2♥

X and I had our anniversary celebration at Melt the World Cafe at Mandarin Oriental Hotel about a month ago. Here's a huge-ass picture for a teaser.

Foie gras.

Albeit a little extravagant, it was a great meal. It was a tossup between The Line @ Shangri-La and Melt @ Marina Oriental, and I'm really glad we came here. Also, I am a bit paiseh to say that I am a little bit suahku when it comes to good food.

But now that I am here, I want to declare that my taste buds are now spoilt, and am only receptive to fine food. *nudges X*

We had a fabulous time. The staff were super friendly and attentive, and the food was top notch. The ambience was great. And it was great having a nice, quiet meal with a little company from the cute kids nearby, and their very old ahma who was happily licking an icecream cone.

I didn't take a lot of pictures, but these were not all that we ate. I also surprised myself with my huge appetite, especially at the end for the desserts.

Also, spent a lot of time on Photoshop editing the food photos, trying to make them look like cinematic photography out of Wong Kar Wai's films. Ok far cry but indulge me, please.

Quite a private corner. Nice and quiet.

So, this is where my pure fruit juice came from. It was practically a puree.

Is it any surprise that my heroes here are ladies? Desserts FTW!

I will have a stomach left for ALL of these, I willed at the beginning.

Say hi to the freshest sashimi.

This is cute. I can hardly see my rice!

I love seafood. Haven't had oysters in ages.

Wagyu beef burger!

The beef patty literally melts. And the bread was so herbish and soft and fragrant..
I will never eat cheeseburger the same again.

TIME FOR DESSERTS!!! 

Rose-flavoured macarons. Not too sweet, and award-winning sia. Very nice!

An unforgivable amount of chocolate treats.

Croqembouche. Profiteroles stuck together with caramel.
they won't fall no matter where you pinch from!!

Crepe in Orange Sauce. Literally soaked in the sauce. This is really really good.

My pinched profiteroles (:
and part of the caramel web.

Bite-sized blackforest and raspberry cakes.

This chocolate mousse is so rich. It beats Godiva milkshake.

Okay my taste buds are now spoilt I can only taste good food from now on so I will be a little more expensive to upkeep.

Also I am especially happy with these photo edits. Look very cinema!

The waitress's surprise. (:

Happy 2 years baby. There will be more to come (:

Papa & Mama I sort of Miss You

Even though we live in the same house.

In Vietnam, 2007.

I seldom see my parents and my sister, and when we do it is usually a very quick chat and nag. Otherwise, sis and I will sacrifice our beauty sleep and talk till the world ends at night.

Bickering aside, it is very nice to have a sister to share things with, to tease, to love, to advice (when she believes me) and to complain and 撒娇 to. It is also very nice to have such a slowpoke father who is tolerant enough of my impatient ways, and also to let me tease and complain 撒娇 to. Mummy, on the other hand is more impatient than me, but she is such a good chef and committed mum, and she also lets me make fun of her and complain 撒娇.

I feel so away all time and sometimes I feel really guilty that maybe I don't love them enough.

Ok byebye I love you.

ps:/ looking at this picture I realise my clothes have an amazing longevity. I still have those!

The Hands I've been Given

Just did this sketch of a photo I found in my Photo Library, with the Sketchbook App (from Autodesk) I just downloaded for my now-abit-obsolete iPod touch.

Dedicated to X. And also of the times in Tokyo!

Hoping to improve on my free-finger (it's damn hard to control thumb and fingers!) sketching on the iPod screen surface soon. It's so much harder than drawing with pencils.

I was itching to draw again ever since I looked through my cupboard of old stuff and found all my old drawings and paintings.

[Cue in the scouting for graphics tablet...]

Passion creates wonders

From @monkeyjon - you really got to watch this video. The artwork - the colours, the intricacy - is simply amazing.

This reminds me why I so loved art in the first place. Again.

On an unrelated note... did I tell you already that I'm in love with cute? This video is full of nose-twitching cuteness that comes in 2 extralarge cups.

Diplomatic Relations in Design?

I've been working on a flyer design for my office's event later this month. But the idea is now kenna buried. I is upset, so I am sharing it with you all here.

It was just plain boring for a flyer to have just words and flags. So I created this from scratch all for the purpose of sprucing up an flyer for a dialogue. (Of course the outlines of the chairs were from somewhere)

Now the visuals are relegated to 3 flags in its place.Because the chairs are thought to be disrespectful. The flags aren't even draped on the chairs. The chairs are painted with the flags, and it's meticulously done. It's not even sloppy. Also, haven't we seen the Union Jack on bags, tables, clothes etc?

When can we be less boring?