Wednesday, March 17, 2010

1st entry 2010 - Better late than never

Its already mid-March 2010 and I didnt even realise that I have yet to update my Blog! In another 6 months' time I will be 34 years old...

In January, I was given a monetary award for 10 years' "long" service in my company. 10 years is hardly considered very "long" when the average length of time that many civil servants I know have been in service for much longer. Honestly, however, I never thought that this milestone would come so quickly, probably because I have done 5 postings during my tour of duty and you don't feel that you have spent a lot of time in one job. I don't know how long I will stay in my current and 6th posting but I realise that its pointless to keep moving unless I have nothing to learn or contribute, or I am very unhappy in my workplace.

February was a month of many celebrations for H and I. On the 7th, we had a pre-Valentine's tea cum photography outing at Tian Fu teahouse. The dim sum was quite fresh and tasty, especially the chewy knife-shaved noodles in sze-chuan chili oil. We were served a variety of chinese teas, each with its own unique aroma and flavour. A magnificent view of the city can be seen from the windows of the restaurant located at the highest floor of the UOB building in Raffles Place. It was difficult deciding which was more enjoyable - the tea, the dim sum, the ambience or the view, but one thing for sure was that H's company gave me the greatest pleasure.


For this year's reunion dinner, my family decided to have a different dining experience. We went to Serenity Spanish Bar and Restaurant at Vivocity instead of going to the usual Chinese restaurants, and ordered a seafood paella with the famous Spanish cocktail, Sangria (we tried the champagne version which was fabulous) as well as some tapas and other drinks (happy hour). H and I met up on the 2nd day of the New Year and spent a quiet time together.

On the 20th, H surprised me with a staycation at Traders' Hotel. He said that his Taiwan friend invited him to the hotel to use the pool facilities and being so trusting I didnt suspect anything. When we reached the hotel, he said his friend might have gone out to meet someone else and he left the key at the concierge for us. Upon reaching the room that was supposedly H's friend's room, H hugged me and said, "We are staying here for the night..." We spent a relaxing afternoon at the pool before returning to our room, where we made love in our luxurious bathrobes... We then went to Heaven's Loft at Orchard Central to meet our friend for dinner. The next day, we went to the Tanglin mall supermarket (I was wearing the hotel slippers...) and bought potatoes etc to our friend's place to cook potato salad. Our friend bought wagyu beef steak as a treat for H to celebrate his birthday on the 24th. After the delicious dinner, we played mahjong till late. It was definitely a weekend to remember!

The following week, H and I went to Oscar's at Conrad Hotel for a seafood feast. The food was fantastic! I especially enjoyed the crayfish and baby lobsters (yabbies) because they were so fresh and sweet! Needless to say, I put on quite a bit of weight...

March is the month where many civil service organizations get really busy due to the financial year coming to an end. One major project that I have been handling will also be completed in March. This financial cycle will repeat itself again the next year and so on. Its one of those inevitable events in life, like death ...

I am SO looking forward to April and May, for I have 2 overseas trips with H lined up and I can't wait!