Travel diary: 马妹逛台记 ❤️ Taipei, Taichung & Yilan

I literally cannot believe that my ji mui's & I went on our first trip together! It's been almost a year now but the memory feels so fresh like it was just last week. I still get hyped up just by looking at our photos. It was our first trip & it was to somewhere overseas & it was to celebrate the mark of our 21st birthdays. To be honest, I just felt extremely blessed to have most of my high school gang at the trip & it was all our first time travelling with friends. We went to Taiwan during the end of September which was quite a low season since the weather was as hot as KL, but it was nice because most places weren't as crowded & there are less photo bombers.

Disclaimer:
Why am I blogging about it eventhough it's been so long? I guess I just wanted to keep something for me to reminisce the memories as I can be quite forgetful, it would be nice to read this again in a few years & remember how nice of an experience this was. If my experience & tips on the trip could even help a reader or two, I'm happy. :) I would love to be updated with my current trips when I'm done with writing my past ones!

Of course, when on a trip with a bunch of girls, selfies anywhere & everywhere are unavoidable. Dont say I didn't warn you in advance ok.

DAY 1 (KUL-TPE-TC):

Exhibit A: at the airport

Exhibit B: in the plane

Exhibit C: when landed & heading to train

TBH if we planned in advance that we were going to Taichung, we could have booked a direct flight there instead. But it was nice experiencing the high speed train too which took only 1 hour to reach Taichung (ticket: NT600). If you're not in a hurry, it takes about a little more than 2 hours by bus (国光1860 / 统联1623 / 和建明5503) at NT240.

How to take the high speed train from Taoyuan International Airport to Taichung (Taichung HSR station):

• Purchase an Easycard (used for trains & buses) for NT100 (no value in card) as within a short distance traveled by bus, the fare is free of charge! The remaining balance can be spent at convenience stores & any remaining payment can be paid using cash.
• You'll have to take a bus (a very, very bumpy bus, you have been warned) to the train station because there isn't any direct high speed trains from the airport. Ask around the airport staff if you're unsure because they are really helpful!
• There is one train every hour so if you're like us who missed it, spend some time snacking at the convenience store at the station.
• Be sure to wait at the station 5 mins prior to avoid missing the train.
• Check if the train arrived is yours because several trains share the same track.

Also, the data plans in Taiwan are really affordable & they offer unlimited data plans that are priced by how many days needed.

The first stop we headed for after getting off the bus was to Fengjia Night Market, also where we would be staying for the next 2 nights. Eventhough the travelling time from Taichung station to Fengjia Night Market was about an hour, the fare was free because we had the Easycard! (remember to buy because it's way more convenient with it!) Our Taichung Airbnb was really convenient as it was just above Fengjia Night Market. You would think that it being in such a happening location would mean it would noisy, but surprisingly it wasn't! The room was quite small but it was cosy because it was like a sleepover for us. The downside is there was a flight of stairs before the lobby to the lifts and it wasn't that easy to find if you're unfamiliar with the place so you'll have to get the host to bring you over. If you're lucky, the host might get his employee & his employee is a tall, handsome Taiwanese boy. hahahahah!

We dropped off our bags & headed straight to get our late dinner. The best part about staying near a night market is you can always get food till late! Here are some food & drinks to try while at Fengjia Night Market 逢甲夜市:

• Food: Taiwanese sausage wrapped with glutinous rice 大肠包小肠, Minglun pancake 明倫蛋饼, Taiwanese stinky tofu 台灣臭豆腐, Taiwanese fried chicken chop 台灣炸雞扒, Egg shape pancakes 雄爺雞蛋糕, Fengjia sweet potato balls 逢甲地瓜球, Cheese potato 起司马铃薯, Fried squid 酥炸大鱿鱼…
• Drinks: Taro iced drink 芋头冰, Bubble Tea, Papaya milk 北回木瓜牛奶…
• Nearby eats: Overlord Taichung / 台中市西屯區福星路528號 – Kobe beef, fries & coke

The thing I noticed about Taiwanese street food is a lot of it is fried. Do drink loads of water when there because you wouldn't want to fall sick during a trip. I don't eat fried food or snack food as much because I need rice to fill my tummy (hands up if you're a rice bucket too!). Thankfully there is always braised meat rice (Lu rou fan 滷肉饭) available everywhere & happy girl is happy when she eats her rice. Another thing is, you'd expect night market food to be cheap but it really really isn't. The price of food in Taiwan surprised me because I didn't expect it to be pricier than Malaysia (eg. RM14 for 1 cheese potato). My estimated budget on food was less than expected so all of us almost went broke towards the last few days & ate mostly convenience store meals for breakfast.

