When the boys gathered at Brewerkz

Back to updating backdated entries.

~~~

On a lovely Sunday afternoon, kh's colleague decided to arrange an impromptu meet up that evening as one of his colleague-friend was back in Singapore for a few days. Very quickly, everyone was informed and even though we were only informed a few hours before, it was such a coincidence that all could make it that evening. The boys unanimously agreed that wives and kids could go along too.

We met up at Brewerkz Riverside Point in the evening. It was a breezy day which was perfect for al fresco dining by the river.



"Occupying a prime location on the Singapore River at Riverside Point, the iconic full-service restaurant features high quality American-style food and a full range of premium beers handcrafted on-site from the microbrewery attached to the restaurant." -- Brewerkz

It was really funny when we separated ourselves into the boyz only and girls only zone at the table. It started because the boys kept talking about work and the common people they knew while some of us girls were already acquainted with one another and also started talking about anything under the stars. Hence, we decided to play musical chairs and shifted ourselves away from our spouses.

We had delectable snacks to share like humongous pork knuckle, potato skins with cheddar cheese bacon and ranch dressing for dipping, a trio combination of mozzarella, swiss and cheddar fried cheese sticks, buffalo wings and chilli cheese fries.



The boys had beer of course. I only had a little coz I had to prepare myself to be the driver just in case kh drank too much.



t.c and his wife brought their adorable kids along. The kids were asleep when they got here and when they woke up, they were so shy towards all of us and unsure about their surroundings.

t.s's son is such a cute boy! He was so enthralled by the Singapore River and the colourful lights under the blanket of night sky that greeted him. According to him, this was "Australia backyard build a city".



t.c and family relocated to Australia for a few years due to work and according to t.c's wife, their backyard had got a river and so her son thought that he was back in Australia, only with a "city" beyond the river. I loved the way he kept repeating Australia backyard build a city".

This was supposed to be a girls-only photo but SOMEBODY, somebody simply love spoiling pictures by photobombing.



I spoilt the girls-only picture by not looking at the camera.



It is quite unlikely that all of us would be able to gather so spontaneously the next time round and it was the guys, instead of the girls who actually suggested taking a group shot before parting.



Before leaving, everyone said, "We should do this more often!"

However according to experience usually when that line is uttered, it simply wouldn't happen. lol.

Duh Moments

This video features a series of "Duh Moments" or in local slang, "Abuden Moments" when people ask questions that state the obvious.




My favourite abuden moment from my favourite auntie in the video.

Boy: Hi Auntie! Watering plants ah?
Auntie: No la, I'm bathing the caterpillars.


~~~


Do you have such moments as well? I tend to ask obvious questions too. I guess that in our Asian culture, it's only polite at times to start a conversation in that manner.

On the other side of the coin, I'm also always caught in the receiving end of Abuden moments and sometimes I can't help replying in jest to people I know who can take jokes.

~~~


Scenario: Upon seeing that my hair is shorter

Friend A: Eh! You cut hair ah?
Me: No. Actually I went to the salon to lengthen it.

~~~


Scenario: Eating lunch

Friendly elder: 吃饭呵？
Me: 没有啦。我在吃面。

~~~

Scenario: Upon seeing that I'm back

Hubby: Oh, you are back?
Me: No la. You are just seeing a doppelganger of myself.

Birthday Happenings 2011

Back to updating backdated entries.

~~~

It is exactly 3 months to my birthday this year and here I am updating about my birthday happenings from last year. I think I should wish for "time" the next time I blow a candle or happen the catch the digital clockat 11:11.

My birthday meet ups with friends took place in the month of June as I was away in Brunei during the end of May.

For the past 10 years, I had been holding on to 2 hand phones and had been really loyal to Nokia. The second line was used solely for sms.

My sms line (Nokia 7250i) blanked out on me after I returned home from Brunei and could never be revived.



