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In the time that I haven't blogged, I have:

- Bought and moved into my new flat
- Got married to the love of my life
- Gone on TWO honeymoons

Moral of post: I haven't blogged in a really long time, but promise to do so this weekend!

Absolutely exhausted

The last time that I woke up bone tired, I'd just finished a half-marathon prior to hitting the sack, so it has been really frustrating that even though you put in the sleep hours, you're not getting refreshed.

I put it down to almost half a year of losing my weekends to a variety of worthy reasons: marriage prep, wedding prep, honeymoon planning, nursery duty, home renovation, and all the associated tasks and errands they entail.

While it's exciting to finally be owning my very own pad (whee!), I can't help but feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of detail home renovation demands. It's far and away the most trying of the lot simply because everything is new. Buying an aircon is new. Choosing a type of paint (not just the colour you know, there's also odour-free, anti-bacterial, anti-stick, versions for every shade of ICI Dulux paint) is a whole new experience. Choosing a contractor is time consuming but necessarily so.

Add to that the fact that the amount of money being bandied around guarantees that we'll be in debt for the next... let's just say the near future.

On the bright side, the church and dinner venues are secured and the honeymoon is almost completely planned!

All that's left is to plan the wedding which happens in less than three months. Omg.

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Things have been a little crazy-looking at work, much like how the people on the Titanic viewed the waves before they were engulfed - *wah lan eh. Siao liao.*

There are a finite number of hours in a month. So we shall see.

One bright spot has been the revival of workout wednesday/thursday. It felt great to just sweat it out without the knee hurting. And now the pool key is back, so that means can shower after running, before going back to work. See the wave?

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If you know me, you'll know that I'm not the sort to start like, a wedding blog with countdown timer and continuous FB updates on MY FANTASTIC WEDDING... That doesn't mean I'm not excited, just aware that there are some on my FB update list who might not be invited to the festivities...

So far, the planning for the church ceremony and dinner has been pretty straightforward, with a lot of help from family and friends. Seriously, the offers of help (okay lah, some coerced) have been overwhelming. So thanks you guys for helping, really appreciate it - you know who you are.

So far, the plan for the two days looks like fun. The basic rules we're enforcing are:

1. Nothing is repeated over the two days, so you won't be bored if you attend both.
2. If we're not going to enjoy ourselves doing it, we won't do it. It's our wedding, dammit.
3. As much as everybody is giving us well-meaning advice about how a wedding is a one-day affair, and marriage is for life, STOP! We know! That doesn't excuse you from doing the best you can on a day/night as special as this.

That about covers it. Man that felt good. Digital diahorrhea.

Twenty-oh-nine in review

Looking back at a post I wrote exactly one year ago which began with:
"

It shouldn't be fair that 365 days could yield so much - how on earth are we ever gonna live up to 2008?"

I'm filled with satisfaction at how 2009 has panned out - way beyond what 2008 brought. There are so many things to be thankful for, and that's what I'll focus on first:

1. Question popped: And now the question is, how will it turn out in 2010? I'm so excited and some days I still can't believe it's really happening. But it is. :)

2. Goals fulfilled: I made the longest list of resolutions last year and checked off most of them halfway through the year, with just a few remaining.

Fitness-wise, the knee injury's kept me from completing the marathon (but hey, I tried, didn't I?), though the IPPT was cleared, and the bike is about to be purchased.

3. Work/Life balance: This was actually a reality for a good part of the year, and I feel a lot more settled in at the end of 2009 than I was a year ago. The opportunities to learn and the fantastic team I'm working with mean that I'm not thinking about moving any time soon. The new experiences (new biz, training mods, etc.) are keeping things fresh for me, and I sense that 2010 will bring with it even more opportunities to shake things up.

4. Perspective the magazine: It was bewildering how everyone pulled together to get this out in the five days from conception to execution. Five days!! Proud of everyone on the team; made me feel like I was back in the Chron room again, designing and laying out copy...

5. Old friends: I'm thankful for all the new acquiantances I made in the course of 2009, but what really surprised me was how wonderful it felt to re-connect with old buddies I hadn't seen in awhile. It was so easy to slip back into the groove, wavelengths undisturbed. Beautiful.

And with the highs, we have the lows:

1. People matter: A ridiculous number left last year, with some among them true friends who will definitely be missed. You know who you guys are. It's what the working world is, but we're stronger than that.

2. Late nights: Remember I said work/life balance was true most of the time? Well, the other times weren't fantastic.

3. Knee busted: Didn't realise how much I've come to depend on running to shed those kilos, not to mention how relaxing/addictive it is. I did a few clicks in Dec though, so hopefully I'll be able to get back to it soon. Swimming and cycling are great, but nothing beats the feet on tarmac at 11pm.

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2010's gonna be huge. Right now, all I can think about is the trip to Spain with you -- can't wait! Bring it on!

Merry Christmas

It's been so long since I've updated this blog, but I don't think I can/should let it die a natural death. I'll update it soon - TTFN!

