Partayyyy

Hard to believe that I literally go to only two scheduled social-affairs a year, and now that B&E have moved on from hosting their epic New Year soirees, there’s only one left- our work-do.

That’s nearly 14 of some of the most memorable get-togethers with people you see five days of the week.

We’ve done everything from simple barbecues (at a colleagues spacious home), to hotels, historic venues and even a boat (actually missed one). And I look forward to it because it’s the only time I get to drink alcohol (prior to New Year’s) which in hindsight, has probably saved my life. Before leaving the Philippines permanently, I was literally drinking every other day. It was fun but it couldn’t have been healthy.

And I make an effort, because why not? I buy an entirely new outfit (like literally even the shoes shown on the lookbook) which is also my outfit for Christmas dinner. I get to either have a puff of someone’s cigarette or better still, get an entire cigarette all to myself (thanks D!). I miss smoking, but I’ll be damned if I ever go back to the habit.

And I get to finally see who my co-workers really are are outside of work which can be very entertaining (!).

The answer is YES

I don’t have a lot of friends, and I’m glad that within this small circle, WE ALL SHARE the same political values.

At this point, would you really care about ethics, when the line in the sand has never been drawn more clearly or more deeply?

DITCH THEM, GHOST THEM if you haven’t already; life is too short to waste on total cunts.

Wedded bliss

Congratulations B & E.

When you're ready but life (or other people) aren't

I’ve purchased the towels. I’ve decided on and bought the shelving. Waited for and got great deals from Black Friday promotions for bath mats, runners, decor (vase, fake coral, real calla lily leaves from the garden in the photo) and even several month’s supply of toiletries (Sans Ceuticals and Aesop) so you know, it would look good on the shelves.

I already knew how the bathroom was going to look and more importantly, what looked good in it even before the renovation started.

But for something so tiny, it’s far from done. I mean, the issues aren’t really dramatic- visible gaps in the door and window framing, the problematic walk-in shower, a factory stain on the custom-sized quartz vanity top, unfinished electricals - but it’s just baffling how something so straightforward (yes it is because I finally paid attention during the renovation process) can stretch out longe that it should just because some people actually don’t do their job well.

And that’s the fucking truth.

the tree is up

We’ve had several memorable Christmas trees growing up.

The earliest one I could remember - and I could be wrong because my memory is so bad- was a shrub in a pot and there were Christmas balls hung on the stems.

Then my mother went through her crafty phase. She had the idea of filling a chicken coop/fencing wire thingy shaped into a cone, with shiny green cellophane cut and pinched to resemble ‘leaves’. The cone ended up being so big that for some reason, we only filled the part that was visible; a trick I still use to this day, because why waste ornaments on a side nobody sees??

Then we had the infamous soap-sud tree! We used the branches of this tree that grows beside the river called pakar. We wanted something that came out of a winter’s day when the whole world was covered in snow. To achieve the snow-effect, we dissolved packets of laundry powder detergent in as little water as possible, and whipped it up to create dense suds that resembled meringue.

These were draped onto the branches to create the illusion of fallen snow. I can’t remember now how it lasted, but as we grew older and conventional, store-bought trees came to the shops, you realise how more fun it was to create something out of nothing with your family.

Unfortunately, while I’m creative at other things, crafty DIY stuff seems to be impervious to my enthusiastic attempts. So I’ve given up and have resigned to the fact that when it comes to Christmas trees, the safest route for me was to do a conventional one with conventional materials.

This year, we’ve decided on a gold and white theme and New Zealand being the small country that it is, didn’t have what I was looking for but thank God fo Amazon.

This Monday

Monday was great, because I guess it started off differently.

Sam had to drop the car off for servicing at around 7 a.m., so I tagged along. We had bagels and coffee at a totally empty Krispy Kreme store just around the corner, and it was one of those mornings when everything was just right. I never really took a shine to bagels, but the KK house-baked one had a nice crisp exterior with a pillowy soft centre. The avocado was fresh, and the coffee was nice and strong. Traffic was light and the sun was out against an utterly cloudless blue sky.

