A Bo-Bo Gal in Paddington

Almost Like A Sydney Saturday

2012-01-22T23:28:00.007+08:00

It almost felt like Saturday brekkie in a Sydney cafe when I was at Toby's Estate this Saturday. Sitting at a bench with my flat white in the cool airconditioning, facing the river by Robertson Quay, I could almost imagine I am back in Sydney. The fact that the cafe and the alfresco dining area outside were full of caucasian faces is another factor which could lull someone into a mistaken reality.

I like the interior of the cafe with the exposed brickwork, high ceilings, industrial lighting and stainless steel pipes and funnels. The coffee however was better than the average Singaporean coffee standard which isn't saying very much. The choice of toast was either white bread (I think) and brioche. Hopefully they would offer Turkish bread or sourdough soon. And real jam instead of jelly, I know it would be asking too much to ask for Jam Lady's jams from Victoria so any real jam or compote would be better than jelly. But all things considered, it was a nice ambience to have Saturday breakfast and read a book in companionable silence.

Pre-Christmas In/Out Trip To Sydney

2011-12-30T23:33:00.006+08:00

So unexpectedly I was called away to my favourite business trip destination in the week leading up to Christmas, actually 5 days to Christmas actually. If it were anywhere else, I would have to be dragged up the aerobridge kicking and screaming. But seeing as it was Sydney, and I get to go during summer and see (some of) my mates, I acted like I were a long-suffering employee who still had to work so hard during the quiet festive period, packed my bag and hopped on business class on Singapore Airlines.

This trip I decided I would give the Amora hotel across from the office a miss seeing as Westin was offering very similar rates and was well-located at Martin Place. In fact it was in the same building as the General Post Office building and the old post boxes are still in use. How lovely.

The Christmas light-up in Sydney was unlike the Orchard Road light-up in Singapore. Theirs was a much more sophisticated affair, a wondrous display of light aesthetics, artfully projected on buildings like the Town Hall and St Mary's Cathedral. We stood in front of the Cathedral for ages, oohing and aahing over each change of pattern and mused about how perfectly projected each dove was perched on the ledge, the bars and curlicues matched the windows.

Sydney means coffee and cafes to me. On my first day, I had 3 soy flat whites by lunch time. I had to exercise restraint. I ogled the lovely pastries in the bakery cases. My restraint was admirable in this area. I had a macaron and a lemon tea cake by way of dessert during my trip. Oh and I did have a mini picnic bar to curb hunger pangs one evening in the hotel room.

I had a lovely lunch in the old Surry Hills neighbourhood. The cafe was new, the vibe was familiar, the dining companions were faces I was happy to see. It was a lovely, short in and out trip and I had a quick round up of some of my favourite things in Sydney. I'm sure I will be back again sometime soon.

My Old Neighbourhood

2011-12-17T23:23:00.002+08:00

If you squint at this and imagine it in black and white, you could almost bring yourself back in time to when the alley was paved with cobble stones and the rank and vile smell of poor sanitation permeated this neighbourhood. A working class area, where the original Chinatown used to be, with the head of the legendary dragon at one of the streets and even today you still see headquarters for the Australian Chinese newspapers and a few other Chinese associations still stand, where poor immigrants lived in squalor, and sickness and poverty was rampant.

Now a hundred plus years fast forward, this area is hip and happening, you can feel its vibe when you walk down the same streets. Gentrification is everywhere. Expensive apartments and refurbished Victorian terrace houses co-exist with the houses that time has forgotten. In time, these forgotten houses will be taken over by the monied.

How I miss this area.

Heritage Walking Tour of Kuala Lumpur

2011-12-02T22:17:00.003+08:00

I have been to Kuala Lumpur (KL) umpteen times but usually these trips were for business which mean hotel-meetings-hotel or to eat/shop/visit relatives. This is the first time I've done a Heritage Walk and this was the highlight of my recent trip. This walking tour took 1.5 hours and led us through the meandering streets and alleys of KL city around the Central Market which is where the tour started.

The first photos is of an old Chinese/Hainanese restaurant which still operates today. However in the colonial days, it used to be an upmarket restaurant for the British who used to work in the government building across from this old dame. Today it serves traditional Hainanese fare like chicken rice and pork chop rice. I would have loved to have eaten my lunch there but unfortunately did not get the chance to.

This old shop has a concrete bell on the roof top. The story is fascinating. In the olden days when most people were illiterate, they could not read the signboards of the shops. As such, the clever folks devised symbols for the common folks to associate trades with. A bell makes a "dong dong" or "dang dang" sound (depending if you say it in Cantonese or Mandarin) and this is a homonym for "pawn". Hence the shop is trading as a pawnshop. Is this clever or what?

This mosque "Masjid Jemek" is the oldest mosque in KL and showcases Moorish architecture. It is gorgeous and very serene.

This is another old building, built in 1914. According to the tour guide, Malaysia has not passed laws on conservation of these old heritage buildings. As such, this is left to the responsibility and whims of individual building owners. Many of them have sold their property to developers who have bulldozed these old beauties to build modern, spanking structures to maximise the use of the land.

I hope that these lovely old dames receive the rightful protection and love they deserve. Heritage is something we need to protect, we all have our memories of the past and they give us our identity. Collective memory gives us a national identity. Hopefully, the conservation laws won't come too late for these lovely old buildings.

Peking Duck Restaurant In A Hutong

2011-11-22T20:14:00.004+08:00

This is in the famous Peking duck restaurant "Liqun" in a Beijing hutong. Hutongs are very interesting, and showcase traditional living quarters in modern times. It is pretty amazing how even Western tourists manage to find their way through the maze to this restaurant where I am sure no one speaks any English. The ambience is just so authentic, and that also can mean quite grotty. So one needs to shut one's eyes to certain things, and more importantly, make sure that one's bio needs are taken care of before coming to the restaurant because the loos are outhouses located some distance away from the restaurant.

I particularly like this photo which I think has captured the essence of the place, contrasting the delicious ducks with the humble surroundings, and the blaze of light creating an atmospheric quality.

Travelling Art

2011-10-31T23:41:00.003+08:00

I have noticed that hotels are getting cooler, well some of them are and the way to differentiate themselves from the others, is to have really interesting artworks placed all around the hotel. In the common areas such as the grand lobby, lift lobbies, restaurants etc, a really impactful piece of art can really make a difference. It showcases the individuality of the hotel. In the guestrooms, the artworks are usually more sedate and mainstream probably so as not to offend the sensibilities of the more conservative guests.

But I really like the unusual artworks, they are like a surprise when you see them because a hotel lobby is probably not the most expected venue to be confronted with something like that. I like the fact that I get to enjoy an art exhibition every time I travel (which is pretty often and a pain so this is a plus).

Flavours of Seoul

2011-10-16T00:07:00.006+08:00

When in Seoul, apart from kimchi which I do not like, the other thing to eat is ginseng chicken which I do like. We had it twice in our 4 days there.

Seoul also has great cafes. Pretty ones, rustic ones, quaint ones, American chain ones. And the coffee is half decent plus they make great green tea lattes and even a sweet potato latte which was really delicious, even if it sounds a little strange.

Apart from western-style cafes, Seoul also has many traditional tea shops which serve Korean and Chinese teas in pretty pottery together with traditional Korean sweets. And that takes me to the pottery at Insadong which one should not miss for its famous pottery and other artsy stuff.

Korean barbecue is another speciality that should not be missed. Again like the ginseng chicken, we loved it so much we had it twice. Considering we were only there 4 days and that meant that we did not have unlimited meal slots, it meant that we really loved it. The best part is the different leaves that come with the meats, and you pick a few different ones and wrap cooked meat, bean paste, pickled radish, grilled garlic slices and a lump of rice (which is served in a bamboo container with a red date, a black bean, a gingko nut and a lump of charcoal!) in the leaves and then savour the different tastes and smells.

There is a lot to Seoul and the food is just one aspect of it. But what a great aspect!

Doors

2011-09-11T20:39:00.002+08:00

I am sort of wondering if to open the door and if so, how far should I open it?

Am I done with this and should I fling the door open? Should I open it a wee bit and have a peek out first? Or will it be too late when I decide to open the door and the door is either forever shut tight or if I don't have the strength (or my mental health) at that point to push it open?

System For Hanging Art

2011-08-28T20:22:00.005+08:00

We deliberately decided to have no window dressing for our windows in the living room. These windows open into the common corridor and we don't usually open them for privacy reasons although I do like to keep the door open for circulation and neighbours invariably look in (and sometimes gawk) as they walk by. Besides we tell ourselves the mid-Century style room has no window dressing and we are keeping in line.

Anyway today I picked up 3 little abstract paintings of oil on linen by Singaporean artist, Tay Lay Leng and had a brainwave that I could actually use the window grills as a display system, using S-hooks and hooking the artworks on them. They could be easily moved around and changed. Bigger, heavier pieces could also be hung this way. Now why didn't I think of this earlier?!

Mum's Vintage Hoarding

2011-08-24T19:56:00.003+08:00

My mum is a hoarder. Hence I was exposed to a lot of vintage stuff (they were just old when I was a child as they hadn't passed the 30 year mark of qualifying as vintage then) since I was a child. I remember playing dress-up with a very flouncy, layered petticoat, pretending that I was a Moulin Rouge showgirl doing the can-can dance. I also remember playing with this wire box-purse and had quite forgotten about its existence till I saw a similar bag online and asked mum if she still had hers (why wouldn't she?). But I was really happy and grateful when she found it, and easily too.

Mum kept my first swim suit, a faded green suit with black geometric prints, I remember wearing that to swim at Yan Kit swimming pool, the first swimming pool in Singapore. Now when I hold the little doll-like suit in my hands, I feel how different the material is compared to the softer, smoother fabric they use nowadays.

She also kept a few of her 1960s mini dresses, I love her drop waist green and black dress and her orange scooter dress. She also kept the spangley vest she made herself and she also made me a little dress in the same fabric. I am sure I remember that dress to be too prickly and pokey to be comfortable, but I wish I had that little dress now. Mum's mini dresses were so short I don't know how women those times kept their modesty. Perhaps they walked very daintily and didn't raise their hands and sat with their legs crossed all the time.

All I have been wishing is that she finds my very first watch. It was a Mickey Mouse watch with a red strap, Mickey's hands were the hands of the watch and she bought it for me when I started Primary One. I love that watch and I am sure being the hoarder she is, she would have kept it but that it has been misplaced somewhere and will pop up one day...

Dress Me Up

2011-08-06T22:25:00.003+08:00

I had been eyeing the Desigual long jacket for a while. Originally had my eye on a greenish-blue one which G had protested against as it was too ... flamboyant I guess is what he thought. And for $500, he figured I wouldn't get much wear out of it because everyone in the office would gasp at me if I should wear it to work, and I wouldn't get past the front doors of any Central Bank I needed to enter for external meetings. His words for wisdom for me was not to dress "too individualistically" for work. That to me, is tantamount to waving a red flag in front of a bull. What? Me conform to the madding crowd and wear a suit? Puhleeze. Besides, now I have an actual official reason to dress "differently". I work for a Silicon Valley tech company (or rather a financial services company which still persists in calling itself a tech company) and Silicon Valley companies are well-known for their "different" dressing. I guess their idea of "different" generally refers to jeans, polo shirt, bermudas and occasionally slippers. But hey, I am interpreting "different" according to my own creative way which is highly encouraged in these types of companies.

In any case, I ended up with this jacket which has Japanese-inspired style motifs and I actually like this one better since I have a soft spot for Japanese fabrics. And burgundy is my colour as well. Getting it at 50% off was a super bonus.

So I am looking forward to inaugurating this jacket. I might wear it as a dress even!

John's Wabi-Sabi Sake Cup

2011-07-31T00:56:00.005+08:00

I count myself lucky to have some really talented and generous friends.

This Japanese sake cup was made by my very talented friend, John Freeland of Freeland Gallery in Sydney. John is an authority on ceramics, an academic and author and now a potter as well, having finally turned his theoretical expertise into the practical aspects of potting as well. And in his generous nature, he gifted this to me, knowing very well the types of colours I am fond of in pottery.

I love the shape of this cup, the glaze and the beautiful colours. I love how the imperfect mouth of the cup and the slight tilt of its body make it so perfectly wabi-sabi although John shushes me every time I describe anything as "wabi-sabi".

I don't drink sake but I drink lots of Chinese and Japanese tea. I plan to be using this cup a lot to enjoy drinking my tea in "melancholic serenity" and with a "spiritual longing" in true wabi-sabi fashion.

