Hello friends!

We visited the Steeped Tea Bar in Bugis last weekend, and it was the perfect respite from the sweltering heat. 

Grape Oolong ($6.60), with real grapes!

Pear High Mountain Oolong ($6.30) : Incredibly refreshing!

What we liked most about their tea drinks:

Almost two months later, I harvested my Xiao Bai Cai! They are not fully grown but I decided to eat them so I can return the planter pot to my mum! In all truth I have lost interest in planting after the snails attacked my lady fingers, and when there was an insect infestation for the XBC. It's too heartbreaking 💔 NEA, you didn't warn us that growing vegetables can be so sad.

They tasted a little like doumiao! Lol!

And that concludes my vegetable plant journey. Wishing you all the best in your crop rearing!

Love,

Skye

Hellooo!

Introducing my weekend project! Other than the Mini Kitchen, I also bought a Paint by Numbers set from Shopee. Paint By Numbers basically means you paint according to the numbers printed on the canvas. I used to think it was lame because it's not 'real painting' 🙊

It's still not 'real painting' in the traditional sense, but it's definitely a fun an easy way to approach painting as a beginner.

And I have my friend Maria to thank! :)

Check out her her PBN artwork:

Hello, cool or what? Love it! Thanks Maria for sharing this new hobby (and video process) with me! 

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So I bought my own set and got cracking this weekend!

The package comes with 

• A rolled up canvas 
• 24 colours
• 3 brushes 
• wall clips to hang up your artwork.

Here's a close up of what the canvas looks like! It does seem intimidating at first because everything is TINY.

Hello there! How are you? I took this photograph outside Two Men Bagels because I found the image really cute. 

Last week I scored some cheap Jin Ramen! 6 cups for $4. It expires in 2021 January, which is more than enough time for me to finish them (as of today, there are only 3 cups left.)

Did some swimming and yoga this week! Did a very simple 20min beginner yoga video to just get back in touch. I am prepping myself because my friends and I are going to be using Classpass next month! The stretch felt good and set me up for a productive morning. 

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Been watching a whole slew of CNA documentaries! They are very interesting and provide much insight. I really recommend them! Here's a list:

• Look Ma! I'm a Kid Influencer
  
  
  
  This one covers three kid influencers in Singapore. They model clothing, and promote products from toothbrushes, groceries, face masks, and of course, toys. Apparently the 'peak' of young IG influencers can be at 7 years old when they're not so small and "cute" anymore. Reality hits hard and fast.
  The parents manage the social media account, but people still send disgusting things like 'I like your armpit'. Yucks ok.
  
  Being a kid influencer also opens up a huge can of worms and is a very divisive issue. As seen in the comment section, there's a huge angry army of people thinking about how kid influencers are exploited, while the other camp thinks that it's fine as long as they enjoy it. What do you think? Really thought provoking video.
  
  
• Young and Boss: 16YO Entrepreneurs
  
  
  
  I enjoyed this! This video features a hardworking slime maker and a teen who flips sneakers for a whole lot of $$$. Running your own business is not easy and it's really heartwarming to see people who put in their all. The girl can make 6k a month selling slime! Wow. There's a lot of sacrifice involved, but you can sense her satisfaction and pride in her business. I dig that.
  
  She also mentioned that it felt great using her own money to treat her parents, and also to bring them out on a short trip. Love that, so sweet!
  
  
• The Hidden World of Non-Consensual Videos
  
  This one is particularly horrifying.  
  
  CNA got a spycam seller to install spycams around the room. No one could find all 6 cameras, and when they replayed the footage of themselves searching, the footage was extremely HD. Very disturbing and not for the fainthearted. This is the world we live in now, having to worry about mini cameras everywhere. I don't think hotels check their rooms so thoroughly every day? It's very scary!!! Someone could just set up multiple cameras and stream undetected for weeks. It makes me feel SICK and unsafe. (PSA: turn off all the lights in the room and look out for a faint red light. Using a flashlight may help you detect these too. Obvious places to check: TV, remote controls, pens, anything with a clear view of the bed/toilet. That includes the SOAP DISPENSER in the shower omgah)
  
  Victims of leaked footage and doctored photographs were also interviewed, but the one that takes the cake is the interview with a dude that took a shower cam. "I was shocked when I was caught, because I thought, so many people post but why me?" (Paraphrasing here, but he's not even sorry!!! He's just sorry he got caught!!) Grr. His reason for doing it also STANK.
  
  I felt quite nauseous after this video. It was a heavy one indeed. Honestly seeing the light go out of bellywellyjelly's eyes is also very heartbreaking. In every interview I see her in now, you can tell how affected she is, as if she can break down anytime. She was really such a chirpy and bubbly girl and I'm sorry she had to go through this. Grrrr. 
  
