Grace Said.

Kruzer: 7th Anniversary (Day 1)

2012-01-07T13:56:00.000+08:00

7th January marks an exciting start in Kruzer's calendar, as we celebrated two major events: Kruzer 7th Anniversary and its first trip for 2012, at our all time favorite destination and annual pilgrimage - Fraser's Hill.

01:00am - Arriving at GP Esso for our meet up, I was surprised to see a row of bikes parked along the width of the petrol station. Pointing my index finger at each bike, I counted that were over 20 bikes for this trip. What a turnout!

01:40am - Due to the large turnout and 3 newcomers, a briefing was done to inform the group of who the markers were, and the waypoints of the trip. As it was a night ride as well, some safety precautions were advised to those who haven't rode at night before.

03:30am - We arrived at Pagoh R&R for our first fuel stop. Was glad to see that most of the guys were still chirpy and awake.

05:30am - Due to the lack of sleep the night before, I was pretty tired by the time we arrived at our second fuel stop - Petronas at Sungei Besi.

But despite the lack of adequate rest for most, some of the guys remained energetic and zestful.

Unfortunately, trouble had a way of keeping us awake when Dylan's bike had a technical issue. After several attempts to fix the problem but to no avail, we decided to split ways: Isaac would lead the rest of the group to our next destination, while a group of guys would stay back and assist Dylan to bring his bike to a bike shop in Kuala Lumpur.

(By the time I arrived at our breakfast venue, I was dead tired and every cell in me wanted either coffee, or a bed to sleep in. So because of my fatigue, I didn't take any pictures of the place or the food.)

07:30am - With our tummies filled with Caffeine, Roti Chennai, and other sinfully tasty dishes, we left for our next destination

Personally, catching a glimpse of the sunrise is what I always look forward to during a night ride. Because when the sky starts to light up with the gentle glows of the rising sun, it means that the night ride is over, and we're probably going to reach our destination soon!

Riding in the sunrise, along Karak Highway

Loving the azure blue skies, fluffy clouds, and cool temperatures. It certainly was the best ride ever!

Before twisting up the bends and corners of Fraser's Hill, we stopped by a local petrol kiosk for some to refuel.

Petrol - check. Toilet break - check. Adrenaline levels - check. Here's Sean giving a "twist" sign, for the twisty roads ahead.

Kruzers showing enthusiasm with what lies ahead

And the start of many bends and corners begin..

Riding past the famous Fraser's Hill sign. Welcome to Fraser's Hill!

After riding through about 30km of twisting roads, we finally arrived at The Gap, where we took a short break to enjoy the splendid scenery, and the cool temperatures. Apart from being a resting point, it was also a regroup location for us.

From The Gap to our final destination at Silverpark Resort in Fraser's Hill, we had to ride up another 8km of steep, twisting bends and hairpin loops, followed by another 1 or 2km through the small town of Fraser's.

But ah! The austere grandeur scenery and the cool temperatures was definitely worth it. Check out the idyllic, paradisal view from our balcony. Awesome and breathtaking isn't it?

Shortly after we've checked into our rooms, we headed out for lunch at Scott's Pub & Restaurant.

My "Fried Kway Teow Cantonese Style" which ummm.. looks no different from the Hor Fun that we have in Singapore.

Before we head back to our rooms, we always stop by the local provision shop to grab some grubs, water, and most importantly - booze!

Due to the fatigue from the night ride, most of us took the opportunity to catch some shuteye in the afternoon. And by the time we woke up from our naps, it was dinner time.

One of our newcomers - Alex - watching the a slideshow of Kruzer's 2011 events intently.

Having our stomachs satiated with barbecued chicken wings, meat, and prawns, Isaac gave an opening speech about Kruzer's 7th anniversary, followed by a brief recount of Kruzer's highlights in 2011.

Before the night ended, Kruzer's secretary - Jocelyne - presented attractive and well-designed (by Isaac) Life Membership cards to the life members of the club. To become a life member, one has to be a Kruzer member for 5 years. For more enquiries for Kruzer membership, you can drop me an email.

As we head back to our rooms, I couldn't help but notice the thermometer reading at the resort's entrance. 16 DEGREES! No wonder I was shivering!

Here's a glimpse of Fraser's Hill when night falls. Looks like a scene from a horror movie right?

Since the night was still young, some of us gathered at Richard and Tony's apartment to tipple and prattle. There, the highlight was the game "Finding November". Ha ha!

After a couple of beers and raillery, some returned to their rooms while others stayed back for some more booze and witty chatter. I, being a terrible drinker, drifted in and out of sleep until the boyfriend finally brought me back to our room.

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Kruzer: Mount Ophir (Day 1)

Goodbye 2011. Hello 2012.

2012-01-01T00:38:00.000+08:00

2011 passed by in a blink of an eye. In fact, all I could remember was January - when I got my Honda Steed VSE 400, February - when I celebrated my birthday, Valentine's day, and Chinese New Year, and the rest of the year was just a blur. Then before I knew it, Christmas came and shortly after, "TADA!" - Dear and I are celebrating New Year's Eve at our friends' place.

Well, putting aside the celebrative mood, New Year's Eve has always been one that strikes a chord. I often take this day to reflect on the milestones, achievements, and setbacks in 2011, before letting out an audible sigh in relief that regardless of the good times and (especially) the bad times, the year is over and there's much to hope for in 2012.

But in hindsight, 2011 was indeed a good year.

03 Jan: Bought Stevie, The Steed
19 Feb: Rode my Steed to Tanjung Sutera
26 Feb: Signed our HDB lease
16 May: I got My MBA - I mean MacBook Air
29 Jul: The boyfriend gave me a Durian Surprise!
20 Aug: Conquered the roads at Mount Ophir
22 Nov: Completed my Degree and commenced the Day of Freedom

It is not to say that the whole year was smooth-sailing and a bed of roses. I had my fair share of hiccups, but I'm sure that these are noteworthy lessons for me to learn from.

And as I countdown the seconds before 2012 arrive, I'm just thankful and grateful to God for his provision, sustenance, and blessings throughout 2011.

With that.. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... Happy New Year!

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Unexpected Winnings

2011-12-30T21:19:00.000+08:00

The boyfriend and I attended the Standard Chartered Appreciation Dinner tonight.

We went there with our hands empty, and look what we came out with?

Yes! TWO LUCKY DRAW PRIZES!

It was quite funny how we won. Dear's number - 61- was called up, so he went up to collect his prize.

But just as he was returning back to the dinner table, they announced the next prize - 62! THAT'S ME!

Well, though we each won a massage pillow only, it's better than nothing right?

Ha! What a nice way to approach the end of the year!

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The Season of Love & Food

2011-12-25T12:27:00.000+08:00

Ho Ho Ho Everyone!

This year, Christmas is not only a season of giving, it's also a season of love and commitment. And what better way to celebrate love and commitment than a wedding?

So in the morning, dear and I attended our friends solemnization ceremony, followed by their lunch banquet; all of which were held at Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Ps: I was quite impressed to see a small table card on the banquet table saying "Join us in saying 'no' to shark fin soup". It's comforting to know that restaurants are taking part in an initiation to stop the killing of these sharks, just for their fins. Kudos Crowne Plaza Hotel!

After an afternoon of celebration and feasting, dear and I headed home first to rest, before commencing a night of parties and gatherings, which by the way, lasted till the wee hours of the morning.

All in all, it was a great Christmas for both dear and I; being able to join in the joyous matrimony of our friends, and to be able to gather with good friends and loved ones. I had fun. Really. And I hope that you guys had a lovely and heartwarming Christmas as well.

And with that, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

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The Christmas Chill

2011-12-24T00:26:00.000+08:00

Unlike last year (and the previous years), this year's Christmas eve was different.

As it was raining most of the time, dear and I decided to spend our Christmas eve at home, with the warmth of each other's company, and the laughter from our jests.

At night, we went over to our friend's place for an impromptu dinner, followed by a late night movie of "The Holiday".

Not sure if it's the coming of age, but I'm really starting to enjoy having a quiet, slow, and relaxing Christmas, instead of one that is lined with programs and parties. Somehow, there is something meaningful and heartwarming in having intimate gatherings with my loved ones and close friends, as we enjoy a good-natured banter over a sumptuous spread.

Then again, that's just me - a young lady with an old spirit. I hope you guys enjoyed your Christmas. Merry Christmas everyone!

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Popping By Punggol

2011-12-19T22:44:00.000+08:00

It always feels good to wake up later than usual on a weekday, bum around, and have the whole day planned with activities. But it feels even better when the boyfriend is also on leave, which makes being on leave even more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, the rain was a complete "wet blanket" and our moods were a little dampened. Thankfully, we managed to borrow the family car and continued our day of errands and activities.

For our first stop, we visited the newly opened Punggol Waterway. Honestly, it was quite hard to find. But for all you first timers out there who would like to give this a visit, it's just beside Punggol MRT station; just look out for the white arc.

Sadly, I expected more from Punggol Waterways. Then again, I didn't really walk all of the walkways to fully appreciate and enjoy it. Perhaps we'll come back here next time when everything is ready, and when it isn't the rainy season.

Before leaving for our next destination, we popped by our future home - Punggol Waves. Glad to see its progress after so long.

Well, no doubt it was a rainy and gloomy Monday. But it was still a fruitful one.

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Souperlicious.. Not!

2011-12-16T16:39:00.000+08:00

Unlike the usual Friday, my friends and I hung out at Changi Airport Terminal 2 and decided to check out Souperlicious.

Since I was hungry, I decided to try out their combo set ($10.90) which consists of a Ham & Bacon Pasta, a Chinese Broth Soup, and a Drink.

Thinking that it will be souperlicious, if not, yummilicious, I gave the soup a try first.

"Yuck", I thought to myself.

So I went to the counter to get hold of some salt, and started sprinkling it all over the soup. Bland and tasteless, this soup was hardly souperlicious. In fact, it is a far cry from Soup Spoon's standard.

Annoyed and unsatisfied, I decided to move on the my pasta which I hoped to receive some sort of tasty salvation. But again, it was such a disappointment. The sauce was diluted and the ham and bacon was clumpy.

All in all, I really didn't enjoy my dinner and for the same price, I could have had a more fulfilling meal at any fast food eateries.

Seriously, Souperlicious ain't that delicious after all.

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Annalakshmi Restaurant & Catering

2011-12-15T00:24:00.001+08:00

Today, I had a gastronomical adventure.

Meeting my friends Isaac and Jocelyne for dinner, we headed to Annalakshmi Restaurant for some Indian Vegetarian food.

Annalakshmi
#01-04, Central Square20
Havelock RoadSingapore
Singapore 059765
(Near Clarke Quay Exit B or Chinatown MRT Exit E)

My Bhatura - A soft and fluffy deep-fried bread

Front row (Left to Right): Bhindi, Cauliflower Manchurian, Palak Paneer

Back row (Left to Right): Rava Thosai and Phulka

Annalakhsmi's Special Thosai

With a sumptuous spread of food, you bet we were satiated and extremely satisfied.

However for me, it was more than just a delicious meal. In fact, it was an achievement because I am usually not adventurous when it comes to food, so aesthetically speaking, I don't eat whatever that I don't like. Furthermore, I was able to finish the huge portion of Bhatura - All. By. Myself.

Another interesting fact about Annalakshmi restaurant is their payment method. As per their slogan "Eat As You Wish, Pay As You Feel", the concept is to pay with any amount you like. So essentially, there are no prices on the menu. One can just pay any amount he or she likes / want to.

Regardless, special thanks to Isaac & Jocelyne for introducing this place, and bringing my tastebuds for a gastronomical adventure!

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Soon Heng Rojak

2011-12-13T21:41:00.002+08:00

What does crispy fried fritters, sweet and tasty prawn paste, lots of peanut toppings, fresh cuttlefish, and kang kong have in common? Well, they are all ingredients of a local fruit and salad dish called Rojak (a malay term for mixture).

And today, I had a chance to try (what my colleague claims as) the "Best". Rojak. Ever.

Soon Heng Rojak
480 Lor 6 Toa Payoh, #B1-23
Gourmet Paradise Food Court
HDB Hub Toa Payoh

Taking the escalator to Gourmet Paradise Food Court, you can hardly miss the queue for the Rojak stall that's formed near the base of the escalator.

After queueing for about 15 minutes or so, we finally got our hands on our Rojak. As you can see, the portion is quite big for a plate of $3 rojak. Furthermore, they are very generous with their peanut toppings and other ingredients like cuttlefish, kang kong, and tao pok (fried dough fritters).

But in my opinion, what makes it good is their sweet, tasty prawn paste, and crispy fried dough fritters. The generous peanut toppings also added some crunch to the crispiness of the fried dough fritters, making it even more delicious.

So if you're at Toa Payoh area, do give this a try. But perhaps you'd want to come a bit later to avoid the lunch crowd and the queue!

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Johor Premium Outlets

2011-12-10T21:52:00.000+08:00

It was one of those rare Saturdays where both dear and I had no plans; no band practice, no errands to run, and no outings with friends.

But our Saturday plan to shake legs, lie on the couch, and bum around was soon interrupted when our friend asked if we were interested to visit the new Johor Premium Outlets.

At first, we were quite apprehensive because we were worried that our bikes would be stolen or some sort, since there will only be 2 bikes. But after researching a bit further, we reckon that bike safety and parking shouldn't be a problem, since Johor Premium Outlets is a new shopping mall and is located far away from Johor town (where it's crowded and infamous for bike theft).

After having an early lunch at Gelang Patah town, we arrived at Johor Premium Outlets at about 1pm thereabouts.

Our friend mentioned that it looks just like the one in States. Unfortunately, the weather's completely different.

After 3 hours or so, we were done with shopping and had gotten tired of the crowd. So, we headed back to Gelang Patah town where dear sent Scarlet (his Honda STX 1300A) for a bike wash.

There, we learnt a hard lesson and painful lesson: whatever that is cheap might not be good. Well, one of the staff carelessly left one of Scarlet's side box on the car ramp, and we watched in horror as it came tumbling down the ramp.

*Sigh* Regardless, there wasn't anything we can do, except to return home feeling hopeless. But apart from the bad experience at the bike wash, it was a nice chilling out and gallivanting in a foreign country. Maybe I should prod the boyfriend our friends to do this more often.

