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How to save money for travelling?

2012-01-30T13:58:00.001+08:00

...... start with your daily expenditure!

1. Reduce on transportation
Take public transport like bus or MRT instead of waving ur hands out for cabs or driving to work and shopping trips. Alternatively, you may join a car sharing programmes like Car Club. Eliminating one car could save you anywhere from $300-$800 or more each month. Other cost you will save are probably your petrol consumption, parking fees, ERP etc. Try walking for short distance if possible.
Money saved: $300 – $800 per month.

2. Reduce your power, water, and gas bills

There are several ways to reduce your utilities bills:
- Unplug appliances (which can still suck up to 40% of their normal energy usage even when turned off) when they aren’t in use, take shorter showers and turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth. - -- Let your hair air-dry when you can, rather than blow-drying it and only run the washing machine when they are full.
- Keep your aircon temperature set at 25degree or avoid using them at all when possible. For every one-degree change in temp, the savings could be up to 5% of your monthly bill. You’ll be surprised how much the savings add up.

**Other methods are also available on our government websites.
Money saved: $10-$60 per month.

3. Making full use of your free time

Instead of hitting the mall or splurging on wine & dine at some ATAS restaurants to meet up with your girfriends over the weekend, try working out or playing some outdoor sports together. Consider doing some volunteering work, hosting dinner parities, invite friends over wine tastings, game nights, or movie screenings and you can socialize and save money at the same time. Trade off hosting responsibilities with others in the group and make every event pot-luck or whip out dinner together. Invest in games like Kinect or mahjong to add in the fun!
Going to the mall encourage tendency to over-spent or buy unnecessary items for some.

Money saved: $50-$500 per month.

4. Quit smoking all together

Do this for your health as well as your budget. If you smoke a pack a day, you could be wasting $10-$20 on cigarettes. Cut down, or quit entirely and you’ll find yourself with a lot of spare cash.
Money saved: $50 – $200 per month.

5. Give up your gym membership

If you’re a gym rat who loves working out, this may not be feasible for you. But if you go once a week or less, try the public gym available at some community club or sports centre or even at your work place where you pay by per visit or enjoy a cheaper monthly subscription.
A few dumbbells, a good pair of running shoes, and maybe a fitness DVD or two are really all you need for the occasional home workout. Or skip the traditional “work out” all together and look for other ways to incorporate fitness, such as jogging, ball games like tennis, jumping into a pool nearby.
Make full use of your hotel gym if you are a frequent traveller.
Money saved: $50-$100 per month.

6. Reduce or eliminate your caffeine addiction

Starbucks may do its best to make us all think we need a daily dose of caffeine in the form of fancy lattes and mocha-whippa-cinos, but the $5 you’re spending each day on coffee could be put to much better use. If you can’t give it up altogether, switch to home-brewed or drink the free stuff at your office. Even cutting out the pricey coffee a few days a week can make for significant savings.
Money saved: $30 – $80 per month.

7. Save it on lunch

Bringing your own lunch to work may not necessary be feasible for working class on the go if you find yourself rushing to work every morning. However, you may get budget lunch from nearby hawker centres even in CBD areas. Sacrifice the air con comfort for some $3-$5 meal.

Money saved: $60-$125 per week.

8. Saving on personal appearance

No one would suggest sacrificing your appearance in order to cut costs, but there are ways you still look good on a smaller budget. Stretch out the time between haircuts, waxes, dye jobs and nail care, or d-i-y at home (nails and simple hair color only).
Try different salons when they offer discounts to new clients, or sign up to be a hair model and receive a free cut. Visit apprentice, rather than master, stylists or book services like hair dyes, facials, and waxing at a beauty school.
You may also look out for deals from Groupon or other group purchase sites but bear in mind the black out dates and availablity of slots on weekends.
Buy cosmetics and skin care products only when they are finishing.

Money saved: $100 – $500 or more per year.

9. Visit your local library or try googling instead of making purchases

Knowledge does not necessary comes with a expensive price. Cut down on your reading expenses by buying used books rather than new, or taking advantage of your local library, where you can check out books completely free of charge. If you already have a large stack of books at home, sell or trade them for credit at a used bookstore. Travel information and cooking receipes are also widely available on the net.
Money saved: $20-$80 per month.

10. Buy and sell at Thrift stores

Chances are you’ve got a closet full of clothes yet still you find yourself buying more. To revamp your wardrobe on a small budget, take the items that you do not require to your nearest budget store like Cash Converter. Tip: Items that you did not even look at it for 6mths are the ones to go!You can leave with cold hard cash, or trade the clothes for credit to buy new-to-you duds in the latest styles. When it comes to shopping at retails stores, stick to your budget, or simply wait for sale (if you can wait).

Money saved: $100-$1000 or more per year.

11. Opt for take-out

Don’t like to cook, or just don’t have the time? Going out to enjoy a restaurant meal multiple nights a week is one of the quickest ways to destroy your budget. If you can’t cook at home, grab take-out instead of heading out for a sit-down dinner. You’ll save a little by not paying the 10% service charge and skip the drinks. A bottle of wine at supermarket will probably cost you 20%-40% cheaper.

Money saved: $10-$50 per month.

12. Make a meal plan and cut coupons

Coupons aren’t exactly for housewives although it may seem overwhelming for us to keep tracks of the massive lot. All it takes is a bit of advanced planning. Make a meal plan and a grocery list based on what coupons you have and what ingredients you’ll need for the week. Never buy something just because it’s on sale!
Even if your coupons only save you an additional $10 each trip, that’s still $40 per month.
Money saved: $40-$80 per month.

13. Sign up for freebies and rewards

In effort to bring in business (especially in this economy) and reward loyal customers, many bars, restaurants, and shops will offer discounts and deals to those on their mailing list. Set up an email account specifically for this purpose and sign up to be on the mailing list of all your favorite places. You’ll not only get advance notice of deals and special events, but you’ll often score invites to private events.
If a restaurant that you frequent offers a reward card ($80 membership card that comes with $100 worth of vouchers kind-of-deal), sign up and take advantage of the savings, but only if you would have spent the money anyways. It defeats the purpose if you spend more than you have originally would have, just to get the bonus.
Also, take note of cash rebates or reward points that comes with the credit card when you make purchases.
Money saved: $10-$100 per month or more.

14. Cut out on cable TV

At $30, $50, $100 or even more per month, cable TV isn’t exactly cheap. If you’re a total TV addict, this might not be a strategy for you, but if you don’t watch the tube all that much, consider cutting out cable and watching only the basic channels. With most shows available on DVD or the internet now, you might not even miss it.
Money saved: $30-$100 a month.

15. Clean out your credit

If you have significant debt, your interest rates could account for a large portion of your monthly expenses. Work on getting your debt paid off, starting with the cards with the highest interest rate. If you can, transfer the balance to a zero-interest card and pay it off before the interest kicks in.
Money saved: $10-$100 a month depending on your debt.

16. Learn to cook

Cooking at home costs much less than going out to eat. You could get a decent meal of 3 dishes + 1 soup for less than $30 for 4 at most grocery stores, yet the same meal will cost you at least $60 in any restaurant. At that rate, cutting back on your restaurant meals by just 2-3 times per month will quickly save you almost $100. Try checking out receipes online or get the help from your friend or even your mom.
Money saved: $60-$90 per month.

17. Save automatically

Arrange to have a certain amount or percentage of your paycheck transferred into your savings account via Giro 1 or 2days after payday every month. This way, you won’t have to think about it, and be tempted to spend the money rather than save it.

18. Go cash-only

It’s easy to overspend when you are using credit card or even paying by nets. Seeing the pile of bills physically shrinking can help you pay more attention to how much you spend. At the beginning of each month or each week, take out the cash you are allowed to spend on non-essentials (everything other than bills, transport) and commit to sticking to that amount.