DAY 2 (RAINBOW VILLAGE 彩虹眷村 | TUNGHAI UNIVERSITY 台中东海大学 | TAICHUNG NATIONAL THEATER 臺中國家歌劇院 | LIHPAO 麗寶 OUTLET MALL | ZHONGSE FLOWER MARKET 中社觀光花市 | GAOMEI WETLANDS 高美濕地): 

We hired a driver, Mr Chen for a full day (because we tai tai & enjoy life like that, jk.) because most of the places we wanted to head to wasn't far but it would take a crazy long time by bus so we figured it wasn't worth saving several bucks. He was super nice & bought us all drinks + treated us some food too! + he didn't solely play his role as a driver but he helped us take plenty of IG worthy group photos & all had the stamp of approval by the very picky me. If you're travelling in a small group like us to Taiwan soon & would be interested in getting a driver, I highly recommend Mr Chen. (drop me an email at kimmiemaey@gmail.com or insta dm me for his contact!)

So we started our morning trying out breakfast food nearby our airbnb. It was right outside a university nearby where we stayed called Fengjia University. After trying out every stall & filling our tummies, we headed to Rainbow Village, a former veteran's village painted colourfully by a former soldier in order to save it from being demolished.

Taken by our driver Mr Chen! Told you he's good. The best part is he's super patient & kept giving us plenty of variety like portrait & landscape shots.

If you're lucky, you might meet the former soldier aka Rainbow grandpa, Huang Yung-Fu himself. He's super friendly & young at heart as he posed cheekily with us AHAH! How cute!

We spent less than an hour there since it wasn't very big & headed for our next stop, Tunghai University to visit Luce Memorial Church. Well we intended to but did not make it in the end as we spent way too much time taking photos while walking in. If you do intend to visit Luce Memorial Church, allow 20 minutes of walking time to slowly enjoy the nice surroundings because the university grounds are pretty big & the church is situated deep inside.

This is why we didn't make it to the church. LOL.

Then, we headed to Taichung National Theater, famed for its unique architecture. Finally a place with aircond for us to cool down for abit. There isn't any entrance fee if you're just wandering around the place, but if you love dome like ceilings & minimal staircases, this is the place for you.

We had our lunch at a small noodle shop recommended by our driver while we were on our way to Lihpao 麗寶 Outlet Mall. To be honest, Lihpao Outlet Mall was a waste of time to go because the shops were pretty dead & you can probably get the same or even better offers at our local outlet malls. The most time you can spend there is just outside the mall because it's painted in the prettiest pastel shades & has a ferris wheel on top of the building.

Pretty but not worth to go all the way just for a photo in my opinion.

Since our visit at Lihpao Outlet Mall ended way quicker than expected, our driver recommended us to visit Zhongse Flower Market 中社觀光花市 which was a short drive away. I previously been to Amsterdam's Keukenhof festival & saw plenty of giant almost the size of my face kind of tulips so at first I felt okok visiting Zhongse Flower Market.

But as I walked around, I just felt really good & instantly lifted my mood as I walked in a garden full of flowers. We felt like we rented the whole place out because it was low season & there really weren't many people around.

We spent around an hour there before heading to Gaomei Wetlands 高美濕地 because we wanted to arrive just in time to catch the sunset.

We had a quick photo stop at some paddy fields by the road side because they were so pretty!

We first arrived at Gaomei Wetlands scenic bridge which allows you to take closer photos with the windmills.

We then took the car to Gaomei Wetlands itself (there's a wooden walkway & the spot at the end is the best for photo taking) because the walk was too far to make it for the sunset. I saw this cute couple infront of us & had to sneak a shot of their cute moment!

We didn't walk all the way to the end cuz we found a nice spot to get a great shot. The sunset was so beautiful I cant even!

I actually came back again three months after this trip to Gaomei Wetlands during the winter & the sunset wasn't nice at all! Super gloomy & greyed out. Compared to this photo which is 100% unedited! So I'd definitely recommend maybe the spring or autumn time to visit will be the best.

