Christmas Pressies 2010!

I am keeping track of my Christmas presents this year for a certain reason. Nope, I'm neither Miss Scrooge nor a show-off, please don't misunderstand. I was called Miss "Goldfish" once upon a time for a good reason...

I can't remember everything specially numbers = Birthdays for god sake (but I believe if they really love me & know me, we will accept me as who I am). However there are miracles, I have friends who are around me for more than 13 years, with great patience & yearly gentle reminders, I can now finally remember their dates (erm, with memory "blackout" days once in a while). Thus I have to keep track. Thank you for trying to understand.

I took great effort & discipline to only open my presents on the 26th (Boxing Day) when I watched almost everyone opening theirs immediate upon receipt. That's the spirit of Christmas in Singapore, lol... The first gift on the list is going to make many people, especially the Chinese, scratch their heads & wonder: Why?

It's a Lucky Red Packet for Madam Bulldog, my Mummy. She said it's for good luck for my upcoming endeavours.

The below will be some presents that I did not bear to unwrap as they were either wrapped up so nicely or with immense effort, so I took a picture before removing the wrapping.







Alright, enough of teasing. Finally it's time to reveal, they all nice... thank you everyone. I really appreciate the thought that went into each & every one of them.

Tangs (above) & Takashimaya (below) Cash Vouchers


Rose-scented Candle Set & Fujifilm FinePix Mini Pod


I received something from the above series, which one do you think I got?

It's Little Miss Sunshine! I guess I haven't been smiling enough

Behind my Little Miss Sunshine ceramic cup, who's the "King"...

Another cup, but it's also about smiling. Hmmm...

My "Friends Are Angels" cup

It has Angel Wings sprouting from where the cup handle should be

Actually I've been thinking for a really long time of getting a tattoo of a pair of wings. However I still have not found the pair that make me go "you are the one" & (don't laugh) I'm still not decided on where to have it permanently imprinted on my body.

Anyone interested for some Baking Therapy?

Microwavable Caramel Popcorns for my movie nights!

Loreal Mascara

Lastly, the Ipad with Wi-Fi, 16GB (I topped up to upgrade it to 3G, 32 GB) which I can collect only next week because it's HOT...

That's all folks, Santa definitely knew I was real good this year! What about you?...

The Beauty of Walking Meditation

I just came across this interesting meditation technique & somehow got strangely engaged...

"Every step that we take is a step that is happening now.

This step is not the same as the one before it (the past),

and neither is it the same as the one we are going to take (the future).

Although we can retrace our steps,

no two steps are ever the same.

The past has passed.

It is the step that you are taking now that really matters"

Melting Pot Cafe Buffet!

Note: This is another of my long delayed blog entry.

Jingle Bell~ Jingle Bell~
Jingle all the way!~

The mood of Christmas is everywhere, am I feeling it? It for me to know & for you to find out. However the people around me are definitely in the mood of giving as I'm treated a meal at the Melting Pot Cafe located in Holiday Inn Atrium, level 4. I was really hesitating when the plan firmed up as my appetite's still not back me by my side & I'm not going to be able to eat much at the buffet lunch. Yes, buffet...

However I was told that I was INFORMED to turn up, not ASKED. That means, the decision was already fixed, reservation was already made & I had to go. These lovely people really know how to get me out of my "shell". I was quite touched & did not want to waste their effort. Thus I turned up feeling alittle awkward but was anticipating on this all-girls lunch date.

Hotel entrance

We reached the hotel, all 3 of us but short of 1 attendee. The day was alittle wet but breezy, plus our sunshiny smiles, the weather was exceptionally great. The hotel was all decked out with Christmas decor in every corner, pretty & grand. We proceed in & took a cylinder-shaped elevator to the 4th floor.

Christmas tree in the hotel lobby

Retro-glam elevator

If I let my imagination run wild, the elevator actually (in my personal point of view) looks like a time machine with the perfectly clean glass walls & light bulbs above. If you stand real close to the glass, looking out when the elevators going down, you'll get this mini "free-fall" feeling that I always can't resist.

The hotel interior

Lamp post: Don't you think it's look right out from some fantasy movie

The restaurant's signboard

We reached the cafe alittle past 12 pm & were guided to our reserved table, there was not much of a crowd yet. The cafe was quiet & peaceful, the view look out to the surrounding hotels and flowing road traffic.

The buffet area

Dishes

More dishes

Our seat

Our seat was situated in a private but cozy corner of the cafe with a paranormal view. We started chatting right after we sat down as the place was serene. It's nice to be able to catch up with the girls about office & stuff that we forgot about food for a moment. However our stomach did not co-operate for long & we set off with our plates, immersed in the array of dishes presented before us.

My first helping

Close up: Pizza & Bell Pepper Ham Salad

Do you know, I love bell peppers when they are barbecued with succulent mince meat stuffing, yum yum yum.

From left to right: Bamboo Clam in Pepper Sauce, Beef Stew, Sambal Prawn, Sweet & Sour Pork. There's some Achar in the centre of the above mentioned dishes.

Close up of the Sambal Prawn, Sweet & Sour Pork

My second helping

Clockwise starting from White Steamed Rice, Spinach Stir-fried in Oyster Sauce, Crispy Roasted Chicken, Black Pepper Roasted Beef, Roasted Potatoes, Pork Satay, Fried Vermicelli, (continue clockwise) Lemon Grilled Salmon & Teriyaki Chicken

My finale

Two scoops of vanilla ice cream completed my meal. There were many other dishes that I did not manage to try, there's a Pasta station & a Rojak station where you can see your order prepared right in front of you. There were also dessert cakes & soups too but they were beyond my limit to even sample.

