up up and awayyy

(except the ice cream man shot, photo credits to dr. koo chiehshen)

it's been awhile.

had a wonderful time with family and friends on sunday (thank you!!!)
and was finally ready to go. 

uneventful flight to london and currently in the country for a week of pre-uni vegging out. 

 thoroughly enjoying the pastoral surroundings, small towns and supreme hospitality. 

have a ton of books for company, the best of british tabloid trash
and family just a whatsapp message away.

plus there's wireless so i could be constantly plugged in.

but that would defeat the purpose of vegging out, wouldn't it.

either way, what more can a girl ask for? :)

catch you when i'm back in the city!

p/s because these meatballs are fast reaching their expiry date, it would be apt to direct you to the new blog.  

mysterymeatballs started out as an exchange blog while i was in stockholm in 2009, and then the second helping chronicled the second half of the bar exam course, starting work, and all the way till i decided to go back to school. so it looks like it's time to move! 

thanks for stopping by, and do visit at doctorlawyerindianchief if you'd like to check in.

mass call 2011, incidentally post #200!

"I can think of perhaps 2 other occasions in your lives that will rival this day in terms of significance and honour. One would be the day you take your marriage vow and the other, the day you become a parent and hold your baby in your hands for the very first time..." - excerpt from speech by Vice-President of the Law Society Lok Vi Ming, S.C

was called to the singapore bar on saturday 27th august and am very glad leave the profession, ironic as that is, on a high note. having finished what i started, it was fine and fitting closure to a good five years. enjoyed every moment of lawsch and have been incredibly blessed with wonderful people along the way. pupil-ing on the team i pupil-ed on was a privilege, and hand on heart i can say the chances of ever working with an (almost) perfect team like that again are very very slim :(

grateful for the mentorship i've received, and even more grateful for the support and encouragement of those i respect. my lawsch dean was my referee for medsch applications and i am convinced i was accepted because he wrote so nicely. yay to the close of one chapter and the beginning of the next. i leave in exactly two weeks and am excited beyond belief.

"This is a profession that leads you to be involved in the lives, businesses, the hopes and aspirations of people from every level of society; from the weakest to the most powerful among us; because the law is part, and rightly so, of every aspect of our society. This is a profession that allows you to be a teacher, a counselor, a protector, a healer and a friend to people who seek your help and to people you are paid to oppose." also from Lok S.C.'s speech.

 

 so with that, it's goodnight but not goodbye.

p/s on an unrelated note, 27th august was really a day of milestones seeing how i also voted for the first time! 

p/p/s have a soft copy of the law soc veep's speech so if you were at call and are interested, drop me a line and i'm happy to send it over.

spring cleaning finds

it just hit me that this brief pre-departure stretch is sort of the last time i'll be living at home, and in my room. 

big transitions on the horizon and when i return next summer, i do think i'll have to move. no plans to come back in between starting school and the end of first year so i'm going through all my earthly possessions and doing my darndest to sort them out. 

first there's clothes - what do i keep, what do i pack to bring, what do i give away, what do i donate. fortunately, being unsentimental and generally minimalistic means i've made it through the clothing challenge relatively quickly. 

but my books! oh my books :( and that's when it starts to get trickier. my lovingly annotated literature books? my collection of intellectual reads (haha) slowly amassed over the years? my mountain of cosmos, also amassed over the years? poetry books from former flings (haha, again)? and my folder of cross-disciplinary A+ work since primary school? not like it's very thick, but, still!

cleaning whinge aside, there is some good that comes out of this massive operation.

like this old photo of yvie and i!
gotta love the retro hair and vacuous stares. 

two decades later, nothing has changed :)

crib warming

bull pup flying solo

a wave of pre-nostalgia hit me when i went to visit xj in her brand new office. excited for her and because i'm living vicariously through her, i thought i better pay my dues by helping beautify the space a little. also, i do feel somewhat for leaving her in the lurch as the most junior on the team. whatever first-yearer work that should've gone to the both of us will unforch almost all land on her lap. but hopefully another name plate will fill the empty slot on the door, and it won't be too long before she has a roomie. 

we'd a great run as bull pups though, and i've fond memories of our pups' corner.

p/s doesn't she look happy for someone who just started the rest of her life?! wow. awesome work ethic yo.

wandering hunter valley

and quite liking the spoils of vineyard living. 

bought more bottles than we could legally bring back but that happy problem solved itself with constant drinking for that perpetual buzz. 

