Day trip to Malaysia

What is a holiday without stepping out of Singapore? Since we don't have the luxury of time to travel to faraway places such as Korea and Europe, we decided to cross the causeway and enjoy 1 day of pigging at Malaysia:)

First stop for lunch: This place in city square basement selling shabu shabu, I think it's called Arashi Japanese. The steamboat pot may look small, but it is super filling and worth for money! Mine's V.Special Tofu Shabu Shabu. It then dawned on me the "V" stands for "vegan", not "very" :P Feeling adventurous, I went for the spicy milk soup base which turned out to be the best I feel:D It may sound weird, but it actually tastes like laksa or curry. Other food items on the table included beef teppanyaki, herbal soup shabu shabu, tom yum shabu shabu and vegan tom yum shabu shabu. All these amounted to approximately SGD$80, with 5 super full adults. Bet if this is in Singapore it would cost at least a hundred bucks.

V. Special Tofu Set 

Saw this super kawaii corn at one of the shops! It's sooooo cuteeeeee! I had to resist myself from buying it:/

Mr Corn says hi!

A wide array of polaroid cameras with pretty colours^^

Polaroid cameras with pretty colours

For dinner we ate at this soup restaurant called Tang Shi Fu. Apparently it is quite famous in Malaysia with quite a number of franchise branches. Sorry for the bad photography skills but don't be deceived by the photo. The food is really good. Dishes include ginseng chicken soup (which was too bitter for my liking because of the addition of authentic ginseng), some luxurious soup with all the treasures including scallops and fish maw inside, herbal braised duck, pu-er stir fried french beans and drunken chicken. The concept of the shop revolves around rejuvenating the body, thus all their food items are herbal based targetted at benefiting the body. All the food are yummy and we're all happy:P Pu-er stir fried french beans was the most creative dish, for in Singapore we only heard of sambal or garlic stir fried french beans. Integrating tea leaves with veggies added sweetness to the dish, quite a good combination! The herbal braised duck was also worth the try as it was really soft, making me reminisce the good old CNY days when we have braised duck at my ahma's house:) Bill totalled to about SGD$80, which was once again a good deal considering they were all high end tonic food:)

5 tired souls returned back to Singapore, with bags of clothes and cookies. I am really glad to have this one day trip, at least it takes my mind off some stuffs and I just eat all that I want:) Therapeutic day today, be it in terms of spending quality family time or retail therapy or food therapy.

Back in Singapore, back to harsh reality.

Just another Sunday

Just another Sunday. Just another disaster which I whipped up that is thankfully edible and accepted by my family:P

Pulled pork sandwiched between focacia bread, sauteed mushrooms and yogurt potato salad

Think if I wasn't too lazy to get a BBQ sauce the sandwich could have been better:P

Happy Father's Day: Matchamisu success!

Happy Father's Day to my beloved personal chauffeur, insect-catcher and kopi kaki:)

Since I dont know what my father wants, I decided to make something special for the special dad-- Matchamisu. It's totally self-improvised and I didnt follow any recipe hahaha. I'm glad it turned out fine and my family enjoyed it:) Here's some snapshots of my proud creation and recipe:

Decorated with marshmallows and chocolate chips

Layers of mascarpone cheese, matcha-soaked ladyfingers and azuki beans

Recipe for Matchamisu (serves 5)
500g Mascarpone cheese
12 ladyfingers (the biscuits, not the plant:P)
2 heaped tablespoons of sugar (to taste)
1 teaspoonful of vanilla essence (to taste)
Boiling water 
3 heaped teaspoon of matcha powder
1 can of azuki beans
Marshmallows and chocolate chips

1. Mix mascarpone cheese, vanilla essence and sugar together until well combined 
2. Prepare matcha liquid by adding matcha powder into around 200ml of boiling water in a wide bowl
3. Dip ladyfingers into the matcha liquid by coating it in the liquid on both sides, then lay as the base in the baking tin (don't soak it too long as it'll disintegrate)
4. Spread a layer of mascarpone mixture over it
5. Spread a layer of azuki bean over it
6. Alternate with layers of ladyfingers, mascarpone and azuki bean.
7. End off with a layer of mascarpone cheese (make sure it is not too thick) and dust with green tea powder/cocoa powder. 
8. Decorate as desired
9. Chill for at least 12 hours before serving.

