I Haven't Done My Report... Nevermind

Every Monday I'm extremely excited and motivated to go to work (internship period now) and keeps a smile on my face. I'll tell myself: I'll write report once I get home and after dinner then my progress would be steady. Once I get home, I watch some TV; check email; do other research that would not benefit my report such as Googling places of attraction in Palmerston North. By 9pm, it is dinner time for an hour. At 10pm, I will Skype with my boyfriend and pay as much attention to him possible as he is having a hard time coping with studies over there. It would be 11.30pm when we finish videocall and I would go to sleep thinking

Crap. I haven't done my report! Nevermind - there's still tomorrow.

Tuesday comes with a little Tuesday blues from using up most of the energy on the day before. On the way home during the bus ride, I remind myself to write report after watching Running Man. I came home at the usual time at 7pm and thought: there's some time to spare for workout! LET'S DO IT! So I spend half an hour to an hour working out with dumb bells on a yoga mat in my room. I usually stop working out when I hear the sounds of bicycle being pushed to the corridor and that indicates that Mom has returned home with dinner. Dinner starts at 8.30pm on "lucky" days, if not 9pm, then I'll eat while watching full episode of Running Man which takes up 1.5 hours. Skyping with my love on webcam is necessary every night and then when the clock strikes 11.30pm, I'll be like...

Crap. I haven't done my report! Nevermind - there's still tomorrow.

Midweek is the hardest to survive for most people but I enjoy it because of the weekly bazaar held at my workplace and I get to buy the avocado soymilk to go with my lunch! The avocado soymilk is my only motivation for midweek so I'm very thankful for the weekly bazaars even though the same stalls appear everytime. Since I came home on time, I might as well update my progress on the product development so far. Yes!, I thought to myself, finally some progress! But no updates done to my report because I would be distracted by dinner and concuss by 11.30pm from the drowsy concoction of cough syrup and cold medication.

Crap. I haven't done my report! Nevermind - there's still tomorrow.

Hear yay comes Thursday; one more day to end of hectic work week. Looking forward to Friday is my inspiration for Thursday. But you know, the same old happens when I get home. Probably some more progress on my actual report but not more than 4 paragraphs.

Crap. I haven't finished a section of my report! Nevermind - there's still tomorrow.

TGIF! I breeze through everything like how I did on Monday and I come back home to reward myself with long hours of TV and quality time Skyping with my love. I would then add: I should reward myself with more sleep since I have been working so hard despite being down with cold and cough. So I slept at 11pm.

Crap. I haven't done my report! Nevermind - there's still tomorrow.

Nevermind about weekends... I never touch the report anyway.

Lunchtime at The Tiramisu Hero

After hearing so much excitement from the completion of The Tiramisu Hero cafe which was preceded by their best-selling tiramisu cakes in glass jars made by the famous blogger Peggy Chang and her partner, XL and I decided that we should pop by and look at the cafe! Bad news: we forgot to visit the washroom which was decorated so beautifully as shown by the owner's blog photos.

It took us 10 minutes to reach the cafe by foot from Farrer Park MRT station. As much as the facade of the cafe looks accessible and easy to spot, it is actually quite difficult to find if you are going by foot. I suggest you drive there because there is no closer bus stop to the cafe.

Upon arriving, we were greeted with green grass carpets and the front of the cashier was filled with other goodies that you could buy home, such as jewellery made from semi-precious stones, cute stationeries and even vintage lamps! The water station is self-service and free of charge, but only cold water is available. We were greeted by Peggy's mom (yes, I read her blog often enough to know how her mom looks like) and assigned to a seat near Sir Antonio's bobblehead that we took photos with later.

Bangers with mac and cheese

XL ordered bangers with mac and cheese ($17+), which is a combination of three sausages and mac and cheese at the bottom, and patsy mojito tea ($6+) which kind of tastes like some regular tea with a fancy name. The sausage on the right looks yummy but the other two looks like they have shrunk a lot... like how you get wrinkly fingertips after soaking your hands in the water for too long. I only tasted half of the sausage on the leftmost side and it wasn't smooth at all... the texture was like tearing apart tissue. It was dry and chewy and the appearance was the most unappealing amongst all sausages. For the mac and cheese, it tasted a tad strong for me and there was a slight sandy texture which could be the cheese powder. I didn't like it though because the cheese wasn't flowing at all! Maybe it appeals to different people in terms of texture and consistency but this dish was a no-no for me.

ChefChef curry baked rice

I got myself curry baked rice ($12+) which has sliced pepper roasted chicken, jasmine white rice and super thick and creamy and sweet and salty and full-bodied curry. Comparing this dish - which has Sir Antonio's logo next to it on the menu that indicates it is recommended item - to the bangers, I would choose curry baked rice over that. At least the sauce was smooth and texture was right, apart from the full-bodied flavour that left me kind of satiated after the fourth bite. I like the fact that rosemary and some oregano was added to the curry rice to make the dish fragrant besides letting the curry bringing out its own flavour. Though this dish appears big in the picture, trust me, a hungry girl can finish it with that glass of warm water.

