The Girl in the Green Scarf

Yesterday night, me and my friend went for the movie "Confessions of a shopaholic"; which I approach with caution as earlier in the day, I read the newspaper about the movie and found so many unfavourable reviews.
Most of the reviews slammed the movie as

shallow, weak and man-crazy

..you might guess that these reviewers are mostly men! Who have no understanding whatsoever of the sometimes-weak-slightly-neurotic dark side of Venus(es).

One brave men writer even wrote

have women gone nuts?

with reference to movies like Sex and the City movie

There is a joke about the Sex and the City movie that says that of the few men who watched it, half were gay and the other half were straight men who had done something really bad

(read=watching the movie is like punishment for these straight guys)
I don't disagree because Hey, that movie is celebrating women POWER (I would like to include underline, but there is none)
If you don't like it, then don't watch it,...same as I wouldn't watch 300 or saving private ryan, cause I don't fancy blood and gore with my popcorn.

so for guys who don't understand it - give it up, don't try, as we don't understand some of your guy-cry movies either.

-------------------------------spoilers ahead!!--------------------------------------

Back to the movie, a basic requirement is you will have to love shopping even a teeny tiny bit to understand the sentiment.
Secondly, you got to like a teeny tiny bit of Ally Mcbeal, as Becky (Isla Fisher) is the shopping version of Ally.

The movie is simply about addiction. In this case, addiction to shopping. As in general cases of addiction, the victim has to get "hit" at regular intervals to soothe their craving and "make the world better".

The verdict? I love it; I mean who hasn't experience trouble with money once in their life? Its the kind of movie that you rent for a girls' slumber party.
Light, refreshing and struck a chord with me in a few aspects; and as a romantic comedy, the fantasy does really hit the spots with over the top bills, SA (Shopaholic Anonymous); and the absolutely-DELICIOUS-Hugh Dancy-with British lilt *sigh* (Shallow Mode ON)
In the first scene where Hugh met Isla, I can almost literaly feel my toes (and the toes of all women in the cinema) just curl with delight!
The tousled brown hair, the pointed chin, the annoyed yet amused gaze, the expressive mouth and the accent just melt me like a warm butter on a hot toast! *sigh again*

Wake Up, Nancy!! *slap slap and tissue to wipe my drool*

Iron Man Vs Frankenstein

Hari ini di kantor LUAR BIASA sibukk...

Cerita nya berawal dari seminggu yg lalu, kita dapet invitation to tender (kantor gue konsultan arsitek)..pendek kata ada client mau bangun gedung dan minta kita untuk ngasih harga (berapa duit kalo mau design+bangun dll)

Hari ini merupakan deadline submission tender itu...dan juga hari terakhir bos gue di kantor minggu ini (besok doi mau keluar negri sampe jumat)..makanya selain deadline ini, anak2 pada ngejar bos juga buat diskusi projek..

Sebelum makan siang, si client tender nanya, "jadi nggak nich ikutan tender?" (lewat email)
Terus bos gue nanya ke gue "Itu minggu kemaren kita udah ngirim email konfirmasi kalo kita mau ikutan khan?"
"iya, bos" gue jawab "Ada nich emailnya masih I simpen"
Begitu dibales ama bos gue kalo kita masih ON utk ikut tender, si client balesin "Tapi saya baru terima konfirmasi untuk project yg satunya lagi"
DUEENNNGGG......gue kayak kena geledek! (bos gue kyk kebakaran jenggot) Matilah, pikir gue, salah gue, apa yak?
Langsung bos gue minta gue nelusurin email yg kita terima dan kita kirim...

Selama 15 menit itu gue keringat dingin, tangan ampe rasanya beku, muka gue saking stress nya kayak di-botox; karena kita (3 arsitek + gue ngerjain kontrak) udah ngerjain selama seminggu utk deadline hari ini, udah tinggal 5 jam lagi! Worst case scenario adalah kalo misalnya kita ngerjain denah project yg satu dengan deskripsi project yg lain,..seperti, maunya bikin Iron Man tapi jadinya malah Franskenstein,.....waaaa...ttiiiddaaakkkkk!!!!.......
Konsekuensi nya ya nggak dapat projek atau semua org bakal mesti ngulang kerjaan (either options gives a phantom heart attack to me)
BBRRUUKKK...*background gabrukan pintu toilet sama bos*
makin spaneng gue....Bakalan langsung dipancung di tempat nich..

Tapi ternyata liat punya liat, si bos juga nggak nyadar kalo ternyata si client ngirim 2 projek...(buktinya dia masih nanya gue, walaupun tetep nggak mengurangi pelototan mata doi ke gue)......
pas ngirim projek#1, kita udah diskusi; pas bbrp hari kemudian si client ngirim projek#2, gue ama bos mengira client ngirim projek yg sama secara resmi *abis mirip siicchh* (karena mereka minta receipt resmi)...jadilah kita ngirim receipt utk projek#2, tapi receipt projek#1 tetep aja nggak dikirim.