DAY 3 (TC-TPE, WU FEN PU FASHION DISTRICT 五分埔商圈 | RAOHE NIGHT MARKET 台北饶河街夜市): 

We spent our third day travelling by bus to Taipei. It was a really relaxing day & time just flew by as we napped our way there. Our Taipei Airbnb was more spacious & was at a great location as well. However it was on the 4th or something & there was no lifts so carrying the luggages were a pain. This Airbnb is pretty convenient as well since it's nearby public transport but no handsome host to bring you there. AHAHAH! I remember when I was hunting for Airbnbs, most of them usually only has 1 toilet so it was a pain every morning because 6 girls... It's okay we made it & we're all still friends LOL.

After checking in, we headed out again to Wu Fen Pu fashion district. No photos here because once we arrived, we went straight to shopping because girls being girls... It's best to shop here during off season whereby most stores are clearing stocks for the new season. Most shops sell in bulk but you can still purchase them at a higher not very worth it price. Usually what we do is just to look at those on the sales rack as you'll be able to find bargains from RM7 onwards! Most of our purchases were under RM28 because we only looked out for stuff at NT200. There were even offers for 2 for NT100 (RM7 each)!

Raohe Night Market was just a short walk away from Wu Fen Pu & the night market was very easy to walk at since it was a big U turn. Look out for a stall selling grilled turkey wings. They look like mutated chicken wings because its huge hahah!

DAY 4 (YILAN DAY TOUR - HAPPY TRAIN STATION 幸福轉運站 | LANYANG MUSEUM 蘭陽博物館 | MEIHUA LAKE 梅花湖風景區 | LUODONG NIGHT MARKET 宜蘭羅東夜市):

We traveled to Yilan by hiring a driver as you can only travel around Yilan by bus which is too time costly. I think the weather was the hottest on this day because there weren't any clouds to be seen. We wanted to go to Artemis Garden cafe which is a super pretty IG worthy cafe but there was a minimum spend per person & an entrance fee which wasn't worth to pay. Apparently alot of pretty cafes in Taiwan has a minimum spend per person rule which I didn't know about.

We ate elsewhere & headed to Yilan's happy train station 幸福轉運站. There's a really cute pastel pink playset beside a cafe which if the weather is too hot, you aren't allowed to enter. Unfortunately for us we couldn't enter, as the playset was burning hot at 45.5 C°.

Desperate for a photo since we came all the way, I still went to sit on it even though it was so hot. HAHAH! In the process of climbing, my dress actually broke. Whoops.

The happy train station doesn't just end at the pastel pink playset but there's more photo spots along the same street to take photos at.

We then headed to lunch at Yilan's famous hot spring chicken 甕窯雞 which btw, was yummeh! It's cooked in an urn & served as a whole.

It was so fun to de-bone the chicken myself!

After filling our tummies with good food, we headed to Lanyang museum for more photo taking! Lanyang museum is famous for its angular structure & its location which is in the middle of a lake.



After Lanyang museum, there was still extra time before Luodong night market opened so our driver recommended us to visit Mei Hua lake.

The view was so pretty but all of us melted in the weather.

Luodong market wasn't much difference as I guess since we've went to Fengjia night market, Luodong's  doesn't feel very special anymore.

DAY 5 (DI HUA STREET 迪化街 | XI MEN DING SHOPPING STREET 西门町商圈):

After several days of sightseeing, our 5th day was a more laid back one, filled with shopping nonetheless. I realized that I didn't get to take many scenic & building pictures since I was the tour guide so forgive me... :(

We had our brunch at a random zhap fan (economy rice) shop along Di Hua street 迪化街 & it was good! They had plenty of choices like a buffet & different types of soup to choose from! I literally poured a bunch of lu rou cuz its my fav fav fav ever even if it's fattening AF.

Di Hua street was pretty quiet & had a lot of old buildings which felt like we went back in time. It's definitely the place to get Taiwanese souvenirs like cute packet tea, yummy pineapple tarts & even the popular TTL Hua Tiao chicken / pickled vege beef Noodles 台酒花雕雞 / 酸菜牛肉麵! It has real meat in it & the packet form tastes better than the cup noodle one. Must try cuz its so, so good!

After souvenirs shopping, we walked over to Xi Men Ding shopping street 西门町商圈 for beauty shopping! Beauty stores in Taiwan often has lots of great deals like buy 1 free 1 or special discounted items with purchase. The 6 of us bought too much till the cash register actually reached its limit twice & jammed LOL. Epic but paisieh as well. AHAHA

All of us easily bought a year supply of masks that day & have to eat convenience store food for the rest of the days but happy then can liao. :D

DAY 6 (BEITOU HOT SPRING MUSEUM 北投温泉博物馆 | GEOTHERMAL VALLEY 地热谷 | TAMSUI OLD STREET 淡水老街):

Going to Beitou Hot Spring museum 北投温泉博物馆 in a weather like KL's was not the best idea ever. There are plenty of hotels around the area providing hot spring private rooms so just go to any that suits your budget. Thankfully there's a hot spring & a cold spring which saved us from the hot weather.

