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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Rewind A Year Back

25th. I am exactly a month and a year late.

I've been talking for a whole month about editing photos from my birthday and crafting a post soon. And then I realized that I've not even blogged about my birthday happenings from last year!


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~*Rewind A Year Back*~

My actual birthday was spent with my mum for her check-up at the hospital for 7 hours.

It was truly a day of testing my patience-- waiting, interacting with various people, watching people, listening to people while having slight headache, watching the time tick by, being afraid that I would be late for my lessons thereafter and mentally cursing every slow-action people.

I thought my mum had forgotten it was my birthday until we were having lunch at the foodcourt. Insistent on buying drinks despite me shaking my head like an idiot, she went away from the table. When she returned, she plonked this little cup of ice cream on the table and said "happy birthday". I thought it was really cute of her attempting to do something special after a long day at the hospital and it touched me.

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At night, there was the obligatory cake-cutting at my family home. I had two birthday cakes due to some miscomm which I wasn't going to complain about since everyone benefited from it.

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Tiramisu cake from the hubby.

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Swenson's ice cream cake from my sis.

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I was 3 years old. Note the poser dad in the background.

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The next moment, poser dad came forward and disturbed me.

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The hubby also loved disturbing me (looking ugly in photos).

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I looked clearly happy with two cakes.

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The ice cream cake was too hard to cut through. I wondered if my incomplete cutting would ruin any symbolic meaning for the act.

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"You can't have your cake and eat it."

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Coz everyone would prevent you from eating it.

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Family shot minus my eldest sis who was already in her PJs.

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Finally having my cake and eating it thereafter.

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~

~*Dinner at Wild Rocket*~

The next day, the hubby got us a table at Wild Rocket.

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It was our first time there. The term “Mod Sin” (or modern Singaporean) was coined by the chef and owner himself to describe Wild Rocket's cuisine since most of the dishes are inspired by Singapore flavors, hawker dishes or food he grew up with as a child. I would say it was pretty interesting to see local food being whipped up and served à la fine dining style but at an affordable price.

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We chose two different sets from the menu so that we get to savour everything.

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We could see nothing but our reflections through the window.

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We usually only remember to take a shot of ourselves when we have finished everything and the tables dirtied. Not this time.

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Waiting for our food.

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The bread served with olive oil was crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

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Lychee Martini and I-forgot-what.

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starter: beef cappacio with sesame ginger puree

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starter: roast potato soup with blue cheese century-egg fritter

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2nd course: We both chose the nori tsukudani spaghettini with arabian white prawn

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main course: roast red snapper with ponzu and piopinno mushrooms

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main course: iberico pork char siew with shanghai kao cai and quinoa

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It was served with a layer of edible "skin". Slitting the skin released the heat and the fragrance of barbecued sweet pork wafted out.

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sweet: puree of roasted black sesame with milk ice cream and green tea dust

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sweet: matcha parfait with honeycomb and chocolate coated tau sar

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We love anything green tea and matcha.

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There was a birthday surprise in the form of a lava cake.

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My wish for every blown candle would always be the same.

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This affectionate little patchy cat kept following us till we reached the car. I think it was our bodyguard.

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~

~*Tao's Restaurant with Vios*~

Tao's Restaurant is a Fusion Restaurant that serves a modern combination of Western and Asian Food and comes in a 6 course and 7 course Set Menu. It holds the "One Price, One Menu, Many Selections" philosophy. A tip would be to go in large groups and order different courses so that everyone gets to savour a bit of everything.

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The very first and last time I went to Tao Restaurant was in 2008. I had a fabulous time there with my family enjoying the really huge variety of delicious food and impeccable service.

This time, I made a trip down with the Vios group. The food was still great but not like how it wowed me the last time; the service was lacklustre.

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Refreshing starter drinks

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Refreshing grape tea, apple tea. I feel like drinking thirst-quenching fruit tea now!

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The Bacon and Mushroom Gratin served with white, heated bread seemed to be their perennial dish and a hot favourite. The cheese and bacon wasn't overwhelming at all and went well with the heated bread. This dish certainly fed the palates so well that the hungry tummies were growling for more.

