Singapore F1 and Diva Experience...

We 'helped' my dear friend, Joanna celebrate her 40th birthday at Ritz Carlton on Sunday.. free flow champagne mingled with lobster.. crab.. scallop.. sashimi.. and salmon mousse.. topped with exotic-looking desserts delicately served in miniature glasses. She also convinced my boys to dress up for the special occasion and they non-grudgingly obliged for a change.. especially Jared who didn't want to be a walking 'fashion disaster'! However, they had plenty to say about my 'little black dress' (a pretty standard must-have).. since they don't see me wear one that often.. *SIGH* It's times like these when I longed for a daughter...

That same evening Joanna and I headed for the Singapore F1 Night Race for the first time. Nope.. didn't meet any Hamiltons, Alonsos or Webbers.. except on the big screen. The ear-splitting sound during the 61 laps is certainly not recommended for those who wish to have longevity in musical pursuits or the pleasure of hearing their grandchildren gurgle in the future. The highlight for me was Mariah Carey's concert after the race.. this diva can really sing and still able to deliver her famous 5-octave screech almost effortlessly during the rendition of 'Emotion'.. although Singapore's heat and humidity didn't quite agree with her...

So here's to 27 years of friendship and 'size 10 and below'.. which is definitely preferable to 'size 10 and beyond'.. ha ha! May there be many more years to come.. KAN PEI!!!

Mooncakes & Gourmet Chocolate

What better way to engage students and get them in the mood for the Autumn Festival than DIY mooncakes in Home Econs Class??? Justin came home on Monday with blotchy red dye on his hands that wouldn't wash off and proudly declared he made his first batch of lotus paste mooncakes at school. But when I saw a plate of gooey-looking blobs on the dining table some time later.. my immediate thought was 'Oh, is that the Filipino coconut-desert-thingy?'. After closer scrutiny, they seemed to vaguely resembled 'soon kueh' or 'ang ku kueh'... It really didn't occur to me that THOSE were Justin's masterpieces until I asked!!! Apparently he had heated 6 small mooncakes in the microwave.. of which only 2 pieces were his. But during the minute in there.. 4 pieces slowly melted and sank down into mushy pancakes. NO points for guessing WHY his friends didn't want to bring them home in the first place?!

Then this evening, our Care-Group had a mini welcome party for the Chia family.. who recently relocated back to Singapore after their stint in USA. Besides the mooncakes galore, Alvin also brought a box of expensive gourmet Swiss chocolate.. apparently all the way from Europe. There were 3 tiers.. marzipan top layer.. green jelly in the middle and a biscuit base.. coated in chocolate. But unfortunately, the delicacy fell on 'deaf tongues'.. it smelt like moth balls and tasted like the fruit-flavoured medicine.. maybe we were just too 'cheeeenah' to appreciate it or perhaps it's an acquire taste???