Hi! I’m Grace. Welcome to my blog, WorkingWithGrace. 🙂 Starting this blog in 2010 has allowed me to interview a number of inspiring people, many of whom are celebrities, millionaires and entrepreneurs. One person I did not expect to be able to interview was Peter Buffett, the son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett!
Since 2013, this blog has received awards and recognition from many brands. I’ve been blessed with awards such as these ones:
At the Singapore Blog Awards 2013
Absolutely didn’t know then that I was receiving my award from the future PM of Singapore! (@_@)
2013 Best Individual Blog WINNER at the annual Singapore Blog Awards 2013 Aries Gold Watches’ Blogger Contest WINNER 2013 Zespri Blogger Challenge WINNER 2013 StarHub Blogger Challenge WINNER 2014 BRANDS’ Blogger Challenge WINNER 2014 Influr Blogger Challenge WINNER 2014 Panasonic Blogger Challenge WINNER 2015 SingSaver Blogger Contest WINNER
… and more. 🙂
These days, I spend most of my time with my daughter, Melody. She’s such a bundle of joy… and probably the only person in the world who’s absolutely delighted to see me at 5 o’clock in the morning in my PJs and messy bed hair. Hahaha!
So do stay around if you’re keen on parenting and lifestyle topics as the person I’m most curious about these days is this precious little one, and the only award I give a hoot about now is “Best Mama”! 😀
Our 2024 trip to Penang sounds like a 4D3N holiday but in reality, on the first day, we arrived at our hotel in the evening, and the final day just saw us heading to the airport for our afternoon flight back to SG. So we basically had only 2 full days to explore Penang as best we could with a little one. XD So… first stop on “full day #1” was JOJA Bagels, which is also really close to Very Hotel. Since the hotel doesn’t provide breakfast, we made our own plans. Unfortunately, Melody wakes up very early every morning so we had to wait when we got to JOJA Bagels as they open only at 830am. HOWEVER, staff saw us standing outside and invited us to go in and grab a seat first! WOW. Thanks, guys!
Freshly prepared, the bagels were such a treat! A really good start to the day. As for drinks, he had Mocha while I ordered the Ice Shaken Lemonade.
They have baby chairs here too, so you can definitely bring your little ones here. AND the toilets are super clean.
After breakfast, we booked a Grab ride to the Penang Botanic Gardens. The lady driving us there was a local but had never been to their Botanic Gardens before. XD Similarly, we found out that Very Hotel staff didn’t know about Seafood Choo (just round the corner) and had never been to the Wonderfood Museum. Certainly makes one wonder why they’d not visit places that are pretty accessible.
I LOVE Melody’s expression. Hahaha! It was a hot day and she was due for a nap so photo-taking is among the last of her priorities.
I’d done my research *ahahaha* and knew that the chapatti w/sambal sardin at the Waterfall Cafe in front of the Botanic Gardens is worth a try. So my darling had that (requested for 1pc of chapatti instead of the usual 2) while I sipped on Lipton’s ice lemon tea (from a can) while trying not to melt from the heat. XD
This quick meal cost something like RM9?
We then took yet another Grab ride (yes, we travelled around Penang exclusively via Grab) to Gurney Plaza – KOI bubble tea (!!!), food and a spot of shopping. Then we hopped into another car and went to The Top.
At The Top, we visited the Penang Boutique Aquarium… which was much bigger than the term “boutique” suggests. I definitely recommend bringing kids (of any age) here. We got tickets via Klook, got them printed out at the ticketing booth one level up, then came back down, got them scanned at the entrance and had a lot of fun.
We also went to the Jungle Gym… where I really felt like I got a good workout (as the word “Gym” suggests). OMG. It’s built, obviously, for kids so when I have to accompany my kiddo, I’d often have to bend, crouch, squat, and eventually collapse in a heap at the ball pit right below. XD I was so tired, I didn’t take any photos. But I can tell you the ball pit’s pretty cool – there’s one of those interactive screens whereby you can throw balls at sea creatures and all and earn points. And they even have some kind of contraption whereby balls placed on top end up levitating. Very cool.
