AMUSE BOUCHE
Ocean Trout, Mayonnaise, Salmon Roe Caviar

FOIE GRAS ANGLAISE
Goose liver custard, duck confit, ginko beans, truffle salsa, parmesan foam

BEEF CARPACCIO
200 days grain fed Black Angus Beef tenderloin, poached eggs, chives, vine cherry tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella

BLACK & WHITE SNOW COD
Squid ink infused and iberico ham wrapped snow cod, aerated potato creme. globe artichoke, parsley, squid ink crumble

MUSHROOM GNOCCHI
Creamed seasonal mushrooms, potato gnocchi, thyme, parmesan

The boyfriend made a reservation for the both of us at Novus to celebrate our seventieth month together. He found a gem in a quite corner by the Singapore National Museum, and we enjoyed our dining experience there.

I had the Foie Gras Anglaise which really came as a surprise to me because I’ve never eaten foie gras in the form of custard – made with duck consommé (clear broth), goose liver parfait, ginkgo nuts and duck confit. And the foam had a taste to it, which kinda made me opened my eyes when I placed it in my mouth. Babs had Black Angus Carpaccio – fine slices of raw beef tenderloin – and we were tried something called the buffalo mozzarella for the very first time. Quoting the introductory cards place for us when our dish was served, it says “It’s a cheese made from the milk of a domestic water buffalo rather than from cow’s milk. A fresh, stringy textured cheese in porcelain-white, it has an extremely thin rind and delicate taste. When cut, it produces a white watery fluid with the aroma of milk enzyme.” It just burst like a balloon filled with water in my mouth. Mushroom gnocchi was savory, but I kind of regretted ordering it because it made me feel so bloated even before I could finish half of what I was given. I loved Jon’s Black & Snow Cod because I love Cod fish and probably would just love any way it is being cooked, and loved it more when they actually wrapped it up with Iberico Ham that is cured for 48 months.

The mind blowing food aside, thank you sweetheart for giving me the best 70 months of my life. Thank you for all the things you have done, big or small, even though I may be the most oblivious girl in the world but you still do it any way because you have me in your heart. For being the most tolerant person to my flaws and still be as loving as you can ever be – you’re definitely the sweetest thing that has ever happened to me. I love you, and will always do. ♥

Weekend picnic date with my girlfriends. 

KFC Portuguese egg tarts

Chiffon top, Zara shorts, Bracelet and Sandals (not shown) from FEP

Baby Damien

Fairy god mothers

A kid’s greatest fear.

Woke up early in the morning on a Sunday morning despite tuning in late the night before from a birthday celebration with the DOPT peeps and prepared to meet up with my girlfriends for a picnic date. The sun was scorching hot – probably a tad too hot for us to be sitting in the sun for hours, that’s why we decided to settle in the shade instead. Then we decided to embrace the sun and the greenery for a while with the camera, before we realized that settling indoors in the air-conditioned environment would be a much better option in such a weather. But as usual, a crazy and fun time together with the girls.

(Window) Shopping in the city thereafter, and we finally get to see precious little Damien. Makes me feel like being a mother young right at this moment. Not kidding when I hope to have a family at the age of 24 (or even younger).

I had a fabulous weekend, even though I only have one day for my weekend.

And on an exciting note, I am actually having some plans up my sleeves and I am hoping to execute it! (Y)

The Weekends

Tunisian

Tank top from SoHo, NYC, high waisted shorts from LRH, bag from Charles & Keith, Bracelet and Necklace.

Jello flats from FEP

First bus ride after a long time

Sunday – Jon and I met up with Mabel who dropped by Singapore over the weekends, and we had lunch at Wild Honey because she wanted to try it out. Baby and I shared a portion and gave Tunisian a try, which was rather unique I’d say. After we parted with Mabel, we went to Diaso to run some errands because the shop needs to get quite a bit of stuff. Quite glad that the shop is now opened after the renovation, looking pretty much like a boutique with almost the full range of optometric equipments. Quite a handful of unpacking to do, but I think we will do just fine. This is the transition period for the company to move forward, and it is definitely looking good. On a side note, we have collected our tickets to catch The Lion King Musical two weeks from now. Definitely looking forward to catching it since I have been hearing so much raves about it! Bonus points for the boy who suggested watching it, because I’d fancy a guy who takes a liking to the classics.

Monday – I was contemplating whether to change my off days to some time in the week and head down to the shop to work since it was a public holiday (which spells Busy Day), but I decided to just keep my usual day off because the past few days at work was taxing (knocking off around 12am) and I haven’t paid off my sleep debt. Not forgetting that the boy also has a day off from work and I figured that we could just spend a lazy day together.

You know, I used to find that having a quiet day at home doing nothing was a waste of time. But when you enter the working world, you’ll find this very very precious.

English

Japanese

European

Shoulder cut-out cape top from Zipia, pink trousers from Zara, Bracelet (forgotten where I got it), Earrings from Bugis, Bag and Jello flats from Far East Plaza.

