Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Friday, October 22, 2010

Ohai-o-gozaimas Tokyo!

I have finally made it to Japan - have read, watched and heard so much of this intriguing country but never made it till now. Koks and I just spent a week in Tokyo, and it has been nothing short of intriguing and eye opening. I can't wait to share some of my findings, observations and travel tips here! Konichiwa!!

It's back to the 'pore tomorrow afternoon, and just a few more weeks before the end of the year (and the reemergence of the Starbucks Christmas drinks! WOOHOO TOFFEE NUT LATTE, come to mama!!!) Two more trips till the arrival of 2011 - Sri Lanka and the exotic island of Bali, and one life changing event *gulp*. The rest of the year will be busy, but in a good way, which is great.

Scarlett performs in a week at the Fort Canning Green!!! Can't wait!! It'll be for a charity event presented by Action for AIDS. We're always up for contributing to a good cause!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Iron Cast Goodness in Little India

I love iron cast pots because they look good, come in various delicious colours and retain flavours like nothing else in this world. I know this because after much contemplation, I got myself a 24-inch Le Crueset a few months ago, and I have been using it almost every weekend ever since.

It. is. divine.
And everyone who likes cooking should have one!!!

Thus, I was delighted to hear about the opening of Cocotte at the new Wanderlust boutique hotel (sister to New Majestic and 1929) on Dickson Road, off Jalan Besar in the Little India heritage area. Best way to get onto Dickson Road is via Jalan Besar, and the white heritage building is hard to miss.


The restaurant came across honest and sincere - no elaborate dinner ware or table decorations, but some rather adorable interior design and ornaments. Aside from the usual ala carte menu, there was a well priced lunch menu and specials for the day.


To respect the privacy of the other diners in the restaurant, i did not take a better picture to show the interior, but it was small and intimate, with perhaps about 60-80 seats tops. But i did however took a picture of this very funky ceiling lamp, which reminded me of a spider!


Then there is the quintessential open kitchen, which does not quite work for Chinese restaurants I was told due to the amount of stir frying that is done. The open kitchen wasn't that visible unless you were sitting in one end of the restaurant, and the small window didn't exactly encourage you to stare. But the line of coloured iron cast pots on the shelf did enthrall me endlessly.


And now, yes, i know, the question on your mind is, "how is the food?" and I must say it was quite a delight! I did not hesitate to try the Croque Monsieur (in remembrance of the wonderful days in the land of Liberte, Egalite et Fraternite), but i think it was a tad bit too thick and dry for me.


However, my companions had some amazing fish and steak et frites, and the desserts were pretty awesome. The next time i visit, i'm keen to try some iron cast pot dishes - which i reckon ought to be what they are really good at.

It's such a delight to find a restaurant with character, and located in a culturally rich area!

I need to bring along my better camera to take better food pictures!

Friday, September 17, 2010

New Kid On The Block



There's a new kid on the culinary block! Review to come shortly!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

A Very Pretty Lunch

This week, Kathl and I promised to eat healthy and exercise so that we will feel better about ourselves and feel better for our upcoming project. Yesterday, we shared a lunch of smoked salmon and bagel (with cream cheese - yikes!) and chicken quesadilla; and for dinner, i fell victim to some korean beef rice in a hot stone bowl and 2 pieces of pan fried gyoza. *slaps forehead* Good food is my weakness, and I'm currently lacking the self discipline!

Today, i was determined to continue with eating healthy. With Sali and Jsiy, we strolled to Toast (very well kept secret, i tell ya!) and each had a sandwich. Our meal was so colourful, I thought I had to take a picture. They make it easier to eat healthy!



Top Left: Jsiy had a roast chicken sandwich on toasted ciabatta and a caesar salad with chicken (he was a little flabbergasted to find that the roast chicken was shredded and mixed with a ton of mayonnaise...)

Top Right: Sali had egg and watercrest on toasted white bread, and a side of sweet potato salad.

Foreground: That's my Masala Chicken Wrap with Mango and Romaine Lettuce, a side of roasted pumpkin and tofu salad, and a fresh juice concoction of Apple, Carrot and Celery. YUM!

Eating healthy takes effort!!! It would have been cheaper and easier to grab the nasi goreng around the corner.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Inspiracion, Espiracion

Dear Lord,

I am starving for some inspiration - for my life, for my work, for my art, and for the way to view the world and everything around me. Please teach me how to find the time, motivation, love, artistic capability and resilience to make my dreams come true. I will be very happy. Super happy.

Your Little Tomato

Monday, August 2, 2010

Handicapped

My inability to throw tantrums and whine is a handicap, a weakness.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Malaysian Kampong Girl in the Sound of Music

Instead of looking like this...

