before another food post, about today

Won’t post my entry on Laksa until I get a picture of the famous Laksa stall in NUS’s The Deck

Today was unbelievably normal, started off with the usual Ateneo hell week ritual of sleeping at 5AM and waking up at 8:30AM. NM3215 Midterm Exam ensues, can’t believe I finished reading 247 pages or so from my ridiculously expensive textbook. Kailangan sulitin ) Exam time note: their test papers are like entrance exam answer sheets, you answer by shading dots It was quite cold inside LT8, but I wore my beloved Ateneo jacket for warmth and luck <3

Shared lunch with Choupi and walked to the library, we parted ways, so I went back to the dorm and had a nice nap before my class at 4:00PM. After that class, had dinner with Avis at the dorm cafeteria and dropped by her room to get some plastic wrap for my poor, uncovered textbook.

Spent some time talking about random things like hairstyles and weight and academics and whatnot, then proceeded to talk about a perennial dorm issue: room status. Seeing how spotless Avis' and Moe's rooms were, (Avis is nitpicky about cleaning-up) I decided to let Avis visit my room for a check-up.

See, I'm not a very particular person when it comes to room cleanliness. Before I cleaned my room tonight, it looked like a pig sty. Books on the bed, towels on the chair, paper everywhere, dust bunnies accumulating in the corners, bed severely unmade. Avis literally feel silent for a few seconds after seeing the mess that was my room. Maybe it was that bad. But I had to study for the past few days, so I kind of have a legitimate excuse (yes, I know it is not a legit excuse, kunwari nalang )

So here are pictures of my room And while I'm at it, I'll do a room tour, after a month or so of life here in Singapore. Here it is fresh from minor cleaning:

Pretty much the same, but this time, I moved the rolling table to the bedside Trust me on this, a few hours ago, this looked very very very very different.

Table area, where my laptop, books and photos area. Before cleaning, this area looked completely different as well. Hahaha, no I did not take any “before” shots ) I’m unfair like that 8D

The things in my bedside, wallet, cellphones, my alarm clock, pictures, miscellaneous toiletries, some light reading, brushes and all that random jazz. I don’t want to post the insides of my wallet for security reasons, but I’m so proud to have an adult wallet-content wise 8D Back home, I don’t really bother much with wallets since I only put small amounts of cash in them. Now my wallet is my life, it has my credit card, a debit card, my Singapore Student Pass (for identification, instead of lugging around the passport), my NUS Matriculation Card, my EZ Link Card, a NETS Cash Card I use for printing, ICAAA Alumnae Card, Ateneo ID, receipts and SGD$10 Too many cards all of a sudden )

Laptop and mouse on the main table Notice that I’m on Twitter follow me @tatayap <3

Pen holder, notice that my pencil case is Rilakkuma <3! my 2010 planner (I chose a small one instead of the big ones I always use years back). I recycle Cafe Mocha cups that I get from the vendo machine and put stuff in them after washing. I don't like throwing things away Especially if they're in nice packaging.

My Queen Latifah-esque bathrobe. Pink in all its splendour. My constant companion to the bathroom and back Bought it at Cotton On Wisma Atria. Fun fact: I called up my mom asking her if I could buy this 8D Why? Because it was freaking expensive even on sale: SGD$29 :’

My basket of bath items. Not that it’s interesting 8D OHOHOH. I’m no skin care expert, but I swear Biore Facial Wash in Cool is like the best facial wash ever! Leaves your skin squeaky clean, but you know, undry? And I swear, it dries up zits too (I think?). It’s that small mint green/white bottle to the left

This is a lucky plant Moe, Avis and I got at Chinatown It’s actually a bag of soil shaped into a mouse. I had to soak it in water for an hour for the first wash and 5 minutes every 2 days. Quite proud of how long the plant’s growing

Books: Most of them I borrow from the library Art history and Neoclassicism books for my art history class. PR, Social Entrepreneurship ones for my publication references, my huge-ass Ad and Promotions textbook for advertising class, various design books for me to look at when I’m bored

