A Mocha Mint and Two Discernible Men.

I was on my own in a nice, quaint little café in Solaris on a late Friday evening. Sipping a mocha mint and devouring an American marble cheese cake. You know, I never really know why it is named after the Americans. The cheese cake I mean. Anyway, I've just came from watching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince which I'm refraining hard from posting a review. We wouldn't want spoilers, now would we ... for those who haven't seen it yet.

As I settled in a comfortable loveseat, there were two men seated not too far away from where I was seated. They were quite hard to miss really … given their loudness. Though I did try hard but seeing that it was a very, very quiet café which its purpose is for people to do their reading whilst enjoying a cuppa, their conversation stood out like a sore thumb. From what I could make of it, they are business associates. One, a Chinese man, probably in his late thirties and decidedly not married. Let’s call him Mr. C. The other, a ‘mamak’, probably in his late thirties as well, definitely married. He shall be Mr. M.

Although I noticed them, they were of little interest to me. Initially. As I was reading my book intently, my ears immediately perked up at “Oh, it’s for my girls” said Mr. M. I couldn’t help but to wonder as to whether he meant ‘girls’ as in daughters or mistresses. A little after, he was on the phone. Speaking to what it appears to be, an estate agent in relation to securing a place for his girls. You know, the usual run-of-the-mill kinda stuff e.g. rent, deposits, possession etc. After the phone call ended, Mr. C said “Oh, I didn’t know you are renting a new place”. To which Mr. M replied “Ahhh, got to take care of my girls. You see, they are special”. Hmmm, interesting. I don’t know why, but my hunch tells me it’s not for his daughters. Of course, assuming he has any.

Then Mr. C’s mobile beeped. It was a special ring tone (it sounded really different from the earlier ring tone) and I suspected that it was his woman calling him. Then Mr. M said “Ahh, Wei Wei is calling you”. A-ha bingo! Mr. C answered his mobile by saying “Wei Weiiii … what do you wanna eat .... oh Jinjang … that would probably take about 45 minutes …if you want to wait for me, it’s up to you … I’ll come pick you up then … see you soon”. Throughout it all, Mr. C sounded really sweet talking to Wei Wei. And I smiled to myself.

Then the two men were silent. And I thought to myself “Oh good, now I can go back to reading my book”. But only for a while. Then Mr. C asked Mr. M “So, how long have you been seeing these girls of yours?”. AH-HA BINGO! So they were mistresses. He was renting a place for his mistresses to stay. Mr. M closes his eyes as he recount the months/years then replied “Coming to a year I think”. Then Mr. C commented “You’re crazy”. To which Mr. M satisfactorily replied “Money buys you happiness mate”.

And that, really got me thinking.

Doesn't this mean that if it weren’t for his money, his girls would not even be with him ... rendering Mr. M aware of the fact that they are with him for his money. That does seem like a logical view to take, doesn’t it? And if that were true, it appears that he seem to be alright with it. That money motivates people even though it is not business related. And as these two men left for their next agenda, Mr. C to see Wei Wei and Mr. M to see his wife, a realisation dawned upon me. That happiness is very subjective and it is difficult to define.

Pictorial Entry

Blackboy Hilltop, Clifton, Bristol – the view outside the apartment, taken during a late Winter, 2004 

Frosty branches …  

The conspicuous Tour Eiffel, named after its designer, Gustave Eiffel - Summer, 2005 

Pont Alexander III facing Les Invalides, containing monuments and museum relating to military history of France as well as a burial site for some of France’s war heroes, notabaly Napolean Bonaparte – Summer, 2005 

White Cliffs of Dover, taken on board the P&O ferry from Dover to Calais – Summer, 2005 

Temple Bar, Dublin – Summer, 2005

The Football Association of Ireland, the door marks the Georgian architecture, Dublin – Summer, 2005

I can never, EVER get tired of good ‘ol Hong Kong!  nb. please view with Internet Explorer.

