Red Velvet Cake – Food for Thought

No one does Red Velvet Cake better than Food for Thought. There’s a delicate balance between that thick cream cheese and that moist sponge cake and I love how they are very generous with their slices! And of course that drizzly syrup is what makes the presentation look so tantalizing! I always have to share this with someone because it is just to big to eat on its own! Admittedly it’s abit overwhelming and heavy but still, a nice sweet treat to enjoy once in awhile. Well worth the calories.

Carrot Cake – Cedele

I love to eat at Cedele because the meals feel so wholesome and healthy and I actually eat there like twice or thrice a month on average. I love the Raffles City branch because its quieter and has more privacy and while I’m there I would always order the Carrot Cake. I love how the carrot bits are very fine and how its not too sweet.

Muddy Mud Pie – Coffee Club

This is my sinful indulgence! Layer of coffee and chocolate icecream with a hard oreo base, chocolate syrup and oreo crumbs. I would eat this at the Takashimaya branch while looking down at the people attempting the Subaru Challenge. Such a shame that outlet no longer exists anymore.

Strawberry Shortcake – Bakerzin

My go-to cake when I want to have a light dessert. It’s fluffy sponge cake paired with fresh cream and strawberries… that right balance of sweet from the cream and sponge and sour from the tangy strawberries…life’s simple pleasures.

Chocolate Cake – Awfully Chocolate

Tough fight with the Cedele’s Chocolate Truffle version but I think Awfully Chocolate has a slight edge because its more like a cake and less heavy. I like that the chocolate is a tad bitter though. Try the Hei Icecream, that’s really really good too!

Sticky Date Pudding & Key Lime Pie – Robert Timms

I’ve got a soft spot for Sticky Date Pudding and Robert Timms is my favourite place to get my fix (though Prive’s version is good too!). It’s moist, warm, sweet and the alcohol in the rum raisins makes it a little heady but that mix of that warm pudding with the cold fresh vanilla icecream… what a dream!

And for a tangy twist, the key lime pie is also really really good. It’s not too sour and the crumble is really crisp. It goes really well with the icecream too. Only problem is that if you are eating this together with the sticky date pudding, chances are you aren’t going to be able to finish both. The helping is really quite big!

So there you have it. My favourite cakes at my favourite places. Did I miss out any cake flavors? Or are we missing out on a really good cake place? Let us know!

Each & every relationship is not without its difficulties. Mark & Caroline – despite their differences, complement each other in an oddly perfect way. & when Mark looked at Caroline straight in the eye & said that she was his best friend, I felt a sudden burst of emotion, because that’s precisely the way I feel about my own bf.

True enough, it took Carol a few moments before she could compose herself to begin her vows after listening to Mark’s heartfelt words. As she spoke, her sincere promises of love made me feel like a proud mommy for a moment (yes i know I’m younger than her but hey! I watched these two get together and shared such a huge part of my life with both of them, ok!)

At the end of the day, bearing the honour of being the one & only bridesmaid – to see both of them happy, creates the most wonderful explosions of happiness inside of me. I love them, not in the way that they love each other, but I love them, because they love each other, because Mark is the man who has given my best friend – the perfect soulmate, a pillar of strength, a willing listener and a devoted, charming entertainer :)

I began the night telling the best man Chai – oh no! I haven’t written my speech! But it’s the end of the night & I’m feeling pretty good about it. I don’t need to wreck my head over what to say, or think of pretty phrases, because… this is Love, actually.

Related posts:

What’s in the bag?

From left: Sexy Peel and Rockstar soaps, American Cream Conditioner, Vanilla Puff Powder, Buffy, Shimmy Shimmy Massage Bar

Sexy Peel, Rockstar and Shimmy Shimmy are Ruth’s orders so stay tuned for her review on these products. I tried Retread the last time round and rather liked it but I read some positive reviews with regards to American Cream so I decided to change things up alittle and give this a go. I did the same by swapping our Aqua Mirablis for Buffy this time around so fingers crossed, I hope I will love these products. Will do a review soon.

But what I can be sure enough to say is that I am totally digging Vanilla Puff Powder. If there is a scent in the world that I can express my undying adoration for, it would be vanilla scents. In fact, I just got Ruth to buy Vanilla Brown Sugar sanitizers and handwashes from Bath and Body Works for me because I love the scent so much. So to smell like a Vanilla cupcake all through the day sounds like an amazing idea though I’ve taken to apply this before bed and after a shower. Handy to carry in your bag and when you are on the go to keep those sweat stains at bay and to smell nice throughout the day! Rather pricey though for $22+ for 80g but it goes on so silky smooth and the scent is so delectable and lasting that I really can’t complain.

