Selfies @ A S**tty Time

One thing about me not known to many people is that the s**ttier life is for me, the more selfies I take.

Most people take a selfie when they feel good, when they feel confident, when life is good and well.

I am the opposite.

I take selfies when life is tired, when life is exhausting, when certain aspects of life seem to run in a loop that never seem to end. 

That don't mean I take pictures that have me look dowdy, haggard, unkempt, exhausted, or frumpy. 

It just means that I take selfies of the warpaint that I have on despite the situation I am in. 

Let's just say it is a self encouragement.

Or that it is a reminder that I still have resources and am still trying my best to not spiral, give up and go down. 

I have to admit that it can be hard. 

That life can make it hard to smile, even if it be at yourself, in your own camera, your own lens. 

I have had many, many selfies taken in the first three and a half months this year. In three months the number of selfies I took almost rival the entire collection I took for the whole of last year. 

That's how it has been.

All these pictures you see here now were taken after I'd gone to cut my hair. 

Some I don't look as good, some I look better.

In all of them I tried my best.

Work goes on, life goes on, no matter how you feel, and better that one keep things moving forward- at least there is a feeling of hope (and faith)- than to stagnate. 

Yet sometimes I have to quietly wonder. 

It is a miracle, I tell you, that I look the way I look in these pictures. 

The hair, especially. 

For the longest time I have left it alone, just wash, comb and let it air dry. But now that it has been cut this style from a random salon downstairs- in a poufff way that the lady tells me I am supposed to blow dry- I've got to use one of them Lucido hair waxes to style the tresses.

Took me a bit of a while to figure out how wax is applied but eventually I got it that I wasn't supposed to run the wax through the strands using my fingers but to pull it straight down flat, with water to assist, before, and after. 

The first picture I took when at an office tower in the CBD. We were there as sponsors for a sort of a cooking competition that would be screened online and maybe for TV as well. 

The next few pictures are of a music showcase that I attended at Scape. What's funny is that all through the bus journey there I had attempted nonstop to take a selfie- natural light and all- but failed. It was only after I got to Scape, seated on a bench waiting for the doors to open, that I managed to take these lovely pictures. 

Hair a little frizzy but I'm glad they turned out well. 

There was a picture at the MRT station of Marine Parade.

And then another whole bunch of pictures that I took at the Coffee Bean of Bugis+ whilst waiting for a prospect to come. 

I love the look of these few. 

They were unexpected. Not only had the lights around Coffee Bean cast a beautiful purplish glow over my (greasy, post-caregiving) hair, they had illuminated my (made-up) face with a lovely, smooth glow, making me look prettier and fresher than I actually felt. 

So thankful. 

I'm glad the glitter eyeshadow brightened my look way more than what I felt. 

I'm also glad the long-used concealer still served its purpose. 

Sometimes life really does turn out better when unplanned. 

People always say you should try and try and try until you get it. 

But that hasn't always been the case for me.

On the contrary it is when I give up, stop trying, and do it again at a most unexpected time that the results actually show. 

Maybe this whole selfie thing is a lesson. 

A lesson on giving up, on letting go, on not trying to persevere over and over again when nothing's happening. 

Of course, one never knows when the results will show.

Sometimes you might be in an environment with the same sort of light, but because you don't have the same makeup or the same sort of space, the desired results won't come. 

Tuk Tuk Cha had the lights.

But I was trying to avoid the background of dishes and serving paraphernalia.

So yeah, same same but different. 

Mi BiBimBap

This place here is fast becoming one of my favorite go-to places for 2026. 

What's surprising is that I had not, never, expected it to be.

See, persons like me are generally neutral, okay okay, when it comes to Mainland Chinese food. Now, that doesn't mean that I don't like the food. It just means that I tend not to have any particular craving for it unless I have a craving for it. 

Which, to date, I gotta say, doesn't happen very often. 

Why that is, I don't especially know. 

Maybe because I haven't fully explored the presence of Mainland food yet.

And maybe I already have a couple of favorites and I kinda like going back to them again and again.

One thing about Mainland Chinese food is how large the portions are.

