Revival of the blog

As my long-time readers would know, the death of my best friend at theslugreviews.blogspot.com took the sail out of my winds totally and I could no longer find the heart to continue with this blog or to write in any blogs for that matter. 

And as all parents would agree, with young children, the days are long but the years are short.

When I stopped writing in 2016, my kiddos who shall hereinafter be known as B1 and B2 were three and in Nursery One. When I write this today, B1 and B2 are nine, and have completed Primary Three in a local school. Nursery One, Nursery Two, Kindy One, Kindy Two, Primary One, Primary Two and Primary Three, all done and dusted.

When I stopped writing in 2016, there wasn't Covid19 or any hint of the pandemic that would upend our way of life and introduce words and measures that we had never heard of (think circuit breaker, vaccination, home-based learning (HBL), vaccination differentiated measures, safe-entry, trace-together token, vaccinated-travel lane, vaccination certificate).  I never thought I would see our supermarket shelves emptied, stripped of meat and vegetables, or see long queues and machines for hand sanitizer and government issued masks.  However, when I write this now, sunny Singapore like most of the rest of the world has opened up and are at the tail end of the pandemic with masks being optional indoors and outdoors, and travelling is back with a vengeance.

When I stopped writing in 2016, I never thought I would start writing a blog again. What with all those great many experiences (food, travel, music, books, parenting) between 2016 to 2022 not being put to keyboard and the web. What with the current job that I have that demands more from me than the previous job. What with B1 and B2 approaching the dreaded PSLE in a matter of three years. And what with the changes that will come our way next year when we have already settled into a comfortable groove. 

 Then as we were spring cleaning for what 2023 would bring academically, B2 said laughingly that she and B1 had done so many assessment books that they could tell parents and other kids what books worked and what didn't. I thought it was a good idea too since B1 and B2 had the grades/certs to lend credence to their claims and reviews of books and enrichment classes. 

And this long-forgotten blog seemed as good a place as any to begin. It holds memories, and it can certainly contain to hold more, even if the memories are to be of what most Singapore kids would grown at the sight of - assessment books!

So, here we go and I hope our reviews of all things under the sun prove to be helpful in one way or the other to readers. 

The old man & his shoe

So, while researching on the web, I came across this story which I thought was well worth remembering:

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One day an old man boarded a bus. As he was going up the steps, one of his shoes slipped off. The door closed and the bus moved off so he was unable to retrieve it. The old man calmly took off his other shoe and threw it out of the window.

A young man on the bus saw what happened, and could not help going up to the old man and asking, "I noticed what you did, sir. Why did you throw out your other shoe?"

The old man promptly replied, "So that whoever finds them will be able to use them."

The old man in the story understood a fundamental philosophy for life - do not hold on to something simply for the sake of possessing it or because you do not wish others to have it.

We lose things all the time. The loss may seem to us grievous and unjust initially, but loss only happens so that positive changes can occur in our lives. We should not always assume that losing something is bad, because if things do not shift, we'll never become better people or experience better things. That's not to say of course that we only lose "bad" things; it simply means that in order for us to mature emotionally and spiritually, and for us to contribute to the world, the interchange between loss and gain is necessary.

Like the old man in the story, we have to learn to let go. The world had decided that it was time for the old man to lose his shoe. Maybe this happened to add momentum to a series of events leading to a better pair of shoes for the old man. Maybe the search for another pair of shoes would lead the old man to a great benefactor. Maybe the world decided that someone else needed the shoes more.

Whatever the reason, we can't avoid losing things. The old man understood this. One of his shoes had gone out of his reach. The remaining shoe would not have been much help to him, but it would be a cherished gift to a homeless person desperately in need of protection from the ground.

Hoarding possessions does nothing to make us or the world better. We all have to decide constantly if some things or people have run their course in our lives or would be better off with others. We then have to muster the courage to give them away.

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SPG Gold Vs Hilton Gold

I've read somewhere that Hilton Gold is equivalent to SPG Platinum.

There's some merit to that - SPG Gold doesn't quite cut it any more for me other than the 4pm late checkouts and the wider selection of hotels available to suit varying budgets.

Hilton Gold offers free breakfast for 2, complimentary high speed internet access and executive lounge access which means - free drinks, cocktail food, wifi yada yada.

And I really dig the fact that my account with Hilton Honors is updated very promptly without my having to write in to check on the status of my points.

I had been worried that for some reason (like the fact that I've been staying in KL hotels only) , Hilton might try to deny awarding me the 40,000 points for my 4 stays at the Hilton Hotel using the Infinite Card before May 2012. However, a few days after I completed my 4th stay, I saw that my account had been credited with the 40,000 points. No chasing required.

I think that I will focus on keeping my Hilton Gold membership and possibly give up my SPG one.

