那些你很冒险的梦

那些你很冒险的梦，我陪你去疯。

好想唱K。 好想在这天冷的夜吃冰淇淋。好想跑可又累的不行。

好想远走高飞，可为什么还是原地踏步？

太多天没睡，脑子坏了。

真心

想在咖啡厅里喝杯咖啡，读本书，与世无争。

原来一尘不染的真心在这世界上是多么难能可贵。

也该睡了吧

雨下的夜，看着那朦胧的弯月，好冷。

一着不慎，满盘皆输

不甘，真不甘。用这么多年换来的，要拱手让给一个不正直的恶霸。虽要走，可没想过这些年的心血将会如此。我曾想过，给谁都可以，就唯独不是他。

那可怜的两个，以后就是被他吃定过日子了。

彩屏啊，无能就是如此，不能保护自己，也不能保护你心疼的晚辈。

不甘，真不甘。

爱要怎么说出口

那天唱K听到Su唱这首歌，真的好喜欢。听了有种莫名的感动。

爱要怎么说出口？就大声地说啊。唯恐天下不知，大声嚷嚷。为什么要收在心里？

人啊，一辈子能活个几十年？能遇到一个你爱又爱你的人，就勇敢去爱。不明白为什么要躲躲闪闪。

敢爱敢恨。这是我的宗旨。

Konjiki Hototogisu Chijmes

To be honest, I have never heard of Konjiki Hototogisu during my trips to Japan. When I first heard from a friend that a Michelin Bib Gourmand ramen store from Tokyo was coming to our sunny island, I was baffled. What is this Konjiki Hototogisu about?

We went down one day for lunch (perks of working in City Hall) and the queue was not too long, thankfully. We were seated quickly and ordered. All of us picked the Shoyu Hamaguri Soup Ramen.

The appetizer arrived and we were surprised to find a small bowl of rice with clams inside. It was a cold dish and very light and refreshing. The clams were sweet and fresh. 

Next up, the ramen! There were step-by-step instructions on the table telling you the tips to enjoy this bowl of ramen. First, you were supposed to hold the warm bowl of noodles in your hands, and inhale the aroma. Next, you try the broth before mixing everything and tucking into the bowl of soup with noodles.

The broth was light and delicious, with a slight hint of black truffle. The noodles were thin and springy. The thin slices of cha shu was not bad, fresh tender pork. The egg, which we ordered to share, was unfortunately nothing to scream about.

Now waiting to see if the standard will remain after a few months.

#01-17 Chijmes 

30 Victoria Street

Singapore 187996

11:30 am to 10 pm

Haru Chazuke Grain Bowl

This is another really old post. Dinner with some old friends and I suggested Haru because I'm a huge fan of rice bowls and chazuke and Haru sounded like a good combination of both.

Tucked away in a quiet corner of the old Singapore Badminton Hall along Guillemard Road, Haru was quite empty when we arrived after work on a week day.

Our friends were late so I ordered a Iced Hojicha Milk Tea while waiting with Stef.

Eventually, they were so late that we decided to go ahead and order first, mostly because I was famished. I chose the popular Poached Lobster Chazuke. Air-flown bamboo lobster with gochujang dressing, hanjuku egg, pickles and nori. Was told to stir the ingredients in the grain bowl first and try some before pouring the bonito kelp broth inside. I love it with the bonito kelp broth! The broth was so light and refreshing, and went perfectly with the items in the grain bowl. 

I would really recommend their grain bowls because it is so warm and hearty!

100 Guillemard Road #01-06 Singapore 399718

12 to 3 pm, 6 pm to 10 pm (closed on Monday)

11D8N Eastern Europe Tour with Chan Brothers Day 7 - Budapest, Hungary

Bright sunny day with perfect clear blue skies. So blessed to experience snow in some places especially during Christmas and perfect sunny weather on other days. Started the city tour with the local guide at the castle district. Learnt that the turul bird was a legendary bird that guided the Hungarians from Asia to Europe.

Check out the turul bird at the side.  We wandered around the King's wing of the castle and enjoyed the good weather.

 Watched the changing of guards at 10 am.

Then went to the Fisherman's Bastion. The view from the Fisherman's Bastion was amazing, but be prepared to jostle with a huge crowd. The guide explained that the Buda side of the city was hilly while the Pest was flat and the Danube River separates both.

Visited Gellert Hill which also provided perfect views of the city!

Made another stop at Heroes Square in the day. The view in the day was really quite different from the night, and the statues looked so majestic against the blue sky.

The coach bus dropped us at Vorosmarty Square and we were free to walk around and explore the place. We had lunch (on our own expense) at Hard Rock, and I was so full from the huge portions. Was so nice to sit in the warm Hard Rock, eating yummy burgers and fries, and chugging down a mug of beer.

