qiuu-ing: food, movies, travel and shopping

No photos

2012-01-27T20:24:00.002+08:00

Rather upset because there's something wrong with my computer. I had figured what's wrong with my camera, fixed it and took photos with it during CNY. But I can't upload the photos because the computer doesn't detect my sd card :( so I've only two other measely photos using my phone. Uncle's baby and pic with my biaojie who was also wearing an asymmetrical romper that day.

Colours of the day

2012-01-24T10:58:00.001+08:00

Day 1: pink (cheongsam from Lilypirates)

Day 2: yellow (romper from lovebonito)

Reunion lunch

2012-01-21T14:38:00.001+08:00

Had reunion lunch at you can guess where... Dozo. My family's favourite restaurant for special occasions. However, this time the food wasn't as good as usual. Not sure if it's a new chef, but everything just didn't measure up. Portions for starter were smaller, beef tendon was dry and my creme brûlée burnt. Sigh.

Cedele with mum

2012-01-20T21:58:00.001+08:00

Had a whole week of 12 hour shifts :( wake up at 5am and reach home at 8pm. Meetings, admin and cca. Teachers really have no life. So I was really glad I had my afternoon off today and got to meet mum for a meal.

Sis promoted

2012-01-19T21:44:00.001+08:00

Sis got promoted the day before and treated us yesterday to margarita's. Loads of carbo and protein. Don't know why but it doesn't taste as good anymore.

Nomination

2012-01-19T19:39:00.001+08:00

My nomination ring which I ordered through singsale arrived today. This is my second order through them and the item was in good condition. It's really a pity that it's too big for me. Luckily my sis can wear it!

my new kate spade case

2012-01-18T20:58:00.003+08:00

finally received my kate spade case today! and it came with freebies too :)

i ordered it from http://www.case2case.net. i must admit after payment i was rather leery of the whole thing. the package also took a pretty long time to reach me. BUT i did receive prompt replies to my queries from the staff and the case came nicely and securely wrapped. very happy with my case!

My splurge

2012-01-16T20:56:00.001+08:00

My splurge at fossil! A classic weekender in camel, full leather. Huge enough for a4. My only complaint is that the outer strap keeps falling off my shoulder. Any ideas to keep it up?

lunch, nails & make-up workshop

2012-01-15T12:11:00.001+08:00

had a day out with my sister on friday after school. met up to have lunch and do our nails at orchard central.

we ate at everything with fries. they had a pretty great deal going on. a burger, fries and a drink for $9.90. my sis persuaded me to try the har jeong gai (prawn paste chicken) burger. it was intolerably salty! i couldn't even finish half of the burger. garlic and curry fries were fantastic as usual.

sis had the tandoori chicken burger, which was a healthier choice and a better tasting one too.

next, we went to ladyfinger to do our nails. we couldn't make up our minds with all the different variety of nail arts, but we did settle as soon as we saw the china glaze crackle (think opi shatter).

my sis in her really tight skinnies. who in the right mind wears that to a classic pedicure?

i did a metallic silver base with a pink top while sis did a bronze base with a turquoise top. pretty pleased with the pattern too as the manicurist did alternate horizontal and vertical patterns on my nails.

then, we headed down to tanjong pagar for our japanese and korean hairstyling and meakeup workshop by beauty buzz. that was a disappointment. the trainer was late by half an hour and the course was more of a basic make-up tutorial.

we killed sometime by walking around international plaza and buying bubble tea at share tea. the lime green tea yakult was pretty great but the taro milk tea was very diluted.

when we finally entered the class at mary kay, it seemed more like they were introducing their products rather than teaching make-up techniques.

the four steps: before (in my own make up), without make-up, with mask and after make-up.

think i'll sign up with a more reputable company next time if i want to go for another make-up workshop.

p.s.

did i mention that i bought a fossil bag and a pair of shoes that day too? and was about $500 poorer. more on that next time!

Rws: voyage de la vie & palio

2012-01-14T19:32:00.002+08:00

Got to see voyage de la vie! Sat at a really good row too, centre column, seven rows from the front and right smack in the middle. Wasn't really captivated by the show at first, but it became spectacular as the momentum picked up. There were acrobats, contortionists, a juggler, women with wips and much more.

After that we had dinner at palio. We walked around but still decided on the fantastic Italian food we had the previous time. I totally love love love the house salad! The pizza was very great too!

daisy's dream @ west coast road

2012-01-13T10:28:00.001+08:00

Had lunch last week at daisy's dream, west coast road, and was served by singapore's own dim sum dolly selena tan. Wonderful home-cooked peranakan food at affordable prices. Totally blown away by the otak and babi buah keluak, both recommended by selena. Can't wait for my next meal there!

Mosaic

2012-01-13T10:17:00.001+08:00

Accidental colour blocking and bouquet of lollies :)

Monday blues

2012-01-09T06:09:00.001+08:00

Wearing my vintage dress!

Gary and Celine

2012-01-08T09:27:00.001+08:00

Had the honour of joining gary and celine for their wedding solemnisation ceremony yesterday. It was held at fullerton hotel and was followed by dinner. The couple had great wedding shots and the videographer was wonderful. Didn't enjoy the food because it was mainly seafood and the rest weren't really up to par. Wishing the couple many years of blissful marriage!