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The Buddha Broth

2011-12-08T20:46:00.000+08:00

Being a typical soup lover, I couldn't resist the temptation to try this Buddha Jump Over The Wall at the new coffee-shop beneath my office workplace.

Unlike the usual Buddha Jump Over The Wall which serves pork meat in the soup, the one at my workplace coffee-shop serves chicken, which I thought was a tad hard for me to bite; especially when I've got braces on.

Apart from that, it was delicious and tasteful; a thick slurry of chinese herbs that taste as if it's been cooking for hours.

And as much as I like to have this again, I guess the price of $7 just doesn't justify the portion of the soup. Oh well, bummer.

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Resto Surabaya (Far East Plaza)

2011-12-06T19:55:00.000+08:00

My colleagues and I stumbled upon Resto Surabaya when we had to run some errands at Far East Plaza. At first, we were a little apprehensive because the eatery seemed a little crowded, and we were unsure of the quality of the food.

But upon looking at some newspaper clippings of commendation, we decided to give it a try.

Resto Surabaya
14 Scotts Road, #05-26/26A
Far East Plaza
Tel: +65 6738 4369

Tucked in a secluded corner of the 5th floor in Far East Shopping Centre, Resto Surabaya is known for its Ayam Penyet amongst other delicious dishes. However, I wanted to avoid fried food so I ordered Ayam Bakar instead

Ayam Bakar (Grilled Chicken) $6.00

Ayam Bakar (Grilled Chicken with Satay Sauce) - $6.00

Despite the lunch crowd, my colleagues and I only waited about 10 minutes before we were served with our lunch.

Having tasted the first bite of the Grilled Chicken, I understood why this eatery had so many newspaper clippings of commendation. The meat of the chicken was tender and soft, the sauce tasted like a wonderful concoction of barbecue and sweet sauce, the chili was so shiok and spicy.. oh the burst of flavors and tender chicken simply tantalized by taste buds! In fact, I like it so much that I actually finished all my food (including the rice)!

So if you are around the vicinity of Far East Plaza, give this tasty Ayam Bakar or Ayam Penyet a try. I'm pretty sure you'll walk out of the eatery with you hunger satiated, and a satisfied burp.

Ps: You can check out other raving reviews of Resto Surabaya here.

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Kruzer: SCMS 2011

2011-12-04T22:24:00.000+08:00

This year (as with last year), Kruzer supported the Standard Chartered 2011 Marathon in various duties such as Lead Bikes, Rear Escorts, and Medic Bikes etc.

Unlike last year, I was assigned as the pillion for Half Marathon Lead Bike, reporting to the control centre once we've cleared every kilometre marker.

At the end of the marathon, you bet I was deadbeat from being awake for almost 24 hours. Regardless, it was nice being part of something fun, something healthy, something big.

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Bedrock Grill & Bar

2011-12-01T21:13:00.000+08:00

Today marks the end of the 8th year since the boyfriend and I started going "steady".

To celebrate our anniversary, I suggested to dine at Bedrock Grill and Bar after reading some raving reviews about it a few days before.

Bedrock Grill and Bar
96 Somerset Road#01-05
Pan Pacific Serviced Suites
Singapore 238163

Since dear and I took leave to celebrate this occasion, we decided to have lunch instead of dinner. Additionally, I read that they have some lunch set meal which was quite worthwhile.

After we've been seated, I took a quick glance around the interiors of Bedrock. With rustic woody walls, dark ceilings with ambient lighting, and dark framed glass windows, the ambience exuberated a cosy yet classy vibe.

Before we were served with our meals, we were given 2 pieces of strange looking bread. Surprisingly, these bread taste really good and soft. Too bad they don't have curry, else it would have been perfect.

Part of our lunch set meal includes Soup of the Day, which is Fish Chowder. Though I do like it, I didn't finish it because it just got too creamy for the mildly lactose intolerant me.

Dear's Grilled Ribeye Steak arrived next. Chewing into his first bite, I quickly asked how was it. After all, I heard that the steak here is as good as Morton's.

He quickly replied "It's different from Lawry's." When I asked why, he said that the steak at Bedrock was grilled and a tad tough for Medium Rare.

The Mac & Cheese side dish that came with dear's Grilled Steak

My Crispy Skin Seabass arrived shortly and upon my first bite, I was quickly disappointed. Contrary to the name of the dish, the skin wasn't crispy at all. In fact, I felt that the fish tasted slightly oily.

Then again, I might have mistaken their bearnaise sauce for oil, since both of them look similar to in colors.

The Mashed Potatoes that came as my side dish

Ending our 3-course lunch set meal is this delectable plate of Chocolate Lave Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Well, I guess the hype and raving reviews for Bedrock is only for their high end steak, and not their other regular items like Chicken and Fish.

Having that said, if I were to pay such a hefty price to try out their grilled steak, I might as well dine at Lawry's because I've tried there 3 times and they haven't failed me. Alternatively, I might give Morton's a try. Whatever it is, I don't think we'll be coming back to Bedrock in the near future.

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Kruzer: RES November 2011

2011-11-26T01:36:00.000+08:00

As the year comes to an end, Kruzer organized a RES (short for Ride, Eat, and Slack) trip to somewhere around the southwest of Johore.

10:00am - We met up first at GP Esso, before moving off to our first food destination for brunch, or what some would say - Brunch.

Curry Noodle (with lots Yong Tau Foo)

As there were dark clouds looming in the sky, we decided to move on to our next destination. Unfortunately, it started raining after a few minutes, but stopped as we rode away from the dark skies.

Isaac then brought us to our next destination where we had to pass through a pineapple plantation. There, we stopped to have a look-see.

Bikes parked along the road. Loving the fluffy clouds and greenery!

We then crossed the road to a nearby fruit stall, which sells really sweet pineapples.

Dear happily enjoying the sweet fruit.

The Kruzer ladies also took this chance to shop for fruits. Well, RES can mean Ride, Eat, and Shop right?

Moving on to our next destination, the skies started to pour again. This time however, we weren't able to ride out of the rain. So, Isaac brought us to Puteri Harbour to take shelter and to chill at the cafe.

Sadly, the cafe was closed for renovation. So, we ended up bumming around and chit-chatting while waiting for the rain to stop.

After 2 hours or so, the rain finally simmered down and we decided to have an early dinner since some of us had to go back earlier. Isaac then brought us to a nearby coffee-shop where we had Sze Char, soups, Soft Shell Crabs and Salted Egg Crabs.

In addition to being a relatively quiet venue for dinner, this coffee-shop serves good food with big portions, and best of all, it is really affordable i.e. 2 crabs only cost RM 70.00+ !

Well, I'm sure we wouldn't wait till the next RES to come back here for their food again.

Despite the wet ride home, it was a slow and easy outing where we got to mingle around with each other and our new friend. Thank you Kruzer for a crabbilicious outing!

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The Day of Freedom

2011-11-22T23:55:00.000+08:00

Today marks a milestone in my life.

Having juggled 2 years of Full-Time work and Part-Time studies, I can finally heave a big sigh of relief.

You see, today I sat for my last examination paper. YES. LAST EXAMINATION PAPER. That means, no more burning of midnight oils, assignments, and exam preparations!

Maybe it isn't such a big deal for some. But to me, knowing that today marks the end of my academic life really makes me smile, jump around, and throw my fist in the air, exclaiming "Woohoo!"

And to celebrate my freedom and all the hard work, the boyfriend was sweet enough to take half day leave just to accompany me for the day. Exclaims (again) "Woohoo!"

So we went to Tampines1 in search for some food, and unconsciously, we ended up at NYDC.

Since it was quiet and cosy, we thought it would be a nice place for lunch. Furthermore, they had some set lunch deal, which was kinda tempting.

The set meal came with a free drink, which tasted sour and weird, and pumpkin soup, which wasn't that bad.

As for my main dish, I had fish which I really didn't enjoy. It was bland, and the roasted potatoes were chunky and a tad hard.

All in all, I was disappointed with the quality of food that was served. To be honest, I'd rather go downstairs for Subway or Carl's Junior than to have this again.

But then again, with me being light-headed with glee and liberty, I quickly brushed off the disappointment. After all, my studies are over, and nothing is going to stop me from being happy. Ha!

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The Pink Slip

2011-11-18T23:18:00.000+08:00

November has been a long and arduous month, consisting of countless late nights and dead brain cells because of 2 final year exam papers, 1 final year project, and 1 final year presentation.

But since the dateline for my Final Year Project was earlier than my examinations and presentation, I'm glad to announce that today, my Final Year Project has been submitted!

Now that's 1 hurdle down. There are 3 more hurdles to go in the next 2 weeks. Wish me luck!

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Birthday At Lawry's, The Prime Rib

2011-11-16T20:10:00.000+08:00

Today, the boyfriend turns one year older.

Unlike his previous birthday, we both took leave. So in the morning, he popped by my place and I surprised him with a cake..

Despite the afternoon rain, we headed down to Plaza Singapura to catch the movie "Real Steel".

Ps: The storyline of this show is good, and the ending is quite touching. I loved it! *Gives 2 thumbs up*

After the movie, we took a nice stroll down to Lawry's, The Prime Rib, which is located at Mandarin Gallery.

Just like last year, we ordered their traditional and most popular cut - The Lawry's Cut, which comes with:

1. The Famous Original Spinning Bowl Salad
Crisp romaine and iceberg lettuce, watercress, shredded beets, chopped eggs and croutons, tossed with our exclusive Lawryâ€™s vintage dressing on a bed of ice

2. Yorkshire Pudding
Baked in small skillets until puffy and golden brown

3. Idaho Mashed Potatoes
American favorite - whole potatoes, cooked, then whipped with milk until smooth and creamy

4. Whipped Cream Horseradish

And as usual, we thoroughly enjoyed the well flavored, big slab of meat.

I was also able to arrange for a small complimentary cake to be presented to the birthday boy when our dinner was over. But in addition to presenting the cake, the Lawry's staff actually sang a birthday song for him!

Looking at his surprised and happy smile, I know it was totally worth it.
Happy Birthday Dear!

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In That Shade Of Orange

2011-11-14T01:43:00.000+08:00

Usually when I walk out of the office, I'm greeted by a sky of gloaming.

Today, however, I opened the office door to be marveled by the orange hues in the sky.

Isn't it baffling how the manifestation of nature can display the most magnificent, awesome, and beautiful visual?

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Girls Night Out

2011-11-05T01:20:00.000+08:00

First of all, sorry for not blogging as often this month. November has been a cruel month of late nights, FYP submission, exam preparations, and work events.

But amidst the abyss of "suffering", I managed to meet up with my secondary school table tennis girlfriends:

Though physically, it looked as if we haven't changed much, the long conversations I had with them made me realize how much we have grown.

And as we exchanged our growing up experiences and reminisce about our past school life, it hit me that I miss these girls. I miss the fun times we had, the table tennis training, and the exciting school life. If not for a time machine, I wouldn't mind going back to relive those moments again.

But until a time machine is invented, I think we should really meet up more often. What say you, ladies?

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Kruzer: In The Sheds (Day 2)

2011-10-30T00:03:00.000+08:00

7:30 am. My Steve Austin alarm tone roused me from my slumber and before I knew it, Jocelyne came running up the steps to my bed, and whispered softly while gesturing to my ringing iPhone "I don't know how to turn this off."

That was when I woke up, turned off my alarm, and headed downstairs to get my morning joe.

However, the actual breakfast time was 10:00am, which means that I could either catch more sleep, or bum around and chit chat with the folks who are awake. Well, I chose the latter.

Soon, it was time for breakfast. Thank you, Isaac for cooking such a sumptuous spread of food!

12:00 pm. Having had a satiating breakfast (or what some might consider brunch, it was time to bid The Sheds farewell.

Before heading home, Isaac decided to bring us to Fraser's Hill; a well-loved destination by Kruzer because of it's cool weather, awesome scenic view, and most importantly, where fond memories belong.

Splendid view on the way up Fraser's Hill

Isaac caught us by surprised when he managed to get us a quiet lodging to rest and chill out for 2 hours before moving off. There, most of us took the opportunity to catch some shut-eye.

4:00 pm. It was time to leave for home. Going downhill from Fraser's, I managed to steal a shot of the breathtaking view.

Goodbye Fraser's Hill. See you soon!

Riding through the trunk roads, the return leg of our journey was a slow and winding ride. However, it was almost dinner by the time we were half way through our route, so we stopped by a quiety local coffeeshop for dinner first, before continuing our journey via the trunk roads .. in the dark!

..

By the time we finally arrived home, it was the wee hours of the morning. Despite our exhaustion, I must say that unlike other trips, this one was a smooth and slow ride for us. Needless to say, dear and I enjoyed ourselves (as usual), and thank Kruzer for the wonderful experience in the Shed. Till the next ride!

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Kruzer Kamp: Mount Ophir (Day 1)
Kruzer: The Ride Home (Day 3)
Kruzer: Ride To The Curve (Day 2)

Kruzer: In The Sheds (Day 1)

2011-10-29T22:05:00.000+08:00

Unbelievable. Just 2 months after my last Kruzer Kamping trip at Mount Ophir, and I'm craving for a road trip already. Fortunately, dear and I heard that Kruzer is organizing a trip to a secluded destination that's enclaved in nature, so in my excitement, I prodded the boyfriend with a huge grin and twinkles in my eyes.

29th October took longer than expected to arrive. I guess I wanted a getaway and a road trip so badly the growing excitement in me made it feel like time was crawling by.

Regardless, the day finally arrived and at 5:00am, our adventure begins..

As usual, the group met up at GP Esso at 5:00am and after a short session of chanter and banter, we moved off to our first destination...

Breakfast! What best to start a road trip than to be satiated with a warm bowl of wanton noodles, and be refreshed with a cuppa joe?

Just when we were almost done with breakfast, the sky was starting to lighten up. So in order to catch the sunrise, we quickly suit up and left for our next destination.

But what we've experienced wasn't only the warm and bright rays of the rising sun. We had to ride through a cloud of morning fog, which really got some Kruzers excited because it feels as though we are in a cold country.

In about one and a half hours, we arrived at our first petrol stop - Pagoh R&R. There, a few Kruzers lend a hand to a group of locals who had trouble with their vehicle. Kudos to the helpful bunch of abled-bodied men!