Mine

Stacey’s

Sunday: Brunch Breakfast for lunch with le boyfriend, Amanda and the boys at Wild Honey. As usual the crowd was quite crazy that we had to wait for an hour before we could get our seats, and that resulted in Monopoly deal. My third visit, and am still enjoying the food. And a pat on my back for the usually boring me who always orders the same stuff, I’ve actually tried out different dishes each time I visit this all-day breakfast restaurant. Coffee/wine/soda at Black to just chill out and play Monopoly Deal instead of walking around town because we’re all getting older.

Monday: Went to work despite it being my off day because there was just too much about work that I can’t get off my mind. But it was all good meeting up with Stacey for dinner at Sho Teppan, just because the girl had cravings for that. Got bubble tea and then we walked over to Far East to window shop. So much laughter with this girl I couldn’t walk any further and teared. We’re full of nonsense when put together – so much so I kept laughing to myself at our silliness on the train ride back home. Just can’t contain such happiness in me, I’m bursting in it. ♥

On a side note, I’m thinking of cutting my hair short. Like short short.

Fifth year anniversary dinner 

Le boyfriend looks exception charming here. I’ve something for smart looking guys.

Soupe du jour. The chef told me what the soup of the day was but I didn’t know what it is, and still ordered it anyway. This was the first dish I tried, and it was the one that made me want to try out the mains asap.

Pan-fried foie gras. This was mind blowing. I always hesitated about trying duck liver and I never know that this french delicacy tasted so good it almost melted in my mouth.

Baby’s steak. I love the way they display the mash potato and the texture was unique. The portebello mushroom was heavenly, and as a non-beef lover, I thought that the beef tasted great too. Best of all? The beef was thick.

My main: Black cod pan-fried with prawn and asparagus risotto. The cod fish was so nicely pan-fried the golden brown was beautiful. And the risotto – it was amazing. Had a tinge of lemon taste and I have never tried risotto with a soup base like this with foam. The portion looked pathetically small but I was so filled up when I finished it.

Sequined bandage toga dress from NYC, bag from Far East Plaza, bracelet from Tiffany and Co, earrings and heels from Aldo.

Fifth year anniversary - Jon & I met up after his work and headed to the restaurant that he made a reservation at. I have no idea what was instilled for the night, except for the fact that we’d be having french cuisine for our celebratory dinner. Wanted to settle for Au Petite Salut but Jon had made the change in plans after hearing his colleagues raved about this place. Didn’t have much expectation of the place but boy, this restaurant impressed me from the moment we step foot into it. The service of the waiters/waitresses were polite (e.g. helping us with the door when we entered) and I love the ambience. Even more so for the fact that it wasn’t noisy. We got a quite corner all by ourselves. I enjoyed my dinner so much, and Jon asked if I’d want to come back for more. Yes is the answer. And for the first time, Jon and I felt bloated from fine dining.

Our anniversary was a simple affair just with the awesome celebratory fine dinner we had. Few days back, I kept disturbing Jon if I was going to receive a bouquet of 99 roses for this special occasion. No, no flowers was received but I was glad that he didn’t surprise me with a bouquet when we met up. While waiting for the boy to arrive from his work, I was wondering if he’d really buy a bouquet because I’d be so awkward if he did. I am so glad he knows what will make me happy. And I was even more impressed with him when we were deciding on what to have for our mains, he got it spot on as to what I was about to order. I really think that there’s no one else in the world that can understand me better than he does.

When we were back at my place, we were having some sentimental time together. Jon was looking at my collection of earrings on my earring rack, and started asking why didn’t I wear them anymore. Then he noticed that they were rusting and asked me not to wear them anymore. But this boy, he told me not to throw any of them away because they all hold sentimental values and started telling me what outfits I used to wear with which pair of earrings. He remembered them, and I never knew that he’d actually remember what I’d match with them. This boy is amazing.

Nothing makes your life better when the one you love wakes you up with a kiss on your lips when you are deep in your sleep, wishing you Happy Anniversary.

#1: Top from Bugis Street, High-waist denim shorts from Bangkok, Bag from Far East Plaza, Scarf from the net, Earrings from Cotton On, Bracelet from Tiffany & Co.

#2: Blazer from Bangkok, Tank top from Cotton On, Bandage skirt from Bugis, Bag from Charles & Keith, Watch from Fossil

#3: Jacket from Bangkok, Tank top from Cotton On, Belt from chinatown, Faded Jeans by New Future, Bag by Charles & Keith, Rayban Sunglasses

#4: Tank top from Cotton On, Bandage skirt from The Little Red Heels, Cardigan from Cotton On, Bag from Crumpler, Flats from Bangkok.

#5: Nude chiffon blazer from Bugis, Tank top from Bangkok, Navy blue skirt from Zipia.

Desserts at Ah Chew’s

Amanda’s beautiful YSL rings

Herbal jelly

Outfit of the Day
Chiffon blouse from Zipia, high waisted shorts from Bangkok, bag from Far East Plaza, Grunge bracelet from Far East Plaza
Not seen: Sandals from Bangkok, earrings from Cotton On.

Dinner at Ding Tai Fung

Another quality day off from work. Met up with Amanda for lunch and desserts, and we caught up over the meal. It was really awesome because for the past few months (if my memory didn’t fail me), we have only been meeting up together with the rest of the boys. Some good one-to-one girly time is much needed. It’s so good to be seeing this girl smiling, sharing the same feelings and thoughts about the issues we were talking about. Really love quality time with people that matters. (: Dinner with the boy after his work ended at Ding Tai Fung, and then we headed back to my place spent the rest of the night together.

