turducken
I need to confess that the inertia to write is great. Many half-written posts sit abandoned in this journal, the words trite, the sentences awkward, absolutely devoid of feeling.
I guess that's what happens when you're happy, right? Happy people don't write love songs.
A quick rundown of what's been going on. (It has become the trend now, it seems. Never anything fully fleshed out. Just something quick, a cursory post, preliminary thoughts... everything non-committal. Well, lets get to it before the pop-psychologist in me strays from the original point).
J and I celebrated his birthday - the first celebration as a couple, not including the 3 birthday dinners we had for his family. The days leading up to his birthday were a little nerve wrecking, given the very little time I had to prepare his birthday. We returned from our trip on Tuesday, his birthday was on a Sunday and his family couldn't decide which day they wanted to have his birthday celebration meal. I had known where to get the cake, had a couple of places short listed for dinner and a (very) short list of possible gifts.
The gift part was a bit of fun. It was fun planning and running the logistics of the whole gifting in my head. Very simple 1 level decoy gifting which went about mostly without a hitch.
The cake part was a little bit of a nightmare. The shop I had originally intended to get the cake from had its orders completely filled for Sunday. I ended up calling 4 other shops to try to get a less-sugared cake that was within a reasonable price range and then ultimately taking a 1 hour drive back and forth for the cake.
The dinner section was the worst. On top of the uncertainty of the family celebration, J J is a man of simple tastes, and experiences matter more to him than fancy food. As much as he appreciates fine dining, he would be more content and comfortable with a plate of fried carrot cake for his birthday. I eventually decided on Nox. We had walked by this Dining in the Dark restaurant and the concept was something we had both thought might be interesting.
To prep myself for the dinner, I spent a bit of time reading dated reviews of the experience. What I had seemed to be quite different from how it used to be.
We entered the lit bar on the first floor which served as a holding area before our dinner slot. Based on the website, it seemed like they had a slot every hour. We were seated and presented the menu of add-ons to our pre-set dinner. Wines of varying combinations. We picked the set of two: one with appetisers and one with our mains.
Shortly after, we were served a small amuse bouche of a tiny cone with salmon roe and some sort of pate. The two cones were served in a bowl of black sesame seeds whose only role was to prop up the cones. It was tasty but the cone was soft.
We were then prompted to lock our belongings, particularly those that emitted any light, in a locker. After which, we were introduced to Leo, our visually handicapped wait staff for the night, who led us up a flight of steps into utter darkness. He led us to our seats, sat us down, informed us where our glass and cutlery were, then left us, saying he'd be back in a bit.
The dark was a little disconcerting. J and I walked our hands along the side of the table to reach out for each others hands. It wasn't too wide or long a table. Even with my short legs, I could easily form a cross with his under the table.
We looked around. While we could not see our hands when we placed them right at our noses, we could spy the red and green glow from the security cameras and the exit signs. To my left, I saw the lit outline of a passage way which lead to what sounded like the kitchen. There was piped music, very much similar to that of fancy spas, but even through that, I could hear songs faintly coming through the radio in the kitchen. We couldn't hear any other patrons seated within reach, so J stretched out his arm to see if he could feel a wall. We had a pillar quite close by.
When he next returned, our food was served. After feeling around a bit, we felt an oval wooden tray with 4 small square bowls in 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions. He asked for us to reach out so he could pass us our wine glasses. Once we took it, he clipped, "I'll be back in 10 minutes", and left. I think the service kind of screwed up somewhere for us. I had read that our waiter would introduce us to the setup, with instructions on how to go about eating. But there was none of that.
And back in 10 minutes? I admit that I was a little stressed to only be given 10 minutes to finish 4 bowls of food, all of which I couldn't see. We called out to Leo, hoping to get some help, but it seemed he was too busy. In any case, we couldn't discern between the voices of the waiters who were clicking their tongues as they navigated the dark. We decided to take matters into our own hands (literally, hur) and dived into the bowl at 3 o'clock.
[Going to take a pause on the review here - J has kindly agreed to be a guest writer on this experience, so we'll continue with that once it comes through. In the meantime, a bit more before I end this and return to my 3rd Guy Delisle travelogue.]
[J's guest post here]
With Leo not giving explicit instructions, we took matters into our hands and started with the dish at 3 o'clock. I won't attempt to list the order of the dishes, but there was a Caesar salad, a pate, chicken karaage and ???
Both RS and I noticed the more robust flavours that our taste buds experienced. School textbooks always told the miracle of our bodily functions, and how the other senses overcompensate in the absence of any in particular. If so, the sense of taste (and sound, for I clung on to every tiny sound made) was definitely heightened. Or perhaps it was just the result of a chef being generous with marinades. Either way, the appetizers had very strong flavours and it wasn't difficult to guess what we were putting in our mouths. Though some finer details weren't picked up by either of us.
