Posts Tagged ‘mizu’

In transit

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
31 July 2009
0

Oh no!  I’ve missed a day, so I will make a quick belated entry.

Friday morning started with a very groggy me lounging in bed half-awake, trying to will myself up when I got a call from Mizu.  Thinking it was my alarm, I picked up the object ringing at me and pressed something, apparently picking up.  I read the screen and wondered why Mizu’s name appeared when it dawned on me that I had picked up the phone.  Confused, I spoke into it and found him speaking back to me, telling me he’d be there in just a few minutes.  I rushed to get ready and woke up Typea as planned, so he could help lock up after I went out.  It took some stuffing, but we managed to get all my luggage in the car, all the while wondering how we managed to do it the first time around, even with a full car.  With that, we were off to pick up Zen and meet Starfish at the airport.

I can't believe this is the only picture I took in the airport.

I can't believe this is the only picture I took in the airport.

I checked in with no problems and even had 5 kg to spare in one of my bags, so I added some more to it from my carry-on.  The four of us got some breakfast together and then said our goodbyes as I headed in.  Once I made it through the passport check, I waved to my little sending party and went to my gate.  I enjoyed the free internet they had and sent an e-mail to Panda before I boarded the plane for the first leg of the trip.  I had been given an emergency exit window seat for more leg room, but I hadn’t realized that the window would be so far away when I had agreed to it, so I regretted my decision.  The trip to Tokyo was fast and painless and soon enough it was time to get off, go through security, and reboard the plane with a fresh crew.

This time I asked for any other window seat and the air hostess got a guy to switch seats with me.  I had a nice chat with the people sitting next to me and then enjoyed a few movies before taking a nap.  Unfortunately, much of the latter part of the ride was suffered in discomfort as the girl sitting behind me put her knees up on the back of my chair and began to move around constantly, kicking, kneeing, and pushing the seat annoyingly.  I decided to take it as an erratic massage or a broken massage chair of sorts.  I didn’t know if bringing it up would just make it worse, so I just kept moving around every time she did.  I definitely liked her best when she was asleep.  At least I figured out why my chair wouldn’t lean back at first when I tried earlier on.

Looks like an upside-down dolphin. Where are we?

Looks like an upside-down dolphin. Where are we?

After way too long, we had breakfast and began our descent into LAX.  I watched the scenery pass by, trying to spot the UCLA campus or anything else I may recognize, but I couldn’t tell which cluster of tall buildings was downtown and everything else looked unrecognizable.  Coming out, I found Tom Bradley International Terminal to be under construction – yet another thing that looked foreign to me.  However, once I got out to the street, I was back in my comfort zone, familiar with the area and accent, content with the sunshine and temperature, and ready to be on my way.  I patiently waited for Panda for about 40 minutes (he couldn’t get off work too early) and happily spotted him 15 minutes early!  We loaded up my stuff and I clung to him, thrilled to be able to feel him again.  He’s gotten thinner from the busy, stressful days lately, but gosh, he looks good dressed up.

We got some Quizno’s for lunch and ran a few errands before crashing at his place, which I got to see for the first time.  I was given a card and key so I can let myself in as needed and he read his card to me, as we like to do.  We don’t have an anniversary day, but it’s about that time, so he got me a Happy Anniversary card.  🙂  I gave him the tie and cuff links I bought him and promised him his other gift the next time I see him, since that one was buried somewhere in my luggage.  We got to hang out for a few hours before my mom came to pick me up and get dinner.  I spent the rest of the night unpacking and telling my mom stories about all the things I had acquired (which really wasn’t much).  Strangely, I don’t feel like I was gone for so long.  Everything is pretty much as it was and I immediately fell back into most of my old life patterns.  Things do smell different though.

Farewells

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , ,
30 July 2009
2

Ah, what a nice soiree we just had at the office tonight.  It was time to celebrate the months spent together and say goodbye to some of our interns (myself included), who are moving on to the next phase of our lives.  There are three of us who are leaving within the next couple of weeks and I’m the earliest to go, so we arranged to get together the night before my flight.  It was so nice to see everyone come out, including some of the people who have been busy lately and who I have not seen in weeks.  The turnout was spectacular, with really only one person I can think of who I would have liked to come.

