Super Power Personality Test

It seems like personality tests are raging again. This is the Super Power Personality Test, that has yet to take off for now. I thought the questions were pretty interesting and engaging. But they do have to work on the visuals of the test results. I am pretty sure even if I share this with my friends, most won't be entirely enticed to take it. The results are quite accurate. So here's the link, for fellow personality test addicts.  

Food Tour 45: Expensive Treats

Do you have those time you walk past shops that look way overpriced and you are like "one day I am going to give it a try so that I figure out why you can charge that", I took the plunge and here is my review. Hehe. And that's where all my money goes. boohoohoo

1. Angelina

Famed for their chocolate, I always wondered why a cup of hot chocolate cost up to $18. Exorbitant. After walking past it multiple times, I decided to finally give it a try with the family. We took the bar seat so that we could have a better view of the canal and the sampans. Pretty good ambience. The hot chocolate was enough to serve 2 cups. At my first sip, I figured out why it was costing an arm and an leg.

It was so thick, I must as well be drinking a melted chocolate bar. I could actually taste the different layers of flavours on my tongue. It was definitely a sensation I never felt before with any chocolate drink. We tried the ice cream as well, which was a lot cheaper. The Vanilla was average, so go for their chocolates. The rest of the menu was priced more reasonably. I would suggest giving their chocolate a go if you have spare money to spend. It is an interesting but not a mandatory experience. 

2. Warabimochi Kamakura

Definitely not the cheapest in town, the first time my tongue got a taste of it, I ate 6 at one shot. This was definitely the best Japanese Mochi in town. The queue for it is really long and each person is only allowed to buy 2 boxes. I bought 1 only by the way. This time round, we tried the drink - Matcha Lemonade because the strawberry yoghurt was sold out. In my opinion, these 2 don't go together at all. I had a hard time finishing my drink! Stick to the mochis, the rest are just so-so. 

3. Park Bäckerei

If you are a fan of pretzels/ German pastries, this is a place not to miss. They are a bit on the pricey side so I had to find out why they could charge like this and still have people dining. Their bread was absolutely delicious. I am not entirely sure what I ordered because the cashier was so helpful to pick based on my likes and dislikes. But this meal cost almost $20. It was considerably filling even though the portion looked tiny. I am a bit torn whether I will be back again...because my family are no fans of the western bread. I am the only one (along with my 2 offspring) who appreciate a good ole pretzel :) Yums. 

Garden By The Bay - Tulipmania

Back at GBTB again because the kiddo school organised a bonding day out. Despite my last disappointment, I have not lost faith in the exhibitions. I was pretty excited to be checking out the Tulipmania. I was definitely so blown away this time round to the extent I wanted to fly to Holland. LOL! Or maybe I am just more of a Tulip girl. I do apologise for posting this so close to its tail end, but do catch it if you love what you see in my photos!

The collages this time round doesn't have much of our faces because I don't want to post images of his classmates for privacy reasons. The photos are not edited so the vibrancy of the flowers are as pretty as it looks. If you are bringing a toddler to this and want to take decent photos with tulips in your background, it will be a really tall task. LOL!

I expected this to be one of my most relaxing trip but it was quite the contrary. The kid took bonding really seriously and I spent half the time trying to explain natural phenomenon which I have never really thought of...haha. Not complaining, because the kids make me look at things and life very differently. I have become more observant of my surroundings and appreciative of nature. 

I concluded that I don't really enjoy sceneries which I am familiar with, hence I disliked the last exhibition (you can read about it here). LOL! This was definitely a feast for the eyes. I really wanted to stay longer and photograph more but when it is not a personal trip, you just needa follow the pack. 100% recommend this! Don't miss it!

Momentus Hotel Alexander Review (Part 2) - Things to Do

Our staycation at Momentus Hotel Alexander had been a ball of fun. You can read our Part 1 here. Because of its location, we actually managed to explore quite a few interesting places. 

1. Alchemist Coffee at The Mill

A gothic tower in the middle of a factory area, I have to admit that this blown me away. It helps that there was a nice coffee joint within the building. So you don't have to make your way here just to only enjoy the architecture and take a few photos. We went during the offpeak period but it was still pretty crowded. We managed to snag a nice comfy and private couch seats to ourselves. My kids were terrors there but the service staff were really sweet and even gave them a cup of complimentary babyccino. 

I would be back again because it gives a nice respite from the city life. It makes me feel as though I am overseas, but hey I am just in Singapore :P

2. ABC Birds Centre

This is pretty fascinating for me and the kids because we don't see this often now in Singapore. The kids were really intrigued with the number of birds. As for me, I am so tempted to be owners of a pair of lovebirds. But realistically I know I don't have time to care for them. Maybe for retirement, hehe. Worth a visit cos it is on route to a lot of yummy food within the area. 

3. Ikea

You can't really forget Ikea which is right beside the Hotel. In fact, we went there at least once every day. The kids liked it because you could "somewhat" operate the ice cream machine. The kids area was super family-friendly. They could play at the room mock-ups and pretend play without judgement if your kids are below the age for their complimentary indoor playground (FYI, they do check their IDs). If we wanted light bites or was at a loss at where to go for a meal, the bistro was always an option. We grabbed quite a bit of snacks, toys and improvement stuff for the house. It was a very productive place to be. Tons of photos captured, but I only used the best. Hehe. 

4. Comic Library (Anchorpoint)

This is the first themed library. If you are a manga lover, this is probably the place to drop by for a visit. If you have a NLB membership, you can just proceed to borrow the books. It was a nice place to chill because we were waiting for some of the shops to open. The nearest grocery store is at Anchorpoint, so this is already a place you would have dropped by. Other things which we love about Anchorpoint includes its good restaurant selection and Cotton On drop-dead prices. I always end up with a tons of new clothes when I pass by. 