All this while, I was happily sipping on my wine and was close to finishing the first of two glasses. The wine was easy to sip on and I was glad my date couldn't see how red I had become. Leo (I don't think either of us could discern between Leo and his colleagues) had returned to clear our appetizers. The second course followed shortly, and just as we were about to start, we overheard Leo or his colleagues explaining to a dinner party that had just arrived, dishes were meant to be consumed in a clockwise direction starting at 6 o'clock. Despite being served small portions, it all added up and we were already pretty filled by the time the 2nd course arrived. The braised(?) duck (both of us thought this was pork), wagyu with truffle oil, peppery cod and roast pork left our stomachs very much expanded.
It took some time for our table to be cleared, which allowed us the time to reflect on our experience. I had imagined that not being able to see would cause some discomfort, but this feeling was absent. In its place, intrigue and curiosity took over. Our other senses were more active and we were paying more attention to them. Where was the next table? What did our table feel like? We also explored whether keeping our eyes open or shut made a difference (it didn't for me but I still found my eyes shut at times).
Dessert finally arrived and was served the same way as the first two courses. Once again, we had 4 small bowls to get through. I am happy to report that the desserts did not disappoint. Our taste buds were challenged once again, and we got most of them right except for a dash of coconut flakes(?) on the mango ice cream that we missed. When we were done, Leo came back to lead us back to the light. Throughout dinner, Leo and his colleagues did an amazing job. Before leaving, we were invited to write down what we thought was served before being shown the correct answers. Between the two of us, we got most of it correct! RS arranged for a birthday cake (even though she had already bought one in the afternoon), but we were too full and that had to be packed.
The experience is a unique one and the quality of food was as good as any decent restaurant. I'm glad we got to experience this but I'm not sure if we would be repeating this experience soon.
[/end of J's guest post]
I was particularly tickled when Leo added that we shouldn't return, because "one time good enough already... this is so expensive". I did appreciate his candour. It was true though, our meal, with wine and cake included came up to about $300 in total. It is most definitely not something an average Joe would want to spend money on.
One thing to add about the celebrations. I had wanted to try to keep the dinner a surprise for J and had hoped to take a cab down. My practical side got the better of me and decided that it was for the best that he drove down. When he came to get me, he emerged from the car all dapper in one of the new shirts that I had picked out for him in London, and presented a single stalk of rose to me. It was the first time I had received a rose from J, and the first time I had received anything when celebrating someone else's birthday. It was such a surprise. Only goes to show the kind of sweetheart that J truly is.
After the dinner in the dark. J's special power is to post butt ugly pictures of me on social media. My only counter offense is to post ones where we both look good here. -_-
We caught the MayDay concert last night at the Indoor stadium. Despite feeling a little under the weather, I had quite a bit of fun with him and his friends. It felt a little sad that Xf didn't make it for this concert like we had planned to. The 2013 one that we had gone to with Mag was insanely fun.
The daily plank workouts have been going well. On some days, I'm too exhausted or just get home too late to do them, and we end up making up for them on other days. Man, are those exhausting. On Wednesday night we did three sets which seemed to work our arms a lot more than our core. I could barely lift my arms on Thursday without feeling any ache. That said, it was the kind of ache that screams of a workout well done, so I spent the day feeling mighty pleased with myself. I really enjoy these regular workouts with J, however short they may be. Through our runs, climbs, crunches and planks, he's been nothing but patient, caring... yet not so lax that he'd let me slack off on the workout. Unfortunately, he also lets me eat to my hearts content so I HAVEN'T ACTUALLY LOST THE WEIGHT that I've been meaning to for the past few months. :(
In other inconsequential news, J and I found ourselves at the traffic junction next to FMW's car this afternoon. As we drew towards the line, I spotted the very distinctive boxy merc. J stopped slightly behind him so our windows didn't align. He appeared to be engaged in animated conversation with his girlfriend, whose hair looked really really really long from where I was seated. His parents were in the backseat, his mum at the window closest to mine. Seeing all of them so happy made me feel really happy. In a way, it assuages the guilt I feel for how things ended. FMW may not have been a suitable life partner for me, but he and his family were a big part of my life and I still love them very much, even if I can no longer be part of their lives.
In less selfish news, I've been on the receiving end of many many many pieces of good news over the past few weeks and I am positively ecstatic about all of them. There's not one which I can place as the best! news! ever! I'm filled with so much happiness for my loved ones that my heart could just burst. I wish I could share it here, but I'll just keep the happiness bubbling inside me until the information becomes public! :)
Off for my first work trip with this firm later part of next week. But first, drinks and KTV with Gill and the sister and then National Day yacht party for MM! I'm also finally going to catch up with Yl, Ven and Jean to celebrate Mag's birthday. Yes, the same Mag who is out of town on her birthday. I can't wait!!!!
