Saturday, December 10, 2005
meet the quiets
I find it hard to sit still, and do just one thing at a time. While I love to read, I read best on journeys - buses, trains, planes - where I essentially am confined to one spot and can't reach out to do other stuff, although while reading, I am plugged into the iPod as well.
At home, I never really sit and read for more than half an hour at a time. I will read, jump up and then go turn on the computer, put on some music, turn on the TV. And then go back to reading a bit, before I get back up and do something. Like right now, I'm actually trying to finish reading the damn Vanity Fair I borrowed from the office library, but my attention's turned to the computer, writing this, flipping over to read Bloglines, chatting with someone via coyote and msn, and with half an ear listening to woxy.com. Occasionally I check the skeds to see if they're updated, since I'm working on summaries today (the ones on page2 that nobody reads, and everyone asks... got meh?)
I wonder, was I always like this?
It was pointed out to me, on Saturday, about how quiet I am - yes, thank you for reminding me. And yeah, I am a quiet person. I can't disagree with that. My family's a quiet family. Even my neighbourhood - well except for now, since there's construction going on seemingly everywhere - is quiet. I remember telling a friend on the phone that yes, I was at home, yes, the windows were open, and yes that's usually my neighbourhood in the daytime. My parents, when I observe them with our family friends, are probably the quietest of the lot. My sister, she can be a little noisy at times I suppose (you can correct me if you think not) but I think generally she's also quiet.
So we're the quiet family. In the quiet neighbourhood. I wish we could say we had a quiet pet but we don't so you don't have to watch out for the quiet dog or the quiet cat cos there isn't any. We do, however, have a somewhat non-quiet car.
Oh, also on Saturday, one of those people who pointed out the quietness to me also asked "what's your favourite swear word?"
So just out of curiosity, what's yours?
At home, I never really sit and read for more than half an hour at a time. I will read, jump up and then go turn on the computer, put on some music, turn on the TV. And then go back to reading a bit, before I get back up and do something. Like right now, I'm actually trying to finish reading the damn Vanity Fair I borrowed from the office library, but my attention's turned to the computer, writing this, flipping over to read Bloglines, chatting with someone via coyote and msn, and with half an ear listening to woxy.com. Occasionally I check the skeds to see if they're updated, since I'm working on summaries today (the ones on page2 that nobody reads, and everyone asks... got meh?)
I wonder, was I always like this?
It was pointed out to me, on Saturday, about how quiet I am - yes, thank you for reminding me. And yeah, I am a quiet person. I can't disagree with that. My family's a quiet family. Even my neighbourhood - well except for now, since there's construction going on seemingly everywhere - is quiet. I remember telling a friend on the phone that yes, I was at home, yes, the windows were open, and yes that's usually my neighbourhood in the daytime. My parents, when I observe them with our family friends, are probably the quietest of the lot. My sister, she can be a little noisy at times I suppose (you can correct me if you think not) but I think generally she's also quiet.
So we're the quiet family. In the quiet neighbourhood. I wish we could say we had a quiet pet but we don't so you don't have to watch out for the quiet dog or the quiet cat cos there isn't any. We do, however, have a somewhat non-quiet car.
Oh, also on Saturday, one of those people who pointed out the quietness to me also asked "what's your favourite swear word?"
So just out of curiosity, what's yours?
Thursday, December 08, 2005
My favourite books of 2005 (in no order)
Lauren Hillenbrand - Seabiscuit
Steven Sherrill - The Minotaur takes a Cigarette Break
Dave Eggers - You Shall Know Our Velocity
William Trevor - The Story of Lucy Gault
Ruth Reichl - Garlic and Sapphires
Charlotte Moore - George And Sam
Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray
Azar Nafisi - Reading Lolita in Tehran
Bret Easton Ellis - American Psycho
Truman Capote - In Cold Blood
Some that almost made it
Don Delillo - White Noise
Audrey Niffenegger - Time Traveler's Wife
Colm Toibin - The Master
James Villas - Stalking The Green Fairy
Steven Sherrill - The Minotaur takes a Cigarette Break
Dave Eggers - You Shall Know Our Velocity
William Trevor - The Story of Lucy Gault
Ruth Reichl - Garlic and Sapphires
Charlotte Moore - George And Sam
Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray
Azar Nafisi - Reading Lolita in Tehran
Bret Easton Ellis - American Psycho
Truman Capote - In Cold Blood
Some that almost made it
Don Delillo - White Noise
Audrey Niffenegger - Time Traveler's Wife
Colm Toibin - The Master
James Villas - Stalking The Green Fairy
c is for cookbooks
I love cookbooks. Let me rephrase that. I love cookbooks with pictures. Not the dk kind which shows you step by step visual instructions but more like those by Bill Granger, Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson (and their ghost writers)
As this article explains, of Jamie Oliver's books:
His books make me want to shop, cook and sit down to eat.
I feel the same way, especially with the one Nigella cookbook I own. I love that she's not a professional chef and that her recipes are very accessible, and that she's into comfort food, which feature in many pages. I've been wanting to get my hands on Bill Granger's books, which also are equally enticing and manageable. And with Kino's 20% still on until January, I might cough up the money and finally get one. Either that or I'll wish for Santa to stuff one down my non-existent Christmas stocking.
That's the thing about these books. They usually cost upwards of $50, making me have to think twice, especially since I'll be thinking of the number of Cds and novels I can get for that amount.
