Catching up with work

I'm almost all caught up with my work!
What am I going to do after that?
Should I slow my pace?
Can't believe how stressful last week was!
Zoomed by really quickly too.
And this week will zoom by too because I have work to do!
Sad as that sounds, sometimes I wish it wasn't true.

Working from Home

I can't believe I haven't tried this out earlier!

Managed to get the plumber to fix the water heater this afternoon and actually managed to get some work done at home! Luckily everything at work is web based.

After my work was done, I turned off the computer and headed to the hall. The feeling was so amazing! No commute and you're working from the comforts of your home. I wonder if I could make this a regular thing *grin*

Water Heater

Not another thing to fix???
I think it's coming from the water heater...
Can't get up to the ceiling to turn off the water supply, not that it'll help...
*sigh*

Trail of water

Leaks

It looks like I'll have to call the plumber! Why do all the basins' piping break at the same time?
This is the worst one, the other two are only cracked near the bottom tub.

Exploded corroded piping

I wanna go home!

It's Friday night and I wanna go home!
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Boarding the train, *yay*

Food Blog : Soup Spoon

Still missing the Belgian soups, I decided to give this place a try. I think I did give them a try when they first opened a branch in Raffles City, when the basement was newly expanded... what 3 years ago? And never stepped foot in it again... I wonder why...

Anyways, today they were serving pumpkin soup. The dish comes with a free iced lemon tea which is a little wasted on me as I don't drink it and I noticed that they have free flow of bread while eating. But I had already decided to go with the puff pastry, as I haven't had that in eons.

The soup was thick, different from the ones I've been drinking, the flavour was so-so and by the end of it I was suitably full. The black sesame seeds sprinkled on top of the puff pastry made an interesting taste.

Pumpkin Soup with Puff Pastry

Aging Brother

My older brother turns something-something today... It's not that I don't know what the something-something is, I've decided not to think about the age thing.

While I was filling up some form in Belgium, I think it was the tax refund one, I was asked for my age, in number, not my date of birth. Why would anyone want to ask that? I could just put any number. With the date of birth, you can't really cheat, can you? Anyways, I had to think about it. You know, when I was younger, I could tell you my age in a split second. But nowadays... it's pretty difficult. Could be that when you do get to my age, you don't want to be reminded that you've already spent sooooo many years on this planet and you haven't done enough.

Anyways, Happy Birthday big bro... many, many more to come!

Tired

Can't believe how much work I have to catch up with. I just got back and it would be the first time since I started working that I stayed back till the air-condition turned off! Gotta go to bed...

Back to work

First day back at work, came back to over 400 emails all 'must read' and un-chuck-able and it's a mad-house!
If there wasn't a roadshow across 4 countries to get up to speed with and monitor, I think it would've been the best time to go away! *grin*
Probably will be staying back at work tomorrow... later than today!

Hotel Blog : Apollo Arthotel Brugge

Spent 14 days here, the longest I've ever spent in a hotel. There should be heaps to write about this place, we'll see how I go.

Firstly, location, location, location. It's not in the best location, but I'm glad it's where it is. Slightly away from the city center, it's surrounded by farm and grassland. A cozy spot to be in. I liked that there are no other buildings around... makes it secluded. Only the sheep, ducks and some cows for company.

Getting to the bus stop that takes you into the city is a lovely tree-lined walk. There is a small castle on the right surrounded by a tiny moat and the hotel is on the left. The white building that is seen in the picture looks to be a dorm of sorts.

Another found gem is The Frites Salon located nearby. They sell the best fries in Brugge, especially yummy when doggie-bagged and eaten soggy! They also have some yummy fried chicken wings.

Alright, the hotel itself is rated 4 stars. In Europe that's pretty good. The rooms are of an ok size, not sure about the rest of the levels but we got the top floor, which means a slanted roof on one part of the room. The toilet and bathroom was in working order with no pet moss, which is a lot coming from an European hotel. The one I stayed in while in Paris is not getting as good a review as this one is.

Staff at the hotel were all friendly and the food was fantastic, especially the breakfast spread. After eating 14 hearty breakfasts, I'm missing it already. Didn't think I'd be able to eat the same food everyday, but that's how good their spread is! It also looked like they baked their own bread. They were all yummy!

Part of the amazing breakfast spread

Outside the Louvre

Continuing the Paris is huge theme... my walkabout took me to the area where the Musee du Louvre is. Again, there was a queue to get in, so as I've already been in to see the Mona Lisa (that's the only painting that people come to see, right?) I decided to take a walk around it instead and managed to get a couple of good shots, pity about the sky...

