Wanderlust

Less than 24 hours to my first paper for finals and I'm already teetering on the brink of insanity. Coupled with a slight wanderlust that sees me reading online itineraries and dreaming about my Christmas holiday.

8 days till the semester is over.
18 days till I'm out of the country for a well-deserved break.

And also I have plenty of books to read.

Till then! Snuggling up with my books
Zhujun

Okay Not To Be Okay

Sometimes, I start off the day on a really good note. And then some random and probably insignificant incident comes to ruin everything, leaving me feeling like some deflated balloon.

Need to start getting my act back together again.

I hate having expectations because I can never manage them properly. Sometimes I feel like maybe I'm not cut out to deal with people because I always pin my hopes too high. Maybe I should just live in a hole :/

Parco Cafe

Some random outfits over the past week or so!

First time wearing my heart-backed dress teehee

My favourite outfit for school! Wish I could wear it everyday!

 Top: Denim tie top from Bangkok.

 Bottom: Aztec gradient bandage skirt from ASOS. 

Bag: Satchel from Bangkok. 

Added a cutesy moustache! My bag can haz moustache!!!

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Met up with my favourite girl for our monthly dates on a Friday night. I love nights like this when each of us take turns to bring the other restaurant/cafe explorin'! I love feeling like an explorer teehee!

This time Celes brought me to a nice cafe tucked in a corner at Raeburn Park. It was so difficult to find, especially in the dark. So I would suggest you take a cab into the estate unless you want to walk up an appetite! Reservations were made beforehand so we were ushered in with minimal waiting time.

The set up of the cafe was BEAUTIFUL! It was designed to look like a glass house, with glass ceilings, full length windows and even carpet grass! I felt like I was going for a picnic! I heard that it looks even more stunning in the day, so I will be visiting again. (psst, their brunch menu looks really tantalising. Think Truffle Eggs Benedict!)

Pretty date for the night. Meet my bestgirlfriend/confidant/dreambuddy/travelbuddy! I LOVE YOU!

While deciding on our entrees, the staff served us bread and dip. Was really surprised when they came carrying a paper bag on a plate. The waiter open the bag and small puffs of steam came out from the bag. Such a cute presentation. The bread had this amazing cake-like texture and we really loved it. The dip was special too. They gave us the usual vinaigrette/olive oil, as well as laksa dip! It went amazingly well with the bread. 

I really appreciate it when restaurants are meticulous with tiny details like the quality of bread served. It really builds on to the climax which are our main courses.

We ordered 2 mains, a drink and a dessert to share.

This drink cannot be found on the menu and I really cannot remember its name! But I think if you mention about the 'secret drink' to the waiters they'll be glad to tell you! 

I have never seen SO many pieces of fruit in a glass of drink, they were really generous in making it. It made me so happy just looking at it :D

Pizza Parco

Tomato, Mozzarella, Parma Ham, Hoshimeji Mushroom

and Black Truffle

$22

 We were slightly disappointed when we saw that they didn't serve truffle fries (Me and C's latest obsession), so when we saw this item, we couldn't resist!

It turned out really nice! I like how the taste of truffle wasn't too overwhelming and we could still taste the balanced saltiness of the parma ham. The crust was a tad bit too hard those, I was so afraid my knife would hit the plate really loudly.

Mezzelune di Wagyu

Homemade Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek Half-moon Ravioli

served with Taleggio and Demiglace Sauce

$24

We were fooled by the description on the menu, thinking it would be served in a well-sized portion. We  couldn't stop laughing when the dish arrived with 6 tiny parcels of ravioli. Okay, most of the time I was laughing at C's shocked expression.

That being said, this was THE highlight of my meal. The tiny parcels really pack a punch! Its amazing how the little pinched of beef inside the ravioli can contain so much flavour! If you're a beef lover like me and aren't afraid of the rustic, beefy taste, this dish is made for you!!