A simple day, yet I am feeling so contented. (:

Life has been good lately. Work has been going rather smoothly, and I am just going to try my best to work harder and proof my worth to everyone, even myself. Let’s hope things will continue going on smoothly the way it should be. Also, I’m having a business plan in my mind and I hope that it can be realised. I am so glad that my boyfriend is supportive of the idea. Meanwhile, I should keep researching and save up! :D

A lazy Monday: Lunch with Soulmate, followed by $15 (promotional) face spa together at Sanctuary Beauty. Love the steam bath session together where we had some girly heart to heart talk in the midst of detoxing. Good facial services despite it being only at $15 and the skincare addict, as usual, decided to sign on a package with this beauty salon since it’s cheaper than the one I currently frequent anyway. Only with more services offered. Dinner with Matt after so long, and it was just good catching up on each other’s lives over a meal and some desserts. Bickered with Jon, and a few hours later we are back at where we were without doing much. A matured relationship gets rather amazing. Back home early and I packed my desk.

A lazy Monday. Glorious lazy day.

Where we go we don’t need roads

Day 29 in Los Angeles, 6th December 2011

The last day of our month long trip of flying, driving and walking all over the states! On that day, it was a relief to know that we’d be home in no time. But now I’m missing all of it already. ):

So anyway, the weather in Los Angeles was awesome after being to all the cold places – Boston, NYC and Washington D.C.! 19 degrees, and it was chilly. (: I thought I was feeling a little cold so I wore my coat, but then it got a little too warm too quickly. Decided that I might as well just have it off.

I love vitamin water. And Jon says I am high maintenance just because of that. -.-

Lunch from SOY because I love it!

I look really hungry with the chopsticks so wide open.

The car we rented for the day. Figured that it’d be cheaper for us since cabbing in the states cost a bomb.

The last day was spent going to all the places that we haven’t been to (or rather, I haven’t been to), and Jon’s dying to bring me to these places which he has been talking about. The first stop for the day was his school campus. USC is quite huge and it really seems like a nice environment to be studying in!

University of Southern California

The mega huge bookstore at USC, which Jon has been dying to bring me to.

Oh yes, it is a few levels high!

And this is the department that Jon wants to show me…

They’ve got a whole level just for the shcool’s merchandise! Anyway it’s quite crazy. Jon says that the school football matches go on TV and have fans. Like, really fans from the public.

They even have clothes for toddlers! :O

Physical Education Building

Drove off to Rodeo Drive next! And that’s where all the celebrities love to go shopping at. We probably don’t know where Rodeo Drive is, but you definitely would know it as Beverly Hills! (: It felt like LA for some reasons. Everything there is very neat and clean, and the outlook of the entire place looks really neat and beautiful! Of course I didn’t buy anything from there because it just spells luxury. Well, they do have some lower range items but I wasn’t really keen. Some of the brands I wanted to see wasn’t there though, or perhaps it was a little too far away and we had some time constrains. ):

Thought that this was a very nicely blurred picture

Outfit of the Day
Hoodie sweater by American Eagles, Scarf from Cotton On, Leggings from Cotton On, Boots from Hong Kong, Bag from Crumpler

Drove off to Griffith Observatory to catch the view of Los Angeles from a hill top thereafter! A very beautiful view of the sky a long the low lying structures (except for a specific area where all the high buildings are located at)!

♥

Drove off to Rowland Heights to have dinner with his relatives for the last time before we set off to the airport. Had chinese food, but it was something that I have never tried before! Ordered some spicy noodles and I loved it! It’s weird how all his cousins (I think) doesn’t take spicy food because all of us do! Perhaps that explains their good complexion too. D: But the noodles was so soft and good, love it!

Drove off to the airport thereafter, and off we go on a 14 hour long journey to Taipei. Thank God both Jon and I slept through the first 10 hours without any disturbance and that’s where majority of our flight went to! I guess this made the flight journey less tiring and dreadful as it was supposed to be. Phew!

My low fat meal

Jon’s regular meal

(P.S: Upcoming entry on a half day stay at Taipei! q:)

]]> http://kellynwrites.com/2011/01/18/the-last-day-of-my-amazing-month-long-trip-%e2%9c%88/feed/ 2 http://kellynwrites.com/2011/01/05/a-day-and-a-half-in-snowy-boston/ http://kellynwrites.com/2011/01/05/a-day-and-a-half-in-snowy-boston/#comments Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:11:13 +0000 Kellyn http://kellynwrites.com/?p=6400  

Happy 2011 everybody! :D

Haven’t go the chance to blog because the internet connection I’ve been getting was terribly slow, so this is all I can squeeze out for now! I guess the rest will have to wait till I get back home!

