When Life Gives You Lemon…

My Plate is Full and My Cup Runneth Over. So much has happened over the last 2 weeks and unfortunately, none of it are worth celebrating about.

*heave the biggest sigh* Thanks God, things are shaping up and i’m travelling next week.

The best part is that i have not planned my itinerary.

Welcome to Singapore!

Being in this job, i am slowly finding myself attracted to the country that i am raised in.  I have to say though -
it wasn’t love at first sight.

Let me explain myself: Singapore as big as what it is on the map. In case you didn’t know yet, it is also known as “the little red dot”. Otherwise, it is also known as “the country next to Malaysia”. My American friend once thought that Singapore was part of Malaysia….. Yea right. that was before Year 1965 baby. Where have you been?

Singapore was also made famous thanks to Hollywood blockbuster movie – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. In the movie, Chow Yun-fat‘s character, a pirate king, said “Welcome to Singapore”.
And that was about it.

Ok, so what’s my point here? We don’t have the luxury of saying “hey let’s hit the road” because travelling from one end of Singapore to the other end takes barely an hour. “Town” actually means Orchard road and that is a stretch of road that is lined up with shopping malls looking different on the outside, but everything else is the same inside. Shopping ends at 10 pm and anything beyond that is considered “late night” oh gee and the public transport…. man where should i even begin.

Like i said, being in my current job and travelling around makes me appreciate this country that i am in.
Singapore is not the sleepy old town it used to be – I’ll spare you the details of evolution (like how the police used to wear Bermudas and now they are wearing long pants) and jump straight into the point.
I witnessed for myself how the living condition, lifestyle have improved over the years…

Every now and then, a building will pop out of nowhere and you will think to yourself “Where did that come from!?” On that note, have you checked out Singapore’s skyline at night? You have no idea what you are missing out!

One other important factor is that Singapore is a safe city. Sure, we have got our own crime rates but at least nobody needs to sleep with a gun under their pillow.

And the food. oh my god. i have been to most of Asia and i will still say that Singapore has some of the best food. Good food doesn’t have to come with a price. Ask any local where to find the best eating place and they will point you to the direction of a “hawker centre”. Be warned that it can be a bit daunting for the first-timer, some people tell me it’s the smell but to us that is the fragrance

Being in Asia, of course you will come face to face with some food that you think might only be appropriate to be on Fear Factor instead of on your table. Here’s a few:

Pig’s Organ Soup (猪杂汤)

The dish is a clear soup; cooked together with ingredients such as the pig’s lung, intestine, liver, pork balls meat slices, and strips of salted vegetables served with other optional side dishes as well as rice. The highlight is the chilli, you have to dip the food with some chilli before you eat the rice mixed together with the soup.

Chilling factor: 4/5

Frog Legs Porridge 

 The name says it all – frog legs porridge. Yes, it’s true that people eat those things. haha!
We have got some very famous (by famous i mean reported to be good) frog legs porridge stalls here. Mind you, to ensure the freshness, they are live frogs. They are cooked usually in a claypot, together with spring onions and dried chillies and eaten with porridge. Mild spiciness.

Frog legs taste just like chicken. My mom used to tell me that it’s chicken and when i get older and found out what it was…that was the day i stopped eating it.

Chilling factor: 5/5

Turtle Soup

Fresh (soft-shell) turtle meat is the key ingredient in the traditional turtle soup. Turtle meat is brewed in a mixture of Chinese herbs till the essence of the herbs is immersed in the turtle meat for the ultimate taste. There are said to be a whole lot of health benefits from drinking this soup.

 Chilling factor: 5/5

I guess that’s enough for now. Haha.. let me wet your appetite by introducing the “normal kind of food” !

Chili Crab ( or Black pepper crab)

You have not been to Singapore if you have not tasted the Chili Crab. Chili crab is a seafood dish originating from Singapore. Despite it’s name, this dish is not exactly very spicy. Usually, there will be buns served together with the dish and there is a reason behind this- The buns are used to mop up the sauce, so that not a drop of that delicacy is left. Yummy!

Try the cousin, Black pepper crab too. This is spicy and there is no sauce for you to dip. Empowering!

Chicken Rice

I’ve never come across any tourist who doesn’t quite like Chicken Rice 

Nice fragrant rice with soft tasty chicken – there are 2 varieties, steam or roasted chicken. I like the later better!

You know what? The list is just too long… i could have gone on for days (haha!)

But you get what i mean.

It’s a pity that Singapore doesn’t have Greeter Service like in Melbourne, NYC, Paris… but it is because Singapore is SO EASY to navigate that you don’t need anyone to lead you by the hand.

Hit me if you have any questions about this Garden City! I hope you enjoy your Stay

"’Cuse me, do you need help?"

