tuesdays with morrie

"Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel."

- Mitch Albom

letters to sam

"When I am in a dark tunnel, I want to be with people who love me enough to sit in the darkness with me and not stand outside telling me how to get out.

I think that’s what we all want."

- Daniel Gottlieb

weekday rebels

Instead of spending a typical Friday stuck behind a desk, we took time out to live, breathe and enjoy life in the slow lane.

Pamplemousse, Dempsey Hill

Starter: Caprese Salad - Momotaro & Buffalo Mozarella
Thai basil, Jamon Iberico powder, Watermelon foam, Balsamic Jelly, Bonito

Main: Butter Poached Barramundi
Nasu eggplant, Hiratake mushrooms, Lemongrass & saffron broth

Dessert: Dates
Sticky date pudding, Walnut ice cream, Saffron butterscotch sauce

Illy Coffee

View of skyline from Bedok Jetty, East Coast Park

I love being totally unproductive... to be fully present in whatever I'm doing and enjoy the moment, to savour every morsel of my food, to appreciate the outdoors, to give my full attention to whoever I'm talking to or spending time with.

Privé Bakery & Cafe: Hazelnut Praline Royal

View of skyline from Keppel Bay

It's so liberating to be disconnected from the daily grind!

how it feels sometimes

Always a series of two steps forward, three steps back... you could be building it up instead of tearing it down.

music on the go

Soundtracks I love walking to:

(500) Days of Summer

Image: http://www.500daysmusic.com/

Taipei Exchanges 第36个故事

Image: http://www.taipeiexchanges.com/

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Image: http://www.universalstudiosentertainment.com/eternal-sunshine-of-the-spotless-mind/

Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain

Image: http://miramax.com/amelie/

  

Glee: Volumes 3 Showstoppers

Image: www.fox.com/glee/

we are our worst enemies

I can never figure out why people sabotage the good things that come their way.

you had me at homemade cookies

I received a batch of homemade cookies the other day.

You'd think that I would be delighted getting these yummylicious treats instead of some run-of-the-mill ones off the shelves, which I was of course, the homemade biscottis and sables warmed my heart immensely. Yet I had such mixed emotions going through them. I don't know what's worse - the fact that these came from a guy who's obviously better at baking it up in the kitchen than I am...... or that for all my love for pastries, I do more eating than baking (or should I say, all the eating but none of the baking)?

My conscience is definitely getting the better of me.

hessa

A very dear colleague of mine had her baby girl two weeks ago. Her name is Hessa and she weighs an incredible 4.4 kg.

Newborns are so riveting somehow. Hessa was asleep when I visited and I couldn't take my eyes off her. She's just beautiful in every way possible, from her perfect roundness to her wonderful and sweet nature. Gosh her pumpkin cheeks and her teeny weeny hands and feet amaze me to no end. I love it even more that she looks almost exactly like her Mommy.

Hello Hessa, the world awaits you!

discovering caffeine heaven

Papa Palheta - a place that seems possible to exist only in the imagination of a coffee lover.

Peruvian Drip

Terra Firma Latte

a bountiful harvest

I've always wanted to drop by Pâtisserie Glacé on a weekday as the selection on weekends can be quite limited. The spread of pastries was so tantalizing, I ended up with 4 slice cakes and 2 pies. I have no idea how that happened!

Kyushu Marron (Japanese Chestnut), Aomori Apple Pie

Mont Blanc

Strawberry Mille-Feuille

Mont Blanc, Strawberry Souffle, Strawberry Mille-Feuille, Chocolate Renga

tonkatsu delight

After watching "December Rains" at the Esplanade, we stopped by the nearby Saboten at Parco Millenia Walk for dinner. Saboten has been specialising in tonkatsu since 1966 in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The waiter ushered us to a quiet corner in the restaurant, away from the family diners. I was in a miserable state with my scraped knees and twisted ankle, and the extra bit of quiet space was just what I needed to sooth my frayed nerves.

I ordered the tenderloin pork set and the tonkatsu was fried to light crispy perfection. I was suitably impressed.

