Saturday, June 29, 2013

cause friends are the best rewards in life

just had a very long awaited meetup with bimb, sok and wayne !
okay i miss bimb not so much cause i see her a lot now, ever since she finished exams :B

but i'm definitely gonna miss her when she's gone from aug - dec ):
gahhs kinda dreading that period cause i'll have no bimbo bff to entertain me and listen to rants.
my partner in crime, gone omg. :x
not that i'll be alone, but its just different.

oh well, i guess at some point of time,
everybody has to go through some degree of separation.

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brunch first at arbites with above mentioned bff !
got three $5 vouchers from the previous visit so i thought i'd clear everything since its expiring.
end up later the staff said cannot combine use.. but its not stated in the terms and conditions :x

i previously tried the B for Breakfast during my last visit - a plate full of everything awesome.
this time i ate.. eggs benedict :D
sounds boring and predictable, but i'm really a gigantic fan of runny eggs.
the toasted brioche was so soft and crispy at the same time, omg i dont know how they do it.
the yuzu hollandaise sauce also added a nice sour twist to the usual flavour.
in short this is love. :B


awesome max eggs benedict, must try !

bimb had french toast, which i think is probably good for sharing.
the coffee and brandy taste was really fragrant but its kinda sweet for me.
prefer the sea salt caramel banana pancakes anytime !


french toast soaked in brandy and coffee, with gula melaka mascarpone dip.


girls will never resist a camwhoring opportunity. :D
especially when the lighting is damn awesome here!


ootd: summer fields skater dress in periwinkle from thetinselrack
accessories all from thailand; necklace, belt, bag and shoes. 
i'm fucking in love with bangkok right now


bimb's ootd!
its purely accidental, but doesnt she resemble a minion from despicable me? :D

28 Aliwal St #01-01
Singapore 199918

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supposed to meet wayne and sok at 5 pm outside Katong's Astons for dinner.
fyi we had brunch at around 1.30 pm, so we're not exactly bottomless pits. heh.
both of them were late, so we decided to walk around Katong I12.
we thought it'll be a perfectly safe day for us shopaholics; brunch, dinner and sing k only ma.
cause there's nothing much to shop inside I12 also..

then we added incorrigible to our shopaholic title by buying bracelets on a whim. HAHAHAH.
aiya, really, its wayne and sok's fault cause they were late. :B


red x navy weaved nautical bracelet for bimb,
infinity love bracelet for mine ! 
what la, 2 for $9 only leh. dont look at me liddat *guilty eyes*


teehee. failed shot using front camera.


semi-successful one 


thank you chongseng (who met us later) for the best shot ever! :D




om nom nom at udders.
had green tea and maple walnut.
and meet papa and baby earl grey ! LOL

missing levon and cliff to make up a full attendance for the clique. ):
its been quite hard to arrange a meet-up partially cause everyone is busy.
but mostly because no one is more steady than me and bimb to organise. ._.
some times i admit, i get very pissed cause its damn hard to plan and try accomodate to everyone.
and just some times, i wanna slap someone.

but i also admit that i really enjoy and appreciate the time i spend with these awesome people.
even if its only for a short while.
some times, something is better than nothing.

i refuse to accept that becoming an adult means i will lose the friends around me,
cause of life's hectic schedules and other problems.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Bangkok Travelogue

had a really awesome holiday with my family to Bangkok !
me and jh planned a five day free & easy trip there.
which i think was quite brave of us cause only jh has been there before. :D
we depended quite a lot on internet research, like reviews from bloggers and travel sites.
glad that everything turned out really fun!


my epic way of packing luggage. 5 sets including sleepwear. :D
*buy everything in bangkok !!*



flight ootd. :D


 byebye singapore ! i'll be back :D


thank you uncle jeme, dr. lee, 大姑姑, JJ, bowei and ahpok for sending us off !


went straight to the airport after work on sat. 
i seem to love doing this kinda thing :x
arrived at Suvarnabhumi international airport after 2 hours in the air .
took thai airways, omg they have awesome bread and dessert :B.

once you arrive at the airport, you can buy their prepaid card at the phone counter.
bought mine at 570 baht, for the unlimited data plan. 

took a cab to our hotel, Novotel Platinum.
just follow the signs for public taxi, located at level 1. 
approach the taxi counter and tell them where you want to go, v simple.
no worries about being scammed cause they will state the price and issue a ticket.
for us the taxi trip was 700 baht; we were in a larger cab which fit all five luggages :D


Novotel Platinum Bangkok, hotel lobby.

encountered some hiccups regarding check-in: 
we had informed them about our late check-in, but still got rooms on separate floors.
had to change rooms the next day and even then, one of the rooms got downgraded to single beds.
without a refund. >:/

but overall the hotel was really comfortable and quite new.
best of all was the strategic location.
other than being relatively near BTS stations, 
it is DIRECTLY ABOVE PLATINUM SHOPPING MALL.
which if you didnt know, is shopping heaven. :DD

had our first meal at Central World, Joom Zap Hut.
you can choose if you wanted steamboat or bbq style.
actually wanted to try another buffet place but there was a really long queue. :x
its okay though, cause we encountered a cute dino mascot !




