minnie

Breakfast: TWG

2012-02-15T13:57:00.000+08:00

The creme brulee tart was delicious, but this breakfast set was so not worth it.

Thanks hon! We tried this so that we know to never have it again. Teehee.

Happy... Valentine's Tuesday!

2012-02-14T11:36:00.000+08:00

It's nice and sweet, but I'm not entirely sold. I really don't think I need the calendar to tell me when I should be more lovey dovey or have an extravagant dinner with my boyfriend and when he should get me flowers.

Do I think he should get me flowers on the one day of the year when they cost 3 to 4 times as much?

No.

I think this day has been capitalised.

(But please do save the money for prettier things on other days! :p)

We can have nice dinners now and then, buy each other gifts for no rhyme or reason.

Now, any day, everyday, can be Valentine's Day.

p/s: Happy V Day to all my loved ones! Don't get me started on how I think V day is not limited to just your partner, but also people you love!

xoxo,

Batam Kitties

2012-02-11T14:06:00.000+08:00

Love these photos I took of the resident kitties at Batam View Resort.

Quick Getaway: Batam

2012-02-09T13:56:00.003+08:00

Overdose of massages but never enough..

Jet-skiied and screamed like a bitch. I am so useless and scaredy cat I know! I screamed so much that when I stopped, David asked me if I was okay. I said yes and asked him why he asked, and he said because I stopped screaming he was afraid there was something wrong.

To be honest, food really sucked there.

Give me Krabi anytime.

The Story of Xiao Bai

2012-02-07T13:13:00.001+08:00

I came home one day to find Xiao Bai sitting outside my door and upon hearing my loud foot steps, she ran up the stairs and disappeared. She doesn't usually hang around my area, mostly outside her owner's house or floor (she doesn't really stay at home). But that day she did. It got me wondering, why was she there. Was she gonna die so she came to say good bye? I got so emotional I decided to go out and look for her. When I opened the door again, there she was, sitting outside my house. She led me back to her place where she affectionately rubbed her nose on my legs and I realised she was having a very bad skin condition. I tried to see if her owner was at home but she wasn't. I pat her and gave her the attention she wanted despite the nasty skin/fur on her. Then, I also realised Xiao Bai is not dying. She still looked active and very much alive, with most of its tiny front teeth intact (I know a dying cat's face. The eyes looked through you, dazed, lifeless, as though there is nothing more in them. And yes, old cats barely have any tiny front row teeth).

After a while I decided to go back home and check back on her owner later but she followed me all the way home, right outside at my door step, refused to leave. And being the emo me, I sat at my door and wait for her to leave instead because there's something about "closing the door" on her that makes me feel so awful.

So for about 30 minutes, we just stared into each other's eyes before she threw a cat tantrum and turned her back on me.

I felt so bad and I really wanted to bring her to the vet. I thought, since she didn't come to say goodbye, perhaps she came to me for help? Perhaps her owner didn't take her to the vet hence her deteriorating skin condition?

I managed to ~~hunt down~~ see Xiao Bai's owner the next day and she assured me that she has brought Xiao Bai to the vet but because of the recent construction works on our block, the dust and what nots might have affected her recovery.

So.. latest update from the owner: Xiao Bai is doing so much better now, willingly resting at home and only going out on Sundays (off day huh?). I feel so happy for her. She's like one of my favourite cats in the neighbourhood.

Here's her story:

When I was young, like 10 or 11, I found a white kitten at my void deck. She was beautiful - all white fur and blue eyes. How rare to find a kitten like this? I liked her a lot, but I can't remember why I couldn't keep her for myself, so I left her in a box outside my neighbour's house, a cat lady who loves and care for cats. She is also the one who gave me my beloved cat.

So anyway, although she didn't know exactly who left the kitten outside her door, I'm pretty sure I was one of the suspects. But nonetheless, she kept her as her pet and named her Xiao Bai (literal translation for Little White) because she was all white. Subsequently, brown spots began appearing on her body and she's not so white anymore (haha).

Xiao Bai is a very affectionate cat who wants any attention she could get. If I hadn't "saved" her, I really have no idea where she would go. It's been almost 14 years and she's still so friendly and lively, albeit a bit deaf. She is one of my sister and I's favourite kitty.

Sometimes I have no idea why I am so attached to cats, but I just do. I will save them all and give them a home if I could.

In the mean time, I will try my best to help with these appeals from the Cat Welfare Society here. If you can, and if you love cats, you should too.

Life is better with a cat! Read: Duke Orange.

