All good things must come to an end

All good things must come to an end. Even the online game Restaurant City is not spared. It's sad to see one of my favourite online games shutting down. I was first introduced to this game in early 2009 from observing my friends' and colleagues' facebook activities and have been hooked since then. Back then, it seemed like a race to be at the very top of the leaderboard.

Every now and then, I would look forward to the release of a brand new theme with new recipes, challenges and decorational and functional items. This is especially so nearing any major festive season such as Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas. I remember on the day of my Taxation paper, while waiting to be admitted into the exam hall, my colleague and I were chatting animatedly about Restaurant City instead of seriously discussing complex tax issues. We still managed to obtain our Distinctions.

I've gone from a Middle East-inspired theme with moorish archways, to a minimalist approach, then a goth with spikes and candles, an Egyptian pyramid with sarcophagi and statues of Anubis, a gingerbread house complete with sugar and icing windows, a Spanish patio, a nightclub, a spa resort with a swimming pool, sunning deck, jacuzzi and sauna, a haunted house with ghouls, ghosts, vampires and mummies, and finally a cabaret lounge. Below are the final moments of  my very own restaurant in Restaurant City before it closed down on 29 June 2012.

One week after...

One week has passed since the office closed and we lost our jobs. On the first night, we were still in shock. The mere thought of looking for a job again was too much to bear. Lost in thought thinking about what went wrong, high and drunk on a potent concoction of emotions ranging from sad to angry and anxious and afraid, I found it hard to sleep that night. The next morning, it seemed I wasn't the only one who could not get a good night's sleep as we came in groggy and a little dishevelled.

We have still been coming into the office this week - not to work (there isn't any!) but to clear out our work stations and to apply for jobs while enjoying all the comforts and amenities of the office such as free air-conditioning, high-speed broadband, coffee and tea. And not to miss any last opportunities to be together, we have been going out for lunch as a team On Wednesday, we made a daytrip to a small village and surrounding towns in the state of Pahang just to get away from it all in the city to find some solace in the peace and quiet of isolation in the central part of the country, still unspoilt with the main ranges and lush tropical forests. Some lush greenery is soothing for sad, sore eyes.

On Thursday we even managed to squeeze in a karaoke session together, enjoying the food and great company and belting it out, releasing all the pent up emotions. Today was officially the last day in the office as we had to empty out all the paper files in storage to be properly disposed of, door access cards and season parking passes to be returned. However, it won't be the last we see of each other yet as we will have an official farewell lunch next week, courtesy of the director who is also our manager and friend. Although we will be parting ways, our friendship will forever be cherished. We have gone through thick and thin, from the inception of the business idea to making it happen 2.5 years ago, and now observing the last rites at its funeral. In some ways, I see us as more than just friends - comrades would better describe our relationship. In unsettling times like this, faced with such calamity, we have been encouraging to the apprehensive and keeping spirits high for those on the brink of a breakdown, all the while assisting with resume writing, job vacancy opportunities and job referrals. We were, are and will be, the best for always and forever!

Redundancy v2.0

And so, it was announced today. It's what I had expected. I did not know how long it was going to last. It seemed highly unlikely to be a "going concern" at the rate that we were operating since the takeover last year. Call me crazy for returning here, but it is a risk I took. I was well aware of the risks, given the corporate tsunami that struck roughly 3 years ago. What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Resilience is the key to survival. Yet, I still feel highly jaded about my occupation. It's time for a change. Perhaps this time I will finally have the courage to move on to something different for once in my life. Some change is good once in a while otherwise life will get too boring.

Of birthday cakes (and calorie bombs!)

Last week, we celebrated a birthday for one of the guys in the office. I was given the task of buying his 28th birthday cake. And so, I went hunting around for the perfect birthday cake. The pop-up fondant cakes were at the top of my list. Aesthetically pleasing as they are, they weren't pleasing at all to my budget. Next on the list was a cut-out shape cake. But these were rather ordinary (except for the cut-out shapes) and were covered in lots of fattening cream. Most if not all of us in the office are watching our burgeoning waistlines and should I buy the cake, it will go to waste. My next option was fancy cupcakes in different flavours adorned like a Christmas tree with colourful butter icing and sprinkled with variations of hundreds and thousands. They too, were beyond my budget. Call it sheer coincidence or plain luck, there just happened to be a fine looking bakery bustling with people across from where I stood pondering, deep in thought. I popped in to take a look at their ware and instantly found what I was looking for. Sitting in a brightly lit refrigerated display counter was a pink square cake with a somewhat unusual dotty appearance. It looked fantastic and fitted well within my budget. Taking a gamble since I had never patronised this bakery before, I made the purchase and crossed my fingers that the cake would taste every bit as good as it pleased the eye.

