Meaning of life

"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life." ~ Albert Camus

Kat's roar at Raw Kitchen Bar

Could not stop looking at this picture on the wall, wonder why...

The birthday gal!...oh yes, another lovely creation by Rene - dark chocolate cheesecake

Fried cheesecake with strawberry marmalade...yummily sinful :P

Spaghetti Mentaiko

Balsamic duck

Raws burger

Nori Salmon, wasabi mash, white wine mushrooms...good choice!

Wakame sushi, the seaweed...a lesson that Miss Tan will not forget :P

UFO Gyoza...hehe, now I know why it's called "UFO"

We celebrated Kat's birthday at Raw Kitchen Bar, located at the old fire station along Upper Bukit Timah Road. I thought it was quite an interesting place. Bar was located in an old house. Everything in that bar seemed kinda 'raw', a collection of lotsa old stuff, seemed like from the 70s. I felt like I was having dinner in an old house with our dining table just beside the kitchen. Outdoor dining was like having dinner at the backyard of somebody's house with mismatched furniture. The evening breeze made me feel like I was away on holiday... Heh, I really feel like going away for a holiday. Anyway, it was a good evening, glad that Cons was back and was able to join us for this birthday celebration. Kat was sharing lots about how she has been a concerned member of the public, haha, she really roared! Happy happy birthday, Kat!

Hachiko

When I first saw the poster of "Hachiko" in a cinema some time back, I could not take my eyes off it. Nah, it's not the charm of Richard Gere but more of the way Hachiko looked at Richard Gere in that poster. I told myself I must catch that movie, left early from workplace today (yippee!) and caught the movie in the late afternoon. Well, there's no way to make me work when my mind was focusing on Hachiko. Hee, excuses, excuses and excuses! ...A very simple true story but Hachiko was an extraordinary dog. I started tearing when Hachiko's owner, Parker, passed away, Hachiko must have missed him dearly...Before Parker's passing, Hachiko would wait for him at the train station everyday for him to return in the evening. After Parker was gone, Hachiko had to do what he needed to do. Without fail, he would still wait outside the train station, same time and same spot, hoping that one of the people who came out from the train station would be Parker. He waited and waited till late in the night but the person he longed to meet never came...The following day, he would go to the same spot at the same time to wait again. Seasons passed, the blooming flowers in spring, the cheery sunshine in summer, the fallen leaves in autumn and the bitter cold in winter, Hachiko had gone through all of them...years went by...For almost ten years, Hachiko would wait at the train station every single day...Goodness me, I was thinking and wondering, which human being in the right frame of mind would have done that?...Even when Hachiko was old and slow, he would still make his way to the same spot outside the train station to wait. That was it, that really made me almost burst into tears, I tried not to sob too much and too loudly, silly gal, that was kinda embarrassing :P ...Loyalty, devotion and undying love, Hachiko had shown it all, he's a hero and I know he always will be...

Dearest Sunny baby, you are thought of and missed, hugz...

The Blind Side

Have you ever believed in someone? Have you ever believed in a stranger, a complete stranger? Have you ever allowed a stranger to live in your house and really believed in him? I can't believe this is a true story...But Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) has proven this, she has never ever stopped believing in Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) since the first time they met, given his background and even when it seemed so hopeless. She treated him like her own son, defended him like her own flesh and blood. Most of all, nurturing and fulfilling his potential that was never ever seen by others. Michael has taught me important lessons...to listen and understand that inner voice of others...to accept and love. It's really heartwarming to know that at the end of the day, someone is being loved, someone whom some of us may perceive as of not much significance. I am really glad that I have come to know of this unbelievable story when I watched "The Blind Side" yesterday. I asked Adeline at the end of the movie why it's called "The Blind Side". She answered that she has not really thought about it. Hmm, I feel that sometimes we are often blinded by certain things, I know I can be guilty of this too. We may at times fail to see a different side of others, that beautiful side, even though we have eyes. We may fail to listen to that inner voice of others, even though we have ears. We may fail to understand, to truly understand and feel despite the presence of a pumping heart. At times, we choose to judge and not believe in someone, given all the hopeless circumstances, we just fail to see that potential which could probably be buried deep in others...Thus, we are blind and hence, the blind side of us.

