mundane mundane < repeat>

woke up, went to work, came home, ate dinner, bed time. <repeat> <order good till cancelled>

am suffering from post-holiday withdrawal symptoms, so please pardon me. with a half-unpacked luggage still sitting at one corner of my room, i decided to switch on my selective-sight sense and ignore it while i am typing away at this entry. work today was a blur because i kinda forgot the SOP (standard operating procedure) while also having to clear some dormant emails rotting in my office inbox at the same time.

highlight of the day: i came home to a relatively healthy and yet yummy dinner (refer to previous post as to why i will love to eat rice this week before i revert back to sandwiches the next).
additional bonus: favourite soup!

rice, lotus root peanuts ribs soup, rice, lotus root peanuts ribs soup, rice, lotus root peanuts ribs soup,  ignore the other dishes

back for grains

goodbye steaks!

hellooooo rice!

ten wonder herbs roasted duck, spicy prawns, mongolian ribs, tofu with minced meat and greens

perhaps i am a very asian girl at heart, even though 75% of the time i'll pick sandwiches over chinese hawker food during office lunch hour. ask my neighbouring colleagues and you can prolly guess how many subway 6-inches i can eat in a week. then again, my trip this time round has taught me things i have never thought about before. during my 216 hours (if your math is bad, it's 9 days) overseas, i never had a single grain of rice (and that seafood risotto at jamie's italian doesnt count). it was all basically a lot of red meat such as ribs (think hurricane's) and steaks (again, rump at hurricane's), kangeroo meat, rabbit meat (yes i had that, surprisingly good), sandwiches, burgers, pancakes (on the rocks!!) and more angmoh desserts. so the first thing i did after i touched down was to hit dian xiao er aka 店小二 at terminal 3 for a quick dinner before heading home. dad and bro came to fetch and of course, chinese food fits the family's sunday dinner best.

rice never tasted that good before.

travel is not for the faint-hearted ~

holidays are often about expanding your horizons, gaining new experiences and trying out new things during the course of the vacation. how about pre-holiday? surely, it shouldnt entirely be just about printing itineraries and maps, purchasing travel accidents, wikipedia-ing touristy hotspots and packing luggages right? caught up a bit on feeding the soul with this book before i embark.

favourite page of the entire book, makes so much sense.

within a limited time frame (aka # of days you have there), you gotta decide what do you wanna see which leads to where do you wanna go and how much you wanna see and do.

take for instance, for every tourist attraction you visit and every restaurant you patronize, you could be missing out on a certain local attraction and a roadside food stall. the point here is not about doing things the local way instead of the over-rated tourist manner, but rather - it highlights the concept of opportunity cost. oh well, if i hadnt been studying finance, i guess economics minus the econometrics will be my next best choice. with that said, it doesnt meant travelling has to be stressful. some people chose to manifest the ethical theory of utilitarianism which prioritizes the maximisation of overall happiness regardless of who gets what amount. it's average happiness (idontknowwhatstheoppositeof utilitarianism) versus total happiness (utilitarianism). some holiday-makers prefer to maximise the value out of their vacation by a typical filled-to-the-brim schedule:- must wake up early, have to visit xx1, xx2, xx3, gotta eat yy1 and yy2, die-die must do zz1 and zz2, whereas some travellers can have an equally fulfilling vacation by just waking up (own time own target), chilling by a cafe which they happen to chance upon, basically no checklist to accomplish by the end of the day. there is no good or bad method of taking a holiday, it's merely just about what meaning you wish to get out of your vacation. be it a break away from work/family, have some me-time or gaining new experiences, it's YOUR holiday, no one can dictate how it should go (BIG BIG mistake to let your travel-partner decide how it should go, so decide and pick a right travel-matey). and ultimately, as per above-mentioned, traveling is all about decision making:- decide on a destination, your travel buddy, the budget, what to bring, where to go, how to go, how you want your holiday to be, ... (you get what i mean). who ever said i was faint-hearted?

quite a long and boring post trying to make some sense of itself. hope it's perfect for your bedtime lullaby anyway.

midweek dinner

came home on a rainy wednesday evening after work and i cant wait to dive into my bed already. that familiar warm feeling - to nap when it's raining outside, enjoying every bit of the pseudo cool temperate weather singapore rarely has. no dinner at home tonight, had to fix myself a quick dinner before i bury my body under my covers. similar to the korean bibimbaq method, i chopped/mixed whateverisinthefridge all into a bowl, drizzled with some lime, apple vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. (ok, stir fry the mushrooms first!)

