To our dearest Korra

We went into this with the notion of adopting a small and low-energy dog. However, our expectations were dumped out the window the moment we set our eyes upon you. Sweet, amicable and extremely 'lick-y', we fell head over heels with you and were determined to make this work, despite our initial reservations. As a precaution, we even made a total of 4 trips down to the kennel to interact with other dogs like Tortilla, Kristoff and Pork Chop. You know, just to keep our options open. 

We were so excited at your impending arrival that we spent more than $500 on pet accessories and food, even almost getting scammed in the process. In the lead-up to the commencement of your homestay, we were absolutely stoked to welcome you and start our journey as first-time pawrents. 

When you came to us, you were a little shy and took awhile to warm up, a complete contrast to how friendly you were at The Animal Lodge (TAL). Imagine our happiness when you started eating, drinking and pooping normally from the second day onwards. We were thinking, "Korra must be adapting well!".

Our walks at TAL were short-lived, because one time you were gagging from the heat, another because it was raining. However, we were told that you walk well on a leash. Which was indeed the case when we got to walk you. 

We got Xavian to conduct a home-based training for us, which worked wonders because we could never have gotten you to overcome your fear of the door/pet gate area if we didn't engage him. On just our second day with us, you were already comfortable enough to lie with us on our bedroom floor! 

You were starting to show some of your "notti" sides, including ripping newspapers/pee pads, placing rugs in your water bowl. To be honest, you caused us a great deal of stress especially on the 2nd night. We were kept awake till 4am because we could hear you crying and walking about in the wee hours of the morning. Undeterred, we started to love you little by little more as you grew more "manja", following us everywhere we went (except the kitchen) and always wanting to be by our side. I still remember having to slowly push my chair backwards because your paws were directly behind the castors while you were sleeping. There were times your playful nature kicked in and you were ready to bite anyone that tried to snatch your toys. The way you played your toys reminded me of a wolf trying to behead a wild chicken and that was indeed alarming. But we understand that this is just your primal instincts at play. 

Most of the time, you are just a sweet, sweet girl. There's really no denying that. We really love the way you fall asleep on the floor, or lay your head upon our legs, begging for scratches (You are one itchy dog, I must admit!).

However, it's not always rainbows and unicorns. Ever since you started living with us, I was constantly worrying. About whether you were alright, sleeping outside in the living room on your own. About whether you were destroying things as an act of rebellion. Whether you had peed/poo-ed at places where you were not supposed to. Whether you were gonna be super "pull-y" on the leash. I have to admit that I have never experienced such unprecedented levels of anxiety before in my life. I know these are to be expected during this acclimatization period, but yet, the tiniest sound is enough to jolt me awake in the middle of the night. It's not your fault. We know that we pulled you from a familiar environment, and "forced" you to come live with us. It is normal to miss your friends. It is normal to miss your favourite bangla worker back at TAL who feeds you and brings you treats. It is normal to be apprehensive of these new humans whom you have only known for such a short time. 

On certain walks, you were scared. And I meant absolutely terrified. Especially at kids running by and cyclists zooming by. With your tail hidden between your hind legs, you pulled on the leash with herculean strength. When this happened a few more times, I started to question if you are safe enough for us. I know that you are doing this because you are scared out of your wits, but slowly, I found it frustrating when I couldn't calm you down. I saw the way my dad struggle to control you when you were in one of those moods. I started to wonder if you could cause my mum/dad to fall when they walk you. On one hand, I wanted to comfort you and tell you that everything is going to be okay. On the other hand, I was afraid that your sudden outbursts could cause harm to yourself and my parents. 

Last weekend, we made the difficult decision to extend the homestay. We had thought that given time, we would be able to sort out our thinking to find a resolution. But we knew deep down that the problem doesn't lie with you. It was us all along. In addition to the constant anxiety, we had failed to consider the long-term freedom loss and also what arrangements we had to make, should we be unable to care for you for extended periods of time e.g. our honeymoon or maternity period. After several tear-filled talks, we then decided not to proceed with your adoption. Trust me, this was never an easy decision to make. 

