So it's Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas one and all!

Now what have you all been up to? It's been a bit of a dry spell of writing and photos this month, work has been somewhat busy, though I should really keep up with what's happening in the world.

In the month of December, we took a short family weekend together in Bintan, we put up a beautiful Christmas tree with my parents and sisters,

Our friends had us over for a funfilled christmas party before everyone broke off for their respective holidays in all sorts of exotic places...

I did my first proper bout of Christmas shopping in 5 years, for my family and my best friend. Speaking of which, we caught up over a natter at lunch last weekend, and that was the best 3 hours I could have ask for from a friend.

It is weird to be spending Christmas in 30 degrees, and I was bewildered by the fact that ALL the supermarkets were open and fully stocked on Christmas Eve, the shops were open on Christmas day, we managed to go to Paul and have a lazy brunch and stuffed ourselves silly with pain au chocolats and croissants, we went SHOPPING for my little sister's birthday present. That's a bi-annual pilgrimage feat for Mr Mo, for which I was very chuffed about.

We had long chats and discussions about life and the future, all of which is somewhat unknown, but we're riding on a positive note, and for that, I am very thankful for.

In the meantime, I'm back at work this week before I go on a little holiday next week with Mr Mo and his mother.  And here's what I do on a daily basis (yawn!):

I hope you've all had a blessed Christmas, and may you have a wonderful New Year!

A little hiatus

We are taking a short break from this polished sky scraper city, to a rustic less polished but to the equally (if not more) chaotic city of motorbikes! See ya in abit!

Burn out

Spending too many hours thinking about work, contemplating, prioritising, worrying. This results in sleepless nights, stressed days and lackadaisical enthusiasm in all things tasty. Need a short break soon and to turn off that work phone!

This thing about insurance

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I received a telephone call earlier today which left me troubled. DBS rang me, to promote a cash benefit. In essence, insurance cover that is 'over and above' your regular health  / medical insurance. She rattled on with payments per day that is to be a 'cash benefit' of $150 per day in the event one is hospitalised, or $300 per day in the event one is hospitalised overseas. She goes on to say that as women, we are prone to breast cancers, kidney failures, ovarian cancers etc etc. To be fair, she did say, oh we do not cover pre-existing conditions.

This is all and fine, and I do not care for marketing speech. The product she was marketing befuddled me. It sounded like PPI  to me, up to a period of 60 days. Hospitalisation and compensation for 60 days, fair enough. Cancer and compensation for 60 days? I was confused.

So I asked her, can you please send me some brochures or paperwork -- I am keen to have a look a this but would like to know what exactly you are selling.

Her response: 'this is a telephone only exclusive promotional product'.

The audacity of it all, to sell an insurance product without any basic framework brochure or website to show for. Clearly, there will be a policy for the individual to sign at the end of the day, but insurance itself is a fairly convoluted and fuzzy matrix of inclusions (or more rightly, exclusions).  The UK insurance industry has been confronted with a plethora of class actions for the misselling of PPIS in the last few years, some going back almost 20 years (and still in the midst of dispute resolution). Surely, there needs to be some limit on allowing a bank like this to use an offshore call centre to cold sell insurance in Singapore?

Ludicrous.

Caveat: I may have completely misunderstood this situation, and there may well be proper processes in place to protect the layman consumer. I do not appreciate such cold calls being made to me, telling me that they do not have anything in writing to set out even in very basic terms the policy they are selling!

Last week

London - Angel, Elia Street and Belsize Park, Haverstock Hill

A whirlwind work trip took me back to my old city for a short but fulfilling weekend. Meeting up with old friends at our old local, the Charles Lamb Pub, having some dirty burger grub at Hache@Camden, crazy Saturday night bowling at the All Stars on the grubby streets of Brick Lane to celebrate Xiansta's 30th, a rainy queue in Soho for a cosy evening in Koya, coffee+ice cream at my favourite Gelup, and an old repeated visit to the Pain Quotidien to see pipi, and off on that old channel train, the eurostar. Very much like the old weekends, it didn't feel too long ago.

