Healthy Living in Singapore

OSAKA/ TOKYO AUTUMN ITINERARY 2014: DAY 6- Of hiccups and other little things.

Day 6!

Today we left Osaka for Tokyo. The first part of our Tokyo
trip was an adventure in itself! For one, we went to the WRONG airport**
in the morning so we had to reschedule our flight and make our way to
other airport, effectively burning up the whole day. Fortunately it was a
very free and easy itinerary so everyone was quite chill about it.
(Super thankful for the best (and most forgiving haha) traveling
companions ever!) Instead of arriving in Tokyo in the morning as
scheduled, we only arrived in the late evening– totally exhausted.
Because my brother no longer stays in Tokyo, we’d booked another airbnb apartment in the heart of Shibuya (great location, really!) but the
house was wayyyyyy smaller than we thought/ could tell from its pics!

So
imagine 4 exhausted travellers turning up at Shibuya, walking past all
the swanky hotels, trudging up love hotel hill (haha!) and reaching our
apartment which was a dingy little place, opening the door only to find
that the place looked like it could hardly fit 2, much less 4 and to my
horror, was dirty beyond belief. 🙁 The floor was so grimy and the
mattresses looked very worn and old 🙁

If there is one
thing I really cannot take, is a dirty sleeping area that I’m not
prepared for. I’m totally cool if I have to sleep in the forest in a
tent and there may be bugs and stuff because at the very least, I’ll be
prepared to rough it out but I certainly didn’t expect to pay good money
and rough it out in Tokyo! I honestly wanted to just forfeit the
payment, pack up and suggest we shift to a hotel nearby. Fortunately for
me, the people that I traveled with aren’t the complaining sort. If
there is a problem, we would fix it. So we put on our Bob the Builder
hats and trudged determinedly to the nearest Don Quixote and bought
cleaning supplies. What an adventure right! I’ve never bought THAT many
cleaning supplies from a store in Tokyo EVER (Whoo! Experience! :D) And
as we put on some loud music and scrubbed away at the floors and shifted
the furniture to make space, I felt my longing to be back at Roppongi
in my brother’s swanky apartment slowly ebb away. By the time we were
done, we’d scrubbed the floor in time to the whole of Taylor Swift’s
album (we are tweens at heart haha), grimaced at the state of the rags
and grinned with satisfaction at the squeaky clean floors. Looking back,
these little hiccups are honestly what makes a trip, a trip and I’m
eternally grateful for grumble-free, super positive traveling companions 🙂

That night, we slept really well. Whether it was from pure exhaustion of the day’s events or from the food induced coma (HAHA), I wouldn’t know. But I like to think that the sleep was sweet because we’d earned it and we really happy that night 🙂

 P.s I’m including the links to the airbnb apartment because I think that if you are a traveller concerned only about location, it still is a great place to stay. To be fair, the apartment owner also refunded our cleaning fees and tried to be as polite and accommodating as possible, so definitely no issues about that.

OSAKA/ TOKYO AUTUMN ITINERARY 2014: DAY 5- Osaka Fish Market Edo Sushi/ Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum/ IPPUDO Ramen & Osaka Aquarium!

Phew! Talk about long titles! Haha

Last day of Osaka today! Before we leave, breakfast at Edo Sushi! It’s located at Osaka’s version of Tsukiji so definitely worth checking out — amazing sushi without the insane queses! It’s actually pretty out of the way but it’s nice to get away from the bustling crowds once in awhile!

They only have 5 main sets but you can just point to any of the pictures to order ala carte as well. Most of us ordered set 2 and lots of sashimi on the side! 😀

Super thick and juicy pieces of sashimi! YUM! So delicately delicious!

The clam soup was DELISH. SO COMFORTING in the cold.

The place is really small and cosy. 🙂

After a hearty breakfast we went off to Ikeda to the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum! We were so excited for this! I LOVE INSTANT NOODLES (but everything in moderation!), it’s honestly a totally cool invention and I was dying to make my very own and bring it home!

To get a glimpse of what it’s like, here’s a video for your reference!


Yay! We are almost there!

….

….

Our happy trek soon came to an abrupt end when we realised that The Instant Ramen Museum is CLOSED ON TUESDAYS!!! Hahahah. Oh well. The funny thing is, we KNEW about it and we made a note in our rough itinerary but we FORGOT about it. If you do go, please do tell me all about it so I can live vicariously through you.

