Quick, quick, sloooow...

I guess I might start going for lessons again now that the new classes are being held on Saturdays.

Anyway, last week I finally decided to try another Indonesian eatery at Lucky Plaza - The Ayam Bakar Ojolali (I wonder why it is not Panggang - Roast). Currently, there are at least 4 different eateries there. Maybe one day we would be able to see "Little Indonesia" forming in the middle of Orchard road.

The decor was pretty spartan, in a cafe-like environment. It looks clean, and I feel that the decor and furnitures are better than Es Teler 77's. A pretty good looking place. I just feel that there is something 'clutterish' about the place that I can't exactly put a finger to though.

I had the Roast Chicken ($5.50) and Es Ojolali ($2.50) - coconut water with shred coconuts, selasih and syrup. All prices are as it is. (GST and Service charge included most likely)
Tasted pretty authentic, and it was tasty. I only wish that they could give more rice and side (tahu and tempe) for the price they charge. The kecap manis (sweet soya sauce) there is pretty good too, and so is the sambal (said my dining companion).

I also had the pleasure to try out "The Hog's Breath" western eatery at Holland Village after the weekend meetup session. While not a very big fan of red meat steaks, they serve the best steak I have ever had in Singapore. I am not sure about the price, but $24+ for 200g and sides should be quite reasonable for this kind of quality. I had their cheeseburger ($ 15+) instead, and that was pretty good. The patty was cooked thoroughly while retaining its juicyness. The place has nice decoration, but the air conditioning flow was not very good. It could get pretty warm in there. We then adjourned to NYDC's for some desset, cool air, and of course, more games.

As I normally eat at the hawker centres, spending approx. $3 per meal, or fast food restaurants for approx $6 per meal, it kind of amazes me how much people can spend for their meals in Singapore. That night, I spent over $25 for dinner (and excellent company of course). Must be my spartan lifestyle... (or simply low pay?)

Modern age matchmaker.

I just received an SMS from Mom, which contains an e-mail address.
She said that it belongs to a child of a friend of Dad's.

I thought: "Maybe she needs me to contact the person for some business or something."
So, I scrolled down to check out the address and further instructions.

There were no further instructions.
Looking at the address, the owner is most likely a lady.

I dread the day she learns how to send MMS.

These come in threes...

Awrighty then~

Since I have managed to finish my project sliiightly earlier, it is time to update :D

Oh yeah, about the negative experiences.

Just as I was returning from my trip to Bandung, I had a bad case of Stomach Flu. It could be that I needed to reacclimatize my stomach to the local food (as I have not been back for 3 years), or I was just too tired from all the travelling and did not have enough constitution to withstand the cooler air in Bandung. We sually call this "Masuk Angin" in Bahasa Indonesia, and I am not sure what would be the equivalent in English.

The usual treatment for this type of illness is what is called "Kerokan". That is where a mixture of "Kayu Putih" oil and Vicks Vaporub (or other medicinal oil) is applied to one's back, and then a hard, smooth object (usually shaped like a small disc) is used to "scratch" lines on the back. Just several passes is usually enough to make the back look like a zebra crossing. This treatment is purported to release negative energies from the body.

The weird thing is that after the treatment, I began to have really bad ache on my shoulders. This has never happened before. The ache remained for quite a few days. The treatment did help with my queasy stomach though, but I ended up not being able to sample much of my favorite foods back home. (What a waste~!)

Thinking back, that ache might actually have helped me avoid another problem. The thing is, I received quite a few of the "dreaded queries" and "well meaning advices" when I went back. Thankfully, there weren't any "recommendations". (Wait, there were two, and one did not follow through) From my auntie, my neighbour, and verious friends of my parent's. Being sick gave me the excuse of not being impolite for not being enthusiastic to discuss the issue further. I managed to deflect all the queries pretty well I guess. Although I was quite miffed by one of them who suggested that I am a "total loser" in my current status. I plead excruciating pain (which was only a slight exaggeration) and escaped when he tried to regale me with his exploits as a young man. (This guy seems to have been educated in America. Go figure.)

I have to say though, it is not reassuring to know that these line of queries would not really stop even after the first issue is answered. It will then just mutate into another form...

Every cloud has a silver lining.
Watch out for the lightning. :P