I can't really review on the food as I did not pay for the meal but it was a lovely outing, but I'm sure there are many other sites that can provide a better review than mine. Let's do it again soon, thank you very much!

Shopping in Tampines

Just a little shopping trip we had awhile ago when I was almost bored to death. I accompanied Mr Funshine to do his Christmas shopping in Tampines One because his sister requested for a Christmas Mickey Mouse.

First stop: Urban male for slipper shopping. However I did not buy any as I'm still in love with my current pair.

Second Stop: Soft toy shopping.

I personally prefer "practical" gifts thus I did not buy any as well. However I reunited with my babies. Merry Christmas!

Being a great brother, Mr Funshine bought a huge Mickey, wrapped in "Mickey" gift wrapper & presented in a Mickey shopping bag for his beloved sister. We went on with many other stops & walked until our legs almost gave way. We then decided to have our dinner before going on with our shopping.

We settled at a eatery call U Taste

My dinner I ordered!

Can you tell that I love spicy food?

My haul for the day was surprisingly small, but it's alright as they are great buys.

We opted to settle down in the middle of nowhere (in front of the CPF Building to be precise) & just chatted until it's time to head home. One more day was over just like that, I want to shop some more.

Nihon Mura & C.Nai Hong Kong Cafe

This is a long overdue entry, it happened way before Christmas. Sincere apologies.

I went out for dinner with Mr Funshine & his partner, Mr Benzu last week & had a great time. We did not manage to settle our Japanese cuisine craving the previous meet up thus Mr Funshine suggested the restaurant in Kallang Leisure Park: Nihon Mura (Japanese Village).

The concept is of a Japanese marketplace-style eatery. You collect the ice cream sticks (which states specific dishes) as you roam form stall to stall & hand the bunch to the staff when you are done selecting to place your order , and all you have to do is to return to your seat while waiting for your meal to be served.

The entrance.

Notice the little bowl with a heap of white powdery content at the bottom right-hand corner of the above photo? Is it salt? Salt has been used for centuries to purify and also keep evil spirits or entities from homes in some countries. It is suppose to be a protective barrier, so am I suppose to feel safer?

The signboard

Rows & rows of dishes to choose from, was so spoiled with choices

A little close-up shot of the order sticks

That's all I managed to shoot as I was advised by one of their staff that no photography is allowed. There was definitely a "No Outside Food & Drinks Allowed" sign but there's no sight of a "No Photography" sign around, I even off my flash in order not to cause other diners any disturbance. I breathed & restrained my "Feline-side" from taking over the situation, smiled sweetly & kept my camera. Fine, I don't want to have any extra stuff in my food anyway. Apologies that there's no more photos for this specific location.

We've ate quite alot but the only memorable ones are the yakitori dishes (bacon wrapped enoki mushroom & asparugus) & also a salmon sashimi & roe salad that came with a very tasty dressing. The rest were just fillers, most of the dishes that were suppose to be hot were served lukewarm. I'm not terribly impressed with the place but for the great company, I'll go just anywhere with them. ありがとうございます! (Arigatou gozaimasu!)

There after, we'll normally have a after-dinner stroll or chill out somewhere. Since we were in the east area, we headed down to East Coast Park. On our way there, Mr Funshine actually cracked a joke that MacDonald's pulling out from Singapore as their license was revoked. That got Mr Benzu & me a little upset ( you mean I have to travel across the Causeway to have my fries?!). We actually believed him for that one moment as he sounded so serious. Tsk!

A little push cart displaying plants & Christma-sy lights. So pretty, the kind of place that you can hold your lover's hand, take a nice walk & keep each other warm.

We decided to chill out at C.Nai Hong Kong Cafe

The blinking signboard written in Mandarin

I was feeling rather cold & ordered hot honey lemon only to be called "boring" by Mr Funshine, tsk... wonder what wrong with me, nowadays I feel cold even in the middle of the board daylight on this sunny tropical island. We sat & listened to the live band singing. That brought back happy memories of our college days as we were in the CCS (Chinese Cultural Society) club, when were extremely into "Xinyao".

The band sang some familiar tunes & it was too soon that they finished their last song. It was almost 11 pm & we had to head home as Mr Funshine & Mr Benzu got to wake up really early the following day. What a great outing, but somehow I still felt cold.

Christmas Is Here

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, alles schlaft, einsam wacht
Nur das traute heilige Paar. Holder Knab im lockigten Haar.
Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh', Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh'

I relished how I celebrated last year's Christmas

What shall I do for this year's

I just reached home after a long day out having quite some fun. While I'm still basking in my sense of contentment and pleasantly tipsy, I finally have some time to write down what I have been wanting to blog for the longest time.

First of all I sincerely apologise to all for MIA-ing for quite awhile. I had to stop my daily blogging for personal & health reasons. I am really behind my updates which I'll catch up with (in time). However, don't you realise...

you are actually missing me?

It does not take a genius to realise the above, but it requires real courage to admit it. I just want to tell you that although I cannot be by your side during this beautiful season, I still want to wish you a Peaceful White Christmas 2010.

I Made Breakfast! 2

I'm feeling strong enough to get out of bed to make breakfast for myself today but being not fully recovered, I have to make my breakfast without any "heavy-duty action". Well, nobody's home, no one can stop me.

In such times, I'm so glad that Thomas Ahearn, PC (June 24, 1855 – June 28, 1938) invented his greatest invention. I made my entire breakfast with an electric toaster, just pop in & wait for "Ding!". Diced, juicy tomatoe omlette with buttered toast and as always, a cup of hot coffee. I don't care what they told me that I'm suppose to eat or not suppose to eat. I'll just eat when I actually have the appetite to. Triumph!

I tired again. I'm going to sleep. Take care.

Anyone wants to try my "toaster-breakfast"?