My 7250i had served me well the past 8 years and hence from one antique to another, I switched to Nokia 8850 which my eldest sis had carefully preserved for keepsake. That was the only spare hand phone in the whole house. Her words of reminder to take care of her beloved preserved antique phone was constantly at the back of my mind the whole time I was using the hand phone till I got my iPhone recently.

(YES! I'm no longer an iDiot!)

So anyway after I inserted the SIM card, I was expecting a flood of sms; I usually get lots of birthday wishes via sms. Sadly, there was not a single text at all.

(Damn you, Facebook!)

I was surprised beyond belief and my mean 2nd sister could actually send me this. lol



~*Stepping into the office*~

I saw this on my office desk the first day I stepped back into the reality of work.



They were gifts wrapped with magazine paper from the lovely people in my department. They sure have a great sense of humour.

For my international readers, the guy all dressed in white hugging the Kate Spade gift box is a popular local actor and the magazine was taking a dig at some local politician. I won't divulge too much here or our local GARMEN may police my blog and strongly encourage me to remove the offensive material.

As for the shirtless guys from Cleo's most eligible bachelors, my department people probably felt I needed some young fresh "meat" for my eyes. To add some butter to the meat was the magical number 18.

What's under wraps? Little Skeleton Boy and Skeleton Girl from Corpse Bride!



They were sitting on my television shelf overlooking my room and happily minding their own business when one fine day, I saw them facing the wall. I think my in-law's helper was so mortified at such grotesque sight that she could not clean the room when they were up there giggling at her.

My Chinese improved by leaps and bounds upon reading this comic. It is written in traditional Chinese and we do not learn traditional Chinese in our local schools. I struggled trying to make out some of the words but overall, I could understand about 90% of its contents and I really love the meaningful quotes by the side of the book at certain page intervals.



This book has been my travel companion for 2 trips. I love how negativity could be so comical. The contents in this book has allowed me to see the light behind every negative outcome and laugh at any bad situation.

Practical gifts from practical chocho.



She could actually slam the tissue paper pack and say, "Nah, give you money." 

As for the drawing book, she knew I was going to pursue my interest in anything art-related when time permitted and figured I needed a book for doodling. In fact, the drawing from the post below is done on her book.

Artistic gifts from artistic vivi.



I treasure every single handmade card from her and once again, I received more art-related presents. Apparently, the colour pencils were to be paired with chocho's drawing book.

Artistic vivi is also a very practical person. In order not to buy me a present which I might not use, she asked me what I wanted. I didn't know what I wanted at that time so I suggested she subsidised part of my online clothes shopping and so she did!




~*Made with Love*~

It seemed like I received lots of handmade stuff from good friends last year.

Other than hand-made cards, I also received a self-baked fondant cake from Karen which she delivered right to my doorstep. I actually wrote about this when I received the cake in this entry.



The cake was so pretty that I could not bear to cut it myself so I schemed for someone to do the job.

I wrote a note for my family members (in-laws) to help themselves with the cake. True enough my cake-lover brother-in-law started the ball rolling. The next morning when I opened the box, I saw a slice being cut. I could only bear to cut the cake then.

For the next 2 days, all the white parts were cut. Nobody dared to cut the flower bouquet and the bees until somebody started the ball rolling again (most likely the same brother-in-law) and I saw the flowers and bees progressively disappearing.

Oh yes, remember the chicken rice incident in Brunei? This was Karen's reply when I thanked her for the cake. The chicken rice incident is definitely going to be etched in many people's minds  for a long time to come.




~*Al Forno with the Babes and One Dude*~

On my offday, I met up with the babes for Italian dinner at Al Forno.



A cute dude joined us too. He's the very adorable and happy baby Leo.



Actually there was another dude not pictured. JW was behind the camera in the group shot.

Here was what we ordered to share. The food was yum but we ordered a little too much especially since most of us were not exactly that hungry.



We didn't let good food go to waste though so we requested for the leftovers to be packed.

I have a love-hate relationship with Tiffany's little blue boxes and that exquisite white ribbons. I love them so much that I always cannot bear to untie the ribbons. However, the girls asked me to open my present and here's a peek -- Tiffanny earrings to match my existing Tiffany pendant in the same range. How thoughtful!