We could not leave the cafe without trying their tiramisu; afterall it is called The Tiramisu Hero, right? So we got ourselves the NonnaHero ($7.50) in original tiramisu flavour which is a normal kaya glass jar size that is able to feed two girls whose tummies are full to 90%. The verdict is that apart from serving in a glass jar which is kind of the trend, I don't find the tiramisu any special at all. It tastes the same as the ones selling in neighbourhood bakery shops (sorry for being so mean but I just find it nothing exciting). I was expecting some flavour to "wow" me over but I guess I was being let down by Sir Antonio. I wanted to try their lava cake with ice cream ($12) but XL told me I shouldn't choose that because their specialty is tiramisu afterall; oh well, I would have made a good choice though.

So my thoughts on this cafe is just like the photo below...

My outfit matches Sir Antonio!

I presume it is the branding strategy that has attract flocks and flocks of curious customers and loyal readers of her blog to visit the cafe. Maybe it is the interior design and the simpilicity of the desserts that attracted passerbys too. I don't find this shop any special - other than the toilet and lighting on ladders and bedframe poles used as door handles - but I may come back again to try their lava cake and hopefully not being a super mean person by comparing it with my ultimate favourite lava cake from Wimbly Lu.

Directions to The Tiramisu Hero: 121 Tyrwhitt Road. From Farrer Park MRT station, come out from Exit H. Turn right and walk straight and pass by an indian temple until you see Petain Road. Turn right and walk along Petain Road all the way straight until you see a red building. Do not cross, but turn left and you will see The Tiramisu Hero.

Realization Hits

A year from now, I would have graduated with a degree and secured a job at a local SME. Then I would have to start worrying about paying income tax, repayment of CPF tuition loan, giving allowance to my parents, saving money for myself, starting my dream and also having to save up for the future with my love. I would be debt-ridden - loan repayment, my dream, wedding, getting a house.

I wonder if it would be possible just to work for 4 to 5 years and be a boss of my own. I only can wonder so much...

Cupcakes by Goobycakes

For those who haven't heard about Goobycakes, you have to follow 'missgoob' on Instagram. Not only her creations are adorable, the cupcakes are tasty too! I havent tried Twelve Cupcakes or Plain Vanilla Bakery cupcakes so I can't compare. Rather, I feel.that cupcakes baked by the baker herself is much more sincere and moist and tasty than the cupcake franchises.

I have been following her updates since the beginning of the year, from having no shop to owning a little space at Bukit Timah Shopping Centre selling her lovely creations.

Few days ago, she updated on Instagram that she would be having a bake sale at SIM. I just had to get Angel and Liyin to quickly help me preorder it! Voila~ I got chocolate banana, cookies and cream, and red velvet cake flavours.

The chocolate banana flavour didn't have much of banana taste, but all three cupcakes had moist and soft chocolate cake bases which lended well with the frosting on top. My favourite one was the red velvet cake. I would have red velvet cupcake anytime over Coffee Bean's red velvet cake anytime! Of course, the cookies and cream flavour was equally tasty as well with the oreo flavour.

Maybe I should have gotten another boz of Berry Yoghurt, Horlicks and some other flavour.

Directions to Goobycakes: Bukit Timah Shopping Centre #04-19

Eatout at 49 Seats

My buddy of 10 years introduced this up-and-coming restaurant to me which is located at Kreta Ayer; a walkable distance from Outram Park MRT station from Exit H. It appears that the restaurant is called 49 Seats because it has exactly 49 seats in-house and if you had popped by when it's full house, well, too bad, you gotta sit outside and it's no longer like a real experience in 49 Seats!

Picture credits: hungrygowhere.com

It took us less than a minute to locate the signs and we made reservations beforehand, surprised that we could push forward reservations from 8pm to 7.15pm without any obligations from the staff. I'm not sure if the staff who served us is the boss or a normal staff because he is so fluent in talking and his accent sounded like some (okay I'm being very mean here) fashion stylist or, according to XL, her GP teacher. But you get what I mean? It's rare to find F&B crew with such fluency and professionalism like him and he does not have the Singaporean accent at all.

I researched beforehand that the tom yum seafood pasta ($14.90) and smoked duck pasta ($13.90)are the MUST-TRY foods. Without hesitation, I decided on the smoked duck pasta while XL got her tom yum seafood pasta so we could share. Her friend recommended cheese fries ($7.90)so she ordered it while I got one set of calamari rings ($9.90 for 10 pieces). To top it all off, we had apple ciders as the fruit beers ran out.

 As you can see that the lighting is not the best over there so I had overexposed the photos during editing - I can't tell apart my eyes and my eyeliner from the picture above. The atmosphere was rather lively because there is a family or two sitting behind us and a group of glamorously dressed young working adults sitting beside us. The staff were very attentive and foods were served in less than 20 minutes. In case you were wondering what brand of apple cider we had, it is called Somersby. XL said NTUC had offer on three bottles of apple cider but aiya... we pay for the atmosphere and not to come here and be aunties mah.