Lack Of Superficiality

2011-07-16T23:34:00.003+08:00

I am such a deep and unsuperficial person. OK not completely true but I must say the picture of the 1970s book case here will evidence my lack of superficiality. This is a heavy wood book case, not sure if it is teak but it sure is heavy. The finish is really bad with remnants of magazine covers stuck. The top has a veneer that is peeling off.

But we were looking for a book case, preferably vintage, but were also considering an Ikea one which turns out to be way too HUGE. This one cost us all of $30, it fitted into the car so no extra transport costs needed and seems like a good size for what we need. We figured we could easily make it more presentable by peeling off the top veneer. The rest of the paint needs to be stripped off and when we get to the bare wood, we could decide what we want to do with it.

G is now saying that we don't have to strip the paint, just give it a wipe and put books on it. At most give it a lick of paint. That's how unsuperficial we are.

Loaf Of Bread

2011-07-10T22:04:00.004+08:00

Finally made my first 2 loaves of no knead bread. The first loaf was so delicious that I had a request from G to make another one that night when the boys finished the whole loaf with cheese, olive oil and fig vinegar while watching the rugby.

The only thing was the loaf did not rise big and round when I put it into the oven. The yeast worked when I let it rest overnight for 18 hours and the second "nap" of 2 hours. But it came out to be a relatively flat loaf. I am wondering if I had not used enough flour as I followed the metric rather than the original imperial measurements. Ok a quick check using the online cooking conversion shows that it might be too much rather than not enough. So perhaps I need MORE yeast as well?

Anyway the flatness of the bread did not detract from its yumminess. The second loaf was more sourdough than the first, with a much more chewy and wetter texture. It would probably be delicious toasted too.

Something tells me I will be baking this bread very often.

Soup Goes With Bread

2011-07-04T23:56:00.003+08:00

Soup goes with bread without saying of course. After resolving to put my new Le Creuset dutch oven to good use soon, I was thinking of making soup to go with it and invite some ladies over for Saturday lunch soon. A very simple yet healthy lunch of rustic home-made bread with carrot and ginger soup perhaps with a dollop of sour cream.

So when I found these 6 vintage little soup/rice bowls with the much sought-after local bunga lallang motif, I was really chuffed. I only have 4 Japanese soup bowls at the moment, 2 were lovely wooden lacquer ones which were a wedding gift from a Japanese-Australian friend, while I bought the other 2 plastic/mock lacquer ones from Daiso to make up the numbers for when we have guests. Now the stars are all aligned for me to get started on the home-made soup and bread-making with this half a dozen soup bowls. No more excuses.

No Knead Bread - Or The Long Wait For The Le Creuset Dutch Oven

2011-06-20T22:28:00.005+08:00

I had been coveting a Le Creuset dutch oven ever since the no-knead bread recipe appeared first of all in a NY Times article all those years back. Was it 8 or 9 years ago? Or maybe 7. I forget but I remember thinking, "bread, no kneading required, mmmm.... what a great idea." All I need is a dutch oven which costs an arm and a leg, that's all. And that would be the cost of how many hundred loaves? So that idea got shelved, I moved to Sydney where I had access to the best breads known to mankind. After having the luxury of these great breads, wonderful varieties, for about A$5 a loaf, which although not cheap, seemed quite reasonable considering the warm happiness it brought me - I left Sydney after 4 years. And then started getting withdrawal symptoms not just from missing the coffee, but also the bread.

I checked the sales diligently at the housewares section just to see if the price of a Le Creuset dutch oven has plummeted for some unknown reason. No such luck. I continue to search for decent bread in Singapore and found a passable version in the Gardenia Walnut country loaf at S$3. Then on my last trip to San Jose where I organised a shopping trip to the outlets, I found my much longed-after RED Le Creuset dutch oven for about S$200, possibly about half the price for the same thing in Singapore. I packed it well with t-shirts cradling it in its box and hand-carried it back on the flight.

Now I have the equipment, I need to search for that recipe and start baking. In the meantime, it is sitting on the stove, resplendid in its redness.

Another Year, Another Birthday

2011-06-16T23:30:00.003+08:00

A birthday celebration in Taipei this year due to work exigencies. Not the most ideal situation but still the Taiwanese team made up for it by throwing me a celebration at a rustic French bistro with really yummy food, great ambience and a gorgeous cake which got even more made over by the bistro chef who embellished the lovely cake further with his specialty of sugar shards. All considered, it was a good day - 13 June.

Vintage Treasure Hunter Now Also Seller

2011-06-04T23:57:00.004+08:00

I have a new interest which has stemmed from an old interest. Together with my partner in grime, K, we started an online business for all things vintage in March and have started selling retro, vintage furniture, glasses, ceramics, jewellery, bags and other household items through our blog and also our Facebook page. I used to be a buyer and a collector, now I am also a seller. We are really excited to get our new name cards today! Thanks to my talented designer/artist husband for designing them for us.

In-N-Out Burger

2011-05-23T13:46:00.006+08:00

After reading about how wonderful In-N-Out Burger was online, I finally got to try them in San Jose this trip.

We went to Gilroy which is garlic country and also location of a huge factory outlet mall. On the way there, I wound down the windows to try to get a whiff but my respiratory infection had blocked up my olfactory senses, no joy of garlic bread in the air.

Arriving at the Gilroy mall, we were hungry and after a quick look round the lot, we headed to In-N-Out Burger. They had a very limited menu with 3 set meals only. However, I later found out that there were secret stuff off-menu like chilli fries. Anyway, we made it easy for the staff and order 3 of the same set meals. Everything is made fresh, the fries are hand-cut and single-fried hence they were not crispy but soggy. I think I still prefer the double-fried sort like McDonald's. But these burgers were succulent and the buns were soft.

We felt a little sick after we finished, probably because we ate an entire day's calorie allowance in one meal. But the next 3 hours of outlet shopping probably helped us work part of that off. It was still too much. Next time, I will get a single burger and share the fries. And that would probably be 3/4 of a day's calorie allowance. I might feel a tad less guilty. Why is it that everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening???

Theory Of Relativity

2011-05-21T12:26:00.008+08:00

Everything is relative, really. This was brought home once again this week.

I arrived last Sunday afternoon at Santa Cruz, at a "spa and resort" which probably saw its glory days in 1975. After being spoilt at W hotel in Taipei just 3 days before I arrived in Santa Cruz, the trauma was enhanced. Asia hotels vs US hotels. There is JUST NO FIGHT. At all. Period. It was a comfortable enough room with 2 huge beds, a clean bathroom and decent toiletries. There was even free wi-fi. And a balcony with wooden decking which was perched on wooden stilts and overlooked some lovely woods. A squirrel even came to visit one morning. But W hotel, it was not. I tried not to look at or think about the icky carpet. I started hatching my escape plan.

So when I received my week's agenda and realised that my Leadership camp ends at noon on Friday and I could get out of Santa Cruz and move over to San Jose without having to stay over till Saturday morning, I quickly booked an extra night in the San Jose hotel and confirmed that I would leave Santa Cruz on Friday noon.

Then of course, there was the restaurant. That ONE restaurant. Where we ate every single meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner. That's 14 meals in total. Motel buffet meals. Actually, apart from the key lime pie tasting like chicken, I think the rest of the food was ok. Nothing to shout about but not too bad either. But still - by meal number 5, I was doubly grateful that I had managed to change my hotel bookings.

I used to think San Jose was dull but it looked so exciting and interesting in comparison to Santa Cruz and I breathed a sigh of relief and happiness when I set eyes on Santana Row. Civilisation.

Bring Back The Afternoon Tea Movement

2011-04-02T20:33:00.004+08:00

After a year-long hiatus from baking and cooking, ever since I relocated back from Sydney to Singapore in January 2010, I have recently dusted off my weighing scales, fired up the new-ish oven and started baking a little. I have also started inviting friends over for afternoon tea (seems that I am on a personal "Bring Back The Afternoon Tea Movement"), hence forcing me to be more Martha Stewart-like, even if it just means Home Economics 101 - Rock Buns.

As we ventured into the market yesterday and G discovered sweet potatoes, one of his favourite food items, which did not cost its weight in gold there, we bought about half a kilo worth. And while mentally working through my afternoon tea items to make, I decided to try out this Japanese sweet potato cake recipe I saw in my favourite Food & Travel magazine. But I tweaked it by substituting chopped almonds for raisins as the rock buns already had raisins in them. And because the sweet potatoes I used were the purple ones, they had this lovely deep purple colour to the cakes and when I added the lemon juice to the mashed up sweet potatoes, there was a chemical reaction and red spots appeared. It was so pretty.

These were very popular at the afternoon tea, the lemon juice gave a sour tang to the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and I love how just twisting a spoonful in cling wrap gives it such a cute little shape. A very simple recipe, but definitely added to my Bring Back The Afternoon Tea Movement staples.

As I Walked Away

2011-03-27T23:26:00.004+08:00

Recently I have been even more active than usual in my pursuit of all things vintage. I have ventured into trying to start a very tiny online business with my partner-in-grime, K to buy and sell retro furniture and also our existing vintage treasures. For me, this means all my ceramics, glassware and kitchenalia lovingly collected over the last 5 years, especially during my time in Australia.

We have been inspired to scour all sources for retro furniture and this petite mid-Century dresser with beautiful pencil legs and mirror intact was spotted on the kerb. I stood there for some time wondering if I could somehow conjure up some form of transportation to whisk it home with me. After running through various options, I figured it would have to be a small removalist van and then I would have to spend money to restore it even though it did not look like too big a job as it was in pretty good condition and all that it needs, is probably new formica put in. But practicality overtook my sense of entrepreneurship. No (easy and free) transport, no storage space, and money and time required for restoration. So I nix the idea of picking up this lovely kerb find for myself.

I looked through my phone book to try to find the contact for the folks who are in the business to give them a tip about this little baby so that they could pick it up, restore it and sell it for a big profit. But somehow that number was not in my phone book. So it was somewhat fated that I had to leave this gorgeous little number sitting forlornly on the kerb as I slowly and reluctantly walked away from it.

Summer's Over

2011-03-14T21:50:00.003+08:00

Summer's over in Sydney. We were in Bondi beach waiting for our lunch before we hit the Bondi beach markets. The sea breeze, the gorgeous blue skies, the beautiful sun-tanned, sun-bleached blonde surfie types walking along the pavement, kids slurping cold drinks and licking ice-creams. All the memories of that beautiful day in Sydney, not so long ago in November.

I miss the azure blue skies, the aromatic coffees, the laid-back lifestyle, the beaches, the weekend markets. Ah Sydney, it must be time for another visit.

Another Sunset, Another Sunrise

2011-03-11T21:40:00.003+08:00

Several years ago when I was still in Sydney, I wrote an open letter to a dear friend on this blog. I chanced upon that letter randomly and recent events just brought my thoughts back to that friend. My friend, I continue to pray (in my own agnostic way) for you and hope that you continue to walk down the path of life in the strong way that you always do. And that you keep your blessed nature and good cheer with you for the rest of your life. That with the fading, dwindling light of the sunset, you know that there is another sunrise. And that the light will shine over you and keep you warm and safe.

Barley Risotto

2011-03-05T17:43:00.002+08:00

When G mentioned he saw a recipe for barley risotto, I pooh-poohed the idea. Barley? That's something we boil into a drink when you have a sore throat in Singapore. Making it into a savoury dish in place of rice? Really?

G persisted and made me get a packet of barley the next time we were in the supermarket and proceeded to make a mushroom risotto one weekend. He makes a great mushroom risotto with the regular Arborio rice. So I waited to see what the end result would be.

Verdict: delicious, and it's going on our list. In fact it was so yummy, I took the leftovers to work in my new bento box. Everyone who saw me in the pantry asked me what I was eating, made comments about how small the portion was (it really wasn't even if it looked small because it was a double-decker box and totalled 500 ml of food in the 2 boxes) and most people made unfavourable remarks when they heard the word barley with risotto except for one more enlightened guy. Well all I can say is don't knock it till you've tried it!

Updated Lanterns

2011-02-26T23:43:00.003+08:00

While I am currently a little obsessed with lights, here is a pretty picture of the hanging lights/lanterns in a Chinese restaurant near my work.

They are like an updated version of the Chinese lantern with thin wood strips wrapped round the lantern.

The grouping of the lights is also very dramatic and effective in creating a mood and image that would entice diners into the venue.

I too, want a lantern in my house.

Lights, Camera, Action!

2011-02-17T22:57:00.002+08:00

We are doing home improvements after the decluttering. We installed a hat rack in the store room so that G can hang his shirts up and we were planning to hang my handbags in there and the top shelf can hold some light boxes.

We also changed the mirror in the guest bathroom, hanging a wooden box-like mirror, the bottom ledge acting like a shelf as well for little toiletries. It instantly lifted the bathroom we think.