*The proportions above are what I used. Depending on your tastebuds, you may want to add in more sugar/matcha or experiment with different ingredients:)
**As it is a chilled non-bake recipe, it is quite tricky getting the tiramisu out of the tin. One good way will be to scoop it out using a spatula:)

#eatclean

After listening to my friend raving about all the benefits of a clean diet, I decided to embark on this special challenge- green smoothie for breakfast. Shall see how long I can sustain on this green smoothie brekkie:)

 Personal favorite for now: Celery + Carrots + Mango.
Some people may eew at the thought of a green smoothie and the addition of veggies may scare away many. But trust me, this is not that green afterall. Especially since mangoes help to enhance the sweetness of the drink, making u happy in the morning ^^

Bringing raw vegan diet to a whole new level, she made a RAW VEGAN fruit pie for my family:D The crust is raw, made from walnuts, dates and dessicated coconut. Instead of the usual fattening custard filling, she used mango puree which added sweetness to the pie. And finally, an array of colourful fruits for aesthetic purposes:) The pie was quite chewy and crunchy because of the coconut. The pie was generally a great attempt which received good review from my picky dad:P

Who says healthy diet and desserts have to be mutually exclusive?

Random Musings: How Couples Last

Witnessed something today which made me realize how couples manage to last for years even after fights and arguments.
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While waiting for my brother for lunch, my mum wanted to text my brother to update him where we were eating. Being my dad's typical instructional and annoying self, he told my mum in a harsh tone she should straightaway call my brother to tell him we found seats and waiting for him. Because of my mum's built up impatience from doing accounting for my dad's company in the morning, she was pissed off with my dad. After a few more sentences of conversation, tension was in the air and a cold war started. 

Even up till dinner time, the tension could still be felt between them. They refused to talk to each other and I was the only person they talked to, which indeed annoyed me. However during dinnertime, something funny happened. My dad ordered seafood spaghetti and while eating he gave my mum a prawn from his spaghetti. In return, my mum gave him part of her chicken chop. Subsequently, the tension is slowly eased and now they are fine:)
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I know that may seem like a very small incident which many will disregard. But personally, I am amazed at the significance of such small actions. To ease the tension, someone has to make the first step. No matter how small the step is, it takes lots of courage to initiate. This is especially hard if both are hard-headed. I realized that for my parents, my mum is the patient one who always gives in so I suppose this is how they sustain years of marriage:) Maybe with years of being together, understanding each other and love, they developed their unique way of expressing their love for each other. When it comes to making mistakes, they may not need to express their apology verbally but they use nonverbal actions to do so. Maybe this comes with years of being together, understanding each other and loving each other <3

Apologizing does not always mean that you are wrong and the other person is right. 

It just means that you value your relationship more than your ego.  

TGIF

Even though during school holidays which calendar day of the week doesn't matter, I'm still glad how well I managed to spend my Friday:)

Went to Five and Dime with Nigel today! It was a really nice place that was a standalone along the road. Because of its simple white building with black words, it stood out among the shophouses. The interior was quite nicely decorated with blackboards and menu written on them (seems like it's the norm nowadays, even EWF also uses this deco method:P)