It felt very much Singaorean.

It felt very much Singaorean.

We started off with a feast of jackfruit fried rice, chicken wings, veggies, and yam cake coupled with a sort of lime drink, wine, or juice.  As the conversations flowed and everyone filtered in, some of the people got a game of charades started while others chilled out in the back.  There was a lot of laughter from all areas, since nearly all of us know each other, and the atmosphere was cozy and comfortable.  It was a really nice chance to see everyone one more time before I fly off and don’t get to see them for who knows how many months or years.  So, I took pictures as I always do, as a way to commemorate the event and have a way of looking back on this final night.  In the years to come I can look back and smile as I remember the intimate gathering of the people I’d gotten to know in my five months here.

When the first people were about to head out, we gathered everyone together and each of us got a card, as well as a chance to address the group and talk about our experiences.  I took the opportunity to individually thank everyone there for the parts that they’ve played in making me feel welcome here and taking care of me when I needed help.  In fact, many of them have been instrumental in my survival here, offering me their time, attention, and even homes as I needed.  I felt a fondness towards everyone, even those who I hadn’t gotten a chance to know well because of too few encounters.  Since I had not anticipating speaking, I pointed them out in a general order of involvement and touched on some of the things that made them so special to me.  Of course, a lot could not be said, so I hope they feel appreciated enough, because they certainly are.

Time for some thank yous.

Time for some thank yous.

From there, things wound  down as people bustled around cleaning and I finished packing everything from my desk.  As everyone left, I got multiple reminders to remember my passport, teasing me about the time I forgot it recently as I embarked upon my little vacation a few weeks ago.  I assured them that I would have everything with me this time and I’d take extra care with the passport this time.  😛  Eventually, we were all ready to go and went back to rest for the early start tomorrow.  Last minute, Zen’s car became available, so he, Mizu, and Starfish are apparently going to send me off tomorrow morning before they all head to work.  Isn’t that lovely?  🙂

So with that, I should catch a nap before I need to be up and ready to go.

The countdown

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
27 July 2009
0

DSC04126It’s hard to believe I’ve been here for five months and even harder to believe I’m about to leave on Friday.  Thankfully, there’s lots to do so I don’t have much time to mull over it all.  On the one hand I’ve missed Panda for nearly 150 days and I can’t wait to see him, touch him again.  It’s been too long of pretending I could touch him and feel him hug me through the webcam.  On the other hand, the people here are amazing and have taken great care of me.  Plus, I’m just getting around to exploring Singapore!  It’s a pity it’s ending already, but I can’t help but look forward to who and what I have waiting for me back home.

As I’m down to my last three full days, I’m trying to squeeze everything in – a trip to Sentosa and a visit to the Flyer, one final event for C&S, and a last day in the office ending with a discussion with Starfish and a little dinner party.  I probably won’t get more than a nap Thursday night as I finish up packing and nervously await my early departure time.  I’ve still got to find time to go to the Night Safari (probably Wednesday after the event), since the rain today deterred me from going.  I was absolutely exhausted and zonked out on the bus ride home anyway, so it’s better I didn’t go.  Then there’s my final foot and back massage that I need to use up from my membership card.  Maybe I’ll squeeze that in before the Night Safari.

Most importantly, I’ve got to tie up loose ends and say bye to the parents who have generously taken me in these past few months.  I don’t really have time to take them out to dinner to show my appreciation, but what can I do?  I hope I get inspired when I’m out tomorrow.  I was pleased with the little gifts that I found for the people from the office – cuff links for Zen, Mizu, and Typea, and compact mirrors for Marylin and Starfish (plus a Love Spell spray for her, which is like a classic VS scent for the lady who loves that brand), who all have played a huge part in supporting me here.  For the others who have been there for me and made the atmosphere enjoyable, I had adorable little elephant keychains.  I had a lot of fun choosing the gifts, even if I was dead tired and my back was dying when I came across these treasures.

