Brunch @ Grub, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park

Brunch at Grub which is situated at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park

Grub Breakfast set

French Toast with pork sausage, sour cream and strawberries. YUM!

Kallang River running through the park

I totally enjoyed Grub's version of french toast with the savoury pork sausage, different from the usual sweet version. :) The breakfast set seemed like the usual where you can find in any other eateries, nothing special. :(
A nice slow walk after brunch around the park will help with digestion, provided it is not too hot lol.

Hidden Gems - Haji Lane & Prince Coffee House

Haji Lane is one of Singapore's hidden gems, located in the Kampong Glam area or also known as the Arab district. Haji Lane is a narrow strip of shophouses which housed small trendy shops and boutiques stocked with offbeat labels that you won’t find in the major malls in Singapore as well as cool cafes and eateries.
Haji Lane reminds me of the laneways and alleys in Melbourne. :) I didn't have the chance to wander into the shops and boutiques as I was there in the evening for dinner, actually. I will need a whole afternoon to explore all the shops and boutiques! :P

Attention grabbing murals

Quirky, unique and trendy shops/ boutiques

Haji Lane

Interesting decor

Amusing signs

Sultan Mosque

I enjoyed walking along Haji Lane with all its colours, liveliness, quirkiness, and charms. :)

The other hidden gem is Prince Coffee House, along Beach Road (near to Haji Lane). Prince Coffee House, a 70s Hainanese Western food restaurant, used to be located within Coronation Plaza, Bukit Timah Road. It was a favourite student hangout by students from National Junior College, Hwa Chong JC, Nanyang Girls' High, Chinese High. :) I used to frequent it when I was a student at NJC for its $6 student meal set! :P I was upset about two years ago when I found out that Prince Coffee House has moved out from Coronation Plaza. I am really glad to have found it again. :) The flavours are still the same as that from my memory. The roast pork, the Hainanese pork chop with rice, the yam cake, the apple pie - all DELICIOUS!
I will definitely go back to Prince Coffee House for its food as well as for a trip down memory lane of my school days lol. :) 

Set with soup and garlic bread

Roast Pork

Hainanese Pork Chop with rice

BFFs

This Blogthings quiz totally got it correct! My best friend, Min Strauss and I have been best friends for ages, since we were in secondary school (but we knew each other even earlier in primary school)! We have had an exciting adventure together in London when we were 16 years old. I spent my uni holidays at her place in Melbourne and after she got married, I spent my holidays at her place in Sydney (Thanks, Graham for accepting Min's crazy friend lol). 
Even though my best friend and I are now living on different continents, we remain as close as ever. There is nothing that we can't talk about and we can always be totally honest with each other without fear of ridicule or judgement. We are always there for each other. We are BFFs! :)

You Are BFFs

You and your best friend go back... way back. And you've stuck with each other through it all. People may have tried to come between you and your best friend, but it's never going to happen. Your friendship stands the test of time. Anyone who knows you will often ask where your best friend is if you're flying solo. You two are just that connected. Forget finishing each other's sentences - you often feel like you share a brain. You're happy to have someone on this planet who totally gets you!

What Kind of Best Friends Are You?

Play Dates

Both girls have play dates with their friends.
Juliane went to her kindergarten friend, Catherine's home for the afternoon. 
Marieann went to her classmate's birthday party at Sentosa where they swam with the dolphins. 
It was a little enjoyment for them during this one week of working holiday where Marieann has been attending three days of supplementary classes in school (due to PSLE) and both girls have been attending their tuition.

Moon Rising

Saw the moon rising from behind the tree. Hauntingly beautiful.

Photo without flash

Photo with flash

Rain

It has been raining everyday for the past two days and including today. Happy to see that the trees and plants are reviving, happy to know that the water levels at the reservoirs are replenishing, happy to breathe in clean air after the hazy air. 

< and 3 = ?

< and 3 = heart! I only learnt that today. :O I always thought it was an ice cream cone! Serious! Well, look at it, < 3 doesn't it look like an ice cream cone?! Can't blame me for thinking so lol. You know, being pre-diabetic, I see sweets and desserts in everything I see. :P

27 Days Later

The dry spell in Singapore has finally ended as heavy showers/ rain hit Singapore on 16 March 2014. The rain has certainly provided relief to the parched earth, trees and plants. Hopefully it is not too late for some of the trees and plants.