The next thing on the list is to change some of the light fittings. We are leaving the alcove lights as is but the ceiling lights will be replaced. We have narrowed the choices for our bedroom to:-

a. artichoke lamp: hard to find the right size

b. George Nelson bubble lamp (criss-cross): very expensive

c. Aero lamp (pictured): have not come across in Singapore but available online from Australia

As such we are going to live with the current bedroom lights for now until we find the right lamp. But we will get the kitchen and guest bedroom lights changed this weekend.

Slowly but surely, we are moving towards making the house more into a home.

Home Remedies For Your Vintage Furniture

2011-02-03T21:36:00.003+08:00

To my horror when I lifted up this Japanese ceramic vase from the sideboard, there was a big round dirty stain. It was a greyish-blue chalky residue at the base of the vase. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out where that residue came from. The vase was empty, but yet after I cleaned off the chalky residue, there was a whitish water stain on the wooden sideboard. Perhaps when the vase was filled with water (with the flower) and left on the sideboard, the damage was done.

I like that sideboard very much, it was purchased at an auction for a song because probably it was wrongly priced, with the reserve set too low and with not much competition for it. We have since seen the same sideboard at vintage shops selling for 5 times what was paid for it! In any case, it travelled back with us from Australia and fitted right into the living room against the wall for the TV. It was almost like it was custom-made for the space.

So I turned to the internet to look for what would fix that water stain. Suggested methods included the more mainstream like using beeswax and most others were really strange and far-out solutions like mayonnaise, toothpaste, olive oil, cigar/wood ash and oil mixed into a paste. Just because I have beeswax which I bought to restore the teak furniture, I used that first. It didn't make any difference. So next I tried toothpaste and rubbed a good dollop of Colgate into the stain. I massaged it lovingly and prayed that it was take to the wood. Also didn't work. So I resorted to olive oil and rubbed that into the wood and left it overnight.

The next morning, the oil has seeped into the wood and turned the whitish mark dark. In fact darker than the original colour. So now instead of a whitish big round spot, I have a darkish big round spot. I am not sure which is better - or worse. Well actually, to be honest, the dark spot is probably better than the whitish spot. I think if I spend some time polishing the whole wooden surface with the beeswax, it might even out the colour. Worst case scenario, I could polish the whole top with olive oil. So there you go, some home remedies are even more effective than the professional cure. And cheaper too!

The Little Red

2011-01-13T22:29:00.002+08:00

After suffering a low-grade fever for a couple of days, body aches, watery blood-shot eyes, I broke out in rashes on my face, neck and body today. The doctor thinks rubella is possible, and I related the story about how I never got the rubella vaccination at 12 or was it 16 at school as my mum kinda thought I had rubella before, or was it just measles? She couldn't really remember then and I opted out of that vaccination and now, decades later, I possibly got infected.

The worst thing is my joints are impacted by the viral infection and they ache like mad. The side of the knees are swollen and even my toe joints ache. How crazy is that?

I hope it sticks to its 3-day measles name and go off by tomorrow or at the latest, Saturday. And they say rubella normally doesn't affect anyone over 40!

Home-Cooked

2011-01-01T22:24:00.003+08:00

We cooked 2 nights in a row, and so we are breaking our home-cooking drought. Good start to the new year I must say. Tonight's dinner wasn't technically all home-cooked as we heated up a hawaiian pizza. I did make the apple and lettuce salad topped with pumpkin seeds and crumbled cheese, with a dijon mustard and honey dressing.

Hopefully this will set the rhythm for 2011 - more healthy eating, more home-cooking, and enjoying our new home more.

Christmas Highlights

2010-12-26T20:57:00.004+08:00

This is our yummy rummy Christmas cake which Tony's mum made. She makes these delicious steamed Christmas cakes with dried fruit which she has soaked in rum for at least a month. This cake didn't last very long, I tried my darnedest to prolong its lifespan by doling out a sliver every night after dinner to G despite his pleas for more. I managed to save 2 slices till Christmas evening where after dinner, the family came back to my place and had tea, Christmas cake, B's chocolate salami and truffles which she had made. All hand-made, all yummilicious.

This was of course dessert part 2 already as we had a seafood dinner and dessert was this glutinous rice with coconut ice-cream creation topped with a mint leaf, with dry ice special effects. Very dramatic.

The pretty table setting was at the lunch I had at B and F's. Lovely festive setting, delicious food, great company. G was under the weather and stayed in bed most of Christmas day but did find the energy to get up and enjoy the care package sent back with me. Except he didn't get one of F's coffees. I on the other hand, had 2! Christmas is all about food, family and friends - 3 F's and I guess the order in which I've listed them is a bit telling?

Sydney - Exhibition

2010-12-24T23:21:00.008+08:00

Amidst all the eating and drinking, we went to an exhibition opening at the gallery which was next to our old house on Cooper St, Surry Hills.

As usual, it was crawling with art students chugging bottles of beer and plastic glasses of wine.

We did a quick run of the show and the most interesting piece to me was the real-life models in Super Hero outfits. Not quite sure what the theme was as it was a whirlwind tour of the gallery

before we headed out to our next appointment.

San Jose And Sydney - Related Through Food

2010-12-19T17:16:00.004+08:00

My last few trips as told in photographs and captions!

San Jose: Undoubtedly the best meal in the entire week. From Left Bank, a French restaurant in Santana Row, this duck confit capped off the trip with (finally) a great meal before I took the 15 hour flight from San Francisco to Sydney.

Arrived in Sydney surprisingly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed having slept pretty decently on the flight which

was a HUGE surprise as I NEVER sleep on flights. At least not long, restful sleep that will make me feel like I've had suf

ficient rest. But I wasn't complaining as I left my bags at the hotel which wouldn't let me check in at 9 am. Then did a whole clean up in the bathroom, ditched jeans for summer wear and then met C for a lovely day out at Bondi beach. We had lunch then hit the markets where I bought this really kooky tank-top with feathers on the shoulders. I loved the black top with black feathers but bought the natural brown feathered top and subsequently regretted it. But the disappointment was made up with the Bondi to Bronte beach walk which was great as usual. A long cool drink awaited us at the end of the trek. Lovely day with blue skies and gorgeous-looking water.
Next event in this trip was the great meal at Lovedale, Hunter Valley where we had a lovely 3-course dinner. Lovedale is where they host the annual Lovedale Long Lunch and now I understand why. My main course was this yummy slow-cooked pork belly with a piece of crackling topping it off. It ended up being a communal crackling akin to a communal pipe, being passed around the table to the others who had not had the foresight to order this delicious dish so that they could get a taste.

Again, another enjoyable event in our Sydney trip was a dinner party at our friend's place in Glebe. Another amazing dinner whipped up by our talented friend, S who dazzled us with his professionalism as well as his balcony garden which supplied all the herbs and some of the vegetables.

There is much more that we enjoyed from our time in Sydney, as it was the first time G and I have been back together since we relocated to Singapore. It was a home-coming of sorts for us, as we wandered through our old neighbourhood and visited familiar restaurants and cafes and tried out new things and caught up with old friends. We missed so much of our old life but have so much of our new life to explore together.

Blue Jeans

2010-12-17T23:46:00.004+08:00

I am not a jeans person, it's simply too hot for hot and muggy Singapore. Living in Sydney was a totally different story. It was de rigeur every day wear for the winter where one needs to keep one's legs warm and covered up. And preferably with a thicker material like denim.

But working in a tech company has changed what was formerly acceptable office attire. Most men come in jeans and polo shirts every day. Some women too. For me, jeans became the no-brainer default attire when one woke up too late, too tired to think of what to wear or just plain can't-be-bothered/not in the mood to try anything even the slightest bit fancy. The air-conditioning at work makes wearing them bearable for me.

I only have one pair of jeans that fit me. My black boot-cut jeans. However, after 4 years and wearing them every winter weekend in Sydney, the black is now faded to some sort of gray and G has been bugging me to get a pair of blue jeans. I was lucky that at the second shop I looked at for jeans, I found this pair of sleek-straight cut dark blue jeans.

I'm glad I didn't have to try on 100 pairs which was what G recommended one has to do to find a pair of jeans that fit oh-so-perfectly because jeans are one of life's fashion staples (according to him). So now, the sartorial aspect of my life can move on to more interesting things like why people at work do not appreciate my Chinese jacket matched with my black jeans and red snakeskin ballet pumps...

Work Hard, Little Grasshopper

2010-12-14T21:42:00.004+08:00

Isn't it a bit of a paradox when we say we work hard for retirement? What if we work so hard at jobs we dread and we never make it through to retirement in one piece? Is it still $1 million per person to sustain us for the remainder of our days till we kick the bucket? If so, how many regular folks will make it?

So many questions, so few answers.

Artistic Piles Of Books

2010-12-12T19:04:00.004+08:00

We have books sitting in piles along a wall in the home office. According to Apartment Therapy, that is an acceptable way of displaying one's books. Well, all right if the decor experts say so. But I am still looking for a nice retro bookcase.

Today, we went to Likethatone and I saw a few that I like. The one at the

top of my list is technically not a bookcase. I am feeling a bit ambivalent about the tin panel which has replaced the original glass because the glass was a goner. I like the art deco curves and the legs. But G is not in favour as it is not a bookcase.

The second one is my favourite amongst the actual bookcases. The glass keeps dust off the books. But G tells me that in his world, bookcases do not have glass! If there is glass, it becomes a cabinet. He is happy leaving our books in artistic piles on the floor.

As none of them has evoked in me, the "I must have it" feeling, I think I shall wait a little.

Plus And Minus

2010-11-29T22:42:00.003+08:00

We finally got our act together and bought wooden blinds from Ikea for the home office cum master bedroom. The ugly cardboard which we had used as an interim solution, taped up against the window grilles, as an experiment to test what sort of noise buffer we needed, against the traffic noises, were finally removed. Anything would have been an improvement.

On the positive side, the dark wooden blinds go well with the rest of the furniture, wooden floorboards, under window carpentry. On the even more positive side, the blinds guys took down the window grilles for free, opening up the view from the windows, making it easier for us to open the windows, letting the wind in.

On the negative side, the blinds for the home office were not hung in a centralised manner, leaving a horrendous gap of about 15 cm on the left side. If they had hung them properly, the gap would have been in the middle where the metal frames of the windows meet, where there is no glass and where it would have been perfectly fine to have a gap. Now we have 15 cm of exposed glass on the left side.

A small part of me wants to shut my eyes to this defect. But a bigger part of me, just wants to get it fixed, quickly before we get to the "can't-be-bothered" stage.

The World Is A Smaller Place

2010-11-15T20:52:00.002+08:00

Here is Snowy trying on the headset in order to make a Skype call. What did we do before Skype? Long-distance phone calls used to cost a bomb. We used to try to save some money by buying phone cards, and these were not the budget phone cards which cost 5 cents a minute or something ridiculous like that. This were the $2 per minute type of phone cards. Thank God for the internet and for Skype. Now we can keep in touch with friends and loved ones half across the world. Globalisation has touched all aspects of our life but the internet has made the world a much smaller place.

Cute Bento Lunch

2010-11-13T23:48:00.003+08:00

My creative bento-making friend, K came to my place today with 2 cute little bentos for my lunch. After looking at the cute photos she has up on her blog, I finally get to taste some of it. They were tasty in addition to being oh-so-cute. I saved the 2 buns with the cute faces because although the bento seems like a small box, it was rather filling. G and I made a quick snack of the buns on our way to meet a friend for coffee later in the afternoon. K and I had a good time discussing how to make a business out of her creativity in this area. I am really hoping that she can make a business out of it.

K also left me gifts of the bento box, food picks, a bento bag and a cute bento box strap since I was lacking a strap when I bought my own box from Daiso in Tokyo being the bento novice I was, I didn't realise they ALL need a strap to hold them in place.

In addition to all the edible goodies and bento accessories, she also gave me this lovely plant for the kitchen. It goes so well in the laundry area, adding some colour to my white, beige and steel kitchen. Now all I hope is that I don't kill the plant with my anti-green fingers.

Our Retro Armchairs - Second Lease Of Life

2010-11-12T21:56:00.003+08:00

Some months ago, we got inspired by an exact same armchair we saw in one of my fave rehabbed furniture shops. Mum has offered me her two 1960's teak armchairs with the sad and tired lumpy cushions. I never thought much about those "ugly chairs" until recently. Wow, there is a lot of life in these chairs once you give them a wipe down, a light sanding and a polish. Then get some new cushions made with snazzy fabric.