.. I'ma look like this...

The Malaysian Kampong Girl hits the alpine nation! How will the Ever Polite people deal with Baba Malay (a dying unique language of Malay combined with Hokkien)??

"Eh Kawan! Orang Putih!! Awak jia pah bueh?"

Stay tuned!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

7 blooms and lasting!!!!


Well done, Miracle Orchid Plant! You're looking great!

Friday, March 19, 2010

3 Blooms Now!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Real Life Wilderness Explorers

Over the weekend, 2 boy scouts knocked at my door sometime in the late afternoon, while i was exploring my Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Mini (what a beautiful thing it is!).


I hesitantly glanced through the peephole, and decided to ignore them because (1) I was feeling evil, (2) I was convinced they were going to try to sell me something and (3) I have been conditioned by this unfeeling and ill mannered environment. Koks was rushing around the apartment, and was getting bugged by our rapping monkey doorbell, so he opened the door, told the boy we didn't want anything and shut the door.

"Oh no, i feel kinda bad now. The boy was quite adorable," said Koks.

I pondered for a second, and went to open the door.

Me: Hi, how can I help you?
Boy: Hi, good afternoon. I'm a boy scout from XXX school, it is job week this week. Is there any household chore that I can help you with?
Me: *bursts out in laughter* What can you do???
Boy: I can help you throw away newspapers, or sweep the floor.
Me: Oh my god, you're like Russell visiting Mr. Fredricksen in Up.
(Boy 2 joins from neighbour's apartment)
Boy 2: Oh! Your son is a boy scout too?? (kiddo, do i look like i could have a son your age, you @#*^%#*&^%#)
Me: No, i mean Russell from the movie Up, who goes to visit Mr. Fredricksen.
Boy 2: We have a Russell in our Boy Scouts Team too!!
Me: *rolls eyes* Okay, come in come in. Let's find you something to do.

So I let boy 1 and boy 2 (now known to me as the 2 Russells) into the apartment. Of course, the apartment was spanking clean, and i wasn't going to let the boys destroy that. So i got them to put my freshly cut flowers into a vase (Boy 1: We have to cut the stems at a slant, so that the flowers can absorb more water) and water my plants on the verandah (Boy 2: I had to be careful when watering your plants so as not to flood the roots. Do you know the roots could rot that way and die??).


Thereafter, i gave them each a cup of apple juice (with aloe vera bits, of course), signed their job week cards, gave them 10 bucks each and sent them on their way. What a lovely surprise it turned out to be! It kept me smiling (and laughing inside) for the rest of the Sunday and made me feel good to play Mr. Fredricksen for a while. It's great to be able to help a stranger, particularly when they are kids going out trying to learn how to earn money!

Monday, March 15, 2010

The Green Murderer and a Miracle

I admit, I do not have green fingers. I have tried to grow plants at home, but to no avail... I can't and don't want to count the number of green friends I have massacred over the years.

...sniff... it's too painful to recall.

2 Christmases ago (i.e. 2008), I received an orchid plant from Kathl as a gift. And i thought to myself, what a lovely plant... oh no, I'm going to kill it. I carried the pot home, excited and apprehensive at the same time. It was in full bloom at that time.

I witnessed, as days went by, the gradual degeneration of the plant, and it left me torn and devastated. I watered it, i spoke to it, but nothing seemed to work. The stems turned brown, the leaves fell off. Even ants began to make its roots home.

Then one day, the neighbouring plant toppled over its stand (i suspect it's the white fat cat loitering our stairway!) and fell out of its pot (and died, of course). Some of the soil from the pot accidentally crumbled into the pot holding the orchid plant. I didn't know how I could possible remove the soil without hurting its roots, so i left it there.

Strangely enough, my orchid plant began to show signs of life... A new bud of leave sprouted out of the parched stem... then another, and then another. And they began to grow and grow and grow. This gave me a renewed sense of motivation, and I got more diligent in watering the plant. Twice a week, a pinch of fertilizer for each watering.

Last week, a miracle happened!! Flower buds grew out of the plant!!! It went beyond showing a sign of life, but a desire to enhance its existence with blooms! Blooms!!! Who would have thought??? Since then, I have been checking on the buds everyday, speaking soft words of tenderness to them, egging them to stay strong and to grow.

Yesterday, after a day out, i came home, and lo and behold.
There was a flower.


A flower!!!! The plant made it!! It escaped the crutches of death, clawed its way back, and bloomed!!!!

