yesterday mingyao fetched me from the dental clinic and i greeted him with a non-metallic smile. we went to far east plaza and wanted to eat chicken rice but it was sold out. we wanted to eat wasabi tei but the new 'two dollars to be paid for drinks and seat' sign on the door turned us off and we rambled into a yakitori eatery on the fifth floor. yakitori pieces were very small so we ambled about town looking for that something to satisfy us and we ended up at macdonald's with fries and a huge drink. so random. so nice.

lots of work to finish up at the office, but the bosses are taking us out tomorrow afternoon for a special something. so random. this means i have to go to work really really early. this weekend is going to be a Do Nothing At All weekend. i need all the rest and exercise i can get to get lots done before i leave for The Big Trip Of Two Thousand And Seven. i am going to miss mingyao for two weeks. but after that, it will be so nice.

just because, that is such a nice random picture.

today's downpour meant the ceiling leaked again and we had to put dustbins as buckets at sok's seat. plus we couldn't go across the road to eat so we went downstairs to a new eatery and ate our month's supply of tofu. tofu everything, really.

tomorrow is the day of freedom and i won't know how to behave - like how awkward it was when i first got braces - plus after that mingyao's taking me to some company event. so hmm, i gotta doll up. if i sleep now maybe i can run and then get to work early.

there are some films i am dying to watch: woody allen's manhattan and love story featuring ali mcgraw.



well. i hope the fires in greece die down quick. i think fire is a horrible fear, plus i won't want all those ancient structures to burn.

and. charmaine, get well soon.

on monday i met up for a short gathering with the char and the rest who surprised me with a very belated birthday present - a really sleek name card holder + luggage tag set. sobs - really touched because i didn't expect it at all. i took them to the first thai eatery at purvis street - great food, small portions for the price.

today i got the new issue of monocle from kinokuniya - new fantastic morning train ride read! - if i get a seat, that is [so much i want to read but i lack the time. i will probably be doing alot of reading on aeroplane/train rides and albany on my trip] and we had lunch at crystal jade la mian at takashimaya where i had a weird laughing fit - totally weird. anyway after dropping some materials off at the office he sent me home. most times we're like kids at the supermarket, everywhere else. he tells me that i'm his best friend and i make him happy. ditto. i want to take you to san francisco because i know you will love it there, he says.

home again

today on the way home i glanced out of the plane and admired the necklaces of lights criss crossing into the distance.

i tried on a beautiful jacket in country road but it's too expensive. country road has really great stuff.

mingyao picked me up from the airport with surprise da-bao-ed wan ton mee and we sat at the viewing gallery slurping away.

you're awesome.

sunday's a fun day.

mm. today's one of those lazy hazy days when we walked alot and basked in each other's company. after church we headed off to town and ate at obscure taiwanese eatery at international building before going to borders where i bought a travel notebook - thirteen dollars for that, mingyao exclaims!! - and i bought the latest issue of wallpaper and bumped into moses at the cashier who bumped into his friend queueing up in front of me - who also bought wallpaper - and three architects stood to converse in the queue. then mingyao and i went to kinokuniya and then crossed the road to paragon where we went supermarketting to look for jack daniel's honey djion mustard - mingyao contemplates what he can cook with it, a collegue had introduced it to him - and we went to muji to buy me a pencil holder for my office table but i bought a translucent cutlery tray so i can throw in my misc. misc. scotchtapes and clips etc. etc. and we bumped into shaun lin and tisha and we ended up buying belts too and then, we went back home. and we both love will smith.

yesterday's run was marred by hunger but today it was awesome. when i think about how God gave me good health i run a little faster; when i think about how He's blessed me with stamina, i run a little harder. that makes all the difference. running is a mental workout too. running in the gym in the hotel maya confirmed my distaste for gym workouts - only as a last resort; i hate how the machine controls my actions. it's good for times of convenience but i'd rather be out on pavements and real slopes; people and sky and the smell of the after rain. my favourite smell though, is the early morning dew smells - it's my favourite sight too, when the sun begins to rise and the colours start to change. hence: do it more whenever i can. plus nike's got some really cool stuff out this season - there's some incentive to try and wear out my current ones which are quite nice but i'd like to go black and blue again.

you rock my world.

charmaine says, she doesn't feel guilty eating chocolates



plans_san frisco (that is how jack k. calls it in his book) - bicycling at the park in october.

chocolate overload. last night mingyao gave me a box of good belgium chocolates which i ate immediately in the car before dinner and today at the dessert bar with the aki friends i had chocolate tart (with sorbet) and it was on the house so they kept feeding us - so. (i actually had a craving to do sit ups suddenly in the afternoon at a random moment - how bizarre but how apt. that means tomorrow will be a good run) - yar. have to go and run and refuel this weekend really, plus plan my trip proper, design some furniture and write a post card to mingyao.

cheng designed a bar at holland village - 2am dessert bar (it is near subway sandwiches) and he invited us today for a small gathering. we had the annual KSH 'playground' group photo and everybody was catching up on work - was it only in april that we were killing ourselves over The Thesis? - ah.

misc. misc.

today mingyao picked me up from work to the orthodontist - two more weeks and the braces comes off - no more ten hour long flossing sessions and i can finally bite into an apple without having to cut it. plus i can smile properly now into cameras. then we had dinner at holland village before having a scoop of ice cream each at island creamery at serene centre where mingyao explained to me the map of san francisco. we're going to walk everywhere - that's so lovely.

touch down




pictures taken from websites

i've run out of words to lull myself out - the past weeks have been a crazy blur and of course i like it all but i just need to get into a good system of enough rest and exercise before to make it all smooth. i just returned from KL today - four times at the airport within a week gets me really familiar with the place - one with the honey is awesomely cos i had a craving for greasy fried chicken and he came to pick me up from late night work and we hung out at macdonald's at the airport. i managed to get up early with m today and worked out at the hotel maya's (recently renovated by CSYA) gym for forty minutes before breakfast. next time i shall attempt to use the hydrotheraphy heated pool.

i bought a book at the duty free at changi - umberto eco's latest. m was reading a book by georges perec ( i think that's the spelling) about space and i shall get that and read it on the plane to NY. but first i should really finish on the road. i've been reading travel guides (+september uk vogue) in place of that for research.

on saturday evening mingyao and i had a nice dinner with some older friends - bumped into moses at the club - then we went to hang out at the airport again - had too much eclair at starbucks and on sunday we went to sherry's housewarming.

tomorrow i see my orthodontist (please please take out my braces) and see my lovely mother for a hair cut.

it is now, goodnight and go.

just returned from the cellgroup retreat at bintan - so much fun and inspiration.