We ain't ever getting older

We ain't ever getting older. 

I don't care if you call me young, immature, or that I clearly cannot comprehend the world. I don't need to comprehend the world. 

I'm still filled with a child-like curiosity about everything. I still wonder why the sky is blue, why moments are fleeting, what is happiness. I still sit down in places with a good view of the bay and marvel at all that beauty. I still stop and stare whenever I see a glorious sunset. Every single time. It does not bore me. 

I still behave ridiculously like myself and I still enjoy my drinks. OK.

I am glad for all these and more. Much much more. 

:)

Tolido's Espresso Nook

With the Entertainer App, I love heading to Tolido's Espresso Nook after our weekly gym sessions because it is near my hood, super convenient, and not that crowded on Sundays. So after being a hamster on the treadmill for a bit, pumping some iron, rolling around on the mat, we shower and make our way to Tolido's rather often. We also found out that they have wifi for those who need to catch up on work! 

The menu. This is an outdated version and I haven't been earnest enough to take pics of the newer menu. But the gist is there. I think?

Here are some of the dishes we tried. We are creatures of habit so we tend to gravitate back to the same items over and over again.

Prawn Laksa Pasta ($16.90). I love laksa pasta! I always say this but I really do love laksa pasta. The thick laksa sauce just goes so well with pasta and fresh crunchy prawns. It can get quite heavy and creamy after a while, so the best thing to do is to share this!

The boyfriend's favourite: Spaghetti Vongole ($16.90). Very fresh clams, al dente pasta, and a very light white wine base.

Flat white because I need my coffee.

Mushroom Aglio Olio with Seafood ($16.90). The seafood was very fresh in this one and the pasta was al dente. But the Aglio Olio style of pasta at Tolido's was a little bland for me and could probably do with more condiments. Good for those with a light palate.

I enjoy being in Tolido's because it feels like part of a neighborhood that I grew up in and am familiar with. I studied in the primary school adjacent to the block where Tolido's is before the school moved to Bendemeer. This hood will always have a fond place in my heart. That said, do come for a laid-back comfortable brunch or lunch over the weekend. This is one of the few cafes where I really feel very comfortable in and can just lounge around for a long while.

463 Crawford Lane
#01-63
9 am to 6:30 pm (closed on Mondays)
66480178

Sanpoutei, Shaw Centre

The boyfriend and I had been craving for good tsukemen since our return from Japan, the land of wonderful tsukemen. Heard that Sanpouttei does pretty good tsukemen so we dropped by for dinner one evening after shopping in Orchard. Or more accurately, window-shopping in Orchard since we usually just stroll around, check out new shops, but hardly ever buy anything. Shopping is best done online, unless there is a sale!

The thick broth was good, very robust with bits of sardine inside. The noodles were done al dente as well and was delicious when dipped into the broth. I was, however, really quite surprised that there was no char siew in this tsukemen. I guess I should have read the description in detail and stop assuming that tsukemen here will be served like its counterpart in Japan with thick slabs of marbly pork. But still, I was rather disappointed. Even though the bits of sardine in the broth was sweet, I missed having some marbly pork to go with my noodles.

Expectations! When can I finally learn that I am usually disappointed only because I have expectations which are not aligned with reality? That said, the broth here is really good. And I shouldn't be whining because I came back again a few weeks later to have the tsukemen again. Without the pork. ;)

Another time I dropped by Sanpoutei with Zg, I had the Maze Soba Aburi Chashu. This was good! Dry ramen tossed in sauce with a generous amount of aburi chashu on top. It tasted a lot like dry mee kia and was actually rather addictive. I really enjoyed my bowl of noodles, but the noodles could get a little oily, especially the strands sitting in the sauce at the bottom of the bowl.

Yet another trip saw me indulging in their miso ramen. The broth for this was thick and delicious, and the thick slab of chashu was so tender. I think I have found my favourite at Sanpoutei!

Shaw House

350 Orchard Road

#B1-04/05 

68364644

USA Itinerary (Orlando) Day 11 - A horrible experience with Dollar Car Rental but the day was saved by good shopping at premium outlets

We arrived at Port Canaveral in the morning, had breakfast, and disembarked into sunny Orlando. We took forever to reach the Dollar car rental shop because the shuttle service took 45 minutes to arrive. The lady driving the shuttle bus was friendly and nice, but appeared severely overworked, and we were completely clueless as to why the shuttle bus took 45 minutes to get to Port Canaveral from the Dollar shop which was about a 10 minute drive away.

Anyway when we reached the Dollar car rental shop we were in for a rude shock. The queue was omfg long, we waited for an hour before it was our turn, and found out that they did not have the full size car which we reserved (and paid for) prior to our trip!

WTF.

Their attitude was horrible, they were completely unapologetic about the screw up, and absolutely flippant about not being able to provide the car we reserved. Offered an extremely small hatchback and told us in no uncertain terms that it was literally take it or leave it. Amazing. If we were going to settle for any shit car that you are going to provide, what was the whole point of reserving and paying for the vehicle before our trip?! It's like making us pay for a scallop and eventually serving us clams and telling us that it was as good as it gets.

Anyhow, so we managed to squeeze all our luggage into the miserable boot of our small hatchback since we desperately wanted to get moving. We asked for the toll-free package (i.e. we paid a flat fee for tolls and need not go through the toll booths and pay separately) and were told it was included, so in the mess and confusion we left, thinking we are finally done with this horrid place. When we arrived back in Singapore, Zg received a rude shock when Dollar billed him for the tolls PLUS a fine for each toll booth we ostensibly skipped.

WTF AGAIN.

It was quite a large sum and I was so furious, I think I could have hit the roof. We wrote to them and filed so many complaints but Dollar simply ignored every single one of them. So I checked all the consumer tribunals in Orlando (lawyer instinct) which was no good because we were literally miles away. Thankfully social media has no boundary, and after a handful of posts on Dollar's Facebook page they refunded the amount and we only had to pay for the tolls. At least there was some justice there. And thank god we can write in English. I can totally imagine being forced to swallow the fine if there was no way to communicate anything to Dollar.

So after a rocky start, we went to the Orlando Premium Outlets (Vineland Premium Outlet and Orlando International) for some retail therapy where we scooped up some awesome purchases. If you visit the premium outlets in US, do remember to drop by the information center for a booklet of discount vouchers that give further discounts on top of the good prices. Had Five Guys for dinner which was good, but my heart belongs to Shake Shack!

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15