Got Milk? All You Need is Love.

It has been awhile since my last post. Not that I've been that busy over the glorious festive period. No, definitely not. I've been decidedly lazy to write. 

Oh Yes, and a lack of a topic to interest me to sit at one spot in the comfort of my home and pound away at my well utilised keypad. 

It changed tonight. I watched Milk. And it literally blew me away. From the excellent cinematography and use of old 1970s footage, to the sharp, intelligent wit, Milk surpassed all expectations I had before stepping into the cinema. Director Gus Van Sant effectively utilised all airtime, never wasting even one second or one frame. Each moment captured on screen had a message to convey, an emotion to encapsulate, a door to open. But even the most talented of directors wouldn't have a movie worth blogging about if they didn't have a passionate actor like Sean Penn. His performance was truly amazing and an inspiration. 

Favourite part of the movie for me? [warning: spoiler ahead] Milk, lonely after watching his first and strangely enough last opera, was on the phone with his ex-lover, Scott. Sitting in the shadows, the phone cradled on his ear, his eyes half hidden by the non-committal light streaming in from the windows, he exhibited a series of emotions without so much as uttering a word nor moving an inch. He slides from sadness, to longing, to a hopeless realisation that his life has slipped so quickly by. This moment, though short and void of words or smart lines, held so much power to me. My interpretation of the situation is that despite success and despite gaining respect, love ultimately conquers all. No matter what he was going through at that moment, Milk loved Scott. They weren't together anymore, but they were still in love. Never mind the distance between them, never mind the past hurt and pain, never mind that many years had passed since they were together.

Love, my friends, is something that no one can take away from you and even if you are left with nothing, it will be all that you will still own.

There are many lessons to learn from Milk and while some may scorn at my sudden enthusiasm at this topic, I'm simply glad to have been reminded of the people who I love in my life. Loving them is all I have and in my brightest days and my darkest nights, they will be there for me. Through my hardships, my failures, my successes and my glory. Loving strangers on the other hand, is a greater task that demands more of oneself. I don't mean you have to become best friends with every other person on the street, but kindness in a rocky time like the present, is the simplest form of showing love. 

Some ways to introduce LOVE into YOUR life:

1. Keep the change: Taken a cab and the fare comes up to $14.50? Rather than sit there and wait for the 50c back, how about letting the cabbie keep the change instead? Over time, small sums like that can grow and his family may actually be able to eat a full meal together. Ask yourself - do I really need it more than him? (well, to be frank, if you could even THINK about flagging a cab down when you're perfectly able to take a train/ bus then, really, why the 2nd thoughts?)

2. Trays back: The NEA has started a new campaign but we don't really need people from the government telling us that it would be an act of love and consideration to clear our trays after eating. Especially in a country like Singapore where hawker joints are always swarming with hungry people. It should really be an obvious thing. So the old lady is 'paid' to clear tables and wipe up your mess, but imagine your grandma in her place. Still want that old lady to pick up after you?

3. Spend quality time with family: Work, School, Friends, Church, everyone but the people who you were born into. Your Family. Make an effort to keep aside ONE day a week for them. It won't take up a lot of energy, cook a meal together, go for a walk in the park, watch DVDs - whatever suits your clan is fine because remember, one day, you won't GET the chance to show them you love them.

-end-

When a Snail Crosses Your Path

When a snail crosses your path

Do you stop to say Good day?

Or walk past oblivious to its existence, 

Or do you just squash it anyway?

Well, a snail crossed my path one night

It inched forward ever so slow

I stopped to peer down over my nose

To ask him, "Snail, where do you go?"

He didn't answer

Not a sound did he make,

But as he moved silently along

A lesson home, I did take

In this hustle and bustle oh-so-noisy world

We scarce take time to breathe

To remember what living is all about

To enjoy the flowers and trees

The night I met the snail has long past

But the memory of him lingers on,

Life, my friends, is not yours forever

And one day, it'll all be gone.

12x12 Cafe, Suntec City

Going Green with a Bite. 

