THE UNIVERSE SINGS

It is now 2007. Truly amazing how time flies. A few days ago I visited a house where one of my large paintings now hangs. It looked fabulous. The owners had commissioned me to do the painting some time ago and I had not see it hanging. I felt extremely satisfied! A great feeling.

Two nights ago I attended a fabulous performance at the Upfront Club in Maleny www.upfrontclub.org A band called Lucy Love and the Firetrees played at this great venue. The Upfront Club is a collective club and is situated in the main street of Maleny. It feels like it has been there forever. Old rustic tables, a variety of chairs, great food and a tremendous relaxed feeling make the Club unique in this day and age of slick interiors and overly designed furniture. I've eaten at the Club many times and love the food. The menu always appeals with its eclectic and wholesome vegetarian and non-vego choices. And, of course there is a bar.

The band was absolutely great and obviously made up of very talented young performers. They had even written most of the songs. By the end of the evening people of all ages were dancing to the music which was a mix of styles beautifully melded together in a unique sound. The Club is intimate but the sound quality was just right. It was loud enough to bounce and bop to but still clear enough to discern the thoughtful lyrics and to hear different instruments including some virtuoso drum playing by Lucy. I got up to dance too and had a great time. My Mum was dancing as well! A great night.

So, do I have any New Year resolutions? All I can say is...2007 is my year! Gold dust is in the air, inspiration abounds, age and experience are the mantras for unlimited success of all kinds and love propels.

The Universe Sings Oil on linen 160 x 120 cm

Worst dressed ever

Eh, any similiarities are purely coincidental, and below scenario is just a figment of the author's imagination.

***************************************

It couldn't have been a more ordinary day at the newsroom. Everyone had left, it was late. Well, almost everyone.

Wee Tuck was walking along his colleagues desks, interestingly lined with colourful posters of the various celebrities they like and the more expensive of the junk given out during press conferences.

He was slobbering over a doughnut bought from the level 5 food court, slightly aware of the calories adding to his increasingly pudgy body, but what the fuck, not like anyone thinks of him as an sex object or something.

He snorted into the doughnut at that thought. Yeoh Wee Tuck the sex god! Ha!

What's that sound?!

He heard a slight buzz from Jeanmaria Tan's (or Jaria as they called her for short... what's with the two first names anyway?!) desk and looked into her cubicle.

Something looks suspicious. Jaria was focusing intently on her computer screen, which had a picture of a man.

Her hands were not on the mouse nor keyboard, but tucked under the messy desk.

"JARIA!" Wee tuck shouted. "Watcha doing?!"

The ugly woman screamed "FUCK!" and something clanked to the floor. Something bulky and silver and black and... vibrating?

It was an iPamper.

The iPamper, oblivious to the questioning stare of Wee Tuck, continued to buzz happily on the carpet, turning itself a full circle before Wee Tuck looked up incredulously at Jaria.

Ew.

Ew, ew, ew.

Comprehension dawned on his face, and the woman looked suitably embarrassed, all while mumbling something about it being late and she thought nobody was around...

He suddenly remembered himself having a backache after a football report last Monday, and he had rubbed his back all over with that borrowed iPamper and EWWWWWWWWW... FUCK! He retched into the bin, his wet doughnut bits soaking up the waste papers.

To Wee Tuck's horror, while he was trying to get the bile spit out, Jaria started wailing like she just got widowed.

"JUDGE ME WILL YOU?" She screamed. "I am LONELY, OK? My husband only... wait, you gay right Wee Tuck?"

Wee Tuck frowned. What has that got to do with anything?? "Yes, so what?" he asked tensely, adding "you stupid fuck" in his head.

"Gay people can't keep secrets, they are always gossiping," declared Jaria.

"I can keep a secret," whispered Wee Tuck in what he hoped was a sympathetic voice. He really couldn't care less about Jaria's sordid affairs but a secret's always welcome.

"Well my husband... He only wants to have sex like once every 2 months or something! And when he does, he screws me sideways in the dark - 3 mins, max - and leaves the wet patch on my side of the bed! MY SIDE! The fucking bastard!" Jaria was lolling in terror at the memory.

Wee tuck look at Jaria and thought, Well, who could blame him? and formed various vicious standpoints in his mind about how women should always keep up with good physique like gay boys always do.

Instead he said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I guess that would explain the iPamper... I won't tell anyone." He already decided he would warn people not to touch the cursed device. Ew ew ew.

"Was on discount," Jaria whimpered.

There was an awkward silence and Wee Tuck leaned forward towards the computer screen (thank god girls don't leave residue) to check out Jaria's arousal object.

She realised what he was doing, and hastily turned off the power, but alas! a gasp of recognition was already issued from Wee Tuck's mouth.

Jaria groaned. Today was seriously not her day.

"YOU KIDDING ME. Xiaxue's boyfriend??! Hahahaha! Didn't know you liked angmohs!"

Jaria explained incoherently about how she just happened to surf by and attempted to change the topic by asking what Wee Tuck wrote about today. She also turned off the iPamper, which was proving to be an annoyance buzzing endlessly when not applied on one's genitals.

"Best dressed celebrities of 2006," Wee Tuck lamented in a drone.

The gay stylish instints inside him radiated with anger thinking about Singapore's celebrities and their boring dress sense. UNFORGIVEABLE! They are sooo boring! Look at the hollywood stars! He rolls his eyes.

