Mango Sago Pomelo

Had friends over for steamboat for Good Friday and decided to make some dessert - cake will be too heavy after steamboat so thought I shall make something light that goes well with steamboat so I googled for a recipe and found one that's easy to follow and here it is. Everyone loves it!

Mango Sago Pomelo

Tom Yum Soup

The cooking bug has caught on with me. I have been cooking more often than usual this year and the hub has been getting more and more "demanding" with his requests. He usually requires a steamed fish, a meat and some form of eggs for dinner so I have been cooking over the weekend with the exception of my juice cleansing weekend. Anyway here's 1/3 of tonight's dinner.

Tom Yum Soup

Have a fab week ahead!

Banana Raisin Cake

I have finally worked up the new oven and baked a banana raisin cake. My new oven has been sitting in the kitchen for more than 1 year since I moved. Since I haven't baked in a long time, 2 years at least and with a new oven, I decided to try a tested recipe and baked a banana raisin cake. Here's the recipe if anyone's keen. The recipe doesn't call for raisins but it's my personal favourite so I added it in. You can add walnuts too if you like. The cake has been very well received and most said it's moist and full of banana flavour.

Hopefully this is the start of more cakes to come and getting my baking mojo back!

Recently I have embarked on a #eatclean programme. I took a 3-day juice detox/cleansing programme and have never felt better! This is my 8th day without caffeine and never feel the need to take coffee. I used to need to take my cuppa in the morning before I can start the day but now I feel energised everyday. 

This was my brekkie the weekend before I started my juice cleansing programme. I started eating clean days before I embarked on the programme and now I am still eating clean after the programme.

Have a good weekend!

Reflection on 2013

As I write this year's reflection, I re-read my 2012 reflection to see if there's a big difference compared to the year before. I can't exactly put a finger to it and say that I have achieved something different but 2013 is a year of counting my blessings, giving thanks and appreciation in more ways than one to me. I am not one who does new year resolutions mainly because I never seems to be able to check it off at the end of the year (one of them being to learn how to cycle and I STILL can't cycle), can't exactly say that I am someone who doesn't plan ahead but I guess I like to take whatever life throws at me and look forward and make it work. Does it make sense? Anyway, here's a summary:

• At the beginning of the year, we were busy with renovation and moving house which was painful during the process but satisfying after. Seeing your hard work and your ideal design coming to fruition is very rewarding.
• I ended my 10 years in a Marketing role and moved on to a sales role in May in the same company, a big decision for someone who studied Marketing, loved Marketing and breathed Marketing. I loved what I was doing which was why I was in Marketing for a decade. I always tell people that you have to love Marketing to be in it because the work never stops and there are always new challenges. Back to the new role, I have been learning so much and am thankful for the opportunity to be in a sales managerial role without sales experience. The affirmation I have received from the team such as "you are the kind of boss people want to work for", "you are very successful as a Manager", "You are a very nice boss.. I'm blessed I have you.", "I've worked with quite a few Managers,...I can appreciate a good one when I meet one..." makes me feel appreciated for going that extra mile and that's when I count my blessings and be thankful that I am appreciated for the work I have been doing. Because I think everyone can work hard but not everyone gets appreciated.
• I went back to books again. It was a company -sponsored postgraduate degree and we graduated with a convocation ceremony in UK. I was never a paper chaser and never thought I will attend another convocation after I graduated more than 10 years ago. I felt a little old standing next to the young 20somethings in the hall.
• Mom's health took a turn for the worst. It was supposed to be a regular visit to the Doc early this year but it turned out the Doc was breaking a piece of news I never wanted to know, well not alone with my mom. What's worse was when I had to put up a strong front in front of my mom because I felt it's best she doesn't know but later on I was inconsolable for a few days. Mom's getting weaker by the day and she started telling us where her things are and it sets me thinking what happens when you are not around anymore and your loved ones start discovering the things you used to keep, how does that feel like.. And the thought that mom won't be around for my nephew's convocation or wedding just like how my grandmas did makes me even sadder. Anyway the siblings and I agree that life has to go on, making my mom feels as happy and comfortable as possible is the best we can do. 
• This brings me to the first family holiday we had in a long time to Batam. Memories that we can keep close to our hearts...
• We also fulfilled mom's wish to visit Taiwan and the sis and I brought my parents there for 6 days. I also caught up with a primary school friend who lives there, someone I knew when I was 7...how time flies!
• I haven't travelled with the hub this year as we agreed that we should be saving up after spending our savings on the house and renovation. He surprised me by asking me to go with him on his work trip to Japan and that's my first trip back after 7 years. I went around Tokyo on my own and visited places I didn't the last time I was there such as the Tsukiji Market - had one of the most amazing sushis ever - the explosion of flavours - I can still remember that wonderful experience I had! It was also very therapeutic and very relaxing to be sitting in the train in Tokyo listening to my music and travelling to visit places. Sometimes you just need that alone time to do nothing and enjoy the scenery around you.