TA-DA, an easy dinner all under 15 minutes!




chopped romaine, halved cherry tomatoes, cubed red apples, sliced mushrooms, hidden croutons

 

just mix all + juice + choc

 ending off with a cup of florida natural and green tea kitkat (thanks yish!)

FIRST SUN ☼

"dont worry about the world coming to an end today, it's already tomorrow in Australia"
- charles schulz

and yes, that is exactly where im headed this weekend. the first country continent to catch a glimpse of the morning sun, fits the "kiasu-iness" bill of a typical singaporean perfectly. although i have barely even started packing (not that kiasu you see ;) ), i am already looking forward to kangaroo steaks at hippy fitzroy, melbourne and pancakes on the rocks at darling harbour, sydney. i did my research, eh.

and now, where exactly is audsgd at??

p.s. mental note to self: *pack light*

cafe-shopping: zoo coffee @ samcheong-dong

zoo coffee

samcheong-dong

seoul, south korea

 



the "im korean" menu :)



level 2, large window with side balcony sitting

tiger, cheetah, panda??!!

another special mention at samcheong-dong, coffee chain, zoo coffee, also has a comparative large outlet in this infamous korea's cafes street. quirky "im korean" menu is an instant hit, i ordered in steamed ginseng honey latte and it came, topped with a tiger/cheetah/panda style foam (krw 5,500). good foaming technique there. drip coffee with milk with a tad bit of ginseng taste, largely already neutralized by the sweet honey. might be a little weird initially but got used to its unique taste sooner than i thought i would.

hmm, am i becoming more korean now that i say im loving my skinny healthy ginseng latte a little more each day?

# of outlets:  >30, >50 coming soon (growing so rapidly it amazes me)

cafe-shopping: beansbin @ samcheong-dong

beansbins coffee

samcheong-dong

seoul, south korea

HELLO WAFFLES! at beansbins coffee, cant miss their sweets waffles for the world man. although kinda pricey (krw10,000 to krw15,000), best ordered to share among friends before getting too gelat on it. special concocted waffles are topped with fruits, choc sauce / maple syrup and nuts. little did i know that i was in luck for their seasonal waffles menu which included korean strawberries! no prize for guessing it right what i ordered, mixed berries waffles with ice cream (matcha my favourite!).

although i have no idea what does the name beansbin mean and other than the fact that the owner of this coffee chain is the brother-in-law my friend's friend (what a so-far-away relation for goodness's sake), i am not biased enough to lie about the fact that the ambience at beansbin rocks. only did dine at their samcheong-dong outlet, walked past their brand at hongdae (another 3-storey cool building you wont be able to find in sunny sg).

deffo must visit because it's so worth every single calorie consumed. 18 stores country-wide but waffles at every outlet should be QC-ed and taste equally good??

lastly, a night view just fer you!

you know i love you :)

my masterchef friend

im sure everyone has that special friend. that friend who has a knack for whipping up delicious dishes, hunting for the latest grocer in town, ability to tell the difference between meats from swiss or huber butchers and in-the-know about the latest pop-up dinners. put it in the simpler-singaporean-language, a FOODIE (plus the cooking part, that is!).

