mobile='yes'

Thursday, March 31, 2016

regent's park


was lucky to spend the night near regent's park and thought to make the most of this handy location in the morning. can't tell if it's age (please, no!) but am waking earlier and finding i've more energy than i know what to do with. anxiety, much? so going for a walk is one way to calm down. london can be icky and smoggy, no love lost and defo not enamoured by the city. the moment i step out at warren street it's this crazy onslaught of people and traffic and i just want to run back to the safe confines of my 'hood. the park was a welcome respite for the busy city and while overcast, was just my kind of weather. give me rain over sunshine, anytime!

peeked at the camels in the london zoo! 

couldn't pass on a visit to primrose hill, my all-time favourite spot in that neck of the woods. have so many happy memories there with so many different friends that it does meld into one big joyous moment whenever i'm back.




the magnolias were just past their prime and i was reminded of when i was at the royal*marsden early last year and they just lined the streets as i walked home. 


have a soft spot for tap coffee. the mister and i used to tag team at the soho branch. one got coffee, the other had a haircut then we'd swap. there was a miscommunication and the girls very kindly gave me an extra slice of banana bread. didn't need to be asked twice!

Thursday, March 24, 2016

breakfasts


am going through a sugar-craving phase and much as a i want to scoff honeynutcrunch before the sugar tax takes effect, i'm trying to resist giving my inner toddler free-rein. this probably isn't the healthiest of breakfast options but i tell myself that if something is (largely) made from scratch at home, it can't be too bad. baked the apples in butter and forgot to take them out of the oven so they conveniently dehydrated overnight and i feared the butter might've gone off. remembered i'd food the oven for breakfast and lived to tell the tale. paired with organic toffee banana yoghurt (so much for avoiding sugar) and my goodness that article about how fat with sugar tastes better than either individually (duh) was right!

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

one trick pony


limited repertoire is admittedly in dire need of expansion but if it ain't broke don't fix it? this little rice cooker that could is worth its weight in gold, especially when doubling as a hotpot. happy problem being that spring has sprung (now i've gone and jinxed it it's defo going away again) and will soon be too hot for hotpot. lovely girlies came round for dinner and i think we've the funniest meet cute. was neighbours with A1 and groupmates with L in first year, groupmates with A2 in second year then clinical groupmates with all in third year. they were hostesses with the most, inviting me for parties at theirs which social anxiety (only half joking) prevented me from attending but i'd go round with a small gift before / after and stay for coffee. and suddenly it's final year and realising we're all headed in different directions, made a point to put what little time we still had together to good use. 

they very sweetly came bearing wine and chairs (perils of having more friends than furniture...) and despite busy weekend plans (L had a 0130h overnight bus to catch, E was going to a conference the day after) stayed wonderfully late. i love dinners where we lose track of time because it doesn't matter and everyone is present. sound like such a stick in the mud when i whinge about my strong dislike for phones at the table but it does make a difference and it's nice to suspend the outside world for a couple of hours.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

introversion



not knocking myers*brigs but i used to think people took the test, identified with a type then proceeded to use it as a universal excuse to explain away all manner of misbehaviour. without going into too much detail as to my type (scarily accurate and oh my i suddenly feel so understood - i can finally make sense of me, a self-awareness sorely lacking in my early 20s....) it's been an atypically social weekend and i'm wanting a week of peace and quiet to recover. 

the cabin fever got real and G and i decided to go away for the weekend. our third musketeer was house-hunting and we thought to meet for dinner saturday night, never mind the house hunt was in a city 2h drive away. ever-ambitious, we set off at 6 (!!!) am and squeezed in a day of thelma & lousie-esque adventure before meeting T for dins. of course the city was a complete nightmare to drive in (not that i was driving) and we literally ended up on a grand tour of the city because T was trying to find a secret (read: free) parking lot. i'm a great backseat driver so knew my place and kept quiet, while whatsapping reinforcements who suggested we ditch the car first chance we got and instead summon an uber to the restaurant. that didn't happen but the ever-elusive parking lot did manifest and we made it to the restaurant in one piece. there was a hairy moment driving through colourful part of town where i made the mistake of asking if we were in bradford yet. haven't lived that down... 

