Wednesday, 29 November 2017

not Just a Story

This is turning out to be more than just *another* story.

Which is a very surprising thing, as at no time did it ever occur to me that it would have a different purpose rather than just being another asset added to the stable- if it so may be called.

It didn't occur to me that there might be a distinct need for it, or that there might be a distinctive audience who will possibly see it beyond what an asset normally is created to be.

I'm talking in circles.

And deliberately so.

Because the time to step out of the closet has not yet come.

Because it is too premature to talk about it and I'm gladly leaving it to the hands of experts to descend upon it, dissect it, chop it up, rearrange it and then cook it, bake it, roast it and finally garnish it.

Yet, right now, at this very moment, I can safely say that out of the faceless, nameless group of people that will form one big reason why I have this task on hand (and am aiming to complete it by end this year, yes, I know), there is at least one group that is no longer faceless, and will be represented by someone who has, or had, a name.


How far this will go, how well this will carry an effect upon them, I don't know, but divine it really is, that the perception should come at a time when I was in a place that pretty much accepted these things.

And so, that being so, there is just that glimmer of hope that when it does finally come out of the closet, it will mean something to them, that this will awaken a realization in them, that this will perhaps, just perhaps be a sort of resource where they can at least alter their perception, spur on their courage, step out, and know that silence is not always necessary, that feeling safe and being safe is ultimately important, and that, if there be extremes, if there be more pain that one can bear, that there can be avenues of recourse, somehow, somewhere.

closer to Christmas

Christmas time!!!
 
And in lieu of it being the Christmas season...
 
Here're some Christmas trees that have made me, and still make me feel all warm and cozy and glowing and comfortable and luxurious and full of peace and serenity all at the same time.
 
Raffles Hotel

Conrad Centennial

Mandarin Oriental

Swissotel

Hilton

Intercontinental


Tuesday, 28 November 2017

one More Green spot

I got a different vibe this afternoon.

And I do not know whether it had anything to do with the meeting that I'd just finished prior to arriving at this spot right behind the bus stop.

Sometimes it might just be yourself, you know. It might just be the very present mood that you're in and which affects your perception of things, and has absolutely nothing to do with the surroundings.

But it just felt a little different this afternoon.


Was it me?

Was it just me?

Was it just me who felt like there were drifters in the midst of those leaves? Was it just me who felt like there were drifters dwelling in those leaves and bushes and who didn't come out until a stipulated time and who often stayed concealed, hidden and quiet until they were granted an opportunity, by whatever, by something which we do not know? Was it just me who felt like they were lurking there, just waiting?

Scary? No

They weren't waiting to pounce on humankind and living souls. They weren't waiting with gleaming eyes and evil smiles. They weren't anything either. Just being. Just Being There. Just moving. Moving amongst the leaves. Moving amongst the branches. Moving amongst the twigs. They were in their own separate world. They were there in whatever they were.

They didn't seem to care about the modernity of life. About the road that ran alongside it. And neither did they seem to be bothered by the cars trundling down that very same road or the buses that were stopping less than a meter from the green forested space.

As if... as if they lived in a different space and time.

Sunday, 26 November 2017

all for Dreams so Sweet

I used to think that all I ever wanted for a restful time was a pillow, a bolster, a blankie and my teddy bear.
 
I still think that all I ever need and want for a restful time is a pillow, a bolster, a blankie and my teddy bear. 
 
But sometimes Life tosses me more pillows, more blankies, more plushies, and more soft, woolly, billowy, huggy, comfy stuff that make me just want to drop into them and zzzz....
 
And when Life does, I embrace the avalanche of space and atmosphere, I receive the bombardment of lovely huggy stuff with gusto, wholeheartedness, thankfulness, serenity and a whole attitude of snooze. :)

Plushies

Pillows

More Pillows

Warm huggy stuff
 
Space to Snooze

More Space to Snooze

I call this an Egg Bed

When Diffused Sunlight is Atmosphere
 

evenings at Tong Ah

They used to be at Keong Saik Road.

They're still at Keong Saik Road.

Just that they've moved further down than where they used to be. Their old place still retains the carved name on its walls, large enough where you can see it from Kreta Ayer Road. Potato Head might be there, but nothing looks like those Chinese characters are going to be erased anytime soon.

Tong Ah
I used to have breakfast at this coffee shop. Kopi, eggs, kaya toast, the works. Then there came a time when I couldn't get there in time for breakfast anymore. Then one day when I did manage to go there, they told me they'd be shifting, "but don't worry! Down the road only! Somewhere in the middle! Very easy to find us one!"

I still haven't been back there for breakfast. -_-

But that doesn't mean they've forgotten who we are.

