Bliss

Okay, I have heaps to say about Maldives, but delayed until next post. I have discovered Bliss products. Their shampoo is freaking nuts. I’m getting 8 out of 10 good hair days from this shampoo. I’m still trying to work out the the problem with the other 2 days (is 8 out of 10 just luck?). It makes my fringe stay to the left. Go figure because I have no idea why. Lucky Sephora is now here in Singapore, and despite the lame product range, it stocks bliss. Woohoo.

Sephora in Singapore -Btw – I’ve re-linked to another person’s blog post there, I will come back and provide a proper acknowledge/props

Bliss products here -http://www.blissworld.com/

dumpling burglar

Yes, I’ve been thinking about updating you (my precious) for a while now, especially with the sordid lovely details of our Maldives trip.  Thanks veellekay for getting me over the line today. I’m here and I thought I’d start off nice and easy.

So yes – there is a dumpling thief in our office. Officially.  I’m making a cup of tea in the kitchen this afternoon, and this is what I see taped to the fridge.

Sans Dumpling

The emotion just jumps off the page eh? And No, they weren’t my dumplings. I just share the same name as the dumpling victim.

SG Foodie catch-up

Okay, can’t forget to catch up on the food-stuffs

• SG – the best larb-gai I have had in a long, long while – go to bar bar black sheep (sixth avenue)
• SG – Summer palace, sunday brunch regent hotel
• AU – MND on a thursday (or whatever) night in Dundas with that kickass boxing day sashimi etc…
• Gim’s cny spread…very impressed your cooking girl…
• some chinese kebabs in geylang
• frog congee..dried chilli stylez…made me sweat and i didn’t care because it was so damn good..

Okay, plenty more. But I only have one question…

Why does my sake smell like bananas?

WHY???

Play catchup

Okay, I know..been ages. Let’s just get to the heart of what’s happened and then I’ll catch up with y’all in the next post. I’m looking for something new…*hands clasping thin air*

• still trying to get into that routine at work, and reclaim some of my weekends
• still waiting to see slumdog
• went wakeboarding for the first time, and I rocked if I do say so myself
• weaned off Korean mini-series, latest hook is battlestar galactica
• need a holiday, but don’t have one planned yet – options are bali with some mates, US with the folks, or force the folks to stay put in oz so I can surprise them for my dad’s bday
• spent xmas in aus, so much fun, but tiring
• now waiting for ness and kev to get here…
• got my poker mojo back
• got my iphone (finally)
• caught up with maz in sg
• got me an hp vivienne tam netbook (yeh i know, bit of an extravagance)
• started on my mandarin podcasts again…from scratch…cracked up out loud on the bus when they did the mama-hoo-hoo line.
• went to jakarta for the first time, liked it…
• *just* started running again…am probably the most unfit I have ever been in the last year..my knees feel freakin old and i’m crying out for some yoga instead…

yup..not much doing.

Testing from the iphone

Thought I would just see how good the wp blogging tool is from iPhone. Been a little addicted ever since I got this thing. Test away! Maybe a photo too. Here’s the view from my front door. Interesting eh?

November..kanye, chris brown, kylie, macau, nike

So eventful.  Completely offline and getting all caught up with work – feel like venting every day. But really I talk and whinge just to let it out. Work has been hectic, sleep was lacking for a long while, and it felt like it would never stop because I could never see the light at the end of the tunnel.

So here I am finally in a little patch of light (in the middle of the tunnel) – feeling alright, and just looking forward to the end of the year, some time in Oz, and some catch up. My friday night bottle of wine now feels like it is deserved cos i’m cranking it during the week.

Early november took me to Manila for a work thing – my worst public speaking nightmare came true, the dreaded ‘worst-nightmare’ kind of stuff all happened, and I came away a few hours later relatively unscathed and feeling fine. Get over things alot quicker these days, there are worse things. A possible trip to KL next week, and maybe Vietnam the week after. Travel seems to be always in the picture. Manila airport security is a laugh, but that’s another story.

Fun-wise, a friend of ours, D, managed to get us free tix to Kanye West in Singapore. Loved it, because I had very low expectations. Next was a impromput weekend trip to Macau to see Chris Brown, catch up with Larry, and chill. My folks were back from india and hanging in HK, so we caught the ferry over and did the garlic chilli crab and yum cha thing. Missed them, was so good to see them. Then back on the Free cotai ferry back to Macau and on a flight back to Singers on Sunday night. I think we spent some time just trying to work out what we could get for free in Macau, but free return trips to HK is def possible (without having to hit the tables). Then D got us sweet seats at the Kylie concert in Singapore. The best production so far, but I was less enthused with the concert – compared to Kanye, the difference in the crowd was obvious. My highlight was the frog porridge in geylang afterwards. Damn – I was sweating my ass off – chilli, heat, everything, but the food was fantastic. Seriously, you know that feeling when you sit back after a meal and feel that satisfaction? I had a friend try to tell me that they breed them frogs in the sewers to make them grow faster, but screw that – it’s 50/50 whether it’s true, I can’t be fuct googling that, and I’d rather just enjoy the feed.