As this article explains, of Jamie Oliver's books:
His books make me want to shop, cook and sit down to eat.
I feel the same way, especially with the one Nigella cookbook I own. I love that she's not a professional chef and that her recipes are very accessible, and that she's into comfort food, which feature in many pages. I've been wanting to get my hands on Bill Granger's books, which also are equally enticing and manageable. And with Kino's 20% still on until January, I might cough up the money and finally get one. Either that or I'll wish for Santa to stuff one down my non-existent Christmas stocking.
That's the thing about these books. They usually cost upwards of $50, making me have to think twice, especially since I'll be thinking of the number of Cds and novels I can get for that amount.
and the grammy nominations go to...
oh who gives a shit
except maybe for best alternative album, which as Stereogum explains it The nominating comittee never listened to the following albums, but some members read about Canada Rock in Newsweek and their grandkids like The O.C.The Arcade Fire Funeral
Beck Guero
Death Cab For Cutie Plans
Franz Ferdinand You Could Have It So Much Better
The White Stripes Get Behind Me Satan
except maybe for best alternative album, which as Stereogum explains it The nominating comittee never listened to the following albums, but some members read about Canada Rock in Newsweek and their grandkids like The O.C.
Dining out: La Viva
This place, owned by the Wong San group, took over Ocho at Chijmes, although you'd hardly know it.
It essentially looks the same, the menu is probably about the same. It's just Ocho with a new name.
Unfortunately, I must say that the only thing that would draw me back to this spot are the sangrias, as they have a nice variety: the triditional, the tropical, the cranberry, the peach, the one with Pimm's and something else I didn't quite catch. They only list the traditional on the menu, which really needs to be updated with a better look.
The food was decent but nothing to rave about.
The gazpacho was a little too thick and I always wish that restaurants would offer the vegetables on the side, rather than throwing the whole lot in. I did like the chorizo with pine nuts and raisins - a nice combination of flavours. A Catalan-style pork with vegetables was also quite tasty.
I must say that the rest was quite forgettable.
The tostadas were appallingly simple and made me wonder why we were paying $8.50 for something I could easily make at home. After all, it was just slices of french loaf, topped with some 'spanish' ham and melted cheese.
A hot tapas of mushrooms in a cream sauce used unimaginatively button mushrooms.
I later checked newslink for the ST article on tapas places written last month, which mentioned that La Viva has 50 different types of tapas. Although my maths sucks, I know for sure that there weren't 50 different types when we were there on Wednesday! So did they change the menu? Or did they decide to put up a show?
Spanish restaurants here tend to miss the mark, in my opinion. I've yet to eat at one I like. Via Mar at Esplanade is so-so, likewise for Esmirada, although I suppose they're not exactly a Spanish restaurant. I've only had dessert at Tapas Tree so I might go try theirs (any idea if it's good?) and there's still Streeters, which has surprised me by how long they've survived - I suppose it's time to give that a try?
Honestly, the fun in tapas is checking out the lineup at the counter, picking out stuff you can't exactly identify but looks appealing. And having a good plate of jamon with slices of quesa, oh and since it's tapas, there should be free flow of bread. Then again, this is Singapore, a country which has restaurants charging for bread, not serving water and even daring to charge 50cents for a glass of water, of the kind that flows from taps.
So that's what I'd do if I owned a Spanish restaurant. I wouldn't put people in gimmicky costumes, or have the roving singers/guitarists - they tend to sing and play fine but its really too cliched, too loud and the choice of songs is just too predictable. I wouldn't play Gipsy Kings or Eros Ramazotti either.
La Viva Chijmes
#01-12/13/14
30 Victoria Street.
Tel: 6339 4290
(wouldn't recommend it, unless you are wanting to have Sangrias)
It essentially looks the same, the menu is probably about the same. It's just Ocho with a new name.
Unfortunately, I must say that the only thing that would draw me back to this spot are the sangrias, as they have a nice variety: the triditional, the tropical, the cranberry, the peach, the one with Pimm's and something else I didn't quite catch. They only list the traditional on the menu, which really needs to be updated with a better look.
The food was decent but nothing to rave about.
The gazpacho was a little too thick and I always wish that restaurants would offer the vegetables on the side, rather than throwing the whole lot in. I did like the chorizo with pine nuts and raisins - a nice combination of flavours. A Catalan-style pork with vegetables was also quite tasty.
I must say that the rest was quite forgettable.
The tostadas were appallingly simple and made me wonder why we were paying $8.50 for something I could easily make at home. After all, it was just slices of french loaf, topped with some 'spanish' ham and melted cheese.
A hot tapas of mushrooms in a cream sauce used unimaginatively button mushrooms.
I later checked newslink for the ST article on tapas places written last month, which mentioned that La Viva has 50 different types of tapas. Although my maths sucks, I know for sure that there weren't 50 different types when we were there on Wednesday! So did they change the menu? Or did they decide to put up a show?
Spanish restaurants here tend to miss the mark, in my opinion. I've yet to eat at one I like. Via Mar at Esplanade is so-so, likewise for Esmirada, although I suppose they're not exactly a Spanish restaurant. I've only had dessert at Tapas Tree so I might go try theirs (any idea if it's good?) and there's still Streeters, which has surprised me by how long they've survived - I suppose it's time to give that a try?