Paris - District 15

Then it was off to Paris for a week of work. Autumn is a lot warmer on the Continent, and alot crisper. I stayed in a hotel with the smallest lift in the world, walked each morning along tree lined streets of the Parisian sub-urbs to work.

You see, all big cities have this same look about them. Paris included. On my last evening, my lovely colleaguse, though knowing that I have spent many a day in gay Paree, took me on a lovely scenic drive through some of the main monuments of Paris after having a traditional sud-ouest(ern) dinner next to the Palais Royale -  the Grand Palais, the Louvre and its eery glow, L'invalides, and of course the Madamoiselle Eiffel in all its sparkly glory. One can trawl a gazillion photos of these, but I leave you with a photo of 'daily life' in Paris.

this is me, bewildered by the smallest lift in the world.

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Good morning. I actually don't know who reads this space anymore, and I am sometimes tempted to move back to LJ [although the interface isn't very good, and it crashes all the time]. That said, I think I will start working on exporting some of my blog entries and streamlining it in one place, or two, simply because I'd like a backup, in case LJ disappears in to the big black www universe.

This week, I have been on a rather short fuse. The week started off with a difficult conversation with someone in my extended family. She asked many questions about my father and his condition. Many of these phrases were pepperd with the word 'Why?' Why did this happen? Why didn't you do this? Why do you do that? Why? Many questions out of love no less, but nonetheless so immensely difficult to answer. Workwise, it has been hectic, very challenging. And I hope that i am mentally able to separate my work day, from my personal life in the evenings. It is sometimes so easy to slip into that blurred line, and often for that, Mr Mo has to bear the brunt.

It is almost the end of the week, and the month has flown by. I have now officially completed my first month in the new company (M+1J!) and am happy to report that I am swimmingly busy, and becoming a real juggling act! The days fly by, as I potter about on my computer, speeding to be out of the office at a reasonable time, be it to be home for dinner with my parents, to be on time for that yoga class once a week, to make that one weekly dinner date with Mr Mo .... to sometimes make a day to see friends. After all that flurry of activity, I return home to my couch to flip on my computer. And continue to plod on for some time. That said, life is good, every day is a challenge, and it's just what i need to get those old lazy bones moving.

There is too much in life to be bogged down with, and too much to dwell on, with little or no positive result. What we can do, is roll with the punches, look forward, keep calm and carry on :)

October

*Penjor in Bali 2012*

Giving thanks

Where did the month go? One day we were frolicking about the sun and sand in Bali, and the next day we are back in the grind of things.

So I've started a new job at a new organisation. People are really lovely here. The industry is not particularly 'popular', there seems to be some stigma. My boss tells me 'it's very difficult to get Singaporeans in this industry. Apparently nobody wants to work in travel.' Should I then have negotiated a better package? I jest.

Someone asked me why I didn't want to fight on to stay in PE, as I already had something there.
I am not sure really. Maybe it isn't for me, on one hand I wanted very much to stay on, but on the other hand, I wasn't so sure.

Anyway, after many topsy turvys, I am where I am now, and I think (and hope!) I could be happy here. Sure, not everyone from senior management is a CFA or an MBA or a ABCDERFG, but here there are people smart in the way of life, very diverse in culture, genuine, and really hardworking. Real people. This environment is challenging, but nice. Plus, i get to polish up contract negotiation skills. It's not easy, but there's never a dull day in the office.

On this path and year of change, there are a few things that I have learnt about myself in the last 6 months.

1. Chase not, what everyone else is chasing. It might not always be for you.

2. You are your own person. I am thankful of the doors that have been open to me in the last year, through the grace of God and of friends, and it has allowed me to choose. Everyone has a different opinion on things, but at the end of the day, the path is yours and yours only to walk. So fight for what you want. Nobody else has to live with a  decision you make, only you do.

