HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

 

Project 365 has officially come to an end for us. All the red pictures for the whole year, I'm surprised we sustained till the end. 3 cheers and 3 cheers for red and green! Hip Hip Hooray!

 

Live, Laugh, Love-- the life guide, motto and resolution for 2013. I hope everyone had a fulfilling 2012 and i wish everyone out there a blessed 2013!

 

Love,

Redstripes

goodbye 2012

as project 365 comes to an end, let's exit the year on a happy and good note! :) am so proud of us completing this! even though we slacken off towards the end. nonetheless all 366 posts done! two pats on the back!! :)

hope u enjoyed following us on this project365 journey. and with that, we take our exit.

happy new year to you!! :))

afternoon tea at smittens

caught up with friends over brunch at kith cafe followed by coffee/tea/juice at smitten. both are small quaint cafes at Robertson quay.

a good afternoon of catch up :) I love meeting up with friends. here's to the last Sunday of the year! cheers!

Tau Kae Noi (365/365)

Aitthipat Kulapongvanich started Tao Kae Noi nori snacks, which became popular all over Asia their launch in 2004.

 

Tao Kae Noi is a Thailand-made Japanese-inspired snacks using crispy toasted seaweed sheets called nori in Japanese.

When i first saw it back then, ir caught my attention and i actually got quite addicted to it for a while. But somehow after a while, i prefered the real deal. The real seaweed i mean and so i stopped eating this cripsy kind. Also because it is crispy, dropped everywhere, all the tiny bits and pieces.

 

 

 

 

Arbite Cafe

finally had dinner with my girls at arbite cafe today! serangoon gardens isn't our usual hangout but this cafe is indeed a gem! the food is awesome!!

I ordered the truffle hamburger and I love it!! the beef patty was very nicely done! and priced very reasonable too! after reading lots of raving reviews online, we ordered the pappardelle with mushrooms and Parma ham to share among the 5 of us. it's good for showing but probably not a dish to eat on your own cos the cream sauce can make you je lat. just right for us to share!

the desserts were good too! ordered the Gula Melaka tiramisu and the wife's choc cake. be careful when eating the tiramisu, don't choke on the cocoa powder which 2 of them did!

I would definitely go back to this cafe again! there's still the breakfast set that I wanna try!

Last dash (364/365)

I remember my new year resolution for 2012 was to exercise more often and to shed some kilos off myself but it has been a lazy and procrastinating year, as usual. So to end off the year proper, i went to Fitness First for my last dash!

BETTER HEALTH, EXERCISE AND FITNESS FOR 2013!!! i don't wanna be a fat bride. That is how my friends threaten (motivate) me these days.

the evils of online shopping

with everyone busy with their own parties or work, i don't really have many dates or people to hang out with :( spending more time at home results in me digging bigger holes in my pocket from online shopping! terrible!!

every other day I'll be receiving a parcel in the mail. my mother is starting to question me about all these parcels!! either I change sending address to my office or I really need to control myself more!!

somebody put a firewall on the gmarket website on my laptop!!

Last official work day (363/365)

This is a stamp i always use to chop my documents before sending it out. And since this is my last official work day, nothing beats using this to represent better! =)

green macaroons for you?

although Christmas is over, the festivities and indulgence is still not over yet! there's still the new year celebration to look forward to! so meanwhile, let's continue indulging in the yummy food around. and celebration is not a celebration without sweet stuff! enjoy the desserts! the diet can wait till the new year!

oh btw, can't believe project 365 is ending really soon! as we count down to the new year, we also count down to the completion of project 365!!

My comfort food (362/365)

This might be a surprise. But i grew to love it since it is right under my office and it's the easiest food i can pack, other than Macs. I don't really like Macs.