part of me is tempted to compare hunter valley with tuscany and bordeaux, both fantastic wine country in their own right. but life would be sad if new experiences were always compared with existing memories. plus the added element of romanticising something that's past. having next to no expectations for hunter valley meant that i did end up appreciating the hunter for what it was worth. 

and for that i am grateful :)

thus concludes the sydney and hunter valley series folks! thanks for reading.

roadhouse round two

did indeed return for the set lunch and was not disappointed. the place is prettier in the day with natural light flooding in so i snapped a few shots before lunch.

but the best part of lunch was checking in one year on with a very special friend. not that we don't hang out enough, hardly, seeing how we're next door neighbours meet up every few weeks or so. yet the last time we'd a heart-to-heart was over a year ago. hmm. maybe that just goes to shows how little heart we have ;) 

having grown up literally across the street from each other, said friend went so far as to ferry me to school, and then we saw each other through break ups and make ups, keeping each others' deep dark secrets that (fingers crossed!) will never see the light of day. thus, it was nothing short of awesome cakes to squeeze lunch now we've both got some down time.

billy jean

back from perth and have some major spring cleaning to do! before starting work, i was supposed to get my open water dive licence. but i was unceremoniously summoned to the office a week earlier than anticipated. in protest, i spent what would've gone towards my dive holiday on a suitable work wardrobe. fast forward two months and upon being accepted into medsch it dawned on me that i would have no need for said work wardrobe. so i now have a whole lot of hardly worn, pre-loved work wear that i'm putting up for adoption. timing works out beautifully though, and i think yvie's gonna be the biggest beneficiary in this self-styled clothes coup.

currently clearing through six months of clothes and other barang barang that i've somehow managed to accumulate, and billy jean is playing. funny how i'm catapulted back to our 80s parties at the gula villan (yellow house) on campus in stockholm u. we wore our "bad taste" clothes, almost all procured from beyond retro, and belted out the chorus in unison. for some, it was probably the only english they could muster but bottle in hand and song on lips we'd while the night that never really got dark away. 

good times, and hanging with the aussie crew down under really brought all these happy happy erasmus memories bubbling back to the surface of my consciousness. we swear we don't live in the past, but sometimes it is so very hard to avoid the self-indulgent nostalgia trip.

lunching with yvie at cocotte tomorrow because we're intent on being ladies who lunch, just for one day, then filing my call papers back in the office. and then we'll see where the wind blows :)

Nesting

The word usually conjures up images of rounded bellies ripe with baby but no such nesting in this case!

Not one for feathered flocks but when I saw these decals first in Shoo’s office and later in Azi’s photos, I figured it was time to get my hands on some home improvement.

And while I’m not one for feathered flock, I’m a big fan of living spaces and am looking forward to decorating my newfound home for the year, small as it may be.

On a side note, I loved my room in Stockholm. It was HUGE and even had a tiny “hall” area for my boots and wardrobe. So the fairy lights will make a reappearance, as will these decal babies waiting all rolled up in their cardboard tube.

I live by fairy light, having picked up the strings of golden goodness in Stockholm. Single-handedly installed them in my Stocks room – oh just you try zigzagging ‘invisible” fishing line half a metre below the ceiling, then twirling fairy lights around said line, trying to avoid the huge paper ball in the middle. Dismantled the set-up and brought the fairy lights home, and now they’re following me to my new home :) At times like these, I bemoan my sentimentality.

Having found out where I’ll be staying yesterday, I’m starting to think about the apartment and the layout of my room. Hope there’s enough wall space for my decorette finds!

(What? I only go in September? I can’t fix up my room till then? Nooo…)

crabby patties

nothing quite hits the spot like freshly fried crab cakes on an otherwise blah tuesday night :)

almost home free

TGIF!

one "last day" with the dream team before i start a three week corporate rotation. fingers crossed it won't be too intense. semi-hoping for some down time and have heard positive things about rotation so far :) after that, it's back to the team for one final week then i'm DONE DIDDLY DONE and can kiss the industry goodbye forever and ever :) 

despite not hating my job, the mere thought of july 25th and the sheer freedom that follows sends shivers of glee down my spine.