I can't wait for the other buds to open and lend me a new lease of life!!!!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Starring.... in the Movie of Her Life

The Sartorialist's posted a picture today of a gentleman on the streets of Milano, with the header "Starring in the Movie of His Life". How brilliant!!! The picture is great, of course, effectively and magically capturing the moment (the gentleman was definitely well dressed, God bless him); but Scott Schuman hit it on the nail with the header.

Aren't we all... starring in the movie of our lives???

So if you were the director of the movie of your life, how will it look like? What's the setting, the mood, the pace? Will it be cinematic? Will it be more Quentin Tarantino (mine will be for sure, with all my morbid thoughts and bloody dreams!), Roman Polanski, Steven Spielberg, Danny Boyle, Ang Lee, Zhang Yimou, Pedro Almodovar... or Tim Burton??

What will your story be like? Who will be the protagonists and the supporting actors/ actresses? Oh!! And how will your soundtrack sound like (that's a thought!)? What will the storytelling be like?

Koks and I had an interesting conversation in the car today (between dropping of Marrybrown, getting our travelling backpacks and Macdonald's Nuggets..), about believing in that nothing is impossible. We are lucky to be in the position where we have options, and are able to achieve what we set our hearts on. We genuinely believe that the world is our oyster, and that the only limiting factor or obstacle to us making the movie of our lives a blockbuster, is ourselves.

I hope to always have this attitude, yet to have my head sit firmly on my shoulders.
There is not that much more meaning to life!

Friday, March 5, 2010

What do you see?

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Heartbeat

Where you stand, where you are, that's what your life is right there, regardless of how painful it is or how enjoyable it is. That's what it is. - Taizan Maezumi


Have you ever listened to your own heartbeat with a stethoscope? I have. Last week, Rubberface came home with a stethoscope, and taught me how to listen to my own heart. After much figuring about (Rubberface chastised me for not knowing the accurate location of my heart), I finally heard myself (literally, listen to your heart!).

Dum dum...dum dum... dum dum..

Wow, I said to her, that's what's keeping me alive.

In that moment, a revelation hit me. That life can be very simple and uncomplicated, but so fragile at the same time. At the end of the day, it's more important to keep your body healthy, and to keep that heart pumping. When it comes to the human body, strange things can happen without reason. The heart is not operated by chips and wires, can't be broken apart to analyze and put back easily. For some reason or another, it can just stop. No heartbeat, no pumping, no blood.

If the heart doesn't beat, there's really no need to sweat all the other things. It doesn't really matter.

Sleep has evaded me the past weeks, while vivid, weird and morbid dreams have taken over. I can't remember if I was terrified in those dreams, but I wake up recounting every scene, every feeling I had and wondering why I could have dreamt of myself swimming through marshland clogged with severed body parts and dead dogs, being chased by skeletons in black robes, and running/ flying/ fleeing down flights and flights of stairs.Maybe i should try sleeping on the other side of the bed or drinking less water before bedtime...


Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Being Happy

I was happy, i knew that. While experiencing happiness, we have difficulty in being conscious of it. Only when the happiness is past and we look back on it do we suddenly realize - sometimes with astonishment - how happy we had been.


- Excerpt from Nikos Kazantzakis' Zorba The Greek


How happy are you, on a scale of 1-10? If you're not at a 10, why not? What are your pre-requisites for a 10? Is it achievable, does it require adjustment? What about spontaneous moments of 10? Do you have them, or remember them?

When good things are happening, when you're experiencing happiness and contentment, let go of your bitterness and just allow yourself to be happy.

It's okay to be happy, and we don't always need drama or justification to be so.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Future, Woven of Dreams

The old world is tangible, solid, we live in it and are struggling with it every moment - it exists. The world of the future is not yet born, it is elusive, fluid, made of the light from which dreams are woven; it is a cloud buffeted by violent winds - love, hate, imagination, luck, God... The greatest prophet on earth can give men no more than a watchword, and the vaguer the watchword the greater the prophet.

- Excerpt from Nikos Kazantzakis' Zorba The Greek

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Wow

Wow....

I am tired, I feel like I have just completed a 3-hour run... not that i really know how that feels, but i imagine that to be pretty exhausting.

I'm not even sure i remember how it feels like to run for 30 mins...

Scarlett just wrapped up our first gig of the year, and the numerous weekends and nights of rehearsals paid off. I am bowled over how many of our friends came to support us, and to share this beautiful evening with us. We are not professionals, and we have day jobs.. I don't even know for sure how we found the motivation and energy to gather everyone for the practices leading up to this gig. I am enamored by the Scarlett girls, and I am overwhelmed by the love we received tonight.

What have we done, to deserve this?

