A Game of Hide and Seek

It was hide and seek: A game we used to play, in which you enjoyed. 

It wasn't hard to understand why because I always let you find me: Our precious memories.  

You are not dead.  Just hiding. 

Life goes on.  And so as our gaming.  

On your birthday, let there be rain. 
so we can feel you once again.

Happy birthday son.

Walk Beside Him

Dear friend,

You have always been a bit chubby, wear a natural glow on your face, generally happy.  We met recently and you have become quite the contrary which prompted my immediate concern.   

"Do you think it is mid-life crisis?" you asked. 

I know if you can still tell jokes, you can't be feeling that bad.  What a relief.

As far as I can understand, you have been trying very hard to wear a couple of hats while juggling with several balls.  From being a responsible employee, a daddy's girl to a supportive wife and a pleasing daughter-in-law - ambitiously aiming to strike a chord all at once.  

Exhausted by the look of things because from what I gathered, you are dissipating your effort on things you can't control.

I say if there’s absolutely nothing you can do to impact the person or the situation, then it is probably best to leave it there.  It's a different story if you have will-power but you don't, right?  

There are so many important things in your life, in this world, that you can affect.  First and foremost - your own well-being is priority number one.  If you are unhappy, how can you expect people around you to be?

In your case, you have to swallow the fact that every family works differently and so when it comes to your husband's family matters, all you can do is to stand by your husband because whether you like it or not, you have chosen him to be your man.  Trust that he knows best and focus on what you can change, where you can have the most impact, make a difference, and let the rest go. 

I remember I once read something from Albert Camus' "The Stranger", which was a recommended read from you and I quote, 

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.  Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.  Just walk beside me and be my friend."

Give that a try.  I certainly hope to be seeing a happier and healthier you next time we meet. 

Thanks Miss Mocha

One thing good about running a cafe is you get to meet strangers from all walks of life and out of the plain ordinary, they can bring colours to yours and sometimes, be able to create self-reflection of our very own.  

There was this customer who came to my cafe last week, she has been here several times, always on her own.  That day, while sipping her usual Mocha, she started telling me about her worry of job security and the danger of losing her income and not being able to pay her bills nor buy the things she enjoys.  And then went on wringing her hands about not being able to find true love and be forever lonely.  

I must have somehow came across as downright friendly for her to dish all that out!  Though I must say, her situation reminded me of someone I know fairly well. 

I can't speak for everyone but I think many of us are wasting time on one common thing - worrying.  We often spend time worrying about unimportant things.  I do. I do get bent out of shape over tiny insults; agonise over silly decisions that won’t matter next week. 

We often spend more time worrying about what we are going to wear, where we want to eat or what we are going to say, than we do enjoying our meals, experiencing what we are doing or having the conversations.

I told the girl, if you are wasting time lamenting over a lack of love, or loss of love, then I am pretty sure you are not spending time paying attention to the people who are already present in her life.

She nodded as if she suddenly got it. 

I told her I have spent a considerable amount of time sitting and ruminating on the nature of my existence and anxiously projecting what could have been.  But I realised just in time, that my time would be much better spent focusing on the work at hand, paying a tad more attention to the people around me, and reveling in the experiences that are happening in this very moment in time - which has proved to have been very rewarding to me.  

To all of us, some planning is necessary, taking action mandatory, but worrying…should REALLY be optional.  

I am grateful to Miss Mocha for giving me that bit of a kind reminder.  Could have treated her that cup, but too bad she insisted paying, left us with a generous tip some more!  

I love my job.     

Terrible Twos, Sweet Sixteen, What Not?

I am looking at the calendar and realised 2012 is ending and it suddenly dawns on me that my friend's daughter will be 3 soon. 

I can still remember how tiny she used to be at birth, cute eyes, little fingers and all of a sudden she has grown to become a little toddler.

People often refer to these precious little 2-year olds - terrible twos, because as I come to understand, they can be quite terrible human beings, horrible at that age.  

I was just joking, no they are not!  I think they are just discovering their personality at this stage.  The bad news is, depending on the personality they are choosing, they can become "Troublesome Three" the following year and remain troublesome for their whole lives!  Kidding again.  

