Month: June 2007

Everything Else

I heart Transformers

yannisms

!(imgcenter)http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1432/663365122_1f3ee2e3cd_o.jpg!

I never thought I would say this but….those robots are sexy!

I am no fangirl, I can’t recall the details of the cartoons. All I remember is Optimus Prime the retro chic blue and red truck turning into a fearsome robot battling evil. When I read the rather damning review of the movies in the papers, my non-expectations sunk even more drastically.

You don’t really expect arthouse fare when it comes to a classic comics like Transformers, not when it involves Michael Bay. Michael Bay is all about loud bangs and crashes and Transformers doesn’t deviate from that.

But surprisingly, Transformers is more than just explosions. Somehow, Bay has lent the Autobots some heart and soul (Decepticons have neither heart nor brains and are as ugly as sin). I ended up cheering and fearing for them. I love, love, love Bumblebee and I shuddered to see the poor Autobots being tossed around like scrap metal.

Credit must also go to the hardworking Shia LaBeouf for making his thankless character so likeable.

However, the real stars of the show are the robots and the CGI is so gorgeous, you can’t help but be swept away by it all. The familiar metallic sounds of the Autobots transforming brings back fond memories of sitting in front the telly every evening at 6pm, waiting for the cartoons to start. Oh, and singing “Transformers/More than meets the eye”.

Because really, who cares about the plot? Go in there with no semblance of expectation and you will like the movie. There are plenty of laughs and lifelike visuals to make up for the storyline.

My favourite part of the movie: When Megatron mutters “disgusting” and flicks his shiny talon at some poor soul.

!(imgcenter)http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1347/663365146_75f72b5926_o.jpg!

One of my favourite scenes in the movie

Two of Us, Wedding March

Growing old with you

yannisms

!(imgcenter)http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1293/611175515_9f05bc95c1.jpg(Sunset at Sentosa)!:http://www.flickr.com/photos/yannie/611175515/

Will you still hold my hands and admire the sunset with me when we are old, grey and wrinkly?

Will you still love me when time has left its vestige on my aspect, when I no longer look upon things in childlike wonder, when age has hampered my mobility and when the years have robbed me of my youth?

Will you still feel the compulsion to hold me when I no longer resemble the 18-year-old girl you fell in love with, when the white hairs run in streaks through my head, when all that’s taut now inches closer towards gravity?

Will you, then, still look upon me and feel the same gush of emotion that you felt when you first said you loved me, whenever we pass a milestone and erect our names in history, when you decided our lives are intertwined forever?

Foodnotes

Wacha

yannisms

!(imgleft)http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1342/610940333_363073b80b_m.jpg(Appetizers basket)!:http://www.flickr.com/photos/yannie/610940333/ After reading so much about Wacha, a delightful little Japanese restaurant nestled among the quaint shophouses in Ann Siang Road, I decided long ago that it would be my next “to go” place. Since it is located less than 10 minutes walk away from my office, I got the boyfriend to take me there for dinner one Friday evening.

I love Japanese food – the juicy slabs of unagi, clean taste of sashimi and fiery wasabi. And after trying out Wacha’s set dinner, I can say for sure that it’s not going to be my only time there.

Wacha is part restaurant, part shophouse selling gorgeous and delicate lacquer products. It’s got a main shop area with counter seats (where we sat) and a backyard that has sofa seats for groups. There is a basement where I presume the kitchen is hidden. It’s a cosy, tiny outlet that makes you feel like you should talk in whispers lest anything breaks.

We each had the $35 set dinner which comprises of a basket of appetizers, agedashi tofu, main course and dessert.

The sampler of appetizers was amazing. It had six tiny dishes comprising items like egg salad (my favourite!) and octopus drizzled with wasabi dressing (weird but it grows on you).

!(imgleft)http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1374/611410408_7e4efca392_t.jpg(Agedashi tofu)!:http://www.flickr.com/photos/yannie/611410408/ The agedashi tofu was done exactly the way I like it: crisp skin, the tofu was firm and the sprinkling of ginger shavings on top gave it extra oomph. We slurped up every bit of the gravy.

!(imgleft)http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1427/610938807_1561f768f0_t.jpg(Chicken karaage)!:http://www.flickr.com/photos/yannie/610938807/ For the main course, the boyfriend chose the chicken karaage set and it was THE BEST KARAAGE I had ever eaten. The skin was crisp and crunchy and the meat was simply juicy. I almost regretted getting the saba set, which had a thick slab of fish, and was nice enough but grew too sweet for my liking.

!(imgleft)http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1278/610937375_44ab2ee38f_t.jpg(Strawberry ice-cream)!:http://www.flickr.com/photos/yannie/610937375/ Dessert took a while to get to us and it came in a minuscule portion too but it was worth the wait. The strawberry ice-cream was sweet and sour at the same time, capturing the essence of real strawberries and the macha biscotti lent it gravitas with its slightly bitter taste.

I’m already missing the food at Wacha just by looking at the pictures. I like!

