See ya later, alligator!

Heya. It's been a crazy kind of day. It was so HOT. The traffic was horrendous, I was stuck in several jams. To add to the misery, my car air-con was blowing hot air. I was roasting like a potato until I got the aircon gas topped up.

Then I went into a cooking frenzy in the evening. Like a mummy bear stashing food away so the cubs don't go hungry, I made chicken curry, braised meat (lor bak), stewed vegetables (chap chye), spicy prawns and fried rice. I also roasted lots of chicken for Rusty. The fridge has enough food to feed an army.

It's 11pm and I've just finished packing. I should go to bed now or I'll be late for my flight to Hanoi. I'll blog when I return next week. Ta ta.

Blue skies

Our weather is indeed unpredictable. A freak downpour last week dumped so much water within 2 hours that Bukit Timah Road was flooded. Amongst the cars that were totally submerged in a basement carpark were a Ferrari and Porsche. Ouch.

Before Nigel arrived, I told him to brace himself for lots of rain.

"It has been pouring in England, so much so that a century-old bridge was washed away by flood waters!" he said.

Oh well, the tropical storms here are not dramatic enough. It's nothing compared to the continuous downpour he experienced in Mumbai last week. So I said, "You're in for some cool weather at this time of the year."

He laughed. 32 degree celcius is cool? Surely it can't be as cold as winter in England.

Strange enough, for the two days he's here, we're having blue skies. He walks from one end of the CBD to the other so he could bask in the sun. I totter alongside, suffering in silence and wishing I was in my sneakers instead of heels.

Thanks to my pigmented skin, I've turned quite sissy. I love the sun on my skin but whenever I look at my ravaged skin, I wished I had been more careful all these years. A freckled face is only cute on a young girl.

Anyhow, Nigel is leaving for Hong Kong tomorrow. Then he's off to Korea and Shanghai where it's bitterly cold. No wonder he's absorbing as much heat as he can while he is here.

Blue sky - Shot by CH this afternoon.

So ungracious!

I drove to Hotel M to meet Nigel this afternoon. Two smartly dressed young men were waiting for the lift to bring them to the lobby. I quickened my pace when I saw the lift door opening. The two men entered and left without me even though they had seen me running.

How ungracious!

I took the next one and got to the lobby. Nigel was already there waiting. We exchanged greetings and then he ushered me to the cafe for a chat. Being a British gentleman, he waited for me to be seated, ordered the drinks and paid the bill.

When it was time to leave for our appointment in town, he opened the glass door, hailed a cab and waited for me to enter first. When we got in, I couldn't help but tell him about my encounter with the two ungracious men at the carpark.

"I thought men in Singapore are polite and friendly." Nigel said.

"Well, most of them are but don't expect them to open doors for women." I replied.

At this point, the cab driver chimed in, "If you were sexy and beautiful, I am sure the young men would have waited for you."

I swear I could hear Nigel's jaw drop.

I know I'm past my sell-by date but gosh, what an ungracious man!

Steamboat

For the benefit of friends who
(i) have no idea what a steamboat is
(ii) miss the steamboat because they are overseas (like Mother Hen)
(iii) are feeling hungry and thinking about food
(iv) are curious about what we ate...

I've posted some photos of our steamboat party on Saturday.

Fry, ST, Jo and hubby dunking things into the first steamboat.

Steamboat no. 2.

No kids and pet allowed near the boiling pots. Rusty bracing himself for another 'loving assault'.

Movie, steamboat and Run

It's funny when I think about it. When the kids were younger, I was the one sussing out good movies to bring them to. Then with their eyes peeled on the cinema screen, I would be catching my 40 winks.

The tide has turned of course. They no longer rely on me to bring them to the cinema. Instead, they tell me what I should watch.

"Are you going out on Friday? Then you must go watch 2012 with CH. The effects are good!", YK said.

Both the kids have already seen the movie with their friends, so the two oldies made our way to the cinema after dinner. We arrived ten minutes before screen time and found ourselves seated on the front row. After slumping in our seat for almost 3 hours, we got up with a backache.

The computer effects were more impressive than the storyline. Surprisingly, the show didn't move me in the way it should. The massive scale of destruction didn't instill any fear in me nor did I experience any heart stopping moments. And I must agree with YK that the finale was quite a let down.

On the other hand, I found the Avatar movie trailer very captivating. The storyline looks pretty exciting and the animation is fantastic.

We went straight home to sleep as I had an early day ahead. I wanted to be at the market early to get the freshest seafood for our steamboat dinner. The guests started trickling in at 3pm. Fry was the first to arrive, followed by CH, K@ye and ST.

