yummy for my tummy

Hey guys. How're things in life? This post is just a little snippet of one of the highlights of my pretty mundane life these days. School has started of course, so naturally I get a lot more tired...and wistful about the incredibly fun times I had during the holidays... At the moment I'm almost nearing the end of a posting and there's a test next week but really, I'm in such a state of semi-fatigue that I don't quite feel capable of achieving anything at the moment. And it just so happens to be Friday night. :) So I'm giving myself a break.

Last week, my mum and I went out for dinner at the new Ramen place at Iluma! A group of 6 famous Ramen restaurants from Japan have been invited to set up their own temporary restaurant at the eatery level of a shopping center and it's part of a competition - ULTIMATE RAMEN CHAMPION 2011. At the end of the year, the restaurant with the highest number of votes (via handphone texts/email votes/sales takings...the works) will be crowned the WINNER and will set up a permanent restaurant here. (In my opinion, it's a REALLY smart way of attracting more crowds to the shopping mall that is otherwise rather lacking in consumer traffic.)

So it's set up Marche style, as you pay using a card and each individual restaurant has their own sort of stall and seats around it...

Left: QOO Apple Juice! :D It's been AGES since I had a sip of this! I remember when it first came out into the market; I must've been like 10?? I just remember my friends and me really liking this drink. They've got it in other flavors too like Green Apple...Grape... MMM.

Right: The side order of bean sprouts and chives. This was a MISTAKE. I thought it would be a simply topping of bean sprouts on top of the ramen but NO. This HAD to come DRENCHED IN THE HOTTEST CHILLI SAUCE EVER. :((( I ended up having to soak it continuously in the ramen broth in order to wash off some of the chilli. What a nightmare.

Just so you know, Ramen is one of my favorite dishes. :D EVER. I love Japanese food and Ramen usually never fails to make me extremely contented. This one was from Iroha. Chewy noodles and delicious broth. I would definitely recommend it over the dipping-style ramen I tried from the other restaurant, Testu. That one just didn't have the right kind of kick that a normal bowl of steaming hot ramen offers.

Yeah, I really couldn't resist the Asian pose. Hey, it's Ramen for crying out loud! :)

THICK SLICES OF CHAR SIEW PORK. YUMYUM.

There was a little Wish Tree (methinks) at the entrance and I happened to see this one. Go figure?

P.S. So being the huge ramen fans we are, my mum and I are determined to try out all 6 of the restaurants and come to our own conclusion as to which one deserves the title of champion. :) Can't wait to go back and try more! 4 more to go.

Brooklyn Flea: Part 2

So I do sort of realize that the title of this post is a bit of a misnomer since I'm not actually writing anything about the Brooklyn Flea in this post... but it's really just a continuation of that wonderful day I spent in Brooklyn when I'd set out to visit the Brooklyn Flea. :)

The one that my friend, Steph, and I went for was the Williamsburg Flea which was right at the waterfront so there was a fantastic view of Manhattan at the pier.

THE skyline photo! :D I suppose this is probably where artists stand when they paint the Manhattan skyline.

photos taken by Stephanie. :)

(dress: Need Supply Co., blazer: random store in Tokyo quite a long time ago, mocassins: Aldo, bag: Le Mode Accessories)

I bought these Aldo mocassins very early on when I was in NYC and they ended up being my staple shoes for a large part of the trip.

Outfit shot for Steph! :) Aren't her oxfords darling? She had the cutest collection of them!

Next we continued our exploration of Brooklyn and managed to locate Blue Bottle Coffee ! I'd read so many glowing reviews about it so I was really happy when we managed to find it.

(Doesn't that look incredible? I have NO IDEA what those are though. ;p So if anyone does, please enlighten me! I just love the way they've been displayed against that gorgeous blue wall beneath a mysterious spotlight.)

A technique they use to make 'Drip Coffee'. Basically using filter paper to distill the goodness out of those coffee beans with hot water. I didn't actually try any of the coffee (because I'd run out of money after getting a dress HEHEHE) but the aroma of the entire place was so lovely.

Berry St. Brooklyn

160 Berry Street, Brooklyn NY

M-F 7-7, Sat & Sun 8-7

If you're ever in Brooklyn, this is definitely a place to check out! I love everything about it - the interior decoration and design... their minimalist and clean branding... Do check out their website and take a look at the really cute illustrations they have!

One thing I really love about Brooklyn is how so many buildings look so different from each other on the outside. None of that mass produced homogeneity.

