Today was one of those days where I had to dine all by my lonesome self (and in total misery, too) because all my colleagues had someone else better to dine with. So after forcing some food down between dramatic self-pitying sighs at the food court at Downtown East, I was dragging my feet back to the office when a wee long-haired girl of about 8 meandered close by.
Wee Girl: Cane Lane Tendons?
I wasn't sure if she was even talking to me so I slowed down and looked around. Ok, so no one else was nearby; then I looked at her quizzically.
Wee Girl: Cane Lane Tendons?
This time I ascertained she was looking at me, but I still couldn't figure out what she was mumbling about. Her older brother, I'd say he was about 10, was hovering behind her. Both were wearing black t-shirts, jeans, and had tags on lanyards around their necks.
Me: I'm sorry?
Wee Girl: Cane Lane Tendons?
I thought, I must be getting deaf or the generation gap is wider than I previously assumed.
Me: I don't understand what you're saying.
Wee Girl, a little bolder: Can you lend us ten dollars?
Good, I understood that! I'm not a dinosaur yet!
Me: Ten dollars? Why do you need ten dollars?
Wee Girl: We want to get home.
Me: Why do you need ten dollars to get home?
Wee Girl glances away: ...
Me: Where do you live?
Wee Girl: Ang Mo Kio.
Me: How did you get here in the first place?
Wee Girl: ...
Me: What happened to your money?
Wee Girl: Just now we had money, but now, I don't know.
Is this some sort of scam, I thought.
Me: What do you mean, you don't know?
Wee Girl: ...
Her big brother stops hovering and sort of saunters into the conversation now.
Me: Why do you need ten dollars to get home? If you take the MRT to Ang Mo Kio it won't cost that much.
Big Brother: Where is the MRT station?
Me: If you walk out of here in this direction (I indicate it with my arm) you'll see it. It's walking distance.
Big Brother turns to Wee Girl: Ok, we'll go to the MRT.
They both turned away from me in a bid to inform me that my presence was no longer required.
What a strange episode!
I’m sitting here in front of my dusty laptop, trying to sieve through the muck in my head for a shining nugget of significance to blog about. Well, needless to say, I’m not even close to succeeding.
Someone once told me, and very seriously too, that I was frequently in a world of my own. When my thoughts start to move inwards and I get caught up in the whirlwind of my experiences and fantasies, I get quickly (and gleefully) transported to fantastical far-flung locales that probably don't exist.
Now that I think about it, my thought patterns seem to vacillate between fulfilling a singular task with great concentration and letting a violent flood of random ideas overcome me. Left on my own, my thoughts pile atop each other and amalgamate into a swirling mesh of conflicting emotions – maybe that’s why I’m known to be moody (or psychotic depending on whom you ask).
Right now the babble in my head has somewhat abated into a low genteel murmur. I suspect it has to do with the comforting quiet of an overcast but cool Monday afternoon at home. Only a few issues stand out – the upcoming Christmas program, my Romans assignment, the videogame I’m currently engaged in, where to go for dinner…
So here’s to savoring a moment of respite before the madness starts up again.
I was SO looking forward to having the spanking new camera in my grubby hands by now, but let's just say the transaction didn't sail through.
I am quite disappointed; but it's because it's hard to come down from my own excitement at what I thought would be a straightforward purchase. However, I have no qualms about patiently waiting and looking out for a good deal to come my way.
It's not like I absolutely have to have it this instant.
In the meantime, I guess it's back to living vicariously through those who do own the camera I want - and I suppose more research can't hurt, right? :)
Well, I've gone and done it.
After the past weeks of reading every bit of information I could scour from the Net till the wee hours of the morning (now you know the truth behind why I'm taking so long to recover from this dumb flu), I've made arrangements to purchase a new camera tomorrow evening.
The past months with my Casio have been very rewarding. I've enjoyed taking nearly 2000 shots with it already! But it's time to expand my knowledge and skill beyond what this little camera can offer. So it's finally off to the big bad world of dSLR where the big boys play.
A new experience beckons - and I can't wait to take my first fledging step!
