Fat Chicks

exclusive pleasures

It will never happen, but a comfortable schedule should be one sprinkled with regular time-out at the friendly cafe at the corner of the street or in an unpretentious restaurant that serves no-frills good food. Prices should be affordable and most importantly, the atmosphere and vibes must strike the right chord. Make it too gaudy and the place will come across as having poor taste. Sexed it up with a poor mix of music and even the best cappuccino cannot compensate for it.

The things that invariably impress me are simplicity, good service, a decent selection of cakes and bite-sized food, and good coffee (not necessarily in that order). The furnishing must be pleasing because one goes to a cafe to relax and chill. (Don't bother if you have to ask what's the connection.) And in the words of my King of Komfort friend (so labelled because he is a ruthless connoisseur of all things comfortable in life, which, I should add, does not necessarily equate with all things expensive), toilets of restaurants are most critical: they cannot be shabby-chic; they must be swanky. 

That's a swanky statement to make.

The saddest thing about tiny Singapore (which is growing tinier as its population continues to grow) is that no place can ever stay as an exclusive haven. The moment a gem even in the most secluded, god-forsaken location sprouts up, it will very shortly become a haven lost. I discovered during my recent respite that the only way to enjoy that bit of exclusivity and pleasure at such places is to visit them during weekdays. But unless you are a millionaire-turned-retiree or a care-the-world-not swaggering lad who lives by his own time, the possibility of you enjoying time-out on a weekday is probably very slim. Life's a bitch and we know it.

Sunday's almost gone, but you don't have to start mourning - 'coz tomorrow's a public holiday. As my ex-classmate's Facebook status says: 3-day weekends should be made mandatory. Now, that's another swanky statement I support.

Old is Gold

Old school breakfast at an old world Kopitiam. Eggs better than yakun (you've got to break them yourselves though), and toasted bread of the kind that I like (i.e. not the hard kind from yakun).

Tokyobike ♥

It's difficult not to like Tokyobikes. The bikes are sleek and simple, the pastel colours have a refreshing appeal and the whole package resonates with what I think is its design objective: simple, classic and delightful. Going back to the basics and keeping things simple never run out of date. There's a place for simplicity and minimalism in life, in a way that is supposed to counter the complications and clutter that life inevitably clocks up.

I hope some time in the future I would be able to own a Tokyobike. The only pity is there isn't much of a countryside or charming small town to go around on a bike. This also means I can say goodbye to romantic ideas of picking wild flowers and putting into the bike basket, or cycling uninterrupted past idyllic fields with blue sky and fluffy clouds above.

All right. I shall stop dreaming.

Adr's Garden Project

My good friend Adr is showing signs of becoming domesticated. Armed with a huge yellow canvas Ikea bag, he was shopping for equipment to build his latest project: a garden. While I know the outdoors and nature run in his (green) blood, I didn't know he's taken a liking to gardening.

I think Shyuan asked if snails could be grown inside the bottle garden. He said no, because they will eat the leaves. We ventured further and suggested other insects. Somehow the conversation ended with a lion being grown (or should it be reared?) inside the garden of mystique. Shyuan also managed to get herself a free garden, courtesy of her newly domesticated man. In the meantime, Shyuan and I amused ourselves by trying our best to capture a shot of Adr in domesticity. We both succeeded. A photo was uploaded promptly by Shyuan. And being very wise people, we know about his reputation and was prepared for a tsunami of responses.

Last I checked, the photo has garnered 16 comments/likes. My friend can become a popular garderner soon.

Tang Yuan, I like!

Since I discovered this particular shop near my office selling glutinous rice balls, or tang yuan, I have been eating their tang yuan far too many times than I care to remember. I usually have them as dessert after dinner, to sweeten what would usually have been a lousy day.

It's true that one doesn't need to have a lot of money or material comforts in life to enjoy a bit of pleasure every now and then. You just need to have the right attitude and, literally, a healthy appetite for simple pleasures - like eating these colourful riceballs. This sort of rice balls - small and plain, without any fillings - is very easy to make but not many places sell them. Its appeal to me could just as well be the reason for its lack of popularity - they are plain, filled with no exciting ingredients such as peanut or sesame paste.

Yet, I love them and am happy to eat them anytime. They are springy and colourful, sweet and tasty after being cooked in sweet broth for a period of time. Mum usually makes these rice balls once a year during winter solstice, or Dong Zhi. I never fail to finish the last scoop and devour every available rice ball. You bet I will be hopping by the store soon again to have another round of happy tang yuan. :)

quiznos yums yums

Occasionally at work, when I'm in a good mood or when I feel like giving myself a treat, I would allow myself a little splurge - I go to Quiznos to eat their mightily juicy and delicious roasted sandwich. For $9.60 - a hefty sum on a meal for a poor working class folk like me - I get a nice sandwich, soup and soft drink. I like the portion and I like that it comes with soup. Anything that comes with soup is good stuff. Yums.

Calling for the weekend to begin

Another moment of relish that I spoke about in the previous post: this morning.

lazy daze

First cuppa after two weeks of jungle and physical exhaustion.

I miss all the frivolous things that I love: the cuppaucino, the slow pace, the air-conditioning, my berms and flip flops. So glad to embrace all of them again.

TLDB: Tea. Lunch. Dinner. Burp..

I really wish I could write more but it's proving rather difficult. Procrastination aside, the inspiration to write hits rather fleetingly, though I have so much to say - of my good friends' weddings, of the new year, of new discoveries and hopes and more hopes. Till the next writing piece, here are some pictures of recent indulgences. These could jolly well be the end chapter for 2011, so while the times last, it's better to just enjoy. Cest la vie.


Tea is mixed berry jam with plain toast


A Saturday afternoon affair


Dinner Quickie after the crowds are long gone


Steak: This picture puts me to shame


Neat and Tasty, just as it looks


Wine after Dine


Plain Cake


Three for Two

Christmasy

25.12.10, Christmas - Mail received away from home


26.12.10, Boxing Day - Waking up to the tranquil sea


27.12.10, Post-Boxing Day - Enjoying brunch with Yvon and Dan


Likes ;)

Sweet Treats

One of the lovelier things on Sunday


And I simply adore this notice

Adoring

My Sunday evening filled with gorgeous pictures and far more interesting words than I deal with everyday. More of such times, please.