They really do mean it when they say that a meal is not meant to be just necessity, or sustenance, but a reward, something to anticipate, something to plan, something to look forward to. 

It is very difficult to feel shortchanged when it comes to having a meal at them Mainland Chinese places, no less too, when you eat at a place like Mi Bibimbap where the menu is Mainland Chinese, but also not quite Mainland Chinese at the same time. 

They have a lot of dishes to choose from. 

I've seen groups and diners order their favorites, whether it be the Bibimbap with the varieties of chicken, beef or pork, whether it be the stir-fried of Braised Deep Sea Cod, the Classic Sanbei Chicken, or the Braised Chicken with Potatoes. 

One thing about the menu here is that it has been planned for solo diners. 

And solo diners there are, plenty, too. 

What makes this place most charming, let me just say, is the unlimited service of rice, kimchi, and seaweed soup. 

Some people will love the unlimited servings of seaweed soup. 

Some people will love the unlimited servings of rice. 

And then some people, like me, love the unlimited kimchi. 

On some days the unlimited kimchi might not mean a lot, but more often than not, it does.

I have come to appreciate the kimchi on days when I want more bang for my buck.

I also have come to appreciate the kimchi on (caregiving) days when I need an amount of spicy kick in my meal but I don't know just how much. 

The unlimited portion thus comes in very helpful. 

One of the earliest times where I had this meal was at Bugis+. I hadn't quite come to appreciate the food there yet at that time. 

So, no pictures.

But now, whether it is at NEX or at Bugis+, yes, this place has become a pleasant choice of mine. 

One thing though, the pictures don't always look aesthetic. 

Like this first one here that looks more like a mushed up bowl of rice rather than a dish and a meal but that's because I had on that day decided not to eat my rice, kimchi and meat separately but to have them together on the spoon, so, yes, onions, angus beef slices, tang hoon, kimchi all, went into the rice bowl and I scooped them up spoon by spoon. 

Thankfully, the other two pictures look prettier, especially the pot of angus beef slices, which, by the way, has become my favorite order here at Mi Bibimbap.

The Angus Beef Bulgogi pot here is visually arresting (big), the beef slices are tender, there is smooth silky tang hoon right at the bottom, and can I say, the sauce is so fantastic that I sometimes want to just tapao it home. 

So good is t that I have not bothered at any other dish, whether it be the Mapo Tofu, the Steamed Egg or the Fish with Pickled Cabbage (which in all honesty I actually do like and want to try). 

But these be times where my money needs to stay safe, and so it is that I just go for that dish that I like. 

Maybe one day I'll go for the Fish, or the Braised Chicken with Potatoes (that sound a little like what my late grandma used to make), but as of now, when my stomach is hungry and my brain doesn't want to think, it just be the Angus Beef Bulgogi I go for. 

I'm happy that way. 

Around The Roxy

One thing I have come to understand about life is that whilst you think you might know a place, sometimes- as you dive deep- you find yourself not quite knowing as much as you thought you did, at all. 

That's how it was for me with this side of East Coast Road.

I thought I knew this place. 

East Coast Road is, after all, not new to me, having come by here many times before where I used to cycle along Ceylon Road to this stretch, or take the pedestrian pathway from Dunman Road to the back of Katong Shopping Center close to Haig Road. 

Yet, today, a slower, more scenic walk peeled back everything I thought I remembered, and I found myself seeing things in a light which I had previously not seen before. 

Could it be that I was coming from this side of the road? 

That, instead of the east-bound side where all the shop houses are, I was on the opposite side where Roxy Square is, where The Flow is, where the taller buildings stand. 

How is it that everything looks the same, yet looks so different? 

How is it that you can be standing at a spot that you used to walk past, and yet, feel something completely different from what you used to feel before? 

I thought I would feel a bit of nostalgia. 

But, I didn't. 

I didn't know what I was looking at.

I also didn't know what I was looking for. 

Yet, here I was, standing at the junction of Brooke Road and East Coast Road, looking across to the row of shop houses across the traffic barrier of green, with no plan, no idea where I wanted to go, no idea even where I was going to begin.

See, you must know that East Coast Road is a long road. 