19. Remember, your budget is your friend

It’ll be nearly impossible to save a significant amount of money without embracing the idea of budgeting. All you need is a simple Excel spreadsheet, or even just a pen and paper. Check out app store, there are a few free apps for tracking your expense. Start by keeping track of all of your expenses for a month. At the end of the month, take a look at what you’ve spent and start figuring out where to cut. Make a plan you can live with for the next month, and most importantly, stick to it!

20. Take on an odd - job or Part time

You may consider taking up a part time job. Many employers are willing to take in part timers and fix the working hours according to the student's schedule. If your schedule is flexible and you are open during the day, consider contacting a temp agency. If you have office skills, you may be able to pick up the occasional day of work as a fill-in receptionist or data entry clerk.
Alternatively, you may offer odd job services to your neighbors such as providing tuition, baby seating, giving out flyers etc.

Money earned: $200-$800 a month. 1-3 times per week.

21. Rent out a room

One possible and quick way to get spare cash although i don't really recommend doing this for people that don't fancy strangers in the house like myself.
Money earned: $250-$800 a month depending on your location and size of the home.

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If you did all of these things, you could be looking at an extra $300-$1000 per month. But even doing one or two of these things on an occasional basis could put an extra $500-$1000 in your pocket by year’s end, enough for a plane ticket to hundreds of far-off destinations.

Places i want to go! - wishlist!!

2012-01-29T11:47:00.000+08:00

Japan - Hokkaido

Admiring the vast fower bed in spring / summer

Skiing in winter

Hawaii

Snorkling and windsurfing in the clear sea

Australia- Tasmania

credit: http://www.tashachawner.com/

Enjoy the fresh seafood, oysters, salmon sashimi, prawns and everything else you can find.

Istanbul

Immerse myself into the unique Asia & Europe culture all in 1 city.

Beijing

Enjoying the quaint beauty of man-made nature and looking at the remains of Chinese history

South Africa

source: http://wwwmarcsgeoblog.blogspot.com

Natural beauty @ Cape of Good Hope

New York

source: http://ngtravelerpanel.com

Shopping in the big vibrant city!!

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Working hard each day to fulfill my dreams of touring the world.

Amsterdam Part 1 - Netherlands

2012-01-23T13:39:00.003+08:00

*back dated post on Europe Trip*

There, we arrived in Amsterdam after a couple hour's drive.

The 1st thing to do was to get our chinese food craving fixed. Tho whatever we have here in SG taste so much better, we couldn't care more. Everyone in the group ate like we haven had chinese food for weeks.

After lunch, we had half an hour to shop around the "pasar malam" round the corner before we gather and went to Coaster Diamond.

Up next: Coaster Diamond

Antwerp - Belgium

2012-01-23T13:19:00.000+08:00

*back dated post on Europe Trip*

We dropped by to Antwerp for some last minute chocolate and souvenir shopping before heading to Netherlands.

Statue of the giant's hand being thrown into the Scheldt River.

According to folklore, and as celebrated by the statue in front of the town hall, the city got its name from a legend involving a mythical giant called Antigoon who lived near the river Scheldt. He exacted a toll from those crossing the river, and for those who refused, he severed one of their hands and threw it into the river Scheldt. Eventually, the giant was slain by a young hero named Brabo, who cut off the giant's own hand and flung it into the river. Hence the name Antwerpen, from Dutch hand werpen—akin to Old English hand and wearpan (= to throw), that has changed to today's warp.[source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antwerp]

It was really cold that morning with the temperature of around 10degree and damn! we left our jackets in our luggage. Can u imagine i was shivering the whole time?!!!

Next: Travelogue on Netherlands

Scandic Hotel - Belgium

2012-01-21T13:08:00.000+08:00

This is by far the best hotel that was included in the tour package throughout the stay in Europe!

Everyday ended with a cuppa hot tea in the alfresco hotel lounge.

Imagine doing it when the temp is 15degree. Shiok!!

Thumbs up! to the service, room, hot water for bath, wide variety for breakfast and nice ambience for some evening tea. They have an indoor swimming pool too, just that i dun have the chance to jump in for a few laps.

Chez Leon 1893 - Brussel

2012-01-17T20:27:00.003+08:00

*back dated post on Europe Trip*

The chefs!!

House brew

Appetizer - tomato, mayo, mixed salad & small prawns!!

A little on the salty side.

We had FREE FLOW of mussles!!!

Missing it already!!

Cowboy Tavern @AMK ave 10

2012-01-15T21:22:00.000+08:00

Cowboy Tarvern was Hidden away in a HDB estate of AMK.

Selling mainly budget western set meals with optional free flow of garlic bread, drinks and ice cream to keep you busy while waiting for your food to be served.

Menu!!

$9.90 for the above mixed grill!!

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529 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10,
#01-2337
Singapore

Belgium - Brussel

2012-01-15T14:19:00.001+08:00

Backdated post on Europe Trip!!

After a short drive, we are now in Brussel! metropolitan city as compared to Brugge.

Best known for its chocolate, waffles and beer, Brussels was paradise for people like myself. A pity i din have the chance to take a bite in the belgium nutella waffles. :(

While every city need an icon; or a hero of some sorts. Like Gotham City has Batman, America has
Paris Hilton and Smallville has Superman, Belgium has 'Manneken Pis'. The little urchin is known worldwide although non-Europeans may not know his origins. The doll-faced youngster strikes a pose permanently 'pee-ing'.

us & the guide.

Everywhere in Brussel was: Manneken Pis Fries, Manneken Pis Ice-cream; Manneken Pis this; Manneken Pis that. totally commercialised.

*Click on the photos for full size viewing

Christina Perri - A Thousand Years (Official Music Video)

2012-01-14T15:49:00.000+08:00

Sharing something that have been playing on my mp3

Oriental House - Myamnar Chinese Restaurant

2012-01-14T15:39:00.002+08:00

Located along Rochor Road, this restaurant could be easily spoted on you way to Sim Lim Square if you walk from Bugis MRT station.

Cashew nut chicken set - < $6

Butter fried Squid - Yummy!!

Thai style fried kuay teow

Pricing wise was pretty reasonable and portion is not stingy. The plae was fairly crowded when i pop by at 1pm on a weekend.

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Where?
Rochor Road, Singapore 188434

Keisuke Tonkotsu King (Orchid Hotel)

2012-01-08T11:26:00.000+08:00

Located at the less busy street of Shenton Way, this new ramen from Tokyo is giving his competitors in the vicinity a run for money.

I was there on a weekday lunch time and had to wait for nearly 20mins before my turn. The restaurant is basically a eat and go concept as the place is really small.

FOC of Eggs to keep you busy while waiting for your noodles to be served.

It didn't really take long for my Tonkotsu Ramen Special to be served. Topped with
spring onion, black fungus, chashu (that was not too salty), and a perfect soft-boiled egg that i was really look forward to.

I had pick for soup to be light, noodles to be normal and less oil just the way I liked it to be.

Von had Black Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen, which was served with a dash of sesaeme oil and garlic powder. She was full of praise for their hard noodles and the flavour-ful thick soup that she picked.

Its definately worth a re-visit!

Where: 1 Tras Link, #01-19 Orchid Hotel
Lunch, 11.30am – 3pm
Dinner, 6pm – 10pm

Goodbye 2011!

2011-12-31T23:54:00.009+08:00

Its been a fairly great year despite many many ups & downs. Achieved some, loses some.

Certain things are there but you can never grab it no matter how hard you try.
What's more impt is to learn how to let things go if you are aware that you are lossing it or its simply impossible for the near future.

Life's been evolving around working hard, vacations, learning new things, catching up with frens, spending time with love ones. Life's getting more and more simplier but enchriching compared to our younger days.

Looking fwd to 2012 and hoping it will be a better year ahead.