5. Gilman Barracks 

Gilman Barracks was quite a disappoint for us, either that we are exploring it wrong. I think it depends the number of art galleries ongoing. While we were there, barely anything was open. We went to the one of the few opened galleries to enjoy aircon from the hot heat. Quite fortunately, the curator was kind enough to have a banter with with so that I could understand the trade for fine arts. There was a playground but they kid didn't really like it because there was too much nature element for his comfort - giant ants! I think you can give it a pass if you already have a packed schedule.

Momentus Hotel Alexander Review (Part 1)

For any of you who knows Ikea in the west, Momentus Hotel is one place you are bound to keep walking past (simply because it is beside Ikea).  This Hotel went through quite a bit of ups and downs, changing through hotel operators' hands. However, the curious explorers in us really wanted to give it a go, especially since the location of this place was pretty good, with lots of good food around it. 

Generally, the hotel touts itself for its gorgeous infinity pool and not really much for its kids-friendliness. But I do think they can try to market themselves on the latter. They have lots of shallow waters (around 0.3m) that also boasts magnificent view and both my kids could freely wander with parental supervision. Bring your own floats to enhance your stay. Note: Duck float is of our own. 

We did a 3D2N stay and ended up swimming for 2 days straight. For our 2nd swim session, we indulged in some poolside dining. The food at Verandah was pretty affordable and as residents of the hotel we got an additional 20% off. We didn't try out the highly instagrammable Bali Basket (S$98) because we reckoned the 2 kids were bound to overturn the basket or splash water into the basket thinking that it is a toy. Special shout-out to their oysters which was going for 3 for $18. It was so delightful we ordered 4 sets in total during out stay there!

For one of our dinners, we had the semi-buffet at Verandah. There was no additional resident discount available but we found the spread extremely value for money. It is called a semi buffet because we can order only one main. The ancillary food all falls under the buffet spread. The food was of good quality and standards. Our kids who were both under 5 got to eat free. It was also from the dinner we knew the food served at their restaurant were good and if we were too lazy to step out for the day, we could also rely on the hotel restaurant to satisfy our hunger :)

I don't have any good photos of the hotel room, but generally it falls on the small side. There was only a Queen sized bed and it was difficult for a family of 4 to squeeze. If we ever extend our family in future, we might have to go for the suite hehe. There was no bath tub as well. No complaints still because we found the room very clean and compact. We got all our needs within the room. 

The staff were also very hospitable. My son locked the security box twice and they unlocked for us, assuring me it is fine and stuff like that happens. I don't know why but he was just obsessed with it. And every time I turn my head, he would lock and forget the password. I was quite paiseh by the 2nd time. I am definitely coming back because I had such a relaxing time there. Look out for Part 2 where we share on the good food around the area!

A trip to Toby's Roaster

I wouldn't consider myself much of a coffee connoisseur, but I do love my coffee. I was pretty thrilled to hear that Toby's Estate would be reopening. This is its Singapore flagshop and I looked forward to its new looks and flavours available. Toby's Estate offers a range of diverse beans to choose from. It is also at this place I was introduced to the Freezus menu - using high-end frozen coffee beans. 

Generally, I do struggle with choosing the type of beans I would like to try because of my lack of familiarity. It is great that the menu came with a flavour wheel that has description  of different taste which serves as a good guide for layman. Apart from the beautiful interior, what stood out for me was the staff's and barista's passion of what they do. 

I was also introduced to their new Flavour - the Savour Pandan Waffle Coffee. With their coffee workshop, I was able to better appreciate the taste of the Latte and it sparked my interest in brewing. (Feels rather scientific by the way.) I even bought a packet home so that we can experiment with. This was possibly the best taste class I have been to as I came home knowing a lot more about my coffees. 

Can't wait to be back to try out the other items on the menu. If you are keen on specialty coffee, this is really the place to be in. The ambience is awesome and the staff are hospitable. Do try the all-new interactive Filter and Espresso Bars, Toby’s new canned Not Hot Coffee range (SG$5.30 each) which offers refreshing cold coffees in three tempting flavors: Oat Milk Latte, Cold Brew Black, and 'Spro

Tonic. For the food menu, the hot favorites are Brekkie of Champions to the Surf & Turf Tower, Toby’s French Toast and the Smoked Salmon & Herb Cream Cheese Sandwich. :)

Chanel Parfumeur: A Fragrance Experience

Ever becoming a Mum, one of my biggest highlights are my day outs. I just want some me-time to do my alone stuff. Quite an exciting day for me because I manage to get a slot for the Chanel Parfumeur. I have always been a huge fan of the history of Chanel but quite honestly I don't know as much on their perfumes. 

Boy, Chanel sure doesn't disappoint. We were ushered into nice dark room with their bottle perfumes on display like art pieces. It was great fun whiffing through the luxury perfumes, reading the history and description while enjoying the visuals. I also love how the staff provided us personal space and time to enjoy the moment.

Each of the attendees also enjoyed a personalised scent session which honestly felt so much like a therapy session. It was so casual as we basically talked about my problems and my choices. I shared my favourite scents - Beige and 1932. But it ended up my personality was more of a Beige LOL!

If you wanted, you could also purchase on the spot and bring home your choiced and matched scent. But I didn't do that cos I spent a lot that day already. All in all, it was such an enjoyable session. This can be a group or single activity depending on your mood :)