I turn 23 a few weeks ago and I must say, this year’s loot is the best by far! I am mighty pleased.

It is, however, strange to think of myself as someone who is approaching her mid-twenties. In my (deluded) mind, I remain forever 18. I think this denial is largely due to the fact that I am still a student and school is a time vacuum. I feel oddly detached from the realities of the outside world and it’s not a bad thing, really.

]]> http://fivefeet.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/twilight-zone/feed/ 4 Nana http://fivefeet.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/across-the-universe/ http://fivefeet.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/across-the-universe/#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2009 06:38:52 +0000 Nana http://fivefeet.wordpress.com/?p=605 ]]>

One of my favourite moments of the trip was the time I spent with myself – wandering the streets on my own, exploring the sites away from the crowd, sitting by the pool in the middle of the night. Moments like that, and it made me realize how much I undervalue time alone with myself. This picture was taken early in the morning from the balcony of our mountain top hotel in Tretes. I woke up early to catch the sunrise. It was the last day in Java before we headed to Bali and I wanted to savour every final moment. I took long drags of my cigarette(s) while I watched the sky changed colour, accompanied by the call for the morning prayers. There were many mosques within the vicinity of the hotel and each call was echoed by another and another and another, until it reached a point when that was the only sound to be heard. I am not a peaceful person. Murky, troubled waters abound. But at that point of time, peace was what I felt. Quiet, calming peace.

I’ve had time to think about myself and I think being away is the best time to do such a thing. I am not only physically away, but I am also emotionally and mentally absent from Singapore and everything and everyone within its border. Epiphanies, revelations and realizations. Some good, some bad, some shocking, some sad. I relished each and every one of them. I’ve always had questions and I suppose I will always have them. Niggling bits of doubt and uncertainty. While I do not have answers for now, or ever for that matter, I am happy enough with having options. I turn 23 this year and I am looking forward, albeit with a little trepidation, to what’s ahead for me. Plans may not work out but it will not be the end of the world for me because like I said, options. There are other routes to follow and hopefully the route I choose will take me to my ultimate goal of contentment.

People change, and I am no different. Today you’re someone’s partner, best friend, companion, child, sibling. Tomorrow, who knows?

Took me awhile to remember my password because I haven’t logged in for so long, even my browser forgot about it.

I have been getting daily asthma attacks since last Monday. Went to see the doctor today and he prescribed me 2 types of medication and casually mentioned that it will cause a bit of weight gain. Do I look like I need or want any extra kilos? I was very reluctant to pop the pills but considering the fact that it feels like a cow is sitting on my chest, I have no other choice.

Barbecued to death in a burning building because of failure to evacuate when the fire alarm goes off, due to the assumption that it is just another drill.

I began documenting details of my not-very-evenftul life at the age of 10, in a book with the words “Secret Diary” and “Do Not Read Without Permission” scrawled across the cover. Clearly my idea of trust back then was completely different than it is now, that I thought a written warning would suffice to keep nosey people out. Altogether I had about 5 written diaries, which became more non-descript looking as the volumes progressed, before I switched to an online diary on Blogger. Before Blogger, I had a short fling with Diaryland but Blogger evolved into a long-term relationship. I have shut down that blog but I have not closed the account, so occasionally I will log in to read my past entries. It is frankly quite shocking how open I was in revealing details of my life during the early days of blogging. My entries became increasingly cryptic as time goes by, and now this WordPress is a manifestation of my aversion to airing my laundry, dirty or not, online (I air my dirty laundry elsewhere though, hurhur. Hi to those who are privy to it!). Lately I am lazy to write something here, so now everything is in my head. I feel like I should write down everything and anything that happens, just in case I lose my memory one day. Actually more so because I am a sentimental fool and I have a bad habit of hoarding. We’ll see, maybe I’ll get back to updating regularly, even if it’s about the most mundane stuff. This space, is afterall mine.

If you are hungry, I would suggest that you do not continue reading the rest of this entry because it will be mostly pictures of food. Let’s begin with this baby.

1) Red velvet cake

According to Wiki, red velvet cake is most popular in the South of the United States and I have been wanting to taste one ever since I read about how after Lil’ Kim had a huge one for her birthday. The description of the cake already sounded good – chocolate cake that is given a distinct reddish-brown colour, layered and topped with cream cheese frosting. I love the colour red, I love chocolates and I love cream cheese, so this is a perfect combination. While I was busy doing research during my internship, I found a bakery nearby which sells it. So off I went with Lina during lunch to get a slice. The cake is moist and sufficiently chocolatey, while the cream cheese wasn’t cloying and I would say it even tempered the sweetness of the cake itself. In other words, I bloody love this and would return for more. Especially since it’s less than $4 a slice.