Whenever i see someone (by that i meant tourist) who look like they need some help, i will have the urge to go up to them and offer my hand.

It’s across the board. I’m not doing so because the guy’s cute or something like that…. er hem, so no judging.

Ok, what were we talking about?

Oh yea… the thing is that i am not a walking compass - I got lost all the time in my own country! I had offered to help because if i am lost in a foreign country, i will be so happy if someone walks up and point me to the light, without me having to even ask.

There was one time when i took this a lot further. I tried to be a Translator on the street in Bangkok.

Mind you, i know nothing about the Thai language and i attempted to “help” a English man buyer and a Thai woman seller translate their communication. It was so funny, actually i merely broke down the English man’s words into Simplified English so that the Thai woman can understand. Hey i even throw in a free bargain!

Another occation is when i offered to help a Japanese tourist to take a photo of himself.

I travelled alone and i know how difficult it is to take photos of yourself. Most of the time, you can only do so if in front of a mirror …

Or get ugly shots of yourself that shows only your head – sorry i refuse to put up any example.

Anyway, we are at a landmark and this Japanese guy was travelling alone. Everyone was asking everybody to help with taking a photo so i went up to him and said “Hey, do you want a photo, let me help you!” and i vaguely remembered myself snatching the camera out of his hand.

Today as i was jogging around the estate, i saw a traveller in distress. i did not offer my help because he has approached a passerby just when i wanted to walk up to him. It is obvious that he came directly off a flight. He has 3 luggages and landed somewhere out of place (read: HDB area). He sticks out like a sore thumb and HELP was written on his face. I felt realllllly guilty for not offering him help.

I hope that the man is able to help him and he has found his way. By now.

Since we are on the subject of “Out of Place”, let’s bring this to a whole new topic. 

Recently, I saw more Caucasians invading our HDB estates. For my overseas readers, (if there are even any readers) HDB stands for Housing Development Board - These are apartments subsided by the government and are what most locals stay in. It is most unusual if you get to share a lift with a Caucasian and would defy raise an eyebrow (or even be the talk of the block)

Almost everyday, i will see some Caucasians strolling in the neighbourhood “mall” near my place. They look like they are staying nearby (dud, who else would come to this “mall” if you are not staying nearby) I do not have any Westerners living in my block but i am actually looking forward to the day when an unsuspecting western step foot in.

One thing for sure, I am not complaining. It’s good to see a “diverse mix of culture” living in our community.

Laugh out Loud

I am the sort of girl who will laugh out loud and everyone will end up laughing at me. I like it when i can laugh and not hide it.

But there has not been much to laugh about lately…

Next Stop…

Aha. I booked my ticket last week *smile*

I took a lot of time to think it over and i asked my mom to sit beside me when i was booking my ticket to give me “moral support”. This is just something that i want to do for myself.

The perk me up trip.

What’s Trending ?

Hey guys,

Guess what is trending in the world right now?


No, we are over  Ipad 2 already. really.

Ok, what do these couples have in common?  

Joining the list…

Yes,   Divorce seems to be in trend lately and this is definitely not happening only in Hollywood.

Well, i’m not one to judge people’s affair and who’s right or wrong. It is love that bring them together and sadly, love is like the colors on my hair, it fades over time. Everything seems to have it’s expiry.  Love included.

It’s just like a song that you adore and you would listen to it on your ipod at least twice day … i bet by the end of the 3rd week, you will delete that song from your ipod and cringe (in a bad way) everytime you hear it over the radio. Who wouldn’t cringe when they hear Poker Face?

It’s a fine line between love and hate. G’night yall.





Heading Somewhere…not

I has a long chat with Vic today about our travel experiences. She went Perth last month and we had very different thoughts about that place.

It’s amazing how different things can be. I was lucky that i managed to see all the beautiful things

She said that i should go to Melbourne, Victoria and begin to describe in details the magnificent view, the Great Ocean Road and the world famous -Great Barrier Reef. I could almost picture the real thing in my thoughts, smell the sea breeze already!

Then i start to do a lil research on this place.

Thing is… i don’t intend to drive. Well, let’s just say that it’s all thanks to God that i passed my driving test 6 years ago. I do drive occationaly – when it’s necessary.

Tell me how it’s going to be like if i don’t intend to self-drive in Melbourne? Will i miss out a lot?

On the other hand, i am still battling if i should just head to Bali – this time to stay in Ubud. My mom got freaked out when i showed her a picture of Ubud and told her that i would like to go there solo.

She said Ubud is like a luxury version of Survivor and will not allow me to go alone. Haha…

Ok, maybe mom’s right.

I’m so hungry right now and i shall stop writing abruptly. *LOL*