Good Bye 2014, Hello 2015!

2014 marks my least active year in blogging...much more focus had been put into my photography & there's so much I had shot this year, that i couldn't catch up fast enough with typing out the events. (oops, a reason for being lazy?) Nevertheless, let me summarise some highlights. 

At the beginning of the year, I printed my mini portfolio for a photographer job interview and got a glimpse into a day of their work at HCI, helping with photo-shoot of the students & staff.  I also shot for my extended family during CNY, which was a first.

In Apr, I had the opportunity to showcase two of my artworks at the 9th Ngee Ann Photographic Exhibition. Denise attended the event & surprised me with a bouquet of flowers! *sweet*

In Aug, I got another sweet surprise from the organisers ~ CapitaLand-National Geographic that my photo shoot at Bugis Junction Fountain was shortlisted for exhibition at ION. I felt honored & cherish this opportunity. Also inspired by NatGeo photographer's seminar about his work. Due to this, I got to visit ION Sky & got a brilliant bird eye's view of Orchard Road!

Having no lucky draw luck, I actually won two lucky draws in contests. One was by VivoCity and the other by Omy.sg. Of course, i was elated to have won myself the 'Stand by Me Doraemon' limited edition movie premiums just before Christmas bells rang! Oh yeah, I got to visit the 'Doraemon 100 Gadgets Expo' at JB, City Square finally! After a couple years of waiting, finally got to see my fav cartoon character! 

Lastly, I fulfilled my dream to experience Autumn in Japan. I will blog about it in details soon as I just rushed out my photos today! 1,500 photos on my dslr & another 400 mobile shots! Woohoo! That's aplenty! Most importantly, I had challenged myself to this 14 days adventure with just me & myself... However, I met many nice folks along the way thou' we were strangers. But amazingly, we connected at one point in time & walked part of the journey together. As it said, It's not the destination but the journey that matters, isn't it? 

Despite all the ups & downs, I hope to throw away all the bad & remember all the GOOD! For those who dun cherish me, sorry...I will start thinking more for myself & continue to listen to my inner gut feel. I hope to retain some of my 2014's Good Luck & bring over to 2015. I certainly need it! To round off, I wish for World Peace (sound cliche, but at this juncture, i think is crucial) I also wish for Good Health, a good job & wonderful relationships with people who love & cherish me. 

My Sherlock Holmes Experience @ The Escape Hunt!

There's a fast growing market for Escape room games here for the past year. The innovative Japanese had developed this real life computer inspired games since years ago & this trend has now 'blow' to Sg... 

At the invitation of my blogger friend ~ CK (http://ckchai.blogspot.com), I got my first chance to experience playing escape game at this 3 month old venue ~ The Escape Hunt, located at Concorde Hotel, Level 2. 

Upon entering the main entrance, I felt like being transported into an English cafe as there were nice chandeliers and warm ambience lighting with cozy sofas! We were served water while waiting for the rest of the players to gather... Before the game commence, we were brief on the rules of the game. Basically, we have 60 minutes to solve the puzzles in the room & for each hint that we request help for, 1 minute will be added to our total time. No bags and hp are allow as our belongings are safe-keep by the staff...

With much excitement, CK, me & 4 others formed a team and stepped into the dim room... In order not to give-away the game for those who have not tried, personally I felt that this is fun for those who enjoy being Sherlock Holmes and like mystery stories....The room that we got was the Most Difficult (only found out after play finish, haha!). Our team was stuck in the first part for quite some time... the puzzles were really tough & you gotto think out of the box and at times even require mathematical skills! Geez! My Maths is really bad & thankfully, we got 2 guys in our team to solve those. 

What surprise us, was the room in a room (or more) setup, which is totally concealed at first glance... Every piece of furniture has a possibility of linking you to a clue (some may be smoke bomb thou'). We nearly couldn't break out & with racing hearts, we found the key to escape at the 11th Hour! Wah! That's a Feat, isn't it?! As we got utilise 1 hint, we clocked 61 minutes...

