Birthday Priviledges

Can't believe I'm celebrating my birthday again! Not sure if I blogged about it last. Let me go check and get back to you later :P

Managed to take the week off (confirmed last Thursday so did not really make plans). The Lunar New Year holidays will be on Thursday and Friday so it made a lot of sense ( at least to me, not sure about others) to take Monday to Wednesday off! Been feeling really lethargic in the past week although I just had a break in Bangkok (there must be something wrong with me, not sure what but I gonna get around it. eventually.)

So I decided to do what I feel like doing today and well, try to utilize my birthday privileges! LOL.

Birthday Brunch at Flock Cafe! My first time there despite passing by a few times. Flat White was OK. The Pork cheek and gruyère sandwich was hearty and juicy. Good for sharing if you order 2 sandwiches - am sure the marginal utility will be higher :P There are many cafes in the hood that serves better food. For me,, Flock was enjoyable because I could read the literature. It was not too crowded on a weekday so brunching alone did not feel too out of place :)

Had a complimentary  'wild' birthday at the River Safari. It's a really nice gesture! :) Thank you! The only gripe - it took me 90 minutes to get there from Tiong Bahru!  

River Safari has changed a bit since my last visit 2 years ago during its soft opening. The red pandas seemed to have grown quite a bit since :) Still playful though. Love how our zoos are designed to create close encounters with the animals! 

Jia Jia. Need I say more? :) See my previous post (Hello Pandas!)

Many people said that Singapore Zoo is better than River Safari but I beg to differ. I really enjoy the experience at River Safari more - it's more serene and not overwhelming - I could cover it easily in 3 hours and leave energetic (think high!) :) Managed to spot the rhinoceros across the river and they have a new River Cruise activity now. May spot more animals on board!   

My first Amazon River Quest! ALONE! LOL! Definitely good to visit tourist attractions on a weekday. 

Reminds me of the Night Safari Tram ride :) Did not managed to get full view of many animals - just spotted them at some twists and turns... Another reason I like River Safari is the range of animals from the sky, river and land you get to see...

Another favorite - the squirrel monkeys. Seemed to have grown a bit too :P

Had a free badge and an ice cream too! Thanks, River Safari! :)
Also had a free Firehouse Happy Birthday treat! But no pictures because my phone ran out of battery. Thanks, Swensens! :)

Just wanted to share some birthday privileges with you, in the event you want to utilise them. Am sure there are many more that I am not aware of. But quite happy with the above already :)

The Missing Pan and PARK

Throwback to October 2014. Not a very happening month. Did visit a few nice cafes though. Here goes!

The Missing Pan

Catch-up with D and C at The Missing Pan. It was not as out of the way as I thought it would be. Took bus 961, dropped at Coronation Plaza and walked a few minutes to find it! Always happy to be back at ukit Timah, an area I spent a good 2 years studying (more) and exploring (less) :)  

Can't remember the name of my choice of brunch of yummy Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon. 

We got a window seat which I like. It's always nice to see the world go by and Bukit Timah on a Saturday morning is quite serene. Like the natural light that flows into The Missing Pan - kind of  start your day on a bright note!

Park At Holland Village

First saw PARK at the start of 2014 from The Hatched. Can't believe it took me so long to visit. The place gives off a very chirpy vibe - feels good to celebrate ALI's birthday here :)  By the way, we all like the spam fries - doesn't look very appealing as the centre piece but it was good! 

My pulled-pork wrap was very full-filling! Heard the truffles fries and mac/cheese are good too. So I hope it will not be too long before I get to try them!  :) 

Random shot of  me having coffee while waiting to meet up with JC friends. LOL. See my nail art? Was done at The Nail Artelier during its open house during the Halloween period. 

Another glimpse of the nail. LOL. And yes, llaollao finally! Was amused by the queue. It's nice and worth it. But shall wait for the fad to pass and the queue to shorten before getting it again... 

Happy Sunday, everyone! :)

In-between work:Lobster Rolls and Pork Noodles

Was looking through the photos taken in July with my mobile phone. Up to nothing much, except for going on a short weekend trip to Chiangmai (which I word-pressed in http://ilovelongvacation.wordpress.com/) and checking out some much-hyped about food in-between work.

Lobster rolls must be one of the latest food fad in town. Had my first one at Platypus Lobster Shack with the girls at Pickering Street after work one day. Not awesome, but wholesome :)

Cosy cafe specialising in lobster rolls after 6pm. 

The making of the lobster rolls. Looks simple. But it took a while before we were served....

The best shot I took of the lobster roll served with chips and salad. Too cosy were the lighting! We all chose The Traditional flavor, this being our first visit. Served in other flavours too. Like sun-dried  tomatoes, smoked paprika, spicy diablo etc. 

Had the famous Tai Hwa Pork Noodles (Bak Chor Mee) for lunch at Crawford Lane. Was such a long wait of 1.5 hours! Tasty but don't think  I will do it again for lunch. Too much of a queue - for taxi and then food. LOL.

Bak Chor Mee! Ingredients were cooked just right - nothing over cooked or under cooked. Sounds really simple right? But really hard to strike that dedicate balance, I think 

Huge portion of pork balls soup! Tangy balls and savory soup :)

Wish I had found the energy and time to blog earlier about these food options so you can check out if you work near or are near the CBD. Not really a fan of checking out food during and after working hours though - guess not in the food mood :P Always more enjoyable to explore our backyard on weekends (which I have spent quite a few checking out flats these days...taking a break this weekend because I'm running the Half Marathon tomorrow!!)