It is going to be an exhausting week ahead, but it's going to be good - I can just feel it! :)
I guess that's what happens when you're happy, right? Happy people don't write love songs.
A quick rundown of what's been going on. (It has become the trend now, it seems. Never anything fully fleshed out. Just something quick, a cursory post, preliminary thoughts... everything non-committal. Well, lets get to it before the pop-psychologist in me strays from the original point).
J and I celebrated his birthday - the first celebration as a couple, not including the 3 birthday dinners we had for his family. The days leading up to his birthday were a little nerve wrecking, given the very little time I had to prepare his birthday. We returned from our trip on Tuesday, his birthday was on a Sunday and his family couldn't decide which day they wanted to have his birthday celebration meal. I had known where to get the cake, had a couple of places short listed for dinner and a (very) short list of possible gifts.
The gift part was a bit of fun. It was fun planning and running the logistics of the whole gifting in my head. Very simple 1 level decoy gifting which went about mostly without a hitch.
The cake part was a little bit of a nightmare. The shop I had originally intended to get the cake from had its orders completely filled for Sunday. I ended up calling 4 other shops to try to get a less-sugared cake that was within a reasonable price range and then ultimately taking a 1 hour drive back and forth for the cake.
The dinner section was the worst. On top of the uncertainty of the family celebration, J J is a man of simple tastes, and experiences matter more to him than fancy food. As much as he appreciates fine dining, he would be more content and comfortable with a plate of fried carrot cake for his birthday. I eventually decided on Nox. We had walked by this Dining in the Dark restaurant and the concept was something we had both thought might be interesting.
To prep myself for the dinner, I spent a bit of time reading dated reviews of the experience. What I had seemed to be quite different from how it used to be.
We entered the lit bar on the first floor which served as a holding area before our dinner slot. Based on the website, it seemed like they had a slot every hour. We were seated and presented the menu of add-ons to our pre-set dinner. Wines of varying combinations. We picked the set of two: one with appetisers and one with our mains.
Shortly after, we were served a small amuse bouche of a tiny cone with salmon roe and some sort of pate. The two cones were served in a bowl of black sesame seeds whose only role was to prop up the cones. It was tasty but the cone was soft.
We were then prompted to lock our belongings, particularly those that emitted any light, in a locker. After which, we were introduced to Leo, our visually handicapped wait staff for the night, who led us up a flight of steps into utter darkness. He led us to our seats, sat us down, informed us where our glass and cutlery were, then left us, saying he'd be back in a bit.
The dark was a little disconcerting. J and I walked our hands along the side of the table to reach out for each others hands. It wasn't too wide or long a table. Even with my short legs, I could easily form a cross with his under the table.
We looked around. While we could not see our hands when we placed them right at our noses, we could spy the red and green glow from the security cameras and the exit signs. To my left, I saw the lit outline of a passage way which lead to what sounded like the kitchen. There was piped music, very much similar to that of fancy spas, but even through that, I could hear songs faintly coming through the radio in the kitchen. We couldn't hear any other patrons seated within reach, so J stretched out his arm to see if he could feel a wall. We had a pillar quite close by.
When he next returned, our food was served. After feeling around a bit, we felt an oval wooden tray with 4 small square bowls in 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions. He asked for us to reach out so he could pass us our wine glasses. Once we took it, he clipped, "I'll be back in 10 minutes", and left. I think the service kind of screwed up somewhere for us. I had read that our waiter would introduce us to the setup, with instructions on how to go about eating. But there was none of that.
And back in 10 minutes? I admit that I was a little stressed to only be given 10 minutes to finish 4 bowls of food, all of which I couldn't see. We called out to Leo, hoping to get some help, but it seemed he was too busy. In any case, we couldn't discern between the voices of the waiters who were clicking their tongues as they navigated the dark. We decided to take matters into our own hands (literally, hur) and dived into the bowl at 3 o'clock.
[Going to take a pause on the review here - J has kindly agreed to be a guest writer on this experience, so we'll continue with that once it comes through. In the meantime, a bit more before I end this and return to my 3rd Guy Delisle travelogue.]
[J's guest post here]
With Leo not giving explicit instructions, we took matters into our hands and started with the dish at 3 o'clock. I won't attempt to list the order of the dishes, but there was a Caesar salad, a pate, chicken karaage and ???
Both RS and I noticed the more robust flavours that our taste buds experienced. School textbooks always told the miracle of our bodily functions, and how the other senses overcompensate in the absence of any in particular. If so, the sense of taste (and sound, for I clung on to every tiny sound made) was definitely heightened. Or perhaps it was just the result of a chef being generous with marinades. Either way, the appetizers had very strong flavours and it wasn't difficult to guess what we were putting in our mouths. Though some finer details weren't picked up by either of us.
