Instagram Snapshots ~*April 2015*~

What a month April was!

Lots of OT and built closer bonds with colleagues. The lines between colleagues and friends are blurring. I guess due to our workload, we aim to find activities to de-stress like eating good meals together, running together and singing together. Because of the many late nights in the office, I also gave myself the right to leave on time on certain days when I could not take it any more. For the first time in many months, I actually saw daylight for 2 days before I got home when I hitched a ride from my colleague. I also started on a healthier lifestyle with light exercises and a leaner, cleaner diet. Yet, I still managed to slot in meet ups with friends and also got acquainted with a super inspirational lady. I've never felt more energized in my life for a long time!






~*3 April 2015*~
This week, the hot conversation topic of how long the queue is has fizzled to a nought .

This week, newspapers of all languages feature lesser pages of Lee Kuan Yew .

This week, TV is back to broadcasting its normal drama serials and variety shows .

This week, radio resumes to playing the usual tunes .

This week, Facebook news feed has images on food, celebrations and selfies, and videos of funny pets and pranks replacing the countless shares of Lee Kuan Yew articles the last week .

This week, Facebook friends replace their Lee Kuan Yew profile pictures and banners with their own pictures .

Life is gradually regaining its normalcy in Singapore. But still, some of us continue to talk about the legacy of Lee Kuan Yew .




~*7 April 2015*~
Almost gonna be late for Russell Peters Almost Famous World Tour!
#russellpeters #russellpetersalmostfamousworldtour




~*8 April 2015*~
Latergram. So the sign cautioned that any form of photography or recording would get us ejected outta our seats. We only fell off our seats laughing at Russell. He was funny but still prefer his golden classics.
#russellpeters #russellpetersalmostfamousworldtour




~*8 April 2015*~
My Facebook profile picture has always been elusive for the past 5 years. I don't use photos of myself as my students were always stalking me on FB back then and sending me friend requests over and over again. After 5 years, I've broken out from my shell. This is my Facebook profile pic now. So what if ex students continue to send me requests? I will just continue to ignore them and use my teacher account to send them friend request! Hahahaha.

~*9 April 2015*~
2 hrs after run selfie. Shaq redness almost gone with time (+filter) .
So the last time I exercised was the walk at MacRitchie with the hubz a few weeks back and that turned out bad .
This time a bunch of colleagues + boss decided to run about 5km from office to the Forest Walk portion of the Southern Ridges and back to office. I was walking half the time... -_-|||

~*10 April 2015*~

I always hashtag #grumpycat whenever @gerrachong posts photos of her #exoticpersian Teddy coz I feel he has a come-punch-me face. So here we are with Teddy and scrunched up faces to match his. Lol.

~*10 April 2015*~
Teddy warmed up to me and managed to stay still for a proper shot. He still looks so stupid but his actions are really cute. And he's so 乖！I've changed opinion of @gerrachong 's #scrunchupface #grumpycat with a face that only a mother could love. Lol. #catselfie #selfiewithcat #ilovecats #exoticpersian #fatcat

~*11 April 2015*~

❤️ Muddy Mushroom Soup - Possibly the best mushroom soup I've tasted! The photo doesn't do justice to it. Super flavourful yet not too overwhelming. Too bad it was served in a small little coffee mug coz that's not enough for hubz and me to share .
❤️ Salt and Pepper Charred Prawns - Those who know how to cook would know how food seasoned with simple seasoning like salt could already taste so good. I might just be inspired to cook prawns in this way next time .
❤️ Pesto Pasta - Hubz had this. It's so good! I liked it better than my main .
❤️ The Bourdain - The generous serving of pork sausage meatballs were hidden all underneath this tomato-based pasta. This dish is described as even those who do not like tomato base stuff would love this one. The initial taste reminded me of those Chinese muscle ache oil that my dad uses. Quite strange. I'm not sure if it is supposed to taste like that. I still managed to finish everything but I'm not sure if I would order this again just to test if the muscle ache oil taste persists .
❤️ Warm Brûlée - A rich eggy flavour was perfectly balanced with a dollop of dark cherry jam. I think I would love this better than the classic creme brûlée .

