Zsofi There is a PLAYspeak party at Zsofi tonight.Zsofi is a brand new bar along Dunlop Street that's trying to boost its indie cred.It isn't very sure what it wants to be- a simple Spanish-themed cafe or an indie hangout.I dunno. I don't think it's ready to be a proper tapas bar just yet. Sure. The portions and stuff are kinda 'snack-y'. Finger food sort. But what I'm seeing and tasting from the table tonight is certainly not anywhere near what can be definied as true tapas, yet.Smack amongst the row of happening eateries across the street from Prince of Wales, Zsofi's got all the hip factor of (remember?) Cafe Cosmo. But it needs to get its music right.The upper floor is ours tonight. We put in our preferred music for the evening.We hung out on the rooftop. There is a breeze sifting through. It makes chugging beer alot easier. I only had 1 glass of beer. I don't dare to drink when there is an 8am call at work tomorrow. The bar doesn't have sparkling water. So I'm drinking soda water instead.At the indoor seating area, there are graphics on the walls. I love those. So very cool. She Skipped Gym Session. Again. After I was done with my nails, I called the girlfriend. The silly girl was still in the office. I dragged her out to dinner. We went off to somewhere near both our homes and ended up at Bar Bar Black Sheep. (Why do we always end up at bars with beer?!)So much for burning calories at the gym. We probably busted it all at dinner.We asked the man to join us. After we finished the food and beer, he was nowhere in sight. It was almost 50minutes from the time he said he was on the way.I stiffled a giggle. He must have gotten lost. And he did. Amazing. He was the one who brought us here the last round. He would have driven here to eat for like what....5 times already! I gave him some flippant directions and expected him to find his way.The girlfriend had this look of horror. She demanded that we put him on the phone to walk him through to the Sixth Avenue area. She was sure that he would have driven right past Cherry Avenue if he wasn't on the phone with us.The man finally turned up, huffing and puffing. He quaffed down an ice cold beer.I chortled. This man was really not good with the road or directions. The girlfriend just had to tease him too. But she totally understood how he felt. She admitted she was the sort who would have gotten lost while on a drive to Woodlands and ended up in Jurong.I rolled my eyes at them both.People, next time, you both take turns to drive. I navigate. If I have a driving licence, I'll be quite happy driving the two of you cutesies around. At The Restaurant (Click here for full article in The New York Times.)When restaurants take that extra effort to remember who ordered what and serve the ladies first, I appreciate that. There's this bit about etiquette, old world charm and even chivalry, if you will.When the man and I dine out with his parents, we do note little details like the server attending to his mother first, then father; coming round to me and finally the man. But if it's a table of friends, the server will go by the ladies first, then the men. It tells us that this is a restaurant that takes the effort to match its chic interior decor and provide the full pleasure of a dining experience.Sometimes, it can be demanding when I want a bottle of Krug and he wants a Dom Perignon. And often, my word's the last (Usually, anyway.). So before he pops that bottle of Krug, the poor server has to gingerly confirm that I 'win'. Heheheh.Importantly, servers who are able to read a table well, deserve a tip on top of the mandatory 10% service charge in the bill. This is a skill that's not easily obtained. For restaurants to be able to produce exquisite servers who possess the talent to read the table, it speaks alot about the restaurant's commitment to their customers.Unfortunately, I don't get to enjoy that star service often here. It's often the server's individual personality that decides my dining experience. A Robot Army The girlfriend has ALOT of fancy 'pets' at home. She virtually has a little army. The one in this photo is an old model.They're named Roomba and Scooba. There's the Dirt Dog too. She swears by their good work.If I could fly over to her house now, I would gather all these 'pets' together for a group photo.These 'pets' don't just make great gifts. Even I am very tempted to grab a Roomba and a Scooba. Although I've no idea how useful it will be when there's domestic help available at home.She's a terrible influence on many friends. Laughter All Around Goodness, the last time we gathered to play Taboo was in July 2006! We didn't even realize how fast time passed.We had a hilarious 3 hours at the girlfriend's house playing Taboo.Well, I learnt NOT to partner the man in