So to soothe our sorrows, we decided to try our Ippudo Ramen next door!

Starbucks in Japan is fantastic, btw. Must be the milk. Or the air.

I’m pretty impressed with Singapore’s Ippudo’s Ramen standard actually. The difference is barely noticeable (both are good). The only reason why it might taste really fantastic in Japan is because it costs a fraction of the price it sells for in Singapore. So same standard but WAY cheaper = much more enjoyment!

My phone and camera ran out of battery right at this point so I also ran out of pictures for the day. Now if I may invite you to use your imagination to picture a series of cute seals, otters, penguins, cappybaras (!) whales, (ugly) fish and cool jellyfish, that was basically the rest of my day. HAHAHHA.

Transport was really cheap this day because we bought the Osaka (Kaiyukan) Aquarium Pass for Y2550. I highly recommend it if you are going to the Osaka Aquarium because it’s a whole day transport pass with admission to the aquarium. Admission is already Y2000 so you are basically paying Y550 for a full day of train rides. Didn’t bother with other travel passes in Osaka because we wanted to wander rather than take the trains within Osaka and most days we traveled only to a single destination and back. Hope this helps! 😀

OSAKA/ TOKYO AUTUMN ITINERARY 2014: DAY 4 (PART II)- What we ate + Best Korean BBQ in Osaka!

Didn’t want to ruin the Nara deer park pics with photos of our dinner because both Nara Deer Park and our dinner deserve their own posts! So here’s what we ate on day 4 (continued) and in my humble opinion, the BEST Korean BBQ in Osaka (disclaimer: I’ve only tried one other HAHAHA)

On the way back from Nara, we stopped by this store selling pork cutlets at the Nara train station and it was SO GOOD. I didn’t take a picture of it because it was GONE SO FAST. I don’t even know the name of the place but it’s a pork cutlet store near the entrance of the Nara station.

Anyway, we make our way back to Namba and because this morning’s Unagi don was SO good, we had MASSIVE cravings for good quality Unagi don so we went in search of a dedicated store selling Unagi. I mean, if a random store sells great unagi, a dedicated store specialising in nothing BUT Unagi must be out of this world right?!

Prices are pretty steep but we really wanted good quality unagi!

Ungai Tamgo! Decent but not crazy wow.

The ultimate unagi set with tempura and other sides! The soup was really good!

Surprisingly, this unagi set wasn’t as good as the humble simple little one we ate that morning from a random store 🙁 I mean it was good but it was … kinda on par with the simple one from that morning. 🙁 (I think my standards are too high in Japan haha) Perhaps it was just an off day for that store that day? We would never know but I left feeling like that money was kinda wasted 🙁

Anyway, we decide to go drown our sorrows in PABLO cheesecake which in my opinion, is also highly overrated. Or maybe it’s just impossible to appreciate a whole quarter of cheesecake each. Hahah. The cheese biscuits were not bad though!

We wander around Dontonburi Shopping District trying to find something appealing (read: hot and filing) to eat for dinner and stumbled upon this crowded little shop with bright red air vents!

Friend is obviously very happy. Haha.

Anyway! The food here is amazing! It’s so good we actually went back TWICE in our 5 days in Osaka! I’ll let the pictures do the talking in a bit but the beef here is of such high quality and the kimchi… it’s my favourite in the world! Watered down bland versions sold in foodcourts in Singapore, I’m looking at you >:( The kimchi here is lovingly coated with the red pepper paste and tastes fantastic on its own or grilled!

Kimchi was so good we ordered another bowl of it!

I know I said I don’t want to go back to Osaka and would prefer to stay in Kyoto but if anything were to draw me back, it’ll be this store!
STAMP OF APPROVAL x 10000000 times indeed! 😀

Osaka/ Tokyo Autumn Itinerary 2014: Day 4 (Part 1)- Kyoto’s Nara Deer Park

Since we saw monkeys the previous day, we figured today would be DEER day! This has got to be the highlight of the trip! Ever since I watched a youtube video of the ‘bowing Japanese deer’, I knew immediately that I would make it to Nara Deer Park somehow!

And make it we did! But not before brunch! 😀

Brunch was once again at Namba station before taking the train to Nara Deer Park!