I think calling them terrible twos is just an excuse for parents because each time their kids misbehave, they can just shrug it off and say "Oh Terrible Twos". 

Wouldn't it be great if we adults can have that sort of excuse too.  Say you were fighting with your partner in a restaurant and you turn to the waiter and go "Fussy Thirty-Twos"!

I can never quite understand Sweet Sixteen either.  Not sure many parents would agree their kids are exactly - sweet - at that age.  My 16 was donky years ago but I can't recall anything rebellious in my then existence, but looking at my auntie's son at dinner time, I really think the 16 year old these days should be genetically called:

"Texting-tweeting-no-I-won't-pull-my-ear-plug-out-of-my-iPod-during-dinner-I-hate-you-I-wish-I-was-never-borned-by-the-way-can-I-have-some-cash-cuz-I-have-used-up-my-cash-advances-sixteen". 

The name is a bit long but there you go. 
 

Became Member of the Serving Class

My love affair with coffee began years ago and over time, I must have drank gallons, spent hundreds of minutes waited in lines just for the taste of my love.  

And for the first time in my life, I was standing on the other side of the bar, serving coffee.  Real coffee.

An exhausting job on a busy day as you can imagine, I discovered there is actually something meditative about coffee brewing process that I enjoy almost as much as the coffee itself.  

The rhythm of the grinding of beans, the sound of the running water, the slow-dripping of an espresso shot, the formation of a soothing layer of crema and then the wait - watching the bloom of latte art, smelling the aroma released.  Each step in the ritual helps awaken and calm me. 

I appreciated the easy way my friends and family have taken to the idea of me working in a cafe, and the positive way some greeted the discovery.  

Every sip of my two to four cups of daily coffee has reminded me of the luck, the fate, the fortune of myself having the sheer chance to engage in this leisurely business.  A new chapter of life for me that has so far, widened my horizon, a platform where I have met people from different walks of life over a simple connection of - coffee!

My Latte Art Chronicle

I love my coffee and can't quite do without having a caffeine jab in a day.  Any overdose of almost anything as a rule of thumb, is going to have an adverse effect and the same hold true for coffee drinking.

Consuming 5-6 cups in an afternoon for an entire week, shall just about reach that point of diminishing returns for me.  

What has been happening lately when I have not been blogging is that, I have been practising some latte art - the often enticing, eye-pleasing work of art that sits on top of your lovely Caffe Latte.   I have to admit one can't quite get there without wasting a considerable amount of milk.  And the pouring has taken me - a long time to get past the internal organs stage of latte art.  


Embarrassing as it is, I have decided to share with you a chronicle of my progressing learning curve.   Please note the use of your imagination is a prerequisite in appreciating (some of) the art involved.


Day 1 - 2 : Nothing happened but repeats of this disappointing lump of foam.

Day 3: An attempt to wiggle "something" - I refuse to admit it looks like an insect, so - a bat it is.

Day 4: You messed up, but learned to cover up with some chocolate sauce, just about passed the eyes of the beholders.

Day 5:  This has to be a rose.  Come on, it has to be.  Ok. A wilted rose.

Day 6:  A Rosetta or a fern - Withstood under a strong gust of wind so half of it got blown away. 

Day 7:  A side view of rose petals.  No?  

Day 8:  Christmas came early - can you see Santa Clause smiling at you?

Day 9:  Just when you thought you got a slight hang of things...a bear and an octopus came to haunt you!













Oh well, I can also do a rendition of my small intestine...and yes I can pour a mean pancreas too and my spleen ain't bad either! 


Practice makes perfect they say.  At least I am pulling pretty good shots and steaming useful microfoam on day 10.  Till the next time you meet a horizontally grown Alampy - wish her luck!

What A Brilliant Life

I thought my life is brilliant because...

I tend to wake up when the Sun wakes up and I have no complaints about that.

I have just left a job that was envy to many and soon entering the kind of business, which again is - envy to many.

Lately what goes in my calendar appointments are generally meals instead of meetings.

I thought my life is brilliant because...

What I have in my to-do-list right now, consists of things from watering my sis' plants next door every other day, to registering online for an iPhone 5 daily until they decide to grant me a purchase ticket!
  