Honestly, the fun in tapas is checking out the lineup at the counter, picking out stuff you can't exactly identify but looks appealing. And having a good plate of jamon with slices of quesa, oh and since it's tapas, there should be free flow of bread. Then again, this is Singapore, a country which has restaurants charging for bread, not serving water and even daring to charge 50cents for a glass of water, of the kind that flows from taps.
So that's what I'd do if I owned a Spanish restaurant. I wouldn't put people in gimmicky costumes, or have the roving singers/guitarists - they tend to sing and play fine but its really too cliched, too loud and the choice of songs is just too predictable. I wouldn't play Gipsy Kings or Eros Ramazotti either.
La Viva Chijmes
#01-12/13/14
30 Victoria Street.
Tel: 6339 4290
(wouldn't recommend it, unless you are wanting to have Sangrias)
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
wednesday
I almost missed the bus stop on my way to work today. I was half daydreaming about something.
Then I get off the bus, trudge into the office - I suppose the somewhat depressing song that was currently playing on the iPod didn't help matters much - and sat down at my desk. Waited for the computer to start up, keyed in this password, that password and then that other password. As it all came to life, I suddenly felt the need to be somewhere else. It just hit me upside the head. So I have to sort my life for a bit now.
Meanwhile, here's some random stuff I've culled from my browsing the web
Read about the most exclusive restaurant in California, where patrons can request exactly what they'd like to eat. It's a place that's served only seven people in the past decade.
So Much Silence has the Arcade Fire, live at First Avenue.
Said The Gramophone lists the best songs of 2005 - downloadable too!
Do you have iPod finger?
New York Magazine gets a undergrad, a couple of high schoolers and a fifth grader to rate some new albums including Neil Diamond's and Okkervil River's. See if you agree.
If you drink a lot of alcohol, you should drink a lot of coffee via tmn
ok that's enough now
Now playing: Youth Group - Drowned
Then I get off the bus, trudge into the office - I suppose the somewhat depressing song that was currently playing on the iPod didn't help matters much - and sat down at my desk. Waited for the computer to start up, keyed in this password, that password and then that other password. As it all came to life, I suddenly felt the need to be somewhere else. It just hit me upside the head. So I have to sort my life for a bit now.
Meanwhile, here's some random stuff I've culled from my browsing the web
Read about the most exclusive restaurant in California, where patrons can request exactly what they'd like to eat. It's a place that's served only seven people in the past decade.
So Much Silence has the Arcade Fire, live at First Avenue.
Said The Gramophone lists the best songs of 2005 - downloadable too!
Do you have iPod finger?
New York Magazine gets a undergrad, a couple of high schoolers and a fifth grader to rate some new albums including Neil Diamond's and Okkervil River's. See if you agree.
If you drink a lot of alcohol, you should drink a lot of coffee via tmn
ok that's enough now
Now playing: Youth Group - Drowned
Sunday, December 04, 2005
my bookstore wars
This was one of the rare times I entered Borders to buy books.
Ok I was only attracted by its weekend sale - after all, it was 35% off for 5 books or more. And I had a few books in mind, as well as some Christmas gifts for cousins to get, so I figured I'd pop by before lunch and work on Friday - when hopefully there wouldn't be too long a queue.
However, I remembered why I didn't shop at Borders much. Service was fine but the stock wasn't. I was looking for Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials set, something a colleague had lent me a while back, but she'd only owned the first two of the series, so I hadn't the faintest how it all ended. And I figured, what's a better time to buy a boxset then during a sale! Unfortunately, the friendly Borders staff checked the inventory and the shelves and nope, she couldn't find any. So I scrambled to find another book to make it five. I got three presents and also picked up TC Boyle's The Inner Circle and Iris Murdoch's Under The Net (I've become quite enamoured with her writing).
On Sunday, before work, went with the sister out to town to window shop and make full use of her Kino card. Well, I could've made better use of it, if I were not so budget-conscious this month. And there, in what's probably the best bookstore in Singapore, were plenty of copies of His Dark Materials set, and there were even two versions were available. While my sis was browsing the magazines, I checked out the lit section where Tim Burton's The Melancholy Death Of Oyster Boy always calls out to me, but I've somehow managed to avoid buying it. And as I gaze lovingly at all those books I desire, I wondered at how different the two stores' fiction sections are.
At Kino, I just feel a need to buy everything I lay my hands on, even if they're on the top shelf.
At Borders, I just feel like everything's been picked up and read by at least ten people.
At Borders, I found only a couple of William S Burroughs' books. But at Kino, there was what looked like quite a full array of his books, including what is considered his seminal work - Naked Lunch. This was painfully absent from the shelves at Borders, unless they had squirreled it away in some corner.
However, the things I do like about Borders include its CD section (where tracks can be listened to, although you have to use the headphones at your own risk) which isn't priced as high as HMV. I also like the store's brightness and its floor-to-ceiling windows as Kino tends to be rather dark and sometimes the layout's a little confusing. Borders' food section also has more books unshrinkwrapped compared to Kino. Borders' magazine section is also a little more accessible than Kino's, although as with every bookstore, you first have to wade through the readers before you can get to the products.
So Borders gets the consolation prize, cos what ultimately matters are the books.
Now playing: Teenage Fanclub's I Need Direction
Ok I was only attracted by its weekend sale - after all, it was 35% off for 5 books or more. And I had a few books in mind, as well as some Christmas gifts for cousins to get, so I figured I'd pop by before lunch and work on Friday - when hopefully there wouldn't be too long a queue.
