THE 12TH MONTH

Has 22 days of December already flew by??? Winter holidays are always so short and it sucks to think that school will be starting again soon. Typing this post on the car ride back to Singapore from Msia, so I'll just do up a list of stuff I've been up to this month. 

1. Went out with AL!! We always have such little time for each other every school term, and I am glad we could take time to meet out of school and talk to each other :-) 

2. Coney Island with Candy!! Coney Island was really fun and I am glad I made the decision to go with Candy.

3. Kuala Lumpur Canoe Polo Competition. This also marks my first ever overseas competition, and it didn't go perfectly but it did spark my interest and passion in the sport. Can't believe it but I am actually LOOKING FORWARD to trainings now hahaha. Oh yes! Bryan came on one of the days of the competition to visit me and see the competition too, thanks for coming!!! It was nice talking to you :-) 

4. Msia Trip with family. I felt sick and actually only recovered this morning zzz. Had a really bad throat infection + high fever, and I had to visit the doctor twice. Oh well. I believe this is the first Msia trip that I didn't gain weight from, cause I couldn't eat anything at all. Swallowing really hurt my throat and I restricted my dinner to like 3 mouthfuls only cause it was THAT painful. 

Will update more when more eventful things have happened!! Hahaha need to start preparing for the Christmas party with my friends at my place soon, so see ya!!

Love, 

Xin hui

CONEY ISLAND SINGAPORE

Hello to my dear friends! It has been a week since my exams ended, and I am so happy to break free from the mundane routine of studying. I had quite an amazing week and today, I'll be sharing pictures from my Sunday morning when I went with my dear friend, Candy, to explore Coney Island!

Coney Island is gaining popularity these days, and it is so beautiful! I'll let the pictures speak for itself.

Thank you Candy for suggesting this place for our trek! We definitely trekked for more than 5km, and our legs and butts were sore after that hahaha. 

Getting there is quite convenient, just take a short 5 minute bus ride from Punggol MRT. You can opt to rent a bike to get around Coney Island, but I would recommend walking to really immerse yourself in your surroundings, and to lose more calories too heheh.

Well, here's to one month of freedom!!

Leaving Singapore in 2 days for my first ever Canoe Polo competition in Kuala Lumpur! :-)

Love, 

Xin Hui

COUNTDOWN

5 more days to the start of my exams! Can't wait for school to be over already :-)

Really excited because I got an internship interview coming right up this Wednesday and if I get it, I'll be having my very first internship this winter! *fingers crossed* Really feel that an internship will add a lot of value to my resume and NUS Business life, so really hope I get it!

Also heading to KL for my very first canoe polo competition this December, even though I don't think I am going to do very well hahaha. I believe some people are just built for some sports and I don't think I am built for this sport hahaha. I really do enjoy some parts of it, and I appreciate the team element of it! Too early to say what will come out of it, but just going to treat it as a way to destress from school for now.

Been trying to find some downtime to get away from the hectic rush of school, but even when I am out and not doing work, a small voice rings in my head, bugging me to go study. Hate this feeling and admittedly, the competition is getting to me. Have to fight and remind myself that I am doing this for myself, not for anyone else.

Thankful for the small moments such as studying with good friends, or receiving free food hahahah. Makes life a whole lot more bearable. Talking about food.... I need to go grocery shopping for snacks (healthier ones) because I can't seem to study without eating HAHA

Ok, hahah just wanted to come and revive this dead space for a bit. I'll be rolling more goodies and photo spams during the holidays! Wish everyone who has exams coming up all the best and have a blessed week ahead!!

PS. For anyone in need of a great song recommendation. The Other by Lauv (kudos to my brother's music taste hahah)

Love,
Xin Hui

FOOD TASTING @ LOLA'S CAFE

Hello!! Sorry for the lack of updates because school has been extremely draining. I recently took part in a mini Instagram competition and won myself and Sam a pair of invites to Lola's Cafe Food Tasting session. They recently opened a newly refurbished outlet right next to the existing one at Simon Road, which serves up exquisitely played desserts. Sam and I got to be one of the first to try the whole new range of desserts so here are my recommendations!! 