My life is brilliant still, with a 2-year old iPhone 4 (iOS 6) by the way.

And someone asked this lady of leisure nicely to be a lecturer.  

Did I hear myself correctly?  I think I did.  

I admire what teachers do, I do.  They all seem to have this fascinating will to make students behave and incent them to learn which, to me, are just beyond plain respectful.  I don't think I can do that, ever.  

Nonetheless, I can probably just about handle being a guest speaker in the form of a stand-up comedian, delivering course materials every now and then.  No problem.  

My life is brilliant not because I have the ability to buy a meal or purchase a commodity but because I have the ability AND opportunity to share my life-long learning with people I care and hopefully make a positive impact.   

I am sure your life is brilliant too, if in doubt, read this to yourself:  The world is your classroom, each day is a lesson and every one you meet is your teacher. 

Brit's Witty Sense of Humour

It's always good to have a bit of a giggle and I feel the Brit's witty sense of humour is the best. 

Here's a little tweet on Twitter earlier: 

"Woman gives birth on London Underground, considers naming the child accordingly. Thankfully the station was Kingsbury and not Elephant and Castle."



Tweets which followed 
(obviously raised by non-Brits): 


How could a woman give birth "on" London if she is underground?

Is the funny part that London is underground? It isn't, right? I mean London isn't, right?

Why would anyone name a kid "Accordingly"?  I don't get it.

I don't get the elephant in the castle part. It just doesn't make sense.

---------

If you are laughing your arse off, welcome on board.

When Love Met Hate in Causeway Bay

When Love met Hate in Causeway Bay,
It was on a normal Sunday.
As each had always gone their own way,
Never crossed at each other till this day.

Love says she wants the day to be a shopping day .
Hate says he is tired and would rather lay.
Love suggests starting off with a nice stroll on the bay.
Hate hesitates but drags his lazy bum out anyway.

Taxi can't enter the area as there are protesters in the way .
Love can't wait, gets off straight away.
Hate chases out, forgets to pay.
Taxi driver goes so mad shouts "Hey".

Queues are everywhere on this very hot day .
You queue for lifts, queue to pay.
Baby little steps from IKEA to SOGO in Causeway Bay,
You wonder how you can wind up in dismay.

How about something to munch Hate says?
Love wants to go crazy shopping foremost she says.
Where's the leisurely stroll, by the way?
Oh yes but you know Victoria Park is hell on a Sunday.

Hate hates it when Love betrays .
Nevermind he takes it easy on this rest day.
At least I get to buy myself a drink if I may?
Sure, grab one for me on the way.

Gucc says no drinks allowed as hate enters the wrong way .
Hate thinks he just saw a main-lander smoking hay?!
Chane staff scans you like an X-ray,
While Louis just have no space for us to land and stay.

It was madness Hate says.
Let's get out of The Lee Gardens if we may.
How about Times Square or Hysan Place, just a short stay?
Hate replies, he's calling it a day.

Fast Food Pairing?

I do try to lead a healthy life, I do.  Occasionally I would climb up the stairs when taking an escalator - it's a form of exercise too, right?

Anyway, there's always temptations around. 

I stumbled upon this ad online and it was from Burger King in the States and I couldn't believe it was for real. 

 
Take a look at what's written underneath the Coke:

"Real full bodied taste with a refreshing bubbly finish, pairs well with a Whopper."

Pairing food with soda and that's so going to class the place up?  You're kidding me.  
 

And look at what Dr. Pepper has to say:

"23 fruity flavors, give it a pop, pairs well with BK Double Stacker."

I say if you are going to have a Double Stacker, you should really be pairing with a doctor!

Hilarious! 

Having said that, in a world where consumers have been conditioned to ignore thousands of marketing messages a day, I have to say, this was a good one.
 

The Party Line

My friends told me I am a great event organiser.  Great is it because it's a job that everyone loathes and I happen to love it? Or because I really am good at it, I wonder. 

I think anything you performed over a hundred times - you are bound to be good at it. Practice makes perfect they say.  

So I have this friend whom I have been organising her birthday parties for the last three years. From guest invitation, taking care of RSVPs, to the logistics and the nitty gritty stuff like how many candles should be placed on the cake!