Birthday at wine bar

2012-01-07T09:02:00.001+08:00

Had a roaring good time yesterday. Celebrated Tau's birthday and it also marked the 10th anniversary from the first year we met at sajc. Time passes real quickly, everyone growing older. But I'm glad to say that we still hang out as a clique and never lose touch. Love you guys! Let's look forward to the next 10!

A gift

2012-01-06T10:10:00.001+08:00

H gave me a gift this morning! Because I was rather self conscious of my bangs, she got me a hair band to accessorize.

Bathers @ sunset way

2012-01-04T20:44:00.001+08:00

Treated dad to a dinner at bather's. Mum had meeting and sis went to meet up with friends. Food fabulous as usual. Promotion with uob has ended though. However food is still worth the price. Except for dessert. Measly one banana with ice cream for $13!

Wicked musical

2011-12-31T15:56:00.001+08:00

Watched wicked @ marina bay sands on Friday. Truthfully it was a damn good one. Strong vocals, witty lines and dramatic acting. How does it compare to lion king? According to my colleagues who watched both, lion king had better props but this has better vocals.

I cut bangs!!!

2011-12-31T14:42:00.001+08:00

Do not mess with me

2011-12-30T18:09:00.001+08:00

Absolutely loving this! Customized name tags for the new academic year from my hod and sh :) with "don't mess with me" as the tag line.

Sandcastling

2011-12-30T09:43:00.001+08:00

Went for a team building event yesterday with my colleagues. It was rather interesting as we tested our creativity with building sandcastles. Later we had dinner at mad jack which is an affordable casual western diner. Also took pictures of my new necklace from tracyeinny and hand folded bouquet of flowers.

Sick

2011-12-28T14:45:00.001+08:00

Down with gastric flu. Out of commission today :(

Post Christmas updates

2011-12-28T14:41:00.001+08:00

Realised that I haven't uploaded pictures from the Christmas party! Here are some shots taken that day. We had a dance off aka dance marathon using wii, exchanging of presents and lots of food (sorry didn't take any picture of the food, scavengers I tell you). Love my gifts from my secret Santa, biaojie and my aunt.

Random shots of the day

2011-12-23T16:12:00.001+08:00

Went back to school today and saw some gifts from colleagues on my table. Also noticed a nice silhouette of a tree.

House all ready for Christmas

2011-12-22T12:43:00.001+08:00

Decorations done by mum and yours truly! Can't wait for the party on Saturday!

Perth road trip: airport and swan valley

2011-12-21T11:37:00.001+08:00

Some more photos of Perth road trip. Sent sis to airport as she flew back to Singapore first. Then we went to swan valley for more wine and ice cream. Too bad the nougat store was closed. Finally managed to eat at red rooster.

post wisdom tooth extraction: keeping it clean

2011-12-19T14:42:00.006+08:00

i'm going to take out my stitches in a few days' time. i have been keeping the site clean by following the instructions given by the dentist., so that means chewing on only the left side of my mouth. boy was it a pain to keep everything on one side. i had to chop my food into small chewable bits, blowing on the food to cool it down and taking in small mouthfuls of food at one time (imagine feeding a toddler). still, sometimes food would manage to slip past my guard and go over to the right side. that is when the strict regime comes in.

i was provided with a syringe to pump water at the site after every meal. this is to ensure that any little food particle would be washed away to prevent bacteria from growing.

my usual brand of mouth wash is listerine, however, that is too strong for the wound. thus, i'm using a milder brand of mouth wash to rinse my mouth after every meal. other than just cleansing the wound, i think it does a good job by ridding the overworked side of my mouth of remaining food particles.

lastly, as with usual habit, brush my teeth in the morning when i wake up and at night before i go to bed. and to take special care around the site by brushing gently. this would also help as it will not tug on the stitches.

hopefully with all these efforts the dentist will have something good to say when she sees me this week!

Perth road trip: Fremantle

2011-12-17T09:55:00.001+08:00

Coming to the end of my Perth trip. We headed to Fremantle for the day. I really enjoyed the place. There were lots of Asians, plenty of food outlets and even more shopping. We tried one of the famous fish and chips place but it wasn't as good as the ones we had in England. We also managed to make it back to apartment early (for once) to catch the sunset. Got pretty great pictures there!

P.s.
I apologize for the order of the pictures. The app is still not fixed and they upload the pictures randomly and not in the sequence which was uploaded.

the day after the surgery

2011-12-16T15:42:00.003+08:00

it's the day after my wisdom tooth surgery and the second day brings about a marked improvement. the excessive bleeding has stopped (thank god, or i might have to go for a blood transfusion) and the wound doesn't feel as delicate as it did yesterday. that said, i'm still limited in the things i can eat as i do not want to aggravate my wound or accidentally drop food particles into the wound. i've upgraded from porridge to fish soup (thank god for small favours!).

and so, i've decided to compile a list of things i want to eat when i recover. not much on the list now, just five items, in order of craving activation.

hope to add more on the list! i'm going to strike them one by one off the list as soon as i can!

