something's brewing

FITW is taking a big step to explore something new! this month, we will be entering the arty-farty scene with the Singapore Arts Festival and the Public Garden. 

If you're free, you're encouraged to come! not only to support me, but enjoy all the other unique products from other stalls as well :) 

 

if you have never heard about public garden, do visit their blog here :) they also offer more information about how to get to the exact location and what you can expect to see. the event lasts for three weekends but i will only be there from the 25th - 26th of May :) 

as for FITW... sorry for the lack of photos but you can still expect a fresh new set-up but with the same handmade and quirky goodness in bags, pouches, photo-cards and other accessories. see u! :) 

p.s. this is a night event and because it's the first time im trying it out, i do have some fears and prayer requests. firstly, for grace and strength during the preparation and actual event, and secondly, that it will not be a complicated night scene with loud music and an ungodly atmosphere. if you're a fellow sister/brother in Christ, i covet your prayers :) thank u :)

saveur

it's been a really long time since i last shared a food adventure in singapore but this one is such a fantabulous one but i can't help but jump at sharing about it! 

there must be tons of people raving about it online, but if you have not heard about it, do check out saveur. Saveur (pronounced "sah-vere") has its origins in a hawker place somewhere in East Coast Road. now, however, they have found a new home at 5 Purvis Street, #01-04. it's a nice, clean and more classy set-up, and im thrilled to say that prices are still very reasonable!

here's a glimpse at the menu :) photos are all taken with the iPhone. pardon the quality...

i was astonished when i saw the prices. french cuisine with mains for less that $10? never seen before! after some deliberation, we decided to order the Pan Fried Foie Gras (which is often sought for), together with Duck Confit and the the Crispy Pork Belly. 

the mains are nice and a great value for money. portions are slightly smaller, but with the pricing, you can always order another bowl of pasta and enjoy a really sumptuous meal :) out of all three, i felt that the duck confit was the best. however, they are not extremely wonderful... especially when compared to other places more suited towards fine dining like the black sheep cafe, taratata or even la petite cuisine (perhaps more about this another time?)

nonetheless, i would like to RANT about the desserts, which are just simply OH SOOOO GOOOD. im longing to go back again, just for the desserts, which offer a experience of what desserts ought to offer. sweet, savoury, with different textures and layers. the more bites you take, the more you want. not the kind of dessert that makes you "jer-lad" (i.e. the more you eat, the worse it tastes). 

PP and i tried the last two. the Textures of Citrus is a true "mouth-opener". on top of a citrusy orange smooth jelly lies some crushed, flavoured ice (think ice kanchang). right of top, the chef scattered light, flaky biscuit crumbs, which are slightly savoury, adding a nice twist to the entire set up. this dessert was very refreshing and i like this more than the latter. i think i can eat 10 servings of this hahaha..

the Chocolate and Hazelnut really looks like a mess when first presented. 

looks can be deceiving though. this dessert consists of a hazelnut mousse embellished with a crispy chocolate-coated waffle biscuit. very nice too! the mousse is not over-powering or too sweet. it's especially nice when eaten with the small cranberry bits scattered on it. the nutty crumbs offer texture and i really liked the sauce at the side. couldn't figure out what it was though...tasted somewhat like burnt caramel. the chocolate cookie is the nicest touch:) bite into it and feel your tongue CRACKLE :) 

note however, that queues can get really long, and this place does not take bookings :( my suggestion? go either really early, or really late, on a weekday where people are less likely to dine out. take note of their opening hours here. PP and i went on a monday evening at about 9pm, and we hardly had to queue. alternatively, get someone to do the queuing ;) this is a must try! i do hope to bring my loved ones here one day. hoping the queues might shorten after the "newly-opened" craze dies down but by the looks of it and the prices, it is quite unlikely :) 

pp's birthday card + bottle

a long time ago, two very dear friends thought of me while they were shopping and bought this little bottle for me.

it was very very cute and the words on it were rather meaningful, but i did not know what it could be used for. now, on hindsight, it has served its perfect purpose because it has been turned into this!

its the perfect size for PP's birthday card. creating this is very similar to how friendship pens are made, with some weaving involved.

here are the materials i used:

hemp twine/rope

jersey string (made from an old tshirt. find the tutorial here!)

double-sided tape

scissors

(optional) a red fabric pen

1. start by deciding on the text you want, because that determines the amount of jersey thread you need. i usually work with odd numbers. if the characters are less complicated, i use 5 threads. in this case, i wanted the alphabets to be big so i used 7 strings. i stuck them on the bottle using double-sided tape.