That pretty sums up my 2013. My only wish for 2014 is good health for everyone around me especially my mom. Have an awesome 2014 filled with love, joy and surprises and remember to take time off to just rest and do nothing!

Is it December already?

Oh my! Is it December already? I can't believe the last time I wrote was in February this year and since I started this blog I think this is the first time / year I have only written 3 posts in a year! So much about wanting to write more so that it's easier for me to do my annual stocktake on the past year. Tomorrow (technically it's already Christmas Eve since it's past 12am) will be Christmas Eve and I don't even feel the Christmassy mood yet. I don't know why too but in the past I used to look forward to my favourite season of the year, more so than Chinese New Year but this year the Christmassy feeling hasn't set in yet.

As people always say, Christmas is the time of giving and to me this doesn't just mean giving of gifts but of your time and love to the people around you, people whom you have taken for granted or you have been too busy to spend time with. I treasure this much more this year as my mom's health took a turn for the worst and I realise that we are growing up so fast or time is flying by so quickly everyday, every week, every month and every year. When you are a kid, you wish you will grow up faster, when you are an adult, you wish time will slow down. Such is the irony of life.

Anyway will be back for the reflection or highlights on 2013 on 1 Jan.

Have a blessed Christmas and an awesome new year!

Cheers!

The past month in squares

Well almost..I'm referring to my post title. Having been extremely busy with house moving and many events at work, I haven't been writing nor taking many pictures. Most pictures are spur-of-the-moment pictures on my Instagram, therefore the post title. :)

Haha for those who move house frequently, I salute you! Either that or I have way too many things. Having stayed in the new place for 3 weeks, I still have packed boxes yet to be organised into the cupboards. Mostly my craft items and some books. The rest of the areas like kitchen and toiletries are sorted. Packing and unpacking are both back-breaking tasks! And finally we have hot water in the house after 3 weeks. Due to CNY, we were unable to get the gas pipes boxed up in the false ceiling and gas activated so we have been showering in icy cold water. First world problem I say 'coz we have been too used to hot water. There are still bits of carpentry work to be fixed but most parts of the house are done.

Today is one of the those days I wanted to just do nothing and relax and close one eye to the boxes. :P Therefore am sitting here writing and blog surfing. Sometimes it feels great to just do nothing and spend some "me time". :) Hope you are spending some "me time" too. Have a lovely week ahead!

The dining area with one of my favourite shots of Melbourne printed and mounted to add colours to the white theme.

My collection of Vodka bottles over the years.

And my Hard Rock Cafe shot glasses. Mostly of countries I have been to while a couple were given to me by friends who know I collect them.

My tea box that I bought from Melbourne in the last trip. One of my favourite teas that doesn't fit in the box is TWG's Grand Wedding tea.

A CNY jelly that was served at one of the Chinese restaurants I had lo-hei at and I thought it was very apt for V-Day so I took a random shot. :)

Elderflower cupcake at Ikea. $1.50 each. Very yummy!

Crayfish Ba Chor Mee.

My new impulse purchase new kicks.

Let the packing begin

It's less than a month to the move date and we have started packing since the boxes arrived on Sat. The reason for starting early is to make the process somewhat less painful as we each have soooo many things. We started with the books because we can likely live without them for a month, of course leaving the one I am reading now. :)

My books can be classified broadly into the following categories:

1. Baking and Cooking
2. Art and Crafts - sewing, card-making, beads, etc.
3. Photography, Photoshop and Design
4. Business and Marketing
5. Travel

Haha nothing unexpected as these are my loves but with the amount of information I can get from the Internet, I have been referring less and less to these books.

Besides packing the books into boxes, I have started bubble-wrapping the vodka bottles (which I collect) and some shoes..hard to pack these as I still wear them.

The good thing about moving house (though I'm not saying we should do it often) is it's a great opportunity to take stock of what you have and discard the unwanted ones. Can you believe I still have my university notes and books?! During the last major spring-cleaning I threw out my JC lecture notes and tutorials..Haha I can be such a hoarder at times! :P

Till the next update. Have a good week ahead!

Reflection on 2012

I looked back at my blog posts for the past year and realised I haven't been blogging much. I have been an armchair reader, going from sites to sites except my own. When I decided to write this post to reflect on the past year, I wished I had blogged more so that it can be a reference for this post and a reminder of what has happened in the past year. Now I shall rely on my memory to reflect on the past year, maybe that's good too as I will only pick out the eventful ones...