Parco Caffe Tiramisu

Classic Italian Lady Finger Tiramisu, Kahlua Liquor and Mascarpone

$12

We ended of our meal with a lovely tiramisu. We wanted to try their highly raved creme brulee but sadly, they don't serve it anymore. The tiramisu did not disappoint though! I hate how some tiramisu's taste like a boring old chocolate cake. But this one was done nicely, perfect balance of coffee liquor, cream and cake. LOVE it.

Le satisfied portrait.

---

Rushing out my backlog of readings, I hate being laggy on schoolwork:(

Random picture of ECP supper with my lalachutchutgonggong gang one random night. I love random supper eat-outs

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Luv,

Zhujun

Today a friend made me laugh, a few times. It made my day.

A couple of days ago, I was feeling a bit down because things weren't going my way. Many circumstances weren't in my favour and I was feeling a bit dejected.

I think it takes inspiration to keep me on my feet. Most of the time I find this inspiration from reading. It helps clear my mind and gives me my drive. I read about all the things that were out there for me to explore, and I didn't want to be restrained by all the negativity in my head. There are so many things out there waiting for me to complete! Maybe that's why I've been feeling an empty void in my chest. Because there wasn't any drive left in me.

Now I've found it back, everyday has been something to look forward to.

Little things that I previously would have overlooked because I'm so caught up in my little cloud of depression, these little things can make me feel so happy throughout the day.

I want to hold on this passion and drive.

Luv,

Zhujun

Stretchy-wetchy

My hell of a long day is finally over!

I swore my heart nearly missed a beat when I realized I filled myself to the brim with things to complete/attend.

A full day in school starting at a ridiculous (and probably should be made illegal) 10.00am. Which meant that I had to crawl out of bed at 7-freaking-a.m. As if that's not enough, the weather was being annoying chilly. The perfect sweater/stay-in-bed weather >:( Right after classes, had to rush down to Caldecott for tuition, because we all now how packed A2 buses can get. SOOO satisfied when I got a seat. I walked all the way to the TH bus stop so that it wouldn't be too squishy:) Then after tuition, rushed home for a quick dinner (annoying soggy Nasi Lemak!) and then rushed to my driving lessons.

WHAT A DAY!

Couldn't have made it if I didn't get coffee from The Deck.

On the way home from tuition, I met an old friend from Chung Cheng who was just coming home from NS. We talked the whole trainride back. I think sometimes when you suddenly reconnect with people you haven't met in a while, you start becoming a little self-reflective. As though everything was left from where the 2 of you last met.

We were talking about University admission interviews, which reminded me of how I screwed up my SMU interview a year ago. Needless to say, I got rejected. HEART SHATTERED!

On the point of interviews, I plainly suck at them. Sometimes when friends bring up examples of interview questions, I amaze myself with the things I can come up with in my head. But when it boils down to being seated infront of a panel of interviewers, my mind is a blank sheet and I'm reduced to a nervous, blabbering idiot.

Spontaneity does not work well with me. And especially since I can't really handle speaking confidently infront of a stranger. I'm no stranger to my own mind, but placed outside of that, I look like I cannot form opinions of my own.

This is bad. This is bad because I know how this is going to reflect badly on me in the future. It's not like I don't want to change the way I present myself. It's not like I choose to camouflage into the surroundings. Its just that I'm so comfortable with the idea of taking the backseat that it becomes so difficult to make the effort to stand out, to project myself. Then again this is all about stepping out of my comfort zone. I'm going to start with baby steps and hopefully something will grow out of this.

Really have no idea why I'm writing all of this down. It's just for today, it's annoying the crap out of me. Too tired, meh...

Choupinette

Weekends are make for brunch. There should no more compelling a reason to leave your bed.

I love brunch!

There is nothing more enticing than the idea of having breakfast when you should be doing lunch. Brunch in itself is a cheeky rebellion of whirlwind weeks. Let's have breakfast at 2.p.m just because we can :)

The thought of enjoying a quiet afternoon sipping juice/tea, digging into runny yolks, the scent of fresh bread contrasted with cold slabs of butter. Nothing could be better than this.

Brunch is special to me. Brunch is therefore labelled as reserved quality time to spend with the people I love.