Sinful dinner after a tough week

Even for two starving girls, the calamari rings were below average and the cheese fries weren't as legendary as her friend had worshipped it to be - it tastes like KFC fries (crap I must stop making fast-food references). For my next visit, I would just order the pasta and try the dessert.

The tom yum seafood pasta was a tad spicy - maybe she added half a bottle of tabasco sauce when I ate it - and I don't think I can finish a plate. Thank goodness. It had a unique blend of tom yum and creaminess, much like a thick version of laksa soup base. The pasta wasn't as al dente but the sauce had compensated for it. Maybe when I'm on a spicy food binge I might try it.

My smoked duck pasta was daaaaaaaaa best! The consistency and cheesiness and milky flavour was just right and it didn't leave me satiated at all - well up to the last bite because I was rather bloated with the carbonation from apple cider. Although I would say I can prepare this dish as home with a cream base, spaghetti and frozen smoked duck from grocery store, I would come here because of the unique cream base they have. Therefore my conclusion is...

And a mandatory photo that XL requested so that she can let her friends know that she had visited 49 Seats.

Good place, good food worth the money and I'm hoping for a quieter ambience next time.

Directions to 49 Seats: Alight at Outram Park MRT station, head out of Exit H. Walk straight once you come up from the escalator, pass by Capitol Restaurant and Jean Yip Loft until you see Kreta Ayer Rd sign. Walk to the building opposite the indian temple and go to the left side of the building for 49 Seats.

Birthday at Hoshino Coffee

There was a mini celebration for Monica's birthday last Friday at Hoshino Coffee at Plaza Singapura over dinner. We gathered at about 6.15pm and afterwards, the queue was neverending! This is my second visit to Hoshino Coffee and I succumbed to the temptation of the tomato sauce omelette rice, just like what I ordered when I first visited with 大肥.

I'm gonna make a snappy review of the foods ordered but note that none of these pictures were taken by me but sourced from the internet:

Fuwa-fuwa

Fuwa-fuwa actually means bubbles bubbles in Japanese according to my friends. One of my friend ordered this and it jiggles like a fat cartoon character that I find it so adorable! Okay, cool it, it's just a food. So the top layer is made out of whipped egg or some egg custard and lightly baked. The bottom is filled with rice and ham and bacon and some mushrooms. I guess this dish is pretty light and good for someone who wants to leave some tummy space for the pancake souffle. My friend said she was hungry like three hours after dinner... so I guess it IS pretty light.

Lobster bisque

The freshness (as well as saltiness) of the bisque is absolutely tasty! Some people find it a tad salty - well lobster is caught from the sea so it should be salty since it is SEAfood isn't it? okay bad joke and moving along - but I find it alright. The portion is generous and the pasta is just right. Still, I couldn't quite bring myself to like this dish entirely because mark the rating of this food a little down due to the saltiness. So I'd say it is a 3 out of 5.

Tomato sauce omelette rice

My go-to food when I'm lazy to choose anything and it never fails me (maybe my tummy). This dish isn't suitable for strict Buddhists though, i.e. cannot eat anything that has beef in it, because the sauce contains beef gelatin. Don't worry, the staff always informs the customer beforehand so it's a plus point. Maybe I was too happy during my first visit that I didn't notice the measly amount of prawns and broccoli given, but I did notice it bright and clear this time: two pieces each, few cubes of cheese drowning in tomato sauce while omelette tops the rice. My omelette didn't fully cover the rice this time though, but who cares, it tastes so yummy. Hmm... I might say the omelette has a texture like the omelette in McDonald's big breakfast but a bit more cooked. The tomato sauce won't leave you jelak because it's the right mix of thickness and tomato-ishness.

Pancake souffle served with softee

You MUST try this... it's so fluffy and light! It comes with a dollop of whipped cream on the top and served with a cutesy little metal jug of maple syrup. We ordered it with softee - soft serve ice cream somewhat like McDonald's ice cream- and the combination of souffle with maple syrup or ice cream is anything but heavenly. Some say this is a crossover between a light cake and a pancake, and it definitely cannot be compared to McDonald's hot cakes - no no no! This is a light dessert, provided you don't order with the ice cream, that leaves me wanting for more. 

Oh my god, I'm so sorry for comparing this delectable dessert continuously to McDonald's food.

Matcha parfait

Am I the only one who feels that the green tea ice cream sold outside has more milky flavour than green tea flavour? This might be the one that has a perfect balance between both flavours and my avid-dessert-fan friend gave the chops and thumbs up to this. the matcha parfait comes in a tall sundae glass with cornflakes at the bottom, chestnuts, azuki (red bean) paste at the top, matcha jelly cubes, a salty/sweet cracker for topping and some slices of bananas. For someone who isn't an ice-cream fan, I would have to share this dessert with the girls after finishing a plate of tomato sauce omelette rice. I might just come back another time for the desserts only!