I can't imagine, can you?

I can't imagine myself walking along a street strewn with dead bodies...
I can't imagine myself seeing people caked in blood and dust, tramatised...
I can't imagine myself hearing cries and sobs of sadness, helplessness and hopelessness...
I can't imagine myself climbing over slabs of concrete and piles of debris that have ruthlessly buried lifeless bodies beneath them...
I can't imagine myself facing the reality that the mortality rate would increase...
I can't imagine such a cruel disaster could rip off countless innocent lives...

To the people of Haiti, I wish I could hold all your hands and bring words of comfort...
As I looked out of the window in my room, it's a peaceful night, I am thankful for who and what I have in my life...

Roads of or to happiness

"People take different roads seeking fulfilment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean that they've gotten lost." ~ H. Jackson Brown Jr

Is happiness a journey or a destination?

Dessert of the week

Dessert for thought...lovely words that sweeten both the taste buds and the heart

A slice of oreo cheesecake...Angeline ate it all, great job gal!

My favourite...caesar salad with smoked salmon

Shellfish bisque...fresh and rich seafood taste!

Shook off my heels and slipped sloppily into my favourite pair of black Havaianas. Ha, what's more comfortable than my pair of slippers :P My toes wriggled free and seemed to be smiling at me. It was an early dinner with Angeline, have not chilled out with her out of workplace for quite a while. Missed the caesar salad with smoked salmon at Coffee Club. It was pretty quiet and vacant when we entered the Coffee Club at Siglap, just what I like :P We talked and ate, talked and ate. Jazz was playing in the background, just the right kinda music...my heart swayed to the music, every note could be felt. Ha, Angeline's right, music is kinda an important part of my life. It was a satisfying meal. As I walked to my car after the meal, took a look at my slippers again, it's really comfortable :)

Breakfast on Monday

A good breakfast every Monday keeps the Monday blues at bay :P

My father

I remember I was so excited when our whole family moved into our new home in Ang Mo Kio. It was a four room flat and it’s our first very own home, just for the five of us. Before that, we were staying in a three-room flat with my grandparents and uncle. Hmm, I was probably still studying in primary school then. I remember that day when we moved, I was carrying my favourite teddy panda, Juan Juan, in my arm. Ha, as a child, moving house was not really a hassle for me, my parents had already packed all the stuff for us :P For a couple of weeks when we first moved in, I remember we did not have a set of sofa at all in our living room. We were sitting on a straw mat whenever we wanted to watch any television programme. That was pretty fine for the three of us because that would mean more space for us to run about as children. It was no big deal for us at all. It was much later that my mummy told us that our father had spent all his savings renovating the house and buying some stuff, there was not enough money to buy a set of sofa. We could only buy a set of sofa when my father got the next pay check…Hmm, my father showed me how hard he had really worked for this family, he always does what he can to support and care for his family…

…I remember I was cycling at East Coast Park, I was still a little girl who had just learnt how to cycle. I fell and my knee was bleeding, wanted to cry when my father approached me but stopped myself. He asked if I could stand up, I nodded my head. He asked me to stand up on my own slowly and he would accompany me to our chalet to wash the wound…he has always shown that he cares but I know he doesn’t pamper. I remember he once described me as a well-protected flower bud, not having gone through hardships and pain in life at all. Wonder if he still feels that I am one…

My father was raised in a poor family. As a child, he worked at a fruit stall during the weekends to help support the family or probably to earn some pocket money. He told us that as a child, he only got to eat chicken, maybe two slices, during Chinese New Year. That probably explains why he is someone who does not waste food.

When I was a child, I always felt that he was very strict or should I say firm. Good attitude, manners and character have been considered important to him. He has probably never given us hugs or told us he loved us but he never fails to show his love for us in his own little ways. He was the one who drove us to school, sometimes early in the morning. He was the one who worked really hard to put us through university, he was determined to see each of us graduate with a degree even if it meant having to send us abroad. He is the one who will lend a listening ear whenever we need to make some major decisions in life. He is the one I would go to for road directions, wonder why he has a daughter with such poor sense of direction. He is the one I call when my car tyre punctured or when I cannot start my car engine, feel so ashamed of myself at times :P I would say he has been a pillar of support to our mother and three of us all these years.