have been asked many times whether my current job is all that bad and the answer, plain and simple, is no. i like it very much and adore the team i'm on. but at the same time, there's just this other avenue to pursue, independent of what i'm doing now. i think it's a calling, one i've given plenty of thought to. had to check check double check that i was 101% sure of myself, that this was absolutely what i wanted to do and nothing else would suffice, that i wouldn't regret starting career #2 just when my peers are being made junior partners. a second degree had always been on the cards, so it didn't come as a shock to my nearest and dearest when the opportunity presented itself, neither did it surprise me. was going through my 2009 journal last night and randomly chanced upon an entry plotting my way to medsch while still in law3. i remain vaguely envious of the lawyers who were born to be lawyers and eat breathe and sleep law. they figured it out early on, and are now milking their gift for what its worth. awesome!

so hurrah to being young, to having options, and to not settling for something that (sadly) doesn't fulfill me 100%. looking forward to one day being in a place where i wake every day to do best what i like best.

in anticipation

of the miserable weather i'm voluntarily subjecting myself to, felt it prudent to begin assembling an arsenal of weather-appropriate wear.

funny story: at the interview, i somehow convinced the interviewers that i was the rough and tumble outdoorsy type when this can't be further from the truth. so buying galoshes and entertaining the thought of venturing out in the mud and rain feels somewhat conscience-assuaging now.

gave the plastic a workout, only to have the voice of reason rain on my parade by reminding me that i've already accumulated my weight in textbooks (donated by concerned friends) and have no luggage space to lug galoshes (OF ALL THINGS) with me. plus said galoshes would probably be cheaper at primark. also, since they're already so uggs, i couldn't possibly do any worse by shopping there. 

butbutbut little did he know that i've pre-empted all this and shipped the goods to my topsecret london address. it's so topsecret that the even the current resident will be surprised when my brown paper package lands on the doorstep :)

score!

little slice of paradise

never have i felt more inclined to clone myself and leave the original me in villa 117

we're here for holiday

and not to get alcohol poisoning..."

famous last words.

the luxury of walking

was on course this afternoon, and thankfully it finished earlier than anticipated. this left me with the happy problem of not knowing what to do after. hadn't made plans but was relatively near chinatown so i hazarded the koi queue before visiting a friend.

the wonders of googlemaps told me to take 970 to said friend's house and it's a luxury to be able to take my time. one of my worst habits is being overly ambitious and trying to squeeze 101 things into my day. my second worst habit is being wired to be punctual. these two habits combined see me in a general tizzy, rushing from one place to the next. it's really not as hip and haps as it sounds.

so you can imagine the elation welling up inside me when i realised i'd no plans and could take my own sweet time because i'd all the time in the world to queue for koi. and then i could take the slow, meandering route to my friend's. didn't need to cab from A to B because there was no hurry. being able to deliberately choose the slower option like the bus is a luxury, never mind that i'd to walk in 2km from the main road (again, this is what googlemaps tells me). as luck would have it, i alighted at red house (the bus stop right after east sussex lane) and was overcome with nostalgia. took the bus home from that same stop in jc and looking at the red house resplendent in her newly painted glory brought me back in time. i like how she still looked the same :)

and as i trekked in, i walked slowly so as not to break a sweat and to check out the very beautiful houses that lined the road. caught wafts of dinner as it cooked, someone was going to have laksa, someone else was having fried chicken. the scent of the tembusu flowers intermingled with the smell of dusk and i was secretly pleased to be young, footloose and fancy free.

today's letters

dear upper respiratory tract infection aka URTI, whilst you may have a cute sounding name, you've gotta agree that thrice in less than three months is really excessive. isn't time you pick on someone else? my stuffy head and pressured eyeballs need a break. 

dear abnormally huge adenoids and tonsils, please prepare yourself for eviction. once i can take a fortnight medical leave, you will have to find a new home. if i'm feeling charitable, you may move into a glass jar of formaldehyde on my desk. the parents have told me i breathe through my mouth (embarrassing but true!) because i used to swim, but having just found out after two decades that my breathing impediment is owing to your sheer girth and inconsideration, it makes a compelling case to have you removed once and for all.

dear granny, thank you for the pots and pots of barley water you've been leaving at my door. any more and i will begin to germinate.

dear work, i have enjoyed you very much post-trial. please remain kind and gentle, for i quite like being able to take the bus home at night.

dear mass rapid transit, please feedback to the powers-that-be that cash payouts are great and i'm all for the extra $$$ in my bank account. but surely, a well-functioning, non-heart-attack inducing daily commute isn't too much to ask for? after all, i was on that train, in that very carriage, and if i wanted to live in a third world country, i'd move to london.