Last but not least, the hand-drip Hoshino coffee. It tasted a little bitter and sour but just like a normal long black coffee to me. How is it hand-dripped? I don't know. But what gets people go crazy over this 200 ml cup of coffee really boggles my mind. I'd rather drink something else.

Fried stuff makes me lousy

Just as I worked my ass off during the weekends for some intense abs exercise and felt really good about my diet for the past few weeks, I succumbed to the evil of treating myself with food. Fried chicken cutlet. That's how bad it is.

I always tell myself that "You don't reward yourselves with food because you are not a dog" but my craving for "rewards" seemed to override that message and 'lo and behold... I was queuing up at the snack stall waiting for the two piece Taiwan-country-shaped size fried chicken, cut into little bite size pieces and sprinkled with seasoning and peppers. These are the combinations an acne victim should not mess with because all these "heatiness" from the fried chicken and seasoning just flares up the skin and make pimples pop up just when you least want it.

Honestly, I have avoided this sinful item for three months so far and this is exactly how I feel right after finishing the whole bag:

• Lethargic
• Lousy
• Lazy
• Fat
• My workout yesterday had gone down the drain
• No more motivation

This is why for some people, eating fried stuff is a vicious cycle because they MUST have it to feel better. Then the effect wears off and the whole thing repeats again.

That's it man... I'm staying off these snacks and I would rather opt for papaya soy milkshake any time.

Oh. I just realized I wrote an entire post about fried chicken. Ha!

Fitness Tips

ONE. Don't hold your breath while doing planks and beg for time to pass faster because it will only raise your blood pressure. Always remember to breath in through the nose and out through the mouth regularly.

TWO. When doing crunches, don't support the back of your head but support your neck. Most people tend to push their head forward doing crunches, thinking that it would help them to move better but in fact it only hurts your neck and shoots up your blood pressure.

THREE. Don't force yourself to do more reps that you cannot handle.

FOUR. Always take a break in between your goal to doing maybe 100 or 200 reps. Nobody is rushing you.

FIVE. Exercise only 1-2 hours after a snack; or 3-4 hours after a heavy meal.

Lastly... exercise for your own health. You don't have to look good for anyone because they can choose not to look at your body. Don't be discouraged to keep a workout schedule thinking that you are never gonna make it because when you start working out, everyone will ask why you are doing it and probably laugh at you. But when you are closer to your goal, the rest would be amazed at your determination and ask how you did it.

The Rule of 60

Here is my first fitness post even though I am nowhere near being a girl with abs, tiny waistline and strong arms; but I do admit that I have a pair of strong legs that bring me from home to the MRT within 8 minutes in a 1.6 km journey. This rule that I am about to introduce is something that has kept me motivated to workout since early this year.

Note that all these are based on my own experience and I have not consulted any fitness coach.

If you are a beginner, e.g. haven't been working out for a long time or run once in a blue moon for only 1.6 km and then rewarding yourself to a huge meal, start with The Rule of 30. For every exercise that you do, remember, it does not improve on a specific area... all parts of the body work together! Don't think that doing crunches would only tighten your abs and think that it is enough of a step to getting flat belly. If exercising works this way, personal trainers would be out of job and gyms would go bust.

I strongly suggest girls to do exercises on the yoga mat if you are at home because most of us would be barefooted and there is a chance of slipping after much perspiration. Also, do exercise in a well-ventilated room, preferably the living room or anywhere that you don't feel claustrophobic because you need all the space available to make you feel comfortable. 

The Rule of 60 is considered as an intermediate stage for me and sort of the plateau stage where you don't see obvious changes in your physique but you know that some muscles are developing. 

I use this routine to train my waist, abs and butt by doing this entire set ideally three times with 30 seconds break in between to catch my breath.Yes, just catching my breath and allowing me to focus for another round of why-do-I-torture-myself workout. It would not be a good idea to rest longer than a minute because your heart rate would have already recovered and springing into a set of strenuous training would only give you high blood pressure and your face flushes and you feel pressure buildup in your head and collapse on the floor. Nobody wants that to happen to them. 

Whenever you feel comfortable at this stage, DON'T CONTINUE! Getting out of your comfort zone is key in training/exercise as your comfort zone won't bring your physique any where better. The next step is to increase each workout by 10 reps and do the entire set until you are comfortable with it, then move on with the same concept. Although some people recommend doing more crunches that sit-ups in a 30-day abs workout, I prefer to keep things the same because my abs wouldn't be able to more torture and it is easier to keep count.

Ideally, the final stage would be The Rule of 120. But you can go on further if you like (and if you can take it). Have fun and good luck!