yes, i do have that one friend. he would even tell me that devonshire clotted cream will not be the best choice for fourseasons warm scones during high tea. and of course, he was given the honour to head the bbq cooking at a friend's rooftop party somewhere along surrey road just a few months back in june. the group was back in singapore as it was summer school vacation in the uk. contrary to my usual singapore-style bbq, there were no traces of sambal stingray, squids, burnt hotdogs or typical bbqwholesale.com kinda frozen food. the menu included toasted nachos topped with cheese, beef and avocado; kongbakbao-burgers with kurobuta pork belly (prepared days before, i salute his effort); marinated eggplant, BBQ-ed beef skirts along with the likes of chicken chop, some foccacia, corn on cob, sweet potato. finally, dessert time we had BBQ-ed pineapple slices with vanilla bean ice-cream drizzled with homemade (effort again!) caramel sauce! although we lack some good vodka watermelon, the chang/singha/tiger beer made up for it. good times i would say. or at least it was nice to engage in something different for a change, other than our standard cnc and poker sessions.

this friend was also the very same sous chef for the pop-up dinner, Under The Table (UTT) 3 (third one already!) at Appetite 75 back in july. menu:- amuse bouche, salmon confit smoked with applewood, braised beef cheek and black sesame panna cotta + BYOB all with just a ticket price of 35sgd for invited members and 40sgd public.

recently, he even went as far as to participate in the student cook-off in his college with a spicy cake which was already favourited in round 1. imagine dark ginger and molasses cake sitting on sweet pumpkin puree, all done up within an hour. his dish charmed the judges soooo much he was instantly granted entrance into second round the following week. the cook-off is organised by The Devilled Egg Kitchen Academy, also part of a fund-raiser to raise research dollars for cancer research centres. read about it here and exercise your culinary voice by voting for his dish right here as well. remember it's the spicy cake you are voting for!

WOO'S SPICY CAKE!

am doing him this favour to garner votes because he said he would bake it for me if i did we all know he deserves to win ;)

pssst lawyers arent boring afterall because this friend is a law school student himself

I CHOOSE LIFE

thought i lost my watch a while ago, so i went on a timepiece-hunt recently. chanced upon katharinehamnett elegant watches near cbd area but then i had no clue who katharinehamnett is/was. curiosity got the better of me and a quick google revealed a wealth of info on this English fashion designer best known for her political tee-shirts and ethical business philosophy in the eighties.

Oversized tees with black bold block lettered slogans first appeared in the fashion crime scene in 1983.

the more popular slogans below:-

"CHOOSE LIFE"

"PEACE"

"FRANKIE SAYS WAR, HIDE YOURSELF"

CHOOSE LIFE was actually the slogan that brought her fame globally in the 80s. This tee embodies an all-encompassing statement about ideal behaviour.

        It's not about the anti-abortion lobby. The US anti-abortion lobby attempted to appropriate CHOOSE LIFE. We are taking it back and promoting its real meaning. Ours is authentic and I believe in a woman's right to choose. - as quoted from katharinehamnett's website

CHOOSE LIFE was relevant then.
CHOOSE LIFE is even more relevant now.
CHOOSE LIFE is a message forever.
CHOOSE LIFE over WAR
CHOOSE LIFE over DESERTS
CHOOSE LIFE over EXTINCTION
CHOOSE LIFE over everything you do

doesnt make much sense if i am reminiscencing over a fashion fad in the year which i wasnt even borned yet right? well, the world got lucky because katharinehamnett has decided to relaunch this series of tees in organic cotton. naomi campbell was also recently seen, donning the tees- "PEACE" and "USE A CONDOM".

whyorganiccotton? some facts here
- 20,000 people die every year from accidental pesticide poisoning in conventional cotton agriculture (World Health Organisation)
- death by starvation is alarmingly prevalent and 200,000 cotton farmers commit suicide annually due to spiralling debts incurred from buying pesticides and a further 1,000,000 people a year suffer from long-term pesticide poisoning (Pesticide Action Network)
- by growing organically, farmers get a 50% increase in their income - due to a 40% reduction in costs - and the 20% premium they receive for producing organic cotton allows them to feed, clothe, educate and provide healthcare for their children
- organic cotton helps farmers trade their way out of poverty

shop here now (price ranges from £35.00 to £65.00)

umm, do katharinehamnett's timepieces (S$650 - S$950) come in organic cotton too??