DSC07100Each one has its significance to me (and may not be the most practical, but I was going for more meaningful…): for Zen, a pair of silver dragons because that just seems fitting for an influential man; for Mizu, a pair of gold electric guitars because he truly is a rock star (in so many ways); for Typea, a pair of blue and sea green golf clubs in their bags (or whatever it’s called) for his enjoyment of the game and the lifestyle it represents; for Marylin, a pink cover with a pretty peacock for her growing involvement in the beauty industry; and for Starfish, a cool blue cover with an elegant flower for her cool head and classiness as well as the spray I mentioned above because she loves VS.  As for the elephants, I figured that Mac would want the purple one (actually why I bought that particular pack, though I liked it because I like purple too) and Lorry would appreciate the green one (a bit of an inside joke on that one, for all his Greenness).  Skim was the only wild card, who could go for the pretty light blue one or the more royal blue one, or maybe even the bright white one.

Now I’m hoping I’ll just as much meaning in some items that I can present to Typea and Marylin’s parents prior to my departure.  Both sets of parents were very generous in taking me in and really made it possible for me to stay here; I certainly couldn’t have afforded an apartment!  Other than that and the final activities I will be participating in, I just need to pack and make sure that I don’t go over my weight limit.  The moment I find I’m under, I’m going out to buy Mamee to stuff the rest of my bags with.  I love those snacks and as of yet I have not found them in the states.  And with that, I’ll be gone before I know it.  Gosh, it’s creeping up already.

Serendipity

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
16 July 2009
2

Some may call it an accident, some may call it a mistake, but I call it serendipity.  With every supposed wrong turn we make, every situation that doesn’t go quite as we planned, there’s something else to be discovered and seen.  It seems that the “bad luck” I’ve had recently may have been unfortunate, but it has also provided the opportunity for some rich experiences.  Of course, there are lessons to be learned, but I don’t like to concern myself too much with getting things right.  Traveling is just about the one thing that I am ok not doing extensive research on before jumping in.  In fact, I’d be perfectly fine with not knowing my next destination or how long I’d be staying at the current one, if only I had the money to support that type of travel.

Spacious and comfy.

Spacious and comfy.


It all started when I was getting ready to check in for my flight to Kuala Lumpur.   I had inadvertently packed my passport in a purse that I had decided not to bring.  Thankfully, I discovered it soon enough to still catch a ride with Mizu and Zen.  It turns out that was actually fortunate, because I had booked the wrong flight (it was for the following day), so I would have been stranded there or been forced to pay SGD 60 to change to that flight, if they had space.  Instead, I got a luxury bus ticket for SGD 38, got treated to gelato and waffles, had a huge seat and personal TV, got a chance to enjoy the landscape, and even got dropped off at a location very close to my hostel (saved me a trip from the airport!).  I had wanted to take a bus originally, but what I fould was more expensive than flying, which is why I had chosen to buy an air ticket.  But in the end, I still got what I had wanted to do.

The next hiccup was a small one, where I nearly went to the wrong airport to board my flight to Phuket.  It was caught early on in the day, so I got to my boarding gate with plenty of time to spare, but even if I had gone to the wrong place, I could have found a way to get there on time anyway.  Upon arrival in Phuket, the airport bus had stopped running for the night, so I took a shared airport “limousine” and we stopped at a travel agent’s office so they could solicit us.  Though I didn’t book any tours, I did find out about one that I was interested in, which I probably wouldn’t have known about otherwise.  I plan on taking such a tour in the next day or two.

The night view of Phuket Town.

The night view of Phuket Town.


Now in Phuket there are many beaches, most of which are a good 30 minute drive from Phuket Town.  My first day there, I decided to go over to Patong Beach, which is the most tourist-concentrated one.  I had booked a spa appointment for the afternoon and enjoyed some wonderful relaxation treatment (aromatherapy sauna, hot stone massage, and facial!) before heading to the beach.  I had a lovely time digging up clams and those sand bugs that burrow in the sand with amazing speed.  Unfortunately, I had a bit too much fun and by 7:15 I was trying to find a ride back to no avail.  The bus stopped running at 6:30 and the tut tuts quoted me at THB 500!  So I walked along the street, trying to find a better way and ended up asking a hotel security guard and his friend for help.  They flagged down a family on a motobike and arranged to have them drop me off for THB 200.  The man dropped off his wife and baby and took me over the hills back to Phuket Town.  On the way he stopped for gas (or whatever it is) and I was greatly amused when they took a huge bottle of what looked like cherry syrup or grenadine and poured it into his tank.  What interesting fuel!  When we got to the hostel and I paid him, he then offered to take me for a spin around town.  I decided to accept his offer and later he insisted on showing me Phuket Town from a viewpoint.  There was a nice park at the top of a summit and a crowd of people sat on the small wall erected to prevent people from tumbling down.