Latin Aerobics Kicks Ass

Despite the weather as well as entreaties and diversions from my CEB and good friend, I proudly make it to my weekly Latin Aerobics class. There have been flashes of lightning across the sky so I park as near as I can to the community club and this effort to find a good lot comes with a hefty price - I'm late for the class. My friend is already there dancing to the music. She has taken salsa classes in University and it shows. I make my way to stand near her but the instructor has a better idea - she waves me to a position across my friend on the other side of the room. I think she figures that if we do not stand together, we will not be disruptive for the class. The problem with my spot is that I am behind 3 other ladies and I can barely see past them to the instructor who has on a pair of pants with tassels on the ass and knees. However, since I have made it there, I am determined to get the most I can out of the lesson. For the first time, the teacher incorporates jumping steps in the routine. The kind that you jump and fold your knees behind you. A lot of the ladies are unable to keep up, but to be fair, they are in their 50s to 60s. I get great delight in jumping as high and as much as the instructor does. That will show them! Those ladies go to the back of the room and sit on those chairs to watch the rest of us. I know they have a clear view of me since I am at the back so I do my best to do myself proud. Lunge, I lunge. Twirl, I twirl. Flex my biceps, I flex. Shake my upper back fats, I wobble like a firmly set jelly-o. Jump in the air, oh my, hear me land. Then the instructor does some sort of mass dance move, the kind I did in my secondary school days. She thrusts out both arms and bends her knee backwards and up. I am so caught up in the routine that I follow her without thinking. The heels of my too-big track shoes find themselves each a nesting place in my ass. Whomp Whomp one after the other. I yelp with surprise. I hear the bwahahaha above the laughter from the old ladies sitting behind. Shouldn't my friend be watching the instructor?! I tell you, Latin Aerobics kicks ass - literally.

Latin Aerobics - I will be back.

I missed the last class (the third one) because I was holidaying in Kota Kinabalu with my CEB the weekend before the Easter weekend.

If not for the fact that my friend had signed up for the class and was counting on me to turn up, I would have skipped the class yesterday as well. Having an exercise buddy really does help to keep one on the exercise track!

Fresh from the "success" of preparing dinner on Sunday for my FIL and CEB (which I shall blog about next), I decided to steam the fish slice that my MIL had given me for dinner before the aerobics class. Steaming the fish with lots of ginger slices (to kill the fishy smell), salted vegetables ( to lend taste) and some chili padi slices on the top was a fast and healthy option that required little preparation between the time I reached home from work and the class at 7.30pm.

As we were walking to the CC, my friend shared that last week's class was the toughest yet. And to my delight, I found out that she had the song "Move it like a freak" stuck in her head too since the last class. With the healthy dinner in my tummy and my spirits boosted by our little chat before class, I entered the dance studio brimming with good cheer.

We were slightly late so we had to stand near the back of the class and it was difficult to see the instructor past the girl in front of me. And once the music started, it became abundantly clear that missing one session hadn't done me any favors. I seemed to have two, no make it three, left feet that wouldn't co-operate and my movements were all out of time and not coordinated.

Midway through the class, a middle-aged man with a board comes in. He nods to the instructor and walks to the back of the class. It is impossible to watch the instructor and dance while watching him at the same time but I do my best. He appears to be taking notes and even a recording. I guess he could be short-listing dancers to take part in some parade or event. I also guess that he could be noting the class's attendance and instructor's performance.

When he leaves, the instructor comments that she does not know why he is there. I tell my friend that maybe he is there to take a video to post on YouTube, or there to find the world's worst dancer which would be yours truly. She starts to laugh her bwahahaha laugh and soon I follow. The instructor glares at us.

And as if to punish us, she puts on a really fast routine and I find myself twirling around, and making ridiculous motions with my hands such as mock-wiping my bum. She does not look silly doing it but I do. I figure that if I follow her exactly, I will not look silly too. So I resolve to shake every part of the body that she shakes and move as fast as her.

I concentrate so hard on mimicking her that I do not notice the distance between my friend and me. I twirl, shake, draw flowers in the air with my hands and poke her somewhere I have no business poking. She lets out a donkey bray of surprise and laugh the bwahahaha. I am totally unable to concentrate any more on the instructor. We stand there like two clowns chortling at our own jokes. The rest of the class is serious, all trying to mimic the grace of the instructor who is now scowling at us. It was an accident, mdm! An accident.

I do not fit in. But I will be back.

Latin Aerobics AGAIN

If not for my friend, I would have just skipped the class. As it was, the instructor was most surprised when we walked in 2 mins late. She said she thought we weren't coming back. With good reason.

This time, I manage to stand near the back of the class, somewhere in the middle of the room where there are partitions dividing the room pushed up against 1 wall. She sets us on a punishing routine and I spend a large inappropriate amount of time staring at her ass. She has on this pair of pants with two long tassels that are attached to each side of her ass. OF course, there is a lot of shaking the booty going on and I can see clearly in the mirror that I have a long way to go before I attach any tassels to draw attention to my ass. Half her age and double the ass. Way to go.

I think I have trouble with the turning around steps. This time, I turn so hard I end up with my nose 1cm away from the partitions. I also lunge and hit the lady next to me without meaning to. Luckily it is a glancing blow and I apologize.

Then the Visa Man routine begins and I start jiggling about like that fat sucker in the commercials, my knees to my chest and my arms pushing down. I cannot help but laugh as I watch myself. And to my horror, I cannot stop laughing. My friend catches my eye and she knows what I am thinking. Visa Man. She starts grinning and then I really cannot stop the guffaws. I laugh so hard I have tears in my eyes.

I tell myself to quit it because the instructor can clearly see us in the full length mirror but the laughter bellows out of me. Woo hoo. Visa Man! Even when the instructor meets my eye, I cannot stop.

The mirth cannot be contained and I bellow with laughter as my body shakes uncontrollably.

I think I am getting the work out I need.

