Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Hope everyone's lucky on this year of the dragon!

Went out for a ride...

And just like that, I became quiet again for a while. So sorry about that, my friends. I hope i can keep a steadier stream of blogposts again.

So what has happened the past few weeks? We had that Langkawi weekend. My little girl had so much fun! So much fun that we are doing a short beach getaway again soon! Then we got sick, work got a bit busier and then we did went out for a ride...

My wonderful husband brought over a cruiser for me during his recent trip to manila and we've been busy with that ever since. Not just with the actual biking but sprucing the bike with accessories like front and rear lights, a bell, bike pouch and even a child seat for the little girl. All that's missing is a wicker basket -- and I really want a wicker one, not those plastic types, so am holding out till we find the perfect one.

Growing up I've always loved biking, spending my summer afternoons biking with friends within the confines of our small subdivision. But I never had my owned my bike though, so this one is my first and am giddy with excitement! Can't wait for our family's biking adventures!

Meeting new friends over at instagr.am

My blog has been stagnant for a while now.

My dSLRs and compact cameras, and lomos have been resting for sometime too.

Not that I haven't been telling stories nor taking photos. But having the iphone and mobile internet just made it easier for me to share over at instagr.am. And I have been making new friends over there too -- those whose work delights and inspires me, and those who like my pictures as well. Its a fun community!

My instagram stats

As always, I take everyday photos. Mostly of Peyton, and some others that I find interesting. I don't post process much except for cropping, filtering and some tilt-shifting... haha, that might sound lot but there are others that really produces art. And I do everything with my iphone coz I am just lazy like that.

Apart from being able to tell my own stories with pictures,  I like knowing about other people's stories too. I follow a lot of really creative people, as well as those who live in places I like to visit -- Paris, London and Japan.

So in case you are in instagram as well, look me up... let's be friends! Would love to see your stories as well. :)

You can find a quiet spot...

... not too far from Tanglin Road, not too far from Alexandra Road at the newly renovated Alexandra Park Connector.

Entrance from Tanglin Road

I love how they renovated the place to be more than just a jogging path running along the canal. The landscaped area has a lot of places to sit, small "ponds" and open spaces for kids to run around.

iLove.iPhone.instagr.am.

Hello blog reader. Did you miss me? It's been two months and a lot has happened. Most notable is that I finally climbed on board the iPhone bandwagon and I am loving every minute of it, from the first 4square check-in that I did right after I got it out of the box (when I was still at the Singtel shop).

No, I am not writing a poem about my great iPhone love like I did before, but please, allow me to share what I love most about it... Instagram! Instagram is a FREE iPhone app that allows you to snap a photo (or take an existing photo from the phone’s gallery), enhance it with eleven different possible effects, share it on the various social networks, as well as on Instagram itself. I love the photos that i produce with it.

Welcome to the neighborhood (market)!

Hi Tin!

Today we had our usual weekend jaunt to the market for economic bee hoon and we happen to pass by your soon-to-be new place. So I thought of taking a few pictures to show you the oh so famous bee hon and your neighborhood market!

Keeping in Touch

Dear God,

I watched the movie Going the Distance (Drew Barrymore and Justin Long) and it reminded me of the long distance relaionships that I had and the ones I still have, especially since I am living in Singapore far from family and friends. That it takes a lot of effort to keep them.

So I just want to thank you for Singapore holidays, cheap promo flights, for the 3hr air travel time. For mobile phones, cheap SMS, for free emails, for Facebook, Twitter and this blog. They all help me maintain my long distance relationships in one way or another.

And thank you too for the time, that healed the heartaches for those relationships that didn't survive the distance.

Thank you,
Sara

Lucky me!

Bob is into gourmet coffee these days. First he bought an espresso machine and a coffee grinder, and he's been waking up early every day (that he is here) happily preparing espressos for me (because it means espresso for himself too). Next he bought this coffee recipe iphone app and a stainless steel carafe to steam/foam milk and he's been making me cappucinos.

Today, I got his version of Café Noisette in the espresso doppio cup I got for him from Munich.

Obviously I support this endeavor of his as it helps me wake up in the morning (and I always always need help waking up!) :)

Froyo = love

Frozen yohgurt makes me happy!

Because the first one I tried was when I was with Anna, during our special sleepover session last December 2009.

Because I eat at Red Mango in Eastwood with my sisters.

Because Frolick is our (mine and Wen's) pick me up dessert when we feel bad (apart from Bakerzin macaroons)

Because I was sad one day then Jeff and Bob brought me to the newly opened Red mango in Orchard Scape Youth Park.

Because Bob and I would pop by to the nearby Swirl Art for our "impromptu dates"

And because Peyton likes it as much as I do!

TRIUMPH End-of-Season SALE! 27 - 29 Aug '10

care for some tea?

Dearest Anna,

Remember I told you about this tea place that I want for us to try out? It's TWG at ION Orchard.

The place is small and cozy and has an old English feel. Perfect for an afternoon of catching up over tea and some pastries.


But I have to confess, their tea selection is overwhelming. I think one pot would be enough for us to share but choosing that right kind of tea is akin to choosing the perfect outfit to wear on a first date. It'll either make or break our afternoon....