Akhirnya setelah klarifikasi, baru deh kita bales ke client; sorry, bla bla bla, kita tetep ikutan koq buat 2-2nya..

Fiuh! makanya gue nggak usah nonton film horror lagi,...kerja aja udah cukup buat sport-jantung.....

to the Spa..to the Spa..

Kemaren pas ke Bali itu, sempet gue mention kalo gue ke spa, khan?
Well, emang kalo gue ke Bali itu, kyknya kurang afdol kalo blm ke spa. Nah, sebelum berangkat, gue sempet browsing spas di Bali. Kalo di Jkt, favorit gue emang Four Seasons (gara2 dulu pernah kerja di four seasons, hihi), kebetulan di Bali ada 2; Four Season Jimbaran sama Four Seasons Sayan.
Akhirnya gue save no telp dua2nya, just in case.

Pas kebetulan selesai resepsi dan jalan2 di Ubud itu sore + kebetulan Four Seasons Sayan itu di Ubud + kebetulan bisa bikin appointment malam itu = jadi deh ke Four Seasons Sayan Spa!!*victory sign*

Dari Ubud, dianterin sama bus pariwisata ke entrance road nya;
dari situ gue jalan kaki masuk ke kompleks resort nya...

setelah lewat jalanan mobil, nyampe lah gue di Drop-off area. Ini baru pintu gerbang "resmi" nya si resort; biasanya di sini pengunjung nya turun trus jalan kaki masuk ke resort, sedangkan bagasi dll dibawa ke lobby oleh buggy (mobil golf itu loh).

Sampe sini, gue masih santai2 aja, cuman pikir,"oh, bagus ya,..banyak pohon, hijau2, teduh, udaranya lebih dingin (pas cuaca abis hujan)…

Di sini ada concierge nya, trus gue nanya “Mau ke Spa, lewat mana ya mas?”
Si mas nya bilang “oh, lewat jembatan ini trus turun, mba; spa nya ada di bawah restoran”
Huh? Jembatan?

Ternyata ngelewatin gate itu, ada jembatan kayu selebar 1,8m-an yg menghubungkan gate dengan lily pond yg gede banget di ujung nya…

WAH! Lutut gue sampe agak lemes gitu saking pemandangan nya keren abis!
Lily pond nya itu di-design seperti infinity pool (yg nggak ada pinggirnya, jadi air seakan2 meluap keluar) dan pemandangan sekitar nya pohon-pohon. Jadi seakan2 melayang di tengah2 jurang gitu!



Di ujung lily pond yg menghubungkan ke jembatan ada buka-an yg ternyata tangga turun ke bangunan utama resort nya. Dari sini ada tangga setengah elips di sebelah kiri yg menuju ke lobby dan open air bar. Turun lagi 1 level ke open air restaurant. Turun 1 level lagi, spa.

Gue check-in dulu ke spa, trus abis itu pengen jalan2 liat-liat kompleks nya. Pas nanya ke concierge, dibilang boleh, terus dipanggilin buggy sama 1 staff (namanya Jantik) buat nganter gue muter2 kompleks.

Dari lobby, gue dianterin ke salah satu River Side Villa.

Dari level jalanan, yg kelihatan Cuma pendopo yg dikelilingin lily pond. Ternyata jalan masuk ke villa nya turun tangga. Menurut Mas Jantik, banyak tamu yg bilang kayak masuk bunker!..haha…Buat gue yg setengah hermit, gue sih seneng2 aja.
Masuk ke villa, bangunan nya dibagi 2, outdoor dan indoor. Di outdoor, ada tempat duduk2, mini bar, patio dengan umbrella, plunge pool dan sun-deck.
Pemandangan nya bener2 keren! Karena view nya sungai Ayung yg berlawanan arus. Nggak kelihatan orang2 lain ataupun gedung hotel ataupun jalanan. Privacy abis!

Indoor, ada kamar tidur, kamar mandi dan walk-in closet. Indoor nya ber-AC.
Dari kamar tidur ada French sliding door yg terbuka ke sun-deck. Sedangkan di kamar mandi ada pintu yg menhubungkan ke outdoor shower dan ke sun-deck juga. Jadi kalo dari plunge pool, bisa langsung ke kamar mandi tanpa melewati kamar tidur.

Keluar dari villa, gue dianterin ke swimming pool yg letaknya di level paling rendah kompleks; pas sebelah-an sama sungai yg mengalir dengan seru; dgn shape yg mengikuti lekuk sungai. Sun-deck utk swimming pool juga dialokasi di pinggir sungai dengan akses batu2 kali untuk yg pengen turun ke bibir sungai.



