Come what may and love it

hah, I've been MIA again.  This semester wasn't as busy as last semester, but I'm mentally tired.  I guessed everyone is.  Finals are in 2 weeks time.  Am I ready for exams? Heck nah.


That calmness when you press the shutter.  That's the beauty of photography.
Constantly chasing for lights, seeking for colours.
   

Weather is just nice to walk around and snap.  Spring has finally sprung!  But it's getting hotter :(
   

Come what may and love it. 

I'm uncertain about future. It's unpredictable.
Keep praying, I have faith in you Lord.

2014 - B for brunch, C for coffee, D for dates and E for eat!

hola hola, I AM BACK!!!!!!!!!

I'm finally back here at my little space, I (finally) feel compelled to blog tonight.

It's quite unimaginable to me that 2014 is over and we are now in the second month of twenty-fifteen! One of the new year's resolutions (#bullsh*t) is stop being lazy, so here I am, updating my life in 2014.

Key events were those brunch and coffee dates, so let's start with those.

B for brunch, C for coffee, D for dates and E for eat!

Happiness aplenty: fuss-free, good service, great food with organic ingredients. Who says 'grass' can't be good - high fives for salad.

    When in Malaysia, going out for typical Malaysian breakfast like char kueh tiaw is too mainstream.

So we went on a discovery trip for 'Australian mocha'. 

The meal and coffee made us miss Aussie brunch even more. ><"

 

Little duckling deserves a photo. There, along with my 'fat' white.

Long afternoon well-spent, working on church fellowship video.

Located at the heart of Paddington where I normally brunch, Kettle & Tin calls for really wonderful photo opportunity :P
Thanks to the colourful elements, adding a dash of tangy excitement to our meals.
@Kettle & Tin, Paddington.

 

Introducing the best coffee on campus: Genies!

Hiding in the shadows of Bioscience Precinct Building, it's Our usual meet-up spot where memories were built.  

Every uni day should be like this, great company, good coffee and quick catch ups after hectic lectures/tutorials/pracs.

Great discovery along the Burnett Lane at the city.  a hidden gem.

Felix, a health conscious cafe, so no guilt to indulge!

What time is it!!!!!!! It's breakfast thymeeeeeeeeee!

Cheddar & thyme scones from Felix, again :P

 

Spent some time alone before meet-up with friend after lecture.

Daily fix of caffeine at Felix.  Yeh yeh, it has made into my list of favourite brunch/coffee spots.

Friends didn't like it due to the healthiness of organic food. hahaha!

Beetroot pearl cous cous salad was the boom!

@Raw Paw Paw, New Farm.

 

Found a spot which was opened during public hols.

Great catch-up with friends who work and appreciate public holidays, so here we went!

Itching for something sweet, so I had the homemade granola topped with greek yoghurt.
@ Chester Street, Newstead. 

Then, bunker coffee along Brisbane River. 

Never a fan of chocolate milk, but i've been raving non stop for their 70% dark chocolate milk.

 

This happened after a Saturday groceries-shopping date,  :p

Sweet potato fries were shooooogood. Not a huge fan of chips in particular but if I had a choice, sweet potato chips that is!

@Bare Bones Society, Jindalee

Oh yes, food after our food exams!

Despite lack of sleep, I still enjoyed my food. I always do bahaha

Couldn't really remember what I ate, everything's good in a nutshell.

@ Shouk Cafe, Paddington

 

Food was mediocre to me, but nothing can spoil good company.

Great catchup with a long-lost 'bojio' friend.

@Scout Cafe, Petrie Terrace

 

Rainy day (Yes, i still rmba!)

Brunch, no, lunch @ Little Paw Paw, Kenmore.

Was craving for the sweet potato fries but we didn't get that.

So..... definitely a perfect potato-time destination in future ;P

 

Brunch in pjs? Tried doing it with friends after sleepover. 

Fresh avocados - they're so green! 

and spot those edible rose

 

Heat wave in December, couldn't bear with anything hot anymore, so opted for yoghurt and granola.