It is also an old road, beginning from the junction where Amber Road and Haig Road meet, all the way, until you get to Siglap Road- after which it becomes Upper East Coast Road. 

How the whole road used to be- last time- I don't know- but it begins from where the landmark of Katong Shopping Center is today. 

I didn't take a picture of the shopping center this afternoon. 

What I did take, however, is of the building right beside it- Odeon Katong.

To be honest I don't know if her official name is Odeon Katong. 

What I do know is that she's not the newest building on the block, and she's called such because she used to be the Odeon cinema, and the place where the theater used to be is (likely) now Cornerstone Community Church, whose sign you will see on the exterior when standing on East Coast Road. 

By the way, I wasn't standing anywhere near Odeon Katong when I took the picture.

On the contrary, I was opposite, on the other side, at the car park outside the building called Katong V, that today has a hotel on the upper floors, eateries on the second floor, and a supermarket on the first floor.

I have no idea what this Katong V building used to be. 

But like many a building on this road, pretty sure she has a heritage story of her own.

East Coast Road gets progressively more vintage as one heads eastward.

That is, to the very least, until you hit the enclave of Joo Chiat and Joo Chiat Road, which is where this row of shophouses leads straight to.

The pictures of these shop houses are not very close, nor very clear.

My focus had been on the overhead bridge. 

That doesn't mean I'm not interested in the shop houses.

It just means that one day I shall do a more intimate walk-through of this entire stretch hosting a variety of eateries that fit nearly every palate and every appetite, that it doesn't matter if you're craving for a bowl of Katong Laksa rich with coconut milk, wanting a plate of pasta, a piece of tenderloin steak, a bowl of butter chicken, a bowl of palak paneer, a good, butter-rich strawberry muffin, or a slice of banana pie.

If there's one thing I've noticed, however, it is that there're plenty of snacks to be sold from these shop houses here.

To the left of this bridge there is a bakery that offers pastries, muffins and pies, to the right of this bridge, further on, there's Kim Choo with their Nyonya kuehs, Dona Manis with their banana pies and chocolate pies, and right as you descend, an ice cream parlor so known for their buttery waffle cones that there're long queues whenever I walk past anytime. 

What makes this section a cool place is that as much as there is to see on the east-bound side, the west-bound side doesn't lose out too.

No doubt there isn't much of a shop house here- the properties have moved in, revamped once, twice even- but there is heritage in the form of the Joo Chiat Police Station where Starbucks has now conquered and taken over. 

It is a little difficult to see just how the interior of the police station once used to be- we can only use our imagination- but with the Hotel Indigo and the Holiday Inn Express located just behind, one can say, I guess, that this structure will not be going away anywhere anytime. 

Same too, I should say, for the rest of the buildings this side of the road.

It don't matter whether the building has been recently revamped aka i12 Katong, or if the building hosts a group of tuition centers and enrichment centers. 

It also don't matter if the building has been there since the 90s and serves the community clientele with their plethora of nail salons, hairdressing salons, TCM clinics, health foods, and specialized services. 

All of these ain't going anywhere. 

You know, it was no coincidence that I happened to be at the walkway bordering between Roxy Square, and the Starbucks of Old Joo Chiat Police Station. 

It was also no coincidence, I too say, that the light from the setting sun hit the staircase just at the right time, illuminating the tiles that, on close discovery, shone with holographic, iridescent colors giving off glamorous, glossy, funky unicorn vibes. 

The Mainland's Chap Cai Png

Okay, so this doesn't happen to me very often, but once in a while I find myself at places where I know I (very likely) will not be returning to them anymore. 

It's not because the food isn't good.

Neither is it because there's nothing of value on the menu.

Just that I like to know upfront how much I'm supposed to pay, what exactly I'm paying for, and whether or not I'm getting a great value. 

What makes this a wee bit sighy is that I had been quite excited to try this place. 

When we walked past this place the first time, we had noticed the dishes all laid out prettily and neatly on the counters. We had also noticed the posters and advertisements stating how their system worked, and how there was now a deal of 3 for the price of 2. 

It felt like a good deal, so this evening we had our dinner there. 

It was lovely seeing all the different dishes laid out on the counter. 

