Jamie's Italian, Vivocity

Happy Chinese New Year everybody! The best part of Chinese New Year is definitely being able to spend time with your loved ones and feast. Sadly, my flu continued to plague me through Chinese New Year and I had to resist the large array of New Year goodies displayed at my granny’s house. I have a soft spot for Bak Kwa (barbecued pork slices) though and decided that a few slices were worth any unhealthy consequences the next day. I woke up the next day with a raspy voice and a bad sore throat.

Anyway, I had reunion dinner at my granny’s house on the eve of Chinese New Year and had a really enjoyable time with my baby cousin. On Chu Yi (first day of the Chinese New Year), I went on my usual visiting rounds and lazed around my granny’s house for another sleepy afternoon with my baby cousin. Wore the blue woollen miniskirt and carried the nerdy black backpack that I bought at the shopping district around Ewha Women’s University in Korea! Check out my new kicks – purple glittery Vans which were on discount at ABC Mart in Myeongdong, Korea.

On Chu Er (second day of Chinese New Year), I visited the boyfriend’s family where I had a fun time chatting with his family. He came home with me after that and we spent some time at my place before he continued his Chinese New Year visiting. In the evening, we headed over to Vivocity where I decided, against my better sense, to have dinner at Jamie’s Italian.

When Jamie’s Italian opened its doors, I was deterred by the long queues that greeted me each time I attempted to have a meal there. As more foodies tasted Jamie’s Italian and more reviews began streaming into the Internet, I was deterred by the lukewarm reviews that seemed to suggest that I was better off spending my calories and money somewhere else. Still, something about the place (perhaps it is the lack of a queue) caught my attention that Saturday, and I pulled my boyfriend in for dinner.

The place is dimly lit, with nice relaxing music in the background, and a comfortably laid back vibe. The boyfriend commented that it felt like Potato Head in Bali and I completely agree. Jamie’s Italian made me feel like I was no longer in Singapore which was good for a moment.

I ordered the Prawn Linguine while the boyfriend took the Lamp Chop Lollipop. The food was truly mediocre. My Prawn Linguine was done al dente which was good, but the linguine did not absorb the watery tomato sauce and tasted quite bland. The prawns were really small and not fresh. The boyfriend’s Lamp Chop Lollipop was quite tender but nothing much to write home about.

The mediocre standard of the food means that I won't be back anytime soon. Little wonder the queue at Jamie's Italian's door has disappeared. 

#01-165 Vivocity

Jersey Boys at Marina Bay Sands Theatre

I finally got around to watching Jersey Boys last month after much procrastination. It was the boyfriend's treat as an early Valentine's Day present and I was so excited!! It's been a very long while since I watched a musical and I'm just rolling around with glee to be able to immerse in the music and dance once again.

We reached Marina Bay Sands early and settled down at TCC for dinner. I love the pasta and drinks at TCC! I ordered a Olive and Mushroom Pasta and a glass of Toffee Nut Latte. The pasta was awesome as usual, with the yummy tomato-based sauce, large slices of juicy mushrooms and generous servings of olives. The Toffee Nut Latte was thick with chocolate and very addictive!

I was really excited to watch Jersey Boys thus I decided to put in some effort to dress up before heading out. I curled my hair in the morning, slipped on my wedges so that the height disparity is less stark, and wore a form fitting orange dress! My luck wasn't too good that day though. It rained, my curls were washed out, and my hair became limp and wavy instead ugh. But still, could not resist a picture at TCC!

Jersey Boys was fantastic! The production outlined the rise and fall of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons with many awesome songs like "Sherry" and of course, the all-time favourite "Can't take my eyes off you". I loved the songs, the dance, and the indescribable feeling I always get when I watch a musical. The part that really struck a chord was when Frankie Valli described a particularly difficult period of his life when the band was beginning to fall apart. He stated that "This too shall pass" and went on to explain that this line actually cuts both ways. The bad passes, but so does the good.

Actually, that is a thought that I always find myself going back to recently. Whenever something bad happens, I will tell myself that "This too shall pass". It is true and it gives me the strength to trudge ahead. But when I'm really happy, a tiny voice in my head will also whisper "This too shall pass" and I end up being terribly afraid that I will not be able to retain that happiness for long. I fret and worry that this fleeting moment of happiness will disappear, that I cannot experience it to the fullest, that one day I will forget how I once felt during this particular happy moment.

Maybe that's why I blog and religiously dump all my pictures on Facebook. It's like my unofficial diary. A place for me to chronicle all my happy moments so that I can look back on those days and perhaps the feeling will come rushing back.

Cycling at Pasir Ris and Gallop Stable

These two weeks I've decided that I needed some outdoor fun and the cooling weather is more suitable for my eczema too so I've opted out of gymming and chose to go cycling in the morning instead. Waking up at 7am on a weekend was terribly hard and it took so much discipline to get myself up and going, but when I finally reached Pasir Ris Park, I did not regret the choice.

Cycling along the beach with wind in my face, fresh air filling my lungs, it's a good way to exercise and to relax after a week at work. Pasir Ris Park is definitely way less crowded than East Coast Park (where I was rudely scolded by a Caucasian because he was riding parallel with his friend who was in my way and I swerved to give way. So much for kindness. Obviously I should have just continued riding since I had the right of way and wait for his friend to collide into me). It's also smaller though so you cannot cycle for a long stretch at a time and can only go in circles around the park. 

While cycling around car park C, i spotted Gallop Stable with their horses and ponies. You can have riding lessons there too, though frankly, the small ring did not seem all that fun to ride in. But still, I'm sure it would have been an experience for us city kids who have lived our lives in automobiles.