The first dessert is the Odd Fellow! A zesty dessert w passionfruit curd, basil ice cream and cereal crumble meringue. It's a rather light dessert, the flavours complemented each other really well and the different textures added extra oomph into the dessert! Although this is not the usual dessert that goes right up my alley, I still liked it. I am sure that many others will be able to appreciate this interesting dessert!

The crew were really nice and served us their popular tarts in minature sizes . The one of the left should be no stranger to anyone. The all famous Sea Salt Chocolate Tart was delightful as usual. The coffee cream + chocolate was screaming EAT MEEE and I finished it really quickly hehehe. Samantha like the Lemon Meringue one but the one in the middle wasn't very satisfying. The pistachio strawberry tart tasted like kaya to me lewl (evidence that I am no food gourmet expert)

Next was my favourite!! The french toast <3 I am sure you have seen many french toasts around but this is one of the best I have ever tasted. It came with MILK ice cream, like woah how unique is that! The milk ice cream was smooth, rich and creamy. And the french toast was amazing!! It's flame torched and it reminded me of creme brulee! The seasonal fruits on the side were a sweet touch and I am very sure I'll be coming back to Lola's for more of this little boy :-))))

Lastly, came The Debbie. It was named after Debbie, their manager, who has a reputation for dropping plates etc hahah but so cool?!?! She now has a dessert named after her!!!! I also want lolol. Hmm, I have a mega sweet tooth but The Debbie was a little too sweet for my liking. It may have been because I had a lot of desserts prior to this though. The peanut caramel ice cream was very interesting and this whole plate is definitely a hell of an Instagram shot hehehe.

Very thankful to have won the Instagram competiton yay!!! Impressed with the hospitality of the staff, and the impeccably designed interior of the cafe. All the professional food bloggers were moving EVERYWHERE to take shots of the place. If you have been reading my blog for a long time, you would know that Lola's easily ends up as one of my favourite cafes for it affordably priced but great yummy tasting food!!

And thank you Sammy for accompanying me heheh. I know I am always making fun of you for basking in my luck and winning all the free stuff thanks to me, but frankly speaking, I would not do it with anyone else <3 Hope this sort of repays back for the late birthday present?!! hahahaha see you tmrw sammy!!

And thank you guys for reading once again!! I'll try to blog more (maybe after finals :-( ) and have a blessed weekend!!

TGIF everyone!! <3

Love,
Xin Hui

Mmm

I am on the train home from school. Well, not exactly going home, going to give tuition. I looked up from my phone and saw a man with full on tattoos all over his arms. My eyes darted to the right, and I spot a huge scar lining across another woman's chest. She wore a low cut top and the scar was visible. 

Don't know why, but it's stirring quite a bit of thoughts within me. 

Love,

Xin Hui

IN OTHER WORDS

3 Exams down, 1 more to go.

Small update : iOS9 is making my iPhone laggy and it's so dreadful :-( WHY APPLE WHY

Monthly Favourites coming up by next week! I'll get it done as soon as my last paper is down :-)

Smaller update :

My Parents came back from their 2 week long Russia/Scandinavian countries Holiday and they bought a whole lot of chocolate for MEEEE! <3

Smaller update :

Changed my (ridiculously) long Facebook name to my real name instead haha. The fake name has never bothered me, and I don't really know why I changed it also. It just felt alright to change hahah. But you can still call me Han, Sooyong, Kellie, Xin Hui, BobbestJr whatever hahahah

Really hope to be done with this frantic race and meet all my friends soon <3

Love,
Xin Hui

How many more lessons does it take for you to learn?

How many more lessons does it take for you to learn? 

For you to realize your mother doesn't enjoy nagging at you, but does it repeatedly because she cares. 

For your friends to constantly remind you they love you, but somehow you always end up feeling bare. 

How many more opportunities do you want to back away from, before realizing every life experience helps you grow?

How many more body shaming Facebook posts do you want to be affected by?

And how many more nights will you prioritise everything else over family? 

When your mother finally washed her hands off you?