What could go wrong? Well, nothing really. Or if to does, who gives a fuck right? It’s not personal.

You just do your very best to solve it, get on top of it, put it away.

Smashed it

I believe I may have written about smashed burgers a couple of times and that:

1. It’s the only way to make home-made burgers for me

2. That I may never again order fancy burgers when we eat out with the exception of McDonald’s.

3. The only bun to serve it on is brioche (this is non-negotiable).

But I’m writing about it again because I’ve managed to make it in less than twenty minutes (including prep time) with the least mess possible. I guess, familiarity creates a perfect system.

The trick is, to start cooking your beef the moment you press the on-button on your air-fryer for your fries.

It takes about 15 minutes for the fries to cook and in that space of time, you smash/fry your patties on the skillet; put the cheese slices on top; and then onto the oven at 180 to finish cooking, and then a resting period as the fries finish cooking.

I always weigh my beef, and a 60+ gram patty within this time frame ends up being medium-rare which is how I like my beef.

The small bun can be misleading; I’ve attempted to eat two and it ended being two much.

Only brioche

Don't eyeball it, weight it!

A good sear + seasoning

Love thin fries

Seasoned with chicken salt

Toast your patties with butter

double-cheeseburger deluxe

Sunday

Who lines up for two hours for Cinnabon??

While I must admit that we purposely went to Westfield Newmarket to see if we could score a box (amongst other chores), we certainly didn’t want to waste two hours, or even an hour, lining up for pastry. Sorry, but it’s just stupid.

I think David Jones is underrated. Some good- pricey but quality- stuff there like George Jensen homeware, Yves Delorme towels (on sale too), and Aquazzura Casa serving-ware. But we were looking for patent-leather shoes for Emma and Ben’s wedding, and we did find ones that were just under $200 (you wear them only once or twice anyway).

Christmas decorations were also on sale and we got a new wreath to replace the one we’ve been using for years (setting up the tree next weekend).

The shirt I was looking for at I Love Ugly no longer had my size, so time to rethink (again) about what to wear for the coming month’s various social engagements (there’s just two anyway lol).

Still mulling over Christmas presents as well (saw a cute holster type thingy for a 40 oz Stanley cup), but the crowd was starting to grow so after lunch at Selera (noodles and Hainan chicken), we called it a day.

It's sad when...

1. You want to do art, but SnapChat filters and AI make it so much easier

2. You make Filipino-style spaghetti and everyone hates it

3. The temperature goes up a searing 20 degrees celsius

4. A Cinnabon branch opens in New Zealand and you think it’s the second coming of Christ

5. You didn’t eat rice for three weeks and you lost ZERO kilos

6. You were so sure of winning the lottery ($8m) but only ended up getting $26

7. You thought you were going to be really sad and upset but then all you felt was MEH

8. You can’t find the new Salem’s Lot movie from HBO Max on any of the streaming platforms

9. You’ve postponed reading all the new Kindle books you’ve bought until you get the new Ipad Mini that you’re being gifted with this Christmas

10. You have to choose between a longer holiday in the Philippines next year or a shorter one so you could go to Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy in the fall

And then just like that..

The year is over (in my head anyway).

There are 49 more days to go before Christmas, and when all you worry about is what menu to create for Noche Buena, what shirt to wear for the Christmas work-do (is it that Mr P. green shirt or the Rag and Bone Terry polo?) and whether you can shave off two more kilograms in two weeks because you’ve stopped eating rice, then the year is truly done.

Work isn’t, but it now marches on its own timed, ticking beat until the 24th, and then everyone goes away as they do in New Zealand, leaving your inbox filled with out-of-office replies.

But not so for the builders who are most likely feeling the looming pinch of lingering projects. After taking their time completing a small ensuite, they’ve picked up the pace for the last three builds and have given us a completion target of eight days.

Eight days; need to go bathroom accessory shopping!

The long weekend

Le week-end de la Fête du Travail a été une période de détente et de repos bien méritée. Le dimanche, nous n'avons rien fait de particulier - le linge n'a pas été lavé, la vaisselle s'est accumulée dans l'évier, les vêtements traînaient partout.

