Sharing some quotes from author C. JoyBell C. I use them to remind myself when I start having doubts about life or when I can't stop thinking of certain things. 

If you don't know and it doesn't benefit you to know, then you should not know.

Life is a mystery, you know?

Not a famous dumpling store I guess but the dumplings are HEAVENLY!

I am really into these dumpling things so I was super ecstatic when I chanced upon these. It was right beside the A22 bus stop towards HKIA in Austin so if you're staying in the area, you won't miss it.

The shop name is '锅贴大王'.

Pan-fried then steamed dumplings at about HKD3 a pop. YUM! No points for guessing who inhaled 3 dumplings in a minute. HAHA.



Agnes B Cafe at Harbor City (I think). Same old! I ordered the Rose latte + the Spinach & Mushroom Quiche. The food and coffee is not fantastic but the location is great to take a rest from all the shopping I guess...



Famous “菠蘿油” at 金華餐室. This costs about HKD18 each and is loaded with a slice of butter in the middle. Crispy shell toasted to golden brown on the outside and fluffy soft bread on the inside... I'm not usually a bread person but this was pretty good! 

Kam Wah Cafe is located at 47 Bute Street, in between Prince Edward / Mongkok station, about 10mins on foot from either. 

Go early, we went at 8pm and the bun was sold out (duh) but returned at 10am the next day for this. Worth the return visit but please just limit yourself to one.

The last night in HKG, we wandered to Australian Dairy Company for milk pudding/supper but it was packed! Guess it must be the timing... So we went to the wanton noodle store beside it. 

“麥文記麵家” we went to is located in Jordan area. Right next to ADC, you won't miss it. You can even see its signboard from the pic below.

We had the classic Wanton Noodles. Despite the HKD32 price tag, it was well worth it as it came with FOUR HUGE DUMPLINGS that had a full size prawn in it! Something that you probably won't get in SG? 

The portion looked small at first but it was just nice for a moderately hungry adult. The soup was pretty delicious too (MSG??) so I couldn't help but to finish it all. 

Sorry, hair.

Took picture of ADC cos we didn't manage to eat there again so........ We went back next morning. Haha!

So we had the Macaroni with Ham pieces + Sandwich + Scramble eggs + coffee at only HKD32. So cheap and pretty tasty!

The macaroni soup is pretty salty so I loved it. Reminds me of Maggi Chicken Stock that I used to put in my instant noodles, hehe. The elbow macaronis also had a different texture... Like it was made of soft noodle dough?? Instead of... Wheat powder I don't know what I'm trying to say here but yeah it is softer and not as chewy as regular pasta. 

We didn't try the steamed egg custard lah cos how to eat so much, will explode you know.

Wasted right???

Australian Dairy Company is located at 47 Parkes Street. Exit C2 from Jordan Station and walk straight all the way. You should see some kind of Temple Street entrance across the road, then turn your head back and lookout for Bowring Street. If you're on Bowring Street, turn your head left at the traffic light and ADC is located in the lane to your left. 

Then one fine day my friend brought me to this famed CCT for breakfast where they are known for their “豬扒丁丁面” and “豬扒包”. 

I'm not a pork person so I opted for the chicken cutlet. You see, it comes with seasoned minced leek (yum!!!!!) at the side and a dollop of boiled cabbage, drizzled with some kinda secret recipe soy sauce. So delicious! This was easily the best meal I had in HKG. The set (main + drink) goes for about HKD40. I think it's worth every single dollar we paid. The cutlet was so juicy and tasted so much like Taiwanese chicken cutlet thing-o. A bit heavy for breakfast BUT WHO CARES.

After feeling stuffed to the brim from the noodles set, I was not convinced to pay HKD28 for a cutlet bun but after taking a bite, it's easy to understand why. 

Soft white bun enveloped the juicy and flavorful pork cutlet, which I assume was marinated in some kind of sauce for a while, accompanied by some tangy tumeric/yellow ginger blended mayonnaise that was similar to mustard but with a sweet-ish taste to it. I'm such a sucker for anything mayonnaise.

“蘭芳園” is located at 2 Gage Street, Central, Hong Kong. It is about 10 minutes walk from Central MTR Station.

The last 'new' thing that I chanced upon was this Jenny Bakery cookies. 

Rich, buttery handmade cookies nestled in a round tin characterized by a teddy bear print on the lid. 

They go for about HKD70 per small tin and HKD120 for the large tin (2 layers). Normally, you would have to queue for about 2hrs to get your hands on these. Which I think is crazy!

We were rather lucky cos we happened to be in the area, walked in and managed to buy two tins each. The entire process took less than 3 minutes. If I had to queue I would probably chance it. Haha! 

Jenny Bakery is located at Mirador Mansion, Ground Floor, Shop 24. Take the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui Station, exit D2. Next to those tailors, very easy to spot. 