---

I read many positive reviews of Choupinette (especially for their Eggs Benedict!), and I happen to past by the place everyday to school so I was really looking forward to trying the place out. So during the summer break, I met up with Shermaine (Ruffly!) for a brunch date. The cafe struck me as unpretentious and warm. I felt like I was eating at a friend's house. I loved the baskets of fresh bread that hung from the walls. For me, the ambience of a restaurant is as important as the quality of the food served. Dining is an experience of the senses.

What made me happy when I saw menu was that 2 drinks were included in every set! Meaning juice + coffee/tea. I have this annoying habit of finishing my drinks even before my meals arrive. They are psychic, I like!

We ordered an Eggs Benedict and The English Coq to share.

I had very high expectations of this dish and it didn't disappoint. Though Ruffly felt that the Hollandaise was a tad too sour. The crux of this dish, in my opinion, (besides the egg getting poached properly) is having the English muffin/bread that sits under all that glory, remain crispy. They got that one right!

I wasn't impressed with The English Coq though. The bread was lovely. But the butter that came along was measly, so Ruffly and I had to ration it among ourselves. The scrambled eggs weren't moist the way I like it. I feel that getting the right consistency for scrambled eggs sometimes require more skill than poaching an egg. The redeeming factor of the dish was perhaps the sauteed mushrooms. They were flavourful.

Had some space left in out tummies for dessert! Ruffly was really excited, especially since she's a pretty good baker herself. Even before we ordered out main dishes, she was already eyeing the dessert display :)

Ruffly got the Lemon Meringe Tart for herself. She was disappointed though, because the sourness was too overwhelming. But the browned meringue on the top was so pretty!

I got a Creme Brulee for myself and I loved it!

I love the sharp snap when the back of the spoon cracks the hardened caramel. Its a yummy sound!

Although I really want to come down again to try the other items on their menu (The Eggs Royale on the table beside us looked so goooood!), but Ruffly and I have another brunch date to Prive and I can't wait :D

Great food and luv!

Zhujun

Baked Chicken Breast Meatballs

The new school term has started and we're just about into our 4th week now. Its abit hard to say goodbye to freshman year but then again there are so many new experiences that I'm looking forward to. I'm so glad that school has started.

Summer break has been a refreshing one. Met alot of new people from all the activities that I joined. Mainly Arts Camp Committee, Arts Bash Committee and Temasek Hall Orientation Camp as an OGL. I still feel strangle mingling with new people but I think I'm slowly getting the hang of it and starting to warm up abit faster to them. I know its weird that at the age of 20, I still struggle with meeting new people.

I know I've been going on and on about how the break would be spent cooking up a storm in the kitchen, but being the Queen of Procrastination plus my family doesn't have a maid to clean up after me, it's so easy to make excuses to not cook.

I think this was sometime in July when I was on a healthy-streak. I refused to eat outside food because (blushes) I wanted to fit better into my new clothes from Bangkok and outside food as we know, is unhealthy. I came across this recipe from Blogilates (I think) for baked meatballs, so I thought "Why not?"

Easy peasey! Just dump grounded chicken breast, salt, a whole lot of herbs, dry oats and mix them all up!

I had so much fun moulding them into little balls. It was like playing 'masak-masak' when I was little, just that I can actually eat the end product! Oh and do remember to lightly coat the tin pans with olive butter so that they won't stick!

I made so much extra that I brought them to LICK for lunch. Finished them off with a glass of yogurt drink and a slice of watermelon:)

They turned out rather well, despite not adding any oil whatsoever. But it being chicken breast, the meat was a tad bit dry. Oh and it tastes really good with Tobasco sauce!

Enough is never enough, and thin is never thin enough.
I know my friends judge me when I refuse to eat rice or fried stuff. But yes I am frivilous like that hehe.


I'll try to keep up with my backlog when I get through with my readings.
Have a great week ahead!


