I am finally going into the nooks and crannies of Singapore with my car! Everyone who knows me knows that I am a gallivanter. I am always out, and I cannot stand being at home doing nothing. So before I got my car, I would go to places which are easily accessible by public transport. But in the recent months, many cool and quirky cafes have sprung up all over Singapore but they are so inaccessible if you don't have a car. After a month of trying to figure out the roads, and trying not to panick when there's massive traffic, I am finally venturing into the different spots in Singapore. For brunch, tea, coffee, everything.

First place: Dempsey Road. I have always loved Dempsey but used to go only during special occassions cos it's hard to get there by train or bus. So last Thursday, after school, I went down to PS Cafe @ Dempsey. I love it here. It's like a garden setting, with floor to ceiling glass windows, facing nothing but a huge expanse of greenery. A little costly here, 2 drinks and a tart for almost $40, but it was so pretty.

I also went to Greenwich Village at Seletar Hills. A quiet and rather homely place for a quiet cuppa with friends and family. I went here with my gfs for dinner and then came back over the weekend with my family for brunch. It's a nice place, and the drive there is pleasant. :)

 Over the weekend, I went down to Haji Lane. Been wanting to come here to shop but it is just so difficult to get there. So I braced myself for the crazy traffic along North Bridge Road, and got here safe and sound. We shopped, I got myself 2 blouses, and then had dinner at Blu Jazz Cafe. Loved the ambience here. Very chill out and laid back. We actually wanted to have coffee and dessert at Maison Ikkoku, but it was closed for a private event. Sigh...Frustrating. Next time.

 Toby's Estate at Robertson Quay. I liked the coffee here. Cos we went here after dinner, we only had the latte and cappucino brownie. Brownie was so-so. But coffee was good and strong. We sat by the river so it was really nice. But we didn't know where to park, so I ended up parking at this place where it was $4 an hour! I almost fainted!

Brunch at Hatched after hot yoga class on Sunday. Read a lot of good reviews about this place. At Evans Road, so we drove down and the place sells nothing but eggs. All kinds of eggs. And the sweet stuff looked really really good. Coffee was so-so. A little diluted for my liking. But place was fun and quirky. I liked it there. :)

Still a few more places I want to venture into. Tiong Bahru area, Tanglin, Rochester, the list is endless! Y

I know. It has been FOREVER since I last blogged. I have been really busy with a gazillion things. Let me just run through the more important things.

Firstly, I took my driving licence and after 3 1/2 months of going for mock trials for my basic & advanced theory, going for practical lessons almost everyday during the school hols, and then continuing on god-forsaken hours on Sat & Sun mornings and sometimes afternoon, I went for the practical test on 12 March and I am SO PROUD TO TELL THE WORLD THAT I PASSED IT @ FIRST ATTEMPT! Yay!!!!!!! So I went car shopping immediately, and got myself a cute little car within the week! I got myself a Volkswagen Beetle! I was contemplating between a Toyota Prius C, or a Volkswagen Polo, and this. My head tells me Toyota, but my heart says the Beetle. So I got the Beetle. I still suck at driving but I am trying very very hard!!

Second thing was I turned 32 on 16th March! It was such a great gift for myself. The car, I mean. And this year, I went to Batam to pamper myself. Having had a very stressful 3 months in school, Angela and I booked into a spa resort, called Tempat Senang. We did nothing but spa-ed for 3 hrs, swam, watched movies on tv, played in the jacuzzi, ate a lot, and just chilled out. It was such a nice private sancutary as the place only had 8 villas and no kids under 12 were allowed so it was really peaceful and serene. Wonderful way to spend my birthday. Here are some of the pics.... Ok, some pictures are crooked cos I can't be bothered so tilt your heads people!

Most importantly, the month of March saw my best friends from Australia coming to visit me! Yes! Foize & Anri came down to Singapore! I haven't seen Anri for over a year and a half and Foize, for 3 1/2 years. We haven't got together all 3 of us since Australia, and my God, it was such an ordeal getting Foize here. Foize is the do-gooder amongst the three of us. She works in Bahdad, Iraq and hence is in a lot of danger. Getting her here was so tough due to the conatnt bombings and shellings, making travel unsafe for her. We were so relieved when she got here safe and sound. And God, it was so nice to have all 3 girls together. We talked, we shopped, we shared the same fitting rooms, we laughed a lot, we had coffee, we had the best food, we clubbed, we took so many pictures, it was the best. It has been so long but it doesn't seem that time has passed. All 3 of us slept in one big bed, and even though it was cramped, it was like a big slumber party! We did a photo shoot, professionally, and these were the products. I love them!!



Most importantly, the trip they made kind of jolted me out of my la-di-da land. Foize was with me for a whole week before Anri came, and we had a lot of in depth discussion. And she told me, after being with me for 5 days, that she noticed I was unsettled. She said I was not at peace with myself. That I am like a pendulum which was constantly swinging. (Those were her exact words. She's very poetic. And beautiful.) And she asked me why. It got me to really sit and take stock. And I realise that she was right. That I am in a state where I am constantly flustered, and stressed, and not really appreciating the things around me. And I asked her what can I do. Her answer was so simple: Ask help from HIM and have faith in HIM. And I did what she told me to. I realise that in order to be at peace with the things around me, despite them not being ideal situations, I had to be at peace with myself. And in order to be at peace with myself, I needed to have the belief that there is a higher being who takes care of things for you. That was exactly what I did. I wouldn't say I am completely settled right now, but definitely, I am a lot more positive that things will fall into place. I know I am not really making sense here but this is the best I can articulate.

Until the next entry...Adieu!