A lesson in Latin Aerobics

A friend of more than 14yrs persuaded me to join her in her bid to get fit. Of course, I agreed eagerly, what with my having to buy larger skirts the past year. She suggested Latin Aerobics and since this sounded like something I could do given my exercise routine of running 5km/30mins twice a week, I agreed to commit to an exercise program with her. The first lesson had me right smack at the front of the class (since I was a newbie) with a smattering of oldish ladies behind me. Everyone was dressed to impress...I meant everyone was geared up in nice black tights, proper shoes and a colorful fitting top. I had on my running shoes (which was inappropriate), a loose t-shirt and baggy home shorts. In short, I looked like a poorly dressed unfit bloop. The instructor who had a really tight slim body for her age started the lesson by teaching us a few basic steps. I caught on easily because I'd spent a large amount of my life exercising to aerobics tape which had the same steps. Naturally, my confidence and cockiness grew as I stepped and sashayed along with her. Until she started the music. Now, I found myself huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf while those grey haired ladies behind him seemed to be dancing effortlessly. I was soon out of step, out of sync with the rest of the class and having to face a full length mirror in the dance studio and watch that was a lesson in humility. Then the instructor put on a different song and changed her steps. Obediently, I imitated her without thinking twice and somehow, I ended up looking like the fat man in the Visa Commercials. Exactly. Right down to the smile plastered stupidly on my face as I pumped my arms downwards and jiggled my knees upwards. 

 Mercifully the song didn't last too long and the next song was something about Africa. I tried my darnest to imitate the instructor who was doing some high-legged flamingo step but ended up looking like an ungainly elephant with three legs and two trunks. Me whispering to Friend "That's it. I am not coming back." Friend "It's not so bad lar...just finish this lesson then say. Anyway, take it like you are burning calories". Inspired I again, I whirled and twirled enthusiastically for the rest of the class. With 10mins to go, the instructor decided to instruct us on a new move that was "Elegant" (like BallRoom Dancing she said). It consisted of putting one foot forward and making a 360 degree turn with arms stretched wide. I was happy. This was easy and beat looking like Visa Man. Then she did consecutive turns and there I was. Turning like a top. Free. Easy. Muscles stretched. I was as good as those old ladies in the class. Better in fact, since I was turning faster than them now. Hell, I could even beam at the lady behind me when we were turning ie. she's slow....old! I was toying with the idea of meeting her eyes meaningfully the next twirl around - you know, to convey the message that "I'm not as bad as what the mirror in front of us makes out". 

And indeed I found myself meeting her eyes. But something was wrong with the angle. Then I figured it out. I was lying flat on my back and she was peering down at me. My twirl had resulted in me falling right over. I didn't even know when I hit the ground. Something tells me that this Latin Aerobics thing and me aren't going to last too long. Friend "Next week you coming back right?" Me "Hmmm..."

Fishing Season 2012

Ever since I've been with my CEB, I have not gone prawn fishing. The only fishing I've done was offshore fishing organized by his friend.

With my old fishing kakis jio-ing me to go pond fishing at Punggol and for upcoming fishing trips, I need to go send my reels for servicing and set aside some time to practice tying knots so I don't make a right fool of myself.

My fingers are itchy. It has been far too long. Going to cut back on personal and work trips to free up the weekends.

I MUST go fishing. The huntress in me is crying to be let out.

The Thing (2011) Movie

I have no idea why I am so tired of late. I haven't been able to make myself switch on the laptop the past few evenings and upload pics to blog about our honeymoon. Unlike my CEB, I consider the 4 hours between after-work and bed-time, time that goes by just too quickly. Throw in time used for dinner and a bath, and the day is over. Just like that. And then the week rolls by. Followed by the month. 

 I have 4 short business trips coming up in November. It won't be like that next year, I think, this travelling every single month for work since I joined this new company. Business trips are so disruptive and bad for the old waist-line. But in the meantime, I am leaving for a short weekend getaway in Bangkok with my CEB tonight. This holiday was supposed to be last week on his birthday but we rescheduled because of a wedding we were told we had to attend (but didn't have to at the last min). So this is one more holiday to blog about, in addition to the back-log from South America. But in the meantime, I thought I'll write about a movie which we had no plans to watch, but ended up watching because of the timing. The Thing. M

y CEB knows me pretty well (which really annoys me) and he asked me if I was sure if I wanted to watch this movie because I generally hate horror movies. And since there is nothing better than giving my old jaded tired self a fright, I said yes

 The Slog Reviews: 8/10. The movie was short (less than 2 hours) but well-paced with good acting all around. Special effects did not disappoint and The Thing scuttling about with 2 faces is something I can't wait to forget in a hurry. But before you get me wrong, the Thing is a hostile alien lifeform that scientists have discovered buried in the ice in Antartica, an alien which has the ability to devour and replicate human cells. So most of the movie was spent guessing which scientist in the group was the alien, and watching how folks turn against folks in times of doubt and fear. If I had to rate this movie on a horror meter, I'll give it a 3/10 - one would definitely be able to sleep in the night after watching this flick.

Saudade

After 20+ days or work and leisure in South America, I'm finally back in Singapore.

Getting used to the humidity and time difference (Brazil and Peru are like 11 and 13 hrs behind SG time) is a real challenge for us.

Stepping back into, or rather, finding a routine/semblance of a life after I left, is going to be a challenge too, but only for me and not my CEB.

In Brazil (the work bit), I learnt a word that accurately describes how I feel right now - Saudade. (Click here for the definition).