We ended the day at cuz sushi's house stuffing ourselves with loads and loads of cake.

Here's what I threw on in a hurry that day.

~*Dinner and Supper with Dearest Bimbo Sisters*~

On my off day, I met up with my Bimbo sisters after a day of running errands for delicious soupy steamboat at 国府珍锅 (Guo Fu Steamboat). It seemed like we always end up there for comfort food.



This santa has been mentioned before on my blog in this post. When we went to Guo Fu in March, we laughed at the Santa which was by the entrance. When we returned again in June, we could laugh no more coz by then, it wasn't really funny anymore to see jolly old santa playing the sax during that period of the year.



We had a feast fit for 4 hungry girls.



We ordered different variety of sliced meat so that we could share but I love mine the most. As I'm typing this, I've got craving for sliced meat in steamboat broth.



It wasn't supposed to be a birthday meet up but I received belated gifts from Tiff.



gera gave us each a humongous ring for fun and we spent the next few moments camwhoring with the rings.



I forgot who came up with this idea of posing with the rings in the most annoying manner so there we were trying our best to be annoying.



After dinner, we adjourned to TCC where Zanne met up with us for her dinner and our post dinner snacks.



Tiff looked like she was dragging a sack of dead bodies.



The bimbos decided to get me a cake just so that it could be considered a birthday meet up. There were lots of laughter and commotion when choosing the cake coz my very mean bimbo sisters made it a point to reveal my age in every single sentence to the staff behind the cake counter. It was so contrived, he found it so amusing.



We spent the night laughing like crazy till the TCC staff chased us away. No actually, they didn't chase us away coz we were noisy. It was because they were closing.

Thereafter, we hung out by the Singapore River. I couldn't remember how it all started but we began to share personal encounters with ghosts and the supernatural in foreign hotels. I was greatly mortified to find out I was the only one who hadn't experienced anything of the supernatural realm when staying in hotels overseas.

Tiff and xtina had the most eerie experience ever. If I were them at that point of time, I would keep praying and not even dare to open my eyes. I really salute them for their courage.

We chatted till 2am. While the 4 bimbos happily shared a cab to go home together since they all lived nearby, they made sure they saw me into the cab (how kind of them) before hollering to me to be careful of ghosts.

-_-|||

Here's what I wore. I like to be clad in T-shirt and shorts or tanks and shorts on errand days.



I was looking at my folders through the years and I realised that I always had a birthday-week instead of a birthday-day to make sure that I accommodate the various groups of close friends. I also realised how there would be loads of clubbing and partying and eating of course, for every birthday week. 2011 was the only year where mad cap partying, grooving and drinking till morning with the people I love were out of the picture.

As we get older, birthdays isn't about wild partying and drinking. It feels so cozy just having meals with the people you love and catching up with one another.

Don't you think so?

emosity

Of late, I find the people around me being in various states of "emosity", being upset due to family, relationship, friendship problems, illness, feeling lost in life, death of loved ones etc.

It always helps to keep an open mind because more often than not, many of our problems are perceived as how our minds want them to be.

Besides keeping an open mind, keeping an open heart is just as important.



Many people stubbornly clam themselves up after some setbacks and refuse to think about their problems or any unpleasant situation in any other ways except the way which they want to see it. They sometimes blame the whole world for their problems without stopping to think whether they have any part in perpetuating the unpleasant situation as well.

To these people, sometimes I just want to grab their necks, shake them and yell at them, "WAKE UP YOUR DAMN IDEA!"

You will continue to sink and fall unless you keep your mind open. That's the first step towards helping yourself.



My mind isn't exactly in a tip top condition recently too and I was inspired to draw emo pictures just now. However, when I took up my pencil, I drew this and have been feeling better ever since.



I also tried using water and brush on these "water colour pencils" for the first time. The background isn't what I was expecting, the proportions are skewed but who cares, I felt better and that's all that matters.