We felt that this was the most logical and rational decision, and ultimately avoided making an emotional one. We wanted to be responsible, and not forsake you in time to come when issues start to arise. We knew that it was going to be painful, but this was the best outcome we could create. 

In your last two days, it probably felt like a dream for you. Meals came in extra large servings, playtime was always extraordinarily long and treats were dispensed as if it was Christmas. Honestly, we wanted to assuage our guilt for putting you through the imminent heartbreak. But it can never hide how guilty we felt, and still do. 

We hope you enjoyed your last morning walk with us. It was especially longer than the usual 15mins, because we couldn't bear for it to end. Looking back, it hurts so much seeing how happy you were, because we know that's a sight we will never witness ever again. 

When Fan Zhe came to pick you up yesterday morning, I was still holding strong. But when I saw how scared you were, I started to break down inside. I knew you were absolutely scared, and looking towards me for protection. This time, you peed not out of excitement, but from fear. When I came to put the slip leash around your neck, you probably thought that this was just another walk, and obediently followed me out the door. In the lift, you even laid on the floor as usual. But when we reached the ground floor, I passed the leash back to Fan Zhe. This time I could tell that you knew something was amiss. You started to tremble, and tried to pull away. When Fan Zhe carried you and put you in the crate, my heart broke into a million tiny pieces. It was then that it hit me and I realized that this was all happening. 

As we made our way back home, my mind was in a whirl. All I could think about was how we had betrayed your trust. And this will forever be my regret. I'm sorry, Korra. I'm sorry for destroying your dream of the perfect forever home. I'm sorry for promising you so much yet taking it all away. I'm sorry for making you trust me unconditionally and then betraying you like this. I'm sorry for closing our door at night and confining you to the playpen with nothing more than a rug. I'm sorry for blaming you for pulling the leash while you were scared. I'm sorry for denying you water in the afternoon for fear that you might pee in the house. I'm sorry for locking you up in the playpen while we were having our meals. I'm sorry for cutting your nails and accidentally hurting you. I'm sorry for disturbing you whenever I was bored. I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable every time I cleaned your paws. I'm sorry for making you wait for food when I'm guilty of the same. I'm sorry for pushing you away just because you were jumping excitedly. I'm sorry for allowing you to get bitten at the dog park. Most importantly, I'm sorry for not thinking this through enough, and putting you through this pain. 

Thank you for bringing us so much joy these 2 weeks. You taught us that being a dog lover does not necessarily mean that you can be a dog owner. We really hope that someone else will be able to give you the love that you deserve. Because you are the sweetest girl that anyone can ever ask for. I will forever be missing you. 

Be well, Korra. We love you. 💔

Currently feeling so disillusioned with work that it has been weighing heavily on my mind for the past two days. How do you explain a colleague with absolutely ZERO contributions for the past nine months is on almost the same compensation/reward scale as everybody else?? The fact that the difference between appraisal grades is a mere 0.5 months' worth of bonus means that our entire contributions in the past year as compared to his are worth at most one month's salary. How is that even fair? This is a sentiment shared by the team, especially so for the supervisory team, because he is considered management grade and probably draws a higher salary than them for doing absolutely nothing. I finally understand what it means to be underappreciated, especially when you pit yourself in comparison with someone who gets paid for doing nothing every day, and comes in late daily as well. The only thing keeping me going now is that I just got to clock the 2 years of experience and probably search for greener pastures in the meantime.

So how did it all begin? This is a question I can never give a specific answer to. Nor could I be certain that my interpretation of things ever happened the way I remember it to be. All I recall was the persistent feeling of nervousness and the tsunami of endorphins engulfing my simple mind, even till today. 

I admit that I kinda had a list of qualities that I envisioned my ideal girl to be. And how religiously I aligned with this set of attributes to no avail. Never in my wildest dreams would it ever occur to me that these qualities ultimately counted for naught when she finally appeared before me, shining in her thousand magnificent ways. 