I love the Hor fun at Hans, even the fried rice. Though it is expensive, $7.80 for a hor fun or fried rice but oh well, especially when it is raining so often and i am simply too lazy to go further to pack. so i just pop in my favourite hans. Try eating the hor fun with lots of chilli padi. SHIOK.

cute little dustbin

this mini dustbin caught my attention when I was at some home display store. I think it's so cute! it can be used as a mini bin in the room or can even be a pencil holder on the table. but well, I don't have much use for it. so it's only good to see but cannot buy!
this can be another gift idea! ;)

Happy Boxing Day! (361/365)

How many of us really wait until boxing day then open our present. Well, traditionally, what i know is that boxing day is the day where you open your presents and in places such as Britain and Ireland, boxing day is a national holiday and another day to spend with family and friends and eating up the leftovers but its origins are steeped in history and tradition.

However, in Singapore, we don't have it as a national holiday. but some places have sales on this date.

Why is it called boxing day? Arguments abound on the origins of the name Boxing Day.

• A ‘Christmas Box’ in Britain is a name for a Christmas present.
• Boxing Day was a day off for servants and when they received a ‘Christmas Box’ from the master. The servants would also go home to give ‘Christmas Boxes’ to their families.
• A box to collect money for the poor was placed in Churches on Christmas day then opened the next day.
• Great sailing ships when setting sail would have a sealed box containing money on board for good luck.If the voyage were a success the box was given to a priest, opened at Christmas and the contents given to the poor.

Oh well, I am a very excited and happy person when i received gifts so i don't wait till boxing day. I will just rip open my gift!

Merry Christmas! (360/365)

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas, everyone!! I am the Santa Claus, pudgy i may look but all the kids love me!

This year, i made quite a few handicraft as ornaments for Christmas! I kinda like it, think maybe i will do some for chinese new year too. But it would be good if i can get kids to do it for me. Nowdays, kids also dun really fancy cutting and coloring anymore. Guess, i have to rely on myself.

Christmas lights

I like Christmas decorations! especially decorating a Christmas tree and brightening the house with festive Christmas lights! totally gives a very joyous mood!

when I have my own house next time, I'll be sure to put up a Christmas tree and if the house has a balcony, decorate it with pretty lights. it'll be so heartwarming. and I'll definitely host a Christmas feast and invite my family and friends over. ahh hope all this can come true soon!

anyway, blessed christmas all! have a joyous christmas!! :)

hanging bananas

a green stand to hang bananas! saw this at cold storage. sure does attract attention right smack in the middle of the entrance. actually the resembles abit of a Christmas tree and the bananas the ornaments on the Christmas tree, don't you think?

Christmas Feast (359/365)

And the feasting starts! This is my annual christmas dinner with my cousins. We are very particular with our food and also the arrangement of the food. For it to look pretty for the camera. This christmas feast is indeed a very special and memorable one for me because i managed to survive one night with a dog in the kitchen, licking around and running around. Gosh, my heart will still jump when the puppy suddenly come near my legs but after the night, i got pretty much used to it already.

we had meats and sauces this year round. Though most of it is bought (cos we were too tired to cook this year), i still enjoyed myself very much!

a chopping board for mum?

or for any newly married lady with a new home. this cute chopping board would be an interesting and practical christmas gift! definitely will brighten up the kitchen! not sure if I mentioned in this blog before, but when I have my own house next time, i will want to buy colorful kitchenware for my house since I love colours! :)

I think I'll be happy to receive a gift like this next time!

Future Family Bowling Day (358/365)

Such a catchy subject title. What I meant is family bowling day, it is just that it is the boy's family bowling day. and i went along. to be shamed! i cannot bowl and initially, they kept saying they are the gutter kind of people or they play lousily. so i went ahead. How would i knoe everyone was just being HUMBLE!! They did gutter but not as many times as me. My first round of game i only got 22 points!! for the whole game!!!! can you believe it. Yes, i am that lousy. And even when i got better in second round, i am not consistent, third round, i went back to 20 plus points. Oh gosh... bowling is indeed my lane of shame.

a green Christmas?

haha! what i mean by green christmas is being a more environmentally friendly christmas! yes i know, i keep blogging about this topic.

but i saw some interesting post about adopting some 'green' ways this christmas. let me share some of them. firstly, instead of using gift wrappers, why not be creative and wrap your gifts in an interesting way with recycled papers, like old magazine paper, newspaper, or those brown recycled paper. it does give the gift an edgy look! won't look like a trash if done tastefully! ;)

having odd shape items that are very diffcult to wrap? why not put them in an old box leftover from your other purchases like your handphone box. For me, i stuffed a friend's tshirt into a reused mask box so that it was easily to wrap. At least the box is of a regular shape.

i saw a post on instagram of someone creating their own christmas tree with recycled materials. and the tree looks quite pretty! 

see, so many ways to be green this christmas! let's all aim for a greener society! 

