Don't let the SUNSET down on me

First - a pix of Made. The kittens are almost 2 months old and are a real handful. Still not quite potty trained yet so there are accidents to watch out for. They are really fun to watch now that they can scamper around. They have also invaded MJ's turf, which has resulted in the original Garfield moving back to being a blob on my bed. Wayan is fascinated with MJ's tail and has been swiped a few times by his irritated daddy. Wayan will grow up to be a real greedy pig - he was trying to dip his face into my hee pio soup during my dinner!

Of course dinner came with a rather extravagant tenderloin. We bought a slab of prime steer tenderloin from New Zealand yesterday at a new deli that has opened up at the HDB estate on Sunset Way. The sleepy hollow is the newest foodie joint in the West. So critics who say the Westside lacks food, time to change your mind. Of course, Sunset was known for Chin Huat and its buffet steamboat since I was in junior college. That has since closed but their seafood restaurant remains. Other than that, the small HDB estate is better known for the vets and Balmoral Cake Shop. I had only just discovered Swiss-Link Bakery, another joint where I can get decent bacon and eggs for breakfast. They also do decent apple and shepherd's pies. They are sort of in between a 7-Eleven and a hairdresser.

We knew Rocky's at Rail Mall had relocated to Block 106 Sunset Way. My friend Boon See used to have a branch of her clinic there. The whole stretch were dry markets that served the residents of this little sleepy hollow at the edge of Clementi.On my bus ride home on 75 the other day, noticed a huge billboard proclaiming the transformation of the block into a new dinning experience. I must say it looks promising. Besides Rocky's and Absolutely New Zealand, where I got my prime steer tenderloin (ooooh prime steer...hard to get), there are 6 other new eateries that have sprung up. HDB has built a wooden deck all around for al fresco dinning. Given that Sunset is not your typical huge HDB housing estate, it is nice.

Been having home cooked dinners at home past few days so I haven't had the chance to try any of the restaurants. Have shopped at Absolutely New Zealand for frozen raspberries (for the cupcakes?), onion marmalade and sea salt. They also serve coffee take outs and some cakes. The proprietress was really friendly and we got to talking, me sharing about how excited I was to see that she stocked prime steer. Of course, she found out about Dad, Uncle Tat and Bun Bee. Ah, an old-timer who has heard of us. Made me miss the good ole days. The tenderloin was divine...after being lightly pan grilled with butter.

I am definitely looking forward to trying the food at this new makan area. Watch this space for updates. Anyone want to go on a food jaunt with me?

The Village Update

No pictures...again. Still 'shy' to whip out a camera and snap a pix.Well, I was at Holland V again yesterday; had to mind the shop. Can't wait until I am taken off the schedule so that my weekends can be free again. Did I post that I will be leaving part-time teaching at the end of term 3? 2 weeks to ORD lor! It is becoming very hard to juggle and with events happening at Pure Earth which needs my attention, it was no better time to go. It was a struggle for me as school really wore me down and I was frequently sick. Obviously the upper echelons weren't too happy; I totally know where they are coming from but I was also not a happy camper. Exactly a year to the day I left somewhere and begun flexi-adjunct teaching, I am entering a new phase again. Of unknowns an uncertainty. Anyone employing? Looking for decent, moral and legal employment.

I digress. Just wanted to drop a line to say MARMALADE PANTRY is open! I will miss Cafe Rosso's fabulous creations but now I don't have to travel all the way to snooty Palais or crowded Taka to get my Limonata cupcakes! Still my all time fav cupcake. Remember, they had cupcakes before it became trendy!

Weighed myself yesterday FINALLY. You see, kittens have claimed ownership of my weighing scale. My svelte waist line is gone. No more 50-something kg....gonna hit 70 kg if I don't do something soon! See, I am one gal who isn't shy about my weight or age.Oh well.

I have been hanging out at Bunalun, over at Jalan Merah Saga, Chip Bee, lately. Every other day almost. I nip in for a quite cup of flat white and sit there to think for Pure Earth marketing and promotions. Love the muesli for breakfast and the Asian Blini I had for lunch yesterday was divine. It is known for its organic stuff and though pric es always make Draks baulk and do a double take, I am starting to appreciate the fact that organic does taste better. The tutti frutti jelly beans at $4.50 per 100gm are refreshing and addictive. I am sold on Bunalun - if not anything for the peace and solitude it offers when you just need to think.

Other updates - Paris Silk has a new second outlet, it stands on the unit that was the former 4-D shop that became was Music Junction CD shop. The Bead shop has moved out. Where the chi-chi furniture shop used to be, at the corner near the staircase to Cold Storage, 2AM Dessert Bar looks to be opening. Provence is extremely crowded - I mourn the loss of a relaxed, comfort zone. Ya Kun has a new product - a breadstick with dip option; chocolate or cheese. Yummy. $3.50 per set. Hope they add this to the permanent menu.

HHHMMM...a Sunday where I am not running the shop. Maybe I should hit Dempsey Hill!

Next Change

Change is a given. Ironically, it is also the only constant in my life and maybe everyone else's.I was someone's daughter, now I am an orphan. I was a student, now I am a somewhat teacher. Places and faces change in my life and keeps evolving, spinning. Only I seem not to change. A godsister told me I shouldn't try to change the people around me but change myself instead. An old friend told me that catching up with me was always a good thing coz I'm still young at heart. Hehe, well my salary is still in the category of a fresh graduate while my friends have reallyh moved up the corporate ladder. Soon another change will come in my life but it isn't a change that I didn't anticipate - it's a change that SHOULD have come sooner.

This may not have anything remotely related to my blurb above but it was the trigger that got me thinking about change the whole night. Holland Village, as anyone who knows me would know, is like a second home for me. My first lantern during Mid-Autumn Festival came from the old provision shops that front Holland Avenue. Dad and mom use to take me to Block 40 Holland Drive, the red brick building for satay. My first date with the ex was at Holland Village, as was my first taste of skipping school for pancakes at Better Batter, when Chip Bee was not the hip and happening place it is now.

30 some years on, I still get my lanterns at the one lone old style shop on the strip, I shop at the Chip Bee shops. Even more so, it's the place I spend one day a week working. Nothing remains static at the Hive (what Draks calls the place), ever evolving and changing.Yesterday, I realised one of my favorite stores, Anthropology is empty,not sure if they are renovating or moved out for good. Another favorite hangout, Provence is suddenly full of people, after it was featured in the papers. And I hope I'm not the last to know as usual. Marmalade Pantry, one of my favorite eateries; though a tad pretentious some of my friends say, will be opening a new outlet. It's taken over the spot vacated by Cafe Rosso, which used to be Chaplins and before that Java Jive. Though I bake my own cupcakes when I have the time, the Pantry's cupcakes are still my favorites, especially the Limonata. Probably coz frosting and icings are something I am trying to master. So the Hive's uber-cool quotient has gone up a notch, rentals will surely hit the roof now. Hey but at least I will be well-fed.

The Manic is back

Been caught up with many things, hence the lack of energy to update my blog. I am currently caught up in another maelstrom, which never seems to leave completely. Maybe I need to go consult a fengshui man or do some reiki or as my gastric surgeon's nurse says, just go back to church. My comfort comes now from the 2 little guys...it's incredible how they have grown...tomorrow they will be a month old. They have started walking and all. Let the pix do the talking.




Once I figure out the video mode on my Samsung HP, I'll catch them in action. Wayan hasn't taken to poor Sonic well though. He has a delayed reaction; hissing at us a good few minutes later after an 'encounter' with Nic.