now that i don't have to lug around my chunky camera all the time (why? because i've got a nifty 5 megapixel handphone), taking pictures of my food when we are eating out has become much more convenient. food alert!!

zm recommended tomoe japanese cuisine - a cosy japanese restaurant along thomson road - so that's where we went today for a very reasonably priced lunch, with free legal advice thrown in. heh.




all that sotong in ck's combination (chicken & seafood) teppanyaki set (first picture) vanished quite quickly even though ck's not a huge fan of sotong, so it must have been good. zm and i had the salmon donburi set (second picture), which was very yum and very filling. i'm into the whole sashimi on rice thing nowadays, so this was right up my alley. of course, the tempura that came with the set evened out the healthiness of the salmon sashimi on rice.




next two pictures are from a fresh bulgogi lunch ... my chicken bi bim bap and some kind of kimchi stewpot that the colleagues ordered to share. on a separate note, fresh bulgogi serves up very good sour plum soda, and one should expect that the smell of BBQ meat and kimchi will stay in one's hair for the rest of the day.

have to accept that not everyone thinks and acts like me, so there's no point getting worked up over other people's words and actions because that's just their way of expressing themselves. there's no right or wrong here, really, but some people just make me squirm with what they say and i feel like replying, "shut up already, you big presumptuous person!" in their face. but i don't, because i shouldn't and i can't. i should just learn to let go, like water off a ducky's back. happier days await me this way.

had my first golf lesson last weekend. yes, the one who has adamantly refused to go to a driving range / take up golf lessons for the past 6 years that i've been pestered to do so, has finally given in (where is the resilience?) to the husband's nagging (persistence triumphs!) now i want to make those golf balls fly as far and as high as ck's, and now we can't sleep-in on saturday mornings. BLAH.
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117.5km after one lonely weekday evening jog around the estate and a 5km pounding on the treadmill. more colleagues are being inspired by the core group to head to the gym now, which is a good thing ... there's no lack of company and there's incentive to leave office on time. soon we can have a division outing to the gym. heh. :D

horror of baking horrors ... decided to do some baking today on a whim and realised that the neighbourhood phoon huat store has closed down! there goes my ready supply of baking ingredients. boohoo. anyway, managed to make a strawberry cobbler with the leftover ingredients i already had from my last baking escapade. the strawberries got slightly burnt because i sprinkled sugar on top of the cobbler too early on ... was glad that the strawberries were rather sour though because it helped to balance all the sugar that the recipe called for.



must say that it was an easy enough recipe to follow though ... and one that doesn't need an electric mixer (which i don't have!). the next time i have leftover fruits from a chocolate fondue, they are going into a cobbler!
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108.5km after running to sembawang park and back ... stanchart half marathon maybe?

after watching the very inspiring red cliff, ck decided that it was finally time for me to get to know my roots and so we went a-hunting for the the three kingdoms epic dvd set which we found (thank goodness!) quite quickly after only one failed attempt. while the english subtitles leave much to be desired, i'm very grateful that they are actually there ... when it comes to proper chinese (not chinese for the masses aka TCS channel 8 drama serial chinese and even movie chinese), i've found that my listening comprehension is quite quite poor. GARH.

not-boss mis-read "potential sensitivity" as "political sensitivity" in a work email i recently sent, which led to him emailing me separately to share why he thought the main sensitivity of the particular issue was that of security. after i pointed out that i had written "potential" rather than "political", he came back with: "ooops ... looks like i have to get progressive lenses soon". at least he bothered to reply and be nice about it. dear mr moustache ... which boat to get on would be very clear if he were my boss.

more MOOOOLAAAAAAAAAAH at work! always a good thing, and happily higher than this year's inflation rate.

i want to work with someone who doesn't pop by my cubicle at least once every hour to inform me of the content of emails that others have sent to both of us just 5 minutes ago (i can read too my friend, i don't need another "you have new mail" pop-up box). someone who, one month into the job, doesn't sound extremely disappointed when meetings are held in singapore rather than overseas (it's work my friend, what matters is that these meetings happen, not whether you get to go on a romp around europe) and doesn't try to get on trips that have already been assigned to others who have been around for longer (your turn will come my friend, the others have been waiting for their turn for quite awhile already). also, someone who doesn't clamour to do the work of the whole section (there's still stuff left undone on your plate my friend). it's great to try one's best and where possible, seize opportunities as they come, but please don't be too overbearing when doing so.

