The Fault in Our Stars - Movie

I blogged previously about the book here. I am not much into romantic stories usually and I am even less willing to spend $8.50 to watch a romance film. Romantic comedies and chick flicks fall into an entirely separate category because they make me laugh and I am willing to spend money on anything that makes me laugh. However, when The Fault in Our Stars was released in the cinema, I find myself asking my girlfriends whether they would like to catch the show with me. My boyfriend bravely volunteered his company but I know that he would a) fall asleep beside me while I cried; or b) laughed at me while I cried. Neither sounds enticing so I politely declined. 

I watched the movie with Stef and it was a great adaptation of the book. As I expected, I cried from the Amsterdam scene all the way till the end. Talk about being a crybaby. We talked about infinity after that and discussed Zeno's theories. Philosophy and mathematics just do not go well together. 

But something else hit me after the movie. Why is it that every love story which captures our attention involves some degree of tragedy or pain? Why do we all secretly crave for drama? We would probably never pick up a book or watch a movie that talks about a happily married couple having kids, working hard to send their kids to college, retiring together and spending their last few years in each other's wonderful company. Instead, we enjoy stories of crazy escapades, sad tragedies, ridiculous drama even though deep down inside we all crave a simple story for our own lives. 

Or perhaps we are bored. We are bored of the usual mundane routine and such drama provides a temporary outlet of release. A glimpse into an exciting life that is different from ours. We do not want such a lifestyle but we find it interesting nonetheless. 

Bacon and Booze, Punggol

The boyfriend and I were searching for interesting places to keep ourselves entertained in Singapore. We love each other's company tremendously but we were quickly running out of activities to do in Singapore. The best friend forwarded this link to me and the boyfriend decided one Saturday that we were going to check out some of these awesome places.

Our first stop was Bacon and Booze. It took awhile to get there and it was a truly deserted place. The road leading to Bacon and Booze was long and winding, lined with tall trees on both sides, and no other cars in the vicinity. It was exceedingly calm and peaceful.

We parked at the small car park nearby and walked over to Bacon and Booze. It was located in front of the Punggol Stables and you could see the small carriage-shaped chalets at the back. 

The food menu was simple, with all day breakfast, mains, and meat. The selection of beers was good too!

Bacon and Booze was casual, laid back, and unpretentious. The place was not air-conditioned and the windows at the side were wide open to allow a light warm breeze in. I like the fact that it was not crowded, so we could sit there for a while, admiring the countryside-feel and having a nice lazy chat over lunch. I have to admit though that I would have enjoyed our lunch much better if there was air conditioning. The mid day sun in May is truly no joke. 

We ordered the Chicken Cutlet and B&B Delight to share. The Chicken Cutlet was slightly overcooked and the chicken was quite dry and not juicy. The B&B Delight was all right, nothing too spectacular, and simply tasted ordinary.

I liked the vibe in Bacon and Booze, the fact that it was so far away from everything else, and how the place felt like a hidden gem. But the food was not particularly exciting and even the stroll around Punggol Stables would not entice me to return unless Bacon and Booze serve better food.

900 Punggol Road End

Tue - Fri: 3pm to 1 am
Sat, Sun, PH: 9 am to 1 am
Closed on Mon
64895679

Mandarava Resort and Spa, Karon Beach, Phuket

The boyfriend and I decided to take leave over the Labour Day public holiday for a short getaway. It has been almost half a year since we last traveled together and this Phuket trip was a much needed break. We chose Phuket because we wanted a short trip to a beach destination and we thought Phuket would be a good choice.

The next tricky bit was to choose where we would like to stay. Patong Beach was definitely the center of all activities with a crazy nightlife, but we did not want to be too close to the action. In particular, we wanted a resort which was calm and peaceful, so that we could have some satisfactory sleep.

After much research, we decided that we wanted to stay along Karon Beach. It was about ten minutes to Patong Beach so all the activities were easily accessible. The next step was to choose a resort and we settled for Mandarava Resort because reviews on Tripadvisor were good. We took the metered taxi from the Phuket Airport to the Mandarava Resort and the hour long trip cost us 920 baht. 

Mandarava Resort was located on a hill and the climb up the hill was draining under the scorching Phuket sun. The walk from the main stretch of shops along Karon Beach to Mandarava Resort took ten minutes and we were sweating buckets each time we made the climb. This is perhaps the reason why the resort provided a free shuttle service to Karon Beach at various timings. If you are staying at Mandarava Resort, be sure to catch the free shuttle service to Karon Beach and back to avoid the long arduous walk.