I checked out people who could do the sand and polish job and found a man who would do them for $50 a chair. Next we checked out cushion makers and cushion cover makes. These cost an awful lot for really boring fabric. We then decided we would outsource the job across the border, actually quite far up north up the border, to Penang actually. It helped that we have got relatives who were resourceful and knew where to get everything and anything. They found us a cushion maker and a seamstress and with the exchange rate so favourable, we saved about 50% by getting these done in Penang. We bought the fabric we like from Ikea, had them brought over by a cousin who was in Singapore on holidays, with the exact measurements and hand-drawn instructions. Then voila! They were made in a few weeks' time.

Collecting them took a bit longer. We had to wait for our next trip to Penang because the 4 cushions were heavy and no relatives were driving out to Singapore. In any case, as we haven't got the chairs transported over to our new place, we didn't really need the cushions yet. We finally collected them last month while on holiday. Today we finally completed the second part of our move and the movers brought the rest of our stuff over from mum's place. It wasn't as much as we feared.

The cushions finally met the armchairs. All was well. We are happy.

Random Japanese Inspiration

2010-11-07T23:52:00.006+08:00

The first time I bought flowers or rather, a flower in the new house. A big, round chrysanthemum, plump and yellow sitting in a Japanese-inspired vase I got on my last trip in Sydney.

The flower, the vase, the Nouguchi table.

Origami crane - how more Japanese can one get? These little cranes were folded from washi paper that is 1.7 cm by 1.7 cm and then varnished with several layers of varnish to hold their shape. Little flower ornaments and earring hooks are then attached. Amazing work made by a artisan in Singapore.

A kokeshi doll inspired bento box which is made in Japan and sold by a French online seller living in Kyoto. This is a cutie little Maiko, an apprentice Geisha. It makes me want to start packing my lunch to work.

A 3-Michelin-Star Macaron

2010-11-05T13:48:00.002+08:00

For someone who got hit by the macaron bug while reading online blogs, it has been a long search for a really good macaron since I've not been to France or Japan in the last 5 years or so since I started fervently reading food blogs. So on this trip to Tokyo, there was a 3 Michelin star chef (Pierre Gagnaire) who has a restaurant and a bakery in the ANA Intercontinental hotel I was at, and the bakery sold tiny, little macarons.

I bought 4 and boy were they good. The crust was crispy and had the taste of almonds, which is more than I can say for the other macarons I've had in Australia, Hong Kong (before this, was the best I've bad) and Singapore. Actually, now as I am writing this, I recall having some mini macarons brought back from France by a colleague, but I cannot recall being blown away. The fillings were flavoursome and not overly sweet, the way the Singapore ones tend to be. You can really taste the lemon, mango and orange flavours.

Now I finally know how a really good macaron tastes like.

Vintage Book Shelf

2010-11-01T23:23:00.003+08:00

I heart this vintage book shelf even though it seems quite short for most of the books I own. The cookbooks would never fit. But there is the possibility of removing a shelf and hence having a double height for tall books. Give me enough time and I can talk myself into buying it!

Discerning Taste Buds

2010-10-28T23:54:00.003+08:00

I have a very discerning palate especially when my almost-constantly half-blocked nose is not blocked. My sense of smell and taste is particularly acute. I am known for walking into a room and being able to smell 2 slices of bread someone laid on a plate. Plain white bread.

Having this acute sense also means that I have very discernible likes and dislikes when it comes to food and beverages. Like soy milk for example. Being lactose intolerant, I explored all brands of soy milk while living in Sydney, where soy milk is common. Some were too nutty, some tasted artificial. I finally found a brand I like, the Woollies Select Organic Soy. In particular, I also found a brand I really didn't like - Bon Soy. Anyway back to the one I like - unfortunately, this proved harder and harder to find. Finally, I came to the conclusion that Woollies has discontinued this line.

In any case, moving back to Singapore meant that looking for soy is akin to looking for a rare gem. Local soya milk is a-plenty, but if one wants the non-sugared "Western" soy for tea or coffee or cereal, there are all of say, 4 brands to choose from, all of which cost an arm and a leg and taste equally bad. Fast despairing of finding any decent soy here, I have had one shipment of soy brought over by a Sydney mate. Another colleague on a business trip to Sydney, offered to find me some, however he didn't have any luck. Hence reinforcing my belief that this particular line has been discontinued. On my most recent trip to Sydney, I once again scoured the shelves of Woollies. On my last trip, I visited 3 different Woollies and couldn't find the brand I want. So this time, it was no different. The only thing was this green and white carton caught my eye. The colours were same as the brand I was looking for, the price was similar and Macro Wholefoods Market had been bought over by Woollies. So I deduced that perhaps the original version has morphed into this one because it just reminded me so much of the other. Hence I bought a carton back to Singapore and have concluded that yes, it is the same deal.

As such, I know what I would be looking for on my trips to Sydney and my mates if they want to cart back something for me from Australia, this would be it. Ok mates, I am not difficult to buy for at all.

One Out Of Two

2010-10-26T22:24:00.003+08:00

We can't get enough of Freshly Baked. The tenderloin sandwich was yummy, coming a close second was this corned beef and fried egg sandwich. Except I had to get into a deep discussion on how I wanted my egg done. This is Singapore, they should understand when I say I want my egg, beaten and fried on both sides like a pancake till well-cooked. They never did understand this in Sydney, despite my practically demonstrating how I wanted the eggs done. No one has eggs that way, so no amount of instruction would help. So I gave up - in Sydney. Whereas in Singapore, I thought that if all failed, I would describe it as egg fried nasi lemak way and any true-blue Singapore would surely understand what I was getting at. Anyway, Freshly Baked did get it right after our long discussion. They stay on our list.

We tested this cafe

in Katong one weekend. There were lots of pretty-looking cakes.

The coffee was forgettable, the cakes looked better than they tasted. We just needed an air-con break that afternoon with our Kiwi guests and this looked like the ticket. Unfortunately, I think it was completely forgettable.

Well one good cafe out of two is not too bad in Singapore.

Another Treasure Unearthed

2010-10-22T23:54:00.002+08:00

I love, love, love Rozelle Markets in Sydney. It is one of the last real flea markets left in Sydney, not one of those touristy type of markets which churn out stuff for the tourists. But it is a true-blue market. And it never disappoints. Every visit is a success. I come back hugging some treasure close to my chest, hardly believing my luck. This time was no different. I scored this lovely, genuine snake skin vintage clutch for only A$5. Although it is not in an excellent condition, it is good enough for me and looks just so beautiful. The leather is gorgeous and the size is large enough to pop in my long wallet, blackberry, lippy and gloss, keys and tissue paper. Did I say I love Rozelle Markets?!

Sssssnake Sssssskin

2010-10-02T21:35:00.003+08:00

I have been nursing a snake skin fetish the last month and a half. Not sure how this happened suddenly seeing as I get the shudders just thinking about those slithering, hissing creatures. But snake skin fetish saw me trawling pages and pages of Etsy trying to find a clutch bag and then when I lost out by seconds to my friend, C when she spotted such a clutch at the Rozelle Markets, Sydney for a very reasonable A$30, I was more than a little bit disappointed. It was a lovely vintage find in excellent condition.

After that, I found a pair of peep toe faux snake skin pumps in a shop near work and I was really pleased with the design, price etc that I went back and bought 2 more pairs for mum and my friend S's birthday.

Finally, last week I went back to the shoe shop and saw these snake skin ballet pumps in a myriad of colours on sale! Oh happy day - these had actually caught my eye the other time I went in but at that time, they were new arrivals and had a price to match that. Now with 50% off, time to get them. I got them in blue and red. Why stop at one pair when you're onto a good thing?

To Outsource Or Not To Outsource - Decor Dilemmas

2010-09-29T20:52:00.004+08:00

Two nights of back-breaking efforts at getting the curtains sewn and I'm technically still not done. Only the 2 side seams and top and bottom of each panel have been completed, we are holding them up with clothes pegs (hence not shown) and I have to sew the tabs. It's the sitting on the floor, bending over and pinning the folds down, ensuring that I've got them all consistent that is back-breaking. Why the floor? Because it's the only surface large enough.

And after all that, G is regretting his choice of fabric. There is just no pleasing everyone. I think IT'S FINE!

We got the new Queen bed delivered today, it was an online purchase. My regret is I didn't discover this earlier and we could have saved a bundle if we had ordered our European size bed from the same place. Anyway, once the bed went in, we could see how big our spare room actually is. I mean we knew it was a good size but with the placement of the largest piece of furniture in the room, the proportions became clearer. We have the 70s closet in there already, and my green tile top 70s table has also gone in and there is a lot of space for a standing lamp and perhaps one of the teak armchairs which we are repolishing and have got new cushions made. And we are off to Penang next week for a short holiday and to collect our precious cargo. And I am now thinking of sanding and varnishing the armchairs myself because it doesn't seem like too much work and is much easier to do it at home than cart it to the shop and back. (I guess when I have back aches and laments, I will regret I did not outsource the job. But till then, I am confident I can do it on a weekend.)

Shanghai Favourites

2010-09-26T01:19:00.004+08:00

Some of my favourite things on my recent trip to Shanghai.

The great architecture along the Bund, gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Historic, well-preserved and maintained, and expertly lit up to amplify their beauty.

Shanghainese food. Not a fan of mock anything, this yummy mock abalone with the wasabi soy dipping sauce is hard to say no to. And I picked out the yellow chestnut from this cold appetiser, skipping the red dates. I suspect they soak the chestnuts in syrup, so sweet so delicious.

Oh That Paradise Feeling

2010-09-19T21:19:00.003+08:00

Some time back, I went up to the Sky Park on the top of the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort. The view was fabulous and the pool photos here give the impression of a lovely Asian resort, a real holiday feeling. Except that if you were one of the poor tourists staying at the hotel and sunbathing by the pool, you would have to put up with hundreds of members of the public who had paid an admission fee of $20 per person to come upstairs and gawk at you enjoying your tropical paradise.

Japanese Pasta & Pizza

2010-09-15T21:53:00.002+08:00

We chanced upon this Japanese pasta-pizza joint at the Changi Airport and the variety of pasta available was mind-boggling. They all sounded so interesting and the couple we ordered did not disappoint. We also got a mini pizza as part of a set and it was good too.

The Japanese are a great one for taking someone else's idea and going one-up on them and making the original idea better.

The New Pad

2010-09-11T19:38:00.003+08:00

Finally after 8 months, our furniture saw the light of day and made it out of storage and into our new home. Technically we are only half moved, as we have about half a truck worth of stuff still at my mum's but since everything we need to function is already here, we are fine. (note to self: still need to get act together and move the rest of the things over)

I've only enjoyed 3 days in the new flat before I went off for another work trip. So I am looking forward to more days in my own space, enjoying my own furniture. We still need to hang pictures, decide which clock goes on which wall and put our clothes and other junk away. But I think we've done quite well with the unpacking so far.

Next step - party time!

Alternative Favourites

2010-08-21T20:52:00.005+08:00

We have discovered 2 areas in Singapore that are cool in the heat.

Haji Lane is our number 1 fave and we have been revisiting ever so often. It is an alternative, bohemian area with little boutiques selling stuff that you don't find in all the ubiquitous malls. There are lots of lovely, vintage finds including a ice-cream parlour/cafe in one of these little shops and a really cool furniture shop selling replica retro mid-Century furniture that we like which has just started a cafe/bar as well. There are loads of young people toting cameras, snapping away along the little street, street art murals such as this black & white one appear on the walls. We like the whole feel of the place.

The other area is Ann Siang Hill which we have just visited and have not spent as much time there as we have in Haji Lane. So there is a lot more for us to explore. There is a really cool cafe cum photo gallery which serves decent but pricey coffee. There are many really interesting shops such as a picture book store, a Swedish design shop and another book store which also stocks retro knick knacks. The architecture of the old Peranakan shophouses are mostly retained and there are art deco buildings in the area too.

Things are getting more interesting and unusual in Singapore. More alternative areas please!

A Well-Deserved Celebration

2010-07-31T21:50:00.009+08:00

We figured the occasion called for a celebration. Deposit on new flat was put down in early January 2010. Legal completion of the sale and purchase was only in end July 2010. Almost 7 months of waiting - quite painful waiting at times it seems.

So when we figured handed over the cashier's order for the 6-figure final payment, we went all out to have a good meal at OChre at Orchard Central, a contemporary Italian restaurant.

This was a 6-course meal, with a sorbet palate cleanser also

counting as one course! It ended up being a rather expensive dinner, with an additional 2 glasses of wine and a limonata. We had a fresh tuna sashimi starter with tapenade and a tiny bit of salad. Very delicious even for a non olive lover. The tomato broth was next. It was light and thin with a mussel and 2 little clams. I had to add some freshly ground black pepper to take the fishy smell off. But overall it was still tasty.

