Angie | ♥ yourapplepie

Farewell, 2018

2019-01-20T01:45:00.001+08:00

Happy 2019 !

While 2018 was filled with nasty lessons one after another, it is time to review the chapter and move on for the next. A few days ago, I sat down with my BFF, Adel, to do a quick recap for 2018 and vision-planning for 2019. Each year both of us will take a day to talk about the previous year and visualise what we intend to do for the new year and we have been doing this activity for a couple of years now. Because both of us are trained to facilitate conversations, we were able to conduct it to push for better and clearer insights, and set it on an action plan. We then complete it with a vision board, where I did mine using Pinterest.com.

Here’s the questions we asked ourselves this year.

What did I learnt In 2018 ?

2018 has been a difficult year for everyone, I’m no exception. I had almost half the year of downtime as I tried out new business ideas as I expand and shifted my role as an agent. And I was broke AF oh gosh. Took more exams to up my game in the finance industry and saw/hear negative things of me from people I looked up to.

In 2018, I learned that it is okay to put yourself and your interests first, walk out from toxic environments and that only you will love yourself the most. I started to spend more time with myself and catching and watching the balance of my mental and physical health. I no longer is in guilt for what I do, neither do I owe anyone a living.

In 2018, like I said earlier, I made use of the downtime from my transition by taking up courses, read more and gain more. When this is published, I should have gotten my certificate for being a Certified Facilitator for The Leadership Challenge. ( Been procrastinating on the assignment! Argh ) Also, I cleared all my General Insurance papers which I’ve always wanted to do since I joined the industry. Not just that, I up-ed my game in numberology. (Wakao it is so difficult la)

p/s : Typing this made me so happy already.

I gained to know more about myself, my struggles and ways to make myself better. I’m so thankful. :)

What is difficult to do in the start of 2018, but is manageable now .

Getting off work to self- love

THIS is the toughest of in the list. I was pretty much always living in the shadow of someone else’s ( eg my boss my friends etc ) and constantly felt guilty when I take time off to do things I want to. Often, I get negative comments and they suck. After my career shift in the middle of the year, I decided to just f*ck it. I need to stop living for others and my past.

Attracting financial abundance

An extension from the previous point, I was also constantly feeling that if I don’t work, I would be poor and then no time/ resources to take care of the rest. I was having hard time with my finances especially when you have about half an year of having barely no income/ surviving on very little money. It created a lot of anxiety problems for me. Thankfully, I’ve shifted my mindset. It is okay to get off work/ earn less to do things that can make me happier and when I am happier, the rest of the things would flow. Money will also come naturally.

Change for being more present.

I came to a point in my life that I realised that I was either living in my past or I was in my future. I was a dreamer. Probably the reason why I couldn’t link my thoughts and actions together to turn it into the reality. I wasn't really paying attention to people in my life cause I was not present at all. I'm still learning so give me some time. For now, I take baby steps to access my present situations and think through of what are the actual useful steps for me to make.

Take care of yourself and the universe will take care of the rest.

Yup. As real as it is.

Acknowledging problems, be aware and resolve it.

Being part of positive living is to acknowledge the existence of problems, feelings & emotions and circumstances. It is only when we acknowledge them, we can let go and move on. That would also help to gain more awareness, and resolve issues easier. Thus, improving in our problem solving skills and adaptability.

What do you want to achieve in 2019 ?

Be more present and be grounded
Feel the fear and do it anyway.
Better discipline
Spend time and attention wisely
Plan for my retirement.
Travel more; see more; experience more;
Converting my business ideas into reality
Read more
Sponsor a child.

Can't wait to experience what 2019 has for me .
Loves,
A.

Ten years down.

2019-01-18T01:14:00.000+08:00

Ten years, quick and easy - just flies like that.

Thanks to the #10yearchallenge , I thought it would also be nice to pen down my thoughts at this moment while reminiscing what I've been through the past ten years and to see whether I had a drastic change ! :D

Ten years ago, I did my O'levels and graduated , I had a boyfriend, and I was looking forward to what life had installed for me. Within these ten years, I did my diploma, I fell into depressed mode, broke up with my then boyfriend, I had my down time. It was tough, real tough and I hated those days. Never a day was a looking forward to school, but thankfully I managed to strap it through. I met my BFF in school, and I'm glad we held hands and pull through those dark days and that we are in a much better place now. I spent a lot of time on the internet, there's when I made a lot of friends from the internet got closer with some of them. I remember a period when I was very active in blogging and I had products sent to my house weekly for product reviews!

I was fancy. I liked my nails to be painted all the time. I always try to look my best, quirky, spends a lot of money on clothes and basically things that would make me pretty - it was to boost my self- esteem

Ten years down, I matured, I am no longer in a relationship with someone else but in a better relationship with myself. I now had a Bachelor Degree that I fought for, some skillset up my belt and a future that I'm not quite sure about. These days, I grown to care more for others, and I know, I have so much more to achieve.

I stopped my bi-weekly manicures. These days I would only have my nails painted occasionally over festive seasons. I stopped trying to impress people, I care for my own comfort more. I wear what I like, I make myself like myself more.

We all have come far haven't we ?

Life, what challenges are you going to throw me next ?

Loves,

25 things I've learnt at 25

2018-09-02T00:55:00.000+08:00

Mahjong
Oh gosh, this has took me long enough. I mean like "I'm Chinese! I should I know this at the back of my mind! "
I'm still bad at it but hey! at least I've got some basics there.
Be truthful towards your feelings

I've been drowning myself with positive thoughts, positive vibes all these years while I keep myself out of my shit hole to realise that, hey! that's not how it works. And I realised that that's what people have been doing too.

"Wrap yourself with positive people, positive vibes, positive every single thing"
So much positivity that it can do harm than good. I've learnt to address my feelings like a little kid, by asking myself questions on what have I done right to have a great day and vice versa. Of course, on bad days, learning to grill myself with questions like : What's wrong, what caused me to feel in a certain negative way and then resolve it. ( Here you go, a good practice on Design Thinking! ) Basically finding the root of the problem and then a solution to make it better. :)
Categorise your friends - "Yes" / Sour / The Guide

The "Yes" friend is anyone's favourite, they agree to everything you say and of course say what you want to hear. Everyone likes things that is pleasant to them.
The sour friend on the other hand is someone who have gotten something nasty to comment about ANYTHING. A bad listener and a worst one to heed advise from.
The guide is one like a life coach ; that friend that makes sure you are on track and make sure you are set for your goals.

None of them are bad friends, they are good in their own way but knowing which category they belong to had made me a better person/friend/team player. It helped me respond better in situations and know who to look for when I need affirmation (to the YES friend!). Sour friends are good for gossips plus they are great people who have tons of great deals. It also makes ME reflect on what kind of friend am I too as well as to who I should hang out with .
Create more than you consume

I had to credit it to the original writer though I can't remember who. The thing is this, I've been "consuming" lot of content online, by consuming I meant reading articles, watching videos etc. I have been doing so much of that, I forgot to "return" the favour by contributing to the community with the knowledge I have! That's bad, and so I decided to share as much as I can, maximise my creativity and inspirations for and with the common good. Busy is just an excuse.
Skincare first, Make-up second
Aging is real, that's what I always say and that's freaking truth. With that, it means that I age and I have to spend more money on getting my skin right. Also, learning to be comfortable with my own skin. Uncomfortable, painful and disgusting process I'm putting myself through.