What exactly there were- now I can't remember- but there were local favorites- the same kind you find in a Teochew Porridge or Scissors Cut Curry Rice stall- and dishes that one would normally only be able to have in a regular Mainland restaurant. 

Some of the dishes I thought rare were like the steamed chicken feet (with some sort of sauce). There was then a dish of Sichuan-style La Zi Ji, another dish of what I call Sichuan-style Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens (Suan Cai Yu), and another smaller dish of steamed fish very much like what I would see at the Teochew Porridge stall. 

We chose what we wanted, put it on our tray and went to the cashier.

The lady rang it up, and that's when I got a bit of a surprise.

Will I say it clouded my enjoyment of the meal?

No. 

I had my fill.

I loved what I ate.

But the eye-opening price of $17 for all them six dishes had me wondering just what exactly I were paying for. 

How did all of these come to the grand total price of $17.20? 

How had the price come about? 

Were it because of the dishes we chose... but the most expensive I saw was $3.90..?

Or were it because of the beautiful, aesthetic way they had been arranged? 

I have no idea.

The brain refused to calculate. 

The mouth felt too shy to ask.

And in any case hungry me wasn't in the mood to get into a bantering mode with the cashier knowing she'd probably give me an answer the jiak kentang I would grasp. 

This evening I just wanted to eat.

I just wanted to enjoy my food. 

So no way was I going to let an answer leave me with a sour taste when right in front of me there were all them dishes I wanted to reminisce, and wanted to try. 

Looking at these pictures more carefully now, a part of me realizes I really shouldn't see the cost to be that much of an issue, especially when you consider how a main dish at any Mainland Chinese place is minimum of $15, whilst here on the table there were a sampler of six. 

Perhaps that be the only way one should see it. 

Because where else (in the world of Mainland dining places here on the island) can one get a steamed egg, a tomato egg, a sweet and sour pork, a braised eggplant, a couple pieces of La Zi Ji, and a heap of beautifully arranged Mei Cai Kou Rou for the price of one main dish? 

Where else (in the world of Mainland places here on the island) does one get to choose their own samplers and have a taste of this and that at 1/6 of what they would normally pay? 

What's more, the dishes were done good. 

I really liked the sweet sour pork, the tomato egg, the braised eggplant and the Mei Cai Kou Rou (Pork Belly with Mei Cai- I've no idea what the English name of these vegetables they are). 

The sweet sour pork was surprisingly tender, not overwhelming sweet, and chopped into bite sized pieces that I felt were easy to pick up and eat. I had worried it would be either all hard meat, or all tendon fat- both of which I don't quite fancy.

The tomato egg wasn't bad, not on any counts even if- as some say- be the most ordinary of homecooked dishes that is easy to prepare. Eating it made me wonder just how life had been that (Cantonese that I am) had never had it before.

What I appreciated very much, however, were the braised eggplant and the Mei Cai Pork Belly. 

There are places where they slice the eggplant so thin that you're literally getting eggplant chips doused in lots and lots of sauce but have no chew. 

Then there are places where the division between vegetable and pork belly is so mixed that I can eat only vegetable but not the pork belly. 

Here the pork belly was evenly divided, slice by slice, making it possible to eat it with scoops of rice.

That I liked. 

I only wish there could have been more of them pork bellies.

The steamed egg and the La Zi Ji were just as good. 

Sometimes in life you want to mush up your egg with rice, carve it separately or you want to have a bit of fried stuff for the day without too much spice. 

That's where this version of La Zi Ji comes in. 

I barely tasted the Mala. 

One thing though, given these prices, perhaps next time I should be more discerning when it comes to what I want to eat and what I want to take.

Maybe I'll still take the steamed egg and the braised eggplant and the Mei Cai, but I might just drop the sweet sour pork and go for the Suan Cai Yu instead. A sample dish of Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens gives me a whiff of flavor without me having to finish a full-sized dish.  

Maybe I'll go for some of the more unusual, more difficult to make dishes. 

That way, I'd make my moolah feel more satisfied, more worth. 

Bus Ride Sights: Parkway-Suntec

You know something funny?