In 2010 - the year she had her first daughter borned, she requested the birthday party to be a get-away from the baby talks and nappies, strictly "adults only".  Absolutely fine with me and I remembered we had a fun time apart from some who went panicking because they parted with their kids for 2 hours!

In 2011 - a year that was symbolic of mini baby boom among my circle of friends and so we decided to add a line in the invitation that said "We love your kids, bring them with you."  The party went pretty well, apart from the fact that I didn't know kids all love blowing candles and I didn't plan for that many to be blown! 

In 2012 - I made sure I took things into perspective and I think what we are going for this year would be this:

How Much Does A Soul Weigh?

Some believes the body becomes 21 grams lighter at the moment of death, seems to believe that is the weight of the human soul.  Rationally speaking, I don't buy that, but as a marketer, I do buy Din Tai Fung's great use of this idea in their marketing campaign (or the lack of it really).  

Din Tai Fung, for those who don't know, is a famous Taiwanese dumpling chain which has international presence.  The phenomenon of the chain continues to be startling since it was ranked one of the world's top 10 restaurants by The New York Times and more recently awarded one Michelin star in a branch in Hong Kong.

Their food is tasty, no question about that.  What fascinates me, is the art in making those dumplings to precise standards. The dough is rolled to a 6.5cm disc, 16 grams of meat to go in, so that each is to weigh 21 grams and to be wrapped exactly with 18 folds!  No more, no less.  Precisely - that's the soul of the dumpling, the soul of Din Tai Fung, that is there to capture your soul.  

How good is that?

We all have our own ways of eating these delicate dumplings with some ending in disastrous outcomes I am sure - spilled soup or worse, scalded tongues.  

Much to the embarrassment of your dining partner, next time when you are there, take your mini scale out (just kidding)...you might want to pick one up with your chopsticks and examine the broth sloshing inside and go count the number of folds on them before you gobble the parcel (I mean the soul). 

 
 

Cracking The 5 Love Languages

Have you heard of the 5 love languages?  I haven’t in my entire life and until I heard it twice in the last 24 hours and I thought it must have been a hot topic lately, so I went and do some digging.

Apparently, World Peace must have missed out a great deal from not paying attention to the number one New York Times bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman's book, who encourages the human race to identify, understand and speak their loved one’s primary love language.

It is basically 5 ways of expressing love and everyone has their own love language.  It is deemed vital for us to know what our love language is so that it is easier for others to make us feel loved by them. 

You know what I am thinking?  I think this 5 love languages theory is going to unite the world - which currently has over 6,800 spoken languages spinning around!  Chapman can cut it with 5, isn't that a great saving?

So...I decided to go find out my native tongue and as I am a lazy bum, instead of reading his book, you might like to go where I went for a quick online assessment to see if you and your loved ones belong to the same tribe - http://www.5lovelanguages.com/assessments/love/

And precisely because I am a lazy bum, I shall let the pictures do the talking of what my native tongue is.  

And this has no means of saying I don't like to receive gifts or compliments any more, so keep those coming in please!

Signs, Signs, Everywhere

I am here to say this past month or so, the universe seems to have staged a parade full of bright neon signs, demanding my admiration. I always carry the world of inspirations with me, but rarely does the world speak so loudly.

Lately I see signs, everywhere I go.  And the most amazing thing is - they are always thrown right at your face, made sure you won't miss them (as if you desperately needed reminding).  And who likes to be told what to do anyway?  Especially the bold yet touchy feely ones like these, which I happen to just run across today. 

Funny what they do after you spotted them, is that they will silently creep into your subconscious, work their way into the heart, poke you every now and then with a pulse and a beat, "the best thing one can do in life is to be able to follow your own heart", stating the oblivion of ignoring the obvious.  

Then came the interesting battle between your heart and your conscience:


Heart: What if my life is NOT good and I like it that way?

Conscience: But the time to be happy is now.

Heart: If life is what we make it, then why does sh*t happen?

Conscience: Because life is a sacred journey.

Heart: Only if you follow your bliss.

Conscience: And never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.

The Lungs decided to join in the conversation to form a tangent: Good things are going to happen - only if you breathe.