"OH?" said Jaria, her eyes shining with maliciousness. Man, Wee Tuck thought. This woman is really, really frustrated and angry.

"Think you could include a worst dressed category?" she inquired.

Wee Tuck squirmed, thinking he already knows what the bitch was up to. "Erm, I already wrote the article."

"I'll add it in for you! Page long?" she quipped.

"Ya... So you wanna put Xiaxue into worst dressed?" Let it go, woman, why hold a grudge for so long?? Wee Tuck couldn't understand.

"Naturally, duh! Hate her! Let me see, gotta go get her stock photos and choose a picture." Jaria never stopped smiling rather crazily while talking, and actually rubbed her hands in glee.

"But she is not generally badly-dressed... Not like she goes to star awards or something... She's mostly just in tank tops yeah?"

"AHA! How about this one?" Jaria found a photo in their database.

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Wee Tuck stared at her.

"What do you think?" she asked in a crazed whisper. The glint in her beady eyes was freaky.

Wee Tuck stuttered a little.

"Well, firstly, it won't qualify Xiaxue as a 2006 worst dresser because that photo was taken almost half a year before 2006 even started... And secondly, what you gonna say about her attire?"

Jaria shrugged and said, "Eh... It's fucking skanky."

Wee Tuck frowned. 2005 was the year of the bohemian, and everyone wore stuff like that. Bailing is shanky. A midriff top and a long skirt? Nay. A tad fat maybe, but not shanky.

Besides, if he didn't remember wrongly, it was their paper who ask XX in for an interview, and told her to dress as sexily as possible. Seems a tad unreasonable to attack her for what they told her to wear...

"So? Use this?" Jaria stared at him rather fiercely.

"Can't you try to find something else?" Wee Tuck sighed. "Something that is more reasonable to attack her with?"

Jaria picked up the iPamper and smacked Wee Tuck on the head with it. Ew!

"I DON'T FUCKING HAVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE, OK? I AM A FUCKING JOURNALIST AND I WRITE ANYTHING I WANT!!!"

"Fine, ok ok, I'd put Fiona next to her or something, just promise NOT to touch me with that thing again!"

Jaria smiled her ugly smile.

*************************

In Teban Gardens, someone was smiling too. She decided that she would dress a thousand times more skankily just so she can get the award again next year too!

They can say all they want!

The internet was fully functional (and way more flexible) for her retorts, and most importantly, unlike all celebrities, reporters had absolutely nothing to gain from the extra fame.

*************************

Woah, article of me today!

This has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO with what I wrote above. That's a totally fictional story, of course. :)

THANKFUL

Not much art being created at the moment, but there has been a purging of my home contents to create both practical and mind space for the great paintings I am painting in 2007! I am spring cleaning properly for the first time in 6 years. I KNOW my mind will be much clearer when my environment is more ordered. I am creating spaces for more prosperity to fill! In fact, I am inviting prosperity to fill the spaces.

The children are with their Dad, so I have time to contemplate too. Oh, what bliss. I hasten to add I am not spending every hour of the day spring cleaning. I am also setting time aside to read, think and contemplate. I am purging my mind of rubbish too! Sending it all off with no return address. And inviting inspiration and peace to take up residence.

So, I already have thoughts about my next series of paintings. I believe and have always found that periods of time without the paintbrush but with the brain at rest and thinking result in an outpouring of work. The creation of an artwork does not always begin with the act of picking up a brush. It often begins in the weeks and months prior to the first mark. The gift of thinking time is very valuable. The blank canvas is metaphorically and spiritually marked in my mind's eye well before I apply that first stroke. To others the canvas may appear to be blank, but to me it is not.

The Hidden Seen In My Mind's Eye Oil on linen 80 x 120 cm

Xmas eve sucks!!!!

Xmas eve sucks!!!!!

I don't really know anyone who sincerely enjoys it (maybe bangalas, but of course, I don't "know" them), because it is so bloody festive that you are EXPECTED to have fun, EXPECTED to not be lonely.

Everyone else is also busy pretending to have fun, so if you don't, you seem like a bloody loser.

And what happens when you have expectations and do not meet them? Disappointment and frustration.

Organising stuff to do on Xmas eve is always a bloody pain in the ass. You can go to organised events (ie parties on bloody orchard road - I hope you guys have the sense not to go, unless of course you are a bangala, then you can meet a lot of people from your country have foam the girls), but organised events are always sooooo crowded.

Before you can start to enjoy yourself, you have to defend yourself against the crowds. Theft, molest, people stepping on your toes, etc. How fun!

OR

You can organise "fun" stuff yourself.

But firstly, WHAT fun stuff? And secondly, organising is a pain, and besides, everything is so expensive.

And the most troubling of all - who should you go out with?

I wonder if in real life people have friends like in Friends (I'm talking about Monica Ross Phoebe Friends), a stable group of people you can hang out with every year on lonesome holidays (I can act emo by saying "the more crowded it is the more alone I feel" but lucky for you I am not that sort of disgusting blogger) and be sure not to go into a frenzy trying to get something to do.

But IMHO, it is near impossible to have a stable group of friends, because realistically speaking Monica-and-Chandler rarely happens, and people in the group (especially the girls) will tend to have their other halves to spend Xmas with, and will abandon their group.

Or be spending Xmas overseas, also effectively abandoning the group...