I try to not wear any make up as long as I'm not meeting important clients, or events to attend while taking pictures without makeup is still a huge NO. I'll learn, I promise.
Do what you need to do.
If it's right or has to be done, do it, somehow.
Change
Change is this scary shit friend that freaks us all out. But the only constant is, CHANGE.. Whether you change for the best or for the worst. So feel the fear, but do it anyway.
Be adventurous
Do things that you have never done before, go places you've thought of before.
Life's not a buffet.
Can't have too much on your plate, woman. It causes ingestion and there's a drop in food quality. Some days we fall for greed, we just have to remember to climb out from that.
Be Hungry
Always remember for the days you do not have enough food, to remind yourself to appreciate what you have and be a better self.
Everyone have something to teach you.
And if you are not open about it, you are losing out.
My takeaway from this : NEVER JUDGE, Be kind, put on a smile and strike a conversation. You'll never know the impact that person can bring to you.
Fix things, mend things and not discard them
Be it an item, or a relationship - learn from the problem first.
Be curious
Have an open mind,always
Never Mind
But never mind. Never mind about what people say and their opinions, never mind about mistakes.
Never mind about the judgement.
Keep learning.
Learn from everything that comes your way - Feelings, mistakes, any life lessons
Numerology
I guess the most interesting subject that I've got in touch would be to learn about numerology. Yup, upgrading my witchcraft one step at a time.
Do the right thing
The world is small, the world is connected.
Don't do shit cause people will find out.
It's ok to be alone
I am totally fine with being alone, and people needs to know that.
People needs to know that we don't need other human to be with us to survive. We came to the world alone and we will leave alone too.
Love yourself first
<3
Fundamentals of The Leadership Challenge
and putting the five practices into daily use. It is not something new in my life, but knowing it in-depth and finally practicing it daily is. There are still so much to become a better leader to my peers and especially towards myself.
The Science of Meditating
At 25, I finally took the time off for meditation and it was one of the best decision made. It decluttered my mind, helped me be more mindful and showed more gratitude to the earth and universe.
Be Sincere
Always. Be. Nice. Sincerity will lead you to great things.
Kindness always triumphs
Be Kind, even if the world fails you.
Take Care of yourself.
And the universe will take care of the rest. It is only when we take care of ourselves, respect our body, communicates with our minds, the best will find its way to us.
You make your own happiness.
You are the one that would put a smile on your face and you are in full control of that, and your life.

Happy Birthday, me.

With a lot of love,

doitforthegram_BKK 3/3 - More cafe hopping

2018-08-10T01:49:00.000+08:00

Our trip's brief and our bangkok time is up. Here's what we had on the last day. More eating and more pictures for the gram. Kudos to the girls for planning out the flights that we flew in early and last flight out back to Singapore, we had almost a full day on the third day. We checked out, left our belongings with the hotel and went to cafe no. 1 of the day. We did stop and shop and buy street food along the way thou!

B Story Cafe

I adore this cafe so so much.

This cafe has its rustic floral charm that I'm so deeply in love, not to mention their thai-western fusion food as well!

Tons of photo opportunity at this place, I highly recommend!

Address: 89/70 Phayathai Rd, Khwaeng Thanon Phetchaburi, Khet Ratchathewi, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand

theCommons

Address: 335 (Thonglor 17), 55 Sukhumvit Rd, Klongtan Nue, Watthana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Heart and Hand cafe

Address: 33 Sukhumvit 38 Alley, Khwaeng Phra Khanong, Khet Khlong Toei, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10110, Thailand

Central world

Address: 999/9 Rama I Rd, Khwaeng Pathum Wan, Khet Pathum Wan, กรุงเทพมหานคร 10330, Thailand

There were so many other cafes that we wanted to visit but we didn't really have much stomach to do so anytime. Really dam sweet la omg. Can't wait to be back in Bangkok again!

Loves,
A.

June Highlights | ArtBox Singapore with Gryphon Tea, Brunch @ Starkers, Flowers from Floral Gaarage, Percussion Masterclass.

2018-07-10T19:00:00.000+08:00

Thank you June,

I went to Artbox with Gryphon tea, Best Singaporean tea ever !

And had dinner at Supply and Demand and ended my day with my friends and cousins at Level up !

Starkers has always been one of my favourite places to go for beers, and since they were having promotions, I thought like Hey, let's have brunch there!

Was also in for some happy news! and received flowers from Floral Gaarage on the same day <3

Ending the month with a masterclass back with NYP Percusion! Good to be back!

Loves,

Me VS Decluttering

2018-06-04T19:00:00.000+08:00

Recently I have been very into like decluttering (???) and I was like "oh shit is this the start of my auntie life" hahaha. And I'm hooked. Well it has nothing to do with my auntieness thou, I found myself reading articles and more articles , videos after videos about how clutter or rather mess at home have an impact on one's mental Heath and how it does affects the mood and productivity, and I found joy doing it.

OMG Angie , what have you become to.

" tidy home is a tidy mind"

Then, I chanced upon this lady by the name of Marie Kondo, where she introduced the Konmari Method - an organization style to simplify and organise. She is also the author of " "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up." It's crazy I tell you.

Here’s some of the things that I've learned throughout this process

Get rid of duplicates
We often buy things that are similar or even repeated without us realising and that is mainly just out of habit ; we like we buy.
Get rid of things you have not use in a year.
During my first attempt to declutter, I didn't want to let go of anything. Like why would I want to! I spent money on them and I want them in my life. However, I realised that there were more than 50% of the items that I've never touched them for years.They were just sitting in the wardrobe/drawers/basically some corner in the house and doing nothing, totally serving no purpose at all!

Meanwhile, I'm determined to build a classic wardrobe with quality pieces that I hope to last me for years (of course still have some fashion pieces to spice up the look.)
Don't keep things out of guilt
I still keep items that are sentimental for me ; like all handwritten cards and gifts from friends/students etc. There were other items that it's just there and you would want to throw.
A home for everyone
There should be a place for everything, which then leads to being organised. Efficient tip! In her books/videos, she shared that every item should have a place to where they belong and thus not having a mess afterwards. Personally, I still struggle to keep the different things in place and even when I do, I realised that the lazy bad habit would make it tough - "Aiya just left it on the table first, later then put it back" This shit never happens wtf.
Plunge, then decide the next home for that itemThis is an important factor in the Konmari Method, Marie Kondo shared in her books and videos to set up 3 stacks - Keep , Give/sell, Throw. To begin decluttering, one can have three baskets, and then decide where each item belongs. Items belonging to the give/sell or throw section can be to sold via various platforms, donated/ give away or worst condition throw away or do some sorta recycling. It can be a painful process at the start, but would be something so fruitful and would also feel lighten up afterwards.

It's been an amazing journey to declutter and hopefully better in the future!
Loves,

Things to Plunge

2018-06-03T18:49:00.000+08:00

Since I've been doing so much decluttering in my life right now, it was also an indication of how my money should be spent wisely. And because I'm so into it right now, I had to influence my friends to do the same. I realised that these are some of the common things my friends and I had to get rid of and you really have to remove the guilt in order to do so. People come and go, so do your items.

TL;DR : What Comes after decluttering :)

Make up

I think most girls would have this problem - buying too much make up. I personally don't really spend much on make up itself but sometimes you would really need variety and that's when horror comes in. I threw away one whole box of expired make up in such some has not even been opened yet.

Clothes

Oh dear, it's like never ending wtf. There are always clothes that has to go. With taobao and fast moving fashion, I could easily say that most girls would have clothes that they never wear it more than 5 times. I know like it's bit painful for the wallet but you know what, Carousell and refash is here to save the day.

At the same time, it is also good time to perhaps start a habit to invest in clothing that are more versatile.

Books

Come on, who still read books nowadays.

Opt for e-book or audio books instead, it's not only better for the environment, it is also more convenient to bring around. You can either sell them or just donate it to the community library near you. I've donating mine to my students, cousins and lastly to the community library.

Nail polish

I'm not sure about about others, but there was a period that I was all about nails and I had tons of nail polishes all in different shades of Colours. They all had to go. Who has time to wait for them to dry anymore?

Anyway they are bad for the nail bed too.

Electronics

When I as going through my own apartment, I took out so many things , like the old Nokia phones(that you can't even charge) and the webcams and the never ending spoilt cables and earpieces. Keep for what, really.

