Here’s something I’ll miss doing when I was still living at the old apartment: having coffee at Alimentari. I’ve written about this cafe before here and at that time, I thought it was just an unnamed deli too cool, too chic to fiddle with names. One of my readers, Sher Reen (HEY GIRLLL! ;p), commented that said deli/cafe did have a name so that’s that lol. While some of its mystery has dwindled with the unveiling of its true name, you have to agree with me – Alimentari is one hell of a haute word. I thought it was a smart improvisation of ‘elementary’ at first but a quick google search tells me alimentari is actually Italian for food basics. Mmm. I can’t say I’ve tried their food since everything seems to be dripping in pork fat lol but their coffee? As fantastic as it looks in my pictures.

Here’s a quick update on what went down the last couple of weeks:

1) I’ve moved and am absolutely thrilled with my new place. I can’t believe I’m actually living in the city! My zip code’s Melbourne 3000 which isn’t as catchy as 90210 but I feel like I’ve made it somehow.

2) Results were released the first day of my move and my friends are tired of hearing me say this, but last semester was seriously my worst semester ever. I fell ill during the submission period and had to write all my essays while drugged by every brand of painkillers I could get my hands on. I also had terrible luck with essay questions this semester; I had to change my chosen question three times because Google wasn’t feeling any of them and (this is very painful to admit) some idiot actually got to the library books before I did. WTF SOMEONE IN SCHOOL IS ACTUALLY MORE KIASU THAN ME?! IMPOSSIBLE.

I was jittery the entire morning and refused to check the results until I couldn’t take the suspense anymore. So I did and I scored 3 distinctions and an A! I don’t know how the heck that happened but I am very, very, very thankful. Thank you God, you amaze me. I’m going to have to step it up next semester, get straight distinctions and borrow all my library books 2 months before my essay deadlines or something. These people need to know they’re dealing with a relentless Singaporean mmkay. Just kidding.

…or am I? ;p

3) Playing host/tour guide to friends and family is the worst thing to do in the midst of a move. My cousin flew in just as we were moving and dude, the residual stress from trying to fit the past two years of your life into boxes will temporarily disable all socializing skills, I can tell you that. Thankfully, the city itself was beautiful enough to captivate my cousin or we’d have failed as hosts tbh. Moving is serious business man, I don’t want to do it again.

4) I declined my dad’s offer to get me a Prada wallet as a reward for my grades and an additional bribe to keep them up next year. I know, I said NO TO A FREE PRADA OMFG WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? There’s a story behind why I said no though, and honestly, do I really need another Prada wallet? (Yes, yes, I do lol DAMN IT).

I’m flying home in a week YAYYYYYY! I can’t wait to start working on Storm in a Teacup when I’m back in Singapore again, thank you so much for all your FB ‘likes’ and comments on the project! I was so scared nobody was going to find it interesting but everything worked out for the best. I’m still ironing out some issues with both my new and old apartments and my roommate’s family is here too so this might just be my last entry before I’m back in Singapore Ah well, I’ll see you guys soon on the hotter side of the planet, take care x

Alimentari
251 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

And this is why I’ve been MIA last week: I FOUND MY WALDORF-ASTORIA!! My roommate and I scored the most amazing apartment after a month of hunting and 3 rejected applications (sucks being a jobless student sometimes – the landlords can’t help but think you’re a financial liability). Here’s a sneak preview of our new digs! I’m sorry I don’t have pictures of the bedrooms to show because an empty room is an empty room lol. The building was completed a little over two months ago so we’re going to be one of the first few to move in. Our apartment’s on the 13th floor and omg look at that incredible view! I can’t wait to see what the city transforms into at night ;D My best friend’s like, “OMG WHEN CAN I MOVE IN BB?” Dream on, honey ;p

Apart from the view, I’m really all about my new kitchen. It’s been domestically pimped out to a level that would make Nigella proud. Restaurant-grade stainless steel finish (k I made that up), a gas stove, a dishwasher (!) and a huge ass oven (!!). OH and what do we have hiding in that corner thar – A REGULAR FRIDGE! I know it seems silly to get excited over kitchen appliances but try living in crap student lodging with a sad bar fridge for two years while fighting strange insect infestations, druggies shooting up in your laundry room and you’d be feverishly thrilled to be elsewhere. Of course, my new apartment isn’t just some place else – it’s home now.

