Paris Baguette

Words can't describe how much I love this place. <3 Maybe other than weekends. :P It's a Korean bakery albeit the French name. Online reviews were raving about this place! It replaced the old Ding Tai Fung, one of my fave Chinese restaurants, on Level 2 Wisma Atria. Noticed the change sometime last October near Lydia and Pinru's birthday and decided to get their birthday cake from here. 

So pleased we chanced upon this two tier cake, anddddd it's only going for only $40 plus! Unbelievable price for this lovely piece of art. Who would have thought of decorating cakes with petals right? And the attention to detail was so impressive they even had accompanying water like droplets on the petals. Perfect cake for the occasion! :D

May you have all the joy your heart can hold and all the smiles a day can bring, that's my wish for you. x

Their birthdays fall exactly on the same date, just one year apart! I think coincidental same date birthdays are rare and every year we had lotsa fun celebrating their birthdays. :D In some ways it's like celebrating two birthdays with one cake a.k.a killing two birds with one stone hahaha. On the other hand, present budgets are sky high! T___T But nevertheless, we still enjoy these occasions very much as a close Cheers team! Love you guys! :) 

Had brunch here with the dearest BFF on a lazy Sunday too, their brunch selection was so hard to choose from, everything looks so delish!

Mine :0 Omnomnomnom. Forgot the name lol. The generous portion's quite filling I'd say! And the price is reasonable in my memory.. I'm craving for this right now ><

Sha's :) Hers was more of a dessert than brunch item cos brunch should be more savoury than sweet for me. But still good! 

How can we miss out cakes hehehe. I LOVE THIS CREPE CAKE!!! <3 Another item added to the list of angel food!

Then again, another date with aiai at the very same addictive Paris Baguette.. This time we did away with brunch sets and dived straight into pastries and cakes! Over-ordered for two, NOT. Haha gluttons forever ^____^ Started off with clam chowder bread bowl which was mehhh. It was not even heated up, disappointing choice.

On our pastries plate! :D Happiness in every bite, literally. Especially the tiramisu one.

Famous royal pudding or what everyone else seemed to be having.. The taste buds didn't approve even after trying a second flavour this time though.

Forgot the fancy names of the cakes but I shall name them myself. This is DIVINE. 

This is SHOO-PMS-SHOO. Looking at it cheers me up already! Definitely a wise choice for the blues. :D

This shall be ALL-THE-MANGO-GOODNESS-COMBINED. Lol I guess the name pretty much says everything there is to say about this cake. The mangoes are sweet and sour altogether and the crust is ooo heavenly. Luckily I'm not a food blogger, don't have the flair of a food critic evidently >< To summarize everything, all their cakes and pastries are worth a try, please go eat all the cakes! :D Forget the pudding and clam chowder soup. Other than that, let the feast begin. *Harry Potter music*

Alllllll our camwhore pics at the station, on the train, in the toilet, along the streets, in front of the Christmas tree, everywhere! :D That's what girlfriends are for. ^v^

This girl ah. Her expressions are endless ever since secondary school days! Haha I love you dearest aiai!! More girly dates please! :) 

My all-time fav Christmas tree in SG! :D Feeling festive all over again looking at this pic. :) So pretty right?

Almost dead by evening before I continued celebrating Christmas with the Cheers folks over dinner. Really ate A LOT that day. Mmm.. Come to think of it, happy times pass so fast! It seemed as though December just gradually vanished and now we are in January already. How I wish I have 48 hours in a day instead of 24.

Goodnight! :)

Welcome 2013!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! It's a legitimate brand new start! New beginnings always make people happy, don't they? :) I spent New Year's Eve with the Cheers team yesterday night, just like how we had for the past 3 years! It's been a good 3 years, time really waits for no one.. 2012 passed by so quickly! This year we settled for Jap buffet at Chiso Zanmai @ The Central. Although the selection was limited compared to Kiseki's, their desserts are much better. Loved their cakes especially the green tea mousse and chocolate crunch ones. Was too busy eating to take pictures hehe. We spammed sashimi too! Love of my life \(^w^)/!