That loving gaze that still makes my heart skip a beat (which is dangerous considering my condition). That angelic voice that isn't afraid to tell me that she loves me (unlike Archie and Veronica who faced a conundrum because of that). That mini frown she does when she finds out that I have been teasing her again (which is often accompanied by that little pout she does, one of few things capable of melting my icy heart). That her fingers when entwined in mine, fit perfectly as though they were bespoke. The way my chin rests directly on the top of her head like a custom-made headrest. 

The times she made me fall for her all over again, like the very first time. How no amount of heart emoticons can describe my feelings for her. Being contented dating at MBS playing Pokemon Go and running my hardest for those rare ones, knowing how happy she would be if I caught them for her. Spending our Saturdays and Sundays simply talking, sleeping in/napping and watching shows but acknowledging those as the best way to spend the weekends.

How I could entirely be in the vein of my true immature self in front of her without fear of judgement. And especially when she braved fatigue to stay by my bedside during my darkest days at the hospital, constantly reassuring me that things are gonna be alright and that she will be with me every step of the way. The subsequent tears I fought back, contemplating how my illness could potentially change everything we both had envisioned for the future. When I expected things to change, they did. But she didn't. I knew then and there, that she's the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

It started during BMT. Wes and I both belonged to the same platoon so we booked in and out of Tekong together on the weekends. Sab was there sometimes, to send him off or pick him up. But it was only during the times that she wasn't there that I felt empty. Strangely enough, I found myself looking around for her, wondering if I'd at least get to catch a glance of her before we departed. And when she finally appeared, a little spark of happiness erupted within me. Back then, I could not fathom why I felt that way since I had previously known her from our secondary school days. And I didn't feel anything back then.

One of my fondest memories involved our first meaningful interaction during the post-field camp bookout. Wes and I were both charred black from our days frolicking in the soil and sun. And as we were exiting Pasir Ris MRT station, Sab saw us both but chose to make conversation with me first, commenting about how dark I had become. I wondered why her first instinct wasn't to speak to her brother, but to me. Or maybe it was really just overthinking on my part then.

Subsequently, Wes and I were assigned to different units after passing out and I didn't get to see Sab as regularly as before, unless I visited. (It's still funny how I refer it to Sab's house now, after years of labeling it Wes' house). And then came news of Wes getting attached. Being inquisitive like Curious, I just had to kaypoh. It started off with a tweet, then moved to twitter DMs, then whatsapp texts. (Yes you could say I slid into her DMs. Or did she slide into mine?)

I remember my heart pounding like crazy as we continued conversing via twitter DM while restricted by the 140-character limit. I still remember the circumstances vividly. I had just ended duty and was waiting for the bus home. I couldn't sleep the night before, but I was far from sleepy. Because I was delirious.

The way I obtained her number two days later must also have been the daftest thing ever.

The first date didn't involve anything too fancy. We started off with lunch at Platypus (I think I still have the receipt but it's faded af) and a movie (something about Vlad the Impaler). The subsequent scene in the theatre is forever etched in my mind. As the lights had went out, I asked if she wanted to hold my hand as I was afraid she would miss a step and fall. I hadn't thought much of it then, but she probably thought of it differently. Because she responded with "Are you serious?" It didn't occur to me at that point that I was asking to hold hands right from the first date. I also don't really remember this, but I was walking ahead of her throughout that day, and not beside. Silly me hadn't realized how fast my usual walking speed was compared to hers, and how hard she was struggling to keep up. These are the things I never notice.

Things moved quicker than expected from the first date. No one would have expected a stable relationship to blossom from a dating phase of merely twelve days. But miraculously, it somehow happened. After more than three years, I still gaze fondly at her sometimes, thinking how lucky I am to have her.

The year 2016 also heralded the introduction of little Curious into our lives, bringing us even closer together, held constant by our absolute affection for that adorable critter. Our fondness for Curious is evident by the crazy amount of photos and videos of her saved on our devices and cloud storage. I think we have more photos of Curious than of Sab and I combined throughout our entire relationship! During CNY last year, she was afflicted with a bacterial infection and started shedding fur. We were both worried sick because seeing her lose her silky mane of fur thoroughly broke our hearts. And just 4 weeks ago, she developed a lump under her right arm, which again caused us many sleepless nights. Luckily, it was just an accumulation of fat and nothing serious. The fact that the veterinary costs combined could have covered the cost of a dozen other hamsters just goes to show the special place Curious will always occupy in our hearts.

