2008 September « Yi Lian's scribbling and musing

Archive for September, 2008

Sprucing up cubicle, Part III

September 10, 2008 · Filed under Hong Kong, work · Tagged Hong Kong, knick knacks, office

Just when I thought I’m done with my cubicle (when I mentioned “almost done” in the earlier entry, I actually really just meant that I just need a proper mousepad instead of using my notepad as a replacement, nothing more.), I walked into G.O.D. during lunchtime today with Angel. Can die!!!

The main and only reason I walked into G.O.D. was purely to purchase the bare bums mooncakes but I found out I had to order 5 days in advance (no point since I’m returning to SG tmrw), so no mooncakes to buy but there’re always other things to look at right?

I walked to this shelf, “Wah, so cute!” I walked to that shelf “Oh, so nice!” Which means die die die for my wallet. (What happened to my English anyway?)

I was just holding three things in my hand when the salesgirl came up to me with a basket. I was confident that was all I was getting so I told her there wasn’t a need for a basket. But as I walked on, I caved in and asked for a basket, which by then, I really needed one.

Three of the purchases were gifts for Matt and my Mum. Matt reads this site so of course I’m not gonna mention what I got for him. But this is what I bought for my mum:

Mum's a die-hard Teresa Teng fan!

And the rest were nice stuff that my cubicle would be happy about. :)

Hi letter boxes magnets! You are how cute!

My monkey friends who are very helpful

Thanks pals!

I got this drink from Delay No Mall the other day - yes, purely just cos it has a pretty packaging. I'm shallow that way. But the drink was yummy anyway!

No, I don't use soap bars. My cubicle does. I've got the pink one back in SG. It's time for a reunion!

I think this is da shit! Chinese kungfu mug. Hahahaahaha

I reckon it should be good for fengshui. Fights off negative energy. Some more bright colour.

I didn't buy these. Just empty unwanted boxes I took from the pantry.

Angel bought a few items too and she completely blamed me for being a bad influence. Sigh, if it makes her feel better, I’m willing to take the blame. Life’s too short, must enjoy right?!

Anyhow, I can’t wait for this time tomorrow – will finally get to see Matt’s face in person after three and half long weeks! This is the longest we’ve been apart but I know it won’t be the longest for long. :/

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Chanel F/W ’08

September 9, 2008 · Filed under fashion & shopping, Hong Kong · Tagged Chanel, fashion, Hong Kong, Sarah Mower

At Four Seasons Hotel

I went to my first Chanel show today! I told Matt before and he was like, “Oh no, you’re gonna want your 2.55″ and I said, “Wow! ‘Your 2.55′! You’re quite learning the lingo!” This coming from a guy who, six months ago, has just came to know about Louis Vuitton and Gucci.

Speaking of which, Karen will be in Milan and Paris later this month for the S/S ’09 shows and she’s offered to help me hunt for my jumbo 2.55. Attempt number three, after her previous trip this time last year and then Martin’s earlier this year. Hmmm, I’m tempted to but Matt’s gonna nag a hell lot… But it’s gonna be like 40% off the retail price in SG! Paris being 10% cheaper already and VAT refund and media discount.

Anyhow, the doors opened to the grand ballroom and I was immediately captivated by the carousel. They’ve replicated it for HK!

I wanna ride in it and live happily ever after with the 2.55!

How lovely. :) However, I wasn’t too taken by the F/W ’08 collection. Maybe only just this outfit:

Dress me in this Karl!

It’s so Parisian!

I realised how most of the models here can’t really walk. Before you think “so you think you can?” in your mind, well, I’m not a model. It’s their job to walk properly and they should do a proper, decent job. I swear, our local models in Singapore can do it way better. The ones currently based in HK just amble, they don’t strut their stuff. Some of their legs were even shaking, poor girls. But that said, the heels weren’t that ridiculously high that they can’t saunter properly. Haha, stop it before I become one of those bitchy show attendees. hahahaha

Libby and I attended another event yesterday held by Harbour City (the building WGSN is in). They invited Sarah Mower and I was a big groupie. Sarah Mower is one of the most respected commentator on style.com from London. I’ve always loved her collection reviews of the fashion weeks in the different cities. She’s very spot on and very descriptive. It almost feels as if you can feel the fabric and see the outfits when you read her writing.