All this while, I was happily sipping on my wine and was close to finishing the first of two glasses. The wine was easy to sip on and I was glad my date couldn't see how red I had become. Leo (I don't think either of us could discern between Leo and his colleagues) had returned to clear our appetizers. The second course followed shortly, and just as we were about to start, we overheard Leo or his colleagues explaining to a dinner party that had just arrived, dishes were meant to be consumed in a clockwise direction starting at 6 o'clock. Despite being served small portions, it all added up and we were already pretty filled by the time the 2nd course arrived. The braised(?) duck (both of us thought this was pork), wagyu with truffle oil, peppery cod and roast pork left our stomachs very much expanded.
It took some time for our table to be cleared, which allowed us the time to reflect on our experience. I had imagined that not being able to see would cause some discomfort, but this feeling was absent. In its place, intrigue and curiosity took over. Our other senses were more active and we were paying more attention to them. Where was the next table? What did our table feel like? We also explored whether keeping our eyes open or shut made a difference (it didn't for me but I still found my eyes shut at times).
Dessert finally arrived and was served the same way as the first two courses. Once again, we had 4 small bowls to get through. I am happy to report that the desserts did not disappoint. Our taste buds were challenged once again, and we got most of them right except for a dash of coconut flakes(?) on the mango ice cream that we missed. When we were done, Leo came back to lead us back to the light. Throughout dinner, Leo and his colleagues did an amazing job. Before leaving, we were invited to write down what we thought was served before being shown the correct answers. Between the two of us, we got most of it correct! RS arranged for a birthday cake (even though she had already bought one in the afternoon), but we were too full and that had to be packed.
The experience is a unique one and the quality of food was as good as any decent restaurant. I'm glad we got to experience this but I'm not sure if we would be repeating this experience soon.
[/end of J's guest post]
I was particularly tickled when Leo added that we shouldn't return, because "one time good enough already... this is so expensive". I did appreciate his candour. It was true though, our meal, with wine and cake included came up to about $300 in total. It is most definitely not something an average Joe would want to spend money on.
One thing to add about the celebrations. I had wanted to try to keep the dinner a surprise for J and had hoped to take a cab down. My practical side got the better of me and decided that it was for the best that he drove down. When he came to get me, he emerged from the car all dapper in one of the new shirts that I had picked out for him in London, and presented a single stalk of rose to me. It was the first time I had received a rose from J, and the first time I had received anything when celebrating someone else's birthday. It was such a surprise. Only goes to show the kind of sweetheart that J truly is.
After the dinner in the dark. J's special power is to post butt ugly pictures of me on social media. My only counter offense is to post ones where we both look good here. -_-
We caught the MayDay concert last night at the Indoor stadium. Despite feeling a little under the weather, I had quite a bit of fun with him and his friends. It felt a little sad that Xf didn't make it for this concert like we had planned to. The 2013 one that we had gone to with Mag was insanely fun.
The daily plank workouts have been going well. On some days, I'm too exhausted or just get home too late to do them, and we end up making up for them on other days. Man, are those exhausting. On Wednesday night we did three sets which seemed to work our arms a lot more than our core. I could barely lift my arms on Thursday without feeling any ache. That said, it was the kind of ache that screams of a workout well done, so I spent the day feeling mighty pleased with myself. I really enjoy these regular workouts with J, however short they may be. Through our runs, climbs, crunches and planks, he's been nothing but patient, caring... yet not so lax that he'd let me slack off on the workout. Unfortunately, he also lets me eat to my hearts content so I HAVEN'T ACTUALLY LOST THE WEIGHT that I've been meaning to for the past few months. :(
In other inconsequential news, J and I found ourselves at the traffic junction next to FMW's car this afternoon. As we drew towards the line, I spotted the very distinctive boxy merc. J stopped slightly behind him so our windows didn't align. He appeared to be engaged in animated conversation with his girlfriend, whose hair looked really really really long from where I was seated. His parents were in the backseat, his mum at the window closest to mine. Seeing all of them so happy made me feel really happy. In a way, it assuages the guilt I feel for how things ended. FMW may not have been a suitable life partner for me, but he and his family were a big part of my life and I still love them very much, even if I can no longer be part of their lives.
In less selfish news, I've been on the receiving end of many many many pieces of good news over the past few weeks and I am positively ecstatic about all of them. There's not one which I can place as the best! news! ever! I'm filled with so much happiness for my loved ones that my heart could just burst. I wish I could share it here, but I'll just keep the happiness bubbling inside me until the information becomes public! :)
Off for my first work trip with this firm later part of next week. But first, drinks and KTV with Gill and the sister and then National Day yacht party for MM! I'm also finally going to catch up with Yl, Ven and Jean to celebrate Mag's birthday. Yes, the same Mag who is out of town on her birthday. I can't wait!!!!
It is going to be an exhausting week ahead, but it's going to be good - I can just feel it! :)