Minister Mentos

The last week has been a real whirlwind of work-week, with Wednesday seeing the culmination of a month-long series of training sessions in the office. Long story short, my team won!

So proud of the interns who put all they had into the group project - staying on in the office way way after hours in the process - to make it happen. It feels good to have a batch of interns who seem genuinely interested in learning; it makes things so much easier.

Went to Malacca over the weekend with the family and Shermin. Kinda weird at first, but I think it went well on the whole. Pics soon - gonna crash in bed now.

Sidetrack: I didn't watch the match and from what I heard, seems like it was yet another classic. Crap.

PerfectION, and chocolate sin

Woooh, it's been a long time since I last blogged but hey, good things must wait right. ION Orchard opened it's doors to the public for the very first time on Tuesday and S and I dropped by like any other kaypoh Singaporean.

I have to say that I liked everything I saw. From the tenant mix consisting of new shops and familiar brands who made the effort to dress up in the form of swanky concept stores, to tiny details such as the rest rooms and not-too-glaring lighting, made for an excellent first impression.

We reached the place at about 8pm, and headed for Watami Casual Japanese Restaurant, after reading a favourable FB status update.

(Source: Watami website)

After a 20 min wait, we were ushered to our seat by the Japanese waitress (seemed like they flew in about 5 - 6 native Japanese staff to level-up the local staff) and promptly ordered the Ramen, some of their speciality sushi and... alcoholic green tea!

Sushi Grandeur ($10.80)

Close up

The unagi was really good considering the relatively low price. Oh, in case you're wondering, by right there are supposed to be three pairs of salmon, scallop and unagi. They ran out of scallop (replaced by salmon) and.....Iateoneunagibeforeshecouldtakeapicturesothere. =)

Tori Karaage and Negi Pirikara ($7.80)

The deep-fried chicken bits in spicy scallion sauce was another interesting dish which was pretty reasonably-priced.

A rather unpleasant incident did happen though, which kinda spoilt the meal for her.

S spotted lipstick marks on her green tea mug, and got the waitress to change it. The waitress was visibly distressed and apologized profusely, before replacing the mug with.... you guessed it, the same mug.

And how did we know it was the same mug? Because the lipstick stain never clean properly - inside still have!!!

Not wanting to make a scene, we decided to just pay and leave after our meal. It was, after all, only 8:50pm; plenty of un-explored shops awaited.

Watami Casual Japanese Restaurant ION Orchard
Taste: 6.5/10
Value: 8/10
Ambience: 8/10

Verdict: Probably won't be back. There weren't any killer dishes and in general the place seems to lack a distinctive "type" of Japanese food, like Tonkichi has fried pork cutlets or Sun with Moon has the whole new-age fusion thing going for it.

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We also walked through the "360 marketplace", another Jasons-type gourmet market, and came across these brightly-coloured bell peppers! As we stood transfixed by the multi-hued veges, we could'a sworn at least 3 different groups walked past, stopped, came back and tried to test if they were fake.

These'll make a fantastic salad I'm sure

Apparently very very spicy

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The past two weeks were filled with so many celebrations for the both of us too. Her birthday, my (delayed) birthday, our anniversay, etc. We had a few celebratory desserts but these two stand out:

Seah St Deli, Chocolate decadence - $11.90

First, Seah St Deli's famous seven-layer chocolate cake. I've been meaning to try this since I heard about it from my colleagues, but never got around to it. In fact, I'd meant to come here to try the key lime pie, the other house specialty.

By the time we got there (9:30pm) we were left with either the chocolate decadence or American cheese cake - not too shabby!

The cake is supremely tall. Seriously. It sort of glares at you and tries to stare you down when it first arrives. Every layer is perfectly even and reminds me of how the pictures on those Betty Crockers Devil's Chocolate Cake look like, uniform in their evil.

Despite its height, you are still able to eat the cake in dignified forkfuls, as the sponge does its job of keeping the shape of the cake beautifully. The cherry sauce and chocolate twirls are nice additions, but really, the star is the cake.

If I have one complaint, both S and I felt it was a tad too sweet. The fudge contained traces of caramel, which some may not really like, though this is balanced out somewhat by the chocolate sponge, which is not overly-cloying.

Over all, I'd say this is one cake you have to have at least once in your lifetime - or once a year if you're a chocolate lover. Any more and you'll turn into a cacao bean!

Canele, Caribe, $8.50

On the other end of the height spectrum sits this unassuming cake from designer pastry maker Canele.

Do not be deceived by its looks, because this cake packs a huge chocolate rush! It is not much larger in girth from an average char siew pau, but boy does it make up for it in its intensity.

Every bite you sink your teeth into brings you closer to chocolate heaven (where the grills are edible!). The smooth, dark chocolate paste contrasts perfectly with the roasted hazelnuts that adorn the square-looking cake.

I would say that this is definitely one of those rare chocolate cakes meant for one person that have to be finished by two. S and I almost lost our voices at KTV after dinner cos of this!

Beyond all reasonable doubt

I watched the first half of last weekend's game against Spurs, then was on the phone in the other room for the rest of the second half.

Fact or fiction?