Ngeliat ke belakang atas (dari swimming pool), kelihatan lah block hotel yg sekitar 3-4 tingkat dan seakan2 nancap di pinggir tebing.


Setelah puas muter-muter dan foto2, gue dianter balik ke lobby, dimana gue pesen sandwich di bar, (dinner dan sambil nunggu waktu buat spa).


Pas udah waktu nya spa, gue dianter lagi pake buggy ke Spa Villa.
Menurut therapist nya, spa villas utk treatment di atas 2 jam. Tapi karena lagi sepi (kyknya) dan gue tamu special (ehem ehem…) massage gue yg kurang dari 2 jam pun di kasih di spa villa.

Turun tangga dari jalan, sampe lah gue di arrival pendopo. Design Spa Villa ini merupakan cluster 3 treatment villas dan 1 Back-of-House building cum pendopo. Clusternya dibangun di atas Lily pond.


Setiap Spa Villa, bisa utk treatment 2 org bersamaan, ada bay window with seating, shower,toilet, bath tub, walk-in closet dan outdoor shower. 2 sisi bangunan merupakan folding glass door yg bisa dibuka.

Begitu gue ditinggal-in buat ganti baju, langsung gue cobain outdoor shower nya! Hihihi,…out door area nya tertutup sama tanaman2, dan karena letaknya lebih rendah dari jalanan, jadi bener2 nggak bakal kelihatan dari luar.
Fuh! Karena udah seharian (dari resepsi) pake baju pesta, langsung seger pas mandi.

Abis mandi, therapist nya dateng buat massage. Dan abis massage, gue mandi lagi (nggak mau rugi). Kali ini di shower yg ada Rain Shower nya. Dinamain rain shower karena shower head nya gede (sekitar diameter 30cm) dan dipasang di langit2 kamar mandi; jadi seakan2 mandi di guyuran hujan; tapi ada air panas tentunya…hehe….

Di Vanity table nya, hampir semua disediakan, hairdryer, sisir, kapas, cotton-buds, moisturiser, face moisturiser, talc-powder, deodorant,dll. Tinggal make-up aja nich yg kurang,.hohoho…

Abis dari villa, gue diantar buggy ke main building buat bayaran, trus gue minta dipanggilin taxi buat pulang.

Fuhhh! Sip dah!

Photos courtesy of Four Seasons Sayan; and the author would like to thank all Four Seasons Sayan staff for their wonderful hospitality which render an unforgettable experience.

suprised visit..

Weekend kemaren ini, ada undangan temen kantor yg orang Bali. Doi married sama temen sekolah yg juga anak Bali.

Sebenarnya sih nggak ada rencana mau ke Bali lagi (mahal bo! semua dihitung pake USD!) soalnya desember kemaren baru juga pulang dari bali, waktu itu beneran liburan untuk santai-santai; tapi ini pengecualian. Kali ini mikirnya pergi sekaligus sebagai representative kantor, soalnya nggak ada lagi yg pergi selain gue.

Sebelum pergi, gue nelpon paman dulu yg kebetulan tinggal di Bali, ijin mau nginep, abis tiket pesawat udah mahal, jadi udah nggak ada budget buat nginep di hotel lagi dah..:(

Nyampe di Bali jumat malem, terus besok paginya jam 7-an udah dijemput ama mobil utk naek bus ke tempat resepsi. Temen gue nyiapin bus, karena selain gue, ada lagi 15-an org temen dari pihak si ceweq yg juga terbang ke Bali utk acara ini.
Akhirnya kita sama2 jalan ke tempat resepsi jam 9-an, dan nyampe jam 11. Memang tempatnya lumayan jauh dari denpasar.
Tadinya gue pikir, resepsinya di gedung serba guna gitu, ternyata rumah keluarga si cowoq, dan karena keluarga si cowoq cukup terpandang di daerah itu, kompleks rumah nya cukup besar dan menurut temen gue ada 7 keluarga yg tinggal di satu kompleks itu.

Pas kita sampe, di ajak masuk ke courtyard yg udah dipasangi tenda putih. Wuih, untung banget ada tendanya, kalo nggak pulang2 bakal hangus, soalnya panas banget hari itu, matahari nya super terik!
Di pintu masuk courtyard ada meja tempat buku tamu dan tempayan buat amplop, terus ada buffet makanan kecil (kue2 manis) dan minuman botol manis.
Dari situ, baru deh kita salam2an sama pengantin dan keluarga nya.

Bajunya si pengantin bagus banget! dekoratif, elaborate dan detail. Kita yg pada pake baju cuman selapis langsung komentar "Wah! nggak kepanasan loe pake baju gitu?" soalnya yg cowoq pake jas lengan panjang dan sarung semata kaki + kaos kaki sedangkan si ceweq pake kebaya lengan panjang dan sarung semata kaki juga. Setelah sarung, mereka berdua masih pake kain dekoratif hitam putih. Make up lengkap dengan rambut palsu (buat si ceweq).