I’ll be busy with the big move these two weeks so this blog is going to be a lil’ quiet. Don’t worry though, I still plan on launching Storm in a Teacup in a day or two Catch you all soon!

God these photos are so overdue. After our Great Ocean Road adventure and my roomie’s health scare, Naz and I went for a day tour of the Dandenong mountains and took a ride on a steam train to properly celebrate my birthday. I thought 23 would be a good age to be a real adult and devise plans to squelch self-indulgence but uh, it’s not really working out lol.

Case in point: a steam train ride?? I know what you’re thinking but let’s put it this way – it’s an unrestrained throwback to my kiddy memories of Thomas & Friends and the fantasy lit series that has me fixated (which really is a nice word for mildly obsessive ;p) for about a decade now: Harry Potter. But surely not even the Hogwarts Express would permit its passengers to casually sit on the window’s edge and stretch their legs out? JK Rowling probably knows there’s still a high risk of mutilating your limbs despite being in a magical world and she cleverly writes about chocolate frogs and pumpkin pasties to distract us from the (im)possibility that a ride on the Hogwarts Express is the equivalent of taking a train ride to Chinatown. Except fancier.

Disclaimer: That was a joke. There is no way in Pottermore that taking the Hogwarts Express would be as drab as taking the train to Chinatown.

Anywho, my legs are still intact and dangling them off the ledge isn’t as dangerous as you might think. The only awful thing that happened was my legs felt like heavy rocks after 20 minutes of exposing them to the winter air. Anyone spot something out of the ordinary in my photos? I’m actually wearing sneakers LOL, you have to know it is extremely, extremely rare to find me in my high cuts since I’m a flats/heels kinda girl. But, going back to the theme of mementos, sneakers were what I always wore when I was in high school. Ah, the simple days of having just a pair of black sneakers and having nothing in your mp3 player except Avril Lavigne.

Coincidentally, I’m also wearing the first trench coat I ever bought (in honor of my 18th birthday too actually) and I guess you could say this was the one coat that started my DISREGARD SINGAPORE’S BLOODY WEATHER AND BUY TRENCHES phase. It’s from Sisley and was at that time, the most expensive thing in my wardrobe lol. The only reason I could afford it was because my cousin had an employee discount card, whoo hoo connections!

If you’re visiting Melbourne and would like to pretend there is some danger of having your limbs torn off, check out the Puffing Billy steam train It’s not the Hogwarts Express but it is almost as cool.

Also some real life news: I am definitely moving out of my apartment after my lease ends this year. I know I’ve said previously I’ve gotten used to its flaws bla bla etc but oh. my. god. you wouldn’t believe what happened to me last Sunday night when the roomie and I were collecting our clothes from the laundry room. We pushed the door open and there was a druggie in the room shooting up drugs in his arm WHAT THE FLYING FORK. He started shouting and gesturing wildly when he saw us – I did what any sane person would do: RUN. So yeah, having a druggie doing drugs in my seemingly safe laundry room is the last straw. It’s time to start finding a new home.

My cousin, Naz, and I get along really well but when it boils down to recreational activities, we are polar opposites. Despite her sweet and gentle posterior, I can imagine she signs up for every adventure camp her school offers because whenever I check my Facebook news feed, she’s either trekking in some jungle in Vietnam, surfing in Bali or climbing a mountain. As for me, I like to have my feet firmly on the ground, preferably on the light marble tiles you find in malls. And the only mountain I’m willing to climb is the harrowing flight of stairs up to Zara.

