What To Do When There's Not Much Alcohol At A Wedding?

Congratulations May Leen! She was the planner in Saatchi but has quit to get married and move to London with her new hubby. Isn’t that such a dream come true for some?

The wedding was held in Renaissance Hotel and there were 60 over tables.

A few people on the Saatchi tables didn’t show so we had a lot of food. Unfortunately both Salt Boy and Paul were not themselves and didn’t eat for 3 people per person as per what is the norm.

There was also no alcohol except for wine. So when we can’t get high at a wedding and do silly things, we had to make our own entertainment. Here are examples on how.

But non-alcoholic silliness isn’t as fun so Paul and I went to meet Fruitcake & Ed at this happening new club called Pulse at the New Millennium Hotel (formerly known as Regent Hotel). There was a live band which was excellent playing R&B music. The crowd was expat and slightly older. And since I’m not ‘slightly older’, I can appreciate places where there are no teeny boppers or college kids. Unfortunately I was wearing my killer-fabulous-looking-but-killer painful 5 inch heels so I couldn’t dance as much as I would have liked except the times when I kicked it off and didn’t care anymore.

The place is happening! And it has class too. I know this because the elevator only goes to one floor.

It was good hanging out with my partner in crime again. Fruitcake, I miss u!

Not Smoking In Singapore

There is quite a lot to do in Singapore like standing in the middle of Orchard Road during Christmas!

Like recycling.

Like being a tourist.

There is quite a lot to do in Singapore smoking is not one of them. Only a small percentage of eateries have tables allocated to smokers. We were at Walas having a drink. I was smoking when a waiter told me that I’m at a non smoking table and I’ll have to step off the curb if I wanted to continue smoking. So I got off my chair and took 2 steps away and continue smoking. THAT, was allowed. I can understand that Singapore has rules but this is just way too funny!

Guess it worked in a sense cos I smoked a lot less while there. There is just not many places which allows you to smoke and stepping off the curb or walking to a corner is either too troublesome or too odd.

So eventually the new generation of Singaporeans will stop smoking. And the government would have lost income via sin tax. Are they going to be more lax about the smoking rules in 2 decades time in order to gain back their income?

Like when the Singapore government told their citizens to stop having kids because the island was being over populated and then a few decades later, realized that they have the problem of an aging population?

But I did notice a lot of young mothers when I was in Singapore. Has the government done something to encourage marriage and starting families?

Guess it worked in a sense cos I smoked a lot less while there. There is just not many places which allows you to smoke and stepping off the curb or walking to a corner is either too troublesome or too odd.

So eventually the new generation of Singaporeans will stop smoking. And the government would have lost income via sin tax. Are they going to be more lax about the smoking rules in 2 decades time in order to gain back their income?

Like when the Singapore government told their citizens to stop having kids because the island was being over populated and then a few decades later, realized that they have the problem of an aging population?

But I did notice a lot of young mothers when I was in Singapore. Has the government done something to encourage marriage and starting families?

Happy 1st Birthday Isabelle Halle Ng

Happy 1^st Birthday Isabelle Halle Ng!

And just like that, my god daughter is one year old, one year has passed and we’re all growing a little older.

Fruitcake and Ed held the Belle’s first birthday party at My Dining Room at their condo on Tropicana.

Lots of relatives came. And lots of our friends came with their babies.

Of all my clubbing friends, most are married and with kids. And they all agree that while they are parents now, the days of clubbing are still dear to their hearts though that doesn’t necessarily feel like they want to go clubbing every weekend like before.

Guess I’m moving onto a new phase of life. I’m no longer scared of babies! I can even carry them for long periods of time and not feel scared or disgusted or be fearful that they puke or spit on me.

So here are some pics of babies which I’m not freaking out about and even do consider cute.

Friends tell me that they caught me in a maternal moment. Is that possible? It’s me! Well, I guess I’m warming up to babies and the idea of babies.

Ed & Belle.

Fruitcake & Belle.

Chris & Ayden. Chris our dear DJ from Viva has a 1 year old son! And looks like he likes it rough.

Sue Ann & Kay Lee. Look at the cheeks on her!

My little god daughter.

Friends & Babies.

Babies really do like paper and boxes more than the actual present. So does this mean that we should give out boxes to babies till they are at least 3 years old? Or buy a toy meant for a 3 year old baby for a 1 year old baby and let them play with the box first. They'll appreciate the toy when they grow older.

Jones The Grocer @ Dempsey

Okay besides shopping in Singapore, there’s also the eating.