  
• When Children Need Protection from Parents
  This video is also hard to stomach. Starving children, children who are hit and abused, children who grow up watching their mothers crush and pack drugs. This video gives you a look into how Child Protection Officers work, and how the court can sometimes disagree with their cases. You can see the fear and worry in their eyes when the case is rejected. You also see how aggressive parents can be towards the officers...sigh. Heart was super heavy just watching part one of this series.
  
  
  Watching this boy stuff fries into his mouth broke my heart. He and his brother often go hungry and sometimes have to go to their neighbour for food.
  
  
  
  
  His brother balls himself up and makes himself as small as he can. This pose is really heartwrenching too, because maybe he does this too when he is getting hit etc.
  
  
  
  
  Officers talk to children and draw with them, getting some information from them. Sometimes kids get slapped and kicked, and some miss school. Others have large cane scars on their face. 
  
  
  
  
  
• Inside The Hospital Mortuary
  For the curious. It's interesting to hear the account of how the uncle who worked there talk about how he used to be afraid when he just started the job. Turns out there's more heartbreak than scares involved.

I think this post is long enough yeah? Plus it got real heavy real quick. 

After my first brush with DIY homes (See my mini Rabbit Town Box) I gave myself a 10/10 treat and bought a DIY Mini Kitchen kit from Shopee. 

It arrived quickly.

There are also other scenes like a living room, a study, and a bedroom. Tons of other designs available too, including cafes, book stores, plant shops and bungalows with pools etc. Very cute.

A lone stool

Some process shots... and grumbling. Look at those mini wire handles on the cabinets, those killed me. I'm not very good at cutting cleanly with a penknife either. Cutting perfect circles are near impossible. Glossy paper also does not stick easily. (So many complaints and excuses haha!) I do love the wooden furniture they provide though. Setting up the circuit is also a breeze thanks to coloured wires.


Lighted up. Sense of satisfaction surging in 1..2..3

J'adore!!! the little forks. The toaster, pot, and anything that involved was really challenging. There was a transparent dust cover box that you can make, but I ended up getting glue everywhere and it wasn't very pretty... so no photos of that. Haha!

Yoooo!

I have an exciting post to write today! We visited dumplings.ru, a restaurant that offers Russian dumplings and cuisine. They were previously called 'angmohdumplings', a name that tickles me too. The restaurant is opened by a couple who has lived in Singapore for 16 years.

Let's check out the cute interior.

We're here for the 12 Course Russian Experience Set!

Upon arrival we are served with two large mugs of 'Kompot', which is their in-house brewed fruit punch. It reminds me of fruit vinegar drinks.

Appetisers! I enjoyed the simple and peppery Spicy Carrot! I don't really like eggplant and beetroot hahaha. The Eggplant somehow reminded us of a black bean pork dish in Chinese cuisine. 

Our second soup is called the 'Solyanka', or salami sour soup. It's a thinner soup with plenty of herbs, bits of sausage, salami, and rice inside. Next to it is the Smoked Salo, or Pork belly with rye bread and hot mustard.

Holla!

Today's photographs are taken by the most talented leelee  (@lsiminnn). We had a mini escape from work at Holland Village. Used to come here more often when I was studying in university, often having ice cream with friends from Island Creamery and The Daily Scoop!

First stop, bagels for lunch at Two Men Bagel House! The shop has a really laid-back, aussie/safari vibe. The staff are very enthusiastic, friendly, and have loud ringing voices. I have been eyeing this place since forever and I was very excited to finally try their bagels!

Mademoiselle Chantal with Garlic Bagel ($11+ $3)

Sausage Fest with Cheddar Bagel ($9 +$3)

Look at the beautiful cheese pull. The sausage patty is really thicc and juicy! The Cheddar bagel is also slightly crunchy. Double yum.

You may get a bit of Mcdonalds Mcmuffin deja vu vibes in regard to taste, but with a couple more bites you will find that their flavours and textures are much better of course. Totally worth it! Expect some queues and limited seating in the current covid situation.

We picked up some baked goods at Tai Cheong Bakery (again, more queues) before heading to Arabica across the road. Leelee tells me that this one of their rare Arabica cafes that serve food. The cafe is beautiful in its white, airy interior, and super busy too! 

Did you know what the % symbol stands for? Leelee tells me that it's supposed to be the coffee bean hanging from the plant. Never knew that hahaha. I like this branch because the others at Orchard and Bugis are insanely PACKED. 

It's sooooo nice to head out for a leisurely time. Looking forward for peak period to be over so I can get started with some old and new hobbies!