The ad hoc Singapore Trip part I

It was an ad hoc trip,which means I made no pre-planning and basically we just packed our bag and went. But it was a great trip nevertheless, mostly thanks to my wonderful friend who had volunteered to be our tour guide. I was amazed at how accustom she is to Singapore now. She literally knows every corner of the city like her own backyard.

We reached Singapore fairly early and after checked into a modest hotel, we headed for our breakfast. This is a local dim sum shop which serves ok but nothing much to shout about dim sum. They have this mini charsiew bun which is deep fried into golden slightly brownish color. At least its something new compare to Malaysian dim sum. 

  

Varieties of dim sum, some sort of sweet sauce for dipping, my friend and I

Koi, Singapore bubble tea

Like Malaysia, it's common to find bubble tea shops along every street in Singapore. We tried something totally new, named Koi, which was fine but seriously who can remember the taste of different brand of bubble tea. BUT, i have to say my current favourite is Gong Cha. I totally heart their classic which has a salty milk layer separated from the tea layer. The slightly salty milk layer has such a distinguished taste which makes you cant help but crave for more!

We went to China Town and did some window shopping, I know it sounded touristy, but it was really nice to walk around actually like a tourist. Not too sure how different Singapore China town is compare to Malaysian's Petaling Street. I haven't went there for eons years. But I guess the goods in Singapore China Town are more mainland-Chinese inclined rather than local oriented. 

We went to this cute Tin Tin themed shop which sells all sort of Tin Tin merchandise. The life size doll of the characters were so cute!

Next we stopped for a bowl of hearty Bak Kut Teh from the famous Songfa Bak Teh restaurant. It was equally good with Malaysian version and the only difference is that the Singapore version's soup is more clear and more peppery.

Yummylicious pork ribs with salted steam peanuts. 

Next stop was Clarke Quay. High end shopping and eatery street. Nice view and good for slow walk.

We saw this funny structure at Clarke Quay. I think I am really dont have that many artistry cells in my brain,  it looks like a giant male reproductive organ with a shower head end to me.

And then we passed by the famous Fullerton hotel, and saw some rocky kids jumping off the walkways. On top of that, we also saw a pigeon with a GIANT ASSHOLE. Are the Singaporean artists too 'sophisticated' or is it just me?

Anyway, do stay tuned for my part II of Singapore Trip

Doralin is yellow

Last Saturday night I had a good time hanging out with a bunch of drunkers. It was Raya eve, and the whole Publika looked ghostly without the usual crowd, we settled down at The Bees for dinner plus booze. 

It was a chilly night, we chat randomly and drank profusely while enjoying the serene ambiance (except me and the man with diet coke). One of the privilege of being a non drinker is to see my friends talking nonsense while getting high on booze. Well, I have solid reasons for not drinking - I am the driver plus I have zero tolerance towards alcohol. I'll go dizzy the minute I touch alcohol. But beers comes secondary when you have good companions. 

Hannah happy with her glass of heaven, Fuss free food at The Bees

I forgot how it all started, but we are talking about stories of Doraemon. Hannah didn't know that Doraemon is a robotic CAT. Yes, you heard me right, he is a CAT. And the bunch of drunkers insisted that Darolin is pink, but I remembered well that she is yellow. Now here comes the proof:

Told you Doralin is yellow not pink!!

And none of them knew the ending of Doraemon. Holly molly, how can someone not knowing the ending of Doraemon! I nearly cried a river when I saw the ending many years ago. Although Doraemon series seems to go on forever, but there is a fan fiction ending because the author Fujiko F. Fujio (藤子・F・不二雄) died before the manga ends (1996). So to my friend, here comes the ending, enjoy!

*Sniff*

Its funny that Doraemon still have a soft spot in my heart though it has been nearly twenty years since the last time I read it. Looking back, I used to hide at home reading the manga while other kids were playing and running on the field. I would spend every penny that I have to buy the manga and treasured it like gold. In fact, Doraemon was what my childhood all about.  

And the day I stopped reading Doraemon, I finally realized I have grown up. 

Vamps and Extraterrestrial

Life has been busy but contenting. 

When I'm associating busy with contentment, you know that I'm doing something which I really enjoy. Like baking, singing, travelling and etc. I will talk about my short ad hoc trip to Singapore in my next post, but this post is all about...reading. Yes, you heard me right, I was and still am busy reading. In fact, I have been staying at home every night after work since last week, lying on my sofa or bed all the time, while reading books till 1 or 2 in the morning. 

And the culprit to my abnormal behavior is the Vamp series which I bought last year but never had the time to read it. Sometimes we like to think that reading is a way to kill free time, but hear it from me, when you are hooked, reading kills all your time and you won't think twice to sacrifice other priorities (like your sleeping time) just to satisfy the crave to read. So I'm pretty much sleep deprived now.

When I first laid my eyes on House of Night series, I was hooked. I read while I'm on the go, so the book was lying on the floor, my bed, sofa... literally everywhere, so I can pick up the story from where I left off, wherever I am. This is the fourth series of vampire related novels which I'm completely addicted to. It started with the Sookie Stakehouse series, then Twilight and The Vampires Diaries. And my latest craze was the novel by PC Cast, which follows the adventures of Zoey Redbird, a sixteen-year-old girl who has just become a "fledgling vampyre" and is required to attend the House of Night boarding school, hence the name of the novel series- House of Night.

Peter said I'm addicted to vamps, which I sorta agrees with, but don't equate me to I-love-Robert-Pattinson lunatics. I like to read Vamps stories because they are intriguing and defies all the human sense (well, since they are not human anyway). The story line is unpredictable hence makes it super addicting. And the thrill of wanting to find out what's next will make you keep on reading it.

Another interesting thing is all the novels has the same mysterious elements like bloodlust (lust for human blood), imprinting (when a Vamp drink from the a human, they develop a certain emotional connection), undead (basically alive without soul) etc. which really fascinates me. Its as though there some kind of Vamp logic whereby all the authors follows the same glossary or framework. Do you know that a vamp cannot enter a house without the owner inviting him/her in? or their fangs release anti-coagulants which prevents the blood from clotting (like the leech) while they sucking blood? how cool is that!

But again, I'm not totally a vamp lunatic, because I like extraterrestrial themed novel as well, like Stephenie Meyer's The Host. Wanderer is an alien (like a soul) from another planet whom its species had invaded the earth and took over (or inhabited) Melanie Stryder's body, but she refuses to fade away. Wanderer starts to see Melanie's memories, where she sees her loved ones and eventually finds a connection with them, too. Melanie is "trapped" inside Wanderer's mind, speaking to her mentally, when both decide to set off and find their loved ones.

Believe me, it's 100 times better than Twilight. The movie "The Host" is coming out early next year and I cant wait to see it! and I sincerely hope that its not as sucky as the Twilight. Well, at least Stewart and Pattinson are not in it, so its already a plus point.

Screenshot from The Host: Wanderer and Ian.

Ian and Wanderer. I totally heart the Wanderer character in the Host. According to the book, the wanderer was the purest soul, and i think Saoirse Ronan has the look to carry the character. 

Anyone else are into Vamp or extraterrestrial themed novels? I hope I'm not the only weird one here. ;)