Our skin felt soft after a good hot spring & we walked to the Geothermal Valley 地热谷. People usually go there to feel the natural steam but it was too hot to handle with the weather & sun!

The last stop of the day was to Tamsui Old Street & initially the Fisherman's Wharf & Lover's bridge but it was too far to walk, so we ended up not going there & spent our time shopping along the old street. Most shops were selling stuff priced mostly at NT100 (RM14) which was so affordable because you could get bags, accessories & shop for affordable souvenirs. I never expected it to be a nice place to shop because it's called "old street" so I assumed the stuff sold wouldn't suit us.

DAY 7 (XINYI SHOPPING DISTRICT | TAIPEI 101):

Approaching our final 2 days, we finally visited the iconic Taipei101. There are lots of malls along Xin Yi shopping district like ATT4fun, the flagship Eslite bookstore, Neo19, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Xinyi Place & Breeze. ATT4FUN is more for youngsters & there's a Zara home there! One of my favourite Japanese brands GU is there too & all of us bought stuff there. We also went to Eslite bookstore where we saw Lee Dong Wook!!

JKJK. We saw a cardboard version of him only la. Chill. If I really saw him in person & got a photo with him, I think I'll mention it in all my blog posts for a year. LOL...

I mean, who wouldn't?!

Since it was our second last day & we had some ah gong money left, we enjoyed a hotpot buffet feast! We had to end the night early since we were set to fly home the next day.

DAY 8 (JIUFEN 九份 | SHIFEN OLD STREET 十分老街 | SHIFEN WATERFALL 十分大瀑布):

We were so lucky that it didn't rain during our visit to Jiufen & Shifen as a friend of mine told me that it rains there 80% of the time! You can find lots of eateries there & some shops selling traditional cheong sam too! We only ate & didn't buy anything because most of us were already broke by the second last day.

The streets at Jiufen can be quite narrow & uneven so best to avoid weekends & peak seasons.

We headed to a quick detour to Shifen Waterfall which our driver recommended us to take a short visit. I feel like it wasn't anything special & could have skipped it.

It was quite a long walk so we didn't go all the way to end since we have yet to visit Shifen & we had to rush to the airport after. The bridge was kinda shakey & slightly scary.

After that, we proceeded to Shifen Old Street which we were more excited about as we could finally light up our paper lanterns & take photos on the popular railway tracks! The railway tracks were actually quite dangerous because it is still being used! They should warn tourists not to go too far because there isn't much space to stand at the sides. The first time the train approached, it came way too sudden & we were quite far from the exit so I was trapped at the sides because the rocks on the ground were too difficult to run on. I had to support myself on some rough terrains which was not fun. :(

Us & our paper lanterns! A must do thing while at Shifen. I drew all of us including Yilin & Huiting who couldn't join.

Grabbed some stuff to eat & a cute stray doggo kept staring at me. So weird that all the stray dogs that I've seen throughout the trip were mini sized like this one!

Finally after a good 8 days of fun, it was time to head home & end our holiday. I still think about it everyday & how time flew by so quickly! Even if we went on holiday for a month, I think we would still be chatting endlessly everyday.

I guess that's the beauty of true, lasting friendships. ♡

If you're interested in my Taichung, Taipei & Yilan itinerary (includes added night market locations, food places not in blog post), feel free to drop me an email at kimmiemaey@gmail.com :) Note that the itinerary is mostly in English with some Chinese terms & names for convenience in finding certain places. Also, some places were changed last minute & are not shown in the itinerary but you can find it in the blog post.

Thought post: Life priorities

Hi there. If you came across this post from one of my other posts or even from stalking me (paisieh for the perasan-ness but could be true ma! 😂), I would like to say thank you & sorry. 

Thank you for taking interest in my blog & supporting me in one way or another. And, sorry for not updating consistently. Yes most part of the reason is (as cliche & typical as it may be), I just lost motivation.

I guess at that period of time, my priorities in life changed. With my degree studies in Singapore & having to update my academic blog weekly (which btw you can read here), coming up with topics to write often led me to a halt. At some point, I was forcing out content, in which I am not proud of & is not what I stand for at all. 