However, I remembered why I didn't shop at Borders much. Service was fine but the stock wasn't. I was looking for Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials set, something a colleague had lent me a while back, but she'd only owned the first two of the series, so I hadn't the faintest how it all ended. And I figured, what's a better time to buy a boxset then during a sale! Unfortunately, the friendly Borders staff checked the inventory and the shelves and nope, she couldn't find any. So I scrambled to find another book to make it five. I got three presents and also picked up TC Boyle's The Inner Circle and Iris Murdoch's Under The Net (I've become quite enamoured with her writing).
On Sunday, before work, went with the sister out to town to window shop and make full use of her Kino card. Well, I could've made better use of it, if I were not so budget-conscious this month. And there, in what's probably the best bookstore in Singapore, were plenty of copies of His Dark Materials set, and there were even two versions were available. While my sis was browsing the magazines, I checked out the lit section where Tim Burton's The Melancholy Death Of Oyster Boy always calls out to me, but I've somehow managed to avoid buying it. And as I gaze lovingly at all those books I desire, I wondered at how different the two stores' fiction sections are.
At Kino, I just feel a need to buy everything I lay my hands on, even if they're on the top shelf.
At Borders, I just feel like everything's been picked up and read by at least ten people.
At Borders, I found only a couple of William S Burroughs' books. But at Kino, there was what looked like quite a full array of his books, including what is considered his seminal work - Naked Lunch. This was painfully absent from the shelves at Borders, unless they had squirreled it away in some corner.
However, the things I do like about Borders include its CD section (where tracks can be listened to, although you have to use the headphones at your own risk) which isn't priced as high as HMV. I also like the store's brightness and its floor-to-ceiling windows as Kino tends to be rather dark and sometimes the layout's a little confusing. Borders' food section also has more books unshrinkwrapped compared to Kino. Borders' magazine section is also a little more accessible than Kino's, although as with every bookstore, you first have to wade through the readers before you can get to the products.
So Borders gets the consolation prize, cos what ultimately matters are the books.
Now playing: Teenage Fanclub's I Need Direction
Dining out: Sin Hoi San
It was a gathering of some ex-STI people at one of them zichar seafood places at Tiong Bahru.
7 1/2 of us (one left after an hour plus for another dinner) devoured:
1 chili crab (surprisingly quite hot)
1 black pepper crab
1 butter crab (which has a lovely buttery, coconut taste)
1 plate cereal prawns (yum!)
1 plate baby squid (unfortunately not crunchy enough)
2 "yue guang he" - which I suppose is literally translated as moonlit river? - essentially hor fun with a raw egg on top, which you mix into the rice noodles
1 fried rice
1 vegetable
Now that was some dinner!
And then we adjourned to Blu Jazz Cafe to meet a few others and have drinks/dessert.
Nice place - rather colourful with some odd lights inside. But it was a relatively breezy night and perfect for sitting outdoors. However, I highly disapprove of their music selection. It wasn't blues, it wasn't jazz. It was a mishmesh of easy listening crap that included some Michael Bolton, some salsa-ish latin music, Sympathique, and Que Sera Sera - which we took as a sign to get out of there.
Sin Hoi San Eating House
Blk 55 Tiong Bahru Road
Blu Jazz Cafe
Bali Lane
7 1/2 of us (one left after an hour plus for another dinner) devoured:
1 chili crab (surprisingly quite hot)
1 black pepper crab
1 butter crab (which has a lovely buttery, coconut taste)
1 plate cereal prawns (yum!)
1 plate baby squid (unfortunately not crunchy enough)
2 "yue guang he" - which I suppose is literally translated as moonlit river? - essentially hor fun with a raw egg on top, which you mix into the rice noodles
1 fried rice
1 vegetable
Now that was some dinner!
And then we adjourned to Blu Jazz Cafe to meet a few others and have drinks/dessert.
Nice place - rather colourful with some odd lights inside. But it was a relatively breezy night and perfect for sitting outdoors. However, I highly disapprove of their music selection. It wasn't blues, it wasn't jazz. It was a mishmesh of easy listening crap that included some Michael Bolton, some salsa-ish latin music, Sympathique, and Que Sera Sera - which we took as a sign to get out of there.
Sin Hoi San Eating House
Blk 55 Tiong Bahru Road
Blu Jazz Cafe
Bali Lane
Dining out: Miss Clarity Cafe
I decided I'd just write about this anyway.
Thursday night dinner was at Miss Clarity Cafe at Purvis Street, after having read about it sometime ago on various local food blogs and just wanting to go have a peek (plus was trying not to spend too much money)
Food's cheap - we took the $8.80 set that comes with soup, main course and dessert. So at that price I wasn't expecting anything fantastic. The food was decent. The fish and chips were not bad - although, honestly the kopitiam near the office does a fantastic dory fish and chips for only $5 - and so was the pork roulade, (essentially pork wrapped around two sausages and coated with batter and deepfried) which came with grilled slices of potatoes and a bed of cabbage/carrots mixture that kinda looked more like it belonged on a hospital tray. Still, it wasn't too bad for a cheap dinner.
My issue was more with the Barbie look of the place. It was a bit too cotton candy for the likes of me. Colourful - and when I say colour, I mean pastels - tables, colourful walls. All bright and cheery. The kind of place that would appeal to a 10 year old girl who aspires to be Barbie or well, Paris Hilton - ok maybe not, it's not trashy or anything. But just saccharine sweet. Blindingly saccharine sweet.