Mini Shopping Haul - Scape

A happy girl is a pretty girl! And yes, I am much happier after going on an impromptu shopping spree at Scape and Cineleisure when my original intention was to get a handphone case for Mom and one more for my friend. I ended up buying three more cases for my S3 because my favourite bumblebee yellow Mercury case had turned black on the sides whereas my turquoise Mercury case didn't... how odd. But still, who could resist $2 jelly cases with 10 colours?! I'm not a fan of hard cases because my belief is:

Once you drop your phone, your phone and your case buang (are gone case) together

Sunnies that I had wanted for so long

Bought this bug-eye sunnies with gold details at flea market stall set up by Statement Muse for ten bucks. I have wanted these bug-eye sunnies since I saw them at Bugis St but my dearest said I looked like a pedo when I wear the mirror-finish sunnies. It's a good thing he doesn't know who is Elton John, given his limited knowledge of famous musicians, thank goodness... if not I would be facing a sarcasm debate with my twin.

Can't believe there is a flea market stall selling flats

Buying shoes was the third on my list - I wanted sandals actually - but it moved up to second place when I saw a stall beside Statement Muse and there was a great variety of moccassin-like flats. Too bad that the seller didn't have my size for the design I liked, so I got this brown one inside. A good (temporary) buy for someone with wide foot!

Cheap cheap flats!

Being the ultimate "mountain turtle" I was at market rates of cupcakes, I realized how extravagant it was to spend $17 on half a dozen of cupcakes and over $30 on a dozen of cupcakes. As I was contemplating to buy cupcakes for snacks without realizing the price, my friend convinced me that getting donuts is better in terms of the amount of fats and sugar he perceived required to burn off and in terms of price. Good thinking! I was turned off immediately and kekanan pusing (made a right turn) to BreadTalk to get Hello Kitty donuts! Okay... both are equally unhealthy but my guilt is cut down by a whole lot from the absence of cream in the pastry. Hmm... except for the amount of trans fat present in baked products. Too much of nutrition knowledge from the previous paper is stopping me from eating many foods... *gasp*

Not a fan of HK but I'm a sucker for cute things like these

And not to forget my phone cases in beige, pink and yellow! The LINE camera seems to always take pictures that makes my complexion look ultra smooth, or is it that true that happy girls are pretty girls?

More phone covers!

Atas Steamboat Lunch

Today is the day that I get to fully enjoy family day out after so many assignments and exams that made me miss out on family outings. Today is also my first weekend without 大肥 as he is enjoying two weeks of vacation at Taiwan before his school exchange semester begins at a local university over there (good life!). I miss all the yummy food like braised pork rice, pork dumpling, pepper bun and grilled scallops!

He has to buy a ticket soon!

Back to topic: we all headed to JPot at Vivocity - opposite Crystal Jade - for lunch and it was a atas version of steamboat. To order foods, iPads were placed at each table and you can decide if you want a whole pot or "split" the pot so that you can enjoy two broths in one pot. We had tom yum, JPot superior broth, silky porridge and herbal chicken soup. The tom yum broth tastes like what you will get in an instant tom yum noodle soup (well it isn't that bad) and the awesome thing is that I get to see chilies in the pot! The chilies make the broth look more authentic than just seasoning. Dipping kuay tiao - it is referred as pho in the iPad menu - in tom yum sauce is the best decision I ever made. Maybe I could do product development on tom yum kuay tiao?!

You definitely have to order the scallops, prawn balls, fried beancurd skin and thinly sliced pork to go with your soup. The scallops are so fresh and the prawn balls are handmade. For cooked foods, the seaweed tofu is good but not fantastic until you add with your own mix of chili sauce. At the sides, there are sauce stations where you can mix your own sauce and you can help yourself to the drinks at the drink station.

My little train announcer

Oops... I didn't take any photo of the food cos I was busy eating and the table was a mess. Here is a picture with Jay being full and wants to run all over the place. At this time, we were 95% full and couldn't carry on except to finish up the remaining foods.

Spastic little Jay and his brother

Jay pulled me towards this red knight from King Louis Restaurant and wanted me to take a photo of him and the knight... then his older brother joined in the fun.

Directions to JPot (Vivocity): Level 1, at the corner where Marks and Spencer is. The whole lot of us, seven adults and two children, spent about $200. It was worth the money if you are looking for kids-friendly environment and their staff are very helpful and attentive. I would go back... if I have saved up enough! Remember to go in big groups!

20 Random Facts

It comes to a time when I have finished my exam at 12.10pm today and suddenly feel that there is no motivation for me to do anything. Everything becomes slow and boring when compared to the amount of time I had to grasp for dear life for the past four days to study and cram as much information into my head. I had never checked Facebook so frequently, like 20 times today (I didn't count but heck, it felt like that number), and Instagram on my phone which is probably the reason why my battery was critically low when I am only at Buona Vista MRT station.

So let's cut to the chase and post 20 random (and seemingly disgusting and boring) facts about me!