That's Sarah Mower on the right, back facing the camera. Love her dress!

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Feeling too much?

September 9, 2008 · Filed under my life · Tagged pensive thoughts

Sometimes I think I feel too much. I let a sad movie (The Edge of Love which I just watched with Ray and Libby. But it’s a good movie nonetheless! Just leave you damn pensive.) get me down and I let the shit the people around me are going through get to me.

And when that happens, I need to retreat to that little world of my own again, where I just plugged into my moody music and tuned the world out.

I know it sounds depressive but it’s not, really. I kinda like it. If I’m someone who feels too much, then so be it. Better to feel everything than to feel nothing, I reckon.

But very quickly, I’ll bounce back again. A chat with Matt, yummy home-cooked pasta and hot shower can do wonders.

I’m ready for another day. :)

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Sprucing up my cubicle, Part II

September 9, 2008 · Filed under Hong Kong, work · Tagged Hong Kong, work

Towards the end of today, I felt like I needed a burst of inspiration and started printing these lovely prints at work to put at my cubicle.

Notice how, just like my bookshelf back home, it’s a colour gradation. See from top to bottom, which is left to right when one enters my cubicle.

I think my cubicle makeover is just almost done!

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Beach fun

September 8, 2008 · Filed under friends, Hong Kong · Tagged Hong Kong, stanley beach

Even though friends were over yesterday (Libby in the afternoon and Su-Lin in the evening), I still, somehow, managed to stay in the whole of yesterday cos I was just so. damn. exhausted, I had no idea why. I woke up today with a vengeance to get out and enjoy the great weather so I texted Libby immediately after I got up and made plans to go to the beach.

I met her immediately after chatting a bit with Mum and Sis and looking at how big Seth has gotten now. Matt was carrying him and putting him to stand on the desk in our room and he just looked so chunky and clueless as usual! Kirsten was napping so I didn’t managed to see her before I left. :(

We cabbed up to Stanley Beach and went straight for the beach cafe to fill our stomachs.

Iced lemon tea and Hawaiian pizza. Hmmmm

I actually managed to finish six slices out of the eight slices of the pizza and picked all the pineapples off it. The anticipation of arriving at the beach must have left me really famished.

At one point, Libby and I remarked how contented we were right at that very moment. We were tucking into our food and drinks, the sun was bright, the sea breezes were calming and the cafe’s stereo had Keane playing. We were quiet and just people watching and I smiled to myself for a long while.

Libby

Us!

Libby and I saw a couple of Caucasian models. The girls were beautiful and leggy while the guy had a great body, albeit a bit too skinny. He was wearing a tight brief with, ehem, his crotch proudly shown to the world. The wait staff at the cafe were so taken, they were hanging by the balcony, armed with a pair of binoculars, perving on him while Libby and I laughed our guts out.

Stanley Beach

I was eyeing this colourful fan on the counter of the cafe. How retro is that!

After filling our stomachs, we headed out to the sand to get a spot. However, it was already 5pm by then so I didn’t manage to get much of a tan. However, we managed to spot the cutest, fattest boy we’ve seen in Hong Kong and actually got to snap a picture with him!

His name is Solomon and he's the cutest thing ever!

He even shook our hands goodbye!

Lounging with HK magazine (Singapore's IS equivalent) in between laughter and chats with Libby.

By the time we got onto the mini public bus back to Causeway Bay, I was snoozing on the ride. The sun always exhausts you, doesn’t it. We explored Delay No Mall (yes, that’s really the name of the mall), opened by the people behind the witty G.O.D. Pictures to come.

Looks like my mobile phone’s camera served me well today!

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Hollywood Road tour

September 7, 2008 · Filed under food, Hong Kong · Tagged food, Hong Kong, nightlife

I first met Joshua a year and half ago at one of the lowest points of my life. I felt it wasn’t very pleasant for him to meet me at that state and whenever I recalled that time, I couldn’t help but still feel embarrassed. Joshua was Daphne’s friend and has been working in Hong Kong for the past two and half years.

