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. ;)

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.

The greatest compliment of all.

The greatest compliment of all.


picture from inmagine

Daph and I bumped into a university acquaintance on Saturday who said: "You both look the same!" Now that made my day. Like any other female, "wow, you lost weight" ranks pretty high on my list of coveted compliments, but it is an unrealistic desire when you have a job that revolves around food like I do, and if you are even half as passionate about it as I am.

"You look the same" on the other hand assures me that as much as I have been eating, living and breathing good food, my self-control or at least my metabolism is still intact.

And that's worth celebrating. With truffle fries maybe? Heh. Joke, joke. Off to snuggle up in bed with Elizabeth Gilbert and her musings on pleasure, devotion and balance.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Thanks, but no thanks.


picture from inmagine

I'm a little tickled by the recent influx of offers to set me up. Influx may be an exaggeration, but getting three separate offers from well-meaning friends in the same week is pretty perplexing. And if you're even wondering, no, I didn't take any up on their offer! It's too weird and I've always preferred my relationships to be, to quote a colleague, "organic". Call me a traditionalist, but I am a firm believer of serendipity; not human-aided circumstances.

That, and also because I feel like I'm kinda dancing an ambiguous tango of sorts. Extremely murky waters, but I felt an odd pinch of guilt when I had my hands in someone else's last night, even if it was for nothing other than warmth and affection.

My ex-girlfriends are gonna be so pissed.

Daydreams.

Daydreams.


picture from inmagine

It's been awhile since I've yearned to take a catnap on a hammock or to snuggle up in bed watching Love Actually. Granted, it has been awhile since I've been this busy with work, FYP commitments and that darn PI report but the crunch should be over soon. See you on the other side. ;)

Two pictorial Saturdays.

Two pictorial Saturdays.


CH and I went riverside walking last Saturday with a total of 16 bucks and no credit card in our pockets. We could eat like paupers at a very crowded Epicurious, but we decided we would very much rather eat like royalty in a hawker centre. Our quest for traditional kaya roti ended rather uneventfully at Chinatown food centre. Vaguely unsatisfied, I returned to Epicurious with Ceci today for a lazy afternoon tea date since Jinli and I weren't selected for the Angels & Demons game. There goes our free trip to Rome!




We decided we would share an apartment in the Robertson neighborhood. Either in her dream condo right above the cafes, or my dream apartment with the barbecue terrace by the river. Whichever we can afford first!



Ceci zipped off for her Angels & Demons premiere (sigh, rub it in babe!) while I met up with my brother for dinner and A LOT of gossiping. We drove rather aimlessly through Portsdown and Dempsey, but nothing quite struck our fancy so we ended up at Spruce. AGAIN. I wasn't silly enough to be disappointed by the burger another time, so we ended up sharing fish & chips and a toast platter. And the chocolate chip cookies.

I'm due to teach in eight hours, so it's time to finish planning tomorrow's Mothers' Day dinner and snuggle up. Ecks, where did my Saturday go???