Shades of Gray

I wish things were more explicit. It would save me from over-analyzing and unnecessary speculation.

A night at Clarke Quay

Jap food is very comforting. It's usually neither too oily, salty, sweet nor unexpectedly bad (which I think explains why Jap food is pricier). Throughly enjoyed the Yakiniku Kamameshi I ordered at Sun with Moon Restaurant where we celebrated Yilynn's bday. It was the first time I visited the Clarke Quay branch and I love the ambience al fresco dining offers!

I didn't know that raw egg mixed with rice and beef could taste so yummy!

The cake Des and XX chose from our favourite confectionery, Rive Gauche, was a fluffy concoction of chestnut cream, chestnut bits and sponge. But nothing beats the chocolate one of course.

Incidentally, it was Mrs Koh's bday too but unfortunately, she had a rendezvous with her hubby and couldn't join her pioneer JC class for celebrations. Nevertheless, she saw our pics on Facebook. I was rather amused at her expression of shock when she realised we are 23. Speaking of photos, Des and I were anally dissatisfied with the pics of us (when I think I look ok, he'll insist he looks horrible. vice versa -_-) and only Daryl would be so obliging to take more pics without any complaint!


We headed to The Clinic (another of those themed bars whose popularity has not waned. Yet.) for drinks but were relegated to the "patients' waiting area" instead of the highly popular "wheelchairs" and "hospital beds". We were rather disgruntled because "being hospitalized/immobile" was the novelty we are paying for.

Yilynn got her $50 Sex on a Drip and my first thought was "Do they reuse the plastic mouth piece? Ewww..." Anyway getting the liquid out proved to be a chore so no more drips for us next time. One saving grace - the chips and dips are cheap and not bad.

Nurse Yilynn administering a drug to her tortured patient

A drink to loosen tongues...

Nerdy pursuits

My little cousin (rudely/affectionately) calls me "nerd" each time he sees me. A friend labels all people without cable TV as nerds. Speaking of TV, the only programme I watch these days is Makansutra Raw and no, I don't have cable for that matter. Managed to catch The Queen on Arts Central last night though and was enthralled by Helen Mirren's dressing, her witty and curt comments, the music and Tony Blair's goofy grins (does the ex-PM laugh so much in real life?). I was entirely captivated by the rolling British highlands and moors (Enid Blyton's influence in my formative years is profound).

It boils down to how one defines "nerd". If nerd = good grades, I don't deserve that label now. If nerd = plastic specs, the definition includes me. If nerd = mugger, I fail to qualify ever since I entered law school. If nerd = person who reads all the time, I guess I'm a nerd since I can't go anywhere without bringing something to read.

I'm thrilled to "discover" Tom Perrotta at the library as I'm running out of Alexander McCall Smith books to read. His books are satirical insights on American suburban life - the sandwiched middle class, sexually repressed adults, the education system, culture, religion. Little Children reminds you how parents are a very naughty bunch especially if they are bored stay-at-home parents. The Abstinence Teacher pits a human sexuality teacher against a religious soccer coach (with a dubious past). I'm totally addicted to these wittier, more realistic and less trashy print versions of Desperate Housewives.

To-do for the week:

1. Finish Life of Pi and savour every beautiful sentence coined by Yann Martel
2. Continue to enjoy Tears of a Giraffe (it's by AMS who else!)
3. Revive my stagnated progress of Battle Royale which is becoming really gory
   

Glorious Greeks

I must say that the ancient Greeks reign supreme in the department of art and culture. Who else would fastidiously carve motifs/reliefs on ordinary drinking vessels and a thigh guard?? Looking around me, I wonder what we - 21st century inhabitants - have contributed to the art/culture vault of the world.

TR and I went to the museum, ostensibly to admire the Grecian artifacts but with the hidden agenda to spot Gill and a certain someone (at least that was my motive). Anyway the exhibition was rather small and I could not achieve my covert intentions and had to walk over to say hi.

The exterior of the Nat. Museum looks spiffily clean and whitewashed but at least it bears some resemblance to the un-restored museum of my memory.



The hypnotic electric chandeliers with different swing patterns. Quite cool.


Forced TR to pose with the objects from a magnetic wall installation at the entrance. This is the least unglam of all unglam pics haha.


