it despite several months of lessons. Ok fine, it's because I don't practise enough that's why I'm terrible at it. But I think there's something wrong with the wiring of my brain's neurons to my arms and feet. Can't seem to get the strokes and footwork correct. The tennis net suffers terribly every time I play 'cos I keep whacking balls into it. Argh.

Anyway, was so exhausted that I just collapsed in bed last night. In some ways, it's quite good 'cos I'm so tired that I sleep really soundly. But it's Mondays that really kill...

One More Pair

I bought another pair of shoes yesterday. But this time, I really needed it. Went to Queensway after canoeing and bought a pair of Nike running shoes. And oh, also two Nike Dri-fit tops for tennis, running and perhaps canoeing and dragonboating. The latter two sports I'm thinking of taking it up again.

My old pair of running shoes was falling apart...the sole was coming off and there was hardly any traction left. Even my Teva sports sandals fell apart yesterday. But I held back on buying a replacement as I don't need that as much as I need a pair of running shoes.

Aiyah, it's Monday again. But nevermind, this week is a short work week! Yipee! Why can't we have more public holidays???

Haircut

I'm so looking forward to having my hair cut this evening. I wished I knew how to cut my own hair! That way, I could save a lot of money on haircuts. The frequency in which I cut my hair is quite scary. Once every five weeks! 'Cos my hair grows so fast and I like to keep it short. Because of the natural waves in my hair, once it gets long, it tends to get all puffy. Makes me look like some Indonesian tai-tai who love having their hair piled high on their heads. I swear they buy hairspray in bulk. So anyway, while my hair probably doesn't appear that long (actually it isn't), it's just too thick, so I have to have it layered down.

But yeah, I see my hairdresser more often than I see some of my friends and relatives!

TGIF

Oh Friday!!!! I live for the weekends. I have a nice lunch to look forward to today. Birthday lunch treat by the company. My birthday was in November but when the November babies had their lunch treat at the Mezzanine I was in Beijing on a business trip. Argh...I missed out on a meal at Mezzanine!!!! But today's lunch isn't too bad either. It's going to be at the Marriot Hotel. Getting ready my stomach for a treat!

And I'm going for drinks tonight. Yipee!

But it's going to be a busy day at work today. Conference call to Beijing slated for 10.30am, then after lunch a long meeting with my boss.

Nevermind, I'm just looking forward to after-work hours!

Renewed Zest

For the first time in donkey years, I got up at 5.55am, changed and went jogging for about 20 minutes before getting ready for work. For some unknown reason, I have found a renewed zest for running. I used to run a lot when I was in junior college during trainings for canoeing and dragonboat. After those days were over, jogging was done sporadically. But for the past week and a half, I seem to have a lot of excess energy to burn. And all I want to do the moment I get home is to jog and work up a sweat. I mean I exercise pretty regularly with some swimming and tennis but at an intensity that's not high enough usually. Anyway, I hope to keep up the momentum. Maybe I should set myself a goal and start training for a half-marathon!

One Bag Up

Confession: I bought another bag over the weekend. I was at Century Square on Saturday afternoon with my colleagues and we stepped into the bag section of Metro. Five minutes after stepping in, I had set my sights on a mustard-coloured small tote bag which costs $15.90. Five minutes later, I was at the cashier but paid $14.90 instead �cos I could redeem some SMART dollar (I�ve no idea what that is, but she asked if I wanted to redeem it, so I�m like yah, why not?).

My colleagues and I then headed for the taxi stand to get a taxi to go to the UPS warehouse at Changi South Ave 2. The whole office was mobilised over the weekend for the annual stock-take. We were paid $100 for six hours of work. Easy money for work that required one only to know how to record numbers on stock sheets. The actual counting was done by the UPS employees. Easy money, but still I wouldn�t want to be stuck in a warehouse every week. Anyway, after we finished at 9pm, nine of us headed off to the airport for some Swensen�s ice cream. I had my fill of Sticky Chewy Chocolate which is my favourite flavour there. Yummers.

So anyway, one more bag to add to my stash. And I�m using it today! :)

The Week Past

A rather uneventful weekend. Well, actually last week wasn't tttoooo bad. On Thursday night I went to watch a concert at the Victoria Concert Hall. It was a performance by the students at the Yong Siew Toh Music Conversatory. The highlight was a Hadyn cello concerto. Can't remember which one it was now but the whole concert was pretty good. A friend had free tickets and knowing that I like the cello, very kindly asked me along.

Friday night, had dinner with an old friend. We were at Olio Dome at Wheelock Place. But after the meal there, we've since decided that we'll only go there for sandwiches in future 'cos the rest of the food has just gone down in standards. My friends spaghetti was not properly blanched and she had such a hard time chewing it. I convinced her to have it sent back to the kitchen. I've no faith in the kitchen there after seeing how most of the cooks are below the age of 20!

But we were accorded a view of the Chingay floats (which were for the most part ugly) and performers as we sat by the window of the restaurant. That's probably the only thing I like about Olio Dome at Wheelock--sitting by the window and watching the cars and people go by below. Nice to just sit down, have a sandwich and read.

And after that we watched Million Dollar Baby which was good, but sad. Powerful performances by Hilary Swank and Clint Eastwood.

On Saturday I was like a sick cat. Because of an excessive amount of my collie's fur in my room, I started having a sneezing fit which knocked me out for most part of the day. Thankfully I felt well enough by the evening to go to a friend's housewarming party. She has just moved into an apartment with her boyfriend so the doors were opened for a booze-filled night. But I'm not a good drinker, so I only downed a bottle of Corona Beer.

Sunday, as usual, was a lazy one. I usually like to chill out at home with my books, go for a swim/jog/play tennis. Yesterday, after not having done so in a long while, I took my book with me to MacRitchie Reservoir Park and just sat there and read. Lovely. I should do that more often. It's just absolutely relaxing with the greenery around and the cool breeze blowing. That's one of the things I love about where I live--being within walking distance to MacRitchie.

Anyway, time to leave the remaining weekend sentiments behind and start on another week!

