Pre-Christmas at Hash & Tag Cafe (16/12/16)

  It was late afternoon, I was reading my novels and scrolling through the inbox of the Facebook Messenger app. Something had hit me, I immediately went to our group chat whether they wanted to do a night out. From the moment I'm back in hometown for the semester break, the first thing came to my mind was- a high school gathering. Just a few of us would do the trick. Since most of us are back for the break, why not have a gathering and celebrate Christmas?

  I asked my friends in the group chat whether they have any free time for the night out. Yu Xuan was one of them to reply. She said:"Yeah, I would like a night out. How about you guys?" I'm always on the house whenever there's a gathering in my hometown, Malacca. Then came Zhi Bin, he said "Yes, I'm on it as well!" We just left Shi Wei, we also Siak Zhong as well whether he wants to come along too. We were busy chatting that we forgot where's the place of the gathering. I suggested in the group chat that we could do our gathering at Hash & Tag Cafe- it's like our usual gathering spot because of the relaxing atmosphere and soft music for you to chill out.

  We set the time at 9.30pm. I looked the time on my iPad which stated 8.43pm, which means I had 40-45 minutes to get myself ready for the night out. I picked out a blue polka dot blouse and a pair of black jeans. Ending the look with my trustee hairband and Baby G green watch, also a pair of my new Skectchers shoes. Around 9.40pm, Yu Xuan was outside of my house but I was wearing my shoes. My amah (maternal/paternal grandmother in Hokkien) had to entertain her while I was adjusting them. I grabbed my bag and headed out of the house. "We'll be back in time," Yu Xuan and I reassured amah before we headed off to Hash & Tag cafe. On the way, we chatted what we've been up to recently.

  When we reached our destination, we had a difficult time to get the car parked. Luckily, some kind people helped us. We waited about for 20 minutes before the boys arrived. The cafe has a Christmas tree and a snowman to get your Christmas feels. Before that, I had a cup of hot chocolate and a slice of Oreo cheesecake because I didn't eat much during dinner. Yu Xuan sent a message through the group chat asking where were the boys. Zhi Bin sent a photo that they're nearby. Another surprise was Siak Zhong came to the gathering too! We didn't get a reply from him earlier. We talked about each of our success in college and university as well as the struggle we faced in college.

  Time flies when you're having fun! We looked at the time, it was already 12.10am! Uh-oh, it was way passed our bedtime! They were heading out of the door and suddenly turned back because they almost left me behind. Shi Wei noticed my new shoes. "Hey sis, nice shoes!" he complimented. "Thanks! My mum asked her friend to buy them for her in Japan," I said. We waited for Yu Xuan to get the car drive over so it's easier to get in. I saw a blue vintage car. I asked who's car was this. Shi Wei said "You'll see!"

  As Yu Xuan and I were about to leave, Siak Zhong slipped into the vintage car. My jaw dropped! Two surprises in one night! What a night! My very first high school pre-Christmas gathering ended with a perfect note.

Singapore Trip 2016 (10/12/16-12/12/16)

  It's been four years since I last visited to Singapore with my family and cousins to watch the light show at Gardens by the Bay and went shopping at Marina Bay Sands, we also watched the musical fountain show as well. This time it's even better! My first trip to Singapore after four long years, I was super excited! Let me give you some information about Singapore: It is a small island just below the peninsula Malaysia map. The people are known as Singaporeans. The Singapore flag consists of red and white colours. The top part of the flag is red, on the top left corner is a crescent moon along with five stars and the bottom part of it is white. 

  Before we headed to Singapore, we travelled from Malacca to Johor to visit my maternal uncle and cousins. It's been awhile since I last saw my cousins was during Chinese New Year. The moment I stepped into the house, the TV screen was showing Astro's 2016 hit movie- Ola Bola. I've watched it around 4 times, if I'm not mistaken. Thanks to my uncle who helped us to check the traffic condition in Singapore, the traffic was smooth when we proceeded our journey. At 6.30pm, we made it to our destination- Singapore! We stayed at Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Milena, Singapore. It was the same hotel we stayed five years ago. I even brought my homework with me back then! That time, The Lion King Broadway Musical was live in Singapore so my parents took the opportunity to bring my sister and I to watch. We loved it! We watched it again after my sister begged my parents, we brought our cousins along for the second time. 

   After settling down at the hotel, we took a cab to my mum's ex colleague's place as she had a house warming party. We were informed that the catering food was not enough so they ordered Domino's pizza and chicken nuggets as well as French fries. We also met up with a couple's of my mum's friends as well for some late night supper! We had yam, oyster and prawn just to name a few. 

  On the second day, we went to Marina Square for shopping. At first, we wanted to take a cab to Marina Square but thanks to the friendly staff of the hotel, it was just a stone's throw away of the hotel! We saw a kids' Christmas performance when we got there so we decided to stop and enjoy the show. After the performance, we went shoe shopping at Pazzion and you find them really comfortable! While I tried a few pairs of shoes, my sister went to the shops around the corner. We had our dinner at Hans Cafe when my sister and I passed by the time we saw the cake. "We want cake!" we said in unison. So we had burgers and fries to fill our tummy after all that shopping! We got lost when we were heading back to the hotel, it took us half an hour to find the exit. Creepy but adventurous! 

  On the third and final day of the trip, we went to the Merlion Park to visit the famous Merlion fountain. Along the way we could see the Singaporean Eye, Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay. It was scorching hot! Luckily I was wearing my sunglasses to ward off the intense heat. I had a hard time to take the perfect picture of the Merlion as some tourists kinda "photobombed". After visiting Singapore for so many years, I finally got a glimpse of the famous Merlion fountain, one goal is ticked off the list! It's time for us to head back home to Malaysia. I'll be back to Singapore in the near future.