1. I still have my 臭臭 (baby bolster) with me and my dearest threatens that it would disappear on the day of wedding because it will NEVER be a part of my dowry
2. I like painting short finger nails; short like just-cut that type of short
3. The age gap between me and my siblings are 10, 13, 15 years old
4. I had bad luck with red since young like tripping over at Pulau Ubin while wearing a red dress when I was five and my red-and-white striped heels broke on the first day I wore it to town
5. If you aren't really close with me, don't trust me with your secrets because I will either a) forget it or b) tell everyone else so that at least I can remember
6. Liking to blue colours was acquired from young because there was always blue and pink options for me and my cousin but she was quicker and fiercer (although one year younger than me) and I was left with the (then ugly) blue coloured dress
7. I can't sing for nuts
8. I can't take artistic photos for nuts
9. I LOVE PIKACHU
10. Spamming and "liking" wedding photos on Facebook is my trait
11. I have the bestest best and loving boyfriend even if he isn't 1.80 m, dark and lean
12. I remember people's names and faces from school when they don't even know who the heck am I
13. I used to aspire to be a gynae because delivering baby is such a great job
14. I used to hate people who use "YOLO" but I'm alright with it when using at hilarious and appropriate situations
15. I hate people calling me "EH!" when they clearly know my name
16. My biggest attempt in being a daredevil was the Cyclone rollercoaster in USS
17. My age gap between me and my dad was so big that during primary school, my classmate asked me if my grandpa was coming to fetch me
18. My first handphone was back in Secondary 1 which was a Panasonic flip phone with INFRARED (yes, you heard it; no bluetooth) function for file transfer
19. My jokes aren't suitable for everyone
20. Once you are the target of the group, be wary that my words will drip with sarcasm

After reading so much, some of you probably hate me now. Go ahead and click the "X" button and erase me from your memory because YOLO!

Day 0

As soon as I told my friends that I'll be spending my weekends drawing circles on the floor because 大肥 is going away for a semester at Taiwan, they probe me with questions like

"Are you going to be sad?"

"Would you cry?"

"How do you feel?"

I gave a politically, yet expected and honest answer to them,

"I will be sad and bawl when he has to leave. We trust each other and I know that he can take care of himself and what's left to be sad is that I can only see him, talk to him but not hold him like every time."

I didn't cry as much as I would like 'cos he was rushing to meet his friends at transit area... but I did shed quite a few tears and didn't wanna let him go. For now, the closest item I can get to hugging him is to combine two warm bolsters, a burping machine that emits trash-like stench and a Snorlax face.

He is on the plane now and about to take off and I know he probably won't read my blog, given that his brain always shut down whenever he sees wordy posts and "bombastic" English that he is lazy to comprehend. I told him that I'm more worried for the weather he will encounter over there because it is unpredictable and I shan't go on talking about those 不吉利的话.

He told me to write crosses to countdown the weeks left to meet him like how prisoners cross out the number of days they had spent in their cells. This countdown is more agonizing than a one-minute countdown from the microwave by 3428798372 times.

As of now...

146 days to go.

A Sunday Dinner and Monday Date

Lesson and assignment discussion ended at 12pm and off I go to meeting 大肥 for an unusual Monday date! We planned to eat ice cream, drop by Kooka cafe and play arcade games like little kids. I even suggested Victor's Kitchen for lunch but I presume 70% the menu would be gone by the time we got seats... so we settled for Astons at Bugis+ (previously known as Illuma).

We were starving from the train delays so we picked the yummiest item and the one he had been craving for since last weekend - pork ribs. I ordered the pork chops and it was so tasty and it had just the right juiciness and chewiness. But of course it couldn't be compared to the one we had at Marche Vivocity where the thickness of one pork chop is equivalent to two of Aston's. The thought of it still makes me salivate! Both of us got mac n cheese and garden salad for side dishes and it seemed like everything on Monday fell perfectly in place and chased away my Monday blues. It was the best way to unwind and relax with him before I start mugging for exams.

His pork ribs

My pork chops

I was excited for the Steve Jobs movie, even he was rather excited too... until we finished the movie with a crappy ending. The whole movie is about how he is an - sorry to Steve Jobs up above - asshole for betraying his friends and firing employees just to make sure his company succeeds. Worst of all, the ending felt like as if his story couldn't be told finish by 1.5 hours. Like, someone just ejected your DVD out of the player without you realizing. Yeah, that's how horrible the movie was. Kudos to the casting crew who managed to get actors that resemble 90% like the original characters. I would say Ashton Kutcher's portrayal of Jobs is like watching Kristen Stewart's one-and-only pained expression in "Twilight". Sorry for being brutally honest.

The "Jobs" movie is definitely a movie... wait for it... worth to watch as TV movie premiere on Channel 5 or HBO. Trust me, don't waste your money.

Oh yeah, I dropped by Chef's Hat at Hougang Green for dinner on Sunday with family and I would recommend this place for no-frills and yummy western food! It is a cozy restaurant that caters to about 30 people at most at one time and the chef cooks all the food by himself. It is an open kitchen so you can look over the cashier to peek at what he's doing. My dinner was grilled chicken and prawn aglio olio along with top up of pumpkin soup and calamansi drink. The aglio olio was a tad spicy from the chili padi and a little oilier than I expected, but it didn't leave me jelak or anything... rather I get hungry after eating the food. What's wrong?!

