Woke up at the wrong side of the bed today. What worse could happen? I decided to DIY dye my hair for the first time.

Time flies. It has been almost a year since I snapped off my locks.

First, I cut it short with permed, light brown hair – it took me a while to get used to having permed hair. There were mornings when I woke up and I looked like a mad scientist. Here is what I’ve dug out from my photo library. These photos were taken on the day when my hair was permed and cut short.I looked ridiculously skinny in the last picture. Thanks to the maggie mee hair and the design of the top didn’t help! I can’t even smile when I saw that sight of myself. MEDUSA!!!!

And of cos! It did not end there.

My hair was permed before it was cut. This way, the curls will look more natural and wavy.

Even with hair treatments, I hate perming my hair cos it makes it feels as coarse as men’s unkempt pubic hair. G-R-O-S-S.

I realised how much I used to love stroking my long hair after it was cut. So there was nothing much to stroke except for pubic hair on the head! I was upset for several weeks.

Then I grew out of it and my hair has been totally straight. Or shall I say, stubbornly straight, naturally. I guess having stubbornly straight hair is better than rebonding wavy hair to straight and perming straight hair to curly. The dyed hair also grew out of it, so my hair is jet black now.

Black hair has been looking good on me the last few months. It is maintenance-free but it looks rather dark / emo / conservative / serious on me. Not sure if I’m too used to change the way I look, or not used to having my hair in its natural colour; I find that all the clothes I have been wearing are either black, white or grey – so solemn – and I feel that I stick out like a sore thumb if I wear anything pastel.

*PULLS HAIR*

SOOO….. What hair colour should I get next??

Yes, my spaghetti is al dente. I spotted a pack of spaghetti at $2 at Cold Storage yesterday when this pack of spaghetti that we bought from Jone the Grocer costs ~$4. Double the price. But does it taste better than the $2 pack? I think so.

Once the water starts to boil, I added a pinch of salt to keep the temperature stable before added the spaghetti. How to make it al dente? Just check periodically. Well, at least that’s the way I do it.

I’m using puttanesca sauce here. It is a spicier sauce compared to most of the Italian sauces that you may have tasted. The sauce is freshly pre-made and bought over the counter; and I added diced red pepper (1qty), tomato (1qty) and sliced yellow pepper (1qty) for additional taste. I thought this pasta dish is gonna be really hot for me, but it turns out to be extremely delicious!

DELICIOUS.

What kind of person would say that their food is delicious when it is??

An honest person – like me! Haha. You can’t go wrong when the sauce is already pre-made by pros and you added extra food for a customised taste.

I mean if it sucked, I would say so too.

Feeling hungry again as I blog about this…!

After I moved in, Friday has become a day that I have to finish up what I’ve bought for the week! I decided to cook fish tofu soup for tonight’s dinner. I love fish and tofu. They are great sources of protein which builds up, maintains, and replaces the tissues in your body.

Here’s something behind the scene.

I used 1 small piece of ginger (sliced into many pieces), 1 pack of fish fillet, 1 carrot, 1 tube of tofu (freaking filling) and vegetable (小白菜). For taste: (Soup) slices of ginger, 1 small drop of sunflower oil, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 2 pinches of salt, 2 teaspoons of light soya sauce, (Fish prep) fish fillet marinated in sesame oil and light soya sauce.

Note to self: I need to get shallots, parsley and leek for garnishing!! Must buy mee sua and tomatoes too.

LATEST UPDATE: Girlfriend says, “Looks not bad but not sure of the taste tho.” She’ll be coming over to try it for herself!

HER VERDICT: “It was lovely!” YAY!!

These are some of my favourites pictures that I’ve photographed at Love, Chloe launch, at Fullerton Hotel last Friday.

Do you recognise any of the celebrities above?

This event incorporated an instant photo booth concept where guests received their photograph in a lovely frame at the end of the function. Instead of the standard instant group photos, we inject a dose of fashion to make the photograph more special and memorable for the guests.

…And that’s me! In minimal make up.

