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. :)

Inspiration.

Inspiration.


image from inmagine.com

Okay I'll admit it - I haven't been exactly thrilled about Hanoi as I usually am for my other trips, what with the untimely dates, forecasted sweltering weather and a seemingly odd mix of people. The control freak in me is slightly jittery at having to go about the whims and fancies of 12 other people, but then I am reminded that it is a travel writing module and not a holiday I'm going on.

So while home trying to shake off the slightly drunk stupor from the farewell lunch with the W&D peeps, I got around to reading the blog of a Hanoi expat I would be meeting when I'm in the city next week. In short, he packed up his bags and left a comfortable life behind to volunteer halfway around the globe, and the way he waxes lyrical about Hanoi reminds me so much of that intangible gut-squeezing love I have for Bali. I'm inspired, and honestly quite excited about seeing Hanoi through his eyes.

That has lifted up my veil of apprehension about Hanoi. Let's hope autumn comes early. :)

The pursuit of knowledge.

The pursuit of knowledge.


image from inmagine.com

1.5 hours to go before the first media law test. Thank goodness it's multiple choice.

I always seem to forget how fragile are the very strong.

I always seem to forget how fragile are the very strong.

But life goes on.



Nothing quite means having Ran back like a trip to the beach for some shameless sun-worshipping. It's been awhile since I've sat in the sun doing absolutely nothing, and knowing it's gonna be some time before I'll do it again eased the niggling guilt of skin damage. Kinda.

P and I popped by Ben & Jerry's Chunk Fest later in the evening for a taste of some fest-exclusive flavors. Can't say I was a fan of Sir Elton John's sweet concoction, but I quite enjoyed Peanut Butter Cookie Dough. Chocolate peanut butter ice cream with peanut butter cookie dough and fudge chips. Yum!

And there we go, another weekend come and gone.

If I Knew.

If I Knew

This poem was circulated soon after 9-11, and it never fails to put that little ache in my heart. Even after eight years, it still serves as a very real reminder to try to reform my procrastinating ways. Have a read, and then call someone to say "I love you".

On a very different note, P will be home in less than 2 hours! That is a welcome departure from the sadness usually associated with 11 September. Now excuse me while I try to nap...

If I knew it would be the last time
That I’d see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
And pray the Lord your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
That I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
And call you back for more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I’d hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
So I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
To stop and say ‘I love you’,
Instead of assuming you would know I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
Well I’m sure you’ll have so many more,
So I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there’s always tomorrow
To make up for an oversight,
And we always get a second chance
To make everything just right.

There will always be another day
To say ‘I love you’,
And certainly there’s another chance
To say ‘Anything I can do?’

But just in case I might be wrong,
And today is all I get,
I’d like to say how much I love you
And I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
Young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
You get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you’re waiting for tomorrow,
Why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
You’ll surely regret the day.

That you didn’t take that extra time
For a smile, a hug or a kiss
And you were too busy to grant someone
What turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
And whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
And that you’ll always hold them dear.

Take time to say ‘I’m sorry’,
‘Please forgive me’, ‘Thank you’, or ‘It’s okay’
And if tomorrow never comes,
You’ll have no regrets about today.

~author unknown

It's past 1 in the morning.

It's past 1 in the morning.

I've been hammering away at the keys since I opened the reference books I got from the library and the countless tabs I've opened in Flock. I have been avoiding getting down to the piece because of the sheer amount of information out there and the perplexingly broad scope of my assigned topic.

I spent a good seven months living, breathing and loving how I had to constantly churn out articles and it is contrastingly ironic how I've put off a travel writing piece for the entire week. Then again I am reminded that I had nothing to do but write at that time, while a million other unsexy things (media law readings and project work to name a few) vie for my time and attention these days.

The good old days eh?

Yearning.

Yearning.

Why, hello again.

Why, hello again.

My brother's moved home with us and for someone who values her privacy, it hasn't been easy coming home almost everyday to throngs of visitors. But what matters most is that the worst seems to be over and that we've all come through stronger than before.

Normality is starting to seep back into my life, but I haven't been very diligent in catching up with friends. The last thing I feel like when crowds are already infiltrating my house is to be around more people, but I did make a couple of exceptions. I'm slowly starting to fill up my social diary again but there seems to be too few weekends before I take off for Hanoi end September. And while I'm a tad gutted P's away, I'm totally excited that my beach babe Ran will be home for two weeks come Sunday!

Meanwhile, I've been mucking around with a poloroid application I downloaded today, so I'll leave you with some snapshots of the girls I've been spending time with in recent weeks while Karen was in town.













Two words: Cheese overload!

Disparities.

Disparities.

When I was 16, I attended the hospitality management interview at Temasek Polytechnic with a racing heart and the sweatiest palms. I wanted to get into the course so badly that I simply left no alternate route for myself, and the euphoria that filled me when I was accepted was indescribable. In stark contrast, I attended the interview of my current course three years later with a mood of indifference and the letter of acceptance that came in the mail days later brought little semblance of euphoria to my heart.