Anyway, I had entertained the thought of taking the next step with Sab countless times over the course of our relationship. And while thinking of the perfect date to do so, I accidentally put her on high alert. This was what happened:

We got together on 17th October 2014.  Thus, I had planned for that special day to fall on 17x17.17 (17 x 17 = 289 = 28 September 2017). Being the constant forgetful worrywart, I stupidly keyed that date into my calendar as a reminder. And the best part is that I named the title of this reminder with the emoticon of a ring. Subsequently, while I was scrolling through my weekly schedule, she saw it. I had no choice but to alter the date. And since she would be expecting something if that date went by, I decided to bring the date forward instead.

Luckily for me, these things only happen once in a lifetime. Because I simply cannot sustain another heart attack like this ever again. In the end, I re-planned for it to fall on our 1017th day, which was 29 July 2017.

First and foremost, I needed the blessings of her family. And since I had known Wes for a decade, I assumed it would be good to start off with him. I met him for dinner and we wandered around aimlessly after that. Finally, I addressed the purpose of that meet up subtly, along the line of: "Wes, you know ah.... Your sister and I quite long already right... Somemore both of us working already... Then hor... I was thinking whether we should take the next step lor..." I could see a slight grin on his face because he kind of understood what I was getting at, even without me saying the exact words. I couldn't bring myself to broach the subject blatantly. Luckily for me, he spared me the blushes.

Secondly, I arranged to have dinner with Sab's parents. After the experience of the first round, I was more confident and I told myself that this time, I would address the topic directly. Initially, her mum thought I had planned to meet them to tell them about Sab's difficulties at work. But I actually took a different approach. I can't remember for sure how I had negotiated the topic, but I ended up showing them designs of the ring I had in mind. I guess that means yes?

I enlisted Wes and Ense's assistance to help me with the planning and execution for this day. Actually, I was unsure if Sab would have wanted it to be a grand affair, or a toned down memory for just a few close ones. Anyway, since I wouldn't want it to be over the top, I decided to make it fairly low-profile. (At least lesser people will know in case it doesn't go so well!)

I was secretly proud and happy at how the ring turned out. Sab stubbornly refused to accompany me to select the design despite my best efforts, so I had to make the trip down myself not once but three times. But because she chose not to, the final design of the ring would still be a surprise until that day. Especially the R and S details on the ring that she didn't know about.

Leading up to the day, I was getting pretty excited. On the morning of the proposal, it felt more like an errand day. Because we had to pick up the balloons and flowers then head over to the hotel to check-in and decorate. It didn't help that the hotel staff weren't helpful at all and didn't want to comp me an early check-in. In addition, they were also unwilling to guarantee us a bay view. Not quite the way I wanted things to play out, but the show must still go on. Luckily for me, Wes and Ense were with me throughout the day, helping me with the decor and ferrying me to obtain what I needed. I'm eternally grateful to them both :))))

Once we were done with the decor, Wes fetched me back to his place while Ense stayed behind in the room to ensure the lights and camera were functioning well. I headed up first and Wes followed about 10 minutes later, so as not to raise any suspicion. Shortly after, Wes and his parents drove to the hotel to wait out at the hotel lobby, with Sab still busy getting ready in her room, thinking that it was just a normal weekend out playing PoGo.

As we slowly made our way to town, I was constantly texting Ense our location, so that she would have ample time to set up the room just before we reached. I was secretly afraid that Sab would sneak a peek at my phone but I tried to hide it. Sab and I decided to have Sakae Teppanyaki for dinner, so I was pretending to locate the restaurant while searching for the elusive side door of the hotel. As usual, my navigational skills failed me big time. I actually went past the side door without realizing it and had to take the escalator up again before locating it the second time round. At this point of time, Sab was already getting a little frustrated because she was hungry.