Cape: Chloe
Top: No brand
Skirt: M)phosis
Heels: Bought in Japan

You probably can’t tell that I’m a photographer from the way I dress, but that’s the way I am. I believe that my work should not compromise my style – just like the clothes I wear should not compromise my work quality.

So which is your favourite photograph here?

(Please exclude the last picture. Heh!)

Having to stay by myself now, I enjoy the newfound freedom and control over my life. All of the sudden, my dirty clothes don’t appear all washed, ironed and arranged in my wardrobe – I have to do everything and anything myself. But really, it is not that difficult.

One of the most enjoyable things which I get to do, is to to cook meals and bake whenever I want. Maybe it is something in me that I want to be a domestic goddess – just like my grandma – except, she does not know how to bake, but I do.

I was taking a photo of what I’ve cooked today, when I thought I should share and document it all on my blog. Hope I will look back and see how I’ve improved over the months. Haha! Anyway, I hope you’ll enjoy this journey with me!

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This photo: Dinner. Cavatappi in chicken soup with shredded chicken thigh meat and spinach.

* For my international readers, “Makan” is a Malay word for “Eat” and it is commonly used by Singaporeans when we speak in Singlish.

After lunch at Boathouse (on my birthday eve), I was sent to Marina Bay Sands hotel to spend an awesome long weekend with my girl! The view was fantastic but I did not have any cameras with me – except my iPhone. How ironic. “The Photographer” celebrated her birthday without a proper camera!

Marina Bay Sands

For those who have been following my tweets, you would probably know how my stay at the hotel was like. It was a great one-time experience. My birthday lunch was at Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine, located at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, and I had the wonderful company of my partner who spent my birthday in the infinity pool with me.

Don’t you love the beautiful stock photos of this hotel? I totally love them! However, the infinity pool – in reality – does not look as quiet as this. Just imagine this pool with beach crowd, full of families and children in it. …And there, you’ve got it.

I love children, so I didn’t have any problems with that. As for couples who wanna spend your honeymoon there, you might wanna choose a more exclusive hotel or visit the pool at really early or late hours (chances of kids squirting their water guns at you will reduce by 30%; and thankfully, I’ve got none!).

Their turkey tapas served at the pool were pretty good.

My Horizon room was located at the higher level. I watched the sunset as the city lit up every evening – gorgeous elevated view of the city. (Try flashing at the entire city! I’ve done that.)

This contemporary room with an oriental hint was very spacious for two and the bathroom was welcoming. The design of the room was well-thought, right from layout to wall sockets, which were hidden behind the furniture. I had spent a fair bit of time looking for those sockets. Even the bathroom door was hidden! (I thought it was open concept – at first.)

Fridge: If you take anything out from the fridge for more than 30 seconds, you’ll be charged for it. Hence, there is no way to rearrange the beverages in the fridge to put your own drinks in it. The only space given for you is the size of a tea saucer.

Internet access: Correct me if I’m wrong – their complimentary internet access is only given to The Club Room onwards. For Atrium or Horizon rooms, the internet access is S$30++ for  every 24 hours. Hence, I would advise you to bring along your mobile internet device (e.g. iPhone) which allows you to use the internet for “free” with your existing mobile subscription.

Room service: You can get caviar at S$500++ and laksa at S$24++. So please… by all means, google, book a taxi and travel out of the hotel to have real local delights and all at a more reasonable price. It totally PAYS to be lazy.

Restaurants: Unless you have a lot of time to burn, your best bet is to call up the restaurant to make a reservation.

Valet Parking: S$15 per day for hotel guests. During peak period, you might have to wait up to 1.5 hours to collect your car from the valet. HO HO HO!!!

Check in/out counters: It felt like I was queueing up to check in for a flight or “check out” at the immigration. Crazy queues that take forever.

There is no doubt that Marina Bay Sands has a magnificent view of the city. It is definitely worth a stay to experience the infinity pool, watch the city lights awake as the sun sets, witness the fireworks (of national events) and get the novelty outta your system. Well, there are still a lot of teething problems in their operations and I can’t help but to feel that the hotel is trying way too hard to earn back their money in every-single-possible-way. Not subtle at all.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed my stay at the hotel. After all, it is the company that I have that gives me the best, best experience everywhere I go.