So after we were done with dinner, I made sure to go somewhere that was a little less pink. Somehow we ended up at Father Flanagan's at Chijmes for a Guinness and a cider. Sitting outside, we could hear the strains of what seemed to be music from the band inside. The singer wasn't terrible but he wasn't good either. I'm really being nice. I don't know why - maybe cos I was a tad bit bitchy about the previous place. Ok, the truth was the singer didn't sound any good. He couldn't hit the high notes. We heard them play U2's Angel Of Harlem earlier on and after that, they'd stopped. I thought thank heavens, but sometime later, they started up again - and did Angel Of Harlem all over. Had to leave before my ears started bleeding.
Miss Clarity Cafe
5 Purvis Street
Tel: 6339 4803
Father Flanagan's
#B1-06 Chijmes
30 Victoria Street
Thursday night dinner was at Miss Clarity Cafe at Purvis Street, after having read about it sometime ago on various local food blogs and just wanting to go have a peek (plus was trying not to spend too much money)
Food's cheap - we took the $8.80 set that comes with soup, main course and dessert. So at that price I wasn't expecting anything fantastic. The food was decent. The fish and chips were not bad - although, honestly the kopitiam near the office does a fantastic dory fish and chips for only $5 - and so was the pork roulade, (essentially pork wrapped around two sausages and coated with batter and deepfried) which came with grilled slices of potatoes and a bed of cabbage/carrots mixture that kinda looked more like it belonged on a hospital tray. Still, it wasn't too bad for a cheap dinner.
My issue was more with the Barbie look of the place. It was a bit too cotton candy for the likes of me. Colourful - and when I say colour, I mean pastels - tables, colourful walls. All bright and cheery. The kind of place that would appeal to a 10 year old girl who aspires to be Barbie or well, Paris Hilton - ok maybe not, it's not trashy or anything. But just saccharine sweet. Blindingly saccharine sweet.
So after we were done with dinner, I made sure to go somewhere that was a little less pink. Somehow we ended up at Father Flanagan's at Chijmes for a Guinness and a cider. Sitting outside, we could hear the strains of what seemed to be music from the band inside. The singer wasn't terrible but he wasn't good either. I'm really being nice. I don't know why - maybe cos I was a tad bit bitchy about the previous place. Ok, the truth was the singer didn't sound any good. He couldn't hit the high notes. We heard them play U2's Angel Of Harlem earlier on and after that, they'd stopped. I thought thank heavens, but sometime later, they started up again - and did Angel Of Harlem all over. Had to leave before my ears started bleeding.
Miss Clarity Cafe
5 Purvis Street
Tel: 6339 4803
Father Flanagan's
#B1-06 Chijmes
30 Victoria Street
Friday, December 02, 2005
7 songs
The Sassy Slumbering Gal's pointed this in my direction so here it is.
List 7 songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Then tag 7 other people to see what they're listening to.
7 huh. I guess these are the ones... (I've even made them downloadable!)
The Decemberists doing a cover of The Outfield's Your Love
Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats
Soft - Higher
The Scribbled Out Man - Heroics
Wolf Parade - Dear Sons and Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts
The Spinto Band - Oh Mandy
World Leader Pretend - Punches
List 7 songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Then tag 7 other people to see what they're listening to.
7 huh. I guess these are the ones... (I've even made them downloadable!)
The Decemberists doing a cover of The Outfield's Your Love
Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats
Soft - Higher
The Scribbled Out Man - Heroics
Wolf Parade - Dear Sons and Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts
The Spinto Band - Oh Mandy
World Leader Pretend - Punches
Thursday, December 01, 2005
randomness
Now if Blogger's nice today, I might just be able to put some of this crap I've written up.
TMN has a nice little collection of stories about holiday travel hell.
And there's just something about the Simpsons, that's got Jonathan Franzen, Tom Wolfe, Michael Chabon and Gore Vidal all voicing themselves, although yellower.
These phone/mp3 player cases are gorgeous
And here's some stuff to listen to:
Jose Gonzalez -
Heartbeats
Stars - Don't Be Afraid
TMN has a nice little collection of stories about holiday travel hell.
And there's just something about the Simpsons, that's got Jonathan Franzen, Tom Wolfe, Michael Chabon and Gore Vidal all voicing themselves, although yellower.
These phone/mp3 player cases are gorgeous
And here's some stuff to listen to:
Jose Gonzalez -
Heartbeats
Stars - Don't Be Afraid
Reading allowed
I am someway through What I Loved and I've been struck by the work that the artist Bill creates. His pieces of Hansel and Gretel, just words on a page, so vivid a description that I can see them before me.
I get absorbed in their life in the summer house, the two families under one roof. The absence of a TV and the "entertainments of another era", where after dinner, one of the adults would read a story aloud. And I remember watching Gone With The Wind, and there was one scene where the ladies were in the house, trying not to reveal their nervousness and despair, and I believe it was Melly who took up a book - something by Charles Dickens if I'm not wrong - and begins reading.
I like the idea of being read to and reading to someone. Reading aloud makes such a difference. It makes you actually read every single word. Many a time I am guilty of just skimming a page, especially when reading in bed, and sometimes I have to go back and read a paragraph or two again, cos later on I realised I missed something there.