Day 21 in Boston, 28th December 2010

Jon and I woke up an hour late because I snoozed the alarm and headed back to sleep. Thank God we didn’t miss our flight! Seems like there’s always some kind of commotion when we are taking domestic flights. /: Checked in our luggage, and we were on an hour odd journey to Phoenix, and a transfer to Boston which was the longest four hours ever. I swear December 2010 has gotta be the month that I’ve taken the most number of planes ever, it’s making my head spin! /:

Fruits and Maple Oatmeal for me who wasn’t feeling very well. ):

McSkillet Burrito

Naked + sick face. ):

When we arrived at Boston, it was so cold the amount of snow outside was crazy! I mean, I guess it’s probably because I have never really seen that much snow in my life ever before too. /:

Checked in at the hostel that Jon booked in, and it was my first time staying in a Hostel! No complains though, because it wasn’t really a bad experience and we were trying to look for the cheapest (yet reasonably comfortable) option available.

We walked over to Prudential Center and had dinner at <i>Legal Sea Foods</i> because Jon said that it sells good and fresh seafood. We only ordered a bowl of Fish Chowder and a main dish to share, and we were so bloated up already!

Fish chowder

Mahi-mahi

The walk back to the hostel was a little annoying because the GoJane boots I got (which wasn’t made for the snow) soaked up all the water and my feet became really cold it was numb. /: There was a huge need to buy a pair of waterproof boots since we were heading to NYC and Washington as well.

Day 22 in Boston, 29th December 2010

Woke up real early the next day because we wanted to explore Boston as much as we can since we only had a day in Boston. We got ourselves a one day ticket for the trains, called T, and the first place we went was the world’s top university – Harvard – which was located in Cambridge! Oh gosh the campus was so beautiful! :D

By the way, I didn’t know that we were going to Boston, Massachusetts! I thought we were in Boston, New York the whole time before I arrived! /: How can one country have two cities of the same name (except that it’s a different state)?!

The room that we stayed in was supposed to accommodate 4 people, but we were quite lucky to have the entire room to ourselves!

The T train

Our one day passes

The station

At Harvard!

Look at how deep the snow was!

And if you couldn’t visualize from the picture before…

Harvard student wannabe

Hahaha, failure who can’t write his name properly!

Harvard Square

The frozen river

Hahaha, and the ducks trying to cross it!

I chased after Jon at the back secretly with this two big block of snow, waiting for the right time to surprise-attack him. But he turned around too quickly. ):

After we were done with looking around whatever we think we need to see in Harvard, we had Vietnamese food for lunch! Ordered Chicken Pho while Jon ordered Beef, but apparently my soup tastes sweeter and better than his! Oh well, I am not a fan of Beef anyway, but you gotta believe it when Jon agrees too!

Before we headed out to our next destination, we both desperately went to buy waterproof boots because it is no joke wearing normal footwear in the snow. The water gets in and you get so uncomfortable (because it’s wet)! On top of that, the snow makes your feet feel so cold you can barely feel your toes as you walk! We discard our useless (and cheap) footwear right after that.

Outfit of the day
Down from American Eagles, knit top from Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Jeans from New Future, (newly bought) boots from The North Face, Beret from Bugis Street, gloves from Hong Kong

Jon took a really long time at Aldo to find his pair of boots! He kinda regretted not bringing his army boots, hahaha.

Our new water proof boots to help us survive the snow!

Next up, another world famous institute – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T)! The buildings were a little more modernised but there were still a few structures that had a tinge of old American architecture. And the snow that was covering the campus, it was quite a beautiful sight. It wasn’t the dirty disgusting black snow by the roads, but smooth, white and soft ones!

Jon was saying how amazing it is for Boston, a small city, to have two world-class universities. There must be some really smart genes circulating around this city! (Haha, okay this sounds ridiculous but funny!)

At M.I.T

To show how strong the wind was

How deep the snow was

Retarded boyfriend trying to throw this block of snow down to see if it could break the ice!

The snow covered the entire car!

And I wanted to write Good Luck. HAHAHA!

Covered both the schools that we wanted to visit, and off to the streets we went! :D We wanted to cover the whole of Freedom Trail, but we only selected a few places to visit instead. First stop was Faneuil Hall Market Place, and there was Quincy Market too. I bet Jon loved Quincy Market because it was an entire market of yummy food! :D I like the concept of the entire place too. (:

Trying to put on some lip treatment for Jon because he fails at doing so!

And later that afternoon (when the skies got a little darker already), there were beautiful lights that were hung around the streets. It was so beautiful.

Went to Fenway Park where all the baseball matches were played, but we didn’t do much there because the stadium wasn’t open. It was literally “see and go”!

Went back to the vicinity of our hostel, and I went to Apple Store and bought myself an iPod Touch after wanting it for so long! Bought it in 32GB instead of the initial idea of a 64GB because I figured that I shouldn’t spend that much. But as spendthrift as I may sound, I bought a hot pink polka-dotted Kate Spade silicone case to go with it! I don’t know what’s with pink and me lately, but I am loving how this colour makes me feel girly and young for now.

We hung around the Apple Store for a few hours because Macintosh is the way to go! Hahaha, I was kidding! I was spending a bit of time deciding on which skin to buy, then Jon and I played some games on the iMacs there it was so fun! Love playing puzzle games! :D

Playing some games for kids, but I swear it was damn fun and entertaining!

