Sunday, 21 Sep 2008, about 4pm, along Rice Blvd …
I realised I had a missed call from school earlier around noon, I didn’t know my phone was on vibrating mode. Anxious to know if I can finally return to pastry lab tomorrow, I sms April. April confirmed the call from CIAML was “to make sure everyone knew there was school tomorrow”. I was so happy. I replied her but my pre-paid value had to run out at this time. It didn’t matter, I was happy to be back in school again. The feeling should be exhilarated, to be exact. I was at Walgreen to purchase a T-mobil refill value card and replied April. We were both “happy & … ready to go back“, she wrote “see ya in level 2!“. Oh how I missed the familiarity of lab time, my chefs – my new and my old, and my classmates … and Jennie, Raffaella, Nicole. See ya all tomorrow!
… ~ flash back ~
Friday, 12 Sep 2008, about 10am, asleep …
Jennifer was on the line. I had ignored the repeated buzz earlier. For once since I started classes in Houston, I didn’t set an alarm. Had severe sleep debt last couple of days. Today was supposed to be my last day of level 1 final as well as my last day in Baking & Pastry Arts level 1. It was cut short and ended a day earlier in antipation of Ike. I had updated my journal on my finals late … or early into the wee hours. I was prepared to sleep in. Jennifer asked me if I wanted to go over to her place to weather the hurricane together, and she had been watching news report of how Galveston was hit hard that morning – I chose to stay in my apt, I needed a lot of personal space and mental rejuvenation time and I would have time to read and hibernate … I never thought I would miss class on Monday…
Friday, 12 Sep 2008, about 11.50pm, in my apt …
Ike visited around midnight last Friday, with strong wind, at times howling, bringing with it sweeping rain. I was thinking about my “wedding cake” and how it would look like in a couple of weeks, and working on some internet resources. Dad called to check if everything was alright, just then the rain poured. Dad would call me on my cell phone every Friday close to midnight to have a chat with me – Singapore is 13hr ahead, and I would call him back on skypeout. About 2.20am, I recorded some footage on flip video from my apt of the weather outside my glass pane. One 3min long footage started and ended with a temporary blackout inside my apt and outside on the streets. The complete power outage started at 2.30am which was to last the next 80hr for me, thankful, as I realised later the blackout hit some households for the week. Lights out, I went to sleep reluctantly.
Saturday, 13 Sep 2008, about 9.00am, still asleep …
BK called to wake me up. He, together with my parents, Pei San, my sis, David, and 6 lovely children, were about to celebrate my brother’s 38th birthday with birthday song and cake cutting at Chengam home in Singapore. I remembered my power was cut and there was nothing I could do to access skype webcam to join in celebration. I realised nothing in my apt, including my alarm clock, worked. Reality hit when my cell phone ran out of battery, and I felt disconnected since all my communication channels were down. I was hopeful that power would be up in a couple of hours, as the lady at Walgreen told me the day earlier. I packed my apt – it has been a mess for the last week … and then read 2 magazines – Entrepreneur on Young Millionaires, and National Geographic on Elephant Love Story … I learnt that elephants are highly emotive and about their group dynamics in the ecosystem. I am a magazine and book junkie but have resisted spending on magazines since I arrived.
I went to sleep that night at 8pm when it got dark. Waking at 10pm and every couple of hours – I have a poor habit of sleeping 2-3hr during school week. Rather, I never found I needed to sleep a lot. I was hopeful the next time the day break, everything would be back to normal.
Sunday, 14 Sep 2008, about 8.00am, in my apt …
A light drizzle ended. The air was cool, a little cold for me. I decided to go out for a walk. I sat at the bus stop. “Is the metro running?”, a truck stopped by me to ask … I don’t know, just trying my luck. “Do you know where I can get gas?” … Maybe Shepherd? I overheard some places in Shepherd were opened for business. I went back to my apt, had put on my jogging shoes to walk around the area but changed my mind. I had left my apt door and blinds wide open to enjoy the daylight, for the first time since I moved into the apt, it felt safe and nice. The hurricane brought neighbours closer together, with all the updates and chatters. I resumed reading Grand Livre de Cuisine d’Alain Ducasse Desserts and Pastries by Frederic Robert, where I left off weeks back, skimming through the recipes and dreaming … That evening, I remembered fretting over how I can get my uniform and apron ironed for school the next day – yes, I was still hopeful power would be back soon. Again night fell about 8pm again, I was awake and again at 10+pm, and again at 4am … I had wanted to make use of the quietness and the dark to ponder … it turned out to be futile, the images were colourless and the thought lacked power and energy.
