My past handiwork

I got tired of studying and taking naps so here I am doing something that I love - blogging!

I honestly cannot wait to get my life as a student over and done with. If you give me a chance now to take a 6 months break and be a full-time tutor again, trust me when I say that I will jump at that opportunity. Those days were stress-free and hence I could be carefree (hey it rhymes!)

I was looking through my old blog archives (specifically year 2011) and that was when I discovered another past-time which I used to have.. I say, "used to" because there was a period of time when I was really into picture quotes and it went to the extent that I started creating my own picture quotes. I stopped because my photoshop trial version expired (no money to buy the full version back then) and I couldn't find anymore trial ones to download. Now, I do have the full version but meh.. too lazy to create them. Perhaps one day when I am back in that relaxation mode (like back in 2011), I will start creating picture quotes again.

Here are a few examples of what I created:
















I did this for Rod on our 9th monthsary. We have this thing whereby I will make him a note on a certain day of every month


I did this *points to the picture quote directly above* for a friend, only because I was watching her at her attempt in making a picture quote and I was literally dying as I saw her do it! It was so bad :/ (If you think what I did is bad, then I have no idea what you will think of hers.. SORRY TO SAY THIS ROO!)

Most of what you see here was done in either 2010 or 2011. It was in a way, a therapeutic activity for me. I was going through some rough times and creating these picture quotes helped me to express and relieve my emotions. I suppose, one of the reasons as to why I stopped making them was because I have already recovered from those painful days and no longer saw a need to be engaged in this activity from a therapeutic point of view. Hmm.. I guess art really does help to soothe and heal the soul. Yay to #art!

I must admit that I do find a teeny part of me wanting to participate in this activity again as it does help me to relax and gain a sense of accomplishment as I look at the final product. Most of the pictures that you see here are photos that I took over the years and they looked plain on their own, but when decorated with words, the image jumps to life and has a whole new meaning to it. #thepowerofwords

In hindsight, re-engagement of an activity of interest equates to higher quality of life. However, re-engagement of activity of interest equates to consumption of more time when there is already a lack of time available, henceforth it were only result in a poorer quality of life.

ARGH, THIS RE-ENGAGEMENT CAN WAIT.

Marché @ 313 Somerset

Hello y'all!!!

I am currently overloaded with school assignments so I will only be able to post my blog entries once a week! (which also means that I will be having a backlog of entries to write.. boohoo! T_T)

To receive news of the latest update on my blog, please do follow me on either my instagram or my twitter!

A couple of weeks back, I went to town after school to hunt for a dress to wear for Miss Singapore International (MSI, for short). The event has already passed and the theme this year was "A Night with the Stars" ('Stars' as in celebrities! Not the *bling bling* stars in the sky!!)(Rod kept insisting that his aunt meant the *bling bling* stars! -_-)

Rod accompanied on this dress hunt and we went to Marché to have our dinner first. This is the second time that I've been to Marché (both times at 313) and so far, I love the food that they have to offer and the setting of their restaurant!

Marché 313 @ somerset
Level 1, Discovery Walk, 313 Orchard Road
Singapore 238895

Business hours
Monday to Thursday: Restaurant 11:00 – 23:00 / Bakery 07:30 – 23:00
Friday: Restaurant 11:00 – 24:00 / Bakery 07:30 – 24:00
Saturday: Restaurant 10:00 – 24:00 / Bakery 07:30 – 24:00
Sunday: Restaurant 10:00 – 23:00 / Bakery 07:30 – 23:00

A little background info on the place:

"Marché 313 @ somerset has been tantalizing Singapore with delicious European culinary delights from Switzerland. Enjoy fresh, healthy and highest quality food in a tranquil setting of a Swiss Alpine village, painstakingly installed by six Swiss craftsmen from the dismantled original Swiss chalets of the 16th century.

Awarded the “Best of the Best Family-Friendly Restaurants 2010“ on the basis of a customer survey of the magazine “Parents World", Marché 313 @ somerset is a much loved family restaurant."