The second stretch of the journey was quite tiring was some, due to the post-breakfast fatigue and the morning sun. Regardless, we managed to arrive at our Seremban R&R safely, and even managed to gather everyone for a quick group photo before moving off!

Before we arrived at our final destination, we stopped by a local Bak Kut Teh restaurant for lunch.

After which, we made our way to the local supermarket to get some groceries for tonight's dinner and tomorrow's breakfast.

Since our final destination was 30 to 40km away, it didn't take long before we finally arrived.

Bikes at rest

Despite being enclaved in a thick foliage of trees and nature, I quickly spotted our Glass Shed from a distance. And like a child in wonderment, I headed over our Glass Shed excitedly.

Simplistic and minimalist, I quickly fell in love with the interior designs, and how ingenious some of the furniture concept were. One of the favorite things I also like about the Glass Shed is their sleeping quarters upstairs, which really makes me feel as though I'm living amongst the trees when I plonk onto bed.

Generally, I love how this place embodies tranquility and serenity. Truly, it's the sort of place where you can escape from the hustle and bustle of life, and the cares of this world.

After unpacking our stuffs, dear and I decided to have a look-see at our surroundings..

.. and check out the Timber Shed where some of the Kruzers were staying.

Having no technological connections on our phones, we decided to spend the hot and lazy afternoon dipping in the pool. Ahhhhh...

Kruzers having fun at the pool

Soon, it was dusk and we quickly headed back to our sheds to shower, before getting ready for our Halloween party at night.

Halloween "Monsters"

Chef Chew and Chef Chan at work

With a sumptuous spread of home made hand burgers, dapper, and booze, our shed was filled with the sweet aroma of food that's accompanied with lively chatter. Indeed, nothing beats being in the company of good friends, food, and alcohol. Cheers!

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Kruzer Kamp: Mount Ophir (Day 1)
Kruzer: The Ride Home (Day 3)
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Kruzer: Ride To Morib (Day 1)

Southern Ridges (Part 2)

2011-10-26T03:16:00.000+08:00

The working adults will know how precious Public Holidays are. So unless the activity on the Public Holiday is something fruitful and meaningful, I think most would stay at home and rest.

What constitutes as fruitful and meaningful then? A healthy activity, more specifically - a walk? How about a 22KM walk through (almost) half of Singapore?

Yes! For this Deepavali Public Holiday, dear and I decided to rekindle the feeling of aches and pain since our last Southern Ridges Walk 3 years ago. This time however, we decided to spread the healthy lifestyle to our friends, of which 5 agreed to join us.

Our route (11km):
West Coast McDonalds -> Clementi Woods -> NUS -> Kent Ridge Road -> Science Park Drive -> Kent Ridge Park -> Hort Park -> Alexandra Arch -> Preston Road -> Depot Road -> Henderson Waves -> Mount Faber -> Vivocity

We spotted a Hornet's nest along Kent Ridge Park! Kudos to the brave boyfriend who got close enough to take this shot.

Disclaimer: This picture was absolutely taken on his own accord. No, I wasn't the crazy, demanding, and unreasonable girlfriend who nudged him to take a close up picture of the nest. I was at a distance, giving a very constipated look, as he approached the nest closer.. closer..

The healthy bunch that joined us. You guys made this walk fun!

The view of our end point from Mount Faber. Just.. a .. little.. more...

Though it was raining after we had our lunch, dear and I decided to brave the rain and walk back somewhat the same route. As for the rest of the guys, well they had their own plans and didn't join us in our return leg of the walk.

So there we were, huddling under the umbrella, walking hand in hand into the greens and enjoying each other's company. To me, that's just how Public Holidays should be spent.

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White Dog Cafe & Fruit Paradise

2011-10-25T02:41:00.000+08:00

It's been about 3 years since I last patronized White Dog Cafe. Having that said, nothing much seemed to have changed, other than the increase in popularity as observed by the large crowd of diners.

Regardless, we quickly ordered our food after some light chatter. While waiting for our dinner to be served, our friend mentioned that the beers are quite affordable, as they were priced at only $5.50 for a pint!

With a big crowd of patrons, I thought that we'd have to wait a while before dinner is served. I was wrong. Within 10 minutes or so, my Pacific Dory arrived on my table.

Priced between $11 to $12, I honestly thought that the Dory was very value for money because of its large portion and its soft and tasty fish meat. However, the more I ate, the more I felt that the sauce was a tad overpowering, as if the whole dory was soaked in barbecue sauce.

Dear's Fish & Chips, which drew much attention because of its huge portion, arrived a few minutes later. After a few bites, he commented that the fish meat tasted bland, and seems to fall apart easily.

All in all, the experience in White Dog Cafe gave me the same vibe as Cafe Cartel: Quick and Casual Food , served in a modern and simplistic cafe.

Frankly, the only reason why I'd probably return is the the cheap booze, and probably because I'd like to try the dish that my friends had - Beef Burger - I think. Otherwise, the loud and noisy "ambience" from their crowd of patrons made my dinner experience a little turnoff.

...

Later that night, our friends and I decided to have satisfy our dessert cravings at Fruit Paradise.

Fruit Paradise
1 HarbourFront Walk, #01-59 VivoCity
Tel: +65 6376 9978

Being my first time here, I was quickly drawn towards the bright colors of their fruits tarts on display:

Flipping the menu back and forth, it took me a long while to decide on what to order because everything looks so tantalizing and delectable!

I finally decided on the Chocolate Banana, since I'm such an ardent fan of chocolate and that yellow fruit. However, I was afraid that I wouldn't like it because I HATE CREAM. And oh, look! There's lots of cream in the tart!

But despite my fear of cream, I decided to give this fruity pastry a try, and I must say that I can't taste the cream.. at all! Unfortunately, I didn't quite enjoy the hard crust. Perhaps if they could change the cream to ice-cream, and the hard crust to something that's similar to a warm apple crumble, then it would have been perfect!

Otherwise, I'm sorry but I'd rather have a cheaper alternative at home: Bananas and (King's) chocolate ice cream, probably with waffles or some other toppings, which I'm quite sure would amount to less than $6.80.

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Frienzie Bar & Bistro

2011-10-12T00:00:00.000+08:00

Some weeks ago, dear and I bumped into our friends at Plaza Singapura. Having not met for some time, we decided to catch up over dinner.So we adjourned to Frienzie Bar & Bistro - a local Bistro located at the outskirts of Punggol:

Frienzie Bar & Bistro
10 Tebing Lane #01-02 Punggol
Singapore 828836
Tel: 6441-0966 / 8318-8850

As it was a weekend night, the place was pretty packed when we arrived. Fortunately, we were able to get seated quickly.

About 10 minutes or so, my Fish & Chips was served. You might think I'm exaggerating, but I swear my eyes lit up when I took my first bite.

It was so nicely battered and the fist meat was so soft and tasty! The portions are also generous (as shown above) and the skin was nice and crisp. I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner, and you bet I finished all the fish!

Dear, on the other hand, had some Burger thingy (I'm really not so good with remembering food names) which I thought was quite good. Well, the patty was soft and succulent, but I think it would have tasted better if there were more Cumin.

With regards to the ambience, I thought it was a bit warm for my liking. More fans or air conditioning would certainly improve the guests' experience. Also, I noticed that some of their staff are nice, while others are just rude. I know it isn't a big deal but sometimes, it takes a rotten apple to spoil one's appetite.. you get what I mean?

Apart from that, it is a nice and comfy place to chill-out over dinner or booze. For me, I'll definitely chill-out over those finger-licking Fish & Chips.

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That One Piece Garment

2011-10-10T00:25:00.000+08:00

Part of my new job involves events, which means I would have to be a little more dressy.

That said, I usually like to wear pants because they are comfortable; you can sit, squat, bend over, and run without worrying about a "Marilyn Monroe" moment.

The downside to pants is that they usually give off a corporate, professional, and a tinge of masculinity vibe, which I think isn't appropriate for some of the events which I have to be a part of.

So, what is classy, chic, comfortable, yet pant-sy?

Yes. Jumpsuits! Unlike the utilitarian one-piece garments used by parachuters, skydivers, pilots, drivers etc, these trendy jumpsuits are classy and elegant, which I totally love!

Currently, I've purchased two jumpsuits (exactly like the ones shown above) from Lilies of e Field - a local online blogshop that sells various apparels; jumpsuits included.

You can check out their products here. I hope you find something that you might like!

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A Date By The Bay

2011-10-08T23:32:00.000+08:00

It was one of those lazy, cloudy afternoons where the boyfriend and I decided to do some gallivanting.

So after running some errands at Suntec City, dear and I walked over to Marina Bay Sands ~~for a date~~ to look-see:

The Helix Bridge, Marina Bay Sands, and the Art Science Museum.. here we come!

The view of the city while the sun sets.

Us having a great time!

The Art Science Museum when night falls.

I love the weekends like these. New places ventured, new memories made. What a wonderful weekend, with a date by the Bay. (Hey! That rhymes!)

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Soho Coffee (Armenian Street)

2011-10-06T01:18:00.000+08:00

I've always had a thing for quiet cafes that serve both (good and presentable) caffeinated beverages and delicious food. Which is what I like about Soho Coffee.

Soho Coffee
36 Armenian Street
#01-08 (Corner of Hill St and Loke Yew St)
Singapore 179934
Tel: 66347977

Located at Armenian street, Soho Coffee provides a cozy environment to unwind, relax and engage in a tête-à-tête with friends and family, while sipping your cup of freshly brewed coffee.

However, coffee wasn't what I needed when I arrived at Soho Coffee. With a growling stomach, I ordered their Grilled Chicken which was oh so tasty! The chicken was so tender, the salad so crunchy and fresh, and the sauce had that smoked barbecue taste that really tantalizes one's palette.

Sadly, I didn't order their coffee, which is a great regret. I mean, who wouldn't want to try a cup of Mocha Latte with a cute picture of a monkey smirking?

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Hot Tomato Express (Plaza Singapura)

2011-10-01T01:07:00.000+08:00

Having been to Plaza Singapura almost every week (sometimes even several times a week), I can't believe I haven't tried Hot Tomato Express before.

But I know why. Tucked in an obscure corner of Basement 2, Hot Tomato Express is surrounded by several other food eateries like Pizza Hut and Wang Cafe etc, making it hard for one to notice unless one deliberately walks through every nook and cranny of Basement 2.

Regardless, my friends and I decided to have our dinner at Hot Tomato, since I've never tried it before.

Pork Chop, Sausage, "N" Aglio Olio ($9.90)

Steak, Prawn "N" Aglio Olio ($11.90)

Teriyaki Chicken Chop & Aglio Olio ($7.90)

You might noticed but the prices are really reasonable for the portions that they provide. As for the food wise, the Teriyaki Chicken Chop I had was juicy and succulent, with soft and tender chicken meat that was absolutely braces-friendly. I was also pleasantly surprised at how fresh their salad is. The Aglio Olio was not bad; nicely tossed with Italian herbs and mixed with a little of sauce from the Teriyaki Chicken Chop.

Needless to say, I left Hot Tomato Express satiated and satisfied. I think I'm going to bring the boyfriend here some day to try. Perhaps, he might like it too!

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The Love Food

2011-09-30T00:54:00.000+08:00

A long and exhausting day at work usually makes me hungry, cranky, and grumpy. But the boyfriend sure knows how to spring a surprise by buying my favorite comfort food to cheer me up:

Oh how I love this man.

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Crystal Jade Kitchen (Junction 8)

2011-09-29T22:30:00.000+08:00

It's so hard to find good porridge. And when I mean good, I mean thick, starchy, cantonese style kinda porridge.

But since not many places have it, I'll just have to make do whatever porridge I can find.

So today, my colleagues and I organized a farewell lunch for a fellow colleague at Crystal Jade Kitchen, located at Junction 8.

As I was suffering the aftermath of my braces tightening session the night before, porridge was more or less the only thing I could eat. Hence, I ordered their Sliced Fish & Century Egg Porridge.

Unlike my favorite kind of porridge, this was smooth and watery, which I thought was tasty and nice as well.

And here's the rest of the office bunch, with the glorious spread of Dim Sum on the table. We sure do look like a group of gluttons, don't we!

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Push. Don't Paddle.

2011-09-27T22:29:00.000+08:00

It was a bright and sunny morning when it happened.

Stevie, my Honda Steed VSE 400 was fine like any other day; able to start and idle while I was suiting up.

Riding for 200 meters or so (but still in the car-park), I had to stop because a car was reversing back into a lot. After the car had parked, I wanted to throttle and move off but Stevie just would not start.

So I pressed the electric starter a few times but to no avail. I flicked the kill switch a few times, pulled the choke, turned off my engine, turned on my engine.. still nothing.

Despondent, I decided that the only thing left to do is to park my bike at the usual motorcyle lot, which was about 200 meters away. So since I wasn't very good at getting off my bike and pushing it around, I decided to paddle my way back to the motorcycle lot, because to me, it made more sense to paddle my bike around than to push 200kg of metal.

But I was wrong.

Because the ground wasn't even, I had to exert a lot more force when I was paddling up some bumpy areas. And to be honest, my arms were aching after paddling halfway.

Finally after 10 minutes (and plenty of stops in between) I finally reached the motorcycle lot.

To cut the long story short, a fellow biker friend who lives a street away came to help and push start Stevie, and we headed to my mechanic at Ubi thereafter.

At the workshop, the mechanic identified that my battery was weak, and needed to be replaced. To cut the long story short again. he replaced it, tested my alternator and rectifier with a multimeter, and said that Stevie's good to go.

I of course, told the boyfriend about the whole ordeal, and whined about how exhausted I was after paddling my bike for 200 meters.

Instead of being sympathetic, he said that I should have get off my bike and pushed it instead. He then insisted that I try pushing my bike while he stood close-by.

Damn. I hate it when he's right.

Lesson learnt: Push. Don't Paddle. If you can't push, then get help, or pray for good samaritan to come by.

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Four In A Row (I Don't Mean The Game)

2011-09-26T21:49:00.000+08:00

Amongst all the terms in my Undergraduate Degree Programme at Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS), last term was the worst.