i permed my hair earlier this week. stepped into the salon wanting to just chop off a few inches of my hair, but the hairstylist said he wouldn't do anything to my hair unless it was to (a) give me a bob (aaah, secondary school days here i come again!) or (b) perm it. gave in to the latter on a whim and also because i wasn't mentally prepared to ditch the long-hair image yet. will save the short hair-do for the day when i need some form of cathartic escape. :D so now i have to spend more time every morning making sure that there are no flyaways and that the hair stays properly curled. i think i like low maintenance hair better ... but since remarks from colleagues about the new hairstyle have generally been positive, i will give into vanity and bear with the minor inconveniences for now.

it has been a week of meeting with friends. skipped the usual weekly gym routine on wednesday for dinner at akashi japanese restaurant (paragon) with hm who's back on a holiday from new york. happily, she's just as chatty as ever. and then d & p popped by our home on friday bearing a hearty kfc dinner which we all demolished while yakking and watching little miss sunshine (i'm loving the movie more and more each time i watch it). there wasn't enough stomach space for chocolate fondue though, so now i have to find a way to finish up the kiwis, bananas and strawberries. i like it that we have our own space now so that friends can come over if they want and just chill, rather than having to meet at noisy crowded places in town. lastly, popped by suntec to see zy after her very belated commencement ceremony. as usual, it was photo-taking galore ...

quite a number of good friends will not be in singapore for the remaining part of 2008 and beyond *sigh*. i can't say that i meet up with them very regularly even when they are in singapore (to quote d, we have semi-annual meetings which puts me on par with those she meets at the downtown class lunches that i can't attend. yikes!), but i'll have at least 5 less friends to run to with my complaints starting from this month ... most of them are not even on gtalk (why why why??), so it'll be even harder to find a real-time listening ear. ah well, they are all off to new exciting adventures, so am really happy for them. always nice to spend time away from the usual rat-race.

103km after an evening jog and being chased by dark stormclouds.

independence day has come and gone. didn't get to post this on the actual day itself because i kept well away from the laptop and internet during our stay in phuket. but here is the usual countdown statement for posterity's sake:

the real independence day is another 1 year, 11 months and 28 days, or $132,731.95 away!

the happy lunch group has shrunk, but by coincidence, all the remaining happy lunch group members are now in the same office. we've taken different paths to get to the same place! i wonder how many will be around to celebrate independence day with me in 2010? ah yes, it may be a little too early to say, but it more or less implies that i won't be breaking my bond to bake cakes, do fieldwork, rear goslings and the like.

98.5km after a crazy too-fast run outdoors on sunday evening.

we've just got back from the BEST getaway holiday ever ... spent 4 days and 3 nights luxuriating in a villa tucked away in the north at bang tao beach, far from the bright lights of patong beach, with lots of time to read, swim, talk and just spend time with each other. :D the great thing about the villa is that there aren't any clocks ... so one really loses track of time. it was very nice not to be pressured by schedules, deadlines and other commitments that makes one rush from place to place sometimes.



the very airy living / dining area with a view of the pool. the air conditioning comes to the rescue when the heat gets too unbearable in the afternoons.



one of three bedrooms in the villa ... this is the master bedroom which has a view of the pool as well. the attached bathroom has a standing shower area, a sunken bath AND an outdoor rainshower area. ahhhhh ....



sitting with bum in oversized float in the swimming pool and reading atlas shrugged is a nice way to pass the day. i only managed to get through the first part of the book (200+ pages!) during the trip though ... i will press on! it's been a dramatic read so far for me.

the residence was really a great place to just get away and chill. with a private pool (and not one of those teacup sized jokes that come by once in awhile) and breakfast delivered everyday, we really had all the time in the world to relax and just be. we are all rejuvenated now.