Group of four dwindles to two, then do you still meet the "group", or seek other plans?

Maybe meet another group that you are not so familiar with? But you don't wanna spend Xmas with people you don't really know leh...

People say you can always fall back on family, but Momo is out partying with her boyfriend and his friends (what did I say about girls?), Clinton is staying at his friend's place, and I am alone at home!

Well with stupid Cloudy who shitted in the hallway yesterday. GAH!

Anyway this year I've got Kelvin, who is the sort of person who will BRING the girlfriend into the group (because he is key person of the group and if he is missing likely everyone won't meet at all; and also, said girlfriend will be abandon HER group, thus making HER group not be able to meet up), so I am invited to the party at his house with the rest of the gang lar.

In that sense I feel that male friends seem to be more reliable.

Obviously there are also the sort of guy who will go missing when their girlfriend is around, but my guy friends are constantly bringing different girls into the group, making me feel...

That girls are somehow just... part of their men.

I don't know why I had this startling feeling that day, but I was out with some of my girlfriends, and all of them were attached.

We talked about our boyfriends, and it suddenly hit me that we are not WHOLE, we are merely the other half of our men. A sidekick if you must.

I realised that one fine day, all of us will get married, have a family, and that family will consume all that is important to us. Friends will rank way below husband and kids.

I'm not really explaining this feeling I have very well, but it felt a bit like the boyfriends LET their girlfriends out for a gathering among ourselves, and there we are, chattering, insignificant, unwhole.

I think I might be going crazy.

It was just a very fleeting feeling, and I told Shuyin about what I felt, and she just frowned and said she disagreed with me and never felt that way.

But you know what I mean right? I am not talking about my particular girlfriends in this scenario coz they are not like that, but surely you girls know what I am talking about.

Like, everyone has this female friend who has always been attached, and seems that her whole life will topple if she didn't have someone to lean on even for a bit. She can't survive as a lead character on her own.

I suppose there are guys like that too, but it is quite a bit more uncommon than females.

Anyway, went off on a tangent. As I was saying, the last reliable alternative is going to church. But going to church just for xmas seems really stupid (and not to mention blasphemous)!

In conclusion, Xmas sucks. So does New Year, V-day, etc.

Mindless clubbing pictures:

Nose's all blurred out coz you guys are supposed to get the first glimpse of it on the last episode of Girls Out Loud!




Before meeting Junne and the boys...

Can see the bridge and my lovely implant.
*implant blushes in pleasure*

Went to MoS!






New club "The Clinic".

It's really cool, go check it now! Now complimentary entry via MoS I think.

We go into Smoove's members' area, which is designed to look like a basketball court:



Basketball chairs!








Martin


Martin moments later! Ha!


Hehe inner gayness shows in Kelvin

Tim's turn

Tim also wants a piece of the action!


Ann looks at Vyasa in a new light.
My implant stares.


Vyasa looked wonky-eyed in this, so I added some photoshop sunglasses for him.
But look at Tim! Look so funny can.


Kel + me + new implant + new tattoo (photoshopped)!


A juicy bracelet I bought from the states... :D




Kel again

p/s: Vyasa just called to say the boys are gonna play dota for a bit. Did I just say they are reliable???!

Me, "You guys are not going to do the countdown thing in the lan shop right?"

Vyasa, "Ha! We are not going to do the countdown thing at all!"

Well, Merry fucking Xmas to you! Hate it. So commercialised. (WOoo I just realised I typed "Merry Xmas" at the exact stroke of midnight!!)

Want my baby here but he is sooooooooooo far away.

HISTORY and INTERPRETATION

It often seems that after an event everyone has a different interpretation of what happened and what the affects are. Now, this can cause 'issues' within a family. It can cause major 'issues' between countries. History is really an interpretation of events. I remember being quite struck by this when this concept was presented to me at University. Up until then school History was just about learning dates and names! University History was SO much more interesting. I am very pleased that my secondary school daughters have already been presented with the concept of History and interpretation.

In this painting the Earth looks at itself. The tree-of-life motif becomes not only a trans-religious and cultural unifier, but a 'system-like' representation of blood vessels, brain matter, underground rivers, cracked earth and so on. I like the fact that the viewer is almost in orbit outside the painting also reflecting back upon 'life' and History.

History and Interpreation Oil on linen 120 x 150 cm

I know, Girls Out Loud rules!!

Thanks for the good feedback for the 3rd episode!! Haha...

Many people were like asking me if I was really pissed at Mia, or just faking it for the camera.

I wish I were faking it ah! Means I am a wonderful actress. But unfortunately I don't think I am up to that level yet.

But you tell me lar, if some ugly "model" keep preaching to you how to live your life and write your blog, you not sian meh? Obviously pissed right? You guy can't see, but I was actually trembling in anger (and also a bit scared and awkward - it's a horrifying mix of feelings).

Mia actually said more ridiculous things, like how for example, her love for bangalas stemmed from the fact that once upon a time... She was in Little India MRT, and an old man fell down and got trapped by the closing train door or something...

And according to her, "a dozen black hands" stuck out and helped the old man.

*cue heroic music*

She therefore thinks that all bangalas are very kindly, sweet creatures.

And also, as a "pageant winner", the grand responsibility of defending bangalas lies on her, because - obviously, don't you see? - people who help an old man get untrapped can never be lecherous lawless molesters.