I also later found out that these electronic waste should be dispose properly.

Costume Jewellery

There are like clothes, elements that enhances the outfit wtf. Even if you don't have make up, you would still have costume Jewellery, price ranges from $1 to maybe hundred over dollars for better quality or designer items. I'm so guilty of this cause I had so much and I don't wear them anymore. I try to sell those designer items on Carousell while the Taobao/77th street ones, I just throw.

Decorations

For the house, for the room - they are all just collecting dust now. So, Throw!

Knicks Knacks

Same for this. it's crazy to look at them, think back about the dollars spent on it. Bad habit that gotta go! No more shopping and impulse purchases on knick knacks!

Magazines

I've ton of magazines, from idol magazines and J-pop ones, where I picked up my Japanese makeup and fashion skills, they all have to go now. Let's be honest, no one opens them up to read anymore. *roll eyes*

Gift bags

Awwww, those pretty paper bags that could have cost $2 for one. They are really pretty, unless you found a way to give them a second life, then get them out of the house. It's painful to get rid of them I know! T.T

Expired medication

I researched and articles said that they are still good for use even after 15 years, but isn't it weird and not worth the risk for taking expired medication? And also, how often we do go back to old medication when we are not well. Certainly they have to go, just for safety.

Receipts

The thing about receipts is we just keep them for no apparent reason. We pay and then we chuck it into our bags or wallets and they will be there for as long as we don't remember them. For myself, I keep them for filing taxes, but otherwise, they have to go too.

p/s: Ways to get rid of plunge items.

So grateful that life have been easier with all these platforms! It's like garang guni man but modernized.

Carousell
Game-changer ; I've sold countless things on the app, so did my friends. From camera to phones to my luxury bags, just blessed that I barely have any carouhell moments and glad that I managed to make friends with my buyers!

At the same time, I manage to get some steals too! Need something? Carousell it first.
Flea market
Interesting experience ; It's expensive, dusty and troublesome but I feel that it's worth the experience. I did my first flea at Lucky Plaza where there are tons of people who really appreciate what you have to offer at a low price and gives the items a new life. Flea markets are a good place to get rid of clothes, accessories, shoes, or even suitcases. The demographics are lucky plaza are domestic helpers and our customers were buying for themselves or their family members in their hometown.

Thing to note : Be nice, fleas are not really for you to make money, be prepared to spend the whole day standing and shouting and handle people who haggle for lower prices. Remember that you are there to get rid of plunge, your aim is to not bring home anything but cash.
Facebook Marketplace
Relatively new and great place to sell anything! I could easily get 10 or more enquiries in a day when I posted about selling my iPhone 7 plus. The Facebook Marketplace is like flea market, but virtual.
Donate it away!
Not into selling or getting cash back ? Then donate it! There are many avenues for donations, Salvation Army, religion groups, thrift stores etc.
Just throw it away wtf.
If item is damaged and beyond hope for a second life, no explanation needed. Just into the bin .

It does take some guts to part with the items, but once it's done , I promise that you will feel a little lighter overall. :)

Loves,

10 things I did to save more money

2018-05-24T23:55:00.000+08:00

I mean like it's quite obvious that this is semi occupation hazard but also good practices that I would always keep in mind.

Save at least 30-50% of your income automatically.
One practice that most of us don't practice and I'm kinda guilty for that as well. I used to diligently do that when I was holding an office job and things got off when I went back to school and doing freelancing work. It's a phrase and I feel that it does get harder as we grow older, but I'm striving to get this good habit back on track after my transition period as well.
Have two jobs, save 100% of one salary
Because I no longer have a fixed pay, every month I had variable amounts and they comes in at different days of the month. It makes savings much tougher and cash flow harder to keep track. What I did was to keep one incoming salary to a separate bank so it naturally become part of my savings :)
Let your savings work harder.
The simplest way is to do some "homework" and park your money in a bank that gives the best interest rate. An even better way is to set aside a portion of the savings and sign up for an endowment plan, I suggest a shorter term eg 5 years, and then review every five years, just in case of a disruption. A shorter term endowment plan works well for freelancers like myself since we do not contribute to CPF and we "lose out" from the employer CPF contribution portion too. The 5-year endowment plan serve as a "CPF contribution" with less flexibility compared to the bank but you know you can get it out in an agreed date (policy maturity date).
Buy things during sales.
One of my shopaholic practices is that I would barely buy anything full retail price. While I am really very grateful that I have amazing family and friends around that are able to give me amazing discounts and deals, I am seldom tempted by impulse purchase which brings me to the next point.
Only buy things you need
I'm a girl and I like pretty, fine things. I love my Louis Vuitton and Chanel bags and I cannot lie! People often buy things to impress and we don't think through when we are at the moment. If you really have to, do a price comparison first.

p/s : Here we are talking about big ticket items.

Some questions I usually ask myself before I buy :
Q : Would I be able to use this item everyday ?
Q : If not, will I see myself using it 5-10 years later ?
Q : Is the price worth its quality ?
Q : Do I really need it ?
Do a price comparison - Taobao might not always be the cheapest!Don't get me wrong. I love Taobao and I've been getting my stuff from Taobao since my secondary school days. Back in those days we use agent to daigou for us and we have to send in our orders in excel format, for real. What I realise these days is that we have so many other e-commerce sites that makes taobao not the cheapest option anymore.
For example , this LED lit mirror / lamp
It was the same price on taobao and hipvan after the chinese dollar conversion, but! it was overall cheaper when I use Hipvan because there's free shipping/delivery plus there was a discount code on it. If I were to make the purchase through taobao, I would have to worry about the shipping fee and any complications (every electronic thing has this), the electric plug etc.

Same situation for my purchase on my Xiaomi Air Purifier from Lazada too.
Less is more.
Sell away things that duplicates or no longer in use.
Rarely use ? = sell.
I could totally give it away or get some cash back for whatever item it can. The choice is up to individual, while I feel that it does make a person feel much better when you paid for a purchase and you get back cash for it.
Learn to share
Sharing is caring, indeed! One simple yet good example was carpooling, ride hitching and sharing accounts - opt in to share a Netflix Account or friends to come together for a Spotify Family account.
Talking about gadgets, currently I had sold my cameras and is only solely using my mobile while occasionally borrowing Yongwei's #jennythedrone for travel or commissioned work. It IS an expensive toy but I think it is not whether you can afford one or not but more like the the chances of me utilizing.
My friends and I sometimes share our wardrobe too (mostly my friends coming to borrow my clothes). There are days we need to attend one formal event once in maybe three blue moon so there's absolutely pointless to make a purchase for that occasion, so you borrow.
Invest in quality productsI spend alot of money in quality items.
Quality over Quantity anytime.
I believe in the value of how it is made, the practicality of the material used and design behind it.That being said would need a lot of research to be done, on its brand, quality reviews etc.

With the right brand, it is definitely worth the penny over the long run.
Make more money to buy what you want.
An extra side job, a small online business or investments instruments. No one relies on one income to make money - it is not possible. The toughest yet best way to gain more savings would be to make more money through investments or starting having a side income.

"Savings & investment are all you're left with after a career. Education, certificates, experiences eventually become useless"

I hope it's useful! Good luck!

Loves,

doitforthegram_BKK 2/3 - too tired from Cafe Hopping

2018-05-06T01:00:00.002+08:00

Day 1 was clearly very intensive for all of us. We had a late morning, headed out for breakfast and continued our cafe-hopping journey. We catered more time to walk around and shop for the second day and our highlight was definitely the seafood dinner!

Some shots at the hotel with our puffy faces first!

Wearing the 250B dress that I got from Artbox!

Unicorn Cafe

We signed up for diabetes. The unicorn cafe has topped the Bangkok-Must-go/ Top 10 unique cafes in Bangkok for a while, and we have to check the place out!

Rainbow crepe cake! Crepe cake forever.