My pillow, iPod and headphones I love my headphones. Strangely enough, I swear pink is not my favorite color. I only tend to buy pink stuff for reasons unknown to me (EH KASI PRETTY!) Mish, if you want, there’s a teal green version of this available I can get one for you! Note: Bad Boy (my hedgehog) is hanging out in a solitary corner <3

So that's it Give my room a week and I can be sure that it'll be pretty messy again :8D

Oh before I end:

Tonight, there was a fire drill for the residents in my dorm They had a fire extinguishing trial afterwards, this is me extinguishing a fire

mini-reviews: tidbits

Haven’t posted for the longest time But I will right now, so far Singapore has been gastronomically satisfying, I’ve been to Lau Pa Sat and Newton Circus, famous hawker centers around here. Personally, I think hawker centers are overrated, but that’s for another entry. I want to visit those obscure places I’ve seen featured on Makan King in AFC, but sadly the show isn’t Google-able, and TV channels here are very limited

But I’m loving NUS’s range of canteens, there’s bound to be one anywhere you are on campus, there’s The Deck for the AS kids, Techno Edge for the people at Engineering, Foodgle, KGourmet for those in PGP, the Science Canteen and I believe there’s also one in the Business School which I haven’t gone to yet.

Here goes

Sting Ray at Newton Circus

Enjoyed this with Choupi and her cousin during our first week in Singapore. At first knowledge, sting ray seems quite exotic, but like most seafood, it also has the distinct brine-y flavor fish, shrimps, clams, etc. have. What sets sting ray apart is its stringy texture, like the meat has a texture almost similar to crabsticks (you know, when you separate them into strings). But of course, sting ray has a milder, milkier flavor. Explains why it’s perfectly paired with the strong flavor of chili paste. I’d recommend eating this with coconut rice

See? It is stringy! <3 Will have this again with my family when they come visit

Tom Yum Soup


One dish that I love, but doesn’t love me back. Drinking Tom Yum is always an experience to be reckoned with. It’s unbelievably spicy, but you can’t help but enjoy the lingering tomato-based soup underneath all that spice ) Thai friends will disagree with me on this, but they’ve been eating spicy food all their lives ) I ordered this from Newton Circus as well, price was a hefty S$10, but it was well worth the experience. The serving was quite big, and there was a lot of seafood inside, shrimps, clams, fish, leafy vegetables. The broth could be a little less spicy for a weakling like me, but the sourness was perfect, reminds me of sinigang, but with tomato and a whole lot of spice.

PS. ONE THING TO REMEMBER WHEN EATING TOM YUM: RATIONING YOUR WATER SUPPLY. Trust me on this

Me and my Tom Yum. See my slightly red face? Holding back the tears 8D

Ma Po Tofu

I miss home. A LOT. So when I saw the menu for this at the Deck, I pointed out to Choupi that Ma Po Tofu was good, and after seeing the hefty, hefty serving, we succumbed ) My mom makes this all the time at home, so eating this was like some kind of withdrawal symptom. I remember the tofu being exquisitely soft (not bad for cafeteria food) and it wasn’t too spicy. The meat, however, could use a little bit more taste, I felt that most of the savoriness came from the sauce itself. Otherwise, for the price and value (S$2.50) this was a great deal. Nostalgia on a plate <3 Nothing like home-cooked food

from Beijing Cuisine

I was feeling quite homesick one day and I was too lazy to venture out for something different. I enjoyed this meal alone at the dorm cafeteria, like the previous Ma Po Tofu dish, this reminded me of my mom’s cooking. No frills whatsoever, just point out what you like, and they serve it up on a good plate of rice. Tofu, rice, brocolli, and pork with some nice soy-based sauce: what meals at home usually are like. Not amazingly good but it’s great comfort food (at least for me). Price: S$3.10, Not bad Finished it all up to the last grain of rice. Best enjoyed with tons of sauce on rice <3

and about the sucky lighting on this picture, the cafeteria had this sort of UV film on their windows, so the light filtered through was kinda weird )

Next entry: On Laksa and the best chicken barbeque ever.