When your friends give up and take it as you don't give a damn how much they care about you? 

When you're on your last painful breath, and recall nothing exciting in your life?

When your body has become a living hell?

Or when your family's gone?

Stop and think. 

Love,

Xin Hui

MONTHLY FAVOURITES (AUGUST 2015)

Hi guys! Trying to squeeze in time to complete August's monthly favourites so here goes! August has been lovely and it really gave me lots of opportunities to grow as a person. Grateful.

Started August in Melbourne, which is a wonderful way to start any month! Haha, August also marked the start of school and coming back to school has been incredibly exciting yet daunting. It's hard to hit the books when you have taken such a long break but I am excited to jump at new activities to engage myself in! School has been pretty fun so far. I enjoy most of my lessons and I am starting to participate more actively (the result of thoroughly preparing for lessons). I joined 3 CCAs, namely Rock Climbing, Canoe Polo and Health and Fitness. Adding on that I give tuition, work part time as a waitress in a cafe, volunteer at SPCA as a dog walker, there is indeed a lot to juggle on my plate. I rely a lot on time management, to prioritise work over play and deciding what are things that needs to be done. Almost every night, I lay on my bed and think about my eventful day, and I sleep with no regrets. Tiring? Hell yes. But immensely enriching.

Since a year ago, I have wanted to watch Inside Out the movie! And I caught it with Faith recently. It's such a wonderful movie. Even though it was a cartoon movie, it managed to bring up so much emotions? I teared more than once, and left the theatre feeling very inspired. My greatest takeaway from the movie is that sadness is a strong and powerful emotion. Though it is often true that happiness is valued higher than sadness, the movie taught me that sadness is not a sign of weakness. It is through sadness that you sense care and concern from people, and being vulnerable once in a while can be a true blessing too. I love how the movie captured emotions and feelings in such an apt and intelligent way, and I definitely recommend everyone to check the movie out before it's over!

Started a new private playlist on Spotify - Soulfood. Filled with music that's, in my own words, rich. Rich in emotions and carrying lyrics able to intrigue my thoughts. I really appreciate talented songwriters who deliver their story through beautifully crafted lyrics. Here are some of my favourites this month.

Gentle Bones - Elusive
Troye Sivan - WILD ( His whole album is really worth listening to! Go check it out on Spotify)

Some products that I have found to be very useful for me this month definitely includes this Crabtree and Evelyn's hand ultra moisturising cream. I used it a lot in Melbourne, saving my hands from the dry cold. Back in Singapore, I use it every day after rock climbing training. Rock climbing inevitably cases your hands to be rough but I am doing as much as I can to prevent it hahah. Thank you Su Lynn for the wonderful present! Finally putting your gift to good use :-)

Madly in love with my headphones that I bought from Target in Melbourne. The sound quality is not top notch, but definitely better at drowning background noises compared to my Apple iPhone's earpiece. I secretly also think I look very cool in my headphones hahah. I bought one pair for Taeyong for her birthday and I am so glad she likes it too! :-)

My next favourties has to be my Taylor Swift fragrance I bought from Melbourne too! It's a slightly sweet smell and can I just talk about the packaging??? It's so cute!!!! Mega love

August was also the month of my mother's birthday and I flew back just in time to celebrate it with her. Brought my parents out to a cafe near our home called "Sunday Market". 

The mains were not bad (Beef Rendang Lasagne is really worth the try $15.90) but what I really loved was the dessert!! It's called Bangkok Toast ($10.90), a cinnamon thick toast served with Thai milk tea ice cream!! :-) Yum Yum. Sunday Market was suggested by my dad and I was surprised that he knew of cafe places hahah. #NeverUnderestimateDad

Alright, really happy to be done with this post hahaha. Just wanna apologize for the lack of updates, but as you know, I am really caught up with school these days hahah. Hope that I can meet some friends that I haven't met for a long time and spend some quality time with them! 

Heheh see you and have a great September!! :-)

Love,

Xin Hui

{Cafe Culture} Paddy Hills

Hello dear friends! Finally have some time to myself to go back to blogging so here's what I thought about Paddy Hills! 