Address: 44/1 ซอย สาทร 8 สีลม Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand

BunBun from Milk plus

Address: 897 Si Lom, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand

Yaowarat Seafood

Rod fat night market (Ratchada)

Address: 55/9 ถนน รัชดาภิเษก Khwaeng Din Daeng, Khet Din Daeng, กรุงเทพมหานคร 10400, Thailand

doitforthegram_BKK 1/3 - Hipster Cafes + Night Markets

2018-05-03T14:47:00.000+08:00

Yes, a trip that Joyce, Fenny and I embarked, to curate stuff on-the-go. Joyce initialized the weekend getaway and also some quality time together. Everyone's been so busy even Fenny and I spent soooooo little time with each other. Last time we one package one lei!

We flew with scoot, they are like the best budget airlines and stayed at The Berkeley Hotel. Total amount per pax for flight + acoomodation was less than $250, which was a steal I would say. I had a pleasant stay when I was there in September and with its strategic location, I suggested it to the girls and they said YES! We shortlisted from boutique hotels and accessibility was one of the things on our list. Very important okay.

It is also my first time having to plan a full three day two night itinerary to BANGKOK with timings included! Most of my trips I include day tours or outskirt stays with just only places of interest while this time round - we super onz about our timing thanks to all the pretty/aesthetic/dainty cafes all around Bangkok!

Here's our room!

Address: 559 Ratchaprarop Rd, Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand

Phone: +66 2 309 9999

Harry Potter Exhibit at Siam Paragon

Our first day happen to be the last day of the Harry Potter Exhibit at Siam Paragon. It was in the mall's atrium filled with official Harry Potter movie sets and ornaments together with the merchandise.

Address: สยามพารากอน 991 Rama I Rd, Khwaeng Pathum Wan, Khet Pathum Wan, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10330, Thailand

ONCE cafe & cuisine

This is one that we came across while looking for some real food before we head to the Mermaid Castle Cafe. Just across the carpark, Once Cafe serve thai-western fusion food with a cutesy decor. The two storey establish have their kitchen on the second level, and a section of the cafe catered to Korean beauty make up.

Pretty in pink, so cute!

Address: 228/ Siam Square Soi 2, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Mermaid Castle Cafe

Dreaming to be a Mermaid ? The cafe has four levels filled with merchandise to transform you into a full fledged Mermaid. Be prepared to scream WAAAA the moment you step in.

We didn't buy anything but we stopped by to have the rainbow milk frappe and the rainbow cupcakes!

Address: 238 Siam Square Soi 2, Khwaeng Pathum Wan, Khet Pathum Wan, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10330, Thailand

Stumbled upon this nice apparel boutique plus cafe. Can't remember what's the name of the shop but it is just a stone's thrown away from the Mermaid cafe.

Little Zoo cafe

I'm not really sure if I enjoyed this cafe, but it is nice to see an arctic fox in the hearts of the Bangkok city. They have animals from Fennec fox to Meerkat to short leg Corgi to giant rabbits (they are huge!) and different types of dogs too.

Address: 420 Siam Square 11 Alley, Khwaeng Pathum Wan, Khet Pathum Wan, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10330, Thailand

Truelove at Neverland ( huskies Cafe)

Still on track on our timing, okay towards the next stop. The Huskies cafe was the last cafe for the day. They have selected timing for play so do remember to check out on their facebook page on the timing before heading down, we were there for the last slot for the day and it was crowded. It was a Friday so I guess that's the crowd usually like ?

We went half an hour earlier to get registered, paid 350B for a ticket, enjoyed our ice cream cake and drink before it was play time with the husky dogs!

Address: 153 Rama VI Soi 30, แขวง สามแสนใน Khet Phaya Thai, กรุงเทพมหานคร 10400, Thailand

Chang Chui

aka the plane night market. Previously a plane graveyard, it is now a venue to host local creative designers and artists.

There's obviously a real huge plane and also cute cafes, restaurants and local designer stores. The whole area makes an amazing place to take pictures and we specially rushed there to catch the sunset with the plane! <3

There are also several art pieces made from reused materials and are really creative!

Address: 462 Sirindhorn Rd, Khwaeng Bang Phlat, Khet Bang Phlat, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10700, Thailand

Chang Chui is a great place with less tourists and better views but as compared to other night markets, it lacks variety so we hopped to the next night market - JJ Green Market!

JJ green market

The last time I was there, I had dinner with the family and we left, leaving no time to explore the other stores and what's around. This time we make sure we clear half the place, and left for the next location after we realised that there were more food and retail stores were repetitive.

Address: 1 Kamphaeng Phet 3 Rd, Khwaeng Chatuchak, Khet Chatuchak, กรุงเทพมหานคร 10900, Thailand

Artbox @ Makkasan

Lucky us caught the ArtBox night market at Makkasan Station. I would say.. my expectation was really way higher than reality. :( Left the place disappointed.

TALAD Neon

The Talad Neon was the last stop for the day, and it made sense since it is literally just beside our hotel. The night market serves more street style sea food and less shopping which I was not quite in for, I have been eating the whole day hello!

Address: 1087 New Petchaburi Rd, Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand

Did we just went to 4 different night market in a day? Yes we did.
Stuffed with food and into a food coma bye.

Loves,
A.

Day trip to Ayutthaya

2018-04-16T17:44:00.001+08:00

Last September, I went on a family trip to Bangkok (DUH) and I arranged a day trip to the ancient city, Ayutthaya, one of the places that had been on my list for a while. *stares back a my friends who WTF me when I started "sight seeing" in Bangkok. * My Cousin was nice enough to arrange the pick up and what nots for me and basically all I had to do is to find the driver and hop on to the ride and set off.

I would take the public transport off anytime so to explore more, but comfort is key when travelling with aunties and children. Basically it was like a guided trip, with our driver bringing us from places to places. The journey there is about 1.5 hour from Bangkok. We paid less than $200 for the ride, excluding driver's lunch ( treat on us)and no we didn't tip.

The whole experience was pretty amazing and eye opener. I would definitely recommend ANYONE planning to visit Bangkok to set aside one day for this beautiful place. I can’t wait to be back to take more pictures. We only visited five places and was back to Bangkok before dinner time. Ayutthaya is also a city that's filled with temples everywhere you go, good for you if you are as religious as I am

Brief History of Ayutthaya :

The Historic City of Ayutthaya, founded in 1350, was the second capital of the Siamese Kingdom. It flourished from the 14th to the 18th centuries, during which time it grew to be one of the world’s largest and most cosmopolitan urban areas and a center of global diplomacy and commerce. Ayutthaya was strategically located on an island surrounded by three rivers connecting the city to the sea. This site was chosen because it was located above the tidal bore of the Gulf of Siam as it existed at that time, thus preventing attack of the city by the sea-going warships of other nations. The location also helped to protect the city from seasonal flooding.The city was attacked and razed by the Burmese army in 1767 who burned the city to the ground and forced the inhabitants to abandon the city. The city was never rebuilt in the same location and remains known today as an extensive archaeological site. At present, it is located in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province.

First stop : Bang Pa-In Summer Palace.

This is the second palace that I've been to in Thailand,
first being the one in Hua Hin and okay la,maybe can skip this place.Admission ticket : 100 Baht
x

The palace features a little of the European styled architecture and it looks really modern from the outside.

Something to note : Always wear long pants/ skirt and cover your shoulders for both gender.

One interesting fact is that ladies have to wear the sarong over if you are wearing pants.

BUTTTTT, I highly recommend to take the river cable car over to the other side to see Wat Niwet Thammaprawat Gothic Temple. Even the river crossing experience was interesting.

It is this church style structure with yellow exterior and you would not expect what you will see inside.

I googled and found out that the structured was a piece of commissioned work designed by an Italian architect and were build in Western style to reflect the modernisation of the country.

Second stop : Wat Phanan Choeng

The temple has a Buddha statue at 19m tall and was said to be built in 1324, some time around the era with the Burmese destroy the Ayutthaya city.