Appraisal Lunch

I�m stuffed. Had a very filling lunch at Pasta Brava. The occasion? Well, it was my appraisal lunch. I was allowed to pick the lunch venue so of course I wouldn�t shortchange myself by going to some hawker centre. I mean after all, we HAD to have a conducive environment to talk over this all-important matter. Heh.

Had a mixed salad with pesto dressing as a starter, then the homemade calleloni with lamb (thankfully tasted better than Al Dente!) and then their lovely tiramisu for dessert. I think I can just about skip dinner. I ate as much as my boss who�s a guy! Very terrible, right?

Generally we concurred on the matters raised by my own appraisal of myself and mostly everything�s good. Phew. My boss said I should be more generous with myself in terms of my evaluation of my own performance. But since my salary increment is already in place, it doesn�t matter this year. Come next year, I�ll learn to bump myself up a few notches and sing my own praises more. Modesty isn�t the best policy in this instance. Throw the Asian mentality out of the window!

Too Much of a Good Thing

So I've been indulging in too much New Year goodies and am now feeling a little weird in the nose. Too many deep-fried and baked foods which are too "heaty" in nature, resulting in the soon-to-fall-very-ill feeling. Argh.

On another note, my new laptop at work is arriving this afternoon. The old one decided it needed to retire last week and indicated its desire by giving me a black screen and these few words: Operating System Not Found.

Thankfully, I've backed up my files. Phew!

Anyway, I spent yesterday spring-cleaning my room. Decided to let go of sentimentality and threw out lecture notes from my undergrad days, an old textbook and clothes. Arranged my wardrobe, tidied my desk (it hasn't been so empty and clear of stuff in a long while!) and just tidied the room all round. Feels good now. In feng shui terms, more chi is now flowing into the room!

I also spent a fair bit of Wed & Thur watching a HK drama serial which my sis rented on DVD. Now that I know HK better, it's much more fun watching the serials now as I know the place names and can even identify certain areas! Haha.

And as my Friday appeal to the government, we should increase the number of public holidays in Singapore. We definitely should have more work weeks like this one.

The Future Runaway Bride

Dear Prospective Husband-to-be,

You know I love you dearly, but if in the event I leave you standing at the altar on the morning of the day we solemnise our marriage, please do not think I've become a runaway bride. Rest assure that when I choose to marry, it's for keeps.

But please, I beg you my love, never to schedule such an important and life-changing event within a week after I return from a business trip involving late nights (read: socialising and drinking) and early mornings (read: meetings and presentations). You see, it takes me at least a week to recover from the accumulated fatigue and sleep debt incurred.

You certainly wouldn't want a repeat episode of what happened on Saturday when a friend of mine registered his marriage. Thinking that I could wake up in time for his ceremony at 10:15am, I didn't set my alarm as I thought I'd give it and myself a break from each other.

But guess what? Your wife-to-be, yours truly, really had a lot of beauty sleep to catch up on, and ended up waking up at 9:34am. And that was only because someone from a tuition agency rang my mobile asking if I would be interested in teaching a Primary 2 kid who lives in Toa Payoh. Imagine my horror when I saw the time on the phone after I hung up!

So your dearly beloved rushed to get ready at breakneck speed--showered, dressed, slapped on make-up and sped out of the house at 10:15am, flagged down a taxi and made it to the Registry of Marriages JUST in time to witness the solemnisation ceremony.

When I arrived fashionably late, my friend said to me, "Hey, this is MY wedding you know!!! " To which I replied, "Yes, thank goodness it's yours and not mine!"

The whole ceremony was pretty uneventful though. Everything was over and done with in five minutes. Pretty tacky actually. The Justice of Peace mutters a few sentences, and then the couple are pronounced man and wife. It's like a factory churning out married couples! Honey, let's make sure we don't have to go through something like that! An exchange of vows out in the open field, facing the beach/marina would be most lovely.

So darling, don't say I didn't warn you!

XXXOOO

Kidult

The Mother clarified, rather indignantly, this morning when I was still in a zombified state of mind that it was she and not my grandmother's maid who helped tidy up my room. To set the record straight, she said Nora was only responsible for the painting of the two walls!

Yes, I, like many other single friends of mine who still live with our parents, are like adults who suffer from some Peter Pan syndrome of sorts. We still depend on our parents to cook for us, tidy up etc. We're called 'Kidults'--biologically an adult but hardly so in many other aspects of our lives!

Anyway, thanks Mummy!!!!

My Cheery Room

I was pleasantly surprised when I got home last night to find the walls of my room with a fresh coat of pastel yellow paint. Lovely! I've always wanted it and now it looks so cheery and bright! Many thanks to my family and my grandmother's maid who I think did most of the work. She also very nicely packed the books, CDs, bags and papers sprawled around my room. Eeeks. Which reminds me--I should do some spring-cleaning for the Chinese New Year. Throw out old stuff and make way for the new!

Copper Red Highlights

Arrived in Singapore only at 11:30pm and by the time I got home, it was past 12mn. My boss very kindly granted me (and himself) the day off today so I'm at home unpacking and resting, in preparation for Reality to strike and attack tomorrow.

But on waking up and looking into the mirror, I found my hair a little too thick for my liking, so off I went to the hairdresser's to have a haircut. While I was there, I also decided to add copper red highlights. Chinese New Year so must go for something red. Heehee.

Bye Hong Kong!

These two weeks away from home has been a blast! Yes, it was a working holiday, and I had to sit through my fair share of boring speeches and meetings, but still I'm not complaining.

In the 11 days I've been in HK (including the one day pitstop I made before flying to Beijing), I've grown to love this city. I've discovered that there's so much more to the city than what the usual three/four-day tourist usually sees. Will write more of that another time.

This has been a most wonderful trip for various reasons:

1) Staying at a nice hotel
2) Eating a lot of good food
3) Getting to know my colleagues better
4) Meeting colleagues from other countries
5) Getting to know new spots in HK
6) Meeting up with friends Joe & Keith

Speaking of the two, I'm off to meet them now before I fly off this evening. It'll be a long while before I meet them again so I have to say goodbye. Sigh...parting is such sweet sorrow.

Well, I'm definitely going to miss this place!

Great Party!