So when Naz came over for a holiday in Melbourne, I knew I had to grapple with my aversion towards the great outdoors (or outback, rather lol). Perhaps it was my knowledge of the city or my easy going nature – I still don’t know what possessed my cousin to entrust me with creating an itinerary for her holiday. Itineraries are serious business. I had to find the delicate balance between the great adventures Naz preferred *shudder* and my own brand of physical recreation: SHOPPING!

And that’s how we ended up on a full day tour of the Great Ocean Road. No messy diving suits to put on, no skiing gear and just miles of beautiful scenery. My kinda shiz. It’s a winding 3 hour drive from the main city to the actual stretch of cliffs and ocean. I thought I would be prepared for the meandering ride after childhood holidays in both Cameron and Genting Highlands but dude, I had the most intense headache along the way. Thankfully, there were plenty of stops for us to get down, stretch our legs and take in the sights or breakfast would’ve ended up on my lap srsly.

And the sights? Unlike anything I’ve seen before. We got to climb down a cliff and walk around the beach too. I’m not gonna lie – as I heard that telltale crunch when my shoe soles made contact with the wet sand, I grimaced. Hard.

I hate dirtying my shoes omg, I AM SUCH A GIRL SRSLY. I’ll let the pictures do the rest:

Towards the end of the tour, they drove us to this stunning place called the Loch Something (I wasn’t paying attention rofl, I was busy cleaning my shoes by doing a lil moonwalk on the gravel). The sun was setting behind the cliffs and for once, everyone stopped snapping photos and just stood with their significant others, savouring the sunset whilst locking hands with each other. That moment was magic. But sorely lacking in the love department and not wanting to feel out of place, I did the most ridiculous thing: I watched the sunset whilst holding onto a feather I found HAHAHA WTF. TRUE INNER ZEN, PEOPLE! Anyway, I think that’s the last time I’ll ever try romancing with a feather…

p.s my giveaway is ending tomorrow, please join if you haven’t! And if you have, thank you for submitting your entries! I love reading all your feedback on what you’d like to see on tea noir, it is certainly time for some change!

OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OHHHH *FLICKS HIJAB*

I try to make it a point to buy something special whenever I’ve accomplished something academically. This Yves Saint Laurent Arty Ring in Lapis is payback for my daily grind of red bulls, readings and slathering pimple cream on my face for the past 1.5 years. I know there has been a huge influx of fashion bloggers who own the Arty Ring (some even call this “THE blogger ring”) but I don’t care for the alleged negative connotations behind owning it. I have been waiting to purchase this beauty for an entire year now – 6 months to decide that this ring was everything I wanted (at that time anyway) and another 6 months to wait for the ring to be restocked in my size. There is not a single YSL boutique in Melbourne, can you believe it? Scandalous. I bought this the day I arrived in Singapore while meeting my cousins for dinner and I think I must have made them shell shocked when I handed over my credit card to the SA at YSL, they probably thought I was joking LOL SRY GIRLS! x

Also, some drama: If you discount the takoyaki party I held for my close friends when I turned 21, my birthdays are usually simple affairs. This year’s, however, was a little unconventional. At the stroke of midnight on the 27th of June, my cousins and I were singing “GO SHORTY IT’S YO BIRTHDAY, WE’RE GONNA PARTY LIKE IT’S YO BIRTHDAY” and IT’S A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT, WE’RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING DUMB TO DOOOOO” as loud as our chocolate chip cookie-filled mouths could manage before falling asleep without actually marrying anyone (confused? click on the link lol).

