In light of recent unfortunate incidents that led to the passing of a few great men... does it not lead you to the revelation that your humble life deserves more ownership and prioritization?

Time and tide waits for no man.
Man's end waits for no advanced notice.

Eating balut in Nha Trang, VN

I often brag this is the most exotic food I have ever eaten!

If you have no idea what 'balut' is, click here!

OKAY, I can't imagined I devoured that in Vietnam, yucks! But despite its hideous appearance, it really tasted quite yummy haha. If you love your chicken and eggs, you'll like this even more, provided you are able to not mind its appearance and cruelty... smaller in size, the balut packs taste like a (chicken + egg combo) x 5. It's even more exotic cause I ate it by a makeshift table and stools, together with unrecognisable leaves that leave you wondering if they're freshly plucked off the nearby field and spicy, tangy green chilli sauce you scoop out from a small plastic bottle so old its sides have been scrapped opaque.

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AND I MISS VIETNAM!

MAMA LINH ONE MORE TIME!

Life was simpler as a student

Happy Mother's Day

Over dinner, I was listening to my mom relating about her childhood memories - such as washing clothes at the river bank, buying noodles for 10c at the school canteen, accompanying my grandmother to help out at the rubber tree plantations, earning $100 per month as a admin girl... She also said that she always overlooked the daily school timetable and would forget to bring PE shorts and drawing block. HAHA, I remember me doing that too during my pri sch times! It would be so awkward, the PE teacher would nag at us for forgetting PE shirts/shorts... and standing one corner we would be pretending to be guilty but conducting warm up feeling equally as comfortable in our school shirt and shorts! As for drawing blocks, the getaway was easy peasy - to borrow from my generous classmates who I would always watch retrieve one whole stack of drawing block from their bags, hehe. Most of the times I would purposely 'forget' to bring, cos my bag's too small and forcing the drawing block in would cause it to crimple at the corners! I also kinda dreaded art lessons cos need to pack pastel colours, colour pencils, painting bowl (shaped like a handprint, remember?!) and brushes la... so leh cheh! I would so conveniently use Stabilo colour pencils and apply some water over it. Water colour, TADA! :D

Anyway, really appreciated my mom for leaving and preparing me a lovely dinner even though I returned home only at 10 plus. She heated up the soup and accompanied me at the dining table, asking me about work and telling me how she picked a fish otah but don't know how it turned out to be a sotong one instead haha. When she related relishly to me her childhood memories, I nodded and acknowledged but truthfully, I wasn't really paying attention to the content... I was instead capturing and trying to remember this slight smile beaming on her face, secretly wishing this familiar expression would stay with me forever :) Together with the warmth of her home-cooked dishes and the special ingredient added in, always for us, everyday. <3


Very belated but anyway, Happy Mother's Day!

I just realised.... I have no idea what my mom's favourite colour is. :(

2 persons so far apart

Perplexed and feel kind of disturbed that two persons, who seemingly used to have the other person incorporated into every of their life plans, can behave apprehensively towards each other after the closing of their lil' chapter. It was almost like a minor debate and disagreement of everything the person said or did - like an emotional gratification, an inner appeasement that satisfied oneself, justifying oneself's bold decision and iterating "I'm glad I made the right choice". Doesn't help the case that both have ego driven personas. Ok anyway, that's the best decision ever made, guys.


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Random pic:

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Unplucked wisdom tooth will make the face grow rounder?! *Frantically checks clinic appointment schedule*

The Ferrari incident

The video showing frame by frame how the serene night was intruded rudely by a flash of red crashing into a snail blue is now the talk of the town.

(you can see it here)

I was sharing with my friends today that “aiyah, as long as it’s a Ferrari anyone is driving, it definitely must be that driver’s fault”.  There are varied opinions of the fatal accident that go as far as that the Ferrari driver wasn’t in the wrong (seriously?). Even if it were to be shown in black and white, the video is concrete evidence - the lights had already turned in the favour of the taxi for a good 5 seconds! Alas, lives were cruelly taken away in a time less than that. Before you could even make out the venomous vroom surging from the adjacent road, all your eyes can catch is the racing Ferrari crashing into the innocent taxi, lifting it off the ground, smashing metal into pieces.

Like a muscular man crushing an empty soft drink can with his bare fingers.

My condolences towards the deceased and their families.

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On the social media you can spot furious netizens and peers grabbing this opportunity to point furious fingers at the Government for letting foreigners in and more exaggeratedly, allowing them to drive. Can you really make such a relation, I ask you. How would you see it if other countries banned you from driving their vehicles? Something closer at heart: do you know who cleans the void deck you conveniently litter, who collects the dripping trashbag you half-heartedly attempt to tie up, who piles the very brick layers that protect you from the heat and rain?

Is your opinion biased because of where the Ferrari driver originated from, or because he is young and rich and drives a sports car?

And I find this most amusing:

Maybe the originator was just being exaggerating... everyone is entitled to their own views. But the whole point is, be objective, people. Your grandparents were foreign talents themselves.

I swear July's gonna be the best time of the year

1 and a half more month to go!

Premium Outlet shopping

Went Premium Outlet shopping yesterday!

Ok, Singapore style... Not the one at Johor though, haha.