I had the risotto with parma ham while G had orecchiette in a tomato-based sauce which actually tasted like the tuna pasta that he frequently makes for a quick dinner. Both the risotto and the pasta was slightly undercooked and although edible, both dishes would have been much better if cooked for a bit longer. A bit of a

disappointment in texture altho the flavours were quite good for mine.

My main course was the herb-crusted lamb chops. They weren't very big but they were extremely delicious. I like the daikon strip too for its somewhat unique and almost bitter-sweet taste.

G had the fish as his main course.

And finally it's dessert time. Mine was a pretty berry

compote on a fromage texture sort of pudding while G's was an expresso gelato on a creme caramel. Mine was very good and G tried to trade but I was generous (and too full) and shared mine with him without even a taste of his. Coffee and tea came along with the meal, G's expresso was fine but my latte was not up to standard so I didn't finish it and saved the calories!

So all in, a well-deserved celebration. Now we wait for another 3 weeks where we will treat ourselves to another celebration when we physically get the keys.

Artistic Treats

2010-07-22T21:55:00.003+08:00

Hotel Eclat in Taipei is a boutique hotel at the quiet end of the shopping street. In fact it must have been right at the end where no more shopping exists, the street was quiet except for the scary Taipei traffic. And it is new so not many people know of it.

In spite of (or because of) its lack of size, it tries to make up in style and high-tech gizmos in the room. I liked the Nespresso machine but found the 5 remote controls too much. Especially when I could turn on the TV with 2 of those remote controls but unable to get any channel to come on with any of the remote controls!

But I was tickled by the artworks around the hotel. The brochure boasted of works by Dali, Warhol and a couple of Chinese artists whose name I forget, but the Chinese artworks are distinctive, in the sense that many Chinese artists have been making art in that style - like the sexy Ms Piggy toting the pink handbag, perhaps a statement on the consumerist culture that is so pervasive in the nouveau riche stratum of society. Or the laughing skinny, bald-headed chap in the traditional bowing stance. I love the gorgeous light fixtures, all pretty baubles and the Roy Lichtenstein inspired fabric for the baroque armchair.

This was a breath of fresh air that made a nice change in the usual corporate hotels we get stuck in for work trips. What a treat.

Home

2010-07-17T18:21:00.005+08:00

This was our home in Surry Hills.

This was our home in Cammeray.

Now we are just waiting for our new home in Cassia Crescent. Another 5 weeks to go.

Our Own Space

2010-07-13T22:31:00.004+08:00

It's finally getting close. I found an apartment I like on my 10th day back in town in January. Put down a deposit the weekend after. And then waited. And waited. And waited some more. And finally we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, the waiting game is coming to an end.

I also contacted my old designer/contractor who did my last apartment, about 5 years ago. He actually remembered me. I really liked the custom-made hydraulic storage bed he had designed and constructed for me the last time. We will probably do something similar because G, the tall boy needs to have a long bed, Asian length beds don't work. At 180 cm, the length is already 5 cm shorter than he is, and considering one doesn't sleep right at the top of the mattress, his feet would be dangling off a fair bit. So we have to order a European mattress which we will then have to get a special bed base to fit.

Hopefully, with minimal renovations required, we can do the basic work (painting the whole flat white, so goodbye mauve walls!) very quickly and then do the other less essential work in stages.

After so long, we are looking forward to having our own space again.

A Tale Of Two River Banks

2010-07-10T23:33:00.004+08:00

This was my only R&R during my very first business trip on my new job - to Shanghai. Dinner was at a restaurant that straddled the old and the new Shanghai, on either side of the river.

The old is the former English concession area, with the glorious architecture, art-deco style and overrun with tourists everywhere. The new is the spanking business district, with tall, glassy skyscrapers, all lit up and boasting of the most expensive property in the world. A condominium sells for USD15,000 per square metre. No wonder property everwhere else is considered cheap by the Chinese who are snapping them up by the dozen and pushing up our property prices over here.

I am dazzled by the modernity of the lights and the tall skyscrapers. I am intrigued by the romanticism of the old buildings. What a contrast.

A Disappointment - Resolved

2010-07-02T22:31:00.002+08:00

I had been patiently waiting for my Etsy goodies for almost a month. A ring with greeny-blue stone, a jadeite vintage brooch and a later purchase, a 1960s carpet bag.

The jewellery arrived first, almost 3 weeks after I've bought them.

Lo and behold when I tore open the package, the ring which was in a jewellery box, was broken. The box was heavy-duty and would have protected the ring quite well. It looked to me to be either broken before being packed, or it might have been wedged against the lid of the box and it snapped it off when it was closed or pressed on. Anyway I emailed the seller and she was really quick to reply and refund my purchase price back to my Paypal account. As she had been on vacation, that purchase had been packed by her daughter, whom she thinks was to blame for the poor packing.

I am a little disappointed of course, but happy that my jadeite brooch is intact and that is the better purchase actually. And am happy that the seller was so prompt to take responsibility and refund me. I love Etsy.

A Mustard Surprise

2010-06-26T17:52:00.003+08:00

As I obsess over vintage bags, and debate which "new" old bag I should be buying off Etsy, ran straw polls on Facebook, a surprise was awaiting me. Things have a way of working itself out. I should have known this, seeing as I have first hand experience of many dramatic situations working themselves out. And an obsession over a few vintage bags barely even qualifies. But anyway...

I stipulated to my work mates, no farewell parties and no pressies. After all this would be only the third time I am leaving the company! People are already demanding their money back as I keep joking. But I guess my stipulation came a little late or they chose to ignore me. But they picked this gorgeous mustard coloured soft calf skin handbag that I absolutely love. I was already hankering after that colour when a colleague bought a book bag in that colour. But I didn't want a book bag. And this one is the same shade but in a gorgeous style. I love love love it.

So that puts my vintage handbag obsession to rest for a little while now. Until I get that urge again, then who knows.

Vintage Shopping

2010-06-24T21:58:00.004+08:00

I love old things. Some people call them junk. Some people turn their noses up at them because they aren't brand new. Some people wonder where the branded label is. I don't care what these people think, I just love vintage stuff.

My shopping preferences have continuously veered towards trawling weekend markets for unique stuff and thrift shops for treasures. Holding an unexpected find, in the midst of dusty racks of clothes and bags, or turning over an interesting bit of pottery and finding a special potter's mark - all priceless experiences. I've had the fortune of having those experiences and love the thrill of the find, the search that goes before the find.

Now that I've left Sydney, where my flea market shopping can be indulged to the maximum, I've turned to the virtual flea market online to feed my passion and it's grown to be a bit of an obsession. I've spent hours trawling the various shops, the next best thing to being physically present and turning a cup around in my hands, feeling the fabric, opening bags up and looking into them, trying jackets on and looking at myself in the mirror... But the virtual vintage shopping experience has been great. It's yielded many items which I covet. In addition to the jadeite brooch and a ring that I've bought and eagerly and patiently waiting the arrival of, I've been debating which of the vintage bags I should buy. There are 3 or 4 that I have been thinking about, but I have been in love with this carpet bag as soon as I've set eyes on it. After mulling about it for 3 days, I decided I had better get it before some other discerning vintage lover beats me to it and then I would have to live with regrets.

So now I just have to sit back and wait for my purchases to arrive. And try to control my vintage shopping and not let the obsession grow too large, especially when online shopping is so convenient and I have been paying for my purchases with PayPal, in support of the new job that I start in 4 days' time!

My Etsy Obsession

2010-06-19T16:10:00.003+08:00

I've been nursing an Etsy obsession for the longest time but it seems recently that I've been more obsessed than normal. I don't know what it is, maybe it's because I'm moving to a new job in a week's time and it heralds in a whole new horizon. So I think I should be getting more new (vintage - yes irony observed) stuff. Or maybe it's because I'll be earning a wee bit more money so I should treat myself a little. And whatever the reason, I just love Etsy and have been trawling for leather clutches, any other bags and the occasional vintage jewellery.

My current top faves are the 1960s brown carpet bag and the baby blue Samsonite carry-on bag (the one that is slung on the model's shoulder below).

I am still looking for a leather clutch that really speaks to me. And oh, I want a vintage bowling bag too. Why, I do not know and I guess that doesn't really matter, does it?

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
bobogal.etsy.com

Armchair Refurbishment - In Progress

2010-06-13T23:13:00.004+08:00

We zipped down to Ikea on Saturday to get some fabric for the cushion covers that we were getting made. I had my eye on the grey one on the left when I saw it on my last trip and picked that for my choice. It's like an abstract botanica sort of print. As G and I agreed that we would each have our pick for 1 chair, I then tried to influence his selection. In fact, I tried to wrangle for both selections using my birthday as a leverage seeing that it was his gift to me.

Unfortunately for me, even though the fabrics were his birthday present to me, he could not be influenced and selected a greyish-blue fabric with Japanese comic illustrations of Godzilla and some Japanese girl. He thought the graphics were so wonderful, especially from his "designer" point of view. Fortunately for me, the fabric was out of stock! Either that meant it was so popular that it ran out or so unpopular, they didn't bother to re-order. G left his contact for when the new stock comes in. In the meantime, he picked one of the fabrics I had pushed for, this one that reminded me of Maori prints, another abstract one. He picked one metre in the beige background and another in the black background so that both covers would be a positive and negative of the other. I thought that was a pretty cool idea.

So even though the two chair covers aren't a matching pair, they would be complementary to each other and I can't wait for the end result.

My Tax Woes

2010-06-06T16:49:00.003+08:00

When you have something hanging over your head like the Sword of Damocles, you can only wish that there is a resolution either way. Living in wait for the shoe (or sword) to drop is no fun. I've lived the last 2 years plus waiting to see if the Australian Taxation Office is going to get round to my excess super contribution that I've unwittingly made when I first started work full-time in mid 2007, contributed mainly by misleading advice and a rotten excel tool provided by my company. It's cost me plenty in stress, sleepless nights and now, when ATO has finally caught up with me, an additional $10,000 in penalties.

I've rung the ATO over the past 2 years, consulted tax people, written out drafts of what I was going to say in my appeal when the time comes and now when the time has come, I've lost the drafts. So finally, I have got my 2-page appeal out in draft and got an Australian lawyer friend to review it. But I guess, it all comes down to whether it appeals to their merciful side because nothing that happens to normal people is an exceptional circumstances according to the ATO website. It is your own stupidity, lack of judgement, trust in the wrong people including getting inaccurate professional advice. So I'm throwing myself at their mercy and asking them to "temper justice with mercy".

For about 2 seconds when I got the tax letter, I wondered if I could withdraw all my money in Australia and pretend I've never got the letter and any other future letters from them I am sure to get. But I suppose being put on the Australian Most Wanted list for tax evasion is not really worth it. So fingers crossed, but knowing how authorities are, I am not harbouring much hope really...

Vintage Armchair

2010-06-02T23:18:00.006+08:00

This is inspirational and timely as I've just checked the cost of restoring a pair of 1960s teak armchairs which are similar. G and I have decided that we each get to choose the fabric we want on each of them - separately. The restoring which involves sanding down and varnishing would cost $$50 each and I need to get new cushions and covers done and that would definitely cost more than $50 each chair.

This armchair is from www.likethatone.com and I am in love with that store. This is going for $350. This is the store I want to own!

Countdown To A New Chapter

2010-05-30T22:02:00.003+08:00

The new chapter in my work life sorta had a false start with this conference I attended in Aptos, California with the folks from the new job. It was a fantastic 3 days, meeting everyone, hearing interesting issues and challenges surfaced by various speakers, learning about the inside politics of who likes whom and who doesn't. And also I am no longer a S'more virgin, having toasted marshmallows over a real roaring open bonfire, squashing a fat one with a Hersey chocolate between 2 graham crackers and then going back for more marshmallows the whole night on the beach.

It got me all geared up ready to go, except for the fact that I was going nowhere for the next 7.5 weeks. Now that was frustrating. But seeing as it is now officially 4 weeks to go, I can start the countdown without it being like a dot of light at the end of a long tunnel.

New work life (not just a career), bring it on!

Penang - A Whirlwind Trip

2010-05-14T19:12:00.002+08:00

G had almost exclusive possession of the camera on our recent whirlwind trip to Penang. My old camera had died on me some time back and we have been using his, while he's been talking about buying a wide-angle camera for the longest time but has yet to make that investment. So on the occasions when I had control of the camera, I snapped these pictures.

I like the rustic ambience of this little hole-in-the-wall cafe which was situated next to the Cheah clan house. We had a chat with the owners and they said they finally decided to take the plunge and open up the cafe. But having not very much money, the young couple decided to make-do and this was the results of it. Very nicely done and we wish them all the very best and hope their business survive and do well indeed.