Setelah ngobrol2 akhirnya kita foto2 bareng pengantin nya. Abis foto2, makan siang prasmanan.

Acara hari itu memang resepsi tok, sedangkan "adat nikahnya" udah sehari sebelumnya. Memang lebih seru pas adat nikahnya (yg sama temen gue di puter di TV samping pelaminan). Seperti adat jawa atau sunda, adat nikah Bali pun penuh dgn ritual-ritual yg melambangkan bermacam2 pesan2/nasehat dari tetua, dsb. Seperti misalnya, saling suap2an nasi; pengantin pria berjalan mengelilingi courtyard dengan guci tanah liat di bahu, dll.

Sekitar jam 2, akhirnya kita pamit pulang. Bus yg tadi dateng, bakal nganter kita ke Ubud utk jalan2 bbrp jam, baru terus diantar ke tempat nginap masing2.
Karena group temen2 kerja si ceweq udah ada acara sendiri, gue bikin appointment buat spa di Four Seasons Sayan (bakal gue ceritain di blog selanjutnya), baru pulang ke rumah paman.

Besoknya, hari minggu, kita ke gereja pagi, terus pergi makan siang dan pulang deh.

Pada bilang sayang sih, ke Bali bentar banget, tapi apa boleh buat, lagi nggak niat liburan, ini pergi karena ada acara aja. (setia kawan banget ya gue....hahahaha)
abis gue pikir, kalo ini resepsi gue dan nggak ada org dari kantor yg dtg, gue bakal miserable banget dah. Acara sekali seumur hidup nich! ya nggak?..

What motivates you (2)?

Almost everyday of this week, I've been waking up early in the morning and arrive in the office a few minutes before 9am. Which is quite out of the norm as usually my schedule will follow a loose pattern of:
Monday; arrive at 8.35
Tuesday; arrive at 8:55
Wednesday; arrive at 9:02
Thursday; arrive at 9:10
Friday; arrive at 9:17
or it coulb be; arrive at after 9 for the whole week. (FYI, office hours start at 9am)

Wonder what motivates me? the answer is two-word (as Danny De Vito said in "Hercules") Mini-Bus

Well, I did mentioned in my blog previously that our office has moved to a new location right? Well, that new location is on one of the highest points in Singapore; not that much different how Mt.Everest summit is to Nepal (shrunk 208times; give and take a few hundred meters).

Ever since we moved to this office, I've been climbing a set of staircase every morning (and sometimes at lunch time) to/fro the main road. As the location is in a designated residential area, no convinience store and no cafes around. A quick trip for a stick of ice cream is out of the question. I've learned to be smart with my time, if I have to go on errands, I make sure that its around lunch time and I came back by taxi.

So you can imagine our delight when the landlord of our bulding said that a mini-bus has been provided to carry us in the morning, departing every 8:50am from the main road.
Since then, there is no turning back for me, I've been waking up with renewed spirit every morning, eager to catch the bus!

to the dentist...to the dentist

Last weekend, I finally decided to go to the dentist to have my teeth examined. Been having problems of food stuck to various spots between the teeth and also it is about time to do some scaling and polishing.

I have alwasy hated going to the dentist since one of my tooth got pulled out due to ill-placed growth, but mostly I dreaded the visit because they have nasty equipments that emits high pitched skin-crawling-nerve-wrecking sound that have to be operated inside your mouth!

However, I convinced myself that I am an adult and more mature and should be able to bear this. So, I made the necessary appointments.

On the day, I went in to the Doc's chamber with my empty stomach (since I don't intend to insult the doc with my breakfast bits) tied in 100 knots. The Doctor was Korean, very kind; almost fatherly; still in his 30s (I think).
But when he asked when was my last examination, if I floss, etc etc; I was feeling like I'm in one of those room with a two-way mirror. After that, the Doc asked me to get in the Xray room to take a pic of my teeth.
Turns out, the cause of that food stuck is because my wisdom teeth are not nicely developed. The good doc's advice is to remove all of my wisdom teeth! All! That's like 3 tooth!Dang!

I was quite shocked, to be honest! But I guess its necessary.
So,...let's see what's next...

Rainbow Connection

Isn't it amazing how one song can be sung in so many different style, across different genre and it will evoke different feelings.

I've just came across "Rainbow Connection" (Kenneth Ascher - Paul Williams) arranged by Gil Goldstein, sung by Jane Monheit, with Peter Bernstein at the guitar and Gil Goldstein playing piano and accordion.