YAY, my new iPod Touch with a very pretty skin to go with! :D

Had Thai food for dinner, but my Tom Yum Soup tasted really bleak I can’t eve talk about it. The moment I saw the food, I knew it was gonna taste the way it looks. /: It doesn’t even taste like Tom Yum at all, and it’s quite a shame considering that the cafeteria was opened by Thais. /:

Jon and I went back to the hostel, took our 4 big luggages, and decided to take a train to South Station to catch our coach to New York instead of taking a cab to save that $50 cab fare. But oh boy it was damn arduous and the snow didn’t make it any easier! Singapore really has the best public transport because, there was no lifts at all in the train station! Imagine us carrying 4 freaking big luggages up and down the stairs. Oh, and we had to change train too so that makes everything worst. Best gym workout ever. We definitely caught the eyes all of the commuters with all the huge baggage, but thank God there were really helpful people who offered to carry our bags for a few flights of stairs! (:

And I really quite like Boston. The cold, even though it was 0 degrees, it was still quite tolerable to me with the proper amount of clothes, and the people were friendly too. (:

I’ve barely seen much about San Francisco, but I am loving this city already! It is so beautiful.

Day 14 in San Francisco, 21st December 2010

Our efforts to wake up early to catch our flight to San Francisco was kinda defeated. We reached the airport and checked in on time, but we missed our flight! ): Our flight was delayed from 10am to 11am, then to what we thought was 1.20pm! /: So while waiting, we slept since there was so much time to kill before our flight arrived. But when I woke up, I saw that the gate no longer had details of our flight and the curious me went up to the counter staff to check it out. Turned out that our flight was at 12pm, and it was already 12.30pm when I enquired! WE MISSED OUR FLIGHT! ): I swear my heart almost dropped out and I have no idea what to do. Thankfully the staff at the airport managed to put us on the standby list and we caught the next flight which was at 3pm. And that is already a huge waste of the time because half the day was spent at the airport when we could have been already at San Francisco shopping or sight seeing. ):

The long queue at the airport!

We were all tired.

You have no idea how happy we were when we boarded our plane! I really didn’t want to give San Francisco a miss because everyone has been saying how beautiful it is!

Jon and I were so tired that the moment the plane took off, we fell asleep all the way till the plane landed. Without waking up at all.

And on a random note, I really think that Singapore’s airport is awesome and the best! The flight from LA to San Francisco was supposed to be only 1 hour long, but it took 2 hours instead. Reason was that the plane was stuck in the air waiting for the airport to give instructions to land! How inefficient! And most of the flights at the airport were delayed as well, and it seems like that was nothing that’s on time! /:

The hotel that we stayed in!

It looks really beautiful from the exterior and in the lobby, but the room was only mediocre!

The theatre opposite our hotel.

The streets of San Francisco. In the beautiful night lights.

A skating ring! It was really beautiful! (:

Touch no evil! Hahaha, made my boyfriend do that retarded action and expression! q:

Chinatown!

Hmmm…. I’ve never heard of Retirement Sale before.

So obviously Jon held the camera at an angle to get this kinda effect. I was actually standing upright (check out the linear lines from the bricks in the background) and the roads here in San Francisco are really steep!

Hahaha, will J be this tall soon?! :D

Dinner!

Getting Pressed Pennies for souveniors! :D

The Cheesecake Factory, which serves damn awesome and smooth cheesecake! It’s so smooth it’s almost like a thicker version of beancurd!

We bought four cheesecakes! :D Two of them were HUGE! How sinful is it to have cheesecakes for dessert late in the night? D:

Day 15 in San Francisco, 22nd December 2010

Unlike usual days, we slept in to 11am which is considered really late when we are traveling! We made our way Powell street to take a cable car to The Fisherman’s Wharf and toured around San Francisco proper! Their cable cars are not the ones we have back in Singapore, and they go on the roads!

Outfit of the day
Turtle neck top from Bershka, Red coat from New Look, Jeans from New Future, Boots from Go Jane, Bag from Crumpler

The San Francisco Cable Car!

Look at this!

We dined at one of the seafood restaurants at The Fisherman’s Wharf and the food wasn’t too bad. After the meal, we all took on a two-hour long classic cable car tour around San Francisco and it was really an eye opener! Visited quite a few places that we’d probably never visit on our own, and that includes some of the beautiful houses, such as Levis Strauss’!

Clam chowder and lobster bisque

Fettucini with smoked salmon and asparagus

Cod fish & chips

Damn round ):

The classic cable car tour

I took a thousand pictures of the streets but nothing seems to be able to justify what I was trying capture. ):

The wire cables that the trams here run on.

The Golden Gate Bridge

It was really windy up on the bridge I could barely feel my fingers.

A test shot!

♥

Some of the very beautiful house along the higher end residential estates in San Francisco.

Almost all of the streets in San Francisco has extremely steep roads, it’s like climbing hills!

After the tour, we walked around The Fisherman’s Wharf to have a look at what’s around. Bought some little souveniors too! (:

Bread that comes in different shapes of animals! Big ones!

I guess you can’t really tell from the pictures, but there are loads of seagulls flying around the pier!

A very talented street side spray paint artist! Jon’s parents bought two paintings from him!