wisdom tooth surgery

2011-12-15T19:16:00.007+08:00

it has been an extended period of time since i last blogged through my laptop. it is absolutely so convenient to use the blogger app on my iphone and upload pictures taken through instagram (adore that app). however, there are just some posts that require more effort and this is one of them.

i had my wisdom tooth extracted today and poor me, i actually went alone :(. the extraction was done at the national dental centre. truth be told, i was not nervous at all until i stepped into the operating room, then i started shaking. so before i start, here's a picture of my teeth (the upper and the lower).

you might want to skip the picture below if you cannot take gory pictures!

the upper tooth was extracted whole. as for the lower tooth, it was broken into parts and extracted.

so how was the process like? it was nerve-wracking. first, they injected me with local anaesthesia, about three to four injections which seriously hurt. you can feel the needle going right through your gum. i feel that that was actually the most painful part of the procedure. if you can get through that, everything else will be fine.

next, they will cover you up with sheets and blankets to prevent your clothes from getting stained. the most scary part is when they cover your eyes! to protect your eyes from the strong light they need to use and also possible stray fragments of the tooth.

from that moment on, you will only hear lots of drilling, prodding and the dentist communicating with the nurses about your progress. there will be no pain because the area is totally numb but you can feel excessive pressure and will be aware of what is happening around you. they will extract the bottom tooth first then the top one.

at the end, they sewed me up and gave me one more injection to help numb the area for another four to five hours. i did some reading up on the internet after the surgery about post wisdom tooth extraction and have included some information that i found useful for me.

i was told to apply a gauze on the wound and bite down firmly to stop the bleeding. however, it has yet worked for me. i'm bleeding constantly, don't know if that is normal. i feel like a vampire as i'm "drinking" my blood continuously. yes, it's kinda gross. worse still, now that my injection (aka numbness) is wearing off, i can taste the blood. eeewww!

the nurse said that if the bleeding is bad over the next two or three days, i will have to go back to get the wound checked. just crossing my fingers to hope that it will be ok by tomorrow.

i did read that if you constantly change the gauze it will aggravate the wound instead and prevent it from clotting, hence the continuous bleeding. i change it every 30 minutes and do not put it in when eating or sleeping. sometimes i do feel that applying the gauze actually makes it bleed worse.

since i only extracted the two wisdom tooth on the right side, i'm mobile on the left, which means that i can drink using my left side as long as i keep the right side clean. if you are interested, you are to avoid alcohol as it affects the medication you are taking. i also read that one should stay away from carbonated drinks in the meantime.

while drinking, do not rinse your mouth as it will cause more bleeding. also, avoid drinking through a straw as it will cause pressure to build up in your mouth and the suction can cause bleeding. you should drink lots of freshly squeezed fruit juice to help promote hydration as well as a good source of vitamins (thanks mum!).

i ate porridge for lunch and dinner and i couldn't eat much. even just slurping the porridge caused my wound to hurt and start bleeding. that bowl of porridge originally meant for lunch was sufficient for two meals. needless to say, i am still hungry! do eat soft or almost liquid like food, for example porridge or clear broth soups, especially the day of the surgery. once you start recovering, you can move on to harder food.

sleeping was a pain for me. being a side sleeper, it was hard for me to keep sleeping on my back as advised by some of the websites. they do not encourage sleeping on the side as it might cause swelling and it seriously hurts to lie on face. also do eat painkillers before sleeping so that you can sleep comfortably.

yup that's all for now. will post more if i read or find out anything interesting!

Perth road trip: wave rock

2011-12-14T13:44:00.001+08:00

It was a long long drive to wave rock I kid you not. Five hours one way which made it a total of ten hours that we were on the road. We killed a million flies (accidentally, by car), stopped for fuel (both car and passengers), visited a dog cemetery, did more jump shots and finally our destination. The wave rock was like a giant tsunami carved jn stone. Beautiful.

Perth road trip: margaret river

2011-12-13T21:08:00.001+08:00

Margaret river. Good place to just relax and drive and hit places for free food (aka tastings). Had great chocolate, huge scoops of ice cream, sips of sweet tasting wine and mouthfuls of delicious nougats.

Perth road trip: busselton jetty

2011-12-13T10:07:00.001+08:00

Beautiful blue skies and deep blue sea merging together at the horizon. Great location to hang out and people watch. Fantastic place to do jump shots.

Perth road trip: first night dinner

2011-12-12T22:15:00.001+08:00

It was a stop at Coles and home-cooked dinner by aunt and mum. Steak was a bit tough, whole apartment was smoky but nothing beats eating together as a family.

Perth road trip: pinnacles

2011-12-11T09:29:00.001+08:00

The first place we hit after landing was the pinnacles. It was a three hour drive to cervantes. The place was hot but not humid like Singapore. There were plenty of flies. Kind of like in swarms and their buzzing is more irritating than mosquitoes. Landing on any part of the body they have access to. Urgent protection needed especially around the mouth, nose and ears.

Tokyo banana caramel flavoured

2011-12-08T10:14:00.001+08:00

Yum yum! Taste like extra sweet goreng pisang ;)

Tokyo day 4

2011-12-07T21:53:00.001+08:00

Last few pictures of Japan before I start on my Perth pictures. We went to asakusa temple where we bought many souvenirs and sought our fortunes. Then we went to shinjuku to spend the rest of our money.

