5S, F1, and Everything In Between

Well well, whaddya know -- I've got meself a spankin' new iPhone 5s!

Yeah... You know, I've got my current iPhone 4 for a good 3 years now. Not counting the time I traded SingTel for a new set because the Home button on my original set wasn't working for me anymore. But technically, I didn't like, upgrade my phone or anything, so I'd say that one-for-one exchange for a new handset ain't counted. 

So 3 years it's been, and I reckoned it was time to get a new one. Since Apple just announced the new iPhone 5s, I figured this was my cue. Placed an order for it via the corporate channel once I could, and renewed my contract. And within 2 working days of the 5s becoming available on the market, I got mine delivered to me at the office. Yowza. Being a corporate line customer really has its perks sometimes.

Continuing on the topic of new things, I've also received my very first personalized calendar in my mail! Finally, 'cos I've been rather eagerly waiting for its arrival since I placed my order 2 weeks ago.

I'd happened to see such a service option available on Shutterfly, and it didn't seem too pricey at all, so I thought I could try it out and see how the pictures I'd taken myself would turn out on a desktop calendar.

And I quite like it! I'd parked pictures of all the vacations I'd taken so far in 2013 in my calendar, and they turned out just nice. Frankfurt, Korea, Koh Samui, even Bentong & Gardens by the Bay. This calendar doesn't allow any space for noting down events and appointments though, but I'll live with it since I've got either my phone with me, or my Outlook agenda open in the office all the time anyway.

That aside, it's also been 2 weeks since my last entry. Life has been pretty much the same at work, with the markets quietening down towards the year-end. Even the dreaded Project Proximus is kinda slowing down a little, at least from my perspective. Well without a definite yes or no on the budget availability, my role in this whole thing is, quite frankly, in a limbo.

The F1 Singapore Grand Prix was also here for the 6th bloody time last weekend. I honestly have mixed feelings about this darned race, I tell ya.

I still do get a tad bit excited when it's Friday and I hear the engines of the F1 cars doing their practice rounds. I'd still walk over to the windows to watch those toy-like cars zoom by. I'd also still make it a point to catch the final race on Sunday evening, and I must confess, I'd learnt a fair bit about the F1, the cars and their technicalities since these guys started coming to SG six years ago. Oh by the way, I learnt these things from scratch. Like, from knowing nada to knowing enough to explain come basics to the Parents. Crazy, right?

Yet at the same time, it irks me to no end that the roads are closed -- even pedestrian walkways! -- and the barricades are up, even weeks before the F1 begins. It's like, dude, what's the hurry, man? People still need to walk around and work here on a daily basis, y'know? And why the hell do you have to always close off one lane on a road that's already very difficult to navigate onto during peak hours, just for those damned F1 preparations? Can't you do it during non-peak hours to not create additional grief for peeps trying to get home in one piece after a long day at work? What the hell's the big idea?!

That said, one Sebestian Vettel it was, who grabbed pole position -- see? "Pole position". I'm talkin' F1 jargon too now -- on Saturday night, and who then made the most of it and went on to win the first place in the final on Sunday. The media says it's a hat-trick for the German, it being his 3rd time clinching first position in the Singapore GP Night Race. Me, I haven't been keeping track and haven't got a clue. If the media says so, then so it is.

That same F1 weekend, on Friday evening, I left the office after getting just a few glimpses of the F1 cars zoom past the office, and headed for Evelyn's. The Beckers were having a "Wurstfest", and friends had been invited. I was, once again, the first to arrive, and chatted with Evelyn before the other guests started milling into the apartment.

Though it was supposed to be a "Wurstfest", I barely touched the meat. I more preferred this potato pancake-like dish which Dominik had prepared, because 1) I thought it tasted great, and 2) I'm not really such a "Wurst-fan" to begin with. Regardless, it was an enjoyable evening, with more prospective vacations planned with friends!

Now. If you'll excuse me, I have to continue diddling with my new iPhone 5s!

Different Settings

A slightly different weekend spent, this week.
Mom's outta town, because she's returned to Bentong again, to settle some matters regarding Gran's old house and such. Dad didn't go with her this time, because it really wasn't all that necessary for him to be there at all, so it's just me and Dad this weekend at home, staring at each other.
… In a matter of speaking, that is.

Well, with one person not home, the usual routine gets disrupted in a way, as expected. Dad's not cooking the meals for just 2 people, so yesterday we'd gone to Jurong West for the chicken porridge he had previously raved about to me.

I haven't really eaten at the hawker centre in JW for years. I guess the last time I really sat and had a meal there in a relaxed manner was back when I was still in my tertiary years. So this time, being there in that hawker centre, enjoying the great-tasting chicken and the accompanying porridge, I had the actual opportunity to look around and take in my surroundings.

And to be honest, the JW hawker centre-cum-market hasn't changed a lot at all, since my primary school days there. Which is a good thing, because that means the hawker centre is still humane, having high ceilings and airy surroundings that's comfortable to have a proper meal in. Unlike the newer hawker centres these days, which are so "artistically" and "creatively" designed, they basically just end up looking nice but feeling like one of Hitler's gas chambers.

On top of that, having been eating at the food courts in the CBD for years now, I see at JW again, the warmer side of people in the heartlands. The un-appealing, yet somewhat comforting warmth of the simple people living in that old neighborhood, is something I haven't seen in a while, in my years working in the CBD. Of course, given my more aloof character, these kinda neighborhood bustle is more likely to irritate me than anything else, but yesterday, in a fairly good mood, I felt the warmth and comfort of the simplicity and open friendliness of the residents of JW.

Then today, I met up with Eve for brunch at this place we haven't been to before. It's also near our usual hangout along Robertson Quay, just a little further inland from the river. I'd heard about this place via a colleague, and when I checked out the website of The Book Café, the food pictures there had looked really mouth-watering good. Of course, they are professionally-taken pics, and to be utterly sure, we had to go try it ourselves objectively, right?

So Eve and I met today, and I ordered a Grass-Fed Steak with a sunny-side up and fries. The dish looked great when served, but when I actually ate it, I guess I must say I was a little disappointed. The steak, done medium, wasn't as tender as I'd hoped. Maybe it was the part of the cow it came from, maybe it was just the skill of the chef at The Book Café, but the point is, it just wasn't great. A little too tough and difficult to chew. And the sunny-side up that came with it didn't ooze yolk, as you'd expect it too. Well, not as much as I expected it to, at least. It oozed just a little bit, and largely stayed intact for the most part. Certainly, that makes it easier to deal with when I'm eating, but y'know, the way I see it, such kind of eggs should just spurt and ooze when you cut into the yolk. And lastly, the fries. If you even want to call them fries. Because they were rather thick, and resembled more of an in-between of the conventional fries, and potato wedges. Wasn't crispy, got soggy by the time I was only midway through my dish. I finished most of my food anyway, save for about 4 pieces of fat fries, though in all honesty, I definitely did not lick the plate clean -- in a manner of speaking.

So all in all, I would say that The Book Café is an interesting concept. Food needs improvement, and if you're looking for a nice, quiet brunch in the area on a weekend, plus if you're not a kids person, I certainly would not recommend this place. They're pretty kid-friendly, which means at a certain point there'll be some toddlers screaming, wailing, or throwing toys around in a "kids corner" there. But otherwise, yeah, sure, it's worth a checking-out.