Took a bus back to Union Square from The Fisherman’s Wharf!

Dinner at Capital Restaurant, again. Jon’s Dad kinda insisted on going back there because he thought that the food was good. And also he seems to be searching for Chinese food for every meal.Well, almost.

Walking through the tunnel to get back to our hotel!

Shopping at Macy’s.

Day 16 in San Francisco, 23rd December 2010

The last day in San Francisco, and it was a really slow day for us. Checked out from our hotel, and we grabbed some takeaways from Jack in the Box for breakfast. Jon went to find Wilcent to borrow the car he rented for a while, so he drove all of us up to the highest point in San Fran – Twin Peaks! It was quite a beautiful sight with the clear blue sky looking over the whole of the beautiful city.

A bird’s eye view of the entire city

Hahaha, Uncle trying to lure the bird over to him!

I love this picture, even with all the people in the background!

Some puppy that they saw! Everyone here brings their dogs everywhere, even on the plane and into the malls! If only Singapore was like this too, then we could bring J out to everywhere together!

Heehee, Baby offered to piggyback me. :D

Went to have a look at The Conservatory of Flowers at the Golden Gate Park! From what Jon told me, this park is 20% bigger than the Central Park!

Hahaha, we spotted a baby who made his way into the plants to play around! So cute!

For the rest of the day, we shopped around at Westfield San Francisco Center, but I didn’t manage to buy anything. ): I am so sad that I haven’t bought anything much for myself ever since the first shopping trip to Beverly Center when I arrived! D: Need to visit Desert Hill Outlet Mall as soon as I can to soothe my shopping itch!

Took a cab down to San Francisco Airport, and took a flight back to LA later in the night. Jon took an earlier flight alone because he rented a car initially and was supposed to pick it up just before it closes. But in the end, our booking was cancelled! And it wasn’t by us! Hate how irresponsible the car rental company was because Jon had to pay extra to specially change his flight for it! >:(

Anyway, we are back in LA now and we’re staying in Holiday Inn at North Hollywood! :D Going to Universal Studios tomorrow, and I hope my heart can take the rides! D: Anyway, the hotel looks really good and it’s really comfy! :D

Beautiful night lights of LA city from the plane

Holiday Inn at Beverly Garland

On a side note, I haven’t really felt to Christmas vibes yet. ): Perhaps because we are going from place to place and to add on, I kinda lost track of time already. /: I know it’s Christmas Eve for you guys back home, so Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Please do not forget my present people! q:

Day 7 in Los Angeles, 14th December 2010

It was the last day of Jon’s exams and that (kinda) spelt freedom for the both of us! Initially we had plans to go out and have some fun together in the afternoon after we got the van that we rented, but some unforseen circumstances happened and we were unable to do so. ):

After Jon was done with his final paper, the both of us went to have lunch at Soy (I know right, yet again!) because his friends were there. But since we’re always trying different stuff when we’re there, it wasn’t that bad. Tried the chicken udon this time round and it is damn awesome! I’ve been having more asian food than western food even though I’ve been here for a week already!

Outfit of the Day
Turtle neck top from Berskha, Cardigan from Mango, Jeans from New Future, Boots from Go Jane, Bag from Crumpler

Chicken Udon

Gotta love the salad!

One of Jon’s friend, also a Singaporean, came to pick us up and drove us to the place where we rented our van. He owns a second-hand convertible and it was quite an experience driving through LA city with the wind blowing through your hair. But I kinda hated how tangled up my hair becomes after that! >:(

On a side note, and truth to be told, I didn’t quite like the way his friend drove because it was all about speed and also, rather reckless driving it seems to me. And that’s also the reason why we got into an accident when another car collided into us and the impact was rather… strong. To me at least. Thankfully there wasn’t anyone that was injured even though there was a big commotion by the other American guy who wanted compensation.

And because the entire accident happened right in front of the car rental shop, the owner kinda came up with some reasons not to rent us the van and we had to go around searching for other van rentals because Jon’s family was coming and we needed our transportation. All the hassle that we have gotta go through, and more money involved too. ):

And if in case you can’t tell how huge the car is…

The driver. I must say that I was impressed that Jon can drive and handle such a big vehicle rather well! (:

Had Korean BBQ Buffet at K-town for dinner with his friends, and it was really cheap! USD12/pax! :O The food was pretty good and I enjoyed my dinner. Hate how I get full really quickly during dinner and then I get really hungry thereafter. >:(

Headed back to our place thereafter to pack up our stuff because we’d be going to Disneyland followed by Vegas for the next few days. There was just so much to pack, but most of them were Jon’s stuff.

After I showered, Jon told me that there was an impromptu meet up with his international exchange friend’s – the Thais to be specific – place to play pictionary! I can literally imagine all the fun that these people go through while studying overseas, and I wish I was fortunate enough to experience something like this too. ): But anyway, his friends were all really friendly!

Anyway, Pictionary was damn hilarious. Wilcent, Jon and I were on the same team and we were the loser team! ): The two other teams had very good and smart guessers, and Jon said that we were practically nothing! ): Hahaha, but well all in the name of Fun! :D We played till 4am in the morning omg. D:

It was really nice seeing how all of them hugged each other and couldn’t bear to part because it was probably their last time hanging out together as it marks the end of their exchange program. Oh, and most of them are actually traveling around the USA after that too! It’s such a norm I don’t even think my trip is that exciting anymore. D:

The host took out this Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. This has gotta be the SMOOTHEST cheesecake I’ve ever taste. Really awesome!