After a totally satisfying brunch (the unagi don was fantastic!), we bought some bread from a bakery (because deer park = no food= FEAR. Hurhur)


This chocolate bread is my favourite! I love to bring it home and toast it so it’s crispy and hot outside and soft and full of melty choc on the inside!

WE ARE HERE!!

Long walk from train station to the park.

Deer are wild animals! They can kick, butt, bite or knock you down.

Mr Menace not sitting in the park at all but on the university grounds OPPOSITE the park. Wonder how he managed to cross the road?

We are sad because it was raining and we had to sit on a bench instead of go play with the deers. 🙁

Finally the rain has stopped!

There was a food fair going on in the park and the deer were just wandering around freely and poking their noses into things and conversations.

My first view of the deer!

At first I was super excited to see the stags fighting but after I realised that they no longer had antlers (shaved for human safety), I felt really sad. Like we were exploiting them for our own entertainment. 🙁

This guy was a deer whisperer man. Everywhere he went, the deer just obediently followed him and did whatever he wanted them to do. The deer could stand on their hind legs or spin around in circles and they were never rude to him. Most of the deer there can get very persistent and mildly aggressive because they want the biscuits. But not those around the guy! He smacks them if they get aggressive and they become really meek and gentle! Alpha male, much?

We love the sweet baby ones! 😀

Magic biscuits! Senbei for the deer!

They SWARM towards you the moment they see the biscuits!

How cool is it that we managed to take a group pic with the deer! I balanced the camera on a random ledge in the park and all I could think of the entire time was ” please don’t let a deer eat my camera”.

My friends cannot stop bowing. and bowing. AND bowing to the bowing deer!

It’s so hilarious!!!! I just stood there taking pictures of them and laughing. AHAHAH.

I’m not kidding! The deer really bow! (Okay, and me too haha)

THE SCENERY! GORGEOUS! Such a wide expanse of grassland for your to run and play!

Nara Deer Park is really a GREAT place to go especially in autumn when the leaves change, the hills are a-rolling and there are deer all a-roaming. I highly highly recommend it!

Osaka/ Tokyo Autumn Itinerary 2014: Day 3- Kyoto’s Arashiyama/ Monkey Park/ Bamboo Groves/

Day 3!

As mentioned in Day 1, we didn’t have much of a planned itinerary so every morning we would just wake up and say ‘hey, do we want to go see some animals today or some historical building’ and animals would ALWAYS win. Hahaha. On today’s agenda- Monkeys! 😀

We were really early and nothing was opened yet so we ended up at Macdonalds for breakfast. Yum! I love the Filet o’ Fish!

Then onward to the Hankyu train station for the ride to Arashiyama in Kyoto!

The trains are adorable!

There are normal, express and limited express trains. We were really fortunate to be on a limited express train so it went straight to Arashiyama with only a few stops in between!

Japan, your scenery and weather is AMAZING. I love it.

We take a long meandering walk to find us some monkeys!

How can this be unphotoshopped?! The natural beauty of Japan is just ASTOUNDING.

Yay! We are finally here! 😀

Tickets are 550yen per adult and 250yen per child!

Wear comfy shoes because there is a long long longgggg trek up the hill to the monkeys.

We. Made. It. *huff. puff*

Humans go into a cage and monkeys hang outside to get food!

Gorgeous views from the top.

Dat is an ant. Dat ant in a my mouth.

Dat is a human. He feed me a banana.

Imma be a leaf.

I really love this fellow! While all his friends were clamoring for food, he was just perched on a little log, whiling the time away and hanging out with his shadow. So zen. He lives on air. pftttt. All the others ar plebeians.

All in, I had such a great time there! The place is so worth the climb up! And so much more fun than spending your day in yet another building! SO HAPPY! And it’s a great place to bring your kids too because while the climb up is a little tedious, the kids there were so intrigued by the monkeys! Great experience, I say!

I sincerely wanted to change my FB profile pic to this. This is how I look at my mother every night before dinner. Where is dinner, mother. I am starvingggg. FEED. ME. PLEASE. PLEASSSSSEEEE.

The slide down is only for children! WHAT IS THIS AGEISM!

Kyoto is gorgeous. When I get back to Japan next time, I’m never staying in Osaka again. I’m just going to spend all my time exploring Kyoto.

We make our way down for a snack and Togetsu Cafe.

Crispy Veggie Chips!

More amazing matcha goodness.