Took a breather to update about this health junkie must-visit cafe at Suntec City - 12x12. Sitting right next to Strip (ooh, I Love) for those avid waxers. I suppose the notion would be that those who spend time and money on grooming (a XXX Wax sets you back about $60) will want to keep their bodies beautiful from WITHIN as well. 

Hence, the feel-good crunchie munchies.

Watercress with figs and i can't remember what else made for a good fresh-tasting salad. Raw figs aren't as good as dried ones, but still yummy anyway. 

Our half devoured fitballs made from polished rice and with various fillings. We had (if my memory serves me well) salmon and asparagus, chorizo balls, Thai (coriander caution), Spanish ham and one other that i can't place my finger on, but remember it was super good. 

Let's not forget the Haricot Verts aka Stringless bean salad. Ooooh lala. Slurpes. Crisp beans with pine nuts tossed generously thrown in, a perfectly hardboiled egg cut into halves with a sundried tomato on top...... Can you tell that this was my fave dish? 

Ok, I am a total sucker for healthy chow and despite it not being the cheapest of lunch time options, I'm definitely going to frequent it more. 

Here's to going green from within!

Understanding Pain.

A swollen ankle.

It really doesn't seem like a big deal, but somehow, spraining my ankle over a friendly (or not so friendly, rather) game of futsal taught me to appreciate little things that I take for granted all the time. I know, it sounds silly and almost frivolous of me to discount the 4 limbs I was born with, the eyes I can see with, the ears I can hear with but I've lived all my life taking these things for granted.

Ok, maybe not all the years. There was a year I caught a bad bout of pneumonia and was rushed to the hospital at 4am, coughing blood into my tissue. I remember being petrified and thinking I had TB instead.

So what just happened to get my foot all mangled and ugly like it is today? As I sit here with a half-melted ice pack (due to our country's insufferable heat), I try to recall the day's happenings.

But it wasn't the fall that snapped me to realizing how important walking was to me. When the doctor told me no high-impact activities for awhile, I was horrified! What would I do for exercise? Already I can feel the blobs of fat layer themselves on my slowly-getting-weaker body. I can feel myself expand as I lose stamina. Gosh.

Am I like exaggerating a tad or what? Anyway, the picture above is my foot as of today, 4 days after my fall. It's a little uglier in real life and a nasty blue black marks my bad fall. But see below for how it swelled up the first night.

Things I learnt to treat a sprained ankle:

1. Never think it isn't serious, and try to continue running/ walking/ playing the fool. I did that and it worsened.

2. Try get an ankle guard as soon as possible, for stability and support.

3. Ice the swollen area every 3-4 hours, for about 10mins each time. (In our weather, Ice packs don't last very long, so I'd suggest more frequently for shorter timespans).

4. Elevate it whenever possible to keep the blood from clotting around the swollen area.

5. Learn your morphone from your codeine. (just kidding). See a good doctor, who can prescribe a strong painkiller. Remember not to let your productivity slide when you're being distracted by excruciating pain from moving your ankle too much. Also, make sure your doctor knows about any drug allergies (eg - I'm allergic to Aspirin, so well, between getting a tight chest, itching and some wheezing or feeling the pain from a fall I kinda deserved, I'll choose the dull ache in my leg anytime!)

Guess that's about all the tips that Doc Ee feels in the mood to share for today. Also I've got other things to do. Sorry for the boring-est post ever! :) But it's good to show off my souvenirs from a tumble!!!

I can't wait for my foot to feel better. It looks atrocious, but inside, I'm not afraid of the pain. The pain helps to remind me that reality does hurt. That i am not invincible, and that I can be stopped short just when I'm sure of myself. I need to recover, and I want to recover. I will recover by next week, and the threadmill will be my home once more.

