CURIOUS PALETTE

Amidst all the cafes springing up in all corners of Singapore, Curious Palette is one of my new favourite. Apart from its undeniably beautiful (and my dream kind of) interior of greens, white, grey and cute lights, they've got an extensive and value for money menu. I love how they steered away from the usual eggs benedict's and typical breakfast set, instead they've got this too-pretty-to-be-eaten berry ricotta hotcake and a relatively good selection of coffees as well.

If you've been following Facebook or Instagram with #saveastranger a few months back, you might have heard that their head chef is battling with cancer and needed to raise funds for his treatment. The supportive Curious team decided to work on their off-day, every Tuesday, in order to raise sufficient funds while sustain their business and I was glad to support them in what little way I could for a stranger. It is my prayer that Chef Sebastian will recover in no time through the treatment and support from many other strangers.

This cafe tucked along Prinsep Street evokes a sense of slowness and I like that, because working in a fast paced society in Singapore has made me stopped to pause, to take things slowly and to be patient. And as I type this on my MC day (because I'm down with a flu for more than a week), I'm appreciating the slow life a lot more. Because I finally have the day to rest at home, it allowed me some time to update the journal while recuperate before I head back to work hopefully all recovered by then.

#LVSERIES3

DEEP DOWN MY SEOUL

Seoul is a bustling city amalgamated with Asian and Western beauty – modern architectures built alongside traditional Korean houses, photogenic European curated cafes along the streets with good coffee, the best Korean fried chicken and kbbq, well dressed and friendly Koreans who willingly helped us with directions despite the language barrier, tons of beauty products, women who just did plastic surgery shopping around Myeong-dong openly with bandage and cast on their face, good shopping, kpop & kdramas.

Don't judge me but I used to spend most of my Secondary school days listening to kpop favourites like Super Junior & 2NE1, chase after kdramas and naturally fell in love with Korea, or anything that seems to start with the letter 'k'. Being back again after 9 years is like rekindling love with an old flame. I may not be into kpop & kdrama anymore but somehow this city will always have a place in my heart, and there's something about Seoul that captivates my soul.

Ann yeong for now Seoul, I'll definitely be back!

2016

2015 had been busy and challenging for me; it is my first year I've worked through a full year and learning how to prioritise my commitments at work, in church, in my family with adaquate rest.

I've put off resolutions for a while now because I can't keep up with anything for years and just decided to heck it. But in 2016, I feel the need to live healthier in all aspects of life – perhaps coming to terms that I'm turning 23 this year, makes me a lot more serious about improving my lifestyle or I regret later. And to set goals, I have these resolutions I'm working to achieve despite it going to be a much more hectic year ahead.

1. Read God's words everyday
2. Maintain a regular exercise lifestyle (also means putting off all lazy excuses)
3. Watch my diet (realising my metabolism is no longer like a 20 or 21 year old's)

All in all, it is my prayer to be a thankful and contented person. Easier said that done though; I've been trying but end up sulking and resort to complaining about unhappy moments (like when Aunties dashes up the bus in uncivilised fashion on public transport or when buses do not arrive on time and so much more). In a timely manner, my cousin bought me this beautiful "thankful journal" for Christmas. Basically, I have to pin down 3 things I can be thankful for each day. By focusing on the optimistic instead of dwelling in the pessimistic as an everyday practise, and using a simple planner to organise my schedule, I hope to make a healthy change in my lifestyle physically, mentally and spiritually. Hopefully this would be a journey I can share with others by end of the year.
Have a blessed 2016!

36 HOURS IN JEJU

Ok, first of all, how and where did time go that we're already into the first week of December? Last Christmas still felt recent to me. And just a month ago (and is it a month already?), I was in Korea for my annual leave/vacation with my family to relax and recharge. Fast forward today, I think I'm in need of another round of recharging. But let's face it, we can never get enough rest or holiday isn't it?

Contrary to how I'd usually prep for a travel, I did not read up much on Jeju and went there not really knowing what to expect.

And now that I've been there, I'd say that Jeju might seem a little boring with the lack of "happening" sites or activities but I learnt that it is all about our perspectives. I saw this island as a very serene and calm place, and as you can probably tell from the photographs, it has lots of blues, greens and browns (and reds if you're there during Autumn). The highlight at Jeju was a morning hike at Unesco World Heritage Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak. With a great view and exercise (for me), which had my legs go jelly after the hike, no kid...that shows how long I've put exercise aside in my lifestyle – something I need to seriously reflect on. Being surrounded by a concrete jungle, technology, fashion and a fast paced work life every day in Singapore, Jeju was a timely escape to it, although it was only for a short 36 hours.