We walk along the streets lined with shops and make our merry way to the Bamboo Groves.

SO zen. So amazing. So unlike anything else I’ve ever seen.

There was this girl who was causing quite a crowd to form around her and I realised everyone was taking a picture of her cat! SO CUTE. He looks worthy of a meme. haha.

Then lunch time! By day 3 I was craving for a salad already. So I ignored my friends excited exclamations over Tempura Udon and whatnot and forced my friends into the cafe that looked like they served the healthiest food on the street– OBU CAFE! Hehhehhheh.

Eggplant pasta. SO FREAKING GOOD. But nothing compared to…

This unassuming tofu, shrimp and avocado salad. WHAT. This salad was so out of this world (what did they put in it?!) that even my carnivorous friends were so taken by it, they ordered ANOTHER one.Amazing!

So good. So nutritious. So satisfying. Mhmmmm. Japan is a great place to get your friends to eat better. Everything tastes fantastic there, especially the vegetables!

Along the way out of Arashiyama, we found ARINCO ROLL!!!! Hve you guys ever heard of Arinco? They used to have a store in Singapore but they closed down! I was devastated. The bunnies and I used to love the rolls so much we would order and eat THE WHOLE ROLL. Just like that! I swear E shrieked in excitement and we both ran across the road towards the store (without looking out for cars) when we spotted it!

Bought a Kyoto-only cream sandwich to try and packed 2 rolls home for supper. The rolls were packed not just in a box but with ice packs in a cooler bag. T.T Japan, you need to stop doing this to me!

Bye bye Arashiyama! You are beautiful and I wouldn’t forget you!

Back in Osaka we had a massive craving for Korean BBQ so we searched the streets for a yakiniku place. Finally found one in some random back alley!

Our Yakiniku cravings satisfied and now mildly satiated, we make our way back to our apartment and realise that a new Korean restaurant had just opened! 50% off their signature dishes! So dinner was korean food… in Osaka. Haha.

We sneaked in a box of takoyaki to munch on while waiting for dinner to be served.

With our tummies curving out and our smiles curving up, we waddled home to sleep.

T’was another really good day.

xx. 

Osaka/ Tokyo Autumn Itinerary 2014: Day 2- Osaka Castle/ Pomme no Ki Omurice/ Harbs

YAY!!! It’s day 2 and we wake up bright and early and energized for a day of exploration!

BUT FIRST… FOOD!

(WARNING: This clique I typically travel with call ourselves ‘The Gourmet Bunnies’. It sounds atas but in actual fact it’s just because we like to eat. And eat we do– unashamedly, unabashedly, enthusiastically! So sit tight and brace yourselves! It may look like we eat an obscenely unhealthy amount but we are very nice people (who wouldn’t eat you) Hehheh. I may be vegsmoothiebunny most of the time but come holiday periods… HELLO WORLD! Balanced living, eh? Haha)

We walk to Namba station which is filled with food places and randomly enter one for breakfast.

The fake food displays are really helpful if you don’t speak Japanese because you can just use your phone or camera to take a photo and show it to the wait staff. Service is legendary in Japan, of course so no judgement there 🙂

People who smile while counting your change. Japanese people, you are so inspiring. Haha.

Mhmmm. Everything was delish, of course. With our tummies full and our eyes already searching for our next possible meal joint, we head to the trains and make our way to OSAKA CASTLE!

The place is gorgeous. The water so beautifully calm and the weather was perfect.

I love blue skies and foliage!

We like to ham it up for the camera. In public. Our skins are an inch thick. Must be all the food we consume. Haha.

Little ducklings on an excursion!

There’s a judo school within the premises as well and there was a competition going on- exciting!

 The walk to the castle is beautifully scenic and full of… food. Haha

Ice cream in cold weather! Raise your hand if you love ice cream in cold weather too! The matcha soft serve was SO good. Not a fan of the Fanta Grape one. I dislike the drink as well.

And finally.. the castle itself!

The place was like a little museum which was really interesting. I like visiting museums and checking out biasness int he featured documents. Oooh, and the gift shops.

Evening was rapidly approaching so we left and made our way back to Namba. I had an Omurice craving so we went to Pomme no Ki for it!

I like places that you can customize everything! Pomme no Ki allows you to customize the size of your rice, sauces and ingredients!

