The air that I breathe...

... is toxic. LOL!

The haze today brought about by the forest fires and kaingin in Sumatra has got to be the worst.

Above are photos I took from the 23rd storey of Fusionopolis over lunch time.

How crazy is that haze, huh?

On a clear day, I usually see MBS and the skyscrapers of CBD while I do Combat or Pump?

Not today.

And I've just read that as of 2PM, the PSI reading was already 170.

Cloud seeding already please lah.

Too many things...

Too many things have been happening since I last blogged.

That's the reason why I haven't had the time to write a proper post.

Must make time for it this week.

Lessons from Andy... Spade, not Warhol... :P

Lessons from Andy... Spade, not Warhol... :P

Five & Dime Eatery...

A food shot by an IG friend of what he ordered at Five & Dime got me interested to try out the place.

I told PG Boy about the place and we agreed that we should go try it out.

Our first attempt was a fail. Haha! It was a Friday. It was drizzling. There was a mad jam. And neither of us had any idea how to get to the place, even with the guidance of GoThere. (Or actually, it was just the thought of having to be stuck in a jam or walking an unknown distance under the rain that made us decide to ditch the plan. Hehe!).

Our second try was successful but with a minor glitch. Hehe!

After finishing my session at the museum, PG Boy and I were WhatsApping on where to meet. He was at the Orchard area. I was in a bus coming from Bras Basah. It was only past five and that's when it occurred to me that we should go search for Five & Dime. We agreed to meet at Somerset and from there, we followed the directions to 297 River Valley given by Google Maps.

It wasn't that far at all. Maybe an 8-10 minute walk.

Five & Dime was easy to locate, too. It was right next to a bus stop and a row of beautiful old shophouse style.

The first thing that we were asked when we entered was whether we had a reservation. That's when I saw that all the tables had namecard. LOL! Why did it not occur to me that a reservation was needed? However, the guy who attended to us checked his schedules and told us he can give us a table but we had to leave by seven thirty. We were both okay with it since we just wanted to have dinner and then head somewhere else for dessert.

After getting our table, I took a look around the place. It was easy to understand why the cafe/eatery has been such a hit. The setup was very nice. I really liked the decor of the place. Cafes in Singapore have been doing a good job in creating a unique feel and ambience giving customers several options. If you want a setting that's industrial, go to Chye Seng Huat. If you want a garden setting, go to PS Cafe at Dempsey. If you want something modern and cosmopolitan, go to Wild Honey at either Scotts Square or Mandarin Gallery. That's one thing I really like about the cafes here.

Back to Five & Dime, the food was also quite enjoyable. For starters, we ordered homemade meatballs. It was about $8 for five pieces. Not bad at all. I even daresay it tastes better than the one served in Ikea. Then we shared a salad and grilled chicken. It was quite filling and we both enjoyed the food. Uhm, I would have wanted steamed corn on the cob but that's just a personal preference.

Overall, I would still say that the first Five & Dime experience is enough to get me to want to go back and try it again. The service was also quite good. There was this one girl, whose name I forgot to get, but she was really good. She paid attention to diners and was ready to assist. Also, on the next visit, I would like to try the brunch. I've been reading quite good revs about it.

Five & Dime
www.fiveanddime.com.sg/
297 River Valley Rd Singapore 238338
9236 5002
Weekdays -12 noon to 12 midnight (Closed on Tuesdays)
Saturday - 10 am to 12 midnight
Sunday - 10 am to 10 pm
Last orders for lunch at 230 pm. Last orders for dinner is 930 pm.

Pink and purple...

There are a few things I'd like to write about but I haven't had the time to sit down and compose my entries. Hehe!

Anyway, I thought I'd post two photos of the sky that I took yesterday as I was about to enter my flat.

As I was looking for my keys, I looked up and just saw how beautiful the colors of the sky were. Does that sound weird? Hehe!

Next thing you know, I already had my iPhone on my hand and taking photos of the wonderful sky.