It almost makes me want to try it.

Would you have guessed this is fuel?


Learning my lesson, I checked with the bus driver the next day to make sure I didn’t miss the last bus (which was due at 4) and went to another beach, Nai Harn.  I had managed to find a larger clam and even a pointy-shelled sea snail before it started to rain.  So by 3:20, I was standing under some trees at the bus stop, waiting for the bus to arrive.  When it stopped raining, I ventured back towards the beach to get some more water for my new pets and an expat approached me, offering to take me back.  Apparently he had seen the guys at the coffee shop eyeing me and he didn’t feel it was safe for me.  I just needed the bus to come and all would be fine.  He insisted on taking me because he was bored out of his mind and needed something to do, so I decided to go with it.  I got the extra water I wanted and he took me to his place to exchange the motobike for a truck.  We had a nice chat and I got a comfortable ride back, complete with a bucket to keep my pets in so I wouldn’t have to hold them the whole way.

So, it turned out that each transportation problem I came across became a new adventure, often with nice people helping me out.  I believe that people are mostly kind and genuine and certainly not psychokillers or kidnappers, but I still keep a wary eye out.  Everybody I’ve sized up so far seemed like a punch to the face and a kick to the groin would be enough to take them down.  I’ve watched out for roads to make sure we were going the right way and noted places that we passed that looked safe enough to find help at, if I had to run away.  With those precautions, then it’s just luck on who I choose to trust.  People may be concerned about a girl traveling on her own, but as my expat driver told me, I seem very confident.  I walk with a purposeful and powerful stride, I ignore most of the people hollering at me, and I act like I know what I’m doing whether or not I actually do.  Nobody’s going to see me as an easy target.  I’ve come across a lot of helpful people who have saved me a lot of hassle (and money).  I call that serendipity.  🙂

A series of “oops” moments

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
12 July 2009
0

DSC05333Wow, what an eventful day.  It started off quite well, with calls from Mizu announcing a pleasant surprise: I would get company on my way to the airport and even be given a ride!  That meant that I could sleep in a little and enjoy some extra rest.  By and by it came time to leave, so I took my stuff downstairs and hopped in the car.  We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare and ate some lunch, casually chatting until it was time to check in.  Mizu and Zen then went on their way and I prepared my documents for the counter.

And thus began the adventure.  I went to get my passport out of my purse only to find it missing.  I checked all the compartments and tore apart my suitcase checking for it.  Pretty soon, I realized that I left it in the other purse I had been packing for the trip, which I had decided to leave behind because it was too big for my needs.  Dismayed, I called up Mizu and wailed the news to him.  He and Zen decided it would be best for them to pick me up and go get it, so I headed out to meet them along the way.

In the car, I called up Typea to check if anyone was at home to let me in.  Unfortunately, they had all gone out.  He gave me the numbers of his family members to call up and I went through each one, finally reaching his father.  We arranged for him to rush back to meet me.  While waiting, I called up the airline to ask about changing flights only to discover… I booked a flight for tomorrow.  -___-  As Mizu howled with laughter.  He was loving my newfound inner ditz!  Baffled at my own airheadedness, I considered my options and decided to opt for the bus option.

DSC05338Mizu kindly drove me to the bus departure and I got myself a ticket on a nice luxury vehicle.  We had some time before its departure, so I exchanged some money and then got some dessert to snack on.  Soon enough, it was time to board the bus and Mizu sent me on my way.  I settled in to the large comfy seat and watched the landscape whizz by as we headed off.  The rest of the trip was scattered with movie-watching and naps on and off, briefly interrupted twice to get off and go through immigration and customs.  It was very comfortable save for the cold air blasting overhead, which left me shivering towards the end of the trip.