*looks very confused, implant shakes in disbelief* (I'm gonna blog from now on about how my implant reacts to situations. It is as if it has a life of it's own!!! Help me think of a name for it muahahaha.)

Dunno lar! It was really super awkward, Gillian had us doing the staring scene AGAIN and AGAIN, and can you imagine I have to keep looking into Mia's eyes for like 20 times till G is happy!!!!!!!!!

GILLIAN HATES ME!!! She thinks that making me face people I don't like makes good tv!!! (Mia, Steven Lim, Izzy - they all make my implant shrivel)

Next season maybe we will have Jean Marie Tan and the blogtv old chick. The people who dislike me and vice versa are aplenty! Rozz says she has none. -_- Where got people get along with everybody one??!

You can watch episode 3 of GoL on youtube...

Been thinking of getting a tattoo for a long time now...

Wanna get the bottom pink ribbon on my left arm, but I spoke to Momo about it today, and she said she will chase me out of the house if I ink myself.

Damn drama ok.

I'm getting it anyhow, it's just a matter of time.

I don't care if you guys don't like my pink ribbon! It symbolises that from this moment on in life, I am clear what I want to do - I want to be FRIVOLOUS.

For the past 22 years, I've always been torn between two things - vanity and intellect.

I could focus on the fun part of life - being pretty, being vapid; or I could be dull but, well, smarter.

It seems at first thought that the two need not be exclusive, but they ARE. Well, at least to me they are.

I don't really know how to explain this (possibly coz vanity won the battle since years ago and rotted my brains)...

I was telling Wong the other day when we were driving back from supper.

Supposing this life, I am still me inside, but my physical appearance is so far from below average that I could do nothing to salvage it.

My only other source of enjoyment will be to focus on my studying (so ugly, might as well study hard, earn money), which, at the younger part of my life, I excelled in, and brought me attention and distinction from other people.

I am that sort of person who lives for attention. Nothing makes me more happy than people paying attention to me, and praising me for the good jobs I do.

If being 1st in class brought me admiring glances, then study I will.

But unfortunately for me, nothing brings more instant gratification than looking good.

If I didn't care that much about my looks and the other superficial stuff in life, or rather, chose not to care, I'm sure I could have spend a lot more of my time on reading, maybe writing a novel, or I dunno what else I would have done. Trying to earn a lot of money maybe?

When I started this blog it was just light-hearted writing, but people started saying how they think I am stupid.

Up till today, I am the pioneer of full-time blogging in Singapore, yet people are still saying that! Let's see them try to earn a living doing this. =D

I got very uncomfortable being labelled STUPID, and felt I had to prove them all wrong by raking out PSLE or O Level results, and the ultimate is of course to attempt to join Mensa.

So now Mensa tells me my IQ is 148 and above, higher than 98% of you reading this, but SO WHAT?

There will always be an endless flow of people saying I am stupid, just because of my appearance.

Yes, people in that 98%, calling me dumb. It used to infuriate me so bad.

I love blonde hair, love fake eyelashes, and I love my big curls. I love writing in Singlish, love scolding vulgarites, and I love making bimbo jokes... and if all these things I love are mutually exclusive with how an intelligent person is perceived to be, then SO BE IT.

But now, especially with the show stamping a new benchmark in my life, I DECIDED AM DONE WITH PROVING MYSELF TO THE PUBLIC.

If people are gonna say I am a bimbo, I will just smile, knowing that it is them who are too simple-minded to see through a PERSONA.

Yes, that's what it is, a persona.

You think Ali G is real? Or Borat? Is Oprah really concerned? Howard Stern really so straightforward? Or is Paris Hilton really so stupid? The fact is you will never know, so don't judge.

Just because some people have different priorities in life, it doesn't mean that if the situation arises they cannot solve a logarithm equation.

I decided on my priorities (ie focusing on superficiality) when I decided to go into Polytechnic, so from today onwards I will not waver anymore and just appear to be as air-headed as everyone chooses to perceive me to be.

=)

Definition
intelligence (ABILITY)
noun [U]
the ability to learn, understand and make judgments or have opinions that are based on reason



...
Doesn't say anything about having a degree or not having heavy make up on.

Two super long blog entries in a row! I'm getting my blogging bug back.

RAIN

What do we want for Christmas? Well...diamonds, a fabulous Mercedes [my ideal is the new GL because there is plenty of room for the kids and the paintings], beautiful books, colourful crockery??? Well, actually I'd love all of these... and extra time in the day, my children unquestionally doing as I ask, plus some bountiful and steady rain to fall from the Heavens.

I grew up on a grain farm on the flat plains of the Darling Downs in South East Queensland. I grew up with the knowledge that rain/water is precious. I remember living through droughts where my two brothers and I had to bath in same water and we were not allowed to shower. I remember city visitors causing my parents extreme anxiety at bath time, because the visitors really did not understand the concept of a short shower or turning off the tap whilst brushing teeth. I remember my brothers and I doing a rain dance which involved costumes, shouting and gyrating in a circle...it actually worked. We had about four spots of rain from a clear sky [maybe it was a bird's offering!]

Actually I remember some ghastly occurrences on the farm including a mouse plague where the mice would scurry across my body while I was sleeping. And the locust plague was incredible! I recall watching tv with these large insects jumping off my face, arms and legs. They covered the curtains and other furniture and ate my Dad's crops.