- Learn baking and cooking my Fav dishes
- Learn Scuba Diving
- Bali Trip (July)
- China Trip (Year end)
- Istanbul or Korea (Hopefully)

Love ~ Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T12:09:00.009+08:00

From Customer and Colleagues!!

From GM girls~

From old fren Serene

Gift Exchange with Sarah & Sandy

1st year anniversary from Love!

Chris’ Tea House

2011-10-04T00:26:00.000+08:00

Chanced upon this place on sat and was rather surprise to see a tea house along upper paya lebar rd.

Victorian furniture, vintage-tiled floor, cosy ambience and a automated-playing piano is totally the kind of place that you will want to spend an afternoon with your gfs or just chilling over ur favourite book.

scones!!

mini shepard's pie

Chris’ Tea House
359A Upper Paya Lebar Road
Singapore 534961
Tel: 6502 3063

Opening Hours:
Tues – Wed: 11:30-19:00
Fri: 11:30-19:00
Sat – Sun: 12:00-19:00

Sol Tasca

2011-09-11T17:44:00.000+08:00

Tucked under the Esplanade Bridge is this spanish bar. Des & I decided to try something new since we are not that hungry. The restaurant was not really packed even at 8pm on a Friday evening.

traditional ovenbaked Cheese with BBQ pork pizza - great for cheese lovers!

Sautéed live mussels in tangy cream sauce (signature dish)
Ordered garlic baguette to go with the sauce and my choice was right!

Contrary to the bad reviews on their service on various sites, i personally find their service warm and prompt upon request.

Hazelnut ice cream served with chocolate lava cake - something i will never get sick of.

Very chocolaty yet not overpowering. Perfect match for dark chocolate lovers!!

Lastly, we had spanish Sangria to complete the meal. sophisticated cocktail with tiny fruity chunks, red wine, etc.

Spent $80++ for 2 pax.

Sat noon @ ponggol

2011-09-10T21:55:00.000+08:00

3rd baby shower this yr!

Lovely cookies~~

Can't Wait For Oct

2011-08-27T12:39:00.000+08:00

Because.... I'm Going TAIWAN!!!!!

Enjoy the serenity of Yang Ming Shan

Eat to my heart's content @ various nightmarkets

Take the train of Taipei

Enjoying desserts @ Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe

Stay @ Spring City Resort & Enjoy the hot spring

Shop for Tu Chan @ Jiu Fen

Visit the iconic Taipei 101

Shop to my hearts content @ Wu Fen Pu

Take a stroll down the romantic fisherman's wharf & lover's bridge @ Dan Shui

And of course... Taste their famous Lu Rou Fan!

Golf Moments

2011-08-06T23:43:00.019+08:00

A few mths back, Des and I pick up this new hobby and subsequently started learning golf with a Pro @ Asian Golf Academy.

A good way to keep ourselves occupied on Sunday mornings and getting to know more people with the same interest.

Will be going down to golf course for lesson soon thus Des & I head down to Far East S.C. hunting for proper golf shoes.

Check out our new shoes from Footjoy!

Chanced upon the big ad splashed on isetan scotts on the big golf sale! thus, i seize the chance and gotten my 1st beginer set!

Have been deciding between this set and callaway solaire 9pcs set for some time and found this to be more complete and value for the price offered!

Maruman Figaro in Pink!

Please ignore the ugly pink furry cover for the drivers...

someday i shall replace them with something more presentable.

In my Figaro Bag:

W1, W4, W7, Hybrid 5/6, No7, No8, No9, PW, SW, PT

New Sunday bag for driving range use.

L'Entrecote

2011-08-05T23:54:00.003+08:00

Tucked away in the quiet street of duxton hill is L'entrecote. Unlike conventional restaurants, they advocates a no reservations policy which mean that you gotto go early to catch a seat before the dinner crowd comes in.

They have only one main dish which is steak with fries and side salad (a good mix of fresh leafy vegetables tossed with balsamic vinegar and walnuts)

The serving is actually 2x of this.

As for desserts, i pick my usual fav - Half baked warm chocolate cake accompanied with vanilla ice cream. ~ i.e. chocolate lava cake

Despite the uncreative presentation, it turns out heavenly. Its no wonder they say.... Good things usually doesn't look good.

Yummy!

Thanks dear dear for adding a nice touch to end off the eventful week.

-----------------------------------

L'entrecote, 36 Duxton Hill,
Opening hours: Mon-Fri: 12pm-10pm; Sat: 6pm-11pm; Closed on Sun

The Atom - Belgium

2011-07-27T09:59:00.001+08:00

mid week post cox i was on leave today and suppose to be studying for M5 paper tmr. >.<

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After leaving Brugge, the coach pulled up in front of 'The Atom' for some photo taking

- an interesting icon built for the 1958 World Expo. Now revamped into exhibition halls, museums and restaurants, the sci-fi structure is a replica of an iron atom magnified 165 billion times.

Into Brussel proper we went.

Up next: Brussel & Antswerp

Pique Nique @ Taka

2011-07-22T23:46:00.019+08:00

TGIF!

Von & I decided to have some great dinner after the long week. Stepped into Taka to get some golf stuff for my lesson this Sunday!!

Chanced upon Pique Nique which was the related co. of Antoinette.

Von's pick - Burger & FRIES! My! The Fries was damn GOOD!!

And so is my dessert for dinner!

Warm Crispy Waffles topped with caramalized banana, chocolate syrup & malted milk ice cream~~

We asked for Mayo & they serve us in a large serving plate @.@

Total Spent: $25/-

Antoinette @ Penhas

2011-07-20T15:10:00.001+08:00

A good find in the quiet neighbourhood. Posh furnishing, meticulously crafted pastries, not overly crowded place(but you have to make prior reservations) and nice ambience.

"Good Morning" Tea

Pavlova - Caramelized Banana, Chocolate crepe with ice cream. Wonderful combi of sweet & refreshingly sour.

Chocolicieux - 66% cocoa. Not overly sweet. Even guys will fancy this!

Guess what this is?????
.
.
.
.
.

It came with the bill!!!

Washroom~

Will definately be back for MORE!

------------------------------------
Total Bill: $60
Where: 30 Penhas Road
Singapore 208188

I'm such a Potato Couch

2011-07-18T11:37:00.002+08:00

Was such a potato couch lately. Been streaming videos on youtube.

Sunshine Angel by Rainie Yang & Wu Zun

then i realised its exactly the same plot as "Sucessful Story of a Bright Girl"

if ur rem the 2002 Korean drama.

Material Queen featuring Vaness!!

And... Love You!

Sunset Bay @ ECP

2011-07-17T11:22:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, we decided to hit the nature and exercise a bit. Des & I went cycling! Brought Des to Sunset Bay for a nice dinner and chill out~

Sausage platter - Beef, Lamb, chicken

Smoked Salmon Pizza - Thumbs up!!

らーめんチャンピオン Ramen Champion - IKKOUSHA

2011-07-16T02:27:00.000+08:00

Went back to Iluma for another round of ramen today. This time round was to try the best voted ramen according to the straits times review last sunday.

Signature Ramen - Hakata ajitama ramen $13

Love it for their thin and smooth noodles, their soup was rich and creamy. However, the soup and char siew was really a lil too salty for my liking. I still prefer the spicy miso ramen from Iroha.

Gyoza - nothing surprising

Fried Chicken - crispy and smells great!

A lil too salty tho.

The restaurant was almost empty when i reached at 6pm. Within an hour, the place was really crowded and queue started forming at all the 6 stalls.

Go there early if you do not like queuing.

Belgium - Brugge Part 2

2011-07-15T15:03:00.000+08:00

The river around Brugge..

Seriously i think Brugge is an romantic and serene place for wedding shots. This is my favourite town and it will be lovely to stay here for a week or 2.

Greeted by path lined with Unique Trees

Belgian man pops out from nowhere and wanted to be in picture.

Schools kids out on excursion. All in lime green caps.