When all along I thought that word was "Lost" or "Restless".

Mad World

Finally the GAC 2011 is over and I am done with the presentations and sumptuous meals. As well as riding around in armored bullet-proof vehicles and being surrounded by security wherever we go. I wanted to go to church this morning, the only church in this city that has gregorian chants but I was strongly discouraged to by the security folks. 

So here I am in this luxurious downtown hotel waiting for checkout before I go to the airport to meet my CEB who is coming in for our honeymoon. Coming here has been an experience in itself. I've never felt so caged before. No shopping, no church even...and sitting inside the armored vehicle and having 1 big tough security guy climb in and ensure the windows were bullet proof...what can I say. I'm so glad I live in Singapore. I'm so grateful to LKY and the present government we have for making Singapore safe. Safety so many of us have taken forgranted but so many here do not have. Car jacking, 1 of the world's highest homicide rates, a city of more than 39million which means it is easy to disappear, the favelas (slums), the horrific traffic jams, the astronomical cost of living...I can't thank God enough for just the simple fortune of being born in Singapore at the time I was. 

 It's a Mad World we live in...and talking about Mad World, while cooped up in the hotel room last night with only the TV to accompany me, I watched the Glee Project and they had this song which is so hauntingly sad, so disturbingly true. Mad World, yes it is.

Eat Pray Love (2010) Movie

I finally got to watch the whole movie after buying the DVD eons ago. The book was widely popular in the bookstores then, and the movie came out shortly after but I hadn't made an effort to get either. Until my beloved ex-boss told me that she thought of me when she was reading the book, and recommended that I read it too.

So because my CEB wasn’t home early last night, I took the opportunity to pop the DVD in the player and catch the movie on my own. (My CEB hates this sort of movies). Briefly, JR’s character leaves her first marriage, a husband who loves her, to find herself. She then gets together with an aspiring actor, with whom she was wildly infatuated with, and then desperately and unhappily out of love. She goes to Italy to find herself, to do nothing but enjoy life. And then to India for spirituality and finally to Bali where she finds love again.

And I could relate to each of her relationships. Probably that is why my beloved ex-boss who knows me so well, thought of me when she read the book.

There is a scene where JR’s character said “The only thing more impossible than staying was leaving” as she realized the extent of her discontent and unhappiness with her husband and her marriage. Despite all the wonderful memories that they had, and the home they created together. And despite how much the husband still loved her as was evident when he refused to sign the divorce papers “I’ll wait for you…all I want is you”.

It reminded me of how I felt when I left men who had loved me– a combination of feeling just awful and guilty but still saying goodbye. Not to be true to myself, not to find myself, not just because I didn’t love them anymore, but because staying another day was unbearable and no matter how hard I tried and looked, I couldn’t see a future with them. The idea of waking up, coming home to, sleeping with them every single day and night of the rest of my life had become so abhorrent that I felt physically ill, mentally broken, spiritually desolate.

But like JR’s character, I need time to forgive myself. I doubt they have fully forgiven me either. Or rather, I know they have not forgiven or forgotten me. Esp the one whom I doubted loved me. It breaks my heart now to realize that all I do for my CEB out of love now, is what he had done for me all the time. And which I had thought as calculated acts to win my heart. Only now do I realize how very much effort he made, and how very much he had loved and cherished me. Something I could not ever reciprocate.

And if you asked me now, even without my CEB, what would I do with this realization, my answer would still be the same – I could never go back to a ruined relationship. You only cut your fingers picking up the broken pieces.

So, I want to end this post with a quote from the movie. "To have broken heart means you have tried for something.” I hope this comforts you as it had comforted me in some strange way.

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

Escape from harsh reality is easy when one loves books. I can see why this book was named best novel of the year (2005) by Times Magazine - I was sick when I started picking up and had intended to read till I got sleepy enough but instead, it was such an engaging page turner that I could not put the book down till I got to the very last page.

The Slog Reviews: 9/10. The book, written in the first narrative, is made for easy reading yet the author manages to convey and deal with many difficult issues from cloning to the angst of growing up and relationships with all its hopes, fulfilment and pain.

There are 3 main characters - Kathy, the character through whom the story is told, Tommy and Ruth. For a really good summary of the story, click here. All are clones who are expected to give donations and brought up in a house called Hailsham. There, they are encouraged to engage in artwork and poetry. Tommy and Ruth becomes a couple despite there being an unmistakable bond between Tommy and Kathy. This bond however remains that of friendship and respect and never does Kathy think of entering into a relationship with her close friend's (Ruth) boyfriend. Years later when their paths seperate, Kathy looks for Ruth to become her carer after Ruth's second donation which apparently did not go well. Before Ruth goes for her next donation, she apologises to Kathy for keeping her and Tommy apart. Kathy looks for Tommy and they become a couple but Tommy is scheduled for his fourth and final donation. Ruth urges them to look for the Madame at Hailsham where she believes Tommy can get a deferral if Kathy and Tommy can show they are in love. Ruth even convinces them that the artwork was used to gauge the depth of Kathy and Tommy's souls, and judge their true love. So filled with hope, Kathy and Tommy goes, but only to find out that Hailsham was a failed experiment to prove to the world that clones had souls - the artwork was used for that purpose but Madame did not managed to convince the world and starved of funding, Hailsham was closed and clones brought up in worse environments. Kathy asks Madame why she had tears in her eyes long ago when she watched Kathy hugging a pillow as if it were a baby and singing Never Let Me Go. Kathy thought that Madame had felt sorry for her knowing that Kathy would never have a baby, being a clone. Madame replied that she saw a child asking the old kinder world she knew never to let her go in face of a new and cruel world (using clones). I didn't understand the ending though - when Kathy and Tommy parted for the last time and Kathy saw a fence with all the things she lost washed up against them and Tommy now 1 of them. It was just sad, but significant in a way that needs to be explained to a denser mind. :P

