tbc again again

quite unintentionally, it so happened that it was 2 x tbc in one weekend. 

also quite unintentionally, i realised that sake (sean's white ball of hypoallergenic fluff) is more hip and haps than i am. losing to my four legged friend is definitely a bigger blow to my ego than i'll let on. if you think 2 x tbc in one weekend is bad, sean AND SAKE did 2 x tbc in 12h. how's that for hardcore! 

so while i was fast asleep in the wee hours of sunday morning, sake was shufflin' in the sand, making friends with the other party animals. when i later lamented to ash that i knew a dog that was cooler than me, we put two and two together and it turns out she had just met sake the very same night! singers is really waaay too small.

whinge aside, here are the happy campers en route to the beach. sake is such a trooper! then again, anyone wanting keep up with sean has to be.

noe is so dainty!

and to show that bromance is colourblind, here are the chippendale hopefuls dressed matchy matchy in their orleng singlets. awww :)

(photo credits to noe!)

be a man

 

way too funny not to share. 

courtesy of wow funniest posts and my darling sister, who hears my nightly face armour removal and mocks me for it.

hello hello

at this point i feel it needful to clarify...

so yes, for the avoidance of doubt:

1. nono, no eloping. 

2. and even if i were to be eloping, it would not have been with adam 

3. (much as i am fond of him)
4. the sydney series is far from over, have some hunter valley posts coming right up :)

kthnxbye.

something about sailboats that's just so manly

it's little wonder that the manfriend used to be a competitive sailor.

had the good fortune of arriving on a perfect winter day. crisp, cool and not a cloud in the sky. the weatherman wasn't as optimistic for the next few days so we jumped at the chance to take a post-siesta ferry ride to manly for some fish & chips.

there is something to be said about eating take out fish & chips on a public bench covered in sea gull poop, and not minding in the least.

flash forward

today, my very lovely cousin natalie and her friends alexa and ariana did the sweetest thing! they offered to come over and bathe the puppies. they visited yesterday but the pups were sticky and smelt a wee bit funky so the trio decided to give them a bath! they came back today and i coordinated their visit from the office by remote control. texting home to let the help know when to expect them, and to let them in, and what to have ready etc. so nat and co. gave the pups a good scrub, then played with them in the sunshine. 

and that's when i had a scary flash forward where i saw myself with not puppies but living breathing children, run off my feet not in an office but at a hospital with no time for them myself but having to resort to the kindness of relatives to clean, feed and photograph my sorely neglected offspring. 

the worst part? i can't even sell the children once they're weaned like we're doing with the pups! oh nooo... ongoing responsibility that ONLY GETS BIGGER! dundundunnn...

how's that for a sobering thought!

:)

the voice of reason lighting gramps' candles 

a cake in the shape of his most prized possession

there i was, happily traipsing around europe by myself and absolutely reluctant to cut short my joyride to make it home for gramps' 88th on the 17th of june. seeing how the graduation ceremony was only in july, i planned to max out my gradtrip and return on graduation morning.

thankgoodness for the voice of reason, who managed to persuade me to come home on the 17th, so i could be at gramps' birthday dinner that night. you know how the golden oldies are - celebrate their birthday on the day itself, or not at all. so i hummed and i hawed before reluctantly rescheduling the flights and dragging my sorry backside back.

and guess what? the voice of reason was right to trust his instinct and risk fire and brimstone by almost insisting i came home. fast forward exactly a year and i cannot even begin to describe how relieved i am to have been with gramps for his last birthday, and the few happy months after.

(note to self: always listen to boyfriend)

booked my one way ticket

and...

 

(card and photo credits to the extremely talented kelly of paperexploits)

if you're a regular, you're probably massively annoyed at me right now for constantly alluding to that dream thing or that dream job or that bigg bigg something that's supposed to happen this year. i'm truly sorry for being such a tease. however, so as not to derail my fledging legal career before it even started, i did have to keep this exciting bit of news on the down low for awhile.

so, here goes. i'm going to medical school to do a second degree.

sometimes, i feel like the world's biggest clown and/or the posterchild for confused children. but most other times, i'm besides myself with glee to have been given a second bite of the cherry. i get to be 19 all over again! isn't that absolutely awesome cakes? grateful for the university scholarship, and for amazingly supportive family.

for those who want the gory details - took the medsch entrance and singapore bar exams simultaneously (talk about hedging my bets!), started my training contract in january 2011 and found out two months later that i'd gotten into medsch. funny story: my medsch interview was on the exact same day the bar exam results were released! God sure has a sense of humour :) also, while we're talking about God - i've never been as humbled as i am now by His sheer goodness and grace. WOW.

and oh right, back to that one way ticket. guess i've to come home at some point, but there's this inherent romanticism in buying a one way ticket*, compared to a return. suppose i'll have to cross the how-to-get-myself-home bridge when i come to it!