My avocado and shrimp omu curry rice. SO YUMMY I am salivating as I’m typing this. T.T

Hashed beef which was insanely good as well.

Mentaiko Omurice

After which we proceeded to everyone’s all time fave dessert place- Harbs. Every single trip I’ve been to Japan (and I’ve been quite a few times now), I’ve been to Harbs. But this is the first trip that we went back to Harbs TWICE. And to be entirely honest, I don’t really like the place because I’m not a fan of cakes but my friends LOVE the place. The cakes, admittedly are pretty good and the ambience is fantastic but oh man… the sheer amount of cake was enough to make me feel a little green just at the mention of the store’s name. Haha.

 

Everybody has to order a drink! No problem though, their range of teas is SUPERB. Their green tea is out of this world light yet flavourful and so invigorating! I wanted to buy it back but they don’t sell it instore 🙁

Aged cheese cake. An (easily) acquired taste.

That night we rolled home but not before stopping at the convenience / road side stores (Namba is full of them!) and picking up Osaka’s famous takoyaki balls, gyoza, fried food (we live in the American District- everywhere sold beer and fried food!) and instant noodles.

Supper that night was made up of these happy things.

Chicken wing. Stuffed with cheese. Then deep fried to perfection.

Goodnight world.

xx.

Osaka/ Tokyo Autumn Itinerary 2014: Day 1- Flight to Osaka + Airbnb

I’m finally getting down to posting about my 2014 Japan trip to Osaka and Tokyo!

Lots of people have been asking me for the Itinerary but I’m really sorry I can’t mail it to you because we didn’t really have a plan per se. It was meant to be quite a free and easy trip so we just woke up each day and decided what we wanted to do! I hope these write ups of our days there will help though!

On 24 October, we took a 1pm flight to Osaka from Changi Airport!

Yay! Singapore Airlines allows you to choose your meal pre-flight so this sticker tells the stewardess that my meal is special! 😀 Singapore Airlines is a great airline no doubt but what is really amazing about it is its extensive menu customization. Upon booking, you can choose from a drop down list of lots of choices! There’s even raw vegan, low salt, suitable for diabetics, gluten free, kosher, etc etc etc!

For people who would like a normal inflight meal, they were serving soba and chicken. Yum!

Here is my friend looking very apprehensively at his ‘low salt’ option . HAHAHHA. My friends have been trying very hard to eat a little healthier and I’m so proud of them! My greatest achievement of 2014 has got to be the fact that I managed to persuade both of them to invest in their own blenders to make green smoothies for breakfasts! Yay to health!



The ‘low salt’ option turned out to be a really, really healthy meal! (HAHAHA so healthy that K was a little 🙁 HAAHAH It’s okay! We are going to the land of crazy good food!)