Two hours later, my roommate (read: she’s also my cousin) woke me up, red-faced and breathing heavily while telling me that she was having trouble breathing due to her asthma. The worst bit of all: she had just run out of medication. I think my mind must have went on hyperdrive then. All of us sprang out of bed; my other cousin ran to my roommate’s room and grabbed all her important documents while I called for an ambulance. I’m actually pretty darn amazed I remembered which number to call in my frazzled state because the emergency numbers in Australia and Singapore are completely different. My other cousin ran down to wait for the ambulance and I stayed with my roommate, pretending that I had everything under control but in actuality, I was so close to breaking down in tears myself.

The paramedics arrived and took her to the hospital where she was rushed to the emergency ward for treatment. We slept in the waiting room in the weirdest positions – you gotta hand it to us for finding ways to sleep on those uncomfortable plastic chairs lol. At 5am, the doctors finally called us in to see my roomie and thankfully, there was nothing critically wrong with her body. My roomie got discharged in the evening that same day too, thank god. This was not how I imagined my 23rd birthday would be like but all that drama aside, I helped to save someone’s life which is probably going to score me some super karma points. Plus, I get to tick “Get a ride in an ambulance with a hot paramedic reminiscent of a young Prince William” off my bucket list too XD OH YES I DID LULZ

I’m heading to Malaysia over the weekend to meet Aaron again and do a little shopping, can you believe it’s been half a year since our first meeting? Our sense of time is so warped sometimes. GIVEAWAY ENTRY COMING UP NEXT and it is much more exciting in terms of prizes than my last one, you don’t want to miss it! See you guys soon x

I love it when my girlfriends and I get together for dinner. Somehow the best conversations always seem to be formed during the great wait for your food to arrive from the kitchen. The other night we were trading relationship horror stories (the ones where you start with “omg you wouldn’t believe what this douche did to a girl I used to know”) and a friend who’d never dated before exclaimed that hearing all these stories made her fear relationships even more because everyone seems to get hurt/cheated on.

She does have a point. The stories of ever after and true love have become less apparent, less heard of, while botched fairy tales where the girl gets dumped have quickly risen to become a staple topic at girly dinners. But honestly, I think getting dumped may not necessarily be as terrible as it is made out to be. Of course, if your ex-boyfriend was a lying, cheating bastard who dumped you for another girl, then yes, I will be signing my name on your petition to have him sterilized and sent to live among sheep.

But what if he broke up with you because you weren’t the greatest girlfriend? And that you weren’t the flawless female you thought you were? If that is the case, then the break-up serves as a way to re-examine yourself, to discover the flaws you subconsciously knew you had all along but never took notice of – I mean, who likes admitting they have flaws right? You can cry for a month but you have to realise that there has to be a reason why your boyfriend left your purported perfection to cruise the highway for singles once more. And while it stings like a mother to admit that you were the main cause of the break-up, good news is you finally have time to work out what actually went wrong, to brush away the thin shroud of denial that once comforted you and slowly, work on diminishing your weaknesses.

Being in close contact with a person gives you awareness of how you behave in private: you show a ‘secret’ side of you, a certain vulnerability that your family and best friends never get see – I think this is the ultimate reason why even the most mutual break-ups hurt. But it’s okay. Every break-up we go through only serves to make us stronger and a little closer to figuring out how relationships work. And slightly twisting a song title from Daft Punk, we all emerge hardened, better, faster and stronger. Whether your past relationships have been happy or progressed into grisly horror flicks, I think we all can learn a lot about ourselves from being romantically involved with a person. Of course, I am in no way recommending that you throw yourself on the next available guy mmkay!

Ok is this blog turning into a relationship advice column or what lol? I have to apologize, some of my girlfriends flew in from Singapore last week and god, it’s been so long since I’ve had a girly dinner with people my age so the stuff we talk about is bound to end up on this blog ^_^; Oh and one more thing I like about girly dinners? The bitching fest that comes with dessert 8D

Some photos from last week:

1. My vegie burrito from Vegie Bar: Refried beans wrapped in a tortilla and nacho chips with sour cream and guacamole.

2. If these blended fruit juices had come in shorter glasses, they would’ve deceptively looked like potent cocktails.

3. My friend’s wild mushroom risotto from Vegie Bar.

4. Coffee stop at the Sensory Lab.

5. Showing my friends from Singapore my favourite graffiti wall in Melbourne.

6. Chicken paella at the Morrocan and Spanish restaurant, La Paella, off Sydney Road.

7. With a name like Van Gogh, this has to be the prettiest cake in the world.

8. Is it safe to say we will never run out of cakes in Melbourne?

Excerpt from After the Park by Felicity Plunkett.