Gill was disappointed with the exhibition cos the displayed objects were Louvre replicas and not the original stuff. I would imagine the original artifacts (hundreds of years old?) to be in a pretty bad state and doubt they can survive the trans-continental shipping or Singapore's weather though I'm sure we have first class humidity control.

I thought it strange that the Louvre boasts one of the finest Greek collection for shouldn't the Greeks claim their own heritage? Then I realised that museums are like certain antique collectors who are not satisfied with owning a small part of the world's history until they amass all Ming vases, Faberge eggs and Egyptian scarab beetles in the world.

Mutual fascination... he's an athlete holding a discus btw.


Now you know why the Greeks are cast in stone while our Singaporean males are not :D


The outdoor courtyard - a quiet place for tired feet with a nice backdrop for pictures.

A day in the life of the PM

Acting as the PM of an unstable fictitious country in Intelligence Law today, the Spiderman quote "with great powers come great responsibilities" kept ringing in my head. Tonight's 3 hr simulation was probably the most enjoyable and interesting intelligence class to date.

The class was split up into various ministerial departments, the judiciary, the AG, NGOs for civil liberties, the UN commission, American ambassadors, the press and reporters. Agenda: a meeting held by the President (the Prof) with the purpose of creating an intelligence community in the newly independent "Biddleonia" which is the victim of domestic racial strife and attacks from its neighbour.

Felt a smug sense of superiority as everybody (including the foreign students who usually don't care two hoots about the Singaporean students) had to speak deferentially to us, the power-wielding PM. But we were totally stressed cos the PM had to make decisions and we barely knew what we were doing!

It was a realistic simulation as the Prof even arranged for his wife to call him about "external bomb explosions" periodically and everybody role played with gusto. There was alot of hilarious backstabbing and boot licking as we all had "secret agendas". I have to admit that the foreign students are very fluent and witty and had us in stitches at times.

While I am immensely glad that Intelligence Law is finally over, I felt kinda sad when Nic and I sat on the steps outside the canteen after class. This is my last night class ever and I'll miss BTC at night with all its tastefully lighted up corners and the chilly night breeze that blows through the "school on the hill". Of course my parents had to be 45 mins late for the first and last time they will be fetching me from school at night -_-

Windy nights

I love windy nights.

Blow wind blow.

Blow away my tiredness, blow away my worries. Blow away my disappointments. Blow away my anger, blow away my envy. Blow away all heartaches and pain.

How easy it is to lose myself in the relentless wind that blows at night.

The More Loving One

Alexander McCall Smith, undoubtedly my favourite contemporary writer, is fond of quoting the poems of W.H. Auden in his books. And out of the many snippets, all I remember is this sentence:

"If equal affection cannot be,
Let the more loving one be me"

I remember it so well because it seems incredibly impossible to want to be the "more loving one" rather than the one at the receiving end of others' love. How noble it is to suffer unrequited love and wish that others will be spared the anguish. How difficult it must be to accept that you'll always love the person more than he loves you. Don't we always proclaim that we should marry a person who loves us more than we love him? I wonder how different relationships will be if everybody tries to be the loving instead of loved one.

A time of revelry!

I'm thankful that the CNY hol stretches across 4 days. It's a perfect time and excuse to meet up, makan and have fun. The dreaded days of work are drawing nearer and I'm determined to max out whatever remaining time I have now!

Yixian, Jiawen and Nic came to bai nian. Hope our little tradition continues!

A sniff at my mom's pride and joy - the mint plant

The (n+1)th attempt to take a nice shot

CEO style - Godiva and wine

Co-chef and kitchen maid Yivon :)

SH owes me 2 bday presents this year for crashing my house!

Thanks lots to Des for his tips on travelling in Europe. He sounded more excited than me!

Glad that XX popped by for a while

Preparing for our steamboat. Note Yiwei's violent tendencies

KM with her cute braces. I miss mine!

Love the nodding figurines which Yiwei's parents insisted we hold

Nice leafy view from the balcony

You are fatter!