- Marché® Restaurants

When I walked into Marché for my first time, I was blown away by the setting of their restaurant. It is truly unique and it has this instantaneous calming effect. It made me felt like I was no longer in noisy bustling Singapore and that I was transported to soothing and relaxing Switzerland. Ah~

I love love love the setting of the restaurant! (I know I said it before but I GOTTA SAY IT, ONE. MORE. TIME!)

An artsy photo of Le bf that I took!
Look at the lamp that is above his head! It is so intricate-looking!


At Marché, you'll get to pick a table of choice to sit at (that is, if there are enough tables around for you to choose from! It can be pretty crowded at times!), and on every table, there is a calendar-like flip card stand. Once you have seated down at your table, flip the card to "RESERVE" so that others would know that your table is taken!

I think that this is a brilliant idea from Marché because if it wasn't for this cute moo moo flip-card stand, we would see a packet of tissue or umbrella on every table.
#thesingaporeanwayofchopingseats #kiasusingaporean

Oh and, not to forget the Marché guest card!! SUPER AWESOME IDEA!

Y'know how irritating it can be to fumble between holding a tray of food and your bulky wallet and your precious delicate (smart)phone at the same time? Marché solves the problem for you! All you need to fumble with now is the tray of food and your precious phone and the guest card which takes over the role of your wallet! For anything purchased in Marché, the amount to be paid will first be credited inside the card, and it will be paid for at the cashier counter when leaving the restaurant!

Pictures taken around the restaurant:



Fresh ingredients used!




Cooked vegetable bar. They have a separate salad bar to!

For the sweet-tooth people!

Wild mushroom soup & Foccacia

A closer picture taken of le Foccacia

Grilled salmon steak

Here is a MUST-EAT at Marché: (Potato lovers, you're in for an awesome treat!)
IT'S ROSTI TIME!

So many skilfully-peeled potatoes that will soon be consumed! :O

I counted the number of seconds that the cook took to peel one potato. He took a shocking 12 secs PER POTATO!!!! #peelpotatomaster


I tried taking a photo of the chef flipping the Rosti in the pan...
And I failed.... :(

I tried again and...
I kinda succeeded? (See! The Rosti is sorta flipped in this picture!!!)


And here's the final product:
Rosti and a scoop of sour cream, with an added-on garlic pork sausage!

Look at how juicy their sausages are!!! YUM YUM!

And before I left the restaurant, I realised something..
Each chair is uniquely carved with the word "Marché" at the back of the chair!

Ok, that's all for this entry. More salivating photos to come soon!

Ramen Champion (Singapore Changi Airport)

Who can possibly say "no" to Japanese food?

The Japanese have offered the world with some of the most unique cuisines ever. From their bite-sized pieces of sushi to their QQ (meaning: chewy) Ramen. Yum!

Today I will be introducing Ramen Champion. An eatery in Singapore has been here for a couple of years now.

I first heard of Ramen Champion from a close friend who has a major fetish for anything Jap. She told me that every Sunday before goes for her Japanese class, she would go to Ramen Champion with her friend and have an awesome bowl of Ramen for lunch. (Note: EVERY SUNDAY! Isn't that crazy or what?!)

Ever since I heard her bragging about how good the Ramen there is, I have been wanting to go there and try it out. So after waiting for 2 YEARS (yes, it's that long!), I finally went and oh my gosh, awesome Ramen indeed!

So before I flood you with a bunch of pictures and put the salivary glands in your mouth into action, let me share with you some background story on Ramen Champion:

Ramen Champion is an eatery that came into Singapore back in 2010. As much as it is an eatery, it is also a competition where some of the best Ramen chef from all over Japan, fly into Singapore to compete and discover who is the best Ramen chef according to Singapore.

There are 2 Ramen Champion outlets in Singapore, one at Bugis+ (level 4) and the other at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 (level B2) (where I had my first bowl of Ramen Champion!)

So enough of the yadah yadah grandmother tales. It's onto the food now!!

I really have to thank my cousin for this opportunity to have Ramen Champion, because if I wasn't sending him off to the airport for his month-long tour around the Caribbean islands, Europe and then USA (yes IKR, lucky fella! So jelly of him!) I wouldn't have had to have this chance of having my first bowl of Ramen Champion!