14, Ann Siang Road, #01-01
Singapore 069694
64381553

The organised chaos

Bad with headlines

yannisms

!(imgleft)http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1427/570446453_c1f87e035c_m.jpg(Reflection at OCBC Building in Shenton Way)!:http://www.flickr.com/photos/yannie/570446453/

“You should chase your dreams when you are young. I know I should have. Now it’s too late.”

There is something exquisite about the idea of chasing after dreams. When it was just a thought floating in your head, it became something to live for. And now that you are really doing what you set out to, why does it become so much harder than it seemed?

I admit it, it’s because I am back at the bottom of the food chain again and I hate the feeling of being useless. I had worked hard to get to where I was. All of a sudden, I had to get in touch with the past and scratch off the rust. I thought it was going to come back to me easily but it’s trickling down in drips and drops.

Where have I gone?

The organised chaos, Two of Us, Wedding March

Backward, forward

yannisms

Just now, I looked through my jewellery box and found a rusty old ring of mine. I had fallen hard for the Perlini’s silver ring during my second year of JC – it was matt silver with a single, ickle crystal in the middle. It had cost me a princely $35 then and had been a joint purchase.

It only struck me later that I had tossed it into the bin without a second thought.

After almost 8 years, it’s finally at where it should have gone a long time ago.

………………..

The boyfriend turned to me, as we sat in the bus that runs in Sentosa while the rain poured around us, and asked me in a genuinely perplexed tone why I wanted to hold our wedding there.

I pondered for a nanosecond before replying, honestly, that I couldn’t really say why. It was one of those feelings, I said, like how I had coveted that Zara dress.

He burst out laughing, even though it was grey and miserably cold and we were late for our appointment and there had not been any parking lots in the hotel (hence the bus).

Despite the prohibitive prices, I am glad we are going ahead because, as he said, “it’s once in a lifetime so let’s make it a spectacular one.”

………………..

Even though I am not a Christian, I have always been fascinated by the idea of walking down the aisle and having my father give me away. I admire and respect the process of reciting the wedding vows and exchanging rings, it somehow lends more weight to the ceremony. It shouldn’t be just a 20-minute formality where the highlight is the signing of the certificate.

Watching this couple’s videography of their wedding brought tears into my eyes. And I know, I want a ceremony as solemn and filled with love as theirs.

My dad may not be able to walk me down the aisle but I think my mother would be a more than remarkable replacement.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad. Wherever you are.

Little Miss Shopaholic

The white dresses that got away

yannisms

There is something about white dresses that makes them either a hit or a miss. They could end up making the wearer look like a nurse or a babe who loves clean lines and crisp colours (or the lack of colours).

On my recent sojourn to the mall, I actually discovered two gorgeous white dresses that were perfect in every way.

The first is this wondrous white shirtdress from Gap’s Design Editions:
!(imgcenter)http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1440/557400700_71e3a3e4ec_m.jpg(Gap shirtdress)!:http://www.flickr.com/photos/yannie/557400700/

Designed by the up and coming Doo.Ri Chung, the dress is simple and chic. Put it on without the belt and it looks like a tent. Belt up and voila! The gorgeous pleats of the skirt flows beautifully and twirls along with you. Genius, really. Who knew a whole bunch of cloth could turn into a dream concoction in such a jiffy. And, I really loved the crisp feel of the shirt. It was comfortable yet very smart looking.

Alas! The XS-sized dress was made for bigger women. There were oodles of cloth that I tried to stuff under the belt, unsuccessfully. At $129, it’s definitely a piece of designer clothing that is absolutely worth every buck.

Strangely enough, Singaporeans don’t seem to be quite taken by the Design Editions collection. It’s already sold out in the States but there were racks of these re-interpreted classic shirts hanging in the Gap stores at Wisma Atria and VivoCity. Pity, really.

The next dress that got away really breaks my heart: the white Kate Moss Topshop one-shouldered cotton dress that I had waxed lyrical about previously:
!(imgcenter)http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1305/557401978_95f86b8edd_m.jpg(Summery Kate Moss Topshop dress)!:http://www.flickr.com/photos/yannie/557401978/

It was really quite as perfect as it had seemed on the website: the layers of skirt brushing gently against your thigh, the unique ruching at the chest, the cheeky and flirtatious asymmetrical hemline, the demure white cotton.

Perfect, really, for our hot weather. Wear it with heels and a vintage clutch for a dressy night out or slip on a pair of Chuck Taylors for a breezy day out.

I was willing to fork out $149 for it but as luck would have it, Miss Moss had designed it for petites who had thicker-than-32-inches chest (it probably would have fitted a 36-incher) so it was no go.

I guess some things in life are just fated. Sigh.

Foodnotes

Food ravings

yannisms

!(imgcenter)http://farm1.static.flickr.com/110/300871267_57d36d9ef5_m.jpg(Chocolat N’ Spice)!:http://www.flickr.com/photos/chin/300871267/
Photo credit

One of the best things about Kreta Ayer is its proximity to everywhere. It’s not exactly at the heart of busy Shenton Way, nor is it too far out in the suburbs. To be exact, it’s a five-minute walk to Maxwell Food Centre and a seven-minute walk to Tanjong Pagar Food Market.

