Money to Burn

25th January 2006, Wednesday

After another attempt to contact CS last evening which is no avail as well, he SMSed me this morning regarding meeting the guy who can fix my HDD, assuming that was the reason behind my recent urgent hounding after him. Well at least he is still well and alive....

We got a VVIP visiting our institute this morning, who is none other than the Sultan of M'sia who is here in Singapore for a 3 days visit. So you see all the get-up since early the morning with all the police search gantry at the lobby as well as stipulated inconveniences such as only certain passengers' lifts are available as well as no bus pick-up point. Fortunately this visit did not affected me a bit since his Majesty did not scheduled to dropby our facilities.

Spent a good chunk of the morning chatting with Bobby regarding an ideal place for the upcoming Valentine's dinner...
For the 6th year now, the likes of "Akira" Japanese Family Restaurant, Fish & Co., Jack's Place and the Rosette have been exhausted leaving me well out of prospective places to spent a nice evening of good (and most importantly filling due to the bad experiences for the last 2 years when we were still very much hungry after the meal) dinner with adequate ambience, to appease the romantist side of the lady.
Bobby did recommended me the arty-farty "Desire" restaurant residing within Scarlett Hotel at Erskine Road, beside the famous Maxwell Hawker Center.
This boutique hotel as it claims to be is occupying a stretch of rejuvenated shophouses around Chinatown area and my sister who had been there before claimed it to be very European and Gothic even.
So I made enquiry on the V-day package from the restaurant.
I was pretty taken aback with the price quoted by the personnel named Taufik (might be that Singapore Idol guy) that it would be $138++++.
The 4 pluses represented GST, service charges, some food and beverages tax and whatever not that might add up to 20% more of the original price.
I did my little calculation and felt even at a steep $160, if the ambience is as good as people had claimed and the food is sumptous, I think I can still afford it.
Therefore I made a 2nd call to sort of confirm the selection available in the 5 course meal and as I was about to make my reservation, he informed me that $138 is for one person...WTF?!?!
That makes close to $320 for a meal for 2....crikeys....
That's totally cashing in on this date which many had already claimed to be more of a business propagenda more than anything else...
I had that debate inside whether to burn that kind of money into mere carbohydrates or worse calories when I could save up for more eloquent uses in the future.
My mom, being as modern thinking as she is, felt since we are young we should really go all out to experience it and money can be earn back again...
But seriously the price really crossed the line as I thought of just using whatever "ang pow" money I am going to collect this year to just foot the bill..no way Jose, I think I would need to top up much more than that...
You all know I am the next most frugal (make it stingy) person after the scrouge in "Christmas Carol", so I better think of alternatives.

Meanwhile Bobby, despite been as dead as he can be at time (of course still breathing more life than JxMMy) too is short of Vitamin M but not short of creative juices to spice up the night for his lass...
He bought a DVD on self-enabled magic tricks online which allow him to learn how to make a paper rose (included in the DVD package) appear and disappear for her.
It definitely combined his interest in magic tricks as well as a so-called put a romantic stunt to surprise his partner.
Sorry girls, he has been taken, so find your own magic-crazy boyfriends...

I consulted with my lass last evening after she had returned home from her Backside Boys' concert on where she had in mind for a romantic dinner which she was stuck as well but she said I could make up for a not-so-romantic dinner for a nice gift of her choice which should cost me a hundred bucks...
Eventually I was thinking of "My Secret Garden" Bistro & Cafe behind Sculpture Square in Middle Rd, inches away from La Tendo (sorry no ploy of dropping by after the dinner here).
I had heard ravings from Ferris as well as my sister of the amazing ambience one can find there especially it is so well-hidden, perhaps only archeologists or treasure hunters could find it's location...

Well worse come to worse the "Bak-cho mee" across the road seems sumptous enough...at least it won't burn too much of my money...

Japanese word of the day:ロマンチック ~ro-ma-n-chi-kku~ (Romantic) If you love each other dearly, even the sewage can be a romantic place enough.