Last night I had insomnia from drinking too much tea, which rarely ever happens. But it made me think about blogging again. About how much I miss it & how great it made me feel having people tell me that they love reading my blog & how meticulous I am with what I write. Even though I may not have thousands of views on every post nor am I super good in writing, I always want anything I write to be rich in content, hopefully helping someone out with my sharing even if it benefits just a few people. I was up till 4 am typing this draft on my phone, but it felt good. I felt alive & ecstatic again, in which I haven't felt like that in a long time. SG life made me feel so dead inside for 1.5 years hahaha!

With my first full time job since graduating coming up, I wonder if I will go MIA from blogging again if I start again now. Especially since I will literally have to create content & write a lot for my job. That's the thing about me, I tend to over think things too much & am too cowardly to take a step even if people around me know I can do it.

But hey, life is too short to worry too much about the things that may not necessarily happen. I may not know where my direction is at next year, next month or even tomorrow, but now, today I know that I still love sharing content & blogging about my experiences. I guess last time around blogging didn't work out too well with the weekly updates as I was all over the place, without any proper planning (which is so not me!) & no direction on the content I wanted to post, I was just all over the place. Some times I purposely head somewhere for the sake of updating my blog and forget to enjoy the moment, something I definitely wont want to happen again.

There were so many things I wanted to share & never got on to doing it, like my travel diaries (I was blessed to go on 4 trips within a year), some DIYs, recipes & other random stuff. If it's not too late, I would definitely do it all (#throwback!), which would be nice to read it again after a few years. This time, I'll do things differently. I'm not going to stress myself over a weekly update & any how produce something meh. This time I'll do it in my pace & enjoy every moment of it.

Note to present self, & maybe you who are reading...

"Never be too busy making a living that you forget to make a life for yourself."

Find what makes you happy & just do it. ♡

Finding my direction

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"What is your short term plan after graduating?"

"What career path do you want to go for?"

"What is your goal in life?"

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Heading into my first week of Bachelor of Arts with Honours in International Fashion Business feeling clueless as ever with these questions bombarded by our lecturer, Anisa during our Personal Planning and Development class. It really made me wonder and question myself, "What do I really want to do after graduating? What was my path? How am I going to get there?" Since I was little, I was always so sure of myself on the things I wanted, whether it was the dress I wanted to get, or the restaurant I wanted to dine at, or even the guy I wanted to be with. I was always sure of what I wanted and would constantly plan and strive until I get it. So I knew at age 16 that I wanted to do fashion marketing. But fashion marketing is so broad, you can be a lot of things, but what do I want to be specifically? That was the question that kept running through my mind. Coming to Singapore alone this year was frightening enough, having to start over in a new, unfamiliar environment. As I start my degree this semester, I just felt like a fish out of water. 

I think for me it was hard to decide on a specific path because there was just so much that I would love to do. There was not a single module throughout my 2 years during my advanced diploma that I didn't like. You can say that I'm being unrealistic, but I think I'm just a big dreamer. A lot of times we see aspirational living posts on social media from famous influencers to magazine editors living the dream in a "dream job" everyone hopes to have. But what's never shown is the hardships that lies behind that picture perfect photo. 

To be honest, I'm more worried about my expectations being bashed by reality and my "dream job" wasn't as dreamy as I thought it would be. I'm pretty familiar with that feeling since I once interned for a fashion magazine. I guess I'm just one of those people who loves living in my own dream world, yeah it's naive but I find motivation believing there is hope and a possibility of my dreams coming true. I remember asking my colleague during my internship about how she gets through her job even when she always finishes work late and that the job doesn't pay very well. She said, "It's because I love what I do and everything else doesn't really matter." That sentence reminded me that nothing comes easy but as long as you are doing something you love, you'll get through it.

"So, what is my short term plan after graduating?"

To find myself and my true calling.

(Retrieved from: muzictomyears.com)

I've always been a planning freak. I would manage my daily schedule to make sure I was being productive everyday till I got the job done, and done well. I've always planned everything so having to not know what I'll be doing after I graduate truly scares me a lot. But writing this made me realize it's okay to not know everything all the time. Sometimes we'll just have to be brave enough to travel the unknown path and learn what we're capable of. Maybe I'll fail several times but sometimes the wrong will help us discover the right. And maybe soon, I'll find my true calling.

"What career path do I want to go for?"

For now, I don't know. Maybe it'll be in the creative line, business, marketing? I don't know. But I'll just take whatever opportunities that comes my way and hopefully find love in the job I do. But I know for sure that I eventually want to be my own boss and create something or just achieve something. I mean we all only live once, so might as well live the most out of it.