The staff helped us to dress up in their tailored made costumes for some photos and there were a number of interesting props (such as spectacles, magnifying glass, guns etc) to go with as well! After shooting, we could even relax on the sofa for some premium TWG tea & cookie to exchange photos & chit chat.... It's a fun experience after all! 

Birthday High Tea @ d' Good Cafe

d' Good Cafe has sit on my To-Try Cafes List for quite some time & I had planned to visit here on my bday... My new fren ~ June decided to join me on this cafe hunt as well. 

After watching Spiderman, we boarded the MRT from Harbourfront to Holland Village. The location of this cafe is easy to spot as it is just a stone throw away from the station's exit. As we pushed thru' the front door, we saw a sign to take the elevator... the elevator looks really unique, like those used to transport food inside a restaurant. We stood for a few minutes waiting for this unique elevator, upon stepping in... we were stumped on how to get it to move!? There's no normal lift's buttons...then we figured out, had to press & hold this big button! haha! 

We stepped out at level 2 & smelled the aroma of coffee brewing in the kitchen... It's late afternoon and the cafe was pretty much filled with both working adults and students. I'm glad that the two special Swings seats were available! After securing our seats, we went to check out the menu at the counter. The cafe's ambience is vibrant & lively as i could see the youngsters working away busily... I read reviews that the their signature cake is its Maple Sea Salt Cheesecake, it's not cheap thou costing around $9 (but quite a big slice to share). My fren ordered a Signature Chocolate, while i got myself a Power Berries smoothie (cos no more mango flavour). 

I find the drinks are rather mediocre as they are not sweet enough & the hot choc is dilute. I only like its Latte Art, which really depends on luck which cute design you get. Perhaps their coffee is still the ultimate choices... The Maple Sea Salt Cheesecake is pretty good, thou I was feeling hungry... i must admit the slice is big & filling! Well, we had much fun taking pics of our high tea & selfies... I really love the swing idea. Only downside is the window view (nothing much)... u gotta add a dose of your own imagination to make everything perfect! 

After finishing our high tea, we went up to explore level 3 (The Attic)...it's a different theme & one corner is filled with toys for kids! Upon stepping out to The Balcony area, it's a good chill out spot at night & i guess it would be lovely when night falls... Overall, the design & concept of this cafe is great, suitable for hanging out with friends or couples looking for a unique coffee place.

Pre-Bday Celebration @ TCC ION

Being a TCC's member, I rarely use my member's privileges. I remembered I was at this ION outlet last year with Qy to utlise the bday voucher... so fast, one year had past! 

Met up with Wei ~ my buddy for afternoon tea... After both of us had completed our respective errands, the timing was just right! I already felt like this would probably be the last time I'm seeing her before she leave for a two year trip! 

After getting two cozy seats at TCC, I went to check out the desserts counter. A Kuro Goma (Black Sesame) Cheesecake caught my attention. This is probably new on their menu, so i decided to try. While Wei decided to order some fried side dishes, which had Prawns on toast & Mushroom Rolls. 

 

For the first time, i had a lit candle on my cheesecake in a cafe (due to Wei's insistence that I should have one!) I felt abit pai sei...haha! But at the same time, I'm also touched by her gesture & sweet tots... 

Frankly, this is my first time trying these side dishes at TCC as well, which turned out to be yummy! The Kuro Goma Cheesecake was too jelat as i tried my best to finish up at a very slow speed... Well, never try never know right? 

We had a splendid catch-up after such a long while & I will really miss my fren as I could not see her for two years! But i know that distance is never an issue for us, since our minds would be together... 

【樂天皇朝】 Paradise Dynasty @ Vivo City

I love to eat Xiao Long Bao & ever since the opening of Paradise Dynasty at Vivo City, I would wonder if their Xiao Long Bao are nice (whenever I walk pass). 

