Hope floats

Last night, Trina, one of the girls whom I met at Leanne's party called me out for a drink.

Rob was there.

We barely spoke but shamelessly flirted with each other. All night, we couldn't stop smiling at each other, even though there were 4 people between us at the table. Everytime I peeked at him from a small angle, he would tilt his chin a little and grin back.

When the group gathered outside the coffee-house before saying goodbye, he stood close to me, his shoulders just barely touching mine. When I finally bade him goodbye, he winked back mischievously.

Strange, how keeping a distance could get me all sparkly again.

Law of diminishing returns

This week, I've decided to minimise contact with Rob. I've also decided to not see him for the whole week.

I'm getting a little weary of seeing him almost every other day. I'm getting bored with him, his constant calling, emailing and seeing each other. The law of diminishing returns apply here. I'm no longer excited. The more I see him, the harder it is for me to be excited by the mere presence of him.

A short break might do the trick.

I hope.

Girls just wanna to have fun

Jane: Do you want to ask Rob to come along?

Me: Nope, because I want to...

Just chat. Giggle at each other's wisecracks. Bitch about the biatches and dungus in our lives. Stroll around at 1 Utama/Mid Valley/Times Square/KLCC. Spend an inordinate amount of time at Zara. Search for bras that fit. Read Harper's Bazaar & Marie Claire magazines at Dome Cafe and sip lattes. And eat their yummy turkish bread sandwiches. Go for a movie on a whim. Head back to Dome and drink more lattes. Perve at good-looking men and decide if they were gay, just because they look good. Be lured by the magic word S-A-L-E. Squeal with delight at a great bargain find. Browse through bookstores. Get pedicures. Do all the girly things.

Minus men.

Getting all sparkly

Last night, I went out with Rob. We went to his friend, Leanne's place for dinner. It was a pot-luck dinner and I made a cherry trifle. At first, I'd wanted to make a chocolate cherry cake but thought it'd seem like I was trying hard to impress his friends. So I decided on something simple but delicious and easy to make. The trifle was a hit and it was gone in 15 minutes.

Dinner was good. The atmosphere was relaxed. And I felt very at ease with his friends. Soon, I was chatting and having a little tete-a-tete session with the girls there.

There was even a little drink corner in the living area with a decent stash of liquor and wine bottles. I was in a good mood and decided to mix a drink for myself- a strange concoction of ribena, bombay sapphire gin, tonic and lemon slices.

As I happily mixed my bizarre cocktail, I recognised Rob's voice in the chatter behind me. When I turned around with my glass of drink, I almost collided into him but he quickly and briefly put his hand on my waist to steady me and let me walk past him.

Last night, I could barely feel his hand on my waist. This morning, I felt this sparkly tingle in my toes and fingers, just thinking about it.

Hansem Rob = Dilemma

I met a hansem fella. His name is Rob and he called me unexpectedly one day last month. Some kaypoh auntie gave him my number and told him that I'm very single and a perfect wife-material girl.

Ah well, with my changed attitude to unexpected phone calls from strange men, I decided to meet him for dinner. Yep, I spoke to him in my sweetest voice and even added a little girly giggle before I said goodbye. We arranged to meet for dinner at Asian Heritage Row last Friday night.

He sounded like a friendly, easy-going kind of guy over the phone. And he has a nice voice. Not too deep, not squeaky high, not breathy- just right.

I was looking forward to meeting Rob although I had no idea what he looked like. So, I reminded myself to be open to all possibilities that night.

If he's shorter than me; he'd have to look up to me.
If he's too fat; he'd lag behind me as I walk fast.
If he's too thin; he'd be hidden by my physique.
If he has bad teeth; he'd cover his mouth in shame as I take extremely good care of my pearly whites.
If he chain-smokes; never mind, I can have my Cartier cigs fix.
If he drinks; even better, I can indulge in Bloody Marys and Lychee Martinis.

With much anticipation and some nerve-wrecking moments, I lugged my work along. Yep, at least, in the worst-case scenario, I could still market my work and build contacts through him. And it'd be a business dinner instead. Really, my work was my buffer for that blind date.

Well, my blind date dinner went off amazingly well. Rob was good company. He was as easy-going and friendly as he'd sounded over the phone. And good-looking, too! Oh, oh, he has a nice boyish smile, nice teeth, nice shoulders and hands. He has almost the same personality as Mr. J. He seemed keen as he has called me out to lunch and coffee since last week. And we never fail to have a good time- chatting, exchanging stories and laughing.

BUT.

He's a good four years younger than me and still in his 20s.

PMS food

It's that time of the month. And I've been peckish all week, craving for sour, salty, spicy hot or tangy food. Some of my PMS mesti-makan food are:

1. Pickled Baby Gherkin from Carrefour Supermarket - such a thrill to feel my tongue suddenly shrink in absolute delight-shock from the tartness of a baby gherkin.

2. Dipping a teaspoon into a jar of Marmite or Bovril and slowly licking the spoon clean.

3. Cheese- prefably vintage cheddar for the extra bite and slight tangy taste.

4. Sashimi at Ozeki Bistro, KL. Yeah, it's the only time of the month where I endure the horrendous lunch-hour traffic in KL city, just to satisfy my PMS cravings for sashimi and their cold green tea noodles.

5. Asam laksa - a real delight to slurp the sour, fishy soup accompanied by the crunch of thin onion slices and the unexpected minty taste of mint leaves.

6. Tom Yam Soup- yes, my all-time favourite PMS food. I like my tom yam with lots of mushroom, squid, ginger, lemongrass and cilantro.

Come all, gals. Do share your PMS food cravings as I'd very much like to know. ;P

Time to wear my lucky bra

Last month, I entered the Discovery Travel & Living "Fly & Feast" contest sponsored by MAS Airlines, hoping to win a plane ticket (for two) to New York City. The prize also includes a 2 -night stay at a 5-star hotel and dinner at Les Halles. And I think the winner gets to meet the infamous Les Halles' enfant terrible chef, Anthony Bourdain.

Ok, it's not because of Anthony Bourdain. I'm not crazy about him. Yeah, he eats all the unimaginable street food and has the wittiest comments on food and cooking. He's blatantly honest, original and true to his cool, cynical New Yorker self. Really, I do love him for that and watch "A Cook's Tour" just for his witty comments.

But it's my ultimate dream to visit the famous Magnolia Bakery at Bleecker Street, NYC.



I must, must, must visit the original bakery which made cupcakes in vogue. The first cupcake recipe I made was Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes with Butter Frosting. The recipe is amazingly good and just so wholesomely old-fashioned. The kitchen smelt like a retro 60s kitchen with the warm vanilla scent wafting from the oven. I felt like I was a little girl again, transported to my grandma's kitchen with her mint green, clunky fridge with a heavy handle that you'd have to yank down to open the fridge.

Plus, I want to eat their Red Velvet Cake, Banana Pudding Pie, Ice Box Cake, Cherry Jubilee and sigh, all their baked goods. I know, I know, I can easily go bake their cakes from their cookbook. But nothing beats the original thing.

The contest results are not out yet and I've been keeping my fingers crossed . And yes, I've been wearing my lucky bra ever since.

Feisty comebacks for single gals

I've been single for so long that I've learnt to answer politely with a knowing smile to those annoying "Why are you still single?" queries.

1. When are you getting married?
Anytime.

2. When are you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?
Anytime soon.

3. You can't afford to be choosy (in having a man in your life).
Oh, are you telling me your hubby/boyfriend is a random choice? Hmm, I didn't know he's a RANDOM choice.