We arrived at my stop unexpectedly and I rushed off, hoping it wasn’t too hard to get to the hostel.  Thankfully, it was an easy trip away and soon enough, I was settling in and meeting the others in my room.  I reported in to both my mother and Starfish as soon as I could get online so they’d know I made it to my first destination.  I then spent some time talking about travels with my roommates and then went to grab some dinner next door.  It’s far too late and I’m far too tired to do much else, so I just ate and typed the rest of the night away, occasionally chatting with some of the guys who work at the hostel.

Habits die hard

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
06 July 2009
0

Habits are these persistent still suckers that get ingrained in your very subconscious, affecting how you behave often in ways that you can’t help.  Since you’re so used to doing things that way, it takes a lot of conscious effort to change how you do it.  Even a lot of effort may not always be effective, though with time they can slowly take effect.  I’ve been having trouble with this for awhile now, with a very silly behavior.  You see, I’m a fidgety person – I like to move around.  Well, one of my fidgets is clapping the palm of one hand on the loose fist of the other hand.  Can you imagine what that looks like?  Turns out it’s considered an insult in Singaporean culture.  -___-  Hence, I will not take a picture to show you what it’s like.  I’ll leave that to your imagination.

I think this is a pretty safe universal sign. photo credit: wpclipart.com

I think this is a pretty safe universal sign. photo credit: wpclipart.com

It seems that I like to do it for the very reason it is considered rude – there’s a nice echo and a sort of popping noise you can make by slapping your hands together like that.  I also snap my fingers and crack my knuckles because of this desire to make small movements and create a little bit of sound.  It breaks both the monotony of staying still and being quiet at the same time (which usually make me feel antsy).  Unfortunately for me, I was caught doing this by a very shocked Starfish, who immediately gasped at my gesture and frantically asked me what I was doing.  It was also brought up once when I was out with Mizu and some friends.  Throughout the rest of that night, I found myself catching myself right after doing it, then hiding my hands or trying to keep them from moving around so much.  But time and time again, my hands would find their way from under my legs or untangle themselves from an interlocked clasp to do that action again!  It really is difficult to adjust behavior.

This reminds me of my first few weeks in Singapore, when Mizu was overcoming a tendency to overuse “actually” with the help of Starfish and Marylin.  Whenever we caught him using it when it wasn’t necessary, someone would be there to clear their throat and ask, “Actually?”  Whether he was speaking to us, on the phone, or presenting, Starfish and Marylin kept a close ear on what he was saying.  With that sort of persistent watch kept over him, Mizu quickly learned to stop using it and it’s been a long time since he’s used that sentence more than once in a sentence.  (Because, actually, when do you actually need to actually use it so many times in a sentence, actually?)  😛

photo credit: weightlosswiththefabulousfatties.wordpress.com

photo credit: weightlosswiththefabulousfatties.wordpress.com

The good thing about behavior is that you don’t need to spend too much time thinking about doing it because it’s rather automatic.  However, for that same reason, it can come kick you in the butt because you may automatically do something that you don’t want to or shouldn’t.  It’s a trade-off between having more brain resources that can be directed to other thoughts and doing things that you may regret and will have trouble not doing.  According to popular knowledge and based on research, it takes 21 days to break a habit.  I think I’m nearing that mark…  Ultimately, it really is important to develop good habits at a young age, so you don’t have to work so hard to try to adjust your behavior when you’re older.

Take right now, for example.  I’ve made a lot of typos because I’m training myself to type with my left thumb and keep my right thumb off the spacebar.  Since I’m not used to that sort of coordination, I make the strangest typos without even realizing at times, because my brain sent the right signal, but my fingers didn’t execute properly.  Similarly, everyone has certain typos that they tend to make frequently (and often this doesn’t get corrected because of autocorrect) because of how they learned to type.  I know I always stumble on certain words and almost never get them right on the first try.  I remember I noticed that Katana used to do that a lot with “the,” which always came out as “teh.”  Such things are natural when you start typing quickly, but it’s still interesting to compare what I mess up on versus someone else.  Old dogs are slow to learn new tricks, aren’t they?

Sick

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
17 June 2009
3

I got sick today for whatever reason, so I’m too lazy to write too much.  I’m supposed to be out all day tomorrow, so I can’t throw in a last-minute post, which is why I decided I may as well just type a little something here.