2) Summertime carrot cake

Ignore my off-focus macro and instead focus on this next baby, the summertime carrot cake from the same bakery. Personally, I prefer my carrot cake to be crispy, eggy and doused in sambal. This Western version, however, deserves a nod of recognition for being fragrant, multi-textured and very yummy. Again, less than $4 a slice. For a taste, go to :

Room For Dessert
Blk 261 Waterloo Street
#01-42

3) Filipino desserts

On the topic of desserts, I would like to introduce you to the wonders of Filipino dessert! Clockwise from the top left – leche flan, ube halaya, leche flan again, sponge cake with caramel and nuts and corn custard with crispy coconut shavings. I remembered Apol once told me she felt like making some leche flan, which is basically a Filipino version of crème caramel. I found a restaurant in Lucky Plaza selling it as well as other Filipino desserts, so I brought her as well as Boarie and Alfian along to try it out. GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES FOR LECHE FLAN AND VASELINE SHAMPOO. I love it! It’s denser than the usual crème caramel and it’s also a lot sweeter. In fact, all of the desserts above contain a large amount of condensed milk. The ube halaya is made of mashed yam and condensed milk. I love it because of the funky colour and the gritty texture, and who would have though that yam and condensed milk would go together eh? The sponge cake is light and fluffy whereas the accompanying caramel and nuts frosting is sooo bloody good. No prizes for guessing the important ingredient! The corn pudding is probably the least sweetest of all but still good, especially with the crunchy coconut bits. And you know what is the best part? THEY COST $2 EACH!! There are also other desserts there on sale, which I will try in my next visit. If you are curious and would like to try, go to

Kabayan Filipino Restaurant
304 Orchard Road
#03-25 Lucky Plaza

4) Halal xiao long baos

I am telling you my internship was well spent because again, this gem was another one of my finds. Xiao long baos are traditionally made with a pork meat filling. In fact, most of the dim sum items in Singapore are made of pork. After tasting awesome Halal ones in Hong Kong, I have been searching for Halal dim sum here. These xiao long baos uses chicken as a substitute and accompanying the meat inside the little parcels is a flavourful broth. My only gripe would be that the baos are small and kinda expensive for the size. And if you take too long to eat it, the top part of the baos gets a bit stiff and chewy. But considering that finding Halal xiao long baos here is akin to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack, this will suffice. Boarie also found a Halal dim sum teahouse in the East, you may want to check out her blog for it.

5) Beef noodles

Besides the xiao long baos, I also tried the beef noodles there. I warn you, the soup’s taste and smell is very very very beefy. But I have no problems with it because beef is my favourite meat. This version is light and not as herby as compared to the Thai version (which I love also). It’s a nice change if you want a change of style. I still maintain that the best beef noodles ever is from the now gone beef noodles stall in the Le Meridien Hotel foodcourt. Where are you tranny aunty?!? Anyway, for the xiao long baos and beef noodles, go to

Ah Mei Cafe
210 Middle Road
#01-02 IOI Plaza

6) Halal bak kut teh

Bak kut teh is a Chinese soup made of pork ribs and a bunch of herbs and spices. I’ve heard about it many times from my non-Muslim friends, who swears by the soup for sobering purposes, especially after a night of partying. So when I found a place selling the Halal version, of course I had to try it! This version uses beef (yay for me!) and I love it because the meat was tender (none stuck to my teeth), the soup was rich in flavours and it kicked ass when eaten with the accompanying sambal belachan! Again, the price is a winner at $4.50 per claypot, inclusive of a plate of rice. Go to Habib at Bukit Gombak RIGHT NOW.

Habib Family Restaurant
Blk 374 Bukit Batok Street 31
#01-194

7) Halal bibimbap

I mentioned before in an earlier entry about my new found interest in bibimbap, after trying it in Hong Kong. Hard to find Halal Korean restaurant here so I tried to forget about the dish. And then, I was told that there is one right at my doorstep in Causeway Point! THANK YOU, BANQUET! Now whenever I patronize Banquet, I will only buy from the Korean stall because I can easily get chicken rice, yong tau foo, carrot cake and laksa elsewhere. But finding bibimbap is gold. This dish is extremely filling because the bowl is deep and the rice almost hits the 3/4 level. The combination of the sauce, the meat (beef! but got chicken also lah) and the crunchy vegetables = VERY SEDAP OK?

Suddenly I cannot recall the name of the stall but I am pretty sure it’s called Han River. It’s right beside the carrot cake stall.

Banquet at Causeway Point, Level 7

Thin crust pizza

Ok last food pic, I promise. The above pizza you see is a thin crust pizza, smothered with a tangy tomato base and piled with generous amount of ground beef and mozarella cheese. SO GOOD, TRUST ME. It’s big enough for 2 (or 3 if you all eat like birds) and it will only burn a $6 hole in your pocket! Ridiculous price but excellent taste! I shall psycho the Paki to bring me this weekend.