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A variety of cold salad dishes

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The thai style topshell cold noodle was my favourite salad that evening.

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The grilled mushrooms is another perennial dish.

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All of us stuck to the same 3 variety of soup:

japanese consomme

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cream of mushroom soup

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chicken melon herbal soup

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meaty main entrees

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And last on the menu were the sweets to end the day.

matcha ice cream

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brownie with ice cream

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tiramisu

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creme brulee

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After the extremely filling dinner, we adjourned to a coffee place which was set adjacent to POMO where Tao was housed.

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It was supposed to be a girls' only shot.

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outfit of the day

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~

Coastal Settlement

I met up with my Karen and Sushi at a cozy place close the nature-- The Coastal Settlement.

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vintage beetles parked at the restaurant.

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hot or cold?

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cold or hot

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The food that we shared for tea.

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smiley leo

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cross-eye Leo

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cuzzie sushi, me and leo

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leo really had good taste! Of all things in the bag, he had to pull out...

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group shot

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They got me a super cute Sephora pull-a-porter that could stack up as mini drawers or pulled out to be carried around individually.

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This post pretty much sums up my birthday happenings last year brought to you a month and a year late. While crafting this post, I nodded off at my laptop numerous times and I'm sure you could see the steady decrease in text as you scroll down the post.

I'm sure you know what my next post would be!


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Let's keep in touch!

In 5 day's time, we would see the demise of Google Reader. I wonder how many of my 224 followers would actually continue reading my blog.

And in case you haven't already done so, do follow me on Bloglovin'. Click the heart, share the love and drop me a message to let me know you've followed me. Chances are, if we have already been having meaningful two-way exchanges, I would definitely follow you too.




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1. Set up a Bloglovin' account: If you don't have a Bloglovin' account, you can get one here. During the process it will ask if you want to import the blogs you read on Google Reader to Bloglovin'. Click on the button to import and that's it!

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4. The import literally takes a few seconds to work. Once the import is complete, it will take you back to your Bloglovin' homepage where you can view all the recent posts from your favorite bloggers.


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There are more ways in which we could connect. Check out the right sidebar or at the bottom of this post for my social media buttons! A note on Facebook though, I'm rather stringent in approving friend requests and would only accept requests from my long-time blogger friends/ bloggers with 2-way communication.

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19 comments:

  1. I love the picture of your dad disturbing you. You look so happy! I'm glad thta happened to release some of the stress from the time at the hospital. I remember that day.

    PS - Leo is too handsome. Girls will never leave him alone. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow!! Your birthday seemed like such a fun filled day. Your cake looked amazing, and what a nice dinner you had with your sweetie.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh my gosh... this post is like food porn overload! So. Much. Deliciousness!

    I love that you love ice cream cake. I'm actually thinking of doing an ice cream cake for my upcoming birthday because I actually really don't like normal cake and love ice cream, so it only seems right. :) Yours is (well, was, haha, I'm pretty sure it's destroyed now wink wink) so lovely looking!

    And that fruit tea looks amazing as well. There are so many different foods you've posted here that I've never really seen or even tried! Yum yum. :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. Super pictures, wonderful times!! You look marvellous!! I imported all the blogs I read into bloglovin' a while ago, it's made it much easier to keep up with them all!! Hopefully, everyone will remember to do this to save themselves!! Have a gorgeous day xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have to remember to eat before visiting you because you always post the most delicious looking food pics. Your birthday celebrations look super fun and lucky you for getting two cakes. Sorry to hear you had to spend your birthday at the hospital but I'm sure your mum was glad you were there and the ice cream was really cute on her part. Hope she is well.

    Already following you on Bloglovin but I prefer Feedly more these days.

    Rowena @ rolala loves
    Enter my Firmoo Eyewear Giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  6. So much of yummy food. Some are new to me and would love to try.
    www.thoughtsofpaps.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Rick,

    My dad is always making us laugh whether intentionally or not. Lol... You have amazing memory! And since this post are updates from a year ago, Leo has since grown into a boy. He really looks like a boy now and not a toddler. Still handsome and very loving to his younger brother.


    ~~~

    Michelle,

    Thank you for dropping by and for your lovely comment. I love seeing newcomers here. Will drop by your blog soon!