I looked at him during dinner today…he has aged. I looked at his hands, I liked holding his hands when I was still a little girl, wonder if it is strange to hold his hand now…Whatever that we have now, whoever we are now, I should say we owe them to our father. I hope we have not disappointed him…

Mummy's birthday

Longevity buns! :)

E-fu noodles...a must for birthday, it's well done and real delicious! My mummy's favourite!

Boston lobster...nice but not really a fan of shell creatures :P

Vegetable with three types of egg (I really like this!)

suckling pig (real crispy skin!) and roasted goose

Kinda fascinated by the lights in the restaurant

It's Mummy's birthday today! We went for dinner at Imperial Treasure Cantonese Restaurant at Great World City. Nice food and good service! There are many types of dishes in the menu, would love to try more but there were only three of us so couldn't really eat much. Nevertheless, it was a nice dinner :) But the food for this dinner was kinda rich, think my mummy is gonna cook porridge tomorrow :P We drove down Orchard Road and my father told my mummy that they must take a walk along Orchard Road one of these days and that they will only take public transport. He said they would stop for tea or food when their legs are too tired. Ha, I was smiling away in the back seat, it seemed like they were going for a one-day tour along Orchard Road... Happy Birthday Mummy! Muack!!

Black, black and black

Today, I am gonna talk about the colour, black...Miss Tan said it's boring. My mummy opened my wardrobe and said it contained sets of uniforms...Some associate it with darkness or unhappiness. Some derive joy immersing themselves in it. Some wear it well with class and elegance. Some just fade away in it...Isn't it an interesting colour? I feel that at times, it's kinda like a backdrop that brings out the shine in others, supporting silently. For without darkness, how then can we see the beauty of light?...

Tea at The Marmalade Pantry

Decided to have tea at The Marmalade Pantry while waiting for Miss Tan at Ion Orchard last evening. When I looked at the menu and the list of cupcakes that they have, just couldn't resist that temptation :P I asked for a cupcake with peanut butter but it's all sold out. In fact, half of the selection of cupcakes was sold out. Well, my second choice was "Geisha". Ha, interesting name! This cupcake has got green tea and coconut in it. I thought the taste of coconut was refreshing for a non-coconut lover like me. I didn't taste much of the green tea though. But overall, it's good and with sips of Marrakesh mint tea in between bites, it was a nice evening, so glad it's Friday. It felt as if it's a long waited weekend.

Reunion

Pinkie came from San Francisco, travelled to Basel, spent winter there and then came back home a few weeks ago to reunite with Purple. Pinkie is here to stay, XF went back to Basel yesterday...

Sherlock Holmes

My first movie for 2010 - Sherlock Holmes. Before watching this movie, I thought oh no, is it gonna be like a detective solving mysteries which I might have problem understanding. Oh please, not on a Sunday afternoon when my mind was completely in a 'switched off' mode, not wanting to mobilise my brain cells and think too much into some kinda of detective stories :P Well, well, well, guess what, I was wrong, totally wrong, silly gal! I thought I was kinda entertained during the whole movie, maybe a little draggy at the beginning but most parts were pretty engaging. Well, not because my eyes were on Jude Law but I thought the chemistry between Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law was great. Robert Downey Jr did a great job portraying Sherlock Holmes, he's a star! I like that movie...brilliant, smart, witty, cheeky, pretty entertaining I should say! They say, never judge the book by its cover, well, maybe I should not judge a movie by its title (which I think I was guilty of doing, never thought I would watch that :P). Hmm, maybe I should seriously consider watching "Avatar" :P

The true nature of friendship

Genuine relationships are built on more than mutual goodwill and exchanging of favours.
...Between honourable friends, there is no account of how many favours I owe that friend and vice versa. The relationship between petty people, on the other hand, requires an accurate account, since for every favour accepted, a return favour would be expected. ~ Lee Wei Ling (The Sunday Times, 3 Jan 2010)