Tinged with Melancholy

The Weekend -- A time to look forward. Or not?

Somehow, this wkend is taking its turn. Had a great dinner with the Hubs and a great stay-home movie date. At the stroke of midnite, somehow, but the twist of fate, I logged on FB to realise it was ex-BFF's bday. Learnt from the various postings from her own pool of friends that life has moved on for her and now, she's in Maryland. Far far away from her hometown. Wonder how long it'd be. Updates? She never did. Not since she packed up and left for Australia years ago and left me in tears @ the airport. Literally. I've always found a spot in my heart to forgive her, yet things have changed. For the worse in fact. Deviation. The trigger was 3 yrs back, on the eve of my wedding. Too painful to recollect. Friends have urged me to let go and move on. Tried as I may, it hadn't been easy. It's a daunting and arduous task to be forgetting someone so dear to me, but so alienated. The straw came on the day she confessed that she had been lying to me about a certain matter. Shocking. Split personality perhaps? Whatever it is, I sincerely wish her well.

I hope we'll be friends forever, together we'll always be. I don't think you understand just how much you mean to me. And one day when we part our ways, we'll think back to the past and think about how happy we are 'cause our friendship will always last...I wish I can say that last statement confidently, but a tinge of sadness envelop my heart each time I think about the good times we had. A sad thing in life is that sometimes you meet someone who means a lot to you only to find out in the end that it was never bound to be and you just have to let go.

Metamorphosis?

HOw fast time had flown and how little might be left. I try to pretend to starve off aging by investing heftily on skincare products which swear to take those lines off or alter the DNA (ya, who are you kidding?). No matter what I'm doing, I can no longer deny and be oblivious to one fact -- I Am Getting OLD!

Usually, this would not bother me a bit. I embrace life with a youthful spirit and I mean it's not overnight that I've become a skincare junkie. However, of late, things seem to be worrisome. Apart from having a miniscule attention span, the memory seems to be deteriorating as well. Escalation is a testament to is ineffectiveness. This was clearly manifested by a frustrating episode this morning. I woke up bright and early, all ready to face the work day with gusto. At the point of going out, i realised that my house keys weren't with me! AAAAHHH!!!!! Major Mayhem! Had to cancel a session and lose income due to this senility of mine. That's also why I'm blogging away at this hour. A luxury. That was not all. Yesterday, as I was about to put on a fresh new pair of disposable contact lens, I hesitated for a long while before inserting. Why? I had forgotten which eye's taking the higher degree! OMG! These are truly sordid affair of my fears! To think that these may be temporary and transitory.Inexplicably (or not), alarm bells are ringing in my head. An unnerving image of metamorphosis is encapsulated in my brain. I spend a vast amount of time utilising my brain, so how could this be happening? It's really disturbing and I hope the cycle does not perpetuate itself.

Bagaholic Whore Vs the nerds

Quick post to get my engine started.

It was yet another wet morning. Love it when it rains! Rivulets of rain crashed through the grey cumulus clouds that shrouded the sky, accompanied by the baritone thunder that roared in the distance. The cacophony of the thunder and the pitter-patter of the rain are simply music to my ears. Pity I can't enjoy the gush of chilly winds under my cosy comforter. BUT, I wasn't glum at all. The rain simply lifted my spirits and made work enjoyable. I was actually looking forward to it albeit it being yet another long day. Precipitous raindrops fell one after another dotting the rough asphalt road to a deep shade of grey. I was driving cautiously as the rain suddenly came down in torrents. Somehow, with the rain comes incessant nonsensical thoughts. Today, it was "how many bags do I actually own?" Exuberance bubbled in me as I gave this question some serious thought. I wondered out loud. Tried as I might, but each time the traffic lights turned green, I had to start counting all over again! Eventually I gave up. It was almost impossible to count.

The thought completely evaporated together with the rain until I read an article entitled :

Women Spend Over $20,000 On Shoes In A Lifetime!

Immediately, i jumped off my chair and started doing a stock take of my assets ie. bags. Triumph assailed me in waves as I made a random count. Are you ready for this? I own approximately 70 bags (both big and small) and 50 clutches! OMG! HOLY COW! That was my exact reaction! How did the numbers ever gotten so huge?!?!?! I didn't know whether to convulse into laughter or to bow my head in remorse. Then again, the damage had been made, so what's there to regret? hehe. In actual fact, despite the appalling numbers, it's only a handful of bags which I use frequently. Honestly it's a chore to be transferring stuff from one bag to another, especially when one is in a hurry! However, I do see the problem. Even my kids see it! today, D commented " Teacher, how many bags do you actually own? Why do I see you carrying a different bag each wk?" OOPS!