Monday, 15 Sep 2008, about 6.30am, in my apt …
Surely there is no class right? A guy updated me the day before that school was definitely out for whole of Houston on Monday. Hmm… 2 days of school missed, I thought. My antipation for power to resume was running low. I didn’t miss food last 2 days, only edgy about missing classes and internet connection – connection to the outside world. I used visulization to ”attract” light but I was not powerful enough… it sounded funny now but I was desperate and serious then.
Today, I told myself to be useful and started reading a section on On Baking by Labensky et al, a school text book. By late afternoon, I urgently needed some outside inspiration and connection. For the first time, I walked around the The Gardens, I realised the apartment across the bayou were really just opposite, separated by a bayou and a road. That evening, I was to receive some warm food from a then stranger whom I now know as Andrene, who came by as ”I thought you may like something warm“… such warmth – I always believe I am blessed and protected by angels.
That night I looked out across the bayou again, no lights … surely there is no school right since my chef didn’t have lights too? I managed to sleep through most of the night.
Tuesday, 16 Sep 2008, about 9am, ready to find power source …
Still no electricity …enough! … I was going to find some way to charge my phone. I met a group of neighbours at the gate … I got mixed signal whether there was school, since 1 girl was going back the following day, but the teacher in the group told me they had no school till the following Monday. 10min on, someone shouted from level 3 “We’ve got power”… that moment was filled with hi-fives and exuberance. I got my cell phone charged, contacted my family in Singapore, was everywhere in virtual space – blog, email, skype, facebook … only to lose my internet connection for next 24h. Having power back, and yet no use of internet made me felt edgy. I quickly did my laundry in case there was school the next day. How did we spend our days 15 years back in those limited internet age? I wondered.
BK called my cell phone that night … he asked me how I knew if there was school. Mum told me earlier BK had called Dennise (as he only had Dennise’s name card during school tour) during power outage and was told school may be out for the week. Huh? … He asked if I got other source of information – I said I believed there was no school that day since I had looked across the bayou the night before before I slept, and my chef has no lights too … he was amazed … or amused, maybe … by my method of logical deduction to decide if school was on. He advised me to find out from a proper channel. Hee!
Wednesday, 17 Sep 2008, about 10+am, in my apt …
I really wanted to go out, but couldn’t – waiting for AT&T serviceman to come between 12-5. I started on Biography of Julia Child and Baking with Julia. By mid afternoon, I got my internet back up again. I continued where I left off last Friday with my resource search for my “wedding cake”. I decided I have to go somewhere the next day for a breather … listed some cafes I would like to try.
That night, I had another internet outage which lasted only an hour … I made and ate corn bread.
Thursdays, 18 Sep 2008, about 9+am, in uptown …
I was really happy to take in the sights “outside” again. I planned to visit French Riveria Cafe at Chimney Rocks – had read about the freshness and French-ness of the breads??!! … Alas, it was not opened, … had Kolache Factory for the second time. But I was happy just to be out … I was walking along a stretch along Westheimer @ Montrose – … then the demographic changed … shops featuring adult novelties, fantasy gifts and toys, spyware, tatoo, tarot cards and palm reading … , I decided to hop on a bus to return to Post Oaks Blvd where I feel more comfy. Dreaming in Barnes & Nobles… Elyse called to said school still had no power and she would update me on Sunday if school would be on on Monday?? ;(
Friday, 19 Sep 2008, about 9+am, in midtown …
Checked out Coco’s Crepe at Midtown. Bus made a detour from its usual route to cross into downtown when a police signalled to the bus captain the bridge was closed … not sure … anyhow. Having nutella crepe and coffee by the sidewalk on a weekday morn was very therapeutic to the soul, a light background music, people watch, nice sun ray though the breeze was a tad too cold - I forgot I was in Houston?!! Very productive, I completed 1/3 on Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Walked from Gray to W Gray most of the way, shopped for a mini cheesecake pan at Sur La Table. Garren called to ask if I am ok and if I would like to join for dinner that evening – I was to meet 2 Singaporeans Garren and David that evening, we have never met before and yet they never felt like strangers. Had dinner at KL Malaysia, I would conclude the company was better than the food. I missed the spices but I don’t miss food in general. They brought me to a supermarket called Golden selling all Chinese and Asian stuff, for a after dinner walk. I already have the essentials in my apartment. Thank you for the company, Garren and David!
Back at apartment, I called BK who just touched down into Singapore from Hong Kong. While I was out that morning, internet connection to AT&T terminal went flat … no connection again. But I was out the whole day and decided not to think about it.
