Weekends and Saturdays in particular is usually the time people recharge and unwind, away from the hustle and bustle of work, ready to face the next week for better or for worse. I'm no different, even though these days PLC affords one the opportunity to recharge even during the week barring the occasional tutorial and assignment; weekends and Saturdays continue to remain extra slothful not least because the Significant Other is free too and the all-too-short break will end once work proper commences again in December.
People have different ways of unwinding, some like to work up a good sweat with some hard exercise, others like jamming with the crowds in town, yet others just enjoy a quiet time at home, lazing around by oneself or with loved ones. My Saturday sustenance when spending time with Sean usually comprises of a mixture of three fundamental activities: good food, some shopping and great sex. Usually, it tends to be a combo of one or two of the three, often food (I'm a sucker for good food[read good - not necessarily expensive]) and sex (cause hey I love it and so does he) as shopping is really subjective and can cost a bomb.
Some Saturdays like today, we do all three even without prior plans to do so, and the gratification obtained somehow seems just a little greater than usual. It's the satisfying trinity of good food in the tummy, good buys in hand and a great workout in bed. Naturally, we do other stuff too, catching movies, dinner with mutual friends and once in a while drinks, supper or other impromptu events with friends. Food, Shopping and Sex remain the main highlights of our precious Saturdays together.
Sean had some work to attend to in town this morning so after that we decided to hop over to JuJu Hokkaido Hotpot at Paradiz center. My last dining experience there more than half a year ago had been very pleasant. The idea of a personal hotpot appealed greatly to me and more importantly the food was fresh and abundant and the service, excellent. We went for lunch this time round, the menu was practically identical to dinner's and it cost 10 bucks less, a very reasonable $17.80.
The food was still great, it's one of the few places I've eaten at so far where you can actually finish the soup (I recommend the kelp 'konbu' one) at the end cause it's so tasty without barrels of salt and all that nasty MSG you normally find at your other hotpot places. The menu's good and the food is fresh, you get to choose from a main course of either seafood, pork, beef, lamb, chicken or vegetarian and the meal comes with very nice additions; appetizers that includes a hardboiled egg with runny yolk, an iced plum vinegar drink to cleanse the palate and your complimentary range of desserts. Plus the service is still excellent la.
It's the only place I've been to, where they top up your tea (which incidentally is very fragrant) and soup so frequently without you having to ask them to and really serve. Good food, great service = packed place. Pictures speak louder than words, so I'll just post a couple here and let you decide for yourself. There appears to be a new staff member, a friendly chap that speaks English eloquently which made ordering and replying a lot smoother than our previous visit.
Appetizer: Kim Chee, Spicy Seaweed and Hard boiled egg with Runny yolk.
Main course: I chose pork this time (foreground), Sean's was fish which was very fresh and we put the chopped fish bones to good use as stock for the soup.
Dessert: Clean forgot about taking a shot of the Iced plum vinegar drink. Some Mango sago with bits of apple in it which was quite good despite its very ordinary look.
So if you like hotpot and you like fresh food, you should certainly consider JuJu at Paradiz center. Especially if you're like me and can't stand those kind of shared steamboat/hotpot events where bits of food remain unclaimed and get nuked to a slimy gooey mess. Your hotpot, your food, your pace.
Shopping today was an unexpected but pleasant affair, Sean was grumbling about having to follow me to the anime/manga comics shop at Sunshine Plaza where I was awaiting the shipment arrival of the latest volumes of Kizuna, Level C and that Byakuya plushie I'd ordered from the US via the shop. Which basically went along the lines of 'I don't see why we have to do this now, I thought you were fucking broke, bloody hell it's so fucking hot'. The manga and plushie still hadn't arrived yet but we discovered a real gem of a shop that quickly silenced him.
The displays kinda drew us in, the unique and different sorts of gifts displayed on the glass shelves were so creative and different, it reminded us of that shop in KL. On top of that the prices appeared to be cheaper. Apparently, other people were similarly affected because there were a number of people milling about in the shop ranging from your average teenager to the family of four, there were even a few aunties purchasing the various merchandises.
There's no specific category of goods the shop sells, if forced to classify them I would have to label them as gifts. Which is a misnomer in a sense because it really is a curio shop with various knick knacks that are useful and stylish. The mechanical clock really caught my eye, it's impossible to describe, but the movements of the little gears and knobs coupled with the flapping motion made as the minutes went past made it really eye-catching. It cost a hefty $98 bucks though, money I wasn't exactly willing to part with just yet.
I did settle for a doraemon usb fan and a really cute and useful Bee toothbrush holder with suction cups you get to stick on your bathroom mirror. You push the wings to open the holder, put your toothbrush in which hangs out like a sting and close it again. So it really looks like a bee with an extra long sting on your mirror. And for one buck it's really cute.
