Firsts of 2013!

Last week was a busy week. Been up to so many firsts of the year!

First meeting with search firm. I hope that bodes well for my job hunt.

First lunch with ex-colleagues. You are really my biggest take-away during my 6 months with SS.

First date (kind of) of the year. Hmmm...

First hospital visit. Get well soon, Uncle!

First wedding of the year. Congrats, PP!

First-time visit to Gillman Barracks since the art galleries moved in. Cool!

First long distance run (and my first-ever trail run) of the year. A very pleasant run (and some pictures to show for it!)

Green Corridor Run 2013 (27 Jan) from Tanjong Pagar Railway Station to Bukit Timah Railway Station.  

Very different terrains from the road. Because it's our first time, our pace slowed down considerably. But it means we could chat along 10.5KM. Enjoyable run, I would say.

Followed by Dim Sum at The Star Vista, Canton Paradise.

Food is not bad, although there were some hiccups with the service.

Very full brunch to end the last week of Jan 2013 :) Looking forward to many many more firsts in the next 12 months!

Jimmy Monkey

After lunch with ex-colleagues at ARC, I decided to pop by Jimmy Monkey since it is near One-North on the Circle Line. Read some good reviews about the indie cafe so I thought I will check it out, since I have time...

The cafe is really hidden in one-north residences. And I got lost for one hours before I found the cafe. Was lucky the weather was awesome yesterday. And I spotted these trees sprouting pink, orange, yellow, green leaves...Would not have spotted it if I did not get lost. And would not have gotten lost if I did not have so much time to spare. That's the good thing about being jobless (at least that's what I tell myself :)).

Wanted to try the piccolo latte. But had to get ice latte cos' it was such a hot day. Was sweating crazy after the one hour walk where I passed by the NTU Alumni Club, Rochester Mall, Rochester Park, ACJC, Fairfield Methodist School etc!

Ice latte was ok. The ambience is nice though. Nice indie music in the background. A few customers and a few happy staff :) See video to feel the vibes.

One-North Residences in nice. Like a 世外桃源 :)

Turning 34

MQ is the first amongst my close friends to turn 34. It's going to be my turn soon.
Read somewhere that one is happiest at 33. It's been a year of ups and downs for me. I'm sure it has been the same for many of my friends.
Every end is a new beginning. May we remember the ups and learn from (and perhaps forgive ourselves and others) the downs of 33 as we embark on 34 :) The end of 33 is a new beginning of 34. May it be a great one!

Decided to celebrate at Ambush at Plaza Singapura new wing. European food. Quite nice, I think.

Half Pork Knuckles. Reminds me of the pork knuckles I had in Tallinn. The birthday gal said she prefers it to be more crispy :)

Coffee at Dome to round up the celebration. Been seeing more Domes around these days. X and T joined us today as their father is away on business trip. I had a good chat with him :P

Be happy :)

Ice Honey Milk Latte

Wanted my first entry of 2013 in this blog to sum up my thoughts about 2012, but I kind of found it hard to get started. Partly because there have been so many things to be thankful for in the last year. And partly because I have been spending time on my other blogs in word press. Check them out if you want to learn more about my travels in Scandinavia (ilovelongvacation) and my daily day updates at 365daybook (kind of mundane but I wanted to see if I could commit to a daily press in 2013 :P but I think I'm failing!!)...

Being able to blog more often is definitely something I am glad happened in 2012 but I will leave the details to the entry it was meant to be in (soon, I hope). I really miss recording my deeper thoughts in this blog.

Anyway, I picked up this 'fika' habit in Sweden, something I love to continue back home. Have you tried the Ice Honey Milk Latte at Kith Cafe at Park Mall? I popped by last Monday before I met up with my university hall mates (now mothers and still  'swinging' bachelorettes :P) for dinner.

Ice Honey Milk Latte. Really nice for a warm day, and I think last Monday was really HOT! Today, I tried to replicate the latte at home and it turned out nice too. So how about trying honey in place of sugar  in future? :)



Flourless chocolate cake. I like it too. Strong chocolate taste and yet does not come across too heavy. I finished one on my own!

The ambience at Kith Cafe is nice too. But I did not take any pictures. LOL.
Anyway,  I hope your 2013 started off as sweet as mine. Will enjoy my break from work while I can :)