It was our first visit to Pasta J without prior reading up on any review till I'm typing this . (We still miss Cotton Bleu which used to be at the same spot. Not too sure what happened to Cotton Bleu .) The wait at Pasta J was very long but every staff who interacted with us was deeply apologetic. It was all good coz we weren't in a hurry. We sorta expected that this kinda food would take a long time to cook. They seemed to be greatly short-handed and had to flip the close sign as early as 9pm. Without taking into consideration the long wait, service is warm and hospitable. The food is good. It is not too far from our place. We might just become regulars of Pasta J in future.

~*12 April 2015*~
Lazy cat on a hot lazy Sunday afternoon. Not #caturday. #ilovecats but not this stupid cat. #instacat #gingercat

~*12 April 2015*~
Perpetual tea lover converted to coffee drinker.
#marche #coffee #cappuccino #jem

~*12 April 2015*~
Latergram: The hubz could eat pasta every single day.
#marche #jem #carbonara #pasta #italianfood #foodporn #ilovefood #eateateat #fatdieme

~*12 April 2015*~

Latergram: Smoked Salmon White Pizza. Love the crust that tastes like cheese naan and the tangy apple cubes and Parmesan cheese to balance the saltiness of anything smoked.
#marche #jem #pizza #smokedsalmonpizza #fatdieme #eateateat #foodporn #ilovefood

~*13 April 2015*~
Healthy lifestyle starts today !
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After the 8km walk at MacRitchie with the hubz and the 5km run with the people at work (and feeling so weak), I've decided I want to embark on a much EASIER but more REGULAR workout routine as best as I can .
---
I will start with following 30min cardio workouts videos from YouTube every day after work or every few days if I'm too tired . ---
I just tried a low impact cardio workout for beginners. It is anything but BEGINNER! I didn't follow all those push up portions and getting down on the knees coz the floor is too hard and my palms and knees hurt. (Yeah excuses.) But still, I was panting and perspiring like mad and I felt like it was a super good workout !
---
Hope to keep this up religiously when time and energy permits. Wish me luck !
---
#healthylifestyle #determination #motivation #cardioworkout #seehowlongthislasts




~*16 April 2015*~
The Would You Rather Beauty Tag Questions Answered in new blog post. Tap on the link in bio. Tagged babes @pandaloveseyeliner @whiterosesandcoffee @averysweetblog @thedaintydollshouse @insta_lilliness @miradevils @sunandsany @soniademacedo No obligations to do it but if you do, lemme know! 😘
#wouldyourather #wouldyouratherbeautytag #sgblogger #bbloggers not #beautyblogger #minniemouse #watercolour




~*16 April 2015*~
Throwback Thursday. The day I took some body health test for fun and was pleasantly surprised by the results. ---
😄 Most happy about my body age of 22 years old!!! Followed by my healthy visceral fat index of 1.0. Muscle mass is normal. ---
😳 My BMI shows that I'm underweight but my body fat of 25% is almost tipping to OVERWEIGHT! Lol! I've been telling people that I have flabby and fatty arms, thighs and tummy whenever people say I'm thin. Recently, more people are beginning to see how right I am about my flabby arms with respect to my overall frame. My good friends could openly say, "Eh ya hor? How come your arms so fat huh?" -_-||| That's what good friends are for! ---
Skin carotenoid score not too good in the orange range but at least not red.
#healthylifestyle #healthtest #bodyfat #BMI #downwithfats




~*18 April 2015*~
Savouring grapes on the lawn with @eccentrice.




~*18 April 2015*~
Latergram. We were picnicking on the fake grass lawn at @eccentrice's balcony but it was such a sweltering 33 deg C so we headed back in for cool air-con comfort. Super hate my fringe these few days. Time for a cut?




~*19 April 2015*~
Some japanese pudding omelette. Looks more like a giraffe sponge cake with heart-shaped spots. #japanesesnacks #heartshape #cute #giraffeprint




~*22 April 2015*~
"It is not the length of time we spend with a person, but the type of the conversations we have that define the quality and nature of the relationship." Spending a lot of time with someone does not automatically translate into an emotional connection. One can work with or hang out with someone for a long time, and yet not feel close enough to confide in them.