Accuse me of anything, but never of bad fashion sense. Yours truly was one of two nominees last night for Best Dressed Female. Heh. Frankly, I was caught by surprise. Like there I was at my seat, happily watching the MC on stage announce the two nominees for the Best Dressed Males and making them do a catwalk to the tune of Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy", when he suddenly announces my name as the first nominee for the female category.

And I'm like "Huh? Me???" In any case, I gamely strutted up on stage, did a few turns and went back to my seat. Oh yes, forgot to mention my attire. I was wearing this cheongsam top which had a sheer black layer over a green floral embroidered pattern and black flowy pants. This cheongsam top is probably one of my best buys ever. I bought it for about $42 in Singapore three years ago, and it has seen me through various weddings and dinner functions. Of course, I make sure I don't repeat the attire with the same people. This is now becoming a little difficult to keep track now! I guess it must be time to give the cheongsam top a rest and dig it up again in like 10 years' time!

Anyway, I lost out to my competitor 'cos she did a very raunchy catwalk to the song. Me not sexy enough lah. Still, I maintain that I was the prettier and better attired one. ;p

The food at the dinner was pretty good. We had a ten-course Cantonese dinner. But having had enough of such rich food for the past couple of days, I couldn't stomach much more. Many others at the same table probably felt the same or it's because they aren't used to the cuisine (being from different countries), and so a lot of food went to waste. Quite terrible actually.

The lucky draw prizes were fantastic. There were 20 prizes to be won. All were good prizes, with designer bags and watches being some of the items. But the top five prizes left me in envy of the winners. The 1st prize was a pure gold coin! The next four were a mini iPod (aaahhhh!!!!!!!!), a Canon IXUS 40 (aaaahhhhh!!!!), a Burberry handbang and another digital camera.

After all that was over and done with, the dance floor was opened to everyone. It was a retro night of sorts...'cos the music reminded me of Mambo Night at Zouk. Those less inclined to dance made their way out of the ballroom for more drinks. But I danced the night away with other colleagues of mine.

Great party it was!

Party Time!

I had a 8.30am meeting today and it was terribly hard dragging myself out of bed on a Saturday morning. But drag myself I did. I was half-dead during the meeting, though the meeting room was lovely with its clear glass windows surrounded by trees and overlooking the sea. Thankfully, I needed only to stay for the editorial part of the meeting which lasted till lunch.

After lunch, I went back to my room and decided to visit the health spa in the hotel. I trotted off and indulged in the steam bath and after that a nice warm shower under the big shower heads. Oh boy, did that feel good or what??? I returned to my room, thoroughly happy, and took a much needed nap.

At 4.15, my roommate woke me up (it was a good nap!) and the both of us started getting ready for our company dinner party tonight.

So now, I'm all dolled up, waiting only for 6pm to come where everyone will gather and head to the party venue.

It's going to be a fun night! :)

Stuffed

Anyone looking for good food should just forget about going to The Peak Lookout Restaurant at The Peak in HK. Don't, especially, have a big group of about 40 or more dine there.

I was there last night for my company division's annual dinner. I ordered a Lamb Rump which came with a mushroom risotto and two pumpkin fritters. I mean the food was mediocre but I left half my food untouched. The risotto was just too buttery for my liking. The only thing I enjoyed about the place was the ambience--lovely view and nice live, slow soothing jazz.

Anyway, it's a series of late nights and early mornings, and I definitely have the eye bags and dark eye rings to show for it! But I'm not complaining--it's been very good fun! Best of all, since this annual sales meeting is, for the most part, for the sales and marketing personnel, me being on the editorial side of things, can just have my bodily presence in meetings. The lack of a spiritual presence doesn't do much harm! Heehee.

The company's been stuffing us with food. Barely two hours after breakfast we have a morning tea break where there are some snacks. It's as if we're all pigs getting fattened in order to be slaughtered for a huge feast.

Okie...time to trot off for breakfast!

Needle's Going Right!

That's the needle on the weighing scale. So yes, as a sure sign that I HAVE, indeed, been chomping my way around HK (and Beijing before that), I have found (to my chagrin) that my pants have become tighter!

My Stomach's Cantonese

I could eat all the wonderful cuisines of the world, but I think nothing beats good old Cantonese fare for me. After a few days of eating northern Chinese food which is for the most part spicy, and the staple is usually noodles or some kind of pancake, I had to eat some Cantonese food.

And so I ended up at the restaurant in the hotel. I know, a little extravagant, but nevermind. It was a matter of life and death.

I ordered the Soup of the Day, which was very tasty. I love Cantonese soup. A meal is not complete without it (my mummy makes great soups)! Then I ordered this bowl of rice-soup with bits of mince pork, vegetables and dried scallops in it. Not fanciful, but very yummy nonetheless. Just what I needed after all the spicy food I had eaten in the previous meals. Northern Chinese cuisine is spicy because the chilli helps to keep warm, which is definitely helpful in the blistering cold temperatures. But my stomach's just not used to it.

I had to have rice too. I had had enough of noodles and pancakes/crepes. For dessert, I had the Peanut Soup (Far Sang Hu). But this wasn't done very well as I found it too milky. I felt like I was drinking Milo or something. I can't wait to go to HK to eat some authentic Cantonese desserts!

Blogging from Changi

And this is why Singapore's Changi Airport is one of the best in the world--free internet access!

Am blogging from the departure lounge. In a couple of hours I'll be meeting up with Chungking and UrbanNomad, and it's going to be a fun night! We're going to watch a performance by a Chinese Australian gay artiste...I think it's a standup comedy. It's part of the Fringe Festival that's going on in HK at the moment. It looks like it's going to be a hoot.

Anyway, am off to throng the duty-free shops!

Leaving on a jet plane�.

Yep, that�s me! In about 8 hours� time, I�ll be on a plane to HK where I�ll be staying for a night and then making my way to butt-freezing cold Beijing on Sunday. I�ll be in Beijing till the 21st, after which I�ll be heading back to HK until the end of the month.

Away from home for 2 weeks! Yipee! But it�s not fun and games really. This is a work trip. So it�s not going to be lalalala all the way.