"What is my goal in life?"

Pretty simple. To live a comfortable, good life whereby I can travel while doing the things I love and to provide an even better life for my parents. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be blessed with what I have. I may not be living the extra glamorous and luxurious life, but I'm warm and happy which is good enough for me.

Retrieved from: tumblr.com

Writing this really made me feel a lot better as I no longer feel so closed minded and petrified about the idea of not knowing what I want to do. So if any of you reading ever felt lost or discouraged, remember that it's okay not be sure of your future because no one ever is. I also do hope my post is able to lift your spirits up a little and let you guys know that you're not alone. I remember a good friend once asked me how do I find the motivation to do anything, whether it is to excel in exam or just to be productive everyday. I said, "You just have to find your motivation and goal for what you're doing. When you know why or what you're doing it for, work towards it and all the hard work will be worth it in the end." :)

xx

Stay tuned for more updates on my projects and soul searching journey.

Thanks for reading! ❤️

KFC's Chizza review

Hey peeps! As you all know, I'm a huge pizza and cheese lover. When I heard that KFC was releasing this thing called Chizza (chicken + pizza), I was ecstatic to try despite not being a fan of KFC. I only ever have KFC for their cheesy wedges and always pay for extra cheese. So in case you missed the ad shared all over Facebook, here is how it looks.

Looks pretty convincing right? All chicken and there's ham, cheese and tomato sauce leh! The only thing that was a minus points for me was the pineapple. Please tell me I aint the only one who doesn't think pineapples belong on pizzas. 

And this is what it supposedly looks like. The crispt is quite exaggerated xia, which really gave me pretty high hopes for this. And there's 2 types of cheese somemore! I don't know about you but anything with cheese I'm for sure sold liao. 

If that still hasn't convinced you, how about this?

Photo credits: Herdaya Yunos

Anyway, I was quite eager to try it until this morning, I saw this pic and got a little disappointed with the size. Okay the promo pic was quite exaggerated to begin with because where got 100% chicken breast so big wan. But the stubborn me still went ahead to try it anyway.

Okay this is a mei tu xiu xiu-ed picture because I wanted the chicken to look like a heart, the ori picture is the one on the top.

MY VERDICT:

PRICE: $7.50 for a set with fries and drinks, pretty decent for 1 to 1 comparison. Of course if you convert it's quite pricey but just 1 to 1 it's alright.

SIZE: It's pretty much the size of my palm and I expected it to at least fit the box fully but from the first pic, you can see how lonely and depressing that looks.

TASTE: To me, the pineapple ruined it. But flavour wise, it's alright la. The chicken was way, WAY FAR from crispy. Actually it wasn't even crispy at all which was super duper disappointing because the picture gave me such high hopes. However, the chicken breast was surprisingly in a whole patty. I expected it to be mashed into like a burger patty and shaped into a heart but you can see the shreds of meat. Surprisingly the meat was NOT DRY AT ALL and pretty moist despite being fried. I guess this is what you get, either super fried, crispy but dry chicken breasts or moist ones but not crispy.

RATING: 5/10. Overall it was quite disappointing because the ad gave me such high hopes. But how big do you expect the patty to be if it's sliced right from the chicken and not minced right? I mean if it were minced, you probably don't know what kind of shit they put in there. So yeah, I was quite surprised they gave me a whole chicken breast, but it wasn't crispy at all which was such a waste. And, PINEAPPLES!! WHY!!! -.- I was going to rate this a 4/10 but plus points for its creative and catchy name. Chizza, like genius!

I think this is something you can try if you like all the ingredients there. It's not horrible or what, but just not well executed enough. Or better yet try to make this by yourself! :)

Diary of a girl transitioning to life abroad

Hey guys! Since I'm feeling expressive today, here's a post for those of you who's soon to be starting a new journey with life abroad. If you haven't guessed it already, the "girl" in the title is me. Not many of you know or noticed but I've been in Singapore for a month now. It surely wasn't a sudden decision but I never really told many people but just the ones close to me. I guess I really just didn't want to make a big deal out of it since I would only be gone for less than 2 years. Or maybe I just couldn't bear to leave if my friends threw me a farewell (in which will confirm happen if they knew when I was leaving hahaha)