I am glad to say that after the birthday song was sung, a birthday wish made and the candle blown out, the cake did not disappoint at all. It was a vanilla sponge cake with a top layer of raspberry mousse decorated with dollops of the pink mousse neatly arranged on top. Somewhere along the middle of the cake was a layer of cold, cream custard that fused the two halves of cake together. And finally towards the bottom was another layer of the same raspberry mousse again. It is a pleasantly light cake without all that heavy cream that most traditional cakes have. I am not a cake person and usually cringe at the thought of having to eat a slice of birthday cake almost every month, but I gleefully downed two slices during morning tea, plus a third later in the afternoon. Each spoonful of cake was pleasantly delightful down until the last bite!

The jaded accountant's new socks

I must have nothing more exciting to do on a Friday night that to be at home blogging about my new pair of socks. Not just any ordinary pair of socks but a pair of Emporio Armani Seven Stripes socks! I'm not exactly sure what drew my attention to this pair of socks. Perhaps it's the bold contrasting stripes, the large lettering of which one of the alphabets can be used as my initials, or even the instantly recognisable eagle logo. Or maybe, because it's an Armani...

Hokkaido miso ramen

Just over the weekend, I had the chance to try out Hokkaido ramen at Gantetsu in Isetan, hailing all the way from Sapporo, Hokkaido. Their menu featured a variety of mouth-watering ramen in miso and tonkotsu broth with different toppings. After browsing and deciding which to order, I finally settled for miso ramen with butter and corn.

Miso broth has a distinct quality compared to tonkotsu broth. It is much lighter in taste while the dollop of butter adds to it a slight creamy texture. Something about the broth reminded me of beansprouts in fried kuey teow. A peculiar thing I noticed is that I could not really enjoy the full flavour of the broth when it was served piping hot. It was only after I had finished my ramen and when the broth had cooled down was I able to savour each spoonful of miso goodness.

The ramen was served with 2 slices of chasu, black fungus, cabbage, chopped spring onions, corn kernels, a spoonful of ginger paste, a dollop of butter and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. The ramen served at Gantetsu is of the curly variety with a stronger hint of kansui (alkaline mineral water); hence the stronger yellow hue to the noodles.

Gym

Last night I went to the gym with a friend after work. He is a member at the gym and so was entitled to bring a guest for a free 7-day trial. It has been 5 years since I last stepped into a gym. While packing my trainers  and zipping them up in the morning, the zipper broke. It has been THAT long!

After getting changed in the locker room which was spacious and brightly lit, my friend showed me around and got me started on the treadmill. The machine looked vaguely familiar - it operated just like the one in my previous gym. I bet it's even the same model! After a 30 minute cardio session burning about 200 calories on the treadmill, I moved on to the other equipment. I started with the shoulders, biceps & triceps, back and finished off with abdominals. While working out on the shoulders and abdominals, I couldn't help but notice a plump woman in pink staring at me...

By the time I got home, I felt my left knee aching and I had to practically drag my feet to move about. While taking a shower before going to bed (I don't trust gym showers - I'm afraid of catching ringworm from the damp shower curtains and the wet floor), I couldn't help but ogle narcissicistically at my imaginary pectorals and 6-pack in the mirror after today's workout session...

らーめん

Sometimes when I am jaded with the endless varieties of food around me, nothing seems better than a hot bowl of ramen. As the saying goes: "Do not judge a book by its cover", one should not be fooled by its plain appearance.

Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish with Chinese origins. The Japanese word 'ramen' is a close abberation of the Chinese word for this style of wheat noodles 'la mian' which literally means 'pulled noodles'. 'La mian' is a popular dish in the northern parts of China where wheat is grown in abundance. Ramen is usually served in a meat-based broth. Typical toppings and garnishings are chasu (sliced pork), nori (dried seaweed) and chopped spring onions.

Ramen noodles can vary in shape and length from the chewy thick ramen, to thin and stringy. Some are long and straight while some are curly. There are four main types of soup in which ramen is served with - shio (salt), tonkotsu (pork bone), shoyu (soy sauce), and miso (bean paste). Each type of soup has its own characteristic flavour and texture. Shio and shoyu broths are usually light and clear, while tonkotsu and miso broths are cloudy, thicker and have a stronger flavour.

I have been fortunate enough to have tried several different types of ramen, thanks to the abundance of ramen joints here and the recent flourishing of Japanese imports into the country. Although ramen is usually on the menu of most large Japanese dining establishments, it is only ramen served in ramen-ya restaurants that are of the best quality.

One of the most recent imports from Japan is Menya Musashi at Eat Paradise, Isetan 1 Utama. The broth served at Menya Musashi is a mix of pork, chicken and fish (specifically sanma). The seasoning oil used will change the flavour and appearance of the dish. Pictured below in order are shiro (white - onion oil), kuro (black - fried shallots and garlic oil), aka (red - chilli oil). Ramen is served with chasu, menma (fermented bamboo shoots), aonegi (chopped spring onions) and nita mago (seasoned egg).