Escaped to Kinokuniya earlier this afternoon to seek refuge from my MIL who came to visit today. After all, books would never antagonise me.
Two books caught my eye at the entrance. One was Sue Townsend’s Adrian Mole & The Weapons Of Mass Destruction. The other was Janice Wong’s Single Picky Girl. I considered buying the former because Sue Townsend is one of my fave authors plus Adrian Mole is always entertaining. But I didn’t and decided to check out our own local writer’s new book. But it turned out a disappointment, at least in terms of its information design. There are very little white spaces and the words have been typesetted too close to the edges. Perhaps the publisher wanted to save pages, but it certainly does not please a fussy reader like me. So sorry Janice. Anyway, I also can’t justify spending money to buy a collection of columns written for the papers. I suppose I’m really not very supportive of local writers and except for Catherine Lim and Claire Tham, I’ve not read the works of others.
Well, today, I need something lighter to perk me up. Yes, comics would be nice and what can be better than McDonnell’s Mutts! I’ve always like that series and having stopped at no. 6, I’ve decided to continue with the rest. I managed to find no. 8, 9 & 10 at Kino.
No. 7 appears to be missing for the time being. I guess I would have to hunt for it at Borders, which was where I bought the original six series.
Oh, I can’t wait to read them! I bought Mutts initially because the main protagonist is a dog and the humour on human-pet relationship is something I can relate very well to because I was once a pet owner too. Anyway, I think Mutts is even suitable for children. Nothing too satirical or dark. Very simple, very neat, very affable. Family-friendly comic if you like. Okay, I must get Muttsing now.
Sentosa is really not very interesting these days. That’s our conclusion after playing tourists at the island yesterday.
Gosh, it must have been donkey’s years since I’ve last stepped foot on that island as I was obviously unaware of many developments. It was the first time we drove in and I was curious as to why we were charged for four tickets at the entry since Gavin can enter free. “Three adults and a car,” said Zu. Oh, the car needs to pay too. *Bleah* I also forgot that the monorail isn’t in operation as I kept telling Zu that we could take the monorail around. And I realised yesterday that Fantasy Island has been closed for a long time. So the island is really not happening because even the gigantic merlion is just sitting there being repaired. 
Anyway, midway through our trip, I kind of regretted going there. Gavin was creating a scene as we will gearing to leave the Underwater World. The same thing happened at the Musical Fountain. The boy just wanted to stay there eternally. We had to lug him away while he was still whining and crying. And because he was obviously upset, we had to shelf our plans of chilling out at the beach pub, which I was hoping to be a saving grace for the trip.
After leaving Sentosa, I suggested having dinner at Ichibantei at Robertson Quay but was half worried that the boy would crank up again. Fortunately, he was an angel at dinner time and it was a good thing I prepared his fave fried bee hoon for him. At least we managed to chill out here with some Asahi beer and chashu. I must have been really famished because after slurping up my order of Tonkotsu ramen, I decided to eat one mouthful of Zu’s Oyako Don but ended up eating a bowl of it. I was even eyeing Ana’s Ishiyaki which looked delicious, because it came served in a hot stone bowl.
We have been thinking of bringing Gavin for a short trip but his behaviour yesterday isn’t exactly encouraging. To ensure less hassles, I guess we would have to find a place with lots of water features and a restaurant that can whip up nice fried beehoon!
Got chided by Godma when I told her about our trip to Sentosa cos I should have checked and realised that that place is undergoing reno.
This is Alyson’s handmade namecard. She didn’t shove it at my face, but rather had it discreetly placed inside the handmade box. It’s a good marketing tool for her, and I’m sure she distributes this to people who indicate an interest in her products. I usually do not have a habit of keeping namecards properly. Most of them get strewn on my desk, or in my tray, and sometimes *ahem* get lost in the bin. But for Alyson’s, I will continue to leave the card inside the box because it would remind me of the professionalism and pride she has taken in her work.
Namecards are to me, a symbol of one’s professional status, and are reserved for professional dealings. So this tiny card is very important to faciliate business dealings and one can get highly uncomfortable without a namecard to present at a business meeting. However, I have never thought it necessary to flash it in a social context. But of course, some would beg to differ. I know of people who are always eager to hand out their namecards in any circumstances. It’s as if their identity are dependent on it. Without a tangible namecard to hand out, they feel like they are nobody and are unable to command a decent level of respect. For such people, I suppose their professional status is very important and they would feel completely lost if stripped of their job titles? But is that namecard all that necessary in a social setting? Surely amongst friends, we are competent enough to tell what we do in a few words or sentences? Or is our self-worth only measured by what we are called in that tiny namecard?
Anyway, I don’t have a pretty namecard to give out. So does that mean that I’m a nobody? Oh, so sad… But since it’s so easy to make one, I can always design one myself. Aha! How about one that says I’m Mrs Takuya Kimura Wannabe? 
Met Alyson for lunch today to pick up my order of earrings from her. She did a lovely job of these pieces and they even came complete in a handmade blue box. So much thoughts put in. She also showed me various other crystalline accessories under her Aly’s Krystallinos collection. I actually ordered two pairs of earrings, Regal Purpel and Perle III, but bought another Imperial Purple ring because it looks so pretty on my hand. And she was so sweet to make me another extra blue earrings gratis. 
