*Yesterday morning HH posted his request at 毒舌婦 asking people to come out with him today. ZX said he night shift and wanted to change to yesterday evening instead, then HH asked again can or not. Too bad, I put both days as not free. Yesterday really not free coz going out with Nicholas and today I just feel quite exhausted and broke, so to minimise my spending, NO GO OUT!*
Initially, it was a half 2-pax half 3-pax cafe outing one. But PG pangseh us at very last minute, aigoo, left me and Nicholas exploring the Bukit Timah area for cafes (for the second time). The schedule was planned by me and it followed this manner:
1. Necessary Provisions
2. Lynn's Cakes
3. Nook-D.I.Y House of Pancakes (FB)
4. Carpenter and Cook (FB)
Went out at 1.30 pm because Nicholas told me last minute he would be arrive around 2.30 pm at bus stop in front of Bukit Timah Pri Sch. Drew some cash before taking 157 to Toh Yi area. Then at Blk 440 bus stop there the bus langga bus 99 in front. Don't know what's the commotion, but I felt if there was no big damage such that it would affect the safety of passengers then could have just moved off after taking pictures as proof (if needed la). After stuck for 10 mins, the bus finally moved again.
And I reached the meeting venue at 2.25 pm.
Nicholas informed that he still at Clementi waiting for 173! *actually was worrying that he took the wrong way or my instructions were unclear such that more time wasted while waiting for him* Come to think of it, the previous time he also waited for me about 15 mins, so this time round it's reasonable that I wait for him. Indeed, I waited about 20 mins for him. Meanwhile watched that Korean drama episode 4 on phone. *loving my Note 3 every now and then* Weather looked good too! Meaning no umbrella needed! *images of getting half drenched by sharing that pathetic small umbrella between me and PG while walking from Toh Yi to Eng Kong Terrace are flashing over the place*
Nicholas was exclaiming his cousin also lives the same road!!! 世界真巧的說…… Then he mentioned that the kopitiam at the other corner is a hotspot for mediacorp dramas wor.
The first stop - Necessary Provisions - wasn't crowded, the circular table was empty. Nicholas went with the same order - a cup of 8 oz. white espressed based coffee ($5). However, the latte art was a little bit different. And just like that, we began our day.
同樣的飲料
不一樣的拉花藝術罷了
店內服務員應該是遞錯飲料
也沒前來領走
所以就是我們的飲料了！
完全high到
Suddenly the service crew served another iced cafe mocha. Was quite puzzled actually, did they deliver wrong drink or is it it's on the house? We decided to leave it there for a while and see if they came and claimed back the drink. Nobody did. So in the end is 喜洋洋去, 2 drinks for 2 pax jinja very good ds! Hehe...
Nicholas began to talk about his life experience in China during this 1-year period. First thing he talked about trains in China. There are a lot of types, from 高鐵 to 動、特快、快、普快, then still got 硬座軟座硬臥軟臥 From 高鐵 downgrade to 動 The 硬臥, as the name suggests, is quite 'hard' but it's not sleeping on hardwood and such. There is a very thin mattress so is still quite manageable. 硬臥 is further categorised into 上、中、下臥. This is due to the different heights of the available space above each bed stacked on top of each other. After 座 and 臥 type tickets comes the 站 ticket. This type of tickets are offered to those last minute buyers and usually they will bring a foldable stool onboard the train. When train conductor or snack vendor needs to get across to the other side, these passengers got to get up and make way. Some of them sleep under the seats! *Omgakkk!* Of course, all these different levels means different fares.
Nicholas isn't a fan of trains, unlike me lol, but having so much info on trains is because he used a lot of trains to get him around various places in China. In fact, he doesn't stay and just tour the big city Beijing only. He narrated that he could talk to different people and get more tips and information about the destination he's heading to.
Back to Beijing where he practised internship. He talked about 中醫 compared to 西醫 - something like 中醫 is based on the symptoms but couldn't pinpoint where exactly went wrong. So both medicinal sciences are to complement each other. He told that the worst case he had seen is the foetus stuck inside the tube in the mother's body and not moved to the womb. As the foetus develops into baby, the size also gradually increases, thereby expanding the tube. But the problem is that the tube is very thin and may burst and cause serious problems to the mother.
