Lioness in Japan

I’m probably the last Singaporean who had never been to TWG, a popular tea cafe in Ion Orchard. They serve up English style scones, cakes, tarts, and pretty macarons with a seemingly endless list of tea. I had the watermelon green tea drink called Pink Beauty (I think??). It was so refreshing and just what I needed on a hot day.

I don’t usually like scones because they are hard and powdery but these were done really perfect — soft but firm? Does that makes sense?

It was a great place to nibble and chat with a girlfriend.

Am I crazy over putting my photos in collages or what?

I used to run the 11km around Macritchie Reservoir with the kangaroo. I would always find it so hard to drag myself there and dodging trees roots and tripping over rocks would always make me groan inwardly, “Why the hell do I do this to myself?”

But it always feels so damn good after I emerge from the jungle of trees.

It’s one of my favourite places in Singapore. Do try and go for a hike or a run at least once if you are in Singapore. What’s the point of being in a tropical country if you don’t experience some jungle, right?

The kangaroo and I go back to Killiney Kopitiam Siglap purely for nostalgic reasons. The famous lontong has been watered down (to cater to droves of people who come for this very dish) but we would still make the hike in a cab from my folks’ place in the north.

I tend to have very short stays in Singapore and don’t really have the chance to gobble hawker style food. I mean, none of my friends fancies chowing down on oily fried food without air-conditioning.

Also my folks are pretty health-conscious and seldom eat at hawker centres but they do make homey delicacies that make me more than happy.

And if I think about it, I never did indulge in hawker food very often when I lived in Singapore because it was just so rich and unhealthy. I’ve also become very much less hung up on local food compared to three years ago.

So our trips to Killiney Kopitiam are such a treat and worth the SGD40 return cab fare.

…that’s what we call our new precious pug, Cookie. She is an adorable munchkin who is like a baby discovering the world at large, or rather my parents’ house in Singapore.

My family thinks she is the “doggiest” dog we have ever owned. She plays fetch, loves chewing on bones, chases her tail, barks at strangers (and the TV and when anyone sneezes), jumps onto anyone’s lap, gives away friendly licks to any kind-looking human toes and has an insatiable appetite for affection.

She steals shoes and slippers to get your attention to play with her but she never destroys anyone’s property.

When the mothership does qi gong, the lil’ rascal would lie across her path just to be close to someone. She also sleeps on our helper’s bed whom she thinks is her mother. She can only go to sleep when she is cuddled. Big awwwww…

She is so spoiled but everyone loves her to bits and brings so much cheer and happiness to our old house.

I really really wish I could have a pug in Tokyo, but alas, short-nosed dogs are an absolute no-no if one is going to move to another country eventually.

I never ever ever ever drink booze on flights but somehow the Frankfurt-to-Singapore leg of my month-long trip transported me into a 12-hour nightmare with three screaming babies. Not just crying, but high-pitched don’t-give-a-rat’s-ass type of screaming. It’s such a cliche to say this but it must be what hell is like. Hey, I still love kids but I just couldn’t hack it. For realz. I never use “z” as a suffix, ever.

There were so many passengers ordering Singapore Slings like you wouldn’t believe on this flight so I thought, “Why not give it a go?” I mean, is it as great as it’s made out to be? So this Singaporean wench swirled this fabled potion in her mouth and concluded it was quite sweet and tasty — a real crowd pleaser. No hint of tequila (thank goodness) and I enjoyed the pineapple note superbly. And it helped me nod off into a blackhole for two hours.

So I landed safely (but out of sorts) in Singapore…

With jet lag nipping my heels, I gave up sleeping in my old room and I went for a pre-dawn run. It was surreal to watch the sun rise over our steamy isle. You’ll be surprised how many people are up and about at 6am in the morning — students, parents driving their kids to school, and fellow joggers and walkers.

My 5.5 days in Germany after NYC flew by in a flash, partly because two days were really dedicated to travelling from one place to another.

Highlights included: watching arty athletic performances at the Tiger Palast (as part of the kangaroo’s dad birthday treat); looking down at the beautiful Rhine River; spending one-on-one time with the father-in-law (felt nervous initially but we got along really well); being driven around the Ruedesheim countryside and taking in cute ancient German cottages; ingesting fried red mullet with white asparagus in a creamy mayo sauce (best meal in Germany); scoring Weleda beauty products below 10 euros (they are exorbitant in Tokyo, naturally); bagging H&M items for really cheap (cheap in Tokyo but even cheaper in Europe methinks); running around the River Alster in Hamburg which was so so so gorgeous; keeping up with my Japanese lessons.

