IT'S 12 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS!

Yes, I am stoked, thrilled, excited, and can't wait for it!

As many of you might have noticed yourselves, Christmas decorations are everywhere: in Singapore, too, they are everywhere! The entire Orchard Road, in the shopping malls, restaurants and cafes, churches, even the little clinic I went to has a little Christmas tree at one corner! And even Marine Parade Promenade has a Christmas tree, a statue of the three wise men, and blueish Christmas lights along the street! Not to mention, everywhere I go there's Christmas songs being played on the speakers. And last week, when I went to Orchard, there were little girls with bells asking for donation, and wishing everyone a happy christmas.

Yeah, the Christmas spirit is on the air!



Aaaaaaand, the end-of-year Great Singapore Sale is here! I'm going to do some christmas shopping this Saturday and I'm so excited!


But the thing that I look forward the most is being home with my family and friends, of course! After staying here (for too long), I really crave being home and celebrating Christmas with them. And attending the midnight mass with them, singing the carols and all, too!


I really look forward to the warmth and joy awwmygerddddd I can't waaaaait. *okay that was too much, sorry.


Anyways, here are some Christmas-related songs on my playlist!

1. Jason Mraz - Winter Wonderland
2. Michael Buble - Grown Up Christmas List
3. Michael Buble - White Christmas
4. Michael Buble - Santa Claus is Coming To Town
5. Chipmunks - Christmas Don't Be Late
6. Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas is You
7. John Lennon - Happy Christmas
8. Josh Kelley - Share This Day
9. Joseph Vincent - Mistletoe (cover)
10. Glee - Last Christmas
11. Coldplay - Christmas Lights (oh well, this song is quite emo at the beginning, but Coldplay is just awesome and I really like the song!)
12. DEPAPEPE - Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring
13. Jessica & Ashlee Simpson - The Little Drummer Boy

Ahhh, I really love this time of the year. Gonna look for some Christmas cards soon. Perhaps I'll make some if I have time. I hope I have time. Oh well, have a happy Christmas, everyone! ☺♥

My lino-print: "The Smoke", made some time in March/April this year. Know more about linoleum print here

My first abstract sculpture ever, made from acrylic sheets+heat gun: "The Evolution of Civilizations"

the illustrations (mine is on the top row, the third one from the left)--made using Adobe Illustrator!

My sketch: Katy Perry!

THE COVER FOR MY WR! :'D

le beach, photo taken by my friend Ruth.

The Name Tag for Volunteers! :)

Island Creamery @HollandV! ;;).

go check them out!

IKEA Tampines: http://www.ikea.com/sg/en/store/tampines

Haven't had no time to write any post. I'm really sorry for that. Exams, assignments, and many other things I can't even remember have been bugging me constantly, that I even have problems to pause and breathe. No exaggeration. Even now, I'm being haunted by what is called THE Promotional Examination (aka Promos), which is coming next Monday. This week is actually end-of-term holiday, but as Promos are just right around the corner, it's no holiday for me. It's revising, mugging, memorising, studying time.



I'm now sitting at a couch in one of the public libraries, typing with freezing fingers and brains. I was summarizing and consolidating notes, but it seems like my brain refuses to work and demands a break. So blogging it is.



However, I'm not going to focus on the horrible things, I shall write about nice things that keep me sane  and bring smiles, if not happiness in the midst of my hectic life.

• Music. My iPod, that is, plus my earphone. Sometimes I feel so tired talking, and I feel like pulling myself away from the world, but I just don't know where to go. So I just sit down, plug my earphone, and blast music to my ears (if you're reading this, mum/dad, fret not, I'm not really "blasting" music to my ears. I just play them in a medium volume. I'm not interested in turning deaf anytime soon, don't worry.) Some of the music on my playlist would be 

• Jason Mraz's songs: I Won't Give Up, 93 Million Miles, Frank D Fixer, Everything is Sound, The Woman I love, Living in the Moment, Details in the Fabric, You and I Both, Be Honest, etc etc. His songs have this amrazing effect on me, they really calm me down, and remind me that "In life, it may seem dark, but the absence of the light is a necessary part... I'm not alone, I can always come back home"- 93 Million Miles.
• DEPAPEPE's songs (they're in japanese, I don't really remember their titles, but my friend has kindly helped me put tens of their nicest songs in my iPod, so yeah.)
• One Republic - Marchin' On
• Michael Buble - Lost
• Carissa Rae - Near or Far
• Julie Fowlis - Touch the Sky (ost Brave)
• Jack Johnson - Better Together
• Ed Sheeran - Lego House
• The Trees and The Wild's Songs: The Noble Savage, Kata, Our Roots, etc etc

