Labour Day plans:
Wahey! Swing jazz workshops by Benji Schwimmer!

I have a friend who'd kill for these too... if only she were in Singapore!

Originally written on March 31:

Just about a fortnight ago, I caught the Stomp the Yard dance battle finals at Club Momo, of all places. Mind you, I've never been to the club before, and after the slew of clubs and bars which have opened up in 2006, was more than a little surprised that it was still open, but I digress.
(Edit: Club Momo has since closed for renovation and will be re-branded Velvet Dragon. Erk.)

I wouldn't normally have gone to see the competition, but this one featured guest judges Ashle Dawson and Ashlee Nino, both of whom were finalists on So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD for short, seasons 1 and 2 respectively).

The categories for the battle were hip hop, b-boy/b-girl and popping & locking. Knowing T.'s a big fan of popping & locking, as well as SYTYCD, I told him about this event, and lo and behold, we two were set for our maiden voyage to Momo-land.

We got there a little early, around 9 pm, because I'd misinterpreted Power 98's free entry promotion to mean that the contest would start around 8 pm. Unfortunately for us, the contest actually began at 11 pm and we were forced to kill two hours at the club. Fortunately, the club had pool tables, and I had fun re-learning how to play pool and generally posing as a pro while having my ass roundly kicked by T. My only consolation was that the game lasted a little longer than it should have because after T. had potted most of his balls, it turned out all of my balls were blocking the holes which T. was going for. Nyahahahaha.

Anyway, we managed to catch some of the finalists rehearsing and were actually rather apprehensive about whether it'd be a wasted night. I'm happy to report that this was an erroneous conclusion; apparently, the finalists were saving their energy for the real thing and that's why everything looked so lacklustre during rehearsals. I'm almost tempted to spend a weekend at the Raffles Link underpass just to check out them out.

We also got treated to a solo performance from Ashle and Ashlee. They were both fun to watch, although thanks to the number of people there, as well as my general lack of height, I missed seeing Ashle do the move I am in awe of: the effortless getting up from being on her knees without needing to use her arms or anything else for support. I may be a little more impressed by that than most because I've got knee injuries, but I'm sure it still looks good even to a completely uninjured party.

I'll admit I couldn't see much of Ashlee's popping either, but I had so much fun just watching the competition (and listening to T. explain what locking and popping are) that I ended up going for my very first locking and popping classes just a fortnight after. The teacher, Michael from Studio Wu, has got to be the least intimidating of all the dance teachers I have ever had, and it was absolutely wonderful. I'll definitely go back for more after my exam's over.

I had an unexpected extended day out today which involved studying with a fellow CFA Level II candidate (my habit of bringing everything with me wherever I go paid off) and then catch the last twenty minutes of the Everton - Man U match at a nearby pub with the same friend.

The match was particularly amusing, given that my friend and I freaked out during half-time seeing as my BlackBerry handily informed us that Chelsea and Everton were both leading 1-0. Seeing as we're both Man U fans, we started talking about our favourite players, and who we felt were the most over-rated players. We then decided to try catching the last few minutes of the game, and entered the pub to see the scores for both games at 2-2, much to our relief. As you know by now, Man U beat Everton 4-2, and we were vastly amused to find that the three of the four players involved in the goals for Man U turned out to be players we had been dissing as mediocre just minutes before we entered the pub (Rooney and Phil Neville in my case, O'Shea in my friend's case). On that note, I apologise to you two; you're tops in my book... even if it was an own goal!

And just to add to the randomness, I was browsing TranceAddict's forums and came across this choice post which I feel captures the essence of the Catholic guilt complex perfectly. I should know, I definitely suffer from it!

Ah, that's the Catholics then, lots of interfering with boys [sic] bottoms there. The don't get earthquakes as much, [G]od just tells them they're all naughty from the start and they spend their lives trying to work of [sic] some kind of spiritual mortgage.

If you like Daft Punk, then you've got to watch this - Harder, Better, Faster Stronger... a capella!

It is just so odd that I am currently in a position quite a few people would kill to be in.

Me? It's totally stressing me out and it's obvious.

In fact, I was so exhausted yesterday, with a situation changing in real-time, that I just passed out while watching Life in Loops in the cinema yesterday. And when I got home, I passed out on my bed until 4 am, before finally getting up to remove my make-up and brush my teeth and falling asleep until 10.30 am again.

I know that once the choice has been made once and for all, I will be able to look back on this and laugh. After all, I'm in a situation where I'm aware I can't lose regardless of which choice I make. I'm just trying to choose the one which will do right by me and right now, there've been so many distractions thrown at me that it's incredibly hard for me to think rationally.

