Skye Soon
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Hi guys!

May flew by in a blink of an eye, what with Labour Day and the long Vesak Day weekend. What did you get up to?

I'm pretty happy this month because I got to meet up with my friends, visit new places, and eat tons of yummy food! The simple life is a good life.

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First up, I got to check out Jewel at Changi.

Wow, photos do not do it much justice, man. It is really quite grand up close.



The whole area is massive and styled like the Avatar rainforest, and honestly it's really quite surreal. All I thought was, wow, Singapore's experience with running Gardens by the Bay really paid off here. There are small pockets of greenery everywhere, and I enjoy them. Truly impressive. Where else in the world can you find a huge waterfall and huge green spaces in a stylish mall which is part of an airport?!

The entire Jewel mall was pretty amazing. Singapore is really putting her best foot forward here, in a way she knows best -a shopping mall concept.You get to experience a slice of life of how some Singaporeans eat* - such as the Birds of Paradise ice cream, Rich and Good Cake (which is always sold out - we tried to queue!), Naiise, Violet Oon, and even an atas NTUC Fairprice Finest! It's a nice representation! (*The hawker fare is already covered a long time ago by the various food courts and restaurants serving local dishes.)

We also spotted many shops that are available in places we frequent, for example, Xpressflower. There is also Old Chang Kee, Yakun and even Thai Express. Familiarity in every corner. (Some may say generic.)

The toilets were also very clean and had a lux futuristic feel. It's all in the details man. You know how toilet doors are usually rectangular for the breadth? In Changi, they are rounded. Wow, way to score on the tactile feel. Can't help but be blown away.

Either way, Jewel is absolutely stunning and I can't imagine how much planning was involved to pull this off. Lol. Proud of our country! Haha.
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In May I was in a funk so I issued myself a Challenge. That's how I ended up going to the far-flung Jurong Lake Gardens, and also taste some Peruvian cuisine.

Trying Peruvian food for the first time
However, the harder parts of the Challenge are coming up and I hope I still manage to complete the list!

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I got to hang out with the cutest baby, Zihan, First of his Name, Ray of Sunshine, King of Super Farts, and Son of super mommy Wenxin. Babies are so warm to touch! And they really have a nice smell.

Awwwww

Don't you feel so worthy when a baby smiles at you for no reason at all? In that moment, they seem to accept you completely, despite all your flaws and imperfections.

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I also made a Nugget Bouquet for my friend Liqin who is getting married!

There's a little funny story behind it too. I went to MacDonalds and made my order at the counter.

Me: Auntie, 20 McChicken
Auntie: 20? *Points to McChicken on the laminated menu*
Me: *shocked* Oh no no no!!! 20 McNuggets
Auntie: lol
Me: *facepalm*

We very nearly ended up with a McChicken Bouquet hahaha.

I thought it turned out pretty good, though if I had longer satay sticks I could probably create some varying heights. I also used ink alphabet stamps to create some LOVE patterns on the brown paper and inked their names too!
We went to a chalet for a stayover to celebrate the occasion. Oh man, I have not been to a chalet in the longest time. D'Resorts at Downtown East now looks so fancy, with walk paths like U-Town at NUS. You also get access to lots of food and entertainment options like Teo Heng, right over at e-hub. I also had a Turkish Ice Cream. Does the Turkish ice cream man have the most troll job or what? Hilarious.

We had a blast, talking late into the night with cup noodles, nuggets, and wine.

This is rather random, but one thing I like about sleepovers is that you get to try different types of facial products and toiletries from your friends. Cheers to cheap thrills and girly moments!

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I also watched the Pangdemonium Play, This Is What Happens to Pretty Girls. Yup, buying a season ticket was good idea! Can't wait for the next show, the musical Urinetown.

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In Singapore, we are ever so lucky to have the Geylang Serai Bazaar! For the past few years, we braved super stuffy and hot tents to get our grub. This year, I felt that the overall organisation was better and it felt more ventilated and airy! What a nice surprise. There were also more tables and benches for you to enjoy your food at. Yay to a more pleasant experience!