Sounds suspiciously like health-nuttism propaganda, doesn't it? Unfortunately, it's nothing quite so dramatic, but rather, just great food that's priced just right.
This little hang-out, located on the second floor of Century Square at Tampines, is tucked away at the corner of the 'Exclusively Hers' segment. Yes, I know, I know; I never knew about the existance of this gem myself since guys won't be caught dead in this part of the mall on their own, but I was shown the light by Nita so I no longer have any fear of treading onto the female domain.
The premises are small, but cosy and neat. The menu is not very varied but serves quality and innovative concoctions. Essential oils, dried fruits and nuts, and very clever homemade sauces feature prominantly on the attractive menu - everything edible is all organic, of course.
The starter of the ironically-named 'Diet Salad' already set the tone for the meal. Fresh greens tossed with bell peppers, nuts, dried fruits, tomatoes, cucumbers, alfafa sprouts and fresh strawberries in a creamy yoghurt and cottage cheese dressing all came together beautifully in a deliciously hearty and substantial serving. This ain't no fine dining stalk-of-celery-drizzled-with-olive-oil. It's a complete meal in itself.
The grilled salmon was served in a creamy sweet mango sauce with fresh cubed fruits and vegetables. My compliments to the chef! It sounds strange, but there's nothing strange about good tasting food. And when it's also healthy, well, that's a rare experience you shouldn't turn down.
Ambience: 4 out of 5
Food: 4.5 out of 5
Price: 4 out of 5
Overall: Highly Recommended!
The Internet is a dangerous entity.
For instance, my continuing research for a suitable camera to upgrade to has led me down paths I had no wish to tread, and from which I can't turn back from either (that's just a fancy way of saying I'll need to spend more than what I had originally intended).
In the same breath, if not for the dastardly Internet, I would probably have made some very uninformed choices which would have resulted in some undeserved usage of some very precious (and scarce) dollar bills.
Can't live with it, can't live without it... *sigh*
Sounds familiar eh?
Lunch today was at a faux-luxurious Chinese restaurant by the Harborfront. Like all buffet lunches it was a typical exercise in unnecessary bloatism (yes I made this word up) but that's not the focus of today's entry.
After we had waddled back to the car between burps and made our way down countless dizzying ramps to the exit, we discovered that there was a long line. Actually there were two lines since there were two exit points, but for some reason, both cars were just sitting at the cashcard reader. Either the system was down, or both the drivers had not topped up their cashcards. This resulted in a scenerio that looked something like this:
Goodness knows how long those in front of us had been there. We were too far back to be put into the diagram. There wasn't much we could do except to watch, wait, speculate and talk about our next meal. After a while, irate truck driver, as indicated in above expertly-sketched diagram, got out of his vehicle in a rage. We obviously couldn't hear anything he was saying since we were miles back, but from his body language it was pretty clear that he was seething. Oh, and that he slammed the door probably suggested that, too. He jabbed the air forcefully with his arms and his face was blacker than deepest space. He strode up to the front and, presumably, yelled some instructions at the drivers who, surprisingly, complied by performing some little maneuvering tricks to get out of the way. Both of the red-faced (I'm assuming) drivers sped off and the choke was finally cleared. Looks like both of them had not been monitoring their cashcard values after all.
Ah, hurray for technology.
Hurray for convenience because of technology.
And hurray for a lack of patience because of convenience.
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Drumming the table, the seconds tick by.
I'm thinking of Japanese food even though I've just had lunch.
A jumble of music notes wades through my mind's clutter.
I pick at my nails.
My 'To-Do' list stares back at me expectantly with a measure of repressed panic.
I avert my gaze, and walk defiantly away.
For now.
I found this dead butterfly on the way to work this morning. Somehow I felt a pang of sadness to see its lifeless body on the hard grey path.
Its outstretched wings caught the slight breeze and was dragged across the pavement in uneven little jerks. Even in death, it was still proud of the intricate beauty of its delicate wings.
At the very least, it caught my eye and made a final impression.
No agenda. No schedule.
Just meandering to where the moment leads.
Good food and company. A day to be savored and remembered.
Thanks.
