parents swung by sembawang and discovered a bak kut teh store kampung style in a north niche. we drove down there for lunch and it was really good. 60s style 'wo lai ye' music playing with cheesy disco ball hanging from the attap roof, and the bak kut teh soup was nicely herbal and delicious and we had tea with those tiny tea cups and our own kettle by our table on a trolley with a gas canister attached below it. and the banter was the best - when dad can be cheesy funny and we laugh at each others' quirks in a cosy warm manner. sister secrets behind closed doors. my brother had jamie oliver's cook book on his table.

reliable japanese ebi fry set in the basement of raffles city. mingyao and i dressed up with a little more smarts, parading the town in heels and leather shoes. actually we walked like ants, nonstop arm in arm, we walked to millenia walk and had a good beer each at paulana brahaus at the bar counter. they have funky paper napkins, good for scribbling ideas on. we had a satay thought so we walked to clarke quay and sat watching the bungee thing people screaming up into the air and i was going oh shi** each time they were propelled up. infectious screaming - the crowd at the bottom were laughing - transfered emotions. anyways, we discovered the satay place was gone so we proceeded to walk back to the esplanade at glutton square. the satay there was too expensive so we shared a plate of hokkien mee. what delicious, slurpy gravy, oh the lard, the msg and the stock and the juicy prawns and the really rich sauce. then we proceeded to the lobby of the swisshotel to wait for siew jie to pick me up and sat exhausted at sofas by empty concierge desks and amongst frisky hotel and wedding guests. ride home with siew jie - sisterly affections elevated due to sister secrets. a whole fraternity at home. you're never alone that way. i say, i had a good workout walking all that distance in my heels. the hokkien mee killed it all but i don't care. i shall try on my new adidas running shorts later on and feel chic burning all that lard away. next up: responsibilities and cleansing of the heart - love translated to action. a reins on the self somewhat and the loosening of the reins in the other segments. no more minor chords for a while. my aim is to lose some blubber and cut a bob like six years back, and if i'm more bold, something like an edie sedgwick.