Or maybe not. The reason why I want to bring you to this place is for us to have some quality time together. Catching up. Talking about our families, and our friends. Our hopes, our frustrations, our secrets. And eating! Did I ever thank you for introducing me to the world of frozen yoghurt?

I liked the time we spent together last December and hopefully, we get to do it again soon. Once a year is too infrequent, don't you think? Come over to Singapore as soon as you can. It'll be my treat at TWG. :)

Maybe we'd have two or more pots of tea to last us all throughout our stories.

I miss you,
Sara

yummy Bonifacio!

I haven’t done a food post in a long time, haven’t done a Filipino food post ever, so I’d say this is about time! I don’t rave too much about Pinoy food in Singapore coz I have Jenny at home and she’s a great cook! (You can see I rave about HER) However a friend of ours recommended Bonifacio so we tried it, and sure glad we did!

Bonifacio is a few minutes’ walk from the Outram Park MRT station. It’s in a row of shophouses along Kreya Ayer St.

Ain't it pretty from the outside?

The restaurant is cozy and inviting. We didn’t get to eat there though, coz the party packs we got was for lunch celebration at home. But we will surely come back to experience the ambience.

From the entrance

some Bonifacio and La Liga Filipina artwork

I miss the sweet smell of Philippine mangoes!

Tita Divine, the restaurant manager, is warm and friendly, and embodies great customer service. I noticed they make it a point to remember their customers' first names.

Tita Divine with a few customers

And of course, the food itself is worth coming back to! Although I was too preoccupied with eating to take pictures of the food that we had, haha. But from the party pack that we got, I enjoyed the inihaw na pusit, pancit canton, palitaw, and banana turon.





The servings were generous – I got 2 party packs for 10 people and an additional order of pancit but the food was enough to feed 11 adults and 3 kids for lunch, 3 adults and 1 kid for dinner!

So come and let’s go EAT!

Address : 35 Kreta Ayer Singapore 089000(opposite Kreta Ayer Community Centre)
Telephone : (65) 6222 6676
Opening Hours : Lunch 11am to 3pm - Dinner 6pm to 10pm (last order)
Open Tuesdays to Sundays - Close on Mondays
Website : http://www.bonifaciogroup.com

So we went...

...and it was such a tease! The rides were all operational but people weren't allowed to ride yet. I guess they just want the people to get excited for the rides... got me super excited! All the shops were opened though, and characters went out for meet and greet, and we managed to catch a couple of shows. Not a bad offering for sg10/ticket. Especially since you can exchange the ticket for a combo meal (complete with drink and dessert).





The park isn't that big, no surprise, but it's packed with things to do, places to see that I can't find anything to complain about. They made good use of the available space, and the canopies which other people found annoying, was actually such a blessing especially since it rained when we were there. But I can imagine how crowded it can be once its fully operational.

One of the main attractions is Revenge of the Mummy an indoor dark roller coaster.

We only spent 4 hours in the park -- from 5pm-9pm and yet I felt so tired afterwards! And all we did was walk, didn't even get stressed yet with queues for the rides. We estimated that you need a full day to be able to do everything. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to take much photos of the main attractions though, as I was with my little girl.



Can't wait to come back when it finally opens!

More food posts!

Berg's @ Far East Square for yummy burgers. Try it out on a weekend to avoid the crowd. Fries are kid-friendly -- big thick chunks without too much salt :)

And for good Greek food, there's Mykii @ Holland Village. Was too hungry to take pictures of what we had, so next time! :)

and my fixation for jap food continues...

Its been around for while now, but only last friday did we get to try the Japanese restaurant in Wheelock Place,
Sun with Moon Japanese Dining and Cafe . So happy we did coz we liked everything that we ordered!

Starting off with cheese pork age -- breaded cheese cubes wrapped with pork

I was craving for ramen so I tried theirs. The soup was richer than my favoite Men Tai ramen (along Robinson Road), but it was goooood.

Bob had wagyu steak (I am ordering this the next time!)

And of course, dessert! I forgot what its called but I'll probably order this again. Meant to be shared.

Check it out if you haven't! Its on the 3rd flr of Wheelock Place, Orchard Road.

This makes me happy!

Ok, i should have taken a picture before i started eating but i was so hungry and excited that i forgot,hehe. Coming from another client site and before heading off to the faraway land of Jurong, i passed by California Pizza Kitchen along Orchard for lunch.

It's CPK's Miso salad with grilled chicken. Yum!!!

Craving for Japanese dessert...

My favorite these days is the Matcha Shiratama Zensai from
Shokudo:

*photo from the site

But its branches are nowhere near Jurong, so I settled for sundaes at Ajisen Desserts, IMM. It was just okay, but its 2 for sgd4.00! So not too bad. And the boys who ate with me liked their sundaes. (I had to say that -- else people might think I had all four!)




My blog's been mostly about food these days!

Expensive Ride

On a rush hour 830am morning with no available cabs passing by, I mistakenly hailed a Chrysler cab which made me pay 3 times more than my normal SGD6.00 cab fare.

Haaay, never again!

I am not the only one!

I am not the only one in dire need of good food. This guy finished off three rice bowls!



Pepper Lunch is happiness!