Love

Lazy Sunday afternoon (read: recuperating on the couch from the last three nights).

Was just sending a text to the sis-in-law to send her birthday greetings:

SIL: ... Mum ask wru now.
ME: Home lor.
SIL: Mum say u must eat dinner hor!
ME: ... how did she know? Bleh

That's why, I'm my mommy's daughter too.

And that's when you feel the most loved.

The Little Things

Fatmama thinks one of the best little things in life is a good hairman. Not just any good hairman, but the only one who can forge that inexplicable relationship with your hair.

I don't know what to do without Dean.

Just Sunday

We've been talking about it for the longest time.

We, the hot pot gang, talking about the bubbly brunch, for a change. This "really good" bubbly brunch at the Sheraton.

A tad off our mark, especially when we've already been whining about spending too much on hot pot. But I suppose anything just so I stop taking and showing pictures of nothing but hot pot. Anything goes.


Sunday brunch is really a bad idea methinks.

Wait... let me take that back. Sunday brunch is not a bad idea at all.

Sunday champagne brunch is.


Out of the original eight, only half made it to the Sheraton Sunday morning. Out of the half who actually made it, one half couldn't even bear the smell of alcohol that morning, not to mention the taste. Of the remaining two, one's not quite a keen drinker, the other is and got quite upset at another for leaving him alone with the all-you-can-drink champagne.

Of course I made it to the Sheraton. But Simon got upset with me.

Ouch, that did not make the hangover any more bearable.



The other "really good" thing, other than the champagne deal, was supposedly the food - in particular, the oysters.

But the oysters sucked big-time.

Neither fresh nor juicy, some even had a terrible lingering taste. We tried them three times, and we wished we had learnt our lesson the first round. I swear to my god, I will never again eat oysters anywhere else in the world that's not oyster-haven.

There wasn't much choice on the buffet table. I kept moving from the sashimi platter to the seafood platter, back to the sashimi, then back to the prawns again. The cuts of sashimi did not do much justice to its flavor - though there wasn't much flavor to justify in the first place. The prawns were huge and steamed and chilled - but they weren't quite totally fresh nor juicy.

The only savior was the grilled sea bass, which had to be ordered from the menu and actually turned out really good.

And I couldn't even finish one glass of bubbles.

Verdict: I don't think you would ever see me in that restaurant anymore. =/




The truth is, every morning I wake with a headache after a bad night of alcohol overdose, I crave for only one thing from the moment I open my eyes.

Soup. Hot, hot soup. Not the Campbell kind of creamy mushroom or tomato soup. But the real Chinese kind of soup. Like the chicken soups Mom cooks. Maybe it's just a psychological effect. But everyone has his or her own hangover cure, no?

Anyway, I woke up Sunday morning with that craving. I sat almost three hours at the brunch table, still having that craving. I walked out of the restaurant with half a stomach full of bad oysters and chilled prawns and mediocre sashimi - still having that hot-soup craving.

In other words, my hangover hadn't been cured.

I could've gone straight home again to sleep it over, but I thought that would be another Sunday wasted. Since I was out, I decided I would stay out just a little more.

Me and Simon ended up walking around aimlessly until I suggested (more like insisted) we head towards east TST. I'd seen some al fresco cafes and pubs there. We could chill there.

I couldn't even finish my bottle of beer, but sitting there in the open, feeling the breeze (especially when the double-deckers whizzed past us), looking towards the harbor (and the very fogged up skyline across), chatting frivolously with a friend... I realize I have never quite had such a peaceful time outside in Honks. Sure, in Singers, there are plenty of places I could just sit and stone and chill and be at peace. In the Honks? Never.

Well, I take that back. I lied. I've had such peaceful moments before. Not aplenty, but enough. Enough for me to realize happiness comes to you in the most unexpected and subtle ways.

Ah. Well. Enough.


Anyways, Simon got a call an hour later, and we found ourselves walking toward the subway, on our way to Tin Hau.

I don't know what came over me, but I still resisted the bed, and I decided I would follow and pop by a Japanese carnival.

Japanese carnival = Japanese food... how to resist?!



I think the brunch must have left me really unsatisfied, 'cos I didn't say "no" when Si suggested a "really good" congee for dinner.

"Congee? I don't think I can eat any more."
"But it's only congee!"
"But it's practically one bowl of rice!"
"No! It's only half a bowl!"

"Really good" congee? I think I won't trust the boys that easily anymore.