It was mellow, fluid, romantic, with the accordion lent Parisian air of the city of lovers. The song easily suggests me the image of couples waltzing under the moonlight (which wouldn't supprise me if the song features as a movie soundtrack someday).

If I didn't search youtube for the music video of that song, I wouldn't know that it was originally sung by Kermit the Frog. And I also found different variations of the song by Jason Mraz, Sarah MacLahlan,etc.

But, I really do prefer Jane/Gil's arrangement. Check it out..

"Behind every story is a great Journey"

It was 13.15 in the afternoon, the sky was a big blue bowl, the sun was shining bright enough for me to wish I've had my hat, the air pleasantly warm and dry and stirred into comforting breeze. As I nibbled on parma ham,mozzarela and fresh tomatoes foccacia sandwich (with a side salad and just fried potato chips) I could see as far as the sky meets the sea. The sea which calm, sparkling blue and totally unmarred by ships/sail boats or people doing water sports.

That was not my imagination by the way, that was how it was as I lunched at the Bulgari Hotels and Resorts Bali. It was part of my holiday trip, but the experience deserved its own column.

The resort was perfect for tourist looking for a bit of peace and quiet, away from hot spots such as Kuta, Legian or other destinations.
Bali is dotted with such development, with big brand names catering to the wealthy and privileged. But what separates them are the level of services provided; which also reflected in their villas rate.

When I arrived at the drop off, I was immediately welcomed with a smile and the assurance that the buggy will arrive in a few minutes to take me to the Bar.
The drop off was a huge traditional Bali Pavillion influenced with a contemporary Italian style. The drop off pavillion was cleverly designed to reveal the view with a flourish!

After a 5 minutes ride circling the compound, I was dropped off at the Bar area to enjoy the view and nicely prepared lunch. Over to the right is the infinity pool with a few covered cabanas of weave rattan and cotton scattered by the pool. To my left are the restaurants. The Bar itself is a big open-air pavillion perched right at the edge of the cliff.

The villas are spread out over the compound in a terraced manner to give maximum view of the Indian Ocean for each villa.
Although I didn't have the chance to tour the whole place or any of the villas, I am quite impressed with what I've seen.

As the buggy drive me back to the drop off, the driver alerted the drop off attendant to summon my ride. I really need not to request it. They anticipated your needs and most of the times provide it before you ask!

Next trip, I am going to try the spa.

flying fox and babysitting

As mentioned before, I really wanted to get away for sometime now and last weekend I was flying off to Bali to spend 3 days there. It was quite an improptu thing, since a friend of mine will be there for the weekend as well on a business trip.

The first 2 days, I spent with my uncle's family (they reside there) and my sister (she works there), we went for local delicacies, day trips (flying fox), spa and dinners together.

And then the last night I went to stay at a hotel (selfishly I wanted some time alone to regroup and enjoy lazy days). It proved to be quite a good decision, as I managed to catch that magnificent sunset at Kuta Beach with Fency, do some sightseeing and shopping at Legian (found the cutest bathing suit! exactly what I had in mind)
I was regreting (a bit) of not staying in the hotel earlier, as I met this guy who is the hotel's photographer. I think he was quite cute (can't see clearly without my glasses as I was swimming). Wonder what might ensue from that meeting if I were not due for check out in 2 hours....

From Bali, I fly back home and stayed at my sis' place for the rest of my holidays, babysitting.
She recently moved from the centre of town to the suburbs (way WAY out in the suburbs), where a decent mall is 30 minutes away. Whereas my parent's house is 10 minutes away from one of the poshest malls in town.

Knowing I'll be at my sis, I brought my little munchkins some snacks and chocolate bites. Imagine my horror when my sis said that they are ALERGIC TO CHOCOLATES!!! OH NO! my poor bambini...I hope they outgrow it though..
So for 5 days, I coddled them, soothe them, break their fights, change their wet pants,etc etc..But I have to say when the rewards are big hugs, toothy grins, and sloppy kisses, its well worth it.
They are in their first week of school and I just got this cutest picture of them in their uniforms.
Luna and Jovann remember me still as I was there during their early days (from birth to 1-ish), but little sebastian still wary of me up to the day I left. He is one tough nut to crack.

Anyhow, it was one of the nicest holiday I've had in long time.....with nothing to do but what I want to...Isn't that what great holidays are?

Z4

You know, relative is a funny thing,...you never saw someone in your life, but blood are thicker than water.

My aunt's (from my mother's side) brother-in-law's great uncle just left me his BMW Z4, along with a trust fund for the upkeep of the car. Petrol, maintenance, taxes, insurance, I just have to present the receipts to the trustee and all will be taken care of. Nice eh...

Unfortunately off course, it was all just in my head......(sigh)


PS: I don't have an aunt from my mother's side..:P

Finally...(part 1)

These last few weeks have been really hectic. Our office move to a new location and that requires almost all my energy and concentration. I honestly think that I didn't do much else except taking care of all that's related to the moving process.