Everyone brought some ingredients to contribute. By 6pm, we were dunking prawns, squid, sliced meat and all sorts of balls into the hotpot. I ate until there was no more room in my tummy. Still, that didn't stop me from eating dessert - my own home made apple crumble with vanilla ice cream.

It would be better if we had a bigger living room. Nine adults inside a small apartment can be quite a squeeze. It's time I makeover my patio so that it's more conducive for hosting garden parties.

I went to bed wondering if I could still run at the "Run for Hope" charity event to raise funds for the cancer society. Miraculously, CH and I found the 4km run such a breeze that we suspected they had marked the distance wrongly.

Anyway, the weekend is over and I have a busy week ahead. My principal is arriving from UK tomorrow and I have meetings lined up all week. When he flies out of Singapore on Friday, I will be jetting off to Hanoi with my girlfriends for a weekend of feasting.

I wonder what the dog and kids are going to eat when I am gone?

Life is a journey

I like to think that I'm pretty quiet by nature because I can go for days without talking very much. Yet when I am in the company of people I can click with, I can chat and chat for hours.

That happened when I met Amy for breakfast this morning. Each time we meet, we just lose track of time and can't seem run out of things to say. She's witty and funny, and so much fun to be around with, I would be happy to stay and chat until sunset if I didn't have to go to work.

She had raised two beautiful daughters and is so good at dishing out nuggets of advice, she never fails to inspire me. I like to think of her as a mentor, and I aspire to be like her which is easier said than done of course. I have lots to learn from her.

When we first met at a talk (in February 2008) on her 127-day hike on the Appalachian Trail, I was moved by her courage and perseverance. I'm been reading her blog (Life is a Journey) ever since and yah, I want my life journey to be an adventurous and meaningful one like hers.

Which comes first?

I was chatting with the Chinese physician while mum was undergoing accupuncture treatment yesterday. The doctor said I seem to have a million things going on in my head. To put it simply, I looked harrassed. She cautioned me to slow down before I burn myself out.

"When you're so engrossed with getting things done, you forget that you're actually leading a stressful life."

In some ways, I agree with her. My day is packed with activities from the minute I wake up until I fall asleep again at night. If one thing goes wrong, it dominoes into the next and could potentially upset the rest of the day.

Given my personality, I want to get things done efficiently and quickly. I hate frittering my time away on frivolous things. When I return home to an untidy apartment, my stress level goes a notch higher. If I see unwashed dishes in the sink, I will wash them first before even putting my handbag away. If I have a dinner appointment, I will return home early to make dinner for the kids, and walk the dog first before I leave.

On the surface, I look calm and collected but I get anxious when things don't go according to plan. Getting caught in traffic is highly frustrating because I hate being late for my appointments. Sometimes I think I'm too hard on myself but that's just my nature.

Mum, who overheard everything the doctor said, started getting all anxious and worried. Guess who I inherited the genes from? For a start, she thinks I should get a live in maid to take over the housework.

"Let me make more money first.", I replied.

"Don't overwork yourself. Get a maid and then think of how to earn more money.", she advised.

Mum is wise and she's mostly right. I should spend precious time with the family and building the business instead of sweating the small stuff. I shouldn't neglect my own well-being. Without good health and mental clarity, how can I be a good mother and business owner?

Too free

It's 7.30pm and I'm strangely free in my own home. The boys are out with their friends and there's no need to cook dinner (except Rusty's) or wash the dishes. I have no chores to do!

I'm not home alone you see. My brother's maid is staying with me for several days while they're away in Club Med. "Send her over and she can have a holiday at my house!", I said.

The thing is, this industrious little Filipina called Mel refuses to sit still. After I leave for work early in the morning, she starts cleaning, washing and ironing, I return to a sparkling home. Honestly I didn't know my house can be that clean! Not only that, she ironed all the clothes and organised our wardrobe until they resemble a department store.

She made me realise that I'm not that talented when it comes to doing housework. First of all, I avoid ironing at all costs because I suck at it. I can't even fold and stack clothes neatly and I can always find stray fur after I've vacuumed the floor. I can't seem to keep the dust out of my house or remove stains from furniture. Yet Mel has proven that nothing is too difficult for her.

My house is so tidy now that I'm considering employing a full time maid. The challenge is finding a place for her to sleep. Currently SK bunks in with me so that Mel can sleep on his bed. I want my bed back!

I must savour this domesticated bliss while it lasts. My brother is returning in two days and Mel will have to leave us. Then I'll be back to cleaning and scrubbing again.