Jon and I went on a short road trip to Santa Barbara today, but it’s a little late for me to blog about it right now so I guess I’ll do it tomorrow! Have a good day everyone! :D

Good weather, good shopping, affordable food, good company – what more can I ask for? (:

Day two in LA, 9th December 2010

On the second day, one of Jon’s Melbourne Uni friend – Mabel – who has been crashing at their place for the past month returned from Hawaii. Just like me, she came over to USA just to travel around for an entire month! (: I take my hats off her because Jon told me that she has been doing a lot of traveling on her own. Alone! And yupp, she went to Hawaii alone too. How independent! Oh, and she snorkeled in the ocean and swam with the sea turtles! :O

So anyway, while Jon left me at home to go for his exam, I was supposed to be cooking lunch for him when he returns. But mission aborted as Mabel and I decided that we are going out to Beverly Center to shop! q:

Mabel and I had Soy Grill & Katsu for lunch (yes, again for me) and spent quite a lot of time over lunch surprisingly! We talked quite a fair bit, before walking over to the bus stop to wait for public transport – bus – to get us to Beverly Center shopping mall! (:

Spicy salmon

Shrimp tempura

A very friendly police officer offered to help us take a picture! (:

Free veggie skewers yay! :D

Shopping in the states is really good I’d say! Even though the prices that are stated are before tax and that their currency is stronger than Singapore Dollars, somehow most of them still turn out to be cheaper than in Singapore! And oh god, the stuff are exactly the kind that I’d go around Singapore looking for! It’s paradise to me! :D

Victoria’s Secret

Outfit of the Day
Crumpler Five Million Bag, Biker Jacket borrowed from Amanda, Chiffon dress from Bonito Chico, Hot Pink 280 denier stockings (leggings?) from Bugis Village, Boots from Go Jane

I spent a bomb (mostly because of the wallet I wanted to get since forever) but I am really happy with my buys. And god, it’s only the first day that I am out shopping. Well I am going to stop all the shopping until Jon finishes his exam and I know it’s gonna be a lot more crazy when we start shopping at the factory outlets! Omg I can’t wait! :D I walked so much that my thighs and butt ached when I woke up earlier today. D: Shopping = exercise = keep fit! Heehee.

We took a bus back, and we had to wait so long for the bus to come. In the cold. And there were no seats for us to sit on while waiting. ): Even the american dude was asking us how long we’ve been waiting for the bus to come, and minority of the locals do actually take the public transport. I guess that’s why Singapore’s public transport is really good.

Mabel and I took a rest before heading over to Jon’s friends’ place for dinner because they were cooking that night. They’re studying in NUS by the way! After dinner, Jon and I drove to Ralphs for some groceries shopping – one of our favourite hobby – together!

Taking a public transport back. It feels a little weird when I start to notice that people actually board on the right side of the bus.

Obviously he wants the best of both worlds.

Err… this is the only guy I know who wears slippers and bermudas out in winter. And it was damn cold I was all wrapped up. -.-”

Only USD$17.99

This is almost like giving a red packet away! Anyone wants to get me one of these gift cards?! :D

Shopping loots for the day. Damage done.

Loots from American Eage, Sephora and Prada.

Day three in LA, 10th December 2010

Jon and I slept in to 1pm, and I refused to wake up. D: Washed up, and we headed off to have Mexican Fast Food for lunch with Mabel. Fast food here generally doesn’t equate to unhealthy food. They literally mean food that’s served fast. So far all the fast food I’ve eaten are all rather healthy! (E.g. Sushi, rice) And fast food restaurants are ubiquitous (and affordable too)!

Chiptole Mexican Grill was rather good! Mexican cuisine is generally rather exotic to me, but I enjoyed it quite a fair bit! (: Rice in wraps with meat and beans in mega huge portions!

Faux University of Southern California student

Tomatoes overload nomnomnom!

A cafe in USC run by students

And Baby brought us here to try out the awesome milkshake!

I love all the trees on the streets! So beautiful! ♥

It was also Mabel’s last day in LA, so while Jon went for classes, I accompanied her to MacDonalds because she wanted to try the McRibs! Everyone said that it’s a must-try, but both of us thinks that it tasted not too bad, but not fantastic. /: On a side note, the whole MacDonalds menu over here is totally different from the ones we have back home. There’s no fillet-o-fish or McSpicy! There’s only thing that we have back home and is available here is Quarter Pounder! Or at least that’s what I saw on the menu!