The three of them could have gone on for hours, you get the gist.

I believe when we are true to ourselves and our destiny, the world spins its arms to us.   The universe will also whisper and send us signs we are capable of accepting, embroidered with possible opportunities and directions.  All we have to do is open our heart and listen.


Signs - literally and figuratively, are all around us whether you like it or not.

Hayden's Last Wishes

Do not mourn me in sorrow

but paint me a rainbow.

Shedding a few tears is fine

but do remember me with a smile.

Forget the suffrage in the past

and think only of the joyous part.

Take care of those I leave behind

for they are wondrous, forever mine.

Be comforted to know I couldn't have lived any better

I am very sure we will soon reunite in heaven together.

The Year of Change

I always think I have the best seat possible in the entire office.  I haven't got no window view by the way, and I sit right outside the entrance of the Finance Department. But precisely because of where I sit, I get to see and greet many passerby each day when they go in/out of the department of money matters.  Mind you, it can be very distracting - smelling all that cash flow but can't have no share of any of it - requires a bit of getting used to. 

Anyway...lately, I have noticed the traffic of passerby to the cash vault has increased incredibly.  They all came for one purpose - to settle their last pay cheque with payroll.  I knew because after they came out of the department, many would actually be courteous enough to stop by and tell me it's their last day.  We would exchange handshakes and I would also take that opportunity to tell them when my last day is, keep in touch, etc etc.

Among my circle of friends, I happen to know quite a few who have also recently quit their long-held positions, currently enjoying a career break of some sort.  I have always been a trendsetter in many ways but I can't help but wonder - but a trend of resigning?  What's going on?


It has to be the year 2012.  It has got to be the year of the Dragon spurring all these changes.  2012 is precisely - the year of the dragon. 

The years of Dragons have always been the most auspicious and powerful of the 12 signs of the zodiac they say - one associated with high energy, prosperity, change and mobility. 

I mean just look at 2012 as the world faces crucial presidential elections - in Russia, in France and later in USA.  In fact, I can easily google 40 countries holding presidential elections this year, and when taken together, believe it or not, that's half of the world's GDP holding elections or switching leadership this year!

In my case, after a rather petty, backbiting first 3 quarters of 2012, I am finally in for the ride of my life in this year of change. I can either get ready to rock and roll or, crawl under a rock till it rots. 

Right now, I know in comfort that I am definitely not alone when it comes to facing massive changes, because whatever the future holds, from derring-do, hell-raising to exorbitant fun - nothing against us at all, as we can probably blame the year of the dragon magnifying everything tenfold for us!  

I can only hope you will be in for a ride with me too.  

The Resignation

The letter has been rewritten, rephrased, proof-read, spell-checked. It was then printed, made sure everything was aligned.  

Cross-checked it again before it was signed with with a Mont Blanc Rollerball from the legendary Meisterstuck collection - a pen which seem ever so popular among the managerial rank when I first started working and therefore, I decided I have to get myself one using my first ever pay cheque.  And I did.  No better pen can have that honour to sign that important letter on this very special day! 

Folded the letter so perfectly and placed that into a fitted envelope with care, sealed with a kiss (you wish) and off I went to see my boss smash on dot of the hour. 

He had no idea.  

Like all Brits do, we started off with discussing the weather.  I mean you can never go terribly wrong with that, then we digressed a bit into the regional weather and then went global before we returned to the local, weather again.  Twenty minutes into the hour and we basically covered the whole climatic regime on earth, the unpredictability of weather forecasts nowadays and a couple of other things and that was when I handed him the letter. 

He looked surprised and I wouldn't blame him as we were nonetheless on the calmer side of the weather front the last minute and this minute, we found ourselves in stormy seas.  How predictable was that?  I was also probably the last person in the team who would be susceptible to resigning for that matter.  And practically because I'd imagine myself be rather rusty (the last resignation being merely more than 12 years ago), I thought I needed that 20 minutes or so staging effort, in which the bit on weather forecast came in really handy as a nice little cushion.

The next 20 mins of conversation went exceptionally well, I told my boss why I would like to leave and as far as he's concerned, I have a proper hand-over plan in place, we are good.  And I made sure I keep that door open (just in case I do need to return at some point down the road).

