Shortyminimad

I've disappeared way too long for my personal liking. I've been way too caught up with the goings in life, which very much includes money, work, more work, and.. Social media.

Anyhow..

Can't admit it's a self realization, but more of topics that has been brought up before. 

"Self entitlement"

Maybe it's the culture, definitely the upbringing. I've come to terms that we Singaporeans (myself included) always think that we deserve something from someone/anyone. That we deserve higher pay because we got a paper that states we're graduates, that people around us should acknowledge and reward us for whatever we do (even if it's something so meager).

Then again someone once told me, "If something was wrong wherever you worked/working at, maybe it's not them, not you, but humanity" Oh. TOTALLY BRO. It's definitely humanity, and there's nothing much I can do about it. She told me, then again there's influence, positive influence is what would make this world a better place.

Many people have told me that I have a great amount of tolerance, not that I actually notice it. I seem to be able to tolerate a lot more shit then I know. But oh boy, when I've reached that boiling point and unleash the Kraken inside of me, I doubt anyone would wanna even be remotely close to me. We're all too sheltered to know many underlying things.

The many depths of life as such.

On a superficial level, if you're keen to read about my (rare) updates, do check out the dayre app and follow me, @shortyminimad.

Till then,
Xx

2. Absolute horrible swelling for a week.

Honestly, more pros than cons.


After a week of MC, I was looking almost perfectly fine! Asides from the really mild swelling and the bruising, I was good to go!! Although, still no chicken and whatsoever for another good week. And that ends the torturous 2 weeks I went through because of the wisdom teeth extraction. And I'm awaiting the end of my braces journey, where I will get perfect set of smile!

Going way, way back into the past... And the place we always took a photo, the school's amphitheatre.  Ever since back then, our favourite place was the amphitheatre, then, it was right beside the basketball court, where we spent every single day, post-curiculum time, at. We don't have to meet everyday, every month, to know that we love each other, and no matter how much time has passed, we can still rake up the embarrassing past and mock each other.

This is love, and this is what 4 years did to us. We had tough love back then (puberty brings loads of stupid petty friendship problems).



We ended the day with Freeing SG! at Bugis+, and steamboat at bugis street. No idea why I'm always succumbing to going to steamboat and buffets with friends when I don't even eat that much. It's for the company!!!! Anyway, Freeing SG! was hell loads of fun, definitely needs teamwork, also seriously hilarious when you go with your good friends. It's better to go with friends that you love, and you know you wouldn't punch their faces even if you're pissed with them.

That time when we went, it costed us about 28 bucks per head, I guess because time has passed, it's probably much cheaper, also there are more and more of these game rooms that has opened up, more offers for them as well.

These strategic game rooms are definitely worth it. Everyone should try it at least once in their lives!!!

Have fun and rock on!

Just before I start this post, part of this post was drafted out ever since February, I just haven't had the mood to post anything ever since my last post.

Just before the Chinese New Year, I decided on a haircut. Actually, one that wasn't much different from my past haircut. Except, much shorter and perming my ends.
The above photo was taken right after I was done with the perm, before washing. I was super amused at how it turned out, thinking I look super aunty, and couldn't stop giggling at myself in the salon. I'm weird, yes, I hear that all the time. The photo below, was how my haircut turned out right after the wash. Not too shabby yeah?

What to do after watching  very emotional taiwanese drama and you can't fall asleep?

Play a game.

Boyfriend and I started playing a word game, a lame game. Started off with me challenging his sweet talk, I randomly said , "you're not the kind of guy who says stuff like, 'you're the star to my moon' to a girl." Game face, on, challenge accepted. We went for a few rounds of you're ... to ... ,and the final winner was....

2013 was a great year for everything! A great end to my studies, graduating with a BA (hons) in Fine Arts, displaying my works during the graduation show, having my mum and boyfriend attending my convocation late September. Celebrating as many of my friend's 21st, celebrating my own in conjunction with boyfriend's birthday, a lovely close knit party. Attending my best bud's POP and red beret parade, spending loads of time with him as well before we had our shag days.

Re-connected with friends whom I haven't met or spoke to in a long time, gathered with my boyfriend's awesome group of friends (who always make fun of me and boyfriend's relationship). Took our back-to-back trip to Taiwan and Ko Samui, loved those places and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Came back to Singapore, and finally found a job.