Had lots of fun trying different food with the softballers.

Beautiful!


Beef Meatballs, with potato mash, nacho cheese sauce and twister fries! Nom.

White Rabbit Candy, but LIQUIDIFIED! Haha wow this was some intense sweetness in a sip. Thanks Pok for taking a leap of faith and buying it cuz it was real fun to try it!

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Also read up on some Buddhist concepts. I was wondering what Buddha had to say about money. I was always under the impression that he probably thought it was bad? And that we should not attach ourselves to money or material wealth. I was thinking along the lines of "Money is the root of all evil".

But according to this website, Buddha just says stuff like using your money to benefit others, raise your family, sharing your money, and not to have vices like gambling. He apparently also had teachings on how to balance your finances etc. Basically he says it's OK to have money, and to work for money.

Buddha Gif by Vivek Karthikeyan


I was thinking about this because I was wondering how career progression and earning money works with the concepts of Buddhism. For jobs, Buddha says not to harm others and not to do things like murder and prostitution.

Well that clears things up. In a modern way of life, we are free to pursue our jobs and money, but I guess the bottom line is not to use it for evil and not be greedy.

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So that's a wrap for May~ I hope it was a fun, meaningful and a-may-zing month for you.

June is school holiday month - which affects all teachers, students and families. So I hope you will have an abundance of restful days to recharge! Onward we go.

Love,
Skye

Hello my fellow tea buddies,

How have you been? 

Today I wanna share this English Breakfast tea with you. It's a Loose Tea package from Quintino's and was a gift from Indonesia!


As English Breakfasts go, this is a decent strong and robust tea. Don't leave it in for too long to steep, if not your tea was be super strong and maybe even bitter.

I drink an entire pot of this on my own so I definitely do not let it steep for long. The consequences of doing so would leave me tossing and turning in bed at night, unable to sleep well. It's potent, guys, so proceed with caution.

A closer look. Their tea leaves come from Cibuni, West Java.

I used to drink Twinings English Breakfast almost every day at work. It was delicious, yes, but it also started staining my teeth. Lol.

Apparently after drinking tea we should brush our teeth, if not our teeth turns yellow. Read this somewhere on the net, but I'm too lazy to follow this advice.

I also like to add fresh slices of lemon to this and make my own Lemon Tea. I can't bring myself to add sugar due to health reasons, but sometimes I do add a dash of honey to sweeten things up a bit.

Till next time! Happy tea drinking :)

Skye

Hi lovelies!

Unfortunately in this issue we have some bad news to share. We went to check out a bunch of places on the Burpple Beyond app with much anticipation and zest, only to be disappointed by the quality of food. It's always sad when you're hyped about your meal but things don't turn out well. Oh well. 

Here is our short review! We hope you manage to get a better dining experience than us.

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Chong Qing Grilled Fish

18 Mosque St, #01-01, Singapore 059498 (Bugis)


We ordered the recommended fish, the 水果鱼。Despite much anticipation, the fish was overly soft and mushy. I guess we should have ordered the Snapper instead.

We chose Medium Spicy (中辣) but the fish was neither spicy nor mala at all. We prefer the grilled fish at Tan Yu at 313.


The 1-for-1 promo is only for the sides, which tasted better than the fish. We had Salted Egg Calamari, Fried egg with prawns and Fried Mantou. Overall, it was a disappointing experience and we wonder if the restaurant was just having a bad day.

Rating: 3/10

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Soi 47 Thai Food

111 King George's Ave, Singapore 208559 (Lavender MRT)

In our opinion, the Pad Thai tasted average, but the taukwa had a 臭油 smell. The Honey Chicken was alright but a little on the soggy side. As for the Tom Yum Soup, it tasted like diluted spicy soy sauce water. I guess a saving grace was that it contained mussels. The omelette was the best tasting of the lot, and the Thai milk tea was normal.



Overall we had a bad experience here and frankly would not come back again.