"Actually, all we need now is an email from you to your boss, copying HR.  Then you will be brought to a website and with a press of a button, it's procedurally done."

That was probably when I felt strongly the incredible efficiency working in a high-tech company - where everything is so automatic, systematic, hydromatic!   In one word - cold.

"But since you have that letter printed, might as well let me have a read now!"

"Good letter," he said (probably thanking good lord I haven't a word against him).   Frankly, I have no reason to.  He has been really kind - the kind that is almost too fatherly kind to be your boss, if you know what I mean.  

"You still need to go press that button, then it's all systems go, Bob's your uncle."


After all, I haven't had much experience resigning, the last time I did was donkey years ago and I did have to physically "tender" my resignation with a "physical" letter then. 

I returned to my desk and as I scrolled through that HR site step-by-step, I felt so old-fashioned like a piece of antique.  If I were to redo this, I'd still prefer a proper letter and a face-to-face meeting over an email and a button. No question about that.   

The thing is, whatever means it needed me to take, I finally did it.  Procedurally done.  I HAVE officially resigned. 

Hong Kong's Book Scene

Hong Kong - in terms of bookstores, has so far lagged behind many other Asian cities such as Tokyo, Taipei and even Bangkok.  I am thinking, there just aren't that many bookworms around to warrant them, but may be I was terribly ignorant in making that statement. 

With the arrival of Eslite, a Taiwanese bookstore chain, I decided to go for a stroll in what becomes the largest bookstore in Hong Kong, housing some 100,000 titles and promises to open 24 hours on Thur-Sat for a month's trial. 

As a starter, I was greeted with hordes of people wanting to be the first to scope out Hong Kong's latest bookstore. That was all good and expected but for the main dish, I didn't expect to see readers carrying baskets full of shopping, eagerly trying to sweep through the stationery on offer. It becomes very apparent that Hong Kong REALLY is a paradise for shoppers (not readers).  Will Eslite help cultivate some night owl bookworms in future?  We will soon find out, wouldn't we?

Eslite - famous not only for an extensive collection of books but also in-house art galleries, cultural events, designer products and cafés.  While I was awfully disappointed by the fact that the cafe was still closed and I couldn't try their coffee, I stumbled upon a very interesting exhibition - featuring the prominent Chinese artist XU Bing. 

His latest book "Book from the Ground" is created after spending much time travelling around the world, and with all that time wasted in airports, he began to notice the many symbols surrounding him. He thought it would be interesting to use this minimal way of communicating to create a story book. 

For the next ten minutes, I stood there with admiration and desperation, trying to figure out what this sign means. 

It is with the intention from artist HU Bing, that this can be read and enjoyed by everyone, whether literate or not.

I can't decode this and I am feeling so stupid.

Can you get what he's trying to say here?  I am struggling still.

So there I left the bookstore - pondering whether my inability to read this makes me a literate nor a nonliterate.

Tears In Heaven

This is in memory of a wonderful young boy who fought cancer for almost all of his life.  I believe he has lived more in his 5 short years than many of us have in a lifetime.

His spirit and love of life moved all of those around him, and we have truly lost an amazing child to this terrible disease.

No matter how bad
he might have felt,
He always knew how
to make your heart melt.

It's certainly not fair
the battle he fought,
All those who knew him
took in what he taught.

He fought hard to beat
the disease he had,
And would never complain
of feeling bad.

For someone so young
his heart was of Gold,
You would never have known
he was just 5 years old.

Some say silence is golden. 
Others say tears are words the heart can't express.

I don't even have tears run down at the moment, but rest assured that you are in our thoughts - always.

What Makes Good Coffee Better?

"Ah, that is perfume in which I delight, when they roast coffee near my house, I hasten to open the door to take in all the aroma." 

Jean Jacques Rousseau





Coffee is probably the most complex food known to man.  It has over a thousand of flavour components and the nearest comparison would be red wine with 450 chemical compounds in the flavour make-up.  And then we go roast it - resulting in different chemicals being burnt away, others changing, adding to the complexity.

Low-quality beans give bad coffee - that's a no-brainer.
High-quality beans yield bad coffee - that's called disastrous.
High-quality beans end up in a perfect up - that's great but it is just half the story. 