A frivolous Sunday, it seemed. But I came to some realization that day.

And that is, I don't really quite know my new home very well. I ought to be ashamed of myself, really. Just a simple afternoon moving from one place to the next to another, and I walked along streets I never knew existed, saw buildings that intrigued me, discovered new basketball courts, spied restaurants and eateries that interested me.

I even found out where the Central Library is! Hurray!

I've always wanted to run away from here, every time I feel upset and energy-less, every time I feel I need a fresh and different environment to find myself again.

I think this is what I can do, if I can't run away.

I can always pretend to be a tourist on Sundays. After all, there must be enough MTR stations : )

Puppy Love

It was a very boring, end-November Tuesday morning...



Mojo: who this
Piper: ??
Piper: what?
Mojo: the dog - who is the dog!!
Piper: i'm piper
Piper: i cute hor
Piper: who are you?
Mojo: orh, very fair u've gotten
Piper: hahaha.... that's just what someone else just said
Piper: say i become snow white
Mojo: i am mojo. shall i scratch my balls? i am hot.
Piper: yeah... you look hot on the couch
Mojo: ya, but i remember u. u the one can swim one
Piper: yes honey
Mojo: hahaaa
Piper: hey
Piper: my mom's out of town these days
Piper: i can sneak out
Piper: wanna date?
Mojo: I KNWO!
Mojo: terrible
Mojo: huh?! go where?
Piper: grandma's busy with the stupid little kids
Piper: date lor
Mojo: ;) sure. we have a family here, we can take care of u
Piper: we go and chase cats
Mojo: ooh... i am scared of cats...
Mojo: i mostly like to watch tv and chew rugs....
Piper: huh? how old are you dude? still chewing rugs?


More like my bitch's flirting.

香港美女街

Barely a week after the whirlwind trip back home after the whirlwind meeting, the chicks turned up in the Honks for a whirlwind weekend.

And it's time.

It's just about time they come visit their lonely chick here. It's time we relive the memories.


We first did it back in 2006. A crazy weekend in the Honks. Just a weekend in June, that took place just before my very final meeting with the then-company started.

Just a weekend, but it was enough to make lifetime memories.




Two and a half years later, we are still the same.

Very much has happened since. One chick has expanded her business but incurred more frustration and stress, run away on a soul-enlightening trip to Tibet alone on her birthday, scared us all with her once-frequent 'disappearance' acts, found a new 'hobby' that whisks her away to week-long trips to Japan and Korea. The other has very fortunately changed work twice, bought swanky new wheels, become a co-owner of a new apartment.

The last one, well the last one has taken a short break from the corporate world, said goodbye to the place where she spent her last six formative years, embarked upon a journey marked with unknowns, had one of the best times of her life pretending to be a sports journalist and TV presenter, suddenly had a new bigger family, packed her bags and moved out of her hometown, had her heart enlivened then broken again, met many new people in her life, gone on adventures in places she'd never had the chance to see.

So much has happened, yet so little has changed.

We still drink. As much, if not more. We still love to eat. A lot. We still crap and joke. The same kind that not many others share with us. We still look like we live in 美女街. But of course.

Most of all, we are still the same crazy chicks.






I think I cannot tell them enough how much I love them.

I just hope my hugs and my constant irritating rubbish over the msn can do for now.

One day, perhaps sometime another thirty years down the road, you'll still find the three old chicks hanging out as usual.

Maybe on Friday nights, maybe not. But definitely with drinks. And still cracking jokes at crappy Taiwanese shows.

Monkey. Gorilla. Chimpanzeeee!

It's been almost two weeks since I've snuck home to crash a party. And all the lovely pictures are still sitting idly in my iPhoto.

I've just been really, really exhausted from the tedious meeting, the short-but-very-busy weekend home, and all the non-stop events in between. In fact, I don't think I've recovered from the fatigue, yet I'm busy churning out miles on the treadmill.

If I don't work hard, I can't play hard. Nor eat much. That's how sad turning 31 really is.

Tonight, I brought work home but I am too lazy to pull out the stupid computer now. I had a good speed work on the machine, a nice meal of miso-egg soup (yes, who ever dumps a raw egg into miso soup?), a hot bath, and now the droning of the washing machine only threatens to put me to zzz.

I'll work on my pictures and writing instead.


Just only three days back in the Singer land, but it had been really busy and eventful. As tired and severely zzz-deprived as I might have been, it had been really fulfilling.