Check-in was not smooth and we only managed to get our room at 3 pm even though the front desk promised us repeatedly that our room would be ready by 2 pm. The resort was tiered with some rooms located at a lower region, while others were perched at the top of the hill. Our room 2105 was located at the higher region so we were immensely grateful for the shuttle that took us from the lobby up to our room. 

The room was large and airy, with a balcony which overlooked the Mango Pool. We settled in, took a shower to rid ourselves of the sweat which had accumulated in the Phuket heat, and headed to the Mango Pool.

Happy hour at the Mango Pool was fantastic. There was a 50% discount so cocktails were 120 baht instead of the usual 240 baht. Swimming in the pool, drinking cheap cocktails and beer, and watching the setting sun was a lovely moment. 

As it was honestly really tiring to climb up the hill to the resort with the hot sun beating down on us, we made it a point not to leave the resort once we returned. This meant that we had to settle two dinners in the resort. Thankfully, the Chomtalay Restaurant in the resort served reasonably priced food which was really quite delicious. The view from the Chomtalay Restaurant at night was also breath-taking and so romantic.

We ordered a la carte items on our first night. I had a phad thai while he had a spaghetti. Both were quite delicious. On our last night in Phuket, we went for the couple set dinner which cost us 1100 baht. Not the cheapest definitely, but worth every baht. The appetizer with salad and satay was so yummy. I also really liked the stir-fried dishes and the coconut soup which was surprisingly savory. 

Breakfast was also in the Chomtalay Restaurant. A beautiful morning with the sea in the distance and the lush greenery on the slopes.

The selection for breakfast was good. There were the usual sausages, bread, pancakes, baked beans, cold cuts, and fruits. There was also an egg and bacon station, and a noodle station. I was particularly fond of the streaky bacon and hot noodle soup. 

I love the sunset happy hours in the Mango Pool, the delicious food served in Chomtalay Restaurant, and the beautiful view from the Mandarava Resort. However, the long climb to the Mandarava Resort from Karon Beach and the lacking front desk service are both sticking points. 

Read about Patong Beach here and about Karon Beach here.

Wheeler's Yard, Balestier

My boyfriend gave me a pleasant little surprise when he appeared one Sunday afternoon and asked me out for coffee. We thought hard about a nice suitable place for coffee and eventually decided on Wheeler's Yard which was near my place.

The Wheeler's Yard is a workshop with a variety of bikes and a cafe tucked in a corner of the huge garage. The cafe was in an air-conditioned area while the seating area outside was situated beside a giant bicycle rack. 

Colourful helmets decorated the walls inside the air-conditioned cafe while a row of bicycles stood atop the large table in the middle. There were small little tables and sofas lining the walls and we settled comfortably into one. Many couples and young families were spending their Sunday at Wheeler's Yard too and people were having snacks, coffee, and fries.

We placed our order at the cashier and were handed a buzzer. We each had a mocha and shared a brownie.

The mocha was thick, smooth, and very fragrant. The brownie was a little too dry though. I would much prefer a moist slab of brownie.

I liked the vibe of Wheeler's Yard on a warm Sunday afternoon. It felt incredibly good to kick back and relax over a cup of coffee after a tiring week. It calmed my frantic mind, forced me to slow down my harried pace, and allowed me time to clear my thoughts. Just sitting there in the comfy little cafe with the boyfriend, talking every now and then, sipping our mocha, slicing our brownie... 

Would I return? I would definitely return to try the brunch and mains, especially that plate of fries that I spied on every other table. It helped that Wheeler's Yard is a ten minute drive away from my place and would probably be a good place for a weekend brunch.

28 Lorong Ampas

Mon 11:00 - 20:00

Tue Closed

Wed - Sat 11:00 - 20:00

Sun 9:00 - 20:00

62549128

Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee, Macpherson Road

I wanted to try this since forever. My dad and I made a trip to Macpherson when Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee first opened, unaware that their opening hours were 11 am till 8 pm. We reached bright and early at 9:30 am, well ahead of their opening time. As there was nothing in the vicinity for us to while 1 hour and 30 minutes away, we could only trudge back home in disappointment. There were numerous reports that the queue had become insane following our last meek attempt so we steered clear of the place. Eventually, my mum assessed that the crowd should have thinned considerably so we came by on Good Friday.