this is the plan for now on! six weeks of training contract to go (done 25 july!), get called to the singapore bar a month after (27 august) and start term exactly a month after being called to the bar. gotta love the way the timing dovetails ever so beautifully :)

*truth be told, it's hardly as spontaneous as it sounds. just that an open draw return ticket on cattle class was S$3k but i managed to milk my miles and score a one-way ticket on saver for 29k miles.

not just because

yesterday was mothers' day. 

but here's one of my favourite photos of porpor (maternal grandmother) when she was about my age, photo credits to kongkong (maternal grandfather). he was a pretty darn decent amateur photographer, and despite not being to play tennis to save her life (hmmm, that sounds vaguely familiar) she sure could pose convincingly! funny how athleticism doesn't run in our family but camho-ing does.

i just love how she's rocking the wooden racquet and platform wedges...

a race a week

in hindsight, this sort of looks like a makeshift memorial... but yay to surviving a race that neither of us trained for! and for completing it in 37minutes (brag brag) without stopping. in the grand scheme of things, we probably aren't very fast. and relative to vidz and her weekly 15km runs, we're certified unfit. however, surely there's something to be said for last minute stand ins...

quite unfortunately, cubby buddy's fit (doctor) friend had a nightmarish call and still had to vote post call. so cubby buddy called me, her unfit fellow pup and i thought, 'what the heyy...'. famous last words! the weather was ghastly! blistering hot heat and i'd a headache from the sun before we even left the figurative starting blocks. it was solely pupil solidarity that got me through. as i thought of all our late nights holed up in the office, i figured physical exertion is no sweat compared to the mental marathon that is work. 

so we huffed and we puffed and we made it to the finish line, and then proceeded to cam-ho in true pseudo-teenage fashion on the top of marina barrage. props to xj for doing so fantastically well despite being swamped with trial after trial, and having to be on standby for a superimportantabsolutelymustsucceed matter this weekend... respect!

 

plus, for the rest of the week, i get to brag that i've done 2 races in 2 weeks. teehee!

uncharacteristic

so this year, i told myself i'd try new things. something i've never ever done before is run competitively. actually, i don't even run, but that's another story. am still perplexed as to how i somehow ended up representing singapore (!!!) in a cross-country race. ok, tell a lie. it wasn't really the olympics but hey, i did run for singapore against our malaysian counterparts.

knew i was in trouble when the brisk walk from parking lot to starting point left me gasping for breath. 

V, my race buddy gifted with long indian legs and lightning speed, was the 3rd faster female runner whilst i was very proudly 3rd from the back. however, even completing the race was an achievement! after the dust had settled, i found out that my steadfast, stalwart V was surprised i outran the malaysian machiks. she was also afraid that i'd collapse half way and only have my remains discovered by an overenthusiastic group of girl guides months later. in the alternative, she pondered the possibility of my drowning in the reservoir, subsequently to be devoured by the resident crocs. 

needless to say, can you imagine my complete mortification when she spontaneously ra-ra-ed a bunch of (much faster) participants to cheer me on at the finish line? there i was hoping to slip past unnoticed, a good half hour slower than the rest but noooo... when i was in the throes of physical agony and existential angst, questioning my judgment and masochism, i was greeted by a personal cheerleading squad telling me to run like my life depended on it. paisehhh maxxx...

the only plus point, besides winning of course, was carbo-loading with truffle fries the day before. 

because truffle fries make everything right with the world :)

now to get off my behind and do some prep for that 10km run i signed up for in july...

oopsY!

haute hawker

well, not exactly.

lest you start to think that this blog is all uppity upmarket, i do crave my fair share of hawker fare. it was a blustery night by the time i left the office and nothing hits the spot on a cold day the way hot fish soup does. made my way to the bukit timah hawker centre (just above the bukit timah wet market and before the road turns into jalan jurong kechil) for my regular fish soup with mee sua fix. was fortunate to squeeze in the last order just as they ran out of fish. incidentally, scored myself some fish head (oooh!) because they'd no more 'regular' fish haha. not like i was complaining. plus their homemade chili is to die for! 

also, didn't have any tonight but the hawker centre has $1.50 homemade white carrot cake. where else can you be full for S$1.50???

after dinner i was lured to colbar (another local favourite!) by the prospect of cider, ice cream and orangina. was funny that of the four of us there, three have fathers who are self-employed, the fourth has a father who might be jobless as of next week and the fifth flaked because she's busy seeing that her father isn't jobless as of next week! so us secure private-sector kiddos gave the lone public servant spawn a hard time, only to later promise to attend the final rally with him on thursday. 

looks like i've gotta find me a pair of white socks now!