Do take note that there are many, many counterfeit products and you should only buy at the actual store itself. Think about it this way, if you're already going to pay HKD70 for a tin of butter cookies, make sure you get the real deal.

Ending the post with a pic of HKG's skyscrapers (for the lack of a better word) against the almost-stormy skies because I miss any weather other than the humid, hot mess we have in SG. 

Next up, TPE!

Hello, hello everyone! So, spring in Seoul was pretty delightful. Already miss the lovely blooms and comfortable weather.

12° all day, 8° all night. I love the climate here with all my southeast asian heart. 

This is mainly going to be a food post (instead of shopping) because I guess most people shop at the same place in Taiwan and I'm no different...

I usually do my shopping at Shilin Night Market (independent stalls) or mainly in Seoul/Bkk. Haha! One thing that I always, always stock up in TPE are these dailies! So cheap and comfortable, great for lazy people like me who don't like to store my lens.

Alright on to the food.

Do share with me your favourite go-to restaurants/eateries/joints in TPE too!

Can't wait.

Holla Taipei!

To be quite honest I've never been to Taiwan as much as I'd like to... So I don't know if it's a good idea to be writing about it. Anyway! After a good 5 years (2009!), I went back to TPE with my then-colleagues for a learning trip in March'14 and with my mum in May'14 for some R&R.

We visited many companies on the learning trip and you can find my reflection for the journey here. I'm really thankful to be able to participate and definitely learning points that I won't forget!



In my trip in May'14, I decided to get my fillers done there at Star Clinic. The location of the clinic can be found here. It was still fairly expensive in SG then so I opted to do it in TPE since I'll be there for 5 days and can save about $400-$500 as compared to doing it in SG. There is an even further discount if you're coming in 2!

I did it on my nose (1cc) and chin (0.5cc). Fillers used was Radiesse 1.5cc, for approx TWD17,500 (~S$745). There was an anesthesia jab on the tip of my nose which hurts real bad. I was injected on the tip of my nose, not the bridge. I reckon the latter would be less painful? Chin fillers were painless though, so yay for that. Entire process from the moment I entered the clinic to exit was about 1 hour, almost like a jab-and-go.

Prior to your trip, select the day/doctor that you want to get work done and make an appointment online. The clinic assistants will get back to you via LINE app and the arrangements can be done there. As mine did not require overnight stay, there were no complications or details required to be filled up. You can direct your questions to the correspondents and they will do their part!




Visited my aunt in Taichung on day two. It was a day trip as we did not have enough time for a night's stay there. The fare table is as below, train schedule here and you can make ticketing booking (up to 28 days in advance) here.


Look at our Cartoon Network themed train!
 The inside of the train looks like a plane minus overhead compartments.
 I guess most people are familiar with the Bento boxes at THSR stations, affectionately known as 台铁便当. They are almost freshly made and usually fly off the shelves upon replenishment. I got myself the ribs set and it was delicious! Prices range from TWD80-150, depending on your selection.



Day three was Sky Lantern day! We made our way to Ruifang -> Pingxi area via the railway. It wasn't as bumpy as I thought and train ride was approximately 1hr.

Ruifang area is located in 新北市, a moderately short drive away from 台北 (think SIN to JB). To get there, purchase a ticket on the ‘北迴幹線-自強號’ (Northbound train) from the Taipei Main Station ticketing counter (see below).



We took the Pingxi line to the Shifen Station where we finally did the must-do sky lanterns activity. When you get off the train, you will see hoards of tourists walking down the train tracks to pose in the middle of the tracks. Safety first though, please ensure that there are no trains passing through before walking down to the railway and do a quick snap and go!


Located near the train station is the suspension bridge that sent chills down my spine. Haha! The Jing An Suspension Bridge (静安吊桥) can be easily spotted within steps from the train station. Here, tourists tie bamboo pieces carved with their messages in hope for... Good luck? Cutest one I saw was ‘我要和XXX一起走到最后。’ . So sweet!

I only took a few steps on the bridge (enough for a photo) and went back because there were so many kids jumping up and down the bridge, rocking it back and forth and making me so afraid.
Check out what I wrote on my the sky lantern! I want to travel the world.

There are so, so many shops along the road offering the sky lantern activity but there isn't much difference, so we went for a store in the middle. Prices were also the same (competition lah) so I guess you can just go to the store you feel like.

The different colors of the lanterns mean different things and you can write all your wishes there. I think I was being a little greedy with all my scribbles huh... Hahaha.




After our activity, we took a really long walk to the nearby Shifen Waterfalls. I don't think I've seen one in real life and being at the edge near the falls seems cool enough anyway so I went ahead with it.

You'll see the signboard like the above pointing towards Ruifang and that's the direction that you should be heading towards. It is a 40 minutes walk from the sky lantern area and you should be able to hear the waterfalls.