I really do not wish to repeat the process anytime soon, say another 10 years. Not that I will stay in this particular office that long. But twice in the span of 3 years is enough! three times, if we extend the period to cover the last 5 years!

This is only part 1 of the process, because although we have occupied the new premises, not all the furniture are installed yet.

Gonna need a loooonngg holiday once the dust settles.....

PS:..coincidentally, my sis is also moving house this month..

My first F1

hohohohoho,......

Last saturday, me,Mal,Rudy and Tong went to see the Singapore F1 GP, from the sidelines. I confess I was taking too long to think whether I should buy the ticket to the GP or not, as not many of my friends going. Anyhow, couldn't get the ticket as they are sold out.

So, we were walking around Suntec City to see if we can catch a glimpse of the track from somewhere around there. As I mentioned in my previous post, the noise that the cars made, while we were in Diana Krall's concert is really got me curious and excited to see what it's all about.
So on that qualifying night, we walk around the track to see if there are some free-view spot.

We ended up on top of a multilevel carpark, a block from Suntec, and can see 2 corners; the turn in front of the meritus mandarin and the turn to the supreme court. And it was just AWESOME!!!
Altough we can only see about 1/20th of the original car size, even from that distance you can feel the adrenalin, the heat and hear the roar of those powerful engines.
We were not the only ones on top of that car park. Even people who has tickets to the race would like to get a better (bigger) view of the street track.

Finally, just a few minutes before 10pm (the qualifying race) we moved and managed to get a spot on one of the external staircases of Marina Square that faces the coming cars from raffles boulevard.
I think one of the advantages of not having a ticket is you can pretty much walk around the circuit to see from different point of view rather than rooted to your assigned seat.Off course you'd have to search and climb to the surrounding buildings to see the track, but it was worth it.

Wanting to see from the different point of view (and also to see the parked Pagani Zonda in front of the Meritus Mandarin) we went down to the lobby of Meritus, where a lot of people also gathered to see right from the edge of the track! and it was faboulous! Up close, you can smell the rubber burning and the noise was even more deafening! and like nothing I've heard before! Luckily I already equipped myself with ear plugs.

The tricky thing after the race is getting out of the track area. With more than 50,000 people, walking is reduced to crawling at the speed of a snail. Once we reach the streets, we walk to reach mrt or bus and I ended up walking the distance from Suntec city to Sommerset MRT! If it wasn't adrenaline, I wouldn't last that far!

Still, I think we are going to get the tickets for next year F1!!

Wohoo!!

PS: I gotta say that I am impressed with the staff at Meritus Mandarin; as a lot of people whom are not guests at the hotel, passers-by like us who wanted to see the track, were walking in and out of the hotel, trampling the grass, taking pictures, use the hotel as the access between the track and the Marina Square; and the staff of the hotel are pretty much leave us be. No body harrassed us or anything. It might be because we are pretty well mannered around the hotel or maybe the hotel are just so full of people that they don't have the resources to manage the mob.

Diana Krall

Last weekend me and nadia went to see Diana Krall concert in Fort Canning Park.

There are a few unfortunate elements in play over this concert;
1. The concert was held in the same night as the F1 practice session and in open air where the demonic roar (not that I hate it) of the cars can still be heard.
If the concert was to be held in its original venue at keppel bay, the noise might not travel that far.
2. The concert started late as I think the organisers (or indeed Diana herself) wanted to maximize the break period of F1 practice session. Even so, the first 2 songs and the last 2 songs were still competing with the exhaust noise from the cars and the whup whup of the circling helicopter.
3. Diana was having a flu and the event was peppered with her cough.
4. My backside was flatten a bit due to sitting at the hard brick steps of Fort Canning Centre.
But, other than a few complaints above, I have to say that the experience was not all bad. In spite of having cold, listening to Diana's voice live was an extraordinary experience. Her voice is so smooth! my favourite combination is her voice and the piano. Amazing!

PS: my list above is shorter than somebody else's whom got published in the monday paper. However, I do feel that his feelings are justified as the complaints that he put forward are genuinely unacceptable for a world class concert.
Sorry i can't remember all of the list's items but it involves muddy track of the venue; refreshment booth that are unsatisfactory and untrained ushers on top of the things I've mentioned.

Engaged!

hmm,..kali ini postnya pake indo aja deh,..

weekend kemaren, sepupu gue tunangan ama pacarnya. Mereka udah jalan selama kira2 5 tahun-an, dan kemaren itu keluarga si cowoq dateng ke singapore untuk lamaran. Pergi makan lah kita ke No Sign Board seafood di Esplanade.