• Going to St Mary's church. Although the church is so far away from my hostel, that it takes one and a half hour to go there, I just keep going there cus it gives me such peace I don't get from other churches. I think I can just stay there all day long if I have no work to do, or no exams coming, or any other things to do. The church has this atmosphere that gives me peace and calm, and reminds me that everything will be just fine, and I can just surrender everything to God, and He will take care of everything. I know it's true, but going to this church just reaffirms it. And I need such reaffirmation. So yeah.

• My beloved family. Short conversations with them simply make my day. They have such a big faith on me, that I feel that I am able. And they keep me going, cus I want to show them that I can make them proud, as they have believed in me.

• My awesome friends, both those back home and here in this island. They're just the best bunch of people ever. They support and motivate me, amuse and entertain and make me laugh, give me all those virtual hugs and encouraging smileys, listening to me ranting and venting my anger or my moodiness, telling me that I have them to rant on, and to lean on.

• Old messages and letters and post-its and photos. Looking at these photos, re-reading the letters, or even just skimming through them make me laugh to myself, reminding me that my life is not that bad, and I have these precious memories to cherish.

• Friends (The TV series, HA.), The Big Bang Theory, and Castle. Nuff said. They're great entertainment for me to de-stress.

• Indonesian Food. Be it snacks, pop mie, abon, ayam penyet, nasi uduk, jus alpukat, indomilk, etc. They just keep me sane.

• Thinking about the end of the year, when I'm going home. Thinking about the things I'm going to do during the holiday. Thinking about the end of next year, when it's all over and I'm finally out of this "wonderful contract." Thinking about doing things I want to do and I enjoy doing without any pressures.

You don't like it when your patience is tested. You hate it when it's being tested again and again and again. I'm now losing my patience to the extent that I feel like crying.


But NO. I won't just give up.


I may not be strong, but I have the best buddy in the world I could've asked for. He's been staying with me through thick and thin, comforting and consoling me, convincing me that everything is going to be okay in the end, no matter how complicated or pressurizing things may be.

He's been so loving and caring, even though I often forget about Him or ignore Him. Yeah, He gives me the strength and courage I need to still go on, and stay calm and composed in  facing whatever problems that come my way.


You're the best, J. And You're the reason that I won't give up.


The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

What's the first thing in your mind when you see this? You would probably laugh and think that the quote is wrong! It should have been

"The grass is always greener on the other side"

But I don't think the person who created this was wrong. In fact, this unique quote now has more meaning to me. Think about first impressions. Or perhaps, think about your first time of doing something, or going to some place.

When I meet someone new, I have the bad habit of being rather judgmental. Yeah I know, I could be horrible ._. But I just can't help observing someone new and prejudging their characters and personalities before I even know them. Some of the first impressions I got from them are indeed correct, but mostly are not.

When I first entered junior high school, I saw this guy who's really talkative and rather annoying. He was very loud and bold, and I disliked him at that very moment cus I was so irritated by him. However, as school started and I got into the same class as him, I found out that he was actually an outgoing and friendly person. He was loud, yes, but in a funny way. In the end of the year, we became friends. Now that I know him better, I can see that I was wrong. He is far from annoying! Gosh. When I think back about how silly I was, disliking him before we even talked to each other, I laughed at myself.



A similar case happened when I got the scholarship. In July that year, I didn't go to school anymore, cus school only starts in January next year. So I had about four months of lazing and slacking. But my mother signed me up into a prep course, in which I would be studying maths, physics and english with the other students who also got the same scholarship as me. She thought it would be good for me to prepare myself, as well as to bond with my "future friends."

I was far from excited. I've met some of my fellow scholars, and they seemed so... scholarly. I felt that I wouldn't be able to connect with them, as they were so different with the friends I had at my school. I started to imagine horrible things about how dorky they might be, how awkward it would be to talk to them, etc. I had this prejudice against scholars; that scholars are so geeky and dorky and not fun. I dreaded the thought of going to this prep course for the next three months.