We had gone off into the boondocks with my cousin and her husband the morning before we left for the airport. They normally like to take visitors on a round Penang island drive. But with the short amount of time we had, we had to pick and choose some spots to hit on the drive. This almost postcard-like photo was taken in front of the Eunuch Cheng Ho temple which is situated in a fishing village.

I could sum up the 3 main features that figured quite significantly on the trip - food, scenery and temples/clan houses. This was from one of the temples we had visited and the fuschia of the praying stools for devotees to kneel on, with the red lotus motifs contrasting with the green floor, just jumped out at me. We visited numerous temples, from the Kuan Yin Temple to the Snake Temple to the Kek Lok Si Temple up on the hill with the turtle pond and the giant statue of the Goddess of Mercy now and also clan houses with their amazing architecture and colours. The buildings were simply dazzling and a treat for the eyes.

Undoubtedly, there will be a repeat trip soon!

A New Brunch Place

2010-04-27T15:06:00.003+08:00

It was Saturday lunch for me, and brekkie for some others at Gourmet Plus at Frankel Ave. The brekkie type dishes were priced around the mid-range while the main courses were on the high end.

I ordered the chicken sandwich with mushroom and basil pesto, it was quite tasty and I enjoyed the greens that came with. The chips were a surprise, but it bulked up the meal for the bigger eater.

Mum had the lobster bisque and the scrambled eggs with salmon. She felt that the eggs were too creamy for her but the others liked it. I am no scrambled eggs lover and gave it a miss.

J's croque monsieur looked and tasted pretty good according to her. No chips with it but she had some rocket in her greens. I wish mine had rocket.

We all shared a chocolate fondant for dessert, it was nice but could be warmer. The coffee was again abysmal as with 99.9% of coffee in Singapore.

With a return voucher for the next visit, we just might trek down for another weekend brunch to try out the other items on the menu.

Mum's Yummy Konnyaku

2010-04-18T21:29:00.002+08:00

Mum made her very popular Japanese jellies. They were a big hit with the kids, and the adults. The lovely colours, shapes and fruit all add to their appeal.

The other thing I like about this picture is the little dish is dad's. It is so old it qualifies as an antique now. I love it and how it reminds me of my father.

Everyone Loves Fries

2010-04-18T20:58:00.006+08:00

Due to the strange inability to move photos that are taken by my phone and uploaded through Bluetooth to my laptop, dessert comes first today.

We finally went to "Everything With Fries", an outlet opened by the same people who own "Awfully Chocolate". The same minimalist-style decor was a big hit with us. We like the blackboard menu and the buzz of pink-shirted young people waiting tables.

This warm and gooey Nutella tart ended our very satisfactory dinner although we had some observations about the inefficient flow of the wait staff doing their thing. Waiters walking pass empty-handed, not refilling cups or handing out menus. Or coming to the table with a refilled cup and then not removing empty dishes. Lots of busy staff bustling by, but not very efficient work being carried out. That's one of our pet subjects whenever we eat out, dissecting the operational process flow and opining how things can be done better. Plus talking about the food and ambience of course and in those areas, this place ticks all the boxes.

I had the pork chop with sour cream and herb shoe-string fries. Yum. G had the breaded salmon with original straight-cut fries. The only problem was "original" means with paprika and not like how normal people think "original" means ie. salt.

We had a chat with Lyn, the owner of the joint after dinner. She was very friendly, very receptive. I think this place will be even more successful after she fixes those issues. We look forward to coming back to try more dishes including the Mille crepe which was sold out that night.

Thunder Tea Rice

2010-04-09T16:05:00.003+08:00

This is simple Hakka fare, a bowl of brown rice with a generous helping of basil, mint and other chopped up veggies, a handful of crushed peanuts scattered over the top. You ladle a neon green "tea" over it, the tea having some other ingredients in it and not being actually just tea. I love the fragrance of the basil and mint, workers sit at the table, plucking the leaves diligently as we eat in the little shop.

Sometimes, the simple things in life are the best.

Yumcha

2010-03-25T22:52:00.003+08:00

I love dim sum, who doesn't? It's always an easy choice for a weekend brunch. I've been trying to find a good dim sum place now that we are a few thousand miles from Marigold, my favourite yumcha restaurant in Sydney, which boasts of 100 plus varieties of dim sum every day.

The Tung Lok restaurant at Paramount hotel, despite bearing the Tung Lok brand name, is extremely disappointing in terms of quality and the abysmal variety. Wah Lok in Carlton hotel is a perennial favourite, its standards are consistent throughout the years. We went to Crystal Jade at Changi Airport last weekend for the reason that it would probably not be too crowded and was fairly near to us. It was pretty good and in particular, this steamer of transparent-skinned veggie dumplings. Visually pleasing and tasty. This Crystal Jade is definitely on our list for yumcha.

Little India

2010-03-20T22:30:00.003+08:00

We made a trip down to Little India this evening and spent more than an hour browsing in Mustafa Centre. It is amazing and sells everything from toilet bowls to Mont Blanc pens. We spent an inordinate amount of time checking out the homeware section, fingering pots, pans, tea pots, ice-cream scoops, thermos flasks, chocolate fondue pots...

After that, we decided that we were finally hungry and so I led the way to the famous Komalas Villas, the original one and not the fast-food version we saw next to Mustafa.

I ordered the masala dhosai which had potatoes in it, G got something which looked like a pizza with tomatoes on, but is probably some sort of roti with tomatoes and P got the onion dhosai. We each got a mango lassi as well and it was a cheap and yummy dinner. And filling too even though it didn't look very big. P and I did what the Romans do, and used our hands while G chickened out and went with his fork and spoon.

The dhosai was incredibly cheap at $2.50 or so. The lassi cost almost as much. The guys then each had a masala tea after the meal. I was too full by then. They were very sceptical when I told them that the additional receptacle that came with the stainless steel cup of tea was for them to transfer the tea to back and forth to cool it. But they tried the tea-cooling technique.

After dinner, we had a wander around the neighbourhood. The Ganesha statue attracted my attention. It was part of a touristy-looking Indian/Chinese restaurant. We won't be going there I'm sure, but the decor was attractive at least. I'm going to be sticking with my $2.50 dhosai.

Chocolate Beetroot Cake

2010-03-07T16:08:00.006+08:00

I keep saying I am over the search for a good coffee in Singapore and I just shouldn't bother. It's all a waste of money ($5 at least) and suffering yet another disappointment. But sometimes I still cave in, like at the Society Cafe for a late Saturday lunch after yoga.

We had walked past the joint a couple of times and had checked out the menu and spoken to a very friendly waitress the week before, so we thought we would give it a go this weekend.

They actually knew what a flat white was, so that was an encouraging sign, however the fact that they didn't have soy milk quickly took them down a notch. But I thought I would risk the milk. The coffee art came with a shaky hand and the cup was quite small, so there goes a few more points. And it was all down to the taste. Verdict: Not as watery as the other places, but not quite as flavoursome or thick enough for me. I would give it a 5 out of 10.

The chicken, spinach and pesto penne fared a lot better. It was not a huge portion but was just nice for me. We could all smell the fragrance of the basil pesto. A very promising sign. It was delicious, there were visible bits of chicken and I even crunched into a pine nut or two.

And of course there was dessert. There were 2 cake stands staring directly at us the whole time. 1 was a carrot cake with a delightful green tea frosting and the other was a chocolate beetroot cake with pink frosting. We decided to be adventurous and go for the chocolate-beetroot combo. It was moist and had a tinge of beetroot. 2 thumbs up!

I would come back for the penne and the cake. And save my money by sticking to teh-c.

Ice

2010-02-28T00:20:00.003+08:00

Layers over layers of very finely shaven ice so much so that it doesn't even taste like ice. It was some miracle ice-shaving machinge that is involved in this! But the thread-like ice "fluff" were so delicious. We ordered a corn-flavoured base and a dollop of D24 durian puree on it. Bliss... Amazing how different the texture of shaven ice can be!

All Packed, Ready To Go

2010-02-19T20:54:00.000+08:00

Our Cammeray apartment has been packed up in 3 hours by the movers. The things that we are shipping over to Singapore will apparently arrive in 3 months' time. In fact if they take 5 months to arrive, we would be even happier as it means no storage and our stuff would still be in transit and hence, insured. Fingers and toes crossed that my retro glassware and ceramics arrive safely. Particularly I am praying for my 2-tier glass cake stand, the little ceramic Kiwi cake stand, my Steve Sheridan bowl, those hollow-stemmed champagne glasses and my English tea cups. I hope to see them safe and sound for the afternoon teas I am planning to have in the second half of the year.

Singapore - A City For Many Things

2010-02-17T21:32:00.003+08:00

Singapore is growing as a City of the Arts. I was surprised to find a section of the Berlin Wall with the mural by a graffiti artist called "Kings of Freedom" in the Bedok Reservoir.

I think that was my first time in the Bedok Reservoir despite living in the east and I've been to the MacRitchie reservoir and the Lower (or is it Upper) Pierce reservoir which are far, far away from the east. I thought the significance of the duo very interesting. The King on the right is blindfolded, blind to the sufferings of his people. I forget about the King of Freedom on the left.

As a City for Foodies, Singapore is a good place to be. Prices are very reasonable, there is lots of varieties but the standards vary too. I had a 3-course set meal at Friends@Jelita and the salmon mains was the star of the meal. It was nicely seared, I liked the caramelised shredded coconut on the top although I found it a tad sweet, even with my sweet tooth. It could do with more asparagus and mash potato too. The grilled squid on squash appetiser was average while the choc truffle cake was below par. It had a musty chocolate smell, like old chocolate and I only ate 1 of the 2 tiny cubes they served up.

Art and food are my twin passions. I think I will be spoilt for choice here.

Not Valentine Day's Dinner

2010-02-14T17:15:00.000+08:00

This Valentine's Day, G is still in Sydney, spending his last few days there, tying up loose ends and saying good bye to all his friends, while I am in Singapore, stuffing my face full of pineapple tarts and other CNY goodies. VD is not really a big thing here this year as it is over-shadowed by CNY.

So on VD which happens to be day 1 of the CNY and most restaurants are closed for business, I ended up at Waraku, a Japanese restaurant with my youngest sister and her husband. I had a cold soba noodle, with a delicious sesame dipping sauce. It was light and refreshing after all the CNY goodies I have stuffed myself with.

Definitely going on the healthy-eating regime when G arrives - whether by choice or not!

New Year, New Clothes

2010-02-13T16:26:00.004+08:00

Chinese New Year is a time for eating lots of yummy and fattening goodies. It is also a time to traditionally buy a few new outfits (or 5) to kickstart the new Lunar year with everything new - clothes, shoes and even underwear for some.

I haven't bought any new CNY clothes over the last 4 years while I have been in Sydney. And so this year seems particularly special in terms of getting some pretty new clothes, dresses to be exact as I've decided that the easiest way of dressing for work was to throw on a dress. No need to worry about matching tops and bottoms. Even better if the dress was in a fabric that does not require ironing.

Over the last 3 weeks, I had bought 2 dresses in different shades of purple/plum. That colour was everywhere. I was getting a little concerned that my only 2 new purchases were so similar no one was able to tell the difference!

Then yesterday whilst waiting for my sister to leave the office for dinner, I decided to have a wander around a few dress shops I knew nearby to see if I could find anything nice. The first shop stocked clothes from Korea and was run by a Korean lady. The dress she recommended was a popular buy according to her, it was in a nice cotton fabric and simple and in a classic retro Audrey Hepburn style which I quite liked. But the colour was a little staid, a navy blue with a ochre lining around the neckline. So I KIV-ed that dress and decided to widen the search.

The next stop was staffed by a very good sales lady. She proceeded to bring out one dress after another for me to try when I've identified a couple that I might like. After trying on 7 or 8 dresses, I decided that my top 2 favourites were a Chanel-esque flapper-style dress in yellow and a black and white Eley Kishimoto dress. I can always go back for the blue and brown Stepford wives dress which is slightly tight around the underarm and needs to be taken out half an inch and the deep emerald green dress with the interesting sleeves. But for now, I bought my top 2 choices. And they are not purple! I am all set for the Chinese New Year.

Unfetterd Toes, Unfettered Soul

2010-02-09T23:01:00.004+08:00

After 6 months of being footloose (literally) and fancy-free, with my feet now encased in work shoes, 5 days a week over the last 4 weeks, bunion-looking growths have started sprouting on a couple of my toes.

Unfettered toes, unfettered soul. With my toes now firmly imprisoned in these leather heels, I can feel the shackles tightening not just around my toes, but around my soul as well.

I need to let the toes loose more often.

