A Ramble About a Movie

Yesterday, I took half a day off to recuperate from my event on Wednesday (I lay up in bed for 1hour before I've unwound sufficiently to fall asleep!) and went out with Intuition for some retail and culinary therapy. I was combing through all the shops and boutiques in Orchard Road to find the elusive yellow dress (and it's still not found, darn it!) with a very supportive boyfriend in tow. Shopping is simply not Intuition's favourite activity, but yesterday he was a real gentleman and gamely went along as I wavered about purchases, tried on clothes and didn't buy them, trawled through shoe shops and walked from mall to mall.

However, he did have 1 request of me: to watch a movie. I was like, nooo, I just had a movie event last night! We watched a movie already, didn't we! Two movies in two days is just a whole lot of movies, no?? He was adament, however. I want to watch Music & Lyrics! he exclaimed. I can't possibly watch it with the guys, right? I can watch a guy-movie like 300 with them, but this is a romantic comedy, and I can only watch it with you! he cajoled.

Romantic comedies are widely considered chick flicks, are they not? Other romantic comedies Intuition & I have watched are: Along Came Polly, The Perfect Catch, The Prince & I, Somethings Gotta Give, and Pride & Prejudice. All at his request! It has never failed to amuse me that Intuition is the one who enjoys romantic comedies, while for me, my choice of movies tend towards fantasy (LOTR, Narnia, which he also likes) and animation movies (The Incredibles, Shrek, Toy Story, which he don't mind watching). But my guy likes chick flicks, so I go along and have grown to enjoy them. They're good for mindless harmless entertainment, when you want to destress and leave your brain somewhere for an hour or two. Perhaps the only trouble is when you compare your partner with the swoonworthy yummy lead in the movie, which does lead to some expectation management :P

Music & Lyrics was great fun however, and even though the ending is predictable (the guy and the girl always, always, end up together no matter what), the ride to the end was enjoyable. What really got me in stitches was the MTV that was produced just for this movie. Basically, Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) is a 80s has-been, so his popularity has waned and he's a happy has-been. Until a huge break comes along for him and he needs a lyricist PRONTO! That's where Sophie (Drew Barrymore) came in as a talented lyricist who writes beautiful lyrics effortlessly. What I liked about the movie, besides Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore's likeable chemistry, is how it lampoons the current pop idols and the trends that were so, so hot in the 80s! As a kid who grew up in the 80s, I found MTV they throw in (starring Hugh Grant) HILARIOUS! It tickled me to no end. If you grew up in the 80s too, you must must must take a look at this MTV, if not the movie! Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0A7dtdc-nU!

Quirkie Creations: Happy Valentine's Day!

This is a bouquet of tulips that my colleague bought for his girlfriend. Tres jolie, non?

Mr Intuition and I won't be going to any swanky restaurant nor will he be giving me any jolie fleurs today, since we both don't like how Valentine's Day is so commercialised. We will be meeting for a simple meal at a coffee shop though, and I am looking forward to the food ; ) You don't need to burn a hole in your pocket to have a great Valentine's!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Economical Date Ideas

Usually my income comes in at the end of the month. Last month being the month of Christmas and all, our pay came in earlier, which was good for the Christmas season, but it also means a long wait for the next paycheck. It's now mid-Jan, my Jan income is not coming in until the end of the month and my bank account is running dangerously low. Life still goes on whether my income comes in or not, and expenses are still incurred daily. Dating still goes on, too! I still have to meet Intuition and we still need to go out and eat and be entertained. Hence, I shall list down my economical date ideas so that we can still have a good time even if my bank account is drying up!

1. When the weather permits, go Marina Bay and fly some kites.
Intuition was badgering me for the longest time to go fly kites, but I've always been finding excuses to not go. Finally, I gave up and gave in grudgingly. I was pleasantly surprised, though! The weather was very fine that day--no rain, windy, and not too hot. We took a while to coax the kite up in the sky, but running about crazily in the field and tugging at the reluctant kite against the wind is all part of the fun. After that, you can lie down in the field and lazily watch the other novices try to get their kites up, while keeping an eye on your dot in the sky, making sure that another kite doesn't sabotage your line, or making sure that your kite is always just *a little bit* higher than your neighbour's :P Friendly competition; ) Kites are sold at $3.50 for the basic ones, which is good enough for me.

2. Go to the museums instead of to the movies
Movies are crazy expensive nowadays. At $9.50 per ticket on weekends, a pair of tickets can set you back by $19, which just makes me want to gnash my teeth, stomp my feet and throw something at those smart-alecs who have unanimously decided to raise the prices of movie tickets. GRRRRR. But thankfully, there are museums! Museums are more educational, cheaper and much more interactive. At the movies, all you do is sit and stare at the screen. The only interaction is probably when a scary scene comes on, then you squeeze your boyfriend's arm until the blood circulation gets cut off. So anyways, at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM), admission is free on Friday evenings! Woot! and in Chinatown, there is the Chinese Heritage Centre (i think that's what it's called). Entrance fees for that is $8, but if you've got any card with any local bank (eg, an ATM card with DBS or UOB), you get in at half-price ($4!), which means that you both get to tour this museum at roughly the same price as ONE movie ticket! It's hardly boring, especially if you're a history or an art buff =) Or are dating one ; )