sorry for being a geek, but i thot the condiment holders resembled test tubes ! so cute.
and i had my first taste of thai milk tea !
omg its the bomb, i had one cup everyday in thailand.
definitely a must try !


damn touristy shot but me and jx had to do it.
its not everyday that mr ronald macdonald says sawadee kap! :D


and then dad tried to imitate the elephant in the hotel lift lobby. hahaha!


woke up bright and early for Pratunam Morning Market ! 
like freaking 5 am kind of early. just for shopping LOLOL.

Pratunam Morning Market is located behind Amari Watergate hotel.
its across the road from the hotel and in the backalleys.
stalls start setting up at 5 am, and everything is in full swing by 6.
its best to go there at around 5.30 am, which we did on the second time.
first time we stood around eating breakfast from 7-11 cause everyone was still setting up. :x

the clothes there are super duper cheap, even cheaper than platinum.
and apparently this is where the malls get their stock from.
dont bother trying to bargain for cheaper prices cause its already wholesale.
the vendors at morning market wont bother with you.

one mistake i used to have about wholesale price was that you had to buy a lot.
but actually, at least two or sometimes three is enough to get you the wholesale price.
some shops dont allow mix and match though, so ask first.
and yeah, most of them understand basic english, so no worries. :D


my early morning booster before hitting the morning market.
mama cup noodles in creamy tom yam flavour !
omg brings back memories of cambodia, cause i had this quite often there. slurps.



buffet breakfast back at the hotel.
400 + baht per person, but guests are given vouchers so it was 300+ baht.
which is still 12 sgd per person ! :ooo
oh and kids below 12 y.o. dine free.


happy dad giving the verdict on the satisfying breakfast.


the beautiful view from the hotel room. 


first day ootd: mint romper which cost 150 baht. :D



getting prepped against the hot sun ! 
we were scheduled to visit the famous Erawan Shrine 四面佛, 
as per request from laopeh. :D


in thailand, monks get the priority seat :x

Erawan Shrine is right near Chitlom Station, if you're taking BTS.
for most of the trip we depended on our legs and the BTS, which is like MRT.
its really easy to travel, and easy to buy tickets too.
you just gotta know the stop you want, and have more spare change.
if you dont, just exchange with the control station (:


the prayer materials: four sets of flower wreaths, incense and candles.
starting from a clockwise direction from the entrance, you pray to each 'face'


 

graffiti on an abandoned building.
i actually love how the Bangkok landscape is a juxtaposition of the modern and the old. 

next stop, Chatuchak Market ! or also known as JJ market, open on weekends.
take the BTS to Mochit station and its a five minutes walk.




whats a glutton without her food?
matcha milk tea w grass jelly, thai milk tea ice cream, and popiah with plum sauce.


and this is the ultimate bomb! 
COCONUT ICE CREAM. must get the one in the coconut itself.
you can choose two types of toppings.
jh chose attap seeds and peanuts.
mine was sticky rice and attap seeds.
LOVE LOVE LOVE. 
its best in the warm weather :D


one of my favourite buys from this trip - rainbow flats !
so comfy too :D



MRT and the incredibly cool coin token. 
this coin is their version of ezlink card, you tap this to enter :D
dad insisted on being poster boy when he saw me taking the photo. hahaha.

wanted to visit the rod fai night market but we were unsure of the directions.
quite a lucky decision to skip it too, cause it started raining soon after we reached the MRT station.
oh fyi, BTS is above ground and MRT is below ground. (:


third day breakfast at KuppA, which we found via recommendation.
love the ambience.

the nearest BTS station is Asok station, + a 10 mins walk.



photo credits to jobimbo :D
an interesting thing: their eggs benedict was baked before serving.


love this combi salt and pepper shaker ! 
twist the salt cube to get the pepper, and turn over to dispense salt. :D 




lai, family photoshoot. 

Visited Terminal 21 ! its a new mall located right next to Asok Station.
the main attraction about this mall, is that every freaking floor has a country as a theme.
the toilets are themed, and even the toilet attendant's uniform.
so cute, and creative ! love how they paid attention to details.

didnt plan on shopping in this huge ass mall at all; it was purely for viewing.
the paiseh thing is that the three of us went to every single bloody toilet with cameras in hand.
HAHAH. #dontjudge #supertouristy



walkway covered by umbrella-jellyfish. :D


the security guard/pilot who gamely posed for a picture as requested. :D


second day ootd :D


carribean.

rome





japan ! :DD
took off like a crazy when i reached this floor :x


london

 


san francisco (city and pier)
no kidding, one of the toilets was 'the bakery' HAHAH. talk about literal !
oh, the san fran bridge even had mini cars on it.

