A Perfect End

I arrived home after an emotionally-charged last day at work, having collected my severance package, and what do I find?

A box of pure heaven - Belgian chocolates from Brussels! Thanks Martin & Claudia for giving me the wonderful taste of hope that my future will be as rich and luxurious as the Marcolini chocolates you sent. They taste divine.

I am blessed.

Funny faces

This post is dedicated to two special girls - Lucinda and Nicole - who were sporting enough to give in to my silly suggestion to pull some funny faces. Just because I got bored one rainy afternoon.

Lucinda and her amazing rubber face

Nicole looking sweet no matter what she tries!

Aunty Jo Jo - the biggest freakiest kid of all

TGIF!!

Now here's a trick question...if you were planning to invite guests over for a weekend, what's the maximum number you would invite? 4? 6? 10?

Try 13! That's the total number of my colleagues who bundled into a convoy of cars and headed to Johor Baru last Friday. We were headed to the home of Kon, Julius & Lucinda - the most generous hosts in the world!

After a long tedious week, we could hardly wait to get out of the office. Even the long queue of motorists at the Woodlands checkpoint was a welcome sight. TGIF, man!

When we got to the immigration checkpoint, I realized what a diverse group we were. There were passports of myriad colours: Singaporean, Malaysian, Chinese, Indonesian, American and Brazilian. I knew then that we were going to have FUN! That's the beauty of working for a multinational company. Now, what sort of a house do you think would fit in 13 guests, 4 hosts and 4 cars? A very BIG one...that's what we found when got to our destination.

The hospitality of our hosts was astounding from the moment we stepped into the palatial living room. Fruits, cookies and murtabak awaited the hungry travellers so we plopped comfortably around the dining table and helped ourselves to the goodies. That was followed by a tour of the house, which was done in 3 shifts - did I mention the house is big?

A sumptuous dinner awaited us at a seafood restaurant and we happily polished off the plates of fish, prawns, crabs, tofu,pork and vegetables as if we hadn't eaten all day. We then proceeded back to the house for more food - this time durians, chocolates, jackfruits, wine and liquor. This strange combination caused us to tell some funny stories about bus rides, showers, comfort foods, favourite countries and potential love interests ;-)

The next morning, we were treated to an authentic Malaysian breakfast before being taken on a tour of Danga Bay, the Sultan's palace and some houses even BIGGER than our hosts'. Then it was massage time! I enjoyed a blissful 90-minute session during which I fell asleep. But some of my colleagues weren't so lucky - "painful" being the most-used word that morning.

After a lunch of fishball noodles, the girls headed for a manicure/pedicure session while the boys headed to the DVD shops. The kids (myself included) headed home to play Nintendo, tinkle on the piano and make funny faces. Thanks Lucinda and Nicole - you girls were really fun to be with and I'll post the "funny faces" story soon. When everyone got home, we all sat down and watched Slumdog Millionaire. Then, it was off to dinner (yes, more food!) and home to Singapore.

On behalf of everyone, allow me to say another big THANK YOU to Kon, Julius and Lucinda for their wonderful hospitality. We all had a wonderful time and many happy memories were made and friendships strengthened last weekend.

Echoes of history

Kuala Lumpur is where I was born and bred; it is home.

Although her history is fairly recent, there is a corner of KL that I'm very fond of. The beautiful colonial mansion is called Carcosa Seri Negara and it sits atop a hillock above the Lake Gardens. This was the home of Sir Frank Swettenham, the first British Resident of Selangor and now serves as a luxury hotel. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were the first guests to check in.

Every time I'm called on to show first-time visitors around KL, we always end the day with afternoon tea at Carcosa. After the hustle and bustle of Chinatown, it is such a relief to retreat into this cocoon of time-worn elegance. Sinking into the enormous rattan chairs on the veranda, while white-gloved waiters serve Earl Grey from a silver teapot and gently place a plate of fresh scones on the side; it almost feels like England. All my visitors, including the ones from England, agree.

Shona & Joanna enjoying a tour of the Merdeka Suite - where the Declaration of Independance was signed

On more than one occasion, my guests and I have been fortunate enough to be given tours of the hotel. I am especially awed by the Merdeka Suite; where Tuanku Abdul Rahman signed the Declaration of Independence in August 1957, leading to the emancipation of Malaya from colonial rule. I get goosebumps every time I walk into that room.

From the sweeping staircases to the luxurious dining rooms, elegant suites to the jasmine-scented washrooms; Carcosa reminds us romantics of a gentler time. Sigh...what a perfect setting for a wedding...maybe, one day.

Girls' Night Out

Last week, I realised something very important. Recessions may come and recessions may go, but good friends last a lifetime. And it's vital that we take time to appreciate each other as individuals and celebrate friendship. Profound huh?

Well, that was my feeble attempt to disguise my drunken misdemeanours if my parents ever read this blog. Because Corrine, Kon, Stef & I had a FANTASTIC girls' night out last Friday at Michaelangelo's @ Holland Village in Singapore. We drank, ate, chatted, drank, laughed, drank, teased waiters for a full five hours! Strange how it was so easily accomplished as opposed to a two-hour conference call. Maybe we should start serving champagne...hmm..never mind.

The girls toasting to friendship

The food was simple and very well done. We started with bruschetta and mussels in white wine sauce accompanied by some fresh rolls dipped in olive oil & vinegar. For mains, we had Caesar salad, spaghetti frutti de mare (seafood) and duck with braised pickled cabbage. It was "Mamma mia...molto deliziosa". We also managed to finish a bottle of champagne and a bottle of zinfandel, despite one of us being allergic to alcohol. It was "Mamma mia...hic!"

Lovely ladies waiting for....well, I'll just leave that to your imagination...

After all, wasn't it Ralph Waldo Emerson who said "It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." ;-)