I posed this question to him: '一整年裡面，哪個時候是病人問診高峰期？'
This was what Nicholas answered:
1. 秋轉冬季時候，呼吸相關問題較多
2. 春轉夏季時候，消化相關問題較多
Having said that, he's still interested in 針灸推拿 afterall.
Learnt something new from him too - about 醫保. 只要醫藥費介於一百至兩萬人民幣就能啟動醫保機制。在這機制下，病人只需付10-20%的醫藥費，剩下一大筆錢。所以很多人喜歡在一些比較敏感時期大量買藥來囤貨。
Since I was a dog handler and Nicholas loves dog. He revealed that he recently followed this instagram account which only upload all the corgi photos and videos. Corgi is a breed whereby the dog body is long but the legs are short. So when they move, the actions and all that are very cute!
Then the conversation moved on to HH. Nicholas said HH end lessons at 3.10 pm but doesn't want go CCA (?!) Wah, didn't know teacher I/C can choose to go CCA or not one ah... One thing which is a fact is that Nicholas is spending his precious afternoon drinking coffee with me. Hohoho... *begins jumping around celebrating with fireworks in the air*
Then asked Nicholas about AJM's request to go out for dinner. Nicholas turned down the invitation and explained that he needs to rest, his dad is coming back today so most likely he has to accompany his father lo. He also sounded out tomorrow he will attend his brother's commission parade. Fortunately, the big outing has been set to happen on the 19th. But all these meant HH has to sag till this Sunday lol...
At about 4.15 pm, we left the place and walked down a few more shophouses to arrive at Lynn's Cakes. Could see that Nicholas was a bit attracted to the exterior of the shop - it's really nicely renovated and decorated. Upon entering the shop, there were 3 women seated at the window table which me and PG occupied the other time. But well, we took the inner one which meant due to the low lighting conditions, taking photos might be a bit challenging.
Standing in front of the display showcase, we didn't see the rainbow cake ($8.50). Were a bit disappointed. I remembered at that point of time I recalled the ahjussi mentioned that the cake is only made during weekends or special occasions. But I didn't explain to Nicholas. Of course, being uninformed, Nicholas asked if the cake is available today...
To our surprise and out of my expectation, we saw the cake already sliced up and some slices missing!!! It means that the cake was made available and was for sale! Without much hestitation, straight away Nicholas ordered a slice of that and asked the attendant what other recommendations were there. In the end, he wanted to try out this newest yet limited edition apple cake ($6, sorry no proper name because it's not officially launched lol)
彩虹蛋糕
這次做得比較美
奶油也塗到比較均勻
Nicholas很洋這個
未上市的新產品！
蘋果蛋糕
是真的有蘋果切片被夾在蛋糕塊裡
淋上焦糖
簡直就是為我而烘製嘛！
大合照
After much commotion at the photo taking session, we continued our chat in the lovely sunny afternoon. He was saying that AJM became very sad after he returned back to Beijing. AJM expressed that he could not manage himself as Nicholas did when he's flying back to SG or to Seoul or to HK. Aigoo, only prepare boarding pass and check-in that's all mah... So easy ds~ But it also reflects that AJM is really dependent on people for a lot of things he does.
We chatted a lot more things I could remember. Confirm got talked about what happened during the grad trip. Then discussed what will happen on 19th. Nicholas hoped to mark out any and every cafe he already visited so only visit those unmarked ones. But I lazy to do...
While chatting heartily halfway, the attendant came over and offered us the butter cookies for sampling. According to her, the cookies were meant to be sold by ladyboss as CNY goodies de. So now it's at sampling stage to gather feedback from customers. Inside the cookies there were pumpkin seeds and cranberry.
Couldn't identify cranberry because the taste was almost non-existent. But Nicholas said he could wor. LOL~ The strong butter/nutty taste coupled with the fluffy light texture of the cookie did capture my attention though.