On the pretence of looking for a good place to view the fireworks (It was NDP Preview Day 2), I brought her into the hotel lobby, told her to trust me and led her into the hotel lift. I stealthily scanned the lift card hidden in my hand. My heart was pumping like crazy because I was certain she had already caught on to what was happening. On the 9th floor, I exited the lift and Sab was still giving me a really puzzled look. I led her to the room door, took a deep breath, inserted the card key and swung the door open. I couldn't really recall the next few moments, because my brain was a little fuzzy with both excitement and anticipation. It was then, that her tears started to fall.

Along to the tune of Ed Sheeran's "Perfect" against the backdrop of the photo slideshow playing on the telly, I led her in, while she tried to comprehend the situation unfolding right in front of her. All the lines I had practiced for abandoned me in that instant, leaving me tongue-tied. On hindsight, I really should have either rehearsed or prepared more :/ I vaguely remember pulling out the ring from my back pocket and going down on one knee. My hands were practically shaking so hard that I needed both hands just to hold the ring steady. 

As I uttered the words "Will you marry me?", I could see her tear-stained face and in that instant, I knew how much I wanted this. Although I had planned for this day for the longest time, nothing could prepare me for the happy tears that rolled down my cheeks as she nodded and said the words I had been waiting to hear: "Of course!". The hug that ensued will stay a vivid recollection for us both, as it involved a whole lot of muffled sniffling and tear-stained smiles all around.

We are officially engaged!

 

Have been waking up in the middle of the night with the sands of the Sahara incessantly plaguing my throat for almost a week now. It all began with the disgusting bittergourd soup that came together with my chicken rice for lunch on Tuesday. Right after downing one spoonful of that liquid poison, my entire throat tightened and it felt as though a noose was being pulled around it. I thought nothing of it and expected the sensation to disappear after a few hours, if not days. Alas, the dreadful feeling remained throughout and on Sunday night, I feared for the worst. Thoughts were running through my mind about how many illnesses tend to go unnoticed and when you finally realize, it's already too late. I have already endured one episode last year and definitely cannot afford, with my future in mind, to have another surprise sprung on me. I have heard stories about your body giving subtle signs and how you should take heed of these symptoms. In addition, my doctor had instructed me to head straight to the A&E in the event of any cough, flu, sore throat, fever symptoms and it scared me. It could mean that my body has developed an adverse reaction to my medication, resulting in a low white cell count and deteriorating my immune system to its minimum effective state. Fortunately, it was a false alarm. The doctor diagnosed it as an acute upper respiratory infection (in short, a bacterial infection of the throat) and gave me 2 days of MC.

I've never been a great advocate of change so it's no wonder my stomach was exploding with butterflies on my first day at work yesterday. It was a day I had looked forward to tremendously, towards financial independence and rebuilding my depleted savings account which was brutally savaged by my university tuition fees. Second day down and I have got to say I really hate this perpetual feeling of ambiguity and uncertainty. According to my recruiter, I was not supposed to come in for another two weeks because he is overseas during this period, but a communication breakdown with the HR department meant that I've got time to burn during this fortnight. I mean it's a good time for me to familiarize myself with my fellow colleagues and the way things work in the office but I just feel so helpless, not knowing what I should be doing next. And those who have worked with me before know that I like knowing what to do and being given the autonomy to do it, so this current phase isn't really something in my comfort zone. But like what Sab advised me, I should embrace this period of adaptation before work starts proper because by the time my workload hits me like a hurricane, I would be regretting my current complaints.

Anyway, I am glad to be able to find a job, with the employment market facing tumultuous times. Those instances whereby I was lamenting the lack of replies from my job applications have me grinning now at how silly I was to be worried sick all that time. The last two months of rest have been a godsend, but I am regretting not using that time to properly adjust my body clock, which explains the unparalleled fatigue I felt after work yesterday, having not woken up at such a godforsaken hour for ages. Luckily for me, I don't feel as tired today and I hope I'll get used to things as time passes. I am really excited to be establishing this personal milestone, and for Sab and I to be both working hard towards our future together.