On the way up to The Peak Tram. HK has excellent collections of skyscrapers.

Passing Citibank. Can’t really see it from this angle. 

And no, I’m not a Christian. I just took it for … well for fun and of course its architecture. :p

I really think that they could have done a better job with the design. A bit bland innit ….

  Tram on the way up to Victoria Peak. Reminds me of the tram up to Penang Hill. OK OK, the tram to Pg Hill is a lot smaller.

And no, I’m not a fan of Jackie Chan. He just happened to be outside Madam Tussauds.

The view at Victoria Peak. There’s mainland across the sea i.e. New Territories. I think. *grins sheepishly*

The view point.  A rather small Oriental gazebo.

Lurveee the bamboooossssss.

Sweeping wind. Brings a cool breeze against your skin. Nice!

Cute little cottage housing a restaurant. Didn’t get the name though. 

Escalating feature within the tram station at the Peak. 

Posh and classy cafe at …. err … think it was at The Landmark. Anyway it’s opposite TOD’S. They have excellent high tea.

WAN TAN MEEE!!!!! I would go back anytime, just for this!

I have always been a fan of Hong Kong. But I haven’t been there for over a year and when it was finally time to visit again, I was ecstatic. And notwithstanding the rain, I had a great time! Actually, I think the rain was an amelioration as it got rid of the polluted air. Surely, it is a little hassle to carry an umbrella with you but I think that’s better than breathing the hot and humid polluted air during the warm season in Hong Kong. I’ve only been back a day or two and I’m already missing HK …especially the ‘wan tan mee’ (as pictured above). It is HONESTLY so darn good. The steamed ‘kai lan’ vegetable with oyster sauce are top notch too. I had this everyday … ok maybe not everyday. Should anyone fancy a good French meal, I’d definitely recommend Chez Patrick on Sun Street off Queen’s Road East. Nearest MTR station would be Admiralty. Exit the main entrance from Pacific Place and then turn right. More information is obtainable at www.chezpatrick.hk. The foie gras and desert are quite delicious. For Japanese, there is only one place and it is definitely NOBU at Inter-Continental Hotel. Hope to go HK again in the future.

That’s all for now FOLKS!

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Hardy Har Har ! This is cute .... and funny.

CONT'D FR. PREVIOUS POST: EATING

Sheryl and I met at OU. There's this place called the Garden. It's located right behind the escalator, next to Reebok/Nike outlet at Lower Ground Level. The concept of Garden is of English cafe, with lots of wheelbarrow, lavender and what nots other flowers for deco. The funitures are all in white which is surrounded with lots of greenery. Perhaps even close to Garden of Eden. Though the deco was pretty, I'm sorry to say the food was mediocre. It really is just a place to meet up for drinks. If you want real good food, go elsewhere. We didn't stay there very long for it was off to shopping thereafter!

What I've been up to .... nothing much really. Except that I've been eating lots. I'm so gonna get fat, I tell you. Probably already am. Anyways. This pic was taken at the Italian restaurant, Cipolla located at Bangsar Telawi. My cuz, Su Lin just moved down to KL in early April and we made a 'date' to meet up over dinner. That's the change from the bill which I'm holding. My cuz was super fast with her hands ... I didn't even had the chance to put it away yet. Haha! She'll make a good photographer.

I always take my friends to Cipolla. Their pasta and wines are excellent commingled with the arcadian Venetian deco and an ambience that a 'boudoir' has, it's always an ideal place to dine and relax. So far, they all loved it. My favourite is the Pasta Linguine and sauvignan blanc. I've been meaning to take Sheryl there numerous times, but so far our schedule hasn't synchronise ... yet. Sheryl, one day k ...

Next rest. to sample: Nero Fico.

OH MY GAWD

!!!

I AM DYING FOR THIS HEELS!

FAINT.

Errrmmmmm....

But so dear. S0.

Better refrain.

BUTTTTT ..... I LURVEEEE IT!

Isn't it just GORGEOUS ?