The lettuce, shirayuki rice, green tea and miso soup were all free flowing. You may choose from the yuzu or sesame sauce as salad dressing.

Authentic Japanese dining coupled with impeccable service? This is the place to be.

TOY肥料厂《雨季》

终于有机会亲耳听到陈洁仪精湛的现场唱功。除了感动，还是感动。

Youtube 链接: 《雨季》预告 

on the prowl for wholesome goodness

So I was at Flor last weekend and we met a lovely family who brought their kids out on a pastry hunt (isn't that a great way to spend a Saturday!). The dad and I talked photography, the mum and I exchanged pâtisserie addresses. And this is how I got to know about Chef Icon Nature Bakery.

Seeing how I had the entire Friday afternoon to myself, I decided to drop by and hopefully pick up one or two of their signature cakes.

The bakery is nestled in a stretch of shophouses along Kampong Bahru Road. It's actually not too difficult to locate if you keep your eyes peeled.

Besides their signature whole cakes, Chef Icon Nature Bakery also offers an enticing selection of wholemeal bread and Japanese snow bread.

After picking up an original Chocolate Travona and strawberry Hokkaido swiss roll, I was hoping to take respite from the scorching afternoon sun in the basement of the bakery. I asked Chef Francis if he was able to slice a small piece of the Chocolate Travona for me to sample there and then. Regrettably, the cake had not defrozen but Chef Francis, being the wonderfully obliging person he is, offered to serve me a slice of the strawberry Hokkaido swiss roll instead.

Strawberry Hokkaido Swiss Roll, Latte

Strawberry Hokkaido Swiss Roll

The strawberry Hokkaido swiss roll is perfect as a warm weather cake. A lusciously moist layer of sponge filled with a heavenly combination of fresh strawberries and cream, it is the kind of cake that makes my heart sing with raptured joy.

After I'd polished off the cake and latte, I indulged in a conversation with Chef Francis over the bakery's counter in between stroll-in customers. He talked about the philosophy behind their bakery and how they insist on baking using only natural ingredients. As such, all their products are free from preservatives, artificial colouring and flavouring. You can't help but respect the discipline and commitment of the chefs to their craft (they start baking at 3am!).

Hokkaido Snow Bread

The Hokkaido snow bread is simply divine. Try lightly toasting this before eating it, like what Chef Francis did for me. It's light and airy perfection with creamy cheese and raisins filling.

Original Chocolate Travona

Made with top quality dark chocolate, the original Chocolate Travona had all the hallmarks of a good chocolate cake. It was delightfully dense and rich... pure decadence.

My first visit, but definitely not my last.

http://www.cheficon.com/

auguries of innocence

To see a world in a grain of sand
And heaven in a wild flower
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

- Excerpt from "Auguries of Innocence" by William Blake

a case of ironing blues

It's Tuesday and I am sulking as I go looking through my wardrobe for something (anything!) I can wear to work the next day without ironing.

Dressing for work can be such a drag. I hate our top-down conservatist approach to workwear. It's stifling, boring and I hardly ever get excited about wearing work-appropriate duds.

Infinitely more fun to dress up for the weekend I say!

weekend wanderers

I excel at aimless wandering, but it can be a little hard convincing people to just go stumbling on little adventures with me. Most of them get frustrated easily without preplans or fixed destinations. So it's a delight to have friends who can keep up with my gypsy ways.
 

We started out the lazy Saturday afternoon at Flor Pâtisserie. Nothing puts me on edge more than stepping into a cookie-cutter coffee house on a weekend that is swarming with short-tempered baristas and loud-mouthed teens, which is why quiet little gems like Flor (and K ki!) are sheer godsent.

Framboise Chocolate

Berry Berries

Mango Pie

Halfway through dinner at Bon Goût, fireworks started exploding in the skyline in front of me. Of course I grabbed my D90, made a mad dash to the riverside and started snapping away. Fireworks never fail to astound me.

And the night ended with a bottle of Moscato d'Asti in the enjoyment of great company.

Well then, 'til next roaming!