But, back to water. After attending University, and doing a stint as a curatorial assistant at the National Gallery in Canberra, I moved to Goondiwindi, a small rural town on the border of New South Wales and Queesland. I lived there for 18 years during which time water became an incredibly valuable commodity due to the irrigation needs of mainly the cotton farmers. In the late 70s/early 80s water irrigation licenses to pump from the McIntyre River were easily available for a relatively small fee. Then the Government decided not to issue any more licenses to assist in regulating water flows etc. This forced the market to make a license a saleable item. They have become increasingly more and more valuable some reaching the millions of dollars.

I noticed that as the years passed the hot dry climate of Goondiwindi changed to a hot humid climate. I put this down to the increasing number of large dams which were built to house water for irrigation and the evaporation from them causing climatic change. These dams are hectares of land. People go sailing on them! From a light aircraft the land around Goondiwindi, Moree and out to St george, and further, is dotted  with large water storages/dams.
Now to Brisbane where we are on level 4 water restrictions. City people are now having to think about how much water they use. This is second nature to country people. Water and rain are always in the forefront of their thoughts, either because there isn't enough, and then sometimes there is too much!

I have driven many long stretches of road out west watching strips of rain on the horizon hoping that a strip is hovering over my place or my town. That utterance "There's rain out there" is full of hope. It is almost like a short prayer.

The painting above is called Rain Out There. It is a small gouache on watercolour paper painting. Actually it would make a great Christmas present for someone. Let me know if you are interested!

NOTE ADDED 6 Dec 2010
This painting sold a few months ago. And as I write this, rain has been falling for weeks and floods are causing destruction.
Cheers,
Kathryn
http://www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com/

Blasted luck

Bah humbug!

Recently keep having bouts of bad luck - like not ultra bad luck but the funny sort you kinda see in slapstick comedy you know...

NJ bad luck (nose job)

Momo drove me to my check-up with Dr Huang and at Ulu Pandan Road some fucking tree toppled right before us, so the entire road came to a standstill.

Dr Huang (hereafter referred to as Dr H despite me wanting to hao lian my nose is a whooping $12,000 [!!!] and done by arguably the best rhinoplasty surgeon in Singapore - Dr Martin Huang that is) had surgery to do after meeting two more patients, so if I don't hurry I thought I can't take off my bandages that day, and I really wanted to!

So I got out of Momo's car and hurdled over the damp railing to the other side of the road, where the cars were going smoothly in the opposite direction, unhindered by inconsiderate trees.

It was lightly drizzling, so I walked towards the bus stop, and waited there for a cab.

Promptly, one guy came down from the overhead bridge (must be also another person stuck in the jam), stood like 2 metres away from my bus stop, and stole my cab.

Wonderful. It's ok though, perhaps he didn't see me.

I sat down at the bus stop to call a cab, and thought to myself, "Well, if I see a cab I will stand up and flag it."

Then this fucking angmoh lady came down from the same overhead bridge, and hailed for cabs.

I went up to her and politely told her (all while looking suitably woebegone in my nose bandages and the bottom of my nose stitched up) that I was waiting for a cab too, and I came first.

She sneered down at me (angmoh tall what...) and said,

"Yeah? You were sitting down at the bus stop, you weren't waiting for a cab."

And with that she turned her back to me and continued hailing vigorously at the non-existant cab flow.

I frowned at her and said, "Well, I was trying to avoid the rain, and besides, that doesn't matter. I am telling you now that I was waiting for a taxi, ok?"

Cheebye angmoh bitch continued ignoring me and soon she was joined by two of her friends, one redhead and one blonde.

At this point I was a bit distracted coz I was on the phone with the cab operator, but she just continued hailing and hailing - just RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!

While I was listening silently to the phone she took the chance to insult me to her (American I think) friends, saying, "Only in Singapore can this happen..." and yadda yadda continued to insult Singaporeans while gesturing rudely at me.

WTF??? I DON'T THINK IN ANY COUNTRY PEOPLE WOULD ALLOW YOU TO STEAL THEIR CABS FROM LIKE 2 METRES AWAY FROM THEM LOR!

What a MEGA BITCH!

And besides, I was totally polite to her (I thought she had two largish friends anyway and if they want to be rude and steal my cab with brute force then there is nothing I can do. Besides, the bandaged nose IS a rather obvious target she can hit if she gets pissed off).

I said to her, "Hey look, please be reasonable, ok? I don't mean to sound rude, but I 've really got to rush to a surgery and I was waiting here before you."

YOU KNOW WHAT SHE SAID?

"YEAH? SO AM I (going for surgery)!" and continued to hail.

WHAT THE FUCK?????! MY NOSE IS ALL STITCHED UP OBVIOUSLY CAN'T BE LYING ABOUT THE SURGERY RIGHT?? I mean, I was supposed to take out stitches lar, but I could very well be really injured!

She, on the other hand, was totally dressed up for a frivolous day of shopping at Orchard with her stupid multi-coloured-hair friends!

Got make-up and totally accessorized, surgery my ass!

Never met such heartless people lor!

I kept on yakking relentlessly until the bleached blonde couldn't take it anymore (some 50 year old bitch) and she yelled at me, shouting (and I am just a small girl with a broken nose muttering incoherently),

"LOOK, WE DON'T CARE IF YOU TAKE THE NEXT CAB, THERE ARE NONE ANYWAY."