The course would provide me with the paper that stood between me and my future, and while I graduated from TP feeling like I've gained and grown not just academically but also professionally and emotionally, the latter veil of indifference has sat with me throughout the past three years of my university education.

It may seem like my university education is a nightmare, but there were actually some really good times and enjoyable courses. That said, I can't seem to muster the same passion I have for studying the intricacies of the hospitality industry, the same way I can't seem to muster the same passion and respect I have for my hospitality coursemates.

The future is eight months too long away, and boy can't I wait!

Un-expectations.

Un-expectations.

Reality beckons, and some surprising news has put my "what will be will be" attitude in its place. I've been pretty good at compartmentalizing my life and my emotions but I suspect that will change when my brother moves back in with us. I'm not sure what to do and if there is even anything I can do, yet I can't not worry about the things I have no control over.

I think I would be even more unsettled if not for my sleepy state and the fact that I'm reeling a little from P's easy promise that I would be taken care of even if it meant selling the car. I haven't allowed myself to believe in a romantic utopia since my naive ideals were dashed three years ago, and all that wanderlust has taught me to enjoy my independence and the freedom of coming and going as I pleased. In fact, I remember telling a close friend that I could not imagine cutting down on traveling, and the whole humdrum of compromises and finding the middle ground to accommodate another person in my life right now.

Needless to say, I never expected to fall in love quite so soon, much less with someone who's willing to do whatever it takes for my happiness. Despite that numerous fires waiting to be put out by us, I've learnt that love is meant to be easy. And while my spark of wanderlust still burns, I never want to be away for too long and P is yet another reason to come home.

Girlfriends.

Girlfriends.

I can't help but notice that every booze session with the gossip queens entails them buying me drink after drink and a slew of incriminating pictures on Facebook the day after. This evening's session had me in splits, quite literally with K and M each holding a leg and giving my glutes one heck of a stretch on Morton's plush couch.

As much as the babes are bullies who like me wasted and silly for their entertainment, they get as many laughs out of me as I do from them, and there really is nothing like an evening of the gang's trademark crude humor to put an end to my self-imposed antisocial spell. And as much as their sole motivation in life seems to be getting me wasted and embarrassed, they are as protective as protective gets, as demonstrated by how quickly they summoned P up from the loo to intercept a tricky conversation.

Ma sistas got ma back. And it seems my legs too. Pics to follow.

Paying for the future.

Paying for the future.

The sane reaction to my brother's recent hospitalization? Get myself insured.

I've been extremely touched by the well wishes and prayers from friends, some of whom I haven't spoken to for a long time. My brother is recuperating well and getting a tad grouchy from being stuck in a room with minimal entertainment, so that's good news. :)

Eccentric cosmic laws.

Eccentric cosmic laws.


March 2006

It's been over three years since our Bangkok grad trip and over six since we first met as strangers in a room full of hospitality management freshmen, but the boisterous laughter that the Fantastic Four produces remains unchanged through the years.

Losing touch upon graduation isn't uncommon, so it leaves me all warm and fuzzy inside seeing these familiar faces. Ties and bonds strengthen amongst those you least expect, while the one you thought would stick around turns out to be the master of vanishing acts. This week of several poly meet-ups has indeed served as a reminder of the eccentric cosmic laws governing our world.

Ain't that rad? :)

Cause them angels will just keep on multiplying.

Cause them angels will just keep on multiplying.


picture from inmagine

I often tell P: "You must have done something really good in your past life to have friends like yours." If karma is anything to go by, I have come to realize in recent months that perhaps I didn't do too bad in my past life either.

From my very supportive girlfriends who despite the short notice turned up for moral support when I was roped in for a last minute emcee job; to the jetsetter who specially brought back a taste of Laduree macaron heaven all the way from London; and to the almost Hong Kong native who apart from taking us to the nooks and crannies to discover culinary gems, went all the way from one island to another and back to our ferry terminal just to pass us a packet of panfriend dumplings and what she deemed was the best carrot cake.

And then there are the old friends who in the light of my recent unconventional choices held my hand and said: "I won't love you any less."

I am indeed very, very blessed.

Sleepier than the city.

Sleepier than the city.

I thought I've seen the city often enough in movies and drama serials and I thought my slipshod Cantonese would be sufficient to get me by, but I still feel a tad overwhelmed in Hong Kong. I admit I'm kinda ill-equipped when it comes to urban holidays that do not involve lazing in the sun with the sand between my toes, but there is so much to see and so much life bustling about the aged streets that I still don't quite know to begin.

