Sari princess

Finalmente I could wear my expensive hot pink-green sari again at the hindu wedding ceremony of P. The first time was at F's wedding and it was a hoot. I feel so girly like a princess everytime I wear it. And si, I'd much rather don it than a tight-fitting cheongsam for the simple reason I'd not be able to pig out. On Sunday, I had to stifle a giggle as I stepped out of the lift and an auntie stared at me as if I had 4 legs. I smiled at the taxi driver who didn't smile back - bo, no sense of humour or curiosity.

At the temple, there were a million pairs of shoes but luckily we didn't have to remove ours for the ceremonial hall upstairs. P and his italian wife Ila looked like a royal couple resting on the dais while guests went up to congrat them. A few Indian guests came up and complimented me on my choice of sari, yipeee. Again it was a worthy investment - I figured I'd break even at the 10th Indian wedding or Bollywood themed party. Dammit, I should have come earlier to impress President N and the other VIPs. We then proceeded downstairs to lunch on vegetarian food with lime juice (si, there's no alcohol, rather bizarre considering we were surrounded by a horde with a penchant for birra and whisky).

I hurried home to change and went to Ikea and bought a new bed frame and mattress. I figured I needed a new prop to kickstart my love/sex life - it's a fengshui thing lah. And I'm trying to persuade myself to rid of my most treasured 17-year-old smelly bolster. It's really disgusting (trust me, you should see the saliva marks lol) and I was really surprised at how some exs had not commented on it. Although having said that, an ex was jealous of it and asked me to keep it in the wardrobe everytime he slept over - I reluctantly relented and felt so bad. I was so devoted to it and it was to me. To prove my point, the ex is gone but it remains a bolster of strength and affection for me. I think I'd keep it longer at least untill after next week when I'm done with my lipoma surgery. I'd need its comforting hold.

When there's a will

My gran had a minor stroke last week and it scared the shit out of us. No doubt it was a mini one, it was still a stroke. She was so weak when we rushed her to the A&E room at TTS and the damned doc wanted to discharge her despite her high blood pressure (218!) and signs of numbness. Luckily we insisted on admitting her and they found out after doing scans. She's fortunate to recover so fast but I think it was a 'warning' to her and us to pay attention to her health. We all love her so much that it was heartening to see the family rally around her. We couldn't imagine losing her - this bright spark of a ballbreaker - in our life.

La vita e' molto preziosa. You gotta treaure every fleeting moment. Sometimes I lie in bed and wonder about death, living and legacy. Just last month, I got this mother-of-a-claustrophobic momento when I thought about 'me' being trapped in my body. Who is 'me'? What am I doing in 'me'? Where am I going? Who are 'you'? Why are you in you if you know what I'm talking about? What is your mission in life? Truly bizarre. With that, I decided to add another resolution -- to make a will. It's about bloody time; I had been procastinating it for too long. Everything will naturally go to my parents if I expire before them. I even told my amiche Ferne and Fiona that I'm setting aside S$10,000 for each of them (and my sis too) to make a trip to Sicily to scatter my ashes at the volcanic Eolie islands.

Those 2 bitches complained I should give them more money to rent a villa and italian giggolos. I think I'd ask Luigi to go and make sure they don't have too much fun. He'd smack their arses. Speaking of the devil, he'd be coming to visit me in February - yay, finalmente - another overseas amico (after Cristian)! We can't wait for his first trip to his dreamland - Asia - where he'd be spending CNY with my famiglia and amici. Poi we're heading to Koh Samui for 5 days as lazy sunbathers with a Singha in hand. Make that many Singhas. L owes me una fabbrica. Anyway I'm so happy he finally took the leap. Bravissimo!

Chinese New Year is creeping up soon and I have 1) springcleaned room 2) gotten a new red top 3) cut and coloured my hair at my mom's salon. I usually don't share the same stylist with my mamma - I never forgave the last one who schemed with her and permed my hair into a Ronald Macdonald hair-do when I was just an innocent 10 year-old. Si, era bruttissima. Anyway the pretty salon-owner today offered me 10% discount saying 'Oh we only give to university students'. I stifled a giggle and declined the kind offer, confessing I'm 33 this year (dammit!). She said 'Oh I thought you're in early 20s. You have a baby face.' Woo-peeee!