am insisting that the family comes with me to watch the 十大华乐世纪金曲 chinese orchestra concert in september. many of the classic chinese orchestra pieces will be performed (i have fond memories of quite a number) and to see TTK conduct again will be a treat. it was a joy playing under his baton ... always demanding the best and leading by example. there will also be familiar faces among the performers. haven't been so excited about attending a concert for a long time already. i just hope i don't get assigned to some random work trip during that weekend! will be terribly disappointed if i have to miss this.

have been advised to speak up more at work and show off all that hidden potential. apparently, i will reap great rewards if i do so. potential or no potential, can't they see that all i want is a peaceful life? am not asking for more recognition and in a way, am not expecting it. i like my colleagues, i enjoy the work i'm doing and the travelling that comes with it, the work still interests me, i'm fortunate to have a good boss (a reasonable level-headed trusting one who watches out for you) ... work-wise, i'm in my happy place. it's really ok to leave me alone for now. maybe it's about grabbing opportunities when they come because they may never come around again, but there's a price to pay sometimes, and 2-3 years down the road, i don't want to be paying a price i can't afford.

95km, with the new gym buddies from the office. not the same has the long chats over dinner afer the gym sessions with d and occasionally ly though, but i guess this is good enough! i've a feeling that if this trend continues, soon the whole division will be trooping down to the gym after work. for now, we've managed to interest d to consider buying a pair of sports shoes! this is one large step for humanity. heh.

i managed to finish shalimar the clown on the flight back from CDG ... towards the end, i was flipping the pages as fast as i could read because the story was so gripping and the words were strung together so beautifully such that i couldn't put down the book before getting to the last page. even the in-flight movies and sleep, for that matter, couldn't tear me away from the book. after finishing up with the read, i did watch definitely, maybe, which starred the very talented abigail breslin (little miss sunshine!!) ... and me being me, was awww-ing over the proposal lines of the male lead as he was rehearsing it in front of the girl whom he would much later realise he loved. i'm such a sucker for romantic movies ... :D
having spent two days with only clothes from my cabin baggage (because my check-in luggage decided to spend 2 more days touring the baggage system in CDG before coming to sambaland), i realised that it's actually quite easy to travel light. having to re-wear the grubby pants from the long haul flight aside, i think i managed quite well, and was rather glad that i had been extra kiasu to bring 2 sets of work clothes (instead of only 1) in my carry-on bag. i would have been very miserable otherwise.
i will remember this trip by the gross amounts of beef we had from 2 back-to-back churrascaria / rodizio BBQ meals; the beautiful views of rio from corcovado and sugar loaf mountain; the $3 happy meal sized coke from mcdonald's and also, the favelas that we used to read about under the population studies / housing section in geography textbooks, all perched on the choicest spots of the hills surrounding rio and overlooking the atlantic ocean as well as the expensive condominiums just below (ironic huh?). spoke to a local who said that there was a pecking order for the slums in brazilian cities, with rio being the most popular because of the great views.


look hard enough and you'll spot christ the redeemer
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it's back to work tomorrow for a short two days before our HOLIDAY!! hurray!

we were at old school on saturday evening to see j's photography exhibition (black and white pictures of chicken legs, pig's stomach linings etc). was quite impressed by the big expansive space dedicated to support local artists and artistic expression. the photo exhibition, a collaboration among a few photographers from the visual arts community, was also inspiration to take pictures that, leaving aside the aesthetics, express a point of view ... my point of view of the things around me. actually, it's not very easy to do ...

90km, after 2 jogs (2.5km, 4km) this weekend which reminded me that running on the treadmill is a VERY inaccurate gauge of how far i can go on the road ... maybe it's because the treadmill keeps me disciplined and running at a pace that allows me to last longer, whereas i tend to run at a faster pace when i'm out on the jogging tracks. there's also the issue of killer uphills when running outdoors. oh well, must master the art of keeping a slow/moderate and steady pace before attempting one of those 10km / 21km runs this year. we've also found a new (manageable) jogging route in the neighbourhood thanks to e's recommendation! :)

will be passing through CDG yet again in a day's time. am still clinging onto this hope that i will be with ck when i finally visit paris for the first time (his first time too!). so far, this hope remains alive. have somehow managed to avoid work trips to the city (which is short of amazing, considering the portfolio i've had in the past year or more), but i always land up transiting through that maze of an airport with its many aerogares and at the risk of getting our check-in luggage lost. GAAAH.