Started my new job, had way much lesser time to spend with my boyfriend, but we've hung on for 3 months already, and today, my boyfriend just told me it's time to find a new job.



Just joking!!!! I'm sure, whatever happens in 2014, I'd make it a better year. Who cares about resolutions? I'll just live the life I want to. NO NEW YEAR, NEW ME BULLSHIT. Wishing everyone happiness and a great year ahead!

P.s: Growing old doesn't seem like a glorious matter after you've hit 21. 

A couple of reasons to why I wouldn't consider myself a fashionista or consider being a blogshop model (my whole family keeps telling me I should be one). Honestly, I'd love being a fashionista.

1. You'd never feel like your pay is justifiable to your job scope.

In fact, in any other job, you'd always find that your pay is never justifiable to whatever you're doing. It always seems like you are doing more than you're supposed to.

Talks over dinner at Manbok Korean BBQ at Neil Road, which was totally amazing. It IS authentic Korean food in Singapore for a pretty affordable price I could say. Love the tender beef, the kimchi and in fact EVERYTHING about that place. The staffs were really friendly, cooked our food for us, tolerated the amount of noise we were making, and kept asking us if everything was good.

YES!!! EVERYTHING IS GOOD!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!

No photos at the place because after work beauty, is no beauty at all. Also, the food came in slowly, so I couldn't take food pictures anyway. And I actually gobbled down my food the minute it came, been doing that too often food pictures have just been omitted in the regime.

Been a long time since I've last written anything on my blog. Was spending the last of my freedom and non-working days with the boyfriend, as much as I could. After starting work, my freedom's lost, I don't get to spend the time I want with the boyfriend, and my off days fall on his working days.

As much I love my job, I still feel upset over the fact I don't get to spend time with him over the weekends. I don't get to see his cute dog.. I don't get to eat home-cooked food by his mum.. I just get stuck at my workplace, facing the horror of the weekend crowd.

Thanks mum for supporting me all throughout my 4 years in college, although you didn't agree with my choice of study, putting all aside, you stood by my decision, and told me to brave on. This is all really corny and all, but without my parents, I couldn't go this far. I didn't only do this for myself, but to make my parents proud. My dad who wanted to go but accidentally got the dates mixed up, couldn't make it, and I'm sure he wanted to go, without him I might have felt lost sometimes. He was the one who carried my locker and things to school at the beginning of every semesters, and transported all the stuff back after every semesters. He helped me set-up for assessments when time permitted him to do so (and if I needed help). All in all, thank you for being the greatest parents and supporting my dreams although they seem to be so far away (and expensive dream).


With my best friend, Gail, for the past 3 years that we've known each other, from strangers to best friends, it's been my greatest honour. Thanks for being there for me throughout the last 2 years of our studies, for motivating, nagging, and helping me. It's all to make me a better student, I'm glad to have graduated together with you.

To my greatest boyfriend for being the most supportive and encouraging person towards me. For years he's come down during my assessments to help me set-up, slaving his off days and leaves away for me in school. The final year of school was the toughest because motivations were low and school just got tiring, but he's been giving me motivation, encouraging me through my final leg, and finally getting up there with my Bachelors, made me proud of myself. There's just so many things that Nigel's done for me, and I really appreciate everything. Watching me grow up might just be the most entertaining thing in his life, and being beside me all the while might me your proudest moments (maybe?), but your love for me has made me seen so much more, and grown up. Thanks love.

As it was in my title, the national day/hari raya holiday was a long weekend, after rotting at home for the longest time, boyfriend and I decided on a good meal! It all started with a craving, a craving for steak, the suggestions we got from his friends were all REALLY expensive steak houses, which we weren't too keen on busting for a day with no special event. We finally settled for coastal settlement which had many extreme reviews. People either really liked the food there or really hated it.

First things first, I LOVE the ambience of the place, with vintage looking decorations and old school beetles parked right outside. I love those details to bits. Anyway, we walked in without reservation, and I think it is pretty easy to get seats, however, less attention gotten by the servers there.

That is just the cute old school painted wooden window panes, wooden chairs, and as seen in the above photo, there's bicycles! Moving on..

