Fort Canning Park

I arrived at Plaza Singapura on Orchard Road at 8.30 am on a Sunday to have breakfast, how very unthinkable! There was hardly anyone in the mall at that timing and even the escalators were not switched on yet. I was doubting myself all the way whether breakfast would even be available.

After several wrong turns, Ya Kun craving satisfied with Breakfast Set B:

Anyway, the reason for my being in town so early was because of a planned outing to Fort Canning Park to 'hike' (walk would be more apt when Fort Canning Hill is only 48m high) XD. Since it was my first time to this park located right smack in the CBD, it was a good opportunity to do some sightseeing at the same time.

An average sized park, 1.5 hours is more than enough to explore the area which consists of 9 historical gardens and several historical landmarks.

So apparently there's this spiral staircase near the entrance to the park where everyone is supposed to take a picture at. We actually had to queue to take a picture -______- 

I was quite surprised to see chicks in the CBD.

From afar I thought this was a remote control car belonging to some kid, turns out it's a robot lawnmower, don't think it's that practical though looking at the capacity XD

I take photos of people but no one takes photos of me T_____T

Special mention of this area called Pancur Larangan (Forbidden Spring in Malay) as we had to purposely search for it. Nothing breathtaking but you can imagine that you're in an exotic country while you're there.

Rare view (for me) of Clarke Quay in the morning

We ended up walking from Fort Canning Park to Havelock Road for dimsum brunch at Peach Garden @ Hotel Miramar. Google maps said 16 minutes but I swear it took us close to 30 minutes. I clearly remember leaving Fort Canning at around 10.45 am and it was around 11.15 am by the time we arrived at the restaurant. The funniest thing was that we had to enter through the staff entrance were led by the staff through a series of corridors like some secret hideout. Turns out the hotel was being used for quarantine purposes hence the main entrances were out of bounds.

Looks nice but actually so-so only. Luckily there's a promotion going on and we got a 30% discount so not so bad.

All-in-all I quite enjoyed my little Sunday outing since it is always a treat to explore new places. Poor old me had to go lie down for a bit in the afternoon after all that walking though. 

10 years 9 months

It's been 10 years and 9 months since I started working full-time. 

I met a friend for lunch today. A friend whom I first knew during my first job. We just only realised that we have known each other for around 11 years today. Who would have known? It is so hard to keep friendships nowadays, especially for me. I don't belong to any gang, to any group. I hardly feel connected to many of my primary, secondary school, college peers. 

Perhaps it could be due to my bluntness? My different background? My peculiar thoughts? My eclectic tastes? 

I don't really feel that strongly about my lack of a bustling social circle though. Perhaps only when I see people travelling or meeting up in big groups and then I would stop to wonder why I don't have that. Whenever I meet friends for meals, it is always only one or two people at once. 

Anyway, to cut a long story short, we both came to the conclusion that after 10+ years, none of us managed to make any big ripples in our industries, haha. I think I'm kind of living out the song 小人物的心声.

"我从来都不在乎

自己不是一个大人物

因为平凡也是一种幸福

看到名人总是忙忙碌碌

我的时间由我控制

平凡日子一样会充实"

Today's lunch was at a cafe called Amber Ember which serves Jaffles (toasted sandwiches). The best part was that I had a direct bus from right in front of my block that stopped right in front of the cafe, how lucky! Despite the very limited menu, people still bothered to queue to eat there, how weird! For what it was worth, the Jaffles was pretty filling and flavourful but I would probably not revisit since there aren't much food and drink choices available. 

Cheeky Beef Jaffles

18 hour braised pulled beef cheek, mozarrella (cheese), gruyere (cheese), emmental (cheese), sliced tomatoes, poached egg, parmigiano reggiano (cheese), salad with vinaigrette

(A nightmare for people who don't like cheese I guess)

Lunch + A 1.5km walk + grocery shopping were all settled in 3 hours, efficiency at its best, hahahahhahaha.

On Being Thankful

I recently read that journalling is a good hobby to have, but gosh, I seriously can't remember the last time I wrote something that wasn't a part of work. In fact, I have been doubting whether I would ever write again since I feel almost brain dead by the end of each work day.

Anyway, today's theme for self-reflection is going to be THANKFULNESS.

With 2020 being a such a crazy year and all, there is so much negativity going around, people falling sick, people losing jobs, people going mental from being cooped up at home (haha, definitely not me!).. Instead of feeling down in the dumps, now is a good time for me to reflect and be thankful for the stuff that is going on (or not going on) in my life.

One - I am grateful for my job in a sustainable and financially stable company (heard my previous co has decreed pay cuts for senior management @@) that allows me to be able to not only survive but also provides me with extra for savings and indulgences in life.

Two - I am grateful for having a roof over my head and not having to worry about not having a place to stay (I love you to pieces for this my dear aunt). Living alone during this period might be slightly lonely but it in turn offers me tons of freedom and the ability to work from home without disturbances.

Three - I am grateful that my home did not burn down today. While using the kettle in the kitchen this morning, there was this horrible smell of burnt plastic. To my horror, the extension plug had a hole burnt through and the plastic at the back near the socket had melted. I had smelt the same smell yesterday and had dismissed it to something burning outside. Thank goodness nothing serious happened (I very well know a fire hazard when I see one). Due to 'One' (finances) and 'Two' (freedom), I could immediately head off to the mall to purchase a new kettle to replace the pitiful old one whose plug had also melted together with the extension plug.

Four - I am thankful for my brother being at home with mum at this point in time when I am stuck in another country. Even though they may bicker and argue all the time, at least they are there for each other. I think he deserves a nice present for this years birthday, hmm...