It was really funny because Steph and I were searching high and low for THE famous vintage clothing store, Beacon's Closet, which is like THE HAVEN for vintage shoppers in Brooklyn. We happened to walk down a street and the first thing we saw was that sign and we went, "EW. What a scary looking baby!!!", not realizing that... THAT WAS THE STORE. ;p

203 Grand Street

(between Bedford and Driggs Avenue)

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Bird is one of the nicest stores I've been into. It carries all sorts of incredible brands such as Alexander Wang, A.P.C, Tsumori Chisato... basically all the most awesome and expensive brands. Even though I usually end up feeling semi-crappy after, I do love going into stores that sell gorgeous things simply because... I love looking at things that are beautiful. :) It does make me feel happy...until I pick up a price tag. But this store also has really nice interior decor; notice the hanging lights? I love how cozy it makes the place feel.

See why I love Brooklyn so much? :)

Brooklyn Flea: Part 1

One of the best weekends I had in New York City was the one when I traveled to Brooklyn with my friend, Stephanie, to check out the Brooklyn Flea. I'd heard so much about it and was sooo excited to check it out and visit Brooklyn for the first time!

Steph and I started out the day with a DELICIOUS Rio Bowl from Juicy Lucy, a teeny little coffee shop tucked away in the heart of the East Village.

Juicy Lucy

85 Ave A

New York, NY 10009

The Rio Bowl is a MUST HAVE if you're ever able to pop by the shop. It's an absolutely phenomenal bowl of yummy granola and sliced bananas, topped off with a refreshing blend of acai berry smoothie. It was SOSOSO refreshing; every bite felt like a fresh burst of healthy goodness and it was the perfect start to a Sunday morning. I could eat that every day of the week (just that I was too lazy to wake up early for breakfast. SIGH!). I miss it so much now!

Funnily enough on that day, the L subway to Brooklyn wasn't in operation (it's the most direct way to get to Bedford Avenue and just ONE stop away from my dorm!) so we had to take long arduous route which included switching a couple of times on the subway and then eventually taking a shuttle bus to our destination. It was funny how we waited at what we hope was the shuttle bus stop and the longer we waited, the more people came along asking us if we were also waiting for the shuttle to Bedford Ave so we weren't the only clueless souls there.

One the bus, we sat behind the sweetest little pup and his owner. That doggy was just the best-behaved dog ever! Not a barf, pip or squeak; just doeful curious eyes that stared right back at you. If I ever had a dog, I'd want one like him... just so I could bring him along with me when I go shopping and he wouldn't cause any trouble or attract any unwanted attention.

PEEK-A-BOO~~!

So happy when I saw this sight. :D What could be more perfect that people lounging on a field beside the flea market enjoying the gorgeous spring weather, munching on their lunches and having a good chat with each other? A sight like this just calms me down.

There were so many incredible stalls at the flea market, selling all sorts of items ranging from conventional ones such as jewelry/vintage clothes... to really niche-market items such as well... LIGHTBULBS for one, wacky furniture... BOTTLES... type stamps... you name it, there was probably a stall that had it.

How cute are these scrabble rings! :D Probably highly DIY-able too.

Steph at the lightbulb stall!

GRUNGE-Y SESAME STREET LAMP COVER!! I took this pic really to show my sis since we're both mega fans of Sesame Street. Cookie Monster and Ernie FTW!! Not an Elmo fan at all. (Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. Why does everyone like Elmo?!? He's small and whiny. Like the kind of guy you'd never want to date.)

Lunch was a delicious grilled cheese sandwich! Oh did I forget to mention? There were also a ton of food stalls! Some sold drinks like Lemonade amongst other more unique concoctions... others sold sandwiches...burgers...fries...pizzas... and I think there were frozen bananas/chocolate covered bananas being sold. YUMM.

I'm not usually a fan of cheese but I happen to LOVE grilled cheese sandwiches! Maybe because they add in other stuff like onions and herbs that flavor the cheese such that the original cheese flavor isn't so strong and all you really taste is a gooey salty crispy goodness.

We sat on the field by the side of the market and LOUNGED. :)

Me and my dear friend, Steph. She's one of my classmates from the Graphic Design course and I'm soso happy I met her! :) We both ended up walking around the quaint and quiet(er) streets of Brooklyn but that'll be for the next post.

I know this is a little voyeuristic of me but really, I just wanted to capture the feeling that was presented by this scene at that particular moment in time. It would be nice to live in Brooklyn next time. :) Something to work towards in the future.

I just think that every Sunday should be like this.

in search of something as perfect and sweet...

as those days in New York.

I miss NYC so so much. Back in Singapore now, back to school (unfortunately), and back to this insanely hot weather. Every time I think about all the awesome days in NY I feel this bubble of happiness inside...yet it's always lined with sadness since I'm not there at the moment... But I do hope I'll be able to go back again soon enough.

Blogging's been slow but I'm hoping to make use of this weekend to finally go through at least a portion of my photos! :)

In the meantime, I've discovered a new brand of shoes -- Castañer.

. It's a brand that produces really lovely resort style shoes that are stylish in their simplicity and so multifunctional. I mean, just look at these:

SIGH. (I think people tend to overlook Happy Sighs in life).