C is for Cookie
December 9, 2005
Yesterday after work, I went to town. Alone. Yes, “me” time strikes again. It’s actually a very good time to run errands – much more efficient than if I were to go around town with a friend. Like, I’ll just pop into a shop, scan for what I need, get it and get out. See, so fast! Haha.
So yeah, having gotten my pay recently, I decided to go shopping for my brother’s present as his birthday was the next day (i.e. today, 9th December). He wanted this HUGE Cookie Monster (more on that later), but since it was his 18th birthday, I decided to get something extra for him. He’d also been eyeing this special set of drumsticks – no, not KFC, but like, real drums, you know – so I made my way down to Yamaha @ Plaza Singapura to get it.
Was hungry from work (hadn’t had dinner yet), but decided to get all the shopping done and out of the way before the shops closed. I walked all the way (carrying my work bag as well as laptop) from P.S. to Takashimaya, and discovered that the distance is pretty long if you were carrying heavy stuff. Uh huh.
Takashimaya was a cool respite from the sweltering heat of the night. With all the colorful decorations along Orchard Road, it’s easy to imagine you were in some “Christmassy” country with snow and everything… but the heat and humidity brings one back to reality. Oh, and speaking of the decorations, they have these “Little Drummer Boys” lined up along the roadside along the whole stretch of Orchard. Sorry I didn’t take a picture of them to upload, but anyways, they’re animated, playing the drums very mechanically. Is it just me, or do they look really creepy and sinister? Haha.
Ya, okay, so back to Takashimaya. I went up to the Toy Department to look for Cookie Monster. I saw the baby ones first. Nah, wasn’t the one my brother wanted. Then I saw the big one and my, it was HUGE! Here’s a picture:
Now that’s what I call a Cookie MONSTER. It was damn big lah! Its size from head-to-toe was about the height spanning my knees to my chin!
So anyway there I was, walking around Orchard – this pint-sized boy carrying a big bag, a laptop, with a HUGE Cookie Monster in tow, finding a place to sit down and eat.
And I realised something. While it’s nice to spend time alone, doing a lot of things alone, it’s NOT nice when you’re a lone person in town trying to find a place to eat during peak hours of the Christmas shopping season. NOT nice at all. I couldn’t get a seat at the foodcourt, nor at KFC and Macs. And even if I were to be able to get a seat, I couldn’t just leave my belongings there and leave to buy food without having someone to ‘jagar’ (look after) my stuff.
Why?
Blame the terrorists. Civic-minded Singaporeans will probably call the Police to report suspicious, unattended belongings, just-in-case Cookie Monster was concealing a ticking timebomb within its belly. And the Bomb Squad will come and confiscate Cookie Monster and my poor brother will have no birthday present and he will be totally, utterly heart-broken.
Nope, not funny at all.
And so I had no choice but to pick somewhere less crowded (i.e. more expensive). I settled for Delifrance Bistro. So there we were, eating dinner, just Cookie and Me.
I opened the Menu and picked one of the cheaper pastas. I also had to order a drink because they didn’t have ice-water. I mean, I had a water-bottle in my bag, but it’s against the ‘no outside food/drinks allowed’ rule, and besides, it’s not very high-class to drink from my big 1 litre bottle in a restaurant right? Haha.
So yeah, I settled for Perrier Lemon since it was one of the cheaper items. It wasn’t very nice, but well, you get what you pay for, I guess…
Since I couldn’t get a seat at the foodcourt and it was still damn crowded (remind me why I hate to go to town), taking the MRT would be crazy. Getting shoved and jostled around during peak hours was bad enough. I couldn’t do it carrying soooo many things and plus Cookie MammothMonster was starting to become quite a burden. So yes, let’s just say I contributed to the Taxi economy. Again.
And that was what I did yesterday after work.
Let’s recap:
Drumsticks – $34.70
Card – $5.40
Cookie Monster – $39.00
Dinner @ Delifrance Bistro – $14.65
Taxi ride – $11.50
Total cost: $105.25
But…
Seeing the look of joy on my brother’s face – Priceless.