Five - I am thankful that I have a holiday booked and my biggest worry for this year is when would my trip be postponed to, which shouldn't count as a worry at all, heh. The weirdest thing is that I purchased a 'Plus' package that comes with free flight changes (no cancellation though) when all the while I have been purchasing the lowest tier ticket available. Oh well, I'm usually lucky when it comes to travelling.

So yeah, quite a few nice, big, fat, good reasons to feel thankful today. 

Being thankful put me in quite a good mood and being in a good mood, I splurged and picked up this awesome giant chrysanthemum on the way back from electric kettle-buying:

 Please bloom nicely for a few more days to give me an extra reason to feel thankful ok?

Strawberry Craze

Fukuoka Hakata Amaou - Yummy. 

Aside from tasting good, it is even aesthetically pleasing until you feel kind of guilty for chewing up a piece of perfection. I really had that 不舍得 （unwilling) kind of feeling but I couldn't leave them for too long as the ones that I bought were already quite ripe.

 Heart Shaped Yum <3

The best strawberries I have ever had up till now. They have managed to convert me into a strawberry lover when I previously had the misconception that all strawberries are either sour or tasteless hahaha..

I went crazy and spent S$30 on strawberries! 

They were seriously calling out to me when I passed by the fruit stall. The only time I have gone crazy and bought expensive (to me) fruit is occasionally during cherry season. When the boss told me that these were a steal (I have heard that they are expensive and can cost up to S$29 a packet) I just grabbed the box, then I realised I didn't have any cash and since it was a roadside stall that couldn't accept Nets or credit cards, I had to cross 2 streets to withdraw cash and rush back for these babies. Siao liao. XD

 

 Soooo pretty! (and so ripe -_____-) 

In the end I shared 1 packet with my colleagues. I knew I wouldn't be able to finish all on my own as these huge babies are quite filling. Just eating 2 feels like you had a whole breakfast lol. Felt quite bad that after distributing, each colleague could only have 1 (max 2) of them. Sorry guys, would have bought more if they were cheaper, haha.

Whilst the above were the best fresh strawberries I have had (to-date), the one below is the best freeze-dried strawberry I have ever had:

 Rokkatei Strawberry Chocolate... Ooooooooo... I am so in love! <3

Also made in Japan, this also gives you that terrible 不舍得 feeling, especially when you throw that sweet-looking flowery packaging into the bin.. Owww.. Sweet with a tangy taste, melty and crunchy and oh so pretty, please tell me how you can manage to not like this if you have tried and yet are not addicted yet! Too bad they are rare and hard to find like mountain mushrooms. The only way to get them is to 1) fly to Hokkaido or 2) beg your mum who is going to bring back as many packets as she can get her hands on, then pray they won't melt during her journey home. I am now down to the last 2 packets.. Please please someone else please go to Hokkaido soon!! hahahahha...

Anyways, just a short rambling about my recent strawberry craze. XD

Wondrous Wonders

In the blink of an eye, the dust on my blog seems a few metres thick, hahahhaa..

Just got inspired to blog after my recent awe-inspiring trip to the Great Wall of China, which has been one of my dream places to visit. Really need to blog about my trip to Beijing - Xi An when I have the mood and time.

Anyways, just to remind myself once in awhile how lucky I have been so far, I wanted to list out some of the places that I have visited to stem my saliva flow from looking at recent trip posts of some of my friends. Need to tell myself from time to time to be patient and there is still time to keep collecting trips, miles and memories. 

The Great Wall of China (Construction believed to begin in 771–476 BC)

You really need to see it to believe it! Winding through the sloping mountains, a really amazing structure that makes you admire the tenacity of people of yore. Wow!

Colosseum in Rome (Built in 70–80 AD)

Didn't think much of this place when I visited as it was the latter part of my Europe Trip and the weather was hot! I may appreciate it much more if I visited now that I have read up more on it as a wonder of the world.

Leaning Tower of Pisa (Completed 1372)

The weather plus the architecture allowed me to capture a picture nicer than my skills deserved. The white marble was really really pretty =) 

Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England (Believed to be constructed 3000 BC to 2000 BC)

No longer a complete circle when I visited and tourists were no longer allowed to get up-close and personal. It did have a mystifying aura that made you wonder who made it and for what purpose and it seemed to attract the little puff of cloud that was directly above it, haha. I remember hoards of locals jamming up the road to the landmark. 

Ha Long Bay in Vietnam

Misty and cool when I went in early March with nice views and nice food, a very relaxing place! Currently listed as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature and a UNESCO World Heritage Site~

 

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap (Built in the 12th century)

Hot hot hot! My only memory of Siem Reap is that it was super hot, until I couldn't fully appreciate the splendour of the place. This picture was taken at 6am and the 8am sun was equivalent to our 12noon, go figure! Lol

Terracota Army in Xi'An (Constructed in 210–209 BCE)

Okay so I know this is not what people would expect when they hear the words Terracotta Army. I have pictures of the actual army too, but this was my favourite in the exhibit, Horse Chariot No. 2 that's made out of high quality bronze. It also has the meaning '平平安安' or safe and sound as it was located behind Horse Chariot No. 1 which protected the master riding in the covered compartment of No. 2 (plus any animals just tickle my fancy XD)

 The 12 Apostles in Victoria

Located along ocean road, there are less than 12 and they don't really look like apostles so I don't know where the idea for the name came from. One highlight of this place was that this picture was taken from a helicopter, woohoo, super fun ride!

Jeju Volcanic Island 

Also one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, every corner is beautiful and a must visit place for nature and seafood lovers! Nice food and friendly people can also be found in abundance, well worth a visit (or more)!

Can't wait to expand this list further!! 

Some other dream locations of mine (dream dream dream...):

The Dubai Desert, Christ the Redeemer, Machu Picchu, Icelandic Northern Lights, Petra in Jordan