With 4 gruelling theory-based modules, my mental capacity was sounding the alarm bells during my exam preparation. What made it worse was that my exams were just a day or two apart, which means that I had to cccraaaammppp terabytes of data and information in a short span of days.

It was tough indeed.

A month and a half later, 4 result slips were each sent a day apart. Opening each result slip with trepidation, I was relieved to have cleared each module; some modules even gave me a grade that caught me by surprise.

So yes, I am relieved. Happy. Contented. Thankful. And appreciative. And you know what, this calls for some delectable desserts and a Hoegarden. Ha!

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That Beautiful Covenant

2011-09-25T00:53:00.000+08:00

Was parking my bike into a lot and saw a reflection of a rainbow on my fuel tank:

On a beautiful Sunday morning, those colors in the sky reminded me of a beautiful covenant, and the presence of a divine being.

So after parking my bike, I took a minute or two to gaze at the rainbow, before it slowly faded into the glowing presence of the afternoon sun.

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Hello Mr. Moth

2011-09-18T23:36:00.000+08:00

I've never had an affinity with insects. On the contrary, I scream, run, and go totally looney when I see ANY insects near me.

Ok I'm exaggerating. I generally detest flying insects i.e. Bees, Beetles, Flying Cockroaches etc. So my current tolerance level starts and end with the common Ant and Lizard. Oh, and the occasional mosquito.

If a flying insect comes my way, you'll probably find me under the blanket, hiding behind someone, or wearing my helmet FOR A LONG TIME.

But when I stumbled across this little moth, not only was I cool and calm, I was able to approach it slowly and take a picture of the lovely patterns on its wings.

I guess I'm slowly building my courage and tolerance with these winged creatures. And for that, I think I shall pat myself on my back.

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The 2-in-1 Birthday Bash

2011-09-14T22:31:00.000+08:00

14th and 17th September are 2 joyous occasions in the boyfriend's household; the former being his dad's birthday, and the latter being his sister's birthday.

And to celebrate both birthdays, we had dinner at Long Beach Seafood Restaurant, located at IMM Shopping Centre.

Long Beach IMM Seafood Restaurant
Tel: 6566 9933
Jurong East St 21, Level 3, IMM Building, Next to Rooftop Garden
Daily: 11am - 3pm / 5.45pm - 11pm
Sat, Sun & PH: 11am - 3pm / 5pm -11pm

Ordering their Set Menu that's catered for 5 to 6 people, we had a sumptuous meal, replete with the following:

A ginormous plate of Chili Crab(s).

Fried Mantou (Chinese meaning of Buns)

Crayfish.

Hor Fun.

Almond Longan.

If you had to ask, my favorite would be the Steamed Fish, which is by far the softest fish I've ever had. The sweet and sour sauce tantalized my taste-buds, causing the unconscious nodding of head and pursing of lips. Mmmmm...

The Hor Fun is another dish worthy of applause. Soft and slippery, these glassy noodles can literally slide down your throat without chewing. I love how the gravy has the "Wok Hei" taste, and complements the soft noodles completely.

Apart from that, the boyfriend and I thought that the timing of the food that was served could have been better managed. Imagine savoring one dish while the rest of the dishes start turning cold.. that's just a plain turn off.

In addition, I couldn't help but frown when I learnt that they do not provide serviettes or napkins.

Putting these little nitpicks aside, I truly enjoyed the company and the dinner.

And in the words of Elsa Schiaparelli:

“Eating is not merely a material pleasure. Eating well gives a spectacular joy to life and contributes immensely to goodwill and happy companionship. It is of great importance to the morale.”

The Spongebob In Me

2011-09-11T00:59:00.000+08:00

Maybe it's the bright yellow color or the bright blue eyes.. or even the contagious laughter; but there's something about Spongebob Squarepants that make me squeal like a little girl.

So you can imagine my reaction when I saw the poster that says "Meet Spongebob at 4:00pm" while shopping at Giant in Vivocity. I literally grinned to myself as I excitedly texted the boyfriend.

30 minutes later, Spongebob arrived punctually and the kids started shouting his name. To save myself from some embarrassment, I stood close to where the parents were, as I contemplated if I should join the queue, take a free polaroid picture and redeem a limited edition mug.

Minutes later, the thick-skinned and oblivious me went ahead to queue with the kids and their parents. Fortunately, the queue wasn't long and I was able to quickly take a polaroid picture and redeem a free mug before vanishing from the site.

My Spongebob Merchandise from Giant at Vivocity

Though (I think) I was the only single adult in the queue, I really thought it was worth it. I mean, how do I often get to see Spongebob in the streets or in Shopping Malls, right?

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Romulus (Vivocity)

2011-09-04T00:52:00.000+08:00

When it comes to food, the boyfriend and I are creatures of habit.

If we are packing food from the coffee-shop near his house, he'd order Fried Rice and I'll order Fish Soup Noodles. Occasionally, we will change and have something else that's within our habitual food selection i.e. Hor Fun, Fish Soup, Hong Kong noodles, etc.

If we are at a mall and would like to have fast food, we would head to either Burger King (his favorite) or Mcdonalds. If it's pasta, Pastamania. If all else fails, back to Kopitiam, where we would have the same old food selection.

Yes, we are that boring and unadventurous when it comes to food.

So on a nice Sunday (late) morning, I whatsapp-ed the boyfriend to see if he would be interested to have lunch at Romulus, which is located at Vivocity.

Romulus
VivoCity #01-52
Tel: 6376 9110

With nice comfy lounge chairs and a warm cosy ambience, I was quite surprised to see how empty Romulus was. Being optimistic, I told the boyfriend "Let's give it a try. Maybe they are new that's why there aren't many people."

My Smoked Chicken Thin Crust Pizza ($5.60)

Dear's Pepperoni Thin Crust Pizza ($5.60)

Within 5 to 10 minutes after placing our order, our food was ready to be picked up at the counter.

In my honest opinion, the food didn't win any exceptionally-tasty-and-must-try votes. Instead, it fell into the category of what dear always calls average food - OK lor.

Also, the thin crust pizzas aren't exactly braces-friendly since I spent quite a great deal of time and caution trying to bite my food.

With that, I think I'd rather stick with Pizza Hut for now.

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Food. Beer. Love.

2011-09-02T00:37:00.000+08:00

So the many dinners at our friend - Isaac & Jocelyne's residence on weekends had finally paid off.

Inspired by Isaac's culinary skills, dear decided to cook an Aglio Olio Pasta with Ham, in attempt to emulate one of Isaac's dish that dear really likes.

It's pretty tasty, I must say! Despite being a little soggy, it was actually very flavorful and for that I give a thumbs up!

With home-cooked food, beer, and the company of a love one, it's no wonder my head and stomach was warm and fuzzy wuzzy. You might say that's it the effect of the alcohol, but I'm pretty sure it's something called love.

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Ambush (Junction 8)

2011-09-01T21:50:00.000+08:00

In celebration of my unofficial end of probation at work, as well as other things, my colleagues and I wanted to have a good meal somewhere nearby our office.

So I decided to check out hungrygowhere.com for some recommendations. A few clicks later, I stumbled upon Ambush:

Ambush
9 Bishan Place
#02-19/20/27 Junction 8 Shopping Centre
6353 3960

Arriving at Ambush, I was relieved that there wasn't a queue outside the restaurant. Inside, however, was pretty packed with customers. So you can imagine how fortunate we were to be seated within 5 mins of our arrival.

As we were kinda in a hurry, our orders were quickly placed. Most of us ordered the Set Lunch, which comes with a Soup of the Day, Main Course, and a Beverage.

For today, the Soup of the Day was Clam Chowder. I don't like clams, oysters, mussels and whatnot. But this Clam Chowder was surprisingly pretty tasty. There wasn't the fishy seafood taste, and the soup wasn't too bland or overly salty. In fact, the flavors were all nicely done!

For my main course, I had the Salmon Basil (something something) Pasta. It was quite a turn-off that my pasta was Linguine instead of Spaghetti, even when I've specifically instructed the waiter to have Spaghetti as my choice of pasta.

Apart from that, I must say that the tomato based sauce was quite good. It's sweet, and isn't too bland or too rich. I like!

My colleague ordered a Sausage Meal, which I was fortunate enough to try. Gosh, the mashed potato taste quite good! In fact, it's one the smoothest in texture ever1!

How can we leave without ending things on a good and sweet mode?

So we ordered a Molten Lava Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream for our dessert, which was quite alright.

All in all, my set meal amounted to $14+, which I believe is really affordable and reasonable. Hmm, looks like we'll be heading to Ambush more often than expected.

Possibly Related Posts:
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Ochre - Italian Restaurant & Bar
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Thursday @ The Tavern
Wok Inn Fish & Chips

Kruzer Kamp: Mount Ophir (Day 2)

2011-08-21T15:40:00.002+08:00

Reaching for my handphone when I first opened my eyes, I glanced at the time - 06:45 am. Strange. I don't recall waking up so early without an alarm clock. Ever.

I laid awake for a while before sitting up. It was quiet all around. No sound of laughter, chatter, or birds chirping. Just complete silence.

I unzipped my tent window and saw what's left of our dining area last night:

As you can see from the above, the sky was still a little dark and the ground was still wet from last night's rain and this morning's dew.

I turned my head to the right and noticed some orange and blue hues in the distance. Thinking that I might catch the sunrise, I quickly walked to the Bridge area and waited.

Unfortunately, I didn't get what I was waiting for. But it's alright. At least I've got a snapshot of what might have been a gorgeous sunrise.

In an hour or so, the sky was fully lit. Some of us who woke up earlier started preparing breakfast.

Like the early birds which catches the worm, the early Kruzers get to enjoy a sumptuous breakfast of eggs, maggie mee, tea, and coffee.

After packing up and clearing the camping site, we finally moved off at 11:00am thereabouts.

12:00 pm - Arriving at our first stop in the outskirts of Malacca for a drink or two.

02:20 pm - Kruzers arriving at a Petrol Station to refuel.

03:00 pm - Isaac led us through the coastal roads and finally brought us somewhere along the beach to enjoy the sea breeze.

Kenny making himself at home while enjoying the breezy afternoon by the sea

Stevie by the sea

05:45 pm - We decided to have an early dinner at our favorite hangout in Malacca: Cliff's Sunset Retreat

With the lovely weather, great ambience, gentle breeze, some of us quickly made ourselves at home by removing our motorcycle boots, and changing out of our touring pants into comfy shorts.

It didn't take long before our dinner arrived. Here's Jocelyne with her Chicken Maryland - an absolutely must try!

My Salmon Fillet arrived much later. Apart from being a tad dry and overcooked in the centre portion, the rest of the salmon was pretty soft and tasty.

If not for the dark clouds looming at the distance, we would have stayed longer at Cliff's. That said, we suited up and moved off for home at about 8pm. Even at that time, I was surprised to catch a glimpse of sunset on our way back!

Arriving back at GP Esso at 10:45pm, we mingled around for a little while before bidding farewell to the rest of the Kruzers.

For both dear and I, this camping trip was truly an experience which we truly enjoyed, and will definitely want to experience again in the near future. Thank you Kruzer, for making this trip a memorable and enjoyable one for us!

Possibly Related Posts:
Kruzer Kamp: Mount Ophir (Day 1)
Kruzer: The Ride Home (Day 3)
Kruzer: Ride To The Curve (Day 2)
Kruzer: RIde To Morib (Day 1)
Kruzer: Food On Sticks II

Kruzer Kamp: Mount Ophir (Day 1)

2011-08-20T17:42:00.007+08:00

Let me think. The last camping trip I had was when I was Primary Six. And even then, my memories of it was fuzzy. So when Kruzer organized a camping trip, and on Mount Ophir, I excitedly nudged the boyfriend and looked at him with twinkles in my eyes.

He however, gave me a look of concern and I knew why. That's because we've heard so many stories from our fellow Kruzer friends who had made it to Ophir: The roads are filled with potholes and gravel, and at some stretches, the roads are sandy, which could turn into sludge and mud if it rains. With such treacherous road conditions, Scarlet (his Honda STX 1300) would be too heavy to manhandle if it drops. Oh, I can't imagine how she would be severely disfigured if she falls on the graveled roads.

So I decided that if we were to go, we would use Stevie (my Honda VSE 400). But logistics would be a major issue because Stevie has got only a top box, which was only sufficient for 2 sleeping bags, clothes, and other smaller items. As for the rest of the camping stuff like stools, mass tins, solid fuel, food etc, we thought hard about how we were going to transport it to Mount Ophir. As the camping trip approaches, we still haven't figured out how to settle our camping stuff. Dampened by space constraints, we almost couldn't make it for the camping trip if not for the generosity of a fellow Kruzer, who allowed us to put our camping stuff on his bike.

And with that, our camping trip unfolds..

03:00 am - With only 3 hours of sleep, I was surprised to hear the alarm and get up.

03:30 am - After washing up, we had some time to spare so we headed downstairs for breakfast. Dear and I rarely have time for breakfast before our trips, so this can be considered a rare and special moment.

04:15 am - As usual, dear brought us to the nearby petrol station to check the bike's tire pressure.

Notice the big black bag on the floor? That's our camping stuff which I swear that it weighed about 20kg or something.

05:00 am - Met up the rest of the Kruzers at the usual meet-up point - GP Esso. Note the Yellow GS, with our camping stuff on top. (Thank you, Teo!)

05:20 am - Had a short briefing about the trip before moving off at 05:30 am.

07:30 am - We arrived at Pagoh R&R for our first refuel. Noticed that Stevie's fuel consumption dropped significantly: from 22 - 24 km/l to 15 km/l.

08:20 am - Arrived at Tangkat town to fill our tummies before heading up to Mount Ophir.

09:07 am - Here's us traveling through the trunk roads to Mount Ophir. Thank God for the pleasant weather.

09:09 am - The tarmac road soon disappears and we soon found ourselves traveling on the rugged roads, filled with sand and gravel.

09:16 am - So far, the journey has been manageable. Here's my rider, giving a relieved look inside his helmet. At this juncture, we were so glad to have brought Stevie on this trip instead of Scarlet.

09:30 am - Just when we thought that the roads couldn't get worse with inclines and more loose gravel, we saw a vehicle coming down the same path we were on! Wait a minute? SO THIS IS A TWO WAY ROAD?

