Smiles on a Sunday

went out with sister, yenlin, for lunch at strictly pancakes on sunday. i'm not really a fan of pancakes as i find them dry, and i usually just eat one. i prefer waffles anytime, because at least they have some crunch! but to my surprise, the 'lemon curd for the nerds' pancakes i had were awesome. chocolates pancakes were moist and they were topped with lemon zest, custard and cream to balance the sweetness. sister's 'strawberries & co.' pancakes were great as well. however, having a medium stack is just way too much. we couldn't finish them, jelat.

guess where was i? yes, the railway tracks near railway mall! whenever i drive past railway mall, the amount of people standing on the bridge just amazes me. i keep thinking to myself, what's the big deal about it? little did i know, that i would be actually walking on the tracks on the last day that it was opened to public.

to some, it might be the significance of the place. it could be meeting their best friend there (a reason yongbin gave?), taking their wedding photos there, or prolly for the elderly, a route that they have always travelled on since young when entering the neighbouring country. but for cixian, yongbin and i, we simply wanted to hang out before i fly back to melbourne tomorrow. so... yongbin suggested taking a walk there.

among all the trips that i've been back since trinity. this is the most amount of times i met up with this girl. random jogs around our estate, bali planning, bali trip, bali 'de-briefing', group gatherings, shopping, eating, and sleepovers. couldn't have been better!

same applies to yongbin. not forgetting the numerous long phone calls i have with him whenever i'm at home and he's in camp!! the funny thing is, i realised that i've only started to become real close with him after studying abroad. i guess the distance doesn't matter when someone means so much. it just depends on whether you wanna keep the friendship going. right?

some 'artistic' shots that yongbin randomly took with my camera.

to the fellow kumaleh members, don't get jealous huh! you guys mean equally as much to me though you're not specially mentioned in this post. my holiday back here would have been so dull and boring without meeting up with you guys, i had so much fun!! :)

Delicacies To Me

steamed custard bun

aloe vera, jelly, and sour plum dessert.

out of the many delicious dishes we tried out at taste paradise during monday's lunch, these are my must-orders (please don't forget the rest!). it was my first time at taste paradise, and i must say that the dim sum there beats royal china as well as crystal jade palace, ngee ann city. besides the good food, the atmosphere's lovely, especially when we had a private room with a view. get the membership, pretty good perks.

Pearl White

the cappuccino i had 3 hours ago, how cute. love the smooth car ride.

Little Too Late

us in gold coast during the september holidays last year. have no clue why did i delay blogging about this trip for almost a year. guess i was too caught up with the little happenings in life. anyways, we visited movie world, dreamworld, wet and wild, and did some city shopping and eating. oh, not forgetting the jet boat ride that we took on our last day in gold coast, which left us with soaking wet hair.

i'm an adrenaline junkie.

and i find it quite sad that hardly any rides we took gave me the adrenaline rush. i think its due to the countless rides i've taken in the 2 disney lands, 1 disney world, and 3 universal studios that i've been to since young. i want to feel that rush again, i love it! guess i'd have to head to bigger theme parks in the states - six flags, etc. or try out sky diving (waiting for that opportunity), or bungee (that, i'm afraid of).

this will probably be my last year in melbourne, ignoring the possibility of me doing honours. during year 1's september break, i went to sydney with rachel and her mum, and last year's september break was spent in gold coast with the girls. i hope the cairns trip we've been talking about will come true this september. the great barrier reef, oh i can't wait!

Ain't the Last Goodbye

aunty jean has been back in the Phillippines for nearing 2 weeks already. she has been with my family since i was seven years old. 13 years, that's how fast time flies. finally, she has decided to return home and embark on a new chapter in her life. hearing all the business plans that she has really makes me happy and excited for her. i'm sure she'll succeed in whatever she does, as she's a very clever lady!

we had a farewell lunch for her two sundays ago at osia in resorts world. the food was good, especially the bread, bluefin tuna tataki, and the hot chocolate soup! we invited aunty rose, our previous helper who was with us for 10 years since i was born, as well as our current helper, aunty lyn who's a relative of aunty jean.

us and our second "mothers", we four share a really close bond with them. to them, we are like their babies, since they watched us grow from toddlers to adults. i don't know if its luck, or fate, or both, but i find it really amazing how we can get along so well to two random women from another part of asia. i really appreciate all the things they've done for me, the sacrifices they've made in order to take good care of us. i will always remain grateful to them.

amongst us all, mummy's the one who's most affected by jean leaving. she couldn't stop crying throughout the entire day on jean's departure, despite knowing that she'll definitely return to singapore to visit us.

as much as we all hate saying goodbyes to the ones we love, remember that not all goodbyes are the last.

Back From Bali

Day 1 - at Kuta Beach, right outside Discovery Shopping Mall. we visited so many beaches, and always made it in time for sunset everyday. we went clubbing almost every night, but not late/early enough to witness the sunrise by the beach.
Day 2 - a morning picture outside our pretty villa before we head to Nusa Dua Beach for water sports! we did parasailing, flying fish, jet ski, scuba diving, and banana boat! thank god i didn't get major sunburns. check out our i love bali bags that we bought at a not so cheap price since it was our first bargaining experience there. i like how cixian and i wore similar tanks with no planning at all.
Day 3 - at Dirty Duck Diner for lunch in Ubud, feasting like Kings and Queens. seafood dinner on Jimbaran Beach while watching sunset was awesome as well. we had the best meals that day. food in Bali is not that great and not that cheap, that's a downside i guess.
Day 4 - this jump shot was taken at Canggu Beach, a 5-10 minutes relaxing stroll through the quaint countryside from our villa. we failed to visit Tanah Lot Temple as we, or rather yongbin and i, woke up only at noon and had to leave for the airport at 3pm.

i cannot guarantee if i will blog more about Bali, so here's a really short summary which doesn't do justice to the amount of fun and laughter we had in the short 4 days. i will however do a video and post it up here. photos are all on facebook, restricted to friends of course. alternative way to know more about the trip, view cixian's blog.

i'm already missing the life in Bali. the purely relaxing lifestyle - no stress, no pressure, just nature. not forgetting the fact that i went there with 3 of my closest friends where secrets don't exist, and the boys who constantly kept cixian and i laughing throughout the trip. the funny slangs, the random singing, and inside jokes. ahhh, the life!

Cutie Pies

it doesn't take a genius to know that i love babies. hence, it isn't surprising that i would travel up to KL to see my 2 six months old nephews for the first time. of course, not forgetting my uncles, aunties and cousins whom i've always enjoyed chatting with. since this trip was 3.5 days, we went food hunting and did quite a fair bit of shopping.

this is ethan. we went to my aunt's house everyday just to see him despite staying at another uncle's place. ethan is such an adorable and easy baby, he doesn't mind me carrying him, kissing him, pinching his cheeks, etc. i enjoyed watching him attempting to crawl with his tiny toes, since his knees are not yet strong enough to support his weight.

raymond's children, 6 months old jake and 4 years old lucas.

i love lucas' pose here! mini boss. he is getting so talkative and playful, which makes him cuter! raymond said that he kept looking for me after i left for singapore. awww, miss him.

jake. the fattest baby i've ever seen. fatter than when lucas was young! we had to take turns to carry him. all the baby fats, so chubby and flabby. but he's such a smiling boy. :)