It started in the morning when I woke up with a sore throat.  I think having the AC blaring over me all night had to do with that.  Not unusual though, since who doesn’t wake up with a scratchy voice?  Plus, I’ve been waking up with a slight sniffle from the chill.  I thought I had set the timer to stop sometime in the night, but apparently it didn’t work.  At work the AC blows over my head and kind of chills my head and shoulders, so I had to huddle in my hoodie.  Normally that’s enough, but I was still unusually cold.

We went out for lunch and I welcomed the heat outdoors and the chance to get my blood flowing.  I even ordered some fish soup in hopes of preventing any sickness, but back in the office I was distracted and unfocused as I tried to go on with my day.  Eventually, I went over to the couch area to lay down and work, but of course fell asleep rather quickly.  At some point I woke up when Mizu came to put my laptop in a safer place, but soon fell back into a daze.  I woke up sniffling again, but feeling much less feverish than before.

Sad.

Sad.

I opted to work at the big desk out front where it’s warmer, but before long, Mizu was trying to get some medicine for me and Starfish was chasing us off to the doctor’s.  I’m quite used to waiting out a fever and sweating it off, but with the whole swine flu craze, I didn’t want to refuse a check-up to ease everyone’s minds.  So off we went, with Mizu escorting me along to meet up with Typea so he could show us to a clinic.  I found that rather than resting my voice, I was straining it to speak audibly, often overdoing it.  Every time I stopped talking I felt my swollen throat sore from the exertion.

While we waited for the doc to get back from dinner, the three of us weighed ourselves and I was shocked to find that I am only 132 lbs.  Maybe that shouldn’t be so shocking, but as of late my weight had been more around the 140-145 mark, depending on how much I had just eaten.  Still, my driver’s license says I weigh 137, which was a round down from what I weighed back when I was 18.  Is it just this sickness or is Singapore good for my weight?  I guess I have noticed a little difference, but I didn’t think it’d be notable.  So, my check-up was nothing exciting, with no fever, no redness in my throat, or any other suspicious symptoms.  The doctor prescribed me some Vitamin C pills (she was shocked I don’t take them) and cough syrup and sent us on our way.

We all got some dinner together and Mizu and Typea complained about my whining and teased me about my weight (I shouldn’t eat because I’m too fat).  I didn’t care because I really don’t care much about my weight as long as it doesn’t tip me into the obese category.  They were jokingly calling me obese, but once I knew the kg to lb conversion, it was all good.  I can’t remember the last time I weighed this much.  Still, I’d much rather weigh more and have better toned muscles.  They’re still hiding behind a layer of fat these days.  Swimmer’s curse?

Now I’m back and lounging on the bed.  I spent some time downstairs watching Don’t Forget the Lyrics for the first time, then trudged my way upstairs and showered all my gross sweatiness away.  I have been instructed to not use the AC and Typea has set up the fan for me.  Apparently Starfish ordered I go to bed half an hour ago, but hey, 11 is still early.  That’s like three hours I’m losing out on here.  I think a long night’s sleep will be enough to cure me.  I hope so!  My childhood bookworm is eager to get to play in a library again, scouring books and articles and enjoying the quiet atmosphere.

Gluttony?

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
16 June 2009
1

I find that my cravings have been playing a prominent role in my life lately, dictating where I spend my time after leaving the office.  Prior to coming to Singapore I had been making myself kimchi fried rice like it was the only sustenance that could support me.  Then upon coming here I fell into a pattern of wonton noodles or a rice noodle soup.  I had a brief stint with prata, salads, and the occasional you tiao as well.  For dinner I got obsessed with Crystal Jade La Mian, which has minced meat and mushroom noodles.  I then happened upon Din Tai Fung again, which has a nice big bowl of hot and sour soup that I love (not to mention the xiao long bao, of course).
toasted bread with cheese, tomato, and pestoAfter awhile of consistently eating at those two places, I started to crave udon again, so I began to try some of the Japanese places around.  That was going well until I got sick from one of the items I ate.  Since then I have rediscovered my love for dumplings (and all dumpling-like variations, like gyoza and xiao long bao).  What it really comes down to is whatever is made to be dipped in vinegar and ginger!  I’ve always loved sour things and currently that is my new fav.  I always used to eat dumplings with soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil so it was more salty and flavorful, but now I’m appreciating the taste of vinegar-soaked ginger.  It helps satisfy my sour craving when I can’t find pickles to devour.

