time to say goodbye?

I haven't felt the urge to write here in awhile. Part of this has to do with the fact that I'm a little tired of divulging every little detail of my life, significant or not, to the world at large; and the other, perhaps more defining reason, is simply that I'm tired of writing. 

I'm not tired of writing as my passion, per se. No, on the contrary. I have been writing nearly 12 hours a day for the past three months, transitioning from working on my magazine to working on my book like a well-oiled machine, so that by the end of it, there's really nothing left for this humble site of mine. 

The book, I am happy to say, is finally completed at nearly 60,000 words and in the process of being assessed by a manuscript reader. I am also now undertaking the more arduous task of finding an agent to represent it so that I can quit my full-time job as an editor and fulfil my dream of being a full-time author, while simultaneously embarking on my second novel and working on the fifth issue of my magazine. All in all, it's an uphill process that doesn't seem to see any sign of relenting in the near future. 

I am, quite frankly, needing a break from words. Yet it surrounds me and encompasses me in a way I will never be free of. When I am not constantly writing, I am constantly reading, and somewhere in between also trying to make a living and spending time with my husband. Something's gotta give, and at this point, it seems like my much-loved domain in cyberspace, is it. 

After nearly five years and a few hundred posts, I am putting this site on hold for awhile so I can focus on other, more consuming tasks. Perhaps I will re-visit it once in awhile, when I need an outlet for griping for example, when I have thoughts I'd like to send out to the void, or when I've successfully published my first book.  

But until then, I bid you all adieu, I thank you all for having read and followed my misadventures this long, and I hope to greet you again sometime in the near future.

Hello, and Goodbye. 

eggs-traordinary

Only in my world, will you find an editor of a food magazine, an editor of a hospitality magazine, an editor of a supermarket retail magazine, and three account managers who all work within the food and drinks industry, arguing heatedly over the colour of egg yolks.

Is Monday over yet?

simple pleasures

After battling an extraordinarily persistent migraine that lasted for exactly three days and approximately 12 hours, I was happy to do nothing more strenuous today than a relaxing stroll through the mall for some lunch, and a browse through the bookstore, which was fortunately for me, exactly what we ended up doing!

The Husband and I woke up at 11am (extremely decadent, even for us), and with nothing more important to do than to fortify ourselves with food at some point, we spent a leisurely hour on the internet, before my growling stomach got us out of our PJs and into the car to head to Albany Mall on the North Shore.

Some salmon sushi, a short stroll, two books, a few bags of groceries and 2.5 hours later, we were back home and settled back on the couch. 

I attempted to read Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, and managed three chapters before my heavy eyelids took over and I fell asleep listening to Debussy's Clair De Lune playing softly in the background. 

We also split a cookies and cream and strawberry cream doughnut between us for tea.

Some days, life can be as simple and pleasurable as doughnuts, a good book and some classical music. 

I like. =)

Remembering Sundays

When I was a child, my entire extended family on my maternal side would gather at my grandparents’ place every Sunday, where grandma would proceed to cook a feast, the adults would sit around and drink coffee while chatting or playing mah-jong, and my cousins and I would tear around the house, lost in our own adventures and fun and games.

Being an only child and often left to play by myself when I was at home, I loved those moments I had with my aunts and uncles and cousins. We would often sit around the living room, on couches or on the floor, talking about our week, our lives, laughing and teasing each other, and there would always be plenty of food around, whether we were actually hungry or not.

My cousins and I would sometimes participate in these adult conversations. But more often than not, we were happy to sit in a corner playing with our Barbie Dolls, or when boys were involved, it would turn into a raucous play of hide and seek, catch, tag, or simply a game of who could jump higher on our grandparents’ bed.

As we got older and turned into angst-ridden teenagers, those weekends became a time to catch up on gossip and more gossip. And then we got older still, and Sunday’s at the grandparents turned from a weekly occurrence into a special occasion gathering, as we all got more involved in our own respective lives, and were often, simply too busy with our friends to spend our precious weekend with family.

Both my grandparents have since passed away, but my aunts and uncle continue to have their gatherings every once in awhile. These days, funnily enough, when I think about Malaysia, being around their noise and chatter is what I miss most of all.

I don’t know when, or if ever, the entire family will be together again. Ee Laine now lives in Adelaide with her husband and her own little ones. Ee May has made a move to the UK for her studies, while twins Henn Drik and Sze Cheen are studying in Melbourne and Wellington, respectively.