Tokyo day 3

2011-12-04T22:39:00.001+08:00

Day 3 was a visit to a Japanese high school. Rather interesting experience. No shoes allowed inside the school compound. Classrooms are smaller yet more orderly. And of course we went shopping later.

Tokyo day 2

2011-12-02T22:25:00.001+08:00

More conference. It was also presentation day. Went for a major shopping spree at shinjuku and a huge yakitori feast.

Tokyo day 1

2011-11-30T14:02:00.001+08:00

Went to Tokyo for an educational conference. Weather was extremely chilly. Ordered food via vending machines. Had steaming hot bowl of udon for breakfast. Folded origami. Ate the sweetest rock melon ever.

Bbt fix

2011-11-24T21:29:00.001+08:00

My last bubble tea fix before going to Japan. My sis has been raving about how wonderful the pearls are from this place. It's sad that all good food places open in anywhere but the west.

Teeny weeny

2011-11-24T14:41:00.001+08:00

More pictures of teeny weeny. Will be flying to Japan tmr, followed by Australia. Will try to blog if I can access wifi over there.

Brotzeit

2011-11-22T22:08:00.001+08:00

Mum brought me to Brotzeit for dinner. A German pub/restaurant. It was extremely crowded, even on a Tuesday. Huge huge huge servings, we ordered two mains and one salad and we couldn't finish. Of course, desserts were a separate matter, different stomach. Also saw a huge ass snail on the way home. Would have been great as an escargot.

November babies

2011-11-20T15:10:00.001+08:00

Celebrating the November birthdays--dad, Fabian korkor and qi-- at Dozo. Treat by my aunt, it was another wonderful family get together. Great food and even better service. Dozo never fails to deliver.

Hot tomato and blue mountain

2011-11-19T21:35:00.001+08:00

Dinner with mum today. We went out to town for a few hours to grab a meal, did a bit of shopping and drink coffee. Heading home now :)

Beautiful nails

2011-11-18T11:38:00.001+08:00

S and i went to do our nails yesterday at pretty inn nails. We did shades of purple and nail art too.

Il siciliano

2011-11-16T21:48:00.001+08:00

Satisfied my pasta craving at il siciliano. Awesome carbonara, slightly peppery, rich and creamy. Lots of clams for the vongole. Portion was a bit small for the aglio olio. The homemade lava cake just tickle my fancy. I will make a trip back specially for the lava cake. Not so for the tiramisu which was rather watery and not enough liquor.

Great grandfather hearse

2011-11-15T11:02:00.001+08:00

The hearse for my great grandfather is so futuristic and environmentally-friendly. It's a Prius.

Birthday cake for dad

2011-11-14T15:15:00.001+08:00

Specially designed cake for dad by yours truly. Coupon bought by sis from icing room.

21st birthday!

2011-11-14T13:43:00.001+08:00

Qi's boyfriend organised a surprise party for her at saf yacht club yesterday. He paid for everything! Such a sweet guy, definitely a keeper.

Lunch @ lawrys

2011-11-13T20:53:00.001+08:00

Treated dad to lunch at lawry's for his birthday. Every year his favourite meal--steak. Lawry's has moved from paragon to mandarin gallery. Doneness was bad, ordered medium-rare came medium, ordered medium came well-done. Got complimentary tea because of that. Other than that, service was tip-top.

Most uncomfortable sleeping position ever

2011-11-13T09:41:00.001+08:00

Teeny weeny likes to get himself into tight places and enjoys sleeping in them too.

He is a boy!

2011-11-13T07:59:00.001+08:00

Oops pardon my mistake. Teeny weeny is a boy! His extremely small balls (befitting his size) are developing.

The wedding dinner

2011-11-12T23:18:00.001+08:00

The culmination of the past few days. We were all dolled up and excited. Wishing the bride and groom many years of wedded bliss!

Lunch @ thai fusion with family

2011-11-12T13:40:00.001+08:00

Was forced out into the heavy rain (which may I stress is extremely conducive for sleeping) for lunch with my family. We tried this Thai place near our house. Funny we managed to miss it all these years. It's located next to Margarita's. Delicious pineapple rice and yummy mango sticky rice! No service charge or GST :)

Beautiful bride

2011-11-11T21:15:00.001+08:00

Day 2 of wedding ceremony! Today we were invited to R's solemnisation. It was hot and stuffy but we did get to see the youngest of us get married. Pictures featuring us in sari...

