Public holidays are good for the dog. Yesterday we took Q-tip out for a run at Bishan Park. This place has memories for her because she went to school here. Yep, Q-tip has a certificate in Basic Obedience Training, the dog equivalent of a pre-school education. The Bishan Dog Run is operated by the Singapore Kennel Club who hold classes for owners and their dogs. It was awesome to see what the more advanced dogs could do through the obstacle course, and then we have our own dog. Hrmph.

Today, Q-tip is in danger of having her certification revoked. What do you expect? She only passed because she was so small the examiner was distracted by the misbehaviour of other bigger dogs and passed her by default. She seems to understand voice commands only in certain contexts, and obeys certain commands given only by certain people. For example, she knows the "down-stay-up" routine just before dinnertime and only when I give the command, and she will only "shake hands" with June.

Anyway, Q-tip was off her leash for most of her run. Nice to get out into the sun once in a while. We lunched at the Acacia, the park's cafe. Dogs and owners sit outside on the patio under the trees. Dogs even get served a bowl of water, though Q-tip was too excited to even notice it. I had a very mushroomy meal 'cos I wasn't thinking straight. I ordered a very creamy wild mushroom soup and followed it up with a gratined penne in mushroom and cream cheese sauce. I didn't regret my order, though. It was delish, though I thought I could have used a bit more meat and veggies to round off my meal. June obliged me by not finishing her beef stew and letting me share the remains with Q-tip. Chunky, not-overcooked, tender beef with mashed potatoes. Mmmm... Veggies... does the sprig of parsely count? The meal was just a little bit salty so next time we'll remember to request for less salt.

Drove to Chinatown to pick up a few bottles of xuan mei shui (sour plum juice) which June has grown addicted to. It's a great thirst quencher, especially when it goes down very chilled though I hesitate to say that I like it because the aftertaste seems to me to be a bit... feminine(?). Not so good for my primitive macho image. I got myself a water chestnut drink instead. If you're looking for local cold juices and teas to-go, the stall is on the ground floor of the Yangtze Building.

Took June's folks out to Changi Village for dinner. The stall selling the famous nasi lemak wasn't open when we arrived at 6pm (it opens at 6:30 and the queue is unbelievable) so I settled for a less famous stall immediately opposite it. Wow! Mdm Rozzie's nasi was already so good. Crispy chicken wing, ikan bilis, fish fillet (extra $1) quite standard, but the rice was so fluffy and so lemak I was almost halfway through scoffing the lot before June returned with her bowl of prawn noodles. She insisted on trading on the spot so I took over her full bowl and she polished off the remnants of my nasi. Then she went to get another bowl of prawn noodles for herself. We were so stuffed after that. The walk along the beach helped a bit.

Came back early and still had time to watch "Robots," which was a pretty good story, though I felt it was more "Shark Tale" than "The Incredibles" in terms of excitement. Oops, my biases are showing.