Yay to long weekend in Singapore

Enjoyed the Hari Raya Puasa long weekend that has just passed. It was great to just rest and not to have to think of work (except for 1 hour on Sunday - no choice, boss messaged).

Spent Saturday packing the house (G was coming to visit) before heading to Ikea (so so crowded) then Vivo City for dinner with the family (SS was flying off to Seoul the next day).

Sunday was spent at home packing again (LOL) before staying over at my parents' place. Feeling very domestic.

No Monday blues as I went cycling at East Coast Park (ECP) with C and KL Did I mention before that we can now cycle from ECP to Marina Bay Sands via the Park Connector Network (PCN)? Have done it thrice and loved it! Definitely looking forward to this healthy fun again soon :) The finale? Meeting Grace for dinner before heading to my place. Was a good catch-up as it has been a while since Maldives (check out Life is an adventure).

Photo stop at the Bay. Glad we started the day early - Singapore is beautiful in the morning too!

That's our CBD.

First time I cycled past the Barrage to MBS. That's the older part of the CBD (as I termed it).

Another beautiful side of Singapore that I seldom see in the morning.

Back to where we started the day at Marine Parade Food Centre. Herd mentality got us queueing for the Kun Ji duck rice/roasted meat and the Da Dong prawn noodle.

Not in sight is the Apollo Fresh Cockle Fried Kway Teow which we have wolfed down- surprised there was no queue!

#ilovelongvacationsg #longweekend #harirayapuasa #food #East Coast Park #MarinaBaySand #ECP #MBS #MarineParadeFoodCentre

SMART goals - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely

Met up with D yesterday and she was sharing what she wants to do with her life next. I was just blogging about the goals I want to achieve by 2021 as few days back. Rather coincidental - perhaps signs that are telling me to go for them!

Working overseas was one of the many things on my to-do list many years back but I did not have the courage to ask for an opportunity. I really don't know if I speak for my generation (the Gen Y) but I wish I was as brave as D and the millennials when I was their age - to have that relentless spirit to pursue their dreams. There is no way I can do that now. The only way is to move forward :)

Of the many things that I have learnt during my stint in HR, one of them is goal-setting in a SMART way - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. And yes, I have set the SMART goals on the sticky notes on my laptop. And surprisingly, I found it a lot easier to set smart personal goals than the annual goals that I had to set at work.

 #livingformyself

Walk and Dim Sum Chinatown

Sometimes, it's quite ironic that we travel the world to explore far flung places while we  have not explored so many places in our own backyard. A mental note to myself to check out more places in Singapore and share them with you #ilovelongvacationsg

It was Dim Sum time with the family last Sunday #throwback Been a while since I have been to Chinatown and I took the chance to walk around after lunch. Feels like a tourist in my country and don't get me wrong - it feels good.

Kind of bring back good memories of Jonker Street in Malacca and Georgetown in Penang. Definitely a good place to hunt for vintage stuff -  saw some metal posters going for $6 each (think they will cost double in the shops). So fascinated by the find that I forgot to take pictures of them! Haha. Anyways, sharing some pictures I took below

Didn't knew we had a visitor center in Chinatown! Visitor centres are usually one of the first places I visit when I travel, especially if I did not do much research. Good to see one at home - go check them out, friends of Singapore！

So we have these floor markers in Singapore too! Very apt to use rickshaw on the floor marker in Chinatown as in chinese, 牛车水 literally means 'trishaw pulled by cows'.  

Spotted our very own ice-cream on rickshaw before entering Buddha Tooth Relic Temple for the first time.Was asked to leave as my dress was 4cm above the knees. Oops. Do take note of attire if you are planning to visit. 

Dim sum at Tak Po was OK but considered good for the price - less than $100 for 5 pax. The frog leg claypot porride was good - must try! :)

Morning detox drink and mid-life crisis

Just came back from an evening walk to the supermarket with some ingredients for a morning detox drink which I have skipped for a week. I started on this diet because my flat belly is disappearing - not sure if it works but I definitely feel healthier. 

Cut up some lemons, oranges, cucumbers and mint and dumped them into ice water and voila, ready to drink the next morning! Feeling good - it can be quite therapeutic to be domestic sometimes. Guess I'm getting old.

Been thinking about how I can spent my weekends better these days. Do think that I spent my weekdays doing meaningful work. As for weekends, well, it's great to just rest after 5 days at work but it does feel like a waste of time sometimes (maybe I'm a workaholic haha).

While I like what I do for a living, it can feel quite meh at times. After all, it's working (and living) for a paymaster. And like it or not, there are times when I wish I am living for myself a bit more. Maybe mid-life crisis came early? Do fellow Gen Ys feel the same? Or is it just me?

Well, time to set some goals and to work towards them in the next 4 years (till my 5-year HDB MOP is up) on weekends. Even if I only spend 4 hours each every Saturday and Sunday on achieving them, that would take me closer to living for myself, right?

Feeling good that I have set the goals. Gonna make some SMART plans to achieve them!