Luv,
Zhujun

Gout De La Mer- Taste Of The Sea

Sometimes when I wake up, I get this overwhelming craving for something warm, soupy and bursting with flavour. Something that I would eat while still in bed, wrapped up in my sheets, even though this might sound somewhat ridiculous in Singapore's heat. This was when I chanced upon a recipe from Season 2 of Junior Masterchef Australia. The moment I saw that dish getting plated up for the judges, I knew I had to make it.

Large prawns terrify me. I only calm down after I removed their heads. Somehow I have this wild idea at the back of my mind that large prawns with their heads on are more capable of coming back to life.

There is something oddly calming with the smell of chopped garlic on my fingers. I have this weird habit where I can't help but sniff my fingers every time I'm done chopping them up.

2 minutes into frying up the prawn heads in olive, butter and garlic, I realised that my clothes were still hanging to dry in the kitchen. Mad dash to remove them before they started to smell of prawns. Thankfully my mother did not see anything wrong with them. 

And I've got to say that I was amazed by how great the prawn heads smelled when they were fried. They released so much juices that I was so tempted to grab a spoon to drink some of it. But that would mean less prawn stock for the broth.

Nice porcelain bowls like this make me feel happy.

Despite having not worked around my kitchen for quite some time, I was amazed I didn't fumble when I was cooking and the end product was so satisfying. The first mouthful had be stunned for a few seconds because the flavour of the prawns came out so beautifully in the broth, and then slowly the tangy tomato taste sat in the sort of balance out the 'seafoodiness' of the soup.

I would probably try to marinate the fish slices because the tomato based soup sort of over-powered the fish such that I couldn't really make out its sweetness. I want to try replacing the chicken stock because I couldn't find any fish stock in the supermart and I didn't have enough time on my hands to make my own. Other than that, I'm so pleased with the results and I can't wait to get my hands (and apron) dirty cooking again.

Luv, 

Zhujun

Woke up early this morning to swim. Had so much trouble trying to wake up, battling whether I should leave this to yet another morning. And when I finally got my lazy ass out of bed, had my sausage rolls and milk for breakfast, applied my sunscreen and packed my bags, headed down to Tampines swimming complex, only to find out that the whole place had been booked for a private event.

Sigh.

But I will be heading there again tomorrow morning, hopefully I'll be able to wake up much earlier. And after a nice long swim, I'll get my groceries from Cold Storage and make my first meal of the holiday! Found a nice seafood recipe from Masterchef and I can't wait to try it out!!!


Luv,
Zhujun

Cookouts

Just had lunch over at my Grandma's and was watching Discovery Travel And Living while eating my bowl of porridge. Donna Hay's Fast, Fresh & Simple was on air. Watching her create her chicken pies and mozzarella tomatoes made me realise how much I missed cooking. I've been saying how I wanted to fully utilise my kitchen after moving out of hall but I haven't got down to it because something was missing. To be honest I haven't done anything remotely close to whipping up a decent meal (Unless you think warming up bread or instant noodles count). 

But today as I was watching her shred basil leaves, rolling pastry and toasting tomatoes, it just hit me. I WANT to start cooking. I am this close to heading down to Kinokuniya to get one of her books because I just felt so inspired by her cooking. It's a tad bit difficult now because I'm juggling 2 jobs, driving lessons, tons of chores, Arts Camp and Arts Bash. But I'll definitely find the time because watching her move so smoothly around in the kitchen, I think I found my inspiration to cook again. I hope I'll be able to fill this blog with entries about my cooking adventures, and hopefully be able to multi-task and snap some decent shots while cooking. This is all so exciting:)

Luv,

Zhujun

3 weeks into summer break and I feel that there is finally some sort of order in my life. I know I always talk about space and my own freedom to wake up in the morning and do whatever I want, but honestly, I like order in my life because I feel in control of my time. Having my schedule all messed up freaks me out, not planning freaks me out. I am so strange. I'm slowly adjusting to life in the East and I'm lapping it up.