As for myself…

I ordered the Fruit Platter. It’s standard knowledge that airline food is heavy on the salt and flavour to account for the desensitization of our tastebuds due to the change in altitude. The air is already so dry, I didn’t want to risk being totally dehydrated out so I opted for the most water rich wholefoods I could find on the menu. I was a little worried they would soak the fruits in sugar syrup to preserve it or to enhance its taste but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they were alright. Phew! It’s always a good idea to get one of each kind of meal when you fly with friends so you can share and have half the salty, flavourful food and half water rich, nutrient dense food!

~~~.~~~

7 hours later, we finally reached Osaka airport where we bought standard train tickets to Namba from the airport. From there, we walked (more like circled and circled and practiced my horrendously limited Japanese) to our Airbnb apartment (Ame#6 4min. to Nanba &Dotonbori) hosted by Genesis LTD!

We booked our accommodation late and it was right smack during the time of the Osaka Marathon 2014 so our hopes were not high but the apartment actually looked exactly like it was pictured. The apartment building was also incredibly new and the place was cosy. While the page states that it can accommodate 6, 4 of us were already an incredibly tight squeeze. The two girls shared a double while the guys each got their own pull out beds. I don’t know where else another 2 would sleep man.

All I ask for really, is a clean liveable place and I was really happy to get exactly that (and more). The host was also extremely helpful and friendly 😀

We arrived at the apartment close to 11pm and after everything, there was not much to do but to say oyasuminasai and crash into deep slumber.

zzzz.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015!!!!!

YAYYYYY!!!!

It’s a brand new year!!!!!!

I’m really excited about the new year but then again I’m excited about every new day and every new second and every new moment so YAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

I’ve been MIA a little because 2015 is a year of lots of changes for me – getting married, starting a new job, moving house and permanently moving to my fiance’s church- which is crazy scary but as always, I’ll just tell myself it’s not FEAR I’m feeling, it’s EXCITEMENT!

With regards to the new job, some of you might know by now that I’ve gone into uhm… the civil service. I really don’t know how much I can divulge here. I’m sure it’s okay to say that I’m a teacher right? (I will, because I’m really happy and proud to be one so I shan’t deny it or hide it!)

And on the last day of 2014 I really STRUGGLED with regard to my social media accounts. Ideally, I would like to take my entire presence off the internet because you know, it’s a Big Bad Place and one must be Very Careful. What if someone questioned my authority in school over a grammar mistake I made in a hastily written post over here? I was really about to delete this blog and my Instagram and all at the stroke of midnight  (cue dramatic music) but I went for a talk about keeping your personal life out of your profession life and one of the main ideas was —it’s easier if your professional life is not TOO different from your personal life.

And it really struck me that my professional life is really no different from my personal life.

Whatever I say over here, on my facebook, on instagram, anything at all, is exactly what I would say to anyone in real life, face to face. I look exactly like I do in my photo on the right. Everything I post is something I really believe in and am passionate about. There’s no need to delete anything because there’s nothing to hide. So okay, I admit it’s a little bit embarrassing because over here I wear my heart on my sleeve and might come across as overly enthusiastic or with such an imperfect history when in my professional life I might have to be portray a more thoughtful, perfect demeanor. But then again, I want to be as enthusiastic about healthy living and people and being real and trying new things and loving everyone as I am right here!

So instead of making this post a tearful goodbye post, it’s going to be a really happy and enthusiastic HELLO from me!!! I can’t wait to continue sharing 2015 with you and I look forward to all your emails and comments and lunchbox as we work together to be healthier, spread the love and enjoy the little moments in life right here in sunny Singapore! 🙂

Stay beautiful everyone. You are enough.

With all my love 🙂

Osaka/ Tokyo Itinerary Autumn 2014

Another reason for my hiatus was that I was away in Osaka and Tokyo for a week!

I know lots of you guys are planning a trip there as well so hopefully these pictures and suggested itineraries will help in putting your trip together! I also brought back a couple of maps and suggested walks/ guides from the Tourist Bureau in Osaka/ Tokyo which I’ll make available at the end of the entire post on Japan (I’ll be publishing a post a day!)! If you can’t wait till then, just email me and I’ll be happy to scan/ photocopy and email/ mail you the maps and guides!

Here’s an overview of my trip:

Day 1: Flight from Changi Airport to Osaka
Day 2: Osaka Castle and the surrounding area
Day 3: Day trip to Arashiyama Monkey Park + Bamboo groves (Highly recommended!)
Day 4: Day trip to Nara Deer Park (Highly recommended!)
Day 5: Instant Ramen Museum & Osaka Aquarium (no pictures coz I ran out of batt haha)
Day 6: Flight to Tokyo
Day 7: Asakusa + Kappabashi! (Highly recommended if you are crazy over kitchenware like I am!) + Tokyo Sky tree
Day 8: Roppongi (Joel Robuchon)
Day 9: Omotesando + Healthy food/ Cafe in Tokyo!
Day 10: Flight back to Singapore

