I went for my first wine tasting class on Saturday afternoon courtesy of a friend from uni who works as a journalist. She had an invitation for two and she very kindly asked me along. Thanks gal!
The class was perfect for a wine idiot like me. I seriously know zilch about wine. I drink wine (as in just sloshing it down one’s throat) but I don’t taste it. So like the speaker said, if one just does that, it would be cheaper to stick to beer.
So I learnt that “dry” just means “not sweet”. Thank you very much! That just cleared a lot of clouds for me. I always wondered what that meant. Like how can something liquid taste dry?? I also learnt how the shape of the glass in which the wine is served in affects the taste. Oh yes, for the whites, usually the lighter the colour of the wine, the younger the wine. A deeper yellow would usually mean an older and richer (i.e. more flavours) wine. I think that’s all I took away from the class because I had to leave a good 45min early before it ended.
I had to rush off to make it for a dragonboat session at Kallang. Yes, after having hung up my paddle ever since graduating from junior college which is quite a good number of years ago, I’ve decided to take up the sport again. A colleague of mine rows with the Australian team and so she asked me along. Compared to what I used to do, this is so relaxed and quite a social thing. Which is all quite nice. It’s not all Aussies there though. There are Singaporeans, and people of other nationalities in the team. It’s a potpourri of nationalities, which is somewhat reflective of Australia actually!
So yeah, those were pretty much the highlight of the weekend. Sundays as always, are lounge & laze days at home. I finished the last bit of Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim and promptly started on Me Talk Pretty One Day. It was raining cats and dogs for most part of the afternoon which was a bit of a drag ‘cos my sis and I had to miss our tennis game because of it. Bummer.
Anyway, a little about what I feel about Sedaris since Adrian asked me about it. I love what I’ve read so far! I seem to be reading his books in the wrong order. I’ve started with the most recent and am moving to the second most recent one. I know monoceros shares my sentiments with regard to his writing and it was through one of her blog entries that I got to know of Sedaris. Thanks monoceros!
I love Sedaris’ wry, dark, and self-deprecating humour. In Dress Your Family In Corduory and Denim though, he doesn’t write so much about himself as he does of his family. (I’m comparing this to what I’ve read from Me Talk Pretty One Day so far.) At times I find myself pitying his family members at having all their lives and idiosyncracies being made known to the world! But underlying all the digs he makes at his family members, the reader is able to feel the love Sedaris has for them, idiosyncracies and all. Sedaris often delivers his punchlines in a deadpan manner which just makes it all the more laughable. At times the humour becomes bittersweet and the reader experiences a poignant moment or two.
Sedaris writes about everyday situations which we hardly give thought to, and I simply love his keen observations and his ability to make it seem not so everyday a situation after all. He’s brilliant and I’m looking forward to reading more of his works!
Anyhow, fellow commuters on the buses and trains must think I’m an idiot ‘cos I keep giggling and smiling to myself when I’m reading his books!
p.s. Adrian — See how much my gal pals and I miss you? You’d better “show up” more often! ;p