Hence...
THANK YOU LEXY!

I hadn't had my dinner yet then and was trying to decide on a place to eat and then BAM, I saw Ramen Champion on the directory and my mind was set!

Food ordered. Waiting for buzzer to buzz.

In case you're wondering why there are 3 buzzers instead of 2, one of them is Rod's..

So first up!

Cha Shu (meaning: stewed pork) salad from "Ramen Riki"

The chefs were seriously generous with their portion of Cha Shu, and Lexy said that this tasted pretty good! It's a good choice if you aren't famished and just want a little snack to satisfy that urge of eating something! (which is something that I experience a lot.. *coughs*)

Miso Cha Shu Ramen with a dollop of yummy butter from "Gantetsu"!

Extremely sinful because of the dollop of butter, but it's omg so good when melted into the steaming hot miso soup! SLUUURRRP!!!

Tonkotsu (pork) ramen from "Ikkousha"

This soup was GREAT!!! And the noodles were extremely tasty!

However, the portion of noodles were rather little (for noodle lovers, you might wanna ask to add more noodles!) and because the soup base is cooked out of pork, hence the taste may be a little too strong for some... (try the other soup bases available such as miso or shoyu!)

Gyoza(s) from "Ikkousha"

This isn't one of the Gyozas that I would recommend people to try.

The filling was made of vegetables, so yay because veggies are good for us!

The down side? Very little filling and it wasn't quite that tasty. You know something is good when after taking the first bite, you wanna take a second and then a third. These Gyozas lacked that alluring factor so it's a X from me.

***

AND'S THAT ALL THAT I'VE TRIED... for now, that is.

FYI: Singapore isn't the only country with Ramen Champion! They have franchise in their own home-country, Japan and in Hong Kong too! The Ramen there might taste different (I'm just guessing!) so go try it out if you have a chance to!

Quick foodie updates & Jup Jup!

As most of you would have known by now (if you follow me on instagram and/or twitter *death stare*), I have been patronising Fruit Paradise frequently lately! I absolutely love love love their fruit tart, and as an added benefit, Rod's office is near Dhoby Ghaut!

Well for now that is, because his office is gonna be moving to Tanjong Pagar soon (no more fruit tart for me there T_T)

So the other day I went to Fruit Paradise to have my lunch and study! & I found THE BEST clam spaghetti ever!!!


Appetisers up first! Mini salad & seaweed soup.


Their mini salad AREN'T mini at all.

The chef at Fruit Paradise gave a really generous scoop of mashed potato!

THE Clam Japanese Sauce Spaghetti that I was raving about! So good OMG *squeals*

How can I possibly not have my favourite fruit tart as dessert right? HEE!

Table décor

Went for dinner at The Soup Spoon.

Plaza Singapura *NEW OUTLET!*
Level 3 Unit 21
Sun - Thu: 10.30am to 10.00pm
Fri & Sat: 10.30am to 10.30pm
Tel No: 6338 9894

Tangy Tomato with Basil

Velvety Mushroom Stroganoff

Smoked Salmon sandwich

Fish Taco wrap

On that very same day, I also got myself a new plushie from Build-A-Bear workshop!

Say "hello" to Jup Jup!

I've always wanted a plushie from Build-A-Bear factory! Whenever I walked past the store, if I had time I would go into the store to "take a look" (more like fulfil my tactile needs for soft plushies!) at the toys there and squeal at all the tiny little outfits that they have! And if I don't have the time, I would take a second look as I walk pass and sigh... because the prices for the plushies there are OUTRAGEOUS!!!!

I paid $32.90 for Jup Jup, and $5.90 for that orange scarf around his neck. Like what I said earlier, OUTRAGEOUS!

Then again who am I to say it when I own one of these plushies? *Oops!*

While we (Rod and I) were picking out an outfit/accessories for Jup Jup, Rod wanted to get him this pair of shoes.

As you might already have guessed, he got a big fat "NO!" from me.

Like how am I suppose to hug the plushie to sleep with that pair of annoying wheely shoes?!?!!!

A (not-so-patronising) patronising shot of Jup Jup and I

And that's all for now. Will update again really soon! Next post: Ramen Champion