Starting afresh ancora

Christmas came and went away in a blink. It was a low key affair - quiet dinner at J's - compared to how we used to celebrate it in the good ole days. As I was spring-cleaning my wardrobe today, I pulled out our old photo albums and was grinning like a monkey at snapshots of the wild party days in our carefree 20s. The best parties were at Mohamed Sultan; B and I were always up to mischief making others drunk and twirling each other in madness. My favourite scene was that of the pub filled with fake foamy snow bits and we'd bump into the big twinkling xmas tree in our drunken state of dance. It was a bourbon-long-island-tequila-kinda blur which led naughty me to kissing a few guys that night!

Si, blame it on the alcohol. It does foolish things to you, like daring one another to down 11 tequila shots in a row or puke your dinner remains into a party hat at the bar counter. Or having your face in the gutters, waiting for the next wave of nausea. Or sticking your head out of a moving cab in case there's more vomit left while the taxi uncle searched desperately for another plastic bag. Ahh, how I missed those days, but surely not the hangovers. I could safely say I now know my limits. I stopped at kissing strangers too. In fact I haven't kissed anyone in the past 2 years (my cats don't count). I wondered if I'd still know how to pucker my lips.

With the new year looming ahead, it's time again to reflect on my previous resolutions and draw up new ones. Let's see, in 2007 I had set out to:
- To quit smoking (quasi accomplished - I smoked only a pack this year, haha)
- To improve my italiano (checked - ho completato progressivo livello!)
- To hold an exhibition (checked - Gattidelmondo was a success!)
- To be kinder to parents & relatives (checked - domestic relations have improved)
- To travel to new exotic places (si, went to Philippines, Hoi An, Arezzo, Assisi, Cortona, Perugia)
- To get a bike licence (not after what happened to R who's now paralysed)
- To achieve a lean, mean body thro' healthy living (err, it's in the progress)
- To start praying for il mio grande amore (ok I've started praying quite hard)

I guessed the highlights of 2007 were winning the Italian scholarship, the one-month long return trip to Italia and also the sense of accomplishment of organising a fun cat photo exhibition which hopefully will be an annual affair. Capping the year was finally whipping our arses into gear and finalising the launch of our 2nd business DMAF! It's been extra hard on top of our busy agenda but I'm proud to say we did it!

For 2008, my priorities are:
- To find il mio grande amore (si, I'm naive this way but I know The Secret now!)
- To perfect my italiano in italia (Yay, can't wait for my scholarship trip!)
- To hold 2nd Gattidelmondo photo exhibition (in talks with new bigger venue!)
- To achieve sane, healthy living through regular exercise (bought new Nikes! And not to take health for granted esp after Lipoma's surgery on 28 Jan)
- To roll out business expansion plans and launch 2nd venture DMAF (fingers crossed! Plus have to look for new office, rent went up 4times, porca putana)
- To be thankful, positive, have courage and faith - Felice nuovo anno, tutti!

Mangio troppissimo

With Christmas coming up and our 'winter' rainy season creeping in, we all got the munchies and had been stuffing our faces at every excuse. First it was No's big 30th birthday and we celebrated it at Bombay Cafe last Friday. It was this shocking-pink kitschy Indian joint at Tanjong Katong, splashed with posters and videos of our preferito Bollywood idol Shahrukh Khan. After a delightful dinner, we managed to shock N with a special Shahrukh's cake with his message of love in Hindi. Hehe.

The next week we then went to My Humble House where No made special arrangements with the Chef to whip up a brilliant 5-course pranzo. The pumpkin soup alone was to-die-for while desserts were always a fun affair. We were literally on cloud nine as the dry ice bubbled away in our ice-piled bowls of fruits and sweets.

Various ideas were cast and tossed aside for our company Xmas lunch - it was always a huge dilemma to please everyone's tastebuds and expectations. In the end, everyone nodded to The Moomba, one of our favourite restaurants for consistency and comfort. After making heartfelt toasts fuelled by the lovely Champagne Francois H, I slurped down 5 slippery oysters, followed by a fig-rocket-blue cheese insalata then the roasted quail. Mmmm. I could feel Lipoma beaming with delight, she loves good food as much as me.