Cultural blast

2011-11-11T11:35:00.001+08:00

Went to R's house yesterday for an Indian style hen party! It was very interesting. The theme was henna and music. We danced and played games and won prizes :)

New hammie

2011-11-08T22:46:00.001+08:00

Say hi to my sis's new definitely-not-a-boy hamster. Looks like a pig and also squeals like one. Totally hyper active. Good luck, dear sister.

guan hoe soon restaurant & sugalight

2011-11-07T21:16:00.003+08:00

more pictures using my iphone 4s. won't be taking pictures with my samsung camera for the moment. either it's spoilt or the charger is going bonkers, so i just have to depend on my iphone, which isn't much because the battery dies off really quickly and for an 8mp camera, it doesn't take very good pictures.

after failed attempts at blogging through the blogger app, i decided to upload pictures using the app and blog from my computer. it was rather troublesome as the draft from my phone didn't show on my computer until i published it by my phone. such a tedious process.

anyway here are the pictures taken today! it was a treat by my aunt at this nonya place called guan hoe soon restaurant @ joo chiat.

while the adults are eating, the young ones are amusing themselves with technology.

the food was fine! the dishes that really stood out were the assam fish (extremely fresh) and the kang kong (would have been wonderful if the portion was bigger).

no complains about dessert. presentation was attractive and it hit the perfect spot for sugar level! this is one restaurant where i don't have to ask for extra sugar.

after dinner, we walked a few stores down to this cute place called sugalight which sells sugar free ice-cream! interesting huh?

everyone ordered durian and the kids were more interested in the hot air balloons on the ceiling and the behemothic teddy bear.

Feeding the turtles

2011-11-05T16:13:00.001+08:00

Adri wanted to feed the turtles but was distracted by the playground. Also featuring my grandma, cuz, mum and aunts. Watch out for the water gun :)

P.s.
Still can't figure out how to sequence the pictures. I do upload them in order but they never turn out right. Blogger, you really have to improve your app.

A visitor

2011-11-05T15:28:00.001+08:00

My nephew visiting! Creating havoc in my house with his avid creativity.

Karaoke @ cuppage

2011-11-04T20:56:00.001+08:00

Oops pictures were extremely huge for the previous posts so I have edited the image size. But still can't figure out how to get the images in order or even to intersperse the pictures with comments. Hmmm... Ideas anyone?

Central Thai @ orchard central

2011-11-04T20:52:00.001+08:00

Ooooo my first post using my iPhone 4s! Haven't been blogging because my camera is a bit problematic so I couldn't take any good pictures. Here are photos of dinner with some of my potato heads. Don't really know how the pictures will turn out or if they will even be in order. I am also blogging using blogger app :)

kith cafe @ robertson quay and juchheim cake

2011-10-27T19:01:00.004+08:00

met up with siyu for lunch as i felt guilty for missing supper that day with bryan too. bryan couldn't make it as he had to work, so it was just siyu and me. siyu suggested kith cafe which i checked out online and read many good reviews about the place, so we were pretty excited about going there.

the place was much smaller than expected. rather cramped and even outdoor seating was pretty sparse. we were actually at a lost where to sit as we couldn't even tell whether the outdoor tables belonged to the cafe. in the end, we managed to grab a seat at the high table indoors.

the menu was written on a chalkboard across the wall behind the high table. rather interesting concept, but made it seemed as if people were looking at you all the time.

we ordered large cups for the drinks. siyu ordered her usual latte, which smelled lovely. i had the hazelnut nutella milkshake which was divine! the combination was superb and it wasn't overwhelmingly chocolaty. that said, it was still pretty pricey at $8 per cup.

siyu's big breakfast, $14. it was huge. she couldn't finish it.

my chicken pesto pasta, also $14. thought it was ok, not exactly fantastic, just not very memorable.

in the end, we really regretted sitting indoors as there was no ventilation and it became very stuffy after a while. also, there was this oppressive oily sensation that stuck with us (hair and clothes) after we stepped out. i couldn't wait to go home and wash it off. not a good experience for me :(

*side note (linked to previous post): hair dye colour was pretty similar to my previous colour, just a little lighter, which is not very obvious here. but the dye was very even and one bottle was sufficient for my hair length.

kith cafe
7 rodyk street
watermark @ robertson quay
tel: 63419407
opening hours: everyday 7am to 7pm

XXXXXX

sis bought home this juchheim cake which she got from the basement of takashimaya. it's a traditional german cake which the japanese improvised from.

it's kind of like our kueh lapis, but lighter, not so buttery or oily. sis said it was expensive and refused to tell me the price. but she did add that it was freshly made and the cake was best eaten fresh.

beautylabo diy hair dye

2011-10-26T11:47:00.001+08:00

it's really costly to dye your hair, especially when it's long like mine. so i invested in a diy hair dye which i can really do it myself, instead of getting my mum or sis to help me. most people will usually go for liese bubble hair colour, but i opted for beautylabo's because honestly, i wanted to try something new. besides, it was also selling at a promotional price of $16.90 at watsons.

similar to liese bubble hair colour, this one works in the foam hair dye method. you have to add all the ingredients together, shake it and voila... foam!

in addition to the hair dye, there are a pair gloves and a colour treatment sachet in the package.

this is my colour before the hair dye. i chose something similar, but a little bit lighter. wonder how it's going to turn out.

xin wang, midnight in paris, spaggedies

2011-10-25T18:03:00.000+08:00

sis and i went out for an outing during the weekend. it started off with a mid-budget lunch at xin wang cafe at ion. that place has to have one of the worst service in singapore ever. they kept us waiting in line even when there were empty tables and the waiters blatantly ignored patrons who were trying to get their attention.