Public Art Installation - Imaginary Singing Birds In Cages

2010-02-08T21:47:00.005+08:00

We chanced upon this public art installation while waiting for the doors of the Angel Place Recital Hall to open. It was dusk, but there was a burst of twittering in the air. Most unusual. So we followed our ears round the corner into the alley. This sight greeted us.

Very cool! A range of bird cages, of all shapes and sizes were strung up across the alley way. For the birds, you would have to use your imagination and aided by the audio, you can visualise various types of birds in their cages, singing away to their audience below.

This was a treat. I don't think many installations reach out successfully to the masses, but I think this one certainly did, in its simplicity and with its use of common day objects and with the aid of sound. I give it two thumbs up!

Enjoy The Journey

2010-02-04T21:46:00.004+08:00

People are normally in a hurry to get from point A to point B, finish their chores, complete their goals. The journey towards the goal is just a means to an end.

They have no tine to stand and stare.

No time to wonder whether the pretty white/yellow/pink flowers growing amongst the grass, could possibly be a weed, considering how lovely they are, and weeds conjure up an image of bad, choking plants. No time to notice that the little white daisies grow invariably in a ring, such a wonder of Nature. No time to wonder what those guava-looking green fruit growing on wooden fences are, and if they are edible. No time to notice these pigeon-looking birds but with a lovely pink collar and bib, hanging out on the grass verge, 2 pairs in all, scouring the grass for seeds, fluttering around when they spy a person coming a little nearer to them to take a better look. Were they pigeons (prettier than normal ones) or were they a type of parrot (G thinks so when he saw my photos). I just think they are so pretty and I have never seen any pigeon or parrot like them.

And I also think that the journey in itself is something to be enjoyed, something which I had enjoyed to the fullest during my 6 months' of bliss and quiet. Now I am back to rushing around...

The Biscuit Factory (Camperdown, Sydney)

2010-01-31T15:40:00.005+08:00

I've long wanted to blog about this but never got round to downloading the photos from my phone till now.

I love how Sydney does quite a good job of refurbishing old buildings, usually disused breweries, factories, warehouses, hospitals, wool stores etc into apartment buildings. They seem to have got the knack of retaining the integrity of the old architecture while modifying it to suit modern residential purposes.

We saw this development called the Biscuit Factory, aptly named as it was the refurbished Weston Biscuit fatory which had closed down in 2004.

The biscuit mould was retained near where they had set up a cafe, and I thought it was really cool. I don't think Weston biscuits were particularly tasty from memory, but the memory (even an imaginary one) of an old biscuit factory now turned into a residence, is so full of poetry.

Uncomplicated Fun

2010-01-23T20:12:00.002+08:00

Some days you just come across something totally unexpected. Like someone putting detergent into a public fountain and causing a big foam bath and a load of fun for kids and some erm, older kids. The surprise that confronts everyone, quickly turns into glee when the potential fun one could have with the situation kicks in. Everyone starts mucking around, something really simple could bring out the child in all of us. We can have so much fun from something so uncomplicated.

I love it.

The Last 24 Hours In Sydney

2010-01-05T13:00:00.000+08:00

My second last day in Sydney was a beautiful sunny day. I took a break from work in the afternoon and decided to go for a quick bush walk down to the miniature waterfall near us as I would probably never have the chance to do it despite all my good intentions of exploring the area earlier on. In my 6 months of freedom, I should have found my way there but somehow just didn't. I did not want to have any regrets before I left so I wandered off into the bush.

The little track next to an apartment block led me down into the bush. I hesitated a little, morbid thoughts of being strangled just before I left Sydney briefly crossed my mind, and how people remembering me would say with a sigh, "Poor thing, just when she was just going to move back to Singapore... if only she didn't go off by herself into the bush." I banished those horrible thoughts and walked down further and soon came to a little narrow bridge. I could see the waterfall from there but it was quite dry that day, I veered to the other direction and carried on walking.

Lo and behold, I came upon this...

This was actually also a short cut to Primrose Park, shaving off at least 15 minutes. I completely didn't realise it because my sense of direction is so bad, I didn't connect the dots as to where the park was actually situated.

Primrose Park is interesting because it used to be a horrible sewerage site many, many years ago and in the recent years, was turned into a park. It is now lush and green (probably fertile from the crap that used to be there) and the size of a few football pitches. People walk their dogs, toss balls around and play cricket ther.

I walked the length of it towards the water and then did a bit of yoga before making my way home. Home for the next 24 hours before I return to my hometown.

Celebrating 51 Weeks

2010-01-04T21:16:00.012+08:00

We celebrated our first wedding anniversary exactly on the 51st week, a week in advance as I would be in Singapore by the next weekend. The first year has been a whirlwind of changes, changes and more changes. It has been a period of adjustment and learning how to handle and negotiate with each other, understand and complement each other.

And so we celebrate that milestone with a Japanese-fusion degustation dinner at Waqu. It did not disappoint. The understated Japanese ambience played with light and dark, the serving staff were generally good (apart from the 1 girl who served us a couple of times, she was a bit DUH) and I love how they all look so Japanese-designerish cool in their dark uniforms and hip, sleek hair.

The food was delicate, delicious and beautifully presented, as you would expect from a Japanese fine dining restaurant (or even non-fine dining, the Japanese are a tough act to follow in the area of presentation). I loved every single course we had.

The starter was a quartet and so unusual - there was a soft shell crab taco, a potato soup with sago pearls in a shooter glass, a bicoloured cake of some green and orange veggie which I have since forgotten and a little skewer of a duck sliver on half a cherry tomato. It was fabulous, I love every single item here and the colours were just so pretty.

The entree was cold soba noodles with crab meat and feta cheese. You had to mix it all up before you eat. It was definitely fusion-y and was quite good, kinda like an Eastern pasta I guess.

Being the meat-eater I am, I picked the beef with miso (in the cube form). The beef was excellent although the miso didn't do anything for me. G picked the fish entree which was also yummy and it came with some appetising pickles and a deep-fried tempura zucchini flower.

For the main course, once again, I went for the meat- a slow-cooked lamb which was so tender, for a while I forgot it was lamb and thought it was beef. The foam was a nice aesthetic touch but didn't have much flavour. G had the seafood main which was a fish fillet which was really tasty, a couple of clams in white wine sauce (yummy) and a baby octopus which was too small for him to give me a taste.

Dessert was heavenly. It was a trio garnished with Orchid petals which G polished off, I ate 1 only and it was crunchy. I remembered the concubine in the "Empire of the Sun" eating Orchids as they were edible so I pronounced them to be so and G promptly ate them. The panna cotta with a jelly top was to die for, the vanilla ice-cream on a bed of crushed nuts and a dollop of honey on it was of high quality (even though I was a little disappointed when the waitress told us at the beginning that the green tea gelato was unavailable and they were substituting with the vanilla ice-cream) and the last item was a foamy dollop of something yummy and brown which I have now forgotten what it actually was!

But all in, it was a lovely meal and we were glad we finally paid them a visit before we leave Sydney. More good years, more good meals.

So Long, Farewell, See You Later

2010-01-02T21:08:00.003+08:00

The second day of 2010 was when I formally say goodbye to some dear friends I've made in the 4 years I've lived in Sydney. Some were work mates who I call friends, some were G's friends who I call my friends now, some were actually originally my friends. Whatever their source, I am glad they came, most of them across the Bridge, overcoming that huge psychological barrier (although we are 5 minutes from the city north only) to come say see ya later.

We started off at 4 pm with drinks and some nibbles at Wild Sage, a cafe/bar/restaurant at Cammeray. It was a good venue, large enough for our group of about 20 or so, air conditioned (oh so very important in the recent humidity) and child-friendly as we had 3 kids under the age of 3 and a baby. We had the indoor space practically to ourselves till around 6 pm when the dinner crowd started trickling in and we moved outside where the temperature has cooled down and the humidity gone.

At 7.30 or so, hunger pangs reminded us it was time for dinner and 6 of us decided to try to get a table at Papaya Thai, a great restaurant with some lovely Moulin Rouge-looking chandeliers and cane nest-like hanging lights. It was packed but after a short wait, we had a table.

Even though the place was packed to the rafters and the kitchen was a hive of crazy activity, they were super-efficient and we got served our lovely food quicly. It was all good and was a lovely end to a great farewell do.

Satiated in more ways than one, I bid the lovely people adieu. This is not so much a full stop, but a comma. Just a breather. Watch this space, I'm sure I'll be back!

NYE Fireworks

2010-01-01T20:39:00.005+08:00

My last New Year's Eve in Sydney (at least for a while) - so I insisted that we have to watch the world-famous fireworks live. Now that we live on the Lower North Shore, there were places with great vantage points to see the fireworks from the Bridge and the various barges strategically placed around the Harbour. Of course being the oldies we are, we targetted the 9 pm "Children's Fireworks" rather than the actual midnight one which we would catch on TV if we were still awake at that point. We were merely observing precedents where we actually nodded off in front of the TV before the witching hour a couple of past New Year's Eves.

So I decided that we would walk to the Kurraba Road Ferry Wharf, a 35-minute walk from our home and observe the fireworks there. Upon arrival just before 8 pm, we found the wharf to be deserted, much to our surprise. We thought it would be full of revellers by that time. Instead most of the crowd had gone further down the road to the Reserve and were sitting on the grass, feeding the mozzies. We staked out our prime location on the bench closest to where the action would be. How civilised - we had ring-side seats, it was windy, there were no mozzies. I even had a flask of lemonade and Cointreau and a box of raisins and almonds.

We had an hour or so to kill and watched the sunset light up the North Sydney CBD. Some other like-minded people started coming down to the wharf as the 9 pm hour crept closer.

The first blast rang out at 9 pm and burst into a scarlet shower. We had a perfect view of one of the barges and the Bridge. One can never get enough of seeing live fireworks I think. I am glad I had my first and last NYE fireworks experience in Sydney.

Letting Go Of The Old

2009-12-27T14:35:00.007+08:00

The apartment is looking a lot emptier now, and feels a lot lighter too. We or rather I, have managed to sell off quite a few pieces of furniture and other odds and ends. Surprisingly, Christmas time seems to be a good time for people to be scouring the classifieds to see what they can lay their hands on. And at the prices I've advertised, they know a bargain when they see one, especially those who like retro, vintage furniture.

So good bye to the old, familiar pieces, especially when they had been with G for so long. It is with a twinge of reluctance to let some of them go, especially the low orange plastic Kartell-era coffee table on which we've had many weekend brekkies on the balcony of our other apartment in Surry Hills. We tell ourselves that since we've moved to this apartment, we have not done the same, so it is time to let it go.

I was a bit sad to see the orange vinyl dining chairs go as I like them a lot. But we had to make a choice between them and the green vinyl Parker-ish chairs and those won, even though they were squeaky and will need to be repaired in due course.

The pink retro toaster which can toast 4 slices of bread at a go used to sit on the bench of my apartment in Oxford St as it had been a spare which G had. I like the retro design but on my own, I will never need 4 pieces of toast at any one time!

The Danish-style wooden table was always a tad high for a coffee table although we like its clean lines. So we last used it as a table for the printer. The top was a little water-damaged and had started to warp a little and the slates in the second tier were loose. So we really didn't want it THAT much.

G was also a little sad that his light green table lamp had to go, he used to have it on his bedside. I didn't like it that much for some unknown reason. The low Ikea coffee table was the right height for us to prop our feet on when watching telly but once we've got the Noguchi table, we used it as a side table for odds and ends.

Hence as the Chinese saying goes, "If the old things don't go, the new ones don't come". How very apt. And with furniture, and other general aspects of life, we probably have to let go of the old and the familiar in order to welcome some other newer, better changes into our lives...

Packing, Recycling, Reusing

2009-12-25T19:03:00.004+08:00

The apartment was looking like a bomb site for a while before G tried to put things away and hide them in the bedroom so that it was a little more presentable for Christmas. Not that anyone or even Santa paid us a visit.

I was in a packing frenzy, trying to wrap my precious glassware gleaned over the last 4 years from various sources and keep them safe enough to survive the journey. Paper was strewn all over the floor, boxes and suitcases were open, items were repacked. I wasn't that confident that they would survive to be honest. So we've decided to pay the professionals to do the job and we can obtain comprehensive insurance for them in that case. Some things aren't expensive but they are worth a lot, they cannot be replaced because they are hard to come by, especially where we are going. It's kinda price vs value.

I've put up some stuff on Gumtree and surprise, surprise - I've had 1 person respond who was very keen in a few items and is coming to see them tomorrow morning. With some luck, we might get rid of most of them. It is a shame to let our retro pieces go and it is with great reluctance that we do so. Some of the pieces like the replica Wassily chair and the Caroma stool will go to friends and some time down the road, when we visit these friends, we will see some of these old treasures find a place in someone else's lives and giving them the same enjoyment that we've had...