p/s this just in! post colbar session, it's all systems go for the road trip. can't wait to meet the new chickie teehee... psyched :)

persistance pays

foie gras X 6 having a party in my tumtum

green pea risotto

white asparagus with poached egg and truffle sauce

all washed down with early grey and mysterious blue leaves

had a hankering for lunch with a view and called the one restaurant with free flow foie gras but alas, they were fully booked. this, of course, only served to make me want to eat there more. so most embarrassingly, i called at 10 minute intervals asking if any space had opened up. no such luck. finally conceded defeat and dragged my feet to my "back up", a cute french creperie around the corner.

of course, the moment i sat down at the creperie and was mere seconds from placing an order for 3 massive crepes to drown my sorrow at foie gras deprivation, said restaurant rang and indeed, there had been a last minute cancellation.

in pidgin french (wanted to +brownie points for effort!) i feigned remorse to the proprietress and somehow promised i'd be back with an army of friends in tow the next time. and then a hop skip and jump across the street, whizzed up to the 68th floor where the spoils of persistence awaited.

most times, my sheer gluttony and inclination to excess is cause for deep shame. however, this time, i was pleased as punch to stuff my face to my heart's content :) didn't help that after lunch i naturally succumbed to food coma, only to wake for cardiac arrest on a plate a.k.a korean bbq dinner at sean's.

what's not to like about long weekends :)

another one for the road

i got this off le love but somehow feel it's more applicable to when i see boss' name on my phone. truth be told, he's not called me yet but every time i see his name in my inbox, my heart stops momentarily. and not in a good way. 

so, that's my convoluted way of saying it's back to work and this space will be quiet for awhile. wish i could take leave, and travel, and post about my pseudo-eggciting life, but alas no such liberty is granted to an entry-level employee. in fact, i'm not officially an employee yet so even that's a bit of a stretch. 

be back, eventually!

<3

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.

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...

the taj followed by indigo mumbai

was a wee bit naughty and refused to leave the taj when we got to mumbai. parked myself at the bar and no amount of cajoling followed by outright bribery could entice me out of my refuge from the throbbing headache that is mumbai. if the crowds don't drive you mad, the incessant horning and utter disorder would. 

however, my ears did perk up at the mention of indigo and finally, at 10pm, hypoglycaemia got the better of me and faint with hunger, i allowed myself to be tempted over for dinner. the three block walk was a nightmare though! as we past leopold's cafe, i was convinced that it would be blown up. then again, if it were trigger-happy extremists i feared, the taj might not have been the most secure of places to remain in.

oh! before dinner at indigo, i did manage to put away foie gras and apricot sushi (awesome combo!) from the japanese restaurant. tell a lie re: hypoglycaemia...

indigo lived up to (my already raised) expectations and in a rare show of bravery / stupidity, i had indian oysters.

lived to tell the tale!

first party of 2011

was casino royale / vegas themed. got the tribe to go as a royal flush (singapore airlines playing cards, no less!) and the last minute addition was relegated to being joker. spent a good part of the past two days slaving away on these babies but it was well worth the effort and near asthma attack from inhaling all that chalk dust.

also, a big shout out to yvonne who let me 

1. crash her house 

2. patiently drew spade after spade and big bubble letters

3. plied me with reese's peanut butter cups and crisps 

4. provided much appreciated comic relief during the otherwise very serious task of creating a set of royal flush costumes from scrap cotton and felt.

was so desperate (and undomesticated) that we almost resorted to suturing the costumes together because while we can't sew to save our lives, six-months-from-being-dr. ang does a mean post-surgical repair job. 

day trip to anjuna goa

the tour desk next to the apartment offered an "anjuna day trip" for an amount i fail to correctly convert but still remember to be a "rip off" price. it'd have involved a 30min taxi ride through the village and to the other side of the mountains, some time t o wander around the market and then  ride back. 

anjuna was promoted as a hippy market with great finds. a bit of an oversell with an interesting back story. rumour has it that when the hippies were on the verge of extradition from goa, they were forced to create a makeshift market to sell their things. the tradition has continued and anjuna was  a sensory overload - all these vendors touting and being aggressive, despite the air heavy with marijuana. anyhoos, it was an experience but not worth the squeeze. unless you're the masochistic type who enjoys being amidst throngs of the young and not-so-young unwashed, or the kind of person who enjoys second hand smoke of the illegal sort. 

but back to getting to anjuna from baga. over breakfast at the sunset bar, the friendly waiter let slip that one could hug the coastline to anjuna and it'd only take half an hour. plus it'd be free to walk (well, duh). so in a most uncharacteristic show of action mama-ism, i decided to trek across the mountain. after all, how hard could it be? 

famous last words.

and after two hours i dragged my limp exhausted self into the first beach shack on anjuna beach and spent most of the afternoon recovering, only mincing my way to the market just as it was about to close.