It was a vacation of sorts, but I never did sleep in nor rest enough. I couldn't. Out of all 63 hours, I reckon almost 52 of them had been well-spent with beloved people.

Awesome.

Friday morning, I barely got home from the airport and a quick round of fish porridge supper (at River Valley!) and slumbered into bed, before Mom woke me up at 7 so I could crawl over into my ex-bed (where two adults, one kid and two dogs used to reside every single night) and lie next to my boy. Boy, surprise him I did.



I couldn't sleep anymore with all the action on bed. And the eagerness in the boy's eyes couldn't make me refuse walking him to school. Ah well, good time too to sit at the kopitiam and sip one cup of kopi-o on my way home.

I spent the rest of the morning, slurping up one entire pot of Mom's black chicken soup and keeping the other one stuck close to me. The other little monkey.

My own two girls, of course, had been hysterically crazy from the moment I stepped through the front door. Nothing would keep me out of their sight, neither them out of mine. Happy as they were, they were also looking rather unkempt.

I'd be a good mom this time, I'd bring them for a haircut. I'd also be a good daughter, I'd bring my mom out for lunch - to my favorite yong tau foo, of course.



I dropped the mom and little monkey at home, then took the ritual trip to Dean myself.

"My hair's boring, I don't know what to do with it. I feel like cutting it short."
"No! Don't! Keep it long."
"Yeah, I can't, even if I really wanted to. Unless I marry a rich man in HK so I can fly back every 3 weeks for a trim."

So I wasn't allowed to chop off my hair. Instead, I got more choppy waves in my hair.

"Did you perm your hair?!"
"Have you ever permed my hair for me?"
"No..."
"Then no!"

Yeah, my wonderful curls do amaze. And this time, I let him do the bangs - again.

"Okay, o-kay. You can cut my fringe. Just not that 'toot toot' one again, please."

So I think I'm mostly happy with my new hair. Less boring, but rather rebellious at times. I give up. I continue to live in ponytails and my multitude of headwear.

I picked up the girls on my way home. Just past 5. Great, I could do with a much-needed nap before heading out again for the ritual Friday night fare (read: booze and songs) with my chick.

But the monkey and the chimpanzee, and the two dogs, kept me busy the whole time. Mom was glad she could for once prepare dinner in peace.



I made brunch plans with the other bestie the next morning. And for once, I didn't feel like I have to have local fare. I was browsing through a magazine at Dean's when some article in the food section caught my eye.

I took the address and phone number down in my blackberry, emailed the bestie about the new place I found, and we were both happy to try something different.

I have always driven past the Fairways Drive along Eng Neo almost every morning for years. But I have never known what lies beyond those old gates. That morning, I was w-o-w-ed.

Between Mimolette and Riders Cafe, I chose the latter, because it looked more quirky while the former looked a tad too atas. A very, very peaceful and lovely way to spend a lazy weekend brunch, if not for the fact we had to keep the two boys from mischief.

"You always bring your nephew everywhere you go. Aren't you afraid guys mistake you for a married woman?"
"Do I care?"

I obviously don't give a hoot. : )

And what's wrong being a married woman? Well er, yes I suppose it is wrong if I am not married in the first place. =/



Yes, I had buffalo wings for breakfast. Yums. And yums yums to the benedict.

I got home past one, and I barely got enough rest, having to entertain the rascals before I had to change up, get some dog chow, then pick PY up for our road trip.

Babysitting is fun - but really exhausting.



I think this man has almost all his assets in these elaborate Lego models.

Impressive, actually. I just hope he's stashed aside some funds for milk powder.



And the real excuse reason why I'm back home for the weekend again.

God, I really miss the driving. But I didn't have to get stuck in traffic for it, no?



Congratulations, you two. And you two, too.

Weddings never fail to make me feel... sigh, happy.


Another breakfast on Sunday morning. And I thought Hanny was going to cook for me - but I doubt he did.

Cheat. Liar. Boo.

Yums anyways. And I miss you guys just that much.



Just a quickie, alas. Rushed home to pack up my stuff, including my Piper.

I was that close to smuggling her back to the Honks.



The encore - a family lunch at one of my favorite food haunts. That awesomely huge and mesmerizing Bedok food centre.

I had almost everything, yet still wanted more.

Some things will probably never change. Like my greed. =/



Goodbyes are never easy.

But they only make the hellos much sweeter.