Saturday, 20 Sep 2008, about 10am, in apt …
Decided to do nothing for the day, feeling moderate withdrawal symptoms from missing school and missing internet connection. I allowed myself to do as I wished – spent the day hibernating in the apartment, was not progressing even though I was reading 7 Habits, achieved fewer than 10 pages. Took out some maps and materials I had on Houston and starting planning a getaway if ever school was not going to start on Monday…ha! Realised I have a Houston map by metro transit system – interesting. It provided a bird eye’s view of how areas are connected by bus routes.
Energy drained by evening, decided to go H.E.B., more for a breather - got my first bunch of veg – broccoli and spinach – since Ike. Bumped into a familiar face – not a stranger, not a friend either, just someone I bumped into in my neighbourhood while he walked his dog. He came forward to talk, my sustained interest was shortlived – especially after he went into the nutrients and vitamins for each choice of purchase in his cart and he repeated some words as if I didn’t understand English – juicer, you understand juicer?? … He tried to tell me the way to choose a watermelon was to smell it after he saw I picked up a personal watermelon (cute, literally what it was called!). I needed a quiet break shopping, and I know you don’t sniff your way to a good watermelon. Garren, David and I were just talking about watermelon selection the previous evening. Anyhow I continued alone with “retail therapy”. Cooked a quick dinner of broccoli, baked beans and eggs.
Wow … got my internet connection back, after nearly 2 days. Brother called to connect mum and me on skype. Decided to make cold dessert red bean soup for the next day – bought a packet of “small red beans” from H.E.B. - they were not small, bigger than the beans we cooked back home. Mum told me to try doing my own bean paste for pastries, prompted by the recent news that commercial supply of bean paste from China apparently had some issues. I was indeed thinking about bean paste that very evening. She reminded me not to eat too much red beans, as legumes generally exacerbate joint problems - I had sustained a sport injury to the medial collateral ligament in my right knee though my knee has been pretty faithful to me in the past years. Got my energy back with internet back on. Life moved at a faster tempo…
Sunday, 21 Sep 2008, about 11am, along Rice Blvd …
I was feeling high spirited walking along tree lined Rice Blvd. I was to check out Croissant Brioche Cafe – a nice casual french cafe where I completed the second third of 7 Habits and sat in a corner for next 3hr …. the spinach quiche was tasty but would have preferred the crust more crusty?? … hmm … I love quiche. The coffee was flavourful, not sure why I ordered a latte - had wanted just a cafe au lait, nvm. Didn’t have room for the almond croissant which I read was good. Enjoyed walking the streets that make up Rice Village, even though most of the shops were closed. Happy to find Half Price Books – Garren just mentioned to me on Friday. I spent too much on books, maybe you can call it investment 
So I spent another 3hr in the bookstore. I found a new copy of 7 Habits for 6 bucks – what a steal – what was more important was that I committed myself to work on effectiveness of “my life“ over the coming weeks, and the book I was reading belonged to Mr LeNotre. Other than the 30min wait for the first bus, I was back at my apt by the next half hour.
I snacked on my red bean dessert and an apple, too lazy to cook dinner. Yes, I gave in to my craving of jalapenos tortilla chips when I was at Walgreen to pick up the refill phone card . I had put back on some weight over the last week, I think - it must be the high carbo diet.
Decided to update the post as a week+ overview, as part of last week was pretty mundane and repetitive with pre-occupied thinking. I have a couple of posts to update coming week, including finishing the one I started on “Capturing the Moments..“ before power went out.
Sunday, 21 Sep 2008, about 10pm, in my apt …
Dozed off … when I woke up and disoriented, I saw 9.40 on the clock and had a bad shock – I thought I missed the first day of level 2 class – ha ha ha! I am really anxious to return to pastry lab … I was initially thinking about it so much that I was disppointed when there was no power and no school as each day went by. I had to suppress the anticipation to lead more effective days from Thursday.
My sleep pattern was broken in the past week, I no longer wake up automatically at 5.30am. BK assured me he will wake me up tomorrow, he had just arrived into Sydney while I was roaming Rice Blvd. Looking forward to return to school and excited to meet chefs and my friends again are no exaggeration.
I look at the date … 21 Sept … the last proper lab time before the exam was on 5 Sept … how time flies… Can’t turn back the clock of past week - will Chef Philippe push us extra hard or give us extra attention to make up lost hours? … It is a real deal, I am more than happy to take on and take in whatever.
Going to iron my uniform and back to my 3hr sleep schedule…
