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

Visible Anger???

So DODO and I decided to go for lunch at this Japanese spot at the market close to the apartment before going to hit some golf balls. They gave us a seat near the fire extinguisher... and as I was playing around with the camera, it just dawned on me.. "Hey, maybe they decided to put Grumpy DODO below the fire safety water hose so that they can extinguish DODO's angry tantrums if the food is bad!" Then I smiled to myself and thought this would be a good post for the blog :)

I am sure DODO doesn't feel the same way... but hey, isn't the photo cute? Since no photos allowed, had to tweet it a little.

P/s: The food was good... so no fire fighting required =p

Cooking Photos

So I said I started cooking.. and that I will remember to take photos of the nasi goreng (Indonesia spicy fried rice) with thai fried chicken and emping (a form of cracker made out of a flower seed from the land of Indonesia) on the side. Yeap, all Asian :) Well, as for the photos, I forgot... I was too eagar to gobble them all up to test how bad or good it was. There's only a photo of my purchases from the Bastille street market (above) and the marinated chicken (below).

Being a newbie, the emping was over-fried so it was dark (some close to black). Who would have guessed that frying keropok like emping could be this difficult. Some turned out alright I guess.

Next, the thai fried chicken was undercook :( Had to nuke it for another 3 minutes so that it becomes edible. Hmmm.. you must be like thinking.. ok, now, what's wrong with the nasi goreng? Ha! Nothing! Well, I think this is the only ok dish.. passable! Yeah me! Not too bad for a newbie right?

Stubborn people like me never give up.. so the next day, I tried cooking the thai pork porridge again. My first try was bland... but hey, this 2nd try worked!! I think this is the taste I am looking for... tasty enough and definitely my comfort food! Happy that I got one thing right!

Dodo, what do you think? Is your stomach asking me to stop?

My new interest... sustainable?

Cooking is my new found interest... eating has definitely been my interest probaby since the day I learned to chew. Love food, love cakes, love chocolate! So... I guess cooking has always been a side interest. Guess this may not apply to all. Don't looking at the yummilicious food on blogs or magazines made you wish you could cook it so that you don't have to travel a million miles just to eat it (that is if traveling a million miles is possible). Or imagine the fun from cooking for friends and family! I think when real people who cook read that sentence, they will nod their head and go.. "Yeap! Definitely newbie!" =p

First phase of cooking hit me when I move to Tokyo briefly in 2008. Living alone for the first time on my own, I was determined to start cooking. Not too successful. The apartment I rented had no kitchen although my landlord was kind enough to provide me the basics. I did however go to cooking classes though. Individual cooking lessons for cheesecake, omurice, mango pudding and red bean paste bun... hmmm.. how many did I replicate outside the school? ONE! Omurice! Before I know what hit me, I was out of Tokyo. Sad :(

But.. guess if one is destined to be a cook, the spirit of cooking will always find it's way back. And TADA - I met DODO! DODO can cook... and he can cook very well. Impressed and inspired at the same time... but for a lazy person like me, inspiration takes time... and about a year later, I think I am finally acting on it.

Started with Basil Fried Pork with rice and a sunny side up for dinner yesterday (DODO says it was ok) and Thai Pork Porridge which was too bland for me... to barley water drink and fried lard in preparation for my Nasi Goreng with Fried Chicken tomorrow. Sounds impressive right? I am impressed myself too... No pictures sadly cause I am always too hungry and gooble my food down before I remember to take photos... maybe tomorrow. Hmm... maybe....

My 4th of July and other misses... opps - did I say misses?

My first 4th of Jul celebration in NY sure started out right - yummy breakfast with Sal's Westcott breakfast club at Garden's Diner, followed by a good workout - yard work!! After that, watched bits and pieces of Women's Wimbledon finals (show down between VS sisters!) while I made Apple-Potato salad. DODO made his very own special cheeseburger and deviled eggs and to top it off, Sal made baked beans and mean, mean chocolaty cup cakes... one can imagine the "cookout" lunch was TWO thumbs up!

Even our flight back to NY was great! Boarded on time, took off on time, landed in JFK on time!! Can you imagine... yes, it actually landed on time! This got to be the perfect-est 4th of Jul ever!

We get home, slouch on our personal black leather armchair and await the final moment to end off our 4th of Jul... fireworks! Fireworks on the rooftop of DODO's apt... Oooo.. it got to be good! Well.. 9.15 pm came, both of us ran up to the roof (we were watching Bond).. as we ran, we heard the loud sound made by the fireworks.. gotto be good... gotto be.. TADA - no sight of the firework!!! Hey, where is it??? Oh man, blocked by the buildings.... I did a few jumps, caught the tip of some of the big fireworks but that was abt it. How did we get soooo wrong?

Oh well, guess we don't need fireworks to end off the 4th of July right? Didn't take us long to hurry back home... and climb into bed and sleep the rest of 4th of Jul away.

Thanks DODO for my first 4th of Jul celebrations... enjoyed it throughly!

Photo is meant to be a teaser for DODO!!! Muacks!

Finding Motivation

Ok, another downside about working while traveling with DODO, MOTIVATION!! Not having motivation but lacking motivation! Being lazy by nature, sometimes getting up and getting to work and staying focus at work for the 8 hours of the day can be a struggle. I get slow, I get distracted, I lose focus and ultimately I am behind in my work.

The me a few years ago would probably not have let this happen. But the me today, struggles with it but deal with it (with style) :) Wahaha...

Good or bad? Honestly I don't know... but I do know I feel happier. Work is overrated as DODO says and I do agree.

This picture is a good representation of how I look when I am working while traveling.

Coping with Time Zones

Yes, one of the many other downsides about traveling all over with DODO is coping with the time zone changes. One week I am in Singapore, next week in Paris and now I am in NY... and that's not it, I am going back to Paris again next week. FOUR time zone changes in a month! No wonder my body is breaking down.

Yes, I get it - not many people are as fortunate as me to travel to so many fancy places. I agree with that but wish I could cope better.

The real downside is dealing with conference calls and phone calls... it's hard to update everyone at work where I am and as I mentioned earlier, I am on call 7 days a week. So, I get calls in the middle of the night from India (yes, India) asking me some silly questions. I do con calls at 4 am (from the toilet in a hotel - cause DODO is asleep). So sometimes I wish all countries are on the same timezone so we all wake up at the same time, work at the same time, have calls at the same time... blah blah blah...

First blog post

Ok, why did I start this blog? I don't really know. It was an idea that came to my mind after I went to pee at 4 am in the morning and was lying in bed trying to fall back asleep. I remember this thought that I should start a blog and write abt my "adventures" of being overseas to be with my DODO.

Ok, maybe the idea I had for the first post is not much of an "adventure".. I thought of putting a post of loser me crackberrying in the toilet at 3.30 am in the morning (yes, yes... before I pee-ed in the middle of the night). You see, I work in Singapore BUT I date an "ang mo" from NY and so to be with my DODO, I got lucky and striked a deal with my boss to work from NY or sometimes Paris depending on where DODO is.

Ah ha.. before you get envious and think how lucky and all... there's a flip side to it all. I am on call 7 days a week ie I become a workaholic. I am sure DODO will disagree but oh well.. that's what I think is driving my workaholism (Haha.. excuses..)

DODO can probably go on and on abt my workaholism but we shall save that for another time.. ok, time to go back to my work =P