I kind of liked the book in that...if 2 people are meant to be together, they will be, in the end. Even someone else trying to keep them apart can only succeed for some period of time. It isn't true love prevailing I think, I think it's fate, all written in the stars and somehow we will find our way back to the one we were meant to be with. The years in between (whether alone or someone else) aren't lost or wasted, but necessary as a lesson and experience.

It isn't the length of time we had or will have together that mattered, it is the quality of that time, the moments lived, to be had. :P

And on never letting a person go? There is nothing to stop a person from leaving - you can cage the body but never the heart, the mind, the soul, the spirit.

Soul Surfer (2011) Movie

This movie was the first I watched on board the 10hr+ flight to Joburg. Unlike the previous trip to US (click here), I didn't enjoy the trip on SQ despite it being on biz class as well. Firstly, the biz class lounge at T2 was far more crowded and far less luxurious than the one at T3. Secondly, the seats of the aircraft were not the pale plushy ones but the dark blue ones which were not as comfortable. (The food was good though - the beef in the beef noodles was surprisingly tender.) However, I enjoyed Soul Surfer- its title is telling - this inspirational story (based on a true story) is about the courage and will of an individual to, with faith in God and in herself, rise above a crippling accident and embrace life. I think I have never choked up so many times or teared during a movie. I would rate the movie 10/10 easily and encourage anyone who has lost perspective, motivation, purpose and courage in life to take a couple of hours and watch Soul Surfer. Imagine a surfer, an athlete losing her left arm in a shark attack, the stump too short to attach a prosthetic arm. I'm not an athlete, and am guessing that you too do not depend on the condition of your body for a living. Yet neither of us would ever want to lose a limb. Imagine then what losing an arm means to an athlete whose field involves the use of all 4 limbs. And yet Bethany went back to surfing 1 month from the accident and competed competitively within a year. 

Because she had Faith, Perspective and Will. With these 3, as what she says "I don't need easy, I just need possible." Although in moments of utter frustration (of having 1 arm) she asked why God would allow this to happen to her, she never stopped believing in God, that God had plans for her and that something good would come out of the accident. This same faith led her to participate in a mission trip to Thailand after the tsunami and this trip was the turning point for her. She realised she had lost an arm but she had more than these pp had - they had lost loved ones, some, their entire families, and their home and possessions. And that was when she decided to embrace life to the fullest despite her own loss - and it wasn't just a decision - she devoted hours to training and conditioning her body so she would be in the best possible form to compete. 

 Indeed in life, often what we think is our greatest loss or defeat is just an opportunity for God to give us more, give us better. And what differentiates a winner from a loser is nothing more than having the will and determination to hang in there, or rather, get back up when knocked down. Since I am in Africa, I will end with a fitting quote from the movie Invictus where Nelson Mandela says "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul".

Newark Airport SAS Lounge and Loving Me at the end of this trip

I've got about 2 and a half hrs before the 18hours flight back to SG and rather than exercise my credit card(s) some more at the duty free shop here, I've decided to spend my time in the SAS lounge to write this instead. Below is a pic of the SAS lounge's complimentary internet stations, one of which I am hogging.

The selection of food at this lounge is rather meagre - just a salad bar really, (as compared to Changi Airport T3's lounge which I shall blog about another time), but since I have just USD30 in my wallet and I've also developed a taste for salads, I'm not complaining too much about my free dinner.

You know, there is this scientific finding that people always remember how they feel, and not so much the details of the specific incident/event. I could and will write about the places I've been, but right now I want to write about how I feel at the end of the trip before I get on the plane and watch more movies.

So. My "takeaway feeling" from this trip is that I am actually happy and comfortable being alone. There is no sense of loneliness or wishing that anyone was here with me. Sure, I do wish my sister was here when I see all the louboutin shoes but I don't wish she was here with with me on this trip. Sure, I do think my mother would have liked the awesome view of NYC from the Empire State Building but I didn't miss her when I was on the observatory deck taking photos or asking strangers to take photos. I did whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and it was all good. Being by myself didn't stop me from doing things that I wanted to do - such as eating at nice places or doing touristy things - even when everyone else had someone else with them. I only observed that I was the only one alone, but that observation was nothing more than just that - an observation, and then it was me being with me, and loving me.

Maybe it is because shopping is therapeutic, as is eating, and I was doing plenty of both. Or maybe it is because my circumstances are such that solitude and I are destined to be together...and given how futile it is to lament, reconciling myself to what I cannot change is the best and perhaps only way forward. Don't get me wrong that I don't like people or that I am going to do another "runaway" (and I really hope that I won't) But painful experience and my good colleague have taught me better than to pin my happiness and hope on another person.