09:33 am - The roads just gets worse from here along. With steep slopes, sharp hairpin loops, uneven gravel road .. I had to keep my camera and focus on the roads (and pray!)

We finally made it to the camping site after an arduous journey up Mount Ophir! Special thanks to my rider who brought us up safely. Phew!

While Isaac and Jocelyne were doing some registration at the Visitor Centre, I roamed around and took some pictures of the beautiful scenery.

A breathtaking view of the green plains below. Ahhh, what an idyllic and surreal place.

Here's Joshua, Veronica, and Cherie (from left to right) - our 3 new friends joined us for this trip.

Our camp site is just beside the beautiful dam. Love the peaceful and paradisal surroundings!

Motorcycle parking area

Laundry area

Dining / Kitchen area

Meanwhile, we started pitching our tents. I of course, was busy taking pictures as usual. The perfect excuse.

Dear feeling a sense of accomplishment after pitching our tent.

(If you are interested, our tent can be bought at Carrefour or Giant for just SGD $55.00. It's a 4 man tent, which gives lots of extra space for us to put our barang barang inside)

Immediately after pitching our tent, the eager beaver boyfriend decided to unleash his pent up army outfield skills and cook us brunch.

Just when I thought that having Maggie Mee in the wild is a luxury in itself, our Kruzer friends surprised us with Curry Maggie Mee. Ha!

Disconnected from technology and society, we could only keep ourselves busy with jokes, story-telling, food..

.. and drinks like Coconut Juice..

.. and even Teh Tarik!

Surrounded with nature and lush foliage, it's common to find animals and insects which we don't usually get to see. For example:

This poor little scorpion who lost its tail

This little grub which we found before throwing this wood into our stove fire.

And this mysterious stick insect which sneaked behind us ..

With so much time in our hands and no technology to keep me company during my spare time, I could only do what I do best besides eating - SLEEPING!

Meanwhile, the rest of the bunch were busy (and having fun) gathering wood for the improvised kitchen stove.

Our makeshift kitchen stove. Kudos to the creative thinking of Isaac and other fellow Kruzers!

Joshua helps out in the "kitchen"

Soon, it started to rain and I quickly went back to my tent to hide. But I'm surprised that the rest of them continued with their activities (such as eating corn) in the rain! Here's a view of the "corn-y" people at my tent window.

It didn't take long before the rain got heavier. Most of us went back to our tents but a handful of helpful men braved the rain and accompanied Chef Isaac to prepare dinner.

Kenny and Isaac carrying the cooked food to the sheltered area.

Our delicious dinner, cooked by Isaac with the help of Lionel, Kenny, and Teo. Thank you guys, for persevering in the rain just so that we can fill our stomachs with this delicious meal for dinner.

Halfway through our dinner, dear's arm began to itch and to our horror, these itchy red bumps started appearing! Suspecting that it might be Hives, Jocelyne quickly gave dear some Anti-Histamine pills and Anti-Septic Itch Relief spray.

Till now, we have no idea what it might be or what is the cause. Regardless, we are thankful and glad that it didn't spiral out of control. Phew!

Within a few minutes, dear quickly dozed off because of the drowsy medication. Just then, the rain stopped and I decided to take some snapshots of the scenery.

The night hit us sooner than I thought. Shortly after dinner (and the photo-taking session after the rain), we were engulfed with darkness.

Regardless, we continued to mingle around with damper, alcohol and tea, causing the night to be filled with laughter, booze, and the sweet aroma of Teh Tarik.

My caffeine fix to keep me warm in the cold night.

Time check - 11:00pm. With the cool temperature and the alcohol in some of our stomachs, we retreated to our tents to sleep.

If I could sum up dear and my camping experience for day one into a sentence, it would be "We made it!"

Possibly Related Posts:
Kruzer: The Ride Home (Day 3)
Kruzer: Ride To The Curve (Day 2)
Kruzer: Ride To Morib (Day 1)
Kruzer: Tanjung Sutera 2011 (Day 2)
Kruzer: Tanjung Sutera 2011 (Day 1)

Cold Stone Creamery

2011-08-19T23:27:00.009+08:00

After a sumptuous meal at Ochre, Jeffrey brought us to Cold Stone Creamery, which is also under the Kitchen Language group.

Cold Stone Creamery at Orchard Central.

It's quite amazing to find a crowd at Cold Stone Creamery even at 10:30pm. Apparently, Cold Stone Creamery is quite popular amongst the young and teenage crowd.

Apart from Ice Cream, Cold Stone Creamery also sells Ice Cream Cakes. It's a challenge, he said, because they have make the cake within a certain time lest it melts.

The wide variety of Ice Cream Flavors that Cold Stone Creamery has

Different cup sizes (ok this sounds a little wrong) for your choice of Ice Cream

A kitchen crew prepares our ice-cream

Dear adding some toppings for his Irish Cream Ice Cream

I found this little Kids Viewing area quite interesting! Basically, parents can place their kids here so that the kids can watch the crew prepare the Ice Cream.

A kitchen crew enjoying his job

Cold Stone Creamery also offers customization for their Ice Cream cakes.. at no charge!

Customers can also look through this interactive digital catalogue for the different kinds of Ice Cream Cakes. Very tech saavy.. I like!

Despite tight competition that Cold Stone Creamery might face with competitors like Ben's & Jerry's or Island Creamery, I believe that it's the culture that Cold Stone Creamery has (in addition to the quality of Ice Cream) that draws such a large crowd to its store everyday.

And by culture, I mean fun, vibrant, and gregarious crew like this:

With staff that are fun-loving and jocular, I guess it's why people (including myself) would want to come back to Cold Stone for a scoop (or more) of Ice Cream.

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Ochre - Italian Restaurant & Bar

2011-08-18T22:29:00.108+08:00

OChre is an experiential masterpiece for modern Italian cuisine. Helmed by Executive Chef Kentaro Torii, each exquisite dish is thoughtfully choreographed with delicate touches.

Fortunately for dear and I, we had the wonderful opportunity to dine at Ochre, thanks to the generosity of Jeffrey, who decided to "bump us up to business class" instead of giving us a complimentary meal at Quiznos itself.

Dear and I were seated at a cosy corner which I totally adored. With big comfy back cushions, warm dim lights, modern decor and stylish interiors, the ambience really gave me a classy and romantic, yet modern and chic vibe all at once.

For h'ordeuvres, we were served with this cute little serving of Mortadella.

Dear's appetizer was: Capesante in Padella Pan Fried Hokkaido Scallops Bottarga Potato Puree Squid Ink Vinaigrette, Beetroot Confit.

I now the dish's name is quite a mouthful. But basically, it's scallops, and it taste just like what it is.

My appetizer was: Insalata di Mozzarella e Prosciutto Parma Prosciutto & Buffalo Mozzarella Mesclun, Cherry Tomato, Balsamic Vinaigrette.

I'm not really a salad fan, but this dish really made me wide-eyed. I'm not sure what those slices of meat are, but they taste light and salty. I especially love the Cherry Tomatoes which was really sweet and juicy!

I guess for a non-salad fan to like and enjoy this dish, it really speaks of how tasty it must be right?

Dear and I enjoying our gastronomical experience at Ochre. These are the looks of good food and good company!

Next up in my 4 Course Dinner was Risotto ai Frutti di Mare e Basillico Risotto Prawn, Mussel, Smoked Salmon, Basil.

To be honest, I didn't dare to eat this when I first set eyes on it. That's because it is green in color, and since I eat (or choose) my food based on color and aesthetics, I usually don't eat anything that looks weird, especially in a color that's off my color palette.

But I thought that there should be no harm in trying. Even if I don't like it, at least I can say that I've tried it before pushing this plate away. So after taking a deep long breath, I gave this a try.

To my pleasant surprise, it turned out to be quite tasty. In fact, it taste like wet rice with salmon. However, I didn't finish it because I needed to keep some space for my Main Course.

Dear's dish was Tagliatelle al Ragu d' Anatra e Melanzane Tagliatelle Braised Duck Leg & Eggplant Ragout. Ok that should translate as Duck Pasta.

It taste not bad, but since I don't fancy duck, this didn't really score much points for me.

Moving on, we were served with our main dishes. Dear had the Filetto di Manzo al Marsala Seared Beef Tenderloin Marsala Wine Sauce.

It was a shame that I didn't get to try it. But anyhow, dear didn't like it. He still prefers Lawry's, which currently tops the chart for steak in our list.

I had the Filetto di Rana Pescatrice in Padella Pan Fried Fillet of Monk Fish Fresh Tomato & Garlic Vinaigrette.

Actually, I was quite turned off by some bones that were in the Fish Fillet. But other than that, the fish tasted creamy and buttery when mixed with the mashed potato.

For desserts, I had the Semifreddo alla Banana e Noci Banana Walnut Semifreddo Caramel Vanilla Sauce, Raspberry.

Amongst all the dishes I've had at Ochre, I love this the best!

It's sweet, and has semi-frozen banana in it; perfect for dessert kings / queens and sweet-tooths out there! In fact, it's so good that I might just come back just for this. *Salivates*

Dear's dessert was the Formaggi Italiani Italian Cheese Platter. I thought it looked really cute in terms of food presentation.

But basically, it's just different types of cheese with various sides i.e. Raisins, Biscuits, etc.

Though he's generally a cheese lover, he wasn't able to appreciate some of the cheese; in fact he didn't really know how to appreciate Italian Food, so he didn't enjoy the dinner as much as I did.

Regardless, we were glad to have dined in Ochre because it's our first time in an Italian Restaurant. It is an experience, both for our stomachs and for our taste-buds.

So if Italian food is your cup of tea, give Ochre a try. You will not only be treated with friendly and hospitable staff, but a cosy yet classy ambience that's accompanied with nothing short of a fine Italian meal.

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Quiznos & Tully (Behind The Scene)

2011-08-17T22:25:00.001+08:00

Following my blog post on the mouthwatering experience I had at Quiznos (Square 2), I received an email from the General Manager of Kitchen Language - Jeffrey - who was flattered by my compliments for Quiznos, and wanted to give my partner and I a kitchen tour of Quiznos as an appreciation of my kind words.

Excited and honored, I accepted his offer and decided to bring dear along with me.

Arriving at Quiznos at Orchard Central, dear and I met up with Jeffrey and after a quick introduction of himself, Jeffrey led us to the Quiznos kitchen and started telling us about the kitchen operations, the machines, the ingredients etc..

A kitchen crew shows how a Quiznos sub is prepared.

Despite the limited memory space in my brain, I managed to remember some facts that Jeffrey mentioned. For example, Quiznos actually dip their meat in a sauce before toasting it in the oven. This is so that the flavor of the meat remains in the sub, which causes the beef or meat to be flavor-ful.

I do remember other stuff like the culture of Quiznos, bits and pieces on the background of Quiznos.. I know I sound incoherent. But trust me, these dribs and drabs of information actually do sound more coherent in my head.

After which, Jeffrey introduced us to Tully's Coffee, and told us about the kind of coffee that Tully's make, where their coffee beans are from, the uniqueness of their coffee taste, how expensive and exquisite their coffee machine is..

Being a coffee junkie, I really wanted to grab a cup of joe when Jeffrey mentioned "coffee beans" , "aroma, "taste".. It's as if my ears pick up on these words selectively and cause an immediate craving in my taste-buds.

Unfortunately, it was soon to be dinner time and I honestly, I'd rather have proper food for dinner than a cup of coffee.

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Payless Stores Are In Town!

2011-08-13T00:20:00.008+08:00

My friends, dear, and I were at Suntec to look for some stuff at Carrefour and on our way back, we passed by a Payless Shoesource store.

Peering through the glass windows, I noticed that there are aisles for different shoe sizes, and in each aisle, there are various shoe designs.

Immediately, some of their high heels caught my eye and I gave the boyfriend a wide-eyed grin before dashing into the store.

Negotiating through the aisles, I finally arrived at Aisle 37 (size 6), and I almost had a moment similar to that of the popular Carlsberg advertisement (minus the beer and men portion):

Since dear and our friends were waiting for me outside, I decided to shop with haste. Else I would be greeted with a bunch of frowns and black faces if I took my own sweet time.

Regardless, I managed to purchase 2 pairs of shoes which are really comfortable!

The pair of wedges above is actually the first pair of wedges that I've ever owned! Gosh it's so comfy and simplistic. Though the heel might look steep, it is actually contrary to that because the front also has some height. So essentially, it feels like you're wearing platforms.

This bling-bling pair of heels were purchased because of an upcoming company event. It's also another pair of comfortable, yet luxurious looking pair of heels. What's more, it's just slightly over $30, which is really affordable right?

So ladies, what are you waiting for? Check out Payless at Suntec City Mall if the wallet, boyfriend / spouse, or time forbids!

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Hotel Fort Canning - Dame On A Hill

2011-08-10T01:13:00.100+08:00

For the past 3 days, I was helping out at with the August Man A Listers Retreat which was located at Hotel Fort Canning. With exciting and fun challenges that filled our days, you bet that I was exhausted by the time I returned back to my hotel room every night.

Fortunately for me, the rooms of Hotel Fort Canning gave me one of the best rest and rejuvenation, and that (as well as coffee) kept me going till the end of the retreat.

But apart from the nice comfy bed with its soft and warm blankets, I must say that I love whole glass and open concept that I think is distinctively unique to the hotel. Which is why I've dedicated one post just to tell everyone how much I loooovvvveeee this hotel.

Most of our rooms are as such, with the toilet having an open concept and a bathtub that's situated within an arm's length of one's bed. The glass door that covers the Shower Area isn't twofold however. So if you slide the glass door over the Shower Area, the Toilet Bowl area will be revealed.

I think it's a little kinky and naughty in a tastefully designed manner. Lucky thing for my roomie and I, we were given better rooms...

..Like this! I simply love every part of my hotel room! The bed, the toilet, the Internet TV.. Ok let me quench my excitement and elaborate why this room is simply stunning.

It has got a nice fancy see through toilet with colonial looking doors. The big glass window in front of the toilet sink allows us to bathe or brush our teeth with the backdrop of the city. On the left of the door, there's a shower area that is enclosed with glass. It also has a rain shower which makes me go "ahhhh..."

