This old lady

Mum left for a 8-day trip to Korea last night. With a church friend. It's her first time going on a holiday without the family (most of her trips were with daddy)... hope she'll enjoy. She's been too reliant on the people around her. Didn't bother to take note of the flight number, which terminal & where to meet. Yet given her character, we know we'd better get her there well in advance. So we rushed home right after work to send her to airport. And this dear auntie didn't care about her luggage at all.. we're the ones who helped her with it. She even started to panic as she said the tour guide spoke too fast. So we stayed around to ensure the check-in arrangements were settled & had a few words with the tour guide too. While her friend, who's more senior than her & doesn't understand English as well, managed everything by herself (her daughter sent her there & left shortly).

Let's hope this is a good start for her.

About TM

Met TM last evening, finally. We had dinner @ NUSS Suntec Guild House.

We ordered a few dishes with plain rice. Did he tell me over the phone just a while ago (when he's on his way to pick me) that he wanted something light? Actually he wanted to finish his bottle @ Bala after dinner. But I had a self-imposed curfew. Hubby's still working when I met TM & he planned to fetch me after his work & dinner. He's already beat after a long day's work & I didn't want to stretch his night. Moreover, nowadays I don't return late on week nights. Good gal right? Guess age plays a big part.

TM's obviously trimmer now. According to him, more than 6kg shed. I asked him for some slimming tips & he replied: "try moving house for 3 times?" So all the house washing & pack/unpacking seemed to be effective huh. But believe the main reason gotta be the difficult 3 months he had (his dad). Especially during the 1st 2 months, frequent road trips between Spore & KL. Being the only son & the distance apart, not difficult to imagine his burden. And now he travels hecticly every other week till at least end of this year, to make up for the past months largely reserved for his mum. Besides juggling between work & trips back home, albeit reducing, he'd talk with his mum minimum twice a day & makes an effort to bring her for holidays once in 2 - 3 months. His mum will also make a trip here every now & then.
Yet I complain it's tough taking care of mum, with such convenient proximity compared to his? Think it's a matter of managing our own expectations?

TM, an intelligent man (RI & RJ graduate), has a caring personality & no airs at all. After dinner, he waited with me at the taxi stand for hubby to come pick me though I kept reassuring him that I could wait by myself. Afterall it wasn't late (10pm). As hubby had to stop some distance away so he wouldn't obstruct traffic, TM insisted on crossing the road with me, saw me to our car & even closed the door for me. He & hubby just managed to exchange "hi" & "bye" through the car window as there're approaching vehicles behind us. He only started to walk away (back to the other side of the road) when we moved off. Isn't he more than nice?

I'm indeed blessed to not only have a very chivalrous man as hubby, but also a good friend who's of such fine breed. ;)

We ...

.. waited 50mins for a bowl of Ba Chor Mee.

Last Sun evening, hubby finally succeeded in bringing me to Bedok 85's Ba Chor Mee. He'd suggested a few times in the past months but always got turned down by me.

We reached there just few mins before 7 & were glad to find an outdoor table effortlessly in a sea of preoccupied tables & chairs. So we're told that the waiting time would be 30-45 mins for the BCM.

Got some BBQ chicken wings as a starter & were done in minutes. Delicious. Then we waited, & waited, & waited...... Another 30 over mins passed. Curbed the temptation to order some thing else to fill our stomach & to pass time lest we might have had too much to appreciate the long-awaited BCM (soup). Finally, our order arrived & I was surprised by the portion served. Only then hubby remembered he'd ordered a $2 bowl (earlier on he still asked me how much could it be & I went "eh hello? you went to order one & I never eat here before..."). Once in a while my honey will give me surprises like this.. but I certainly still adore him so! Hee.

Since the serving was smaller than a normal one, we went ahead to get something else (五香虾饼). When hubby came back & said "wait 20mins", I nearly fainted. We finished the bowl of noodles in 5 mins & played the waiting game again. By then, our butts started to numb, so were our legs. We're in the midst of the clustered tables & chairs.. without much space to push back our chairs & relax. When our food was served at least 15mins later, there wasn't much of an appetite left.

