TOPAZ HORIZON

Well, what do you know, it's almost Christmas. The pink tree is up, the gifts are starting to collect under it and I'm going through the first of many Christmas party invitations. It's a bit sad that we won't have our Christmas mascot around this year, though. Well, we'll have to force Matilda to pose for pics then!
Galady is actually Vince's baby girl. I was just the adopted mom so Vince was very sad when Galady passed away. He was really heartbroken. Still is. And he wanted me to add these photos of them so you all see how much he loved Galady:


Look at how round she was! That's why seeing her so thin and old really killed us. Vince has tons more photos of his baby girl. But I guess that'll be all for now. Hope you don't mind the photo tributes to Galady. It's just hard for us to let go...

Let's continue with our Uniquely Singapore Series, shall we? This is me at the Royal Selangor cafe in Singapore having chai and a siopao. This was my breakfast. The siopao was so tiny, I almost wanted my money back. It's a good thing the chai was amazing. Rich and bitter and sweet and full-bodied. Wonderful way to start any day!

When you're in Singapore, you have to try the chili crab. That's what everyone told me and, because I always have to eat the best when I'm somewhere new, I let my friend Ana (that's her in black in the middle of the photo) lead me to No Signboard. That's the name of the restaurant. And if it looks like a posh place, then your eyes aren't deceiving you.

This chili crab was the bomb. It looks tiny in the photo but the crab was actually as huge as a dinner plate. It was also frikkin' expensive. I literally felt the crab crawl up my esophagus when I saw the bill. I just slipped my credit card to the waitress, hoping my husband won't kill me. When I did get home, still stuffed with crab and the amazing mushroom salad, and told Vince about my wildly expensive meal, he said, "Was the crab good?"

"Unbelievably good."

He smiled, "Well then, that's okay."

OMG. I tell you I have the best husband. Ever!!!

It's a good thing then that the chili crab was last on my to-eat-in-Singapore list because I still had a huge appetite for these:

Marinated Smoked Tuna
with Feta and Balsamic Olive Oil salad

Light Cream of Asparagus with Green Peas
topped with Chive Mousseline

Rosemary Marinated Chicken Breast
with Saffron Cheesy Mash Potato

Praline Hazelnut Gateau with Raspberry Jelly

These were all served at the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards. And they were all a delight. Thanks to Franny Haw for the photos!

Now, not all of my meals were so haughty. We bloggers feasted on the hawker stuff--cheap and edible but not exactly the kind that would make your eyes roll in ecstasy, like this bland pork rice topping meal I had (I could tell Anton Diaz was disappointed with my safe choice!).But that nasty-looking crab that's insanely priced? Heaven. I spent an indecent amount on that crab. Well, it was worth it!

I would like to thank Nuffnang and the Singapore Tourism Board for this Uniquely Singapore Series.

This is Figaro Cafe on Emerald Avenue in Ortigas Center.
It's dark and cool and quiet. It has the feel of a gentleman's library, with the dark paneled walls and deep leather couches. I love the coffee here and the pasta and the vanilla pudding. I love how being here relaxes me. These photos were taken last month. I should've gone there today. I should've hidden away from the world.

Woke up today to urgent messages on the phone but couldn't really call back. Our apartment is strange--even though we're in the heart of the city and surrounded by cell towers, the signal is incredibly weak. So not being able to call back to other people when they're freaking out adds to my stress.

Then this day wasn't so cool... although it ended much better than how it started. I hope this means things will indeed get better. Since Galady got her stroke and then recently died, I've been feeling melancholy and easily bothered and annoyed. Then stuff has been happening that I can't disclose just right now and I am now more agitated than usual.

This of course meant I said some things to some people that I shouldn't have had. Even though what I did say was true, sometimes it's best to just shut up. Unfortunately, when I'm feeling sad and crabby, I'm not the best person to be with.

I should also just avoid Facebook. Or maybe I should just erase all my relatives on Facebook. Or maybe I should just grow up and not be fake and just erase all the people I don't like but accepted as my friends anyway. Why am I pretending we're friends anyway? Why do I let people bully me into accepting them just because we're related or we met at some obscure time in my life?

I am not in a good mood. I think I'm going to shut off my phones, avoid Facebook and my email, and just blog about happy things. Because my life is actually happy. If only some people didn't belong in it or meddle with it, it would be perfect!