On the right of the toilet lies a nice and clean bathtub. It was a shame that I didn't get to give that bathtub a try during my stay at Hotel Fort Canning. There simply wasn't enough time.

If one wants privacy, there are blinds that can be electronically controlled for one to shower / soak / use the loo without the fear and worry of someone peeping through the glass wall.

Another interesting feature is this Speaker, which can charge one's iPhone / iPod / iPod touch etc and play music at the same time. Oh boy, my roomie really loves this!

I was more intrigued by the above control panal which had these cute and awesome neon lit buttons. Can you imagine? This control panal feels like a glass surface, so there isn't actually "buttons" per se. Feels more like a touch screen thingy which to me is really awesome.

Another thing in the room that caught my eye is the Nespresso Machine! And the best thing is.. the coffee capsules are free!

Lastly, I was simply fascinated by their Internet TV which was controlled by the wireless keyboard. It's just so cool!

That said, I will definitely recommend Hotel Fort Canning to you guys if you are looking to stay somewhere away from the hustle and bustle of the city life (yet within the city itself), and amidst a lush foliage and greenery.

Though this is a boutique hotel, I am wow-ed by their attention to detail, as well as their modern yet colonial interior design. I will definitely come back here one day!

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Thursday @ The Tavern

2011-08-04T11:09:00.012+08:00

Had a little gathering with some friends at The Tavern, which is located at the Tanglin Club.

The Tavern
Tanglin Club (Members Only)
5 Stevens Road
Singapore 257814
Tel: +65 6739 4129 / +65 6739 4139 / +65 6739 4140

Entering into the restaurant, I was quite drawn into the British / English vintage decor, which gave a relaxing and cosy ambience. Felt as though I was in a different place, and in a different time.

For starters, I ordered their Cream of Mushroom Soup, which tasted pretty ok. I thought that the flavor could be a little richer.

Dear ordered this Onion Soup thingy which really irked me off since I am not a fan of onions. Well, a little onions is ok for me, but this soup tasted as though it was prepared with an several onions, which really threw me off when I first tasted it.

For my main course, I ordered Codfish, which both dear and our friend said is nice. But to me, it had that slight tinge of "muddy" taste and I didn't really like the sauce, which I can't really put a finger to what it taste like.

Dear had steak, and ordered the Ladies Cut portion because he had a late lunch. But the portion turns out to be pretty big for a Ladies Cut. Steak was chunky and tasted above average. But if you have to ask which taste better - Lawry's or this - I'd say Lawry's.

For dessert, we all shared this interesting Cherry thingy (I'm really bad with dish names!) which had cherries, cherry ice cream, waffle, and some raisins. I like how it tasted like a mix of sweet and sour, and the ice-cream really went well with the sauce.

Dear also had a scoop of Ben & Jerry's "Coffee Buzz" which tasted chocolatey and mocha-ish at the same time.

To sum things up, I wouldn't mind coming back here to try other dishes on their menu. After all, their price range is surprisingly reasonable, or in fact a tad lower for the portions that they are serving.

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Wok Inn Fish & Chips

2011-08-03T00:44:00.000+08:00

While blogging about the glorious Fish-and-Chips I had near my office vicinity, I stumbled across another famous Fish-and-Chips stall that's slightly further from my office.

But since the reviews for this is that good, I decided to bring along my colleagues and give this a try.

Wok Inn Fish and Chips
Toa Payoh Lor 4, Blk 95
11.30am to 9.30pm
Closed Tuesdays and Mon Night
98976048

To cut to the chase, this stall does not provide Tartar Sauce. The Fish is crispy (more like crunchy), which reminds me of the fish from Long John Silver. Portion is pretty average, and I was actually quite disappointed at how the fish meat lacked flavor. In fact, the taste of the batter seemed to have overpowered the fish meat.

Regardless, both my colleagues agreed that they'd prefer this Fish and Chips than the one at Let's Me@t.

Then again, I beg to differ. But that's just because I have an anal and fussy palate when it comes to food, To others, it might really be THAT good.

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My Durian Surprise

2011-07-29T11:08:00.052+08:00

If you haven't realized, I have not blogged for a week.

Yes, ONE WEEK.

And if there's anything to point my fingers on, it would be my long-suffering exams, with 4 big ass papers in 9 days.

So you can imagine, there isn't a lot of time for sleep, relaxation, or even dinner dates. In preparation for my exams, I had to rush home after work to burn the midnight oil and half way into this exam period, I was half depressed. And exhausted.

To make me even more dejected than I already was, there was a Durian Day Trip organized by Kruzer and I couldn't go because I had to prepare for my exams! *inserts sad face and whiney expression*

But there's this saying that goes "if you can't go for the durian trip, that doesn't mean that the durians can't come to you."

Wait. I think it was me who said that.

Anyway, the glum me handed dear an empty tupperware and instructed (more like begged) him to bring me some durians if possible.

14 hours later, he finally returned home, with stories about how tough the durian trip was because of the sandy terrain and the steep incline.

Then he went to apologize for leaving the tupperware on his box and forgetting about the tupperware.

As he went on apologizing, we walked to the living room and he revealed the whole chunk of durians while saying "but.. I didn't bring you a tupperware of durians. I BROUGHT BACK THESE DURIANS FOR YOU..."

*Heart melt moment with lots of squeals and "Oh my.. dear.." *

So there we were - his folks and us, sitting in the living room on a Saturday Night and savoring every durian that he brought back.

Oh my, the durians were SO SWEET. SO JUICY. SO TASTY. In fact, those were truly the best durians I've ever had.

Well, I must thank my man for the wonderful gesture and thought. Looks like some one is going to get lots of XOXO for the next few days.

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My Friday Night With Jacob & Synder

2011-07-22T14:52:00.002+08:00

This week has been a tough and mentally exhausting week.

Juggling work with 2 exams (and another 2 more exams next week), I had to sacrifice lots of sleep so that I can have more time to revise.

But by the end of Friday, I was mentally tuckered out and all I wanted was to rest, slack, and SLEEP.

And what better way to relax and welcome the weekend than a bottle of Red Wine and some tasty, sinful, cheese pretzels?

Well, the answer is to have it with a loved one.

And boy, I felt so relaxed and de-stressed as I took each sip and munched on the buttery, strong, cheesy pretzels from Synder's.

In that brief moment, life feels so good. Sigh. I wished it lasted a bit longer.

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Let's Me@t

2011-07-21T12:45:00.003+08:00

Despite having 7 coffee-shops in the nearby vicinity of my workplace, my colleagues and I often scout around for new places to satisfy our gastronomical cravings.

So one day, a colleague passed me a newspaper cut-out of a Fish & Chips review and the next day, we decided to give it a try, since the newspaper review gave it 4/5 stars.

Let's Me@t
Blk 203 Toa Payoh North
S'pore 310203

As I wasn't feeling well, I decided to give fried food a pass and ordered Fish Soup Noodles instead. But 2 of my colleagues went ahead and ordered: Fish & Chips, and a Ribeye something.

When their food was served, we were all taken aback by how huge the fish was. Seriously, the plate was huge and the fish took up half of the plate. GINORMOUS I tell you!

My colleague went to to cut a slice and I watched her expression intensively to find out if the Fish & Chips is really THAT good.

She nodded and bobbed her head a little, while she chewed her fish slowly, judging-ly.

Finally, she uttered a "Good. Not bad', before taking another slice of the fish.

Fortunately, I had a chance to taste her fish and my oh my, it taste wonderful! Soft yet crispy, with tender fish meat that's not masked with an overwhelming flour taste, I nodded my head and told myself I had to try this the next time I come to this coffee-shop! $6.50 for such a huge portion of Fish & Chips, it's definitely worth it I'd say!

Edit: I tried this Fish & Chips on 24th August and it's sad to say that their Fish & Chips didn't taste as good as the first time.

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Colors In The Sky

2011-07-18T22:54:00.000+08:00

Recently while riding, I've noticed quite a few beautiful sunsets in Singapore but it just wasn't convenient for me to stop by the road to snap a shot. If I did, I will ~~most probably~~ definitely be honked at or probably 'stomp-ed' by a self-entertained local who has nothing else better to do.

But being a pillion last Saturday night, I could free my hands, whoop out my iPhone, and take this beautiful sunset while dear was waiting for the traffic light to turn green.

And you know what, the above picture is just a glimpse of the entire sunset. I had the opportunity to gaze at the full sunset while dear was riding, but I couldn't (and wouldn't want to) take a picture of it in fear that my iPhone would be flown away or something. Paranoid, I know. But it pays to be safe and cautious right?

Anyway, watching sunsets like these simply take my breath away. There's just something magical and wonderful about the beauty of nature and His creation. Being filled with awe and wonderment, I couldn't help but smile at the myriad of colors in the sky.

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On A Rainy Day

2011-07-15T22:09:00.001+08:00

One of the downsides of being a motorcyclist is being exposed to the elements of weather; especially the rain.

So for me, I do make a point to check out National Environment Agency's (NEA) rain areas before I move off:

Despite the time lag of 5 to 10 minutes, it has been pretty accurate so far. And if I want to know the movements of the rain clouds, I check out here:

But recently, I found out about a new iPhone app called SG Weather.

It looks pretty much like NEA's rain areas, but what I'm particularly delighted with is their notifications. Being able to set 3 rain alerts, push notifications will be sent to my phone when a particular area is about to rain, giving me the heads-up to wear my raincoat or decide if I should take a different route.

Since caring is sharing, I thought this would be good for all you motorcyclists out there. After all, it's always good to be prepared for the rainy days.

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Quiznos & Tully Coffee (Square 2)

2011-07-12T12:13:00.008+08:00

The first time I've heard about Quiznos, was when my colleagues brought me there for lunch. Well, that wasn't actually the first time I've heard about Quiznos. I've actually walked past there a couple of times when I was at Novena Square 2 but somehow or rather, I didn't stop by there for a meal.

Anyway, I followed my colleagues to Quiznos and on our way there, they kept repeating about how Quiznos is better than Subway. Usually when I hear this, the subway fan in me would get all defensive and quickly rebut with how Subway is the healthier and fresh choice. But this time round, I decided to be more open-minded and less headstrong. After all, I can't imagine the irreversible consequences if we got into a debate .. all because of food.

Arriving at Quiznos, I was a little turned off by the office crowd at lunch hour. But having to travel 2 MRT stations just to get here, we went ahead to queue.

To cut the long story short, I ordered their Honey Bourbon Chicken, which consists of Chicken, lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions, Honey Bourbon Mustard, and Zesty Grille Sauce. Upon my first bite, I was pleasantly surprised at the flavor-full Mustard and Grille Sauce, which overwhelmed my palates with rich and strong flavors. It was then when I realized what my colleagues meant when they say "Quiznos is better than subway!"

And just when I thought that my sandwich was delicious enough, I took a bite at my friend's Spicy Beef and Cheddar with Bacon, which consists of Roast Beef, Bacon, Cheddar, Chopped Lettuce, Tomatoes, Mayo, Yellow Mustard and Zesty Grille Sauce, and I couldn't help but let out a groan which sounded like some food orgasm. Yes, it tastes THAT good, and I knew that I had to bring dear to Quiznos to try this some day.

Weeks later, I decided to bring dear to Quiznos because knowing him, his palate and his stomach, I know that he would love strong and rich flavors of the Spicy Beef and Cheddar with Bacon.

In addition to the 12" sandwich that we ordered, I topped it up to a meal, which comes with a bowl of soup and a drink. We upsized the drink further to a Large size.

Now comes the moment of truth of whether I truly know the boyfriend's taste buds well enough.

He took the first bite and frowned. While he chewed his first bite, he nodded his head and said "Hmm.. Not bad." In his dictionary, 'Not Bad' means that it meets his expectations.

He took the second bite and nodded his head once again, saying "Hmmm.. Good. Got standard." He went on to add that he likes the rich and flavor-full sauces, which complemented perfectly with his favorite ingredients - cheese, bacon, and beef, and not forgetting the nicely toasted crusty bread.

In conclusion to his praise, he agreed that Quiznos is indeed his preferred choice over Subway and he wouldn't mind paying the extra premium just to have this sandwich for his meal.

Well, enough said. Looks like we will be heading to Quiznos for our weekly Sunday lunch. Yeah!

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The Breakfast Wish

2011-07-09T21:25:00.000+08:00

What makes a good breakfast is sweet maple syrup for those with a sweet tooth, warm and soft pancakes (especially for those with braces), and some scrambled eggs for that extra protein boost.

Too bad, dear wasn't with me to make my hearty breakfast complete.

But aaaahhh.. Imagine having a sumptuous breakfast with a good cup of joe, and with dear by my side as we chat and laugh in a nice, cosy, ambience. That would be perfecto!

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Casuarina Curry

2011-07-08T20:17:00.001+08:00

After satisfying one of my colleague's craving for Thai Food, another colleague craved for some crispy prata, and hence suggested that we should cab down to Casuarina Curry for lunch.

Casuarina Curry
Address: 136-138 Casuarina Road, S'pore 579524
Tel: +65 6455 9093

Having tried my friend's crispy prata, I finally understood why this place is famous for their prata. Crispy, warm, with various flavors i.e. Garlic, Egg, Cheese.. their pratas are indeed a notch above the pratas I've tried.

However, I didn't order their pratas because my teeth were still a little sore from the braces tightening session the night before. So I ordered their Maggie Goreng Mata Lembu, which looked different from the Maggie Goreng I've tried before, and tasted a tad blend.

Well, I guess there is a reason why they are only known for their pratas and not other dishes. Their drinks are also a little blend i.e. My Ice Teh-O wasn't really sweet, and my colleagues Teh-Halia (Ginger Tea in Bahasa Melayu) wasn't gingery enough.

Hmm.. Looks like I'll only be returning here for their pratas, and not for anything else. But who is to say that the fickle minded me might change my mind and try something else!

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Wang Thai Kitchen

2011-07-04T21:30:00.008+08:00

At work, part of deciding what to eat for lunch stems from the question "What would you like to have for lunch today?"

In response to the above, my colleague who is a fan or Thai food, had cravings for Thai food. So I did a little search at hungrygowhere.com, and found a Thai Eatery at our office vicinity.