Still, it�s nice to get out of Singapore into a different environment. Helps me stay sane. Might have time to blog while I�m away since I�ll probably be stuck in my hotel room at night writing reports. That's the boring part!

One Down

Had dinner with my ex-classmates from JC last night. I was fashionably late--but for a good reason. I had to work late. Anyways, it's been nine years already! Gee. To think that nine years ago this time of the year, we were all students from various secondary schools and we were all having fun, still caught in the orientation mood.

Anyway, nine years on, yesterday's meeting was for one of the girls to officially announce her wedding plans. It's like we've known about it for the longest time (one year and a bit ago) but it's only now that she has gathered everyone together to make THE announcement. It was a bit of an anti-climax really, since everyone already knew what was coming. A bit DUH actually. But anyways, it was still a night of laughs and reminiscing AND bitching. About people we have always found annoying of course.

So yah, one down. And how many more to go? Not many.

Depressed...

...'cos I look absolutely hideous!!!!!!

The skin on my face, is peeling due to the sunburn. The nose is particularly bad.

boohoohoo. :(

If only I could take MC for the rest of the week!

Let's Do the Twist

My boss once said that editors don't have a very good job because all we do is bring bad news to people we work with pretty much all the time. If you interact with me on a professional level, you'd be loathed to receive emails from me. I know I would. Hee.

What do I mean? Well, let me explain.

- An email to my authors usually means I need them to make some correction/revision in the manuscripts they've turned in. Or even worse, asking them to write extra material. Something which might make some go ballistic.

- Emails to my designer usually dictates having to make changes to the layout and design of the book. God knows how many such emails have been flying between us requiring such changes. Otherwise it would be me rejecting their design and asking for new ones to be submitted. Of course it's all in my capacity to do so as a client, but I sometimes feel really bad. But it's just too bad if what they're turning in is crap.

It's terrible having to break bad news to people. I hate having to be the one to do so, but that's my job. It's probably come to a point where any email from me to them is a harbinger of bad news (at least to them).

But hey, I do bring good news too. For example, I can tell authors that the money has been remitted to their account! That usually cheers them up.

In any case, bringing forth bad news requires a certain play of words. I've found myself using a lot of modals ever since I started this job (FYI, modals in English grammar are words like "should, could, would, might, may"). They serve to soften the impact of the demand ('cos that's really what it is!). So the emails and comments I send at work are peppered with phrases like:

"perhaps you might want to think about this..."
"do you think you could do...."
"could you possibly..."
"probably you could do this..." [probably usually translates into "you have to!"]
"maybe this might be better..."
"I was thinking perhaps this might be a better method...."

It's like a word game. Twist your words and you can twist people's arms. But note, authors are good at this too. Many times, I get arm-twisted and backed into a corner as well!

Weekend Warrior

Yes, that's what I am. It's a term coined to describe people who don't do much exercise from Mon - Fri, but come the weekend, and they engage in sports. This can be harmful though, 'cos the body isn't used to such activity throughout the week, and suddenly it's being subjected to such "harsh" treatment.

I went wakeboarding this morning. Pretty happy 'cos I managed to steer myself in both directions, in and out of the wake. The last time I only managed to go right. Now I can go left too! Yipee! Quite exciting. But got a bit sunburnt. Ouch.

Then 2 hours after I got home from wakeboarding I went to play tennis with my sister. One hour of playing between the two of us, and the second hour we had our tennis lesson.

Anyway, am exhausted. Am going to call it an early night!

Reviewed

Ah, it's Performance Review time. I'm glad that my company, unlike some, make the criteria in which employees are being assessed, open to all. I know of companies which don't, something which I think is unfair because it doesn't give the employee a chance to defend him/herself in event of a negative review given by the his/her manager. Someone who works in a company which practises such nondisclosure told me that (in the case of her company) the company does this because the managers are uncomfortable about confrontation and don't like having to talk to their subordinates about such things.

Sounds to me like a typical Asian mentality where having such feedback is deemed more as a grading exercise meant to find only faults. While I don't deny it's a grading exercise of sorts, I think it'd be good to take this more positively and see it as an opportunity for growth and improvement. Of course it helps very much if one has an approachable manager, as I do, and for which I'm thankful for.

Anyway, now the hard part is assessing one's self. Apart from being assessed, I have to do a self-review too. I don't suppose one should do the typical Asian thing of being too modest in this case. Heh.

2005

So I spent New Year's Eve first at a wedding dinner of a friend from uni, then at a house party of a friend's friend for the countdown. Got a little high (but not drunk) at the latter venue what with the all the booze. Downed some beer and red wine.

Anyway, I really hate attending wedding dinners. They always start late, despite my always being punctual, there are always irritating and rude Singaporeans who have to arrive late and delay the starting of the dinner.

At the house party, my three friends and I reflected upon the year past. We thanked our lucky stars and felt blessed to be safe and sound in Singapore considering the devastation that has struck so many nations. While ushering the new year, we also gave thought to the people affected by the calamity.

I don't want to make any resolutions as I don't seem to be able to keep them. I'll just go with the flow and see where life takes me. Too lazy to think so much for now.

Let's hope 2005 will be a better year for the world.

Argh....

A little too much booze....

Popiah Party

I have to give a big shoutout to Dawn, a good friend from uni, who invited me to her church on Christmas Eve to join in the dinner party they had that night. Thanks to you and Leonard for the gifts dear!

Christmas Day was another food-filled day. Went for dimsum in the afternoon with my extended family. Carlton Hotel's Wah Lok restaurant serves pretty good dimsum and it was packed. Dimsum is best eaten when there are many people at the table 'cos that way you'll get to try many of the dishes. Dimsum's no fun when there are only two people. You don't enjoy much of the variety available. I liked their fong zao (chicken feet), charsiew bao (roast pork buns) and steamed lor bak gow (steamed carrot cake) best.

After a satisfying lunch, my cousin and I took a short walk just up the road to the Singapore Art Musuem to view the Botero exhibition. The museum showcased his paintings and smaller sculptures. The larger than life-sized ones are all around the Esplanade Park and the surrounding area. I've seen most of those. Because it was a public holiday yesterday, entry fees to all the museums were also waived. Yipee! Then again, it isn't that expensive to enter either. Only $3. Which is good really, 'cos I don't believe that art should be so inaccessible to the masses.