Next: "The Atom", Brussel and the Manneken Pis

Belgium - Brugge

2011-07-14T10:55:00.002+08:00

I love brugge!

tranquility. great weather. fresh air. chocolates.

take a peak into the beautiful old town.

chocolates............irresistible

the streets of brugge

bicycles. its not surprising to see man in suit, carrying briefcase cycling down the streets in europe.

town hall.

horse carriage. smelly tho.

the town square.

People watching while sipping a cuppa coffee is one of their fav pasttime.

Other than chocolates, Lace making is the next popular thing Belgium is famous for.

Fridge magnets as souvenirs.

Next: Brugge Part 2 - River tour around the beautiful old town.

On the highway to Belgium

2011-07-13T21:24:00.000+08:00

Been a while since i last blog about my Europe Trip due to super busy schedule and endless exams this month. :(

After leaving Paris, we head down to Belgium. Our 2nd stop!

There are numerous stopovers on the highways of Europe for coffee or meals.

Coca Cola water bottles collection

Pork cutlet which was tough and totally not juicy.

Grilled chicken set which taste a lot better.

Coffee, snacks & soft drinks vending machine.

Shall blog on Bruges and Brussel next.

らーめんチャンピオン Ramen Champion - IROHA

2011-07-12T21:41:00.001+08:00

By now, many of you might know that Singapore is hosting its first Ultimate Ramen Champion Competition where 6 renowned Ramen restaurants from Japan is competing for the ULTIMATE RAMEN CHAMPION 2011 SINGAPORE. Such concepts are not uncommon in Japan but its definately a 1st in SG and I'm glad it's here!

Participating restaurants are:

1.IROHA from Toyama - Champion Ramen chain in Toyama

2.BARIO from Tokyo - Listed 50 best things to eat in the world by The Guardian UK

3.GANTETSU from Sapporo - A strong contender hailing from Japan’s city of Ramen

4.TETSU from Tokyo - Listed as best Tsukeman Ramen by Tokyo Times

5.IKKOSHA from Hakata - One of the most celebrated Ramen restaurants of Fukuoka

6.TAI SHO KEN from Tokyo - One of the most famous Ramen shops in the world

Restaurants will each have a stall in ILUMA where they will exhibit and sell their signature Ramen among other Japanese specialties for one year from 1st July 2011 to 31st June 2012

Judging criteria: Based on sales takings, vote counts via SMS, Facebook and onsite voting

As a crazy Ramen Fan, I head down on monday for lunch after seeing the review on Straits Times the day before.

The place was crazily packed and i queue for more than half an hr to get my ramen! At 12.30pm, 2 restaurants already ran out of their soup broth!!!

Spicy Miso Ramen from IROHA

Damn SHIOK! Noodles are springy and firm and i love it when its soak in that spicy but not overpowering broth. [i requested for less spicy] The Char Siew was thinly sliced and not too salty. the only dissapointment was that the egg was seasoned enough as compared to Marutama.

Will be back again for more.

一家南春海鲜 Yi Jia South Village Seafood Restaurant

2011-07-03T10:29:00.002+08:00

Mummy saw the review of this restaurant some time back and wanted to try it out! Situated somewhere in an old neighbourhood but i was surprised at the crowd. Turns out that you really have to make reservations before going down.

Chef's recommendation: Strawberry Fried Chicken! Unique~

Sliced fish with ginger and spring onion

My recommendation: Sambal Sweet Potato leaves! Yummy!

Signature dish:
Honeydew Sweet & Sour prawn balls coated with mayo and honeydew sauce.

Nice but didn't impressed me as much as their strawberry chicken

Chef's recommendation: Garlic Pork Ribs!! Nice!

Butter Calamari.. over fried~ :(

Verdict: Food is awesome except for their calamari, Value for $$ ~ 5pax, 6dishes, $70+!!!
Definately worth a re-visit.

Location:

Blk21 Toa payoh lor 7

Random Upldates

2011-07-02T10:13:00.000+08:00

@ my cousin's 21st! Been a while since i last attended a 21st party~~

Awesome Oreo Cheesecake for breakfast!

- Thanks Perrine~

Gmarket Shopping Buy

2011-06-27T21:41:00.000+08:00

My loots from Korea arrived!!!

Happy :)

Hall Pass Granted

2011-06-26T21:32:00.000+08:00

Too busy to meet up for lunch on weekdays. therefore, we decided to DRINK & PARTY!

Its been 2 years....

Busy but Fulfilling Week

2011-06-19T17:52:00.000+08:00

Random photo post.

Last Sun

- met up with Val before she left for her Biz trip in China.

Baked mushroom with Cheese

Love wedges dip in mustard

Wed.

Met up with the gfs for b'dae celebration!

For Yan, Jing & me.

@ Crystal Jade

Yesterday

Girls movie date with Sarah & Sandy.

Something borrowed. 2hrs romance movie staring Kate Hudson.

Ending my post with some very random bits...

Des got his own mug @ my place. hee.

mid week. my mum bought my fav Mao Shan Wang durian.

Yum yum!!

m5 text which will keep me busy for the next 1mth.

More papers coming up!!

I hope it won't be too difficult.

=.=

Hello Kitty on Lomo!

2011-06-19T12:34:00.001+08:00

New Wishlist tho i already have one!

See previous blog post here: http://sher-ine.blogspot.com/2011/04/lomo-lomo.html

Brasserie Chez Edouard

2011-06-18T17:40:00.001+08:00

Last evening in romantic Paris. Our guide specially arranged an optional fine dining meal at Brasserie Chez Edouard.

Cost: 55euro/pax
Website: http://www.brasseriechezedouard.com/

The place is still bright and serene after 6pm when all the shops are closed.

Smooth and great complement to the seafood feast and my medium well steak.

Appetiser - Escargot

Appetiser - Foie gras

3rd Course - Seafood Platter for 6!!

Check out the overflowing crab roe!!!

Top Shell

Medium well steak - tender and juicy. missing it already.

Apple Pie for dessert.

Friendly waiter

Cheers!!!

Bateaux - Mouches

2011-06-16T21:53:00.000+08:00

River Cruise city tour of PARIS!

Sky looks threatening but thankfully it didn't rain.

This is how our boat looks like....

City of Love - Paris

2011-06-12T18:56:00.000+08:00

City Tour of Paris!

Moulin Rouge

St. Piesse - Street where all the tourist gift shops clutter are.

Gambling Dens and illegal vendors selling electrical items crowded the street

He's real!

We stepped into this "Kakoo Bar" for simple lunch while the rest of the tour group went for the Notre Dam tour.

Located at 15place St. Piesse 75018 - Paris Tel: 0146065051

Their pizza is sooooooooooo goooooooooooood!!!!!!!!!!!

Famous Bakery & Candy shop!

Louvre Museum

Notre Dame

Up Next, i shall blog about the river cruise and 55euro french fine dining feast per pax!!!

Chateau de Versailles Spectacles

2011-06-12T11:17:00.000+08:00

In the previous post, i mentioned that the Cheateau is HUGE! Indeed it is. I shall blog about the HUGE Gardens of Versailles.

The garden stretches all the way to the back. Needless to say, we only completed less that 1/3 in the pathetic 1hr time frame.

Water fountains are everywhere

prettysweetsmellingflowerseverywhere

Ice cream at 15degrees. simplyshiok.

its.saturday

2011-06-11T23:47:00.000+08:00

Picked up a new sport lately - Golfing!! Drizzling sat afternoon. Went to the driving range @ Sin Ming with Von & my colleague Adrian for some practice. Din really take any pictures cox i was really too engrossed trying to pick up whatever they taught me. haha.
Shall take more pictures when i'm more pro & gotten my own clubs!

In the evening, Des & I made a 2nd visit to Golden mile for their thai UFO steamboat. See my previous post here - http://sher-ine.blogspot.com/2011/04/diandin-leluk-thai-restaurant-golden.html

Seriously i don't know what is the real name of the restuarant but its at the 1st floor of golden mile so i doubt your will missed it.