Smart Towel? (357/365)

First smartphone, then smart tv, now smart towel?? If you can see the caption above, it says, probably the msartest 3 in 1 wet towel ever. I was laughing when i saw this, are the wet towels now competing who can provide the best service, which is the smartest of them all??

This is ont funny red picture of the day.

Gift idea 2 - Crabtree & Evelyn

Crabtree & Evelyn is probably a popular brand among the ladies. not too sure what to get for a female friend? head down to one of crabtree & evelyn boutique and im sure you'll be able to pick up something, from hand creams, shower gel to even tea!

or if you are too lazy to go down to the stores, gmarket actually has quite a range of crabtree & evelyn products and might even be cheaper. just that you will have to take a risk of your gift not arriving in time! especially during this busy period!

happy gift shopping! 4 more days to Christmas!!

Marie biscuits! (356/365)

As Project 365- red is coming to an end, i realised this will be one of my last ten posts. Over the course of 2012, my eyes are always darting around for red items, what pictures and take. what to blog about. Many a times i have to admit, there might be pictures where it is abit far fetched from a true red picture but i tried my best. Anyway, back to Marie biscuits. I remember eating this when was yougner, muching it like a rabbit. And when i grew older, i eat this biscuit with peanut butter. Spread it on the biscuit. And now that i am much older, i don;t eat such bisucits anymore. I missed my childhood days everytime i see snacks like these.

Cho-Ko-Pa-Yi (355/365)

That was my attempt to read the korean words. As you can read, it translate to chocolate pie. Not bad right, my korean. I can only read very basic words. And since i took basic korean, in reading, i can read but that does not mean i know what it means. I realised, korean like any language has its past tense, present tense. What makes it difficult is that if the words end with a vowel or a consonant, you add different sayings to it. So right now, my standard is can read basic words, understand things and objects (with limits, of course) but i cannot form a proper sentence. And of course, watching korean shows, i still need subtitles.

New year resolution: master korean language and go korea!!

Aurora

ok i cheat, this is a picture 'stolen' from an instagram post. ahh, the northern lights! seeing this live is high on my bucket list! it's been my dream to see this ever since i knew about this natural phenomenon at the age of 16. aurora was the theme of my secondary school graduation then. that was when I googled about aurora borealis and saw the amazing pictures then!

there's been quite a few pictures on instagram recently. I think it's the 'season' cos apparently it's not a daily thing that you can see this. in fact, it's usually by a stroke of luck if you do get to catch it. I really really want to see this! and hopefully with a special someone. awww that will be so perfect! :) *dreams*

Pear Cider!

a festive season cannot go without the presence of alcohol! for the mild drinkers, especially ladies, I would like to recommend pear cider! it's my new favorite drink!

ok probably wouldn't be considered alcohol by the hardcore drinkers because it's quite a 'baby' drink, similar to the likes of jolly shandy. haha! it contains about 4.5% alcohol content. well saw this advertisement outside a coffeeshop in katong. the popularity of pear cider seem to be picking up with another brand also coming up with quite aggressive promotion in stores.

so do give ciders a try! I hope u like it as much as I do!

Runts (354/365)

This is a vending machine that has been around for quite some time. I only tried it once and realised it is a cheating machine. For $1, you put in, you get to turn one round for the candies to fall out. The candies that actually fall out is very little! you could have bought more for $1, instead of trying this silly machine.

