Weekend delights

A weekend's gratification lies therein spending time with family and friends =)
Indeed, this wkend has been the best thus far this year. Starting with knocking off early on a Friday night (730pm's considered early!) and meeting the hubs for comedy flick. Typical high school bully kindof plot, but strangely it tickled our laughing bones.

Saturday was just as good. Despite the rain, it was certainly a welcoming respite from the blazing heat. Enjoyed a heart-warming evening with the hubs over a homecooked meal. The hubs, a morton's wannabe, whipped up a mean steak, which he claimed to be just as good as the exorbitant steak he had, just last month.



I'm quite fine living vicariously through you......

Sunday
The hubs went golfing with cousins, leaving me in a .........EUPHORIC mood! Not that I do not enjoy your company my dear, on the contrary, I yearn for more, but you aren't that accommodating when it comes to SHOPPING! Something I badly need. I've been curbing an addiction for months -- Going to the shopping malls. The withdrawal symptoms were severe and I was hallucinating. Thus i had a great time with H scowling the streets of Haji Lane

Haji lane still retains it's unique look. With grafitti sprawling all over the walls and each individual shop tastefully decorated. Inspiration for me to re-deco my place! But hmm, that can wait.

Took a break and chilled at The Ice-Cream man which accordin to H, was featured in Business Times. Over-rated. Ice-cream wasn't good at all. Apart from all the "safe" flavours like Bandung, Chocolate and Mint Choco, all the rest were a disappointing failure. Harsh I may be, sorry, it's for your own good. They were obviously experimenting with flavours at the customer's cost. Quality control and market survey is probably what's lacking. Like in the case of H's Lychee sorbet, she commented that it tasted more like sour plum! hmm..n for my Strawberry & Banana Tofu, I seriously can't taste any Strawberries in it. Prolly another Udder-wannabe which is riding on the wave of homemade ice-cream but the gap is apparent. Doesn't exactly come cheap too. A double scoop set me off by $4.50 and if i opt for their premium flavours like Squid Ink (which was really an acquired taste...i mean imagine, using pasta squid ink on ice cream? errrrm..need I say more?), it would have cost me $6.50! Place was also painfully small.




The progress and repercussion of age is clearly visible. After an hour more of shopping, our feet were killing us thus it was time for TEA @ Fikka.



Headed for Orchard as we wanted to check out Avana Loft which has the most gorgeous gowns but I can't seem to convince myself that there's an occasion for me to dress to my nines and splurge on those numbers. Thereafter, we checked out the highly raved -- Marmalade Pantry. In a food-fixated Singapore, it was actually pretty tough to decide where to dine. Saw Jean Danker and Glenn Ong sitting not too subtly in a corner. I didn't expect Jean to look so slim! She was wearing 4-inch heels and had a mean physique. Glenn on the other hand seemed to be carrying a paunch and the butt crevice was peeking out when he was sitting down. Hmmm. Unglam much. Anyway, back to Marmalade Pantry. The soup was not hot, pasta was so-so. Staff weren't very friendly. No smiles. Overall take on this place -- Not really worth visiting unless you are just there for a drink.


I absolutely adore this picture! The lighting is oh-so-perfect. Not wanting to spoil my mood, I headed off to the CD shop and grabbed myself some Thai and Acoustic music....ahhh...this is life. Presenting MY LOOTS for the day:



My new Bovine Leather Couch. LOVEzzzzzz!


Uninterrupted hour of solitude before the hub (who was trapped unproductively in traffic) came home. In a relaxed, highly euphoric mood (albeit the slight migraine) coz it's Sunday sans the Monday Blues.

"To stay stuck or to not stay stuck? That is the question. Inertia is in the eye of the beholder. What looks to you like paralysis looks perhaps to another like passion. What looks to you like a rut, others might say is commitment, true absorption in a topic, a relationship, a career, a pursuit, a place. What looks to you like boredom, others call commitment. And even contentment. "

Marital differences over designer bags

what's wrong with me? I'm just not in the mood to blog. Somehow, there are lots in the mind, but m painfully lazy to pen them down. Immobilized, paralyzed, hypnotized? Maybe after the Os and the forthcoming trip, I'd be better? Or maybe not? The list of things on my plate seems endless. I need some ME time to reflect. Solitude is the only empowerment I could give myself. Exhaustion just hits you and it's been a long drawn week. It's just been an endless fight against wave after wave of fatigue. I really need something to look forward to, just to endeavor to the end.