So while I still hold to my favourite quote by Emily Kimbrough ("Remember we stumble everyone of us. That's why it is a comfort to go hand in hand""), I have learnt how to love me, be friends with me, and depend on me primarily for happiness and pleasure. A

2010 - Travel for the year in pictures

Unlike 2009 where I was flying constantly for work, there was absolutely no work-related travel in 2010. So with the support of my boss without whom all this would not be possible, I had my own little escapes out of the country with family, friends and my CEB. The photos are in the hundreds per trip so I decided to pick 1 of the ones that I like best for each trip. 

 

1 Dec 2009 to 4 January 2010 (Kota Kinabalu) - Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park (The marine park is an experience not to be missed indeed if one goes to KK. And so is feasting on seafood at Sedco Square - this trip was memorable because of the New Year fireworks at Jesselton Square, and the fishing competition I almost won. Not too shabby a start for 2010)

16 to 17 January 2010 (Ho Chi Minh) - Greyhound racing track @ Vung Tau ( Again, an experience that should not be missed, esp if one loves punting. This trip was slightly different from the norm F&E trips because I was with 1 of my closest friends, The Slug, whose family (well half of) resides in Vietnam - From Hyatt to Hovel indeed! Thank u!) 5 to 8 February 2010 (Langkawi) - 1st grouper on lure @ Datai Bay (After the numerous fishless sessions with my fishing shifu, I finally caught my first fish on lure, this grouper is the 2nd/3rd fish caught on lure but at least I broke the fishing curse! I also fell in love with the island of Langkawi after this trip which was probably 1 of the best ones I had - renting a car, feasting on fish that we had caught from the ocean, perfecting my casting skills (lures), being amazed by the beauty of the Andaman Sea from the sky cable car) 6 to 7 March 2010 (Kuching) - Cat Museum (This trip was 1 of the worst - it sucked eggs so big time and probably marked the beginning of the end of whatever that might have been with this travel companion. What was supposed to be a fun weekend getaway turned out to be a nightmare from the moment we landed. "Men" who shout and sulk ought to be shot.)

27 t0 30 May 2010 (Bali) - Family @ Besakih Temple

(This was the first holiday where I was running a fever all of the trip and also lost my voice. Which was terrible because it was one of the few F&E family trips (my mum tends to favor the package tours) and one which I had pre-booked...nothing. This trip didnt turn out too badly though because my little sister stepped up and made sure all went well with all the day tours I booked the moment we landed (b4 I lost my voice). Packed everything worth seeing in this trip - dinner at Jimbaran Bay, Tanah Lot, Kintamani volcano, Fire Dance etc)

2 to 7 July 2010 (Shenzhen and Hongkong) - Hyatt Hotel @ ShaTin

If you asked my CEB which hotel room is his favourite after all the hotels we've stayed, he would swear it is this one - me thinks it is because of the memories we have here.)

5 to 10 August 2010 (Cambodia) -Family @ Angkor Wat

(This was a great F&E trip where with the help of the great hotel we stayed in - The Kool Hotel - we went on customised day trips to all the sights (many temples!) worth seeing. We also went to the museum and shook those fortune telling sticks. My sis's lot was the best (not just literally) but mine was pretty decent too. It was a fantastic family bonding trip with lots of beautiful pictures and memories - I miss the amok fish from The Kool Hotel now!)

21 to 23 August 2010 (Ho Chi Minh) - My birthday @ New York Steakhouse (Another holiday when I was sick! And so was my poor CEB whom I must have passed my cough to. We both were so sick the first and second nights that we couldn't enjoy the fab hotel I'd booked to celebrate my birthday in - Majestic Hotel. I broke a glass in the toilet the first night in my fevered haze and despite me wanting to keep my CEB out, he insisted on helping me clear the mess. And he was the one who got up to boil some drinks for two of us sick pp. :P By the third day we were better and had overpriced steak followed by his lucky streak at the hotel's casino where he won $ with my $.)

8 to 12 September 2010 (Australia) - Family rafting down Barron River @ Cairns

(This was the yearly "big" trip for the family. In 2008 we did USA (the Grand Canyon), in 2009, Central Europe and UK and in 2010, I decided that I had to see the Great Barrier Reef and so off we went to sunny Cairns. We went to the Kuranda Rainforest which was truely majestic, snorkelling over the Great Barrier Reef and then white water rafting as a family. We also did loads of shopping for macademia nuts and gifts for the folks back home - and Cairns Central is where my current sleeping companion hails from - my nua nua buaya toy!)

2 to 3 October 2010 (KL) - Weekend escape @ Sheraton Imperial Hotel's clubroom (This trip was the 1 where my tiger airways flight was cancelled the night b4 and I flew silkair instead in the morning bcos the room and my CEB's coach ride up were already paid for. My CEB booked Jogoya for Sun lunch and I outate him at what must be 1 of the largest buffet spreads in KL. Hah. We were upgraded to a clubroom at the hotel which mean a really lovely and spacious hotel room which we both thoroughly enjoyed. That's my CEB taking a photo of us in the room's mirror and though it is erm, slanted and all, I like this pic because it shows the level of casual comfort we have reached by our 3rd month as a couple.)