Our ugly nation rears its head once again

Let's not make a mountain out of a molehill.
That's what life should be about. Life is too short to nit-pick on the faults and mistakes of others. Sure, we all slip up, but need we be so judgmental? What kind of sad satisfaction do we get laughing at other's people misery?
I've gotten jaded in my one year back. There's such unhappiness in people's faces when they walk around. Everyone writes a letter to complain. The favourite pastime of the People is TO complain. It's gripe away, everyday.
Get a life.
Before you open your mouth, before you point the next finger. Stop, look, listen, THINK!!!!! There are families you are hurting with your spite and your malice. Stop being the biggest critic. Look at yourself before making condescending remarks insinuating you know best!

Sigh.

Grouchy.

Warning - Bitch post

Ahhhhh!!!

Something irked me yesterday and i almost forgot about wanting to post this! Was on the bus yesterday, yes, a super duper long trip home from Clarke Quay, and it ended up pretty packed. I thankfully found a seat, and settled in nicely, watching my fave L-Word on the tiny Ipod screen.

After about 20 mins, I had the sudden feeling that someone was watching me. Or rather, the screen I was looking. I snapped my head to the left and noticed that this lady next to me was watching the show intently.

So i clicked "Pause". And she too realized that she had been caught.

Gave V. a call and LOUDLY exclaimed, oh babe, you wouldn't believe it but the lady next to me is like watching the show too!

Honestly, doesn't mean that this is a public space and that you can watch over my shoulder. I mean, c'mon. Don't you have any decency? it's almost as bad as reading a stranger's text message! This made me think back to when I was younger and I hated people reading the newspapers or books that you're looking at while travelling on public transport.

Sigh.

We've got a nosy culture here in Singapore. -shrug- Some might argue that it's being inquisitive, and this would be seen as a good thing. I beg to defer. There's a time and place for poking your head into other people's lives, and you know what? If it's not meant for you, don't look. Kind of like Pandora's Box tale. But then, I doubt many people in Singapore would have heard of it.

Nosy Nation. Save us!

Bon Appetite at Bon Gout Cafe

Hungry.

Both of us were starved and indecisive. With each meal being a whole new experience, we always try to go to somewhere memorable, rather than just another old coffee shop. I wouldn't consider myself a diehard foodie, but I do love eating. :)

Japanese has got to win hands down as my fave grub and with Singapore offering so many different types of Japanese cuisine, I guess I can say i'm in Heaven. We went to a dive shop sale (Great Scuba Sale) at Riverwalk, Circular Road, but I'll get into the whole diving she-bang later on. For now, let's have a quickie about the delish grub I put away last night.


V. brought me to Bon Gout Cafe (pronounced Bon Goo) at 60 Robertson Quay, The Quayside, last night as we both had a craving for meat, served non-Western style. Japanese and Korean BBQ seemed a little too heavy at 9pm for dinner, and she recommended the bookstore cum cafe for its great prices, delectable dishes and peaceful ambience. I was not going to be disappointed.

Understated and clean, Bon Gout had every table in the tiny place occupied. Us being the only non-Japanese in there! A little old Japanese lady brought us our menu, and took our order. We ordered a Wasabi Mayo Deep Fried Chicken to share and ooh la la, this was the first time I think I've ever had Wasabi Mayo with a punch! I decided to load on the calories with a Pork Cutlet and Bon Gout Beef Curry with Rice, while V had a stir-fried pork with Miso and Eggplant.

Hmm, kinda wish I had chosen the stir-fried pork because the Eggplant was cooked to perfection. Juicy and tender, it wasn't overcooked and soggy. And the miso flavouring sat very well with the finely sliced lean pork. Yummz..... Definitely would go back to this quaint joint, and perhaps I might bring myself a magazine or two to keep myself occupied while I soak in the delightful atmosphere.

In my one year back, I've found it hard to find a dining place that doesn't have droves of crowds to put me off. I loathe crowds and one thing I miss about Melbourne was the emptiness of it at times. How I could take a morning off at a cafe at Clarendon Street, or perhaps at the nearby Peko Peko Cafe that was my humble workplace for 2years or so. Finding good coffee in Melbourne was never hard and around every street corner would be a friendly face and a big smile.

Egads. Didn't expect this post to get me homesick.

And yes, it is Home to me.