Rating: 2/10

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Morettino Italian Café and Bistro

#01-04, 100 AM, 100 Tras St, 079027 (Tanjong Pagar MRT)



The Salmon Lemon Pizza was not bad, but it seems a little off to have huge chunks of roasted salmon on it. Perhaps it would have been better if the salmon was smoked instead.

The Truffle Carbonara was very nice and fragrant with chunks of bacon. Truffle taste was strong an distinct.

Rating: 7/10

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Mission Juice

12 Gopeng St, Singapore 078877 (Icon Village, Tanjong Pagar)


We ordered the Hawaii Breeze, which was a refreshing blend of orange, papaya, apple and mango. Definitely cleanses the palate and makes you feel good for drinking #clean. Frozen yogurt is also available here.

Rating: 8.5/10

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Hope to bring you more good news and better food picks next time! 

Skye and Rae



Hey guys!

With June just creeping up on us, I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised when the new NDP theme song was revealed.

This year, the song is called 'Our Singapore'. It's not an entirely new original song. It uses the 2002 NDP theme song, 'We Will Get There' by Stefanie Sun as a base, with some new verses and melody.

Every year, people complain that the new song sucks. So what they do nowadays is to put a spin on the old, trusted tunes. When it's out, people complain that we only get remixes and nothing new. Lol you can never win. /shrug

Here's what the video is about.

It begins in black and white.


Royston Tan yay!

Remember the days, we set out in faith?

Tracy Huang (黃鶯鶯) starts the song off. Yes, you already want to start singing along.

We are treated to a few of the veteran singers in Singapore. This is Rahimah Rahim.



The transition to colour and 'modern' times begins with this frame of Ramli Sarip, also known as 'Papa Rock' to his fans.


And who's next?

Our beloved Stef Sun! Wow, she still looks the same.



I think the bespectacled guy in the background is Evan Low (@evanturetime) , who helped to arrange the song. He makes songs with the likes of homegrown singers Charlie Lim, Linying etc. Listen to his latest single with Tim De Cotta and Vandetta here.

The gear up and say hello to our Mandopop darling and King of Ballads, JJ Lin Jun Jie! He never ages too.



You also get the new younger musicians like Charlie Lim and The Sam Willows. Hope to see more young musos join the lineup in the coming years!



And we also have Taufik, winner and heartthrob of the first Singapore Idol.


Next up we have two lovely ladies, Joanna Dong 董姿彦 and Joi Chua 蔡淳佳! 



Just wanna say, Joanna and The Sam Willows recently released the Chinese version of their song, Say So.

I thought Joanna gave a really refreshing take on the song and added much depth and emotion to it! Love the collab. As for the Willows, good on you guys for trying to tackle singing in Chinese and attempting to reach new audiences.

Sidenote: Saw a funny YouTube comment about Joanna's fellow Sing! China finalist, Nathan Hartono.


Enter the local rappers. Sheikh Haikel starts it off, before pointing to the younger batches of rappers, The Lion City Boy and Shigga Shay.


Check out Shigga's new release, 'Paiseh'.  And maybe revisit LimPeh and the very catchy Tapau.
The camera pans to some even younger rappers that I don't know. Lol. TBH there are a lot of people I don't recognise at all in this video.

I mean... I think only two or three faces here look familiar lol.

But of course I know Kit Chan, lah.


And Dick Lee.


We get some shots of our national athletes. Can't help but feel a surge of pride! Nation's finest?


I laughed out loud at this cuz Joseph Schooling was singing so enthusiastically.

The video closes with a huge 'awww' moment!



I mean omg how cute are these kiddos?


Amidst the usual discussion on the merits and faults of the new song, just wanna say that it was fun watching the video. People have likened it to the huge Avengers reunion scene, and they're not wrong.

Do I like the song? Well the new verses are not entirely easy to remember, but I like the spirit of the song. Holding on hope to a new song that will eventually be a new classic for all to enjoy.

Hahah one user addressing the haters of the song. His comment is so true!

Till next time!
Skye

Links for you:

Watch the New 2019 NDP Video 'Our Singapore' 


Watch The Original 2002 We Will Get There





"Save water, drink wine."