As you can see, we did more of the ‘touristy’ things in Osaka and in Tokyo we basically just chilled, ATE and wandered which made up for a perfect holiday. Seriously, we ate so much, out of 700+ pictures we took, I think 600+ were food photos. Can’t wait to share though! And can’t wait to share my budget + reset meal plan once I came back as well. Really enjoyed for one week and came back to Singapore to EAT GRASS. Haha! NO REGRETS though! Although I think if I ever do go back to Japan, I’ll skip Osaka entirely and spend a week in Kyoto. Kyoto is gorgeous and beautiful and I’m totally bummed I didn’t spend more time there.

xx

p.s if you are looking for more inspiration for your Japan trip, click the here to read last year’s trips to Japan! Hope it helps! 😀

See you tmr! <3

:D

Hello everyone!

So I know I’ve been totally MIA (what’s new right!) but this time I’ve a REALLY good reason for it!

Not only was I not in the country, was preparing for a job interviewing etc,

 I…

GOT ENGAGED!!!

*cue fireworks!*

Haha. Okay, so that’s a super lousy reason to be missing from the blogosphere but I’ve just been caught up with life outside the internet!

I am delirious with joy, of course. 😀 I am unbelievably blessed to be marrying my lover and best friend and more importantly, we love so intensely because Christ first loved us. I wouldn’t say our dating history has been 100% smooth sailing but we definitely have it much easier because both of us are very similar in the sense that we are both highly optimistic people. So when a problem crops up, we just go like “Yeeeeaaahhh. Okay, the milk has been spilled. Now who wants to put on some music and clean it up!” It also helps that we both acknowledge our total nothingness without Christ. So when problems crop up or life gets too difficult to handle, we just need to encourage each other to turn our eyes back on Jesus and the problem diminishes in the greatness of God. I’ve read so many articles circulating on FB recently on couples needing the ability to suffer together or the traits needed to stay together and I’m thankful this is one area we see eye to eye on.

Anyway! Enough of the talk! I thought I’d share with you a little about the proposal!

D brought me to Sister’s Island. At first I was horrified because I heard there were loads of sandflies there and I didn’t want to be bitten and scarred (FOR LIFE! *Drama queen level 2000) But it turned out that Sister’s island is GORGEOUS and so pristine and unsullied! I didn’t know he was going to propose of course, so I just wore an oversized T-shirt and leggings.  All our photos were taken with just the timer on the camera and a tripod! We took almost a hundred photos because the place was just really pretty. Here are a few to share! 😀

So basically we went round the island (we were the only two there!) taking silly photos like that and exploring the place. It’s not very big! We also dapao-ed pitas from Pita Pan for teabreak. There are no facilities on the island save for a toilet so bring your own food if you want to go!

This is one of the failed shots. I didn’t have time to climb up on the tree trunk before the light started flashing! Haha.

And as dusk drew nearer, D brought me to the breakwaters and popped the question! I said yes of course and we took a million shots with the setting sun. Haha

On hindsight now, I feel that D must have proposed on that ulu island because if I said no, he would just leave me in the dark on the island (no lights after 7pm) and just take the chartered boat back by himself! Hahah, just kidding. But yes, an island with bugs and creepy crawlies and monkeys (that stole our food! But more on that another time!), with pristine white sand and gently lapping waves is just a perfect place to propose to me. I would have been horrified if he did it at a hotel with all the trimmings. Also I was a bit disappointed he proposed with a diamond ring! Haha. I told him many times that I didn’t want a ring, I want a vitamix blender! But he said that can wait till we move to our new place- so okay! 😀 ( I don’t know about you but I think rings are so.. overrated. I’m killing the romance quotient this entry was supposed to have right? Haha)

So now life has been quite a whirlwind in planning guest lists and visiting hotels. I’m more excited about the marriage than the wedding but I understand that weddings are a perfect chance to work together with your soon- to- be spouse and really learn about each other. Much as I would like to skip the whole wedding thing entirely, I’m going into it remembering that it’s a celebration of love and happiness, of two families coming together and being one and things like that should always be undertaken with good cheer and joy 😀 It’s really telling of how far I’ve come when after D proposed, my first thought wasn’t ‘oh crap, I have to diet to fit into my wedding dress’ but ‘YAY!! We are going to spend the rest of our lives together!’. I can honestly and sincerely say that should the wedding take place tmr, I’m fine with walking down the aisle as I am right now and in choosing my dress, the dress would be made to fit me and not the other way around. And if you are a bride to- be as well DYING to fit into your xxxxs dress, just remember that your man proposed to you then, as you were. Don’t undermine that by abusing yourself 🙂 The best thing you can do for people who love you is to love yourself as well!

Alright that’s all for me right now! I suppose now with wedding plans in motion, the kind of lunch/ mealplans you’ll be seeing from me will all the the cheapo/ save money kind. HAHA! They will still be healthy, don’t worry! Just more uhm.. pocket friendly! 😀

If you have any advice or anything at all, PLEASE PLEASE leave a comment below because at the rate things are going, I DEFINITELY need a lot of help! 😀 And for other brides-to-be as well, I’ll be charting my journey to the wedding so please feel free to leave me advice or tell me where I’m going wrong! As for now, I haven’t done anything except emailed a couple of hotels. HAHA.

Be well and loved everyone!

With all my love,
xx