Taboo. He's a complete embarassment.For example, the word to guess was "Reward". Innocently, I said, "When you're good, I ----- you. That word. When you do something well, I give you a carrot...?"You know what was his smartass reply? He shouted "Blowjob!" *facepalm*On the other hand, it was so cool. Back then, I had no idea how to describe "Buffy" without using the taboo words. Now, after 7 solid seasons of the tv series, I'm this pseudo Buffy expert! No sweat finding other descriptive words and scenarios to make it an easy guess!! Muahahahha.The girlfriend even went to the wine cellar to dig out the bottle of Johnnie Walker Premier that I hadn't finished sincedunnowhen and plonked it on the table.And I still couldn't finish the bottle last night. I intended to save it for the next time she's back in town.The carrot cake she baked was lovely! It actually went pretty well with the blended grain in the whisky. Is That My Tray? (Click here for full article on http://www.straitstimes.com/)Well, shall I wipe and clean the table after clearing my tray?Sure, it's a mindset change. But it would help if the tray-return points are cleaner and the path to these points less perilous. Office canteens are obviously different from the super public foodcourts and hawker centres. There shouldn't be a difference. But there is. Many points.Everytime I eat at a hawker centre or foodcourt, the cleaner swipes my tray before I finish the last morsel.The last time I attempted to dodge steaming hot bowls and wildly gesticulating arms to return the my tray at a Koufu food court where the tray-return points are cheerful and clean, I was roundly scolded by the cleaner-auntie who said that if I did all these, she'd be out of a job. Perhaps her words aren't all true. But I'm not going to spoil my day by incurring the displeasure of the cleaners at the foodcourt.I'm not gracious. I don't return trays at the foodcourts and hawker centres.Since I'm feeling so disagreeable, there will be days I don't feel like fighting humidity and migraine-inducing noise levels to clear trays. On those days, I simply don't eat at foodcourts and hawker centres. Like We Need You To Tell Us (Click here for full article in The New York Times.)Don't we know it's going to be a black Christmas?This morning, a not-too-clever headline that picked up a quote from our Finance Minister annoyed the hell out of me. It made front page all over our national newspapers. I mean, hello, this article is meant to reassure the nation's populace right? Couldn't someone have come up with a better-sounding headline of positivity?We know it's a domino effect. When I read his words, I'm like, he might as well not have said anything!!! I'm sure he follows the updates on Bloomberg! Europe's in battle mode now. Gaaah. Thanks ah, he isn't exactly balancing the irony that the little red dot's phone, transport charges and electricity tariffs have just increased a fair bit.I feel really bad for sole breadwinners who are shouldering huge financial commitments and facing uncertainty in their jobs. And for the unlucky who made mega losses in the stock market. Sigh. We're at end of a boom cycle. Sure. Our little island has been largely untouched. But we can't duck this storm. While our inflation rate isn't exponential, it's not looking rosy.Which begets the question, why on earth do we need so many new shopping malls in this island along Orchard Road? Do we not have enough of that?!I doubt I will be spending obscenely this Christmas. The BBQ Under the blazing afternoon sun, we took a long drive to Aloha Loyang. The friends rented a chalet for the weekend and invited us over for a barbeque.Hahahha. So quaint. A rented barbeque at the chalets- I hadn't been to one for almost a decade!!!The chalet was huge and creepy. Frankly, I wouldn't be able to sleep there. I'd be happier in blankets and a sleeping bag on the floor. The interior looked like a set out of a horror film. Thank goodness the company was chirpy!The friends were really generous with the food (huge selection!) and single malts. The drinks flowed freely. We started with a lovely Glen Grant 10y.o and Suntory Hibiki 17y.o. Then we lingered over the Bowmore 17y.o before ending the evening with the peaty Smokehead.Some went about the nasty business of dismembering and murdering crabs. While the Wii entertained the friends, I 'choped' and commandeered the pit. I lit the fire and played with it. When I fanned it, I loved hearing the heated coals tinkle.I grilled the food too!! It was an awesome workout for the arms and the butt. Heeeee. I also wanted to make sure that I didn't overcook the tasty shio saba.The friends brought out a bottle of a very special mustard- the Bowmore 12y.o grain mustard!!! Oooh. Lovely. That went beautifully with the fillet