A pano shot

The glass pyramid

Lines

The queue to get in

Paris is...

... HUGE!

This shouldn't shock me anymore as it's not the first time I've been to this city, but I think with all the walking that I've done over the past couple of weeks, my legs are starting to feel the strain. But then again, maybe the city is really, really HUGE!

Here is the Notre Dame with a dismal sky. It was threatening rain the whole day, but stayed cloudy, which is a good thing, walking around in the slush of autumn is no fun. I think I was planning a rather near impossible route from the Notre Dame to the Lourve to the Arc! Not actually entering the places, it should take you half a day to walk the entire length, keeping in mind that the sun sets at 5 in the evening at the moment and I have to take a half hour train back to the airport hotel.

My walk started at 3 in the afternoon and there was a super long queue of people wanting to climb the Notre Dame's tower, so I didn't do that (although it would be such a waste to not do it when you have the time. Maybe I'll need to spend a couple of weeks in Paris!) I went into the cathedral instead and I have to admit, it's HUMONGOUS! Plus I haven't been to the ones in Rome, so it was almost a culture shock. It didn't help that there were thousands of people within the cathedral!

Front facade

Inside the Cathedral

I think they purposely dim the lights within the cathedral. As with all cathedrals, tripods are not allowed, flash photography is not going to help you in places this big so you'll just have to be extremely steady with your camera and pretend that you're the tripod. Not an easy feat.

De Halve Maan

This is the only Brewery left in the city. A working brewery. The hour long tour was very, very informative and kept me on my toes. Only because we were warned that we'd have to get through over 250 steps for the duration of the tour. Half of them probably upwards, which didn't seem like a lot but the brewery is old. Old, old old, it's been around since 1856. The interesting part of the steps were ones that were so narrow that you'd have to climb down backwards. Some of the people on the tour didn't want to listen and tried to go down sideways... not a good idea.

Meanwhile, I learnt that beers with the 'triple' label is the best, although it has the largest percentage of alcohol among the beers. After the tour, everyone gets a glass of beer. If you wanted to have the triple, you could request for it. Beer is sooooooooooooo cheap in Brugge. This one comes straight from the barrel and probably cost them 50c.

Bruges Zot

Cheap beer

While wandering around in a supermarket, beer aisle. It's less than one euro a can. Amazing isn't it? Sometimes when people say that beer is cheaper than water, it's so true.

Belfry

The Belfry is old. Old, old, old. What more, it's a medieval bell tower.
It was built in 1240. That's like more than 700 years ago.

You can climb all the way to nearly the top of the tower... all 365 steps up. And it's a narrow, one person at a time kind of climb because the stairwell is old. No one thought that 'tourist' would be climbing up... yeah, I'll bet not everyone who lived in Brugge in the 13th century wanted to climb the bell tower. Only the bell boy/man would do that.

So I decided to give it a try. What's 365 steps? I've done a few of them towers before...


Up, up and away... Don't you just love the simplicity of the diagram. It didn't hit me right away, but the diagram is very, very accurate. The steps spiral up on a thin pole unlike other bell towers I've been to, and this doesn't allow two-way traffic! Well, I made it all the way up with about 4 breath stops *grin* The good thing is that I'm not the only one who did that.

Up at the top is a huge music box, you know the kind that plays music while pins are being plucked with a revolving cylindrical steel barrel. I was hoping that it would work... it usually rings every fifteen minutes, but just my luck, it was being maintained the day I climbed it. I can only imagine the vibrations and the loudness of the ringing because while I was climbing up, one of the big brass bells started to ring and it was LOUD!

Nothing much to see up at the top as two-thirds of it was under maintenance. Anyways, the coming down was pretty easy... it always is, isn't it?

Photo Blog : Misty Sheep

Winter is starting to settle in over here in Brugge. Is it early this year?

This morning there was a blanket of mist all over the place.
This picture was taken right outside the hotel.
There's a paddock with sheep.
Glad that they're being kept warm with their fluffy curly wurly coat.

Misty Sheep

Photo Blog : Calm Waters

Calm waters make for a great reflection, especially when the sky is clear and blue and there's no wind!

The old city of Brugge is surrounded by water, I guess at some point in time, it was a little island separated from the main land... fortress-like. Of course there are living creatures who enjoy the water besides the boats. But luckily for me, they sleep during the cold early mornings too.

Below is the most photographed spot in Brugge, De Rozenhoedkaai (Quai of the Rosary). On Sunny days, you can spot artists, photographers and find bus loads of tourist here. It's the end of the canal tours, which is also one reason the water's so calm.