Shabu Shabu @ Ohsumi Japanese Restaurant

THIS IS MY FIRST TIME HAVING SHABU SHABU. Yes. How embarrassing! Because I love Japanese cuisine!

This restaurant is located at the 3rd level of Cuppage Plaza. A popular shabu shabu place for local Japanese and shabu shabu lovers. Within seconds after I’ve got seated, the staff handed me a hanger for my jacket and covered it with a cloth towel. The meticulous care for a great dining experience made me felt like I was having a meal in Japan.

1-Altitude

This is one of the highest alfresco bars in the world, and the highest in Singapore. I had an absolutely wonderful time with my girl friends and sister. It was the best birthday surprise party that I’ve ever had; in fact, it was my first! My girl is such a sweetheart. I spent the many days of my birthday celebrations on very high grounds and it was spectacular. On top of that, we saw fireworks at both Marina Bay Sands and 1-Altitude. Thanks to my country! Thank you Singapore for the birthday fireworks! I know we paid our taxes for that. And most importantly, thanks to my mom for bringing me to this world at such great timing.

1-Altitude is 3-concept bars by the 1-Rochester Group. Occupying three floors of the OUB Centre Tower, you get 282 and City Golf, where you can play golf while getting drunk (@Level 61), Stellar, for dining (@level 62) and 1-Altitude Gallery & Bar for great heights and a stunning 360-degree view of the city (@level 63).

This bar is very new. Not a lot of people know about it yet, so bring your date there and impress her! Just expect some teething problems with the operation. Don’t worry, the night view will blow your minds off and make up for everything.

Mommy’s Birthday Dinner @ Taste Paradise

It was my lovely mom’s birthday a few days ago. I randomly picked Taste Paradise which is located at the 4th level of ION Orchard. Who knew it turned out to be such a grandeur! I had no idea it looked like that; I got the number from ION Orchard iPhone app and called the restaurant for table reservation, so it was a pleasant surprise when I was there. (My first thought: THANK GOODNESS THAT I WENT HOME TO DRESS UP!! I was in shorts and t-shirt prior to the dinner – not that it was inappropirate, but I looked like a kid.)

It’s fine dining at Taste Paradise – nothing like the regular Chinese restaurant experience. Here, the restaurant manager addresses you by your name, waiters are extremely polite and attentive (no matter how new they are) and a good variety of courses. My brother with culinary arts background commented that their food presentation failed because it was not meticulous enough; I think it is the smallest details.

All in all, the food is good, the ambience is great and the service is fantastic. You’ll feel like a VIP there.

~

Hope you enjoyed my sharing! Please click “appreciate it” if you like this, and leave me a comment. Now that I’m back from my birthday celebrations and had settled down at my new place, I’ll be updating my blog more regularly too.

Thanks for all these years of support since 2001 where I used to blog at (now cybersquatted) euniqueflair.com. And to my new readers, welcome to my blog!

It’s my birthday tomorrow.

Today’s lunch at Boathouse seems like a good prelude of what’s better to come. We had the entire restaurant to ourselves; the food and service was great. Because I couldn’t find my camera charger and spare batt in time, I had to make do with my iPhone cam. The photographs look pretty experimental on hipstamatic app. But hey, I can’t complain.

Obviously, the iPhone app is not great for photographing food but this is lovely place for lunch dates. I love it!

Boathouse

The Waterboat House Rooftop
3 Fullerton Rd #04-01

The Waterboat House
3 Fullerton Rd #03-01

Tel: +65 65389038
www.boathouse.com.sg

P.S. My twitter is updated daily.

I’m alive. Too many things had happened recently. I have to update ya’all with photo galore!!!!

Yes or YES?

Anyway, I thought this post is too short to end here. So here is the list of things that I’m looking forward to:

• Furniture shopping for my new place
• Cooking and baking at my new place
• Jay Chou’s concert because he is like a mega star in Asia
• More happy days to come

Well, there are more stuff but I just can’t think straight at this hour. Moreover, my McWings meal has just been delivered to my place. Adios!!

EPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!