Something fancy on the side: lamb kebab with lotsa elements.

So.. That's all for 2014.

On the other note, one of the 2015 resolutions is - continue stuffing myself silly with brunches and coffee!  hehe, I've already listed them down. It's like a wishlist, and I assure myself that I'll successfully-wonderfully-awesomely make this resolution realistick. 

Last but not least, F comes after E :(

F, for fat. 

The last day of semester one: my temporary breather!

Ello Ello!

I find it so apt that I'm actually blogging right now, in my fav BSL.  I just stuffed myself silly with two sushi rolls (first time in uni!) that I got from physiol food court and I'm so full that I can't possibly imagine eating any more food...

and I should be listening to my lectopia....

I can't believe it's already June!!! So much has happened in May that I have yet to find time to jot them all down properly at this site.  I've been so caught up last month with so many things, so many thoughts... It's quite unimaginable to me how MAY is over and we are down to the last day of semester one.  I had to eventually screen through my own diary/instagram/facebook to get a recap of this month before conjuring up this post.

In addition to that, I'm losing motivation to blog, every time I logon to blogger, I always convince myself that I have many uni works to do and I should really blog on the other day. 3 cafes reviews to be done, as well as my Melbourne Trip updates. Ehh. Stop procrastinating.

In fact I used to update Dayre on my phone everyday to keep track of my daily life. Now I just don't bother to record all the moments. Enough 'essay-writing' on reports aha.

Anyways, I'm in the midst of drafting my Melbourne trip, hopefully I can get it done before my first day of exams, which is the 18th!

Stay tuned.

So I ransacked through my instagram photos quickly and....

The Sunday before uni started I was shopping at Harbour Town with a bunch of awesome friends.

The first day of uni, I had this shoes of the day post: I was wearing my new pair of KEDS sneakers and my new pinky pants. Friends were like: WAHH CLARE Happy Chinese New Year ah? :P 

The first Monday of mid semester break, I was at a house party and that was the craziest night ever.

etc.

etc..

To summarise my semester one, 2014:

1. Uni
So yeh, everyone was so busy with assignments and reports.  Everything has finally came to an end today, everyone handed in their works.. which pretty much marks the end of the semester!

And I handed in two reports on wednesday and that signalled a temporary breather for me! Eventually decided to leave all exams revisions behind. I sat in front of my laptop: earphones in, volume up and ignore the world. Did some online shopping with friends and that simply concluded my relaxing arvo.

2. Love
Constantly receiving love from friends and family.  Dad has registered a snapchat account and his selfies will never fail to make me LOL.  Mom has been calling/whatsapping me just to check 'my current location' when she knew i've been staying late in uni, make sure I eat my meals (especially dinners) properly as well as nagging me to tidy up my wardrobe + do my laundry.

3. Fitness
Seriously, I feel the need to find time in between my extremely packed swot vac schedule to spend some time working out.. I have to develop a healthier lifestyle!

4. Food
yes food, I'm still enjoying good food(mainly breakfast) at the moment.  If you haven't inferred from my instagram posts which I posted recently.. I'm a breakfast person so any breakfasts can catch my eyes and steal my heart! Here's some of the highlights of my homemade brekkie :P


5. Sleep
I think I came to a worthy realization of how sleep matters to me.  I have to make sure I hit the sacks before 11pm, or the latest by 12am.  At the beginning of the semester, it wasn't a big deal for me to go to bed around 2am and got out from bed (like a zombie) for the 8am lecture.  But things have changed... I JUST NEED MORE SLEEPS. bleh.