Scannin' again

The weeks zipped by in a flash and the xmas trees and decor were all up. We put Pecora at the top of our office tree cos she's a star! The rain fell in continous sheets of storm and the temperature dipped. All I want was a hug and a glass of Champagne. Ok make that una bottiglia! Last Saturday Concetta sprang a test on us in classe and I tried my very best despite the lack of colazione e caffe. Porca putana. I was very sure I sucked. This Saturday would be our last class for Advanced Level 4C and we're all very proud of ourselves for making it so far, especially Eka and I who started since Oct 2005! A pat on the back for us ragazze :P complimenti!

Today I finally had the MRI scan after all the hassle of to-ing and fro-ing from the poly clinic and hospital for the subsidised rate. A doc friend had managed to speed things up and I told the surgeon and his two grinning med interns - no conservative route for me - lets move it and get it out asap.

Prior to the scan, I had some apprehension since a) I'm claustrophobic so the bloody tunnel will be scary 2) I never have a surgery before or being under GA so that's a bit bewildering. Well, that's always a first time for everything right! I tried to be a brave cat, as I lay there on the bed before being rolled in while the nurse reassured me a bit too cheerily 'don't worry, jus close your eyes!'

As I felt the bed slide in, I clenched my fists tight and shut my eyes tight as the space closed in like a space pod and there was only stillness. The tunnel was so bloody small that I almost panicked just thinking of risking a peep. Soon the machine came alive, vibrating and thumping switching from a bad repetitive techno beat to an irritating jackhammer. It was manageable, save for the ear plugs.

Then halfway they rolled me to a window in the tunnel - again the nurse said 'close your eyes still ok' - while injecting me with a liquid to make the blood vessels more visible for the scan?!! WTF! I can deal with injections but not enclosed spaces. I mustered all my strength and imagined myself in a space pod floating in universe while the techno-like vibrations closed in around me again. Not fun lor. Anyway the results were ok and I'd proceed with surgery on 28 Jan 08. Wish me luck!

Such a Scan-dal

Last week I waited almost 2 hours to see the surgeon at SGH despite having an appointment. He spent less than 5mins examining Lipoma and advised me to go for a MRI scan to ascertain that it was indeed all fats *fingers crossed* Blurf#ck me didn't know what it is or how much it costs, and nearly fainted when the nurse said it'd be S$960! Porca putana! I'm heading back to square 1 and getting a referral from a poly clinic so I'd get subsidised - half price. Anyway once I get the MRI out of the way, I'd remove Lipoma before I get used to petting her like a parrot on my shoulder every morning.

On giovedi, Q and I went to the launch of 'Italian Genius Now' at Emily Hill, which was part of the Spore Design Festival. It was not as impressive as we imagined but at least we got to practise our italian. I think I better brush up, perche saro' troppo pigra e dimentichero' tutto che ho imparato! Gulp. So today I took some drastic measure: besides dragging myself to class, I also signed up at a language exchange website (got 3 italian men who wanted to be my friend!) and said 'si' to a dinner invitation from a Sicilian chef whom I've met once before. We somehow had a few italian exchanges on FaceBk and decided to meet up and chat in person - at of all places, Iggy's! Ero un po stressata! What should I wear so I could stuff my face without splitting my dress?!

He turned out to be such a gentleman - held out chair, offered Champagne, laughed at my every joke (cos I molto funny mah), paid at least $600 for the dinner (si, era troppo) and offered to send me home in cab. Wah, I hadn't been treated like a lady for so long now. Maybe it's time for me to get back in the dating circuit! Anyway here's another Carla's tried and tested recipe - enjoy!

Creepy Crepes all Nutella e Banana

Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
3/4 milk
1/4 water
Nutella
Banana

Method:
1. Mix flour and salt together and create a well in the middle.
2. Mix eggs, milk and water and pour this mixture into the middle of flour-salt.
3. Be sure to blend them gently and sift the mix carefully so there's no lipoma lump.
4. Heat up a non-stick pan and pour half a laddle of the batter, quickly spreading it out thinly to cover all of the pan's surface. Flip it over to brown both sides. Make funny creepy faces once you have mastered it!
5. Serve up crepes with lots of nutella and sliced banana. Yum!

