and even closer to 27…

Well wishes from oceans away

Almost almost 27

I received my first birthday present already! From a dear friend. Meant to be held in escrow, but, of course, I couldn’t resist and ripped into it ASAP!

Le Bistrot du Sommelier

Hearty French fare. Non-pretentious. Classic. The real deal.

46 Prinsep Street
#01-01 Prinsep Place
Singapore

red letter days in our lives

There are red letter days in our lives when we meet people who thrill us like a fine poem, people whose handshake is a brimful of unspoken sympathy and whose sweet, rich nature imparts to our eager impatient spirits a wonderful restfulness … perhaps we never saw them before and they may never cross our life’s path again; but the influence of their calm, mellow nature is a libation poured out upon our discontent, and we feel its healing touch as the ocean feels the mountain stream freshening its brine …

- Helen Keller

What the Dog Saw

Borders was having 30% off. I like this book. It says that people who do well in school don’t necessarily do well outside of school. I’m not an ‘A’ student.

Sashimi

Pick your sashimi from the fish market area fronting the restaurant and have it sliced up and served to you at your table. SO GOOOOD!

Ichiban Boshi
1 Kim Seng Promenade
#B1-07 Great World City
t:6734 3433

A Girl’s BFF

I’ve got a bunch of stones set in earrings and pendants and rings of yore which I’m wanting to get re-set into skinny rings like so:-

Tai Hwa

The lunch which takes an hour of braving the queue to attain:-

Hill Steet Tai Hua Pork Noodle
Blk 466 Crawford Lane
#01-12

no one may build their happiness on another’s pain

Recently I fired up my DailyLit account again and subscribed to Many Thoughts of Many Minds and, after consulting Oprah’s Book Club’s past selections, Anna Karenina.

Everyday, a chapter of each pops up in my inbox. I was quite moved by chapter 1 of Anna Karenina and sought it out on Wikipedia:-

Anna Karenina is commonly thought to explore the themes of hypocrisy, jealousy, faith, fidelity, family, marriage, society, progress, carnal desire and passion, and the agrarian connection to land in contrast to the lifestyles of the city.

Translator Rosemary Edmonds wrote that…a key message is that “no one may build their happiness on another’s pain,” which is why things dont work out for Anna.

Now I need to get my hands on an actual hardcopy of the book.

*

I haven’t actually seen a Kindle around these parts, but I don’t like the idea of it, for sure. No way can paperbacks be replaced. There’s much to be said about the musky-musty smell of books and libraries.
But perhaps Kindle would be useful for reference & research books. Definitely not something one would want to be lounging on the couch holding with a cup of tea.

critics rarely create

Lots of things about work are hard. Dealing with trolls is one of them. Trolls are critics who gain perverse pleasure in relentlessly tearing you and your ideas down. Here’s the thing(s):

1. trolls will always be trolling
2. critics rarely create
3. they live in a tiny echo chamber, ignored by everyone except the trolled and the other trolls
4. professionals (that’s you) get paid to ignore them. It’s part of your job.

“Can’t please everyone,” isn’t just an aphorism, it’s the secret of being remarkable.

- Seth Godin