Things fade and fail, but not the dream – Gwen Harwood

Noon emptied the park like a death.
Vanished skies swung crying.
The last woman, lingering,
I pushed the beads of a plastic abacus:
counted my losses. At night
my dreams rolled back to taste your trace
and I sailed their upswing
woke to the jolt of their stop:
salt mornings; hope’s flaking away.
But what if it were not
too late? What if, as you turned
and left our accidental meeting –
our unrehearsed universe
pressed between pages of unwritten notes –
I called your name?

I don’t fall in love often. I think when you’ve had your first one, two, maybe 10 relationships, you start noticing there are some things you absolutely can’t stand about a person and some things you adore. Then, based on the skeletons of your failed relationships, you start mapping, in your mind, the ideal partner you hope and seek to fall in love with. The problem many women and I have in common is that we’re just too damn picky. Our standards sometimes border on the ridiculous:

1) Has to be hotter than James McAvoy.
2) Has to be a writer or be able to write beautifully*
3) Understands what Prada means to me**

*My friend told me last night that I should give this up because, and I quote, “In Singapore, you’d be lucky to find a guy who can even form a proper sentence.” Not true, obviously but I think it does give you a slight indication of the kind of single men I have to deal with in Singapore.

** I’m only half-joking.

The thing is I’ve been single for 3 years now and I think part of the reason why it’s so awesome to be single is that you get to hang out with your other single friends! You know, the ones who can confirm that they’ll be meeting you for lunch instead of cancelling with a sad text: “Eek Ilyana I’m so sorry it’s just that my boyfriend has this thing he has to go to and he doesn’t really want to go so he’s asked me to go and I can’t say no because I feel bad and I love him and he- OH MY GOD I DON’T CARE. Srsly, single girls will reach this phase where they realise all their other single friends are no longer single *shriek* And when you see how happy your newly taken friends are, you start turning your back against the Ya-Ya single sisterhood and start pining for love.

It happened to me this semester when I met an amazing writer and no, it wasn’t love at first sight – I just fancied his intelligent ways, you know? ;D Meanwhile, my mind was constantly swamped by thoughts of him and it got to the point where I couldn’t take this b/s so I figured I should get to know the guy more before I decide if he was going to be the love of my life or not. I did and while I admired his knack for writing brilliant prose, we had nothing in common. Now I know having nothing in common never stopped anyone from falling in love but as the night progressed, I understood that what I did like wasn’t him to begin with: It was the idea of romance.

It’s tricky, this romance thing. Sometimes you think you may have feelings for a person but other times, it’s just the thrill, the idea of romance that clouds your judgement and manipulates you with images of decadence, roses and “Meals For Two” cookbooks. Maybe I’ve been single for far too long to be sucked in by the cheesiness of romance but I suppose this means my heart is capable of feeling love for something that doesn’t involve shopping. That’s comforting.

I can’t believe I’m making my return to blogging with an entry detailing my failed romance that never was lol! Well, I’m sure my mother would be very pleased with my still sorely single state. How has everyone been? I’ve had the most intense month in school ever omfg, I swear this semester is the worst one I’ve been through. I had to write about 12,000 words in essays and blog posts for my finals this time and it was absolutely horrendous. I spent the last week in my pjs, just writing and writing. Of course, I had a bit of fun writing a 2,500 word dissertation on Sex and The City, I’m going to be so pissed if I don’t get a distinction for that because I werqed those Manolo Blahniks fo’ reals.