After Mabel tried her McRibs, we went over to Yogurtland again! Today’s special was supposed to be Chocolate Macaroons, but it was out of stock the moment we were there. ): And since Jon conned me on our previous visit, this time I went all out and ordered all that I want! :D

A DAMN AWESOME AMOUNT OF TOPPINGS HEEHEEHEE!
Oh god, I enjoyed eating frozen yogurt in the cold weather despite freezing my fingers! (Y)

Later that night after Mabel went off to the airport, Jon & I cooked a simple dinner for ourselves. I didn’t even notice that it was already 10.30pm when we were eating our dinner. So make that supper instead! I was trying out the rice that I learnt from my mom just before I came to USA so that I could cook for Jon. But apparently it didn’t turn out as good as my Mom’s because it was a little too wet. ): I am not too sure if it was the rice though because they had Japanese rice instead of the usual ones we have back home. ):

Guys who can cook/do housework are very charming! Heeheehee.

I’ve been enjoying myself while I am here so far, even though it is a little boring since Jon’s having his exams now. But after his exams end next week, and when his entire family is coming over, we are going to have so much fun! Vegas and San Francisco! (Y)

After all the years of tears and sweat they’ve put in, every mother deserves to be pampered like a Queen! <3

It took me a long time to plan for this very day. I planned to take both my Mom & Jon’s Mom out for a good relaxation day in-lieu of Mother’s Day, and I had to call up everywhere and arrange a booking for two at the same timing! It was such a difficult task since it was Mother’s Day. Finally managed to get a booking for the two Mothers for a massage, but Jon’s Mom called me earlier today and told me she couldn’t join us because she was feeling sick. ): Was feeling quite sad that she couldn’t join us considering the fact that I’ve put in so much effort into planning. Then when I told my Mom that Aunty wasn’t joining us anymore, she said that she didn’t want to go for the massage and said that she can go for one another time. -.-” So nothing I have planned or arranged took place. /:

Was feeling a little vain today so I dressed up! So vain that I’ve decided to wear my highest killer heels out to streets and kill my legs today. Truth to be told, I was felt that it is totally a waste of my money if I spent $50 on this pair of heels and have only worn them out once. Was just trying to make my money worthwhile. q:

My 3.5 (or is it 4?) inch killer heels from F21

Outfit of the day
Top from Bugis Street, bag and leggings from Far East Plaza, skinny belt from Bangkok, scarf from some online spree, heels from F21, $1 earrings from Cotton On, bracelet from Tiffany & Co.

Brought my Mom to Ding Tai Fung for lunch, and I believe that she enjoyed her meal! :D Talked about work and random things over lunch, and I really love having one-to-one sessions with my Mom. It’s always my Mom giving me a treat, but now that I’ve started working, it’s time to pamper her! (: I spent a lot lesser than I was expected on this meal, but a lot more throughout the entire day. ):

I wonder if you noticed, but there’s hardly any meat in the dishes I’ve ordered. I think I’m turning into a vegetarian really soon.

Think I look really fat and chubby here. ): My hairdo looks like one that’s of a lion’s. ):

It was shopping thereafter, and I brought my Mom to the Laneige Counter at Wisma’s Isetan! Wanted to show her all the skincare products since I’ve been thinking of changing mine for quite a while already, and yes I bought them in the end. The salesgirl’s also my customer, and she is really friendly and patient explaining to the both of us the individual functions of each product! :D She even threw in a hell lot of samples for both my Mom and I! Bought one of the essence for my Mom as a Mother’s Day gift because I could tell she wanted one.

Total damage just at Laneige’s counter: $254. But I hope this is a worthy investment! Every month, most of my expenditure goes to skincare products and food. This is really bad. But I guess one reason why I decided to buy them is because I love the salesgirl, she’s way too nice and patient. Gonna throw in free contact lenses/solutions for her the next time she buys her lenses, heehee.

Shopped around for a little more, but no more spending! Really wanted to get Ettusais’ lip essence since my lip’s always really dry, but I guess I’ll save that for the next month or something. I really need to have better control my own finances.

Dinner with my family (except for my second brother who was working) and Granny! :D Had sliced fish noodles at Amoy Food Centre, our usual sliced fish noodles hangout, but it was quite a disappointment because their standards have dropped quite a fair bit. ): But oh well, I enjoyed the company. Dinner was on me too! :D One really good thing about working is that you are financially independent from your parents, and you can pamper them in return too! :D

(Okay, but I am seriously broke after today. So no more luxury spending on food or any other items any more!)

The chicken was good though! :D

And so was the beef! (:

It’s a really simple day, but something that makes me feel really happy and satisfied with. Probably one of my most satisfying off days till date. (: I need to spend more quality time like these with the people I really love.

One really sad thing for the night, I think I have gained like 123912390128301283kg! My face is just so fat. ): Okay, I am fat. Need to eat air for the next few months until I become ideal looking!

And because I’m so happy with my shopping loots for today (even though it caused some heartache), I’ve got to share them! :D

The one on the extreme left is for my Mom, and the rest’s mine! q: Sunblock, toner, essence, and moisturizer are my essentials for my basic daily beauty regime. My face will thank me for my discipline in the future, I hope.

And these are all the FREE gifts I got from my purchase! :D Apart from the samples (packed in small paper packs) that were thrown in by the lovely salesgirl , the rest are free gifts from the Mother’s Day promotion! The amount of free gifts I got are a lot more than what I bought! :D

On top of these, I actually have got a free small trolley luggage (good for travelling) because I spent more than $200! Is this great or great?! HEEEHEEE!

I’m a happy aunty tonight! :D