Wang Thai Kitchen
Blk 92 Toa Payoh Lorong 4 #01-274
Open dailly inclusive Public Holiday except Monday.
Operating hours: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 5.30pm to 9.30pm
Tel : 63582938
Mobile: 90090780

We were first served with Basil Chicken. I thought it tasted pretty normal - like minced meat in oyster sauce and long beans. I'm not sure if it tastes authentic, as I haven't tried the "real thing". But since my colleagues gave very neutral comments on this, I guess it was neither fantastic nor yucky.

What is Thai Food without Tom Yam Soup? So my colleagues ordered a small port of Tom Yam Soup to satisfy their cravings.

When it arrived, we figured that the Tom Yam soup was not THAT spicy, since it was clear soup. On the contrary, it is SUPER SOUR AND SPICY! I coughed a few times after having a sip because the spice and the chilli really gave me an itchy throat.

We also ordered Salted Egg Fried Rice, which garnered a few thumbs up and praises.

The Green Curry Chicken was also not bad. The only thing I gripe about is how small their portions are.

The Thai Mango Salad which we ordered for appetizers arrived last, and we ended up having that as dessert instead.

To be honest, I didn't like this dish since I'm not a fan of salad or sour stuff.

That's ok. I've never really been a fan of Thai food anyway. That said, I don't think I will be coming back here (on my own), as their food is a tad pricey and the food doesn't really appeal to me. Honestly, I'd rather spend the same amount of money on something more familiar - like Fish Soup or Mcdonald's.

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2011-07-01T20:36:00.004+08:00

One thing I love about my new job is how adventurous my colleagues are with food. Tell them that there's a famous chicken rice stall in the vicinity and that would be our next lunch venue.

So about a week or two ago, we heard that there is a well-known chicken rice stall - Lee Fan Nam Kee - a few lorongs (another language for alleys / lanes) away.

Excited and hungry, we ventured to #01-04 of Blk 94 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh in anticipation.

Lee Fan Nam Kee
Blk 94 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh #01-04
Tel: +65 6255 0891

I must say that I finally know why this place if famous for their chicken. The deliciously soya-sauced chicken really invokes your taste-buds and make you go "uuummmm....."

The chicken meat is also very tender and soft, which makes that very braces-friendly.

We also ordered the beansprouts, which was not bad. I guess our our taste-buds were used to the sweet yummilious sauce from the chicken that the beansprouts paled in comparison.

We also ordered the Roast Pork Belly and the Char Siew Meat, which I thought tasted good as well. I rarely choose to eat Char Siew or Roast Pork (because I don't like the fatty texture) but this time, I thought that I should be a little more courageous with my appetite, and I'm so glad I did!

That said, I'm definitely going to come back here some time again to have my delicious, juicy, and tender chicken. In fact, I'm going to bring my folks or dear here one day.

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My Emo Survival Kit

2011-06-29T22:25:00.009+08:00

Today was one of those days where no matter how hard I tried, it just felt glum and sull.

Though I was thankful that I had lots of work to keep my mind off all the negative vibe during office hours, I couldn't say the same when I got off work.

In addition to the negative 'qi', the people I wanted to meet turned me down, the comfort food I craved for was out of my reach, the sky was opening up its floodgates and the dull ache from my braces tightening session just tipped my mood off the balancing scale.

But I know that mulling over my displeasure and discontent wouldn't do me any good.

So immediately, I thought of my Emo Survival Kit:

1. Snacks

I'm a sucker for chips and ice-cream. So Lays, Ruffles, and Ice-Cream are amongst the top of my list of comfort food. Alternatively, anything cold / hot and sweet would suffice!

2. Hair Cut / Nail Art

For traumatic experiences, or when someone really steps on my toes real hard, I usually opt for the former - Hair Cut. I guess the feeling of the hairdresser "chopping" off my hair makes me feel "lighter" - as if my problems are cut away from life. It's totally BS, I know. But whatever works for me right? Ha ha!

I usually opt for the latter - Nail Art when I want to feel a tinge of femininity, or when I'm just too lazy to head down to the hairdresser. Furthermore, you need to pay the hairdresser to cut your hair. But for nail art , you can do it yourself, and that makes a cheapskate like me very happy.

3. Spongebob Cartoons

Spongebob being my favorite cartoon, always puts a smile on my face. So if I'm looking to get a good laugh, I'll play my CD of Spongebob Episodes, grab some snacks, sit back, and laugh!

Usually, either or all of the above mentioned would make me feel better almost instantaneously. But when they fail, the last resort of crying to bed always works.

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The Rendezvous

2011-06-22T01:12:00.004+08:00

Among all the date nights we've had, last night was perhaps one of the top on my list.

As usual, we headed to Changi Airport Terminal 3 - our favorite hangout - for supper. After which, we started chatting about life, about our day, our work, etc..

And as we sat there laughing and chatting (and cam-whoring with the bf's new iPhone 4), I felt so happy. So blissful.

It brought me back to 8 years ago, where we often sat at some park bench or playground and talk our hearts out.

Now that 8 years has past, I'm glad that we are still able to talk and chat to our hearts content. Ahhh.. I relish in moments like these!

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Joe & Dough. And Us

2011-06-17T08:06:00.001+08:00

There are moments which I really love and look forward to: My coffee time, and time with the Boyfriend. (Well, there are other things that I look forward to but let's just talk about coffee and men in this post.)

So you can imagine how delighted I am when I get to have both my coffee and my boyfriend at the same time. It's like having the best of the both worlds, and it makes the little girl in me grin from ear to ear.

It was a Friday night, and dear and I met up at Suntec as I had to run some errands. After which, we had dinner at Subway, followed by some coffee chill time at Joe & Dough.

As it was my first visit to Joe & Dough, I was quite intrigued by their woody interiors. Somehow, it exuberated a very calming and layback feeling, which I really like!

What caught my attention at Joe & Dough is the size of their coffee cups. It's HUGE!

Sitting at the corner of a relaxing coffee-joint, watching the world go by on a Friday night, and enjoying conversations with the boyfriend, I finally understood the essence of "Thank God It's Friday!"

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Thursdays @ Watami

2011-06-16T00:22:00.006+08:00

I guess if you ask any office crowd, they will agree in unison that a good lunch would be the best comfort on a normal "blue" work day.

Fortunately for me, I had a fabulous lunch at Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant today. In fact, I ate so much that I needed my caffeine fix almost immediately after our lunch at Watami.

Here's a quick look of my yummilicious lunch:

(From top left) Salad that comes with the Lunch Set, Cheese Tamago Yaki, Kimitoro Gyu Tsukune, Bacon Egg Hamburger Steak Set

Kami & Hotate Cream Croquette, Salmon Sashimi

Ice-Cream Brownie, Passion Fruit Green Tea

With all that food, you bet we took more than an hour to wipe out the most of the food. More accurately, we took 3 hours, which probably means we ate about 3 times more than what we usually have for lunch. Boy aren't we gluttons!

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2011-06-12T22:40:00.007+08:00

Just four days ago, my folks left for church camp, leaving me in an empty house.

And knowing me, I wouldn't be inclined to clean up any part of the house except for the places that I spend most of my time in: my room.

But hours before my folks came back, I decided to be a good daughter, and clean up the house so that mom wouldn't need to do any housework when she comes back.

So I started making the beds, sweeping the floor, washing the floor towels, and at the end of it all, I sat in my chair with perspiration dripping down my forehead, feeling proud of myself for doing something good, something thoughtful.

Hmm.. perhaps I should do this more often!

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Old School Delights

2011-06-04T11:35:00.003+08:00

It has been some time since dear and I met up with our Young Adult friends, and we finally had a chance to do so today.

Gathering at one of our friend's residence first, we then drove to Upper Thomson Road for dinner. Thereafter, we had to choose from 3 dinner venues: 2 Fat Men, Old School Delights, or some famous chicken rice stall.

It was a close call, with votes evenly spread amongst all 3 dinner venues. But we finally decided on Old School Delights when we heard that the food there is cheaper - with price ranging from $5+ to less than $10.

Arriving at Old School Delights, we were a little worried that we couldn't get seats because there was quite a crowd. Good thing another group left when we arrived, so we had a long table that could accomodate all of us.

Glancing about, I noticed how the ambience was very simple but very school-like. With a long chalkboard and a noticeboard scribbled with little fun facts of the good old school days, e.g. how we used to love pencil cases with lots of drawers and compartments, it certainly brought back many memories from my primary school days.

At the corner of each table, we also found a little wooden box that contains familiar games we used to play in the past, i.e. SNAP, 5 Stones, Country Erasers & Kuti Kuti.

Immediately, the guys got all hyped up and started challenging each other with their primary school past time - country erasers, and SNAP!

After several rounds of games, the toys were finally kept away and we continued to reminisce on those good old days, like our favorite cartoons, how pagers were the "in" thing, how the guys won a box of erasers after competing with other boys..

Though I was the youngest in the group, I was GLAD to still be able to identify with their stories. Else, I would have been totally lost in their conversations already.

As we continued chatting, our food slowly arrived. First to arrive was Andy and Daniel's Home-style Curry Chicken with Rice. The curry wasn't too spicy and too thick nor too thin. It was actually pretty nice.

Our drinks arrived next. Dear and I ordered Ice Teh-O, which tasted really bland in my opinion.

Then, dear's Nasi Lemak Besar arrived and immediately, I could tell the subtle disappointment in dear's expression. I think he was expecting a bit more ingredients, like one more chicken wing, and more rice.

Soon, everyone's food arrived except our friend Weston, and mine. We continued to wait until we couldn't take it, and told the waiter our displeasure.

She apologized repeatedly and served us a complimentary slice of Banana Cake. I however, was not that easy to appease. After all, I was already famished and grouchy, and to add to my irritability, another waiter kept serving us drinks when we already had our drinks. I mean, first time she made that mistake, it was forgivable. But to keep making the same mistakes repeatedly, it clearly shows that their operations process is pretty messy.

Anyway, I finally received my food almost half an hour later, when my friends are almost done with theirs. *Lets out a long sigh*

Well, if not for the good company and fellowship, I think I would have left Old School Delights with a frown and a black face. That said, I wouldn't want to come back Old School Delights on my own, or with dear. After all, first impressions do count and sad to say, Old School Delights didn't give me a good impression. None at all.

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That Black Pouch

2011-06-03T00:00:00.000+08:00

If there is an accessory that a lady must have, that would be a pouch.

See a pouch is more than just a small bag. It is a make-up bag, combined with other female stuff like sanitary pads, mirror, comb, etc. With this pouch, a lady feels complete, assured, and ready when a cosmetic tragedy takes place, or when the time of the month comes.

For me, I have pouches for different things:

Cosmetics (and other female stuff) - Eyeliner, Concealer, Sanitary Pads..
Electronics - iPhone cables, extra camera battery, thumb drive..
Documents - Passport, White Cards, Vouchers..

So if I'm able to find a pouch that can fit all three categories (as mentioned above) in one single pouch, it would be fantastic!

The other day, I was just doing some retail therapy when I stumbled across this black pouch:

As I'm a sucker for items with a nice buckle, this black pouch totally caught my attention at the first glance.

Exploring it further, I realized that it has SO MANY POCKETS AND ZIPS!

Immediately, my mind raced to all the little things I can fill in each pocket. Aha!

Without further ado, I grabbed a new piece of the pouch and walked to the cashier with a smile on my face.

Ps: This is priced at $17.90, and can be found at Isetan, Tampines Mall. I'm not sure if you can find this in other Isetan outlets though.

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2011-06-01T21:08:00.002+08:00

Each time I'm at Clarke Quay, most of my friends would suggest Song Fa Ba Kut Teh, either for lunch or dinner.

But my anticipation will turn into disappointment quickly, because of their big crowd of customers. And since I'm not a fan of crowded and non air-conditioned places, I end up eating at The Central instead.

Today, I finally got the chance to try out the well-known Bak Kut Teh at Soon Fa's.

Because of my braces, I didn't try the ribs as shown above. If I really wanted to have a bite, I will need a bigger plate, a fork, and a knife, so that I can slice the meat into smaller pieces.

As for the soup base, it was quite tasty. Hot and peppery, the soup will surely excite the taste-buds of soup lovers!

Another dish - Lean meat & Pork fat - was ordered by my friends.

Unlike the usual lean meat which is hard and tough to bite, Song Fa's is more tender and soft, making it really braces friendly!

Here's the entire lunch spread we ordered! I know, it looks like A LOT of food, but in reality, the portions were adequate and just nice for 8 people.

Well, now that I've tried their how good their Bak Kut Teh is, I think I'll re-visit Song Fa the next time I pop by Clarke Quay. After all, good thing must wait. So a big crowd and long queue shouldn't matter. RIGHT?

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The Food-Walk Sunday

2011-05-29T21:46:00.000+08:00

On weekends where dear has to work, I usually hang out with friends over lunch, go shopping, or bum around at home.

Today was no exception. Meeting my friends at their residence, we took a cab thereafter to Indian Phoenix Restaurant where I had Indian Food fix:

From left to right: Tandoori Papad (correct me if I'm wrong) and Mushroom Manchurian

Top left: Kasmiri Naan

Bottom left: (Not so) Chilli Fish

Right: Chicken Kurma

Ps: The Chilli fish was not as spicy as it should be, because I told the waiter that I can't take food that's too spicy.

To curb the bulge in our tummies from the satiating lunch, we walked back home to change into our sports attire, before heading out to Diary Farm Quarry.

Compared to the Nature Walk we had 2 weeks ago, the walk to Diary Farm Quarry was much shorter. However, the looming dark clouds and rolling thunder sure makes the walk a little apprehensive and uncomfortable.

Regardless, we pressed on and finally arrived at The Quarry.

I love how this wooden platform faces the tall rocks and mountains. Makes me feel so small, and vulnerable, but yet at the same time, amazed and in awe.

As with most Nature Walks (or normal outings) with my friend Isaac, I'll get to learn some educational stuff such as the Snail Eggs in the above picture.

Before heading back home, Isaac showed us a nice spot where we could take pictures of the KTM train as keepsake, as the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station is closing down soon.

Spotted some lovely flowers that made me smile on the way back from the Quarry. Love the color combination!

Along the way back, we stopped by Cold Storage to get some dinner supplies. As usual, Chef Chan whipped up a delectable dish - Salmon Pasta, which got my taste-buds and stomach really satisfied and happy.