Note to self, never be fascinated with things like these. Cheat money!

gift idea

well, Christmas is also a season of giving! here's a very typical and safe gift idea for the boss this Christmas to show your appreciation - Godiva chocolates!

like I say, it's boring and typical buy I'm sure most people would not be unhappy to receive Godiva chocolates! are you cracking your head on what Christmas gifts to get? do share if you have any good deals or ideas! ;)

Lactose Free Milk (353/365)

I don't take diary products. When people ask me why, i find it a hassle to explain to them why i don't like cheese, the taste of milk, or buttery and creamy stuff. So i used to just say, i am lactose intolerant. But friends around me always like to say that is all psychological and that my mind is bluffing my body that i cannot take diary product. Especially when i go to restaurants and want to know if the dish is cheesy or buttery, i will tell them i am lactose intolerant. so that they can take extra precautions for me.

but now, as i grow older, i am beginning to accept more things. vanilla ice cream for one, i will learn to take it and enjoy it.

green scooter

this was taken at a store window display. very eye catching! and I would love to have a green Vespa like this! so chic! :)

麻辣火锅 (352/365)

 

 

It is my cousin's birthday today and as the weather was chilly, she suggested to go eat steambaot. This is from The Magic of Chongqing Hotpot. They have two brances, one at suntec city mall and the other at tanglin shopping centre. The reason why they are special (if you compare to the ones along bugis) is that their food is fresher and also, you don't have to walk up and down to take your food. It is buffet style with table service. I like the meat there because they sliced until very thin. And on top of that, their speciality is their 8 treasures tea also known as 八宝茶. I tried their hot version, which is putting all the tea leaves and herbs into the cup and they will pour hot water for you from a tea pot with a long spout. My cousin didn't like it as it was too bitter for her. She chose to have the cold tea instead which is brewed ready and kept chilled.

This is still the cold season, why not head down and try this steamboat. nice and shiok!

Cute bathroom slippers (351/365)

if i have my own place, i will definitely get bathroom slippers. although to be honest, i don't really know the need to have it since i have been surviving at home without it for the last 25 years. But somehow, having cute matching bathroom slippers appeal to me. But this one above is too cute for my liking.

I think when i wear them, i will slip more often or start gliding at home. sliding from one place to another. Ah! i know when i have a use for it. I can wear it once i applied moisturizer on my feet andthen wear a sock to walk around! perfect for exfoliating feet day!

Christmas family gathering

what a joyous time it is when family gather to celebrate this wonderful season. and when everyone starts caroling together, praising the birth of Jesus even though some may not be Christians or know the true meaning of Christmas, it is still a pretty heartwarming feeling. Christmas does bond people in a unique way.

after today's gathering at a distant relative's place, I'm quite keen on organizing a Christmas party next year and inviting everyone from different walks of my life. I think it's a really cool thing and can be a good outreach event too. I would really put that into consideration, just that I have to keep in mind BTF's wedding will be during that period too.

lets see, we still have a year to plan anyway.

Annual Planning Conference (350/365)

My agency booked a meeting room in Hotel Re! this time round for our annual planning conference and maybe because it is my first time there or maybe cos the colours are so vibrant, i love the place! It started my little interest in boutique hotels. Maybe for year 2013, i would put doing more staycations as one of my resolution.

Hotel Re! is more like a retro yet modern kind of hotel. With numerous themed boutique hotels in the metropolis, this 12-storey, 140-room boutique hotel is a wondrous surprise waiting to be discovered. All guestrooms in this boutique hotel are furnished with retro inspired furniture and complimented with ultra modern technology for that for that unique Hotel Re! touch. Each floor in this boutique hotel has its own colour theme and all the rooms on the floor resonates with the designated colour and décor. Glittery mosaic-tiled bathrooms in all rooms are the finishing flourish to our distinctive boutique hotel is offering.

Think i will pester vmy boss to do more retreats or planning conference here in 2013!

back!

yes my work trip has ended and flew back this morning. my check in luggage weighs only 5.3kg!

anyway I wanna rant about the cab company! they insisted that I had to leave for the airport 3 hours before my flight! so I was already on the road at 9am for my 11.50am flight! ended up reaching the airport before 10 and I had so much time to kill! >( could have enjoyed the hotel alittle more! like maybe let me snooze for another half an hour. boo.

stoned in the airport as the shopping was relatively boring to me. not my kind of shopping cos all branded stuff. but at least there is free wifi! so at least I could kill time surfing online.