I still maintain that Malaysian street food will beat Singapore hands down, especially since Scott’s has been torn down along with the food court which means no more beef ball noodles! Anyone knows where else I can find similar beef ball noodles in Singapore or KL? The one in Tung Shin and Silang and just completely different.

While Mohamad Sultan is dead and Clarke Quay is getting a revival, one of the newest places to be is Dempsey. Once the old army barracks, it’s been converted to chic eateries. Singapore is fantastic at maintaining historical buildings and turning them into trendy places. There’s a Dome there along with other stand alone F&B outlets. Paul’s cousin brought us to Jones’ The Grocer for Christmas Brunch.

The food was nothing to shout about but the décor and ambiance was excellent.

I’ll go back there again and pay S$20 for breakfast (excluding the coffee) just cos I like the place so much. It has so much character.

Friends tell me that PS Café is still really good though I didn’t have time to go this time round.

There are only a handful of F&B outlets in KL which can be described as chic, quaint or full of character. Now why is that?

Why can’t Malaysia appreciate our history, maintain and restore more historical sites and buildings?

Big and nice as Pavilion Shopping Mall is and as much as I like the huge Timnes Bookstore within it, I still think it’s wrong to tear down the Bukit Bintang Girls School to erect yet another mall.

Christmas 2007 in Singapore

Happy New Year!

So it’s 2008 and so much has happened in the past few weeks. So many parties and traveling and before you know it, it’s the New Year!

Paul and I spent a week in Singapore celebrating Christmas. Since we are both very familiar with the island, all we did was shop (the Boxing Day sale is irresistible even to non shoppers) and meet up with friends there.

About shopping – I bought 5 pairs of shoes.

Yes I know my shoe obsession is getting out of hand especially since the pretty ones are usually too painful to be worn for long periods of time which means in the end, they don’t end up being worn much. But they are way to pretty not to be bought. I justify the purchase by wearing them for at least 6 hours every 6 months.

Also bought some dresses, pants, tops and accessories from AX, FCUK, Esprit, Gap and other small non branded shops. I almost bought a Prada bag which wasn’t on sale but is still much cheaper than in Malaysia. I didn’t bother to go into LV because as usual, there was a queue going into the store.

I can see why Singaporeans are such shopaholics. Firstly, there’s not much else to do. And secondly, things are so cheap, including branded stuff. If I was earning in S$, prices will be dollar to dollar and I’d be able to afford to go shopping every weekend too.

But other then shopping, it was great to meet up with friends.

And when you’ve shopped and finished drinking with friends, there are 2 things which can be done in Singapore but not in KL and that’s midnight shopping!

As we were drinking in Holland V and there was a 24 hour Cold Storage in the area, it’s often we do a spot of drunken shopping which is totally hilarious.

We did that one night when Paul’s cousin suggested an even better way to entertain ourselves when drunk – to go shopping in the 24 hour Mustafa Centre! So we hopped into a cab at midnight and arrived at this amazing building selling everything. Imagine Poh Kong, Watch Shoppe, Tesco, Ace Hardware, World Traveler, Jusco and World of Sports under one roof.

That’s 6 floors of Nike watches, Casio watches, Omega watches, Victorinox Swiss Army Knives, Samsonite luggage bags, dried popodoms, Maggi instant noodles, scissors, Indo mie instant noodles, gold chains (I’m talking 2 whole floors of total bling), frozen turkey, chopped chicken, baby powder, bottles of honey, basket balls, Nike running shoes, non-branded white school shoes, balloons, masquerade masks, super glue, bicycles, industrial sized rice cookers, dice, Winnie–the-Pooh toys, toilet bowls ……

It’s possible that the only thing they don’t sell at Mustafa Centre are cars, tanks and jet planes.

Needless to say it was a thoroughly entertaining experience enhanced with a little bit of alcohol going to the head which makes a pile of Nike shoes in the middle of the aisle excruciatingly funny.

I’m certainly going back there the next time I’m out drinking in Singapore.

We’re scheduling the next trip there in July 2008 to coincide with the Great Singapore Sale. After all, drinking and shopping are the only things to do in Singapore!

Hugs and Wishes and Merry Wishes!

The last few days in the office was spent wrapping Christmas presents. I’ve gotten a few paper cuts (marshmallow marshmallow marsmallow!!!!) but have finally wrapped every single present and given them out. So the stress of Christmas is over and I can now enjoy the joy and festivities!