    ~~~

    Ali Hval,

    An ice cream cake is a lot more palatable since it melts easily and the cream in ice cream taste great unlike the cream in cake. Or probably it's just my personal opinion. Do an ice cream cake for your birthday just to try something different!

    I always miss Asian and my local food whenever I'm ovrseas. You should try some of these food too! I'm sure you would like it.


    ~~~

    TDDH,

    I've also imported all the blogs I followed on google/blogger onto bloglovin. However, I find it weird that even though I could see all these blogs from one of the pages of bloglovin, it doesn't indicate on my following list. The following list still states that I'm not following any blog. Gee... I wonder if you have any problem with yours.


    ~~~

    Rowena,

    Oopsy, I'm sorry for making you drool at my food porn. Hahaha... Yup last year ans this year were at the hospital. It's actually ok and yes I felt happy knowing my mum was happy.

    I've imported all the blogs I followed on google/blogger onto bloglovin. However, I find it weird that even though I could see all these blogs from one of the pages of bloglovin, it doesn't indicate on my following list. The following list still states that I'm not following any blog. Gee... I wonder if you have any problem with yours. Some of my blog friends mentioned feedly as being the best in their opinion for catching up on daily sites. Is it a one-stop site to save all your favourite sites?


    ~~~

    PAPS,

    You should try our local food. They are yummy! I would always miss them when I'm abroad.

    ReplyDelete
  8. i loveeeee love this post! i can really really feel the love!! hahaha i would just as excited with two birthday cakes hahahaha!! so lucky!! tiramisu is my favorite kind of cake :p

    ReplyDelete
  9. Seems like a fun-thrilled day Jo! Lovely celebration with loved ones. I enjoy the cakes too! LOL. I wish you all the love and happiness in the world dear! :)

    Happy weekend ahead! Keep in touch dear :)

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    ❤ ~Chai
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    ReplyDelete
  10. Whoa what a super long post, short term memory has made me forget half of it already lol jkjk

    Firstly! Happy belated birthday! Two cakes!!! I hope my family makes that sort of miscommunication soon hahaha Ice cream cakes are hard to cut! I need a cup of hot water beside me, though I usually only make the first incision for photos and then hand it over to the closest male to take care of haha

    The fancy dinner looks so yummy!!! But still glad to see it at a good price. I actually get disappointed when I see olive oil served with my bread cause I don't like to eat olive oil raw like that lol I usually ask for butter but sometime sat fancy Italian places I just suck it up =(

    The second restaurant sadly just looks like regular chinese food served on fancy platters in nicer arrangements lol But company was great right? lol Oh your outfit is super adorable and you look sooooooo pretty in that outfit shot!!!!

    Oh for the last meal all I can think about is, is eating with babies fun? Or not fun? Maybe it depends on the food and the baby lol Oh and when I read the first line to this post I thought you were pregnant!!!! LOL

    P.S Sorry I haven't been blogging much recently, too much is going on in my life right now (not bad things) so I will be slow to reply comments ><

    RE: When my shorts became transparent I had just happened to wear beige panties = it looked like I was going commando!!!! I eventually tied a jacket to my waist after that!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Looks like you had such a great birthday!! I love all the food you got to eat *drool* I'm madly jealous!! Your dad and hubs are so silly..always ruining the pic hehe. I'm glad you had such an eventful birthday these past two years (I assume you had an awesome birthday this year too) :) Of course, happy belated birthday dear!

    -Mei
    http://meihearts.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dropping by again dear Jo ...

    I also wish to invite you and hope you can join / support my ongoing giveaway from a new sponsor. Would really appreciate your support and participation! (^_^) Thanks a lot my dear! This goes for everyone too! *wink*


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    ReplyDelete
  13. seems like you had a wonderful birthday. those cakes look so yummy!

    http://hellodida.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  14. delicious cake, cool cars, fun bday and your hubby is very sweet! :"")

    anyway, Thanks Jo dear! :) I just use watercolor and unipin :) I haven't tried painting using acrylic because I'm a watercolor type of artist. lol. anyway, i hope you can start painting again! :)

    and sure! let's follow each other on bloglovin since Google reader is gone. :D

    ReplyDelete
  15. It looks you had a lovely birthday, sorry to hear your mum was in hospital though!