Conversely, there are times we meet someone and because of the quality of the conversation discover we have many things in common, and click--the relationship is built and you feel a close connection to the person.

While there are lots and lots of people in my life that belong to the former, I'm also very thankful for the many that fall in the latter group.
#inspirationalwords #lifelessons #wisewords




~*24 April 2015*~
❤️K-ing with colleagues and ex colleagues❤️
~~~
No wait, scratch that. Since THEY decreed "Lunches are for colleagues, dinners are for friends", the edited title should be:
~~~
❤️K-ing with FRENZ❤️ ~~~
From top to bottom:
There was the all gals group.
Then the minus one.
FINALLY we managed to get all of us in the WEFIE without a selfie stick and without the help of strangers. How so? Panoramic function! 见鬼了！More like paranormal function. 😱😱😱
#k歌 #ktv #karaoke #talkcocksingsong #singsongtalkcock




~*25 April 2015*~
What do you see in this picture ?
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Hop over to the link in Instagram bio to read more about this and/or to leave your views. Publishing of comments on blog are on hold coz some of you might just be notti and read the comments before forming your view.
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This vintage picture of a vintage miniature van has been the wallpaper of my work laptop for the past few months.
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One day during a department meeting, I was staring blankly into this picture when I noticed for the first time something which I've never noticed before. Apparently, two other colleagues sitting behind me were also drawn to my wallpaper. After the meeting, one of them asked me what this image was about and we started talking about it. I asked if she had found anything amiss in the picture and to share her views with me. After coming to conclusion with almost the same view, we started eliciting responses from the people around us.
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So folks, what do you see in this picture? Do share with me your views. It could be anything! An interpretation, a picture description or your feelings about this picture. I'm bursting to tell you what I see but I would love to hear from all of you first!
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~*26 April 2015*~
Spot the meow meow.
#spotthecat #shioklifeofacat #notticat #lazycat #sometimesiwishiwereacat #ilovecats




~*28 April 2015*~
Personalized coke cans finally hit our shores in celebration of Singapore’s 50th anniversary! I bought $20 worth of Coke to get our names personalized on 2 cans. I'm so gonna hide all my coke purchases from the hubby especially since I always stop him from drinking too much coke. The irony! #shareacoke #shareacokesg #sg50 #everythingalsosg50 #simisaialsosg50 #coke #cocacola




~*30 April 2015*~
A day when our stars aligned and all elements of nature worked together in harmony. What an impromptu dinner and loads of catch up and yup both in specky specs specs. Love the serendipity of it all. Love you @tifducky xoxo 😘




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Taipei Throwback: The Curiosities in Modern Toilet Restaurant and Ximen Red House

The first full day in Taipei somehow became a walking trail whereby we experienced the serendipity of discovering sights that weren't in our mental itinerary. There are far too many photos for Day 1 and so this post would focus on the curious places we visited -- Modern Toilet Restaurant (便所主题餐厅) and Ximen Red House (西門紅樓).

My travel blog posts are more of photo stories chronicling my trips and I do not aim for my travel posts to be a travel guide that is full of useful travel information. There are many informative travel blogs out there and I would often be linking these useful contents to my posts.





~*Breakfast Next Door*~

While the first night in Taipei was cold and rainy, the following morning dawned bright and sunny. We popped by the bakery next door with breakfast coupons issued by the hotel. The bread looked absolutely delectable but our coupons could only be used for certain categories of bread. The picture at the bottom right of the collage was what we got in the end with the coupons. Nothing filling at all but no fear, for Taipei is full of cheap and good food!




After breakfast, we decided to explore Ximending which was just a few streets away from our hotel. Along the way, I saw this nondescript building called Zhongshan Hall. I snapped a picture of it, making a mental note to check out if this is a place of interest. If you are interested, this blog post on Zhongshan Hall is very informative. I never knew it has such rich historical significance.




Ximending was about a 10-minute's walk from our hotel. When I saw the bustling little place, I felt like I was truly in Taipei.