Now that I’m officially on holiday, I’ve got a couple of entries lined up and that giveaway I’ve been wanting to do! I can’t wait to read and catch up with everyone’s blogs, it has been too long since I’ve had time for myself and this blog. Also, helloooo new readers! I’m sorry the first entry you guys prolly had to read was my pronunciation guide to tea noir, oops! I suppose I can count on everyone to pronounce it correctly now, huh? ;p

Anyway, imma brb for a bit guys, I need to indulge in some DVDs before I can blog full time (and because I fricking deserve it):

Somewhere (2010), Sofia Coppola.
The Delicious Miss Dahl (2010), Sophie Dahl.
The French Kissers/Les Beaux Gosses (2009), Riad Sattouf.
2 Days in Paris (2007), Julie Delpy.

p.s My best friend, LK, has started blogging! Check out his blog: Dejiki.com. He has a bit of an obsession with theme parks and he takes amazing photos too

Spilling out from the 19th century Royal Exhibition Building and into the Carlton Gardens, the Melbourne International Flower Show was a random event I went to last week with my platonic date of choice: The enigmatic Yumi. Just how beautiful is the Royal Exhibition Building from the inside? I had my Japanese exam here last year and I probably wasted the first 15 minutes of my allocated exam time distracted by the wondrous paintings that line the giant arches. It’s a spectacle on its own, really. It’s almost always closed to the public so I try to find some excuse to enter the building again! I wish I’d taken a photo of the building’s exterior too, it is just as majestic. Meanwhile, you can check out the building’s wiki page for photos if you are ever so inclined. Did I mention it’s a World Heritage Site? God, I was just reading up the list of World Heritage Sites and I’m outraged that Singapore’s not on it! What the fork, guys! WE HAVE HAW PAR VILLA MMKAY!

What else can I say about flower shows, apart from them being very, very beautiful? It’s almost like a giant Monet painting had come to life, especially when paired with such Victorian settings. I had to buy a couple of things for the garden back home on my mother’s insistence (honestly, I think she was more excited about the flower show than I was and she wasn’t even there!) I’m still trying to think of ways to fit a silver floral-embellished watering can, a filigree lantern and a vase into my suitcase.

Anyway, I hope these photos brighten up your day! Flowers are inherently romantic, aren’t they? Sorry I disappeared last week, I had a lot of assignments due and I still do sigh. 2 more essays to go before Easter rings in with an extremely desirable one week break!

I’ve been switching between tea and Red Bull all week, I don’t think it’s very healthy but I’m hoping my increased tea intake will cancel out whatever bad effects prolonged intake Red Bull might have on my body. Diet-wise, I’ve been cooking a lot the past week so it’s nice to have control over my nutrition again. Sorry I don’t have any recipes to share though: I’m in this ‘home food’ phase so I’m cooking dishes the rest of the world would rather not know lol aka SAMBAL PETAI OMFG I CRY. Petai in English would probably mean ‘stink bean’ and yeah well, that’s all you need to know rofl. I wouldn’t consider it a delicacy but it’s certainly an acquired taste.

Slight digression but long before the advent of FaceBook, the kids in my school would pass around diaries for each person to write their ‘profile’ in and I remember distinctly it was a trend then to write “mom’s cooking” under the Favourite Food section. OMG SUCH LITTLE LIARS PLX! If 11-year-old me had my way, I would be eating kebabs and pizza for every meal. Well, a decade later and I take it back. After living in this country where the most heavenly-tasting kebabs and pizzas are in abundance, all I really want is mom’s cooking.

I don’t think I’d have the time to blog in the next 2 weeks, just a head’s up I know, I feel terrible but these essays won’t write/reference themselves. I need to catch up on all my comments too argh, I fail at this blogging thing. The silver lining? I HAVE ANOTHER GIVEAWAY COMING UP 8D That should keep you on your toes for a bit huh? Take care, everyone!

