The festive rush.

Anybody who tells you that you can smoothly juggle:

1. a full-time job (with responsibilities that warrant that I clear all my articles before I jet off for a 11-day holiday - read: 8 stories, photo shoots + proofreading in 1.5 weeks)
2. festive celebrations
3. temporarily running a household and
4. planning and packing for above-mentioned holiday

is LYING.

I have in the past 10 days, :

1. Researched, written and typed myself into a corner
2. Ran amok collecting work-related stuff from around Singapore
3. Researched, written and typed myself into a corner
4. Shopped, searched and bought gifts for festive exchanges
5. Shopped, searched and lugged home 100000 items for a photo shoot
6. Played Cinderella at a gala dinner (11pm curfew to WRITE)
7. Realised I've missed out on a gift
8. Scrambled/begged for favours to get gift
9. Researched, written and typed myself into a corner
10. Drawn up a packing list
11. Chucked packing list
12. Vacuumed luggage (that's what happens when you now live near a construction site)
13. Baked way too many cookies
14. Ate way too many chocolates
15. Ate way too much

 #7 - #14 happened today, by the way. #15 happens every other day.

Crazy? It's an understatement.

Ye Shanghai.

Ye Shanghai.

The one thing synonymous among most of the Asian cities I've been is the seamless juxtaposition of gems among dilapidation. Forget paved sidewalks and chichi neighborhoods. The most gorgeous establishments are located in the unlikeliest locations, often among dirty grey buildings and mucky paths. And Shanghai Mansion, the boutique hotel we're staying in, is one such example.

Nestled between street stalls and the highly publicized La Scala Restaurant in Yaowaraj, Bangkok's Chinatown; the hotel's nondescript entrance bears little trace of its opulent interior. Housed in one of the first nine-storey buildings in early Chinatown, Shanghai Mansion makes me feel like I am in a period drama and 1930s Shanghai at the same time.


Here's the period drama bit. The suite floor so resembles a Chinese courtyard that I almost always expect to enter a room of scheming eunuchs and giggling concubines. Almost.


And here's the 1930s Shanghai bit. Jewel-toned cushions, portraits of coquettish porcelain-skinned beauties and ornate oriental screens.

No loss at all that we're not staying right smack in the middle of shopping. Platinum Mall's allure pales beside the prospect of wandering alleys full of Chinese bric-a-bracs. Ah hotels... Their wonders never cease. :) Merry Christmas everybody!

Pictures from Shanghai Mansion.

Tropical holiday cheer.

Tropical holiday cheer.

I can't believe Christmas is just 3 days away! I used to be big on this holiday - I even had a yearly Marks & Spencers Christmas advent calendar to begin the 25-day countdown. (Yes, it was also an excuse for a chocolate a day.)

However, my Christmas spirit has become increasingly elusive in recent years. I no longer put up a Christmas tree, nor do I go around the shops humming along to the carols. If my life were a Hallmark movie, Santa would prolly shimmy down my chimney in an effort to make me believe in him, and the magic of the holidays all over again.

Then again, who needs Santa when I get Christmas e-cards from Bali? Nothing quite like a little tropical holiday cheer to put a smile on my face, though I gotta admit that those e-cards made me want to get on the next plane to the island. But it's not time yet. I'm spending the holidays in Bangkok, along with what seems like a quarter of my social circle. I suppose nanny is right about Bangkok being the favorite holiday destination of Singaporeans.

So I'm off for some Thai cooking, some ancient ruins, daily back rubs and a whole lot of shopping and feasting. Happy holidays everybody!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.







Pictures from here.

Merry Christmas, with love.

Merry Christmas, with love.

Christmas 2006 was spent in the chilly winds of Bangkok, where (I can now admit) I was delaying having to heal my battered heart. It's been a trying year, but I've finally arrived at where I wanted, stronger and more whole than I have ever been. And that is more than enough reason to give thanks this holiday season.

As I'm leaving in a couple of days, I brought Christmas home this year and hosted two gatherings. The eve of the eve with the CS bunch also served as a final gathering before we all left for our respective exchange countries.


Bacon-wrapped asparagus, baked penne with italian sausages and apricot pork chops. A huge thank you to Cheryl, Daph and Lays for helping me out in the kitchen.







Christmas Eve was particularly meaningful this year, for it was spent in the company of dear friends, most of them people I grew up with. There was the Spottiswoode and ZPS gang, my bitch, my running/beaching bud, and my yoga/holiday/new-age girlfriend.




Baked mushrooms with feta cheese and Kar Ern's mushroom soup for starters, baked pork chops with apples for the main.


Then there was the potato salad Lanxi and Ern tossed, as well as the melt-in-the-mouth brownie I am exceptionally proud of! Check out our makeshift Christmas tree... sure gives a whole new meaning to presents under the tree!

And being our usual quarrelsome selves, bitch and I just had to spar while doing the dishes. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard doing the dishes before. Here's Kenrick's document of the fiasco.


Ceci and Lanxi had to come mediate. Haha.




Gift exchange was chaos!


Bitch with the sexy thong I got her, Ken giving two thumbs up to the cardigan I got him, Ken again this time posing with the monkey boxers Ceci got him, and Chun Huat dubiously eyeing his pink piglet boxers.



While the rest got trigger happy, I got tarot happy with the deck Ceci got me. Nothing malicious, just intuitive, and I gave everybody free readings!





The ZPS bunch stayed on, and we dug up and laughed at my primary school autograph book entries.
Me (to Ken): Who's David Tan?
Ken: Who?
Me: You wrote that he's your favourite schoolmate.
Ken (looking distressed): HUH? Who's David Tan???

And guess what CH wrote in my Tweety Bird autograph book? "I hate Tweety." HAHA. What a Christmas eve.

After getting stuffed at the family lunch earlier today, I trudged ('cos of the heavy belly) down to Borders Bistro to catch up with Karin who's back from Aussieland.


Ceci and I then zipped up to Cedele for dinner with Jemo, who gamely fed my final craving of Cedele and beef.

I love Christmas.



Happy holidays everybody!