3. I always said that I wanted to veer away away from private practice type environments as I have never really enjoyed it. Now I am presented with a scenerio which (in my mind some months ago) was an almost perfect role for me. Yet, I am daunted by the expectations of leadership and mentoring, I am aware alot is expected for me. Can I live up to it? My mind goes back to a time when I was 5 and nervously fretting about my first piano exam. I was running a fever and was afraid to fail. I asked my dad 'what if i fail?'. and he says 'if you do, you try again. but you won't fail.' I didn't. He always had that faith in me. At each stage of my life, everytime I questioned myself, dad always repeated this story to me. Sure, sometimes it didn't always  work, I did fail from time to time. I guess, it is not so much about success or failure, it is about having faith in yourself to try, and to do the right thing.

4. Learning to be patient. Very often my friends tell me that I have a very good temparament, but it is often not good enough. Every day, and each time we see my parents, I am torn by both their predicaments. On the occassion, I have been pushed to the limit. But I constantly remind myself - Love is patient and Love is kind. Support, is the one and only best thing I can offer to my mom.

5. Be thankful. Always.

Last week

So week one of unemployment was spent in Bali a land of sun sea and beautiful underwater life. So sad to be leaving tomorrow but all good things have to come to an end. Updates soon, but for now, we are going to enjoy waves lapping onto the shore the salty sea breeze and the last awesome sunset.

Q3 round ups

Officially Q4

Last Wednesday was our 6 month anniversary back in Singapore. As the cliche goes, time flies! We are now set up in a little apartment near my parents, have rekindled old friendships, and forged some awesome new ones. For so many reasons and more, I am thankful. 

This week was a week of many changes.

:: I finished my 6 month contract in a PE firm and for once in my life, I thoroughly enjoyed my work. I had super understanding boss, lovely colleagues who will no doubt become long time friends, interesting work, and a good work life balance. Why did it end? We got acquired some months back and my job is likely to be moved to the Middle East. It was a tough decision as to whether or not I should have stayed on for 6 more months and 'see how', but I knew things were about to change by the end of 2012. I have good memories of this place, and I hope to keep it that way.

:: During my 6 months stint, I also busied myself with looking for a more permanent job, and hesitated between staying some time more in the financial services, or moving onto a more operational role. During this time I have been very blessed with a few options (all very different) on the table. For 18 months when I was desperate to get out of my old job in London - the phonecalls for interviews were few and far between, and the results, almost always disappointing. There were several twists and turns to getting to the next stage, and I have had to deal with some sticky situations (no less all caused by me), but I have been blessed with a supportive family, group of friends, and fairly understanding and kind 'adverseries'. For this I am very thankful.

:: On to the new role, the organisation is not one that is very well known on the high street, and whilst I will be doing all things (i.e. saigang!) involving APAC and the role is highly operational, it is a step towards being closer to a management team so the stategy aspect called very much to me. The other big plus, is that the global team in which I will report into is based in a country where Mr Mo is from. I don't know if doors will be open for us there in the future, but i guess it is a start.

:: This whole 6 months was a period of self-discovery, learning how to make choices, deciding what I wanted, and assessing how much of a risk taker I am (not very much it seems).  With three of the four options imperfect, I had to take the best decision with the information I had to hand. What I have come to learn that when so much thought and consideration has gone into the process, there can be no wrong decision, just a life choice that one makes. What happens there on is that you just bite the bullet and move on. Recently,  I re-read an old motivational classic 'Who moved my cheese?' The additional twist to that 'movement of cheese' is also the type of cheese available at the different cheese stations. Try, like it or hate it, then decide if you will stay or go in search of new cheese. Easier said than done? The most difficult part is breaking through that mental block -- actually 'deciding' to 'decide'.

:: My little sister graduated from university - the last of us 3. She's been stellar in supporting the family, and i am thankful that we have become much closer these days despite our age difference, and our bonds are strong. A lady at the photography studio said to me last week 'i'm so envious, your sisters and your mom all of you are so close, like old friends. It is so unusual to see such a tight knit family these days'. I smiled a little, my mom had a big smile when I told her that. 