After our "3-course" hawker meal (literally course by course, each with a minimum 20-min interval), we're caught in a traffic congestion for another 15 or 20 mins. Our only consolation was that we didn't need to work the following day.

Next time shall be smarter. Options are: not go on a weekend, or reach there @6, or/& place all orders at one go.

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.. had a self-created long weekend. Mere coincidence that it's right after Hari Raya. :)

To beat the blues of at least 1 monday, we've long planned to take leave on the 1st work day of the week.

Had a swim in the late morning, then a 2-hour buffet lunch at Holiday Inn Park View. Food wasn't fantastic but we enjoyed the luxury of couple time which we seldom had on a weekday. Apparently, many seemed to be off work too.

Next stop was Holland Village. Too full for even a drink. So just fed our eyes with the adorable pets in various pet shops.

Then we spent the entire evening watching some rented VCDs & dinner was takeaway dim sum from Northpoint.

By the way, hubby brought me back to Pet's Station at Frankel on the previous day. There's this particular kitty that reminded us of our Tubby-boy. For a while, I was overwhelmed with memories of Tubby who's extremely lovable & good-natured.. it's a pity he's an ailing boy.

Hubby has been suggesting to get me a bunny instead & lop-eared rabbits are so cute. But nope. I can't cope with the growing emotional attachment & responsibilities. Plus the financial & time commitment especially if it is, like Tubby, prone to ill health. At least not now. Also, hubby & I love to move around freely & my mum doesn't help out at all as she's horrified of pets of whichever kind. I wonder why... not that we hadn't kept any before. Thus occasional visits to those in the pet shops should be the best solution for now.

Sat nite

6 - 7pm: Dinner at the popular Taste of Thailand just opposite our place. It's ALWAYS full on weekends so hubby & I had to go & "chop" a big table for 9.

7 - 10pm : KTV @ our place.

We're the first batch to enjoy after a 10-day renovation which ended just the day before.
Changed to LCD projector & big screen on the wall.

A pic with hubby

We all like the new wallpaper :)

In a Different form

As early as last Aug, we bought our 2nd Anniversary presents :)

Ain't the conventional exchange of gifts this time round. But rather, it’s something we share that lasts for a year. A Raffles dining membership.

I used to purchase similar yearly membership from Oriental (2 years), Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa (2 years), Pan Pacific, Marina Mandarin & Le Meridien. Since few years ago, I stopped pursuing this interest. My boyfriend strongly felt that the $$ spent was somewhat uncalled for (& yes, the boyfriend is now my hubby dearest). I had to agree with him, much as I was reluctant to. After offsetting the main draw, the complimentary 1 night's stay that is, the remaining amount paid would have to be justified by a certain number of visits to at least breakeven. Meanwhile, we still gotta pay 50% of the meals (that’s if only 2 of us dine in). And when we patronised another restaurant (say another hotel’s), we would feel a lil guilty for not making use of our membership. But let's be frank... how many times can we visit the 3 or 4 restaurants in the same hotel within a year before 'diminishing marginal utility' sets in?

Back to the topic, I’d been approached early this year to join this membership for umpteenth times. Though I found it very attractive, I rejected firmly. The price initially shocked me too... it's 50% more (no less) than what I used to pay. Yet I found myself pondering over the dining benefits almost unceasingly. Finally after a few months of consideration, I proposed to hubby the anniversary thingy as I thought it’s not bad an idea at all. We would be planning for a hotel stay & a dinner anyway.

So what’s in the package that makes it so tempting?

