About the Octopus

No, not Paul the famous cephalopod, which is unbelievably hard to spell, I might add!

Yes the blog is due for an update! I realised that I often like to read old posts.. It helps me remember wot went on in a specific time of my life (:

So, I wanted to upload some film photos... and then realised that I had uploaded some on Facebook which I didn't blog about. M's octopus that is (:

The thing is, we went to the Marina Barrage one day...



It was months ago, perhaps in January or February.

I can still remember the potato salad and tuna sandwiches that Hanh made (:





That's Hanh, with my camera (:



And M, finishing the potato salad. So very yummmmmy....!

Well this was all back when it was just a jc friends gathering (:

And we went there to have a picnic and play Scrabble!





Hehe, that's the super cute drawstring bag I got for the Scrabble tiles so I wouldn't lose any! Two are missing already.



Doesn't this remind you of There's Something About Mary? The part where she put something in her hair...



We saw loads of kites being flown.





Speaking of which, kites are like everywhere in Singapore now! I see them in Boon Lay... I heard West Coast and East Coast Park are full of them too... Not to forget Barrage of course (:

It just reaffirms my thinking that Singaporeans are all followers. One person can do something, and then everyone will follow. We're like a bunch of silly sheep, to be honest. Silly Singaporeans.

And then just as we were leaving, we spotted this really cool kite!!



with an extreeeeemely long tail (: which M happened to find really really cool!

Okay now skip forward a few months, to May, where during my trip to Haikou with the girls, I spotted the coolest kite ever!! It was soaring in the sky. And it had EIGHT tails.

Fine, tentacles.

Of course, I thought of M (:

It was crazy expensive (especially since we were in China, but given that he likes huge kites - with tails - and diving / water, I thought the octopus was perfect!)

*Let me warn you first that this is a very long post (or at least photo-heavy!)

Our first outing was to West Coast Park (: Which Jo recommended as a very windy and popular kite-flying spot. Back when there weren't many kites in Singapore yet, for when we went, the park was empty. There was no wind. The weather was scorching hot. And our kite wouldn't fly - unless you count running around and dragging the kite in the air, flying.

So instead we sat on the mat and burnt ourselves.





For we were waiting for the elusive wind to arrive... which didn't, we sadly realised after more than an hour in the sun, far from the shade.

So we played the uke instead :D





Our next attempt, was at the Barrage. A place where we previously saw many kites doing what kites should.



This time, Beverley, my best friend in Canada came along! And I made my version of potato salad... which was not as good as Hanh's, let's leave it at that (:



Unrolling the kite!



M looks optimistic (:

But, while everyone's kite flew, ours was only content to fly when being dragged around.



Personally, I thought it was too overweight. It was HUGE! And heavy.



The two happy and still-optimistic people (:

Unfortunately, happiness was short-lived as the weather turned gloomy.

I played the uke while the two tried hard (:



Then they gave up and we had our meal!! I can't quite remember wot I made, it wasn't memorable ): I should stick to baking.





Bev learnt You Are My Sunshine on the uke!

Unfortunately the kite didn't fly that day either...



Apparently nothing dampens their spirit (:



Well!

Matthew kept saying that third time's the charm (even on our first attempt) and I remained sceptical.



We went to this large, correction, HUGE empty field somewhere in Woodlands. Follow the kites and you'll find it (: Oh, and police car, which gets called often to get rid of illegally parking drivers (:



Was M running around while that kite stayed in the air?



Was he?



*TADA* no running involved!

Haha. The field was much too muddy anyway, there was much waterlogged areas, that we had to watch where we tread.



The wind kept dying though, although it was quite strong most of the time. That's me getting the kite up!



It would mostly fly far, but remain low.

Once it got pretty high though!! :D Happy!



I guess third time really is the charm (:



And that ends the story of M's octopus (:

Stay tuned next, for scans of film slides taken during the first Barrage outing. Their oversaturated. But I love them!!

Sushi Tei and... Yogurt Day!

Yesterday, met my best friend who came down from Canada. And cos she likes yogurt, and I LOVE yogurt, decided a yogurt day was in the works (: We went to visit three yogurt places. Which I thought seemed quite few at first, but woah I guess yogurt can be very filling!