My mom used to read to us, when we were kids. She'd sit on the floor, in between my bed and my sister's, and read to us before we'd go to sleep. I missed that when she stopped it, but never told her that.
Now the only person who reads aloud is my CCF kid but that's mostly for her to practise her English. Reading aloud's a little slow going but definitely helps.
I've been wondering what it's like to listen to an audio book. I guess if I had a longer transit to work, I might consider listening to books, but what's a 15-minute bus ride? About 5 songs. And probably just a few pages?
now playing: The Decemberists doing a cover of the Outfield's Your Love
I get absorbed in their life in the summer house, the two families under one roof. The absence of a TV and the "entertainments of another era", where after dinner, one of the adults would read a story aloud. And I remember watching Gone With The Wind, and there was one scene where the ladies were in the house, trying not to reveal their nervousness and despair, and I believe it was Melly who took up a book - something by Charles Dickens if I'm not wrong - and begins reading.
I like the idea of being read to and reading to someone. Reading aloud makes such a difference. It makes you actually read every single word. Many a time I am guilty of just skimming a page, especially when reading in bed, and sometimes I have to go back and read a paragraph or two again, cos later on I realised I missed something there.
My mom used to read to us, when we were kids. She'd sit on the floor, in between my bed and my sister's, and read to us before we'd go to sleep. I missed that when she stopped it, but never told her that.
Now the only person who reads aloud is my CCF kid but that's mostly for her to practise her English. Reading aloud's a little slow going but definitely helps.
I've been wondering what it's like to listen to an audio book. I guess if I had a longer transit to work, I might consider listening to books, but what's a 15-minute bus ride? About 5 songs. And probably just a few pages?
now playing: The Decemberists doing a cover of the Outfield's Your Love
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Dining out: Thien Kee Steamboat
Tables spilled out of the main stall, into a few more shop spaces and into the passageways, and even round to the back.
Yet, people waited. They hung around, scouting for a good table to hover over.
No one will help you get a table - there's no queue to stand in, no number to take, no list to fill. It's all about being observant and quick on your feet.
So we also waited. First checking out one area, and then another, both eyes peeled for customers finishing their meals.
And there it was - an empty table.
Luckily the others waiting near us were large families, so no one raced us for the prize.
So we got to sit down, and tuck into some steamboat.
I guess I always have been spoiled by my late grandmother's reunion dinner steamboats, as well as those that we used to do at home, where we'd get a whole spread of the good stuff like abalone, salmon, sukiyaki pork and beef.
But this is a different style of steamboat, it's not those all-you-can-eat ones, but like Yet Con in Purvis Street, it's old-style and you get platefuls of raw food according to the price you pay.
The best part of course, is eating steamboat with chicken rice, which was fragrant and the chicken was good. Oh and so was the chili sauce.
Very satisfying. Plus dinner came to about $30 for two people.
It was definitely an experience.
Thien Kee Steamboat
#B1-20 Beach Road Golden Mile Tower
Yet, people waited. They hung around, scouting for a good table to hover over.
No one will help you get a table - there's no queue to stand in, no number to take, no list to fill. It's all about being observant and quick on your feet.
So we also waited. First checking out one area, and then another, both eyes peeled for customers finishing their meals.
And there it was - an empty table.
Luckily the others waiting near us were large families, so no one raced us for the prize.
So we got to sit down, and tuck into some steamboat.
I guess I always have been spoiled by my late grandmother's reunion dinner steamboats, as well as those that we used to do at home, where we'd get a whole spread of the good stuff like abalone, salmon, sukiyaki pork and beef.
But this is a different style of steamboat, it's not those all-you-can-eat ones, but like Yet Con in Purvis Street, it's old-style and you get platefuls of raw food according to the price you pay.
The best part of course, is eating steamboat with chicken rice, which was fragrant and the chicken was good. Oh and so was the chili sauce.
Very satisfying. Plus dinner came to about $30 for two people.
It was definitely an experience.
Thien Kee Steamboat
#B1-20 Beach Road Golden Mile Tower
Saturday, November 26, 2005
i want it that way
I frequent libraries quite a bit, every three weeks actually, since that is the deadline they provide when borrowing.
And I certainly felt the pressure this week when I had to return books and pick up something I'd reserved.
I guess it's really my fault for being kiasu and picking up so many books. I could've stuck to four, but I can't resist it when I grab one off the shelf and then just a bit further down I see something else and it's like dang, I have been wanting to read this one! So I look down at the four books I'm already hefting, chuck the next one on top of the pile.
At this time I really should pull myself away from browsing the shelves, but honestly that's the best part of libraries and bookstores. I'm not the kind who can hang around actually reading (I never understand how people can do it) but I read a lot of litblogs and browse amazon lists and other crazed book sites, and whenever I spot a familiar title or author, a 'ding' sounds in my head and I just have to gingerly ease the book off the shelf and flip a few pages.
So the pile I'm carrying grows to about 6, 7, 8. I drag the haul over to a chair or an empty shelf and weed it out. I usually don't succeed in much weeding - at the most I get rid of one, or in extreme cases, two. And then I whip out my lifesaver - my mother's library card (I also carry my sister's around!) as she's got the membership where you can borrow multimedia eg DVDs and more importantly, more books. Sometimes she joins me on my library haunts and I negotiate with her on how many more I can scrounge. (My mom borrows art books and the occasional recipe book, in case you'd like to know.)