During dinner we talked about how 2012 summed up to be and the hope we have in 2013. Everyone has different stories and dreams about the past and the future :) New year, new beginnings.. I remember when I started this blog I wrote something similar too! Although I don't blog regularly but I think my style of writing matured a little haha lesser SHOUTY CAPITALS and endless exclamation marks!!! :D Shall work on penning my thoughts down more often. It's nice to read past entries and see how far you've come, you know that kinda feeling? :)

So! A new year definitely calls for new year resolutions. My 2012 new year resolution was very successful and I think the success lies in how clear I was in picturing it. Picturing everything I can do to achieve that. So this year, I'm going to be as clear or even clearer about what I really want to achieve. I'm gonna pen down every detail of what I want to be by the end of this year, as specific as possible. Somehow it's like a dream. Because in a dream you can be anything and everyone strives to be better, don't they? They always say if your dreams don't scare you, it's not big enough. So, why not? :)

In this brand new year, I will do nice things for others, everyday. Throughout 2012, I have had my share of ups and downs but despite it all, I am very grateful I am blessed with many lovely people around me who have guided me and taught me various lessons. So as blessed as I am, I wanna spread the blessings around in 2013 . I shall make a difference even if it's in a small way. :)

Other than this, there are many other aspects of course. Firstly, faith. I need God in me to spread blessings around. I will go to church every week. WILL. I shall seek You eagerly. Improve my relationship with You. In the past I used to think that God and religion are the last things I'm gonna take care of before I die. My plan was to do everything first then before I die, you know when I'm 99 or something, then I go to church, pray, repent and be good so my soul will be salvaged. But no. It doesn't work this way. I did many bad things last time. Lived a life doing all sorts of harmful stuff to other people, hurting them and blaming it on others, blaming it on hurt inflicted upon me. But throughout it all, I have always been forgiven and given chances to repent. Given chances to wake up and turn my life around. Above all I am deeply blessed with my father who is so faithful to God. He has always reminded me, persuaded me, dragged me to church, to pray to God, to think of living in a way God approves. His faith is amazing. And I am thankful for him. Thank you for your strong faith Daddy, thank you for bringing me back to the Almighty God. I've never done my part as a Christian since I was baptized and baptism was my choice. In 2013 I will make an effort to. Coming back to you, Father. 

Health and body wise, this year I am going to just simply, love my bod. I wanna embrace my chubbiness. Chubby people don't look as old when they grow older anyway. *self-defensive* Haha :P This doesn't mean that I'll just binge on food of course. I shall stick to the change in diet - cut down on carbs in one meal a day and start on a consistent fitness regime - jog or swim at least once a week. I know it's not enough and all but hey, baby steps! And for an unfit person it's a good change for a start! :) I am gonna build my self-confidence in image by being very positive so if anyone tells me I'm chubby, I'm gonna reply I'm blessed! :)

Other than that, the continual learning of new things I mentioned in one of the posts sticks. I'm gonna do that. Also gonna work on the relationships aspect. Relationships with Momsy, with Daddy, with Ahyee, with my lil brother, my godparents, my godbrother, my friends, I shall work on it. 2012 had me sorting out who really matters. 2013 shall see me spending more quality time with each and everyone in the list. Words can't express how precious and dear you are to me. And I'm going to appreciate you for all that you've done. Thank you for sticking around all of you. THANK YOU.

This is getting addictive but I'd rather keep some other aspects written down, literally. Soooo yup, that's it. Gonna end here. :) CHEERS TO AN AWESOME YEAR AHEAD! o(^ V ^)o

Malacca Day 2 & 3! :)

Day 2 started early, but it started earlier for my two girls - my alarm woke Syl and Wt up first rather than me. Nothing fazes me when I'm in slumber, I'm truly a pig. >< Luckily a strict routine of me washing up first was in place (because I tend to hog the bathroom) so they can sleep in longer. But I still feel guilty laaa although bad habits really die hard T______T Thank you babygirls for accepting me with all my flaws and bad habits! I think travelling together really opens up a side of a person, a side others may not see in usual interactions. So in a way, travelling together may be a good test to figure if someone can accept all your quirks and habits. I'm glad we are rather good travel partners based on our two trips!