steaks and chicken breasts.It was a great evening spent bonding over music (They could play a John Mayer song each. Wieeeeee!) and very yummy food in good cuts.There was a young one. At 3 years old, he didn't just tell us that 'B' was for Bowmore. He could spell 'B-o-w-m-o-r-e'. When we told him to bring us the bottle of Bowmore, he could recognize it among the many bottles of single malts sitting there. And when we asked him if Springbank was among those bottles, he shook his head. Trust me, we were absolutely impressed.He was most interested in the guitar and how the boys were using the pick to strum it. Methinks the boys have converted the young one and planted the seed of rockstardom in him. Sunday Brunch Haven't sat down for a meal with the friends for quite a while.So after a gruelling morning workout, we did our usual weekend brunch thing (minus the alcohol) at PS.Cafe.Then hopped down to Inhabit and up to Puce to do damage to the wallet. Another Good Year The man's father's birthday dinner was filled with healthy food.Lots of fish and vegetables.And of course, he fiddled with his birthday pressie that was very pretty and colorful. But it isn't very useful without third-party software add-ons. 5kg To Go The moves are reminiscent of what I used to do at Zouk on Mambo Nights some 10 years ago. But different.I need to do this new thang. I won't ever be 42kg again. The FaerieFolk don't like me to be that thin. But I just need to lose 5kg to reach my ideal weight of 47kg. I can't seem to shake off the flab because I can't stop eating!The moves are more energetic. When my instructor is charismatic and the 'masterclass' is full of people who understand bodies and can dance, then the session isn't about getting the moves anymore. It's much more than getting a workout. It's about creating muscle challenges and effortless coordination.I just picked it up. Been doing it for a couple of months now. I blardy hate the music used in class. I always come away with a headache. But I can't deny that the beats are infectious.This has gotta be the fastest way to tone and lose some weight. It's the ideal daily cardio workout for me.Zumba.is.damn.fun.If I can stop my boobs from bouncing around so much, it'll be perfect. 5.30am When we are in the mood to schmooze, we go through the invites and say yes to the ones that appeal.We gathered the FaerieFolk, dressed up and hit town yesterday.1730hrs: At home. A power nap. A shower. A slinky dress.1900hrs: Nokia Remix Party @ Red Dot Museum.2100hrs: Bellini Grande @ Clarke Quay.2345hrs: Quaich Bar @ Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Mall Wing.0130hrs: Velvet @ Zouk, Jiak Kim Street.It was all great fun. So many music genres in a night. But my head was pounding. Too much. There was no way we could do SupperClub @ Odeon Towers anymore.0345hrs: Founder Bak Kut Teh @ Balestier Road. 0520hrs: At home. Devoured cold water and cut fruit from the fridge.05.30hrs: Crashed into bed. Lights out.I woke up at noon today. Amazingly, without a hangover. I didn't feel out of sorts either.I haven't been partying for a long while. Not till the wee hours anyway.Oof! Leadership At a sharing session on leadership, our CEO brought up Patrick Lencioni's "The Five Temptations of A CEO". He also discussed on the significant tenets of being a leader.Then, there was this concept of Courage To Lead vs Courage To Follow.I smiled a secret smile. Because it sounded like a line from what I watched on tv last night. In Season 7 Ep 19 of Buffy, Faith said,"I didn't come here to take anything away from you but I'm not gonna be your little lap dog either. I came here to beat the other guy, to do right, however it works. I don't know if I can lead but the real question is can you follow?"My problem is, I read all these concepts on thought leadership and management strategies. But they don't mean anything to me till I consciously put them into a personal perspective.Like how I'm flopped on the couch watching Buffy struggle to lead and co-exist with the equally-strong Faith (who might or might not be competent). It's all good to see how it pans out in Season 7. :)Or relate it to how I'm perched on the sharp rocks mulling over the best way to get to the top and I go the path suggested by the shouts down below.Or how I prefer to have the novice diver lead the way if it's looking good. To quietly watch, feel the currents and let him explore; stepping in only if I get a bad feeling.Or how I'm navigator in the lead car of a convoy going to an unknown destination with a bad map and having to make snap decisions at the turns along the way, secure in the knowledge that each car is equipped with phones, transmitter radios, walkie-talkies, water, chocolates, sandwiches and first aid kits.It's not really all that