Fernando Botero stands by this principle too. Hence his art is not abstract and baffling. People can relate to his paintings of curved, round figures, and the everyday scenes he portrays--a nude woman in the bathroom or undressing in her bedroom, a couple dancing, a man and woman at a dining table, a picnic etc. The colours he uses are often bright and cheerful, often lifting the spirits of the viewer and inviting them to take a closer and longer look.

In the evening I headed off to overacuppa's place for dinner. Her mum had prepared popiah and we had a lot of fun preparing our own popiah. Your mum's popiah is the best overacuppa! It was an enjoyable conversation-filled evening with other friends of ours and overacuppa's family. Lovely.

So that was my Christmas. Was asked by another friend if I wanted to head down to a bar but I was just too tired to do so. Got home at about 11.30pm and promptly hit the sack.

Battle-scarred

Any directors looking for someone to play the part of an abused wife can give me a ring. I certainly look the part now, what with all the bruises all over my body. I don't even need any special makeup or effects! I'm blue, black and red all over.

The cause of this? Paintball.

This afternoon i went to play paintball with some colleagues at the Orchid Country Club. Paintball is like a game of combat warfare which requires strategy and teamwork. There are two teams and the objective is to first shoot down two targets that are stacked on barrels. After having shot down the two targets, the team then has to try to bring this box which is in front over to their end of the field. There is a box on each side of the field but the two boxes are right in the middle of the field. There's also hardly any cover up front. But in the midst of all these, you must avoid being shot by the opponent. The game is over when a team brings their box over to their end first.

Each team never crosses over to the other side. You always stay on your own side and you can hide behind barrels, or some barriers to avoid being hit and also to play sniper. If someone hits you while you're running with the box, you have to drop the box, run to the shed, touch it and then come out again.

We all have guns filled with paintballs. These are tiny balls filled with paint. If you get shot by one, you're supposed to put your hand up (to indicate that you're down), run to this little shed where the referee is, touch the shed, and then you can go back into the field again. These paintballs shoot out of the gun at great speeds (300 feet per minute or was it per second???) and if you get hit by one, it hurts a lot!!! Not to mention all the paint that splatters all over you upon impact!

Anyway, i got hit a lot today 'cos i was the one in charge of running for the box and bringing it to the far end. I was the youngest and most nimble (supposedly) in my team hence I got tasked to do it. Everyone in the opposing team targeted me the moment I went for the box! I'm full of bruises now! It's so bad, it's not even funny.

The game's very tiring too as there's lots of running involved and the gun's quite heavy too! I didn't bother with my gun while running for the box. It would only have slowed me down because of its weight. I abandoned my gun (something prob a good soldier should never do) and ran for the box, all the while trying to dodge bullets while my teammates tried to cover me by shooting the opposing team. The paintballs rained down on me the moment I laid hands on it. *whack* *smack* *splat*

I've got a red patch at the side of my neck and it looks like a hickey! Believe me, I'd much rather it had been one--at least the process of getting it would have been much more pleasant. Man, this hit was BAD. For one thing, the skin on the neck is pretty thin compared to the arms and legs so this bruise is pretty bad. Ouch.

OK, I must admit that this is, for the most part, my own doing. I had been told to wear long sleeves but I didn't 'cos I didn't have any long sleeve shirts. I was told to wear long pants, but wasn't told that it should be made of very thick material. My suggestion, to anyone who might be going in the future, is to wear really thick denim jeans, or some thick cargo pants. For the guys, you might want to consider wearing your army combat wear. I laughed at a guy who was wearing it in the team playing before us. But now, looking at myself, it was a smart move on his part! Oh yes, wrap a towel/scarf or whatever you can find around your neck too! Getting whacked on the neck with the paintball is no joke. Anyway, I think this is as close as I'm going to get to combat and the handling of a gun.

In sports, you also get to see a person's character. Some people are more cautious, some just pure scaredy cats, afraid of getting hit by the paintballs, while others like me throw caution to the wind and just charge forward right from the very beginning! That's what you should do in this game really. Better to charge up front early in the game when the opposing team is also moving forward, than to inch your way forward 'cos it just gets harder later when everyone has taken their positions and starts shooting. I think I might have been a bit too garang (a Singaporean slang for being full of bravado) and now I have the battle scars to show for it. Ouch ouch ouch!

I'm so tired now. But it was good fun even though I'm so badly wounded. This means no short sleeve or sleeveless tops and no shorts for me in the next two weeks or so!

Karoke Night

After a night of karoke with Fatgirl, Overacuppa, and her friend who's visiting from Germany, I'm surprised I managed to crawl out of bed and make it to the office at 8:18am. A good 12 minutes before the official starting time of 8:30am.

Well, I'm a stickler for punctuality. All my friends know that and so they're usually not late, or even if they are, not tttoooo late 'cos they know I'll pissed off big time if they are!

Anyway, Fatgirl is the undisputed karoke queen in our group. All of us play second fiddle to her! She knows tons of songs and can sing the house down. She's our D-I-V-A!

I'm going for paintball in the late afternoon with a group of colleagues. We're all ready to kick some butt and shoot some paint! Woohoo!

Wrong Addressee

At work today, I sent an email to the wrong addressee. Thank god I didn't write anything offensive (not that I do lah)! Tried using the recall function--it doesn't work! Apparently it only works if I send to someone within the company. Duh.

Anyhow, have to look twice now before clicking on that "Send" button!

Nightsoil Collector

I feel like I'm taken on another vocation as a nightsoil collector. Yes, you read it right--a person who picks up someone's shit, 'cept this is not really a person per se.

You see, my two dogs sleep in my room every night. If I don't let them enter my room come night time, they'd bark the house down. I've tried shutting the door on them, but they're pretty obnoxious about it. They've staked their claim to the room too!

Anyway, my poodle, Pepe, has problems controlling his urinal and bowel movements due to his spinal injury. Because of that, I almost always find 'gold nuggets' under my bed every morning. It's become a ritual for me to check under the bed for 'treasure' every morning when I awake. I'm usually rewarded for my efforts.