For all the times that I have taken Bus 36 from Parkway down to Suntec City, Raffles City, and Orchard, I have hardly had the chance to take a picture of this particular view. 

I don't know if it is because I happen to be standing most of the time. 

Or if it because I don't have Chonkycam with me those times. 

But today I had a seat, I had Chonkycam with me, and, best of all, the light was good. 

Hence it was that this afternoon granted me some of the loveliest pictures that I have ever taken on this one bus ride.  

Bus 36 for me today began at the bus stop outside Parkway Parade.

Like always.

By right, Chonkycam should have come out there and then, but I was settling down, and so not until the bus had gone past Mountbatten Road, onto Tanjong Katong South Road, and up onto the East Coast Parkway did she come out from my bag.

If there is one thing you must know, it is that it is a very quick journey from here down to Suntec City.

How long the journey takes, I don't know, but think thirty minutes at most from this one turn of Tanjong Katong South Road, onto the ECP, and into the Downtown zone of Temasek Boulevard. 

With such short leeway overall, you can imagine that Chonkycam worked overtime. 

But I didn't mind. 

See, one of the most charming things that Bus 36 has going for her is the view of the sea. 

The view doesn't actually begin here this side of East Coast, but stretches all the way back from Changi Airport where most of the route takes you along one of the most scenic views this side of the country. 

It is somewhere around there near the airport that the sea view begins, and on it goes at pockets here and there, not stopping even after the bus enters the residential areas, because after them blocks and schools and shops and condos, out onto another part of the East Coast Parkway she goes. 

Now, it would be perfect if the sea view stayed unabated all the way, but this is Singapore- a dot of an island- and there are bound to be places where, even though you're on the highway, your view gets blocked by the sight of (forested) trees, the glass showing the reflection showing the condominium towers opposite. 

I have no idea what these condominiums are, I also don't know which part of the East Coast area they are, but certainly they are not standing amongst the forests this side of the highway, because in the midst of all them leaves and one random staircase, all of a sudden, almost immediately, another view appears.

The unmistakable hotel towers of Marina Bay Sands, the distinctive curve of the Singapore Flyer, and the glassy, glossy blue surfaces of the Marina Bay Financial District. 

From here on, the view changes pretty fast.

All you get is a couple of minutes- five, ten- as the bus climbs up a sort of slope over the Benjamin Sheares Bridge- and then you're right into the heart of Suntec City, Marina Bay, and Temasek Boulevard. 

But an inspiring, breathtaking picture this will make if your hand works fast enough to get the shot right. 

All at once there is the view of the waters beyond Singapore's shores, there are the blue waters of the Marina Barrage Reservoir shimmering beautifully under the bright light of a Singapore sun, and as the bus nears Temasek Boulevard, the Supertrees, and them two bug-eye structures from Gardens by the Bay slide into view. 

At the same time, there is the Skypark atop Marina Bay Sands that from this angle is facing toward you, there is the ArtScience Museum that to me resembles a lotus flower in bloom, there is the F1 Pit Building, and then finally there is Marina Bay herself- distinctive, sharp, recognized. 

Never mind if you're seeing it through the grainy blur of a bus window. 

Tuna @ Thomson's Sushiro

This will be a short post. 

Not because there's nothing to write or that there's no picture or that the meal wasn't good.

Just that in life there are things which are simple yet fulfilling both at the same time, and one doesn't need to write a lot to appreciate a meal.

Originally we had not planned to have a meal here, my colleague and I, but there wasn't much here in the shopping center here today that we wanted to have, so off it was to the Sushiro outlet over at one corner of the mall that we went. 

There is a fair bit of variety to be had here on the menu here at Sushiro. 

I can't say it be the same as how other Japanese chain franchises do it, but the menu here is targeted and specific, intended for diners who appreciate their seafood, and their sushi. 

There aren't many chains I know that offer items like Grilled Mackerel sushi, Ark Shell sushi, Engawa sushi and Swordfish sushi. 

Also there aren't many places that have sushi of Fresh Octopus and Young Yellowtail and Marinated Sesame Red Snapper. 

They're a bit more mass palate when it comes to their cooked food. 