Also, I preordered Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner. It is apparently so sought after that there is a waiting list for this product which will be back instores end of this week. According to my friend who managed to get her hands on it, she claims that it smells superrrrr nice and of course the wash off formula is a novel and creative idea that leaves your skin moisturised without any sticky residue. In any case, for every order of Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner, you are entitled to participate in a lucky draw and you could win a whole bunch of hand-picked goodies from Lush so yeah, sign me up this instant! Can’t wait to collect my tub of this awesome stuff this weekend!

Yes it must be obvious by now. I am a Lush addict and boy am I proud of it!

To be able to wear something loose yet look chic, one must know the importance of neatness. Anything untidy about a loose-fitting piece will more often than not, render one into sloppy-land. Designer Tomas Maier certainly knew how to cut his pieces well. Each piece in his collection alternates between loose and sharp tailoring to bring across the effect of effortless freedom. I love how his pieces moved on the runway. Gorgeous! The sway and flow of the fabric made me feel that I really need a pair of tailored loose pants. now.

That said, my favourite has to be the blue, flower-patterned dress. I think it’s so pretty how the detailed flowers seem to fall inwards down the bosom to the bottom of the dress – into a sea of blue. It defies the idea of visible seams and delineated portions – something that the popular trend of colour blocking celebrates. Indeed, if one looks at his collection in its entirety, one realizes that it is beautifully executed, seamless collection. Seams are hidden, tucked, made invisible.

& while I’m no fan of yellow or any of its cousins, this mustard bag caught my eye:

I want a closer look! The photoshoot still is so unsatisfying. The texture intrigues me. What is it made of? What does it look like up close? It’s not out on the official website yet so I’m just hoping that it’ll be out in more palatable colours (for me) so that I have a new arm candy to drool over. Or maybe I’ll shun it in disgust when I finally get to zoom up close lol.

Stay tuned for more! The Resort/Cruise 2013 season has just begun.

The story is simple enough, a 32 year old man, Charlie Gordon, has low IQ and he agrees to undergo an operation to raise it but as a result of it he becomes more attuned to the world and he loses his child-like naivety and genuine sincerity and instead is inundated into the world of cynicism, mistrust and unpleasantness. The storytelling is amazing though. Told through reports and accounts, we see Charlie’s intellectual growth. From his early entries where he uses simple words and phrases which are peppered with spelling errors, he slowly develops his language abilities and thought processes. I thought Daniel Keyes did an excellent job there. It’s amazing how he is able to manipulate the use of language to mirror that growth and change.

I also enjoyed the very intellectual discussion which invoked literary greats like Milton or Freud (what with all the talk about the repressed unconcious) and how the novel as a whole raises the question of whether science can indeed improve the quality of life of the less fortunate. Does raising a person’s IQ enable him to live a normal life? In Charlie’s case, it seems this isn’t possible. His friends shied away from him, fearing his superior intellect. His acute awareness of how people were laughing at him not with him makes him guarded and defensive, he is unable to have romantic relations with Alice whom he deeply loves but cannot bring himself to consummate the relationship and instead, must seek out sexual fulfillment through someone else (Fey)… And eventually towards the end of the course of his intellectual life, he hits out at the people who love him the most. It’s really heartbreaking to read and I find myself welling up a whole lot.

I didn’t expect this novel to be so touching but it really is, in a quiet almost contemplative way especially when Charlie confronts his parents for their abandonment, or when he talks to himself, the child-like, innocent Charlie that has been repressed so the bold, thinking Charlie can come forth. It’s a thoughtful read and one that really sucks you in (I finished it in one day, in 2 sittings) though it does leave you feeling rather hollow.

“I don’t know what’s worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you’ve always wanted to be, and feel alone.”
― Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon

But of course if you have a more flamboyant personality then you can choose a bangle in a brighter colour with words like ‘London Calling’ or ‘Play Hooky’ carved on the outer rim. I’m actually quite fond of the chunky bangles with the tribal prints.

We love her use of subtle details & mesh. The fluid nature of mesh makes the piece flattering to movement. & it’s high time that mesh was used for other means instead of just mass layering to make a fluffy tutu skirt.

I need some mesh in my life.

Related posts:

Ramen is one of my favourite indulgences. It’s warm, it’s hearty, it’s comfort food. That said, despite the fact that it ranks as one of the top ten ramen places in Singapore, Marutama Ramen is one that I haven’t tried, mostly because critics have dismissed it as fancy maggi mee in chicken broth.

We started off with Yaki Gyoza ($5), to whet our appetites :)

It was excellent! The gyoza was not too oily, really savoury and not dried out, as would be typical of some other substandard restaurants. It was served with a generous amount of vinegar and a meagre amount of chili sauce – which was way more than enough because that chili is extremely spicy!!