Sometimes, in the wee hours of the night, my nostrils are tingled by 'aromas' emanating from below. It's so nice-smelling that I cannot NOT wake up. On weekday mornings in my half-awoken state of mind, I have to 'harvest the treasure', get rid of it, and then mop the floor.

So yeah, that's the multi-talented DSD for you.

Wrong Judgment

I called a friend I hadn't spoken to in about seven months the other day. So it's the usual exchange of pleasantries like 'How are you?', 'What are you doing now?' etcetc.

Then he goes, 'So you're working?'

'Of course! What else do you think I'd be doing??? You think in the course of seven months I've become a tai-tai?? Stay at home and don't have to work? I wished!'

'Well, you have the look!'

'Are you kidding????' [me sounding incredulous]

'Yeah!'

'Umm, welll, thanks. But it's just the look! No bloody use for that!'

Anyway, I think my friend is completely wrong in his judgment. I'm probably one of the last persons on earth with the look of a tai-tai. No manicured nails, no alabaster skin, no jewellery to make me look like a chandelier and no designer labels or goods draped over me. I've no idea where he got the tai-tai idea from!

New Dentist?

A good friend of mine has been egging me to switch to her dentist instead. Or more specifically, her dentist's son. On her most recent visit to her dentist, she had the son attend to her instead because his mother couldn't make it at the appointed time.

After her visit to the dentist, she very eagerly told me to make the switch because Dr. L seems like a very nice guy to her. Not bad looking, educated, and pleasant. Perfect for me she says.

But imagine a guy knowing and studying the insides of your mouth before he even gets to know you as a person. What's more, he's poking horrific metal instruments into your mouth while you lie helplessly like a lab rat. Ooh, not my idea of the ideal first meeting!

I would have to pass on this one! But thanks for the thought my dear!

Customer Feedback

Friday night was a food-filled night.

Went to East Coast for a seafood dinner. The usual fare--prawns, Chilli crabs, black pepper crabs, steamed soon hock (that's a kind of fish, but I don't know what its English name), barbecued squid and a venison hotplate. I think the only dish I liked was the fish. The others were pretty mediocre. Anyway, it was an extended family dinner together with uncles, aunties and cousins.

After dinner, my sister, two other cousins and I headed off to Oscar's Cafe and Terrace at Conrad Centennial hotel for Round 2! Nah, actually it was just dessert. Oscar's is one of my favourite spots for dessert as they serve really good ones there. It's also a good place to just sit and chat. The service is good too.

Because of it's named after the famous Academy Awards, the desserts are all named after Oscar-winning films. We ordered a Casablanca and a As Good As It Gets. The former consisted of three scoops of ice cream--vanilla, passionfruit and stracciatella--served in a passionfruit mango sauce, topped with dark chocolate bits and pistachios. And it was here that I learnt that Stracciatella is really just a fancy name for Chocolate Chip ice cream.

As Good As It Gets contained of four scoops--raspberry sorbet, passionfruit, coffee and vanilla--served with some fresh raspberries. I had the Casablanca with one of my cousins and my sister had the As Good As It Gets with our other cousin. I enjoyed my ice cream (from Movenpick) but my sis and other cousin didn't really enjoy theirs too much. First they said that the raspberry sorbet was way too sour. I think it would have been good had it been served together with some dark chocolate. The other thing that really bothered them about the ice cream was the container in which it was served in.

It was like one of those big round champagne glasses. It was quite tall and had a deep trough. It made for very difficult eating because of the following reasons:
1) The seats were a wee bit low. So we being not THAT tall, felt a bit like hobbits trying to sit at the edge of the chairs to eat.

2) The spoons weren't long enough. They were just normal eating spoons and not those that had long handles.

3) The glass container was just too tall! The mouth of the massive cup was just too high and it dipped too low.

So anyway, my sis decided that we had to give some feedback to the management. After all, we're just being kind so that they can improve and serve their customers better. So we asked the captain over and told him that we found the chairs too low, the tables too high and the glass too tall and deep. Man, are we demanding customers or what?? Haha.

But I think it's alright to give feedback and we weren't mean about it. The manager also graciously accepted our comments and told us that he'd feedback our comments in their weekly meeting.

After I got home, I slotted the Whale Rider DVD which I had rented into the player and stayed up till 3am to finish it! Great film! Keisha Castle-Hughes puts up a sensitive and heartfelt performance as Paikea, an 11-year-old trying her best to win her grandfather's affection. The film also showcases the rich cultural traditions of the Maori race and at times I felt like I was watching a documentary. Anyway, definitely a recommended film.

Playing Host

I was a tour guide the night before last to a visitor from Sydney. T, a friend of dear Monkey, was over in Singapore for a three-day visit. I first met T when I was in Sydney in June, and found him to be a very polite and softspoken person. When Monkey told me T would be coming over and asked if I could play host, I had to say "YES" 'cos any friend of Monkey's is my friend too!

So after work, I met T at Amoy Food Centre and then brought him to Chinatown. I enjoy doing the tour guide thing. The good thing is that sometimes I discover new things too! As we walked around the Telok Ayer area, I discovered some new sculptures and some new spots of greenery just next to the Thian Hock Keng temple. Quite lovely.

At Chinatown, I brought T to the Sri Mariamman temple where we were lucky to catch some religious ritual going on. We then proceeded to the open-air eating spot at Smith Street for dinner. I bought all the local dishes for T to try. I made sure the dishes were stuff that couldn't be found in Sydney. I stayed clear off things like wanton noodles and charsiew rice/noodles 'cos those are typical Cantonese fare--something which is found in abundance in Sydney.

The rojak (left) was pretty good. It's like a Chinese salad. The black sauce is actually shrimp paste, mixed with lime juice and sugar. Rojak contains slices of cucumber, pineapple, turnip, tau kwa (some form of beancurd), bean sprouts and youtiao. The popiah (middle) however, was horrible. It was drowning in sweet sauce. That isn't the way popiah is supposed to be! It became too soggy. Yucks. The carrot cake, or what the locals call Cai Dao Kueh, was pretty good though. The radish cake had enough seasoning which made it very tasty. Maybe it's just a lot of MSG but what the heck. It tasted good and we were practically licking off the plate.