Freshly made up and ready to go out! :D YAY TO DAY 2!

Glowing Syl ^v^

Our OOTDs! 

Which reminds me.. I should get a full length mirror soon. Things to do in 2013: Revamp room and neaten up! 

And urm, I guess when girls travel together there's bound to be A LOT of camwhore pics. These are just a selected few. Girls. I totally enjoy being one! Gives me allllll the privilege to take tons of pictures. Hehehe :P

Missed these pics in Day 1's post.. Can't get over how cuddly and warm our scarves are! (:

Really love the scarf so much! Love that its handmade with love and lotsa effort <3 <3 <3 I'm naming mine Wanton LOL. It doesn't make sense at all but it kinda rhymes with Wanting, right?! 

This door!!! On the first day we were on a mission to find the bridge that links to another mall when we stumbled upon THIS DOOR. We opened the door hoping to find another exit but it opened up to where we've been instead and then we realized it's a trick door that's redundant -.- Hahaha we even walked through it twice to make sure! Silly us are silly! 

Had such a good laugh over this and Syl took a pic to capture the funny moment. Laugh die us :'D

The first thing on the to-do list on day 2 is to tame the tresses :) Wanting looked so nervous and terrified throughout her first hair treatment, her expressions are priceless, this cutie pie!

Artistic shot of Wt love enjoying the breeze on our way to lunch :) We found this bigggggg field and it was so windy up there! Malacca has pretty good weather! 

Some of the malls and places we covered :D Not bad right, we did a lot of walking! By my standards that is lol. Looking forward to changing to iPhone 5 in July so I can take cool panorama pics like the one above! Some apps have this function but I feel that they pale in comparison with the original camera. Happy that it's 1st Jan already, time flies~ July's gonna come really soon! Yippee!

Our trishaw is so dainty! Trishaws used to be one of the easiest and cheapest way of transportation back in the olden days, nowadays it's a rare sight. With many now decorated with colourful flowers and umbrellas, it was a pretty sight to behold. We were in a dilemma whether to walk all the way to the museum or take a trishaw ride but we decided on this after bargaining for a good rate. Note: ALWAYS BARGAIN when hitching such rides as a higher price will be set normally. It was a leisurely way of taking in and exploring the picturesque streets so I'd strongly recommend it if you can get a good price :)

We alighted at the museum but our growling tummies got the better of us so we walked back to a cafe spotted along the way for lunch :) Various fascinating shops such as a chocolatier, an orang utan shop and the like were also discovered as we meandered through the streets. I love how the locals form a living continuity with the town's illustrious past. You've gotta be there yourself to be soaked up in the old-world charm of Malacca. 

Traditional trades like sewing beaded shoes are a gem to be discovered nestled among old shophouses.

Many shop fronts retained a vintage outlook like this, an eclectic mix of Peranakan and European influences.

And we finally arrived! :D Cafe 1511 serves Nyonya specialties at very affordable prices. Comfort food come to me!!

The quaint little cafe boasts of a Peranakan style complete with simple English tiles like this. The tiles remind me of my Grandma's old house in Ipoh, a place I hold close to heart. I remember sitting in a rocking chair too huge for my small frame when I was little, listening to old wives' tales and drinking warm milk at night.. ahhh bits and pieces of precious memories. Missing you, gran.

The cafe ambiance makes one feel at ease immediately with its familiar homely feel and we just relaxed, taking our time to order. There's no rush in there and everyone was in a zen state. Complete comfort.

After we ordered too much food to fill three bellies I explored the cafe. To my pleasant surprise, the cafe on the ground level was only a part of the shophouse! The kitchen is in the back and bedrooms for rent can be found on the upper level, akin to a B&B, Peranakan style.