3. Enjoy a great, sumptious meal--at a hawker centre!
Singapore as a food paradise--not if you go food courts, Cafe Cartel, NYDC, MacDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Pasta Mania etc! These places serve terrible, terrible food! If you're a foodie like we are, you can easily enjoy a great meal at a nice hawker centre for a fraction of the price you pay at these overpriced yuckyfood establishments. Foodies on a budget should make a bee-line to some of the good hawker centres in your area and order or-lua, cheng teng, hokkien mee, soya bean milk and barbequed chicken wings and still have cash leftover for your bus ride back home ;)

4. Al fresco (and el cheapo!) dining
So maybe you're feeling peckish for some dessert. And since you're on a budget, you don't want to spend $6 on a cake and another $7 for a drink and shout to make yourself heard at a crowded, noisy and pricey cafe. Hardly a romantic date, either! What we do is that we go to the nearest supermarket (Carrefour or Cold Storage, since we're in town!) and pick out a dessert (yoghurt, perhaps? or a small tub of ice-cream) and a drink (a bottle of Pokka flavoured tea?) for a grand total of $5. Then we make our way out of the shopping mall and sit at one of the many benches that are outside. For example, at Suntec City, there are plenty of benches outside the mall. At Plaza Singapura, there is a quiet little park just across the road. You get to go far from the maddening crowd and enjoy a little peace and quiet by yourselves.

5. Go to the library
Both Intuition and I like to read, so ever since the National Library opened in town, we have been frequenting it. We will park our butts on the sofas and pile up the comic books next to us and read, read, read... until it is announced that the library is closing and could we please leave within the next 10 minutes etc. Nice =)

6. Take a hike
Well since I've talked mostly about eating on dates, here is a healthy activity that won't cause anyone to gain any pounds, unless you're talking about muscles. Take a hike at the Bukit Timah nature reserve, or a nice long walk along MacRitchie's tree-top walk. Or you could just walk along the many national parks that dots Singapore. There is Fort Canning, which is serene and pretty during the day time. There is also Botanical Gardens which has just been renovated. Of course, Mr Sunshine has to be out on that day, rather than Miss RainClouds =)

Of course, if you have great company and great conversation, who needs to go anywhere to be entertained? Just sit down somewhere and talk til the cows come home =) Anyways, if you have other ideas that are economical and fun, please drop me a comment and share it with me! Muchos gracias =)

Post Christmas Celebration

I have blogged about Christmas and what it means to me, as well as quirkie Christmas presents and quirkie friends =) Intuition was rather indignant that a toothbrush would warrant a post in my blog while his lovely presents and presence have not yet had a dedicated post, and so now here I am, blogging about it =)

Intuition and I are practical people when it comes to celebrating events like Valentine's Day or birthdays. For example, he doesn't buy me flowers on Valentine's Day itself; he waits until the prices have gone back to normal before sending me a bouquet, which is really sweet and practical at the same time :P Likewise for birthdays... Unfortunately, when you've got a girlfriend whose birthday falls on a public holiday such as Christmas day, there isn't any way you're wriggling out of the situation of going somewhere non-crowded and eating food with non-hiked up prices. So that was what he suffered the first few years we're together, poor him :P

This year, we've wisened up. We celebrated on Boxing Day instead, when the crowds have dispersed and gone back to work, when restaurants are no longer serving ONLY their festive (and overpriced) menus, when everything is on SALE!

Intuition's goal that morning was to keep me from guessing where he was bringing me for lunch :P First he told me to meet him at Suntec's Marches. When I was on my way there, he smsed me: "Follow this instruction if you want food. Go to Marina Sq and await a mysterious fone-call." Of course I wanted my food, so I obediently went to Marina Sq and got that mysterious phone call. I met my date at Marina Sq and we went to the toilet--only it wasn't the toilet, but a corridor that also leads to outside the building which is connected to the Oriental Hotel! We're going to the Melt World Cafe at the Oriental Hotel!

The buffet had a reasonable spread (nothing as lavish as The Line), and the quality was pretty good. Furthermore, because it was a weekday lunch, there wasn't a lot of people, which was great cos we both hate crowded places =) I loved the sashimi! I also loved the baked salmon, the cheese selection, the mussels-in-cream-sauce, the mushroom soup, the fragrant Indian briyani rice and fluffy naan, the multitudes of curries available, and the wonderful, wonderful dessert selection! The caramel ice-cream on freshly baked waffle was divine! The mango mousse was rich and full of mango-goodness. The chocolate fountain was a wellspring of goodwill and happiness (at least temporarily!). Unfortunately, they didn't have a cold section =( I didn't get to slurp down raw oysters and raw scallops, but it's ok! ^-^

After gorging, we had walked around a bit to buy my birthday present (which was on sale, since it was after Christmas day!!), and then he hurried me down to the next Mystery Destination. It was..... a spa session! He brought me to the Civil Service Club's spa area and treated me to my first ever spa session =) It was quite an experience =) It wouldn't be something that I'd want to do again in Singapore though, cos it's so expensive? A session like that can easily set you back by more than $100 (but Intuition got it on discount, so it's ok ;) haha!). No wonder why so many are willing to travel to Bali or Bangkok for shopping and spa!

At the end of the day, after indulging in great food and pampering yourself with a spa treatment, the best way to end it is to eat simple comfort food =) We bought maggi-mee and a can of spiced diced pork and whipped up a simple dinner at my place. It was the best thing to have when faced with the cold, rainy weather--a steaming bowl of maggi mee with canned meat on the side =)