:: Lastly, I also celebrated my birthday in Singapore for the first time in half a decade. I am thankful for family, friends and my loved one who have been so thoughtful to remember, taking time out to have dinner and cake, so many wishes on facebook (though more a function of the fact that timeline re-set my privacy settings more than anything) and messages from old friends asking how life is. I have no lack of any needs or material wants, no need for birthday gifts, just a thought and a gesture, is more than I could ever ask for. My most thoughtful present this year, is my dad singing me a birthday song with a big smile on his face. People who are close to me know that I am grappling with a challenging situation at home with my dad's condition. Words and smiles from him, is more than anything I can ask for.

Now onto the last quarter, may the next few months be full of adventure, joy, and good things to come. I look forward to discovering 'new cheeses' but for now, it's hello Bali for a full week!

xx

60

So my dad turned 60 on Saturday.

60. a mile stone age, an age where in an ideal world, you would be looking forward to retirement, looking forward to spending time with your wife given all those years that you devoted unconditionally to your three children, looking forward to going to pool to get that 'fit' body you challenged your brother to, looking forward to enjoying the rest of the days doing what you truly love.

Life, it comes in stages. And today, both of you should deserve to have so much. You deserve to pass each day and week together, seeing the world, enjoying a coffee, taking long walks, spending time in the home you both worked all your lives to build. And I hope you do.

But Life, it brings about some surprises, some lovely, others painful. And the one of losing a person you love right slowly before you, is one so very difficult to manage.

All things can and will happen with the passage of time, but there is always the question,

"why me?"

"why now?"

Night comes early for some, but for now, we have a long sunset.

I don't know what 61 will be like, or if there will be a 61, and even if I am reluctant to think about the future (we all know what a sunset looks like..it disappears to darkness),  I still do wonder,

"when."

For now, your smile and often gentle demeanour is a spectacular sight to behold, and a lovely warm place to be in. It is like a gorgeous golden orange sun which glows happily. But like all sunsets, this too will set, and forever, and memories may only be as long as today.

This moment is to be cherished.

light bites

After a week of travelling and too many restaurants and an overindulgence in meat, I was really happy to come home to my own kitchen and to have something really light and easy on the system. 10 minutes at the supermarket for fresh veges then i got down to the task of dicing up tomatoes, cucumbers, spring onions and mint for the couscous salad whilst waiting for the yellow courgettes to roast in the oven. Oddly therapeutic and such a simple evening -- going to the kitchen always feels like a re calibration of life.

A dream

(via)

Wishing, and hoping.

Building the last 7 years upon a wish and a dream, there MIGHT be an opportunity on the table which can help things work into place for us, not in the short term (we already have a plan in place for that), but mid to long term. I had almost given up, taking it day by the day but the missing jigsaw, missing for the last half a decade, could become a real possibility. A chance. Something we've been searching for the last 5 years, and it might just be here, by another road, half a decade later, through another window. After all the doors that have shut on us over the years....oh can you feel my excitement about the possibility! It feels like, the last 8 years, I've weaved in and out of a path much less travelled, and I always wondered where I would end up, did i make bad choices? Should I have followed the crowd? Was I wrong in fighting for a dream?

Do you believe that if you wished hard enough, dreams do come true?

a little holiday

In two days, I visit my other life and family.

There will be a wedding in the sunset, a frolick in the countryside, a trapeze across the channel to visit my old friend, (and catch the Olympic torch relay), a quiet soiree in the city of the kings, a day with mademoiselle Paris, and I hope to be back refreshed and rejuvenated!

Xxoo

A week's round up

In the midst of late work days, traveling, various sports , parties and nights out with friends / family, we finally took a night out just for us two. We visited the MBS vicinity for the first time, wandered up to Ku De Ta and had dinner at the very renowned but rather disappointing Daniel Bouloud. service was impeccable and the charcuterie lyonnaise and Madelines are worth a mention, but not that much else. Otherwise company was awesome, and the date night was very much overdue !