Ah, the many choices of food that I have now, compared to miserly food court over at Science Park Drive. From eating ban mian almost everyday for the past five months, I am now an unapologetic food whore.

Yesterday I met the Sista for a late lunch and managed to get a plate of my favourite char kway teow with virtually no queue at Tanjong Pagar market. It felt deliciously sinful, with just the right amount of dark soy sauce and chilli topped with a to-die-for portion (possibly literal) of clams. It wasn’t too oily and it slid down my throat smoothly. I finished every sliver of it and muttered a prayer of thanks to the God of Food for allowing such fabulous fare to be had for just $2.

Today, I decided to go back to the market to check out the duck rice stall and ordered a bowl of duck noodles. It was a tad salty but the dark gravy had a nice tinge of herbal bitterness that did not overwhelm my fussy palate. The chilli added a lovely, spicy zing to the noodles and tempered the saltiness. The shredded meat was juicy and tender. The price? A princely $2.50.

Throw in a cup of teh-si (my choice of poison) and a moist blueberry muffin from Chocolat N’ Spice for tea break and my entire working day’s meal is complete. Not too bad for just $4.40, eh?

Friends

Boozing weekend

yannisms

My poor liver.
After the copious drinking that was the weekend, it’s probably ready to throw in the towel and call it quits.

Friday saw us camped out at Zouk for the Gatsby “Moving Rubber” party. As it was organised by the future housemate, I figured it would be nice if I showed a little support. Oh, and the free entry and free drinks didn’t hurt either.

The show was quite dull because we couldn’t really see much from our corner (so much for the perks of being in the media). Trevor, Joker, Popartgirl and I pretty much entertained ourselves the entire time and we did have a whale of a time.

I seldom go clubbing and when I do, Zouk is always my number one choice of venue. On Friday night, I was reminded once again of why I love Zouk so much. The music was awesome, the different decks and the dancefloor felt familiar and the crowd was very, well, Zouk-ish. Forget about MoS and all the other pretenders – it’s only Zouk for me.

Poor boyfriend, whom I had not met in a week, was so exhausted and stressed out, he morphed into his grumpy bear mode. Thankfully, all was forgotten when he came bearing a fistful of drink coupons and a huge box of macaroons from Bakerzin.

And look who turned up at Zouk! My very own BFF!
!(imgcenter)http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1337/538465368_58c85e11e7_m.jpg(Min and me)!:http://www.flickr.com/photos/yannie/538465368/

Saturday night saw me hanging out with a group of Loiters colleagues at Oosh at Dempsey Road. Hamish was finally in town for a sales meeting and boy, have we missed him! The teasing, laughing, bitching – it was almost as if he had never left.

When I stabbed at his forearm with my bony finger and demanded he fly down for our wedding next year, he gave me a big bear hug and kissed me on the cheek, telling me he was very happy for me.

That’s the best part about him: that he is not just all fun and laughter but also full of heart. We talk to him frankly about our problems and he dispenses advice like a caring big brother. It’s really strange how we all connected during the three months that he was in Singapore and how distance hasn’t diluted this at all.

Ay, truly, it is the people that I miss most about Loiters.

Health Goddess

Splashing around in Batam

yannisms

!(imgcenter)http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1047/529777950_8c98eb9ca8_m.jpg(Batam cable ski park)!:http://www.flickr.com/photos/yannie/529777950/

Now that my arms have recovered sufficiently for me to speed type again (my former colleague cum schoolmate Kuali observed that I “type very fast leh”), I can now blog properly about the adventure that we had in Batam.

Last Saturday, a group of us headed to the Indonesian town for a water-drenched and sun-soaked day filled with cable skiing and cheap beer at Batam Cable Ski Park.

For the uninitiated, cable skiing is much like wakeboarding except that the boat has been replaced by a system of cables that have programmed speeds to take you around the designated area. In the case of Batam, it was a muddy man-made lake roughly the size of a 400 metres track.

!(imgleft)http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1238/529865377_b91bc3b83d_t.jpg(Splash)!:http://www.flickr.com/photos/yannie/529865377/
Wakeboarding sounds simple: stand on the board, balance and off you go! But it’s really not. I totally sucked at it and could never proceed beyond two metres of the dock or last more than five seconds on the board. I ended up drinking a lot of brown water filled with good, muddy minerals, which might explain the sore throat that I am currently nursing.

On the other hand, Nyrtap, Joker and Popartgirl seemed to have mastered the art of wakeboarding, with Nyrtap happily making one round on his feet.

In all, we spent almost six hours under the blazing hot sun, although most of it was spent queuing for a chance to jump onto the boards.

It was really good fun and the feeling of the wind against your face is exhilarating. The motorcycle ride back to the dock whenever you fall from the board was pretty cool too. But I am not completely enamoured of the sport as I was with mountain biking, though I wouldn’t mind trying it again.

But be warned though: your entire upper torso could hurt so bad for the next few days that you wouldn’t be able to stretch, scratch, carry, shower, undress or dress without wincing in immense pain. Salonpas was my best friend for the two days after.

The full set of pictures can be found here.