I really can't wait to do this again! But next time, let's hope dear's around.

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The Ship Restaurant (NEX)

2011-05-26T00:34:00.000+08:00

My family, dear, and I went to The Ship at NEX to celebrate Mom's advanced birthday today.

The Ship Restaurant (NEX)
Address: 23 Serangoon Central, #01-61/62 NEX Mall, Singapore
Tel: +65 6834 3733

To be honest, I was a little skeptical about The Ship because they don't have a website, which makes it really hard to see what kind of food they serve. Furthermore, The Ship doesn't sound as prestigious as Jack's Place, Pu Tien, or even Swensen's. In short, I have no idea what they had to offer, what kind of ambience they have, and how good they are.

Regardless, I decided to give The Ship a try after reading several reviews by various foodies, who most of which gave two thumbs up for their Escargots, and mentioned that their other food items were as tasty and delicious as well.

Arriving outside The Ship, I was a little apprehensive if I had made the wrong decision. After all, the exterior looks dull, dark and confusing. I mean, who puts Chinese looking chairs outside an English Restaurant? One wouldn't know if it's a Chinese Restaurant or an English Restaurant when they pass by.

I guess they could improve their exterior by making it more in lined with their nautical theme.

Stepping into The Ship and being seated thereafter, I quickly take back my words. Unlike its exterior, The Ship's interior had a very nautical and maritime theme, with decorations such as life buoys, anchors, port windows etc.

Having appreciated The Ship's cute and interesting decor, we proceeded to order our food.

For starters, we had 1/2 a dozen Escargots. Since I've not tried Escargots before, I can't tell if it taste good or not. All I can say is that the texture taste a bit like Bamboo Clams, and the fried garlic sauce was a nice complement to it.

All of us ordered their combo set which includes a Soup of The Day, Main Course, Coffee / Tea, and Dessert.

So next up, we were served with their Soup of The Day which we could choose from either Cream of Mushroom or Sweet Corn.

For my Main Course, I ordered their Grilled SeaBass with vegetables, potatoes and chicken kebabs.

Frankly, I was little disappointed with the Grilled SeaBass. Though it's soft and juicy, but it's pretty tasteless inside.

Dear had the Lobster with Sirloin Steak which looks much more tantalizing than my Grilled SeaBass. Too bad I didn't get to try any of it.

Once we were down with our Main Course, we were served with our Dessert of the Day which was Strawberry Mousse Cake. Apart from its small portion, I didn't quite like how average it tasted. More accurately, it tasted like normal butter cake with strawberry cream on top.

However, this Strawberry Mousse Cake still taste much better in comparison with the Strawberry Cheese Cake I had at District 10.

Here's a family shot of us before we left The Ship. See, all smiles mean good times isn't it?

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My New Chill-out At Tea Cosy

2011-05-25T00:12:00.008+08:00

All these while, Starbucks has always been my preferred coffee-joint. But I must say that lately, it has become increasingly crowded with people, which is a bit of a turn-off for me. After all, I do like to spend my "me time" in somewhere peaceful, quiet, and cosy.

So I thought about Tea Cosy, which is a little cafe that's tucked in a corner of Plaza Singapura and is commonly mistaken as a shop that sells Angel ornaments only.

Well I've been to Tea Cosy a few times but it's just a habit to think of Starbucks or Coffee Bean when I need coffee and a place to chill-out.

Arriving at Tea Cosy, I was quickly seated in one of their comfy sofa chairs. Glancing around the cafe, I noticed that other than the couple sitting at the next table, there were no other people, which makes it perfect! No loud chatter, no need to squeeze with people and no queue; just my kind of bossa nova being played on the speakers, a delectable cupcake and my favorite cup of joe - Long Black.

Life is heaven in moments like these. No interruptions, no rush, no cares and no worries. Just music, peace, quietness, dessert, and coffee. Aaaahhh.

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Metal On My Teeth (8 Months Later)

2011-05-24T13:49:00.001+08:00

Unlike the usual dental appointments to tighten my braces, today's appointment consists of doing an X-ray to see if the roots of my teeth are clashing with each other.

Here's a comparison of a two X-rays - one taken before I had orthodontic treatment, and the other - after I had orthodontic treatment.

On 28th SEPTEMBER 2010:

On 24th MAY 2011:

You can see from the latest X-ray above, that there are lesser teeth with some gaps in between. But generally, it's obvious that the teeth are much straighter and less crowded. However, the 2 teeth roots that are circle in red (see above) are pretty close to each other. So Dr Quah had to re-position the bracket on my teeth so as to facilitate the movement of teeth roots away from each other.

Regardless, isn't it amazing what 8 months of orthodontic treatment can do?

Truly, beauty is an investment with visible returns!

On another note, I've been receiving several emails from some readers concerning my orthodontic treatment with Dr Joanne Quah at Ubi Dental Clinic.

For those whom I've replied but are still sitting on the fence, hesitate no longer! I cannot stress enough on how gentle and sensitive Dr Quah is with her treatment. She has indeed made my orthodontic journey a pleasant, enjoyable, and pain-less one.

For those whom I've replied and have already booked your appointments with Dr Quah, thank you for trusting in my recommendation. I wish you well in your orthodontic journey as well. Thank you!

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Stevie's First Servicing

2011-05-23T20:06:00.005+08:00

I brought Stevie for his first servicing today.

Usually, I'll leave my bike there and head back to work or run some errands.

But since I had all the time in the world, dear urged me to stay at the workshop and watch how my mechanic service Stevie.

Now I'm not one who likes to sit around and watch something take place; especially when I know nuts about what's going on.

But I had to. Or rather, I wanted to. Because it makes me feel like a responsible bike owner. Ha!

So there I was at the workshop since 10:00am, watching my mechanic take out the parts on my bike while I sat by the side.

In a matter of minutes, I got bored. So the lady boss and I started chatting, and friends started popping by the workshop unexpectedly, which was good because it really made my waiting time at the workshop much enjoyable!

At about 4:30pm, I finally received my serviced Stevie and coincidentally, my friends had to leave for their own programs and/or errands too!

Amazing how God seems to work in mysterious ways, sending people my way to keep me entertained throughout my time at the workshop. He must have known that I was reaaaalllyy bored!

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If Today Was Everyday

2011-05-21T18:56:00.000+08:00

Today was a long day.

Programs were lined up from morning till dusk and by the time I was home, I was pretty drained.

But shortly after reaching home, I received a phone call from dear if I was interested in hanging out at our usual spot - Changi Airport. After some contemplation, I agreed to meet him despite my fatigue.

So as usual, he picked me up and we headed down to Changi Airport Terminal 3.

Arriving at about 10:15pm, we were surprised to see how crowded the airport was! Most of our usual hangouts were filled with people, and we had no choice but to head over to Terminal 2 for more food options. After walking past several eateries, we finally settled down at McDonald's in Terminal 2.

Having had our supper, we then spent the remaining time chatting and cam-whoring... just like good old times.

Ahhhh... If only every day would be as such.

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The Holiday Walkabout

2011-05-17T00:17:00.004+08:00

17th May 2011 is Vesak Day, which is a public holiday in Singapore.

In anticipation of this day, I decided to plan some possible activities for dear, myself, and our friends - all of which revolves around walking, trekking, and some form of sight seeing.

But other than the Southern Ridges walkabout that dear and I did some years ago, I did not know other routes for a this walkabout. So I searched the National Parks website, bounced off some possible venues and routes with our friend, and he finally decided on a route for our walkabout.

8:30am: Dear and I arrived at our friend's house, met up with them, unloaded some of our stuff, and all of us proceeded downstairs to begin our walkabout.

As our friends resides in Bukit Panjang, the walk from his house to Diary Farm Nature Park took about 10 to 15 minutes.

Walking along the concrete path of Diary Farm Nature Park, our friend - Isaac suddently took us off-road. Not to sound like a pampered spoilt brat but totally took me off guard because I wasn't expecting to walk anything short of concrete or wood.

Walking into the woods, we stumbled across this beautiful sight of the sunlight peaking through the canopy. How surreal is that!

We walked on further and the beauty of Mother Nature caught our eyes.

But in my attempt to capture these sights on camera, I realized that there is no way I can get close to an insect because of my fear of them. So that's when the boyfriend comes in handy. He goes up close to the little creatures, and SNAP!

Ants scurrying through the foliage in a neat and tidy row. Haven't seen that many ants in my life before.

Isaac taught us that this is the common sun skink - Eutropis multifasciatus. I'm so glad we have a knowledgeable guide for this walk. Ha!

From far, these looks like red flowers to me. Upon closer look... Eeek! Red Dragonflies!

We also came across caterpillar infested leaves. I was so glad that I wasn't walking under these leaves.

Below are some the plant pictures I took along the way:

Love how the above picture seem to interpret the process of photosynthesis.

I like yellow. So anything yellow captures my eyes, which is then captured on my camera.

Spotted another pretty pretty and fluffy white plant which stood out from the rest of the grass.

Here's the route we took. Looking back, it seems like a pasture that's easy to walk. But do not be deceived. There are actually muddy soils, slopes, and tall grass.

Moving on, we arrived at Rifle Range Road, where we stumbled upon some 'monkey business'.

After 2 hours or so, we finally arrived at MacRitchie Reservoir. There, we had no idea that the route we took was actually against traffic; which was only one way! Well, we thought - what the heck! Might as well proceed on since we came this far.

Climbing up the long flight of wooden stairs, we finally reached the HSBC Treetop Walk. Though I'm afraid of heights, this doesn't look THAT scary after all. But still, my heart was beating faster than usual.

Isn't the view on the bridge breathtaking?

So anyway, we walked in the opposite direction until which reached the end of the bridge (which is the actually the start of the bridge) and was reprimanded by the Park Ranger for disobeying instructions.

In his anger, he told us to return from where we came from, which means to walk back across the bridge, down the long flight of stairs, in order to reach the end of the walk.

But after much plea and apology, he let us through. Phew!

All in all, we spent about 3 hours thereabout on the entire walkabout. Though the duration of this walk isn't as long as the Southern Ridges walk, it was still good exercise; especially when you are in the company of loved one and friends.

With a step towards healthy living at absolutely no cost, perhaps I should organize more of these walkabouts, since there are a few more public holidays this year. *Grins to self*

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My MBA - I Mean Macbook Air

2011-05-16T01:13:00.006+08:00

Some time last December, I helped dear with something and in his deepest gratitude, he promised to buy me the new Macbook Air as a Thank You gift.

Months later, we heard that a mutual friend of ours was intending to sell of his mint condition Macbook Air which was used for about 3 months.

This information sparked the interest of both of us, and after liaising with our mutual friend, dear finally bought the Macbook Air from him for me today!

Here's a picture of me, with my Kate Spaaa.. I mean Macbook Air. Thank you dear! I'm so loving it!

Ps: For the benefit of our non-Singaporean readers, the above pose in the picture was in mockery of a certain Member of Parliament here. You can read more about her here.

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A Turn Of The Screw

2011-05-15T18:05:00.003+08:00

Today would have been a nice and lazy afternoon if not for 2 things: A sudden downpour and a punctured tire.

Well the sudden downpour wasn't much of a big deal. But it kinda sucks getting drenched and knowing that you can't do anything about it because there isn't any convenient place to stop and suit up, and also because we were 5 mins from reaching dear's place so there was no point to stop anyway.

The punctured tire however, was something that brought about mixed emotions.

It all started when I was riding and felt that something was amiss. More accurately, I felt that the bike's pick up was slower, it was much heavier when I tried to paddle it, and it just felt .. different.

So once we arrived at the carpark, I told dear my concerns and instinctively, he told me to look at my rear tires while he pushed my bike forward. As the rear tire rolled while dear was pushing the bike, I spotted a screw right in the middle of the tire!

At that moment, I was filled with mixed emotions - excited that it's my first puncture, and sad that I have a puncture.

Quickly dear knew what to do. He rode with me to a nearby petrol station and started to patch the tire but putting a worm. Before he did so, he had to pump some air into my rear tire first. That's when we realized that my tire pressure had dropped from 220 to less than 100!

So that means to say that if I did not realize the puncture today, I would definitely been greeted by a flat tyre within the next few days.

Anyhow, dear managed to repair the puncture within a 5 - 10 minutes or so. He then continued to check and pumped up the air pressure of my rear tire before moving off.

Phew! Am so glad to have a boyfriend who is both a geek and a mechanic!

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Saizeriya

2011-05-14T01:00:00.001+08:00

Saizeriya (サイゼリヤ) is a Japanese chain of Italian family-style budget restaurants, which is managed by Saizeriya Co. Ltd. (株式会社サイゼリヤ). It has over 750 chains in Japan alone and also have branches in major cities like Shanghai and Taipei. In Singapore however, there is only one branch in Liang Court.

Address: Liang Court, #02-22
Tel: 6337 8948
Operating Hours: 10am – 10pm

I can still vividly recall my first impression of Saizeriya. At first look, the exterior of the restaurant looked like it was some old upscale restaurant.

To be honest, I wouldn't have even noticed it or chose to dine in it without my friend's recommendation. But since she mentioned that the food is cheap and good, dear and I decided to give it a try.

Since it was 5+ when we entered Saizeriya, it was still pretty early for us to want to have dinner. So dear ordered the Bar Set ($3.90) which came with a plate of salad, and free flow of drinks.

Oh and if you are the sort that likes your without dressing, you have got to inform the waiter / waitress when you order.

Contrary to dear's appetite, I was pretty hungry as I didn't have breakfast or lunch earlier. So I ordered Spaghetti Chicken B0lognese ($3.90) which was really cheap! In fact, I think it is even cheaper than Pasta Mania.

As for the taste, frankly, it tasted weird; unlike the usual bolognese. Instead of what should be a tomato based sauce, it's a little creamy and cheesy. You really have got to try it for yourself to taste how "different" this is.

That said, I realized that all in all, the food is indeed very cheap for its kind. For a main course, you can easily get it less than $10 - which is thereabouts of a fast food meal these days.

Apart from the price, there are also some other dishes on the menu that I would like to try. So suffice to say, I'll probably return to Saizeriya someday because though I know they offer cheap food, I'd like to know if they serve cheap and good food as well.

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