Started running again this week, first time in 6 weeks. mrQ bought me a fabulous green nano and the nike ipod kit. got me motivated, even though I am having trouble walking down stairs right now. Only spanner in the works is the fact that I can’t get hold of nike+ shoes here. I don’t fit women nikes and wear a 4Y in the kids range – not many nike+ compatible options there. Considering ordering from the US. My workaround is some cling-wrap around the sensor and tucking it between laces and tongue of the shoe. Class. my fave kylie shot below – funny how it’s not even the live stuff..

 

Okay, that sucks, wordpress what did you do, I don’t know how to upload images now! Try again next time…

Mimolette for brunch? oh-yeah

When I first arrived in Singapore, I got an invite one night to head out to Mimolette for drinks. I declined as it was out near the old turf club (nothing else around really), and I was feeling lazy having got home already.

I made plans to head there last weekend for brunch and boy would I go again. Rashers of bacon layered on each other, and tasty so you would eat up all the fat. Eggs, just perfect. Baked beans on hold, and they didn’t turn up on my plate. I would most definitely go again. Best one I’ve had so far.

The only hassle – it poured down on the way home and on the 100m sprint from taxi to home, I got completely soaked. I was satisfied though – 8.75 out of 10.

What happened in Oz?

First let me say sorry for being so silent for the last month, but it’s been an eventful one. Up until now. Let me feed it to you in a few posts…

So what happened in oz? I originally planned to spend 12 days in Sydney, but I ended up extending my trip for another two days. The day I left Singapore, I got a call for a job prospect, had an interview before I flew out, and got a move-on call from another job opportunity. It felt like I had to leave the country for anything to happen! So while I was away, I got a call from another company that I’d been looking pretty closely at and managed to close that from Sydney. So here I am, working from 9 to 5 again (on paper anyway), but really it’s on my mind all the time. Feel so tired.

Ok, back to what happened in Oz – well actually not much. At any other time I would have spent most of it with friends and just doing what I felt. Instead I spent nearly all my time at home, spreading my time by driving across the city a couple of times a day. But all in all, it was with our families. Can’t tell you how happy I felt, how much I cherish it.

bound for home…

My grandfather passed away in his sleep early this morning. On Friday, he expressed to my Dad that he hoped that he would go in his sleep. And like that, his wish came true. I’ve booked a ticket home for a few weeks and leave on Monday. A part of me is sad to be going home on such a sad occasion. But I’m happy to be going home to be with my family, annoying my brother, and causing trouble at home. I’m excited to be seeing my friends, newphews and nieces, and the out-laws.

For my friends around the world that miss home too, I’ll be diligent on reporting home-affairs. For my Oz friends that read this, keep it to yourself – I’m dying to pop up around Sydney, suprise you if I can, and be with you once again. I’m laughing just thinking about the stupid ‘Nguuu’ look that Ed is going to have on his face. To Ado and Deb, so sorry that I will miss you when you’re in Singapore – I was really looking forward to that. We will totally be passing each other in the air when you guys fly into Sydney but I’m way more excited about the reception you will get when you’re back.

mrQ – you never read this friggin blog, but I will miss your ass heaps.

another Singapore food post – brunch and japanese

Our friends Belinda and Tim dropped into Singapore last weekend (long weekend in HK I believe?). We caught up for brunch at one of their favoured brunch places, Graze. The company was good, relaxed and the location was one of those establishments that just let you linger, chat and take your time. A bit of a rarity in Singapore where table turnover is usually a priority. Possibly the source of where the place takes its name from perhaps? So I ordered a meaty cast iron dish – which basically consists of sausages, bacon, potatoes, mushrooms, eggs and bake beans served in a hot iron pan. I rate it better than most other meaty-type serves I’ve had elsewhere but I still don’t give it great points on the quality. Who knows, it could have been my mistake – I mean, I’ve never really liked baked beans, and why should that have changed at all? So, for ambience, Graze gets an 8 (before it gets too hot in the afternoon), and for food, it gets a 6.5.

The other place that mrQ and I have been frequenting is a japanese teppanyaki/sushi/whatever restaurant in Velocity at Novena Square. Edogawa provides a decent sake menu, and a wide-ranging food menu that covers teppanyaki, sashimi, sushi, and your usual don/tempura/udon type dishses. The quality of food is consistent and aside from their tempura, everything else is a go-er on the menu. If you decide on the all-you-can-eat buffet (SGD $39++), then go for multiple servings of the teppanyaki australian beef and prawns. Their gyozas are tasty, but only available on some hidden set-menu though. The udon soup is tasty, as are their prawns. Oh, did I just mention the prawns again? Anyway, the service is above average, and even though the majority of the staff are fluent in Mandarin only, this hasn’t really posed a problem for us. I rate it even more because all sake, shoju and sapporo beer is 40% off. In addition, all food is 20% off until this Monday. Probably doesn’t apply if you decide to get the buffet though. Forget about the ambience and decor, you’re here for the food. 7.5 out of 10.

Well…for me and mrQ, we went to Cold Storage on the way home and bought another bottle of sake.