De Rozenhoedkaai (Quai of the Rosary)

More of the Rozenhoedkaai

Manneken Pis

When in Brussels, you must visit the pissing statue.
That's what everyone tells you and so you do.
I didn't really know what to expect.
Didn't do any research on it.
The statue is tiny.
It wasn't dressed in any national costume.
The area around the statue was small.
There was just sooooo many people trying to catch a glimpse of it!

Manneken Pis

Food Blog : Meridien 3

There is a cosy restaurant within the Markt Square that shares its space with a Haagen Dazs counter. It looks as though it would be a really expensive restaurant, but their menu is pretty alright. The ground floor seating area has a great view of the Belfry, and the hubs and I were lucky enough to get that seat by the window. So he had the rack of lamb and I got the grilled cod. Extremely yummy on a bed of celery with a butter sauce but there was just so much of the cod. The lamb was yummy too, but again, there was just so much of it. Sometimes, generous servings just doesn't help *grin*

Rack of Lamb

Grilled Cod

Food Blog : Belgian Mussels

When in Belgium, one should have all things Belgian. I have to say that the food here is amazing. The hubs and I finally decided to have the mussels yesterday and they were extremely yummy.

We had to wait an hour for our dish because they get them fresh from the market/ocean. We had them in white wine and in one pot, there were just over 60 mussels. Most of the other guests ordered a pot each, but I'm not much of a mussels person, so the hubs and I shared one... Like most dishes here, it comes with a side serve of Belgian fries *yummy*

Mussels in white wine from Petite Maison

Photo Blog : Windmills

There are only 4 original windmills left in Brugge. Two of them are still working, but with modern machines, I think they're just there for the tourists. Didn't get to enter any of them, but they are huge!

Windmill

Photo Blog : Lamp Posts

Another rare find in old cities is (if they maintain/kept them) lamp posts.
The older they are, the more intricate the design.
How come modern lamp posts are not as intriguing?
Excuse the gray sky... it's Winter!

Photo Blog : Shadowplay

I love taking pictures of my shadow. It's not something that everyone does, but I have a few; over grass, over fields of flowers, on pavements, on stone walls, everywhere and anytime the sun is shining. I just find it fascinating... strange person that I am.

As we're nearing Winter on this side of the world, it was a rare occasion to find the sun shining bright enough to take a shadow picture, not to mention the timing... other people's shadow walking into the frame. For this one, I had a beanie on *grin* it was cold, but the sun was shining.

On the pavement of Brugge

Food Blog : Spaghetti Bolognaise

One common dish on most of the restaurants' menu in the city of Brugge is Spaghetti Bolognaise. I'm not sure why... maybe it's a comfort food of sorts, and cheap.

But the way it is cooked and presented is different from what I'm used to. For one, the first one I ordered came like this. Heaps of vermicelli pasta, heaps of sauce (with too much tomato bits) and heaps of Parmesan! It looked like half the cheese! It was strangely yummy, but I already had a bowl of pumpkin soup and just couldn't finish it. There was just soooo much, especially with the pile of Parmesan.

Bistro Bar

Then I started looking around for others and I'm glad I stopped by this restaurant located in the Crown Plaza Brugge Hotel. The portion was just nice and the sauce was yummy too. They used zucchini as a filler in the sauce and it was strangely yummy. I licked this platter clean!

Lind Restaurant

Photo Blog : Stained Glass

I love looking at original stained glass. I could just look and look at them like how people stop in front of great masterpieces and just stare, wondering what the artist was trying to evoke.

So, what goes on in my mind while I look at a stained glass? Well, nothing special or mind blowing, just in awe as to what it would have taken them to make such beautiful vivid renditions! You can tell the ones that were done in the 16th Century and the ones in the 20th by the vividness of the colours. And up close, they look painted.

Considering how the future is supposed to be more technologically advanced, it's surprising that the replaced pieces are very one dimensional.

Stained glass rendition in the St Salvatorskerk, Brugge, Belgium

The Independent Traveller

I'd like to say that I'm a pretty independent traveller and I can't tell you if there are any courses or trainings to go through to become one. If you arm yourself with enough information about the place you're visiting so that you don't look lost when you arrive, you'll be fine. These days with the world wide web, it's amazing what you could find.

So after a delayed departure from Singapore, a long flight for which I didn't get to sleep as I only got two seats to myself (and this is where height does have a disadvantage!), I arrived into Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport. A quick trip into the city at an expensive €8.70 by subway and I arrived at the extremely busy train station of Gare du Nord. As I've never been on the Thalys (a high speed train operator) I decided to give it a try. The tickets are a little expensive, but it takes you an hour and 20 minutes to get from Paris to Brussels. The ride was smooth... no different from the TGVs or AVEs or Shinkansens. I think I'll try another way back. I love that I don't have a tight schedule to follow!