2. Coat the threads with another layer of double-sided tape

3. Now the winding starts! paste the hemp twine diagonally, then wind the twine around its end so it will not come loose easily. (see photo) keep winding so the end of the hemp twine is hidden.

4. imagine the bottle to be grid paper/pixels. weave the jersey thread in and out accordingly so it will show through when necessary. you may need to do some sketching if it is confusing :) each "pixel" involves the hemp twine going round the bottle twice. as you keep progressing, keep sticking layers of double-sided tape so your pattern will stay.

5. When you reach the end, snip of the excess jersey thread, leaving about 1 cm allowance.

6. Seal the excess jersey using double-sided tape.

7. Continue to wind your hemp twine to the end of the bottle. i chose to do something similar to how i started (see step 3) so the end of the hemp twine will not fray or come loose so easily.

The end product looked like it needed some colour! i used a fabric marker and coloured the heart red. 

ta-dah! a pretty, personalised case for the card. really thank God for the inspiration because i was really stumped initially how to decorate the bottle and what materials i should use :) to my surprise, hemp twine and jersey thread go so well together! here's the final product and a little glimpse of his card, which tells our story ^_^

blessed remembrance day, PP :) indeed, it's so good to remember God's goodness and what He has done for us, each year :)

on aging

age is always subjective, isn't it? if an elderly woman looks at a young woman in her mid 30s, she'll reminisce her youth. if a young teenager looks at a working adult, she will admire her independence and maturity. i suppose i was that young teenager once. longing to be free, longing to work for myself, longing to earn a living and find some way of success. now that i look back, it's such vanity! the older one gets, the more responsibilities. the more burdens. and yet, it's still sweeter as the years go by with the LORD my God who keeps me each step of the way!

26! my heart sank once in a while when reminded that i have crossed the 25 mark and now, im nearer to 30. now i completely understand why some people desire to remain young and claim to be "forever 21". hahahaha. nevertheless, aging is good. time waits for no man. as i age, it's always good to remember God's goodness and sustenance to me each day, each month, each year.

He hath made everythingbeautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. Ecc 3:11

God has appointed me to be 26 years old, and hence i will embrace it and God-willing, live out my 26th year for His glory!

that's why PP coins "birthdays" as rememberance days. this makes birthdays so much more meaningful, as we remember one year of blessings, joys, sorrows, events.  and this year was a wonderful time where i truly experienced the tender love of those who are just so precious to me.

looking at these pictures make me smile many times over. i've been blessed by the loving hands of many. may God help me, also, to be a blessing to others in the same manner!

april, a happy month

april is a happy month. not that it does not come with its set of worries, but there are many reasons to rejoice. for one, Easter is always a blessed and wonderful time to reflect on what my Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ has done. Our church choir sang a song on Good Friday, taken from Isaiah 53: 4 -5:

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Have you ever experienced healing before? Sometimes when you are sad, a sweet word from a friend can do wonders in comforting your heart. or maybe when you are sick, you take a panadol pill. when you are afflicted with the itchiest rashes (tell me about it urgh!!), antihistamines really become your best friend ;)

What Christ has healed, with his stripes (wounds), goes beyond the afflictions of this world. He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. For our transgressions, he was wounded. All these, he did, so we no longer have to carry the burden of our wrongdoings and the punishment we deserve for the sin. He healed our guilt, the burden of bearing the guilt and the judgment we should have faced. All these, he went through, that we might have life, and have it more abundantly! (John 10: 10). Indeed, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:3

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

and Easter brings with Good Friday a more wonderful news, as we remember how Christ triumphed over the grave and did not remain dead. Hence, we worship a true and living God! my dearest readers.... if you have never heard of this wonderful gift of salvation, I pray that you may be moved to desire to know more. very often in life, we wonder what life should ultimately mean and what purpose we ought to have in life. salvation has brought to me such clarity in life's perspectives. suddenly, the pursuit of success, status, riches become second place and there is this peace that passeth all understanding. As a child of God, i know i can rest in the assurance that i am in the care of the LORD God, Almighty. Life is worth the living, because my Saviour lives and loves me. Would you like to know more? You are warmly invited to attend my church's service:

What Am I Really Living For?

Rev Prabhudas Koshy

29th April, 2pm

here's a map of where my church is :)

on another note, april is also a happy month because my husband's birthday falls in april and this is also the month i have chosen to take a step. more about those another time :)