At that time, he was supposed to meet Daph when he was back in Singapore for a visit and Daph happened to be with me when I was going through the shitty breakup. She forced me to move out of the dreadful place I once shared with Fat Matt (hahaha, for the uninitiated, that’s how my pals have very proudly differentiated the ex and my boyfriend now, who is now known as Fit Matt to them. hahhahahaha, I still can’t get over it though they announced this to me four months ago.)

Anyhow, Josh was supposed to meet Daph that night and conveniently, Daph got Josh to help pick up some of my belongings so they could send me home. I still remembered how Daph offered to stay home with me that night and thinking back, I couldn’t have done it without her during that period.

So Josh saw me at one of my skinniest periods, with me breaking off in tears every now and then during the two hours we spent with Daph at Maccers in East Coast Park. The next time I saw him was a good night months later at Arab Street after Serene’s wedding. I was looking, of course, significantly better and I’m glad Josh managed to see me at a better condition, if not, I think he would have the frail and dowdy Yi Lian forever etched in his mind. Hahahaha

I met him again last Friday (after another nine months, I just realised!) for a Singaporean dinner at the end of Central, close to Sheung Wan. I was spoilt for choice with Beef Rendang rice, Katong Laksa and Prawn Mee and in the end, went for the laksa since he’s got me thinking about it for a week.

I had fish cake, cockles, tau pok and prawns in my laksa. Yumssss

I had fish cake, cockles, tau pok, eggs and prawns in my laksa. Yumssss

I’m not particularly close to Josh but it’s really nice just to have a fellow Singaporean friend in a foreign land and since we share a mutual friend, we relished in talking about her for a bit. Haha!

He then brought me to this place called Sahara – just like your typical Arab Street cafe with shisha and Lebanese food. The food smells divine but we were full so no more food! We had really sweet mint tea which I had to dilute with hot water and shared an apple shisha but my body is perpetually against vices such as alcohol and smoke so every puff I took was accompanied by several bouts of cough.

Even that few puffs which didn’t had me coughing was due to me forcing the coughs down. The Middle Eastern couple sitting opposite us was amused by me and I saw them laughing at my direction a couple of times from the corner of my eyes so I decided to be more glamourous and gave up puffing on the shisha altogether.

Josh and I were just chatting a bit about everything and it’s great to see that his stint as a hedge fund trader (or banker? dunno lah.) hasn’t changed him much since I last saw him. I was afraid he might just become an arrogant prick whom I would have completely no similarities with but he was pretty much the same from the last time I spoke to him. It also helps to hear Daph always gushing about how sweet and nice Josh is. Hahaha

He then took me on a quick tour of his neighbourhood around the SoHo, Hollywood Road areas and he actually bumped into four friends within that short span of 30 minutes! I told him it’s been affirmed that he’s been localised.

He brought me up to Azure, a bar and restaurant on top of Hotel LKF on Hollywood Road and we both agreed it was pretentious as hell, complete with beautiful people but I have to admit the view and decor are pretty neat.

Interior of Azure

The view from Azures rooftop garden Another view

After a quick 10 minutes, we headed to The Fringe Club where he showed me the rooftop garden too. We then called it a night and agreed to meet another time and I was happily home by 10pm to go on Skype with Matt. Hee.

Am heading to the beach with Libby later! Weather’s looking great but my ixus 860i’s flat with its charger and my other ixus 40 in the office. Damn. Let’s see what my Sony Ericsson can do for me later then.

Sprucing up my cubicle

September 7, 2008 · Filed under Hong Kong, work · Tagged Hong Kong, work

After the office move, Angel calculated the best directions for Libby and I according to our kua number – a feng shui thing. And being the superstitious me who believes in everything, I was so disappointed to find out it was difficult for me to face my ideal directions in my cubicle.

I tried facing my health direction but it was a awkward direction on my desk and I ended up getting an achy right shoulder. So much for health. I can face the direction for romance but my left shoulder would ache too. In the end, I just stayed put in the direction that is most physically comfortable for me even though I feel a bit blah about the fact that it’s not my best direction. :(

Libby was nice enough to offer me her desk since she would be leaving in October back to London (sad) but on the other hand, I was really getting comfortable in my current place and I told myself to screw the directions and make up with plants, crystals and pictures of mountains behind me instead.

The direction (and sight) I'm facing now instead...