Lunch at Valentino

2012-02-05T13:01:00.000+08:00

On the first work day of the lunar calendar, Joey and I wanted a better-than-usual lunch to signify a good work year ahead so she brought me to Valentino and gosh, it's one of the best Italian restaurant I've dined at in a long long time!

I can't tell you how good and yummy the food was, but I felt like I won't be eating pasta for a while because it's so good I don't want to eat other pastas to ruin how I felt when I ate at Valentino.

They have no dessert menu but they push around a dessert cart (pictured above) to entice you with how the actual desserts look like and the variety available on that day.

After eating at Valentino, I just know that the year ahead is going to be so awesome. :D

Ristorante Da Valentino
11 Jalan Bingka
Singapore 588908

(Home)Made with Love

2012-02-03T13:59:00.000+08:00

Need to perfect my mushrooms!

Outfit: Red Stripes

2012-02-02T14:56:00.000+08:00

Can't believe CNY is going to end and there are no major holidays to look forward to now. :(

Little Pretty Things

2012-01-30T13:31:00.000+08:00

Sometimes, the smallest and simplest things/gestures, like a gf sending me a cat picture because I love cats.. or a new nail color even if DIY and imperfect.. makes me kinda happy and content.

Outfit: Floral + Cutout

2012-01-28T13:26:00.001+08:00

I must say, women are such "occasion-shoppers". I bought this Topshop dress just for my birthday brunch. I was looking for cutout dresses and the florals seemed fitting for a Sunday brunch so there, I gotta have it!

I loved David's outfit for the day too - especially the military-inspired jacket from H&M. I like it so much I wish I could wear it. Teehee.

Boobs & A**es

2012-01-26T17:20:00.002+08:00

Although I don't think a birthday cake on my birthday is particularly important (to me), during brunch (previous post) I wondered if we would have a cake just so he could sing me a birthday song out loud like what I did to him on his birthday. So when there was no cake, I didn't think too much about it. But little did I know.. he was saving the best surprise for last :)

Aren't my cupcakes the sexiest cupcakes ever?

Birthday!! Brunch with a View

2012-01-25T10:51:00.000+08:00

Between brunch and dinner, I chose brunch! I LOVE brunches. The idea of "brunch" is just so... nice, chillax and lazy right? AND, I didn't want a birthday dinner because it's like after the dinner, my birthday was already gonna end! With brunch, I still had the entire afternoon and night to be QUEEN. Yes, when it's my birthday, I'm the queen. Heehee.

David brought me to LeVeL33 and I loved it! The view, the ambience and the food was great, not to mention the food presentation was fantastic (imo) as well.

Thanks hon! ♥

Fufu says..

2012-01-24T10:43:00.002+08:00

GONG XI GONG XI!!!

Even he was dressed for the occasion.

Happy Lunar New Year lovelies!

xoxo

Birthday!! Brunch & Coffee

2012-01-21T11:07:00.002+08:00

Brunch at Rotiserrie and then coffee at Loysel's Toy. ♥

Thanks Eve and Ken!

Birthday!! Part I

2012-01-19T13:32:00.002+08:00

I was told to meet a client over lunch but ended up standing on a chair and have a horde of people doing some chants and singing me a birthday song.

Thank you girls! ;)

NYE 2011

2012-01-17T13:43:00.000+08:00

This is one of the best home-cooked steamboat I've ever had! The Tom Yam soup base was fantastic. I'm gonna make my mum let me make the same soup base for her Yong Tau Foo on the first day of Lunar New Year!

Good-bye Hong Kong!

2012-01-15T23:01:00.003+08:00

On our last day, we overslept and woke up really late. Was supposed to take a train to Causeway Bay for some famous dim sum but in the end, we were randomly exploring, walked into a dim sum restaurant and the food was good! Better than the other dim sum places that were recommended to us in the first 3 days.

Spent the last bit of time chilling at the hotel's cafe before taking a flight back to reality.

This holiday earned me 2 pages full of immigration chops. I'm not kidding!

Till the next vacay!

Macau

2012-01-13T13:39:00.000+08:00

Took a ferry to Macau on the third day, I have mixed feelings about that place. I don't like that it's very gloomy, it's not bustling and lively like Hong Kong, there were very few people walking on the streets. Perhaps the journey on the bus didn't show us the touristy and fun side of Macau, but the streets looked somewhat depressing. No exciting bright lights or shops. But we saw this beautiful church at the peak of a hill that looked amazing.

We tried casino-hopping by walking at first but there were just too many of them and the distance between each was getting further and further so we took a shuttle from Sands to the Venetian. Despite all that gloom, when we entered the Cotai Strip, it was entirely a different story. Bright lights, magnificent hotels, it was kinda like an Asian Las Vegas.