Usually, I would opt for Cantonese dim sum when dine with my family. Well, for once let's have a change & opt for Shanghainese dim sum. Without prior reservation, we got a table quite fast. This is our first try, so we just go by gut feel when order the dishes. We ordered 家常豆腐，蛋炒飯，牛腩面，狗不理肉飽子, 上海炒年糕， 炸魚和 8 种口味的小龍包。

 

The highly anticipated 8 Flavours Xiao Long Bao didn't have unique taste, thou every piece should be of a unique flavour, encompassing: Foie Gras, Black Truffle , Garlic, Crab, Cheese, Ginseng & Sichuan + Original.  

Surprisingly, my favourite dish turned out to be the Home-made tofu (家常豆腐), followed by the Egg Fried Rice (蛋炒飯) & Beef La Mian (牛腩面).  We had over ordered as we thought that each serving is quite small... in the end we tabao the balance of two dishes home. I doubt we would return again, maybe if with frens I would still pick the La Mian or Fried Rice dishes.

Ramen Keisuke Tonkatsu King & Cake Spade

Every year, my buddy ~ Denise would always be one of the first to date me in my birthday month. We share very similar taste for food, hence it's easy to decide on places. Usually, we would go Ma Maison, but this year I decided we should try something different. 

I decided to head to Orchid Hotel at Tanjong Pagar, as we could try the popular Ramen Keisuke Tonkatsu King & adjoin next door for desserts at Cake Spade! What a brilliant idea right?! keke! 

Upon arriving at Ramen Keisuke, there was already a queue outside the tiny eatery... while Denise joined the Q first, i went over to check out Cake Spade. Well, the food outlets here really have limited sitting capacity & it's a friday evening.... Cake Spade had been on my To-Eat list for some time & after hearing from a fren that the Strawberry Tofu Cheesecake is a Must Try here... i told Denise about it.  I saw only 3 slices of the Strawberry Tofu Cheesecake laying there & I quickly asked the server if they still have? Being kiasu, I made a reservation for 2 slices (juz in case)! 

I hopped back to Ramen Keisuke & marked our order on the order form & once we got our seats, the ramen were served piping hot the next minute! I picked the regular ramen with everything except onion (u can pick which garnishing u dun want). While Denise opted for the Shoyu ramen.  On the table, there's also a free flow of spicy beansprouts and boiled eggs. Surprisingly, i quite like the beansprouts!  I must say our ramen serving is huge & so were the slices of char shu! (it's quite difficult to manage the big slices thou) 

We conquered the ramen in about 20 mins or so & being very full, we took a leisure walk around 100AM Mall to digest our dinner... At 8pm, we went to Cake Spade & noticed that the tiny cafe with only a few tables were packed... After hanging around awhile, we finally got to sit Al Fresco... We ordered a bottle of Blueberry White Tea to share & two slices of the Strawberry Tofu Cheesecake. Hmm... The cakes look really mouth-watering while snapping away. When i dig into the first bite, i immediately give it a perfect score! Both of us love anything strawberry & I like that the toppings had really big strawberries wrapped in a jelly, but not too sweet... the cake texture is really smooth & light supported by a thin biscuit crust. Hence, I do not feel 'jelat' eating the whole big slice by myself! It's 5.90 each! The Blueberry White Tea is also fragrant & comes with light fruity taste, we do like the design of the bottle too! 

In a nutshell, both of us enjoyed our meal & chit chat session... I really would love to return to Cake Spade soon to try the Peach Tofu Cheesecake!  