anyway, in spite of their really horrid service, they serve a mean fried rice, with loads of egg and chye poh. interesting and yummy!

my porridge was made good with the huge amount of salted egg i added.

after eating, we shopped around ion before heading to our movie at cineleisure. it's definitely one of my favourite movies this year. midnight in paris, directed by woody allen.

it's a star-studded cast, with owen wilson, rachel mcadams, adrien brody and even the french first lady, carla bruni! you have to know your historical references to enjoy the movie, so you might want to do some reading up on historical figures like scott fitzgerald and ernest hemingway if you do not know who they are.

we were walking around takashimaya while waiting for our parents and we decided to try the milk tea at this new shop which took over auntie anne's.

yes, it's called sapporo petit doughnut and no, we didn't buy any doughnuts. the milk tea was extremely thick and creamy.

mum went to collect her free american tourista luggage before dinner at spageddies. it's an old-time favourite of my family. kind of nostalgic just to be back there eating our favourite courses.

what a way to end the day with a good meal ;)

bubble tea surprise

2011-10-24T22:21:00.003+08:00

guess what my sis just came back with? bubble tea from IoI @ holland village. she cycled there with matthew for dinner and got back peppermint and taro snow milk for dad and me!

happy happy :) haha ya that's me without make up...

poor granny + lao ban soya beancurd + shinnpark

2011-10-24T21:44:00.005+08:00

went to visit poor granny who had a fall. she fractured her shoulder and has to wear a cast for eight weeks. all because of some irresponsible stall holder at the wet market who leaves his stuff lying around the floor. i hope he gets what's coming to him.

anyway, we decided to buy dinner from the hawker centre at old airport road back for granny because she loves the goreng pisang there and biaojie has been raving about lao ban soya beancurd. we bought a variety of food like fish soup, katong laksa, prawn mee, iced soursoup (in addition to the two abovementioned items). the meal was quite expensive! a dinner for eight cost about $100!

me wearing a polo tee from sis, from american eagle outfitters.

sis holding on to some of the things we bought.

it was a grand feast with the pizza and drumlets my aunt ordered from pizza hut.

here's poor granny! she has to be real careful not to even jot her shoulder as it hurts badly. hope she recovers for our trip to perth!

so how was the beancurd?

i was actually shocked that there was no sugar syrup added! but amazingly, the beancurd was sweet enough!

it had a slightly different texture as compared to the usual beancurd, but it was extremely silken and very fine. simply just slips down your throat. definitely worth a try and i can understand why people would queue half an hour for a bowl.

XXXXXX

my second bag organiser came in the mail today! i gave my first to my sis because she was complaining that she couldn't find her stuff in her huge balenciaga. i placed my order with shinnpark a few days ago and it has arrived.

i think compared to other bag organisers, this one is of top quality. the fabric is luxurious and also comes with a key leash. the bag organiser comes in two sizes and i bought the maxi one both times. it allows me to compartmentalise my stuff so that i can dig for them easily. i have no idea what is the weight limit but at the rate i am dumping things into my bag, it can sure hold a lot.

other than bag organisers, shinnpark sells many interesting stuff. do check out their website :)

let down my hair

2011-10-22T17:26:00.015+08:00

it was a relaxing day and i decided to make full use of the lull period before the supplementary lessons start. V, H and i made a date to go out after school.

we went to arteastiq for tea and to catch up. it was V's second time there and H's first. the service wasn't up to standard, maybe because of all the new staff.

V and H tried the prata wrap. as they were famished, these didn't whet their appetite at all. so they had to order dessert to compensate for it.

i enjoyed my sandwich as usual and took my own sweet time nibbling it.

V indulged in a chocolate drink which was too sweet for her. don't you just love their presentation?

something new that i've never tried, their chocolate lava cake served with yuzu ice-cream.

it was fantastic! kind of like a really fudgy chocolate brownie with this molten chocolate oozing out.

H's lemongrass tea which she thought was something really special.

after arteastiq, we each went to run our own errands. V to get her braces, H to shop for R's bridal shower and i went to purchase some prizes for my students. i spent about two hours at the basement and exited with $300 less. of course, i did buy some things for myself.

i then met mum for dinner and brought her to tampopo, the one on the fourth floor, to try the wagyu beef udon. don't be confused! there are two tampopo outlets in takashimaya. the one on the fourth floor is more "a-tas" and the one at the basement is more of a family restaurant.

we ordered a sashimi salad to share and each ordered a bowl of wagyu beef udon.

i relished in the salad. the sauce was unique with a hint of sesame oil. mum did wish that there was a wider variety of sashimi.

the fantastic bowl of noodles. mum did like it but she said she wouldn't pay $23.80 for a bowl of noodles. oh well.

we walked off dinner at the branded bag and shoe fair at the atrium. and ate some more! this time it was at the tampopo outlet at the basement. i read that their cakes are to die for, so we managed to make it before closing time.

my $300 buys.

mum's strawberry shortcake. soft sponge cake layered with slices of strawberry and rich cream. literally smells in your mouth.

their signature cream cheese chiffon cake. it was better than promised. so good that i gobbled it down though my stomach was filled to the brim. definitely not a cake for someone watching their calories. this is for serious satiation.

