Of Poets and Pet Lobsters

We all need some craziness in our lives.

And what better way to live it up than rearing a pet lobster? Which is exactly what French poet Gerard de Nerval (1808-1855) did.

Apparently, Nerval had a beloved pet lobster named Thibault which he took for walks in the Palais Royal gardens in Paris on the end of a blue silk ribbon

In an article about the life of Nerval by his contemporary, Nerval is quoted as having said "Why should a lobster be any more ridiculous than a dog? ...or a cat, or a gazelle, or a lion, or any other animal that one chooses to take for a walk? I have a liking for lobsters. They are peaceful, serious creatures. They know the secrets of the sea, they don't bark, and they don't gnaw upon one's monadic privacy like dogs do".

Viva the humble lobster!

Life at the other side

This week, we officially started work at our new office premises in Marina Bay Financial Centre.

View from my spanking new office

It's a refreshing change from the hustle and bustle of Raffles Place. Unfortunately, this also means a longer walk (15 mins!) from Raffles Place MRT every morning and a dearth of cheap and good eats. I miss Say Seng Mee Pok from Golden Shoe Carpark!

Since I was feeling a little lazy this week, most of my lunch hours were spent lounging around the spanking new Marina Bay Link Mall, which is just below my office building. Ever in search of a good bargain, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that:

- from now till 31 Dec 2010, you can park at the mall for free from 6pm onwards with any amount spent (simply present your receipt at the concierge).
- spend SGD30 at any shop and get a SGD5 mall voucher from the concierge
- spend SGD80 at any shop and get a SGD15 mall voucher from the concierge
- while redeeming for the vouchers, you will also be presented with complimentary christmas gift wraps and tags.

I think I must have redeemed at least SGD50 worth of complimentary mall vouchers already!

Most of the shops in Marina Bay Link Mall are F&B outlets. There's quite a wide range to choose from e.g Toastbox, Din Tai Fung, Paradise Inn, Polar, Starbucks, Soup Spoon and Ichiban Boshi. Unfortunately, if you are looking for more economical alternatives, you would have to walk quite a distance either to Lau Pat Sat, Amoy St or Raffles Place to buy your chow..

Many restaurants are running opening promos- Toastbox being no exception

For toiletries and snacks, chi chi shoppers will probably enjoy browsing atas supermart Four Seasons Gourmet Market (for the rest of us, there's always good ol Watsons located just a few doors away). Dessert lovers will find heaven at the Marble Slab Creamery, which serves up a delectable range of customized ice creams.

Enjoying a SGD9 cone of S'mores ice cream from Marble Slab Creamery during lunchtime. So expensive but oh so yummy...

I suspect it will only be a matter of time before the mall gets more crowded (given the increasing number of companies relocating to this area). In the meantime, I fully intend to explore every corner of the mall until the novelty wears out. Watch out for my reviews!

Cheesy Pizza Hut

Every Christmas and Chinese New Year, Pizza Hut always out does itself by coming up with the weirdest looking pizzas in celebration of the season's festivities.

This year is no exception.

Introducing the Cheesy 7 Pizza. I suppose the "Christmassy" part of the pizza lies in its Italian herb outer crust coating which happens to come in a suspicious red and green hue. Also they use turkey ham instead of normal ham as one of the toppings...

Morning snack

I awoke at 5am this morning and found myself in an awkward position-it was too early for breakfast and too late to go back to sleep.

Since Hubby was awake and game for a car ride, we decided to drive to Changi Airport to grab a bite.

Terminal 2 boasts the greatest food selections, with a 24 hr Swensens, Ya Kun, Mac Donalds, Polar, Coffee Bean and Burger King. Since Hubby was in the mood for something heavy and hearty, Swensens was the obvious choice.

Didn't take a picture of Hubby's food (chicken baked rice) as it looked quite boring.

I did however manage to snap a most interesting looking cake as we were walking back.

Kit Kat Petite

Update: Just visited Cold Storage and discovered that you can redeem the above cake free if you spend SGD25 on Nestle products (including KitKat, AfterEight and Milky Way)

How very quaint and innovative!

I used to think that all the yummy cakes that could ever be thought of had already been created. How wrong I have been!

Update: A colleague gave me the KitKat mini log for Christmas this year. It looked delicious and Hubby immediately staked a claim over it. Unfortunately, it was all looks and no substance. The outer fudge layer crumbled off to reveal a pathetic looking sponge which was half hollow. What a bummer.