Monday night Typea took me to place apparently well-known for its gyoza that still retain some juice inside.  We arrived as they were washing up for the night and managed to snag the last twenty they had for the day.  The tartness of that vinegar had quite a bite to it and my mouth was numb for awhile, but it was oh so good.  Then last night, Mizu directed me to a place that has dumplings, where I also got a large bowl of hot and sour soup.  Boy was that HOT and SOUR!  It truly lived up to its name and had me gasping for air as I gobbled down the dumplings drowned in vinegar.  I couldn’t quite taste the dumplings because my mouth was on fire and the sourness didn’t help, but it was still delicious.

delicious vanilla and chocolate ice cream with belgian wafflesTo add to my feeling of gluttony, we’ve had some great feasts in the office lately, from wonderful desserts that Violet baked to great snacks that Mac made.  Some of the stuff we’ve been quite spoiled with include chocolate cupcakes, toasted bread with tomatoes, cheese, and pesto, and a lunchtime salad bar.  Previously we’ve had tuna and apple salad, ice cream and waffles, and so many other delicious treats.  Yum yum!  It’s been really nice and I look forward to recreating what I can at home to enjoy someday.  I quite like cooking for myself, even if I end up eating the same three dishes all the time, so this will help add to my repertoire!

Recently I was reminded of Gushi’s and had a sudden desire to get their kimchi fried rice, which has a similar burning effect.  I can’t wait to go back and make kimchi fried rice, the family soup, and rice noodles with tomato, eggs, and mushrooms.  Mmm mmm good!  I also can’t wait to be able to get marinated mushrooms at Ralph’s and huge jars of pickles from Costco.  I had to resist the urge to buy more pickles last night because I think too much sour at a time makes me a bit nauseous.  I keep staring at this empty jar on my desk and regretting that though.  I’d also like to get some more salad so I can dribble Italian dressing all over it.  Right now I’ll settle for some kimchi ramen though.  🙂

Chirp chomp

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
13 June 2009
0
Haha, a lazy one.

Haha, a lazy one.

Today was Blood Donor’s Day and in celebration, all regular blood donors who gave at least once in 2008 were invited to the Jurong Bird Park for free.  Chatty, Typea’s mom, had an offer for two to go for free, which she kindly offered me when I mentioned the places I’ve been meaning to go to.  Mizu had promised me he’d take me around to similar things like the zoo and Night Safari, so I asked if he’d come along for this.  Luckily, he was free for the day and we were able to enjoy a leisurely brunch before going in.  He brought a fancy camera to take some nice photos, which was great since I had neglected to charge my camera’s battery.  Plus, it freed me up to take some video footage while the battery was still alive.

DSC04884It was a nice overcast day for the most part, which kept things cool.  Thankfully, the rain stayed away though and allowed us to enjoy a very nice time at the park.  Apparently a lot of people are blood donors because the place was packed!  From the bus that took us from Boon Lay to the park to the line to get in, we could tell it was going to be a crowded place.  It was still great fun though, as we made our way from penguins to flamingos to macaws to hawks to ostriches, and so much more!  There was even this beastly creature that was huge and rather ugly, with remnants of a dino-like crown protruding from his head.  Along the way, we came across a pelican feeding, where we were told about the seven types of pelicans in existence, and then got to see an entertaining bird show with all kinds of fun tricks.

DSC04897At the end of our trip, we took the tram for one more spin around the park and headed out to meet up with some of Mizu’s friends.  We stopped by the gift shop hoping to find a cute penguin pen to bring back to Starfish, but they didn’t have any.  🙁  We also came across this free pearl offer (where they would extract it in front of you), but it was only for real ticketholders.  🙁  I was so sad because I really wanted one so I could bring something back to Chatty to thank her.  Oh well.  We then squeezed back onto the bus to take us to the MRT and took a nice long ride to Ang Mo Kio to wait for Mizu’s buddies.  Typea’s been using my iPod touch to play Tap Tap Revenge (it’s like DDR but with your fingers on the touchscreen), which Mizu also enjoys, so we played a few rounds challenging each other as we sipped on some drinks.