Dari pihak keluarga cowoq, yg dateng bokap nyokap nya, ie-ie ama ie-chong, cici ama ci-chong + beberapa temen si Bram. Dari pihak ceweq, yg dateng, bokap nyokap novi, kuku ku-chong (bokap nyokap gue), suk-suk (adek bokap novi), gue, adek gue, kokonya novi + pacarnya, Catherine (anak suk-suk) dan anak suk-suk A-Yung, Felix.
Kebetulan emang ini malam terakhir bokap nyokap dan suk suk gue di singapore.

Sebelum makan ada acara kalung dulu, istilahnya "diiket" nopi-nya..(hehe). kebayang nggak sih di tengah2 resto rame (full house) gitu, kita pada berdiri 2 meja, maminya Bram ngalungin kalung ke novi, cipika-cipiki, terus pada foto2 keluarga. haha..rada diliatin orang2 meja sebelah sih, mana pada bule2 gitu pula.

Makanan yg dipesen bener2 banyak banget! 12 macem. Emang si bokap nya Bram doyan makan enak.
Menu: Hisit (sirip ikan hiu); chilli crab; crispy cereal crayfish, garlic steamed bamboo clam; hokkien style steamed fish; black pepper deer meat; abalone with asparagus; saute bull frog with dried chilli; garlic fried vegetable; Deep fried baby squid; steamed japanese beancurd with dice seafood and deep fried seasonal fish.
Dessert buah potong.

waalah,..begitu udah keluar 10 macem aja, gue udah kenyang,.padahal nggak makan pake nasi. Terus akhirnya yg pada nggak abis dibungkus, bawa pulang.

abis udah pada selesai makan, pada mulai ngomong2 mau lanjut kemana lagi nih. Akhirnya yg muda2 pada mau lanjut ke St.James Powerstation, sementara yg senior2 pada pulang.
Akhirnya head count yg pada ikutan ke St.James cuman dari keluarga ceweq doank, alias gue and sepupu2 gue. Dan ternyata dari 7 yg pergi (gue, novi, adi,felix, catherine,khai ling dan Imelda) cuman gue, adi sama khai ling yg pernah clubbing,sisanya novice semua! wah! ahahaha...
Memang gue, adi sama khai ling seumur, sedangkan novi,felix,catherine dan imelda lebih kecil.
Haha,...akhirnya kita joget joget bakar lemak, dan pulang jam 3.

Seru loh, soalnya pas yg ikutan pada asik2 semua..hmm,..kita ngomong2 mesti ngadain lagi nih yg kyk gini buat "Hen night" nya nopi tahun depan....hihihi...

the guy in black latex and a cape...

Not that it doesn't look good on him,..au contraire..Mr.Bale looks ravishing in the costume coupled with the smoker's rasp...
True, you can't see much most of the time; the shy guy keeps to the shadows; but he compensated with his muscle cars, very big motorcycle, cool gadgets and his lamborghini! (I think my heart squeeze a little when the bull smashed in a car crash)

Fashion aside, I think the movie really packs a hellofapunch..the story line is very neat, the action is not overwhelming, and it has more "moral of the story" than a simple good against evil..

And if the Joker is any indication of Heath's acting abilities, we sure have lost a great actor and I can certainly understand why they are considering awarding an Oscar post-humously. He was terrifyingly believable as the Joker.

This is one of the must watch movie of the year and a classic in the making...

Penelope

well,its been a while since I last posted my ramblings, here's about another movie I recently watched with some friends.

Penelope is a young lady of 25 years old, graceful, speaks french fluently, comes from a prominent blue blood family, an only child and....has a pig snout for a nose.
It all happens because Penelope's great great great grandfather impregnate a young maid in his employ but will not stand up to marry her. The maid ended up over a cliff and the maid's mother cast a spell onto the family that the first daughter of the family will be different until "her own kind" will accept her as "one of them".
So, penelope was born with piggish features (snout, ear and tail).

Her mother keep Penelope a secret at home (never allowed anyone who is not a family to see her, or let her out of the house either) and concentrated her efforts to groom Penelope to become the perfect bride and wife to marry another blue blooded in order to lift the curse.

Christina Ricci played Penelope brilliantly and James MacAvoy was just (..let me sigh for a moment here..) to die for. James played Max Campion a.k.a Johnny, a chronic gambler, whom being paid by a reporter and one of Penelope's ex suitor, to take a picture of Penelope.

The movie skips the "where" part; it didn't says a place and also skips "when"; didn't mention the year/century/millenium it happens. Its keeping the fairy tale charm firmly in place with a mixture of reality and fantasy.
And it works. Fairy tales doesn't need to be a cartoon, or men in tights (though it certainly can't hurt, haha, just kidding...)

An Affair to Remember...

"Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories,...we've already missed the spring"

Ever since Meg Ryan and Rosie O'Donnell repeat those lines in the movie "Sleepless in Seattle", I've been curious about it. But not until lately, when I found the video of Josh Groban singing the theme song of the movie at Youtube and I caught myself humming a few bars when I thought of a certain someone,I got hooked.

It was really a good movie, funny, with amazing on-screen chemistry between Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. I like the wittiness of Deborah Kerr and the way their conversation has an almost Shakespear-an quality in the subtle meaning and undercurrents.

Anybody who likes "Sleepless in Seattle" (like you, sis) should watch this Affair to Remember...Classic..

SATC....what else?

Well, the shoes are out of the box! these past 2 weeks movie fans are abuzz with releases after releases; Indiana Jones, Narnia - Prince Caspian, and off course the long awaited Sex and The City movie!

Ever since I heard the news that they are filming the silver screen version, I was keeping an ear to the ground for the release date; and finally yesterday I went with my girlfriends to the cinema.

To keep long story (almost 3 hrs) short, lets just say, the movie captured all about women and their relationship. Probably because it revolves around 4 characters, each with their own set of challenges, it manages to "colour a captivating image using nearly every crayon in the box" (find out about this in the movie!)

Love, hate, betrayal, fidelity, motherhood, marriage, friendship, career, fame, sex and fashion.

What I also like about the movie, is the pace. It doesn't feel hurried (compressing about one and a half year's worth of the characters' life), neither did it feel dragged on (145 minutes). I felt I just watched a whole seasons' episodes.
At the end of the movie, there is a sense of closing, but also continuity, with the girls keep on with their dinner and drinks celebrating samantha's birthday.

I think this movie will become one of a classic must watch movie......speaking of which,..please see my next blog..

you are what you eat....

If we go by that sage saying, I would be one hot and saucy chick, because I eat those 'extra crispy with secret recipe'.
Or sweet and berrylicious last week from my 7-layer pancake,nature goer from my sashimi and Threesome lover of BLT sandwich..

How about you?

My world gourmet summit

Last weekend was one of the laziest and most fullfilling (in terms of stomach content) I've had so far..

Lets start with Friday night (weekend almost always start with friday night);
well,..due to a hard day on friday (foul ups at work, etc) we decided we need alcohol, so we planned to head to Harry's (at boat quay) for some nourishing food and drinks.
unfortunately, when we arrived there, its the peak of Happy hour at Harry's and not a single chair or table or a ledge-big-enough-to-hold-a-beer-bottle is available. So with a heavy heart, we decided to go on down the river to Iguana.

In Iguana, as usual, the crowd is loud, music is in the background and not fighting with conversation, the food is good and the margarita is cold!

So, there we were, 2 girls, with a jug of raspberry margarita, fajitas and buritos. Not a half hour later, mal, novi and jovin joined us. Another round of margarita and food being served. We went home full and relaxed.

the next day, we went to watch "Definitely, maybe", the lighter-than-air romantic comedy, so light I can't even remember what's the story about...
Its like sniffing glue; cheap (the ticket price), momentarily captivating, and easily forgotten.

After the movie, me and mal went to try this new 'food bazaar' with a Japanese theme.
Basically, you went in the restaurant, and they gave you a card to record your purchases and a round 'reserved' wood disk to be placed on your table, so you can roam the restaurant freely without losing your table to other hungry birds. The resturant itself has islands and designed to immitate market stalls, so you can hop from one stall to the next and see what they are cooking.
Since i didn't have my lunch, I went a bit mad with all that food on display. They have cold selections; seasoned jelly fish, vinegared baby octopus, salads, sashimi, etc.
They also have assorted tempura, deep fried food and donburi (rice with deep fried meat in omellete);rotabayaki (grill food on stick); Omu rice (tomato ketchup fried rice topped with omelette with a side fried meat),Japanese hot pot; cold soba ;assorted ramen & udon; Japanese style spaghetti & pizza; bamboo rice;Japanese omellette; japanese dessert of red bean with mochi (I am starting to drool just by listing all these food...)
To make long story short, I ordered all my favourite food (and believe me, there are a lot), and go home as stuffed as a thanksgiving turkey.

On sunday, dawn clear and hot, I went for my massage appointment and spent 60 minutes pummeled by a minute Chinese girl no bigger than me with hot rocks. Limber and loose, I then went downstairs to their cafe, where I enjoyed 7 layer (yes, that's right; SEVEN) pancake.
The fluffy and sweet tower is slathered with honey and maple syrup, with a scattered of juicy berries (strawberries, blueberries,raspberries) and nuts (macadamia,almonds,and some I don't recognize). In between them, nutela and dried cherries (I think they were) add some volume and height.

Hungry yet?

Got some pictures, but I just can't get them uploaded just yet....in the meantime use your imagination! haha