Athena and I decided to try Paddy Hills since they are selling Berry Ricotta Hotcakes. We tried the Hotcakes in Melbourne and loved it to death, so this was an attempt to find a piece of Melbourne back in our sunny Singapore. 

The place was quite alright to get to - a short 5 minutes bus ride from Haw Par Villa MRT. We had the Berry Ricotta Hotcakes ($20), Hash Hash ($24/25) and Salted Caramel Cake ($7.50).

The cake was moist and I find the biscuits bits adding more texture to the whole cake, so I really liked it! 

This is Hash Hash which consists of beef cubes, potatoes and eggs. I was very meh about this one. The gravy was very greasy and maybe not something meant to be savoured on a late morning. The beef cubes lacked of flavor and the ingredients just didn't complement with each other well in my opinion. 

Here came the long awaited Berry Ricotta Hotcakes!! Can I just talk about the size of this first?? It's around the size of my whole hand outstretched and it's meant for sharing!! It's pretty filling so I recommend you to share this with a friend if you choose to order this! The sides of the Hotcakes were pretty hard and there wasn't enough maple syrup!! I did ask for more, but still wasn't enough HAHAH. Taking this as a comparison to the one I had in Melbourne would be a little unfair because MELBOURNE HELLO?! The size of the hotcake in Melbourne was HUGE. AND very very tasty. Okay, coming back to Paddy Hills's Hotcakes. The berries were sweet and so that's good! 

I would come back again for the Hotcakes because I don't know where else to go for berries Hotcakes hahaha and the ambience of the place was really nice. There were magazines to read and it wasn't too crowded even though we stayed till around lunch time. I would come back with more friends though cause Athena and I couldn't finish a single thing lewl we were way too stuffed.

The price of the food in Paddy Hills is slightly pricey and so, if you're intending to give this place a visit, give the Hash Hash a miss! :-) 

Okay, that's all for today! I'll try to find more time to do up my Monthly Favourites so check back soon! :-)

Love,

Xin Hui

 

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (2015) PT II

It's the first day of a new school term and I just ended my first lesson! Blogging while waiting for my friends to be down with lessons then go for dinner :-) Here goes pt 2 of my melbourne trip!



1st August 2015

Brighton beach was one of the places I was most excited to visit because I have seen people taking pictures with the most vibrant bathing houses all over my Instagram. Uncle David kindly drove us there or else, we would have taken much longer to reach the place. 

Everything at Brighton Beach was like a wish come true. The sea breeze, the sun, the bathing houses. Since it was winter, the beach wasn't as crowded, making it easier for us to take good pictures. I also collected seashells which I stuck into my travel journal!! 

Uncle David then showed us around St Kilda so we would get our bearings. He then went home and we went to LUNA PARK!! I am a theme park enthusiast and the scarier the rides, the better it is. I bought the unlimited rides ticket which was around $47. The theme park is about half the size of USS, and there were significantly lesser rides. But I still enjoyed my time there. Some rides were really scary and this marks my first theme park experience in winter!! 

I went for most of the rides alone since Nat wasn't too keen on riding the scary rides. On one of the rides, I met the cutest little boy ever, Jett. He's only 9 years old but behaves like a gentleman! When I was queuing up for the ride, he turned around to say "hello!" and when we were walking to the attraction, he gestured for me to sit inside and said "Ladies first!" OMG MY HEART :-))) such a sweetheart! We talked and held hands throughout the whole ride, and took pictures before we left!! Before I left, he asked me when would be the next time I would go to Luna Park again and I said 
"Ahhh it won't be anytime soon, maybe like next year or something..."
"Ohkay! I'll come next year too! See you then!" 
:'-) I was so touched and I know he's going to grow up to be one hell of a gentleman. Lots of girls will swoon over him!! 

Jett!