I’m still in the midst of personalising my cubicle and I can’t wait when I’m finally done with it. Meanwhile, Angel has requested for a new laptop for me since the current old one I’m using seems to have a life of its own. New gadget! Woohoo! And faster speed please. I must have been too pampered by my own MacBook. Anything lesser than it and I get impatient. :/

The exorbitant but oh-so-cute and strong magnets I got (S$2 each) from City Super.

Libby and I had heard about how you should have afternoon tea at The Peninsula when you go to Hong Kong so we were planning to visit the grand lady a visit today, thinking it’s just about S$40 per person but after I made a call this afternoon and found out it’s actually HK$268 (about S$50) plus 10% service charge, we had second thoughts and decided to postpone the visit till the end of the month after the next pay day.

She came over instead while I made lunch (I’m quite the domesticated one, ain’t I! hahahaaha). Steak with mushrooms and asparagus, Chinese dumplings with Chinese vinegar and honey garlic grilled chicken wings. And after that we watched Lipstick Jungle in an extremely zombie mood. Must be the heavy (and yummy. hehe) lunch.

Libby leaves in a month’s time and I dread the thought of it. She’s the only one in the office who’s my age and we’re surprisingly similar in so many ways – personality, opinions, fashion and food preferences. I wish I would be able to make such a chummy colleague/pal like her after she leaves. :(

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Vietnamese food in HK

September 4, 2008 · Filed under food, Hong Kong · Tagged eating out, Hong Kong

Hong Kong has, surprisingly (or maybe not), a lot of good Vietnamese restaurants. There’s one just around the corner from where I’m staying and I’ve tried the Pho Bo and it’s totally yums.

There’s another one at Wellington Street in Central. The last time Amy, Libby and I went there, we had to wait for 45 minutes on a weekday evening.

And there’s one more at Harbour City, just below where we work. It’s called Rice Paper and I’m loving the interior and view from the restaurant.

It’s not too expensive. It’s about S$25 per person and the food is really yummy and healthy. If you’re lucky to have a window table, you can also get a beautiful view of the harbour.

I thought about it and I realised I hardly have the local food anymore as they can be really oily and unhealthy, albeit yummy.

I’ve been (surprise! surprise!) cooking almost every night since the night I recovered from my illness and not only it’s healthier, it’s also cheaper! In Singapore, there’s no reason to cook just to save money as food is relatively cheap in SG but it’s a different pricing in HK for the average food so it’s definitely more economical to cook.

And… (totally a surprise!) I’m actually not such a bad cook! Matt was thoroughly impressed (not that he’s tasted my cooking in HK) but the fact I’ve been eating in almost every night and always complementing the main dishes with fruits, he was happy that I’m really eating healthier. I think that’s the thing about living independently – you’re forced to look after yourself by adopting a healthier lifestyle. Can’t afford to be a slob anymore, unlike back home in SG.

I’ve contemplating to sign up for Pure Yoga here but one thing at a time since I’ve just signed up for a facial package at Aveda… :P But it’s Aveda! I’ve always love this very environmental-conscious brand and I’ve checked out the spa at Ocean Terminal, the building next to my work building. It’s so beautiful and I like how they cover the little things: in-room air-conditioning adjustment, ambient music volume adjustment and etc. Nice.

Will feedback once I’ve gone for my first treatment!

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Expectations become disappointment

September 4, 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

I often forget how expectations do become disappointment sometimes.

I’ve reminded myself time and time again and too often, the optimistic me gets too, well, optimistic.

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I love my new calendar

September 3, 2008 · Filed under friends · Tagged friendship

So here are some snaps of the really endearing calendar my pals sent me:

Angel commented how sweet my pals are – “almost sickeningly sweet” are her words but noooo, she hasn’t witness the moments when they laughed so heartily, at my expense, when I mispronounce my words occasionally or when I announced to them I was gonna cook or bake, they would insist I should not.

I’ve very quickly filled up the big and useful calendar with deadlines and schedules but seriously, with a calendar that starts on Sep 08 and ends on Aug 09, they’ve totally f*** up the calendar I would need next year. That means… they should continue to send me a new calendar every August with new pics!

Note my pals’ fascination with ‘squarrels’ (read: squirrels).