... with really awful bulging eyes at me when she spat the last 4 words.

Which was particularly contrary to the fact that her brunette and "obviously-needs-surgery" friend over there was STILL frailing her arms at the road, all while standing right in front of me.

My bandages started to get wet, which Dr H warned me exactly not to do.

The laopok blonde (brunette very bend on getting a cab) yelled again (which I thought was pretty unnecessary of her, she really needs anger management classes), "Look, let's take 7 to Clementi, ok?" and yanked her frailing friend away to the bus stop beside me.

The moment they traded positions with me, I got a cab.

HA!!!!

That would show them filthy angmoh bitches! Hope some tree branches topple on to them, followed by a monkey! They really deserve it! Well, perhaps not the redhead, she kept quiet throughout.

I think the Caucasian girls in Singapore have this thing against asian girls; not all of them of course, but some are bound to have a chip on their shoulder, because white boys like (to fuck?) asian girls.

(I am not talking about my situation, which is true love regardless of race, mind you. Very sacred thing.)

Well that 50 year old blonde looks like she could have caught her white husband fucking the filipino maid, is left with a rude bitch of a brunette for her daughter, and to add salt to her wounds a tree HAD to topple just when she wanted to go shopping! GAH! Her life sucks! No wonder she is so grouchy.


GO BACK TO AMERICA IF SINGAPORE'S CABBERS SUCK, BITCHES!

I am just saying America coz I think their accent sounds like that, but keep in mind they might very well be pretending to be mean Americans in a campaign to smear US overseas relations.


Turned out, with extra-upsized bad luck, that momo's lane cleared while I was fighting tooth and nail for my cab, and she ended up at Dr H's earlier than me.

-_-

MJ bad luck

I played mahjong with Wong and her sisters that day.

She is the sort of person whom mahjong connoisseurs will turn their nose up at, as she really doesn't take the game seriously lor.

I TAKE MJ V SERIOUSLY!

MJ is a beautiful game of brains and luck, and it takes cunning and social flairs to be able to not win and not piss opponents off, or lose and minimise losses.

Wong, on the other hand, relishes her 1 tai pi hu wins, and thinks that, for example, childish antics like toppling your opponents tiles after he has finished building them is more fun than... say... winning a da san yuan.

Can you imagine hor, that I can lose mahjong to such a person?????!

*shakes head in disbelief*

There was this one round where she got all the four animals, then she zi mo. -_- And she happily announced that after playing mj (although not very often) for like 5 years or something, this is her first 5 tai zi mo.

Disgusting! 10c 20c I also lost $12 ok!

I was the major loser! Wong family cheat me. Family of cheats! Lawyers cannot be trusted.

Miscellaneous bad luck

Was very careful not to hit my nose while out with Huifen watching Curse of the Golden Flower, but I was swollowing medicine with my iced earl grey (with vanilla ice-cream, yum!) and tried to gulp from the glass without using the straw.

Conveniently forgot there was a spoon inside, so when the cup was raised the spoon slid along the round rim of the glass, and hit me right on my wound.

Wanna see the wounds?

Hover mouse over to see. Warning: Gross

It hit me at the side of the middle wound. Bam! No lasting harm though.

This photo is taken fresh after stitches was out, so obviously it is still very bloody, and also, the nose is completely swollen which explains why the nostrils are not equal in size.

So now you know where to go out for scars lar if you suspect someone has done his or her nose!! :D But actually if it is well-taken care of, there is almost no scarring.

And amazingly enough, for a body part so sensitive, the pain is almost like non-existant!

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being maybe an ant's bite and 10 being a shark's bite then being hit by a lightning bolt then burnt alive, I'd say that I suffered like 2.5 at MOST.

Shiok. Nose will still be swollen for another 1 month or so till the swell is like 80% gone, but it already looks pretty nice!

Though as I said I cannot post "after" pictures lar, you guys just have to catch it on Girls Out Loud. :D

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p/s: Yes I saw the Jean Marie Tan article! Makes me wonder why that any respectable newspaper would allow their journalist to lash out article after article of personal vindictive attacks? So childish leh, the feud between me and her is so long ago, still down there typing mutinously to herself.

Tsk! Some people just really have no life lor, must be.

Would have been a wiser, smarter move to praise the show grudgingly or something, then it would seem to everyone she is the bigger person.

But she attack that I have a short tongue leh! I already admit that it's a flaw I am born with what, not like I can do anything about it. -_-

*******************

p/p/s:


Me with Dr H, and an expensive (albeit swollen) nose...
and an apparently better life than some people.

*******************

p/p/p/s: Curse of the gim huay is good!!!!! Gong Li and Chow's acting skills are superb, and the cinematography was like WHOOP!

Only thing I didn't really like was Jay Chou. I really love him and all his songs, but his acting is so raw compared to the rest lar... He kept getting shifty-eyed, and in the middle of the show I was suddenly AWARE THEY WERE ALL ACTING.

It's a very unpleasant feeling to be jolted out of the drama like that. For half of the show I really thought Gong Li was a tormented queen. Damn!

Would you get very upset with shagging your half brother if you have not grown up together with him? Like say you only got to know him when you both are adults?

I think I won't be leh... I mean I will be quite disgusted, but I won't be TRUAMATIZED AND SCARRED FOR LIFE lar. I'd be like, "Ok, that was a mistake. Let's not do that again, shall we?"