Quiet days

Thanks to a friend, I scored a really lovely find from Ribbons & Roses. It perked up a rather quiet week. I have to keep praying, and hope for some good news soon.

announcement

hi

it would appear that my blogspot has been hacked... twice. I've tried to fix it the last time by changing my password but it doesn't seem to work. Does anyone know how to get rid of these random websites appearing??

please bear with me while i try to find a solution online and fix it.. !!

A public holiday and Beef Bourguinon

So in addition to a vesak day day-off, I was also homebound yesterday due to a frightful eye allergy (an annual one it seems). I attributed last year’s allergy to a hay fever, not sure what I can call it now when I am back in Singapore. On a separate note, if anyone knows where I can get my hands on some preservative free contact lens solution, my eyes will be eternally grateful!

So, home bound, rained in, stash in the fridge. What do I do? Cleared out the freezer, tipped out the drawer of vegetables, examined the mountain of onions we had in the basket, spied half a bottle of red wine in the fridge. A trip to the market for some chuck beef and three hours later  -- a really rich and sterling looking beef bourguinon.  I was happy. Mr Mo was happy. Now we have a pot of it left, and you are all welcome to it! Minimum utensils, one pot, one chopping board, one bowl.

This feeds four people

-          600 g stewing beef cubes

-          3 carrots

-          2 yellow onions and 1 red onion

-          4 cloves of garlic

-          About 10 brown mushrooms

-          4 rashers of back / streaky bacon

-          400 ml red wine

-          50 ml water

-          2 beef stock cubes

-          2 bay leaves

-          1 Bouquet Garni / 1.5 tablespoons Herbes de Provence, failing which, I used mixed herbs which turned out pretty well

-          Sprig of fresh rosemary

-          Black pepper

Pre-heat oven at 160 degrees.

Sweat Bacon pieces in a ribbon of olive oil (1/2 tablespoon) a high sided casserole pot over medium heat till brown, set aside.

Turn up heat on pot, toss beef pieces in plain flour till well coated, and slide them into casserole pot (with bacon fat) and sear till brown (not burning!) on all sides. Remove from pot. By now, the bottom of your pot would have lots of brown bits sticking to it but fret not.

Drop in onions, garlic and carrots (roughly chopped) and drizzle a little more olive oil (1 tablespoon) if your pan is already dry. Turn down heat and let veges sweat for 8-10 minutes.

Tip in beef and bacon, and stir about for 2-3 minutes. Scatter herbs into the pot. If you are using the bouquet garni, hang on to it for now.

Glug wine into the pot and bring heat down to gentle simmer. Dissolve the stock cubes into the water and add to the pot. Now, herbs go in – bouquet garni, bay leaves and rosemary. Give it a stir and shut the lid.

Place pot in the oven (please make sure your pot is oven proof!) and leave to cook for 3 hours. I had to run some errands, so I cooked it for 1.5 hrs, shut off the oven, came home and turned the oven back on for another 2 hrs while I busied myself making some mashed potatoes to go with.

15 minutes before the oven goes off, slice mushroom into slivers, and brown them in some melted butter over medium heat. This means, toss a tablespoon of butter into a frying pan, and let it sizzle, tip mushrooms in and toss them for about 5 minutes. Add that to your casserole pot.

By now, the stew would have turned a rich deep brown colour. Season with black pepper, and top with another sprig of rosemary to freshen its look.

Plate and serve with semoule, mashed potatoes, or sourdough bread.

Note: There are many types of dutch ovens, and I find the le creuset and staubbs retain liquid and heat insanely well. Corning ware works well as well, I am told.

Bon appetit!                                                 

A birthday gift for Mr Mo

An afternoon touching eagle rays, waving at passer bys, 'posing' for photos, watching moray eels and tickling little sharks!