Meat: Pork, Chicken, Pork Liver, Fresh Prawn, Sotong, Fishball, Crabstick, Sausage
Vege: Dong Fen, a variety of green leafy vege, 2eggs, Mushrooms.

Price: $30 standard set for 2pax.

I order extra mushrooms and crabstick and was shocked that they cost $6 each!!

VN CHATEAU

2011-06-05T11:57:00.002+08:00

Still roaming about in Paris!

Day 2 of the tour was a sunday so all shops were closed. no more shopping! sightseeing the entire day.

The palace was HUGE! but we were only given 2hrs to comb.

Statistical Information on the Palace of Versailles
Floor space 67,000 m2
Number of windows 2,153
Number of rooms 700
Staircases 67
Paintings in the museum’s collection 6,123
Drawings in museum’s collection 1,500
Engravings in museum’s collection 15,034
Sculptures in museum’s collection 2,102
Pieces of furniture and objets d’art 5,210

Look at the crowd!!

Picture books for sale

The Queen's Chamber

The Dining Hall

In Paris

2011-05-24T09:51:00.000+08:00

1st Day - Paris

It was already Sat 3pm in Paris when we touched down and clear the customs so the guide brought us to do a bit of sightseeing before heading to La Fayette where the crazy 1.5hr shopping craze begins!

1st day was damn shagged after the long haul flight from SG Colombo Dubai then transit from Dubai Paris.

La Fayette where all the top brands are. Miu Miu, Chanel, Longchamp, etc...

I got my Miu Miu bag & all the longchamp loots from here.. 1.5hr!! totally not enuff!!

Afterwhich, we went sightseeing at Eiffel Tower.

The mega lift that brought us up to level 2 of the tower!

View of Paris City from the Eiffel Tower.

Hotel for the 2 nights in Paris: Mercure

View from my bedroom window..Don't be mistaken. its 7.30pm when i took the picture. Sky only starts turning dark at 9pm.

Hotel Breakfast was decent.

I heart my new miu miu bag!!

Europe Trip Spring 2011

2011-05-17T12:16:00.010+08:00

I'm Back!

12 Days

14 Cities

4 Countries

2 Cameras

3000 photos!!

I'll blog about my awesome trip soon!!!!

Forgotten post - Last Day in Hanoi

2011-05-01T14:19:00.000+08:00

This shall be the final post on the vietnam trip in Jan.

In search for spring rolls con't as we haven had any satisfying ones so far. We consulted the friendly manager of Gecko Hotel and she recommend this to us:

Eatry at 72 MA MAY.

We ordered almost all the spring rolls on the menu. I still prefer the fried ones to the fresh spring rolls.

Simply Awesome~~ Simply worth trying~~

That's not all! We order another portion of the small spring rolls to satisfy all possible cravings!

Afterwhich, we head down to the coffee street and bought some S$50 worth of coffee back home!

The traditional coffee bean grinder.

Head back to Fanny's for some ice creams

My crep with flambed banana, hot chocolate and whipped cream. simply loving anything with banana and chocolate.

I was actually tempted to order this sushi ice cream set actually but was simply too full!

Halong Bay - Vietnam 2011

2011-05-01T13:18:00.000+08:00

Been a while since i blog about my vietnam trip. Super busy with work, life, frens, and partying.

No matter how busy and occassional sucky events, i'm still loving my life.

I shall blog abit on my Halong Bay Trip.

Von got bored in the bus and started practising her chinese painting. See how much we miss Grace! LoL.

After 3 hours of bus ride, we reached the Halong Bay tourist Wharf where we see hundreds of similar looking junk boats.

Board onto a small boat taking us out to the sea where we transfer to the Junk Boat for our overnight stay.

Dinner Hall + Lounge / Typical room. Josh got a VIP room which was much more spacious.

Lunch was served to feed the hungry and some angry tourist! Decent meal.

After lunch was some kayating and cave visitng which i din bring my camera along for fear of getting capsized.

Typical Junk Boat where they have sun deck, dining room, cabins & lounge.

Monopoly Deal became our staple game every day.

Shall blog about our last night in Hanoi again.

Looking fwd to my Europe trip this Friday. Hee~~

Till then.

Yeah~~~

2011-04-27T23:58:00.001+08:00

I'm FLYING to Europe next week!!!

Paris

Netherlands

Belgium

Germany

I'm COMING!!!!!

Credits to : http://www.deca-europe.com/

Hooked on Kinect!

2011-04-26T21:00:00.000+08:00

Early B'day present for myself....

The set comes with an awesome FREE game... Kinect Adventure

Got myself Dance Central which is another totally cool game!!

And there's the latest Michael Jackson Dance Game which i have yet to start playing.

B'dae gift from my team~~~

Now... there's another reason for us to stay home..

and open my house for some PARTY!!!

Nite out!!!

2011-04-24T04:02:00.000+08:00

For some FUN!!

The Long Weekend Plan

2011-04-23T11:57:00.000+08:00

Thurs:

- Kim's b'dae celeb at Timbre

Friday:

- Team outing to Desmond (colleague) open his house for Kinect + Mahjong + Fun!!

- Dinner with Des boy and in search for Lava Cake

Saturday:

- Cycling with Von & Ian

- Bringing Des boy to a nice dinner

- Zouk with my bitches & frens

Sunday:

- Yakking over tea with my bestie Ger~~

3 inch sin

2011-04-23T11:32:00.000+08:00

Des knows my crave for lava cake and brought me to 3 Inch Sin last evening. It wasn't very crowded and we had some peaceful moments savouring our dessert.

They have various filings for the lava cake but i chose the original one instead which was full of chocolates, chocolates and chocolates.

Des's white chocolates is awesome with the perfect match of macademia ice cream!!

3 Inch Sin
501 Bukit Timah Road #02-27
Cluny Court Singapore
Tel: +65 6314 1217

http://www.3inchsin.com/

T G I Thursday!!!

2011-04-22T02:47:00.000+08:00

Kim's 24th Celebration ~ Timbre @ Substation

Cheers to long weekend!!!

Strictly Pancakes

2011-04-17T11:44:00.001+08:00

I have been seeing a lot of all-day breakfast restaurants popping up after Wild Honey. Hatched and then there is this all day Pancakes cafe! where we pop over for supper last sunday.

Interesting.

Bananas Scotched. The portion was HUGE!!

44A Prinsep Street Singapore 188674
http://www.strictlypancakes.com.sg/

Opening Hours:
Mon: 1800 - 2200
Tue - Thu: 1130 - 2200
Fri: 1130 - 0000
Sat: 1000 - 0000 *Closed from 1600 -1800
Sun: 1000 - 2200 *Closed from 1600 -1800

The Regent Singapore – High Tea Buffet at the Tea Lounge

2011-04-17T11:07:00.000+08:00

I love indulging in high tea sessions with gfs on an occassional basis. Hanging out, catching up and relaxing while feasting on delectable teatime snacks.

Meet up with Geraldine last Sunday for a treat.

The Regent Singapore’s Tea Lounge is best known for its refined settings, fine English teas, delightful scones, classic sandwiches and freshly baked desserts. But of course they offer a sumptuous spread of British, Japanese and local favourites on weekends. You could also order freshly made waffles and crepes topped with your choice of fav toppings. But i was simply too full for it.

The Carving section. I love that Baked Salmon which melts in your mouth.

Japanese Section. very average.

Chinese section. the fried udon was a unique.

Asian Section. Love the fried mantou dipped in yummy chili crab sauce

Dessert.

High tea buffet
S$45+

Tea Lounge
The Regent Singapore
1 Cuscaden Road
Singapore 249715
Tel: +65 6725 3246

Day Off Randomness

2011-04-16T15:54:00.000+08:00

Took a random day off yesterday and here what i did...