Third stop : Wat Yai chai mongkhol

Here comes the ruins. This temple had several names where it used to be called Wat Pa Kaeo - an exhumed and cremation site for two princes who died of chloera in 1357. It was later renamed after the King defeated the Burmese army in 1592.

Then we went for lunch..

Fourth Stop : Wat Mahathat

I would say this Wat is the most popular place with tourist for its remains while it was one of the more important temples during the ancient days for its close prioximity to the Grand Palace. The place is also going through restoration, and hopefully a old-new look the next time I'm there.

Fifth stop : Wat Lokayasutharam

The feature of the place would be the huge reclining Buddha, sitting at 37 metres long and 8 metres high, it's really amazing to just think about how it was built with the limited resources.

There are sooooo many more Temples and ruins that we did not finish cause my fam say they all looked the same can skip wtf. I was a little regretful not bringing along a drone as well? Oh well, there is always next time I Guess. Before we head back to Bangkok, don't forget to buy their traditional sweets, Roti Saimai, or what we called Fairy Floss in present terms. Now you know where you all fairy floss comes from ok, from this ancient city.

With that, I sum up the day trip to the ancient city of Ayutthaya !

The relation between boys and mushrooms

2018-04-03T02:22:00.003+08:00

It all started out as a joke.

One day, my friends and I were at a siamdiu where we had drinks and were *ahem* looking at boys.
The conversation started something like that :

Friend ,"that boy quite cute ah, wanna try not"

Me, " Cannot la, look at him, he's an enoki mushroom!"

So presenting to you...

The 10 types of boys in termsof edible mushrooms.

1. Enoki mushrooms

Yes it is a hot favourite on the steamboat menu, and you know.
They ARE delicious, but sorry, cannot digest.
好看好吃不好消化。 - He's good-looking, hot but nah, not boyfriend material.
Usually Asians, and may or may not have interest in girls. :')
They are the ones that girls are go crazy after or eye-candy, but you know - really cannot bring home one la.

2. Shiitake Mushrooms.

aka the one inside your ba chor mee.

They are savoury and meaty, usually more popular after they are dried.
Just like the bachelors in their late 30s. Crisis.
They are alright boys, average to the max , super nice friends to be with but never to be seen with a girl.
Somebody save them thanks.

3. Button Mushrooms.

Cute young things, usually 18-25 year old.
Have not seen the world and not so sure how to treat their girlfriends right.
Always in a dilemma between their bros and their girlfriends (who are always following the trends and expecting stuff from their button mushrooms so that they can flaunt on instagram)
Young, wild and freeeeee

4. Portobella

The one that thinks that they are of a higher class.
The portobella, has a meatier texture but lesser in taste, usually sauteed.
Boys who pick their girls to talk to, ARGH.

5. Oyster Mushrooms.

Considered expensive to average families and fragile.
Nothing worth mentioning about the taste.
The boys that comes from the quite well to do families, horribly pampered by their parents and basically have no skill sets but to party all day er day.
They don't deserve to have a girlfriend, they just need their mummies.

6. Honey Mushrooms

Honey mushrooms have a chewy texture with a slightly sweet taste.
They are usually boys in between late twenties early thirties, knows how to please their girlfriends very well. They are also the ones that have plans to settle down for a family, usually boring towards the girlfriend but have a lot of fun with their friends. They have stable income (a 9-5 job) with or without career prospects and pretty tired about this "when are you going to get married" thing.

7. Truffle Mushrooms

Expensive stuff. They are like the 土豪s - ugly, fat but rich.
Girls are only going after truffle oil, oops I mean money.
Usually spotted with or on pictures with sginstababe girls /super materialistic girls.
Because those are the only people that will entertain them.

8. Chanterelles

Yellowish in color and offers a light floral note.
Most gentle than you, more vain than you.
Best sisters to befriend more.
They also have more boyfriends in their list than you.

9. Morels.

May not have the best of looks, but in terms of taste, they are delicious and savoury.
They are like the 李大仁, the one that have below average looks/qualities, zero fashion sense, definitely not someone you will notice first but, best boyfriend ever.
If they are lucky, they usually have a very pretty and kind wife. :)
They are the ones that we question, "Why his face like that can have supermodel girlfriend????"

10. "Hens of the woods"

Often known as "maitake" or the "dancing mushrooms"
They are packed with rich, earthy flavours.
As you would tell, they are good with keeping their girlfriends assured with their "future".
Their girls would also stupidly believe them with his looks and quality of words used.
Lifestyle wise, everything also game first, brothers first and their ridiculous dreams. #Helpla.
Always hanging out with their bros while their girlfriends just sit beside them.
Future/ Career - unclear.

Pardon me, I love mushrooms okay. They are roots vegetables and they are healthy, they have many health benefits but I can't help to think that boys have the same properties too. hahahaha.

Disclaimer : Every ~~mushroom~~ boys are good and bad in their own way okay.
Don't throw rotten mushrooms when you see me on the street thanks.

I hope you enjoyed this article and quick question, what kind of mushroom are you/ you dating!

Loves,
A.

Whirlwind

2018-04-03T00:56:00.000+08:00

It's crazy, before I could update on the space about the start of my 2016, 2017 has ended and so is the first quarter of 2018. Here's a summary.

In 2016, I completed my unfinished business (overdue modules from school). Phew, no more crying and reading and studying at the same time. And also completed 4 basic sets of exams from SCI (Singapore College of Insurance). Became a financial services consultant at the end of that year, while I enjoyed the job scope as much as I did, I was still doing what I love - teaching and training.

I hope that answers everyone who's asking me about what do I really do. I train/coach, I give tuition (still, to my existing students) and I also I advise on financial planning.

And I still do, I have a clear vision for what I envision. The difference now? I left the company that I joined in Nov 2016.

There's so many things to say; it was not a decision I made over a fortnight, not influenced by any and most importantly - it came from the heart. While part of me still have mixed feelings for the change, I'm grateful and I'm excited for better things to come.

Loves,
A.

February Highlights | Bangkok Trip with company , CNY with family , RSAF Air show!

2018-03-14T15:53:00.000+08:00

The greater highlight of Feb definitely has to be the Bangkok incentive trip with my colleagues. I think I had the most YOLO trip in my whole life. Most of the time I was wondering...Why my colleagues no need drink water no need sleep one ??????

Other than that would be spending quality time back in Alor Star, Malaysia with the family for Chinese New Year!

Started the month with the RSAF airshow with the sis!

Always a joy to watch the planes in the skies <3

So grateful that we have tickets for the family show, even more grateful we do not need to queue and squeeze with the general public.

Before that, pre-drinks for after Monday meetings before we depart for our Bangkok incentive trip!

Airport Travel Details

Our flight was super delayed by the accident at the airshow and by the town we reached the heart of Bangkok, we were just in time for dinner.

After dinner means pre-drinks in the hotel room before we heads to DEMO!

Day 2/4 of the bangkok trip

We started the day with a Breakfast talk, I swear I was dying.

& I woke up like this

With Weiyi and my ultra swollen pig face omg save me!

Morning event over and we rested for awhile before we head to agency lunch & shop.

Lunch at Somtam, courtesy of my boss!

& desserts at Mango Tango!

Shopped around Platinum Mall, super useful to have it a bridge away & scored this red dress that I wore for the function in the evening!

80B donald duck earring!

Mode Sathorn Hotel

Checked into this lovely boutique hotel at the CBD area, reasonably priced with a great location.

Surrounded by big hoteliers, the Mode Sathorn Hotel was directly next to a BTS Station!

Super modern and luxe interior.

Off to Yaowarat (Bangkok's Chinatown)

Here to donate coffin and give something for those in need.

Poppin' champagne with seafood along the streets! That's how you do bangkok.

LOOK AT HOW BIG IS THIS HUM.