different, is it? Eat Some More! While the boys sweated out at the Ash gig and Beer Fest at Fort Canning, I slithered off to Brozeit for cold beer.It was the girlfriend's idea. She was naughty and didn't go to the gym like she was supposed to.I knew it! She's the closet alcoholic!When we got to Brozeit, we said aloud that we weren't hungry and wanted small bites.Yeah. Riiiight.My eyes were bigger than my stomach. I ordered way too much food. That portion of pate was generous!I ate too much. It was the girlfriend's fault actually. She couldn't finish the food. But she could stomach gelato at the end of the meal!!I felt like a whale after!!! I waddled home and felt horribly pudgy! Beer. Eioooww!! If I slept on this full stomach, I'd have nightmares and fat cells merrily mutiplying through the night.I had to sneak downstairs to the dark cold pool for a couple of quick laps to work off those excess energy. Because Of The Sound System So it's bye-bye Beemer.The man didn't get the A4 or any of the other cars in a similar category. No Merc. Thank gawwd.The man got this new car because it came with a Mark Levinson sound system. "14 speakers, baby! 14!" Well. Whatever. It doesn't turn me on. I only want the car to move from Point A to Point Z in relative comfort. I've no Class 3. So I don't get to play with it anyway.14 speakers in a tiny car are a little excessive don't you think?!!! BFF's Back My bestie's back for a week and I'm happy.She wanted chicken rice and I took her to a stall selling a non-oily version."Not oily enough! I like the oily Bxxn Txng Kxx one!" she shrieked. Eioooww. As if Beijing's food isn't oily enough.She can't be happier eating her heart out on this trip. Not because she misses local food all that much. But more of the fact that she can eat anything and not worry about getting the runs after.She's obviously going to stock up on supplies and whatnots that her adopted country lacks. It's hilarious to see her go around (macham tourist like that!) oohing and ahhing at wet tissues, cellphones and cute bottles of nail polish.The thing is, we have to teach her date some decent Singaporean terms. It tickles us to bits when he orders food/drinks in pretty good Beijing-accented Mandarin. The bestie has taught him a couple of Singaporean terms. When he repeated those loudly to us in public, we had to shush him up. Otherwise, we'd have gotten many dirty looks for uttering dirty words.Tsk tsk. Fruit & Chocolate The friends did a surprise party for the birthday girl at Amara Sanctuary's lounge.While some were impressed with kushikatsu at Si Bon, the rest traded different stories of the varying service standards at the hotel.Apparently, some clever dude allowed late check-outs for all the weekend F1 guests. When Monday came, many of the rooms weren't ready for the new arrivals at the stated check-in time of 3pm. It was inconceivable that the hotel could make them wait for a room till 4.30pm and not offer any drinks or snacks.Oh well. We had a clueless server for the evening too. But she did try her very best to get all our drinks right. Although I had no idea how 3 Hoegaardens could turn into 3 Heinekens.For some strange reason, yours truly rejected alcohol and stuck to San Pellegrino all evening. It went sparkling with the hottest chocolate cake in town now from choc.a.bloc. 3rd Anniversary It was The Whisky Store's 3rd anniversary. So the owners catered food and held a little party for everyone at the bar.We loved the 35% anniversary discount on our usual bottles. I just had to stock up on my favorite Bowmore port-matured 16 y.o. There was also some grabbing of bottles of Laphroaig Quarter-Cask.They were also serving Canadian oysters during the cocktail hour. The oysters tasted divine with a dash of the Bowmore 12 y.o.We wished them well for the business and much prosperity. So that we could continue hopping by the store week after week! Shalom Shana Tova Umetukah!! The Holy Season Meets (Click here to view full article in The New York Times.)There are great similarities in the purpose of Ramadan and Yom Kippur. There is great joy in Hari Raya (Eid) and Rosh Hashanah.Will sharing a similar calendar of holy festivals mean peace in Jerusalem in this year?Will the word 'share' be associated with the notion of 'peace' instead of gunfire, rights of land and bloody history?Do we even dare to hope? To Remember This As I look upon the photos of the gurgling creek, vast rocks and emerald sea, a tinge of wistfulness rose.As much as I love my haute couture and bling, I'm most at ease in slippers and sportswear.I've been lulled into thinking that I'm back into this nomadic lifestyle that I've left behind 4 years ago. (Has it been that long?)It's time to return to reality. That makes me just a little pensive. I'm going to