However, it turned out that those people are currrraaaayyyzeeeehh. Well, some of them are quite scholarly, and all of them are such freakin smartypants, but all in all they are far from what I thought they were. They are so friendly and nice. In fact, they made the prep course enjoyable.

And after living together with them for two years, I feel so close to them, even closer than how I feel with my friends back at my junior high school, that we are like a family. Yeah, they are like my siblings now. Singapore would be so dull and unbearable without them. How stupid I was for having that prejudice, eh.


You really can't judge a book by its cover. The cover may deceive you, yet what's inside may entertain you. Similarly, the grass may look dull and boring when you look at it from far behind, but as you walk closer and really open your eyes, you will see that it is far greener on the inside :).

Well, I'm not proud with myself for having this super horrible habit, and now I'm trying very hard to change into a better person. This post would hopefully help to remind me if someday I start to prejudge someone I just met, and yeah, hopefully it would help you too ;).

1. Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice
You can't say you've been to Singapore if you haven't tasted the local cuisine. And one of the palatable cuisines is Chicken Rice. Many places serve this dish, but this place offers you not only perfectly spiced Chicken rice, but also the "chinese" ambience. And the prices are not high, too! Order your chicken rice ;).

Wee Nam Kee, front view.

2. IKEA!
Well, I know what you guys are thinking about. IKEA is a furniture store, and I am crazy. But, no! IKEA has a food court, and they serve swedish food. They taste soooo nice that sometimes my friends and I went there just to have lunch, without actually buying any couches or desks or anything. One of the most popular dish is the Swedish Meatball. You can buy any other food, but this one is a must-try. They serve the meatballs with raspberry sauce on the edge of the plate, but if you prefer it without the raspberry sauce, it still tastes great. And they have a delicious dessert, too. My recommendation would be Daim Cake. It is a slice of chocolate cake with some crispies and caramel. Good gracious, only writing about it makes me drool :9.

Swedish Meatball, with baked potatoes! And that red thingy is the Raspberry Sauce!

DAIM CAKE! Yum yum.

3. Peperoni Pizzeria;
Love Italian food? Well, this is one unique place you should go. You may need to do some reservation, but it's quite worth it. This pizzeria serves not just any other pizzas, it serves GIANT pizzas.The largest pizzas they serve measure about 21 inches. And you can order up to four toppings for one 21-inch pizza. The size is so big, it's great to share with four to six of your family or your friends.

Tel: 6465 6556

That was my friends and me, with our 21 inch pizza, half cheese half mushroom topping!

4. ION FOOD HALL;
You can't decide what to eat? Or you would like to just have some snacks? You can go to ION food hall, then. There are a wide variety of food from japanese curry (Go, Go Curry!), korean street snacks (Dong Dae Mun), super tasty spicy wings (4FINGERS Bonchon Crispy Chicken; this is my favourite!), japanese snacks ranging from chickens to unagis on stick (TORI-Q), singapore's very own Old Chang Kee, tasty milkshake and ice cream (Once Upon A milkshake), yummy takoyaki and okonomiyaki (GINDACO), delicious eggtarts with many flavours (Fancy Delight), melting-in-your-mouth chocolate cake (AWFULLY chocolate) and the list goes on! All these, you can find in ION food hall, yumm.
(Orchard MRT)

GO, GO CURRY!

4Fingers Crispy Chicken!

Fancy Delight's eggtarts :9

Gindaco Takoyaki!

 5. Aston's Specialties
Well, this may not be the best place to have a luxurious steak dish, but this one is pocket friendly! And I would not really recommend the tenderloin steak, (cus I tried it and it was just okay) but I'd like to recommend the chicken steaks! They have various sauces, from Lemon Lime, Teriyaki to Black Pepper! Well, I personally like the Black Pepper Chicken Steak, but my friends say the others are good, too! Oh, and the Pork Chops is nice as well. If you're feeling more than just peckish, you can try the Double Up Chicken, which comprises of two chickens with two different sauces of your choice! And each meal goes with two side dish of your choice, too. Mashed potato, French fries, Coleslaw, Pasta salad, and many more! The Grillworks Chicken and the Pork Chops do not cost more than SGD 11.00! (Well, more if you order drinks, of course!) One warning though, be prepared to queue up! If you don't like standing in line, I'd advice you to come slightly before lunchtime or dinnertime, cus then people are starting to come! :).