~*Modern Toilet Restaurant*~


Taiwan is well-known for its delectable street food and hence it was really queer that our first lunch in Taipei was in Modern Toilet Restaurant (便所主题餐厅).




Modern Toilet Restaurant is one of Taiwan's successful themed restaurants that was clearly not on my must-visit places. Since we chanced upon it at Ximending, we decided to check it out. The hubz was hungry though I wasn't quite sure if I would be able to stomach the food served in bowls shaped like toilet bowls, drinks served in urinal bottles and the likes...




We dined at tables that are actual bathtubs with with a glass over it and sat on actual toilet bowls. You could even lift the seats up and frankly, I didn't want to look into it that much.




I had a hard time deciding what to eat when I looked at the Chinese menu. Some of the dishes had got very creative names.




Take for example, "Modern Toilet Fresh Fruit Juice". Reading that drink in Mandarin, it translated loosely to "Poo and Pee Anyhow Fly Fruit Juice". Of course it sounds a lot more lyrical in Mandarin. When the waitress saw me furrowing my brows trying to decipher the menu, she immediately gave me the English menu. I found out that in plain English, it was just a boring "Modern Toilet Fresh Fruit Juice" without even revealing what fruit it was. -_-|||




Top Left: My main dish was soupy beef soup hot pot
Top Right: The chicken nuggets had very cute name like "toilet bowl little chicken bits" when read in Mandarin. I love the nuggets the most.
Bottom Left: Kh's main dish which I think was pork cutlet
Bottom Right: Our tea came in actual urinal bottles




I regretted ordering a soupy main. I was halfway through my meal before feeling really grossed out eating from a toilet bowl bowl.




Kh felt that his pork cutlet meal was not bad and remained unfazed eating from the toilet bowl. I guess it would be a lot easier to bear with it since his dish was mainly dry. That shit he was posing with was just a photo prop. When we asked what that was, the staff told us it was for taking photos with and so he did.




The milk tea served in urinal bottles was delicious.




The ice cream dessert was served in a toilet bowl bowl too. I never knew toilet bowls came in such form until I saw how the public squat toilet bowls look like in Taipei. Exactly like this bowl! In Singapore, our squat toilets do not have that cap-like feature.




The empty tables in this collage were occupied by a large group of Singaporeans before I took these photos. Oh my and don't get me started on the sink shaped like a toilet bowl.




Besides the delicious little chicken nuggets, this heart-shaped egg tofu saved the day.




Similar to many themed places, the food isn't exactly cheap for the mediocre standard. I laughed when I saw this note in the bathtub/ table.





~*Ximen Red House*~


Walking out from the other side (as seen in this picture) of Ximending, we stumbled upon Ximen Red House (西門紅樓). For a great write up on Ximen Red House, you could refer to this post.

The Ximen Red House "[b]uilt in 1908 during Japanese rule and designed by Japanese architect Kondo Juro, it was originally a market building but was used as a theater from 1945 onwards. The building recently underwent an extensive renovation. The ground floor currently houses a small cafe and a display on the history of the structure, as well as several shops in which independent artists sell their art. The second floor theater regularly hosts live performances." -- Wikipedia.




I love exploring the shops in this section of the building.




If you know the creative side of me, you would definitely understand why I love these curious little shops.




I'm always fascinated by retro stuff and vintage items.







I'm easily inspired by colour pencil art...




... quirky drawings...




... adorable illustrations...




... classic looking Peter Rabbit style art and basically anything artsy.




Emma A party looked like something I like and I love the placement of these 2 characters when seen from this angle.




I do not know if these animal sculptures were faceless and then vandalized or were they meant to be like that.




I would love to take home one of these polka dot elephant.




I love cute cats.




I love imitating cute cats and being silly.




Kh loves posing and acting whenever, wherever.








Thank you all for your comments on my previous posts. It has been a really busy work week, staying back in office till 10+pm on a few occasions to tie up the loose ends for the events that we are organizing this coming week. Sunday morning (in a few hour's time) would be spent at the event venue doing some run-through. Replies would be slow and I hope to be able to reconnect with all of you soon. In the meantime, please keep the love coming in and have a splendid Sunday ahead while I catch up on some sleep.