One of the scariest things in the world – for me at least – is to put any part of myself in someone else’s hands, whether it’s my future, my career or my heart. How in the world have I survived to this long if I have this kind of mentality? Simple. But being self-reliant, by depending solely on myself and no one else to get me to where I am today.

Yes. I have major trust issues.

But now, I’m in a situation where I’m being asked to trust someone else to give me something I’ve wanted for the longest time now, and in doing so, will have to give up something very attractive and very certain… but it’s not what I’ve dreamt about for the the past five years.

It’s scary, it’s difficult, it’s confusing. I don’t like being in this kind of situation.

Making a leap of faith versus pure rationality? It’s not easy. I hope I’ve made the right choice.

Either way, no regrets, no looking back from here on.

At this point, my life looks full of promise. As in, fuller of promise than it usually does.

I'm aware that I'll have to do something tomorrow which, while I knew there was a possibility that I would have to do it some time in my career, I didn't think it would come this soon, and it's not something I'm especially equipped for, given my overall nice and non-confrontational personality.

I'm particularly afraid because there's a chance that I could mess everything up and end up in a worse position than I am in now, and that's a chance I will have to take.

But I've spoken to a colleague and he's volunteered to help me out, and while I'm still not wholly comfortable with what I have to do, I trust him and am rather optimistic that I'll have managed to get myself closer to being where I want to be.

Why am I writing this post? Because I'm still trying to psych myself into doing what needs to be done, and also, at a later stage, remind myself of the good that came from trusting in other people... or possibly the foolishness that came from being so naive.

Fay Grim was a funny, entertaining, if over-long and overly convoluted show. The friends I watched it with thought it was a good show, but it left me feeling a little underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, it was funny and offbeat, but the moment the show got into the espionage plot, it began to get rather bogged down and tedious to watch. I felt as if there was too little information to actually follow what was going on - people appearing out of nowhere and turning out to be spies for some random government, Fay apparently giving the right response to a question when all it sounded like was a regurgitation of what the questioner had just said, and other such moments - and that just got to me. It's the same feeling I got when I watched Ocean's Thirteen. Far too complicated to be enjoyable, and in fact, mildly irritating.

I would still recommend it, especially to people who don't have the bad habit of over-thinking and over-analysing everything, and I suppose if you're a Hal Hartley or Parker Posey fan, then this is definitely a must-see. Incidentally, Parker Posey does look amazingly great in this show, and her breathy voice, though annoying after a while, is pretty attractive.

At this point, I'm willing to bet you haven't seen something peppered with this many negatives and still receive a recommendation. I'm contrary like that.

I popped into Wiener Kaffeehaus today for a late lunch, thinking it was a nice quiet place to take a phone call from the company that's currently making me a job offer. I was wrong on one front, it's not all that quiet a place, but it's certainly a nice cafe to while away some time, whether you want to curl up in a corner and catch up on your reading, or to just have a casual, romantic date here.

For my lunch, I had meat loaf (Leberkäse), followed by an apple strudel and a Wiener Melange (Austrian blend) coffee.

The meat loaf was presented nicely, with a small fried egg perched above the slice of meat loaf, served with a side of potatoes, lettuce and spinach mash. The meat loaf tasted a lot like bacon, and I particularly liked the spinach which reminded me of palik paneer, except without the cubes of cottage cheese.

The apple strudel was fantastic. I have a weakness for anything with apple sauce, and this certainly hit the spot. The pastry was nice, thin and yet still slightly crispy, while the filling had just the right amount of apple, cinnamon and raisins. I'm glad I decided to go for this instead of the other Viennese specialty, the Sachertorte, which incidentally, celebrates its 175th birthday this year.



My coffee was served the traditional way: on a silver platter, with cubes of sugar on the side and a glass of water. I didn't quite enjoy the melanges I had when I was in Vienna back in 2002 as I think I found them too light, but I must say that this time round, I had no such complaints. The coffee was nice and smooth.

Wiener Kaffeehaus (tel: 62263148) is found at 148 Neil Road (where Neil Road meets Cantonment Road) and is open from 9 am to 10 pm daily.

I caught a bad cold yesterday... right before Zouk's Sweet Sixteen anniversary party tonight too. I'm one of those crazy people who'd rather not take medicine when they're sick on a day they might be drinking, so I'm really suffering now.

And to add to the stress, I'm contemplating what others have called a really sweet job offer at the moment. It's not as clear-cut for me as it is for everyone else who knows about it. The reason why I started looking is because I need a big change - a change from the city I'm in, from the areas I cover and the work I'm doing. This offer, attractive financially though it is, offers me very little in the way of change, and I'm not the kind who'd take an offer just purely for the money. If I don't think I can commit to them for at least two years, then I shouldn't take it. And given that I've been feeling as if I'm going to burn out any day now for the last six months, that should tell you the chances of that happening.