Still MIA

It has been a week and MH370 is still missing in action (MIA). There are a lot of conflicting information as well as different theories going on about what happened to the plane. It is frustrating not knowing what really happened. I can't imagine how much more frustrating and heart-wrenching it is for the families and friends of the missing passengers and crew of MH370. In this case of the missing MH370, "no news is good news" doesn't hold true. I hope there is some news soon.

Rest and Study

Today is the last day of Term 1. The one week March holiday officially starts tomorrow. 
It is going to be a week of rest and study as well for the girls. 

Profile Photo

The profile photos on my blog and Facebook are quite dated. I finally changed them to more current photos. :)

Tragedy Strikes

Just heard on the news that two buildings collapsed in New York city after an explosion with 1 death and more than a dozen injured. The cause of the explosion could be due to a gas leak but still pending investigation. The emergency responders are still looking for survivors. It is likely there may be more fatalities... :( Hope they find more survivors.

Where Should You Study Abroad?

Well, what do you know. I did study abroad in Australia, just not in Sydney but in Brisbane lol. Guess it is close enough and in the same country haha. :P 

You Should Study in Sydney

For you, studying abroad sounds like fun, and not just the studying part. You are full of energy and you like excitement. You are the type to hit the books hard while having a ton of other things going on. Yes I totally enjoyed studying Psychology at the University of Queensland and learning to take care of my own unit (including doing household chores, marketing, etc)! It was fun and I was hardly homesick. :) Don't get me wrong. I didn't go out partying or clubbing at all. I was literally right at home in Brisbane (yes the same home that I recently went back to ship my personal effects back). You want to completely take in whatever city you end up in. You want to do it all and to make a ton of friends along the way. You are interested in everything. You have equal amounts of passion for learning and for adventure. I am still in contact with all the friends that I have made at UQ! :) I still remembering studying hard - listening to the audio recordings of my lectures and rewriting my lecture notes (my notes were so meticulous that even my tutor photocopied them for future use lol). There was always one day a week, which I totally looked forward to, where my Taiwanese neighbour and I would just go on a day/ raod trip in her car. :)

Where Should You Study Abroad?

NE Champion

I saw this badge. It belongs to Marieann. 

"What's a NE Champ?" I asked. 
Instead of explaining to me, she showed me this handout, "Leadership Training for Emerging Leaders".
My eyes widened. 
In the handout, it stated that emerging leaders include AV Monitress, Monitress, NE Champion, Quiet Captain, Eco Caption, etc. 
My jaws dropped! 
The qualities of a NE (National Education) Champion are: 
Positive attitude towards her love for the country
Familiar with the key NE messages
Confident speaker
Responsible and able to relay instructions to classmates
The role of a NE Champion is: 
To showcase school's efforts in NE
Assist in the implementation of NE related events
Selected few to be MCs for NE related events 
No wonder Marieann was memorising her MC script for the Total Defence Day event in school back in February. 

Quite a few things went through my mind. '
First of all, I am surprised that Marieann is seen as an emerging student leader by her teacher. I have always seen her as neither a leader nor a follower. Guess I need to reassess my knowledge and understanding of my daughter. 
Second, I am proud of who she is becoming. I hope with this experience as a NE Champ (emerging leader), she will learn valuable life skills and lessons that will prepare her for the future.
Third, what a coincidence that Marieann is now a NE Champ. I used to be the NE coordinator when I was teaching in SCGS lol. :P

What Happened to MH370?

It has been more than 40 hours and still no news of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. It apparently lost contact with air traffic control an hour after it departed Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia after midnight. It was supposed to land in Beijing at 6:30am but it never arrived. It just disappeared. I can't help it but its mysterious disappearance reminds me of The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, the Bermuda Triangle.. :(
What happened to MH370? 
Hope there will be some news soon for the families of the passengers and crew on board MH370.