Well, I guess if women can spend $20,000 on shoes, I can probably spend on bags too right? * Eyes shining with pleasure as I tuck into the decadent closet full of bags* No words can describe the excitement that is eating at my nerves at this moment in time...hmmmm Which bag should I carry tomorrow? *SMILE*

My Prized Collection!

Feel so SATC all of a sudden. No wonder my wallet is always screaming out "money not enough!" It's an addiction I tell you. There should be a rehab centre for cases like me. Is there? Below are some more random buys over the week:

Was terribly excited when the postman called to say my Rayban package was here, but there wasn't anyone home! However, clever me was able to solve the problem and he slipped the parcel into my home! I rushed back only to "feast" my eyes on the below pair of fugly looking shades:

Who in the world would want to buy such a fugly looking Rayban?! I was exasperated when I saw it. Anger shimmered in the pit of my stomach like acid eroding and eating away at me. I stamped my feet and demanded immediate action. Thus a complaint letter was shot to Reebonz. It's the second time I'm encountering problems with them. Guess perhaps we are not meant to be? Minutes ticked by and still no news. My anger intensified and I almost burst out in a tirade, only problem -- No one was around to be my punching bag. Just then, the postman called again to say he sent the wrong puzzle! *GRRR* Instead of apologising, he simply said he'd swing by and assumed that I'd be home. I had to warn him that I'd be out within an hour and that he had better arrive by then. He did and the following was my "reward" for waiting:

The wait was worth-it! But, I am still rather displeased with the service standards of the dispatch company (D). The least the postman could do was to say sorry! I didn't even have to sign an acknowledgment slip! Pity the girl who ordered the fugly shades. I opened the box and tried putting the ribbon back in place but I'm no professional ribbon tie-er so don't blame me...blame it on Mr i-can't-be-bothered-about-my-service Postman.

Alright, enough of bimbotic ramblings about my shopping sprees. I made some intellectual purchases at the bookstore. The bill came up to a whopping $150, but it's for a mix of pleasure and business thus I guess it's legitimate?

An interesting insight to life. When faced with the possibility of change, our minds can play tricks on us. This book gives a brilliant glimpse into what truly motivates. "STUCK, will inspire you to take a look at yourself in an entirely new light" or so it claims.

I have this thing for books. The thirst for knowledge is insatiable but unfortunately the mind is strong but the will is weak, or rather the body is weak. All these books are still sitting pretty. If only I have the luxury of time. Last Sunday was good. Spent a solid 2 hours reading the Sunday Times cover to cover. I was wrapped in a cocoon of pleasure the entire day. Euphoric jubilation didn't seem to want to leave me. It was as if I've been reborn. Ok, exaggeration much once again. But I truly appreciate such luxury (plus the weather was nice and cool). Sigh, if only everyday was Sunday. Wonder when I'd be able to finish the whole pile? hmmmm....

Great Wkend + Great Food!

After days of moodling, I'm finally penning something decent. Not due to the lack of content but on the contrary, the influx of stuff! Some may question, since it's such a pain, why bother blogging? It's not like my life is so interesting and different that others would like to read. Well perhaps, but it's just an avenue for me to vent, practice and reminisce. Perhaps I'll be the next Darren Ng (winner of lifestyle section for the recent Singapore Blogger Awards) or perhaps like Bing, my newfound read. Anyway, not in the best of mood to be blogging too after taking my last two boosters (a total of 3 had to be taken) for cervical cancer vaccine and Hep B. One on each arm -- OUCH! But I have to get started, else things will blow out of epic proportions.

Recently I've been thinking a fair bit about life. Am constantly in my reverie and think perhaps things need to change. Life is akin to marriage. After the initial passion, marriage is full of mundane moments and ho-hum chores. But so many of these humdrum moments are made special by the way we experience them. However, somehow, my prefrontal cortex isn't exactly transmitting and organizing thoughts well enough to my rely neurons...perhaps something's missing in the synapse. One minute I'd be thinking about how I can be a millionaire, the next I'd be thinking how nice it'd be to have bigger family, then following that I'd be thinking of travelling around the world/ doing volunteer work/ studying again. I'm becoming random! Frustrates me to no end. The first thing one must learn is to focus. This is horribly lacking in my life. Once a goal has been set, it's easier to achieve. Having a to-do list is simply not enough. One shld have an achievement honour roll or somesort. With my gregarious, cowardice and indecisive nature, I wonder when I'd be able to control my choices and decisions. Life requires multiple coordination skills and I'm certainly no Paul the octopus! At this moment, I guess there are only a few baby steps I can take to add to the honour roll:

