Love at first bite

I developed a new addiction recently...Navel Oranges from California.

I need to have at least 2 every day.

This excerpt from an online article will probably explain why I fell rather madly in love with this variety of oranges from the first time I sank my teeth into it:

"Californian Navels can also get very juicy and sweet and are considered by many to be the best oranges in the world. They have a meaty flesh, their thick rinds are easy to peel, the segments separate easily, and they have no seeds. All navel oranges have a navel at the blossom end - an opening with a convoluted interior that looks, well, like a navel. "

P.S. I get my supply of Sunkist Navel Oranges from the FairPrice Minimart at Esso Station near my place. It's probably available at full-size FairPrice supermarkets too. Apparently, the season for Navel Oranges is at its peak now, and will last till May.

My Funny Valentine

I hated anything to do with mathematics since the day I knew how to count.

Or perhaps since the day I was tasked to memorise those damn timetables.

Or the day I did my first problem sum.

Or the day the I realised I would much prefer playing with words to figuring out what is X if 3X + 1 = 10.

(The answer is 3, by the way. Hurray. And in the unfortunate event I am wrong, do me a favour...don't tell me.)

So you can imagine my surprise (it was shock initially, but I got over that) when I find myself eagerly anticipating the opportunity to work in an extremely figures-intensive industry. It has now gotten to the point when I am enthusiastically soaking up all that I can find on this industry and the details of the work on the Internet, from financial news to transaction formulae and anything in between.

I confess that the initial attraction has everything to do with the monetary prospects.

But the start and progression of this attraction is really not unlike that of a love affair.

You deem a certain type of men as Mr No Ways based on your knowledge of your personality and preferences. And then one of those Mr No Ways appear at a point in your life when you are no longer certain of what you really want anymore, and it doesn't hurt that he look good too, so he becomes Mr Maybe. Soon, even though the initial attraction has been purely physical, he turns into Mr Very Nearly Right when you become genuinely intrigued by his character as you get to know him better...and when you discover that your definition of Mr No Way is archaic anyway, since your personality and preferences have changed quite a fair bit over the years without you consciously realising it.

Like all love affairs, I am not sure right now if I will have the opportunity to explore it further. And if I do, I can't be certain at this stage if it will turn out to be what I really want after all. But well, like all love affairs, you need to just get on with it and give it your best shot again and again and again, before you know if it will end in a split, or total bliss.

I am hoping hard I will at least have a chance to find out ; )

Handicapped Handphone

Technically, my handphone is still working...but whether I can make or receive calls successfully depends a little on luck, and who/where I am calling.

Thanks to a very unfortunate slip of the hand, my Samsung U700 hit the ground from a 4cm-ish height (yea...just 4cm-ish) and it has been acting up since.

I can only hear the voice of the party on the other line if I slide out my keypad. And that is if I am lucky.

Plus, I can't hear anything at all when I dial any number that's a hotline...such as cab companies' numbers.

DAMN. DAMN. DAMN.

This is the 5th handphone in my life and the first time I actually damaged one.

DAMN. DAMN. DAMN.

And during a period when I need it most too, as I really need to remain easily contactable at this time.

DAMN. DAMN. DAMN.

Thankfully, a friend is going to lend me her spare phone for the time being...till...I don't know, either after I get it fixed or get another one. My spare phone is now my mum's and though she readily volunteered to pass it back to me, I have no intention of taking it back because there is no no no way I am going to allow her to get out of the house without a handphone...the worry of not being able to contact her when she's not back by a reasonable time each time she heads out will kill me faster than being handphone-less myself (she's not senile/irresponsible/'insensible' hahahaha...it's just me being an extreme worrywart).

A.R.R.R.R.R.R.R.R.G.H.

"여보세요"

Apparently, that's "Hello" in Korean.

In case you are wondering if I am packing my bags for Korea,
the answer's no.

It's just that I am starting to think I had been a Korean woman in my past life.

Because I can't come up with any other explanation why I CRAVE KIMCHI THAT BADLY EVERY TIME IT'S THAT TIME OF THE MONTH!

(LOADS OF) FOOD FOR THOUGHT

I love buffets.

But it's got nothing to do with my love for food...it has more to do with my love for variety.

Or rather, make that my greed for variety.

It's pure bliss to know that you can savour all kinds of cuisine and feast on any amount you like, and yet pay just one fixed price.

Sadly, these days, that blissful feeling tends to last only between the time of making that phone reservation to after the first few plates of food.

While hotel buffets have gone all designer decor and multi-station these days, their fare failed to impress.

At least, I can say that of The Line at Shangri-La and Carousel at Royal Plaza on Scotts.

The Line was ok, but for the kind of money one has to pay to dine there, I expected the food to be warm, if nothing else. But sadly, no such luck. And, service was pretty s-l-o-w.

As for Carousel, despite the many positive comments from friends and netizens, the standard of its fare really left much to be desired (though service was relatively swift and sharp).

It wasn't awful. It just simply wasn't good enough.

The seafood wasn't fresh enough, and the prawns were really overcooked.

The pasta prepared by a chef at the station upon my order was almost on par with those that I attempted to prepare on my own at home. Which is not good news.

And the desserts were either way too sweet or way too sour. Either way, I shuddered involuntarily in shock at first bites.

I heard Melt at Oriental Mandarin is not worth getting excited about too.

Anyway, I think I will stay off buffets for a little while. Pleasant or otherwise, I have already gotten the cravings for buffets out of my system with the two recent experiences at The Line and Cayrousel.

Or perhaps not. As I was typing the last sentence of the previous paragraph, an image of a Champagne Brunch session flashed before my eyes....me sipping bubbly and tucking into loads of brekkie/lunch fare in a sun-drenched dining hall over the
lovely late-morning-early-afternoon period.

Hmmm...now that's indeed food for thought.

I had read and heard some pretty good reviews of Champagne Brunches at Ritz Carlton and Beaufort Hotel (or some other hotel in Sentosa...I can't be certain which).

And in the event those reviews turn out to be disappointing again food-wise, at least I am sure the free-flowing bubbly from good labels will more than make up for it.

HMMMMMMMMMMMM...let me know if you are keen.