9.30am: Strolling on the street of Chinatown feeling hungry.

Sat down to have some porridge..

Walked on a little more, most shops still sleeping and decided to sit down for a cuppa coffee

10.30 am: Travelled to National Library and got myself some books.

Went to Popular Bras Brasa hoping to find good reads but ended up spotting the last "Funshine" standing on the rack.

Wanted to drop by Arab Street in search for accessories for my lomo cam but it was way too early.

Found this pouch for my toy cameras~

Sweet isn't it?

11.30am: Hungry again so had lunch at QQ Noodle House at Bugis Village.

Thereafter, went home and took a nap

3.30pm: went for Facial... while waiting for Des, Grace and Perrine to knock off and head down to Hougang.

7.15pm: Met up with them and went for some expensive Ponggul Nasi Lemark at Kovan.

Chance upon the watch i wanted to get but its all sold out at city chain.

Des got it on the spot!

Awww....

Totally Random....

Happy Carebear Family!!

Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant (Golden Mile)

2011-04-10T11:53:00.001+08:00

B. introduced this Thai UFO steamboat (hotpot) at Golden Mile to me.

Steamboat ware is different from our normal steamboat widely available along beach road. There’s a big round hump in the middle with vents for grilling food and the soup surrounds it to boil your food.

It uses charcoal to heat the food and there is no form of heat control. The use of charcoal creates an even & slow heat so that food is not easily burnt.

Yummy! Definately worth a revisit.

Total Spent: $40 for 2

#01-67 Golden Mile Complex
Tel: +65 6293 5101

Open Daily: 4pm – 11pm

With a Pinch of Salt

2011-04-10T11:32:00.000+08:00

Met up with the girls and suggested them to go back to "With a Pinch of Salt".
You may refer to the previous review over HERE

The 2 girls are really busy with life that we hardly have time to meet up often.

Caramel Banana with BaconUnique!

Escargot

Mussels!! Love them.

"Mdm Chicken Roulade" somehow it doesn't taste as nice compared to my previous visit.
perhaps its because they used chinese mushrooms instead of shitake.

Tom Yum Marinara

Yummy but a lil on the salty side.

Sissy Crab Pasta (Crispy softshell crab in cream sauce)

*Yummy*

Brought my Holga camera along!!

Shall showcase the pictures soon.

Vietnam Military History Museum - Hanoi

2011-04-09T16:50:00.000+08:00

Set up on July 17, 1956, the museum showcases an understanding of Vietnam’s great victory against the French colonialists and American imperialists.

The museum content covers the six following periods:

The history of the Vietnamese nation and the birth of the Vietnam People’s Army
The Vietnamese struggle against French colonialism
The Vietnamese struggle against American imperialists
The Vietnam People’s Army on the path to a regular modern army
The People and the Army are oneness, and will be invicible
Piece of weaponry displayed in the museum courtyard (such as airplanes, tanks, heavy artilleries, rockets, mortars, bombs, and so forth)

Vietnamese's pride.

Description.

HarloWww~~~

View from the top of tower!!!

Hanoi Old Quarter

2011-04-03T15:36:00.000+08:00

After Sapa Trip, we were back to Hanoi for a day where we comb the places of interest.

Let me start off by raving about the hotel we stayed in. Gecko Hotel Hanoi ~ http://hanoigeckohotel.com/ Warm and friendly experience compared to the 1st hotel we stayed in. I'll definately recommend any tourist to stay with them. US$50 per nite (Triple Room)

Located at Trung Yen Lane, a quiet street in the midst of the busy city and spared my 2 lightsleeper travel mates from waking up at 4.30am when the vehicles start their insane horning. English breakfast and warm coffee served was great!

After breakfast, we headed out ...

1st Stop - Temple of Literature

Spotted some self taught caligraphers by the street who are good enough to "smoke" the caucasians.

2nd Stop: Military Museum

Afterwhich, we stopped for lunch break as most museums are closed from 11-1pm.

That's when we started scouting around for Pho24 - Pho Chain Restaurant in Vietnam

Chicken Pho - Seriously, i will not recommend Pho24 for their Pho. I think those roadside eatries taste so much better.

Spring Rolls

Iced vietnamese coffee was damn shiok!

I shall blog about Vietnam Military History Museum in a seperate post.

Till then.

Sapa Day 2 - trekking to Lao Chai Village

2011-04-03T13:30:00.000+08:00

Been a while since the last time i blog on my Vietnam trip.

-------------------

It was foggy again when we started our journey. More Strenuous than I thought. The cold windy weather and the slippery muddy treks made my debut experience worst.

Pathetic Lunch that was being served as part of the tour package. Drinks were charged seperately.

Well, it got better after we reached our destination (mountain pit)... cooling weather at 7-10 degrees...

The village School

Empty Rice Field

Little Vege Farm at the back of a villager's house.

Another random pic i wanna share....
Almost every household and cafe in Sapa will have this as their fireplace...

Shall blog about Halong Bay Trip and Hanoi places of interest next...

Stay tuned.

Lomo Lomo

2011-04-02T21:55:00.001+08:00

A lil Bonus gift for myself.

I heart lomography.

Happy Birthday Naomi!

2011-03-26T21:58:00.002+08:00

Its been quite a while since i last attended a 21st birthday party.

Missed that year where we attended countless 21st parties and feeling oh-so-young!

Food Post - Economic Bee Hoon

2011-03-24T12:53:00.001+08:00

Their specialitity... Cereal Mayo Chicken Cutlet

Yummy & Affordable!!

Where :

Jin Feng Fried Bee Hoon. Nasi Lemark

Blk 49 Sims Place Market & Food Centre

Ponder...

2011-03-23T18:59:00.001+08:00

"The happiest people in the world are not those who have no problems, but those who learn to live with things that are less than perfect."

- unknown.

how true is that. @.@

Dessert Time @ Pave Chocolates

2011-03-20T12:41:00.001+08:00

Strolling along the streets of Eastcoast hoping to find a nice cafe for some desserts with Des...

Checked in to Pave Chocolates. The staff was really warm and friendly!

Full House at 9pm

House Dessert!

Will be back to try their freshly baked scones!!

http://www.pavechocolates.com/
Address
93 East Coast Road,
Singapore 428792
Opening hours
Monday: Closed
All other days: 12.30pm to 10.30pm
Tel
63420677

Itacho Sushi + Shopping Buys

2011-03-18T23:26:00.001+08:00

After townhall, met up with Geraldine for dinner and casual chat.

Try their warm Egg Roll. Yummy!! @@

Scallop and

Grilled Salmon Sushi - Grilled to the right texture.

Mango crab Roll

Crab Chawamushi

-------------------

Been shopping around for early anti aging beauty products and bought Kose's in the end.
Whitening + Anti Aging + Brightening

Lots of Freebies thrown in

Eye Mask $47

Orange color of the mask comes from natural pigment of "Astaxanthin" - found in the flesh of salmon and trout, as well as shell of shrimp and crabs.

Moisturing &Reduce appearance of fine lines.

$98 each

------------------

Turning in early for tmr morning's Paintball session!

Till then.

Let's pray for Japan

2011-03-18T23:18:00.001+08:00

Sigh... it was really heartwrenching looking at the photos of the remains after the earthquake.

Was suppose to departure for my Japan trip at the end of the month.

I should thank god that it did not strike when i was there.

Else, I really won't know what will happened.

relaxing weekend

2011-03-14T20:20:00.002+08:00

Forget about passports, visa, itnerary planning, packing luggage etc....

because of an in need for a hassle free short getaway, we spent the weekend at sentosa.

Yesh! Sentosa!

Checked in after 3pm and then strolled down to Trapizza for dinner...

Curly Fries

Pizza!

My fav place for Carbonara

Dessert @ Wave House Restaurant

Check out that Oozee

I'm missing it already!

