October 15, 2009 · 1 Comment
It started raining yesterday and the falling temperatures dragged my heavy coat out of its cosy spot in the closet. The weather people say to expect this for most of the weekend. Ugh.
Last weekend was chilly too but a visit from an old friend left me feeling nice and warm. I hadn’t seen Jing in more than 10 years but the way we greeted each other in my apartment lobby, you’d think we were room mates or something.
It was 6.30 am on Saturday morning. She’d just been through a 12-hour bus ride from Providence, RI, and I was in my pyjamas, woken from a 3-hour sleep. We hugged each other loosely, then went upstairs. She took a shower, and we both went back to bed til it was a decent time to get up.
Over the next couple of days, I took her to my favourite haunts and we ate all my favourite food (which she thankfully loved too). We met a few interesting people as well, from foreign bartenders to successful businessmen wanting some free therapy (Jing’s a psychologist).
Not having actually hung out before (we were classmates in secondary school but not very close), the trip could have gone very wrong. But it didn’t. We got along like sisters (good ones). It was a whole lot of fun and I can’t wait to hang out again. Next destination, New York City!
Here’s us on our walk to Georgetown with our morning musts for the weekend–a cup of coffee for her and a bottle of gatorade for me!

Here’s us on our picnic by the Potomac River

What was for lunch

And the view…

Categories: D.C. · Life · Travel Stories
Tagged: old friends, washington dc
There is a monster living in my freezer. It inhales copious amounts of water vapour and spits it out cold and solid. The ice buries my food and leaves no room for more.

Soon the monster’s regurgitations grow too big for the confines of my freezer and seep toward the fridge below. It means I can no longer shut my freezer door. I am moved to action.
The hair dryer cord isn’t long enough and the hot air can destroy only very little of the outermost surface of frost. It takes too long for a pot of hot water to fight the consequences of the monster.
Then it hits me: heat pot quickly without water, press firmly onto ice. The sizzling sounds and smoke eminating from the defeated solid make me feel like a superhero.

After three hours of battling, the freezer is mine again.

Categories: Home · Life
Tagged: defrosting, freezer, ice