Quality control
Mark and Kristen, we received your Christmas package in the mail today. Everything will remain safely wrapped as long as I can keep them from Neil, but he insisted on opening the chocolates to “make sure they were up to standards.”
The one chocolate biscuit I’m eating right now tastes very good, and if Neil has it his way, he’ll inhale the rest before I can even think about trying another one (i.e. gone by tomorrow).
I tried to convince him to wait till Christmas, but he was vehement that they would go off by then, so we had better eat them now. Sorry, but his restraint only lasted an hour or so.
2005 Advent calendar
I only just managed not to forget about Christmas and the run up to that special day. My 2005 Advent calendar is up and ready. Just.
This Christmas weekend I…
- had dinner at Madame Rouge (the Mandarin Hotel’s French restaurant)
- introduced Neil to his own sock doll
- opened our Christmas presents
- had pizza at Manhattan Pizza
- spent six hours drinking mulled wine at the Oxley’s Christmas Day Open House
- gave Trev away to a three year old (I hope she doesn’t get tired of him too soon)
- had Christmas dinner at The House
- had a couple more glasses of wine at the Oxleys
- went home to bed
- woke up when Neil got in at 8am (*ahem*)
- slept all day
- had dinner at Tutto Bene
All I want for Christmas…
… is to see the new additions to the family — Min and Yvonne’s sprogs Emma and Euan, and Melissa and Steve’s rugrat Kira (due today, but busted out four weeks early to make sure she doesn’t get ‘combined’ presents in future).
… is a Sega Mega Drive 6-in-1 Plug ‘n’ Play (the theme song to Sonic the Hedgehog brings back such wonderful gaming memories).
… is to visit (and probably spend cash at):
- Art of Crafts, #02-07 Orchard Plaza
- Creative Pot, #B1-18 Tanglin Mall
- Jenny’s Craft House, #04-56 Shaw Centre
(This is more to remind myself when I go back on vacation — vive le Singapore!)
… is for Neil to like his Christmas present (and stocking stuffers).
… is to have a good party on Christmas Day (and remember it)!
Have a good Christmas Eve, everyone!
Give the gift of sterilisation this Christmas
Some worthy Singaporean organisations who would appreciate your dollars this festive season (and all year round — why wait till Christmas?):
The Cat Welfare Society is a group of volunteers who try to improve the welfare of stray cats in Singapore. Their main aim is to sterilise stray cats to prevent them from overbreeding, thus controlling the population of cats on the street without putting them down. If you’re in Singapore, buy some Cat Welfare Society merchandise or make a donation.
Action for Singapore Dogs rescues and re-homes canines who need a loving home. They also support the sterilisation of stray dogs to help control their numbers. Mark and Kristen sent us an ASD calendar last year and the stories and photos were great.
Noah’s Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary is an animal haven based just outside Singapore. Run by one man who grooms dogs in Singapore part-time. He lives on his own on the premises, and depends on the kindness of volunteers to maintain the haven. Sponsor an animal or donate items off their wishlist to brighten the lives of Noah’s Ark’s many animal species (when I visited a few years ago, they had dogs, cats, horses, birds, and a ferret).
Mince piessssssss
Sheer torture, I tell you, to look at pictures of mince pies, quality chocolates, and Christmas pudding. Xiamen’s not exactly New York, or Shanghai for that matter. I hark back to 1992, when a visit to Sevenoaks in England yielded my first real taste of mince pies.
Mmmmmmm……
Need I mention our annual Christmas tradition in Singapore, a feast, a mighty feast of gastronomical delights at my uncle’s townhouse? Turkey (and I get more than a sliver), roast beef, potato salad, my aunt’s specialty macaroni in chicken broth (okay, not very Christmas-y but it’s our tradition), chocolate fondue (if my cousin is in town with his chocolate fondue pot), Christmas pudding, and Blue Stilton with port?
Aaaaauuuggggghhhhhh……
This is why I’ve got a Santa Claus decoration hanging outside our front door. This is why we have a foot-high tree. This is why I’ve gone out and bought two large Christmas stockings that hang in the bedroom. If I can’t get to eat like I normally do at Christmas, I’m going to do something festive even if it turns me into The Grinch at the end, goddammit.
Ho ho ho.
Only two plus months away
I’m getting ready to make a bunch of Christmas cards (I also want to continue my long-standing tradition — if two years count as long — of making up an advent calendar) this year. They will be cheap, colourful, and look as though a five-year old has been allowed into a magazine archive with a pair of scissors and paper glue. And crayons. They will not be collector’s items and your nearest and dearest will think you have an insane online pal.
If anyone wants one (and how could you turn this irresistable offer down), send me your name and snail mail address through my ever-present contact form.