15 to 18 October 2010 (Phuket) - His Birthday @ Maya Beach

(There was a jetstar promotion in July and since the price was right (SGD70 for a return ticket per pax), we spent his birthday in Phuket. We rented a car and spent some time at Patong Beach where we stayed at Millenium Hotel. On the day of his birthday, we booked a day trip to Maya Beach and Khai Noi. The weather was perfect that day when the day b4 it was raining non-stop. We did some shopping arnd the hotel, followed by a day of beach-hopping where we drove to Karon Beach, Kata Beach, Mai Khao etc. We also visited the Great Buddha statue at Chalong Bay and the Promthep Cape which was where the motorcycle accident happened. Waiting for the ambulance, directing traffic down the bend in the rain, gg to the police station - an unforgettable experience that we shared as a couple.)

27 to 31 October 2010 (Bangkok) - The 12th barra on lure @ Boon Mar Lake

(A "mother-daughter" time trip where mum and I enjoyed not just some pampering moments together - spa, facial, shopping, eating - but also where I brought mum fishing! Like the year before when I brought her to BSR, she had a swell time breathing in the country air, taking in the sights so different from that in Singapore, and taking photos of me and the catch.)

3 to 8 November 2010 (Penang & Langkawi) - Kek Lok Si Temple @ Penang

(I've never been to Penang before - 1 of the few states in Msia that I haven't visted - and managed to persuade my CEB to go along with me although he had been there b4. The first time where we both were told there were no rooms at the hotel despite our reservation. We stayed in Cheong Fatt Sze Mansion instead which I enjoyed but not my CEB. My friend from Penang met us there and was kind enough to drive us around. And not only that, she introduced us to the best salt-baked prawns and crabs we ever had. We also gorged on Penang Laksa and chendol as well as visited the famous Kek Lok Si Temple.)

3 to 8 November 2010 (Penang & Langkawi) - Eagle Square @ Langkawi (The idea was to go to just Penang but my CEB had seen a pic of Dataran Lang on the back of a bus and he suggested going to Langkawi for a couple of days which turned out to be the best travel idea he had- we stayed at The Datai - 1 of the best (and most exp) hotels there andwe also rented a car to drive around - we ended up at the largest man-made waterfall, eating power laksa at the roadside, waking up early to stroll along Pantai Cenang, dining at The Loaf and taking the Langkawi Cable Car ride. We even went to Eagle Sq per the pic below which was afterall, the inspiration for us being here)

And so that was all the flight-related travel I had for 2010 - many short and enjoyable trips to countries not too far away. What a difference from 2009 where we went on a 18 day tour of Europe and UK and 2008 where we spent 14 days at USA's West Coast. I wonder what sorta travel 2011 will bring!

Seletar Hill Restaurant - The best braised belly pork (kong ba bao)

If I am not wrong, 95% of the posts in this blog are about places and food in Malaysia. That is not to say that I am not a born-and-bred Singaporean and darn proud of being one. And not to say that I don't travel to other places but Malaysia. Vegas, Paris, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Cairns, I've done in the past 2 years but I've never felt like blogging about these places for some strange reason - not even Cairns just a couple of months back.

When I find the time I guess - despite it being December, I am swarmed with my current workload to the point of being discouraged and despondent. And I miss my beloved boss's calm wise presence :( It sounds absolutely insane for a worker bee to count the days till her boss returns back to the office but I am. I miss her so much it actually hurts. Mad. Anyway, talking about her brings me back the original point of this post - the really good stuff that hails from Singapore, in this case, food (as opposed to a person) introduced to me by an expert foodie colleague of mine.

Because he was a regular at this haunt, we left the ordering to him. As with most traditional Chinese dinners, we started off with soup - in this case, Sze Chuan hot and sour soup. The Slog Reviews: 8/10. This soup was served piping hot and the fragrant aroma rising together with the steam made us drool even before the first spoonful. Excellent stuff.

My foodie colleague swears by the Camphor Tea Smoked Duck served by this restaurant -he has never had duck that tasted better, so he says. I am a duck meat lover - I always claim I am allergic to chicken to avoid eating chicken meat (when pressed further for details of this unique allergy, I usually reply that chicken triggers my anger management issues and the questioning inevitably stops) - and so I was really looking forward to the smoked duck he ordered. The Slog Reviews: 9/10. Alright, I confess I had to swallow a couple of times before typing because the picture below triggered off the memory of the thin crispy skin which was laced with just the most delicate layer of fat and oil, and of the firm tender juicy meat. Simply mouthwateringly good.

Despite its rather unappealing appearance below, the sambal green beans he ordered didn't stay very long on its plate either. The Slog Reviews: 8/10. Good on its own merits but can be given a miss in favor of the duck or the next item if one has limited eating/stomach capacity.

Now, I don't eat braised belly pork at all. The idea of all that quivering solid fat is simply abhorent and triggers unpleasant memories. However, my foodie colleague told me to try or regret this dish. The pork belly was served in this manner with just enough portions for the number of diners.

Because I was reluctant to pick up the belly pork with its thick layer of fats and put it between the white buns served together with the dish AND my foodie colleague was determined to have me try the dish, he ended up making the kong ba bao below for me - not much to look at but....one bite, and all was right with my world again. The Slog Reviews: 10/10. Orgasmic. Who needs a man, what does the state of my inbox matter...irrelevant. The pork melts in the mouth - I swear - it MELTS and the sweet dark gravy which seeps into the warm oh-so-tender- buns makes the entire combination a testimony to the wonders of our good lord. The 8th wonder.

Because I had been craving durian so badly, despite my foodie colleague's persuasions to have me try the chendol, I ordered the popular durian pudding (only SGD 2) and the Slog Reviews: 7/10. No offense to the dish but come on now, who was I fooling to think a durian pudding and not the real thing could actually satisfy my craving. But it was sweet of my foodie colleague though to remember my craving. Can skip.