The company secretary was also kind enough the buy a macadamia cheese cake, cookies and a few bottles of wine for us today before we all go on leave which was great but it lacked something …… entertainment!

We screamed at, cajoled, cheered and threatened (with a bad evaluation to his college professor) one of the interns to take off his shirt and do star jumps. The poor boy was so shy that he was clutching his t-shirt tightly and hid in a corner in case we ripped it off him. But as the cheers and support grew louder and more people walked into the room to see what the fuss was all about, he probably thought he should bite the bullet and do it before the his audience become 2 fold. So the boy actually did it in front of about 15 people. Respect.

Now the other intern needs to do the same. It’s only fair. And again, he’s been threatened by a bad evaluation. We’re so evil. But it’s all in the name of fun.

Now I wonder if anyone captured the intern and his 6 pack on camera……..

I’m leaving the office now for dinner with Paul and Jon. Then Paul and I are off down South to spend one week in Singapore for Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone!

May you have love, joy, hope and many presents from Santa!

Hugs & Kisses and Merry Wishes!

Holidays In The Next 3 Months

The work days are finally getting easier. I’m not working as late and the days are not as intense, nor as stressful as usual. This is how the month of December should be. It will be too much to ask for snow but easy, relaxing, festive weeks leading up to Christmas would make me happy too.

Paul and I will be spending Christmas in Singapore and will be there for one whole week. There will be a bit of Boxing Day shopping since friends tell me that the sales are totally crazy and worth it. It’s been a decade since I used to make yearly pilgrimages to Singapore for shopping so I’m totally out of touch. And there will be lots of catching up with friends and a little bit of eating since generally food in Singapore cannot match up to the overall taste of Malaysian food. Unless you’re talking gourmet….then, they’ll beat us hands down.

We’ll be back in KL to celebrate New Year Eve in KL with friends in the Fragrant Garden in Paul’s condo. It’s going to be a BBQ among a small group of friends with good food, good company and of course plenty of booze. I’d now much rather this than to be stuck in a club with far too many people….. or stuck in a traffic jam trying to head from one New Year Eve party to another and end up doing the countdown in the car.

Then in mid January, Paul and I are off to Bali for one week to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. We’ve booked 2 lovely private villas with pools and I can’t wait to enjoy the tranquility of our own villa as well as tanning and surfing on the beach. Fairy who just came back Bali also recommended swimming with dolphins and that’s something else I want to check out.

And after one week of being back after Bali, I’m off to Krabi on a company trip. Last year, I lost the fight to a Group Account Director who chose to go to Chiang Mai since he’s into mountainous jungle terrain. So this year, way before anyone even asked about a company trip, I did the research, pitched it to the CEO and sealed the deal. I believe more of us would want the beach and fun in the sun rather than being up in a mountain yet again. Well, I know I do anyway. The more beach holidays, the better!

Then CNY will be upon us. More holiday and good food.

And in mid March 2008, Paul & I will be in Chiang Mai with his family.

I’m loving the next 3 months!

A Day Off in a Usual Work Week

What a glorious day was yesterday. Being a public holiday for the state of Selangor only, it’s great to have a day off when everyone else is working.

After watching 8 episodes of Desperate Housewives Season 3 the night before, I woke up about noon yesterday upon being woken by Michelle Who Stays on the Seashore. We headed to La Bodega Lounge and met Sin Cyn for lunch. Ashley joined us for coffee then the girls trooped over to a new massage place on Telawi 3. The masseuses were from China and they used some kind of pressure point technique. Sin Cyn and I got the head and foot massage and it felt gooood.

Once done, I went to Starbuck Plaza Mont Kiara to meet Diver Master Jon.

What an enjoyable & stress free day. If only all days could be like this.

On second thoughts, maybe not.

It’s nice to be a tai-tai once in a while especially when you get a whole day to yourself in the middle of a work week. However, if I were to do this every day of every week, I’ll be bored mindless.

I don’t understand how tai-tais do it. What do they do if they don’t work? Lots of them go shopping. But I don’t like shopping. And once I buy stuff, they just pile up at home and create clutter. And spas? I love spas but you can’t be doing scrubs and rubs every single day right? And morning coffees and hi-teas with other tai-tais I guess. I could do that but can see it getting boring after a few weeks of the same thing. And I’d feel incredible unproductive.

Days off like these are nice when you value it enough. And you can’t appreciate a day off if you get one everyday.

That said, I do wish a weekend was either 3 days long. Or we were given a day of per week whenever we choose. Now that, would be perfect.