The O'Mearas

3 weeks ago I received a surprise email from Bob to share his joy on Bobby and Kate's wedding in late Summer. Emotions overcame the happiness and joy I share with Bob and Sue while I was viewing the photos. Bob was my first boss when I joined ATK and it was and still is one of the most enjoyable working relationship I've had; the chemistry we had was tremendous plus I was also close to his family. I still remember sending them pineapple tarts and love letters during CNY, and Megan (2nd daughter) used to love our local chocolate wafers so much that I actually sent her a few boxes of those too. Sounds a bit crazy huh? Oh yes, and I miss those annual Saint Patick's Day party @ The O'Meara's residence where all guests were decked out in shades of Green with lotsa food, booz, fun and laughter and it's always a tradition that no soul will leave the party skipping the pool. It was FUN, FUN, FUN :D

For the past 10 years we have been keeping in touch through occassional emails and yearly Christmas cards. Recently Bob sent me another reminder to visit him and Sue. The email reads, "when you are coming to the States to visit? We have saved the guestroom for you... Sue and I are not young anymore..." Another teary moment for me - no prize for guessing, I have shallow eyes. The last time I saw them was at my wedding so I'm definitely looking forward to seeing them again. Chicago, look out for my arrival (soon)!

Boomz! She SHINGZ-ed it again

A Decade of Togetherness

October 3rd, 1999, I embarked on a new journey of my life stories. It has been 10 years since and nothing much has changed maybe except for a few 'faint' laugh lines, frown lines, dilated pores and what have you. A colleague saw Hubby for the first time and commented that we don't look like married couple especially since I told her it's been a decade since we exchanged our wedding vows. Hmm... she said it's a compliment and so I took her word for it. Of course like all marriages there are up and down moments and the rule of thumb for me is to never give up trying to make the most out of the relationship and never stop trusting each other. Because when either of it fails then trouble bestows.

Before

Celebrated the special day at Angsana Bintan Resort. Ferry ride was comfortable, however, the weather was gloomy and rained shortly after we arrived at the resort. Thankfully the sun was out again an hour later and we made our way to the beach for some Vitamin D therapy. Since we were not planning for a romantic (and expensive) dinner by the South China Sea we were happy to feast on seafood BBQ by the beach, but it started pouring near dinner time so we had to make do with buffet at the resort's one and only cafe. To sum it up, the service far exceeds the meal. No need to elaborate I believe.

If there ever is a reason I need to head back to Bintan again it's definitely the spa that's luring us back. I've heard so much raving reviews of the award-winning spa that the pre-requisite for staying at Angsana is only if I could book my treatments and so I did. Plus, I managed to book the outdoor pavilion! Ooh la la. The masseur, Athi, was one of the best I've had; her strokes were firm and at the same time gentle enough for me. That coupled with the nice weather and by that I don't mean the sun, instead it was raining, so, imagine the sound of raindrops hitting against the cemented floor and the wind blowing against freshly scrubbed and well moisturized skin. I was quickly transported to dreamland, soundly asleep but not too deep to still be able to enjoy the experience. One session is definitely not enough so we headed back for an hour of Indian Head Massage the next day to loosen up the tense shoulders and give the tresses its much needed pampering treat. Again, it was a delighting experience.

Lunched Banyan Tree just before we headed home. Contrary to the negative reviews on TripAdvisor the food was pretty decent - good but not great. However, if there's one item I will advice against ordering that would be the beef burger. The patty was a letdown as it dry and hence tough and the only saving grace on the plate was none other than fries. Ask for alfresco dining and you won't regret it comes with a panoramic view of the South China Sea, a feast for the sight.

After

Quotes of wisdom and wit...

'Our marriage was many years ago but our celebration continues till this day' ~ Gene Perret

'Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing' ~ Goethe

'Love is blind, marriage is the eye-opener' ~ Pauline Thomason

'It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life' ~Rita Rudner

And this is for the husbands out there...

'Only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy. One is to let her think she is having her own way, the the other, to let her have it' ~ Lyndon B. Johnson

Currently listening to... Wondergirls - Nobody

Ramadan

This is one of the annual pasar malam that I look forward to in Geylang Serai that marks the beginning of the month long Ramadan aka Hari Raya Puasa. An assortment of goodies from clothes, shoes, bags, household items and food, you name it, are being lelong-ed. All the shouting from the stall owners helped boost the ambience and even non-Muslims like myself are soaked in the festivity - nevermind I don't understand the language as festive mood is highly infectious. Over the years I've made many trips to the pasar malam but this year I made an attempt to bring the camera with me. Glad I did.

After long hours of fasting the body needs something that is nutritious (is known to contain natural sugar than an other fruit) to kick start the digestive system before taking in any solids. Hence, dates are commonly seen during Ramadhan period. Here you see a choice of dates ranging in size and price. To date the most expensive I've seen was going at few hundred dollars a kilo... which I reckon is fit for the royals.

That's Hubby checking out the kueh kuehs

Food and more food to suit everyone's choice of a good snack

This is my all time favourite. Ayam Pecik. It's spice marinated chicken wings sandwiched between 2 bamboos (or some stall uses disposable chopsticks), grilled over the charcoal and when it's done, dipped in a special sauce to zest up the tastebuds! The best I've tried so far are the ones last year. This year's was a disappointment albeit the sign that says 'Power Sauce'. Not only did it lack the power, the meat was bland with the slightest hint of spice.

I have until this weekend to go back for another attempt to find the best Ayam Pecik in Geylang Serai. However the spirit is willing but the legs are not. We'll see.

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Carol's first attempt at Roti Boyan, the filling is made of potatoes and spring onions. On it's own it tastes simple or maybe just plain, but not when it's accompanied by a generous dose of sambal chilli. Ooh la la! She said the pastry is thicker unlike her MIL's but I say, it's a good attempt for first-timer.

Ris Low: Miss World Singapore 2009 Winner At Her Best

I've watched this video at least 3 times now and still can't help laughing at our dear Ms. Low with each repeat telecast. She can't even express herself in simple words... what is 'booms'?!!! Does she mean to make an impact? Worst, she can't even get the word daring right, instead she got it as rrr-ring. What is happening here??

RMIT Convocation 2009

August 28, 2009 marks another milestone in my life. 我终于毕业了!

If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.

"Graduation is only a concept. In real life every day you graduate. Graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life. If you can grasp that, you'll make a difference." ~ Arie Pencovici