Found this gem too. Water features have always been one of my favorite things, they bring about a calming sensation from the sound of trickling and flowing water. So gonna have a mini one in my home next time. The friendly shop owner also explained how water elements bring good fengshui, interesting to know how he orientated the place to capture the wealth-bringing chi :)

Shortly after, food arrived! So glad we have similar taste in food so we can enjoy a fuss-free variety! First up, sambal belachan prawns! This dish is a personal favorite and I dig what they served! The chilli is too good to resist, om nom nom.. Reminiscing the tantalizing taste~

Next up, ayam buah keluak which means chicken simmered with candlenuts in English  Ohhh where do I start with this! The ayam is sooo tender it melts hearts. And the sauce is so addictive paired with plain rice. Taste of bliss! 

How can we miss out on pai tee! Pai tee means top hats in English  This is more like an appetizer. Its crunchy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. The filling is similar to that of popiah, but better!

A collage of the delectable food we ordered and polished up in no time. Home-cooked food is truly our thing. :)

Excited to visit the Baba and Nyonya Heritage Museum a few steps away from the cafe after lunch! This is a pose inspired from the Little Nyonya drama. If you haven't watched it you should! One of the best Singaporean dramas ever :D

Books on various topics found on top of a book shelf.

They are real books to our amazement! 

A typical study area in a Peranakan mansion would look like this. Fascinating how the paintings and mix of decorations come together to form a unique style.

Living room or guest holding area. The finely carved furniture is a classic Chinese work of art. There are also many antiques ranging from vases to stands and mirrors that reflect the rich Peranakan culture. 

The attention to detail is amazing. Even the tables and chairs are intricately hand carved.

The ancestral hall. The symmetry depicts a harmonious and aesthetically pleasing balance that fits the hall perfectly. 

Offerings to ancestors. They looked so real!

A vintage wedding teapot set.. I'm pleased that these teapot sets are still used currently in Chinese weddings. Some have even more elaborate details than this vintage one. May our tradition remain for many more decades and centuries to come. :)

Some of the priceless antiques made in Italy or Dutch on an elaborately crafted dresser. I can't imagine the cleaning of all the furniture and tons of decorative vases, figurines and the like! 

Us in front of the grand hall. Pity the pictures were blur :(

The interior leads to an open courtyard where an old well can be found! Our museum guide invited us to try our hand in lifting a bucket of water from it. It was an interesting hands-on experience for 21st century babies like us! Manual labour is indeed taxing, really grateful for water that flows right to our homes nowadays.. I am so lucky I am not born in that era!

All in all, it was an eye-opening experience at the museum, a pity half of it was sold off.. We are very thankful for our enthusiastic guide who made up for the difference in more ways than one though. Really lucky we had him to explain the highlights and answer our curious questions patiently. He even offered to help us take pictures in many spots around the house! The stairs were his idea!

 Mandatory tourist shots at the prominent Christ Church. The striking contrast of buildings in bold colors always turn out nice in pictures. I like!

Love this happy tourist shot! :D

Hahaha this chicken!! Was so curious why many pushcarts and makeshift stalls sell this so we went to figure it out, it crows like a chicken on its deathbed when you press it! Totally caught us off guard. It was hilarious and irritating at the same time lol Syl recorded the cuckledoodle sound and threatened to wake me up with it T_______T noooooooo! I was kinda scared it may happen and I woke up real early on the third day LOL.

Settled for the jap restaurant in our hotel for dinner. Our hotel is awesome! Must further emphasize hehe.

Dining in a private room :) Yay to sashimi after a fulfilling day o(^V^)o!!! 

My dinner set omnomnoms ^w^ The sashimi slices are so thick and fresh! Literally melt in your mouth *happy sighs*

Day 2 ended with magnum ice cream and another session of foot spa after dinner before we retired in our comfy beds. A decent hotel makes a world of difference! Hotel Equatorial I LOVE YOU! (*^___^*)

Before we left on day 3 we had Macs too! The menu is slightly different from that in Singapore, they have a two piece chicken set! Went for that and it's sooooo good! Better than KFC hahaha note the irony?? LOL. 

Malacca was so fun! Too many things to see, too many places I'd love to explore. 3 days 2 nights seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye! I'll be back soon, my quaint little town :D

x