    Corinne x
    www.skinnedcartree.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Happy birthday to you dear! You're blessed and loved at 25. Stay happy!

    I miss reading your blog. ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  17. i choose this one.

    Nobody can break my patience but I found that people who work in the hospital are very insensitive and rude. I don't know if singapore is like this, I went to a public hospital where it is free to visit. The workers would snicker at people and get extremely testy when you ask them a question - even if you do it super nice. They are just plain rude. I'm not buying a toy, I'm taking my body there you know.

    The first time i try ice cream cake was on my birthday as a kid. I love ice cream cakes and it always reminds me of that first time. You are lucky to have two cakes for one birthday :(

    The cheese bread is mine. Give it to me.

    Hope you are doing well in europe :P

    ReplyDelete
  18. Nice blog Jo !

    the cake looks good .Really glad to be here !

    Do drop by more often and comment

    dressabelleballerina.blogspot.com
    Rainie

    ReplyDelete
  19. Lisa,

    Lol… Hope you would have 2 birthday cakes this year! =D


    ~~~

    Chai Chen,

    Thanx dear. By the time I come back from my trip and reply to comments, I would always be late for everything and anything. I haven’t been on the blogging scene for 2 weeks and I’m slowly catching up once more. First, to reply comments and return the love to my blogger friends! Fortunately we are still very much connected on Instagram.


    ~~~

    suki pooki,

    Thanx dear for your long and sweet comment. Your comments always put a smile on my face. And lol… The first line sounded like I was preggy??? I was really smiling at your line. Thanx for all the sweet compliments as always.

    I really hate cutting ice cream cake too! I once saw a whole entourage of waitresses cutting an ice cream cake. The family started coming out from the restaurant’s private room to see what’s taking so long and soon the whole cake cutting was a sight to behold. Knives were broken, tubs of hot water were brought in… the whole extended family crowded around the table and started to find it so amusing that they took photos and videos.

    Olive oil with vinegar and bread is quite good. Olive oil with bread alone isn’t. I hope you try it with vinegar dripped into the olive oil and bread next time and let me know if you still dislike it.

    The 2nd restaurant’s food is actually quite good too. It’s a little like Chinese fine dining at a great fraction of its price. As for eating out with babies, well... it depends on how well-behaved the babies are. My distant nephew is a very well-behaved and adorable boy so it was a breeze.

    Totally understand about the slow replies. No worries. I’m like that too. Hehehe...


    ~~~

    Mei,

    Thank you babe, for your kind and sweet words. I could tell that you really read the post. And yes, by the time I reply to the comments on this post, you would already have seen the updates for my birthday this year.


    ~~~

    Wilda Khairani,

    Thank you for dropping by and leaving a note. I love to see newcomers around. =)


    ~~~

    RaeAbigael,

    Thank you, dear. Oh yes, I’ve already transferred all the blogs I followed via google/blogger onto bloglovin. Hope you’ve done the same too so we could continue to keep in touch.


    ~~~

    Corinne,

    Thank you for your kind words, dear.


    ~~~

    MACY,

    Ooh... Forever 25! I love that youth you’ve conferred upon me. Hehehe... Sorry for this super duper late reply!


    ~~~

    Turtle,

    Singapore is trying to improve the service for its healthcare and I must say they are making commendable efforts. I just dislike the long wait though. Our public hospitals aren’t free. Probably coz for your side, they are free and hence the people are rude too. Sometimes it works that way eh? Ice cream cakes are so difficult to cut and then they melt so quickly. I wished there could be a good balance but we can’t defy Science. Yes, I enjoyed myself in Italy and I’m back in SG already! And time for bz bz bz work. Sigh...


    ~~~

    Rainie,

    Thanx for dropping by and leaving a mark. Hope to see you around more too. =)

    ReplyDelete

I love reading sincere comments and hearing your voice. While blatant self promotion of blogs and follow for follow requests are not advisable, I would love if you leave a mark here with a trackback link so that I could connect with you. I reply to comments here or on your blog so don't forget to check back on replies! =)

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