February seems to have started on a much better note than January. A much anticipated long weekend trip to Phuket was balm to the frayed nerves, and it seems the Year of the Tiger promises good things to some of us. It's great, i think... considering how 2010 started. After chatting with some friends tonight, I realized that I wasn't alone in having a bumpy start to the year!! Guess it makes swimming in s**t easier when you've got someone swimming with you with whom understands how s**ty it is to be swimming in s**t.

*Sneezes 6 times*

WHOA... that's flu a-callin'!!!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Brilliant Ideas, Brilliant Minds

I spent a big part of today looking at some very inspiring websites, such as The Cool Hunter (www.thecoolhunter.net), globorati (www.globorati.com), The Sartorialist (thesartorialist.blogspot.com) and Garance Dore (www.garancedore.fr). Inspirations come in so many forms, and through so many channels - it feels great to be inspired.

While chatting with Niks Biks today, I suddenly had a mind image of a person lost in the middle of an ocean in chopping seas, struggling to stay afloat. It's thundering, it's dark, and the sea was of a blue so dark that it was almost black. And suddenly, he/she sees someone else who was also lost and struggling in the waters. There, in the middle of vast nothingness, the situation created instant soul mates out of the two persons, bonded by desperation and hope. It is easier to hope when one is not alone.

Immediately, I penned down this inspiration, and I will strive to write a short story out of it. If not, just an account of this fictitious experience of my actors.

And now, i have another inspiration to start something very VERY exciting (among the million other things that I'm currently doing... saxophone, yoga, greek lessons, scarlett... or and of course, work!) But i have a good feeling about this, so i'm going to continue to grow my seedling of inspiration for Project "Let's Go", stay tuned!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

I've Gut a Feeling

Hello February! God, i need to improve on this blog writing. Penning once a month can hardly justify maintaining a blog. It's not that I don't have thoughts that I'd like to share, but i just have so many things going on that I find sitting in front of my computer writing my blog a luxury.

So anyway, recently, there's been a lot of talk about gut feelings.

"Go with your gut feel."
"Listen to your gut, what is it trying to tell you?"
"Trust your gut feelings."

Since when did gut feelings become reliable? And what do people without gut feelings do? How do they make their decisions? I've always had a hard time finding my gut feelings, because i'm weighing pros and cons, and thinking good and bad. On the contrary, i find gut feelings highly suspicious... i see it more as an emotional response masking itself as intuition. Wait a minute... is intuition and gut feeling the same thing? I don't think so. I think intuition is informed, but gut feelings are not. Intuition is backed by some rationale most of the time, but gut feelings are always more of a gamble.

Then again, in this uncertain and unpredictable (arguably) world, maybe all we have are intuition and gut feelings... and a belief that at the end of the day, everything will be all right and be for the best.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Je Te Presente... 2010

I wanted my first blog entry for 2010 to be meaningful, and to start the year on a good note. Resolutions, travel plans, ambitious undertakings, unadulterated optimism, timelines. I thought I'd give myself some time to formulate my thoughts, before I put them down. Just so that I mean it.

But that didn't really happen.
What really transpired was... 2010 came and swept me away before i could say "Avtio 2009". It hit me like a gigantic wave, took me under, knocked the wind out of me, blinded me, flooded my senses and left me disoriented.

2009 came and gone, and I waved it a big goodbye. It was an interesting year, and provided me with several professional highlights. I led an important project and did well in it, and moderated a panel at a prominent conference in the industry for the first time in my life. What was valuable to me was that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and proved something to myself - I can succeed in what I set out to do.

2009 also marked the longest time I've spent living in one city in the last 6 years. It was frankly a little unnerving, and I fought the temptation to pack my bags and leave again. Knowing that I can grab my humble belongings and move anytime makes me feel free and more in control of my destiny. In 2009, I also had to make some tough decisions on the personal front. Some of which made me proud, and some pained me enough to rob me of sleep. All of which are life learnings for me... all necessary I hope.

So I guess, 2010 isn't going to wait for me to get ready for it, but it is definitely ready for me. Aside from a much anticipated 5-week long discovery vacation in Spring to where the heart wants to be, I don't know what 2010 has in store for me. I hope what it has brought thus far is not a sign of things to come! I'm beginning to think that I am growing weak with age, and I sincerely hope for a simple year without too many complications.

Soon, it may be time to pack my bags and move again. I am getting too comfortable, and my roots are going too deep for comfort... not forgetting to mention the feeder plants. I'm making them healthy, and I like to watch them grow. But they are tightening their grip... or are they?

Bring it on, 2010! But if you could just wait a second, while I grab my fins and kick my way back on the surface first...