From Brussels, I still had to catch the slow going train (read normal) to Brugge. Luckily they run every half hour. Was met with some light spitting rain, you know the kind that doesn't feel like it's raining if you're brisk walking but it actually is if you're standing still? The makeshift taxi stand (without any indication that it's a taxi stand) took a long while to fill.

The hotel which will be my home for two weeks is just a little away from the city centre. It's a cosy hotel of 4 floors. Surrounding it, green grass, autumn ravaged trees, some ducks and sheep!

Brugge... a lovely city in Belgium. Did you know that the WHOLE historic center (which will probably take you 4-5 days to finish) is a world heritage site? Google it! Anyways, that's just my kind of holiday destination. I love looking at old buildings, walking on cobbled streets and wondering aimlessly around imagining what life would have been like in the middle ages. I should have bought a pedometer. I know I'm going to do heaps of walking *grins* But now the lack of sleep on the flight is starting to take a toll on me and the bed beckons.

Operational Requirements

Well, I'm still at the airport... waiting to board my ride across the globe and it's being grounded due to operational requirements. That's a new term for me, and something that doesn't cause panic to all and sundry. I mean, doesn't "operational requirement" sound like a routine check up which the plane must undergo and couldn't previously as it was doing too many miles? Well, that's what it sounds like to me.

This particular operational requirement has hit all the A380 planes, you know, the double decker bus that flies? Yeah, that one. And this is only because something happened to one earlier yesterday morning and thanks to that, 5 flights are being delayed at the moment. The particular flight that I'm on will officially be 3 hours delayed if the engineers are to be believed. I don't think my travel insurance covers this...

BUT I suppose it's better to be safe than sorry, right? So engineers, please take your time and check every nook and crany so that the operational requirement is met. I wouldn't like to have my vacation disrupted, k?

Travelling Extremely Light

I think I'm forgetting to pack something. I'm heading off to a place where the temperature will range from 6-17 degrees celcius and my luggage is only 11kgs heavy, of which 2kgs is probably the tripod. What am I forgetting?

Oh, well, I guess I'll just find out when I arrive, eh? *grin*

"Essence of Chicken"

There are just sooooo many things I can say about the title, but I won't. Instead, I'll just ponder on this.

Why does the "essence of chicken" taste so much better when warmed at exactly 6 minutes from just boiled water in a bowl? I've always drunk it this way, slightly warmed up. I've tried drinking it straight from the bottle... *shakes head* just not the same.

"Essence of Chicken"

Food Blog : Sakae Sushi

Sakae Sushi here in Singapore is one of the few places where you can find the sushi-train-counter-thingie. They are also known for their all-you-can-eat buffet from 3-6pm which is pretty good, considering. The only thing is that you're only allowed one of the expensive plates for this buffet. But then again I could eat gyoza after gyoza after gyoza...

Anyways, I had dinner there tonight and look at this interesting dish! It looks pleasingly yummy, doesn't it? There were 2 other combinations which I didn't like, some scallop thing, some salmon thing.

This has rice piled on the bottom, egg on the sides, a little fake crab, a bit of prawn, some fish eggs and a little piece of lettuce. It's the oddest colourful combination. The Inari is sweet and everything else just compliments it.

Inari with prawn and fake crab meat

Food Blog : New York New York

This particular chain has been around for a few years, but before this year, the hubs and I never stepped into it. I don't know why... could be the deco (it's done out American style, pool table, license plates and everything else that screams hard rock cafe?) or that the menu looked messy.

But sometime this year we ventured in and was pleasantly surprised that their dishes are not too bad... depending on which branch you go to. We're usually in the Jurong Point one. Tried the West Coast one, was sorely disappointed.

So far, we've tried the entree platter, spaghetti vongole baked in parchment paper, the chicken flat sandwiches and cappuccino mushroom soup. I'm sure there are others, but I can't for the life of me remember.

So, here's one of their famous dishes... Deep-fried chicken thigh coated with bread crumbs topped with sliced mushrooms and melted mozzarella cheese (I can't remember what they call it but the Australian in me is screaming chicken parmigiana) *yummy yum yum* The chicken is not over-fried and the cheese keeps it warm! I ended up lapping the plate. Can't have this entire dish if I ordered the soup too *grin*

Chicken Parmigiana with mushroom and melted cheese