HOW MUCH SHIT DID YOU EAT TO GROW SO BIG OMG

Back to Alor Star for Chinese New Year!

It's family thing to visit the Old Folks Home on Chu Yi ( first day of CNY) to give back to the community and followed by a temple visit for CNY Prayers. Usually we have vegetarian meals for day one and no exception this year. What's new this year is we moved in to our new house!

Woke up to day 2 and time to ban nian to the family before we host our neighbours, family and friends.

Other than that, I spent my CNY eating and watching TV and falling asleep while watching TV.

Back to Seremban for another round of feasting with family friends!

p/s : stop telling me to stop eating shark's fin, the whole freaking shark can be eaten.

January Highlights! | Flower arrangement class, Boufe, Bread Street Kitchen, OMU,

2018-02-12T22:13:00.000+08:00

While I'm trying my best to survive February, here's some highlights in Jan!

In Jan, I attended a flower arrangement class hosted by A Better Florist.

Made myself a nice bouquet of flowers, spent quality time with my BFF while learning something new.

Had lunches at Boufe over work meetings.

totally making work meeting a lot better, not forgetting to mention their nice ambiance and decent food. Our office were just above Boufe Cafe and that already made me so happy! Happy food Happy Angie. :)

Trying out their charcoal lemonade

Address: 01, 308 Tanglin Rd, 01 Phoenix Park, 247974

Ketchup with my Nice friends.

Best take away from AIA ; batchies for life.

Helping out for a proposal shoot and having dinner at Bread Street Kitchen.

(The proposal was a success!)

Mushroom Risotto

Fish & Chips

Located in: The Shoppes

Address: 2 Bayfront Avenue, 01 - 81 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 018956

Caught up with HP over Korean Food!

Army stew, bibimbap , beer and soju. So full.
Restaurant comes with pretty & friendly lady boss and free flow delicious kimchi !

FOMO with Kaviel & Jon.

Stumbled upon this FOMO place on facebook which I think it's just a revamped style food hall (another way to say food court ?) and grabbed the two boys to go ! Serving hipster cafe style food, the food was well presented, tasted good and was slightly more expensive. Can't speak for the rest but my favourite for the meal was this giant potato ball.

Grilled Chicken & Sea Bass with mash potato and mac & Cheese for sides; by CHOPz

KANE Mochi

Address: 38 Sultan Gate, Singapore 198486

Finally trying out OMU with HP & CK

my goodness, the last time I saw CK was 2 years ago.

How time flies. Nonetheless it is still a good catch up with both of them over delicious OMU rice. I enjoyed the meal so much I'm sure I will be back for more!

Located in: Suntec City

Address: 3 Temasek Boulevard, #01-301A/301B (PN), Suntec City Mall, 038983

That pretty much sums up the month.

GTG for now!

Loves,
A.

Going for a flower arrangement class

2018-01-26T19:14:00.001+08:00

The BFF Adeline (or otherwise known as "the one who refuses to create instagram ")and I have a long lists of things to do/try-out when we try to spend quality time together and we meant quality time we make sure we spend each minute doing something fruitful. One of the things in our freaking long list is flower arrangement and the opportunity came when A Better Florist contacted me to do a shout-out for them.

To be honest, flowers are not really quite my thing, I never understand them buttttt I still get very happy when I receive some. What sorcery wtf. So I chose to make my own bouquet instead of just receiving one from them instead! Here's what we got in the end!

Love it! <3

We chose the Sunday late afternoon class at their florist , located nearby Clarke Quay, feeling suthat feeling you get when trying something new.) It was a good timing for us seems it was in between our schedule. It was a class of ten, with our instructor, a full-timer in-house florist. We didn't talk much to the rest but it seems that they were here for a better reason. Eg : wedding bridesmaid activity/ birthday activity, nowadays people so hapz what am I doing to my life)

We walked over from the Clarke Quay MRT and it took us about 10 mins to get there? Fantastic human GPS Skills.

The class started a little off time but we still managed to end on time, which was great since we have plans afterwards.

Look at them so pretty

The instructor made sure all of us are on the same track, and doing it correctly. So thankful for that, if not I would have been quite a mess!

careless me!

Flowers aint the freshest, so I get extra roses, but we talk about zero waste right!

The aim was to learn about the techniques anyway :)

Overall, it was a great afternoon spent. Although half the time I'm not sure wtf am I doing, the next quarter of the time figuring out what should I put the flowers and the last quarter putting everything together, the session was overall well-timed and interesting as we learned about the different plants and flowers used, as well as how we can put up a simple bouquet by ourselves. Thank you A Better Florist!

December Highlights! | Alor Star, Gathering Parties & Batam

2018-01-08T16:57:00.000+08:00

TL;DR : whatever happened in December, picture form

Back in Alor Star to spend time with the gramp.

Went over to Thailand for a quick getaway!

Looks like my uncles are pleased by my mook serving skills.

Basically this is just me, being a big sister buying the kids ice cream. :)

Back in Singapore & up for gatherings again!
JiaPei's Birthday! & chill drinks with the #bestseniors

sipping Whiskey for breakfast while we head to Batam !

Altas Bar at last!

Xmas Eve drinks!

Annual Cousins* Xmas Gathering

Last Lunch of 2017

New Year Countdown!

love you kor <3

Amazing people amazing month and amazing time spent to end the year.
Thank you <3

Loves,
A.

Struggles of 2017

2018-01-08T02:57:00.000+08:00

The greatest struggle of all is - to keep this online diary alive. Most of the people that I know personally and majority of the public views everyone with a blog as a blogger and they are a scam and always get freebies. Unfortunately I dont, I do occasionally get invites from my influencer friends for parties/food tasting/product launch etc but personally, I have NEVER email any company to get something in return.My blog still truly stand as a publicly viewed online journal of my personal snippets and highlights in life that I want to remember, mostly happy stuff. thankfully.

In 2017, I was so busy that I don't even know what I was busy with, I drafted more more than 40 posts, but they never made it to the light. I'm also guilty for towards my PR friends who have been patiently waiting for my review about products and food and whatever lah, and I took forever. I also wasn't able to keep up with my monthly highlight series - which I curated to make my life easier by summarizing everything for the month into one post. I kinda stopped after the death of my iphone 6s but I promise they will be out soon! They are all in my drafts wtf.

The next struggle has to be my work life. As most would know, I'm contracted as a Financial Services Consultant with one of the Top3 insurers in Singapore, as much as I enjoyed the job, there were more downs than ups, with I am still coping as a soft skills trainer and still teaching my private tuition classes.

Life's been pretty rocky and I'm trying.

Thank you my little angels (the you reading this) for staying by and keeping up with me.

With tons of love this time,
A.

Melbourne Day 5 : St Kilda's Beach !

2017-11-29T18:20:00.005+08:00

Day 5's pretty chill, it's another free and easy day for me, and since I was maxed out from the Coldplay Concert the previous day, I decided to wake up a bit later and hang out at the St Kilda's. As usual, I took the tram down and basically just walked the whole entire time.

Lunch at Jacky Jones

Then I stumbled upon St Kilda Breakwater, which is a FREE spot to view the same kind of penguins that I saw at Philip Island. Here's where to go if you are more budget than me, and definitely a lot nearer too. With that said, there are surely rules to follow, eg no flash photography on them.

Even the rocks also chio wtf.

Mandatory shot.

And how can we do without gelato at the beach?!

Back to the beach area, with my ice cream to catch the sunset.

Inside the open air cinema

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Back to the penguin break water view point!

