day after 20 oct 2007... (and what a day!)

Indeed. Was and am still feeling awashed with the wonderful sense of bliss and happiness with the Big 35 intimate mini-celebration.

For the Day (and it was fortuitous to fall on a Saturday, thank goddess), togged out in denim jacket and a thin cool (literally) Topman top and swanky glossy army brown Porter tote bag to finish off - am really liking it more and more by the day, especially when viewed under a flattering spotlight...

Started off the day with Handwriting A-Z to relax the mind with something interesting and relaxing and insightful (very much so).

After that, a straight trip to Serene Centre (beeline through Botanic Gardens which I didn't even know about). Damn, Awfully Chocolate is here! Sorry, I digress. Oh yes, the day (and the morning after too!) spent with Gene, Wee, Dor, Merv and le petit prince, Shu'en.

Lunch was French at La Petite Cuisine. Had foie gras, confit de canard (duck drumstick cooked in own fat laced with a trace of orange peels), escargot, baguette with goat's cheese (served by accident but we lapped it up and paid for it anyway), grilled poulet and dory, creme brulee and caramel.

Verdict?

SOOOOOO. DAAAAAMMMN. FUUUUUUCCKKKING. NIIIIICE. AND. GOOOOOOD. IT'S. SIIIIIMMMPLY. HEEEAAAAVEN.

And best of all, it's soooo BLOODY affordable. Think us gluttonish Asians have been culturally programmed to stupidly gorge ourselves stupid like bovines when it comes to meals, we miss the picture about food - we opt for amount and fail to enjoy and experience food for all its colour and fragrance and flavour.

(Now I so fully understand and appreciate Ratatouille.)

The magic about French cuisine is that you don't feel filled enough, but not starved either. It's basically a small morsel bursting with a myriad flavours in your mouth. No wonder French gastronomy is ze world gold class standard. Amen. Gene, Wee, Dor and I were literally feeling dreamy and trippy like "Okay, you can kill us now, we're in heaven already".

Anyway. After that, Merv came and we adjourned to the Japanese restaurant next door.

(Yes, more food. It's beginning to be scary pattern for me - don't eat brekkie and lunch for days on ends due to overloading of work and training programmes and then BIANG stuff myself like a pig to the slaughter, bad...)

And while Merv ordered the seafood cold platter, fried chicken a la Japanese style, feta cheese and avocado, sushi and plum jelly dessert (haiyo, sour and sweet and cold, damn nice man) and then ordered us to eat with him (2nd lunch, yums), Dor took out my birthday cake.

LANA'S CHOCOLATE CAKE!!!

I think I nearly died lor. Was soooo awfully touched and happy. And after the first bite, I literally died in ecstacy lor...

So, so far, 4 firsts already within half day of hatchday - first time eat foie gras, confit, French cuisine and Lana (pun unintended). Bloody hell it was a long wait man, 30 over years then taste my first foie gras and Shu'en already accomplished all these before he's even 3 years old. Some kids have all the luck lor...

At least my luck was good. The fellas got me a nifty white Swatch, a Wallpaper City Guide to Paris and Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, which I happily lent to Wee as she is dying to read it again.

More eating and chats and jokes, and just feeling plain blessed and overjoyed and comforted. And didn't think about work at all too.

Then, off to Park Mall cos Merv needed to get furns for his refurbished shop and was thinking of getting some sale buys for Grandma's house so off we went, with Lana joyously half eaten in tow.

Spent a nice later afternoon checking out the most fucking expensive sticks of furniture my bony ass has ever sat on in my entire life... Like a bloody simple leather 3 seater from Air costing like only $6k lor. AFTER discount lor. Hmm. So nice lor... At least I finally saw what the Herman Miller Aeron chair looked like, after reading Gladwell's Blink...

And then, along the way already thinking of what's up for dinner (didn't I say we Asians are bovines and gluttons?). We trooped over to Great World City, which I haven't been to in eons.

Nice surprise there, cos it seemed to have improved quite a bit. Got gourmet and high class stuffs nowadays. Haven't even been into I Wanna Go Home, which Gene pooh-poohed as not living up to the hype.

And before you know, DINNER.

Oh man, it was the highlight of the day lor. Imperial Treasure Chinese restaurant. Another first. By the time, could tell they were a tad tired and worried about the dinner and wallet already. Everyone wanted to go light.

So. I paid for dinner, which I already decided but gamely decided to keep mum about, just to meself... ;o). Damn expensive, but worth every penny, and the company too.

Anyway, we had a faaaantastic dinner, every dish was SUPERB - roasted chicken, double boiled seafood soup in melon, steamed fresh garoupa in garlic, razor clams (fucking $20 a stick! a tad tough though), tofu stuffed with spinach and laced with mushrooms, kailan in ginger and garlic. Fuck, even the 'fan' was fantastic lor, I ate every grain. No time for dessert as they gave us table on condition that we vacate in 1 hr.

But it was worth it. Every single cent and drop of gravy.

Then off for last minute closing time shopping and chatting along the way. Must be a lucky coincidence - spied a cool teapot at half price so now it's mine, already brewed tea 4 times in it since yesterday! (Bumped into a staff and conveniently ignore him.)

Then, it's back to Gene's for freshening up and moooore Lana's chocolate cake and hot tea (Merv went off) and more catching up. And a nice sleepover at their place.

Today was the longest I have stayed at Gene and Wee's place with Dor. He made breakfast, I checked out the classifieds, in between we played with Shu'en and Wee's 3 magnificent cats (a tad stressed by Shu'en). Lunch was a simple affair and then we hopped down to see Merv at his shop.

A late lunch for him at Han's, with more drinks and cake for us, and then to Gelare's, with mooore gelato and pancakes and salty chicken pie.

Had to leave for dinner (AGAIN! MORE FOOD...) so parted the fantastic company for making my 35th memorable and headed to J8 for Ding Tai Feng (MORE CHINESE FOOD! Can die...) as my sis was treating...

And when I reached home, what is that I spied on my bed??

"Your Prime Suspect Complete Series arrived yesterday."

HURRAAYYY!

The weekend couldn't have ended any better than that.

For all it's worth, I had great company, experienced great joy and can now honestly say -

"I passed 35 on a heavily and gloriously filled stomach."

:o)