While paying bill at the counter, the ladyboss Lynn was at the scene as well. Had a rather lengthy chat with 熱情的老闆娘 lol...
She first asked us how's the cakes. Nicholas gave the thumbs up and I mentioned this was my second time visiting it. Lynn was a bit surprised but I think she xyy la, got people come and support again ds. Then she became very enthu and 8 when talking about the rainbow cake. She admitted that she loves orangey stuff and this explains why almost all of her cakes and even the complementary drinking water has orange taste to it - she adds orange essence while baking the cake and orange slices into the water jug. LOL... Quite nice leh~
Then she said why the rainbow cake available on a normal Thurs (not weekend and no special occasion) is because SHE KNEW BOTH OF US WERE COMING.
OOOMMGGAAKKKKKKK!
We just burst into laughter. Really. 超八的。
Then she offered us to sample another type of cookies - hardened caramel + pumpkin seeds + almond. Because Nicholas is allergic to almond, only I tasted it. The cookie got taste but I just felt it's a bit 'empty', 好像少了什麼餅乾該有的牛油味道。Would be nice if the buttery taste is inside. Of course, this was what I feedback to the ladyboss.
Next she seeked our opinions on what to sell for CNY. Maybe she wants the Muslims also can get a feel of CNY? As she is a muslim, she also told us about the constraints and limitations - thought the shop is not halal-certified but she made it a point that it's 'halal worthy' aka contains no pork no lard so that muslim customers could also enjoy her cakes. Speaking of which, we mentioned it to her that actually a lot of CNY goodies contain lard and she agreed almost instantaneously. That's because whenever her family visits husband's side relative (her husband is a Chinese, I highly suspect is the ahjussi), the relatives would remind her which goodies contains pork so that she won't consume.
But the problem is lard, quite a number of CNY cookies will use lard to enhance the appearance ans possibly the taste. Lynn got a big surprise after our explanation. But ignorance is bliss lo. In future don't eat can liao.
Then she also commented about new cakes. Other than this apple cake, the strawberry cake was another new addition. The orange essence added is to balance out the sweetness from strawberry wor.
Last was on food menu. Lynn described the food menu they have and it kinda changes everyday, not all but some. Further on, she said that the price has been reduced by $2. Personally, I feel that the biggest scare factor is the price... Nasi lemak for $12?! I go downstairs buy only $2. Boon Lay power nasi lemak at most I think $5. It's way too expensive le. Sub-$10 price range would be a big pull factor. Not to mention about the ulu location, literally no offices nearby, who would come during weekday lunch to order the food on the menu?
The good news is that students could enjoy a cheaper price on the food and the time lasts till 5 pm from Tues to Fri. Then both of us flashed our student ID, Lynn got another shock lol... Aigoo. Don't we look like students meh? Working adults where got time to visit the cafe de? Aigoo...
Business wasn't too bad for the shop, as at least 4 persons visited the cafe during our stay there. A couple came in and took the corner seat at the opposite end of the shop aigoo. We stayed for the longest liao ds.
Damage: $10 (total for 2 places $19.50)
After the chat, we left the place around 6.45 pm to the next destination - Nook-D.I.Y House of Pancakes. It's still not very dark yet. The windy weather was a strong contrast to July last year - hot and stuffy. Anyway the place not much people one. Upon looking at the rah-men burger menu, my heart was thinking - actually the offer we claimed didn't turn out to be a very good one. Why? Because it's effectively the same as order ala-carte without any offer or coupon. At the most is cheaper by 90 cents. The chicken patt one was $7.90, 10 cents cheaper than the offer's $8 lor. Sausage and beef were $8.90. So only order sausage or beef one would one benefits from the FB offer.
In the end, we wanted to satisfy our curiousity towards the rah-men burger, so ordered one sausage and one beef set, each added on garlic fries. It's acutally made up of instant noodle patty instead of bread which kiap the meat patty in between. About the food? It was sooooo salty!!!! I almost fainted when I tasted the fries. It was super too salty for my liking. The burger was also salty as well, but not as much as the fries coz of the sausage. So it's still passable. However I thought the noodle patty could be improved in terms of taste. Surely the idea is quite creative, but the slightly grilled noodle patty was just too noodle taste liao. I thought a bit of pepper or other 調味料 could greatly enhance the taste, so as not to add on the salty feel liao.