bakeddd eggys

two ramekins

 

baked egg w cheese x garlic toast x salad



nothning easy like sunday but nothing difficult like making your own home-made brekkie on a satuday am. decided upon a easy recipe, egg + your favourite cheeses (cheddar and mozarella for me) + ham = all baked, sprinkled with a little bit of black pepper. rectagular garlic toast soldier, pear salad and orange juice completes the day! nom nom

is it not even 11am now??

barclays singapore open 2012

  

 

4day course passes, nov 2012

  

icap golfy ball, dec 2011

 

 

@ mbgc, sept 2011



barclays singapore open (tickets here) is here again! the souvenir from the same event last year, a light blue barclays visor, is still sitting at the back seat of my car and collecting dust zzz. didnt have the best feeling of wanting to get out of bed on an early morning to watch some grown-up men hitting small white balls. but 2012 will be the last year that barclays is sponsoring (1million prize dollar for the winner!) so i guess i should just show some face anyway. the only happy thing about going all the way to sentosa golf club is that i get to eat il lido's set lunch. *secretly motivated*

thursday and friday weather was really bad, raining cats and dogs cookies and cream. then i wondered if the storm will deter the game from going on. heard from a friend that since last weekend, tiger woods was already hanging around mbs hotel lift lobby, around level 52 or so. oops, tigerwoodsfans - you didnt hear this from me. BUT is he even playing?

since we are at the topic of barclays, icap suddenly came to mind. just barely less than a year ago, i was still in office drinking and mingling with some colleagues. no idea how an callaway srixon  icap-branded (?!) golf ball just randomly ended up on our table. cant exactly say i miss those days. but well, they are just some better memories that i hold on to.

last pic was my special golf flats (teehee!) posing beside 100 balls at mbgc. *nostalgia (at mbgc and costa rhu)* dont ask me why i wore those to perform swings but umm i will give you obvious hints. i was lazy + i look shit in socks, so yea. 100 balls non-peak hour at mbgc, cheap cheap. havent gone back for a long time, trying very hard not to remind myself the fact that i have also lost my mbgc card together with my wallet half a year back :'(

xx keeping my fingers crossed for good weather later xx xx xx

relax.eat.drink

billard table on level 2

PYOB: pick your own bottle

spent my friday evening at place.to.read, a very chillax bar within a mini shophouse along prinsep street. and nope, i didnt read any books tonight, in case you are wondering. explanation for you, r.ea.d = "relax, eat, drink". first level was more for english football fanatics, beers in hand with eyes plastered to the flat screens which are then plastered on the walls. level 2 consists of a private dining area, long table fit for 10, billard table, funky pictures on the wall and there was a pseudo-level3 aka mini attic with a cosy sofa and telly.

they are well-known for their greek food but i didnt try, just went for a few rounds of drinks and billiard games. oh man, i really suck at those stick and ball games. didnt help that my fingers were hurting quite a bit after just a few turns. well-trained friends picked up this "sport" when they were younger, ponning lectures to make time for it. i, on the other hand, paled in comparison, undoubtedly picked books over balls. no time for regrets, time to practise a few more rounds at this social-lubricating game.

tgif.

cafe-shopping: samcheong-dong

#1: samcheong dong
seoul, south korea
- home of royalty during Joseon dynasty
- nearby residence of south korea's prime minister
- a neighbourhood of jongno-gu in seoul, south korea, lies north of jongno and east of gyeongbokgung. characterized by numerous small art galleries, shops and restaurants.
- nearest subway station: Anguk Station subway line3
- recommended itinerary: bukchon village + walking trail, samcheong dong cafes then insadong

 some snapshots below. look out for other posts on samcheong-dong cafes deserving special mention!