In my recent visits to Taiwan and South Korea, I have stumbled upon some fantastically impressive cafes.  And to my surprise, not only do the baristas there really know their coffee, many of the cafes look chic, modern and inviting - that was satisfaction to the taste buds AND pleasure to the sight. 

I was thinking to myself, what makes good coffee exceptional? 

Companion is certainly one and ambiance has to be the other.  


It is no longer just the way we take our caffeine that is determined by our tastes, but the question of WHERE is just as important.  Cafes with creative designs that offer customers an additional aesthetic value - have the ability to differentiate themselves in a huge degree from some of the big chains.

I am thinking communal benches, tasteful books and magazines for the sheer joy of flipping, clean and simple decor, are just some of the essential elements that provide an inviting glimpse of the interior to passer-by.  And then having a panoramic window not only affords a pleasing view to guests inside, it is there to create a very juxtaposing contrast to the world outside. 

After all, cafes are places for communication - a fact which certainly has its causes in caffeine's invigorating effects.  I really think any cafe in existence has to create a communicative and inspirational effect too - there to simultaneously answer to all practical requirements of a functional catering business.

Have a think of the last perfect cup you had.  And ask yourself what was the associating superlative thing that you remember from that very enjoyable indulgence.

At Passport Controls

I have been travelling so much that I can literally wake up in the morning, not remembering where I am at that moment in time.

OK.  That doesn't mean I haven't got the time to blog.  No excuse really because precisely, as I have been travelling to different countries, I should be incredibly inspired. 

And I am.  By the immigration process. 


So often a scary or tedious thing for travellers is it not?  I mean just imagine, an unidentified officer can fire at you with a variety of questions such as the duration of the visit and for the sake of what (can't they read what I wrote in the form?)  And quite often people can feel uncomfortable when these creatures watch faces intently as he/she matches the photo on the passport stamp.

I have been reasonably inspired.   I am fascinated by the fact that certain sounds in nature are beyond the range of human hearing - like the “ thank you” spoken by the immigration officer at passport controls.

 

Shouldn't they be glad someone is visiting their country?  The influx of foreigners are actually the ones keeping them in their jobs.  And I am thinking, perhaps a thank you would be nice, or a return of a smile if the former is too much to ask.  

It Is Good To Wait

The fact that we inhabit time with a past and a future, we end up sticking our neck out, waiting for something, someone, all the time. 

Standing in line, waiting to be served. Often to our disappointment and frustration.

I wasn't sure I had much to say about waiting in a positive light when really - waiting is a painful consequence of someone's bad decisions, is it not?    Doesn't help when our fast food culture of two-in-one shampoo or three-in-one skincare treatments are making us more and more impatient.  Yes.  They even managed to stuff seven years of high school into six nowadays! 

Oh Wait.  We Forgot.

We forgot how notoriously romantic it can be when you are in the wait.  

"I turn on my computer. I wait patiently as it connects. I go online."  Do you remember that Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie - set precisely in the era of using a 56K modem to get hooked online?

And what happened to the anticipation for a snail mail to arrive?  Do you recall that excitement when the postman handed you with the one letter you have been waiting for?  And does anyone remember the relish of queuing up for a movie ticket?   Anyone does that any more?   Anyone still with me so far?

We certainly have more conveniences, not a doubt.   I mean, all I need is a smartphone and I can order my groceries, grab my movie tickets, check-in my flight, saving me heaps of time queuing in various places for all these otherwise. 

The paradox is...if the fast food culture we are living in represents time efficiency and instant gratification, why are we constantly feeling the lack of time?  

I stumbled upon this paradoxical thought when I was stuck inside a plane (with no 3G or Wi-Fi network).  The amount of time one spent in "queuing" and "waiting" in airports is indeed - an incredible amount of time.  Worsened of course when you have no internet to fiddle with. 

We should appreciate the beauty of idle time - use that wisely to pause and reflect on our priorities and what is the most needed.  Waiting - won't appear to be so bad after all. 

Yet Another First In Asia

Just imagine this:  having your own personal car porch that requires a car lift to park your vehicle next to your living room up in the sky.