Lump of contentment

I try not to bore people with nonsensical stuff if I have nothing to write about. Last week was madness; work, shoot, meetings after meetings. Weeks in November flew by in a huff. The Harpers shoot was fun, the hair and make-up artist did a great job and made us look like ourselves but twice better. We posed like Gisele and I tried to resemble a smokin' hot italian heiress with my satin collar up but that just sent the 2 gay stylist and art director in a fit of giggles. Bo, we'd see the final result soon enough.

Just last weekend I had my usual massage and the kindly masseuse said nonchalantly to me 'Miss, you got a lump here', grabbing a knot of fats on my left shoulder - somewhat like a gnocchi of grasso. It didn't hurt which was a good sign but it affected me throughout the week so I asked my doc friend E for advice. The arse said it could be a 3rd boob. But in all seriousness, it could be a lipoma. I sought a 2nd opinion with a GP who confirmed it. So now it's me and my Lipoma (which sounds so italian). I always thought I had a chip on my shoulder, now I just had a lump. Doc referred me to a surgeon and we'd decide if we should remove it.

Funny this lump surfaced when I was just thinking that a lot of us took our health for granted. Oprah W said without health, we can't conquer the world. Happiness is health. Without it, we can't enjoy our family, friends, lovers, wealth and be our own heroes. So as I go about reflecting on my new year resolutions, I'd put health upfront. Every year eversince I recognised the power and potential of goals, I have a list of realistic short-term achievables and tick each off as the year drools on. I'm kinda kiasu this way; life is short and time is running out. We think we have all the time in the world but it's not true. Time slips you by.

Youth is a leaf in the wind
It prances and twirls blindly.

I'm almost finishing 'Una Camera Con Una Vista' (A Room With A View) by E M Foster. I didnt know he was gay! Anyway it was kinda 'Sense & Sensibility' (by Jane Austen) where the damsel found herself and ended up with her real love in a straits-laced society then. But 'A Room With A View' was partly set in Florence (bonus point!) and I felt like her in the Spoleto's convento when all I wanted was 'una camera con una vista'. I didn't get it in the end. I thought it'd make me happy like it did the first time but I was too narrow minded. I was better off with a view of the garden, a window to prettier things. Here are some excerpts I like from the book:

"How can he be unhappy when he is strong and alive? What more is one to give him?"

"Passion should believe itself irresistible. It should forget civility and consideration and all the other curses of a refined nature. Above all, it should never ask for leave where there is a right of way."

"It is impossible to foretell the future with any degree of accuracy, that it is impossible to rehearse life."

"Life is easy to chronicle but bewildering to practice."

Nostalgia per me

As one gets older, one becomes more nostalgic. The sentimental fool in me sobbed when I asked the garanguni (is it spelt right?) man to take my baby-sized decade-old 14inch monitor away, to be replaced by a brand-new flat screen on my office desk. If I could, I would use it till I grow blind from squinting. But as it was, I could feel my eyesight failing.

Some good news this week! LTA replied to my letter and came up with a standard PR reply that I was anticipating. But it was a reply nonetheless saying they're doing their best to avoid the trees in the line of fire. I also saw the workers transplanting some younger trees so that's pretty cheery.

What also made me chirpier was that Harpers Bazaar wanted to feature me and my partners in the Jan 2008 issue, woooo-peeee! They'd be doing our hair and make-up for a photoshoot this Wednesday, so we were kinda stressed out over our outfits! Not exactly high-fashion slaves, we hoped our humble wardrobe would pull it off!

Green peace of mind

I was quite upset since last week when the beautiful shady trees and lush bushes around my office area were uprooted to make way for supposedly new MRT works. My partners and I were tempted to chain ourselves to the trees to protest against this horrible destruction. If I had my way, I'd become a full-time activist or politician to have my voice heard. Egged on by another similiar-thinking fellow whose letter got published in Today newspaper, I wrote in to bitch about it and whoopee, mine appeared on the following day! This was not the first time I had written to the forum - in fact the last time, NEA responded to my letter in ST when I championed the merits of using less plastic bags and going green in Spore 2 years ago.

