Wood no Good

Hmmm, I'm not very sure if I trust Wong Ah Yoke's reviews....after being promised heady infusions of wood flavours into the meals, I went there all excited. Not only were we first turned away (on account of the restaurant/bar being full); when we went back 1/2 an hour later, we were led into a room that was 1/4 full. Did they not want to let patrons enjoy the nice waterfront view, tree skeleton on the ceiling, cosy booths and the tower of a wine cellar? The dining room remained half empty throughout as we dined....starter scallops were sweet, but mushrooms sauted in a copper pot didn't quite embody wood-smoked delish. I greedily selected Yorkshire pork. Maybe there's something about English air or Yorkshire that makes you think it'll be nicer than our babi. But alas not so....a little burnt. And so little mash (which, on 2nd thought, I was glad, as it wasn't quite to my liking). No constant water top-ups - what happened to the Water boy? Just because it's Wood? and 1 female bathroom for a dining room that can seat ~ 100. Maybe that's why they held off on the water. Pretty nice ambience, but overall, not particularly worth it. Braize was pricier, but gastronomically better.

Ilotopie

Boat Quay - before the dream....

Non, je ne sais quois - I don't know what Ilotopie means either. But the group performed ethereally as the opening act of the Singapore Arts Festival over the waters of Boat Quay. Never mind that the story didn't make any sense a moi...just like most of the Cirque du Soleil themes....but it was a wonderful waste of time, to just let oneself float away like a fallen petal over cresting rivulets. Comme un reve.......

Scarlet Marie...pedalling away, sur un velo de l'eau....

Finishing off as the Dragon in the sky flies away.....

M&Ms

Recently Dee gave birth to a second princess.......
wow! Number 2! Now, I'm usually not a baby lover....my maxim is that babies are to be seen from afar, occasionally smelt, and NEVER heard. I'm not particularly adept at goo-goo-gaa-gaa talk and pulling funny faces. But with Dee being my closest friend that I know who's a mother...it was more than the perfunctory visit to the hospital to visit the bonny lass. You see, I also know Dee's first baby, and she is such a cutie pie! Yes, the ONLY exception I personally know. Dee affectionally calls her Peanut, even though her name is Meredith...and when a cute 2 yr old calls herself "Dit-Dit"...it's kinda cute. So I went along, pretty excited, and with high expectations that Princess #2 would be as cute. Plus, baby Morgan would be less than 1 day old! What a scary thought to be entrusted with a treasure so young! So I dutifully washed my hands, and as she was handed over to me, she snuggled comfortably into the crook of my virgin arms. OH my! Colostrum and all aside....she is so tiny, and fragile and perfect!
You think that you're all tough and resistant to babies, but just this once...I actually wondered what it would be like if I had married younger, and became a mother myself. After all, Dee is a grand 2 days younger than I am, and she's at number 2. Don't get me wrong - I don't regret my life, nor am I suddenly a walking ticking maternal bomb, but ever so slightly. And not even wistfully, I think that it might not be so bad after all. (Peanut) M&Ms.....I miss you already.

Kha

Check out Kha at the new HortPark @ Alexandra!

[just behind the SP Jain School of Management (aptly located at Hyderabad Rd, if I might add!! - I saw students playing cricket there one bonny Sunday too]. Such pretty garden decor, and the sunset at the adjoining reflection pool came highly recommended. The Thai food was pretty interesting - with slight twists, though not all wins. Padthai, tom yum were alright - though skip the rice with pork. ;( But (green) thumbs up again for the decor!!

Duh-bya

I'm always amused by how Dubya pronounces nuclear - so I love this poster of 'Nukeular'. What a dweeb!

Singapore Sandwich

I am sitting at my desk now, typing indiscreetly on random thoughts. It is a hot day and I'm longing for fresh green fields...lush & inspiring. What would it take to get away? Lately, I've been thinking a lot more about the quality of life that I have....I like my job, I like my general life...but I can't help but notice that things are getting tiring in Singapore. I used to think that I might up and away because of the lack of freedom / spunk / soul....but now, (perhaps as I age!) I'm a little perturbed that pedestrian matters, bread & butter issues plague me. I would move away because I'm tired of city living. 4.5M people...and more. The govt wants 6.5? I think they will be 1M for the top end - the expatriates who cream off the best financial jobs. And another 1M for...here's the lowdown: the shitty jobs that locals don't want to do. Sweep the roads, empty foodcourt trays, early morning shifts at the abbatoirs. So what's left behind for the average Singaporean? Will he be the middling filler in between, in what I consider the Singapore sandwich? Can he only aspire to the middle class and be the filling (the best part?) in the Singapore sandwich? Somehow that doesn't seem quite fair. Pragmatic maybe, and maybe a tad too generalistic. But not completely unfounded. I was walking with a Dr friend at Clarke Quay on a weekday night recently, and was surprised at her vehement xenophobic declarations against the many kwailos that were dotted there. "This is my country!" she said. So not all professionals are as open, or as welcoming, or as 'atas' as we think. But that doesn't take away from the fact that the avg Singaporean might never be able to amass much wealth, or have comfortable purchasing parity. S$2K+ is the average salary? I shudder to think people who earn more than that are feeling the pinch, and they are already above average. So don't be part of the Singapore sandwich?! Just make more dough, get more bread, and be the upper crust (at least in terms of PPP) somewhere else.