My bank account is looking healthy again, been trying really hard not to spend on things I don't need. Everytime there's a new collection launch, I tell myself I'm going to get it so much cheaper in Bangkok. I am so frugal now, so proud:D

On a side note, I've also learnt to take things by my stride, view everything with an open heart, and to lower the bar of my expectations. Because honestly speaking, I take life too seriously and when shit happens I find myself suffering more than I'm supposed to. So yeah, everything is bright and cheery now. It's funny how things that happened in the past find their way back to you. I don't want to jinx anything but I really think I'll see brighter days. I feel like all the shit that I've been put through was worth it because what I have infront of me now is so much worth the wait. They're right when they say good things are worth the wait.

Faturday is in Genting right now, and I know they'll be having so much fun. It sucks that my mum still thinks I'm like a 5 year old and I need males to protect me. But okay, I won't complain because at least I still have my Bangkok trip in July.

Work has been fun, especially with Ella around, I feel like times flows faster. I can't wait for the Ubin trip and possibly USS and a staycation. Don't know if my pocket can support all of my frivolous activities. And also ZhiQi will be coming back in July and I want to treat her to a nice buffet because my dear girl as been so deprived of seafood and I miss her so much.

The holidays can only get better:)

Luv,

Zhujun

Sloth

Every day has been lazy. Waking up long after my mum has switched the air conditioner off, rolling around in my comfy sheets till they're no longer cold before I wake up. Time passes without myself noticing. Working really hard before my trip to Bangkok because my bank account is a joke right now so come visit me at LICK!!!!

In other news, I have moved to greener pastures^^

Steady up!

Made the most impromptu decision (thus far) in my life yesterday night while working at LICK. This morning saw me checking out the flights and I'll be flying to Bangkok with Ashlyn, Katie, Jing Shen and Chang Yi in July! Hello dirt cheap food and clothes! Time to spend money like a King:) Until then I'm going to scrimp and save for the next 2 months or so, and working my ass off!

I finally moved out of hall too. It's been a good one year in TH, but I'm still so damn glad to be home, nothing beats having my own space, especially when it's going to be all done up nicely. I'm starting to see results here and there:) Exciting mini room project:) Moving out of hall has also sped up many processes, and I'm so thankful for that because I need this 3 month break to be a good one without my mind wondering off to other stuff.

But but but, I miss Faturday so much, even though I only saw them last week. Awesome bunch of people I met in hall :') Thank God Ella and Van will be working with me at LICK. Don't know how I'll survive not seeing those 2 especially:) I also miss Beans alot, been looking at her photographs and smiling to myself like an idiot. THOSE PAWS!!!

Exciting things happening in the background, but I only know to well not to expect too much.
Have a great week ahead!!!



Luv.

The End Is Near

Genes and Society will be my last paper tmrw! Whoopeedoo!
But it's going to be a 9am paper and my notes look very intimidating, my head has been spinning since halfway through my GEK1012 paper, I didn't get proper sleep last night, I think I'm getting sick.

I think I'm desensitizing myself from all the shit this sem has thrown to me because honestly if I was who I was 1 sem ago I would be a complete mess.

I can't wait to go home to my new bed and all. As much as I enjoyed hall, I want to go home so badly.



LUV!

Will it sound weird if I said that I enjoyed my Nation Building paper today? I honestly had fun writing my essays. Because we were given an hour for each paper, in my mind I was all like "BRING IT ON BITCHES" and just wrote my life away.

5 pages for the first question and 4 for the next.

I think I might have gotten carried away writing the first question hehe. I felt like like all my words were just flowing out of my pen and it was a great feeling.

Now I have to study for an Open Book Essay Paper. This sounds horribly twisted. But then again my prof is a little on the weird side so maybe it shouldn't count as funny.


So many exciting things lined up for me after my finals!
-Clubbing with the usuals and Velda at Zouk
-The Lucky One and dinner before that
-Sentosa on Friday with Ann, Pads, Sharms, Eugene
-Back to work at LICK!
-Doing up my room! So many ideas in my brain I can't wait!
-Driving (Okay, maybe I can't say this is exciting)
-GOING HOME!!!!!!


Til then I have 2 more papers:)




Luv.

Thank god I tend to over-analyze situations, because in this case, thankfully, I am still rather alive.