can't get enough of joyous pastries

2011-10-20T19:48:00.005+08:00

had a big chow down of those delicious pineapple tarts from joyous pastries. couldn't resist inhaling and feasting on them. i'm now onto my second bottle! seeing as to how excited i was about eating them the first time around, i controlled my appetite and took some pictures.

look at how nicely coloured they are. the golden brown tan of the tart and that huge generous palatable scoop of pineapple.

they use real pineapple and not jam for their tarts! the strands of the pineapple are just so inviting and tempting. going for bite number 2!

the best six doctors

2011-10-19T17:39:00.001+08:00

sick today and had to go home early from school. hope i get better soon! fingers crossed.

mum and me @ the tastings room

2011-10-16T11:20:00.010+08:00

we made reservations at the tastings room but since sis and dad had to work yesterday, it was only mum and me at dinner. the restaurant wouldn't take any reservations for the past three nights as it was fully booked, so we got lucky yesterday.

mum and i went to redeem out deal.com.sg voucher of a pizza/egg with tea/coffee/wine. they revamped their menu and no longer serve pizza so we had two different types of egg.

mum's poached eggs in red wine hollandaise sauce. she couldn't taste the wine at all.

i had the egg benedict which i enjoyed. the egg was cooked perfectly and the sauce as well as the proscuitto ham just went really well together.

look at the egg yolk! it was so fresh. still soft and gooey and yet didn't break as i cut through the egg white.

we also had chicken wings, something i couldn't resist as i saw the menu. it was served with salsa, homemade mayo and bbq sauce (not tomato ketchup as was told by the waitress). wings tasted like the popular wingdings of the past but were pretty pricey, six wings/drumlets for $10.90.

and of course we ended with their warm banana cake served with lemongrass ginger ice-cream. i, of course, stayed away from anything ginger.

we ended our night by seeing a pink volkswagon beetle convertible wedding car on the way to the bus stop.

renaza, joyous and cedele :)

2011-10-15T13:04:00.004+08:00

it was a lazy day for me as i didn't have to go school yesterday. so after watching a whole lot of vampire diaries season 2, i went to meet ah tan and ah mou for our french mani-pedi session.

having almost zilch sense of direction and numerous uninformative phone calls, we decided to meet straight at the nail spa, renaza wellness lifestyle lab.

the place does hair and spa treatments, but we were only there for our nails.

colour selection wasn't plentiful, but we were all satisfied with our final colour choices.

have no idea why ah tan was frowning, she was definitely getting pampered.

mou was so short (oops, i mean petite) that they had to shift her chair right behind the sink and still, her feet couldn't touch the bottom.

my robin blue base with silver tips.

and it was mocha single tone for my (wrinkly) fingers.

ah mou had pink base with gold tips for her toes.

and red with gold tips for her fingers.

renaza wellness lifestyle lab
151 telok ayer street
tel: 62220601

and since we were at tanjong pagar, i had to get my FAVOURITE PINEAPPLE TARTS!

joyous pastries
tanjong pagar mrt station
tel: 96181238

simply awesome! even mou thought it was the best pineapple tart she has ever tasted! it is expensive, but oh so worth it. they are now taking orders for chinese new year! they always sell out way before the festive season, so now would be a great time to get it if you are interested.

we then took the train down to raffles city to have dinner at cedele.

ah mou with her paprika chicken curry. yum. usually when you have chicken curry, the chicken is normally very tough. here, the chicken still stays tender yet flavourful.

my delicious beef aglio olio. switched from my usual fish pasta.

for desserts we had chocolate orange cheesecake and lemon tart.

the lemon tart was extremely zesty and sour. i couldn't eat it without cringing (in a good way), but ah mou thought it had just the right amount of sourness.

the chocolate orange cheesecake was simply decadent. we were so full after dinner we had to walk it off.

later we met my sis and her friend beverly at chjimes before heading home.

what a pleasant day :)

movie trailer "already famous"

2011-10-12T18:12:00.003+08:00

my cousin told me about this movie. it's michelle's chong's first movie. opening in november. i'm so excited about it. she's such a natural. think something other than letticia bongnino and barbarella. this would be just another role to make her "already famous".

happy birthday cheeks!

2011-10-10T20:08:00.008+08:00

it's my sister's birthday today! happy birthday cheeks! time really flies, everyone is getting older. she's working today, but we managed to celebrate the occasion with her yesterday.

before i start on her birthday post, some narcissistic pictures first. i bought this pair of red hot sandals (yes, that's the brand) from singsale.com.sg. they conduct many sprees of foreign brands, mostly from australia. it look longer than the estimated time for it to arrive, but quality and condition of items were good.

love the fit, same as charles & keith sizing. didn't get any abrasion, even after working for long periods.

so back to the topic. we celebrated her birthday at ochre, an italian restaurant bar on the 11th floor of orchard central.

the restaurant closes after lunch and only opens at 6.30pm, so we were just loitering outside until they opened their doors.

all of us ordered the set meal ($68/pax) except mum who had to leave early.

some appetizer, couldn't really tell what it was. mum felt it was boiled egg, dad thought it was tofu and all i know was that it tasted weird.