1) A complimentary room night that worth about S$350
2) Complimentary dining vouchers for 2pax in these restaurants:
- Raffles Hotel’s Bar & Billiard Room. Dinner buffet.
- Raffles The Plaza's Plaza Market Cafe. Dinner buffet.
- Equinox Restaurant. Hi-tea.
- Swissotel Merchant Court's Ellenborough Market Cafe. Lunch buffet.
- Swissotel The Stamford's Cafe Swiss. 2-course meal.
3) A bottle of wine + a cake for anniversary & birthday (the usual benefit). Or the choice of 2 bottles of wine.
4) 50% on dining (for 2pax) in a total of 22 restaurants, if I don't remember wrongly.
Plus some other miscellaneous vouchers like 50% discount for group dining, special room rates in participating hotels & benefits like discounts in bars.

Just items (1) + (2) have already well exceeded the sum we paid.

So this year, we will be celebrating in Raffles The Plaza's Premier Room & dining in Raffles Hotel. ;)

Irony in Life

There's something about the ex that I found myself missing & regretting.

That is, his mum's dried bean curd skin with ginko nuts & barley dessert (腐竹白果薏米).
I'm not joking.

Missed, as I must say she made the best 腐竹白果 dessert.
Regretted, that I didn't learn from her. Knowing I loved it, she used to urge me to "apprentice" when she's preparing but I was always too lazy. So who shall I blame.

As a vast 'Tong Shui' lover, I constantly craved for this Cantonese dessert. Mum tried to satiate me but it's just not the same. No matter how mum boiled it, the soup simply wouldn't turn as milky as tau huay drink (豆浆)..... the bean curd skin only became very tiny bits. ie. after a while there'd be 2 layers - water & the settled skin bits. And believe me, it taste very differently. Same as those we ate at hawker stalls/restaurants (if any).

Last Sunday, I decided to experiment it myself... was bent on finding the secret to making "tau huay zui" out of the dried beancurd skin. However I nearly gave up when my method didn't deem successful. Thanks to hubby ... he suggested 1 appeared to be simple yet crucial modification to my idea and yes, we finally made it! Aren't we the best partners? Mum tried & she thought we added milk. Say félicitations to us!

This accomplishment had certainly made my day due to its underlying meaning. No longer feel I'd missed out on something after I walked out that door. Years ago.

But still, the biggest irony gotta be the sole thing I ever missed in my last relationship was a dessert.

I did it again

Yesterday, my shoe strip snapped.

I was walking back to office after getting lunch while chatting with hubby on the phone. Just when I reached the main entrance of our office building, I felt that my right foot was on the coarse cemented ground... & you know what's the reason. I was like "huh? not again??" & tried to let my big toe hang on to the surviving strap (it's a pair of low-heel tongs) but wasn't successful. After wriggling my way to the lift, I dumped the shoe into the dustbin & went up with my right foot bared.

It's a close call... should the shoe decide to give itself up earlier, even just a second earlier, I would be in a fix of embarrassment. But then, that doesn't mean it won't happen in the future considering the fact that I tend to break shoes. Sigh~

When I told my colleagues, they went "aiyo... again?". Only one consoled me by saying her new pair of sandals which cost $70+ also gave way.

It's the way I walk, is it not?

And more errands

Lately, mum hardly sees us at home on Saturdays. We seem to have endless tasks to settle. We could be out as early as 10am & back not before 9pm, like any other weeknight.

The last one started with a visit to the nearest GP as I had a sty on my left eye. Thereafter, had lunch (MacDonald's) & next, to AMK Hub's supermarket... bought fruits for mum & some other stuff. She loves fruits & we'll try to replenish every other week so she doesn't have to lug a few kilos back from the market.

Then hubby went for his haircut appointment at this salon - Cut & Curl (June's recommendation) & while waiting, I opted for a herbal scalp treatment for myself. Consequently hubby waited an hour for me instead :P I think the treatment was quite good but after my hair was done, I smelled like a chinese herbs pot!

After spending 5 hours in AMK central, we went for a very early dinner at Aston's, Serangoon Gardens. Also rented some DVDs from Video Ezy... so we finally watched The Wedding Date together :)

Summing up

中秋 @ Cosy Bay.

