Project Rachel

First of all, fuck my computer for shutting down while I was merrily typing the post. Now I am on ‘summary’ blogging mode:

Happy Deepavali to my dearest potato! It has been 3 days since he left home for Deepavali but it seems like forever. I am looking forward to his arrival coming Thursday. I have so much to fill him in. On a random note, I bought the potato a little cute Little Miss Sunshine soft toy. I was jumping when I saw it outside the store at Kallang Leisure Mall and I knew I had to get it. Soft toys like these transport me back to my younger days where life was significantly less harsh and much simpler. These are things that made me happy in the past, and I want to share it with my boyfriend. heehee.

So, I managed to catch Julie&Julia and I love the movie to bits. The movie has stirred alot of thoughts alive in my head, and I am definitely inspired; not just about cooking, but about setting goals and plans in life, including the most improbable ones, and striving to complete them. The movie transports us back and forth between the early 1940s and 2005, where two women seek to find directions in their life and career and found them through their passion to cook. Based on true stories, they are both very accomplished women that they had their books published, and following their success, having books published about them and having their life stories retold through a movie adaptation. And if the movie has accurately reflected the lives and characteristics of Parisians (as has Coco before Chanel), I must say how lucky they are back in the old days. I would be weaving hats for a living my whole life! Anyway, back to the movie. I think I can resonate better with the later era, aka Julie, as I have always aspired to have a column or a voice of my own, sharing and connecting my life with others through the blogosphere. I have always wanted to be a “small somebody” that inspires people around the globe.

So, I am whipping up grand plans for Christmas and my birthday this year, to celebrate the festive and joyous occasion with the people that I care and cherish. I am left with 2 more months before the year wraps up, and I wish by then, I would be able to say that I have accomplished the tiny projects that I have set out for in October. Of course, all these grand plans will not be possible for a few partners in crime and my family members.

I need to complete the tasks long overdue, and I want to do something momentous this year. Will share more when I have more concrete ideas.  

Anyway, Meryl Streep is one of the most talented and dynamic actress in Hollywood, and her performance in Julie&Julia is a classic testament. Amy Adams is as amazing and gorgeous as she was in Night of the Museum 2. Please, go watch the movie!

I’ll leave you to decide with this:

Good night!

Twitter

It was a busy week, and will be in the coming week. If you don’t catch me here, get updates of me on Twitter!

Dempsey weekend was great. Potato loved the new places I brought him to.
Samy’s Curry, Villa Bali, topped with great food at Jumbo and famous Boneless duck rice.

Hope your weekend was special in one way or another too!

Over and out.

A walk down Haji Lane

Haji Lane is a quaint, richly-cultured space. Rustic charm fused with arab culture against the backdrop of modern influence. Trotted down the hustle and bustle of Ophir Road and all of a sudden, I was greeted by a sense of calm on a right turn into Haji Lane – so quiet that you can hear the leaves rustle on a Sunday afternoon.

Walking down Haji Lane -

And in Haji Lane itself, there are particularly two boutiques that are rated must-go by almost everybody who patronised/visited/explored the place – which they also happen to be my favourite haunts – Pluck and Soon Lee.

Besides these two shops, you might also love stores that carry reasonable-priced vintage dresses and quirky earrings like Rusty Buttons etc; a breath of fresh air from the glitzy or high-street fashion wear being mass produced and decked up in shopping malls.

If your taste buds are itching for something different, you may also want to dine at Turkish and Arabic cafes/restaurants with your choice of sitting in or going alfresco. Sheesha is one thing that you can explore, else just lay back and enjoy the rich food, companionship and night breeze. Lunch – try Bakery, a very casual and unpretentious cafe serving western food – followed by home-made ice-cream by Pluck!

Most of the shops are closed on Sunday, so visiting Haji Lane on Saturdays between 2pm – 6pm will be most ideal.

For more pictures on Haji Lane, visit my Facebook albums. More on Pluck and Soon Lee.

Doing the Contrary. Born like that, perhaps.

en route to fitness

I finally made some progress – I made it to the gym!

Till today, I feel so bad and angry with myself for not heading back last Saturday to office to collect my bag of sports shoes. I knew I would perform poorly with a bad shoe but yet I made little effort to remedy it. When it was time to pack, I excused myself for a nap. Only when I decided to pick up my shoe did I realise that I misplaced my office keys (of all times!). When I felt my feet were hurting even before the race, I still went ahead, thick-skinned, with the race. Lo and behold, I didn’t finish my marathon….technically.

Conscious about my feet and blisters, I put my weight on my toes and my soles. Less than mid-way at around 3KM, the pain was getting unbearable. I stopped at the side and checked out my bare feet and realized that the skins were getting scrunchy; blisters all well-positioned to surface if I continued running. Did the wildest thing ever by placing my soles on the back of my shoe, laces tied snugly on my feet, and ran.

For a moment I was hopeful that I could continue racing in the awkward manner, and indeed proven awkward it had…I gave up. Angry and dejected, I took a turn back and ran back together with the “pros” by the 45th minute. Never felt worse and unaccomplished when cheery race helpers stretched out and waved the finisher medallion and cap at me when I only ran 6KM. Throughout the run back to site, I felt terrible about myself, and could only berate myself for being such a loser and an irresponsible fuck to myself.

To appease my anger, I marched straight to the gym after work when I had time today. It’s about time to find back the rhythm. Falling sick 4 times in 2 months speak volume about my deteriorating immune system when I only fell ill twice a year in the past. There is a need to restore my fitness level.

Further, I’ve promised to complete 6 marathons this year. So far, i had completed zilch. Had a major flu on the day of JPMorgan and had to back out. Failed to register (to be enticed) by Vertical Marathon challenge. S.I.G.H. What a loser.

Perhaps I shall make a call or two tomorrow to the PT, in a bid to inject some discipline in my life.

Ciao.