We reached at around 2 pm, well after lunch time, but the queue was still insane. We were also told that we had to wait about 45 minutes after we were seated before our noodles would be served. To sum it all up, we waited about 20 minutes for a table and another 40 minutes before we were served. That would make it a grand total of 1 hour for our bowl of pan mee. That was when I told myself, this had better be worth it.

We ordered the Signature Dry Chilli Pan Mee. The chilli, sitting in a tub at the side of the table, was definitely the highlight. The minced pork was quite all right but the bowl of noodles as a whole was quite forgettable.

We also ordered a bowl of Mixed Soup which came with bean curd skin and fish balls. Another forgettable soup - bland soup base and very ordinary ingredients.

If I were living around the Macpherson area and the wait at Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee was shorter, I might contemplate returning for another bowl. But the long queue, inaccessible location, and highly forgettable food meant that I am unlikely to return in the near future. Maybe I should try the original store in KL and see whether the pan mee there is worth the hype. 

I took bus 62 from the bus stop near Kallang MRT and reached after a 15 minutes ride. Alight after the petrol station and Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee will be across the road.

534 Macpherson Road

11 am to 9 pm

An exciting start to June

It has been a while since I last wrote anything and I just have so much to say. My blog has slipped into some sort of a hiatus because the past few weeks had been nothing short of amazing. From my vacation to sunny Boracay, to the beautiful wedding of my good friend Tx, I am completely stoked. There is, perhaps, no better way to hit the middle of 2014.

Boracay is perfect. The sunshine, clear blue waters, fine sand, friendly locals, delicious food, and, of course, incredibly cheap beer proved to be ingredients for a wonderful vacation. It was so relaxing to soak in the clear waters with a beer in hand and sunshine warming your face. The sunset was spectacular every evening and it made me wonder whether I could hit the pause button somewhere so that I could soak in the beauty forever. The night sky was always covered with a blanket of twinkling stars and we spotted two shooting stars streaking across the darkness. We closed our eyes and made a wish. My thanks to Stef for tolerating my nonsense in Boracay and for all the fun and laughter in those six days.

It was an honor to be part of my good friend Tx's wedding and it was definitely a joyous and loving occasion. So this is how it feels like to watch one of your oldest friends marry the man she loves with all her heart. Couldn't have been happier for her. I hope the banquet and dinner party went as you envisaged them to be, and I hope this would be the start of a beautiful journey together. 

Five and Dime Eatery, River Valley

It had been a while since I last met Tx and I was naturally pretty excited to finally catch up with an old friend over dinner. I was telling her about how I was incredibly tired of shopping centres and the usual chains found in them, and asked that we went somewhere else. Somewhere preferably as far away from a shopping centre as possible. She suggested Five and Dime, and the reviews looked good, so that was where we went.

I was surprised by how close Five and Dime was to my office. I walked to the bus stop beside High Street Centre, hopped onto bus 195, and alighted 4 stops later. Five and Dime was just a couple of steps away. I tried to call and make a reservation during lunch, but they were fully booked. Tx arrived first and we were given two seats along the counter.

Five and Dime was a small comfortable cafe tucked in a two-storey shop house. The white facade and the black frames gave the place a modern chic look while the interior was simple and cosy.

Five and Dime had a separate lunch and dinner menu. We flicked through the dinner menu quickly and settled for the Seared Salmon ($23). The Seared Salmon came with a generous helping of greens, mashed potato, and a thick slice of seared salmon baked with mozzarella and parmesan.

It was delicious. I loved the light salad and mashed potato, but I was extremely fond of the seared salmon coated with a layer of melted cheese. The melted cheese went extremely well with the seared salmon. The serving was large as well, which was just perfect for my hungry belly. 

As we were seated at the counter, I was initially quite perturbed by the repeated disturbances by the waitresses who were busy grabbing drinks from the bartender, replacing glasses back to the counter, marking down reservations on a large black book placed right beside me. I guess it was a small price to pay for not securing a reservation and having to sit along the counter. But the good thing about Five and Dime was that they did not chase us out into the pouring rain. It started to pour heavily while we were finishing our dinner, and all hopes to go any other place were dashed. We were also too full from the Seared Salmon to order any desserts, so we sat there along the counter for the whole night and thankfully we were allowed to do so. There were new customers streaming in as well but those were turned away because the cafe was full. I am honestly quite grateful that we were not driven into the downpour outside. 

297 River Valley Road

92365002

Mon - Thur: 12:00 - 22:00

Fri: 12:00 - 00:00

Sat: 10:00- 00:00

Sun: 10:00 - 22:00