Hello everyone! I wanna introduce today's featured guest, Melvin (@bringthewines on Instagram). Melvin was my classmate from the good ol' school days. His alcohol of choice is wine, which some describe as bottled poetry. Melvin has an amazing way with words, and he describes wines with much delicious detail and passion.

Most people think that wine is a drink that is to be enjoyed in a fancy place, but Melvin thinks otherwise. So without further ado, let us get a taste of the wine life.

Q: You bring your own wines to kopitiams and pair them with zichar. What inspired you to do so? Can you recommend a wine that goes well with these hawker dishes?

I want to show that wine isn’t just for haute cuisine in a white tablecloth setting. And if you can pair wine with zichar, it can definitely go with anything! Riesling is the classic pairing with Asian food as it goes well with sweet or spicy dishes.

"Was really impressed with Leitz’s base bottling which has insane QPR but clearly this is a class apart. Developed complexity with peach and citrus notes, it has the precision and minerality that can only be found in the best Rieslings. Superb with some homely Thai food."


"Can’t go wrong with a German Riesling but if your preference is for reds, fresh energetic reds that see little new oak like Beaujolais or the Envinate Albahra from Spain that I had a while back are good choices. These avoid accentuating the spiciness of Asian food and are able to hold their own against strong flavours in our cuisine."


Here are some other Rieslings you can try:


Forest Hill Block 1 Riesling 2014 ($48)


          2017 Leitz Dragonstone Riesling QbA ($37) 



Q: Can you tell us the story behind @bringthewines? How did you get into becoming a wine aficionado?

It’s purely for pleasure, to remember all the wines that I’ve been drinking. It also helps me to compare the styles of different producers from the same region.

I visited vineyards in France where most producers are still family-run. I saw the amount of passion that goes into each wine. Every wine has its own personality and I love wines for that. Even though mass produced supermarket wines might taste completely quaffable they are just generic and indistinguishable - not what wine should be to me.

Q: What is your favourite wine so far and why? Why did it blow your mind?

I have two actually.

2013 Valentini Trebbiano d'Abruzzo
A wine from the master - the type of wine that you throw descriptors out of the window and just admire the pedigree as it evolved over the course of two hours. World class and so brilliant that I wish you were here.


"Tight on opening but amazing floral aromatics. Such an evocative wine, somehow I tasted the pineapple, sea and Chinese tea at the same time. Gained complexity in the decanter and as they always say, the last sip was the best. "

1999 Jean-Pierre Mugneret Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
My first proper experience with wine when I was with my French host family. I didn’t know wines could be that beautifully balanced and make you think about life. It was truly my epiphany with wine, and the moment I was bitten by the burgundy bug.

But to me it is always the people you are with that makes or breaks the wine experience. All the memorable wine experiences have been because the glasses of wine shared were with people who matter.

Q: Recommend a wine that gives you life after a long day:

Burgundy white - when Chardonnay is done well, it has that acid lift that just refreshes you. FYI Chardonnay is not the buttery vanilla plonk that you get on economy class on planes.

 2014 Charles Van Canneyt Bourgogne Chardonnay ($42.99)

Q: Wine for enjoying with friends/family:

I always like to let people try new wines, so under the radar regions like Loire / northern Rhones are good. Single-grower champagnes is another recently discovered love.


2017 Jean-Luc Jamet, IGP Syrah Valine ($42.80) 
NV Chartogne-Taillet NV Cuvée Sainte Anne Brut ($82.39) 
2017 Domaine Yannick Amirault St.-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil «La Mine»

Q: Wine for some romancin':

A Burgundy red or a Barolo. Nothing else gives the same elegance, complexity and depth to spark a meaningful connection.

2016 Elio Sandri Langhe Nebbiolo ($53) 

Q: What is your favourite wine and dine pairing?

Burgundy red and Magret de Canard (a classic French duck dish). It's life changing.

2016 Berthaut-Gerbet Fixin ($55)

Q: Getting started on wine can be intimidating to some. Any words to beginners that want to get started?