miss the green and brown. I'm going to sorely miss the 8½hr sleeps. I'm going to miss the simple goals set for each day.On this trip, I became a carefree imp.I sorted out alot of thoughts. I reorganized some feelings and ritually dumped many. I've to stop being so selfish and wilful. I've faced my fears and the demons. So be it. The disquiet has been assuaged.I finally had time to come to terms with many issues. I've accepted the fact that the free-spirited travelling beach bum lifestyle I've dropped isn't going to be picked up again. At long last, I quashed the hope of revisiting the writing industry. I've to re-define what becomes me.Looking back this past decade, I've been bestowed with amazing experiences. I've been incredibly blessed with countless intangible gains and material comforts. Am I happy? Yes. Since I was a little girl, I've been in control of my own life. I intend to keep it that way. I take calculated risks. I weigh my options. I make my choices and live with the consequences. There is recognition, and thanksgiving for the many blessings in my life. I have narrowed my priorities and set aside some space for expected additions.Welcome home, me. The Last Rays Of Sunshine The sun has been incredible. When I'm all prepped for it, I love the sun.While hot, it isn't humid. The sea breeze is lovely. The idyllic surroundings are balm to my soul.I forgot how many pairs of shoes I own. I've been absolutely happy toggling between only 4 pairs of slippers.There hasn't been a need to fuss about my hair or make-up. The basics would do fine.I avoided the shopping malls as much as possible. I love the supermarkets though!I brought just enough clothes so that I can dump half instead of taking all home. I need space for those boxes of pills, you see.The cocktails have been splendidly mixed. Not at all cloying. So good till I neglected the bottle of Highland Park 16 y.o sitting at the table out in the garden.I've done more exercises here than back home. So I wonder if I lost any weight. Maybe just a little. Considering the amount of food I've been filling my stomach with, any weight loss would probably be negligible.And just like that, it's come to the last day of our vacation. Black Ginger The last dinner in Phuket must be Thai cuisine. We dined in at Black Ginger.The duck's breast was out of this world. Thinly sliced and flavorful, they were delicious. They served a really good beef masaman curry. This one was a curried sort. Lim's did it in a rendang-rempah version.Needless to say, the clear tom yam soup was beautifully delicate with all the right blend of spices.A pity about the fish though. They steamed it a tad long and it showed in the rubbery flesh. While fresh, it didn't taste as sweet as I expected. It was a tad disappointing.The desserts were lovely. Generous portions. Too sweet though. We only had a quarter of it.The man loved Thai spices as much as I did. But the snob found the Thai cooking classes offered by the resort too simple. He relished the sights, smells and sounds of the trip to the local market to select the freshest produce. But he wasn't too impressed with the creation of simple fried items, egg noodles and green curry items. Too bad the classes didn't offer receipes to khao phad (fried rice), phad thai (fried noodles), masaman curry and tom yam soup.We completely overdosed on Thai food this trip. We had the loveliest eats. We compared the subtle differences in the clear tom yam soup at the various restaurants.Food's been nothing short of gastronomic. The richness of the cuisine is absolutely mesmerizing. Us It's been simply marvelous.Friends aside, this trip has created much needed us-time.Daily, we don't often text each other via cell or msn. Neither do we declare that we have to email each other lovey-dovey messages.Of late, both our work, hobbies and charity commitments have kept us apart till late evening. We haven't had much time to chat. We try to make time for dinner thrice a week. Or grab a quick one and get back to whatever appointments we have.But I kinda like that too. We don't do it business-like of course. Our relationship is almost like how we treasure our friends. We have this very cherished and loyal circle of FaerieFolk. We know who we can count on in spite of distance and separate lives.We are acutely aware of the difference between saying "I love you" and "I'm in love with you". To be in love, is the reason why we are in a relationship at all.This trip affirmed that we are in love. Still. We have trust, affection and fondness. We have lust and intimacy. Then, we have indulgence and faith.All my past relationships have been conducted solely on my terms. It's like, all or nothing. That probably kept me in very good stead through rough times. But this one, is different. I meet