Yeah, they didn't know. Only my boyfriend knew the exact date because he insisted to send me off. I initially didn't even want him to come because it'll be so hard to say goodbye. Eventhough it may be just a month till I come back again, it seems like years. Same goes to my friends and family. I guess I'm weird in my way that I'd rather leave silently than have a huge farewell and have everyone send me off. To me, it seems easier that when no one knows you're leaving, you wont have to worry about people missing you when they don't know you're gone. I'm truly blessed that my friends understood why I did that and still gave me their best wishes. Especially those of you whom took the time to personally send me a text, long or short, it was nice that you guys care and remembered. :')

It might have been selfish of me not telling my friends about it, but packing my bags and doing the last minute check list was hard enough, let alone just leaving like that. You wont want to know how many times I've quietly shed a few tears while packing. It was just a rush of mixed emotions, I felt excited for my journey, yet afraid and sad to leave home. I pictured myself missing out on all the life events back home and I'm abroad on my own too many times it was truly depressing. Especially when most of my friends are in KL and its me somewhere else. I always kept in mind that "no need to worry, I'll be coming back, 1.5 years will just fly by, and you can do it." It was actually how I got through it to come here feeling alright. Thankfully, the constant reminder of why I came here in the first place keeps that spark going, thus motivates me to keep striving for that dream and don't stop. Especially when there's so much at stake, I know I have to do my best and cant afford let my parents down. "When you know your goals and target in life, it will take you far because you know what you want." I just have to keep reminding myself every now and then. 

I'd have to say, I didn't really countdown till my last days in KL before going off. I basically just wanted to make the most out of 2016. And towards like the last week of being in KL, all my stuff were packed, paper work and immigration stuff were done, everyday I wakeup thinking to myself, "Shit, this is really happening. This is as real as it can gets. Too late to turn back already." Yeap I thought of not going and giving up, but I didn't want myself to regret years from now of what "could have been". I just needed to endure it for a little while, as it'll get better. I mean, "you only live once, you might as well make the most out of it."

The first two weeks was absolutely awkward for me. Everyone in class had their own gang and friends which left me very out of place not knowing how to fit in. And this is coming from someone who is very sociable and talkative AF. Everyday I was just waiting for class to end so I could just go home and be done with the day. Thankfully for Dav who was the first person that talked to me in class which made me feel not too left out. Also thanks to her, she took me in to her group and I will always be blessed for that. T.T You dont know how scary it was for me not knowing who to be grouped with and if you pick the wrong people they're going to drag you down and you cant do anything about it. I was more worried to be the left out one no one wants to take in to their groups and I will be like the loner. hahaha okay I admit I'm terrified to be alone. Especially in this kind of situations.

As time went by, I guess I'm starting to fit in now and it may have taken hundreds of baby steps but at least there's progress. I do still get homesick every now and then but I'm glad I'm staying with close family friends instead of in a hostel. It really helps staying with people you're close with that you can call your second family because you'll ultimately feel less lonely with the companionship of familiar faces. I'm roomies with my childhood friend which I'm glad that I am because she keeps me sane as I talk like shit loads and cannot imagine living alone without going nuts.

Truth be told, I've always dreamt of studying abroad like in the US or UK because of how nice a different lifestyle would be like and envied my friends who had the chance to do so. Until today I still pinch myself thinking, "This is really happening and I really am living my dream of studying abroad". Okay la not far like a 20 hour flight kind of far but still, abroad.

Singapore is not too bad la and I'm starting to like this country despite its PMS-ing weather. Yeah PMS-ing weather cuz it will be sunny and 5 mins later raining heavy as shit and suddenly stop. When it rains, its like the roof is gonna fly off and I think I also will fly away wan. There was one morning the rain was so heavy, the streets were flooded and I got soaked. Not because of the pouring rain but the "so smart" drivers who just speed through the puddles and I got splashed not one, not two but THREE fxcking times in one day. FML. That was when I really missed my car back in KL hahaha! KL people damn pampered with the luxury of owning a car lo, cuz it was shocking to see those Singaporeans just go through the rain like it's nothing. LIKE WTF!? But anyway that was the day my roomie said, "Welcome to Singapore." Okay SG, I got your official welcome real clear already.

So there was this other time where I had terrible diahorrea in the morning. And I had class in the morning. Thankfully, the family I'm staying with gave me a lift to my second bus stop (I take 2 buses to school which takes an hour fml) and I arrived just on time. Every now and then I get to carpool along to the nearest MRT which I'm really blessed for. You may think that's nothing but to me I'll always remember these little things people have did for me and will always repay the favour whenever I can.

