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?

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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.

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…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.

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I haven’t put a lot of thought into decorating my office, particularly since it is a very small room and the kangaroo’s weights take up a quarter of the space. I’m not complaining because the weights have to go somewhere, I suppose, and it wouldn’t do to put them in our bedroom or the living room.

Also, since it’s a rented place, I’m cautious of hanging things on the wall. We could but there is a very specific type of hook we need to use and even then it cannot guarantee the wall would not be spoiled, according to our real estate agent. Basically if you ruin the wallpaper, you have to pay for it.

But I have taken to sticking a poster on the door. This was a birthday present from a friend who was very into photography for awhile. I think the photo says a lot about me: snow will always be a novelty for me. I wonder if I would think the same in 10years’ time?

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I have a pretty looking tree outside my bedroom and I’ve taken to leave the blinds up now. I was a bit paranoid that the neighbours could look into the bedroom but seriously we have a bit of garden space, a bamboo fence, and a huge white wall behind that. I doubt anyone could see anything.

Recently, I’ve been waking up to these gorgeous white flowers every morning. Just lovely…

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It’s been a while since I’ve been through a big storm like this one today — the news warned of dangerous winds; companies let their staff off at midday to go home and take shelter; planes likely couldn’t land at Haneda Airport; trains were packed with frantic commuters.

I feel like curling up in bed with the second installment of Hunger Games, Catching Fire. The action is gripping but there are times when I’m well aware I’m a close to mid-30s woman reading a young adult fiction novel that has themes of first love and love triangles (hello, Twilight?) running in parallel to the dystopian totalitarian world that the characters in Hunger Games inhabit. The prose reads way better than Twilight, but you know, this is popular fiction so don’t expect too much. It’s no Harry Potter either where JK Rowling has simple but sophisticated writing.

So who is rooting for Team Peeta or Team Gale? Can you guess who I’m cheering on (as a hint, I was on Team Edward till the friggin’ movie came out; Robert Pattison just did not cut it – lol!)?

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I’ve actually written a review on Da Isa, a great Napoli-inspired trattoria in Nakameguro, but I can’t resist putting up pictures of a recent lunch here.

Today’s food pictures have little to do with eating for today’s post though.

I’m not sure if you have noticed but I’ve been changing things up and experimenting with the way I’m blogging in this space. After some thought, I decided to blog only about things that I’m grateful for in Japan.

In recent months, I’ve been feeling negative and I just could not get out of my head. Then I was inspired to take photos of all the things I like on a daily basis. A grateful thought a day makes the lioness a happy camper? I’m not sure but I’m willing to give it a go. I’m not a naturally positive person and perhaps this exercise in daily gratitude could help me in some way…

In any case, whether I know what I am doing, at least I am trying to pull out the little joys in my life so my mind won’t swirl around negative thoughts so much.

And today’s pictures are remnants of a lunch with friends who were awesome company on a Thursday afternoon, who know way more about my neighbourhood than me, and who love some of the same things I do. And good pizza. And a hot beverage on an icy grey day in Tokyo.

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Perhaps the title is a bit of a misnomer because I’m not really enhancing the aesthetics of my new home but I’m getting little things to make it feel more comfortable.

I got a new fluffy huge green bathmat because the floor of the bathroom is just icy; a candle lamp to burn scented candles while watching movies in the dark; a cheery red teapot to aid my fiendish tea-drinking habit.

I like red, green, and white for the house and it was the same colour scheme as our previous apartment. They sound like Christmas colours but be assured there’s a lot more red and the greens are of the lime variety but who am I kidding with that green mat above?

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I cannot get enough of my oven! I think it’s because it’s cold and having baked items just feel very hearty.

This is my super healthy veggie meal with oven baked kidney bean and walnut patties on a bed of quinoa and ratatouille, and a side salad drizzled with a parika chickpea dressing. I feel virtuous looking at this meal as it was a healthy dinner I had a few weeks ago. Lately, I’ve not been so disciplined.

*Burp*

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I used to burn vanilla candles in Singapore when I lived on my own as an “aaahhh, the work day is over” kind of thing. So I got some more when I did some shopping at Ikea the other day. I got these dessert candles that are supposed to smell like cinnamon buns, cake, and vanilla, which make my office so cozy on these chilly wintry days. The difference now is that I burn them while I’m working…I’m feeling quite chill though I’m working away…Candles are food for the soul, methinks.

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