1. Enrol in a course by Harvard university this September (gotto check on pre-requisites and other details though)
2. Improving the quality of life by enjoying the fruits of labour. Treating myself to more massages and thrilling Sunday breakfasts with the hubs. Now that the World Cup has ended, we probably can have proper breakfasts. Thrilling yet surreal all at once
3. Secret mission (this I can't reveal at this point in time)

With the above-said, quality of life is indeed improving with the many dining places visited and the weight put on. Family doctor and a certain aunt has commented with gaping jaws! I wish things were an illusion but unfortunately this illusion is a mirage of the wine and dine that has been blowing out of proportions recently. I like to blame it on the declining metabolic rate though, a mimicry of age :(

长这么大, this is the first time I'm slicing a whole abalone with fork and knife!


长这么大, this is the first time I'm eating a whole abalone off a fork as if it's a piece of fish cake! *SCREAMS*
The hubs had a sudden craving for ramen on Monday thus I brought him to Ippudo @ Mandarin Gallery. Many have raved about this place. Heard that the place is horrendously crowded even out of meal times. Thinking that it's a Monday, things should be different. No reservations could be made unless u had a party of 6. We arrived at 9pm and thankfully we didnt have to wait. With that said, it doesnt mean that the place was not packed. it was brimming with people and the turnover was amazing! Even at 10pm there were people coming in for food! Menu wise, they certainly glammed it up. Recalling vividly the visit to Ippudo @ Tokyo (Ginza), the place was merely a tiny cafe down by the basement of a building. Inconspicuous! By the way, picture above: Left: taken in Tokyo; Right: Taken in Singapore. Difference: Puffier cheeks! They had a large variety of appetizers and side dishes here in Singapore. I recalled gyoza being probably the only decent side dish (apart from those preserved veg and ginger) on the Japanese menu. Even the main dishes were significantly different. Too many permutations and combinations. Spoilt for choice. Soup base was comparable but flavoured egg was definitely not up to standard. It's supposedly flavoured but where was the flavour!? Wanted to try their cheesecake dessert but alas! It's sold out! :(

Every morsel was licked up. The soup base was so tasty, hubs and I exchanged bowls and finished almost the entire bowl!

To satisfy my immense craving for Japanese food, H and I went to the Hokkaido Fair at Tampines Mall on Saturday. Right after work at 5pm, I zoomed down and made a beeline for the fair. The place was abuzz with activities and that's an understatement! Fortunately, things moved really fast. Too fast! I wasn't able to purchase the famous Hokkaido biscuits 百色恋人. According to the salesperson, people arrived as early as 7am to q for the biscuits! WOW! I'm full of admiration of such people!


Bought a whole mountain of stuff which included my favourite Squid stuffed with Japanese Rice. It was to die for! Going at $6.80 per box, I simply had to buy TWO! If only this was a permanent thing on the menu of some restaurant! Also in my shopping bag were the infamous Hokkaido cheesecake. I'm not bragging when I say that its praline-like texture tickles ones senses and was in seventh heaven when the cheese consumed me! Regretted not buying 2 boxes. But at $15.90 per box, I had to think twice. Other than these two awesome items, there are the usual tako pachi, dried seasoned scallops, grilled scallops, fish cake and some Japanese pastries. All in all, the damage was close to $100! A whopping amount which amounted to a whole different league of awesomeness!

This flavoursome glutinous rice, encased in succulent squid, together with the scallops were for dinner. Over-estimated my appetite.
The leftovers were used to prepare Sunday's breakfast. The hubs had a tiring week, with work and WC, thus we decided to enjoy some homely comforts. This Japanese pasta was certainly fit for a King! My king! :)


The same could not be same for dinner though. I failed miserably in my rendition of Beer battered Fish. Followed instructions faithfully yet the batter simply didn't stick, resulting in a very ugly looking and unappetizing fish. The hubs was sweet enough to comment that the fish was fresh and the cauliflower was nice. Well, those can't go wrong!
Despite using a strong brew, there was simply an absence of beer taste. Not trying to be an alcowhore but I seriously think all the alcohol had evaporated.