Also plugging my best friend’s portfolio:OPTIKPOP//hosted by tea noir It’s looking supremely fierce! So proud of you darling, it’s an amazing accomplishment! ♥ ♥

A recipe post, as promised! I know, I know – I can hear your “pasta, A-GAIN??” groans from my bedroom. Listen up mmkay, pasta is a staple in any student’s pantry because they’re cheap, they don’t go bad, add in some olive oil and they make a far better couple than Blair Waldorf and Dan Humphrey are being made out to be.

I really ought to stop watching that show since it’s evident from the degrading quality of the past seasons that the writers have been at each other’s throats, trying to think of more ridiculous situations that would never happen to even the most filthy rich of New Yorkers. BUT IT’S SUCH A GUILTY PLEASURE GUYS D8 I like watching each episode, scoffing at the unrealistic tribulations that plague Ms Waldorf (obvsly the only character worth watching) and asking my friends, “Did you see that episode? What were they thinking?!”

If I could distill the entire Gossip Girl narrative into a pie chart:

It’s a little sad to laugh at your own jokes but HAHAHA SO TRUE NE!

Thankfully, I have other shows to distract me from the fall of Gossip Girl:

Not so serious: The Big Bang Theory (love Sheldon!!), Community (Jeff is SO hot!), Doctor Who
Serious-serious: FRINGE, Burn Notice, The Mentalist

I was so upset when Ugly Betty and Pushing Daisies got cancelled some time ago, they were such good shows! A lot of my friends enjoy watching Grey’s Anatomy and I’ve tried getting into it but I have this unfortunate thing against medical dramas. My mother works in the medical industry so I find hospitals utterly repulsive. This doesn’t apply to my brother though, he’s been watching Grey’s since he was 14? IKR, SO INAPPROPRIATE LOL. I asked him how he got introduced to it when I first caught him watching the show and he said, “Dad downloaded it for me.” I don’t even know where to begin.

Anyway, back to the main point of this post:

My friend, Amy, takes up kickboxing and the people she meets at her gym have rather colourful personalities that’s all I’m gonna say ;p She’s close to this girl, Ching, who has been a secondary savior in my life. I say secondary because we don’t know each other personally but this girl has changed my life forever! She taught Amy how to cook this pasta dish, which is both easy and tastes absolutely divine, delicious, amazing etc. It doesn’t really have a name so I’m calling it Ching’s Pasta and you gotta admit, it has a nice ring to it.

Ching’s Pasta

Ingredients – No real measurements, sorry!

Pasta of your choice (I used linguine!)
A few tbs of olive oil
Garlic (I used a LOT)
Italian Herb Mix – you can get this at any supermarket
About 1/2 cup Chicken Stock (or vegetable, if you’re vegan/vegetarian)
Mushrooms, as many as you prefer
Basil*
Freshly grated Parmesan*
Chili flakes

*I didn’t have basil on hand so I used coriander/cilantro leaves instead. I happen to be a huge coriander fan so all the better!

*Also, Parmesan cheese wasn’t included in the original recipe but you can’t make pasta without the cheese, that’s my philosophy. Can I insist that you buy REAL Parmesan cheese (like the actual wedge!) and not the pre-grated ones? It does make a difference, trust me.

1. Cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente.

2. Slice the garlic evenly, DON’T dice as you normally would (Ching’s special instructions k take note!)

3. Heat the pan with the olive oil and add in the sliced garlic

4. Once the garlic’s been cooked, add in about 3 heaped tablespoons of the Italian Herb mix (again, depending on the intensity of your herb mix – adjust accordingly)

5. Add the chicken stock and the mushrooms, stir!

6. Dump in the cooked pasta and add the chili flakes, coriander and possibly 2/3 cup of grated Parmesan.

So fricking good. Thank you for the recipe, Amy and Ching! It is now immortalized on tea noir and ready to be passed down to my children.