On a winning streak. Disclaimer: playing with 2 VERY blur novice

It's ok being the eldest

Peace at last. All my "charges" are safely out of the door and into the care of BH1 (assigned chauffeur for the night). The adults in my family have decided to shrug off their parental responsibilities in exchange for a night of old songs at some concert. I have been given the task of looking after the house and the welfare of my bro/cousins because:

1. I'm the eldest
2. It's my home
3. Being a girl, I'm arguably more responsible than the guys

Dunno about the rest but I felt a sudden exhilaration of freedom - a house full of lively youths (ranging from 14 to 22 years old)! I'm pleased to report that nobody took advantage of the unfettered circumstances. In fact, the guys were better behaved, more helpful and I actually had the chance to interact with them.

Due to the constraints of my flat and the lack of entertainment (no Wii, PS3, Xbox etc), the guys had to make do with rollerblading, skate scootering and cycling. I can't remember the last time they engaged in activities that did not require a screen! I'm also pleased that BH3 took a sudden fancy to my organ and persuaded me to teach him a song. He in turn taught me how to activate my drum function and we had fun imitating the NDP march past.

I realised that my little cousins (all hitting the 1.8m mark) are not so little after all. As we grow older, the mental age gap seems to narrow and I actually enjoy their company.

CNY celebrations - tears and laughter

CNY Day 1 - missed Geraldine's company cos we usually do the rounds together and it's always nice to have somebody my age to chat with. Hardly feel the CNY mood this year. Streets are quiet, shops are quiet and the atmosphere is simply not there. Enjoyed meeting up with "yearly" relatives though and engaging in the typical scrutiny of who grew taller/fatter/thinner/older. Ended the day with an interesting tete-a-tete in Carol's bedroom.

CNY Day 2 - managed to visit friends' houses in the morning and came back in time to host my relatives. Very relieved that lunch, refreshment and other nitty gritty stuff were properly dealt with before any guests arrived. CNY is such a stressful and showy event. Thank goodness for a giddily fun night at TR's house where we sipped ice wine, planned our grad trip, watched horror movies and prattled on till dawn.

CNY Day 3 - relatives came over for a mee siam lunch. Very glad Yivon was over to keep me entertained (and awake) and to help shape the mini pizza appetizers. We slipped off halfway to catch
"PS: I Love You" and it was really a novel moment in my cinematic experience.

First, I've never cried so much while watching any movie, yes not even Titanic. Second, I've never slept so much in any movie either. When I first woke up, Gerard Butler had already died and Hilary Swank had received his posthumous present. Tear glands acted up and it was pretty much a sleep-wake-cry routine throughout the whole movie. Was totally spent after the 2 hours.

Pre CNY binge

Arrgh. Have a current obsession with Jap noodles so it's either the Nabeyaki Udon from Ichiban Boshi, the Niku Curry (Soba) from Waraku or Soba with Tori Karaage from MOF.

Dinner at MOF was a disappointment after hearing so much about it. Expectations kill. Menu's very limited and since the dessert menu is as extensive as the main course, I think a wise diner will zoom straight to dessert.

Bday girl with her prezzies. I did not choose the bag (no offence Yivon, you know I'm adverse to baby pink!) but I did pick the pretty notebook from Artbox.


Our girly gatherings are like crap/gossip sessions and they're so enjoyable that I wish we can have them more often. Unfortunately, Yiwei is returning to Aust and our schedules are impossible to coordinate. Oh well, good things come in small doses!


Whenever Shuxin's around, we seem to engage in photo taking sprees! I admit that I do like taking pictures too for a sentimental reason - to capture the moments, to look back at them and smile/giggle at the memories they evoke.


Making tough decisions - which flavours to choose?? I'm thankful for Swensen's flexibility!



Hamming it up for the camera in the company of ice cream and fries!

A rabbit and lots of TLC

If Shuxin does not quickly pop out a kid, Chin Chin will officially be the spoiltest bunny around. Just look at the plethora of snacks she got him - air dried strawberries, apple flavoured crackers, biscuit sticks, celery sticks and other unidentifiable lumps and pellets. And the amount of time she lavishes on him. Tsk.



But who can resist a small fur ball who darts around the house at amazing speed? Bunnies are utterly adorable yet I think I prefer a dog. A big shaggy dog like Jughead's Hotdog. Dogs are way more interactive and affectionate. Chin Chin simply refused to be carried!


The only time I can get his attention is by dangling a celery stick in his line of vision. For some weird reason, Chin Chin is fond of celery. Yucks!