There're small bites of Sweet Potato Tempura, Chicken Kaarage, and Takoyaki. There're also mains that include Tonkotsu Ramen with Egg, Beef Udon and Shrimp Tempura Udon. 

I had thought of trying the Beef Udon (I like udon) but then decided to go all the way for sushi instead.

At another time I might be adventurous with my diet and try the Ark Shell sushi or the Swordfish sushi, but today we decided to just stick with the Tuna, the Aburi Salmon Cheese, and the Medium Fatty Tuna. 

It was more than enough for me.

What made the meal feel extra special was the amount of sushi that we ordered. 

Seeing all these red plates made the meal feel extra pleasant. 

It made the meal feel so pleasant. 

You know what I'll do next time?

I'll get a few pieces of the Medium Fatty Tuna sushi, a bowl of the Beef Udon- I still think it looks lovely- and then dessert. 

In the form of a Macaron Parfait and a Hokkaido Milk Crepe. 

It's been a long time since I had Japanese desserts anyway. 

Soi 47 Toa Payoh 2026

A blessing it is to have a meal here at the Soi 47 of Toa Payoh Lorong 6. 

Don't laugh.

Soi 47 might be one of those places where authenticity sits somewhere in between, but as far as one goes when craving a plate of Pad See Ew or Moo Ping or Green Curry, this is one of the best. 

I have a love for their Pad See Ew and their Pad Thai. 

I also have a love for the Green Curry and their Tom Kha, both of which, come to think of it, I have not had in a long time.

It is a relief, and joy, really, to be back here at this outlet at the corner unit of the void deck of this block. 

I don't know if it is the familiar sight of them tables and chairs. 

Or the sight of the menu, which, by the way (in much typical Thai fashion) has looked the same and has not changed since the first time I had their meals over at Temple Street in Chinatown. 

If you think it amusing, you must know that there was a season where Soi 47- six, seven outlets and all- faced the risk of an impending closure, and indeed, for a few weeks they did, until one day when corporate management did what corporate management does, and the outlets (or at least this one) reopened again.

We could not be more glad, I tell you. 

Especially since Thai food is very close to our hearts and which is a cuisine we always want to go for whenever we can. 

You might say it's the taste, or the portion or the fact that the cuisine somehow brings back very pleasant memories. 

And it doesn't always have to be the dishes that we favor. 

Sometimes we skip the familiar favorites and go for dishes that we feel like having that day.

Like today, this evening, where instead of Green Curry or Pad Thai, we ordered a plate of fried duck Mama (instant noodles), and a big fluffy egg omelet.

I had been surprised by the order of noodles.

My friend generally prefers rice. 

As it turns out, he had made the order by mistake, but what with us being us, we just ate the noodles (happily) anyway. 

The charm of this dish lies in the ingredients- the duck, and the fried egg. 

It might surprise some just why a duck leg is so attractive. 

First of all, it is fried. 

Here on this island, roast duck, braised duck, even stewed duck, are common. Fried duck, however, is not. I don't think I have ever seen fried duck meat ever been offered in any of our hawker centers, coffee shops or even restaurants. It is not a dish on any reputable Chinese restaurant menu. It is also not a dish that you can buy for a couple of dollars at a hawker center. 

It's rare. 

What's more, the meat beneath the crispy skin is remarkably tender.

One might think that the meat be dry and hard, but no, it isn't. 

It also has a distinctive, if not slight, smoky taste only distinguishable in meats that have been fried in a wok already full of wok hei. 

Think that's what we liked the most. 

Same too for the fluffy omelet.

Nearly every Thai place I know offers the omelet. At other places I don't have the feeling to order the omelet, but not here. 

Perhaps it be that Soi 47 does it in a homely, familiar way that makes you think of the street stalls in Bangkok whilst sitting at a table in Toa Payoh. 

Might be the generous amount of eggs they use for the omelet.

Or, might be the way they do their ubiquitous omelet that has textures both soft, fluffy, crispy, and tasty, yet not very, very greasy at the same time. 

Comforting as a dish this is, we had a great time with the omelet, eating it together with the rice, feeling the crisp and crunch of the egg mix perfectly good together with the hot grains of rice.