What?  I heard you murmured.

The Hamilton Scotts -  a luxury high-rise residential project in Singapore that allows its residents to park their cars right next to their own units – even 30 storeys up.

Yes, you heard me. 

Parking is set to reach a whole new level, with a high-rise condominium where every apartment comes with its own private garage in the sky.

First of its kind in Asia (after New York and Dubai),  its residents are now able to drive their million-dollar baby (has to be), into a special glass elevator that will lift the baby from the ground floor to their 'porch' on the same level as their living rooms.
 

Any filthy rich billionaire only requires to pay a mere US$85M for a 3-bedroom flat to make this fantasy come true!

Moved?

Oh well, don't get too excited even if you have the money, because all of the flats were sold shortly after they were released out in the market.

Did The Economist say we are pretty much in recession?   They must have overlooked this crouching tiger!

The Trademark of Annie: Optimism

The notes of the familiar song “Tomorrow" has been reverberating at the back of my head for the last two nights after watching the delightful musical "Annie" - a light-hearted play, something I think everyone at any age can enjoy.

The plot talks about a little orphan named Annie who charms everyone's heart inspite a next-to-nothing start in the midst of the great depression of the 1930s New York. She is determined to find her parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an Orphanage run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan.

Despite playing out against the backdrop of the era's misery and poverty, my favourite part of this musical has to be the fact that Annie is terribly optimistic.  She would always find the good side of looking at things, insisting the future will be brighter.

I remember she walks into one of the scenes, carrying a completely different perspective when somebody moans and complains having "empty pockets,"  she quickly suggests, "Well at least you've got pockets."

"Your fingers are cold?  Be glad you have those pockets!"

"You use newspapers for blankets?  Well you can read in bed!"


If a 13 year old can take the desperation, turn it around and bring lots of humour to it.  So can we.

My 8 Quirky Things To Be Thankful For

Oh it has been a terrifically hectic month for me and while writing out a cheque just then, I realised we are already four days into the month of June.

I want to stop and pause for a moment and be thankful for a few things before I forget them.

I am choosing to enchant you with my positive outlook instead of boring you to death with my whining - because - you are worth it. 

1. The bad times, because without them the good times would have no perspective.
2. Rain. It washed my linen but so as the streets, the trees and occasionally our soul.
3. Good and bad side of my father, both taught me something about me.
4. The enchanting creativity from young kids I met with.
5. Solitude. Because when am I ever alone?
6. The ability to fall in love - with a hobby that is.
7. The fact that my first edited book has been published and on sale is just pure exhilarating.
8. The much needed silence like - now.  A chance to reflect on this last month and all the things I have to smile about.

Go make your list and check it twice.  You don't have to wait till Christmas, you know?

Grandma's Wisdom

For the longest time way past my adolescent days, I have been told chocolate milk was made from fresh milk that turned bad.  I was being steered away from drinking chocolate milk.  I have faithfully heeded that advice until Google confirmed they can't find a hit in the www!

Till this day I still want to throw salt over my right shoulder (or is it my left?) after knocking over the salt shaker because my house-mistress said it would keep evil spirits away.

Oh, and here's a good one - you will go blind if you sit too close to the television, or if you cross your eyes, they will stay that way.

You do know the above aren't true (I hope).   I mean if they are true, I do wonder what my house-mistress would say about the salty evil spirits I have consumed over the years! 

I can, however, think of a few instances where the good old-fashioned "grandma's wisdom" has proved to work miracles.  


Non-stop coughing

Rub Vicks VapoRub on the bottom of the feet, cover them with socks at bedtime, can stop the cough almost immediately.  

Alternatively, try shots of whiskey.  It won't kill the germs but my grandpa swore by it as the best readily available cough suppressant one can get.
   

Bloated Stomach

Apparently, gently massaging the skin along the collar bone will release gas by either small burps or if you are persistent enough, big belches will follow.  

Sore Throat

Gargle with salt water - a remedy that works economically sound. 

Ache & Pain

There is nothing quite like a good old fashioned hot water bottle to comfort and soothe those shoulder aches and back pains.

Do you have some of your favourite Old Wives’ Tales to share or tips from your granny that have seen the arc of life?