Gotta lurveee the colour comb.

*ouch ouch ouch*

I've been intending to make chicken curry for quite some time now. But somehow, something always intervened. However, it was finally meant to be. Just yesterday, I decided to see if I can still make chicken curry for I haven't made curry in the longest time. Well, at least it is for chicken curry. The last curry I made was yonks ago ... say about 4 yrs ? Perhaps even longer. And I am happy to say that it was a success! I'm so glad! However, this time I decided to add something different i.e. star anise and a teensy bit of plain yoghurt. Really a small amount, only as much as 1.5 tablespoon. Just to make it a tad creamy.

Though, I have to admit that it can get a little too overfull if the chicken curry is consumed with rice. I had it with bread earlier today and it sits better on my stomach. If only I know how to make 'roti jala'. Now, that would have been a parfait combination. Elle! Need your help here. Note to oneself: not advisable to consume curry too much due to its high content of coconut milk. Best to keep it moderate.

. . . . Reminiscing the good 'ol summer spirit. Times are tough, try to keep your spirits high. Those lost can be earned back. Of course, except love. Ergo, appreciate those you love, who love you in return, for they are the ones who comfort you when you are down.

As the day lengthens and the sun fattens in the sky, a strange phenomenon comes over people ... we all seem to go a little crazy as the summer approaches. As we emerge, mole like, from our winter coats and jumpers, we blink into the sunlight and some strange kind of solstice-type alchemy shifts our habitual dour expressions into one mischief and madness. Our eyes start to twinkle that little more brightly, our hearts dance a little more freely and a subtle, full moon character shift lures us in its gentle grip. Hem lines and blood pressure rise with the thermometer's mercury and the cocktail hour gets by the day. The boring guy on the bus suddenly looks like Brad Pitt, queuing up at the post office is not a problem and working over the weekend is not such an ordeal after all. Well ok, this actually depends on the nature of your job. That time, I was working as an ice-cream vendor ... so it was nice to see lots of people craving for ice cream.

For me, the summer is about being alive, it's about being ready for anything, it's about laughing and drinking wine on the beach or in the park with friends for the rays of sunlight activates the brain. We spend our winters head down, ploughing our fields so to speak, so I love it when the summer comes along and gives all of us worker bees a chance to dance and be merry. I love that as the days gets longer, there is a certain rebirth in the air and all the things that all grieves between November and February seems to magically slip away, or rather gets put to the back-burner until the following winter. People are nicer and more understanding, children are more cheerful and by God, tout va bien in the world; with the spirit of summer tangible in the air, everything is just, well, easier and happier. But the best thing about summer for me is not the je ne sais quoi that takes us over ... because of course, it is easier to love when we love and appreciate ourselves.

Love in the summertime is the best tonic around to chase away the winter blues. From the teenage girl who sits waiting by her window, hoping against hope that her boyfriend will pass to a long term couple who sit in companionable silence and watch the world go by, there is no better season to celebrate love. Romeo and Juliet had it in the 16th century; Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal had it in the 1970s. Hopefully, you have it now, or at least have already encountered that magical feeling at least once. There is no fashion dictatorship to it, no magazine editor to tell you if it’s hot or not. You do not have to be tall and beautiful to fall in love, or rich or a perfect size 6. In fact, falling in love is probably the most politically correct thing to do on the planet! Unbiased, the simplicity of loving is just that ... simple. In a world where we are continually weighing up the pros and cons of our actions, it is refreshing to see time after time couples plunge headlong into the crazy whirlwind that may or may not lead them to the altar. The rollercoaster of do they, will they, won't they is the best ride ever for the time it lasts, before it settles into something more palpable. Everywhere we go and everything we do is tainted by the incredibility that “Yes! You too have been targeted by the mischievous little Cupid and his bow”. The Swedish say "A life without love is like a year without summer". I say that a summer without love is like a summer in black and white - you can still function but goodness me, it is certainly dreary.

(on listening to "All You Need is Love" by Beatles)