Need to say this again - the weather was so nice!! I love winter days with warm sunshine and clear blue skies. Walked along the Danube River to enjoy the sunshine and when the sun started to set, we went to Cafe de Paris for a cup of coffee and to use the loo.

After coffee, we took the optional Danube River Cruise. The illumination of the castle, the Parliament House, Fisherman's Bastion and the cathedral was so beautiful. Sipping the glass of wine, enjoying the cold night wind on my face and cruising along the Danube River, I'm reminded of a phrase from the movie Me Before You. Having possibilities is a luxury. I've been so swept up in the hustle of work that I have forgotten to stop and really enjoy the time I have with the people I love. I am so lucky to be able to come on this trip, to see these beautiful sights, to experience a White Christmas, and to be able to do so with my family.

After the Danube River Cruise, we went for a Hungarian Folklore dinner as part of the tour package. There was a quartet performing through the night and traditional dance performances. The traditional hungarian food of chicken, barley and pasta didn't really suit our palate but it was interesting. They also gave us a shot of alcohol, red wine and white wine, so there was a lot of alcohol floating around. We bought a bottle of wine here with our photo printed on it. A complete touristy gimmick, but hey, I'm a tourist so I loved it!

Check out my post on Day 1 ,  Day 2 , Day 3,  Day 4, Day 5 and Day 6.

Mrs Pho

After work one day, I met Stef and SY at Mrs Pho for a comforting bowl of pho.

I like pho. It is light, tasty, and feels so healthy. Like a hot bowl of soup on a cold dreary night, a bowl of pho always lifts my mood

Mrs Pho is a small restaurant so the tables and stools were packed closely together. My back was almost leaning against the lady behind me. But the food definitely makes up for the lack of personal space.  

Chicken pho! Super tasty and light, love the broth. The tea was a miss though, I cannot really describe it but it tasted a little... odd and I was not used to it.

The meatballs were AWESOME. You should definitely order some to try. Juicy, tasty and so so yummy. I'm a huge fan of summer rolls but the meatballs were a much better side dish at Mrs Pho.

Finally a new place for Vietnamese food, in addition to Long Phung and Little Vietnam! Mrs Pho is accessible from Bugis MRT or Nicoll Highway MRT.

349 Beach Rd, Singapore 199570
6292 0018
11 am to 10 pm

11D8N Eastern Europe Tour with Chan Brothers Day 6 - Krakow - Slovakia - Budapest, Hungary

Heavy snowfall on Christmas! So excited to experience my first white Christmas. It was truly unforgettable. Drove a long way into Donovaly in Slovakia for lunch in a ski resort. Lunch was supposed to be free & easy but Eva kindly arranged lunch for us for 10 euros per pax because nothing was open on Christmas day and this was the only ski resort that was open in the area. 

A very simple meal of chicken breast and boiled potatoes in the warm confines of the wooden cabin. We had to move after the meal because another tour group needed the space for lunch. Some folks left and went outside to play with the snow. My family and I went to the bar for some hot red wine instead and watched the snow swirl in the wind outside. 

 

It was so beautiful. Everywhere was white and snow fell steadily for hours as we watched from the bar. When it was eventually time to go, we hung around outside for a bit to take some pictures of the white landscape.

My favourite polka-dotted scarf which the bf hates haha! (Because I am posting this almost TWO YEARS late, my bf is now my husband).

Long snowy drive to Budapest!

Heroes Square in Budapest illuminated at night. The double cross in the hands of the angel represents a unified Hungary as a Christian nation and the first statue beside the angel is the King who unified Hungary and introduced Christianity to the country. 

Dinner was Chinese food at 九龙大酒店 and the food was (surprisingly) decent and some dishes were in fact good! 

Checked into Novotel Budapest City and realised that the hotel had a really odd design. The toilet bowl was separate from the basin and bath tub so we had to shuffle from one to the other when washing up. The hotel was beside MOM Park Shopping Mall which would have been ideal for grabbing water and snacks and doing some shopping if not for the fact that everything was close during our stay over the Christmas holidays. 

Check out my post on Day 1 ,  Day 2 , Day 3,  Day 4, Day 5, Day 7.

Nirai Kanai Okinawan Restaurant

The first time I visited Nirai Kanai was for lunch with friends from office and our interns. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Okinawan food was so different from the usual Japanese fare we were used to and tasted like a mix between Japanese and Chinese food. Kept saying that I wanted to take my parents here to try this so finally, I brought my parents here for dinner after work one day.

I think we over ordered. The waitress looked surprised when we placed our order and was even more surprised to see us finish everything. To me, the food was really good that night! But my parents felt that the food was a little salty and probably not the best for senior folks (I grudgingly agreed haha!).

One of my all-time favourite at Nirai Kanai. Onigiri! Super tasty rice balls with bits of seaweed and meat in them.

Eggplant with minced meat. This really tasted like Chinese food with braised eggplant and minced meat, except that the gravy tasted a lot like miso. 