This afternoon comes with many thanks to Sheabutter from LJ for blogging about her experience diving with the sharks. The sharks weren't quite so much fun, but we had ball of a time getting up close and personal with all the other fish!

Hmm

18 January 2012

A photo, taken the morning I handed our keys back to the landlord for our little flat in Robert's Court. I decided to take the Boris bike to work that day, a last for a while. Just before I picked up my bike from the docking station, I stood for a while in the morning sun pondering this serene setting before me. A path I pass everyday, capturing endless photographs, and people ask me why I keep taking photos of the same scene.

"It looks different everyday" I tell them.

It's hard to imagine! i know.

 

if you look closely, it is same same but different. In winter, when the canal ices over. In spring, when the reeds heave in pink and marigold yellow hues. In summer, where people huddle over buckets of beers and smiling people wave hello from their boats with the smell of a summer barbeque in the breeze. In autumn, where happy feet crunch on red and golden leaves.

 At that moment, I felt like I didn't want to leave. Tellement, un coup de coeur ma 'petite' ville.

Hi London , I miss you lots today.

Saturday night

This is what happens when mr mo is left at home for the evening. I'm clearly not complaining! :)

We are in business!

Almost 4 weeks after moving in, I am happy to say that the flat is finally coming together.After weeks of trying to find some space 'awkwardly' in the flat, we can now co-exist in the same room. four full weeks of furniture hunting of some sorts, we've finally managed to put the place together within budget. we've still got bits and pieces in the background that we need to put up, but we're almost there!

The muji beanbag which is a lovely gift from my ex-housemate, is thereabouts the most used piece of furniture in the living room.  We absolutely adore it - thank you so much!

Now we will shortly be moving on to phase 2 - the terrace. That in itself is a piece of work, it's difficult to find furniture to survive the tropical humidity / rain / shine. We've concluded that it is unlikely that our next place will have a terrace like this, so we'll go for something with a good price-quality ratio - hopefully it wouldn't fall apart on us within the first 6 months!

What we got up to this weekend
:: picked up my passport at the ICA - this place is a well-oiled smooth operating machine!
:: waited for the handy man (for a leak), for furniture delivery, for repair man (for the terrace), found an oven (finally) + barbeque pit. Balked at the grocery bill. Supermarkets are frightfully expensive in this country.
:: saw my grand ma who seems to have had a bit of trouble registering the fact that i'm back.
:: came home to a lovely pizza which we shared on the terrace, with some cheese and bread , until we were invaded by a colony of ants. Ants aside, it was a quiet, cloudless evening, with a few stars peppered in the sky, the city's midnight skyline in the distance, a gentle breeze after the evening rain, it was a lovely way to end Saturday.
:: i finally brought my print down to Merlin Gallery at the recommendation of friends to get the repair works assessed.
:: we were having my parents over for dinner, so it was another round to the grocery store for yet another frightful round of shopping.
:: we spent an hour or so in the sun at east coast park, and came back for a swim in the pool.
:: frantic rush to rustle up in the kitchen to prep for our guests.

My parents, they had proud little smiles on their faces - I guess they are finally happy and comfortable with the fact that i've 'grown up'. Oddly enough, although the work's situation is still uncertain, dad's condition is somewhat difficult, I have to say, this is the best place i've been in for a long while.

Stormy mornings

Can you hear the thunder and the pitter patter of fat raindrops charging at your window ? I love a great tropical thunderstorm. Time to kick off my shoes, make a cup of tea, relish in the view from my window, then crawl into bed and fall straight back to sleep!!!

Not! I've got to trot across the city for a meeting at 1pm - lets hope the shower eases a little by noon. Till then I have a steaming mug of tea perched precariously atop a stack of documents to be tackled today.

Over and out!

Iceland

A year ago today, I was preparing for one of the biggest trips of my life. Biggest to me because for the last 10 years, I  have been wanting to visit Iceland. And visit we did. Icehiking, swimming in the blue lagoon, feeding the seals, ice-climbing, and having the best company in the world. Despite the rainy weather, it was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Something surreal about it, nature at its best, landscapes untouched, stunning structures, tranquility all around.