the restaurant was authentic and amazing beyond my wildest dreams. to be fair didn't have high expectations but trust T purveyor of fine cuisine to choose the best thai food outside thailand. everyone (except us and the thai ladies' local +1s) was thai (!!!) and the menu was in thai (!!!) and i might've gone crazy ordering but the food was absolutely wonderful and worth every excruciating minute i had felt carsick in our quest to locate the place. who'd have thunk. as if it could get any better - BYOB too. washed down pad thai, tom yum soup, fish cakes, green curry and more with award-winning chardy. the tapioca pearl in coconut cream dessert (thai bobo chacha?) was divine. 


as with all good nights, lost track of time and by the time we dropped T back and returned to our hide-y hole in the country (morning view above!) it was almost midnight! not bad for a 6am start.

lured out of bed by a greasy fry up this morning and day 2 of our girly getaway was even more social with familiar faces all around. particularly enjoyed deep meaningful conversation with friends i hadn't seen in months. these friends are fascinating types with varied interests who are incredibly engaging so it was sheer delight talking about non-medical things for a change (despite all being medics haha). hearing about what A is doing with a bucket load of grant money and the potential to revolutionise healthcare is quality defo the stuff of dreams. i also feel so inadequate in comparison but clued-in by proxy? quality  trumps quantity, less is more? continue to be grateful for low maintenance friendships but feeling the introversion set in and wanting to recharge on my own for a bit.

Sunday, March 20, 2016

sunday strolling


was a little con-ed by the weather, and also a little overenthusiastic after recent bout of cabin fever so jumped at the chance to go walking. which did not end up happening because got lazy and chose to drive from viewpoint to viewpoint, jetty to jetty. pfft :) then walk along the very underwhelming dam while joking that the location scouts are going to go crazy for it and maybe it'll be the set for next bond movie, not.  this quickly descended into a competition to see how many movies featuring dams one could list (i lost, and winning would be a dubious honour!) by which time i'd lost interest and started looking for newborn lambs.


there were a couple of really tiny ones because it was still early in the season, and i might have squealed at the sight of the first and caused unnecessary distraction, which i was roundly chastised for. city girl thrown in country and easily amused? the struggle is real :(


was last at the water in first year and it's not changed one bit despite the multiple signboards talking about the need to diversify plant life because they, too, were getting tired of firs. there's man-made and there's man-made, occasionally man gets it very right (cragside!). maybe i was smarting from needing to restrain lamb exuberance but this was distinctly underwhelming.



cute picnic table though but we'd a greasy fry-up just before and there were too many midges to safely deploy a wicker basket.

Friday, March 18, 2016

postcard perfection


i'm not a morning person, and would take a duvet day over a non-duvet day any day (gosh, that's confusing!) but was recently shamed into doing more with my weekend. made the mistake of telling a doctor i moved 10 steps on a sunday weeks ago and have not lived it down. so to rectify that, thought i'd take it easy with a stroll by the water, and to a quieter part of town. got lucky with that soft, dappled spring morning light and the absolute stillness, not a ripple in sight. there's really not point to this apart from the fact that it was very pretty and i'm glad i moved more than 10 steps that day!


Wednesday, March 16, 2016

coastal walking

have a strong aversion to the gym and haven't run since last summer but figure i'm on my feet enough most days. don't believe in doing something over and above and much rather incorporate light physical activity into my routine. like walking to the shop for groceries. don't like the idea of ruining my joints with heavy pounding, nor have the desire to continue to strength/weight train in perpetuity once i start. it's the sustainability that i find pressuring, like once i start it's no good if i ever stop. and of course i'm bound to stop because i'm only human and have a gnat's attention span. 


so going for a walk on the weekend is about the exercise limit and even better if it's preceded by a greasy fry-up before, cake and coffee after, and maybe a pint or two. probably terrible overcompensation for negligible exertion because more often then not start with the best of intentions but 'go for a walk' becomes 'go for a drive' and the occasional photo stop because i'm such a tourist. 