Brunei: The Trip That Wasn't Exactly A Holiday Volume 3

Continued from Volume 2 and Volume 1.


~*Day 5: Lazy Day*~

It was a lazy Sunday.

After checking out from The Empire Hotel, we had 鸡酒面线 (drunken chicken vermicelli) for lunch. The people at Brunei love this dish but for somebody who loves alcohol, I actually found the rice wine taste too much for my liking. I felt like I was drinking wine instead of eating vermicelli.



We did some grocery shopping and ended up with junk food.

Mamee is one of my favourite snacks and Van Houten Neapolitan always remind me of my favourite childhood chocolate. Mini chocolates have since been taken over by Cadbury and it's quite rare to find Van Houten Neapolitan in Singapore's supermarkets.

I was pretty amused by the words on the Mamee's packaging. Why the difference between the countries for sale and since when is Mamee ever healthy?



Damn, I feel like eating Mamee now.

For late dinner/supper, we went to Sing U Me.



I like how the interior of marble and wooden tables reminded me of Chinese eating houses from the olden times. The food was scrumptious! As usual Teh-C Special with wheatgrass for me and non wheatgrass for him.



I absolutely enjoyed my time there savouring the food and watching people. There were many Chinese there and for a moment, I forgot that I was in Brunei. 


~*Day 6: The most relaxed weekday for the boys*~

There was to be a farewell barbecue for one of kh's colleagues and so everyone was let off early. Kh's boss said he was going to treat us to Big Prawn Mee so the whole lot of us trooped over to...

Singapore Big Prawn House!



As Singaporeans, we were of course thrilled to sink our teeth into our local prawn mee, savour the succulent prawns and lap up the prawn broth. The prawns were deep fried and put into the soup -- definitely not our local style. The noodles and soup was good though but we felt a little cheated with the name. Anyway, we can't expect much too. For once, I decided to be unpredictable and ordered something other than Teh-C Special. No, that's coz they did not serve Teh-C Special at all.



Btw, to my American and Australian readers, whenever you go to a Chinese restaurant and order Singapore Noodles or Singapore Fried Rice, do not be fooled into thinking these are authentic Singapore dishes. They aren't at all. We do not have such dishes here at all. Our noodles and fried rice come in myriad ways of cooking and with different names to each dish. 

In the evening, some of kh's colleagues prepared for the bbq.



There are many photos which may be a little sensitive to be posted on my blog. I actually had to ask kh to QC the images that I've chosen to post here just to make sure everything is fine.

Playing with Hong Zhi's sister, Yi Jing, in the family area.




~*Day 7: Last Day in Brunei*~

On my last day here, kh brought me to Eden for a taste of Brunei's Kolo Mee.



As usual, the food in Brunei could never go wrong, except for the dinner at Seaworld Neptune. The noodles was springy in a QQ way; the dumpling and minced meat was good.



I like how the eateries in Brunei provide each table with tissue paper. For someone like me who often forget to bring my packet tissue out, this is a saviour.

For dinner, I had artery-clogging but absolutely lip-smacking fried bee hoon. I love my bee hoon a lot. It's very different from the fried bee hoon found in Singapore. kh's fried rice was overly salty but then again, Brunei's food is usually salty. As if the big plate of bee hoon and fried rice weren't enough, kh had to order more food in the form of 10 satays!



After that, we went to K and hubby's house to say my last goodbye to them. Leanne was still awake and we spent some time playing Lego. K allowed her to play a little past her bedtime since it was the last time she would see her FAVOURITE Aunty Jolene. The Kway Chup you see above at the bottom right picture was our supper with K and her hubby at 3am.

I insisted kh drove me to the golden mosque which we always passed by for a shot of it. I had been trying very hard to capture this golden mosque for days from the car and all the shots turned out blurry. This was the best shot.



Bye bye Brunei!


PS:
I'm backdating my post and this trip happened last May. However as I'm typing this now, the hubby is due for detachment there again. =(