Je me suis levé tard, vers 10 heures, car c'était l'occasion de prendre un peu de temps pour moi. Après tout, vous travaillez tellement qu'il est difficile de vous convaincre que de temps en temps, il est tout à fait normal de ne rien faire.

Passer du temps sans rien faire peut sembler presque coupable, mais c'est en fait essentiel pour se ressourcer et se détendre, afin de revenir au travail avec une énergie renouvelée (AI wrote this).

Start of the week

The mornings are still cold. I’ve been wanting to get back to yoga, but trudging up the stairs for decaf at 5:30 am, I feel like I’m 65, my knees stiff, my hips locked.

In spring, the sunshine is at an almost level slant through the sliding deck doors. We’ve stripped off the worn UV plastic panels off them and within 5 minutes, you can feel the warmth seeping into your body. This is Lily’s favourite spot- she’s already soaking up the sunlight and for once, she’s silent. I join her, sitting at the edge of the wooden bench. One by one, I strip off my clothes- half the sliding door is covered by a thermal curtain so the neighbours don’t see anything.

I used to hate the sun, avoided it like a true Asian person (I draw the line though at using an umbrella as a shield). But now, I’ve mentally left the dark and over-cast universe that I’ve inhabited for the better part of my adult life.

And now I’m out in the light, in the sunshine.

My alarm goes off- 10 min to 8am; time to get to work.

Today

1. Fine. Hold onto kindness as strongly as you can because sometimes (grudgingly), it’s the right thing to do.

2. What does blue cheese smell like? I said, like an unwashed, uncircumcised penis which my friends took offense to, because 1) they’re not cut and 2) I didn’t know shit because I was.

3. I said to someone today; work is actually easy. Life outside of work is harder.

4. Have yet to do something creative on my desk space. Sigh.

5. This is why I hate balconies, cliffs, and even small decks.

6. I was asked, if I had the chance to live in real life, any three recent shows, what would they be? I replied: be the conflicted daddy in Euphoria; an aristocratic, Eton-educated, psychopath banker in Industry and a butler in Downton Abbey.

7. Word of the week: CHOICES

8. I fucking actually hate E.

Sunday aspirationals

So we had a sudden craving for chilli con carne for Sunday dinner and Farro Foods had a pre-made one that we had tried before and it was really good. So off we went to the branch in Mt. Wellington with the awful parking to pick one up and a couple of small things.

Entering the store triggered in me that irrationally exhilarating feeling I had when I had my first credit card with a limit in the mid-five digits- I just wanted to buy everything in sight that caught my fancy.

It’s the supermarket of my dreams; heirloom tomatoes that looked like they were made by a 3D printer gone haywire, new season asparagus as thick as sausages, niche vegetables like celeriac and witloof, at least seven kinds of micro-greens, store-made focaccia bigger than dinner plates, specialist cheeses, inidividual organic acai and fruit breakfast bowls and seasoning and oils from Europe and South America.

It was everything I didn’t really need but wanted to get.

We got the chilli and some good nacho chips to go with it, but when our basket started to fill up with, ‘oh look at this small treat’ stuff like pickle dip, bags of broccolini, Israeli couscous, and Appleby’s Strawberry and Cream ice-cream, we had to forcibly march ourselves to the check-out counter.

Someday…

Thursday

My skin-care stuff arrived today and I was a bit taken aback by how small the bottles were considering how much they cost.

I remember what my mother used to tell us when she would catch us fussing over our faces when we were younger: (translated)’ you better make sure you could afford those things you put on your face when you’re old’.

And it actually makes financial sense. A pensioner in New Zealand I think gets $200 a week. I spent just over $200 for a cleanser, moisturiser and a masque. And these are in addition to stuff I still have on my bathroom counter like niacinamide solution, three facial oils, a retinol serum, two morning creams and two kinds of SPF. The whole lot normally lasts 3-4months and I tend to get other stuff which is a combination of specialist and drug-store brands.