Lastly, soup wasn't the typical creamy mushroom soup btut some ramen soup topped with some garnish.
拉麵漢堡套餐！
好特別喔
但就輸在口味方面
薯條太咸
麵餅味道就很‘快熟麵’
加點調味料來提升整個口味會更好
香腸 + 牛肉拉麵漢堡套餐
怪怪的pose
Nicholas told me that HH went home after Nicholas doesn't want to go out with him (he couldn't anyway hehehe *grin*) and nobody replied to his suggestion ds. In the end is went home saggy. After that, he whatsapp JX and say they too long never meet up le.
Damage: $8.60 ($8.80 per pax)
Left the place for the very last destination - Carpenter and Cook - at 8.10 pm. Again, the place wasn't crowded. But the decorations and furnishings just outside the cafe already caught my eyes liao - very vintage styled ds. Without any hestitation, we went in and chose a big table with a few stools when it's only two of us. LOL~
單是裝潢
這家店已經得滿分了
The shop sells both exquisite food and drinks, quite on contrary to the perception of cafes by general public where cafes serve mostly drinks with a little bit on food lo. The food on display macam like cai png ds, I mean it's a lot! But too bad we didn't order any cakes from the display showcase - Nicholas had been eyeing the teardop tarts akapassionfruit meringue tart - too full from eating the rah-men burger liao...
Instead, what we treated our stomachs were drinks! Yay! Nicholas ordered 'plain white' ($5) - no latte art he saggy coz can't take swee swee pictures. Then I had the good 'ol latte ($5) - with latte art of course! And it looked quite nice ds.
美美的拉花藝術！
頭髮亂！
最近一直刮大風
頭髮怎樣都會亂的說
Again, we continued our chat. Nicholas talked about HH job hunt - said the teaching post was the second time HH had applied. First time was in Feb... that explained why HH put 'after 9 months' in the caption when he uploaded the job offer letter lor. No wonder la, I was confused whether he did really look for job before graduation ds. Aigoo.
Not only Nicholas advised HH to apply for the same position the second time, he also told HH to go work part-time. The next day got employed by ICA! HH really listen to Nicholas ds... *Shrieking out now!*
Next, the topic was changed to health. Obviously, HH came into picture. Why? Look at that sheer astonishing size of his. Normal people could have perceived as a fat man who is already fat since birth. But not for me, PG and those in Orion 1 though. I've witnessed how slim he was. It's a total 180 degree change! Too drastic for me to accept. Till now, I still can't help but to compare the size now and the size then.
Nicholas then talked about body odour associated with fat people - he was saying that fat people are easier to have BO. We concluded that HH doesn't have BO during the grad trip ds. But the stentch which both PG and me could resonate in HK really could stimulate us and stay alert in an instant. So if feeling sleepy, take a deep sniff at his bag strap and shoes/socks. Aigooooo. Baituo...
Oh ya, another thing worth mentioning is that it's not advisable to drink milk JUST before going sleep. Because the milk will produce 鈣片 and in future will have lots of health-related problems.
Also drinking cold stuff will create the illusion of 漲, that's because 胃開始縮小而空氣也濃縮起來，進而產生漲的的感覺. HH has this habit of drinking cold milk before he go to sleep - actually why don't drink in morning leh? Load calcium to start the day mah.
After that, Nicholas revealed his BMI last time when he was still fat - BMI over 31! OMG, I can't imagine Nicholas staying in the range above BMI 31 ds. HH already BMI 35 and above now liao. 31 doesn't make a HUGE difference ds.
Then gym topic. He wants to see how me and WX gyms ds. Aigoo. Time is short for Nicholas to come down to JE sports complex gym to see us gym 好不好.
The rest of the conversation mainly circled around my job hunt, interview tips, what happened during my convocation.
Damage: $5
The day ended when we decided to leave at 10 pm.
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