him midway. There isn't a terrible compromise to speak of. It's more like, ooh, you're kinda cool, I shall be considerate to you. When I start thinking more about him and slightly less about myself, I guess this is special.This man is my intellectual equal. More, actually. Thank god he doesn't want a doormat for a partner. He's talented in many ways I am not. He is not jaded. He has not lost that passion for life or that deep belief in his chosen hobbies.I'm pleasantly surprised that while our ways and methods of handling issues are vastly different, our fundamental values don't deviate too far. We partner each other as equals. There is no suffocating demand to change ourselves to suit the other. We come into the relationship as we are.We don't know if we'll still be together as things shift and individuals mature. But we like where we are now. It's been almost 4 years. We'll certainly work at keeping the flame going in the same direction. I Love My Green Dress Hawker Martini Mango Juice :: Red Chilli :: Coriander, chilled and shaken with Lime Juice :: Passionfruit Vodka :: Martini Bianco "Work is the curse of the drinking classes."~ Oscar Wilde, In Life of Oscar Wilde, H. Pearson. (1854 - 1900) The Books The man and I have this thing about bringing books along on vacations. Many books.Vacations are about the only time when we can up our reading speed and finish a book within one sitting of 2 hours.We've each brought 3 books. Then we get to swap and read 6 books by the end of the trip.It's wonderful that we have the luxury to slip into these worlds and devour all the stories.Pure bliss. Fine Dining In Phuket The man is enthralled by the food in Phuket.He can't get over how good those tomatoes taste at Da Maurizio. The tomatoes are spectacularly grilled. Sweet.He loved the capellini. It was awesome in all its traditional flavors. He called the vongole "an inspiration". This, coming from a man who does a mean vongole himself.So far, the food has been great. But be warned, fine dining doesn't come cheap nor does it come with air-conditioning. There is just one thing. I think that many restaurants overcharge for what they term as the 'Phuket lobster'. For a puny thing, they charge 450 - 500bht (about S$21) per 100grams. I haven't ordered a grilled lobster or in its sashimi style simply because I think it's overpriced. Sunlight Please :: Not Floodlights Hi-ho. So the first-ever F1 night racing in Singapore has begun its practice runs.The cellphone's been beeping with updates from the FaerieFolk who're comfortably perched at the club's verandah with 3-day passes. There're also invites from acquaintances who are partying at The Padang.Hmmmm.... The man hasn't exhibited any interest in the parties. He really isn't into cars. Not the technical parts anyway. I'm obviously not into it at all. Maybe a little on the social scene.We intentionally travel during this period in order to avoid the F1 rigmarole. Naturally, we chose to forgo our allocated club passes.It's a big deal, economically. Especially important in sustaining the bubble so that the island is cushioned from the toxic financial ripples. That's probably why we ain't scoffing at it very much.But we fainted dead away at the whole PR shenanigans of the Grid Girls. Good lawwd. Let's not go into what we think of the Grid Girls. We applaud their bravery for sure. We just don't think very highly of the management of their attitude, image and overall presentation.That is a poorly produced video. Minimal art direction. Terrible grain. Bad job with the compression. My Sony HD camcorder can do a better job. And with all due respect, the PR manager ought to be shot for not prepping the girls to even be coherent. He should have at least given them basic classes in MTV dance.Goodness. Is this the 'fun' side of Singapore we want to show to the world? Many Animals We aren't exactly the most friendly people. So it must be the animals who are.There are so many dogs in Phuket. They are mutts. But they are the cleverest creatures.One late night stroll on the hotel grounds, we made friends with a sweet mutt. Come evening, she will seek us out for a run. She whines by way of greeting. I've learnt to recognize that and her way of touching her cold wet nose to my hand.At Lim's, there was a resident cat and a dog running around.I wish the animals eat mozzies. It's just too bad that Lim's is currently situated in the middle of house construction and a garbage dump. It's not possible to sit al fresco without being bitten by a dozen mozzies. So indoor comfort it had to be for us.When we left the restaurant, the cat and the dog were softly sprawled by the front door. They stared at us curiously for a minute. Then they went back to their business of pondering the things that silly humans do.