Happy IWD 2014

Happy International Women's Day 2014! :)

"Equality for Women is Progress for All" 

(UN's 2014 theme for International Women's Day)

(Source: pkahill.wordpress.com)

300: Rise of an Empire

I have been waiting a long time for this prequel and sequel to 300, 300: Rise of an Empire.
This movie is a companion to 300 in a way. The story first took place (before the fall of the 300) at the Battle of Marathon (First Persian invasion of Greece led by King Darius I or Prince Xerces' father), which later led to the Second Persian invasion of Greece by King Xerxes I (where the famous Battle of Thermopylae occurred - the fall of 300 Spartans led by King Leonidas I and the naval Battle of Artemisium occurring simultaneously) and finally leading to the naval Battle of Salamis.
The main draw of the movie is not the historical accuracy but the action packed sequences, and plenty of slow-motion in the tradition of the first 300 movie. :) Plenty of blood and gore in this prequel/ sequel 300 as well, if not bloodier and more gory. The Greeks are not too bad but give me a perfectly ripped Spartan anytime from the first 300 movie. :P Actually, I also preferred the villain, Artemisia, the female Persian naval commander. I couldn't dislike her at all! She drew most of my attention in the movie. She is my hero lol. I would love to have those killer glares and moves of hers. Nothing excites me more than to see men quaking in fear of a woman. :P Woman power! Lol. 

Those looks could kill! :)

Spartan Queen Gorgo is not too bad too :) and the hero, Athenian commander Themistocles

 (Source of photos: http://www.movieweb.com/movie/300-rise-of-an-empire)

300: Rise of an Empire trailer 1 (uploaded by Warners Bros. Pictures)
 

300: Rise of an Empire trailer 2 (uploaded by Warners Bros. Pictures)


300: Rise of an Empire trailer 3 (uploaded by Warners Bros. Pictures)


Quotes from 300: Rise of an Empire  (source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1253863/quotes)
Queen Gorgo: It begins as a whisper... a promise... the lightest of breezes dances above the death cries of 300 men. That breeze became a wind. A wind that my brothers have sacrificed. A wind of freedom... a wind of justice... a wind of vengeance.

Themistocles: Better we show them, we chose to die on our feet, rather than live on our knees!  

300: Rise of an Empire didn't disappoint and totally lived up to my expectation. :) It was definitely worth the wait. I really enjoyed the movie and will buy it when it comes out on blu-ray. 

Haze is Back

The haze from Indonesia is back in Singapore. :( The nights have been especially bad. Somehow the burning smell seemed especially strong and acrid at night. My allergic reactions (throat, nose and eye irritations) have been particularly bad during the nights. Need to replenish my stock of antihistamine such as Zyrtec-D. 

Mission Impossible by ThePianoGuys ft Lindsey Stirling

This is an amazing music video of Mission Impossible by very talented musicians with a great sense of humour. :)

Mission Impossible by ThePianoGuys ft Lindsey Stirling (uploaded by ThePianoGuys)

Herbs

Just found out that Perfect Portion (Singapore) no longer sell dried herbs such as lavender, lemon balm, rosemary, sage, mugwort, etc., which you can buy to make your own herbal/ floral tea or herbal bath mix.  Even Perfect Portion (Australia) no longer carries stock of these herbs. :( 
Anyone knows where I can buy such dried herbs in Singapore?

Same Old Same Old

I was too lazy to check out the other brands of internet security for my notebook. Went back to Norton. Nothing spectacular but it works fine for me. :)

Where are my Lives?!

I accumulated over 30 lives and a few extra moves for my Candy Crush Saga level 382. However I just realised today that they are all GONE! What happened?! I want my lives back! Royally upset now! :(
Does the game, after a certain time frame, reset to zero with regards to the lives and extra moves?

Happy 10th Birthday, Juliane!

Happy Birthday, Juliane!!! May all your dreams and wishes come true in 2014! 
Although this year I may seem to be paying more attention to your sister (PSLE this year!), it doesn't mean that I care less about you! You are equally important to me. I will find other ways to keep you on task, don't worry lol. Happy Birthday, Juliane. I love you dearly!
Love always, your mother (or as you always like to call me, Dr Wong haha)

After Juliane completed her homework (sorry, she still needed to complete her homework as they won't be completed on their own), I brought Juliane for an ice cream treat at Brunetti, Tanglin Mall in the late afternoon. Marieann was supposed to come with us but she was more interested in taking her nap lol.

Juliane cut her birthday cake (her favourite Black Forest Cake) after dinner. It was quite funny as we were taking so many photos that the small candles were burned really low, close to the candle holders (next time, I will ask for the big candles!). Juliane managed to make a wish and blow out the candles before the whole cake was on fire lol. :P