I also thank God for having such supportive friends<3

Arctic

Just came back from the Starbucks at Utown after stopping to chat with Rachel and Joel. Waiting for Ella to return so Faturday can have our Arctic Slumber Party in her room:)

Today was a whirlwind. I don't know what happened, why it happened and what's going to happen, but all I know is feeling confused. My brain is good like that, overthinking. So today hasn't exactly been productive because my brain cannot prioritise and now its throbbing like fuck.

I knew this was too good to be true, the signs were all there, flashing, neon. But what happened? I chose to hope. Hope for the best, expect the worst. Now its just expect the worst.



Luv.

Bracing myself for the worst.

Milestone

No longer a teenager! Don't know if this can be considered a milestone in life (?)

Downer because finals are in 5 days. Cycle will repeat itself for the next 3/4 years:(

Feeling happy studying over at Ella's room because she haz aircon!!!!!

I honestly cannot wait for finals to be over.
I'm looking forward to being a couch potato in my new room, cooking up a storm in my own kitchen, and going back to being a scooperwoman at LICK.

Oh joy, the simple pleasures of life:)


In other words, I have organized all the overwhelming thoughts in my head and have decided that I should take steps in maintaining a distance because it is necessary for the well-being of my heart.




Luv.

Fuck. First paper in less than a week. I'm not done with my content.
I am fucking this close to crying because I feel fucking useless now and I just need someone to tell me its okay and give me a goddamn big hug and just suffocate me with encouragement and assurance.

But here I am sitting in the middle of the room, alone, feeling bloody under the weather, and frustrated and exhausted and a thousand other negative emotions with no one to share them with.

Fuck fuck fuckity fuck.
I need to shut up.
I need to stop being so damn vulgar but this is the only fucking way I can not go mad.


Fuck.

Air

Its 3pm, I'm at Utown buried deep in my notes and the weather is lovely today. If I didn't have finals in 7 days, I would love to fly a kite a on the field in Utown, of course wearing a nice picnic dress:)

The past few days have been dreamy. Because every night before I sleep, or when I'm standing in the shower, these are the 2 times in the day when I sort out my thoughts and just think. That's when I think that all these is too surreal and how I'm all caught up with breathing in all this positive energy that I could just explode into a tiny ball of happiness.

1 month will be what determines my standing. How long it'll take for me to sort out my feelings.


The weather is making me feel all sentimental.




Luv.

Get Used To It

These few days have been pretty crazy.
Exams lurking around the corner and I still feel as though the sem barely started. Really bad, really bad.

Don't know if I can keep this whole University thing up because I feel so tiny here. It takes so much effort to keep my grades up, so I don't know how people say life here is a breeze. It sure feels like a freaking hailstorm over here and I'm dying.

And then there's this whole new phase I'm going through now that heightens every possible insecurity I have about myself. It creeps me out. Its like playing with fire because the thrill and fear drives me crazy.

I talked to Rachel today while trying to photocopy notes, and she said maybe the problem lies with me. Its funny how I can think of a 1000 ways how something might fail before even considering the possibility of it taking off.

Too tired, too much econs, graphs and random thoughts swimming around in my head.



Luv,

Closeness scares me.

Distance calms me.

War in my head.

Happy Birthday Paps

April

I'm finally back to this space again.

Hall life has been really busy and I'm trying to bask in whatever happiness I've been so blessed to have over here. Awesome bunch of people who are always so spontaneous and lovely and supportive.

This semester has proved to be emotionally destructive but my favourite people pull me back whenever I fall to deep into my own demons, so I cannot be ever more grateful that I've met them. Sadly this might be the last semester that I'll be over here. Will miss my little ball of fur:')

This semester has also made my heart ache in one ways too often that I no longer know what to do with that muscle of mine. Right now everything looks bright and cheery but I wonder for how long. Because we all know when you get too happy for too long, its only right for something to come and take it away. I hope it won't be too soon because honestly I haven't felt so happy in a long time.

Have to get back to my books soon, been out the entire day with J and haven't done ANYTHING close to productive.



Luv.