Desired things.

When I was younger, I couldn't wait to grow up. Adulthood seemed to hold so many colourful, exciting things that were out of reach of my tiny grubby hands. Every birthday was a step closer to that bright future (and a reason for me to have my friends over to eat cake and stomp on balloons); every birthday was a chance to dream up a new fairytale. When I was 16, I couldn't wait to be 18. I wanted to be able to drink, drive and party. And when I was 18, I couldn't wait to be 21, to watch R(A) movies, get married on a whim and oh, whatever it is to be a legal adult.

Well, adulthood really isn't quite what a five-year-old me imagined it to be. You see, apart from all the drab realities that come with it, being an adult gives you choice, power and opportunities. Dreams are all they are when you're five – if I wanted to be a teacher, all I had to do was lay out my Barbie dolls and wobble about in my sister's stilettos acting all grown up. My flight stewardess career could wait until tomorrow. Fast forward 20 years, and I am actually able to do something to attain my dream, whatever it now is. But with great power comes great responsibility. No, I kid you not. Knowing that I have the choice and the power to change and shape my life whenever and however I want to scares me, because I desperately want to do the right thing; because I am a slave to calculating opportunity costs. And ironically, power leaves me feeling a little powerless sometimes, too.

Am I having a quarter life crisis? That may explain the restlessness brewing inside me, the growing need to charge journeys, seek clarity and chase the dream, however fluid and murky it currently may be. And I will. Or it would be an awful waste of adulthood, wouldn't it?


Desiderata
Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly,
and listen to others;
even the dull and the ignorant;

they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,

they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain or bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble; 

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, 

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals;

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love;

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, 

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be,

and whatever your labours and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

Let's talk about food.

Let's talk about food.

I haven't felt this motivated for awhile now when it comes to school, but the recent journalism assignments have sent me into a writing tizzy. Despite the frustrations, I'm fueled by the inexplicable adrenaline rush that comes from writing and rewriting my way towards my idea of perfection. I'm currently waist-deep in my cuttings book of food feature ideas for Magazine Publishing, and I thought I should rest my aching back and marker-stained fingers for a spot of blogging, which I've neglected of late.

And what better catharsis for food-related workaholism than an entry on food? Here's my overdue entry on my birthday dinner at Iggy's. I used to eschew snooty dining establishments, but dating a gourmet's changed all of that. And surprise, surprise - I actually quite enjoy the occasional dose of quality dining. The service was personable but not intrusive, the seasonal menu was served in just-right sizeable portions, and it was a treat to dress up after roughing it out in Vietnam.

No bad comments at all really, so enjoy the visual feast!


The October menu.


Hamachi - radish, sesame and fine herbs


Autumn Salad - with mushroom varieties, dehydrated mesclun and an uplifting citrus foam


My personal favourite - Sanma with wild rice, olive and thyme


Spaghettini - simple but tasty zucchini and smoked mullet roe


Lobster - with oats, gizzards and fennel


Tomato palate cleanser I didn't fancy because of my genuine dislike of the fruit


Wagyu - served with lady's fingers, trumpet mushrooms and tapenade


Feijoa - Gin and lime


Coffee - with banana, milk ice cream, passion fruit and Mascarpone


My little birthday cake


Lemon petit fours

The grand cru of birthday surprises.

The grand cru of birthday surprises.

My 23rd birthday has been marked by several surprises, including an impromptu birthday fruit cake on a Hanoi-bound train and a chocolate cake at the hotel before we left for the airport for home. The biggest one of all would however have to be the surprise party at Ubud on the 25th. I've never been thrown a surprise party, and what I thought would be a quiet and early birthday dinner with the babes turned out to be a boisterous affair with most of my loved ones present. So here it is - a pictorial documentation of the grand cru of this year's birthday surprises.


K, M and DX sat at an empty table to greet an unsuspecting me, while the rest sneakily crouched behind the counter.



I was very, very, very surprised.



With the uni babes, and old friends for life.



Alison's mangled homebaked blueberry cheesecake, and my chocolate one from The Patissier.



The girls insisted on the yearly tradition of having me retrieve the buried candle holder out with my mouth. It was thankfully a minimally messy affair in lieu of our after party at PS Cafe.



It was Marc's actual birthday and we surprised the exhausted working dude with a cake and a lot of food at PS Cafe. And Fag and Diana managed to make it down afterall.

I was in a state of semi-shock for a good part of the night, but when all the excitement finally eased, all I could think of was: "Boy, am I blessed or what?" :)

5 cakes, 2 dinners and several life-threatening slips later.

5 cakes, 2 dinners and several life-threatening slips later.



I'm back from Vietnam! Though I started out dreading the trekking bit, I ironically ended up enjoying navigating the life-threatening slippery mud and losing my heart to a 50-year-old Hmong lady in the process.

It's a long story I'll save for when I actually get time to make sense of the past two weeks, from the surprise birthday dinner at Ubud to spending my birthday across two countries, and tonight's dinner at Iggy's with P. And how I've gone from hating the idea of trekking in the wilderness to planning to conquer Gunung Batur with P while on our annual Bali pilgrimage next June.

Off to bed to pay of some of the hefty sleep debt, on my new goose down bed cover and pillow. A present much appreciated after the past days of snoozing in a sleeping bag and aboard rumbling train beds. Good night world!

An early tradition.

An early tradition.



I thought it was to be a quiet dinner, just the five of us. I sure didn't expect the group of chums crouching behind the bar and a surprise orchestrated so smoothly and sneakily. And now to bed before Hanoi in the afternoon. :)

Birthdays and picnics.

Birthdays and picnics.






I scheduled my day off to spend it with one of my favourite birthday girls on Friday. Our fancy schmancy plan to do the whole tai tai high tea and nice dinner routine was thrown to the wind when I got last-minute invites to Much Ado About Nothing. There's nothing we quite enjoy more than a good picnic in the park! So after spending a lazy afternoon holed up in a Seah Street shophouse sipping tea, we moseyed down to Fort Canning Park for some eating and lounging. The girl's got dreams to keep a picnic basket with shiny silver and crystal wine glasses in my car when I get one (along with a license), but for now, we're pretty content bringing our picnic food in plastic bags and guzzling wine from the bottle. Once again, I fell captive to my weakness for Doritos and French Onion dip.