On my day off on Thursday, I head to the Orchard library, braving the hordes of schoolkids roaming around aimlessly, to pick up George and Sam, this book I had reserved (it was in some godforsaken part of the island) on the strength of an excerpt I read in Nick Hornby's Polysyllabic Spree. It's written by a woman about her two autistic boys, and one more, non-autistic, son. I'm only into the third chapter but it's terribly moving, brave and also funny.
More on that when I'm done.
But for now, Richard Perez's The Losers' Club
I think I picked this up on reading about it on some litblog. But I admit that while flipping through it in the library, I wasn't too impressed. I suppose that's why it ended up being read last out of all the books I'd borrowed the last round (first to be devoured was the Oscar Wilde). But once I started this one, I just couldn't stop.
It was well paced, and funny but also a bit sad. And it's a strange way to describe it but, it was very much alive.
The book's essentially about a struggling poet who gets obsessed with personal ads, and the women he meets through them. I hate writing summaries about plots so I think a one-liner will do.
Here's my haul
Paul Auster - Timbuktu
Siri Hustvedt - What I Loved
ZZ Packer - Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
Stephen Chbosky - Perks Of Being A Wallflower (yeah its a coming of age story, aimed at teens, but I've always thought it's such a great title)
Charlotte Moore - George And Sam
And I certainly felt the pressure this week when I had to return books and pick up something I'd reserved.
I guess it's really my fault for being kiasu and picking up so many books. I could've stuck to four, but I can't resist it when I grab one off the shelf and then just a bit further down I see something else and it's like dang, I have been wanting to read this one! So I look down at the four books I'm already hefting, chuck the next one on top of the pile.
At this time I really should pull myself away from browsing the shelves, but honestly that's the best part of libraries and bookstores. I'm not the kind who can hang around actually reading (I never understand how people can do it) but I read a lot of litblogs and browse amazon lists and other crazed book sites, and whenever I spot a familiar title or author, a 'ding' sounds in my head and I just have to gingerly ease the book off the shelf and flip a few pages.
So the pile I'm carrying grows to about 6, 7, 8. I drag the haul over to a chair or an empty shelf and weed it out. I usually don't succeed in much weeding - at the most I get rid of one, or in extreme cases, two. And then I whip out my lifesaver - my mother's library card (I also carry my sister's around!) as she's got the membership where you can borrow multimedia eg DVDs and more importantly, more books. Sometimes she joins me on my library haunts and I negotiate with her on how many more I can scrounge. (My mom borrows art books and the occasional recipe book, in case you'd like to know.)
On my day off on Thursday, I head to the Orchard library, braving the hordes of schoolkids roaming around aimlessly, to pick up George and Sam, this book I had reserved (it was in some godforsaken part of the island) on the strength of an excerpt I read in Nick Hornby's Polysyllabic Spree. It's written by a woman about her two autistic boys, and one more, non-autistic, son. I'm only into the third chapter but it's terribly moving, brave and also funny.
More on that when I'm done.
But for now, Richard Perez's The Losers' Club
I think I picked this up on reading about it on some litblog. But I admit that while flipping through it in the library, I wasn't too impressed. I suppose that's why it ended up being read last out of all the books I'd borrowed the last round (first to be devoured was the Oscar Wilde). But once I started this one, I just couldn't stop.
It was well paced, and funny but also a bit sad. And it's a strange way to describe it but, it was very much alive.
The book's essentially about a struggling poet who gets obsessed with personal ads, and the women he meets through them. I hate writing summaries about plots so I think a one-liner will do.
Here's my haul
Paul Auster - Timbuktu
Siri Hustvedt - What I Loved
ZZ Packer - Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
Stephen Chbosky - Perks Of Being A Wallflower (yeah its a coming of age story, aimed at teens, but I've always thought it's such a great title)
Charlotte Moore - George And Sam
Friday, November 25, 2005
Dining out: Wine Garage
So the company that owns Brewerkz and Cafe Iguana has decided to go in a different alcohol direction and offer wines.
Brewerkz is now flanked by the iguana and Wine Garage, which has a rather extensive winelist and a decent menu. Service was a dismal letdown but what's new nowadays.
I was a couple of minutes late on Thursday, and arrived to find eps scrutinising the winelist. In the middle of the table was a plateful of sliced breads and what looked like yam paste, which I later found out was simply butter, that was grey in colour. I wondered if it was pate, but to my disappointment, it was not.
But bravo to the speed the bread and yampaste/butter/pate was laid out. Other customers were immediately offered that and menus just a few minutes after sitting down. I didn't even have to raise my hand to ask for water. So on this part, service was excellent and efficient.
When J finally arrived, we picked a semillon-sauvignon blanc from australia (not really noticing the sauvblanc part of the details) from the list, having decided to try something a bit new. The waiter (here's the notsogood service part) was asked for recommendations and the first thing he said, in an embarrassed tone, was "I'm not so good at that", leaving us equally clueless as to why, since this is a place that obviously specialises in wine, he was not trained to recommend at least one bottle or one blend, and also, why he didn't have someone, say his manager, come to our table and recommend us something instead. (The same guy also couldn't really make a recommendation for the food.)
Being left to our own devices, we made our own pick, which was ok. (They do have somemore that look quite interesting and which I wouldn't mind trying)
But what I quite liked was the food, although... well... here's what happened.
