Hibernation not

Didn't realise that a wk had passed since my last entry. No, i'm not in hibernation mode. Wish I were, but rather, I've been up to my neck with requests as everyone's back from their hols. Sometimes I feel I'm at their beck-and-call. Been trying to make use of every morsel of time as we draw to a closure to 2009. I must say I did pretty good. To redeem myself for not being disciplined enough to write and read (*yawn*....can't seem to get that '3pgs and I'm asleep' bug out of me), here's some great snaps:

Met up with H and E for lunch at Verve Bar & Bistro nestled along Lock Road sometime back. E's going to Spain whilst school's starting for me, thus we'd better catch up! I recall being kindof stranded at that place once upon a time when I was made to deliver smth on behalf of the hotel i was working for. Sux big time. Chauffeured there in a limo but had to find my way back myself. It's pretty desserted and I had to walk out a long path b4 i hit the main road. It didn't help with the sun disappearing down the horizon and the skies turning purple.

So much for bad memories. They should be shelved or better yet incinerated! Food at Verve was pretty good. The crab linguini we had however tasted a little weird. Can't quite spell out what's wrong with it, but it's not really to my liking. The whole meal (Shared by the way)was a tat too heavy for lunch. Fortunately it was a day off for me! weeee..can't imagine having to work after such a sinful meal! Wanted to go DRX for facial. Had outstanding credit which I needed to utilise before a certain date, however, they claimed to be fully booked on a monday! ridiculous! To magnify the whole issue, the package I bought in 2006 was not supposed to have an expiry date. Was drawn to that condition thus I purchased albeit the cost and my usual principle of not purchasing packages. Wrote in to encash the remaining credit, but was rejected! GOSH! Am so not used to rejections!!! So, by hook or by crook, I have to go get my face washed by them!



Was so drawn to Lock Road that I brought sweetie to Villa Bali on a date. As if we haven't got enough of Bali. Well, it's true! Good things are never enough! Ambiance was really good and relaxing, but BEWARE OF MOZZIES! Loved the little huts they have, but it's a little inconvenient should u be wearing a skirt. To replicate our Bali trip, I ordered a Balinese platter. It's so much better than the authentic Balinese food we had in Bali lor!!! Perhaps they are being tweaked so as to cater to local palates. The sambal squid and prawns were however not warm. They had my favourite mini "mantou" aka buns to neutralise the spiciness. Kindof weird coz mantous are typically served with Chilli crab. Dessert was good. My favourite -- Mango Sticky Rice! Heavenly!

Met up with H again. Rather impromptu this time. Did some last minute Christmas shopping at Tampines One (my 2nd visit) and had dinner at Marche-like Japanese restaurant called Manpuku. Interesting concept. With several Japanese stalls under one roof, one is spoilt for choice. The decor's really cool too. Suggested to H that we should go Japan! We should seriously consider when my pocket gets a little deeper. Food was a little disappointing. not warm. Perhaps coz we didn't collect our food on time.



This wkend has got to be one of my most productive wkends. Woke up bright and early on Saturday (ok, not too bright actually) and lay out all the Xmas pressies for my kids. Spent almost 2hours wrapping! Unbelievable. Had leftover handmade (BY Yours truly) cards and decided to give each kid each. I can already see the delight plastered on their little faces. Saw the price tags on those cards and was pretty proud of my little achievement. I single-handedly (ok, sweetie did help a bit) cut out each card and sold them in stores! They don't come cheap, yet people gave me the recognition! felt really good considering that the project started less than 2 mths b4 Christmas. Typically, retailers start work 3-6mths in advance! reaped a small sum but didn't pursue in the following xmas as it was too labour intensive. Nevertheless, if anyone wants to buy/ consign, please contact me at janicewong27@gmail.com. I guarantee you will not find an exact design in the market. At least for now!

Mom 'forced' me to have dinner with her today, claiming that it's been a long while since we had dinner together. Well, i supposed she's jealous that i packed a good meal for dad the other day whilst she was out! haha....Nevertheless, I did feel a sense of obligation as an only child plus sweetie indeed hasn't been meeting expectations as a son-in-law who would visit at least once a mth. You'd be lucky if he pops by once every 6 mths! I don't blame him. Look at the mess (above pic). I don't understand how can anyone be so messy and untidy?! How can anyone live in such a pigsty?! I know I've ranted time and again, but the situation seems to be deteriorating each time I'm back. Just 2 wks ago I was there, painstakingly folding her clean laundry and placing it on the sofa (she doesn't like me to pack it into her cupboard. Claims that I'll mess things up...as if I can do any worse!). 2 wks later when I'm back, the clothes are still there, only messier! Why? She's treating it like a bloody walk in closet! Someone plssss tell me why is she like that? Each time i reproach her, she'd get all touchy and emo and tell me how hard she has to work day and night. That she has 101 housework to deal with. FYI, she doesn't cook! Have told her repeatedly that if it's that tough, stop the shop. It's not giving good income. In fact, I believe it's a breakeven or worse yet, a losing situation. However, she's as stuborn as a mule. Even Dad's complaining coz he has to pay for all the stock she buys!

A good meal to reward myself on a busy Sunday. Highly recommended! Two Chefs Eating Place at Commonwealth Crescent Blk 116. had a slight trouble looking for the place as Mom was buzzing out directions as if she knew the place damn well! Just because she spent her childhood across the street, she thinks she knows it by the back of her hand and thinks that after so many years, the place is still the same! URGH! Due to her incessant rantings and "trying-to-be-smart" buzzings, we missed a turn! I kept saying we should turn, but she said no no no, it's further up. As such, my voice was masked by hers and sweetie missed the turn. Only after that did she say " you should have turned there!"....We moved on and said there's probably another entrance. Indeed there was. Again, she had to say "see, i told u it's not there..i told u that you should enter by here!"..wah lau! SHUT UP!

On a totally different note, a far more palattable one, the Butter pork ribs are to die for! The golden mushroom beancurd's portion was pathetic! We basically had a piece each and that was it! The Mayonaise Prawn balls were an interesting delight. They topped it off with some pork floss. Soup of the day was herbal chicken soup which is only available on wkends. On normal occasions, Dad would not drink/ eat anything which has herbs. But, it's a clear soup without the strong herbal taste and dad kept coming back for more. However, the highlight had to be the Drunken cockles! Easy to make, yet everyone was giving the thumbs up! So much food for only $59! A note to take -- IT"S DAMN CROWDED!!!! but their turnover's pretty fast though! Within minutes of being seated, our first dish arrived! Impressed. Rating: 4.5/5