There is actually a lot of value in the market of wine if you venture off the Wine Connection path, but spend at least $40 for a bottle of wine. If you purchase a $20 bottle, with taxes and various costs involved, the value of the wine is probably $2 so it will be very, very commercialised crap.

Don't chase big-names or points, absolutely pointless exercise. If you like a wine then it's a good wine, regardless of price or the label. Trust your own palate, and that's the beauty of wine for me.

Lastly, wine does not exist in a vacuum. Drink it with people whose company you enjoy.

Thanks Melvin for your time and wine recommendations.  Be sure to check out his Instagram @bringthewines!



Hey you guys!

Glad to report that I've checked off another item off the Challenge! So far, so good.

We went to try a new cuisine - Peruvian food!

I hardly know much about Peru, much less eaten any of its food.

A little about Peru. Peru is a country in South America, and is most famous for Machu Picchu, an ancient city in the mountains. It also houses a section of the Amazon rainforest. Peru is near Colombia and Brazil.

So off we went to DUO Galleria at Bugis, where we had dinner plans at TONO Cevicheria. TONO Cevicheria is helmed by Peruvian chef Daniel Chavez, who also runs OLA Cocina del Mar at Marine Bay Financial Centre, and is mostly there nowadays. So from what we heard, TONO's chef right now is from Mexico.

Here's a look at the interior of the restaurant.

Enjoy lively salsa music - no Despacito! 

Upon arrival you'll be presented with either Sparkling or Still water. For the uninitiated, still water is the normal water we drink. If you have been to Europe, Sparkling water is everywhere and you will probably encounter it. Some people enjoy the taste, but it's definitely not my cup of tea! I once mistakenly bought an entire 1.5l bottle of it as the label said things like 'NATURAL' and etc. Do not be fooled!

We used our Burpple 1-for-1 again, but I think for 2 pax you can only use it for the Mains or the Tapas like their signature ceviches. So we went for the mains.

First dish!

This is the Plancha De Mariscos, which is a grilled seafood bowl.

Plancha De Mariscos ($36)

We really enjoyed this! There were grilled plump prawns, a generous amount of squid, crispy melt-in-your-mouth fish, and vegetables like soft zucchinis and eggplant. However, the delicious sauce was the star of the show that bound it all. It was a pleasant flavour party in your mouth! The dish is topped off with these crispy rice bits too. Overall, a nicely layered and textured dish. And boy, did this smell good too!

Second dish was the Peruvian Paella, with Bomba Rice, fish, clams, pork and sausage.

Peruvian Paella ($36)
I don't think I have ever eaten a proper Paella before, because I would have remembered the distinct taste of it. At first I couldn't put my finger on what spice was used for the rice, but then later I realised it was probably saffron! 

Saffron is a comparatively expensive spice, because of the extensive labour required. I find it to be like Truffle Oil... you either love it or hate it. Some people describe saffron to taste like honey, while others describe it as plastic. It's a dividing spice indeed.

Although I found this dish interesting, I'm gonna be honest and say I didn't really like it, probably because I'm so unaccustomed to the taste of saffron. /shrug Part of the food journey is discovering new flavours you like or dislike.

Nonetheless, the fish here was fresh and sweet, and the crispy rice provided some nice layers of texture.

We also ordered a cocktail, the Chilcano ($16), which was a mix of Pisco, ginger ale, fresh lime and amargo bitters. What is Pisco, you ask? It's a brandy produced in regions of Peru and Chile. Unfortunately the drink wasn't very memorable nor photogenic, but there are plenty of other beverage choices you can enjoy.

With Burpple it's definitely easy on the wallet, so I hope to be back to try some signature ceviches. The staff was also friendly and attentive and overall we had a pleasant experience here. You may keep Tono in mind if you're up to trying out some Peruvian food.

Rating: 9/10

TONO Cevicheria
7 Fraser St, #01-49/50 Duo Galleria, Singapore 189356

Chope reservations are available.

Signing off,
Skye
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Skye Soon : lifestyle blogger in Singapore, street busker and enthusiast of chocolates and books

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