There was indeed something I was looking fwd. Wanted to a B bag and told the hub. Wanted him to share the joy and give some opinion (or perhaps even sponsor? YA RITE!) But the earth-shattering discovery came -- he disapproved of my $XXXX wishlist. Not a surprise. What really put me off was that he did not even bother to look. He merely said no. Why do I even bother asking him? To begin with, it's my moolah! Secondly, he was the one enjoying his time in Taiwan and Australia, so what's with being more open-minded on this matter? I wasn't even adamant on the purchase. I know it's not reasonable and pragmatic. Prolly I can deceive myself into thinking it's a good investment. In terms of cost, it may be a few thousands, but the benefit == happiness, surely that's priceless! Marital differences. But come on, every girl has their wish! I can't even remember when was the last time I pampered myself. Really wish for more in this department. I hate to admit it, but there is really no compelling reason to buy such a pricey bag, except an inexplicable conviction that I deserve it and it will make me happy. I've been battling with this conflicting impulse the entire wk and the angst is going up a notch coz I can only online window shop! Am sooo in need of retail therapy, but with the end of the year coming, it equates to road taxes, property taxes, car installments, summons etc... all these amidst the lull period. I wouldn't be so worried if it weren't that he is golfing, goofing and enjoying whilst job hunting. Can't stop you from your rendezvous, but the financial standings ain't strong enough to justify. I guess that's the diff between men and women. Pardon the emotive onslaught of words bursting to spew coz it's the end of the year and the way things are going, it's screwing up the neuronal cells.

At this juncture, I've just made a date with retail therapy! Gonna shop (even if it means window shop) and chill out with gf this Sunday! Woohoo!

Mulberry Alexa vs Proenza Schouler

Jimmy Chooooo's Candy Acrylic Clutch! Delicious!

Prada knitted clutches

I tend to gravitate towards black and grey so bright bags in my closet certainly would serve as an essential role in making sure I don't look like I'm constantly headed to a funeral! Bottega Veneta *Swoon*

Ahhh I want them all!!

Alexander McQueen..hmmm a little too vogue for my lappy?

Assurance. Love. Hugs. Kisses. The science of the soul is worth exploring.

Happy 4th Anniversary

I wanted to entitle the post "Woe-is-gone?" as a continuation from the post before, but thought with the above title, it'd be easier to search in future when I feel am hit by nostalgia and feel like reminiscing. But don't worry, this is not entirely a soliloquy on love.

Much has happened since you were back. An influx of emotions welled up in me due to your insensitivity which constantly render me helpless. It certainly didn't help with that message from a certain someone albeit "by mistake". You have turned me into a paranoid monster, constantly speculating about possible future harms and catastrophic effects which confined me into a mentality of victimhood, resulting in social and relationship paralysis. This irrational fear always creeps in for some strange reason. It's not easy to rekindle such intense love and reading teenage blog posts on puppy love sends a strange tingle down my spine. I want that sensation once more. Like bubbles in soda water! A relationship requires time, effort and reciprocity. Expectations in a relationship are usually implicit, subtle and unsaid, and as a result prone to neglect.

However, I've straightened my thoughts, at least for now. With newfound courage and determination, I'm trying to silence my nagging doubts. Life is filled with positive and negative moments. Good times don't come easy and I believe one must go looking for good times. I revel my good moments and try to stretch them as much as I can. We all have an invisible bucket which can be filled or emptied depending on what others do or say to us. Making strangers feel good is chicken feat compared to making those we love feel good. Seems that the people we love are the ones who try us the most. But that as it may, working towards a positive home environment must be the number one priority in our lives. John Gottman's research on marriage suggests that a magic ratio of 5 : 1 in terms of the balance of positive to negative interactions is crucial for a successful marriage. Without a doubt, we all love positive moments. We all suffer from negativity bias, that is, we react to the bad more strongly and persistently than to the comparable good. Research shows one consequence of negativity bias is that when people's thoughts wander, they tend to begin to brood. Anxious or angry thoughts capture our attention more effectively than happier thoughts. Perhaps my mind's a wanderer, which explains the constant negative status updates on FB -- which is amazing as my plate is amazingly full! (I'm at Session 3 of my course right now and have just printed a stack of notes to plough through. Thankfully, the exam season is coming to an end)