We wanted somewhere outdoor & because Cosy Bay serves the most delicious chicken wings in town, that was where we had our dinner. Ordered all finger food & a jug. And it's only Tuesday....

See the moon at the top left hand corner??

Had lunch with June on Tue (coincidentally hubby came to lunch with me so she joined in) & we went shopping during lunch on Wed. Interesting updates from her. Wed evening we met again in AMK for dinner with Constance. Funny... sometimes we don't get to communicate for weeks & sometimes it's consecutive.

Went for Thai buffet at Swissotel Merchant Court on Thurs evening. It's quite average & doesn't really worth the price charged.

In the lift after dinner.
Taking Merchant Court lifts always bring back fond memories 44444 On the day of Vince's return from a 3-week military exercise in Rockhampton, I checked in to Merchant Court. Brought all the necessities including buying him a Topman tee as a 2nd surprise (but it's because I couldn't find his tee at my place!). In the evening I fetched him at the airport. We then headed home to put his duffel bag before going out again as I told him I'd arranged a drinking session with some friends at Merchant Court (he only told me later that he's a lil disappointed we're not having some couple time after 3 long weeks). He didn't suspect a thing as I was empty-handed. Only in the lift of Merchant Court that he sensed something amiss as there's no lounge on the 5th level. He looked at me doubtfully & it's obvious that I was trying to hide the grin on my face. He somehow figured it out but had to suppress his excitement as we're in a crowded lift :)

This orange top is one of those bought in Bangkok @ S$10 in a sale! In fact all items I bought were on offer. I personally don't believe in spending on things in Bangkok that are equivalent to or more than what I can find in Singapore.

Balanced

The week after my trip was a reasonably well mix.

Friends:
- Monday4 had a short drink with C at Cuppage before dinner with hubby.
- Tuesday4 dinner with Gina & Gin (Sara had last minute fire-fighting @work) at Prego.

Work:
- Wednesday & Thursday4 hubby & I stayed back in our respective offices to meet some deadlines.

Shopping:
- Friday4 bought a nice short casual dress from Bugis. And hubby, who took over the S500i after I got my K810i, has had enough of the sickly phone (keypad cracked for the 3rd time in 2 months & M2 cardslot not functioning again) & got himself a new hp. Another good deal... we paid $0 for a slim, 3G SE K530i.

Errands:
- Saturday
4 bought our fav Macadamia nuts mooncakes from Amara Hotel's Silk Road.
4 sent S500i for repair (keypad replacement)... made a wasted trip to Wisma's as it's closed for renovation. So had to go to the Eastpoint service centre instead.
4 got all the stuff needed @ Parkway's Giant for next day's BBQ.
4 went Far East Plaza to sell our S500i. Can't believe it could be sold for $250... we'd been asking around & the resale value was S$150 to S$180. That was the shop which bought our E65 at a very high price too.
4 bought raw satay at Tiong Bahru hawker centre.

Family:
- had a very small scale BBQ at our place as the yearly mid-autumn gathering. Though just the few of us this year (mum, sis, Rachel, Vince & I), we had a great time. Invevitably I felt sad for mum.. it's only less than 2 years without dad around & the family has shrunk so much... but mum has become much stronger than we expected her to be.
At times like this I appreciate hubby even more. From the very day we got together, he has been by my side during all the good & bad times... he's my only support who helps to keep my feet firmly on the ground through stormy weathers (& I truly thank God for such a very precious gift).
And mum is so fond of him. That evening, we ran out of fire starters so hubby had to go & get more. While waiting, I made a slight comment that we would have had enough if not for his insistance on the smaller box. But mum immediately defended him "thrifty is good.. I like! He's a very good boy.....". Hmm.. I admit that's very soothing to my ears. Hee.
To think that nearly 4 years ago she made totally opposite remarks about him. :))

Honey & his charcoaled hands!