That's not to say that I'm definitely going to turn it down. I still need to talk to the head of the team to get some questions answered but... when am I ever going to stop feeling so fed up with work and Singapore?

An Englishman, a Singaporean and an Indian walked into a cafe. No, it's not the start of a joke, just a description of my two colleagues and I during lunch last week, when we somehow got onto the discussion of the differences of "Old Money" vs. "New Money." And now, just last weekend, with the break-up of Prince William and Kate Middleton, we get articles in the British press telling us all about it. Such a wonky coincidence. My personal favourite is the anecdote of Nicholas Soames and Tim Sainsbury on the subject of dress.

And if you're been wondering what class you'd fall under - British-wise - there's even a quiz that'll help you out. It's tongue-in-cheek of course. I'm 10 points away from having my own coat of arms... but then again, I have always maintained that I am a well-brought-up female.

And on another note, one of my favourite products - petroleum jelly - has been profiled.

I do so love English papers.

I went solo to my friend's boyfriend's surprise birthday party last night. There're a couple of things which were unusual about this situation.

1. I was going solo, unable to find anyone to go with me (who would actually enjoy the crowd that would be there).
2. I didn't know anyone there other than my friend, her boyfriend and the other birthday celebrant (who is someone I dated briefly last year, but things didn't work out as we didn't have too much in common).
   
3. It was in Joo Chiat, a place I've been to now only twice in my life.

I wasn't sure whether I'd have a good time, given how I was feeling. I mean, I didn't know that many people there, and the crowd... well, other than my friend, another girl there and myself, everyone else was essentially an American-born something or other. Now, I find Americans generally fine, but sometimes, if you get too many of them together, they get rather frat-boy like.

There were some minor celebrities there, as it turned out. Someone who used to be on Eye for a Guy and was among last year's Cleo Eligible Bachelors, as well as an American who is apparently dating the supporting actress in L'Enfant. At first, I was rather sceptical of the latter's story (I mean, c'mon, a French actress dating a Singapore-based American? What are the odds of that?), until I found a friend of mine who knew the other side of the story and corroborated it. Immensely small world we live in, I tell you.

Other than these verifications of the six degrees of separation theory, the party had other notable highlights, such as featuring awesomely delicious Mexican food catered by Margarita's (108 Faber Drive, Tel: 67771782), piñatas and great masks (it was a Masquerade theme party). Now, I am a sucker for Mexican food, and the refried beans, guacamole, nacho cheese sauce and beef enchiladas were absolutely scrumptious. I hear the restaurant's on the expensive side, so I'm glad I got a chance to try the food out at my friend's party.

It's times like these that make me wonder just a little whether I really could survive that well out of Singapore. Singapore is my home, and I love her a lot, but sometimes, it drives me crazy, just doing the same thing day in, day out, and just encountering the same small-minded people at least 75% of the time. But I have a lot of friends here, friends who have made this place so much more bearable than it would otherwise have been.

And compared to Hong Kong at least, this place has music. It may not compare in terms of vibrancy and liveliness, but Singapore has music. Internationally-renowned DJs and bands come to Singapore on a regular basis, and it's not too inconvenient to go check them out. Clubs here have actual dance floors where people can go let their hair down.

Yes, there're cities in this world that can beat Singapore when it comes to the music and clubbing scene, but there isn't any place that you can name which can beat it when it comes to my friends.

Word of the day: cinq à sept (m) - literally translated means 5 to 7.

In France, "cinq à sept" is used to refer to the person you meet to make love with between 5 pm and 7 pm, before going home to your spouse. It can also be used to refer to the extramarital affair itself.

In Quebec, it is used to refer to happy hour - the alcoholic variety.

On a related note, here's an article from Cafe Babel on 69, French Style. I like how "grimper au rideau" (to climb up the curtain) suggests a good and proper orgasm in France, but in simple Canadian French, implies being irritated. I know French French and Canadian French can be very different, but man, quelle différence!

I know a lot happens in the business world but this especially tickled all of our funny bones yesterday:

Dow Chemical said Thursday it had fired two corporate officers for "unauthorised discussions with third parties about the potential acquisition" of the company.

How on earth does anyone get into discussions about a company they're not permitted to sell?

And to top it off, top management found out about it when news of a potential offer was published in the Standard Express, a UK tabloid. They then went, "hang on, we don't know anything about this!" and investigated further, resulting in the firings.

It's just like a soap opera.

Full details here.

I've just returned from Divinely Tatty, the Tatty Devine showcase organised by L'Artichaut held at Velvet earlier this evening. Tatty Devine is a London-based designer duo of quirky, eclectic accessories. Naturally, being London-based, prices are not cheap, and some of their pieces don't exactly warrant the prices being charged, but the really captivating pieces are amazing.