Grilled chicken and prawn aglio olio

Sis wanted to try the chocolate lava cake - and so do I - but the moment I told the cashier I wanted to order desserts, she told me it was sold out. WHAT?! Okay, fine, I shall sulk and head to Wimbly Lu once again to get my chocolate lava cake fix. We settled for Belgian (hmm not really) waffles with cookies and cream and walnut ice cream from New Zealand. The walnut ice cream definitely taste bad... real bad... because the walnuts were rancid and there is this unpleasant "plastic" taste lingering. 

The Key to Adulthood

Congratulations Hui Yi! Being an ultimate klutz and insanely lucky, you have managed to live to 21 years old! I have the party planned four months ahead from location, guest list, catering and decorations and I am proud to say that I'm rather pleased with the results even though it was a cozy celebration with family, relatives and close friends. Let me share this artistic picture of my two adorable nephews who were sitting at the balcony area while waiting for our time to enter the chalet.

We checked in at 2pm and I started with all the decorations. I was so glad that my aunt and cousin came early to help around while 大肥 came a little later. Although I didn't feel any sense of urgency with the relaxed atmosphere as my parents and aunt and uncle chat over kopi, time was ticking and I still had to take the measurements of the area to figure out where I should place my decorations.

Lo' and behold, my sister's vintage polaroid wasn't able to take photos despite replacing the batteries - it eats 4 batteries! Then my cousin had a great idea and told me to open the gift she bought with her brother and I was a bit skeptical when I asked "Is it useful? Will I use it often" and she replied "Hmm... depends but I hope you like it!". It was just the polaroid camera I needed for this situation! They chose a baby yellow colour and it comes along with all the freebies like photo sticker, bag, films, wide angle lens. I can't express how grateful and appreciative I am at that moment.

The whole party caused butterflies in my stomach and I had the littlest appetite for that day (heck, I "ate" butterflies so whaddya think?) I was rushing all over the place, hoping the guests wouldn't be bored and had something to eat instead of sitting there like a China vase. The worst situation was that I had just gotten out of the shower when Hayley and Julie showed up. Thankfully, 大肥 helped me to handle the incoming guests while I get ready makeup and shoes. I wouldn't know what I would do without him... he is so good at hospitality!

Pretty girls at for 5th batch of Massey

This photo shows the height of the shortest guy in the party! I kept blinking at the count of 3... ugh!

Massey classmates! One more year to go!

Secondary school buddies... we came a long way

All my favourite noisy and always-late people!

I love Charmaine's pose with the tall hat and chee ko pek eyes!

Mah spastic and Energizer Bunny AAA batteries (cousins) for life!

On the actual day of 11 August 2013, 大肥 came over to celebrate birthday with my favourite red velvet cake and a simple lunch of western food at Hougang Plaza. Yum yum! I love today.

Happy birthday to me.

Take Life Easy

Body image is a big issue for me, although I look like I don't care about opinions and often encourage people to love their body, it is inevitable in this society full of stick-thin models. I have two favourite quotes that I remembered for a long time and use it to remind myself every now and then to keep me sane.

If your thighs don't jiggle, you need to see a doctor

- Miley Cyrus (when being questioned for growing fat)

Life is about indulging. If you want a piece of chocolate, go ahead; but don't eat the whole thing.

- Miranda Kerr

Part-Time Stints When You're Still Young

Seeing friends of friend's or any other young adult (I cannot use "teenager" because I'm no longer one!) working in a cafe or ice cream shop makes me envious most of the time. Not just small eateries, but any part-time jobs that they get to do during their holidays. You must be thinking are you crazy? They don't have enough money that's why they gotta work to earn more! This is the reason why I yearn to have longer holidays - heck 3 months will do just fine! - for me to experience different part-time jobs before I settle for a real and stable job when I graduate.

What I'm gonna mention later may sound very shallow to some of you who have worked as any of the jobs before; this is because it is purely based on my opinion in finding the joys of working at an ice cream shop or cafe.

I wanna scoop ice cream

Well I know... I would definitely not qualify for a round of interview without my makeup on and dolly-eye contact lens because my acne scars and "strawberry nose" is a dead giveaway for someone with really bad (and oily) skin. As much as I wish I could qualify as "ice cream girl" or "cupcake girl" or "yoghurt girl", my friend has the quality but her boyfriend strongly objects to it. The reason is because he feels that his girlfriend is being used as a showgirl or something and didn't like customers to oogle at her. But Adin, being the super sweet and amazing boyfriend that he is, says that I can meet the mark and he would be even happier that if I could get selected during interview because when I'm happy, he's happy. *cues "Aww~"*

I don't mind getting paid $6 per hour, which most people would ask for higher pay, because all I have to do is to scoop ice cream, give free ice cream tastings, clean up the plates, prepare waffles from frozen ones and tend to the cashier. So simple, right? And you don't have to wear a uniform - that's the best part.