-----------------

Buffet breakfast the next morning

I won't mind having this every morning.

I found this great iphone app taking polaroid pics!!

It was definately a nice and relaxing holiday.

Taylor Swift Concert

2011-03-06T12:13:00.000+08:00

Geraldine invited me and Des to the concert as she has extra spare tickets!

Pretty lucky cox i heard tix were all sold out!!

Thanks babe~~

A Pleasant Surprise

2011-03-06T00:48:00.000+08:00

Baking Day!

for him!!!

but we bake it together.. hee.

1st attempt, i shall perfect it over time!

Sharing my recipe in case u guys wanna try it out too....

Sapa Day 1 Part 2

2011-03-04T15:01:00.001+08:00

Let me do a little writeup on the 2 star hotel we stayed at and the food spread...

Reception.

Seriously, the only great thing about this hotel is that they provide a heated mattress.

Can u imagine bathing cold water in the cold weather when the heater's not working?

Hotel Dinner Set where we were give up to 10 choices

Hotel Breakfast Buffet Spread. Although not much of a choice, but their vegetable fried rice is awesome!

After the tedious trekking in the cold, we head out to the street again, looking for a warm, cosy cafe...

That's apple wine. U'll be surprised at how STRONG this is!!!

Vietnamese coffee again... lost count of the no. of cups i had throughout the trip

but none beats the 1st cup we had on the 1st Day.

Von's

Brownie

Crepes with Chocolate and Banana

Potato Garlic Soup

Sapa Submit Hotel Photo Credit: http://www.tripadvisor.com/

"Love a lot" bear

2011-03-03T21:41:00.001+08:00

from my boy...

*smiles*

With a pinch of salt

2011-02-27T22:19:00.000+08:00

Passed by this restaurant at Tanjong Katong numerous times but has never dropped down to try.

Jean suggested going there last Friday and i found it pretty pleasant.
Food is good and really affordable.

Tricia's Sissy Crab Pasta (Crispy softshell crab in cream sauce) *Yummy*

My "Mdm Chicken Roulade" chicken filled with shitake mushrooms, marinated with herbs & spices, drenched with awesome mushroom sauce, paird with lightly boiled vege.
*Must-Try*

Lava cake - reasonably good!

And then, its Durian time!!! stall opp "With a pinch of salt".

Where? : http://www.withapinchofsalt.com.sg/

Wild Honey Brunch

2011-02-27T11:56:00.001+08:00

Brunch With the Girlfriends last saturday.

at Wild Honey.

I was very tempted to pick the usual English breakfast but decided to try out some of their speciality.

Scandinavian - Grilled fresh Norwegian salmon and green asparagus, potato rosti, potato rosti and hollandaise sauce

I love this!!

Tunisian - A sizzling pan of red pepper, onion and tomato concise (stew) studded with sliced chorizo sausage and crowned with two fried eggs

Don't really like the spices being used for this.

Where?: http://www.wildhoney.com.sg/

Hello Sapa!

2011-02-26T11:55:00.001+08:00

.Day 3 of our Trip.

Arrived via overnight train and reached Sapa train station in the wee hours. Another 2-3hrs bus ride to the mountain top.

The hotel transport

When u are in Sapa, i would say its a MUST to go trekking! u will know why later.. hee.

Given that its a 1st time experience for Von & I, we chose the easy trekking (for the 2D 1N stay) but i must say its NOT easy at all.

1st Day - 3-4hr trek from Sapa Mountain top to Cat Cat Village
2nd Day - 6hrs from Sapa Mountain top to Lao Cai Village

It was really foggy and drizzling and cold wind was constantly blewing at us so i would say its not a very good experience. Plus the hotel rented me a pair of boots with cracks below!! WTF! Socks was soaked, feet frozed while i was trekking up in the mountain.

Terrible.

Don't Freak out please...

Rice wine making family.

After 3hrs of trekking in the drizzle and cold (ard 7degree), i chose to hire a motocyclist to take me back to the hotel while the rest con't the way back.

Up Next... Shall blog about the food fare up in the mountain & Day 2 trekking which was alot more interesting!!

i'm going JAPAN!!

2011-02-20T19:46:00.000+08:00

Just to share an awesome news...

I'm going Central Japan this March just in time for their Cherry Blossom Festival!!

Just gonna immerse myself in these memorable sight.

The tour package include 3 nights stay in 3 different Onsen Hotels. Nice!

Simply can't wait.

Credits:

http://sarah-janedownthelane.blogspot.com/

http://www.destination360.com/asia/japan/tokyo/cherry-blossoms

http://www.thetokyotraveler.com

http://www.interestingworldfacts.com

Vietnam - Hanoi Day 2 (17th Jan) Part 2

2011-02-20T19:16:00.000+08:00

After having too much Pho and Vietnamese BBQ, i start to crave for a decent bowl of rice.
That's when we stumbled upon this authentic japanese restaurant.

Pork Cuttle Set (with chawamushi) - US$10

Yvonne's sashimi set - US$10

I love this Furai Potato Miso Bata (means Fried potato with miso and butter) -US$3

Vietnamese teen's fav hangout after school!

St. Joseph's Cathedral

Public toilet is scarce in Hanoi so we pop in to Fanny's and ended up sitting down for some ice cream.

Young Rice Ice Cream - Unique yet Simple

In the evening, we takeaway dinner and board the overnight train from Hanoi to Sapa

Vietnam - Hanoi Day 2 (17th Jan) Part 1

2011-02-18T17:40:00.000+08:00

*image heavy post*

As Asia Palace Hotel (blogged in previous post) was situated on a busy street, cars started honking before daybreak which woke Von & Josh up.

Had breakfast at the hotel before we roam around the street exploring the Old Quarter around Hoan Kiem Lake.

Handmade Bookmarks for sale everywhere

Clayware & Coffee Diffuser - regretted not getting one

The "business centre" near the lake where the banks and bigger restaurants like our Thai Express & KFC are.

Hoan Kiem Lake

I bought that North Face Backpack for US$10!

Most tix to places of interest (temples, museums, etc) cost 10.000 - 20.000 Dong (SG$0.6-$1.2)

Flowers in Full Bloom!

Upcoming post: Yummy Jap food, Ice cream at Fanny's & adapting to middle class school teen's after school life.

Stay tune!

New Horoscope Sign 2011 - Did your's changed?

2011-02-17T10:56:00.005+08:00

Here are the new zodiac dates:

Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16

Aquarius: Feb. 16-March 11

Pisces: March 11-April 18

Aries: April 18-May 13

Taurus: May 13-June 21

Gemini: June 21-July 20

Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10

Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16

Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30

Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23

Scorpio: Nov. 23-29

Ophiuchus: Nov. 29-Dec. 17

Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20

Oh well, 24yrs as a Taurus and now I'm a Aries!
~~ Anyone who tattoo their signs would be furious (if their's changed) ... well, i know of one who did! haha

Vietnam - Hanoi Day 1 (16th Jan)

2011-02-13T23:31:00.003+08:00

-image heavy post-

Been pretty lasy of late to edit and post pics of my vietnam trip and thus explains the lag. 400+ of them in my camera and not forgetting 200 others in Josh's which he hasn't upload them yet.

Did i mentioned that our's was a morning flight n we got to be at the airport at 7am on a sun and guess what?!! My boy came to pick me up and Grace came to send us off. Heart warmed at that instance as she usually slept till noon on a weekend.

Grace's monopoly deal accompanied us for the whole 8days! We played on the plane, hotel, on the junk boat with this dutch guy and he's so excited that he say he's gonna find it for himself!

It was freaking cold n windy the moment we stepped down the aircraft! 10degrees!

Hired a cab and went ahead to check in at our hotel.

Nice cab driver

Asia Palace Hotel - where we stayed at the busy happening streets of the old quarter. They start honking non stop at 4am which woke the 2 lightsleepers up. I was totally undisturbed.