After Luna Park, we went to walk around St Kilda and settled on a Japanese bistro for dinner. The rice was a little too sticky but the unagi satisfied my Asian food cravings hahah.
We sat beside a middle aged couple who started talking to us after they realized we weren't from Melbourne. The guy had a super interesting outlook on life and gave me his namecard at the end of the day. We went for desserts then went home!! 
On the tram home, we met 2 Singaporeans whom we saw earlier at Brighton beach too and started talking to them. Turns out Athena is also schooling in NUS! Both Edwin and Athena were really friendly and we made plans to hang out the following day.
That day was the best day in the entire Melbourne trip. Finished 2 of my Favourite things and I had so much fun!!! 

2nd August 2015

Woke up early to go for a morning walk with Uncle David. He walks really fast and I had to jog to keep up at times. He showed us around the neighborhood and recommended the best coffee places in town for us. 

Uncle David also prepared breakfast for us and it was hands down the best savory croissant I have ever eaten in my life. 

He drove us to Flinders since we wanted to explore more of that place again. We also visited Hosier Lane which is a graffiti area. Anyone could go and create their work of art of the walls. It was a sight I have never seen before! 

Flinders Station is so beautiful!!

We then met Athena and Edwin to go to Westgate Park together. Westgate park is a place rarely visited even by the locals there, and it's understandable since it was really inaccessible. We had to walk A LOT to get to the place, but we were greeted by the sight of a PINK LAKE!!!! Quickly spam pictures hahaha 

Sadly it rained shortly after we reached and we had to go back. Thank God for yummy home cooked food which really perked me up!

3rd August 2015

Went to Top Paddock for lunch. Top Paddock is apparently one of the highly raved about brunch venue! I ordered Eggs Benedict with Duck and mehhhh, I didn't finish it. BUT I think the Ricotta and Berries hotcake Edwin ordered was AMAZING. It's really sweet and I liked it so I kept taking his food hahaha.

Food : 7/10

Ricotta and Berries hotcake!

It was so cold and we were sitting outside so I died and couldn't enjoy my meal sianz. Whatever...

The girls then went to SouthWharf DFO (Direct Factory Outlets) to shop!! OMG I LOVE THE SHOPPING. It's really cheap. 

Taylor Swift's Keds for $30?!?

Jays Jays and Factorie were selling their clothes for dirt cheap prices. Think $2-$3 for a shirt. I bought a lot of stuff but we had to rush home because we were cooking dinner that day!! Can't believe I didn't take a picture of the Brandy Chicken but it was SOO good. It's Natasha's family recipe and I just helped her with the cooking process.

Rainbow vegetables w Potatoes

Brownie!

4th August 2015

Athena met us for brunch at The Kettle Black! The kettle black and Top paddock have some sort of association so everything on the menu was about the same. I ordered the ricotta and blueberries hotcakes ($18) and it was so yummy yay!!!!

We saw this great dane outside kettle black and wondered whether we should ask the owner for a photo with her dog. The lady was really friendly and introduced us to her pup, Daphne! Daphne was so big sized that when she leaned on me, I almost fell over lewl hahahah

Went to the Shrine of Remembrance which is some place to remember the lives sacrificed during the World War era. The architecture is just so amazing and breathtaking?!?

For the last dinner in Melbourne, Aunt Edwina and Uncle David took us to Jimmy Grants, a famous bistro near our place. 

Food : 8.5/10

The chips were really tasty and the burrito was so yummy too!! Also, the food here is relatively cheaper. Around $10-$12 for a burrito. 

4th August 2015

The last day in Melbourne!! We met Athena and Edwin for brunch and ate at South of Johnson. Nat and I reached earlier, so I just drank some tea while reading gossip magazines. For a short moment, I felt so Australian hahahah like the life of relaxing and waiting for friends to come for brunch

Then walked around Collingwood together!

Uncle David fetched us to the airport and we were off! We took an Emirates flight back and it was so comfortable!! The in flight entertainment was really good too heheh. Saw this view from the plane and it was so breathtaking. 

That marks the end of my Melbourne trip and I give thanks to God for safety and great company!! Australia, I'll be back :-)

Till then, back to the grind. Wishing everyone a good school sem too! :-)

Watch my Vlog here : http://youtu.be/MD0AId3AcAY

Love,

Xin Hui