I ordered the steak frites, medium rare. And it came pretty well cooked for a medium rare, or even for a medium. So I sent it back and I got a better one, which was still a bit more on the cooked side - I like them bloody
But oh were the fries great. Instead of crinkle-cut types or skinny ones ala mcdonalds, or fat ones, they were small and skinny, with the skins on. They looked more like they were run through a grater. And sprinkled with just the right amount of salt, some herb and a bit of pepper. Yummy.
After we polished off the food, for some reason, we decided to have nachos instead of dessert. I dunno why - it wasn't my idea. But nachos from neighbouring Brewerkz that is.
And we figured that since the place was owned by the same company, we could do that. Nope. Wrong.
It wasn't as if the two places served the same type of food. I mean, if nachos were on the Wine Garage menu, then sure, we wouldn't have minded ordering that. The waiter could've easily ordered from a Brewerkz staff, we could've paid when the food arrived. And the plate could be returned after. Not that difficult. The manager was consulted. She (of course it had to be a woman - yes I know it's going against my own gender, but I do have two female bosses) said no. Then these people sit down at the table behind us, carrying glasses of beer from Brewerkz. We decide to check out Brewerkz but their waiting list is long despite a couple of empty tables outside - now that's efficient.
And we end up at Tapas Tree, where we lounge on cosy sofas and sip on sangrias that somehow don't taste of wine, but rather of a hard liquor (eps reckons its vodka cranberry), and chat as Eros Ramazotti plays in the background. So these people don't make sangria with wine and play Italian music. I doubt that the owners are from Spain.
The Wine Garage,
30 Merchant Road,
#01-07 Riverside Point
Tel: 6533 3188
The Tapas Tree
The Tapas Tree,
3D River Valley Rd,
#01-08 Clarke Quay,
Shop House Row
Tel: 6837 2938
Brewerkz is now flanked by the iguana and Wine Garage, which has a rather extensive winelist and a decent menu. Service was a dismal letdown but what's new nowadays.
I was a couple of minutes late on Thursday, and arrived to find eps scrutinising the winelist. In the middle of the table was a plateful of sliced breads and what looked like yam paste, which I later found out was simply butter, that was grey in colour. I wondered if it was pate, but to my disappointment, it was not.
But bravo to the speed the bread and yampaste/butter/pate was laid out. Other customers were immediately offered that and menus just a few minutes after sitting down. I didn't even have to raise my hand to ask for water. So on this part, service was excellent and efficient.
When J finally arrived, we picked a semillon-sauvignon blanc from australia (not really noticing the sauvblanc part of the details) from the list, having decided to try something a bit new. The waiter (here's the notsogood service part) was asked for recommendations and the first thing he said, in an embarrassed tone, was "I'm not so good at that", leaving us equally clueless as to why, since this is a place that obviously specialises in wine, he was not trained to recommend at least one bottle or one blend, and also, why he didn't have someone, say his manager, come to our table and recommend us something instead. (The same guy also couldn't really make a recommendation for the food.)
Being left to our own devices, we made our own pick, which was ok. (They do have somemore that look quite interesting and which I wouldn't mind trying)
But what I quite liked was the food, although... well... here's what happened.
I ordered the steak frites, medium rare. And it came pretty well cooked for a medium rare, or even for a medium. So I sent it back and I got a better one, which was still a bit more on the cooked side - I like them bloody
But oh were the fries great. Instead of crinkle-cut types or skinny ones ala mcdonalds, or fat ones, they were small and skinny, with the skins on. They looked more like they were run through a grater. And sprinkled with just the right amount of salt, some herb and a bit of pepper. Yummy.
After we polished off the food, for some reason, we decided to have nachos instead of dessert. I dunno why - it wasn't my idea. But nachos from neighbouring Brewerkz that is.
And we figured that since the place was owned by the same company, we could do that. Nope. Wrong.
It wasn't as if the two places served the same type of food. I mean, if nachos were on the Wine Garage menu, then sure, we wouldn't have minded ordering that. The waiter could've easily ordered from a Brewerkz staff, we could've paid when the food arrived. And the plate could be returned after. Not that difficult. The manager was consulted. She (of course it had to be a woman - yes I know it's going against my own gender, but I do have two female bosses) said no. Then these people sit down at the table behind us, carrying glasses of beer from Brewerkz. We decide to check out Brewerkz but their waiting list is long despite a couple of empty tables outside - now that's efficient.
And we end up at Tapas Tree, where we lounge on cosy sofas and sip on sangrias that somehow don't taste of wine, but rather of a hard liquor (eps reckons its vodka cranberry), and chat as Eros Ramazotti plays in the background. So these people don't make sangria with wine and play Italian music. I doubt that the owners are from Spain.
The Wine Garage,
30 Merchant Road,
#01-07 Riverside Point
Tel: 6533 3188
The Tapas Tree
The Tapas Tree,
3D River Valley Rd,
#01-08 Clarke Quay,
Shop House Row
Tel: 6837 2938
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
he said it
Periodic hedonism is our natural birthright, a privilege that not only contributes to our sophistication but can often be the catalyst that makes life bearable at all. - James Villas
Monday, November 21, 2005
almond joy
so I made this Pear and Almond Cake with an almond crunch topping on Sunday afternoon. Left the house for work without knowing how it turned out. Got home around 1130 (early day for a change!) to find this large chunk gone from the cake. Figured it must be edible.
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