For a “Things I Love in Germany” post, you can mosie on over here…

…IMATS! Or International Makeup Artist Trade Show which is a professional meeting ground for makeup artists, cosmetics brands, and the beauty community at large.

Check out my write up at my beauty blog here.

I’m finally back home in Tokyo, and again, I was just too busy to blog but that means I have TONS of stories to share. I loved travelling with the kangaroo but nothing beats home. While it was nice experiencing the perks that go with tagging along with a road warrior (upgrades to suites, swish first-class airport lounges, great seats on the plane), I would still choose my home in Tokyo over those anytime.

But let’s get on with reminiscing my travels…

Great NY Noodle Town is a dinky little restaurant in Chinatown, NYC, that deserves a post of its own because it serves great, authentic Hong Kong eats. It’s been awhile since I’ve had solid Chinese food and I had amazing century egg rice porridge and shrimp dumplings. The chilli sauce was also the bomb…

And the noodles that came with the shrimp dumplings were done just right — ever-so-slightly al dente but overall soft with just a slight chewy bite. The clear broth was light as it should be but flavourful, and the shrimps used in the dumplings were top notch — fat and succulent. I was in Chinese food heaven. I’ll definitely go back. Another thing to note is that this is “Michelin-recommended” and rightly so, and it also made it to “New York’s Best Cheap Eats List” here.

That was the kangaroo doing a “two-sign” at the end of his NYC birthday night…

If you know the kangaroo personally, you wouldn’t be surprised by the fact that he is celebrating his birthday “around the world” – four birthday parties in four cities to herald in his big 40th. He really likes a good party, as they say Down Under.

This photo is evidence of his first 40th birthday party in NYC with a small group of friends at Rye in Williamsburg. His two requirements for choosing a restaurant for his birthday celebrations are great meat and cocktails.

Rye delivered on both fronts with their amazing Southside gin cocktail with muddled cucumber and lime and a monstrous serving of grass fed beef steak for two (he shared it with a friend) – he declared it was melt-in-your-mouth.

The restaurant also helped me look like an attentive wife. For his chocolate mud cake dessert, they stuck a candle in and wrote happy birthday in chocolate sauce on the plate. They must have heard us toast happy birthday to the kangaroo because none of our friends made the birthday request, and I forgot in the whole whirlwind of chatting with various friends in the bustling restaurant.

Excellent food, booze, and company – what a great way to kick off his month-long birthday celebration.

Sorry for the absence but I was actually in Sydney over the weekend for five days and it was a blur of activities so my online life was put on hold.

Let’s continue with my NYC adventures, shall we?

I had never been to the Meatpacking District in NYC and had only seen it in Sex & the City. Even then I didn’t have much of an impression except it was a refurbished industrial part of town that suddenly became über chic.

And oh my, it reeks of blase sophistication and cool. A gf and I met at the Standard Hotel where the bar at the top floor is famously known as a pick-up joint.

It was elegant and a great spot for a view and watching beautiful people in the bar, except that we couldn’t get a seat.

The floor to ceiling windows in the loos were a little disconcerting because we wondered if we could be seen from the outside. If you look at the Standard Hotel from the High Line (an elevated walkway flanked by gorgeous fauna), you could see people in their rooms if they raised the curtains. And apparently if you did stay in the hotel, you are encouraged to “express yourself”.

We went to the Standard Grill, which is a steakhouse type restaurant on the ground floor instead, and had smart cocktails with oysters, cheese, and fries.

My companion had the Pimms cocktail which I would highly recommend and mine was so-so though it sounded exotic with vodka, lime, and kaffir powder.

I never drink cocktails in Tokyo for some reason. I think it’s the feeling of being away from home that makes me actually want to sip on a cocktail and get a little silly and tipsy.

And the cheese platter was extremely delicious with our cocktails. That’s another thing I indulge in when I’m travelling.

I love the look of the shops in the area and would be back to have a poke around. They close at 7pm so we couldn’t browse when we were there.