No filters needed as the colors were already very much alive and vivid.

I think now I understand why cloud appreciations group exist. Hehe!

Random...

2013, I'm not liking you very much.

Indian for lunch...

As mentioned in a previous blog post, Sunday lunch was at an Indian restau in Turf City called Curry Gardenn. Yes, it's double "n." I'm not so sure why.

Mr. Lim said that he had previously tried Omakase Burger, which was right across Curry Gardenn. However, I wasn't really in the mood to pay for $20 for a burger, even if Omakase Burger is said to be quite good. Hehe!

That's why Mr. Lim, PG Boy and I just agreed to go for Curry Gardenn. It turned out to be quite a good decision as the food was enjoyable.

The lady who attended to us was also very knowledgeable and very good in helping us select what to try. The way she described the food may make one think it was the solution to all problems. Hehe.

We ordered the fish tikka masala, chicken masala, mixed vegetables, garlic naan and rice. I would have loved to try the briyani though. It looked very good when I saw a plate brought to the table next to us. I also ordered samosas, since I really like it. Hehe! The mango lassi was also worth ordering.

While the food took some time to arrive, it was okay because we first munched on the compli pappadam that was served with gravy. Hehe!

It was a good lunch, I must say. For the food and drinks, each one of us just shelled out about $13. Not bad at all.

I would definitely want to come back. Too bad it's too far. Haha!

Curry Gardenn
Address : 200 Turf Club Rd, 01-06
Singapore - 287994
Tel. No. : 6314-4640
Web: http://www.currygardenn.com
Hours: Monday to Friday: 11am to 3.30 pm; 5.30 to 10pm
Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays: 10am to 4pm; 5 pm to 10pm

Sunday noontime at Pasar Bella...

Since Saturday evening, I was not feeling very well.

I am not sure if it has anything to do with the weather. Or if some bug is going around. I just felt feverish. With nothing planned, PG Boy and I just had dinner and then headed back.

Yesterday morning, I was feeling better. I woke up a bit late for Mass but thankfully, I still managed to reach the church in time.

Ian and MkSurf8 invited for brunch, but I opted to skip as I wasn't sure about whether I'd get better. Another reason was because I think I sort of agreed to meet up with Mr. Lim along with PG Boy. Mr. Lim asked if I was up for a hike this past weekend. I told him I didn't have my hiking gear with me and that I wasn't really feeling very well.

Also, I needed to allot some time to head to the library to borrow some books for the tour paper I need to write.

So around noontime, PG Boy and I were at the Bishan Public Library borrowing some books on Singapore history. Afterwards, Mr. Lim picked us up and off we went to the weekend market at The Grandstand (formerly known as Turf City).

After a nice, hearty lunch at an Indian restau named Curry Gardenn, the three of us walked to the nearby weekend market named Pasar Bella to check it out. Pasar in Malay means market. Bella in Italian means beautiful (but I guess you already know that).

Mr. Lim was saying that the Pasar Bella was similar to the Fremantle weekend market at Perth. Since I have never been to Perth, I just went with him to see what it was. If it reminded Mr. Lim and PG Boy of Perth, then it reminded me of Mercato at Fort Bonifacio.

That's what Pasar Bella pretty much is - a nice weekend market where one kind find almost all kinds of stuff including fresh produce and seafood, home decor items, cakes, pastries, macarons, coffee, tea, cheese, wine and so on. There was one store that sold paella! I wish I knew about it before lunch. Hehe!

There were many things to take photos of but unfortunately, my blasted iPhone was acting up and my photos turned out to be quite dull. Hehe!

After lunch and coffee, PG Boy and I headed back home, while Mr. Lim decided to go to Orchard to do some shopping.

I was really tired when I reached home. It was puzzling for me why. Anyway, it was a good Sunday afternoon.

Oh, the thing about Pasar Bella is that it is so difficult to reach. I dun think it's accessible by bus.