I returned home with this purchase:
You can't see it from the picture, the crystals on the Great Bear Brooch represent stars, and there are lines joining the crystals in the same way we view constellations. I love sparkly accessories, quirky things and stars, so it should come as no surprise to anyone that I decided to purchase this an hour after first seeing it, in spite of my desire to save, following splurges on a spa package two weeks ago.

I'm very sure the free flow of Tatty Devine cocktails did nothing at all to impair my judgement. No siree.

Tatty Devine is available in Singapore from L'Artichaut located at 37 Novena Terrace.

I've been to Stamford Bridge and Nou Camp, but what I would have given to have been at Old Trafford yesterday.

7-1 in the Theatre of Dreams, each goal better than the last. Absolutely unbelievable.

There're some songs which when I hear, I simply cannot help but just been filled with an incredible joy. I feel like skipping, no, dancing, down the sidewalk and just want to burst into song, so happy does the song make me feel.

My top five happy songs are:
1. Daft Punk - Digital Love
It was a tough fight between Daft Punk's One More Time and Digital Love, but in the end, I decided on this tune. It's the kind of song which seems to capture the feeling of being young, happy and in love. That, and it's incredibly fun to sing along to the robotic voice and just dance crazily when the pounding bass kicks in midway through the song.

2. The Cure - Friday, I'm in Love
This song is just chockful of joy, from beginning to end. There's no let-up, no chorus, no bridge, just pure ecstasy, the kind you get when you're, well, in love.

3. Counting Crows - Accidentally in Love
The guitar riff that kicks off this tune is just so exuberant. It never fails to leave a smile on my face.

4. Sinead O'Connor - I Guess the Lord Must be in New York City
The tune's incredibly upbeat and there's a kind of joie de vivre that's in Sinead's voice when she sings "New York Cityyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

5. Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancing
I defy anyone to listen to this song and not have an idiotic grin on his or her face. As I've mentioned before, this song makes me most emphatically want to kick up my heels and do a little jig, much in the same way the Prime Minister (as played by Hugh Grant) in Love Actually did..

What're your top five?

Neil Gaiman has the knack of writing the most heartbreakingly beautiful stories. I've just finished re-reading Stardust, and after reading the ending, my heart felt close to bursting and I had to swallow hard to keep the tears from falling from my eyes. There is just something magical about his writing; he can make even the most prosaic seem absolutely wondrous.

I've been told Stardust's been made into a movie. After re-reading the book, I can't see how anyone could ever do justice to Gaiman's magnificent work of fantasy.

Hilarious moments from today's episode of Heroes (Six Months Earlier):
Hiro (realising that he's teleported too far back into the past and entirely in Japanese): Six months? I’ve got to get back. If I teleport again I could end up anywhere. Lunch for a T-rex! I’m stuck!

Okay, written down, it's not that funny, but the way Masi Oka says it, it's getting increasingly panicky and consequently, increasing hilarious.

Hiro (after accidentally speaking to his past self on the telephone and hanging up) : Great-o Scott-o!

I'm wearing a Puma hoodie and a pair of almost-booty shorts from Topshop (both black) right now, and I think it's a fair comment to state that I look pretty damn good in them. And on top of that, the outfit's pretty comfortable too.

Now, there're certain parts of my body I hate, most notably, my hips and thighs, and it takes a lot of encouragement - either from friends or from alcohol - to get me to wear a mini-skirt. So it's nice that there's an outfit that I think I look smokin' in in spite of my body hang-ups.

Now, clothes ought not to maketh the woman, but hey, if I don't look good, I don't feel as great.

I'm currently in a conversation with an old friend, giving her dating advice. She's not ever gone out on a date before, so I understand her anxiety... but given my not-at-all stellar dating history, I'm wondering whether I'm the best person to be counselling her!

The Royal Shakespeare Company is coming to Singapore. They'll be staging a double-bill: Shakespeare's King Lear and Chekov's The Seagull, both of which will be starring the great Sir Ian McKellen!

Of course, seeing such a great thespian isn't cheap. The tickets range from S$80 for Circle 3 seats to S$250 for the best seats. I'd just purchased my tickets for King Lear when I came across this article on Sir Ian's naked Lear... somehow, I doubt we'll be seeing any of that in staid ol' Singapore!

I am totally crushing on another Hero right now: Peter Petrelli, played by Milo Ventimiglia. At first, I didn't think he was all that hot, but his perpetual tousled hairstyle and puppy dog eyes have gotten to me. That, and his character's determination to do what's right in spite of his being "not really anything" when he's by himself (spoiler: it's to do with his power). That's what I like most about him, as well as my other favourite, Hiro. There's something to be said about men who aren't afraid to face their destinies, even if it means death.

Check out the goodness that is Milo here.