It's been 1 of out 18 months, and the most important thing I've learnt is to be thankful. Everyday I wakeup feeling grateful for what I have, for the opportunity that I've been given to study abroad as not everyone has that chance to, and nonetheless the sacrifices and hardship my parents done to send me here. Seeing the currency depreciate day by day makes things pressuring for me to work harder so that I can prove to my parents that the money put in to my education was worth it.

So to those who are going to study abroad as well, or even just furthering their studies, keep this in mind and always, always be thankful for what you are given and remember to give back. :)

Till next time!
♥

Easy DIY super food to fight bad tummy bacteria

 Hey guys! Been busy with uni paper work lately and haven't been updating ever since my Japan post. I did a lot of thinking on what to blog but my life is pretty boring so a DIY post would be great since it is in my forte. I don't know if its considered a DIY or a recipe but I just love making food and experimenting recipes! Maybe because I get to eat it after. :P Just the other day I was craving for lasagna and pepperoni pizza at the same time and merged both together! If you must ask, it tasted heavenly! Using pepperoni instead was the best thing ever and I wonder why restaurants didn't think of that. ahaha! I might make it again so keep you updated via my snapchat!

Anyway, back to the topic! This recipe was actually taught by my grandma after my mum told her I've been having diahorrea really often. Having diahorrea on a monthly basis is no joke because it could lead to electrolyte imblance, malnutrition and can be life threathening. *I googled all of it because I only know that it aint good for you* It started when I was around 12-13 years old that I'd often get tummy aches and have a major flush every month. I used to think it was a natural detox but it soon became a bigger issue when I just flushed right after almost every meal. I guess because of that I never really put on much weight despite eating alot and was always pale, weak and easily sick.

Young teen me was extremely picky on food and wasn't a fan of yogurt because it had a strong sourness but yet sweet taste as well. I guess I really just hated strong tasting food and like things light. Thankfully, I've improven my picky tastebuds thanks to my bae who constantly forces me to eat everything I push to the side of my plate despite how eagerly I do not want to eat it. I think as you grow older you'll understand the need to keep your body healthy and maintain a balanced diet. I mean what you intake now, good or bad, will show as you mature.

I was told to try yogurt because it's rich in natural probiotics which helps kill the bad bacteria in my stomach. It also helps boost your immune system, lower cholesterol levels, battle cancer, improve acne and LOSE WEIGHT. Girls whom are reading, take note! ;) But of course, it has its side effects and consuming yogurt has made me produce more gas from the ass. Fret not though because farting is good for you! Just don't have it before heading for a date because it would be an awkard ice breaker.

Before we start, get some company to keep this DIY fun, like music or doggies to talk to. It's obvious which one I picked. ;P

Things you'll need:
milk powder (any brand) | a carton of milk (low fat or full cream) | water | a small tub of yogurt | a metal container | a wok or pot | a cup & soup spoons (for measuring) | thermometer

I used this magic saver as my water bath for the yogurt but a pot or wok is fine as well! :)

STEP 1: Prepare the water bath.
Make sure the water level is higher than the level of yogurt.

I start with the water bath first as it takes time to heat up. We wont need it at boiling point so you can just heat up less water and add in colder water later on to get the right temparature. My first attempt on yogurt became cheese like instead because I kept the water bath boiling for 4 hours as I misheard my grandma's interpretation of the temparature needed hahaha! She meant fahrenheit instead of celcius. lol.

STEP 2: Prepare the mixture.
I start with mixing in 1 spoon of yogurt in a metal container first. I've experimented many times and mixing the yogurt first makes it less likely to be chunky.

Then add 1 spoon of milk powder into half cup of water.

Stirrrrrrrr up!

Pour the mixture in and mix em together.

Time to add in some milk. I poured in 2 cups of milk (approx 500ml) into the mixture and stir!

Turn off the fire and add some tap water to cool the water bath down.

The water bath should be around 110 °F to 120 °F which you can touch by hand. I put in one of those metal thingi so the yogurt mixture wouldnt float in the water bath and spill.

Remember to make sure the water level of the water bath is higher than the yogurt mixture. Once it's all good, leave it in the water bath for 4 hours. Stir every 2 hours and try not to open it too much.

STEP 3: Refridgerate once done.
As you can see, the yogurt mixture has gotten thicker, something like a yogurt drink.

I poured mine into individual containers to be taken on every alternate day. Grandma says its best to have yogurt after dinner before sleeping to kill the bad bacteria in the tummy.

Even my little huskies want a taste of my yogurt so what are you waiting for?!

If you'd like to know more on the benefits of probiotics, read here!

Enjoy yogurt making and be sure to share your comments with me! Till next time! 

xx