• The passing of my grandmother, someone who took care of me during the most part of my childhood while the parents were at work and I would like to think she's at at better place now.
• Looked back at my blog name and realised I have shelved most of my hobbies, baked less than 5 times, cooked less than 5 times and of course haven't used that sewing machine for the longest time. I am putting it down on my to-do list to do more of these in the new year!
• I received a 10-year long service award at the company's D&D this year. 10 years have passed and it seemed like yesterday I joined the company almost right after graduation. That's close to 1/3 of my life!
• Travelled to Europe mid this year and had a one-in-a-lifetime chance to drive some amazing cars in the black forest in Germany. A check off the bucket list for me!
• Have always wanted to visit the New York City and Niagara Falls and the hub and I finally went this year. We drove for 7 to 8 hours from Washington D.C. to Niagara Falls in Canada and fulfilled that dream of mine! Took a thousand islands cruise and wished we can own a little island of ours one day. That's another story for another day when I blog about our trip. :)
• Having always imagined to have a photography exhibition of some sorts of my own some day (I think that's every artist or photographer's dream), I had the opportunity to display some (13 to be exact) of my photos at a Art Loft for a charity event where the proceeds of the sales of the reprints of the photos go to charity. Kill 2 birds with 1 stone.
• I participated in the Boys' Brigade Share-A-Gift event where together with my colleagues, contributed and delivered groceries to the less fortunate in the society. It served as a reminder of how fortunate we are and to count our blessings.
• Mom's health has taken a turn, not exactly for the worst yet but definitely deteriorating at a never before rate and it's sad to know that one day she will not remember who we are but it's a reminder to cherish the times we have now.
• Lastly we made the biggest purchase of our lives so far and we will be moving house in February. We both felt a little sad that we will be leaving this place we called home for 5 years..the familiar neighbourhood, the drive home, the malls, the neighbours... But I am sure we will get used to the new place in no time.

It seems and feels like a very long year for me, longer than the other years, is it because there are so many changes or highlights or am I getting old? Haha whichever it is, here's wishing everyone a fantabulous 2013 filled with peace, love, joy, happiness and good health!

Five & Dime Eatery

Five & Dime is a nice little restaurant nestled in River Valley Road with complimentary parking for diners at a private car park next to the restaurant. If you are coming from UE Square, the parking is after the restaurant. Making reservations is a must as there are limited seating. Attentive and wonderful serving staff. I love the fish and chips, especially the chips - will be going back for this next time because this time round I had the mentaiko pasta which wasn't too creamy and was pretty good.

Five & Dime Eatery

297 River Valley Road Singapore 238338

For reservations, call 9236 5002.

Hi from Washington DC

It has been a while since the last post. I am in Washington DC now, came from New York City, Atlantic City and Philadelphia. The first few days were spent exploring the bustling New York City, checking out monuments, museums and cupcakes stores! Now that I am in DC, can't leave without eating the famous Georgetown Cupcake which was on the top of my to-do/eat list! Tomorrow I am going to drive for some 7+ hours to the awe-inspiring Niagara Falls.

I shall let my Instagram pictures do the talking. Will be back soon with more pictures.

Have a good weekend!

Ardent's Cafe Bar

After reading the recommendation from a blogger, I decided to give Ardent's Cafe Bar a try since it's pretty near to office. We celebrated a colleague's first year anniversary with the company here and he gave us a treat. :) The set lunch is pretty good value, starting from $9.80 for any pasta (ranges from $14.80 - $19.80) on the menu plus ice lemon tea.

Added a few neon-coloured items to my wardrobe recently such as this Steven by Steve Madden Large Crossbody Bag which I got from Nordstrom. :)

And some new shoes...

Cream lace flats

Look at the intricate stitching, not two sides are the same...

Have a good week ahead!

The Past Month

This is going to be a combined post with random happenings recently. Haven't had the time  to update this space as I was tied up with my assignment which requires us to write some 3,500 words! Finally submitted last Friday and boy, what a relief it was and I think I speak on behalf on my fellow course mates. :P


A mini water feature that runs on battery that a colleague gave me for my recent office-warming gift. Easy to move around and put it wherever I want. :)

Lunch at The University Club (part of the Prive Group) at NUS with S and YL to discuss our assignment! We ordered the set lunch to share.

We bought new chairs for the study room, our previous chairs were hand-me-down and served us well for years.

I'm totally in love with the floral prints this season, below is a pix of  the prints on my dress last Friday and I have 2 flora dresses and 1 top so far!

The hub and I had hi-tea buffet at the Carousel, did some shopping before heading to the Esplanade theatre to catch Happy Ever Laughter. We realised that we are both not very buffet people, I had 3 rounds and I was done - 1st was sashimi and sushi, 2nd was a mix of popiah, kueh pie-tee and fried stuff and last was desserts! We skipped dinner and ended the day with supper at Killiney Kopitiam with my favourite dessert - barley with gingko nut.

A colleague recently went to Korea for work and got me the The Face Shop Rice Mask I requested. It's about $22 for 20 pieces there compared to 4 for $10 here.

A purchase today from one of my favourite accessories shop. The service at the Jurong Point branch is highly commendable. The service staff were attentive and polite.

That's all for now! Have a good week ahead! :)