A shout-out to Amy who has been inflicted by self-confidence issues as of late: Girl, stop over thinking things – you are a beautiful person and I refuse to let you believe otherwise COS BABY YOU WERE BORN THIS WAY AND GOD MAKES NO MISTAKES (What, you trying to defy HIM now?)

School is killing me, guys. I have so many essays and a presentation due in the next two weeks, someone please volunteer yourself and write them for me ;__; BUT! I’m so excited for school tomorrow. They’re screening Star Wars (The Empire Strikes Back, I think?) for my Hollywood lecture and we’re sorta having an impromptu snack party in the lecture theatre as well. I don’t think food is allowed in there but whatever, you can’t watch Star Wars without popcorn and crisps! Hope everyone’s had a brilliant week so far! <3

AND BEFORE I FORGET: Check out Cat's BLOGSALE FOR JAPAN! She has some really great cosmetics up for sale and it’s for a good cause!

The thrift store I go to all the time, to find things once loved and then discarded. It’s fascinating to see the incredible things people give up. I like to come here just immersing myself in the once-treasured past, without knowing exactly what to buy.

I fear I’ve fallen back to my once-in-never blogging schedule now that school has started erk. This time, however, I’m going to try putting aside a couple of hours per week just for this blog so we’re looking at maybe 2 posts per week, homework-willing? You guys are the sweetest really, I’m so sorry you had to read my previous angst-driven entry ._. I’m going to stop whining about my writing and make a conscious effort to write more.

School started a week ago and assignments are already streaming in so I haven’t had the time to read anyone’s blogs/reply to comments on my own blog -__- It’s terrible, I can’t even remember the last time I talked to Nadz or any of my friends from Singapore. I suspect this year is just going to get worse in terms of my workload and I would really like to ignore my responsibilities as a student but that would be apocalyptic lol.

Also something to inspire me to work harder this year:

The new MacBook Pro to replace my rusty MacBook! It’s a funny story, actually. My roomie’s computer got hit by a virus which rendered it completely useless (Ewww Windows, she had it coming sry2say) and I talked her into getting the just-released MacBook Pro. We went to the Apple Store last weekend and after 10 minutes in the store, she was ready to swipe her credit card LOL. I was trying not to look jealous, had my best Gaga poker face on and texted my dad a photo of my roomie’s new MacBook Pro.

Dad: “You guys have it there already?? It’s not available here yet, I want the 15 inch! How much is the 13 inch?”
Me: “Why, do you want to buy it for me?”
Dad: “Thinking of it.”
- At this point, I knew if I played my cards right I could leave with a new computer 8DD –
Me: “Would it help if I told you I’d work even harder than before?” – Trump Card #1: THE RESPONSIBLE STUDENT
Dad: “See how.”
Me: “I promise I won’t tell mom” – Trump Card #2: THE DADDY’S GIRL FOR LIFE

The rest is history ;p

Ok since I feel terrible for being the most inconsistent blogger ever – I’m going to share something personal I wrote for my parents. Fine, it’s not really personal since it’s up on my Facebook lol (nothing private thar) but I thought it would be nice to post it here because I know a few friends who are ready to give up on love.

Lovers

Their love is not perfect but 25 years ago, he said to her, “We’re flawed but I will seize every minute to be with you.”

Today, they are still working things out. Sometimes he sleeps on the couch and there are days when she doesn’t utter a word. Then there are flowers hidden in the bathroom sink, in open sight and the iciness disappears. She has fallen again, she wouldn’t say but he knows it. His space colliding with hers, the years shortened but he still has her mapped in his heart. With time, the relationship is no longer transient but remains encased in glass.

“There is enough love,” he said to her that night. And love has sustained them since.

- For my parents

This was to mark my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary but they’ve been together for close to 35 years if I remember fragments of their love story. Let’s make it to 50, and forever.