The satay was delicious! The meat was well marinated hence the yummy taste!

For dessert, T had ice-kachang and I ordered Cheng Tng. The night was warm and humid, so these two cooling and icey desserts were just the thing for the night!

I then brought T to the Esplanade where we managed to catch a piano recital by some young boys. While we were there, this boy of about 9 played the Christmas song Chestnuts Roasting (one of my favs!). His earnest playing touched my heart and I think the hearts of the people listening. It really was lovely.

At the Esplanade, I brought Tim to the library which boasts stylish interiors and a great view of the harbour. We then walked along the Esplanade promenade to the Esplanade Park which was dotted with Botero statues. Looking at the statues make me very happy 'cos they are so cute and fat.

T wanted to have a look at the grand old dame--the Raffles Hotel (below).

So we took a short walk there. He also wanted to try the famous Singapore Sling at the Long Bar and insisted on buying me a drink. I, of course, graciously accepted. Haha. We stayed at the Long Bar for a short while before I brought him to the last stop--Chijmes. Knowing T's fondness for architecture, I had to bring him there as the former school chapel is really quite lovely with its stained glass windows and the nice courtyards around it filled with people dining alfresco. Of course, it's nothing compared to the cathedrals and gothic churches in Europe but I think Chijmes is quite lovely in its own way.

One of things we talked about got me thinking.
'Am I any different from what I was when you met me in Sydney?" I asked.
'Yes, a little. You seemed more "Western" in Sydney," T said.
'Yeah? How so? What do you mean by more "Western"?'
'Well, maybe it's 'cos you were on holiday and you seemed more relaxed and open.'

Hmmm. I don't know really. Perhaps so. Perhaps what he said is true--I was more relaxed when I was on holiday and that came across as more "Western" to him. It's quite a nebulous term though. *ponder ponder*

Anyway, the night ended with me promising to go to Sydney again!

My Gift

I received a Sun Stick from The Body Shop. SPF 25 protection. The person who bought it must have realised that I have a lot of freckles on my face, and reminding me that I should take good care of my skin so as to prevent sun damage and premature ageing!

Christmas Lunch

My company's having their annual Christmas lunch this afternoon. It's supposed to be a potluck thing. Each department is in charge of bringing something. Being the lazy Singaporeans when it comes to cooking, I think everyone has paid someone else to do the cooking. I'll be running along to Subway with my colleague in about an hour's time to buy three or maybe four of those foot-long sandwiches.

Anyway, there's also going to be a gift exchange. Two weeks ago, we had to do this lucky dip thing and pick a name from the bag to see who you would be buying the gift for. It's supposed to be worth about $10.

Things I hate to receive:
1) Mugs (Boring!!! And I have no need for anymore! It's such a no-brainer. Mugs should only be gotten as the last resort.)

2) Air fresheners (I know a colleague bought this for another colleague 'cos I was there when she bought it!)

3) Photo frames (not unless they are supernice or super unique. But for $10? I doubt it.)

4) Some useless and ugly ornament. No cutesy stuff either please!

Things I wouldn't mind receiving:
1) A $10 voucher from Kinokoniya / Borders
2) A good book that somebody wants to get rid of. I don't mind recycled gifts.
3) Pens -- at least they're useful!

Anyhow, let's see what I'll receive later. I hope it'll be something I like! hee.

Sleepover

Ok, here goes the usual weekend recount.

Fri evening -- Overacuppa (aka tiggie) and I walked from my office to Raffles City to meet VanTan for dinner. Along the way, we walked through the Esplanade Park where we had a quick look at some of the Botero sculptures that are dotting the area from now till Feb. The trees and shrubs that lined the park made for a lovely walk, especially so when I'm stuck in an office most of the time.

After meeting VanTan, the three of us walked a little farther to the Soup Restaurant located at Seah Street. I had discovered this branch some months ago and decided to bring the girls there. We ordered the set menu for three which included the famous steamed ginger chicken, chilli prawns, broccoli & mushroom, soup of the day, and dessert. Dinner was really enjoyable, what with good food and good company. (Monoceros & Fatgirl: Wished you were there!) Anyway, we felt like bloated beached whales at the end of it all. Stuffed.

Saturday -- Went to the library in the morning to pick up the Peter Mayle book I reserved. After that, had lunch with my family and overacuppa (my family's becoming her surrogate family while her family members are away! ;p) at Dempsey Road. My home needs two new chairs, and we need something with a more Asian feel to it. I suppose my home's style can be described as modern Chinese with its blend of East & West. Anyhow, Dempsey Road is probably the best place to look for such furniture. Lunch at the Civil Service Club which is also located there was good. We had South Indian food complete with the traditional banana leaves which are substitutes for plates.

However, we didn't manage to find anything suitable. It's so difficult finding the right chairs! Argh.

At night, I went over to overacuppa's place for a video night. It was a mini-pyjamas party of sorts. Heehee. Earlier we had borrowed some VCDs and DVDs from Video Ezy after signing up as members. I can just picture myself patronising it very often from now on! There goes my money! And how stupid was I??? I packed my clothes, intending to put it into the new blue-coloured Nike backpack which my sis gave as a birthday present, but I left those clothes lying on the bed! I'm such an idiot. Ended up borrowing overacuppa's T-shirt and shorts for PJs.

We watched Under the Tuscan Sun where I drooled over the very delectable Raoul Bova and the scenery of Tuscan. The film really makes Tuscan weave its magical spell over the viewer. Arrghh....I so want to be in Europe!!!

We then moved on to Mansfield Park where we drooled over Jonny Lee Miller as Edmund Bertram. Frances O'Connor was good as the protagonist Fanny Price in this film adaption of the Jane Austen novel. Miss Austen is responsible for many a girl's broken dreams 'cos she had set the standard too high way back in the 19th century with heroes the likes of Edmund and Mr Darcy!

After the credits rolled, we tucked ourselves into bed but we didn't fall asleep. Instead, we chatted into the wee hours of the night, talking about anything and everything, from serious stuff to mindless stuff. Girl talk! Nice!