Stir-fried bitter gourd with pork! One of the top few dishes in the ranking above. This also tasted like bitter gourd and egg which I would have at a Chinese food store and I loved it. The bitter gourd was crunchy and tasty and, surprisingly, not bitter at all. 

Noodles with dipping sauce and pork. It was all right but definitely not the best tsukemen I have tried before. Wouldn't order this again the next time I come by.

Seaweed tempura! 3rd place on the ranking above and I can totally see why. It was so yummy! So crispy. It was like eating a seaweed snack!

Okonomiyaki. Was also okay but I have also tasted better okonomiyaki elsewhere before so I will also pass on this the next time I come by.

Grilled Chicken Thigh with Yuzu. The chicken thigh was really tender and juicy, but the sauce was a little too salty. I assumed that was where the excess salt that my parents were talking about came from.  

The grilled squid was good but nothing fantastic.

This is a good place for dinner and drinks after work because it is quiet and you could sit around catching up for a long while without worrying about any queue outside. I would definitely come back again soon!

177 River Valley Road, #B1-01 Liang Court, 179030

11:30 am to 3 pm, 6 pm to 11 pm

6339 4811

11D8N Eastern Europe Tour with Chan Brothers Day 5 - Krakow, Poland

This is way overdue but, once again, better late than never.

2016's Christmas Eve in Krakow, Poland. We started the day at Auschwitz with our local guide Greg. Greg was definitely the best local guide we had on this trip. He was dedicated, responsible, and really passionate about sharing his knowledge about the Second World War. Some local guides just spoke the bare minimum and hustled us along, but not Greg. Greg was one of those who clearly enjoyed his job, even if it was Christmas Eve, and even if it meant braving the cold with a bunch of Asians in the empty streets of Krakow, when he could be enjoying Christmas Eve with his family. When we parted at the Main Square in Krakow in the late afternoon, Greg took the time to tell us the cafes which could be open in the area on Christmas Eve.

Auschwitz - I have always wanted to visit Auschwitz and really glad I have the opportunity to come by one year after its 70th anniversary. I remember reading about the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz camp in the papers in 2015 and thinking that Auschwitz was a place that I should definitely visit.

A place which saw horrors and atrocities beyond what a human mind could imagine, a place that felt so cold and sad on that grey wintry morning, and a place that should never be forgotten.

 

Lunch with the tour group at Galicja Restauracja where we had golabki which is a traditional Polish cabbage roll with minced meat. I felt that it was the first nice meal on the trip that was part of the tour package!

After lunch we started our stroll with Greg around the old Jewish Quarter before heading to the Royal Castle on Wawel Hill.

Wawel Hill has a folklore about a fire-breathing dragon. The King had promised the hand of his daughter and his crown to the man who could defeat this dragon. Many knights tried their luck but none of them succeeded. One day, a shoemaker came and brought with him lambskin and sulphur. He constructed a lamb-looking bait stuffed with sulphur and fed it to the dragon. The dragon ate it and exploded. A statue of the dragon stands at the foot of Wawel Hill to commemorate this folklore.

Walking around the grounds of the Royal Castle.

Horse-drawn carriage along an empty street.

After strolling through the beautiful grounds of the Royal Castle, we walked to the Main Square where the St Mary Church was located.

Some stores of the Christmas market in the square were still open but the large shops around the square were all closed for the Christmas holidays. In fact, we soon found out that everything was closed because of the Christmas holidays. There was absolutely nothing open. Even Macs was closed. We had an hour of free time to explore the Main Square on our own but there was absolutely nothing to explore. We could not even find a place indoors to keep warm. Thankfully, Greg told us about this kebab place (Mr Kebab) which was a short walk from the Main Square so we tried our luck. It was open! Words cannot describe how happy I was to see the lights coming out of Mr Kebab because the prospect of wandering around aimlessly for an hour was making me feel very sad. Most of us ended up inside, drinking hot tea and munching on kebabs until it was time to meet at the Main Square.

St Mary's Church at the Main Square. I will always remember the church as the place where we huddled outside in the cold while Eva sang Christmas carols, waiting for others to return from wherever they were so that we could head back to the warmth of the coach bus.

And then, it started to snow! OMG. It was really going to be a white Christmas! I have never experienced a white Christmas, but it always sounded so magical. And it really was. There was something amazing about watching the snow flakes fall, knowing that it was Christmas eve and families in all those little windows dotting the streets were bending over dinner together, perhaps saying grace, and enjoying the warmth of family.  Snow flakes in my hair!

Returned to the hotel where we were free to go anywhere or do anything we wanted. But it was so cold and everything in the area was closed (we walked to the nearby Macs in the snow to try our luck but it was also closed) so we had dinner at the hotel restaurant. Ordered baked salmon and mulled wine. Good hearty Christmas eve meal!

Check out my post on Day 1 ,  Day 2 , Day 3, Day 4, Day 6, Day 7.