It's just as well Jins and Pinkie are here to take P and I around. We had a taste of local life early this morning when we yum cha-ed with Jins at a local joint, and later in the afternoon while squeezing with the crowds at Argyle Centre (Hong Kong's equivalent of Far East Plaza). We're just back from what Jin and P claim to be the best beef brisket, and I'm quite ready for bed after a night of ab-aching laughter over Yung Kee's famed roast goose, magaritas and Kamikaze shots with Pinkie in the equation.

My greatest moment of serendipity has to be when Jess, a hospitality senior in TP, walked out of the lift as we were entering to check into our hotel yesterday. The world is indeed a small one, and the hospitality circle is indeed pretty darn entwined! Off to the shower!

Asia undiscovered.

Asia undiscovered.

I'm 2.5 hours from the airport and 4 hours from my flight to Hong Kong. It has always been one of those Asian cities I never quite deemed exotic enough to visit until recently, when I realigned my inclination towards island destinations. I don't know what there is to do in Hong Kong except to eat really, so I'm glad my partner's got quite the voracious appetite for food! And of course, Jinli and I have grand plans to end our magarita-draught in Lan Kwai Fong on Thursday night. ;)

My valiant attempts to post up my Lombok-Bali travelogue have been futile and waylaid by many an afternoon nap, but I promise it'll be up once I'm done traipsing through the streets of Hong Kong.

Off I go for 45 minutes of shut-eye while P continues packing. :) We may just sleep through the entire plane ride tomorrow...

First taste of freedom.

First taste of freedom.

I officially ended my stint at the magazine today after seven whole months of feasting, writing and more feasting. It's been one hell of a ride, but the post island holiday inertia coupled with the extension has drained enough out of me these past two weeks for me to be glad for a breather.

It shouldn't take me too long to get back into the blogging game now that I've got more time on my hands, but I've got quite a bit lined up for the next couple of days before we leave for Hong Kong so my outstanding travel diary may have to wait.

For now, it's to the bed to repay some of that hefty sleep debt to wake up bright and shiny for breakfast by the bay.

Easy breezy.

Easy breezy.

I was initially a tad bummed when NTU issued me a work quarantine despite me choosing Indonesia over Perth, but the mandatory week off from the office has allowed me the breezy pleasures of lazy weekdays I didn't know I missed. There is some naughty delight in going to bed on a Tuesday knowing that I had the entire afternoon ahead to do as I would please. And for the first time in awhile, I could set a dinner date without fearing work would keep me back.




So there you have it - a visit by a childhood friend, digging into a tub of ice cream by the bay with newly bought spoons, a morning walk up the hill, a rowdy dinner with the girls where we initiated K's sis into the club, strolling up and down the grocery aisles at one in the morning, brunch with a friend I haven't seen in two years, and mussels, frites and beer by the river with my near and dear.

It's back to work for two weeks come tomorrow before we head to Hong Kong to pay Jinli a house visit. Just as well, for another easy week would whip the magic out of this. ;)

Banana pancakes...

Banana pancakes...



are made for rainy mornings, as they are for sunny ones with the blue skies reflected in the side dish of honey. Off I go into the rain, for breakfast in the city. ;)

I'm back!

I'm back!



From a week of island hopping, choppy boat rides, sunset beach walks, chilly Balinese mornings and chillier nights, copious amounts of food, mind-boggling amounts of sleep, mapping our way around Lombok on a motorbike, relaxing massages, and stargazing.

Pictures to follow soon.

7.35am in Bali.

7.35am in Bali.

It's 7.35am in the morning. Gentle birdsong peppers the air in a haphazardly soothing symphony. The distant crowing of a rooster echoes in the background, while a yellow hummingbird playfully zips about the foliage in front of me. There's a slight chill to the air, and a quiet beauty to the start of the day. Good morning Bali. :)

Serendipitously, yours.



"What do you think of taking a 2.5 hour boat ride to dine at Mozaic in Bali?"
All I could do was nod, and nod, and nod.

I thought I was all Bali-ed out for awhile at least after my long December trip, but the surprise Bali trip lit my heart and quite literally, brought tears to my eyes. We'll be hopping over to my favourite island for two nights in Ubud, and I'm quite bent on making it to Ku De Ta this time around.

I'm absolutely psyched. :)

Island dreaming.

Island dreaming.


picture from qunci villas

My Perth plans have regretfully been canned as Australia's been listed as one of the countries with sustained community transmission of swine flu. I was really looking forward to my virgin down under trip, but I figured it's not at all civic minded to follow through. As C said: "Perth will always be there."

So I am instead going away to an island I've always wanted but never quite got around to visiting. I would usually be on a mad hotel-surfing spree, emailing countless reservation departments and comparing deals, but my traveling companion has got it all covered. All I gotta do is to hand over my passport and wheel my suitcase to the airport on Saturday. For once, I'm going to arrive at our destination semi-clueless without my list of must-sees/must-dines/must dos. I do feel kinda spoilt, but relinquishing control is surprisingly a welcome change.

So it's goodbye for awhile, and hello island life. ;)