6. Thoughts
"How would you describe your semester one? Peak or trough?"

Well, my highs are pretty crazy high too. I could be laughing like mad on my own laughters that my friends filmed, I could be running around the house yelling and distracting my sister about small little things that can eventually annoy her.  I could spam my besties' inbox in the middle of the night just to tell them how hungry and sleepy I am, bug them over a hundred messages to get them to reply me... or

At the same time, I could be really emotional.  To confess, my feelings are erratic, especially during those stressful days when I was extremely swamped with my work load. But it was A.L.R.I.G.H.T at the beginning of the semester and I enjoyed every single moments: basking under the sun with friends and sipping our fav iced coffee/iced choc; walking home together reminiscing the good old days that we had in Form 4...

But at some points, I can be right down smack in the lows during lectures and whining over text to whoever pouring out my woes about how much I wish to get out of lecture halls... I can be so depressed when several thoughts start haunting my mind. Hah, not the things that I usually do, I'm usually an optimistic girl (blehh:P). Sorry if the rants made me sound stupid, I just need an outlet.

I reckon that is just an accumulation of collective feelings over a period of time.  All I can say is that I'm satisfied, I'm appreciative of what I have, I'm thankful for the people (awesome-ly awesome people!) God has placed in my life. I am surrounded with my loved ones and they are definitely strong pillars of support throughout the semester.  Be it friends, family or anyone else, I'm way too blessed to own these relationships that I share and help me grounded.  Honestly, I'm gleeing with joy that I have survived my semester one 2014, not sure about the finals, but let's skip it first. 

I really can't wait for exams to end. I'll definitely go for (a few) hiking trip(s) / do some bakings / shopping and what I look forward the most is my back-to-hometown-trip.

Alright, I should stop ranting now! Life is all about keeping yourself occupied.

But before I sign off.....



Just a silly photo of mine.

Have a nice weekend, and enjoy swot vac to the max!

Sunset

What's past is past. There's really no use crying over spilt milk. In fact, that might be God's will?
But, still, that daunting feeling deep in my heart has made me breathless.

Just because of today's too good, to a great extend where I have to keep it in my heart, zip it and lock it, I wish the sun never set.

Is it... really worth it?

I believe there's this awaiting sunrise in the morning. Hard life, good God.

26042014 - Brunch @ Ave Cucina & Coffee Bar, Cooparoo

Ello Ello!

Holidays has come to an end. Keep calm and back to uni. hmm.

The week before mid sem break, I was dying in jealousy over seeing incredible photos of juicy mushrooms, poached eggs, mega iced coffee etc etc on instagram/facebook, so I grabbed my eating buddy in crime and trekked over to Ave Cucina & Coffee Bar @ Cooparoo.

I remember our last brunch date was... 1 or 2 months ago?

Gotta love the presentation! Look at the art of modifying and decorating food...

Espresso Frappe, a good kickstart with caffeine.
A lil too sweet for me but it has a fairly smooth consistency!

I would opt for a cup of hot coffee on a windy day though..

Green detox juice

After a week of indulging (too much good food!), I felt the need to detoxify my body.

Vege breakfast (not really, I added on smoked salmon)

The homemade pumpkin toast is the absolute bomb! Like, seriously, I'm not generally a bread person, but it is pretty mind blowing with its fluffy texture and crispy crust >< ohh, and pumpkin seeds in every bite. My friend had pretty much the same, she had baked potatoes instead of toast; sour cream instead of homemade pesto sauce!

It looks like Ave Cucina is a gem in southside areas for brunch lovers. The service is knowledgable and friendly.. The toast will have me returning anytime soon!

The red has gone wild

Frosting piping isn't as easy as I thought.

Apparently my pipetting skills in chemistry lab doesn't contribute to any of my piping skills.

I love red, and that's why I love red velvet cupcakes/cakes.

I love cheese, especially the cream cheese frosting on top of them.

How's red with polka dots?
wild & playful that is!

Two lectures from 9-11am only for the last day of uni before Easter break.
The Clare now in holiday mood. Shopping, eating, chilling out. 

p/s Recipe adapted from Miss Tam Chiak

That's how we roll

We are a little crazy (hmm, you sure?)  That's how we roll.

And I can always afford being stupid with them. 