Boyfriend ordered ribs ($34) which was a full rack, and tasted pretty awesome. The ribs were moist enough, not as dry as the ones we had at Chilis. I ordered medium rare rib-eye steak with rosti ($32), my steak came as medium well-done, didn't bother to ask them to redo my steak because we waited 30 minutes for our food to be served. We were really insanely hungry already, I couldn't be bothered to wait another 30 minutes for my steak, so I stuck to my medium well-done steak. If my steak was medium rare, everything about the dish would have been perfect, I think it passes off as a pretty good steak.

All in all, I think Coastal Settlement passes off as a place for a good date or a chill out place, IF you're not too hungry and willing to wait quite awhile for your food to arrive.

For people who don't know where TCS is, it's near Changi Village, and HERE is the website so you can check out the updates and food!

That was us before we had the food.

In all honesty, THE FOOD SUCKS, not to forget mentioning, it's expensive and the customer service was really bad. There's nothing much to elaborate on the toilet theme restaurant, aside from the fact that, I've tried it, and I'll never return to eat food from there, neither would I recommend anyone to go there. The nuggets that we ordered were definitely heated up finger food that was way too expensive. And the ice cream we had, tastes worse than magnolia ice cream. The chocolate balls and other stuff that was on the ice cream tasted expired, TOTALLY HORRIBLE. Trust me when I say that street food deserves much more than food served at this restaurant.

What we did when we saw a sculpture, take a cute photo under their umbrellas! It was a rainy day as well in Taipei. Walked around like true blue tourist, felt really good because although it wasn't in our plan, we just went with the flow! It was at the end of this day that we took a bus to Zhongshan and had our haircut, followed by the best meal I've ever had, Japanese Charcoal BBQ.

More about our Haircut in Taiwan HERE!

And lastly, our final Tourist days in Taipei.

My initial plan was for us to visit Yehliu where they had the most fantastic rock formations (the information I gathered), but after a tiring day the day before, we didn't want to wake up early. We skipped the morning plan and headed straight towards Bitou. Took the afternoon TRA from Taipei Main station to Ruifang, paid NT$50 and hopped on a bus called 台湾好行. It brings you to a couple of destinations near the coastal areas, then again, the bus frequency is about an hour or half an hour a bus. I would suggest that you leave Taipei Main Station early to visit more places.

So we climbed a mountain because we didn't get to the the capehouse at Bitou, we didn't know it was closed and being there already, we didn't want to turn back. Pressed on and hiked a mountain. KILL ME, it's the 2nd time I've hiked a mountain and I almost died, was panting like mad even when I haven't reached the top. But all those for a view like that, it was worth it.

After the hike up and down the mountain, we rushed to take the bus up to Jiufen, the same bus. Whilst walking towards the bus stop, we saw the bus, we ran with all our might, and frantically waved at the bus, but it drove off without us. And... We were left there looking like fools. Waited there under the scorching sun for a good 30 minutes.

Met his WM and PY in Jiufen, walked from one end to the other not buying anything at all, except for 盐酥鸡 (fried spices chicken), and decided to cab down to Keelung's night market, Miaokou. Cab shared between 4 people is so worth it, if we had the whole trip together, I would've probably suggested hiring a cab for the day trips that were further out of Taipei. Anyway, KL's night market was not bad, it was BIG, way bigger than Ningxia Night Market, and they also had way more variety of food.

Although that night we settled for dinner at 原燒, a japanese charcoal BBQ once again, we spent a total of NT$1650 for 4 people, roughly $66SGD. TOTALLY WORTH IT, we had all the wagyu beef in the world, other yummy beef and scallop, everything tasted just perfect, a great way to end our Taiwan Trip. We did return to miaokou to try some of their local delights, the CHUA BING (shaved iced), which was practically syrup in shaved ice, nothing fantastic, and their fried healthy bread, which was awesome.

Goodbye Taiwan, I'll be back some day. WhenI go back, I would like to visit other parts of Taiwan, like 花蓮 (Hualien), 高雄 (Kaohsiung) and 台中 (Taichung). Would love if I could get a sponsored trip instead.

For more on my Taipei posts:
Taipei Holiday Planning
Taipei Day 1: Taipei Zoo
Taipei Day 2: Yangmingshan , Beitou, Tamsui
Taipei Day 3: Hakka Cultural Park, CKS Memorial Hall
Taipei Day 4: Miniature Museum of Taipei, Suho Paper Museum
Taipei Day 6: Pingxi Railway Tour