Read this off somewhere: When u are feeling overwhelmed (U bet I am!), schedule a breather for yourself (hmmm when??). You'll equip yourself to deal more effectively with tough situations. Give yourself a proper vacation. Sit down and enjoy what you are doing! You bet I will! Can't wait for the forthcoming trip to Phuket! Air tix and a gorgeous ocean view suite with in-room jacuzzi has been booked! Everything looks set to let the bucket overflow.

On a happier note, to mark our anniversary on 14th October 2010, the following were done to fill my bucket:


Massage, Feet Soak, Mud Wrap and ear candling for TWO! The whole works @ Aramsa, the Garden Spa. Nice sanctuary though customer service could be improved on. At least put on a smile! The massage did not start on time, but ended 5 minutes earlier (they thought we weren't counting). However, as I lounged myself in their relaxation room, sipping the lemongrass/ ginger tea and nibbling on some oatmeal sesame biscuit, everything seemed to be insignificant.
Package amounted to $396 before taxes.

Dinner was @ the highly rated Morton's of Chicago. Sweetie was in the MOOD and wanted to splurge thus Morton's it was. Tried making a reservation but was told that earliest seating was at 915pm due to overwhelming business that night. Mind you, it was a weekday!


Service excellent! Knowing that it was my anniversary (they asked, thus I told!), they printed a menu specially for us with the words "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY". N they were ours to keep!


The whole place was bustling with activities. Several groups of executives packed the room. We were oblivious to their presence and engaged in our lovey dovey talks (if any), but were half the time shouting at the top of our voices.



For starters: Pacific Oysters on the Half Shell for HIM and Lobster Bisque for ME. Have this insane passion for lobster bisque and was high on expectations, however, the bisque at Morton's is a tad too creamy for my liking. lacks flavour from the sea. Oysters however were fresh!


Mains: Filet Mignon, Bearnaise Sauce.
Sweetie desperately wanted to plunge his knife into the succulent piece of meat but I intercepted and managed to take a shot.


Definitely Medium rare! Done with perfection. Sweetie had no complaints that night. Usually he'd be grumbling incessantly about how overly done or bloody the meat is, but tonight, he was speechless and sinking his teeth in this delectable treat.
Broiled Salmon Filet, Chef's Sauce Beurre Blanc
Broiled doesnt sound too exciting initially, but taste it and you won't regret. It's slightly crispy at the bottom but probably because I'm having too much cream, I couldn't finish the huge piece of steak! GOSH! There goes part of the $52!


Sides -- Lyonnaise Potatoes were charged separately and thanks to our "talking menu" (yes, a waitress, who knew it was our first time, came forth to introduce the various cuts and chef recommendations on the menu. Her bubbliness was infectious and apart from that, she was armed with a trolley of beef steaks , alaskan king crab legs etc. Impressed)


As it was our anniversary, dessert was on the house! How sweet is that? Furthermore I didn't need to be a cheapskate this time and ask! We ordered their Hot lava Chocolate cake. A must-try! The warm chocolate is a perfect complement to the ice-cold vanilla by the side. Heavenly! Despite all the shit, cheers to a happy 4th and many more to come!

The staff at Morton's went on to impress me by taking shots of us and giving them to us as gifts! I was speechless and bowled over by their service standards. Well, good things don't come cheap, cheap things don't come good. The meal was the most exorbitant thus far. That day itself, we must have spent close to $1k! OMG! Shall be eating wanton noodles at East Coast Park Food Centre next year! haha


How can the night be done without a present from the hubs? Thank you darling! I hope the gifts get "upgraded" every year! :)


Baby, I know it's tough living with someone whom you deem is perpetually having PMS every month/ day. Thank you for putting up with all my nonsense. We have survived 12yrs without killing each other, thus chances are we're in a good place.

"You can't have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time."

"Keep the eyes wide open before marriage and half shut afterwards." - Benjamin Franklin