Happy 20th birthday to the Er Jie in the group.

God Bless! :D

If it is meant to be

Thursday, it's windy.

If it is meant to be, GOD will answer all. :)

Siblings love

我们都已慢慢长大。妹妹长高了，弟弟10岁了。 姐姐我呢老了，十年后我们会是什么样呢。 我开始想你们了。

Eat Street Market, Hamilton

It's taken me a while to drag myself out for dinner on Friday - Normally I would love to hide myself at home for some quiet time as Friday is too hectic.  In fact, last night was a random dinner date. We headed to the Eat Street Market @ Hamilton to explore more international food! We reached there around 7.30pm and it was really crowded.  Finding a parking slot was a nightmare, S-parking was even terrible. We spent 10 minutes to properly park the car.

Pay your entry fee ($2) at the entrance, and there's the massive crowd welcoming you!

Pastry is always the default choice. So we had Spinach, cheese and mushroom pastry to start the adventure. Sad to say, it was average, nothing special. 

There was this cocktail bar at the end of the market. We ordered the "honey rider" which contains tequila, honey and mango puree. This 12 bucks deal was disappointing, it was like mango smoothies.

BBQ Pork Ribs is definitely the highlight of the market. $14 for two pork ribs which are served with coleslaws.  The sauce added some zint and it was like there's a party inside my mouth! They are crazy addictive..

Hungarian "THE LOT", which is the garlic bread topped with shredded cheddar cheese, tabouleh and sour cream.  The bread again let us down, it was soggy, probably because of the tabouleh salad.

Oh, we couldn't resist to get the spiral potato chips because it's twisted ($5).  Try chicken salt instead of normal table salt! To say that they were amazing would be an understatement, wandering around with a potato stick in hand - some people even asked where did we get that! :p

To conclude our food hunting night, we had our 'buy one get one free' Gelato at the city. Pistachio and Tiramisu are the best combination, as well as the pistachio and hazelnut! Had a nice chat along Queens Street Mall, enjoyed the breeze, but definitely not seeing drunk people falling over. Oh well, just because it was a Friday night.

If you are feel like having a dinner or a snack, or even dessert, this is the place to come! This is a real offbeat thing to do - really intriguing to see different types of food within a small area.

You gotta be kidding me?!

Every once in a while I recall that we used to shout, scream and laugh in 1A, 2A, 3A and 4S1, spent our not-too-leisurely mornings copying each others' homework, talking crap and eating breakfast. 

That sure was nice. 

Though it was quite a long time ago. When we were still 13, 14, 15 and 16 years old.

Now we are turning 20 or 21. Not expelling a loud: "You gotta be kidding me?!", but welcoming the years with open arms. 

Eventually, you guys make everything special.

In the space between the two classes, I have found acres of blessings. :')

Good night. 

一棵草也要坚强

一棵草也要坚强。

即便这棵草长在荆棘中。
即便你生存在沙漠里。

就算不能做到屹立不倒，也不要自己把自己推倒。

Buang Balik Lah!

Oh, I meant THROWBACK. :P Ello Ello!  It is the time of year when you should never forget your umbrella. Brisbane has been trying hard to adapt the new season - as we have to finally say hi to autumn!

Normally we enjoy the first four weeks of uni, but now there's no such thing called honeymoon period for this semester. Does this tell the difference between a first year uni and second year uni student? hmph.  Anyways, while struggling with assignments, reports, job etc, I'm glad that I am still alive. Sometimes when I feel like giving up, I remember God never gave up on me. 

:]]

-Throwback a.k.a Buang Balik- To remind myself how blessed I am. Despite of the heavy workloads, I was enjoying life :) To be specific, FOOD. blehh. 

Met up with these bunch of engineering friends, no Korean food this time, 'we went Japan'' / / Made some mini cheesecakes for sister's friend's birthday / / On a rainy day having lunch while I was walking around Wednesday Market / / A-finally-dinner-together Japanese meal with them after the lectures and tutorials marathon