In any case, I got to try the durian chendol because he absolutely insisted that such pleasures should be shared. The other colleagues at the table bowed to his wiser judgment as per the pic below and had that dessert too. The Slog Reviews: 8/10. I am not a chendol person but the overall concensus is that this is really good dessert and a sweet end to a great meal. Thank you so much for taking us here!

So, for those of you who can afford the calories, or who can't like The Slog but love braised belly pork, the place to make a beeline for is Seletar Hill Restaurant located at 16 Jalan Selaseh Seletar Hills Estate.

Ipod Touch

2 new gadgets in a month for a technosaur is a nightmare come true. My beloved boss bestowed on me a Blackberry 9700 early this month (click here) and just when I was getting used to having and carrying 2 phones around (co phone is purely for co-related matters of cos), myCEB decided to get me an iPod Touch for Xmas this year. I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth BUT....it isn't funny when I find myself pressing the screen of my Blackberry (instead of scrolling using the control panel) to get it to work. Thanks to the iPod Touch, which also incidentally is to be thanked for the 3 hours of sleep I have been getting the past 2 days. Addictive. And to think my CEB called me a Blackberry addict.

And oh, so much too for my allegiance to Sony Ericsson. I've used nothing but SE phones since 2003. I was even oh so proud, not too long ago, at not having joined the iPhone club unlike my CEB, my sister and just about everyone else. In fact, I thought my Sony Ericsson W950i, with its 8.1mp camera was all I needed - it could take great photos for the blog, had wifi connectivity and would fulfill the basic functions of a phone - phone calls and texting. It still IS the deal....but it is a tad worrying when more often than not these days, I find my thumb smoothing the control panel bit of the phone (as if it was the Blackberry!) instead of pressing down as I should. The only consolation I have is that I didn't join the iPhone club which would have rendered both the iPod Touch and Blackberry quite redundant.

It appears that the IT Gods have a plan for The Slog.

Now if only the same could be said about Cupid. My CEB and I were viewing houses last Sunday with our agent and we could not find one of the blocks we were scheduled to view. My CEB joked with the agent that we needed a wand (so that like in 1 of the Harry Potter movies with a wave of the wand, the building blocks would part to reveal the block we were searching for)!

Day 3 at Langkawi - Before the flight back to Penang - thots on the blackberry

5.26am now and I can't sleep on our last night (or should I say morning) here in Langkawi. Our flight back to Penang is about 9am and we have to return the rented car by 830am at the airport. The alarm on my blackberry is set for 615am so I guess I have all of the next 45mins to write this before my CEB wakes.

This time I am writing here using my sony ericsson w950 webbrowser function because his netbook has run out of power. And unlike in Bangkok where entering an entry was a breeze because I had been using this phone exclusively, I am having problems with the cursor button and keypad functions because of my recent intensive use of the blackberry. Speaking of which my CEB has mentioned more than a couple of times during the past couple of days tt he is going to ask my boss to take the blackberry back because I am giving it more attention than him. Ok I kinda made tt last bit up but I think tt tt is the real reason, and not as he claims, tt he does not want to see me working on a holiday.

That being said I have to admit tt carrying around 3 mobile devices this holiday has been quite a hassle but I can't load my blog/ blogger or take nice pics on my blackberry and I can't access my office email through my sony ericsson. The other phone, a nokia is used for the prepaid sim card which is an infinitely cheaper option to msg or make calls with when in Msia/Thailand.

I suppose for future holidays what I could do is to divert all incoming calls and sms to the blackberry since under the plan the co bought, all incoming calls are free. And then I'll use the prepaid sim card on the sony ericsson to call/msg back. This would mean just carrying 2 phones like I do now in SG. Okay, now that I've typed this out and sorted out the arrangement I feel more at ease.

Time to start packing for the flight back to Penang.

Blackberry Bold 9700 Smartphone

"Christmas came early for me this year huh"...that was the first thing I said to my beloved boss when I got this yesterday because of her (requested for on an urgent basis at that). The next thing was "Thank you" of course!

Having a smartphone with unlimited data usage along with a company line would have come in really useful last year when I was shuttling between China,HKG and SG for the China project, and also working insane hours at times. I remember having to borrow my colleagues' blackberry(s) to make urgent phone calls back to my boss most of the time. That, or present my private phone bill to be reimbursed, both of which was a inconvenience and hassle. Not to mention having to check my work mail from home most nights just to be ready for the next day. However, I assumed that I wasn't given a phone or company line last year (despite the promotion in July then) because of my level (even legal counsels have grades/ranks in a company) - afterall, my colleagues on the project were all deputy directors at least (hence, the entitlement to a phone).

So when I got the phone yesterday I assumed it was due to the promotion this year to my current grade but when I tried to add some colleagues of the same grade, I could not find them. A call confirmed that the grade/rank isn't what determines whether one is given a smart phone, company line and data plan.

This can only mean one thing. Put together with all the other nuggets of information/hints dropped along the way, I am pretty sure of it. And this holiday-filled, happy-go-where-I-please life of mine looks like it may well come to an end. Oh well, Merci Boss (if you are reading this) - you have my word (now written even!) that I am your woman to the end. Nothing but my 110% for the projects we are going to do together!