Melbourne Day 3 : Guided tour to the Maru Koala and Animal Park, KoalaConservation Centre, Penguin Parade Philip Island

2017-11-29T17:37:00.000+08:00

My third day in Melbourne brought me out to the outskirts of the city where I booked a three day tour with this Chinese agency; Evergreen.(Recommended by ZhaoFa, thank you!) I paid for 3 days worth of tours (one day was just half day) for around AUS150. With that amount, I could only do one day tour with anyone on klook or any other apps. I think the main difference was that the group size was twice bigger and they spoke Chinese, but if you are fine with that, I would highly recommend to opt for them too. Since I had to report at around 10 ish, I headed down to where I lived and decided to try out Metro Burgers for breakfast. Led by a pair of Asian father daughter duo, the breakfast item I had was not too bad!

I had this vegetarian set, sorry I can't remember the name and price of it anymore but look at that mushroom! The portion was rather huge for me, I halved it and had it packed for dinner.

I hopped over to Uniqlo and bought heat tech before I joined the tour. Best decision made.
I totally packed for the wrong weather and did nothing to prep myself for 16 degree celsius summer in Melbourne. By that I mean like I legit brought all summer clothing, not even a cardigan. & because the whole city was also preparing for summer, there isn't much choices for the cool weather. Thankfully there is uniqlo and I got myself a set of heat tech for the trip.

We started off the tour by visiting the Maru Koala and Animal Park, where we were given a printed picture of me and the koala ( and i left it in the bus i forgot to take fml) It's a like home run animal park but good enough to mingle with the native animals.

Look ma, a white kangaroo!

The friendly staff was telling me how rare it is to have a white kangaroo and it is not albino.

Alpacas

" you have a prob bro? do you?"

Some shots along the way to the next location, Koala Conservation Centre at the Philip Island.

Drop by the Nobbies Ocean Discovery Centre for dinner. (with a view)

I would suggest to pack your own dinner there cause food is quite expensive, I didn't buy any food from the centre cause noobster me cannot finish half my breakfast the shopkeeper ask me to dabao and I dabao-ed for dinner wtf.

Went out to catch the strong breeze and take a series of unglam self portraits

And off we go to the highlight of the day, Penguin Parade!

Actually no photography, but I thug Asian.

& because imma graduate on a budget, I opt for general viewing and not the VIP seating. By the end of the day I realised that there's actually not much difference in terms of the viewing of the penguins unless feeling rich.

Brought a cookie and a hot chocolate to curb the cold #thankgodforHEATTECH.

Apart from the freezing wind, I think all is well and the penguins were so cuteeeeee.

That pretty much sums up my third day in Melbourne as we embark back to the city area and rest for the day.

Melbourne Day 4 : Cafehopping, Queen Victoria Market, Cold Play Melbourne Concert!

2017-11-29T01:49:00.000+08:00

Waking up to Day 4 was great because I planned to head to one of the highly raved cafes for breakfast, check out the Queen Victoria market and..... what else is more exciting than watching the Coldplay in Melbourne LIVE!

A day without coffee is like...

idk, I had it decaf

Heeded to Joey's advice for breakfast - shit i cant remember the place anymore, will edit this once I remember! And at day 4, my daily goal has become to finish my food. #facepalm.

Some interior shots of the cafe...

After breakfast, I just took a casual stroll down the streets until I was tired and took the tram down to Queen Victoria Market.

Queen Victoria Market!!!

idk why but this looks super like our pasar malam wtf

The famous doughnut trunk which I totally forgot to go back and try.

Then at this time, I received a call from another solo traveller (who happens to be a friend's friend, & was on the same flight as me) for an impromptu coffee break. We made friends, said hi, and settled with Larder Section, was quite sure we were there cause they were the only one that had the heater switched on.

We seperated ways, and it was time for ...

COLD PLAY MELBOURNE!!!!!
Major thanks to Valen for helping me out with the tickets, less than 24 hours before the concert.
So grateful. It was quite a late decision but I'm glad I was there.

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What's my WHY

2017-10-31T04:00:00.000+08:00

Here I am, looking as though I'm pretty good at what I'm doing, enjoying what I do but yet I'm struggling to find the WHY in my life.

At age 24, I still wonder why did I wake up for, why do I take up certain roles, why this and why that but never the WHY that makes me want to wake up the next morning ans say " Here's my best day in my life yet, I am performing the best that I can and I will become better after today."

Instead, I spent late nights like this asking myself WHY to my insecurities towards my looks, my life, my career and mainly how people look at me and the list never stops.

I clearly knew what's right from what's wrong. I know the actions to be done yet the monster is still being able to take over.

Dear Universe, will you tell the WHY to live?

Loves,
A.

Melbourne Day 1 & 2 : Getting to know the city

2017-09-18T18:07:00.000+08:00

It is finally time for the long awaited trip of the year(probably my life) too. It is my first solo trip and also my graduation trip. Not a post graduation travel but I was there to attend my own's graduation parade and ceremony. Before that let's get going, we are off to the most liveable city in the world!

I have never been to Melbourne before and the closest place I've been to was Sydney. I'm glad I had friends that made my journey in Melbourne a smooth one and I am more than thankfully towards them.

I flew with Scoot and booked through Expedia, if you are like me and had to get the booking done via the phone, please please please remember to include your baggage! I flew SQ on my previous expedia booking and I totally missed out on the baggage. Had to pay a whopping $120 at the airport to have my luggage check-in, thought I had like 4hours before my flight. Not forgetting the visitor's VISA to be completed before you fly.

It was a pleasant flight, I had a friend's friend on board with me about 20 rows ahead of me, and nice ladies who sat with me whom we three had a really nice conversation. Isn't it just the beauty of solo travelling?

I touched down the Melbourne Airport, followed closely to what my #MELBSUPPORTCREW 's instructions and found my way into the city. Getting there is really simple, go to the tourist counter after the customs, tell the staff that you want to get a ticket (one way or return) for the SkyBus, paid AUD30 and head over to the SkyBus. Very friendly bus captains, spacious bus and compliment WIFI on the ride! Woohoo! The SkyBus would then bring you to a train station, where the passengers will have to inform the captains where their hotel/hostels were at and they will arrange to drop the passengers off accordingly.

The first and second day was mainly roaming around the city area and familiaring myself with the tram services and all. Now let's begin the trip!

In the evening, I managed to get hold of Joey and had a late night ice cream and catch up session (super long due) at this life changing gelato place, Pidapipo. You might have heard about it for their famous Nutella of the tap!

Address : 299 Lygon St, Carlton VIC 3053, Australia

We hanged out till really late but I woke up early for the next morning cause I am going to school and pick up my Graduation robe! I've never studied in the Melbourne campus, and precisely the point which makes me want to graduate in the main campus site even more.

Everything was super systematic, present your student ID and there will be student volunteers and staff to guide you through the collection process. It took me less than 10 mins and I'm done. I walked around the campus for a while before heading back to my hostel, put down my stuff and shopping time !

I took the tram to harbour town for my first stop of shopping. Thankfully no buys from there!

I figured my way around and made it to the factory outlet where I got a some deals from the sports brands. It was super breezy so I was really enjoying the weather and I wondered what happened to summer...

Headed back to Chinatown for dinner, and here I have, the cheapest meal I had on the trip. #asianmusteatriceone.

The weather got a bit more chilly after the sun sets, so I thought it would be a good idea to go to Max Brenner to have my favourite Suckao!

Bad idea, by the time I had the drink it wasn't hot enough to warm me up. So the better idea was to just head back to my lodge.

Loves,
A.

//hk091016 : Burgerman, Cat Cafe, Ding Ding Tram!

2017-07-03T17:30:00.000+08:00

Soon enough, it was the last full day of our trip, and we went straight out for Burgerman for lunch, visited a Cat cafe at tea time and sat on the Ding Ding Tram in the evening. It was a pretty chill day and it was exactly what we needed.

Burgerman serves American styled burgers in their humble 20 seater shop, priced reasonably no doubt they have been voted for top 10 best burgers in Hong Kong!