Ordered the Big Brekkie ($22) and Eggs Benny ($16). The Eggs Benny comes along with roasted potatoes and fruit salad. The roasted potatoes were nice with a slightly salty crust, that comes as a healthier and newer alternative to typical fries or wedges, think it's the best item in the entire plate:P The eggs benny were abit disappointing though as it was slightly overcooked on the sides. The taste of thyme/basil or whatever herb (:P) was too overwhelming too, hence making the hollandaise sauce pale in comparison to other places'. But I'm really glad the awesome company I had made up for it. It was really great being able to talk at lengths about absolutely everything and anything under the sun. Life is a funny thing, how people get to know each other through random events. If not for his random passing remark made during Chingay which he subsequently apologised for because of his ignorance, we became good friends and started talking thereafter. I'm thankful for what fate and affinity has done, inserting all these awesome people into my life and making every page of my life a fun-filled and happy one:)

Really felt sorry for having to rush off for my Sony interview>.< Following which was my chill-day with my lovely parents <3 Fruitful shopping trip as all of us managed to buy something at Bugis, especially my dad who hates shopping but surprisingly he suggested this Bugis shopping trip as he wanted to fill his wardrobe:) Supper at Wo Ai Tai Mei, their all time favorite which left me feeling sinful but delighted because of quality time spent with my precious family, doing our favorite activity and eating our favorite food:)

Simple it may seem, but it's all these random small chilling sessions that I treasure deeply. These few hours of time may not seem alot, but believe me, the happiness brought to the people is etched deeply in the hearts. I know my parents will share how they spent their Friday (shopping in Bugis, eating the Taiwan food) with their colleagues and friends proudly and I am proud to say that I'm part of the memory:)

Every long journey starts with a small step

Happy Mother's Day

11 May 2014 Sunday: Mothers' Day

As promised, I woke at 8am to specially prepare brekkie for mum on this special day:) Went to buy groceries early in the morning. It really feels refreshing going to an empty supermarket on a cheery Sunday morning  knowing that you're doing something special for special people in your life:) The blissful feeling is great, having only to worry if the menu will suit the tastebuds of my parents and if I can finish the preparation before lunchtime. 

Successful final product: Foolproof American Breakfast :D Decided that preparing breakfast for my parents will be a much better choice than material products because I really can't think of anything which they need. When I asked them what they wanted, they only replied "We want you to be happy". Touched. Blessed. Guilty. Overwhelmed. 

Dinner treat at Marche:) Simple it may be, but it's really great catching up with family and talking crap. I really love those moments when we just talk about random stuffs, rake up events from the past or just suanning each other. This beats the antisocial ambience where everyone just take out their smartphone and start playing candycrush. Really glad that exams period is over so that I can enjoy quality time with my family:)

Love while you can. Don't make excuses. Start loving and showing your love to those around you. There is no better time to love. 

The Start of my Blogging Journey

After hearing what happened to Miauw's mum, I had this strong surge of emoness, which was why I decided to start this blog entry: to pen down all my thoughts and ideas, constantly remind myself and externalize all these emoness. Of course, it includes all my fun trips that can be solo, family or with my awesome friends:)

1st day after exam. Perfect time for a solo getaway. Just wanted to find somewhere nice to reflect on myself.

Indeed, exam period has been tough.
12hours of mugging.
6hours of sleep.
2meals a day.
Unlimited support and encouragement from friends and family.

I remember the day when I broke down in front of my mum. Reason being studies and friendships are taking a toll on me. Mentally taxing friendships that knows no boundary and studies that is on exponential decline even after putting in so much hard work. But my mum constantly reassures me that everything will be fine. The next day when I was mugging she msged me "No matter what happens, you'll still be our precious daughter:)"

I've been keeping alot from her. I've been angsty and pissed off by her. I've always dao-ed her and shunned her. This is what I get in spite of these.

*touch wood* Not that I want to say anything inauspicious, but life is really unpredictable. It can happen to anyone at anytime. So it's never too late to show your love. You don't have to be next to them 24/7 and shower them with gifts. Simple msgs and mere presence at family dinners are a good start.

I really cannot imagine Miauw's pain but let's face it, everyone will go through sooner or later. What matters is make every moment count, show your appreciation and love and maximise your time with your loved ones. <3

Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

so, Love while you can.