Platinum Food Court for Lunch !
honestly saying, i could eat here everyday, no need fancy cafe.
because almost everything tastes awesome . and very cheap !


seafood tom yum, oyster omelette, and my rice w green curry.
no one else loved the green curry but me ): 


dessert !! mango sticky rice and durian sticky rice.
oh my god love this so much. 
the durian taste is quite strong, ideal for durian fans.
i love the mango more. okay make that most.
had it for the next three days, even before flying LOLOL.

at Sathorn Pier for free shuttle boat to Asiatique Riverfront
Asiatique is a relatively new attraction, it resembles a small town and used to be warehouses.

To get there, take the BTS to Saphan Taksin station.
Go out via exit 2, and walk towards the end of Sathorn Pier.
A shuttle boat will take you across Chao Praya River to Asiatique, every 15 min.
the service starts from 5pm to 11.30pm, and be prepared to queue for awhile.
my advice is to leave asiatique by 11 though, as the last BTS is around 12pm.



Chanced upon this eating place in warehouse 3, Rodniyom Somtam
again, everywhere was crowded but this time we discovered a gem.
cause everything we ordered was super yums.

 

photo credits to jh again.
clockwise: chicken fried rice, morning glory, tom yam goong, fried pork and green mango salad.
and one shrimp omelette we didnt take photo of cause too hungry.
ordered two plates of that cause its awesome ! must try ;D

oh and my dad damn cute, 
he kope the sprig from the salad and plopped it on the pork to make it look prettier. HAHAH.



juliet's love garden.
love locks adorn the fences, and you can even recreate the famous balcony scene, hahaha.
oh and rubbing the statue's right breast apparently grants fertility.. um okay. HAHAH.

decided to head back earlier cause everyone (except me, apparently) had tired and sore legs.
bwahahahah what i earn from walking home from work almost everyday. :D
and another lucky decision cause it started pouring like shit few minutes before we reached the pier.
high tide and lightning, omg jh and jx were terrified.
then there was a loud bang and we were stunned.. thinking it was really close thunder.
but it turned out to be fireworks. 
LOL.

another paiseh moment:
i led the way to the bts station, and we were supposed to go towards stadium direction. 
me and jx reached the platform first, and saw the train coming. 
told the rest to hurry and we dashed into the train. 
and after so much commotion..
my dad realised we were headed in the wrong direction. 
LOLOL WTF. 

DONT HAVE ANY PICTURES FROM FOURTH DAY. 
cause fourth day was heavy duty shopping LOLOL.
basically we resigned as tour guides and told dad that its his day to rest. :p
he tried following us around for awhile,
and said its the worst punishment ever. '比罚站还惨' HAHAH.

i do have food photos from dinner at platinum though !


awesomely awesome pad thai and pork ball noodles.
i only tried one bite of pad thai and next moment it was gone wtf.
as for the not outstanding looking noodles, omg you really should never judge the cover.
IT WAS SO GOOD.
suspiciously white pork balls which looked like fish balls turned out to be pork balls.
but its the noodles. thin thin kway teow 

and yes i did buy mango sticky rice again. :D


a last rainy night in Bangkok.
every night it rained while we were there,
which is sort of good cause at least its only at night. :D


AND THIS.
this is the result of jh's shopping spree.
fit onto a king size bed, squeezed into luggage and hand-carry.


and in case you were wondering, this is my luggage post-shopping.
two layers of sushi rolled clothes. #shopaholic :D

LAST DAY = chiong all the food.



the last of platinum mall food court.
sunny side-up quail eggs (didnt buy this), seafood pan, 
choco-banana crepe and takoyaki (skip this).
and my mango sticky rice which my camera is sick of and doesnt wanna snap it anymore.
my mouth gladly takes over the job. :D


and at the airport. LOLOLOL.
auntie anne's pretezel with cheese dip ! 
and jh's baked potato om nom nom.


gloomy skies before takeoff. 
jh was hoping for flight delay so she could do more shopping. ._.

INCREDIBLY LONG POST. for my incredibly awesome trip.
its our first trip overseas as a whole family for a long time.
we did have some disagreements along the way but i'm still glad everything turned out fine.
i guess its part of life, that we're still learning to adapt to each other, even though we're family.

and our planning was a success !
everyone was reasonably entertained :D
jh nearly tore my hair out during planning cause i kept falling asleep. HAHAHA.
she'd be asking me about attractions and i'm snoring on the table LOLOL.
so she deserves most credit for this trip.

and its also one of my milestones, cause i paid fully for the hotel and airplane expenses.
it gives me a sense of satisfaction,
knowing that i am able to let my parents go on a holiday without them worrying abt kaching. x)

cant wait to go bkk again next year !
*buy all the clothes back* LOLOL.

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