Impromptu Swim at Cronulla

2009-12-23T17:42:00.003+08:00

The sea has rejuvenating and healing properties. We had an impromptu swim yesterday when we drove up to Cronulla with G's friend, Patrick who's just come back from China to where he is now staying. It was a fabulous apartment with a view to die for. And we felt that we were on holiday straight away (even though it is still in Sydney!).

Patrick suggested a swim after tea. He could loan G a pair of shorts but has nothing for me. Fortunately, we had a huge armful of my old clothings that we were donating to the Salvos. So I rummaged in the pile and picked out a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and we were ready. Never having swum in the sea in Australia before, after being scared to death by stories of rips pulling people into the surf, I was apprehensive at first. But Patrick assured me there were no rips in that particular beach. Bracing myself for the cold water took a while, but once in, it was great! We paddled around for a bit then got out and sat on the sand and chatted till the wet clothes started giving me a chill and we went back up for a hot shower. Then it was fish and chips on the grass overlooking the sea. What a wonderful way to end a great afternoon. And as a bonus, my 2-week old mouth ulcer and the starts of a cold were arrested by that salt water dip - natural healing! That was the best...

Life's Little Ironies

2009-12-23T17:17:00.003+08:00

December was a chock-a-block month.

On the job front, it was a month of ups and downs. It was a month of near offers, real offers, real misses, almost misses and everything in between.

On the personal front, especially from the perspective of settling down into a new-old place, it was exciting and promising.

Now with the job settled, we are moving. I relocate in 2 weeks' time and that means lots of hectic planning, packing and organising. G relocates a month after me. In the meantime, we got invited to the neighbour's Christmas Drinks where we got to know the neighbours better and where we broke the news that after meeting them properly that evening, we were moving. Life's little ironies once again.

Christchurch Treasures

2009-11-26T19:45:00.005+08:00

This trip to Christchurch was a combination of relaxing (going to bed Kiwi time, waking up Sydney time is how I describe it), day trips to interesting little towns, retro/vintage shopping with the MIL who has kindly kept an eye out for wonderful little retro shops and cut out information on them for me, (over) eating yummy stuff at restaurants, cafes plus delicious home-cooked meals.

I scored 2 lovely items. The first is a brown, crocodile-skin handbag made in the 1940s, still in an extremely pristine condition for something that is half a century old. It is a beautifully-made Kelly bag, very sturdy and yet very feminine. I love it to bits. And the fact that I only paid NZ$10 for it at my favourite vintage shop there, Foragers. I can't wait to use it.

The second item is a wee cake dish with a green leaf and rose painted on. Just nice for one person, I can see myself using it and enjoying my little cakes and biscuits on this little treasure, with a cup of Earl Grey tea.

I love the fact that I've spent so little and got so much. The feeling is priceless.

A Subtle Non-Conformist

2009-11-16T20:00:00.006+08:00

Today, I clutched a bag of old clothes and books and trudged up the hill to Vinnie's to do some good. I was pleased to have cleared out some old stuff which I've not worn in a long while and which I didn't think I would want to wear again. The books were paperbacks which I've read and which were either gleaned off the kerbside on some council clean up or which I had bought sometime back from opp shops. And so I donated them for more recycling and reuse. I do love the whole recycling culture here.

However, after I parted with the bag, I wandered around the little shop and discovered this Veronika Maine charcoal jacket. It is quirky and asymmetrical and fitted me to a T. I decided I had to have it, if I had to wear a work jacket, I would wear something like that, and not one of the usual penguin suits. I pride myself on being just a wee bit non-conformist, not enough to make people feel uncomfortable - no black lipstick or blue nail polish or fashionably torn clothings. But just enough to proclaim that I'm an individual and no, I don't really give a rat's ass to dress the same as the rest of you, thank you very much.

On The Jacaranda Trail

2009-11-16T17:20:00.006+08:00

The other day, armed with my trusty little camera, I decided to go on a Jacaranda trail in the neighbourhood. Apart from the lovely purple blooms set against a very hot, blue sky, and the fallen petals forming a lavender carpet beneath my feet, I got a few more interesting little nuggets along the way.

There was a retro horse float that was parked by the side of the road. It was the cutest thing and didn't look quite big enough for a regular-sized horse. Maybe a Shetland pony? Or maybe horses in the old days are smaller than those today, a little like people?

Then the tri-colour of yellow, pink and purple blooms set next to one another caught my eye. The sunny Spring weather has caused all the plants to flower and what a visual treat that is.

Yet another retro-looking object along the way, a drinking fountain in the green patch overlooking the lovely views. It actually works.

So I got more than purple flowers along the trail. Life is always interesting, even the small, little things you observe along the journey.

Ten Things I Would Miss About Sydney

2009-11-06T08:52:00.009+08:00

1. The weather. I like the temperate nature and the changing seasons, even though I am not so keen on days turning dark at 4.30 pm. I like how the flowers bloom in Spring or even a warm late Winter, especially the luscious pink Cherry blossoms and the beautiful purple Jacaranda. I like the fresh days where it's not too cold. I like the warm days where 30% humidity garners a universal howl from Sydneysiders.

2. Treasure-hunting at weekend markets and opp shops. My all-time favourite activity. I love the different markets and the aspects special to them. Rozelle for new clothes made from vintage patterns and material, Surry Hills for all things retro and gorgeous, Glebe for wonderful, bohemian gift ideas, North Sydney for home-made yummy goodies, Kirribilli for a mish-mash of old cast-offs and new arts and crafts.

3. Great coffee and fabulous cafes. I like the cafe vibes and the lovely aroma of coffee. I like the independent cafes which means no one needs to ever go to a chain like Starbucks, pay a fortune to get a lousy coffee for their caffeine fix. I like how your regular barista remembers your order even if he doesn't know your name. I like the fact that soy milk is widely available for lactose-intolerant people like me.

4. Shop assistants and cashiers at the supermarkets sound genuinely friendly when they greet you and talk to you. Friendliness comes easily to them and is not forced and artificial. It makes going to the shops such a nice experience.

5. Strangers at the bus-stop or going for a walk in the neighbourhood or that you meet going alone to the cinema say hello or good morning to you. Sometimes, they even strike up an interesting and not-so-brief conversation. Once again, neighbourly friendliness is not frowned upon. It makes community living so pleasant.

6. Cheap and authentic Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. Due to the large number of immigrants from these communities, they have also brought their cuisine with them and their price range caters to the student and immigrant worker sectors.

7. To-die-for bread. Bread that is solid and heavy and filled with wholesome ingredients, freshly-baked and piled high on the shelves. Fennel and sour cherry, hazelnut and raisins, fig and barberry, caramelised onion, soy and linseed - these are some of my favourite varieties.

8. Bus drivers who will inevitably patiently wait till an elderly passenger with their shopping or a mother with a child, laden with a stroller and nappy bag, has shuffled down to their chosen seat, sat down before moving off. And also drivers who say hello and good morning and passengers who sing out a thank you from the back door to the driver before alighting at their stops.

9. The great parks and beach walks. A free and wonderful way to connect with Nature, breathe in fresh air, look at the beautiful blue skies and just enjoy Mother Nature's gift to our 5 senses.

10. Lastly, the handful of good friends that I've made, with whom I've shared many a soy flat white, Malaysian curry chicken with fried rice and a caramel slice.

Art & Craft Therapy

2009-11-04T09:04:00.005+08:00

This morning I woke up feeling like I need a break from the forex trading I've been doing. Last night's loss of $1,200 plus the possible huge loss of an open position was not a good feeling. The upside was the possible huge loss became a loss of $280 which was realised this morning. So I thought I would give all things forex a break and do something creative.

I had already cut out salvagable pieces from my candy-striped flannel PJs bottom the other day when I decided that it was time to retire it as there were "parts" (won't spell out which parts) that were almost thread-bare. The leg portion was still in very good condition and I love the cheerful colours. I figured I could make a couple of pouches from the leg bottoms. These pouches are always handy for popping in odds and ends like keys, make-up for emergency, gum and lollies for that sugar fix which you can then toss into your handbag so that you don't have to rummage around for one of these small items. And if you are a girl who likes to change your handbag to match your outfit, having one of these pouches, makes the switching so much easier.

So in about 45 minutes, I had whipped up a pouch, using nothing but a needle and thread. The button was 1 of many that I had snapped up at a flea market on 1 of my button-crazy phases. I just love how cheerful it looks. I think I feel a bit more cheerful myself after this!

Spring And My Anti-Green Fingers

2009-11-02T08:41:00.004+08:00

Some people have green fingers, I know my mum does. Unfortunately, I did not inherit those genes from her. In fact, I have what I call the anti-green fingers. Everything I attempt to grow, inevitably dies sooner or later. I've managed to kill hardy plants like cactus, usually by enthusiastic over-watering.

Thus I've developed what I think is an idiot-proof way of handling cacti. Not that I've gone out intentionally to buy more plants - just to end up killing them. But this cactus was 1 of 3 that I picked up just outside my first flat when someone was moving and left them out, together with a lovely jade plant which I've handed over to a friend when I went away for 3 weeks and never took it back since I figured it would thrive better in his courtyard.

But back to the cactus, there were 3 of them but now there are 2. I cannot remember exactly what befell the third as I've probably blocked the trauma out of my memory, but the last 2 have survived the last 3 years with me. My idiot-proof solution is to ignore them and not water them. For weeks. It seems to work. I water them when I remember that I haven't done so for a long time, especially when it hasn't rained for a while. So the other day I went out onto the sunny balcony and saw 2 furry grey nubs on the top of my cactus. I figured it was a sure sign of impending death. Something was growing on it, some fungus or parasite or something. So I did an act of kindness and fed it some water to send it on its last journey which I was pretty sure would be forthcoming.

Little did I expect the bigger of the 2 furry nubs to sprout open the following day and yellow petals could be seen. OMG, it's not a parasite, it's a flowering bud and it's started to flower in the sunny weather once I've watered it.

That was really amazing. And today, the bud has opened up into a lovely yellow flower with a red dot centre. Spring is truly here. I've not killed the cactus, but instead have helped ("nurture" would be going too far I think) it blossom.

Tea - Part 2

2009-10-24T15:35:00.005+08:00

Although I am a tea lover, there is at least 1 type of tea that I know I absolutely detest. Before I knew any better, I thought rose hip and hibiscus tea would taste like how it sounds - lovely. But after I've had some rosehip and hibiscus tea, I realised it was just a misnomer. Something so sour shouldn't have such a pretty name. I gave it a few attempts just to be absolutely sure it wasn't something I would learn to like. So now I am absolutely certain I absolutely detest anything with rosehip or hibiscus in it!

So when I bought this ginger and lemongrass tea from the tea merchant at the market, I didn't expect any hibiscus to be in the mix. I know this tea merchant has really nice Earl Grey tea and on that basis, decided that any other tea from there would be of a good standard.

I came home with my new purchase and brewed a cup. Alas, the tea turned red, a sure sign of rose hip and/or hibiscus. The lemongrass and ginger flavour could not overpower the offending ingredient. So after a couple of cups, I decided that I would pick out the hibiscus from the tea leaves. And so I did, with a plate perched on my lap while I watched TV, I picked out almost every offending red bit. The ones that were too small, I left them in there, I doubt it would do too much damage to the overall flavour. And then I brewed a new cup without the hibiscus and it was just the way I like it.

Tea - Part 1

2009-10-23T11:28:00.003+08:00

How much do I love tea? Let me count the varieties I have in my pantry... At any given time, I think 10 would not be an exaggeration. I compile a mental check list: 5 different types of Chinese tea including the marvellously, light and fragrant treasure my ex-colleague, Johnny carried over from Taipei when he last came for a work trip, my morning wake-me-upper, Earl Grey, Lady Grey with its citrussy twist, a Japanese genmaicha from our favourite Surry Hills Japanese restaurant, the strong Ceylon tea (good with milk) which a lovely fellow tea-lover bestowed on me, the Jasmine-green tea which is the only thing G would drink and a few of those lovely tea balls which bloom into a lovely floral bouquet, as much a treat for the eyes as for the palate - a lovely birthday present which came with its own glass teapot for the visual enjoyment of this spectacular tea. And finally a masala tea which yet another ex-colleague brought home from a work trip to India. I think that makes a dozen.

As I review my mental check list, I realise how tightly friendship is tied in with the tea. Many of these teas have been gifts from friends and colleagues, people who know my love for tea and who have made the effort to remember and carry a little box of tea leaves back for me from their various trips. And with every cup I drink, I drink in more than the warming liquid, I drink in the friendship and affection that come with it.