Over-relaxation

Went for another outing, this time with some SC members. First met up with HM and JZ, and came to know of the really, really miniscule turnout for it. Sadly (at first). Anyhow, we came to enjoy ourselves, and so, we must. Went to NYNY for lunch, and ordered brats with bacon and cheese. Very nice, and somehow, they were amused by how I laid out my ketchup all around the circumference of the plate. Ja came over then, as I was finishing my food, and later on, Jo came, decked in PE attire and all. It was quite amusing to see them react in surprise at the dismal turnout, yet expressing silent understanding of the situation. But I actually thought it was for the better; it's actually more effective bonding time with a smaller group of people (as always has been my belief), and actually more fun as well. We went over later to the games cafe, where we met V, and played Ugly Doll, Bang! (yes somehow it sounds wrong), and Quicksand. Ugly Doll was crazy, whereas Bang! was frustrating; I kept getting jailed or having no equipment to 'shoot' people. Ja and JZ left after that game, and somehow it was weirdly observed that they might be together. Oh well, that remains unclear; no speculating please. At first I thought Quicksand would be boring, but it turned out to be quite intriguing and fun, although I didn't win. We very nearly played Risk, but I was glad we didn't; didn't want another 'harrowing' episode of being ganged against. Later on the four of us went for dinner at some place whose name I forget, but they served nice hoagies and rosti for rather reasonable prices, after which we ended up watching Bolt, where I nearly cried when Mittens fell out with Bolt. Silly, I know. But Pixar/Disney (since it owns Pixar now) always has one of these scenes that tug at the heartstrings. Sigh, it was nice, the bonding and all. So you see, even with so little, we had so much fun. Turns out that in such cases, less is more. I rest my case. And don't anyone dare touch it.

Went for yet another outing (I don't know any other appropriate word for it) with HM (yes again (: ), RB and JY, this time to enjoy an ice-cream buffet. Alas, it only starts at 3pm and so, having met up at 12.30pm, we went over to Mos Burger for a while, ate some and talked some. At 3, we went over to Mingles (haha Mean Girls), the ice-cream buffet place. JY, HM and I wanted to sit on the soft, cushiony seats, but in the end the former two got to sit there while I settled for the less-than-ideal hard chairs with no back, more commonly known as stools (haha shit). Anyhow, I stole JY's seat after a while (and she stole HM's seat later, and HM stole my seat much later. But bottomline is, I got to sit on the cushiony seat. That's all that matters.). All in all, I ate, wait for it (..........), a whopping 27 scoops of ice-cream spanning 22 flavours (I didn't take Rainbow 'cause it was bubble-gum flavoured, and Mint-something 'cause it was powdery; I stole tastes from my friends')! Very worth the money, I know. New Zealand's Natural Premium yadda yadda some more! HM took a close 24 scoops, but JY and RB disappointed greatly, with just 7, and 4 and a half scoops only. I felt a little fat/full/bloated though, but that doesn't matter. Happens to me all the time. HM was so enamoured by the gourmet sausages they sold there as well, but all of us (including her) were rudely shocked by the $9.30 price tag that came along with each. So we decided (after an extended period of time) to buy the sausages from Cold Storage and cook them at JY's house ourselves. Clever, I know. As a treat from RB, we bought $16 plus worth of gourmet sausages, potatoes and canned soup. But seriously, cooking at JY's place was a real challenge in itself, even if we transformed into culinary experts adept in the art of producing exquisite cuisine i.e. chefs in Michelin-rated restaurants, definitely not the hotel kinds, though. Her kitchen was so devoid of cooking equipment/ingredients, the former is as good as non-existent. A bit exaggerated, but true. Nonetheless, being the quick-minded, resourceful and versatile individuals of excellent calibre we are, we managed, and whipped up really tasty sausages, and mash mixed with soup, and more soup, with some help from the World Wide Web spider. All the while watching The Little Nyonya and some last episode of the CSI-esque Hong Kong serial. Not bad for the group of us. HM and I agreed that it was, on hindsight, a good experience. Cooking seriously bonds people, and this is independent of any culinary skills whatsoever. After that, we taught JY how to play Bridge (quite successfully), and thereafter went our separate ways i.e. home. Again, less is more.

Though, I think I'm being over-relaxed. I guess that's the syndrome of the education system here. It primes us too well to handle heavy loads of work, and while that's appreciated, it somehow makes us a little too guilty for having a good time; at least for me it is so. Oh well, I think I'll get used to it pretty quickly. J (I have a lot of J friends...) recently sent me a Christmas card that promised another treat, and I have other appointments I want to keep as well with other friends. So here comes my 'over-relaxation' time of enjoyment. And with open arms, I receive you.