羅志祥2014【舞極限之舞魂再現】Dance Soul Returns

等了一年又兩個月，終于可以再見到羅志祥（小豬）了！從購票那天起，就開始倒數。。。2014年5月3日，【舞極限之舞魂再現】安哥場回到了新加坡室内體育館。我與朋友一同去欣賞這次的演出。我們很慶幸買到那個價位的最前排噢，可以沒有阻擋的觀賞。

8 點 20 時分，演唱會引爆了！亞洲舞王當然是以富有節奏感的舞曲開場！小豬與他16位舞蹈員都很盡力的表演。整個舞臺設計也是一種視覺享受，不同的燈光設計來承托不同歌曲的感覺。中場，還播出一段小豬錄製的搞笑短片，來教導大家如何欣賞演唱會！他可真有梗咯！敬業的他還稱是在發高燒時錄這短片的，新加坡的歌迷是第一個看到的呢！

到了‘無插電’那段，大熒幕顯示這些年由小豬自己創作的歌曲，而他也唱了一小段。最令全場感動的就是當他唱《如果還有如果》的時刻。同時，大熒幕播出他的父母親的相片，還有他們的家庭照。他用了很多感情和對父親的思念來唱完這首自創曲。

接著，他也介紹一位來之英國，坐輪椅的頭號粉絲，竟然是位老奶奶！小豬還特意安排羅媽和這位老奶奶一起坐前排，怕她一個人在後面看不到。全場的觀衆都為她鼓掌！

大約十點，就開始安哥了！好快喔！安哥這段又是舞曲，怎麽我覺得慢歌還是少了點呀！我還是比較忠於他那些傷感的慢歌吧！很快的，兩個小時的演唱會結束了。。。

生日月，有小豬同行，果然是5月份的美好開始喲！有笑又有淚，真是意猶未盡的Good Show! (’-’*)♪

My 1st Photography Exhibition 。。。

從前從前有個笨小孩，她讀書沒有很厲害、運動項目也不行。她長大后竟然選了一個永遠都不會畢業的科目～攝影！原來在很小的時候就種下的種子漸漸地萌芽了！只是以前是用傻瓜相機，一直到幾年前才使用單眼。也不懂為什麽，拿起重重的相機，她還是拍得很起勁。。。她有個夢想，就是希望得到專業評審的認同，看到自己的作品展出。今天，她的夢想終于實現了！

Remember on 31st Dec 2013, I wrote on my Timeline (caption for my 2013 Best Photos Collage), I hope that my photos will get the recognition from the Pro judges one day. Finally, this is a dream come true! Two of my artworks are currently on exhibition at the 9th Ngee Ann Photographic Exhibition.  

I would like to thank my family & frens who have shown support all these years. 

All in, there are over 200 pieces of artwork from photographers across Sg.  Do drop by to support! Thank you. 

9th Ngee Ann Photographic Exhibition

Ngee Ann Cultural Centre

97 Tank Road, Teochew Building

Exhibition Period: 10th to 23rd April 2014

Time: 11am to 7pm daily

Free Admission

A Moment of Reflection for 2013...

If I would to use one word to describe my 2013, I would say it's 'Adventurous'! The first quarter & last quarter especially, I had accumulated new experiences. I made the most right choice to go on my 1st Solo backpacking trip to Japan in Spring. The timing were simply perfect as I got cheap air ticket on a direct flight; I was able to get all my budget stays thou I only had a month to plan. Best of all, the timing I chose to fly coincide with the early arrival of cherry blossom aka Sakura! YES! This is exactly what I had visualised for years & a very much postponed trip since 2008.

 

In a way, I had pose a challenge to survive in a totally unfamiliar place with a language I'm not familiar with as well. Non-verbal communication is the key part in allowing me to interact with the locals. Combining my passion for travel & photography, I came home with a number of shots that I love ~ satisfied ^o^  Plus all the oishii food that I had while there! It feels so good to check off my Place to Go. My dream for 2014 will be Italy! I'm going to step into Europe ~ hopefully! *grins*

 

In the last quarter of 2014, I landed an assignment with a HK Dot.com Co. It's small in scale vs all those big MNCs I had worked for. I guess it's the culture & young energetic people who make the difference. A lot of transparency & virtually no hierarchy to speak of. It's so funny that my team-mate shares the same zodiac & horoscope as me! But we are still poles apart in terms of personality. Oh yeah, the perks of this job has gotten me some calories as we got log cakes for the festive season & even pineapple tarts way ahead of CNY! Sharing a common passion for Food, the office peeps are a bunch of food connoisseur! I couldn't help but to wonder, do these ppl really work for passion only?!