dear weekend, alas we didn't have time to get acquainted but thank you for little mercies like not having to work. and i suppose being able to sleep at whim is a luxury not afforded to every sickie out there. also, i'm very happy you're extending to three days next week :)

inspired by today's letters.

pig party

this celebration was some time coming but what better way to commemorate the biggest deal in my life so far than breaking out the suckling pig :) i suppose biblically, they would slaughter the fattened calf but i don't know any cow farmers. however, on D's recommendation i've been introduced to the bestest suckling pig seller ever and am fast gaining 'regular' status at his stall. at the expense of my expanse, of course. but sleep is for the weak, and diets begin tomorrow because there was a pig to triple-handedly demolish at this partyyy. 

and, i'm almost not wanting to share this particularly juicy secret but this was suckling pig like never before. gracious host D lovingly hand carried century eggs back from yung kee in hong kong and introduced me to the most gourmet combination ever. a sliver of these babies oozing their molten yolk goodness on the perfectly crisped roasted pig with a corner of preserved ginger and ohmyword, what a Moment. the hipsta colour is a bit off but i was convulsing in gastronomical glee. 

we'd kailan blanced in spiced water and drizzled with macadamia oil and a good white wine to round things up. 

such a simple pleasure, easily replicable and a truly memorable meal.

vaguely reminiscent

of how i felt at the point in time when i posted this post.

(hitting the rink at kungstragarden just after the first frost fell, november 2009)

daring to begin

that big thing i was anticipating this year has finally come to pass!*

posted this on new year's 2011.

and truly, exactly 3 months since i posted and 8 since the gear** first cranked into action, things have indeed turned out just the way i'd dreamt. relieved that the gamble has paid off in spades and after collecting the final piece of the puzzle*** yesterday, it's all systems go :)

*found out in the middle of march that i'd been accepted into medsch

** deciding and getting down to applying proper in august 2010

*** collecting my certificate of no criminal conviction from the singapore police force (i kid you not)

view from the top and the bottom dubai

 went up the burj khalifa for the mandatory photo op from the world's tallest building! doesn't christie look like she's on top of the world? (see the skinny jeans reflection on her left? that's me!)

and after that, it was back down to earth and underwater at the dubai mall. here we are getting friendly with some sand tiger sharks ;)

dubai was a whirlwind! never a dull moment and so many things to see :) it's only bearable in winter though. wouldn't go near the desert with a ten foot pole any time after mid-jan. dubai baffles me. for one, it's very green for a desert. thankful to have made a few friends there over the years and can hustle my way to the best chicken rice and satay in the middle east, a necessary skill / evil (?) after i've had so much lebanese food it's coming out of my ears...

oh and dubai mall is quite fantastical. everything a girl could want under one roof. there's bloomingdales (I LOVE BROWN BAGS!) and with bloomingdales comes magnolia bakery. there's cacao sampaka (!) and laduree (!!) and fauchon (!!!) along with the usual suspects that make my heart race. blew a bundle and am all kitted out for work. or so i like to think. how luxurious that my current biggest work-related problem is what to wear :D

done with the dubai posts. stay tuned from news from kuala lumpur after my weekend there.

the plan

just found out i start work on the 31st.

needless to say, this sent me into a tailspin of sorts and inspired a sudden bout of defensive traveling.

so between now and then:

7-10 jan dubai with a road trip to abu dhabi with my three favourite ladies (heyyy does that scream SATC or what!)

13-15 jan KL for some weekend respite and gallons of white coffee

21-25 jan phuket to chill on the beach with a pina colada and good book before the crazy that is the rest of my life engulfs me 

to soften the blow, i am a little ashamed to admit that it's off on a ryokan break 3 days after i start work i.e. over the chinese new year long weekend. to risk sounding defensive, i maintain that i'll be ready when i need to be, and not a moment sooner. and once i'm in, i've enough pride to do a good job of it.

churned out four holidays (and completely wiped out my fast dwindling stash o' cash*) in the 12h since i woke and found the "you start work on the 31st" email in my inbox. fear inspires a certain productivity in me, as you might've guessed. i see how this abject fear and desperation-driven industry will bode well for future career. adrenaline junkie i might not be, and caffeine tolerant i sure am but scare me silly and i grow wings.

literally.

bye!

*now i have time, i have no money. when i have money, i don't see myself having much time. unless i find an oil sheik in the middle east and convince him i'm marriage material. hmm...