My friends said why I bothered at all when the relevant authorities had already made up their minds. But I totally disagreed and felt that we can all make an impact with action, instead of keeping silent. Caring about something and doing something about it are two totally different things. Si, we might not be able to reverse the situation but at least we could put pressure on them regarding future works in progress and inspire others that they are not alone in this. Yesterday during italian class, my English classmate K told me she read my letter and cheered me for my effort. I walked a little more sprightly after that.

Also on Friday evening, I found myself at a wine dinner seated with a local journalist, the Australian vineyard's GM and a Canadian brewmaster (who thought I was 20 yrs old) among other guests. They were short of patting me on the shoulder when I told them about the letter as we were discussing about organic wines. The dinner lasted more than 4 hours as we quaffed down 6 courses and 8 wines. Our VIP table had 2 extra mystery wines where we did a blind tasting and had to guess their varietal and vintage. I was honestly a little shacked and rusty but at least I got the styles right.

Me: Yes, definitely an Old World. Bordeaux maybe? (Correct!)
Me: Hmm, its quite young. 2002 maybe? (Wrong - 1998)

Sunday was pasta day, all the more cos I was suffering from extreme PMS and a pimple popped up overnight on my chin. Che cazzo. Here's my recipe of the month to chase away the blues:

Organic spaghetti with prawns, arugula and cherry tomatoes

Ingredients
Organic spaghetti (enough for 1)
2tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves (chopped)
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
1 small whole chilli
5 whole prawns
5 basil leaves (chopped)
A handful of arugula leaves
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:
1. Boil pasta for 6mins in salted water.
2. Fry garlic in oil till fragrant, then add cherry tomatoes and chilli and fry for 1min.
3. Add prawns, basil, salt and pepper. Fry for 3-4 mins till cooked (remove chilli).
4. Add spaghetti and mix well. Remove from heat and toss in arugula. Serve! :)

Buon Diwali

Haaappy Diwaaali! Ah, such bliss to wake up late on this public holiday. Last night, our celebrations started with some fab naan, spiced okra, cauliflower and tandoor chicken at the Indian ristorante at the Singapore Recreational Club. Interestingly I didn't know non-members could dine there anytime. And I didn't know that the club was established in 1883 by the Eurasian community as a hangout for non-whites in Spore, as opposed to the Singapore Cricket Club that was opened for the whites. Ok ok I didn't know a lot of things.

I was informed by my 2 Indian amici - Prab and Ketan - that Diwali / Divali / Deepavali is NOT their new year celebration; in fact it's celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs across the globe as the "Festival of Light," where the lights signify the uplighting of darkness and victory of good over evil. Ah so. Light my fire baby. After dinner, we chilled out at the members-only terrace bar upstairs at the SRC and admired the city's skyline with its tiny window boxes of lit offices. The perspective from this side of the Padang was quite stunning. The streets were abandoned and the breeze lifted the heat. I told N it felt like Berlin - although strangely I had never been to Berlin. The drinks were also ridiculously cheap here - my apricot brandy cost S$3! I told them the house cocktails in comparison were quite a scandal at S$5.

I think I'd bring my Romanian friend Cristian for a walk around the Spore River and Padang when he visits in early December. And we'll go to the seediest quarters of Spore instead of the poshy-woshy places. Heheh. Shock his senses and show him the underbelly of the lione citta. Today my bro is leaving for Cambodia and I passed him the contact of my tuk tuk friend Ou Hok and scribbled tips on Siem Reap (click on December 06). My bro actually asked me if they have coffee or tea in Cambodia?! Dude. Angkor Wat is surely one of the most hauntingly beautiful yet saddest places in the world.

I met some mates for a round of martinis at Morton's and wolfed down 4 (or was it 5) steak finger sandwiches. R finally confessed that he and his wife have split up and I wanted to hug him and tell him he'll be fine. He has gone by the 'denial' stage and seems strangely at peace, so much so he and the wife are house mates now. I told him it's all for the better. Why be with someone who doesn't love you wholeheartedly? We all deserve someone who loves us for who we are. He replied, "We do?" Si si, certamente.