 

Anyway, I'm really surprised when I saw the weighing scale showed I had put on 2kg! Woohoo! I'm happy if it remained like this as I think I ought to have abit more fats to keep myself warm & look healthier! Hmm, seems like all the festive eating helps LoL

 

Looking ahead for 2014, I definitely need to get my 70D & to get use to the additional weight & usage. I would want to have more freelance photography jobs to strengthen my portfolio & to launch my portfolio website. I also would want to land a good career with prospects & opportunity for growth. Lastly, I will wish for good health & have a smooth sailing 2014! Cheers ~ Dreamer

FoodPrints @ The Little Prince Cafe & Arnor Crepes

It had been nearly a year I guess that we hanged out together, thou me & Jeannie are neighbours for so long! We decided to do a Food Trail this evening! As I had marked this Little Prince Café as my To-Eat place for awhile, I decided we should go check it out!

 

However, it started to rain before we got out & we proceeded with our umbrellas. We boarded the MRT to Farrer Park & after checking the map, we walked down the streets to look for 62 Somme Road. This is really my 1st foray into this area. Finally after 10 mins, we caught sight of the not so prominent café.

 

 

There were 4 other guests in the café & after we settled down & decided on our pastry & drinks, the others left the café. Hence, the whole café seems to belong to us! Thou theme cafes are very common overseas, especially like Japan & Taiwan, the growth in Sg is much slower. I was surprised that the Little Prince Café turned out to be smaller than I thought, thanks to the brilliant optical illusion drawing of the staircase! The whole place is hand-painted by the café's owner & we were impressed! Her love for Little Prince can be felt here ~~

 

~My Design~

Passion Fruit Cake

Strawberry Marshmallow Cake

 

The Japanese Version is a POP-UP book!

 

We didn't opt for their signature strawberry roll as we find that it's rather small. Jeannie chose the Passion Fruit cake, while I had the Strawberry Marshmallow Cake. For drinks, we ordered the Cappuccino & Ice Rambutan Tea. Both of us enjoy eating the cakes, thou I do not like Passion Fruit, I sampled a mouth of my friend's order ~ the Passion Fruit flavour is very strong! Accordingly to Jeannie, the Cappuccino tastes good too! We were told that just before we arrived, the café was packed. So being late turned out to be a blessing...haha!

 

After we had enough of photo shoot at The Little Prince, we strolled down the streets for some Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle. For $4 a plate, it was decent size & taste, thou I wished the prawns were bigger! It was still raining as we walked back to City Square Mall.

 

 

If not for this food trail, I would not have thought of visiting this area! It turned out that City Square Mall was having some snow foam party exactly at the time we reached! It's just a 10 or 15min 'show'. It's a beautiful sight as I took pics & our selfies! We did some shopping & then I remembered that I need to go to basement to locate a newly open Arnor Crepes.

 

Arnor Crepes (阿諾可麗餅) is a franchise from Taipei's Shida Night Market (師大夜市). I'm really excited that finally there's an outlet here cos I had first tried it last year during my Taipei trip. We ordered a Fruit Paradise Crepe, which consists of peaches, kiwi & banana + a scoop of premium ice-cream (Macadamia Nut) at the boss' recommendation. Due to their soft launch, they also randomly give-away quarter size Belgian Waffle to customers. We got the Belgian Waffle with Lava Brownie ice-cream.

 

 

 

The crepe tasted exactly like what I had in Taipei & mind you, the serving is big! Both of us shared it. The waffle remains crispy even after some time on the table, I can count it as the Best Waffle in SG now! Jeannie & I really enjoyed our food trail this evening & we were really bursting at our tummies! We ended our awesome evening with a couple of selfies at the playground before heading home. How I wish every weekend is so Fun!