Serai Makan Place

Opposite Joo Chiat Complex, where the old cinema used to be.

So are you hungry now? Because I sure am!

]]> http://fivefeet.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/hunger-management/feed/ 4 Nana redvelvet carrot cake pinoydessert xlb beefn bkt1 p1070662 897 http://fivefeet.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/busy/ http://fivefeet.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/busy/#comments Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:40:43 +0000 Nana http://fivefeet.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/busy/ ]]>

Nadia’s 22nd Birthday

It is very hard for forget Nadia’s birthday because it’s on the 1st of January. Because she was unable to come down to the chalet, the Misfits met up for a belated birthday celebration – potluck picnic at the Botanics!. Sidetrack a bit but can you believe it, the 6 of us met when we were all 16 going on 17! We are damn old.

All hail Queen Boarie.

You know why Nadia is wearing socks? Because she has sweaty feet (and palms but we didn’t have any gloves lying around) ! If she doesn’t wear socks, she will slip and fall, and not win as a result. So she decided that looking like a Japanese tourist is worth it.

Hope you will enjoy shopping at Guess!

(PS: We missed you, Bulu!)

New Year’s Eve Celebration

Me and Boarie’s first attempt at planning a proper BBQ gathering! Points to note for subsequent sleepovers : better planning for the morning after, especially provision of hot drinks! Other than that, everything went smoothly and it was a nice ending to 2008. Many thanks to those who turned up and made it happen.

Spontaneous midnight singing of Auld Lang Syne with people in the other chalets.

You see the guy in blue and the girl in front of him. Don’t be deceived by their liveliness. They woke up in time for the countdown and after that was over, they went back to sleep hahaha!

Pièce de résistance : Kebabs!! I love beef so this is my favourite dish. Credits to Chef Boarie for preparing the food!

Kota Tinggi roadtrip plus impromptu Tanjung Balau stopover.

After lunch, it was decided that we were all heading to Tanjung Balau because it was too early to go home. Was looking for the ice-cream man and the keropok lekor makcik, but both weren’t there. Lucky we went to Tanjung Balau instead of the original plan of heading to Fraser’s Hill. According to Ghaf, the Hill is in Johor but later on, I found out that it’s all the way in Pahang hahaha!

Anyway, this is my second time to Kota Tinggi and it will be the last! I am not going to pay RM11 for 11 cents toilet/shower facilities. The first trip, the entrance fee was much lower and while the toilets were already crappy then, it was expected considering the amount we paid. Now that the fee has been jacked up, I think it’s fair that I do not settle for a toilet bowl that FLUSHES UPWARDS, as well as the general grime, slime and stench there. Such a pity actually because the waterfall is nice. Employ me, Tourism Board of Malaysia!

Been busy being an intern for a stat board, very busy indeed. No McSteamy type of person though. No McDreamy either. Hell, there’s not even a George type of person here. But there are two other interns from school and luckily I know one of them. Lina and I get to share the same workspace and by workspace, I mean a tiny 2mx2m cubicle. The only consolation is that it is by the window and the view is great, especially when lunch kicks in and you need to stone for awhile. This is Lina and her laptop. There is only one computer so Lina brings her own laptop because it’s smaller and lighter. I brought mine once and I have concluded that a heavy bag and rush hour crowd in the MRT just don’t go together.

These are some cheap desserts which we had some time last week. Clockwise from the top – steamed eggs with chocolate cookie!, mango sago!!! and Japanese sweet potato soup, which is the only black mark so far because the soup is ginger soup. THAT IS JUST GROSS CAN? But that white ball thingy is good stuff, thank god. It is not a fishball but it’s a tang yuan! Also known as glutinous rice ball. Loves it, especially the peanut filled ones. We’ve been exploring the area for alternative lunch venues. There is only so much Tong Seng one can eat in a week.

Never wait 6 years to go to the dentist because the moment you do, opening your mouth is akin to opening pandora’s box. I came to assess my wisdom tooth because it has erupted and is misaligned outwards, so it’s poking my nerves and my cheek. Instead I was told that I might have to get a small filling done for one tooth and that I had a bit of a gum infection caused by a second wisdom tooth, which I didn’t even know existed! So now I have to book an appointment to get both of the stupid teeth out and I should be getting it done at TTSH. The surgery will probably extract a big chunk of money as well, but I think I can use my Medisave so that should be ok. But honestly I don’t care about the cost or the surgery itself, I care about the pre-extraction injection!!! I hate hate hate hate hate injections, almost as much as I hate snails.  The last time I was at TTSH was for a minor surgery as well, to remove a 3-in-1 sty on my eye. I probably screamed loud enough to wake up the dead in the mortuary.

I think I shall request for some laughing gas this time.