Monday, March 14, 2016

rainbows


it was about this time last year that i lost a dear family member. glad i was in singers to say my goodbyes in person at ITU but was back in the UK when the funeral rolled round. on a sidenote, was at GOS doing a placement at paed/neonatal ICU and it was a bit of a bus man's holiday having to explain the machines to my very sad mother who was convinced he was going to go while we were in the room ("no ma, he's stable." "is he getting better?" "no.") awful awful stuff. went walking on the day of the funeral and saw a rainbow, which was nice. not reading too much into it but i felt comforted, and i remember what an oncology consultant told me once upon a time about how there is nothing wrong in grief and take / use whatever helps one cope.

so to see more rainbows is always a nice thing. i feel like such a child whenever there's a rainbow, so much so that friends will send me photos of rainbows they've spotted in town. although i promise i'm no crusty, unwashed hippie such phenomena are more readily associated with ;)

there are no rainbows in the later photos (you're not missing anything!) but i just wanted to show how pretty the place is.





Saturday, March 12, 2016

48h in NYC


so it was a bit crazy but i recently jumped at the chance to go to NYC for 48h. long story short - i'd some airline credit to use up before june and because i'm going home for easter, this was sort of the last time i could take a conscience-clear holiday before finals. didn't hurt that my best friend was going to be around the exact same time! and really, who needs an excuse to go to NYC? my last visit was in summer 2014 and with the unbearable heat and crowds, i was not a happy camper. this led to a semi love/hate relationship but so glad this most recent trip changed all that. it's love/love all the way.

i love the energy the city has, it just buzzes (how cliche) and i feel invincible. the architecture is breath-taking and i can spend hours is rapt awe just soaking it all in. the chrysler, the flatiron building etc. crazY! and the food!!! nothing to do with the currency (or maybe everything to do with the currency) but i feel like such an auntie complaining about how things in sg are so expensive in comparison. even london! we'd a 15 course omakase at a fab sushi place for USD105. admittedly well into the 'treat / splurge' zone when it comes to a meal but the same quality would be at least 30% more in london and double the price in singers. so there. rolled out satiated but greedy enough to add extra pieces because while generous servings, my gluttony knows no end.






drinks and jazz at the flatiron room after and hm i just lost track of time. landed at 6pm, uber-ed to union square where i was staying, omakase dins, defensive nap then back out for drinks and jazz till wee hours of the morning! early start on saturday (ugh) but glorious glorious weather. brunch en masse with the crew before having another nap and then steak dinner at somewhere i mistook for a strip club (it wasn't) before a private party till late.

sunday was equally manic, bouncing from brunch at M's suite (and met his parents! fan girl moment, having heard so much about them previously) before brunch round two with F and her friends at the odeon. word has it that bill murray used to fly from LA solely for brunch at the odeon and i do think he was on to something! great vibe and F joked about how this would not have happened in london (her commandeering a table of complete strangers to hang out, essentially we each only knew F or her hubs JP) but it was all good and everyone got along swimmingly. so well, in fact, that we progressed to post-lunch drinks at 230fifth. now i don't know about you but i've had enough of chichi places with a reservation list / queue around the block. we got lucky with 230fifth and i liked how we could waltz in no reso and just find seats, send the boys to buy drinks and take in the skyline. no table / bottle service (ugh) although it did fill up and there was a queue (line, as the uhmurikans say!) by the time we left.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

maze grill


splurged on a staycation and went back to where i've spent many happy childhood hours. this stunning view never grows old and the weather was perfect but somehow the running shoes i packed never left the bag ;) what i hadn't realised was the fantastic in-room breakfast options ;) bak ku teh and fish porridge???? are you kidding meeee????! sold! folks were up to pre-celebrate cny (brother and i are in london, sister in sg) then left to spend cny itself with sister and sg fam. folks in town = feasting, and my father, bless him, made a classic comic comment. he said, "wah! london has no bad restaurants huh!" to which my brother and i just looked at him incredulously because, duh, there are tons of bad restaurants, overpriced, oversold with crummy service etc but we sort of pride ourselves on being discerning and not taking them to substandard places when they're in town! why subject anyone to mediocrity! hilarious. 

so an example of a good place i love because it's a stone's throw and literaly in the 'hood is maze grill at park walk. it's opened about a year now and the sunday roast is amazing value with free flow sides. oh the sides, i could keep going and going... the sort of el cheapo trick is for one person to order the sunday roast and the rest to a la carte but feast off the (now) communal sides. you didn't hear that from me ;) and the service is efficient and professional, good wine recommendations that aren't just pushing the priciest bottle, you know? and the lovely thing about maze grill is that i'm a carnivore to the bone and love a bloody, juicy steak but they've such tempting starters it's hard not to get full on them before the mains arrive!