It's the idea of shagging someone you grew up with that's fucking gross. EWWWWWWW eww ewww ewww eewww

*implant trembles in horror

last P/S: Middlesex, a book by Jeffrey Eugenides, is about incest too. It is so amazingly written that not only is it not gross, you will even grow to love the brother-sister couple. Good read.

I having this thing where I tend to go from topic to topic in a mad endless hop.

PARTY TIME

Well. It is party time and I've been to a few parties over the last 10 days. Thus, I have not had the time or the disposition to post anything for awhile. Also, my computer had to have some loving attention from the Computer Fixit place [Concorde Computers ...very good]and I was without my conduit to cyberspace for four days.

Firstly, parties. One of the parties I went to was a fantastic 60th birthday party with a theme inviting guests to really dress up. I was extatic as I have had this pink number in my wardrobe for about five years and have only worn it once before. So, here was a great opportunity to doll up and wear my fab pink, backless dress. This is the dress that enduces my youngest to tenderly say to me, "Mummy, when you die can I have your pink dress?" I reply that I will die when I am 100 and she will be 63 and I am sure she'll look terrific in my backless pink evening dress.

I have posted this photo because SO few photos of me all dressed up are taken... and I am getting older...and while I think I still look ok I am going to show off!

My eldest daughter straightened my hair for the party...no mean feat. She also helped me with my hairdo. The only blight about the hair straightening episode, which took place in her room, was that when my daughter finished she put the straightener on the floor and I promptly stood on it. I lay screaming with pain amongst her strewn clothes and debris as the intense heat scorched the sole of my foot. I lay there crying, "Ice, Ice, Ice!" My daughter did actually feel sorry for me and ran to get the ice which she placed on my foot. Teenage children do not see parents in intense pain often and I think it is an eye opener [and possibly a bit scary] to see us vulnerable.

But, even with a scorched foot I headed off into the night to the party and had a great time. My foot is now very, very itchy.

Now to the experience of being without my computer for four days. This is slightly worrying. I really, really missed it!!! I pined for it and I dreamt about it. My daughter says I am 'sick'. I did reassure her that I miss her so much more when she is not here! But, what is this? Missing my computer? I have to think about my relationships!

The painting above is called 'Force Field' 30 x 30 cm, Oil on board. You can have your own guess at what it might mean in light of my revelations above...and more.

Indulgzing is not just for the super rich!

Advertorial

Sometimes being a blogger is just great.

Christin, from Indulgz Bistro, invited me and 3 friends over to try their menu, so we had a grand feast!



The first thing I was looking at the food, which Christin said is European with an oriental touch. Sounds pretty good.

And the second thing I noticed was the price (afterall I had to see how much I tan dio right?) and I realised that for the sort of food shown (which I thought looked pretty much like fine-dining), it is indeed quite cheap leh!

The average main course is like $17? Can compare to Cafe Cartel's sort of prices, except the quality of the food is really quite good leh!

Oh well, you will see...


The 3 siaos waiting for their food inside...

I invited Wong, Teo lala and Weili!

All 3 gluttons lor! Christin said that she got a lot of food for us, and the 3 of them merely smiled and Weili told her to try us. Ha!



We were served this yummy PINK champagne... I'm not mad over alcohol, but it seems that getting into the dreamy nice mood is part of the whole experience here, so I had some too!

I'm really bad with alcohol, but the 3 of them really liked it, saying it is very smooth and sweet. Cool! (Wong said it is quite expensive too.)


Classy right?! And it's pink! So pretty!

First up, appetitisers!




Breaded white button mushrooms with garlic mayo


Deep-fried Camembert Cheese with Berry Compote

Super yummy!



Expensive white button mushrooms instead of the usual shiitake, which restuarants always overcharge for! $5.50 somemore, cheaper than Swensen's!

And the juice seriously flows out lor... The sauce is super garlicy, Mike will love it.



Deep fried cheese flowing... Berry sauce made out of real berries slowly simmered by the chef!

I keep asking Christin why she doesn't want to charge a higher price for her food, but she insists that she opened the restaurant because she wants her customers to feel happy eating there, and it makes her happy too.

Quote: "We want people to believe there is a place where food is good, yet affordable; ambiance is comfortable, cozy and exclusive, and service is as if the servers are your friends."

What?! Wish more shop owners will be like that...


Wong being a glutton


Me feeling quite shiok...

We had our soups next, and seriously, honestly speaking, this is like one of the best mushroom and tomato soups I ever had.


Creamy and Chunky mushroom soup/Tomato and Basil




It is so good and yummy and creamy and tasty!

The mushroom is my favourite, and the tomato is great too, it's not too sour and I love it that none of the food here is too strong-tasting, thus spoiling appetites for more.

We were served up with something really unique next: Cheese fondue!

According to Christin very few places serve it, and it's not too expensive at Indulgz either, $16.20!





The chef clearly had something up her sleeve as she included white wine and cherry liquor in the cheese so it doesn't feel too jelat. Smart!

Weili liked the cheese so much he used it to dip everything. -_-

Main courses!


Oxtail stew, comes with truffled hand-mashed potatoes!

Shuyin says she likes this dish the best coz the sauce is damn yummy can! The oxtail is soaked in red wine overnight to absorb the flavour; I must say Indulgz really spares no cost in making their food good lor...