Some of the locations:

other locations can be found at http://www.astons.com.sg/

Chicken Steak with Mashed Potato and Onion Ring!

6. Newton Food Centre @Newton Circus
No, you're not going to watch jugglers or clowns or lions with fire rings! This place is a hawker centre, with a vast variety of food! Singapore has a lot of hawker centre, but this one is special because of the ambiance. That's why, the best time to stop by is dinnertime. When you arrive, there might be some stallholders persuading you to buy their food. But you don't need to follow them. Just walk around and choose yourself! What I recommend is the Oyster Omelet and the barbequed Stingray with chilli sauce. Yum, yum. These dishes cost about SGD 10 per plate, so if you're budgeting, I suggest that you order some to share, as the portions are quite enough for about 4-5 persons. Just look at what my friends and I did from our photo below! :)

Me and My friends! look at our food ;;)

1) Newton Food Centre, overall view 2) The Sambal Stingray 3) The Oyster Omelet

7 & 8. Island Creamery and Udders.
Dessert time! No one could ever disagree that ice cream is the most classic and delicious dessert ever. Well, these two places: Island Creamery, and Udders, are the best place where you can get your homemade ice cream fresh and nice. They are different places with different owners, I tell you. But both are equally yum yum so I just can't miss any of the two.

You want chocolate ice cream? Island creamery has ReversO, one of their specialty. You're loving Mars Bars and Snickers and want some in your ice cream? Udders have Snickers Mars Honeycomb Vanilla! Both have just too many flavours ranging from Milo, classic vanilla, berries, Teh Tarik (Island Creamery), liqueur based flavours (Udders) to banana, it may take you quite a while to decide which one you want.

Let's talk about these two places separately, though. On your very first step entering the Island Creamery, you'll be amazed by the photos on the walls. Yes, they provide a photo-printing machine, and you can take a picture of you and your friends or family, print it right away and leave it to be put on the walls! Cool, huh!

And in Udders, you and your friends can book for an Ice Cream Workshop! You can learn how to make those tasty ice cream yourself, and the course includes ice cream buffet! All-you-can-eat! For more details, refer to http://www.udders.com.sg/ice_cream_workshop

Some of the locations:

1) Udders, front view (Look at those articles! Udders is pretty famous, huh!); 2) Ice cream with waffles!

1) Island Creamery, front view (Can you see the photos on the wall?) 2) A slice of Mud Pie

 
9. Everything With Fries
Another dessert worth trying can be found in this place. Are you familiar with Nutella, the bread spread? If you are a fan of Nutella, this dessert is definitely for you. In this place, they sell NUTELLA TART and NUTELLA MILKSHAKE! Well, this may sound irrelevant to the name of the place, but they do sell dishes with French Fries, but what I truly recommend is their desserts. Other than the awesome nutella based dessert, they also have the Hot Banana Butterscotch Pudding which tastes sooo good.
Some of the locations:

THE nutella tart!

Hot Banana Butterscotch Pudding ;)

10. KOI Bubble Tea
Being near the equator, Singapore can be extremely humid at times. What would be the better way to refresh yourself than having a bubble tea! ;) There are many other stalls selling this popular drink, but KOI is one of the best. What I would recommend is the Vanilla Milk Tea (which my friends and I crave. YES, the appropriate term is 'crave', not 'like'.) or Green Tea Macchiato for those who don't really like the pearls, or maybe Ovaltine for the huge fans of chocolate! The prices are about SGD 2 to 5, depending on your choice of drinks and the size. Warning: The queue may be long during weekends (especially on the days when temperatures are high, of course).

Some of the locations:


more locations: http://koicafegroup.com.sg/contact-us/

1) one of KOI stalls, 2) YEP that's THE bubble tea!

Well, that is all for now. Oh, and these places are in no specific order, just for listing purposes, no rankings. I hope that my post is useful for those who would like to visit Singapore and have some fun with the local food! Cheers :).