mum and her scallop aglio olio. it fell short of expectations, especially after all the fine courses we had there. the pasta was pretty much tasteless. couldn't compare to bather's. mum had to had loads of cheese, pepper and chilli flakes for flavour.

so other than the those two disappointing courses, everything else was fine.

one of my personal favourites, proscuitto and buffalo mozarella salad.

sis's salmon and anchovy starter.

mushroom soup. as opposed to other restaurants where the mushroom is chopped into bits, this one has been fully grinded into the soup. the herb on top gave the soup a unique taste.

unagi risotto.

barramundi fish.

tenderloin. the beef was alright but the mashed potatoes were a bit too milky.

on to the desserts. ochre never fails to deliver excellent desserts.

orange vanilla and pistachio creme brulee. fantastic! made it into my list of favourite desserts. they have many interesting flavours of creme brulee, for example hibiscus and earl grey.

fantastic tiramisu.

my sis's choice, the cheese platter.

and matthew tried the panna cotta which turned out to be really tiny.

that's all! happy birthday sis! to another year of great memories :)

adri's 4th birthday & biaojie's housewarming

2011-10-09T12:07:00.013+08:00

adrienne turned four yesterday! that precocious little girl is just growing so fast. we were invited to her birthday party at biaojie's new place, so before there are birthday party pictures, there will be loads of pictures of their new home.

they really made it their own with personalised doors! so cute!

master bedroom. love the lights and the hidden toilet door (white panel)!

toilet off the master bedroom.

adrienne's room. so pretty in pink!

and her very own access to the common toilet! so she can go to toilet at night without worrying. thought that was a very ingenious idea to knock down the wall.

definitely envious of ayden's bay window. i wanted that previously but there wasn't enough space in my room.

door to the kitchen.

and lastly, the dining table. what a great idea to save space!

the living room looks absolutely spacious with the sprawling sofa and artistic white and red decor.

so that's enough raving about the house, now on to the party!

the birthday girl in her sexy back (actually it was pretty hairy) birthday dress from lilian jiejie that she picked out herself.

my lovely grandma :)

and just another of the awesome desserts my aunt makes. this time she has infused this mango bubbles into her konnyaku jelly. one bite and the bubble just pops in your mouth with a burst of mango juice. yummy!

the birthday girl and her family. ayden just couldn't wait to get his hands on the cake!

adri and her grandma who will be celebrating her birthday on the 10th.

ayden also enjoying the spotlight, showing his dance moves!

purple mouse

2011-10-07T13:00:00.003+08:00

a lovely gift from bakedwithlove given to me by a colleague. really helped to perk me up. happy children's day everyone! we are all young at heart :)

r.i.p. brownsie

2011-10-06T18:47:00.000+08:00

my dear brownsie

2011-10-06T12:24:00.000+08:00

life is so fragile. one day she was fine and suddenly, she became very frail. it was so unexpected. we brought her to the vet and the vet could not diagnosed her illness. the prescribed antibiotics didn't seem to help as she stopped eating and became more listless. so, we sent her to the vet to be hospitalised. three days later, she just seemed to be getting worse. now, she is becoming blind and has difficulty breathing. she has to undergo surgery. i hope she wakes up and becomes fine.

cp roasted mexican wing stick

2011-10-05T07:45:00.000+08:00

lil insisted that i try this brand of chicken wings seeing how much i adore finger-licking good ones.

it's actually pretty fuss-free. just pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees and pop them in for about 10-15 minutes (the stipulated 8-10 didn't really work).

DEE-LI-CIOUS!!! the wings tasted exactly like the ones you get at pizza hut! how awesome! now i can just stock this up and heat it up when i have a craving!

get well soon brownsie

2011-10-02T12:23:00.001+08:00

these pictures were taken early in the week. poor brownsie is sick. it was very sudden. we are going to bring her to the vet today again. she's not eating and she keeps scratching her eye. hope she recovers soon.

vampire diaries

2011-09-28T18:56:00.003+08:00

i am extremely hooked onto this tv series called vampire diaries right now. i know i'm a bit slow, since it aired in 2009, but i'm making up for lost time! the series is based on books by l. j. smith, one of my favourite authors when i was young. i've never read her vampire diaries series, but i have read her night world series and have the collections of the dark visions and the forbidden game trilogy.

so according to wikipedia:

The series follows the events in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, a fictional small town haunted by supernatural beings. The main focus of the series is the love triangle between the female protagonist Elena Gilbert and Stefan and Damon with dark pasts.

but other than the love triangle, which doesn't seem to be showing much of at where i am at (season 1 episode 15), there are many other underlying supernatural issues happening in the town. her best friend, a witch, is grappling with her powers. i also read that someone is going to turn into a werewolf and there is just so many enemies of the vampire brothers visiting the town! what a horror love fest!

nina dobrev, who plays elena and her malevolent ancestor katherine.

paul wesley, who plays stefan, the good brother. he broods a lot in the movie.

ooo... and i saved the best for last! absolute hottie ian somerhalder, who plays the bad brother. sigh, such an eye candy!

here's a picture of all three together. i'm so addicted and it's killing me to know what's going to happen next! apparently, there's season 3 already!