The young and old me still loves hot chocolate with marshmallows. Bought this cute cat mini spoon with cat paws that can rest at the side of the cup.
"Life is like hot chocolate — rich and warm.
The marshmallows are the small joys that melt in,
making the hard days softer and the sweet ones sweeter."
I bought a new water bottle to motivate myself to drink more water in the office. Found this large capacity, O brand inspired double-wall vacuum insulated water bottle that's not only stylish but also practical and functionable.
The straw allows for effortless drinking as the bottle can be heavy when fully filled, making it easier to sip water through the straw. With the straw, I can drink without tilting the bottle. The double wall prevents scalding and keeps my water warm throughout the day. The best part is it's only about 1/5 of the cost.
There's something about One Holland Village (OHV) that we really like when it comes to our family gathering time and that is how the whole mall is designed to be pet-friendly with specially designated pet lift, water dispenser for pets and spots for pet owners to leave their pets leashed outside the shops. The whole OHV is modern, with wide outdoor spaces and I just love the vibes of being there. It's different from the usual shopping malls in Singapore. Some of the shops also allow pets to enter so we've decided to meet at One Holland Village to celebrate Mom's birthday.
First stop was Wushiland Boba to grab my bubble tea. I got the Strawberry Ice Cream Red Tea which I redeemed using my points. I love how there are seats with power socket here. Sometimes I do my work here too.
For dinner, we had already decided and I made a reservation at Lo Hey, a Hong Kong seafood restaurant that has the option for pet-friendly alfresco dining.
Hami Melon Sea Conch Chicken Soup - $58
This was my favourite, I'm so glad we ordered this soup that comes with Hami melon, dried sea conch, scallops, pork ribs and ginseng. Drinking this just warmed my heart and tummy. The meat was tender and the soup has a sweetness to it.
Sweet and Sour Pork (Large) - $28.80
The crispy pork balances sweet and tangy flavours and cooked with capsicums, onions and pineapples.
Deep Fried Chicken Wings with Tai O Shrimp Paste - $16.80
My daughter's favourite. The crispy skin of the wings complement the flavour of the shrimp paste.
Stir Fried Live Prawns with Superior Soy Sauce - $55
Another of my favourite. Love that they've already removed the prawns head and is partially deshelled.
Sizzling Choy Sum in Claypot with Tai O Shrimp Paste - $18.80
A good balance with all the other meat dishes.
Scrambled Egg with Tomatoes - $12.80
Mom's favourite. A simple yet delicious dish that is packed with flavour.
Creme Brulee Beancurd - $10 and Mango Sago with Pomelo - $6.80
We ended off the meal with some cold desserts! The Creme Brulee Beancurd is so good I wanted to have a second bowl but looking at the price, I think one is enough.
It was a great meal overall though a bit pricey. Happy that everyone enjoyed the food and time together since we don’t meet up often due to everyone’s busy schedule. Check out my TikTok video too.
It's the Lucky 7's first meet-up for 2025 and it's a double celebration - Jessie's birthday and an early Chinese New Year gathering. For the venue, I searched on TikTok and IG, prioritizing a place that could accommodate a large group, young kids, and somewhere we hadn't tried before. After shortlisting a few options, we all agreed on DongQu Bar and Restaurant, a Taiwanese bar and restaurant located at Telok Ayer. I think we were quite excited to check out the cool cocktails featured and shared in the videos.
It was raining heavily and the venue was still quite empty since we arrived early. We followed the staff to level 2 via the lift and when the lift door opened, we were greeted by numerous vintage television sets, one of which displayed footage of a live CCTV in operation. Each floor has a different unique theme, and the one on this floor where we would be seated, was designed in a Hong Kong 80s retro style.
Since we all arrived early, we had the chance to explore the various floors. On level 3, we discovered the Chill Lounge, a dreamy cloud space that is filled with a warm and soothing ambience.
Level 4 is the VIP area, boasting a European Victorian setting which is perfect for intimate private gatherings. I didn't explore level 1 as it was the bar area and was already quite packed by the time we finished touring the other levels.
We received a complimentary Yu Sheng to kick-start the dinner. It was my first Lo Hei of the year! Together, we tossed to a year filled with good health, happiness and prosperity!
We ordered a variety of dishes for sharing, including Taiwan Skewers, Claypot River Prawn Vermicelli, Oysters, Wagyu Steak and a Braised Pork Rice for my girl. The food was good, but one plate of the skewers were served cold, so they replaced it with a new plate for us.
Flipping through the cocktails menu.
Now it was time for some cocktails! I loved how creative and fancy their cocktails were, right down to the names. Kelvin had the 'Boss's Tears' (老板的眼泪 )。
Our birthday girl ordered the 'Far Away' (千里之外), which had a very pretty presentation, complete with a dramatic smoky effect.
Another surprise awaited our birthday girl. When I arrived early, I informed the staff about the birthday celebration that we will be having, they took note of who the birthday girl was and served the two complimentary birthday shots for the lovely couple.
The celebration turned out wonderfully and I felt grateful for the great food and companionship. I guess I will come back again to this place.
Rise and shine! We woke up around 7am to explore around the place before heading over to the cafeteria for breakfast.
The view right outside our accommodation is so peaceful and relaxing to be surrounded by nature. Even the air feels so much fresher here.
There was a wide selection of food for breakfast. The porridge with minced meat is my favourite, I had at least 3 bowls!
After breakfast, we set out on a guided farm tour, where we spotted a variety of fascinating insects and animals. The tour offered a glimpse into farm life and a chance to get up close with the animals. The weather was perfect too.
After the farm tour, it was time to eat again. It was something light before the actual lunch buffet. My girl didn't want to eat so I bought some fish food for her to feed the fishes in the pond.
Lunch buffet! Another scrumptious meal!
After lunch, the staff kindly helped us arrange a driver who's also leaving Yilan to drive us to the Guishan Station which was rather isolated. Taking this small train to the main MRT station to go to Taipei. It was a pretty scary experience because there was no other passengers at the station beside my girl and I.
Reached the main MRT Line Songshan (Green Line). Our destination is to Songjiang Nanjing which is 4 stops away.
Finally, we reached our hotel - Ambience Hotel, a 3-star hotel but with everything I needed. This was the door gift we received upon checking in.
The room was clean, modern, spacious and comfortable with a bath tub. Except for the small TV, it was a very nice stay.
First floor lobby.
After we left our belongings at the hotel, we head out again. The bus stop was super near so we took a bus out to Ximending.
Welcome to Ximending!
We had our dinner at Modern Toilet Restaurant. The whole restaurant located on the 2nd floor is like a big toilet, with toilet seats and tables with toilet bowls with fake poo inside. An interesting experience for my girl as it was her first time here.
After dinner, it's shopping time at this vibrant place. We also explored The Red House which sells a lot of cute trinkets! We ended up buying some cute things here.
We took bus back to our hotel again and this was our bath bomb for the first night.
TV time. Watching some Xiao Wan Zi cartoon on the TV.