It's only been the second month of 2017 but Sab has already made a visit to the clinic for suspected food poisoning, been to the A&E for a related case of stomach flu, and seen a Chinese physician twice for a recurring shoulder ache and most recently, a sprained ankle. It really breaks my heart seeing her subject to these bouts of sickness and injury, and how I wish to be able to share in her pain and suffering if I could in any way. I've never been a firm believer in chances because I believe that you make your own luck. But here I am wishing fervently that everything else will go smoothly in her favour this year from now on. Because nothing matters more to me than knowing that she's safe and sound.

On a happier note, Valentine's Day and our 28th monthsary went by in quick succession last week.

The old hardworking me would have prepared something for her for both separate occasions but I really got to admit that the sloth in me is starting to show its true colours lately. And it takes a certain degree of courage to carry the bouquet around on the train, amid the unforgiving stares of other commuters. That is why I housed the bouquet in a paper bag because I was too chicken (see what I did there?) to hold it in plain sight. To be honest I wasn't confident in its appearance actually, given that it's my first time making one. And I got to admit that it's really nerve-wrecking trying to skewer twenty nuggets onto the bouquet in record time because it was pretty intimidating to do that in a Mcdonald's restaurant, albeit it being Valentine's Day. But it was all worthwhile when I caught the sheer look of surprise and happiness in her eyes when I gifted it to her. And yes, we were both afraid of getting caught with food on the train so we covered the bouquet with a paper bag all the way home. Looks like the fear of being fined for bringing food aboard the train still trumps the outright show of affection and love that Valentine's Day is supposed to be about. But anyway, the nugget bouquet got to be in quite a number of selfies with Sab, and were still delicious even when cold, so I guess this year's Valentine's Day surprise could still be considered a success!

I know I ought to apologize for abandoning this space for such a long time. But I've been suffering from a severe attack of 'writer's block' and never could find the appropriate time or occasion to update. But considering the fact that I am unemployed and have time to kill, I should at least get something out or this space will fade into oblivion in no time.

CNY this year was such a bore. Although the long weekend may have been a welcome hiatus from work for many, jobless me sees no difference compared to any other day. But at least it allowed for many long-procrastinated meet-ups to finally materialize. I don't know if I am meant to feel this way, but the thought of having such a long break and not having any events in my sights is starting to scare me. Occasionally, I fill myself with incessant worrying because I fear that I have assignments undone or appointments I failed to adhere to but a second later, it dawns on me that I have absolutely nothing on my calendar. The constant job applications and sending of resumes is starting to wear me down as well. I know the employment market is really bad right now and I shouldn't be so hard on myself, especially since this is my only chance of a well-deserved break before working life kicks in and I'm forced to slog the rest of my adult life away. The constant reminders of my dad and aunt asking me to find a job or at least a part-time job is wearing me thin as well. It isn't as if I ain't trying, but it's just really that difficult now okay. Do I seem like I am simply lazing around at home every single day? This is all so depressing, but I'll probably just listen to Sab and take it slow. No one knows me like she does anyway.

Sab started work last week and it really pains me to be apart from her for such long hours. Yes we are clingy like that. In the past months, we were probably apart only on Sundays. Even my aunts kept asking me where she was at family gatherings because they thought we were inseparable. I think out of her five work days last week, I met her after work for four days. Plus a full day Saturday as well. I know how hard it is for her this time to step out of her comfort zone and take on something so novel and challenging, but I'm sure she will definitely slay it.

And I'm finally starting on "The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto" after three months of it lying stagnant on my shelf. Sab keeps scolding me for procrastinating but admit it, the title doesn't seem very appealing does it? HAHAHAHAHA. Seems like I've lost my spark for reading so maybe I should start to find it again.

I'll be having my PES status reassessment in 10 days. It has been a struggle being confined to this E9L9 status for the past year. So maybe my career options can be widened if the MO has mercy on me and decides to reinstate me to at least a B or even an A.

Oh yes, and even though I've began to run on alternate days lately, my weight seems to be gradually heading towards the 80kg mark. My metabolism levels just doesn't seem the same anymore :( Face it, the people calling me fat were right all along.

It's been almost a week since I'm back from TW but I think I should really get around to getting this post up or the desire to do so will fade away just like it did for our BKK trip last year.