Since it was the last day in town, we decided to go chill and also fulfill my promise - bringing the BFF to a Cat Cafe. I will NEVER step into one in Singapore cause I just don't like animals. However, in Hong Kong, it seems like cat cafe is quite a norm and popular among students and teenagers. I went to one in Causeway Bay the last time and I thought we could just check out one that was in our neighbourhood! Most cat cafes I know of are usually not on the ground floor, like this one, it is located on the second level and we had to call the owner to open the main gate before we could get in.

In the evening, we hopped in to the iconic Ding Ding trams in Hong Kong to have a different view of the city. I've been to Hong Kong multiple times but this is the first experience on the tram, it is quite easy to find, what I did was to check on the HK Tramway's website for the schedule and fare. You can either buy the tickets on the heritage tram iteself or on the website, we choose the former cause we are super free & easy and we are not every sure of our timings. We boarded the tram from the station nearer to Sheun Wan station.

It might seem boring to others, but I do think that it is a nice way to see the city and its skyscrapers.

Super excited while onboard!

With that said, I conclude our 2016 Hong Kong trip.
See you soon HK!

Loves,
A.

Weekend Retreat : Bintan Spa Villa with the Travelling Khakis!

2017-07-03T01:49:00.000+08:00

I need a break, I really do it. By the time this post is live, I am already back from an island called Tioman, giving my hamster life a break. It took me a while to gather back all these pictures we took last June, a really brief trip to Bintan Island for a short getaway ( too short already in fact wtf). And looking back at these pictures made me realised that ,

1. I didn’t do enough justice by giving it a good writeup for the time we spent together

2. I really need to break.

For the matter of fact, I enjoy my work. I loved it so much I can just work everyday, but I have a problem – I’m getting unproductive. I stopped producing results and I am tired. I am like a hamster running on a wheel. I kinda lost the sense of directions and I figured out that it is normal. I just need a break, go somewhere to gather my thoughts again and come back as a better self. While I am somewhere else decluttering my thoughts, here we have, the 2D1N trip to Bintan Spa Villa with my TravellingKakis.

Jilyn did the most work for this trip, as she sourced for the best deal, organised our details and making sure everything is smooth. The package of $213 includes 2 way ferry tickets and land transfer, a night’s stay at Garden Deluxe ,60 mins massage/facial, 1x BBQ dinner, 1x breakfast.

We checked in to our rooms and quickly met up to go for our activities.

The first lunch at the villa was on our own and we had some shitty burger after massage cause there isn’t much time to eat. But it was ok cause we ate like KINGS for dinner. Because the villa only had limited slots, we had to break ourselves into two groups for our massages. The massage oil gave me a skin reaction so if you have sensitive skin like me, I would recommend to bring your preferred oils to use instead.

While waiting for the rest to be done, we explored the area a little and spent most of our time in the swimming pool wtf and snap pictures! We were almost like on a camera review trip, we have a 2x casio waterproof cam and the GoPro for the trip and tons of fun exploring them out too.

From afternoon take until night time wtf.

We then went back to our rooms to freshen up then off for dinner! No need to shower cause later smelly again wtf. We pre-ordered our dinner so we basically just sit down, wait for food and then eat. We had so much leftovers and people were just looking at us, we initally felt a bit paiseh but whatever la. Just sad that we killed 3 chickens for nothing wtf, didn't expect so much food la bro.

Too full from dinner - so we bought some fireworks and enjoyed a good show with everyone. It was my first time setting up fireworks so I am really dam excited la, and surprised by the price too. Yuan lai so affordable one ah. The coward me was really scared and brave at the same time wtf. No time to take pictures of it as we were all too busy snapchatting wtf.

A toast to our friendship with watermelon juice. (heng it is freshly blended).

The next day we reluctantly wake up, drag ourselves for the breakfast spread which was quite decent and decide what do we wanna do for the day. We were given late check out for one of the rooms and so we went Kelong visiting! We took the little speed boat out to the kelong where we have access to kayaks and fishing and kelong jumps! We paid an extra fee for it, I remembered that it was really affordable just cant' remember the actual cost.

My turn to jump!!! But before I jump I need to take picture for my instagram feed !!! #instawhore

I caught some fishes that was grilled for lunch.

We came back to the island, chilled in the bigger jazcuzi with some cider and beers while the kitchen prepares for our lunch.

We were given the choice of 2 lunch sets - Asian or western.

So small actually got nothing to eat, sorry dude, life is short.

After lunch was just waiting for time to pass, we chilled around the resort, took some shots and soon it was time for us to be back to Singapore. It was a really brief but packed trip for all of us.

We wished we had another day to really relax and all, it was just not enough. It feels like we just checked in and oh, we need to go already. And from this trip, I also learned that 2D1N trips are not enough and this is the reason why people opt for min 3D2N to really relax the body and mind! Nonetheless, I really appreciate the fact that we bothered to make time out to spend time with each other. More to come as a group, but meanwhile and next up... Tioman's next! :)

Loves,

Angie | ♥ yourapplepie

Farewell, 2018

Ten years down.

25 things I've learnt at 25

doitforthegram_BKK 3/3 - More cafe hopping

B Story Cafe

Heart and Hand cafe

June Highlights | ArtBox Singapore with Gryphon Tea, Brunch @ Starkers, Flowers from Floral Gaarage, Percussion Masterclass.

Me VS Decluttering

" tidy home is a tidy mind"

Things to Plunge

TL;DR : What Comes after decluttering :)

Make up

Clothes

Books

Nail polish

Electronics

Costume Jewellery

Decorations

Knicks Knacks

Magazines

Gift bags

Expired medication

Receipts

p/s: Ways to get rid of plunge items.

10 things I did to save more money

"Savings & investment are all you're left with after a career. Education, certificates, experiences eventually become useless"

doitforthegram_BKK 2/3 - too tired from Cafe Hopping

Unicorn Cafe

BunBun from Milk plus

Yaowarat Seafood

Rod fat night market (Ratchada)

doitforthegram_BKK 1/3 - Hipster Cafes + Night Markets

Harry Potter Exhibit at Siam Paragon

ONCE cafe & cuisine

Mermaid Castle Cafe

Little Zoo cafe

Truelove at Neverland ( huskies Cafe)

Chang Chui

JJ green market

Artbox @ Makkasan

TALAD Neon

Day trip to Ayutthaya

The relation between boys and mushrooms

1. Enoki mushrooms

2. Shiitake Mushrooms.

3. Button Mushrooms.

4. Portobella

5. Oyster Mushrooms.

6. Honey Mushrooms

7. Truffle Mushrooms

8. Chanterelles

9. Morels.

10. "Hens of the woods"

Whirlwind

February Highlights | Bangkok Trip with company , CNY with family , RSAF Air show!

Mode Sathorn Hotel

Back to Alor Star for Chinese New Year!

January Highlights! | Flower arrangement class, Boufe, Bread Street Kitchen, OMU,

Had lunches at Boufe over work meetings.

Ketchup with my Nice friends.

Helping out for a proposal shoot and having dinner at Bread Street Kitchen.

Caught up with HP over Korean Food!

FOMO with Kaviel & Jon.

Finally trying out OMU with HP & CK

Going for a flower arrangement class

December Highlights! | Alor Star, Gathering Parties & Batam

TL;DR : whatever happened in December, picture form

Back in Alor Star to spend time with the gramp.

Went over to Thailand for a quick getaway!

Back in Singapore & up for gatherings again!JiaPei's Birthday! & chill drinks with the #bestseniors

Altas Bar at last!

Xmas Eve drinks!

Annual Cousins* Xmas Gathering

Last Lunch of 2017

New Year Countdown!

Struggles of 2017

Melbourne Day 5 : St Kilda's Beach !

Melbourne Day 3 : Guided tour to the Maru Koala and Animal Park, KoalaConservation Centre, Penguin Parade Philip Island

Melbourne Day 4 : Cafehopping, Queen Victoria Market, Cold Play Melbourne Concert!

Back in Singapore & up for gatherings again!
JiaPei's Birthday! & chill drinks with the #bestseniors