Hoh, no...

Because me and my dining companion were there not too long ago for dinner and the lady jokingly mentioned that we hadn't come for eggs in quite a long while.

Ummm.. yeahhh.... -_-

Which makes it a good thing that we're likely going to go there for dinner whenever I'm in the area. The atmosphere is interesting. The service is lovely and the food is good.

I don't tend to make beef a first choice when it comes to zi char, but there's just one dish that I'm going straight for when I'm here, and it is the beef fried rice. Tong Ah doesn't just chuck pieces of tender beef together with the rice. They actually fry the rice and the beef in the stock of beef, which makes the rice doubly fragrant, yet surprisingly not as oily as one might expect.

The rice is moist, not dry. There's a distinct roundedness of beef flavor in the rice grains, the beef slices are done just right, and all in all, it's a fantastic portion to share.

Beef Fried Rice
I go for the fish maw soup too.

Where restaurants will have it, I'm pretty sure, here it comes served in a large bowl and ladle that reminds me of a home cooked meal. Not that there's anything lacking though. There's enough texture to make it feel thick enough. There's bits of egg swirling around in the soup as they do with sharks' fins, and then there's the fish maw sliced thick enough that is chewy made just right.

Then there's the prawn omelet.

Fresh, succulent prawns arranged prettily over a light, fluffy, moist omelet which is neither too oily nor too cloying nor dry and where you have the pleasant mix of the sea and the land together on your plate.

Prawn Omelet
It's a pleasant time dining here. They don't rush you to finish your food. They serve your order as fast as they can, which makes it very satisfying for hungry people. And they're very friendly about it.

Plus, their coffee has got to be one of the best I've ever had.

It's fragrant, thick, sweet, rich, caffeine boosting (immediately!) and priced fairly for the regular coffee shop rate of $1.30.

gym with a View

I got curious this afternoon.
 
Curious enough to want to head up a building of what is one example of present-day skyscraper architecture. Short of having plants cascading down their glassy exteriors, they've got, I think, shrubs in the middle of their high-up open space that grants the impression of a suspended garden and which can be seen from far away.

Okay lar, actually I was just looking for the toilet.

Because, see, I was downstairs on the ground floor at Starbucks, which is where I'm usually are if I'm in this building, and then I needed to use the restroom and so I asked and they said I had to go to this place and then go up to the seventh floor.
 
So I went lor.
 
And after that I got curious so I hung about the open space, looking at the plants, the benches, the surrounding buildings close by... and discovered a gym that had such, and such, a view. :)
 
"Neh neh neh neh neh"

I See You
Whew. Wow. Oh. Okay.

So this is what going to a gym Downtown was all about.

Never mind the prestige of being in a premium gym with other PMETs or C-suites (hey, who knows?) like yourself..

You actually got a view like the one above when you were spinning. You actually got to plunge into the nice cool clear waters of the swimming pool and do laps with a view of the Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay and even the sea in the distance, which, frankly, made me realize how much of a plus point having a gym in the Downtown area was.
 
It wasn't just about the matter of convenience, or the fact that you could exercise with your colleagues or that you could squeeze in a quick crossfit during lunch hour. It wasn't just about the fact that you had membership in a gym near the office that you could escape to in the middle of the day before returning back to respond properly to emails. Neither was it the fact that you could integrate it into your corporate lifestyle.
 
It was more like you were near the office, yet you weren't. It's like you were having a different sort of experience in the middle of the workday and separated yourself from your work clothes, your electronic gear, your desk, your inbox, your in tray, your pending tasks, your boss, your annoying colleague, your office pantry, your meetings, your deadlines.
 
It was like you took a vacay from work and got to live a completely different way for all of an hour before heading back to the shirt, the dress, the coat and the tie.
 
Like a staycation, yup, that's exactly it, cos' no way will you ever be soaking yourself in a pool, get to be this near to the office and still get to bask your mind, soul and body surrounded by such an awesome view.

Saturday, 25 November 2017

Strolling Sights: Crane Road

Once in a while, I get myself into one of these terraced house, bungalow type suburbs where the homes are pretty, the lawns are cute and the lanes and alleys have a special charm of their own.

To be sure, I hadn't quite heard of Crane Road and her sister lanes in some years. Someone whom I know knew of someone who lived in the zone, but any visits that were made had been made a long, long time ago and we didn't quite speak of that these days very much anymore.

But here I was, on this bright, lovely day, hot as summery hot as it could be, wandering about in the zone where Crane, Onan, Ceylon and Carpmael intersect, and so...


Carpmael


Crane

Crane

Trees

Onan

Ceylon

Crane Ceylon Carpmael