Jokulsarlon, blue, like magic

Stunning natural beauty

Mother nature works her best in a waterfall

The wrath of Eyjafjallajokull on the largest glacier in Iceland

The strokkur geyser, a naturally explosive hotspring.

My magical land above the faraway tree, I will be back for the Northern Lights.

Oddity

I have now been back for a grand total of 43 days, and frankly it's felt abit more like 43 weeks! The job search goes on, I've got a fab boss at my contract stint which is really helping me ease back into life at home, family has been über supportive and kind, friends have welcomed me home with more than open arms. Mr Mo could not have been more stellar in settling back in here with me. We found a lovely little flat - with a great view of the city. For that and loads more, I am thankful.


I still feel abit out of place here though, too much has changed in the last 6 years, and I am discovering a somewhat new to me city. It's an interesting adventure that I look forward to each day.

That said, some things don't really change, and sometimes I feel like a little odd shaped egg walking on the street. The odd shaped egg that wonders what it'd be like if I started talking to the stranger next to me on the train, the odd shaped egg who wonders whether my neighbour will look me in the eye and smile back at me on the bus when I wave hi, the odd shaped egg who wishes that people would be kind enough not to stare at us when we walk on the street, the odd shaped egg who wishes that others would understand that it's ok to live life, love work, and not want to chase after that next promotion. The odd shaped egg who is happy without these little (sometimes loud!) voices telling me what I 'should' be doing. Although, in my own little way, I know life will be much much better once I have some certainty and permanence in my job. But anyway, for now, and the next 4 months at least, life is good.

Us in Barcelona on my 30th.

Missing a little bit of les frogs

Les Printemps aux chateaux, les fleurs , le nouveau, l'esprit, pour vivre, un coup du cœur, l'amour.

Feeling just a bit more at home.

Peaceful

Sometimes in life when you feel like a mountain is too high to climb, God gives you a little nudge along the way, and you know and have hope that everything's going to be ok.

Twilight

Some days, one spots that little window of twilight. It flips by so quickly in this part of the world, people barely notice it. Life, in the like has many moments like these. And all I can think about these days, is how glad I am to be back to savour these moments, however long they may be with my loved ones.

A valentines day with the lovely girls of Clapham

How?

Looking at Dran always makes me smile. These few days are difficult ones, good trouble, as some might say. So I have just started a contract job for 6 month at a firm in the city, the people are lovely, but this position is likely to be for a fixed term. Who knows.

In January, when I took a short preparatory trip  back, I also met with a APAC MNC for a permanent position, and they have now offered me the role. Good trouble I say, as I don't know whether I should take it. On one hand, it is a decent and stable organisation, the boss I will work for seems insanely nice, one of my exclassmates who is a really lovely girl has been with them for a while (though based overseas), package is ok-ish. What's the problem right?

For a start, they were late, both times we met. 45 minutes late each time. The first time, I thought, fine, they are really busy. But the second time?? That's really poor planning from whoever who planned the guy's diary! Either that, or they just don't really care about frittering away the time of others. We had difficulty arranging the second meeting because they had really inflexible timing. After much hassle, we agreed on a time which was not great for me because that required quite abit of rescheduling of the day (appointments were not for pleasure!!!) and at the end of it all, they were 45 mins late from the time they insisted I turned up!

The other thing that got my goat was that I was really grilled on my personal life - my family and personal circumstances which I felt were really invasive - and is, to me somewhat an unfair representation of what i can or cannot do professionally. What bearing does my father's occupation have, on my application?? Why does it matter to you how old my sister is?

And they rang me. 5 times in a span of 15 minutes. By the third missed call, I would have thought it would have been clear that I could not come to the phone.10 points for persistance. I can't decide if this is a plus point or a minus.

