Random thoughts

Don't let this scare you.


This is a spanish rice dish of squid cooked in its own ink. Yea looks awful, but I could taste the freshness of the squid in each mouthful I had. It was THAT delicious. The squid was done perfectly, no foul taste.

Only the freshest squids could be used for a dish like that. And fresh squids they have over in La Coruna aplenty alright. The rice was nice and fluffy, and squid tasted like they flipped out of the ocean. I miss this dish. Pulpo.







On the way up to Park Guell. Eating Magnum. Mmmm.


A fantastic dish of lightly grilled octopus with onions, paprika and olive oil with lemon sauce. Ooh lala! I had this all to myself that evening.
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I need a holiday.

Journey and Destination

One probably has heard that Life is really about the journey, not the destination. And I completely agree, on the premise that one continuously makes the journey as enjoyable and fruitful as possible.

However, the company one enjoys along the journey makes up for a large part of Life. True that one may choose to be alone than to be in bad company. But apart from this extreme, I think that the companions we have to journey together, experience and discover life together make this journey more meaningful.

2 people I know about have chosen to embark on a new phase of their life together by investing in an MBA in a foreign institution of higher learning. There was anxiety of whether they'd both be chosen for entry into this prestigious school, what'll happen if one gets in and the other does not. Do they choose separate schools in this case , what'll happen to their shared apartment and pets? etc etc

At one point they had considered leaving the family pet in Singapore while they were away. The quarantine period did not justify for the short amount of time they'd spend.

What touched me was that it all broiled down to the fact that they went back to first principles : They decided to embark on this journey TOGETHER in the first place. This put the answer into their heads and hearts, and the rest of what they needed to do with their choice of schools and what to do with their pets just fell into place.

Life really can be quite simple after all isn't it. As long as we have our thoughts sorted out.

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My little god daughter is about to embark on her journey into school later today.

I remember the anxiety I felt in my first day at kindergarten, and again at P1. I don't know why, but these feelings and images have stuck with me for so many years.

Maybe that explains why I value the journey more than the destination , and the people more than the place. That's just my postulation of course.

I do remember how I wondered why everyone seemed preoccupied with play during my first day in kindergarten.

I also remember my anxiety attacks during my first day in P1, how I hung on closely to my teacher even though I'd never met her. I thought her skirt reminded me of my mum.

Things that panic attacks do to a kid.

My little god daughter, may you have a wonderful journey filled with love and joy, and some panic attacks. And hopefully you'll enjoy the journey as much as the destination, and the people as much as the place. Remember once your experiences are shared, the memories are doubled.

Have a lovely day at school.

Journey of the mind

When times get tough, I am often the most optimistic of the lot, at times seemingly brinking on being overly naive even as chided by my close friends.

What is the point in looking for darkness in the world of gloom? We are all surrounded by gloom. Or at least the human perception veers us towards the point of gloom whenever we are down. Why look for it when we feel burdened by it already?

Must we still rub salt in our own wounds?

It takes strength to look beyond what appears before us to envision what we hope to achieve. The more we hope for, the greater our risk of disappointment.

Therefore it takes more courage to dare to dream than to wallow in gloom.

No I am not being naive or superficial as I may seem. I dare to hope because I know what may be my cost of disappointment. I want to dream because that is how far I will go.

And it is because I have been into the valley of doom, that steers me clear from the path of self destruction. The human mind is a mighty machine. Tune it so that it steers you towards where you want to go. Master it so that your mind does not control your fears.

I so fear to drown, that I swim furiously to keep myself afloat. Look for the glimmer of hope that keeps the spirit alive. And have the courage to accept what we have been endowed with.

And in the midst of it all, remember that above all, there is Love. Which warms the heart and nourishes the soul, that we may rest to journey the rest of the way.

Old Airport Road Hawker Centre

The Old Airport Road Hawker Centre is back with a bang after relocation and refurbishment.

The last time I was here, hardly a quarter of the current stalls were tenanted and I recall missing the old stalls at the old site.

Made a trip here last night and lo and behold! What a lovely sight of crowds and fully tenanted stalls - some old some new. My eyes shifted quickly to look for familiar faces, while soaking in the sights of the new. Exciting!

3 of us managed CKT, HKM, bbq stingray, thai cuttlefish, porridge, satay, chicken wings and belgian chocolate waffles. And beer of course. I am planning already what I have to eat on my next visit...

Sitting on the fence

I sat on the line on this one for a long time. Wavered to and fro, relooking at the possibilities from all possible angles.

When I made my choice, it chewed me up, and spat me out. And I shifted my decision to the other side.

Whatever it might me, a choice was made and I'll have to move forward from here.

Some part of me is afraid, some part of me is excited. Right now, there is more fear than excitement.

Park Guell

This is Park Guell a huge park located in the city of Barcelona.

Mr Guell was a rich man who lived in Barcelona a long long time ago. As the city of barcelona grew and grew, crowding out the streets from La Rambla and the old city quarters, he realised that people were losing more and more of park spaces and their opportunity to interact with nature.

Mr Guell was a rich man for his time. He envisioned building a park in the city of Barcelona, to give to the people a place where there is much greenery to reside in.

He found a huge piece of land atop of a VERY steep hill just 10 minutes from the city (by 2008 metro). There are escalators built on these roads to help people get to the park. The downward journey is manual gear all the way though. Hope this picture means something to you about angles.

Mr Guell had a good friend Gaudi who was a famous artist. Very famous artist who had a soft spot for lizards and amphibians. You can see the trademark iguana in most of his works.

Gaudi agreed to design a park for Mr Guell who would in turn sell it to residents who can enjoy the park at leisure.

But for some reason the private housing project didnt quite take off and the hill top was converted into a public park instead for the enjoyment of all the residents in Barcelona.

Below I sat in the shade listening to some excellent sax performance from this guy while taking a break fm the 38 degree C heat.

What you see are the whimsical Gaudi designs created more than 100 years ago. I still stand back and look in awe and amazement at Gaudi's creativity and foresight 100 years later in 2008. Timeless and whimsical. His designs have transcended all barriers across time and space.

Isn't it amazing how much can be said without the need for words?

Art Music and Love. Some things that need so little to mean so much.

Isabella

Shanghai is a city of wonders and amazements.


We went to this wonderful little enclave of traditional non-discreet houses. Nestled amongst these little habitats of traditional shanghainese households is Trattoria Isabella. A warm cosy little italian restaurant tucked away in this row of houses.

It preserved the external facade of traditional houses while the interior had been completely revamped to mark the homely feel of an italian eatery.

This is the bread basket, had my fav starter of tomatoes and mozzarella, beef rolls with warm melted cheese, and some fantastic very al dente pasta.

I must have been famished that afternoon for I'd clean forgotten to take a shot of the starter and mains! OMG!


This Italian beer topped off the meal, followed by some wonderfully home brewed espresso.



What more could I say?

Except of course that dinner was about 3 hours away. Burp!