I don't want to be back!

Love is in the air (349/365)

Next year, this will be a very sp4ecial day for me and i'm happily counting down already!!!

What is Love?

Many people will define it as a magical feeling when you meet the one of your dreams.No wonder so many people have problems staying in love.

So what is love ― real, lasting love?

I believe Love is the attachment that results from deeply appreciating another person's goodness. And that includes accepting all things that you don't agree with. I refuse to use the word flaw because it is flawed in your eyes, in your standard, not everyone else.

It is indeed to find a person to love, to stay in love and to maintain the love. I'm glad i found the one.

peace, love, joy

had some time to do some shopping after work today. intended to shop for gifts but didn't find anything appropriate and ended up buying things only for myself!

nonetheless theres festive mood all around the mall with cute snowmen Christmas decorations and many Christmas promotions going around. atrium stalls selling Christmas gifts but all too commercialized and cliche. well it's still a happy season! of peace, love and joy!

have you done your Christmas shopping yet?

Kiddy ride (348/365)

In the past, kiddy ride was a very simple ride. Usually it is shaped like a horse or car and that time, it cost about 20 cents per ride. I remember loving those rides and when they came out with the chair like thingy that can go one round, i really liked that one! just that, that kind of ride usually cost 50 cents or a dollar, and it was counted as expensive then.

nowadays, this is what a kiddy ride look like!! it usually cost 2 bucks or more. Kid's ride are so sophisticated seriously. I see more parents taking pictures with their kids in it, rather than riding it. I miss simple rides. Kids in the past were much simpler, even their rides say so.

one utama shopping mall

the hotel I'm staying is linked to the megamall one utama and it's really huge! another perks of staying at this hotel following my previous post. this photo was taken on the way back to my hotel and is one of the many eateries available at this megamall. well I didn't eat here because there are just too many other choices to choose from! totally spoilt! even before coming here my colleague already gave me a long list of food places to go to.

the shopping here is pretty good too with many shops. from FOS to forever21 to tangs etc. I don't have enough time to finish shopping everything! 5d4n seems like a long time but I realized I barely have much leisure time to do my own stuff! I
guess that's what work trips are about.

I don't feel like going back to Singapore already haha.

one world hotel

this is my first ever work trip and I'm really enjoying the perks of it! putting up in a 5star hotel is something that I never get to do when I travel for leisure since I always go budget!

the fears of staying alone was totally unfounded. everything was really comfortable and liberating! I could really get used to this ;) hot showers, comfy bed, fluffy pillows, good hairdryer, bathrobe, nice smelling body lotion, complimentary laundry service, a sumptuous breakfast buffet spread. this is all so awesome! shall make the most out of the 5d4n here! =)

btw, happy 12.12.12 to you all! well nothing special happened to me today.

Starbucks 1-for-1 (347/365)

To celebrate the 12th day of Christmas, Starbucks came out with this promotion today. 1-for-1 for their Christmas beverage, VENTI SIZE some more! Of course, my colleageu and i grabbed the opportunity. And since it was raining heavily in the afternoon, a hot cuppa of starbucks really warmed our stomach... =)

i love starbucks during their Christmas season. That is because i love their peppermint mocca, which only appear every once a year.

on a side note, today is 12-12-12!
 

Christmas all around (346/365)

This is indeed our season mans, i was telling my partner of the blog the other day. Red and green. How could we resist taking Christmas-y pictures when they are ALL AROUND???

even in supermarkets, one can find them selling such things and if i have kids, i will really think of buying. or if i am having a party for kids. Everything about Christmas shouts out red and green! In the future, when I have my own place, I will wear a giant christmas socks and hang on the wall. And then i will fill it up with mini gifts. Somehow, Christmas decorations appeal to me alot.

