Chatterboxed

Finally tried the over-hyped, over-priced Singapore’s most expensive chicken rice (S$22/plate).

Quantity: Generous for S$11
Chili: Average, not lethal
Rice: Very fragrant
Chicken: Average
View: Fantastic but irrelevant to me (acrophobic)
Final verdict: Won’t patronize if not for the one-for-one Amex card deal.

Navel gazing

Today, we have a special guest -WL. I reckon it would be fun to have some friends on my blog once in a while especially those who write randomly but never got down to blogging.

About the author :- a very dear friend who shared a big part of my life and best of all - she's preggers too! Our daily conversation now revolves mostly how we feel, what we eat and the latest quirks or changes to our BODY. Below is a snippet of her daily scribble...

I have never prided myself for having a nice belly button. It was just the thing there since the beginning of my existence. Never fancied it enuf to have a belly ring either.

Lately, one worry has become quite pronounced, literally. My belly button has taken on a little life of its own, and beginning to scream pain whenever touched. Today, it has been perpetually on scream mode. OUCH.

I think the inevitable is going to happen to me. My belly button is gonna pop out. As one website described it - the "innie" becomes an "outie" or aptly described as looking pretty much like a popped out timer on a well done turkey.

Like the many changes that I have been experiencing since the beginning of my pregnancy, I am supposed to take it in my stride and wear it like another proud badge of pregnancy. Well, we shall see how that badge looks on my clothes.

On the brighter side of things, I suppose it does give me a chance to clean out all the lint that's accumulated there since I was a kid.

Men are like Waffles, Women are like Spaghetti

Came across this book by Bill and Pam Farrel (which I have not read).

I find the term interesting. Men process life in boxes, separated by walls. Their thoughts are divided into boxes that have space for one issue and ONE issue only. Eg. when a man is at work, he is at work. When he is driving, he is driving. When he is watching TV, he is plainly watching TV. He spends most of his time in boxes that make him feel the best and successful, and ignore boxes that confuse or make him feel like a failure.

In contrast, women (I can totally identify) process life like a plate of pasta. Her thought processes are like the noodles, inter-twined with each other. Therefore she is good at multi-tasking. Talk on the phone, prepare a meal, making a shopping list; all at the same time. This happens to me all the time and M can’t stand it!

So a woman deems that every problem is connected to another problem. By disconnecting issue 1 with issue 2 is an act of denial. So women constantly need to talk things through and link the logical, emotional and spiritual aspects of the issue. Often, this is the root of stress, while a woman makes all the connections, the man is frantically jumping from boxes to keep up. So by the time the woman is finished, the man is lost and confused!

Oh fellow girls, please note that there are also boxes that are empty, ie no words, no thoughts. Men will usually park himself in the empty boxes to relax. So don't be oversensitive or fault them if they reply "nothing'' to your quesiton: "Darling, what's on your mind?" . It could really be NOTHING.

I suppose we are never too old to look at relationship from a different perspective, and never too late to fine tune our approach to build deeper understanding with our partner.

Amalfi Coast cuisine in Singapore?

*If you're also a follower of M's blog, sorry, it's on the same topic!*

We’ve seen this restaurant around and always wonder how a posh-looking Italian restaurant survives in the whoopee whoop of Jalan Gelanggang. It’s tugged in the midst of neighbourhood shophouses which included a childcare, interior design and mechanical shop. We finally patronized the place 2 nights ago.

The 1st impression was bad - We were the only customers, the waitress was blur, the Italian chef seemed confused by my requests, the wait was long (only because I was pressed for time) and the pricing definitely wasn’t neighbourhood standard. So I sulkily waited for our food, expecting it to be a disaster.

BUT , my linguine marinara and M’s linguine with prawn and pesto turned out to be SUPERB! I’m a boring diner when it comes to Italian and usually only order marinara or tomatoe based pasta. So I think I’m qualified to be a marinara pasta connoisseur :) . I can safely say that their marinara is the best, after Da Paolo Serene Centre and topped Valentino!.

The dessert- fried egg plant covered in chocolate sauce was out of this world!!! (remember, I don’t like dessert)

The restaurant is owned by 2 Italian brothers from the Amalfi Coast and a Singaporean doctor. They also hired a lady chef who spent a few years in culinary school – the ultimate dessert is her signature! Our bill came out to S$66 – absolutely worth it!

So, take a drive out to the North and try this uncovered gem! I wished I had taken some pictures but like I said, I was sulking before the food arrived…

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

I'm a fickle durian lover ie. in certain years, I liked them. In other years, I couldn't bear the smell. I'm currently at the liking rotation but purely because I was told that durian could strengthen baby. Oh what the heck, be it a myth or truth, just try lah.

BUT the weird thing is, I picked up a slight OCD - I'm eating durian with a spoon! Something I learnt from my cousin (hmm.. selective Hainanese genes perhaps). I snorted at the idea at first but once I tried, I got hooked. No more hands! It's somehow easier and cleaner and neater. They taste as nice as using hands, seriously.

Honeymoon (again) in Maldives

What can I say?? Thank you Jesus for a beautiful week!!!

Resting area outside our villa

View of another island

Blue and white

The two new colours that temporarily replace my love for orange and green. The nice white and blue sky, the different shades of clear blue sea and the sparkling white sandy beach.... I'm soaking every bit of these!

Highly recommended for mom-to-be: a beach holiday! Breeze, waves, wind, massage, snorkelling, eat, naps, read, barefoot walk, peaceful couple time and full 8 hours of zzzz...
Can I extend my trip please...