As for me, I’m here in Auckland with my husband, at times missing my fun, loud, noisy and occasionally interfering family so much, it makes me wonder if I’ll ever move back home again.

And then I remember, that this is my home now. And that one day I’ll have a fun, noisy, interfering family of my own to build. And when that time comes, I’ll make sure that Sundays will always be for the family. And that there'll always be plenty of food.

This is for the family who’s always in my heart.

***

I'm looking out the window,

where we sat to watch the stars
There’s a still within the air

that makes my heart long for your touch
You may be miles away,

but as I kneel to pray…

I see the same side of the moon
That we’ll be looking on when the world turns blue
And know that time and space
can’t come between me and you
We share the same side of the moon
And though you’ll never see all my tears shine through
I know I can’t be that far from you
If we’re both looking on the same side of the moon

I picture you across the oceans
In your corner of the world
I pray the wind will find my voice

and gently whisper in your ear
Your night may be my day,

and though the seasons change

It’s still the same side of the moon
That we’ll be looking on when the world turns blue
And know that time and space
can’t come between me and you
We share the same side of the moon
And though you’ll never see all my tears shine through
I know I can’t be that far from you
If we’re both looking on the same side of the moon

I know I can't be that far from you...

If we're both looking on the same side of the moon...

(Same Side of the Moon by Corrinne May)

speaking of which...

... I accidentally stumbled on a few pictures of the Husband and myself at the twenty-one bar opening, on a new NZ events and entertainment website called Biggie. I was quite amused to see the both of us in the society pages; but here I am again, in all my poker-playing prowess!

twenty-one

The Husband accompanied me to the official launch of a new bar in Skycity last week. Previously known as Bar3, it has been renovated and rebranded as twenty-one, and is possibly one of the chicest, more glamorous new bar in town today. Worth a visit if you want to feel like a million bucks. Or perhaps if you have a million bucks, as the Skycity casino is right upstairs.

We had a great time sipping on Moet champagne, red wine from Waiheke Island and Central Otago, and there were even shots of something potent going around, which we wisely avoided.

There were casino tables with 'Learn to Play' Black Jack (Twenty-one), Roulette and Baccarat where the excellent and extremely patient croupiers guided newbie players on rules of the games, while providing insider tips and tricks to the already seasoned ones.

It was a fun way to learn how to play and bet, without actually using real money. Definitely a good tactic to help people get comfortable with the game before they head for the actual casino one floor above (which, we also wisely avoided). I think I made $5,000 at one point, and proceeded to lose it all within the next half hour.

Hubby was amused at my aggresive playing and decided to take a picture for posterity.

Hmmm.. not quite sure what happened to my cards.

We ended up staying much later than we'd planned, playing hand after hand at the Black Jack and Roulette tables, and cheering on the other players with their fake money, who were betting thousands of dollars at a go.

I will be heading back next week to do an interview with the Bar manager for my magazine, and perhaps this time I'll try my hand at some Baccarat?

Yes, I am obviously very efficient and proficient at my job.

weekend in Taupo

Our morning didn't exactly start on schedule after our late night spent boozing at my colleague's place the night before, but we still managed to arrive in Taupo with plenty of time to spare. And besides, we were on no one's schedule but our own, so we weren't too fussed about what time we arrived.

The sun was out all weekend, which made for a lovely getaway, and Lake Taupo was glinting and shimmering in the afternoon sun when we arrived. We strolled around for a few hours, catching up on fresh air and talking about everything and nothing, before going back to the hotel for a light nap, and then heading out again for a lovely Italian dinner.

After debating on whether or not to have dessert (we settled on Tiramisu), we decided to end the night with a nightcap at the hotel bar, which overlooked Lake Taupo and the moutains in the distance. I sipped on my Pinot Noir, while the heat from the fireplace kept us warm and cosy as hubby and I cuddled on the couch and chatted some more.

The next morning, we drove up to the mountains for some sightseeing, before making our way back via Hamilton, stopping at the Hamilton Gardens for lunch and a walk through the beautiful grounds.

The mesmerizing Huka Falls

A pleasant stay at the Copthorne Hotel, Taupo

Our lodging for the night

Hubby enjoying his walk by Lake Taupo

Me enjoying the calming breeze and blue, blue waters

Mount Tongariro in the distance

The famous Chateau Tongariro

The chateau up close

The rest of the pictures were taken in and around the Hamilton Gardens, worth a visit if you happen to be passing by. Entry is free of charge, and it has a cafe as well as a restaurant, which makes for an excellent lunch-stop among gorgeous foliage and flowers.