After settling down, we roam around the streets hoping to find lunch and book tour for halong bay and sapa.

1st meal by the roadside which was a total ripped off.
S$24 for all these pork & beef bbq n we were served low grade hill rice!
That's the lesson for not asking for the price before ordering. :(

Stumpled upon this cafe n decided to have some nice warm vietnamese coffee! and this shop serve the best coffee we have tried. Coffee with cocoa texture! Nothing beats having a warm cup at 10degrees. Simply Awesome!

Poor Josh was bugged by this kid who wanted to change his shoelace and polish his shoes. The kid followed us a few streets before he relented.

Our 1st bowl of Beef Pho in Hanoi! and they were so so good!!

The 22yr old shop assistant.

Headed to Dong Xuan Market (biggest n oldest market in hanoi). They sell things from handicrafts, beauty products, iphone covers to cheap winter clothings.
The place is huge with hundreds or even up to 1000 stalls.
Shall blog about other interesting happenings on this trip soon. :)

Irodori Japanese Restaurant

2011-02-12T23:31:00.001+08:00

V-day in advance

My boy surprised me with pretty roses when he pick me up at my place!

Why a cat instead of a bear or carebear or anything?

There's of cox a reason behind which i'm not telling. haha.

Was suppose to go for massage treat at 11am but we got home at 5am that morning and called off the appointment. He promised to make it up to me another day. heh.

Headed to Irodori at Riverview Hotel for japanese buffet for dinner.

Dobinmushi and the ordinary chawamushi

some sushi rolls

Sashimi!!!! Pretty good for its affordable buffet price.
Snapper, Yellowtail, Swordfish (my fav!), Octopus, Tuna and Salmon!

complimentary Green tea toufu

Rating: 3.5/5

value for $ for their wide variety of sashimi and teppanyaki.

Bliss

2011-02-11T12:17:00.001+08:00

Yes, someone special entered into my life lately.

New Year's here!

2011-02-03T11:29:00.001+08:00

1st month of the year passed by in a blink. I guess its becox i spent almost 2 weeks overseas taking a break from the usual busy life.

Firstly, i went to Vietnam with Yvonne & Josh (my GI kahkis) and then subsequently went over to Indo to attend my cousin's wedding. Work has been piling up so spent the last week clearing them.

My new Gel manicure done in Indo.

Shall post photos of my trips another day.

Lastly, i wanna wish everyone a Happy New Year!!!

Jan Happenings!

2011-01-31T17:55:00.001+08:00

Here are some really backdated photos from D&D held in Jan before i left for my vietnam trip.

Hello from Sapa, Vietnam

2011-01-18T12:37:00.001+08:00

Day 3 of our Vietnam Trip!

Went treaking around the village at 9am. Its drizzling down at the valley now, so i hired a motocyclist to take me back to the hotel and was ripped off for US$10. such a sucker!

Sipping vietnamese coffee and blogging now while waiting for yvonne & josh to climb all the way up to the mountain summit again.

Hmm... should take them another 1 hour.

fireworks

2010-12-27T13:12:00.001+08:00

Like i said, its magical

X'mas is coming!

2010-12-17T23:57:00.012+08:00

Finally had some time to update. These couple of weeks had been really draining so much so that i had been neglecting my nails and hair care. Time to go for medicure and a hair dye!!

X'mas celebration was definately a MUST to squeeze out time for my love ones.

Meetup with Sarah & Sandy for early gift exchange this evening!! Last time i meet them was like 3months ago...

O My! portion was HUGE!

TaDah... X'mas pressies i received so far...

More parties to come!

On Cloud Nine

2010-12-12T22:11:00.002+08:00

Haven been this happy in a while.

Jalan Alor - KL Trip

2010-11-20T23:59:00.007+08:00

After heading back to KL from Ipoh, we drove to the famous Jalan Alor for supper! Food Again!!

if you never been to jalan alor, you never been to KL!!

Credit

We order a portion of everything that seems nice and here's what you should try:

- BBQ chicken wings with their special sauce
- Satay
- Fried Mushrooms *highly recommended*
- Prawn Mee soup
- Cheap & Fresh Fruit Juice
- 蚝煎. Their oysters are so fresh & BIG!

No pics cox we were all too busy eating!

Food…Glorious Food !

Ipoh roadtrip

2010-11-20T20:50:00.016+08:00

It was Sat and we decided to drive down to Kim's hometown - Ipoh!

Rented a MPV from Avis and our journey began...

The drive was about 2hr+ from KL and the girls fell asleep soon after.

i woke up almost an hour later...

and here we are in IPOH!

Looks like a shabby old town but lots of good food is found here:

1st stop:

鸡丝河粉! my favourite dish!

Ipoh style rojak. their sauce is simply unique

Cuttlefish KangKong! served with satay sauce!

Penang Laksa!

Good food!

1st popiah i tried. not too bad but i guess i still dun like turnip. :X

2nd Stop : Just across the street.

Ambra Juice - unique. don't think we have it here

Char Kway Teow. Von insist we try the char kway teow in Ipoh but the famous one she always had was closed so this was the other alternative. Taste normal.

Stop 3: Dessert by the roadside

Sesame + Peanut paste was awesomeee!!

Stop 4: Drive thru Beancurd

Once in a lifetime experience.

Afterwhich, we went for an half an hour drive and visited Kim's grandparents, sightseeing and shop for local products

Stop 5: Shopping time

And then had our last meal at Ipoh before heading back...

Final Stop: the famous beansprouts and chicken!

KL Day 2 - Shop + Eat!

2010-11-19T23:16:00.041+08:00

We started off with shopping at KLCC and the twin tower. Nothing much to buy.

Afterwhich, we took the Monorail and LRT to Times square shopping area.

Here we are at Times Square wondering where to go next.

Krispy Kreme is so over-rated. :(

Kim & I chanced upon this beauty shop and stayed at least an hour inside.

OMG! there's soooo many things in there!!

Mostly taiwan imported and what we see on 女人我最大

WaHH!!!

Can't remember what is the shop's name but its just opposite Kim Marie (where we trim our fringe at)!

Spotted... cute hair stylist!

KL + Ipoh Trip - Great time 1

2010-11-18T23:59:00.000+08:00

Took a break from work! Join my crazy GIs to KL & Ipoh!!!

18th - 21st Nov

Kim, ZY, Von, Des & Josh

1st time going to Ipoh and i love it for its awesomeeee, simply mouth-watering local delicacies!!

Now i would say.. Food in Ipoh is great!~

Let me start off by showing a bit of the 2 bedroom-apartment during our 3N stay.

The Zon by the park. walkable distance to KLCC

The girl's room! Okay, took all these on the last nite. not that tidy la.

Des had another bedroom w a walk in wardrobe which i did not take a pic of.

Living area that was transformed into Yvonne's bedroom!

The dining area! Okays, very messy...

Kitchen!

the only cooking we did was Von boiling some water to make tea

--------------------------------------

After settling down which was close to 1am, we headed out to a food court for supper!

The banana prata was simply heavenly!! u just got to try it for yourself!

to be con't....

Almost Paradise: Chiva-Som

2010-11-13T11:32:00.000+08:00

I was watching some travel show lately and this place totally caught my attention.

Chiva-Som in Thailand.

Health & Wellness Resort

Famous for their spa treatment programme catering to those in need for a peaceful getaway. Nestled within seven acres of lush tropical gardens, the beachfront health resort represents tranquility at its best.

Guests path will begin with their wealth and wellness consultation.

The resort provide extensive physiotherapy, fitness, spa and holistic health facilities to help relax, restore and rejuvenate.

Not forgetting spa pampering treatment.

Yoga programmes!!

No wonder Kate Moss goes there every year!!

Good things dun come cheap... prices starts from S$3K+ for minimum of 3 nite stay!!

WAH!!!

How i wish i can strike lottery immediately!!