Sunday -- Woke up late of course. Overacuppa and I then had doujiang youtiao for breakfast. I then made my way home and I spent the rest of the afternoon reading. Was looking forward to tennis but the skies just had to open to spoil my fun! Hate the monsoons!

Ah well, and so begins another week!

King of Fruits

Just ate some D24 durians. It's one of those things which is a love-it or hate-it kinda thing. I happen to love it.

*burp*

My New Notebook

Taking monoceros' advice after I lost my slips of paper which I scribbled notes on, I went to buy a notebook. I'm going to bring this notebook with me whereever I go, so that I can scribble random thoughts in it whenever something strikes me.

I was deciding between buying this one and one which had a cover filled with vertical lines of different widths and colours. The latter was very classy and stylish. But I decided that I preferred this one. It's so diva-ish and so much more fun. I love it. I call it the Diva Dolly notebook.

And the best thing is that there's a tiny hole at the top right hand corner which allows me to slip my pen in. Neat! :)

Day Surgery

[Flashback]

About three months ago, a tiny cyst developed on DSD's upper right eyelid. She then went to see a doctor a month after the cyst appeared. The doctor told her to leave it as cysts can take quite a few months to disappear on its own. Failing which, minor surgery can be performed to have it removed. That was two months ago.

[Snap back to present]

9:45am: DSD lies nervously on the bed at the Raffles Medical Group clinic near her office, waiting for the same doctor to administer the anesthetic on her right eyelid. First a few drops of liquid anesthetic is applied into the eye to numb the inside of it. She feels a stinging sensation and her eye starts to water. Three minutes later, the doctor brings along a syringe and injects the numbing liquid into DSD's right eyelid. She flinches and squirms like a baby as the sting of the needle goes through the skin. She is then left lying on the bed with eyes closed waiting for the numbing effect to set in. The doctor goes out for awhile to attend to other patients. Meanwhile, DSD is freaking out at the thought of a knife going on her face! Eeeks! Will these cause her permanent disfigurement??? She's mortified at the thought, especially when she thinks her eyes are her best features. The vainpot that she is!

9:52am: The doctor comes in. He starts picking at DSD's eyelid with some instrument. Thanks to the anesthetic, she doesn't feel any pain. But still, she's freaking out all the same and has turned into jelly inside.

9:54am: "I'm done," says the doctor.
"Oh! That's all to it?" asks DSD.
"Yes."
"Phew!"

9:56am: The nurse comes in, applies some ointment to the wound. DSD leaves the surgery room, picks up the ointment she's to apply to her eyelid twice a day, and pays up at the counter.

10:07am: DSD steps out of the clinic, and she's all ready to face the world again. Sans a cyst.

*Meanwhile, she's praying fervently that there'll be no scars. This remains to be seen. Stay tuned for updates.

Burnt Weekend

The weekend was a burnt one. I didn't do anything fun! :(

On Friday night, I was at the office till 9.30pm and later went to a friend's place to watch the last few episodes of Season 4 of Sex and the City. I had already watched it, but one of my friends hadn't so the three of us just vegetated in front of the TV watching Carrie and co. But I was so exhausted from work that I fell asleep halfway.

On Sat, my grand plans for dragonboating, dinner with friends and later drinks at Equinox fell flat when I came down with a cold. I was knocked out for the whole day. The only accomplishment of the day was that I managed to edit one manuscript in the afternoon before the medicine took effect.

Sunday--still felt drowsy and tired. Went for my half-yearly dental checkup. I become a scared three year old whenever I'm at the dentist's. Those equipment scare the hell out of me. It's just scary and intimidating. While waiting for my turn, this teenage girl starts croaking along to the Black Eye Peas' Where is the Love? which was playing on the piped music. The song really isn't the easiest song to sing along to (save for the chorus)--I was glad when she was called into the room.

In the afternoon I had to spend some time editing a preface written by some Korean professors. Upon the first reading, I could tell immediately that it must have been a direct translation from Korean. It just sounded wrong.

From 2.30-4.30pm, I slept again. I've no idea why I was so tired. Must be due to the insufficient sleep I've had for the past two weeks. The body just accumulates this sleep debt. Felt like some grub curling up in a cocoon and just wanting to sleep all day long.

Anyway, the week ahead is going to be one filled with late nights at work. Deadlines and more deadlines to meet. Like woohoo! That's my very idea of fun!

Wine, Water & Wit

I went for my first wine tasting class on Saturday afternoon courtesy of a friend from uni who works as a journalist. She had an invitation for two and she very kindly asked me along. Thanks gal!

The class was perfect for a wine idiot like me. I seriously know zilch about wine. I drink wine (as in just sloshing it down one's throat) but I don't taste it. So like the speaker said, if one just does that, it would be cheaper to stick to beer.

So I learnt that "dry" just means "not sweet". Thank you very much! That just cleared a lot of clouds for me. I always wondered what that meant. Like how can something liquid taste dry?? I also learnt how the shape of the glass in which the wine is served in affects the taste. Oh yes, for the whites, usually the lighter the colour of the wine, the younger the wine. A deeper yellow would usually mean an older and richer (i.e. more flavours) wine. I think that's all I took away from the class because I had to leave a good 45min early before it ended.

I had to rush off to make it for a dragonboat session at Kallang. Yes, after having hung up my paddle ever since graduating from junior college which is quite a good number of years ago, I've decided to take up the sport again. A colleague of mine rows with the Australian team and so she asked me along. Compared to what I used to do, this is so relaxed and quite a social thing. Which is all quite nice. It's not all Aussies there though. There are Singaporeans, and people of other nationalities in the team. It's a potpourri of nationalities, which is somewhat reflective of Australia actually!

So yeah, those were pretty much the highlight of the weekend. Sundays as always, are lounge & laze days at home. I finished the last bit of Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim and promptly started on Me Talk Pretty One Day. It was raining cats and dogs for most part of the afternoon which was a bit of a drag 'cos my sis and I had to miss our tennis game because of it. Bummer.

Anyway, a little about what I feel about Sedaris since Adrian asked me about it. I love what I've read so far! I seem to be reading his books in the w