I wanna be a barista or cafe assistant at hippie/ulu cafes

Proud to say, I can make espresso, latte and cappucino! All thanks to the training I had at the cafe for my 2nd year poly project that made me drank up to 4 espressos and 2 lattes a day and still able to fall asleep at night. For a clumsy person like me, I should start with cafe assistant which is cashiering, taking out cakes and serving some light snacks to customers. The cafe doesn't have to be big, well thankfully for these hidden gems in Singapore, these chillax cafes have small areas with dim-litted settings.

Being a barista would be a big step for me because the coffees I made had only been drank by me, my teacher or my friends. Oh gosh, I would be a terrible barista.

Vocabulary Terror

Bf: My friend says I look like Kang Gary (from Running Man) when I wear the cap and have my eyes half closed

Me: Really?

Bf: Yeah. And I was like "Aiya, don't flatten me la!"

*pause*

Me: You mean flatter?

Bf: Um... yeah

Me: Well if your face was flattened you sure look like him!

Victor's Kitchen & Kooka Cafe

After learning our lesson from last time (greeted by 10% of the total menu when we visited Victor's Kitchen at 3.30pm on a weekday), we decided to reach there as early as we can. We reached at 11am which was quite a close shave before the lunch crowd comes in at 11.45am. I didn't take any photos cos I was busy eating from the giddy bus ride and an empty stomach - I cannot take long bus rides without proper breakfast. 

By the time we got there, 40% of the full menu was cancelled out so it was better than last time. We ordered minced meat porridge with dried vegetables, siew mai, har gao, deep fried prawn dumpling, fried beancurd skin wrapped with prawns, hot chrysanthemun tea and HK iced tea. The names which are bolded are the yummy ones. 

The porridge was a little more watery than I had expected for a Cantonese chok... something like a crossover between Teochew porridge and Cantonese chok. It is good in a way that I still have space for other foods served later. As compared to a Cantonese chok, the one opposite my house, it has a clean aftertaste and doesn't stick onto the mouth like a sticky porridge would. A sticky porridge tends to make me thirsty - maybe the MSG? - and I'll end up full by water. Overall, the porridge is a good "base" to go along with the heavy dimsums. 

I didn't like the siew mai and fried beancurd skin wrapped with prawns because there is this "pork taste" that leaves me jelak and turned off after a while. I love the har gao and deep fried prawn dumpling (or wanton) cos it is so full with prawns and filled with a lot less pork than the two dishes I mentioned earlier. Don't expect the fried dumplings to be half of your palm size because less is more and you savour it... not gobble it! Chrysanthemun tea is alright and I haven't got to drink HK iced tea cos I was busy eating.

Directions to Victor's Kitchen: Take 147 (leaving Hougang Bus Interchange) and sit and relax until you see Hotel Ibis Bencoolen, alight at the stop when the bus turns to the right to alight at Sunshine Plaza. If you are reaching there by foot, locate Hotel Ibis and you will see Sunshine Plaza. 

From Victor's Kitchen, my trusty Google Map led me to Kooka Cafe along Purvis Street. It took us a 15 minute walk to locate it and to digest our oily brunch. Kooka cafe is a relaxing, dim-litted cafe that serves light brunch, pastries and coffee. The cutleries and iced water are self-service and they sell art pieces that are hung on the walls. 

I ordered Pear & Almond Tart and Long Black while Xiaoli ordered Blueberry Cheesecake (MUST TRY) and Homemade Iced Tea.

Blueberry Cheesecake and Homemade Iced Tea. Credits to Xiao Li

Blueberry Cheesecake was light and its accompaniment of blueberries just pop in your mouth! Have it with some fresh cream and it tastes so amazing. I could have this all by myself and not feel sick at all.

Pear & Almond Tart

For your coming visit to Kooka Cafe, if you had a heavy lunch or not, you must try the Pear & Almond Tart. It is light and not diabetically-sweet. Just remember to eat with the fresh cream SPARINGLY otherwise you will start missing them :(

Long Black on top right corner with delicious Lemon Biscuit

I have never loved fresh cream so much before.

Trial Run for Party Makeup

My makeup skills hadn't been improving lately and I thought it was time to learn to do a proper makeup for my party. I learned from this YouTuber, frmheadtotoe, as she has monolids and slight hooded lids like mine.



I skipped the mascara and false eyelashes because I was left with a mascara I got 2 years ago and falsies just irritate the tear out of my eyes. I can't stop blinking and tearing up without feeling like there's a toothpick poking my eyelids!

Armed with my 88 neutral colour eyeshadow palette, I believed that I could get any similar colours as she had used in her Urban Decay Naked Palette. After a painful 30 minute, I realize that only the dark shimmery brown colour wasn't available in the set and I had to use the Maybelline Eyestudio eyeshadows in Autumn Spirit. 

Close enough!

This was the closest I could get. It was easier to do the left side as the eyelids were considered to be double eyelids but they are the not obvious type. The right eyelids are completely hooded lids so both eyes would end up with eyeliners of different thickness.

Downside was that my desk light is yellow coloured so the eyeshadows end up looking a little darker than it would have been in the video.

Oh well, good job Hui Yi! :)