Happy season!

airport staff canteen

not sure if many know about this staff canteen at the airport terminal one. I've been going there for the longest time. mum used to bring us there on weekends to eat the yummy grilled salmon rice! it's still there! but not sure if it's still as nice!

ok ciao! I'm off to my first ever work trip!! :) excited!

Waist Tonic (345/365)

If i wasn't looking for a red picture of the day, this would never have caught my attention and awareness. Like I would be wondering why do we need to give our waist tonic and strengthen it?

Huiji Waist Tonic is made according to an ancient Chinese formula that has been refined through modern scientific research. Made from a traditional recipe, passed down for generations, Huiji Waist Tonic is an excellent health tonic that is mild in nature and fragrant in scent. Huiji Waist Tonic, unlike her competitors, is the only tonic in market, which is 100% vegetarian, with no added alcohol and cane sugar. As such, breastfeeding mums, children above 7 years old and individuals allergic to alcohol can safely enjoy this tonic without worry. Taken daily, the tonic can improve blood circulation, strengthen the body and waist, relieve body-aches and numbness, as well as stimulate the mind. With its host of benefits, Huiji is ideal for the entire family.

Ahh... now we know why.

traveller

if you follow my posts closely, you probably would be able to know me pretty well, my likes and dislikes. there are that few topics that I keep blogging about and one of that being travelling!

well I love travelling and wish I had a job that allows me to travel the world. yah did consider the possibility of applying to be a cabin crew but I don't think I'm cut out to be one. not pretty. not patient, not bimbo enough. my current dream job is to be a travel show host but well, I have no idea how to go about fulfilling it. maybe a miracle might happen when I wake up one day and i land myself in this job *dreams*

I've been wanting to start a travel blog for the longest time but well as with all of stuff, I'm always lazy! and I procrastinate. hmm maybe after project 365 ceases, I shall consider!

Mr Wang Wang (344/365)

If you are familiar with him much, you are probably in the same generation as i am. In my younger days, i adore him. i love his biscuits. all his products. That time, Mr Wang Wang was still simple, just a few kinds of biscuits. But gradually, he came out with more products, such as the milk that you see above. And then they lose me. Yes, i don't like milk so when i see he has milk products, i also sian half.

anyway, i don't know if the kids now know him or even like his products.

cmpb again!

we headed to cmpb again today, specially for the band playing there! we really like the singer after our first time there a few months back. so after checking that she still sings there, we headed back there tonight!

a rowdy group probably having their company's Christmas dinner at the venue almost ruined the night for us. they were so noisy and uncultured, totally spoiling the atmosphere of the place!

so glad they left in the middle of the 2nd set! peace at last! and as expected, the band didnt disappoint! I really like them! :) Amanda's got a really unique voice! but we were a little upset she didn't sing our dedication of skinny love! oh wells.

nonetheless a great night out with my girls!

year end festive

so it's that time of the year again. the happy year end season is here! and like what my partner says, this is the season for us! red and green is the theme for this season!!

so enjoy the festive people!

Asquare Kitchen (343/365)

A local fusion bistro that the boy and i popped into on a saturday night. i do love exploring such quirky small cosy bistros with the boy, but we were a tad overdressed that day and i much rather eat at some slightly more atas place. And furthermore, the choices of this bistro was limited and they cooked their food only when we order so they took quite a bit of time. I wasn't too patient with it because when i pooped in the this place, i was really hungry already.

But still, a good night out. 

Diva's BFF series (342/365)

While helping the boy buy his office Christmas Exchange gift, i noticed Diva has a BFF series. Like necklaces that come in twos. One for each best buds. Among all, i liked this but the partner of this blog says she don't. Oh well, we have very different taste to begin with. I just thought that it is cool to have a best bud kind of accessories, instead of the normal couple kind.

yes, i'm that easily sold sometimes.

Milk Sippy

during a random cold storage shopping trip, my sister and I chanced upon this product. it's like a choc-filled straw. so use it to drink your milk or milo or whatever beverage through this straw, the chocolate will dissolve in the beverage as you sip it up the straw.

well my greedy sister likes this kind of snacks so we bought it to try. it's not bad and I think it's pretty novel. I'm sure little kids will love this!