My buys on his bed. I got the cleaner pad for a cool $1.90 at a stationary shop shortly after.
Sean too wasn't immune to the allure of the stuff in the shop. After a little consideration, he uncharacteristically proceeded to plunk down $50 bucks for a very cool looking alarm clock that looks like a block of polished wood when turned of. However, when turned on, it transforms and navy blue numericals that alternate between the Time and the date/ month appear on its face and gives one the impression that the numbers are projected onto the wooden surface, much like your old Over Head Projectors and white screen. And to add to the hip factor, the brightness of the numericals is automatically reduced from 8.00PM to 6.00AM. Not that it matters to me but I can imagine that'll be useful for the light sleepers.
After leaving the shop though, he realised there was really nowhere in his cramped room to put the clock short of displaying it in his cupboard which I told him really defeats the purpose of having a clock in the first place. So after considering a few options which included keeping it as a future birthday present, he very kindly decided to pass it to me for 'safekeeping' which means I get a new funky clock (that works- the last one i bought at KL went kaput after I turned on the air-con...) on the table top. Which makes keeping time a breeze when I'm surfing/porning/blogging and doing whatever it is I do on the laptop.
Da Box with da numbers. The colour is actually a more pleasant shade of deep navy blue but as CS commented before my photography skills are really substandard. But still it's cool!
Can't quite remember the name of the shop, it's at the same row of shops as Aniplay, probably Price Mart or something. The sales attendant was saying they bring in new stock and stuff every fortnight so the items keep changing. The items are relatively cheap too, the naughty man lamp with his dick for the light switch is being sold at $25; I recall having seen it go for $40 plus elsewhere. One thing's for sure though, buying presents will be a breeze now.
Sleepy from the nice but filling lunch and satisfied with our unexpected buys, we decided to head back to his place on impulse. Which unlike mine, is so fucking convenient because it's right on top of the mrt station. And of course when I go over, our favourite activity: a sojourn in bed is inevitable unless 1. either of us is ill (in which case we won't even go out) or 2. we're short of time for a variety of reasons (in which case a quickie would suffice.) There is something about Sleepy Sex, a self-concocted term for what you get when you're sleepy but too horny to just sleep, it can either be perfunctory (quickly get it over and done with and lets go to bed) or incredibly explosive and therapeutic (because there is an added urgency and heightening of senses plus you sleep even better after that... anyone who has had sex, straight or gay can tell you that.)
Sleepy Sex today was good...if anything I think we know all the right buttons to press by now. Sean's oral skills have become quite mindblowing, it's an enlightening experience. He blows, I get a glimpse of Nirvana. Whoever said that sex with just one partner is boring obviously didn't have a very good partner to begin with. Or one lacking in technical skills.
I still prefer the Post Sleep Sex though, some like it in the morning, some in the middle of the night, others like me just like it all the time. That sensation when one is still half-asleep, the fog of sleep just beginning to lift and you feel familiar deft hands exploring and probing those sensitive spots relentlessly. The transition from sleepy to horny is quick and your senses are heightened as naked arousal rapidly takes over and you give yourself to the throes of passion. And when you fuck then, the orgasmic high culminates in an explosive release that leaves one shag but gratified.
As with all good workouts, sex builds an unhealthy appetite which might explain why inspite of scientists reporting that a half hour fuck is equivalent to doing XXX full laps in an olympic size pool, most people probably dump all the calories back on in the post sex pig out session. Eating has never been a problem for me and thankfully due to genes or otherwise, weight is not an issue. I remain slim/presentable even though the body isn't exactly the toned, lightly muscled hot bod one would long for (gymming doesn't excite me, though I'll probably sign up for one sometime in the near future). One can't have it all I guess.
We had the excellent Beef Tendon noodles at the foodcourt downstairs though that didn't exactly fill me up so I kinda dragged him along for Ya Kun coffee and toast since I hadn't had that for some time. Apparently the set came with those deliciously sinful yet comforting soft boiled eggs, all nice and eggy when you stir in the black sauce and slurp it down. Sean shared that with me, though he refused to touch the toast declaring that he was quite full and frowning at me, as usual.
Sometimes, just sometimes, he does make me feel like a glutton. But that doesn't put me off my food, I just blame it on a hyper-active metabolic rate. Though I have yet to see someone who goes as hungry as fast as Alvin. Don't be mistaken by his size ok, that guy can out eat anyone in our usual group and still be hungry a few hours later. And he's still so svelte. Like we often joke, all that energy just goes to his brain. But don't go teasing Alvin, I'll never hear the end of this otherwise.
So today was incredibly satisfying, good food, good buys, great sex, all with a very loved & special person in my life. Thanks dear.
PS: I took a break from the Odex saga, contrary to the Beng's belief (more on that another time) Odex is not a central feature of my life, I'll return with the more detailed analysis of the decision tomorrow.. hopefully.