Thankfully, momsie surprised me with my favourite -- CRABS! Friend of hers gave her heaps of chilli crab and she decided to pop by and share. Felt bad that dad and her had to pack from the coffee shop instead of having a piece of my failed-masterpiece.


The highlight of the day had got to be THIS!

Dinner did not start till 8pm and the appointment was at 9pm. Was a little downcast thinking that I'd probably had to cancel the appointment, but alas! the place, FEETPRESS @ Siglap was opened till 11pm and thus could allot me a later time!


The place made me feel at home. With books galore, I really wanted to have my feet pressed the whole day whilst I devour all the words! Hubs and I wanted the 1.5hr treatment and though their closing time was 11pm, they graciously acceded to our request and ran into over-time! The massage, needless to say, ROCKZ! Majority of their masseurs were men. My therapist somehow knew the sort of pressure to exert on me and was able to target on every sore and aching accupressure point of mine! Felt totally rejuvenated thereafter. It's reasonably priced as well. You can check out their rate card here: http://www.feetpress.com/ratecard/

They are having a promotion currently. for $399, you'd get $460 worth of credits! Was really tempted to sign on but hubs thought it's not enticing enough. My verdict: A must-go to relieve those tension, but do remember to make an appointment as the crowd was still streaming in at 10pm! Well, promo or no promo, I'd be going back for sure as right after the massage, my body instinctively sought the bed!

Do not be tainted by pitfalls. We all need something to galvanize us into action and sometimes our lethargy arises from uncertainty over what we should do!

A Good Deed

Wearing a glow of happiness on my face: my eyes shone in triumph and pride as I grinned from ear to ear; the rush of joy robbed me of my speech. Yes. Those were the multitude of feelings I had yesterday.

Whilst teaching @ Simei, a little dog (a Jack Russel I believe) wandered into the house. The gates and doors were carelessly left opened you see. My two boys became google-eyed and it was as if a shadow of alarm touched their faces. Up on the chair they bounced. Their shuddering maid was no better, she screamed and ran into the kitchen to hide. I refused to be cowed into submission and furthermore, no one else was there to save the day thus I put on a brave front and tried luring it into the garden. Seconds turned into minutes, eventually, after a few rounds, the little dog "disappeared". I opened the main door n ALAS! It was still there, soaking my slippers in a pool of pee! I knew I had to act fast, so armed with a mango plucked from a tree, i tried to lure it out. Meanwhile, everyone else were watching by the window, with fear still written on their faces. Just then, the kid mentioned that it could be the missing dog he saw on a poster just by the road. Its name -- PRINCESS. Thus, I beckoned the dog to follow me and went in search for the missing dog's owner. It seemed to acknowledge.

Whilst I was busy looking for the poster, "Princess" decided to befriend another dog! I could tell that it was in Elysium as it tried to greet the other dog. Its owner wasn't too pleased though. She said it looked like a horse! haha By then, I had realised that "Princess" wasn't the real princess which was missing. Lost. What should I do now? Leave it alone in the wild? NO! I whipped up my mobile and dialed for the SPCA. Was informed that the officer would come in half an hour's time. There was only one thing to be done -- To lure him back into the House! haha. A yell of horror escaped the kids' lips as I motioned the dog back. You should have seen their ghoulish faces! The mother, by then, had returned and was initially a tad irritated by the "intruder" which I had brought into the house. After explaining the situation, she calmed down and we waited for the officer to come. "Princess" was eventually taken to the SPCA where they'd check for micro-chip and hopefully find its owner. Else, it'd be put up for adoption. Anything's better than letting it roam the dangerous streets! Meanwhile, I explained to the boys that the dog was a Jack Russel, akin to the one in "THE MASK". A look of confusion was what I got in written. Was I living in another era or have I been promoted to the ancient generation? How could they not know the cartoon "THE MASK"?? Anyway, refocus: I'm not a dog lover myself, but I was terribly pleased with my actions. In fact, the smile which plastered on my face did not leave. I was thrilled to bits and was really happy that I've done a good deed. It really made my day.

At this juncture, you may think that this is finally the end of my little anecdote. Well, SURPRISE! At 1030pm, I was greeted by ecstasy. SPCA called to inform me that the owners had come to claim the dog! All's well ends well!

PS: Credits have to be given to the dog in the picture above. "Princess" wasn't as cute as it. In fact, its elongated jaw and nose really had an uncanny resemblance to a horse!