Ironically, it was my parents who set me off on this routine. They pointed out the pimples on my face once and wondered out loud if it was acne which was strange when both of them didn’t have it when they were younger.

I became determined to get rid of it because I knew it was something about myself that I could change. And I’m glad that I did because I actually look good. It could be better- skin treatments in NZ cost a small fortune- but it’s all about consistency. If you started early, you have a good chance of enjoying the effects of that early start.

Who knows, if I’m really lucky, I’d still look 40 at 65 and get away with just using cheap Nivea or something.

Mondays

I boast about the fact that I get ready for the upcoming week on Sundays; lunch for Monday sorted, extra-nice outfit, all emails done, head-start on creative assignments. We do early dinner as well so that we get two hours before getting into bed (10pm) to spend on wellness stuff like yoga (should really get back into it), a nice facial mask and ab crunches (hate it).

But when I work from home on a Monday, it’s like my body knows and sabotages me with habits that I thought I had gotten rid of. I fail to wake up early. I hit snooze all the way to 7:30 (I start work at 8am).

And to cap it off, I end up making a sad piece of burnt toast.

Soldier on

The other week, I was acting like a crazy person and complaining about ‘chaos’, ‘entropy’ and ‘flux’. But it wasn’t anything intellectual.

I was simply tired of the fact that I was doing chores constantly; that there was no end to it; that no matter how organised you are or that you’re a couple of steps ahead, things always catch up with you and you’re buried again in disorder. And you’re tired, you’d rather do something else instead. Can you ignore it for a while? How long though? Is this even a good approach?

But within 48 hours, I was over it. Life moved on whether you liked it or not.

I got a good night’s sleep, cleared my head, bought new outfits for a work-related show and put on a niacinamide face mask (my complexion was starting to look muddy).

I had work to do, bills to pay, belly fats to battle, house renovations to complete.

I can’t afford to not be my best.

You will be missed

I hate spring

I love waking up in the dark.
The darkness is telling me
that it’s okay. Everything will be alright.

What you can’t see, can’t be true, correct?

I don’t need to see the light.
I don’t need to be reassured,
that it’s what I need,
to make my way through.

To where exactly? 

I have found my way
and it’s my way.

When I close my eyes,
it’s as close to home
as I’ll ever be.

Reno

After getting a mortgage, the next horrifying challenge you have to face would be fixing up the house you bought.

I know nothing of fixing things, let alone constructing or reconstructing stuff from scratch. If abilities and inclinations are somehow genetically passed on, then I’m truly my father’s son. Dad couldn’t be bothered not because he had better things to do, but because he was good at other things.

I try to reassure myself with that thought, that I am better with other things, but goddamn it- I wish I was good at this. The costs make me cry.

We’re having two bathrooms done, a toilet and the laundry area.

The weekend away

1. The sunset had its own show, its own crowd. We positioned ourselves right on the concrete breaker, hoisting one leg over the edge, but not really brave enough to have both on the other side. We sat facing each other and didn’t feel the least guilty that people who wanted to take photos couldn’t really invade our space to get a prime shot. Well, it’s first come, first served plus at the end of it we would have spent over $50 on Uber just getting in and out. For 15 minutes. Of a damn sunset.

When the tiny golden disk slipped into the ocean, everyone clapped as if it were miraculous.

Maybe it was.

2. We had Sal’s pizza and it was a beautiful day so we thought to eat it at the park. But alas, there was no shade and the noon sun was abominable, so we sat on the raised curb of the park pathways and watched the pigeons flying above Parliament Square. There was a pro-Palestinian rally on Bourke Street where our hotel was, and they were still there when we got back, all these people with their faces covered with a keffiyeh. We decided to check out the rooftop pool and fell asleep to the chants of ‘from the river to the sea. . . Palestine will be Free’.

3. The city of surcharges. NOT going to compute how much we paid in surcharges, but on some nights, we spent over $100 on cocktails. They were delicious though.

4. Found an oyster bar where you had to pick from a variety of oysters. I thought five was light, but it was strangely filling.