Tuesday, March 8, 2016

maltby street



so i've not been in awhile and suddenly there's a hip new market that's not maltby street?? it's nearby though and i can't remember what it's called now but it seemed like a hipster offshoot with a cluster of stalls including this amazing one that sold oysters. but one can't go to maltby without having monty's pastrami and st john's custard donuts. and i may or may not have fallen in love with a vintage chesterfield in original condition (!!!) which may or may not have been purchased on a whim to remind me to age in a similarly graceful fashion. patina and the like, you know ;)

the plan is to redecorate one i'm done with medsch (and finally earning again haha) so the dear chesterfield is going to be the star my other little tweaks revolve around... exciting!


Sunday, March 6, 2016

daddy i want a pony


the weather hadn't been great and when there was a sudden stretch of sun, i was eager to banish the cabin fever. far from outdoorsy / athletic (don't let the pictures fool you!) but thoroughly enjoyed this venture to the country that had a walk involving wild (!) ponies (!!!) who were so tame they sidled up for nuzzles and cuddles, and a leisurely lunch at berwick before heading home. there was a freak snow storm on the way back (scary!) but that's february i suppose!



Saturday, March 5, 2016

steamboat

(photo credits to the artistic H, who makes even pop up dosa kitchen meal look cinematographic in her snapchats)

this is most belated but around CNY time i had my clinical group girlies and R round for steamboat. R and i have the sweetest meet-cute, if i may say so myself. was at heathrow last summer waiting to clear security to head stateside when there was a queue diversion and i was shuffled to a different queue. this new queue was moving even slower than the one i was previously in, and there was this girl who sort of let me go first. or maybe i let her go first. i can't remember! we were both very polite! so we both shrugged good-naturedly at our slow queue and later got talking. because her mama's trained her well, she didn't give too much away at the beginning, just said she was going to singers. and this, of course, got me very excited. so then she said she was doing her elective there, so of course i too had to chime in and talk about my singers elective in a few weeks. we delicately picked our way towards talking about our medsch to find out IT WAS THE SAME SCHOOL. but it's so big our paths hadn't crossed before that!!!! swapped numbers and planned to meet up in singers and so we did! she asked if she could bring N (her housemate) along for the boat ride (they were going to link up in dubai and continue to singers together) and N ended up being my clinical groupmate. she's the absolute sweetest and i'm so glad i met her through R in singers (of all places!). so when i had N and H (clinical group girlies) round, of course we'd to include R and conveniently exclude the smelly boys. some things don't change, no matter how old we get ;)

steamboat with the rice cooker is a life hack, many thanks A! and hm it was the girlie's first time and i was enjoying watching them all excited about this 'chinese fondue'. it's great to be able to share a part of home / heritage with friends so far away. did have a semi-early celebration with my folks who were around just before CNY but it was nice to have friends so eat with during actual new year :)

Friday, March 4, 2016

oh hello


it's been some time! 2016 off to a flying start and um, how is it already march??? time's been whizzing past and the busier real life gets, the quieter things are on the blog front. final year is progressing at break-neck pace and i keep pinching myself wondering how exactly i'm going to sit and be done with finals in three (!!!) months! but the more i think about it, the more accessible / achievable this insurmountable goal is. left with eight weeks of surgery and in the middle of that we've a two week easter break. yay! sound like a broken recorder but i really like what i do and am ever joyous to have cut losses and made the switch when i did. it's surreal to think about how in a matter of months i'm the doctor, i'm the one where the buck stops and i've to take responsibility for my decisions. feeling increasingly prepared for the mantle and am just excited, really, to move on with life! speaking of which, got some fab news yesterday and my first job is going to be in central london, hopefully at a hospital two streets from the flat. that's unheard of and i'm so very grateful, so humbled, by how things have worked out. to get my first choice deanery when the odds were daunting, to say the least, is beyond belief. but God!

as a doctor, visibility is something in woefully short supply and i'm just glad to know where i'm going to be for the next two years. one day at a time? yet it feels a little premature to be celebrating my first job before clearing the little hurdle that is finals!

i'm sorry, this must be very boring talk! logistics and future and other adult-y things i've been putting off as long as possible because my castle is the clouds is where i'd rather be. have some posts coming up with photos and brief commentary of life of late. do check back, if you'd like to see :)