Come dinnertime, I met Mizu’s classmate Gold, a Korean guy who studied in the states for a number of years, Gold’s roommate Jolly, a Korean guy who had just come to Singapore two months ago, and their mutual friend Youli, a Japanese girl who’s working over in Changi.  We made our way over to a food center called Chomp Chomp, where Mizu played host and got us all kinds of dishes to try, along with the most montrously-sized mugs of sugar cane I’ve ever seen.  We had a fun time fighting to make people eat more and even ended with a lovely competition between Mizu and Gold, who chugged the rest of their sugar cane drinks.  Poor Gold got himself a bit of a headache from the intense sugar rush.  I wish I had been able to film that footage!  Unfortunately my camera had long since died by that point, so I have no pictures or videos to share.  However, I’ll be getting all the fun shots that Mizu got on his camera in a few days!

After that, we ended the night chilling with drinks and some snacking, chatting about all kinds of random things (and, inevitably, showing them Tap Tap Revenge as well!).  Ah, what good times!  🙂

Fake beauty

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
12 June 2009
0
The culprit. photo credit:

The culprit. photo credit: alibaba.com

In the office today, Mizu (our HR) exclaimed that his nail looked and felt like plastic.  Earlier this week, Marylin had bought one of those nail buffers and insisted on testing and demonstrating it on him.  So now he is stuck with a squeaky clean thumbnail that he may actually make even shinier when he tries to rub the smoothness away.  It’s kind of funny to see the methods he’s been trying to tone it down, from scraping it against thing to rubbing it along the wall or uneven surfaces.  I guess none have worked that well if he’s still so consious of it.

When he made that comment, I found myself saying something along the lines of, “You’ll find that much of beauty is being fake.”  In retrospect, that really rings true to me and was put even more into perspective when I happened upon a TED video about glamour.  Essentially the entire beauty industry and anything else considered glamorous is a front.  It’s not about what’s natural, but what can be hidden, changed, or at least made to appear so.  Sometimes it’s to enhance a certain feature and other times it’s to conceal it, but no matter what the approach, the end goal is to produce something that does not just happen to be so.

Now that’s not all bad, since having better moisturized skin probably hasn’t ever hurt anyone and a little bit of smoothing over of details can boost self-confidence, but sometimes the philosophy can get distorted.  It’s dangerous to talk about this change of appearance artificially, especially for those who are particularly insecure about their looks.  The beauty doctrine preaches things like using makeup to change your appearance rather than having a healthy lifestyle and to the zealots out there, this can be a very unhealthy suggestion.  I find it fascinating that people are always striving for this look (myself included to a small extent) of having better skin or longer lashes or rosier cheeks.

photo credit: cosmetic-candy.com

photo credit: cosmetic-candy.com

Similarly, the idea of being glamorous is aiming for an ideal that is just out of reach.  Glamour often encompasses beauty, wealth, and other superficial ways of looking at what is valued in life.  It’s about transcending earthly qualities and having that magical glow.  So honestly, who can achieve that?  But in the desperate pursuit of it, people will drive themselves crazy trying.  Most importantly though, it’s about being at the right place at the right time and sometimes even seeing things from the right angle too.  Glamour doesn’t just happen.  It is meticulously prepared for and carefully recorded in just the right way, otherwise it’s all ruined.

And so, in that simple sentence, I suddenly was able to put into more concrete ideas this distaste I’ve always had for high fashion, glamour, and beauty.  For me, all of that is so fake, so artificial, and so unrealistic that what is natural is thrown to the side.  Have you ever seen a glamorous shot without makeup, technology, or extremely calculated lighting?  Glamour is made and in its most touted form, is probably never present in real life.  That’s what really bothers me.  Does everyone who would like to be more glamorous now need to clamor to get expensive cars or jewelry, put on tons of makeup and fancy clothes, and practice their perfect pout and stare?  It sure seems that way and that is just disgustingly FAKE.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...