Anyway, for those of you who didn't already know, truffles are super expensive... It's a kind of rare mushroom, and it is added to the mashed potatoes, which are quite fab to say the least!


See, I like it.

Next... My favourite dish of all!




Butterfish steak!

It is steam-baked (I don't really know these terms, but Christin said only the freshest fish can be done this way, and Indulgz never freezes any of its ingredients), and I don't care how it's done, as long as they keep serving it!

Butterfish is kinda rare in Singapore and is usually quite expensive, so I expect most of you won't have eaten it before, but in my humble opinion it tastes almost like cod, except not as fatty or oily.

I love it so much leh...

See...


So smooth and juicy and I can almost taste it!

Such a thick slab too, super wu hua!

Christmas stuffed turkey breast up next...





The turkey is breast meat, but surprisingly very tender and soft! It is stuffed with minced turkey, and dried fruits and nuts...

To add to the Christmasy feeling, it is drenched with cranberry sauce and that orange stuff you see is mashed sweet potato!

Weili ate a lot of it, thinking it was pumpkin... It's not like conventional mushed sweet potato - it is not that sweet (as I said the food in Indulgz are all very subtle and not over-powering), and very appetitizing. A must-try!


Well, the food is really good!

We had the restaurant's signature dish next, which I was really excited about.

Chef's Crispy Pasta with Chicken Mushroom Cream Sauce!


Isn't it unique?

Angel-hair pasta is deep-fried and then drained of all it's oil, then drenched in yummy cream sauce, thinly sliced mushrooms and also slivers of chicken!

Like Chinese "sheng mian", except with very yummy cream sauce.

Can eat it crispy, or leave it in the sauce a bit to make it softer. Either way, I like this dish a lot too! It's a battle between this and the butterfish steak for me.




WE ARE SOooo FULL!!!!!!

And we still have dessert ok!


:D


Indulgz's Panna Cotta

I like this! It tastes like big rabbit milk candy! Not too sweet and creamy and smooth. =D Like custard. Love it!


Homemade chocolate mousse, with strawberry and fresh cream
Made fresh in the kitchen! It's made of dark chocolate.

Shuyin and Weili and Wong really liked this coz it tastes really rich and thick; it's totally different from your typical cheap conventional chocolate mousse which is very foamy, kinda.


Despite our fullness still managed to gobble everything up


Chocolate fondue!



There's just SOMETHING about the chocolate that's different, and Christin refuses to tell me what the secret ingredient in her chocolate was!

Unlike the mousse this melted dark chocolate is sweeter but without being too over-powering (for the lack of a better descriptive word), and Shuyin guessed that it was coffee beans added but Christin said she is wrong.

Oh well, go try and find out! Really curious what it is.

I tried to toast my marshmallow against the tealights but it burnt!


-_-

Indulgz's food may look quite expensive, but it's not that sort of prudish place that you can't have fun at, so have fun we did!

Eeyer, look at the Weili...


Haha with fondue on his teeth!


Me


Weili, "Shuyin looks like she got one golden tooth!"



Nobody can outgross Weili and Wong lor... He even taught us how to spread the chocolate (ie putting some on your tongue and spreading it on your teeth evenly with saliva).

We had smoothies too!


Strawberry and Yogurt Smoothie / Mango and Peach Smoothie

Refreshing and delicious. I liked the mango better, but Wong loved the strawberry and yogurt. I think it's very funny how humans have different preferences. Alright, that's a weird thought, but I thought about how our tongues are like built the same way, yet we can like different things. Odd.

Acting like we fell in love...


Was really kinda awkward although I love my Teo lala..

Weili and Wong then pro lor!


Laugh it out first


Then serious for the camera.


Everyone being super happy about our meal!!!

Final pic to show how much we love Indulgz:


Hehe!

Visit Indulgz next time you go to Bugis! (And I think Bugis has a serious lack of things to eat if you are not interested in having steamboat that day)

It's in Tan Quee Lan street, which is 5 mins away from Bugis Junction (walk towards the apple strudel place) and directly opposite the DHL balloon, along the row of Tian tian huo guo!

If you are thinking of going out for dinner this Christmas, can try reserving a spot at Indulgz too! Do it before the 20th and identify yourself as a Xiaxue reader - and you get 10% off!! Can have a look at their Xmas menu here. =D

If you do go, I guess I will see you guys there coz I think I will be going often for my butterfish steak too!

p/s (Christin says): "New year's food and wine pairing set" and countdown party from 10pm onwards, door charge of $15.50nett will entitle you to a buffet of sweet finger food like cookies, muffins, danishes, donuts etc. Whole idea of this "sweet buffet" is to have a sweet starting for the new year!

All booze will only be for $5.50nett each. Premium housepours (Vodka, Bourbon, Tequila, Gin) with sodas, tiger & heneiken beer and house wines! Only opening doors for 80 people. Reservations preferred. Customers who come for new year's dinner will have door charge waivered.

Call 6238 7032, or email at enquiry@indulgz.com.

p/s: Is my old nose. By royal decreed of Mediacorp, no pic of the new nose on my blog till the last episode, which will be in february! Anyway it is super duper swollen now, so you won't wanna see it! Shuyin and Wanyi says it is nice, Ek and the rv gang say no better or worse, just different. Oh well!