Sab and I decided on an impromptu trip just one week before our departure date because we will both probably be starting work next year and it will get more difficult to sync our schedules then. And also because I initially promised to bring her to HK Disneyland at year-end but scrapped the idea because the exchange rate is really bad. Imagine our joy and excitement when we booked this trip just days before! The excitement did not even have time to sink in before we found ourselves en route to the airport to the land of awesome street food and milk tea!

The flight was so damn uncomfortable and as usual, I did not manage to sleep on the plane. But I did grab some shuteye at Sab's place prior to departure. But I somehow survived on that hour or so of sleep for the whole of Day 1. We obtained our data sim card at one of the telecom stations (approx $12 for 5 days of unlimited data). Then we randomly hopped onto one of the buses at the terminal after asking some questions and not fully understanding what the conductor had said. Luckily enough, the driver explained to all the puzzled passengers that were heading to Ximen station to alight and transfer to another bus. The bus was just leaving the airport and that was when I caught my first Farfetch'd! Sab only has a sighting but it appeared on my screen so I was so apologetic to her and kept reassuring her that we would definitely catch others over the next few days. It was still too early to check in so we put down our luggage at the hotel and went to roam about Ximending.

 

It was drizzling quite abit so we had to lug our luggage to the hotel which is 5mins away from the station. I have no idea why Sab was wearing my jacket though. 

This beef cubes thing was so damn good that I think we ordered it at least once everyday. By the second day, we were ordering NTD200 (SGD8) portions instead of the primary NTD100 option, because there really just wasn't enough to go around. We had it in rose salt flavour for the first day and after that, we simply got spiced salt for the other times.   

Our hotel was pretty close to A-zhong Mian Xian so we headed there first. It was still good, but I feel that the standard has really deteriorated throughout the years. And there are no oysters anymore, only the pig intestines. You just have to purchase their bottled chilli sauce and add it to any mianxian that you make and it will taste 90% the same as A-zhong's! We went back to the hotel to check in and nua a little before heading to Shilin Night Market. Honestly, the place was really badly organised and had too many alleys so I'm not sure if we managed to finish walking all the stalls. Moreover, the place mostly had game stalls and only some souvenir stalls. Wouldn't recommend it anymore. Seems like the place has changed quite abit since the last time I was there. However, we chanced upon this cake shop that we initially wanted to visit but it was at Danshui so we decided to forgo it. But lucky us found a branch right here at Shilin and oh my god the cake was heavenly.

Coming from someone that detests cake and probably has it only like twice per year, it is really sooooooo damn good! And for about $3 for an entire block of cake, it's so worth it. It comes in two flavours- original and cheese. We got the original and couldn't even finish half even after having it for breakfast the next morning too. The weather was chilly and the cake was freshly baked. The smell, taste and texture of it comes together to give it a very homely feel of old school vibes. I'm not kidding when I say that I can have one slice of this cake every morning. And I don't usually eat cake even. And although the guy dishing out the heavenly cake was wearing a face mask, Sab and I both agreed that he is really good looking. I don't give compliments easily so ladies, trust my taste and just shang ba. It's somewhere in Shilin so just walk around. Good things must put in effort one. Other than that, Shilin was pretty boring. We didn't even find the famous massive chicken cutlet that the place was famous for. Maybe we just weren't looking hard enough.

The queue for this fried potato stick thingy was really long so we went to get a queue number as well. But it turned out pretty meh only. Really doesn't justify the 10min wait. There was this Da Chang Bao Xiao Chang stall that sells sausages wrapped in glutinous rice right opposite this stall. That stall had at least 10 people in queue so we didn't bother queuing. Must make a mental note to try these highly acclaimed stalls next time.

Day 2 - We went to Wufenpu. The place was pretty meh and we managed to finish walking the entire place. I got myself a blue ombre(?) pullover and Sab got a pink top. Funnily enough, I bought five tops throughout the entire trip and they are all pullovers. I'm thankful that my tolerance to heat has improved quite a bit. Other than that, the items at Wufenpu were really pricey and some require you to buy a minimum amount of items. We then headed to Raohe night market when the sky got darker. And of course we can never resist fried quail eggs, a delicacy we had so much of in Bangkok as well. Come to think of it, I must have eaten at least 50 quail embryos and I actually feel a little bad inside.  