So yeah, having gotten my pay recently, I decided to go shopping for my brother’s present as his birthday was the next day (i.e. today, 9th December). He wanted this HUGE Cookie Monster (more on that later), but since it was his 18th birthday, I decided to get something extra for him. He’d also been eyeing this special set of drumsticks – no, not KFC, but like, real drums, you know – so I made my way down to Yamaha @ Plaza Singapura to get it.
Was hungry from work (hadn’t had dinner yet), but decided to get all the shopping done and out of the way before the shops closed. I walked all the way (carrying my work bag as well as laptop) from P.S. to Takashimaya, and discovered that the distance is pretty long if you were carrying heavy stuff. Uh huh.
Takashimaya was a cool respite from the sweltering heat of the night. With all the colorful decorations along Orchard Road, it’s easy to imagine you were in some “Christmassy” country with snow and everything… but the heat and humidity brings one back to reality. Oh, and speaking of the decorations, they have these “Little Drummer Boys” lined up along the roadside along the whole stretch of Orchard. Sorry I didn’t take a picture of them to upload, but anyways, they’re animated, playing the drums very mechanically. Is it just me, or do they look really creepy and sinister? Haha.
Ya, okay, so back to Takashimaya. I went up to the Toy Department to look for Cookie Monster. I saw the baby ones first. Nah, wasn’t the one my brother wanted. Then I saw the big one and my, it was HUGE! Here’s a picture:
Now that’s what I call a Cookie MONSTER. It was damn big lah! Its size from head-to-toe was about the height spanning my knees to my chin!
So anyway there I was, walking around Orchard – this pint-sized boy carrying a big bag, a laptop, with a HUGE Cookie Monster in tow, finding a place to sit down and eat.
And I realised something. While it’s nice to spend time alone, doing a lot of things alone, it’s NOT nice when you’re a lone person in town trying to find a place to eat during peak hours of the Christmas shopping season. NOT nice at all. I couldn’t get a seat at the foodcourt, nor at KFC and Macs. And even if I were to be able to get a seat, I couldn’t just leave my belongings there and leave to buy food without having someone to ‘jagar’ (look after) my stuff.
Why?
Blame the terrorists. Civic-minded Singaporeans will probably call the Police to report suspicious, unattended belongings, just-in-case Cookie Monster was concealing a ticking timebomb within its belly. And the Bomb Squad will come and confiscate Cookie Monster and my poor brother will have no birthday present and he will be totally, utterly heart-broken.
Nope, not funny at all.
And so I had no choice but to pick somewhere less crowded (i.e. more expensive). I settled for Delifrance Bistro. So there we were, eating dinner, just Cookie and Me.
I opened the Menu and picked one of the cheaper pastas. I also had to order a drink because they didn’t have ice-water. I mean, I had a water-bottle in my bag, but it’s against the ‘no outside food/drinks allowed’ rule, and besides, it’s not very high-class to drink from my big 1 litre bottle in a restaurant right? Haha.
So yeah, I settled for Perrier Lemon since it was one of the cheaper items. It wasn’t very nice, but well, you get what you pay for, I guess…
Since I couldn’t get a seat at the foodcourt and it was still damn crowded (remind me why I hate to go to town), taking the MRT would be crazy. Getting shoved and jostled around during peak hours was bad enough. I couldn’t do it carrying soooo many things and plus Cookie MammothMonster was starting to become quite a burden. So yes, let’s just say I contributed to the Taxi economy. Again.
And that was what I did yesterday after work.
Let’s recap:
Drumsticks – $34.70
Card – $5.40
Cookie Monster – $39.00
Dinner @ Delifrance Bistro – $14.65
Taxi ride – $11.50
Total cost: $105.25
But…
Seeing the look of joy on my brother’s face – Priceless.
dow>> wah you very not shy... lol. not ur birthday yet leh. then how?