Has it been sooooooo long the last time I walked through City Link Mall? You see, even if I had to go Suntec I preferred the link through Raffles City basement via Esplanade Xchange. So inside City Link 7-Eleven is now where Umi Sushi was; I also spotted Cold Stone Creamery and Quiznos where Havainanas and NUM once populated. Some corners are also undergoing renovation, pending exciting openings! New York New York is no more, same for the teens' fav hangout HMV.

I happened to walk into Levi's and got myself a great deal - $29.90 for a Levi's belt!
"The kind of price only seen at USA Premium Outlets", I smirked to myself. Happy with the purchase, I wandered down the corridor and found myself staring at this in disbelief:

AEROPOSTALE!??!

I stood at the entrance, staring at the red bold font, shocked and awed. Aeropostale, a familar name I saw in the premium outlets in USA! It's finally in Singapore?!

Rooted outside the shop with a huge smile that lit up uncontrollably, the outlook and feel of the shopfront reminded me of USA. As I stepped into the shop, the fragrant cool breeze and the vibrant colours that welcomed immediately transported me to a faraway, yet familiar realm in Northern America. The heartwarming experience and intrigue was heightened by the cheerful greetings and bright smiles from the friendly staff members. The surreal experience almost gave me goosebumps.


Themed T-shirts!
Rustic Belts!
Hip Berms!
Checkered shirts!
Caps!
Faded jeans!
Sales! Discount!

Daring colours, eye-catching fonts, unbelieveable discounts were all that caught my eye as I still could not believe where my legs were standing. I approached the staff and asked excitedly, "Is this shop newly opened??"

The reply was polite, the smile didn't drop but the message was delivered like a smack in the face.

Last September.

HAHAHAHA SUA KU YOU MOUNTAIN TORTOISE!!!

Ok, apparently, there is only another branch at Ion Orchard...

I was really in a mood for retail therapy, determined to bring something outta this shop I was! Bottoms were $30 off everything, tees were buy one get one free! It was an internal struggle to restrict myself from grabbing everything off the shelf, before I finally settled for two tees.

It was $49.90 for two shirts, quite reasonable right! There was a further 5% discount with Citibank card!

As I was at the cashier's, I couldn't quite believe my eyes when I saw that the payment machine was supported by another familiar brand I recognised from USA!

"SEE YOU AGAIN!", chirped the staff. I returned an equally radiant smile, skipping out of the shop, happily, joyfully, gracefully and aeropostally.

=D

Randomlings after browsing through FB

- How did you conclude that the size of HDB flats have not shrunk over the years, contrary to nationwide, HDB-dwellers' belief? Please convince us. My friend said he can't even squeeze one queen sized bed and a 3-door wardrobe into his master bedroom - that's shockingly awful.

- Yup, I was also just calculating... if I spend 2 hours of everyday travelling to and fro work, that's 10 hours a week, 40 hours a month, and 480 hours a year. Holy crap. I could use that time for other purposes man. So I was reflecting... how I choose to spend the 2 hours can be damningly crucial. and life changing. I could nap. Or watch videos. Or fb/surf net. Read some self-improvement books. Brainstorm on business opportunities. Research. Ok you know what, forget it. One should just be happy.

Every bit sounds like my impending NZ trip.

- Irked by how a friend could relate every lucky opportunity that happens to her to one particular thing. To me they're just coincidences. Self fulfilling prophecies. Tyco. Lucky/fateful. Like, I just missed the bus but the same service trudges along 30 secs later. Lucky me. I misplaced my wallet but a kind soul walked up to my door and returned it to me. Lucky me.

- Life is short. Live hard, play hard. Refer to picture above.

Happy Labour Day - we deserve it

You wouldn't most desire a public holiday to fall on a Tuesday, but beggars can't be choosers. We've all worked really hard and Labour Day is just what we deserve.

Had a really chillaxed one too, opting to spend the afternoon at Tiong Bahru in shorts and flip-flops. This place is tranquil. Away from the hustle and bustle of the urban jungle, the physical set-up also gives a laid back and relaxed feel. Low rise flats, wooden flip-open kind of windows, preserved stairways and back alleys, even spotting a few vintage vehicles, made me picture how this place used to look like when images on tv were still in monotone. Everything seems to move at a snail's pace here.

Forty Hands is a quaint little cafe located dismatchingly amongst the old buildings. It is strangely crowded at 3 plus, the staff busy attending to tables in the snuggly cosy shophouse. The front door is pulled open and immediately the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans wafts to your nasal sensors and lifts up your mood. Is that how they hook you inside, to want to explore the cosy interior and indulge in a cuppa?

Iced latte, cappucino and salted cod mash sandwich we enjoyed.

Their toasted sandwiches, at $11 each, might not sound the most value for money but the price is justified by the freshness of the ingredients and crispiness of the bread. Topped with a generous amount of greens, the garlic and herbs are a perfect match for the cod mash. Every mouthful strangely makes me wanna sip some of the iced latte to coax it down my oesophagus. The combination is nothing short of delightful.

A pity the place is too popular and we had to leave the cosy cafe prematurely . The weather was just fine, cloudy and cool, we explored the neighbourhood on foot and found ourselves walking through alleys, peering into the interior of vintage cars, browsing at coffeeshop signboards designed in big, red Chinese characters that resemble the aftermath of toiling through decades of storm and wind.

Tiong Bahru is Singapore we have left behind.

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I yearn for more of such relaxing days for the mind, body and soul. =)