A Leisure Sunday Morning in Cold Paris..

Sunday mornings in Singapore usually mean breakfast with my Mum (occasionally), Aunt and Cousin at a nearby coffee shop. In Paris, we don't have coffee shops with cheap and wide selection of breakfast options.. instead you have a handful of hardworking restaurants/bistros/eateries to choose from.

Today, Grumpy got up late (10 am.. which is real late in his context). So by the time we stroll out of the house it was close to 11 am. We started our day at a chi-chi gym cafe drinking coffee (of course this is Grumpy) and a fresh fruit smoothie (banana, kiwi and apple).. Yumz.. read some papers, mags to pass time (coz the brunch place only opens at 11.30am).
Before we know it.. brunch time. Oooo.. am definitely a hungry girl by then (by my standards, breakfast is at the very latest 10 am). Worth the wait.. didn't had much expectations when I stepped in but was pleasantly pleased with breakfast.. even the bread (especially the slightly warm and light pain au chocolat) with a selection of jam and butter spread. They had magazines in English for us to browse too, which we did. Was a crowded spot.. we were lucky to get a seat. Saw pple being turned away at the door.... (something we experience pretty often ourselves.. which of course pisses Grumpy off!! HMPH - he says... wahahaha)While walking home, we saw a group of old men playing music... I couldn't identify with the music but older Grumpy could (hehe.. =p)

All in all... nice Sun morning :)

Unacceptable Behavior

Ok.. so I left Paris in Sept 09 and headed back to Singapore. Was buried in work so I haven't posted any entries since. Grumpy reminded me that now I am back in Paris for 2 weeks already and yet still no post.... I am running out of excuses and is probably a very unacceptable lapse in his view.

The problem is... I think I am suffering from mid life crisis. Work is becoming a chore and I am feeling down. So I call my family and friends to whine (yes, I know I whine too much for my own good). All suggested various forms of shopping therapy as a solution.

You see.. shopping therapy is often a quick fix for such low points in my life but not in Paris. Things cost too much for you to splurge on for the high because it wouldn't be long before the damage to your credit card hits you from the back and you will be back to square one.. or maybe worse off.

So what's the solution? I don't know.. maybe if I just continue moping around, this phase will pass.

Loco-mania....

Loco is a word DODO uses on me.. aka "crazy". He thinks I am crazy and I explained I hung out with crazy friends. I think it's really hard to fathom cause we all do look very normal from the outside - neat, presentable, speak like normal humans, hold decent jobs - almost how everyone else in this world is.

But then.. we do go crazy.. in our early 30s, they now bring their softtoys out during gatherings and place them aside together while we real humans gather to eat and talk. Apparently the soft toys are also having a gathering.. I didn't take a picture but I will next time.

Then.. we go karaokes.. ok, karaokes probably sound very normal. It is! Especially in Singapore where we do not have much activities, it's one of the common activities we engage in. This is what happens in our karaoke sessions.

This is a full force karaoke session.. full force meaning with all members of the gang present. This doesn't happen regularly since one of them is based in HK and I travel quite a bit.

A crazy night out.. but fun :) One of those things I learn to appreciate more as I grow older...

Getting Lazy

Dodo asked several times over the past 2 weeks.. where's the new post? Huh? Well, this is very typical of me - I get lazy or I lose interest. =p

Well, I do have other excuses. Dodo was with me holidaying so wasn't exactly inspired to write. Was busy having fun with Dodo traveling, eating, playing, doing nothing at all, watching the new tv I bought (Yeah! New TV!) etc etc... Life is so much fun when Dodo is around.

Now that Dodo is gone... the sad and lonely days are here again. :( Which probably means I will once again get back into workaholic days! Wahaha.. loser is back!

Haha.. Okok, I will try not to let work overtake my life. Will continue to explore cooking :) Learn from Nani one or two of the yummy homecooked Indonesian dishes so that I can replicate it in Paris or NY. Any special request? Gado gado?

End of my Q2 Escapade

Am back in town after a 1 month plus escapade to be with DODO. Places covered includes Paris, NY, Syracuse and Seville. Yeah! Let's do a quick recap so that I can read this many years later and see if I still feel the same.

Paris Good: Cakes, Bread, Fries, Preserved Duck, Walking with DODO
Paris Bad: Dog turd/pee, Slow (like really slow - am always attempting to self serve myself at restaurants and am always stopped by DODO), Expensive - unless paid for by company, living in Paris on SG pay is not sustainable in the long run.

NY Good: Victory coffee, Nice Wifi cafe to work from - Subtle Tea and V Bar are the top 2 on my list
NY Bad: STAIRS!! Lots of stairs!!! Wahaha

Syracuse Good: Breakfast - with Sal's Westcott Institute gang, Homecooked meals (satisfaction guaranteed)
Syracuse Bad: Sometimes it gets too cold....

Seville Good: Churros (Yummy yummy yummy), Good food at affordable prices (especially if you eat tapas at the bar), Love the small portions - I can order more variety, Cheap Shopping, Very lively - if I was younger and more fun (ie enjoyed drinking) I think the fun rating will be multiplied by 5.
Seville Bad: HOT!!! Very hot!

There's one common good for all 4 spots - DODO is with me!!! (Hmmm.. I wonder many years later whether I will still agree with this... Hehe)

How do I control my shopping addiction in these cities?

Other than being a workaholic, am also a relatively known shopaholic amongst my friends =P Not exactly something I am proud off and something I am trying hard to "correct".

Getting to travel to all the cities DODO lives in makes it doubly dangerous... how can shopaholic resist Paris? Or shopping outlet malls in NY?? How???

Yes... the answer is IMPOSSIBLE! Hehe... especially not in Jul! Sale time! With my utmost, utmost self control... I still fail to restrain myself. So here's a shot of most of the things I bought - mostly gifts for families and friends.


Am now really looking forward to my weekend Seville trip... am a big fan of some Spanish brands so this is going to be exciting! Opps... did I mention that my new year resolution is to start saving more? Ahhh... guess a weekend won't kill? =P

Sick Boy in the House

Today was supposed to be DODO's golf day. To make good use of my weekend too, I signed up for macaroon cooking class at famous Lenôtre.

However, DODO caught the flu bug and was feeling a little under the weather when he got up this morning. DODO may be stubborn most of the time but I have to say when it comes to the flu bug, he becomes all good - lots of rest, lots of fluid and regular meds. Surely paid off.. he's feeling better this evening already.

So, did I go for my cooking class? Yeap, I did! Felt a little guilty leaving DODO home but it was committed so I went.

Did I have fun? Yeah I did... afterall, I do love macaroons :)

These are some photos from the class today. The chef teacher was very patient and took time to explain to me in English the ingredients and the steps. Is it easy? He sure made it seem easy.. but there's a lot of precision involved.. 82 degrees, 105 degrees etc etc..

3 flavours - Chocolate, Raspberry and Caramel (Yummmmmmcious!)

Would I do it again? Definitely will... maybe it will given me some motivation to learn a little more french. The conversations going on in class sure seem fun. Although I honestly didn't understand anything =P