 

 

The place only had two lanes so it was pretty easy to walk. Walk up one lane and eat all the food, then walk back the other lane and eat somemore. This was our favourite night market so we ended up visiting it again on the last day. There was this pepper bun stall that had snaking queues on the two days we went, but apparently we didn't want to waste time so we didn't queue for them.

Apparently Sab was obsessed with brown sugar milk tea throughout our entire trip and we chanced upon this stall that has brown sugar pearls. But it turned out pretty meh, although we must say that the pearls in TW are really fresh and chewy, a phenomenon rarely found in Singapore, especially from those Kois and Gongchas that probably cut down on preparation time and produce substandard pearls. 

Can I just express my pure adoration of sweet potato balls? I think I had this every single day because they were just so good! Sab dislikes the taste of WW2 food so she detested it. I had this in cheese, which came with cheese powder on the top, and it was amazingggggggg!

This is Sab's favourite street food throughout our entire trip. Coming from someone that doesn't even like milk, which explains her lower centre of gravity (see what I did there?), she could not get enough of this. Prudent her went for just one stick the first time round and got addicted so we ended up buying three more sticks. 

Day 3 saw us visit the Taipei Zoo! We were initially skeptical of the standard of the zoo in comparison with Singapore's because the entrance fee is just NTD60, which is barely even $3. Our fears were proven right because although the place was pretty huge, each exhibit only had one animal and we could clearly see that they were lonely and distressed. One of the lemurs that we saw was pacing up and down the window pane, completely oblivious to visitors. And the animals all looked so sad. It was starting to drizzle so we bought ponchos! We hopped on the tram, which was only NTD5 per pax, which was about $0.20. I have no idea how they make money over there. 

We found Harambe!

The prairie dog was really cute and fat that he(?) reminded us on Curious when he was munching on that green plant/vegetable. Sadly, it seemed like he was the only one in there so he must have been really lonely.  :(

We headed over to Tonghua/Linjiang might market after that but it was really small. I don't think we managed to eat much there either.



We had this milk tea snow ice which was really good too!

Day 4: We had no plans for this day, other than Shida at night. So we had KFC at Ximending for lunch and decided to head over to Taipei 101 and see if we can find our way up the tower. The entrance ticket to enter the observatory was NTD600 or approx $24 so we decided not to head up. We were rather aimless so we decided to head over to SOGO to see if there was anything to do there.

This matcha ice cream is really good and can be found near the KFC in ximending.

It was pure madness at SOGO because I think they were having a 15% storewide sale. The ladies' departments were chock full of people and promoters so we had to escape the building to even breathe. Then we headed to Shida night market when the sky started to get dark, but it was so disappointing. The government had changed the layout of the place and it was so hard to even find food there. The stores were also pretty meh and the prices were quite expensive, probably because the shops were permanent and not makeshift. We decided to leave and pay Raohe another visit before we returned to SG.

 

I really liked this cheese potato thing with ham and bacon inside, but Sab said the cheese tasted like cheap cheese. I finished it nonetheless, being the eternal glutton that I am. 

Oh my, this coffin bread is simply amazing. We had it in kimchi pork flavour and were expecting it to be just another average street food. Oh boy, how mistaken we were. I could have ordered another of this and finished it all by myself. And mind you, I was already super full at that point of time. Of course, we had grilled mushrooms too, which are always Sab's go-to food. 

This was our very first bowl of braised beef noodles. I felt that the broth was really good, especially when it was raining. And the beef was so abundant! For just $6, I think that it's super worth it. And because I am forbidden to have beef at home, the beef dishes in Taiwan totally fed my cravings. 

Tripping with Sab always gives me the longing feeling whenever I return to SG. I am really bad at map reading so her directional sense really saved the day for us on several occasions. And the slow pace of the trip really accorded us time to relax and take things slowly, without the mentality that we were wasting precious time because we haven't ticked things off our itinerary. I'm really looking forward to our next trip with her family to HK in December! To a million more trips with you, my love 💗.