Lastly, and this is purely a secondary and not a really a puncture point but the receptionists - (all 4 of them, but 2 at each time) were incredulously impolite and dismissive. Yes incredulously - because clearly they were smiley and beaming when they thought I walked in as a client, and when I said I was there to see HR, one of them simply jabbed her finger pointing at her colleague and barked 'Ask her.' Both of them promptly went on to ignore me. That, as an intial impression really threw me off. With the 45 minute wait, it got me really annoyed. The second time, the person i enquired with didn't even say a word, she just pointed at her colleague and glared at me so accusingly as though I'd murdered her cat.

People ask me 'what's your issue, you team will be nice right?' True, I won't be reporting to HR or the receptionists who are in dire need of some etiquette lessons, but I find it incredibly difficult to shake off my first impressions.

So my question is, do first impressions count for that much? Should I then let this opportunity pass me by?

Strange odds

What are the odds that my wee sister gets this permutation on her scrabble game on the 7th day of my arrival??? Nearly naught!!!

The truth about vegetables

7 days into our new life, we're still trying desperately to bat off jet lag, and acclimatize to the weather. The walk, however short, to the office, is a sweltering one. Heat. It really wraps around you like a blanket the minute you step into the open air.

Food. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss the food in London, very much. The food here, quick, excellent, readily available, cheap - but how is it that we can walk into a mall that has more eateries than all the rest of the shops combined together, comb the building and walk out, lamenting that 'there is nothing to eat!'  We morosely chewed on chicken rice from across the road (as good, and fat as it was) and nodded in agreement that we needed our kitchen really soon.

Earthy roots and bulbs ...

Colours of nature...

Maltby street - how i've missed you!!!

I hadn't realised what it was that was missing from my diet but at the team lunch today, my eyes turned their attention to a list that is otherwise ALWAYS disregarded - the salad. Trying not to be poncy, my mind tried to say 'burger and chips, burger and chips' but my moment of joy came as I chomped happily on my raw greens and blue cheese. Did I think I'd find so much satisfaction in a plate of leaves? I never thought I'd live to see this day.

PS: The Bank, please stop marinating your avocados in whatever you are steeping them in, it tastes awful.

-::-

A trip to the wet market is on the cards very soon. And although this photo was taken in the Barcelona market in Summer of 2011, I reminisce little of this market other than the abundance of jamon and cheese. As for Fruit - the tropics kicks backside, lah.

29.02.2012 - the day everything changed

As many of would know, life has been abit of a whirlwind since the beginning of 2012. 2012, a remarkable year thus far, with an abundance of events and anecdotes in life (both large and small), to be very thankful for.

After struggling to manage a long distance relationship for 6 long years, commuting first 10,000km twice a year, then 500km once a month for the last 5 years, I am happy to announce that we are finally pressing the pause button on this commute. This also means that we have had to make a move from cities that we both love, to begin, what I hope will be a new life together.

So just before I get too comfortable in my new passenger's seat, I decided to dig up some fond memories of farewells and endearing moments of this place that's helped me grow up, and of the city I've grown to love.

The final 7 days

Ba Shan in Soho - just about my favourite place for Chinese, when I arrived for my 'last supper', the serving lady asked me for the first time if  I had been to Ba Shan before. I laughed and joked with her about how i've been frequenting the joint for the last few years but I'm being asked this question ironically, on my last night in London. There is never a dull moment in this place.

And if anyone can tell me why the flags and banners with slogans from Maos have arabic inscriptions and what they say, your next dinner at Ba Shan is on me.

"C" for Coven and City Caphe

A 24 hour trip to Haarlam to witness a beautiful ceremony in a glasshouse by the lake.

Two failed attempts on a work day, but finally, a little peak into the eccentric Lucien Freud at the National Portrait Gallery.

The Big Easter Egg Hunt in Covent Garden this year, happily toppling over outside Kate Spade.

The beautiful Osseau region of the Pyrenees - of Osseau Iraty fame (to me at least).

Gourette - Skiing and beautiful huskies snoozing about after a morning of dog sledding duties.