Definitely want to go back there again and stay at one of those hotels at the strip. The lights and ambience is indeed alluring.

To Shen Zhen and Back

2012-01-11T13:22:00.001+08:00

We had breakfast at a dim sum restaurant near our hotel before setting off to Shen Zhen!

And it all began..

materials huh?

We went to Dong Men by train after immigration and it's a shopping heaven. Unfortunately it's winter so I didn't have much to buy, but I can just imagine how many bags I'll lug back from there if it's spring/summer. The key to a great shopping experience there is to bargain. Like crazy.

After we got back to Hong Kong, our legs ached like mad and we wanted a massage so bad. We got what we want, but our legs hurt even more the next day after the reflexology. Haha!

Winter in Hong Kong!

2012-01-09T21:41:00.000+08:00

It was my third time to Hong Kong - first time was right before the 1997 handover, second time was spring last year with my sister where we went MAD shopping and visited almost all the H&Ms in Hong Kong. This trip was exceptional too, even though I didn't buy much. David (surprisingly) did more shopping than me! I really had a good holiday, we had so much fun together. :)

On the first day, we tried the supposedly famous cafe/restaurant Tsui Wah at Central but the food was only okay. Or we didn't order the famous and yummy ones? Actually come to think about it, the popular foods at these cafes are really simple, easy and cheap food like pouring condense milk over toast, instant noodles and luncheon meat etc.

We also tried another supposedly popular food, the steamed milkcurd that's good for your skin and complexion. But erm, we couldn't quite understand why it was popular though. Hmmmmmmm.

Shopping and eating pretty much summed up our first day.

Google Maps on the browser rocks because without it, I wouldn't be able to find the exact MTR exits from the different stations that would lead us to the places we wanted to go. I'm proud to say I did my research well! ;)

The Lighthouse

2012-01-09T13:08:00.000+08:00

Celebrated David's 18th (haha) birthday at The Lighthouse, The Fullerton. My friends were raving about this place and i decided to take him there.

LOVED the view!

On his actual birthday, a few of us tried the supposedly famous 1kg of beef for $149 at Le Bon Marché. Beef was okay but does this look like 1kg? Did the 1kg referred to the beef when it was raw and uncooked?

So my boyfriend's ~~boyfriend~~ best friend got him a cake.

I am not going to explain the story behind the name. And by the way, it was wrongly spelled by the staff.

Oh gosh, it's my turn next to be a year older!

It's My Birthday

2012-01-05T23:46:00.003+08:00

I'm turning 26 this Sunday. I don't have a wish list this year, I believe I have (almost) everything I need. What I want, they can wait.

This year the only thing I wish for, is that more people can help stray cats. As my friend, you should know I love cats more than Chanel. So if you thought of getting me a gift, I ask for your kind donation for the appeals on the Cat Welfare Society website via HERE. Even if you didn't, I sincerely hope you can do it because you are doing good by helping the strays. It's not for me, it's for them.

The appeals are for reimbursing caregivers who have brought stray cats with health issues to the vet for treatment. Sometimes, it's not health, who knows if they have been abused? Please help them, it is legit. Screenshots of receipts are also up on the page. Every bit counts. Even a couple of bucks will mean a lot.

If you do, please cc/bcc me in your email to CWS or forward the acknowledgement email to me at min.l@live.com. I will be very grateful to you, more than you know.

Even after my birthday, I wish you lovelies will continue to help these strays.

It would make my day. And their lives.

these are why i ♥ december part ii

2012-01-03T13:33:00.002+08:00

painting glitter on nails for myself and my friends

christmas-themed candies

christmas plants

happy children

having fufu on my bed, not just in december but anytime anyday

young at heart

2012-01-01T16:18:00.003+08:00

this post (and a few other posts to come) is super late, but december was so eventful i could only get down to blogging about them now.

before i continue, HAPPY NEW YEAR lovelies! here's to a better and bigger 2012 ahead of us!

2011 had been an incredible year for me and it ended with an awesome holiday to hong kong, shen zhen and macau, more about that later. i am suffering from some post-holiday bug as i type. can't imagine bringing this fat ass back to work but the only consolation is that work = money = more travelling so that is what's going to keep me motivated!

so back to earlier in december, my girlfriend, eve darling, celebrated her birthday in true kiddie's style - a macdonald's happy meal themed party! we all dressed up as kids or something nerdy and geeky like school children.

i think david looked so cute with his bowtie that day ;)

Back from Dim Sum Land!

2011-12-31T02:36:00.001+08:00