But anyway, before that, went to Sushi Tei!

Tried some things from their seasonal menu, such as the onigiri, bamboo steamed food, as well as some beef collagen hotpot thing which I can't really recall..



Salmon Miso Onigiri, a tad dry at the edges, but moist and soft inside. The miso taste is mild, which is good because it complements the salmon instead of overpowering the onigiri and being too salty. It would be better if there were more salmon flakes though.



Spicy Clam Asari Soup Pasta didn't have many clams (mom said she doesn't think this is worth the cost) but the clams were tender and bursting with juices. The spaghetti was nicely done, so if you like pasta al dente, Sushi Tei will not disappoint here. Unfortunately the soup wasn't anything special.



This one was pretty good! (: Oysters on Rice in a bamboo steamer. I'm not a big fan of oysters, but for lack of a better word, the oysters were juicy just like the clams. And the rice was expected to be plain, but unexpectedly arrived a mixture of different rice as well as mildly seasoned. After letting it steam for about 7-8 minutes, everything is warm and moist, almost like lotus-leaf wrapped rice you get at dimsum places.



Beef and ramen.



Spicy stock with cabbage, enokitake mushrooms, pumpkin slices, white radish and what my mom said was some collagen thing. Not very sure though. But the soup tasted weird. Like kimchi gone wrong. Wouldn't have it again. Ramen's good though, eggy! (:

One last item we had from the seasonal menu was the apple ice cream.



We are big fans of their ice cream, especially Yuzu (yum!) but this one tasted like frozen apple juice popped in an ice cream maker. Try it if you love how apple juice tastes.

That's all from the new menu! (:

Now, meet my new relative (relatively new at least)!



This is Ayden, my little nephew. He's about a month plus old I think.

He's wearing the super cute jumper I got from Threadless! Love it ((:



Then M came and Yogurt Day commenced!

We had three in total, Yoguru, JCo yogurt and Yigloo.

First stop, Raffles City.



Yoguru has two flavours, original and Yogubliss. I'm a purist, so even though I do try other flavours, I always order original (: Well, for me, yoguru comes in third. It reminds me more of ice cream, as it is very creamy. Having the regular cup can fill you up, it is that thick. The tartness does not really come through, as it is overpowered by the milkiness. We agreed that it was too milky.

Nearby is JCo, land of donuts.



Yes its us again, I'm not a fan of being in photographs but this is the last one! (:

I LOVE JCo yogurt. I'm biased, I love frozen yogurt that does taste like frozen yogurt. Its tart, and only very slightly creamy. As a result, its very refreshing, almost thirst-quenching. The 'couple' size comes with three toppings, and the fruits and nuts complement this very well, providing sweetness for the tart yogurt. Almonds flakes are especially yummy with the yogurt, and JCo is very generous when it comes to toppings, even though they are included in the price (:

Our last stop was Yigloo!



Its a really cute place tucked in the basement of Vivocity, you must have seen its posters on the walls in vivo (:



The concept behind Yigloo is interesting. They offer many flavours, and like most yogurt shops, offer three different portion sizes. But they give you free topping! (:





Its a huge range, from different jellies, to many different fruits (including dragonfruit!) and dried ones such as nuts (: YUM! But you have to take it at one shot (:



yyyyyyyummmmmy!!



However, to ensure they make profit, the yogurt is swirled to the brim of the cup, so you don't have space within the cup for toppings, they go on a slippery slope of frozen yogurt (: Still you can put as much as you possibly can!



I would say that Yigloo comes in second for me. People who are big flavour fans will love this place for its wide range such as mango to cookies and cream yogurt, but I'm still a purist (: Otherwise, do try mango, I think its pretty good!! The rest reminded me more of ice cream in consistency.

But regarding original, Yigloo comes in as a compromise between Yoguru's extreme milkiness and creaminess, and JCo's tartness (: Plus you get free toppings!!

Still, it all depends on personal preference (:

M makes some weird faces after yogurt day ((: so cute.







Last but not least, if you're a bread and pizza fan, try Petit Provence's Sesami Pizza!



Its seriously good. Tomatoes and a generous serving of cheese slathered in what I hope is olive oil, is baked on a sesame bread base. GOOD STUFF ((:

That's all. Bye!