The boyfriend tried out the Ebi Ramen ($15), which had prawns, some charsiew, seaweed  and a lemon slice at the side! The egg (tamago) was an add on, for $1.00. Overall, it was pretty good, but it really tasted like thick chicken broth.

The tamago had a chef’s thumbs-up next to it on the menu, & I wondered why. We both ordered it & were pleasantly surprised. Not only was it perfectly cooked (nicely runny inside), but it seemed that the yolk was marinated in soy sauce, so it definitely complemented the hearty taste of the ramen. Since the egg was unbroken, I’ve no idea how they made it such that only the yolk & not the egg white was salty, but we would definitely re-order their tamago again! It’s not for those who dislike salty things though, so do take note :)

The seaweed was also of the shredded type and the ramen was thinner than what I’m normally used to. It was cooked al dente & did not turn soggy, even after some time. The serving was rather generous, but for those hungry monsters out there, they offer a $2 top up of ramen, on the condition that you have enough soup left.

I ordered the Aka Ramen ($15) – a ramen with 7 spices of groundnuts. It was supposedly mildly spicy. I don’t have a great tolerance for chili, but I didn’t find this spicy at all. For those who’d like their ramen with a stronger chili kick, there are chili flakes readily available at each table, as well as fried garlic and sesame seeds.

This broth tasted quite different from that of the Ebi Ramen. It was saltier and slightly lighter. While the bf had shied away from the unorthodox lemon slice that had been place at the side of the bowl, I decided to try it out & hmm, it did add a nice sourish twang to the soup. Nothing shocking or greatly different about it though?

I disliked the chicken balls. It was minced chicken meat with some chili flakes and had a really strong taste of onions. So unless you’re an onion lover, I wouldn’t recommend this.

Overall though, it was quite a satisfying meal, & the prices weren’t freakishly expensive either. though we sat at the far end of the restaurant, the staff were attentive & topped up our ice water whenever they saw it fall below the half-way mark. I have to say though, that the variety of ramen available here isn’t impressive, they have about 6 varieties? So while we’ll visit again to try the other types, I’m sure if it’ll sustain our interest for long.

The Marutama Ramen outlet that we visited is located at:

3 Temasek Boulevard
Suntec City Mall
#03-018/020
Singapore 038983

Related posts:

It is a depressing feeling to want so many things but not be able to have them. Which is why the value set idea is just brilliant because you get to try so many different kinds of products in small-ish amounts so you can determine which ones work best before purchasing a full sized product. Another reason why I love value sets is cos you get more bang for your buck. It makes much more sense for example, to purchase a Tarte value set than a single Lipsurgence balm or to purchase the Benefit Porefessionally Pretty set because it comes with a full sized Porefessional while throwing in a smaller pot of Erase Paste and Girl Meets Pearl for alittle extra.

And of course, being the lazy person that I am, I like that value sets come in compact sizes or have multiple functions within a box set like the Too Faced Natural Face Natural Radiance Facial Palette. It contains both cream and powder blush, bronzer, concealer and brightener all in one! How convenient!

And sometimes you get collaborations and the latest one is between Benefit and the movie, Snow White and the Huntsman. It is basically a set which contains products that helps you recreate a fair, flawless complexion and rosy lips and cheeks of Snow White. What I’m loving is the pretty little kit that comes with all the products!

And I think we got lucky because all the products in this little set are all of Benefit’s star products! I spot Benetint and BADgal! But if I have to save up for a value set, it will most likely be TARTE’s Achoite collection because I’ve been meaning to try their Amazonian Clay 12-hr blush and the lip lustre so this set is just perfection! Loving the universally flattering coral colour and the floral detail of the lip gloss is so so pretty! Very clever packaging!

And the best thing about value sets? They make a great gift for girlfriends- birthdays, anniversaries, christmas, valentines… and with Mother’s Day right round the corner, I might just get my mom some new makeup along with her favourite L’Occitane hand cream!

Related posts:

It’s crazy, it’s insane! But each and every model is so interesting. I found myself staring intensely at each outfit, thinking of which comic book character they reminded me of (yes, comic geek alert here! Though I’m not a diehard fan, but Caroline’s Mark is.) I love how various elements come to play and I’m pretty sure that the model of the top row, centre, has the Hulk’s face on her shorts (albeit, in a more girly pink colour).

For more images, check it out on comicsalliance

Mad Marvel(ous)ness aside, I’m crossing my fingers & hoping that the genius duo behind RWB, Anna Plunkett & Luke Sales, will adapt their runway looks for a more wearable Ready To Wear collection. In fact, after browsing the RWB site, I’ve fallen head over heels for their A/W 2012 Collection! So adorable, love the owl dress!

Where’s the crazy mix of colours in  your life?