8steps coffee&tea

 


coffee academy / cafe chang hee

 


woodside cafe

 

cafe terrace with balcony and rooftop area

cat cafe *meow*

egg

yoonbi's salon

hostel cum cafe LN

moustach-ppucino

sip sip ~

cafe-shopping *seoul*



taken at one of the alleys along samcheong-dong

i had the luxury of visiting seoul a while ago. not to mention that i was also fortunate enough to be there three out of the four seasons, excluding the sub-zero degrees winters that is.
really love the coffee culture over there and enjoyed my time spent on cafe-shopping. you have heard of people going for retail therapy (material-shopping), university shopping, bags-and-shoes hunting but cafe-shopping?? as titled, dailyskinnylatte, will only be nothing short of a daily caffeine fix unless there is a trace of some form of cafes/coffee posts, isnt it? will split into parts because i have soooo much to say, soooo much to show and even moreeeee to share. the next series of posts will be about cafe-shopping / coffee-culture and more daily caffeine-fix, i am so looking forward to them already :)

korean word of the day:
cafe / 카페 [ka-pei]
-  noun 카페(음료수를 마시거나 간단한 식사를 할 수 있는 곳

cafe-shopping: 5cijung @ samcheong-dong

5cijung
samcheong-dong
seoul, south korea

persimmon froyo, warm scone, banana-orange marmalade at 5cijung

first up at samcheong-dong -5cijung cafe (meaning "heart of writing 5 poems"), not too eye-catchy on the outside but it will be transformed once you enter the place. cute and quirky interior accents, lies with toys and items which you can purchase home. better yet, menu includes a wide range of healthy drinks such as fresh ginseng milk (krw10,000), iced spinach milk, banana-ginger tea and banana+radish+peanut or cabbage+strawberry smoothies (what a rare combi!). i had a soft persimmon smoothie (krw9,000) which turns out very much like frozen yogurt, yummmmy! every smoothie comes with a cute toy (for display only!) warm scone and homemade banana+orange marmalade. nothing can be even better than that.

10 outlets in total, more popular spots: samcheong-dong (02-730-2008), garosu-gil (02-512-6508) and hongdae (02-333-2375)

mid-week matcha-latte-not

word of the day: MATCHA
- noun, also maccha, refers to finely milled or fine powder green tea

been pretty obsessed with matcha lately. havent really had a skinny matcha latte recently even tho the iced latte i had at dr cafe coffee this afternoon was darn good (better than doutor). remembered i had a matcha-themed brekkie a while back, first image above:- hot matcha, matcha cream cake and matcha macaroon. from time to time, sugarfreexx (noun, person's name) will take some time out to bake one of her favourite recipes of matcha cupcakes. it's vaguely similar to her mint green post some time back. dont be surprised if you spot similar images because you see, we share the same blood, same last name, cant we share some photos too? ;)

HAPPY MIDWEEK!

disclaimer: last image isnt matcha ice cream on cone (mint to be exact), but  you gotta agree it's almost green enough to fit this matcha-theme entry :)

PASTA vs PACKAGE

in a bid not to sound too much like a carbo-queen, now there is a whole new reason why it's time to stock on your angelhair, shells and tortellini.

PIETRO GALA, a premium pasta maker has knocked a notch higher in their packaging speciality with Fresh Chicken Agency, Russia. An Italian chief cook who spots a different outfit, featuring different kinds of pasta in every pasta box. Cardboard texture and one-colour print highlights the au-naturalness of his pasta - handcrafted manufacturing and quality natural ingredients.

not too sure if it's retailing in Singapore yet, my hungry cells have already been activated and then catalysed by the above image. now i craved a little tuna with lemon zest and olive oil spaghetti or the often-raved crabmeat linguine at venezia, changi v hotel. then again, i also had my fair share of bad pasta. simply names like pastamania and pizza hut can do a lot of injustice to the standard al-dente pasta, often passing strands of wheat off as the almighty-italian noodles.

guess where you wont be seeing me for lunch tomorrow