We were at Temasek Polytechnic for lunch today, lured by the promise of cheap and good eats at one of their many food courts littered all over the campus. Lunch for me turned out to be a disappointing pseudo-Japanese meal, but I was impressed by the spacious school grounds, lush greenary and unique building designs.
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I spent a very enjoyable afternoon this past Monday in the historical Fort Canning Park at the fringe of town. As evening approached, the setting sun cast long shadows admist the lush foliage and created many atmospheric photo ops. Here's some of the scenery as seen through the eyes of my trusty cam.
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I'm one of those who likes putzing in the kitchen though my culinary abilities are pretty basic. And very often, I would be floored by the requirements to whip up a tasty dish. Serious cooks will tell you that good food is very serious business indeed - and you don't want to say otherwise to someone who can skilfully brandish a gleaming chopper.
Let's take the venerable century egg (or 'pei-dan' as lazy people call it), for instance. The famous myth is that it used to be prepared in horse's urine.
Mama: Xiao-ming! Where are you?
Xiao-ming: In the barn, mama!
Mama: What are you doing?
Xiao-ming: Eating these yummy little black eggs, mama. Are they for Halloween?
Curious Mama: Where did you get those?
Xiao-ming: I found them in the vat the horses pee into.
Grossed out Mama: Eeeeeeeeeeeeeek! You can't eat these! The mentally-challenged duck laid her eggs in there again!
Matter-of-fact Xiao-ming: But they're yummy.
Surprised Mama: They are? Let me try one. *nibble* Oh yeah, you're right. They ARE yummy!
Well that's not terribly plausible is it? So what's the alternative?
Step 01: Boil 3 pounds of tea in water
Step 02: Add 3 pounds of quicklime (7 pounds if it's winter time)
Step 03: Add 9 pounds of sea salt
Step 04: Add 7 pounds of ashes of burnt oak finely grounded
Step 05: Mix above well with wooden spatula
Step 06: Cover 100 duck eggs with mixture
Step 07: Roll eggs in straw ashes
Step 08: Place eggs in baskets with balls of boiled rice
Step 09: Wait for 3 months (or 100 days)
Now please tell me WHO could have come up with steps and ingredients like those if not someone who took their cooking classes very, very seriously?
I love century eggs, but I would never in a million years have been able to concoct that recipe even if my life depended on it. I guess that takes what one would call mad genius?
There are many important things in our lives that we need to protect - our sanity, our home and family, our investments, the last tub of B&J in the freezer. But did you know that above all of these, you need to protect the toothbrush that scours your pearly whites everyday?
Ever since I horrifically chanced upon an obese cockroach doing the macarana on my toothbrush one late and fateful night when I absolutely had to go to the bathroom, I have been unable to put anything in my mouth without first wondering if any denizens of the night have had their vile way with it. 
So you can understand why I was over the moon when I came across this snazzy armor made especially for vulnerable toothbrushes. It comes with two high-tech suction cups on the back for easy attachment to the bathroom mirror and flips open like a clam when the toothbrush is lifted. Incidently, this also elevates any bathroom it graces to a bold new dimension.
Now I can carry out my daily ritual for maintaining top-notch oral hygiene in peace knowing deep down that my trusty toothbrush hasn't been sullied and molested by some 6 or 8 legged thing.
...for something to happen but nothing does.
The past two weeks of work and home have yielded nothing blog-worthy. No stinging interactions, no earth-shattering events, no jaw-dropping announcements, no revelatory pronouncements; nothing that I can use as fodder for my normally-hyper imagination. Oh sure, there were interesting moments aplenty but even those contained nothing I'd want to blog about.
Which leads me to this question: what do I want to blog about?
Up till now, it's been a mish-mash of threads in my life. A picture here, a conversation there, moments of greatness and weakness - tiny and frayed snippets, really, of me.
I never wanted this to be a blow by blow account of how I exist. There is so much more to life, isn't there, to just simply accomplishing what's next on the list? Somehow, identifying and capturing this other aspect of life is tough. Maybe that's why it's hard to define precisely what it is.
So what do I want to blog about? I still don't know - my life, my thoughts, my hopes and fears all rolled into one messy and confusing package?
Maybe that's all there is to write about.