*RM8.50 socks. Free entry for those below 12mo with a PAYING sibling.
Dinner was at Two Frenchies, a two-minute walk away from Very Hotel, according to Google Maps.
Bless the staff! They’re so astute and seem to be able to predict the future. Level 1 was almost filled with diners, so they asked us to go up to level 2 (and we had the whole floor to ourselves). There’s even a little cosy corner that looks like someone’s living room… and it was here Papa decided to tie Melody’s hair… awww just look at that:
The calm before the storm.
Shortly after the food was served… Melody got a tummyache and needed to poop. Sounds normal except that she was also having constipation, and toddlers straining while trying to poop sound like they’re being skinned alive.
Thankfully, we were on the second floor, and with the restroom door shut, I don’t think people downstairs heard much of it, if they did hear anything at all. So while they feasted on duck confit and sipped on (I’d imagine) good wine, I was helping Melody get her poop poop out. She screamed, strained, wailed….
I think it was at least a good 30 minutes? But felt like an eternity.
We ordered the RM16 Fish Crockets for Melody (so cute! Heart-shaped fish nuggets!), the RM42 Pork Marengo for me (I ate this when it’d gotten cold already so erm… I have to say I don’t remember it fondly?), and hubz had the RM43 Signature Burger. LOVE the fries here!
I didn’t really get to enjoy the food… my darling did though. XD It’s always better to be the father instead of the mother, I tell you. Because the little one always screams for Mama no matter what the issue is. (@_@)
And I thought that was the end of it. Except… the same thing happened during dinnertime the next day. O.M.G.
We haven’t been on an airplane since 2019. Yes, it’s mindboggling and really unbelievable but true! First, there was COVID. Then I was pregnant and had a ticking timebomb in my body in the form of a giant ovarian cyst which could rupture or twist at any moment and cause immense pain. Then Melody was born and we struggled with the steep learning curve – how to keep a newborn alive, and how to handle an infant. Now that she’s a toddler… and will walk when she wishes to (which is not often), we mustered up enough courage to book a (short) flight to Penang. We last visited Penang in 2015… so we can hardly recall what we did / ate there previously. LOL! This time, I used ChatGPT to plan the itinerary for a couple with a 16-month-old. Shiok. It also got tasked with doing up a packing list for me and it was awesome except… ChatGPT missed out one important item (which my darling reminded me about)… and that’s MASKS! LOL. Everything else was on point. I did also have to get it to refine its suggestions of places we should visit because ‘Penang Hill’ doesn’t sound like the kind of place I would want to bring a toddler who often refuses to walk. XD
We didn’t bring Melody’s stroller with us, so we used Changi’s (as seen in the picture above), and for most of the time, my darling would be the one carrying her. Just before the boarding gate, we went to the rest area. These loungers are dangerous – I remember almost missing a flight YEARS ago because I fell asleep on one of those comfy loungers even though I absolutely DO NOT sleep in public places.
And we flew to Penang via SQ… but it just felt like a flight via budget carrier. Seats looked old, no screens, pitiful amount of legroom, and we had pizza that tasted slightly better than it looked. XD
As for drinks… the cabin crew offered coffee, tea or juice (on the flight to Penang), and on the way back, only “coffee, tea or water”. There’s *ahem* no alcohol, no ice, no orange juice (only apple), BUT… they actually have Sprite (if you manage to guess/remember). *My darling mixed Sprite with apple juice and it’s pretty good. And no… you don’t get the whole can of Sprite – probably only half a can served in a paper cup.
It’s been a LONG time since we’ve flown with Singapore Airlines, and honestly, I think there’s not much difference with budget carriers if you’re going for a short flight. But the crew did give Melody a crinkle soft book and were generally quite friendly.
Storytime:
While we were waiting at the boarding gate, one aunty sat down next to me (she was traveling alone) and started beating pieces of luggage the way aunties hit a seat on the bus that someone has just vacated and before they’d let their bums go down on it. I thought she was really weird.
THEN… we had priority when boarding thanks to the accompaniment of our little girl… and I later saw this weird aunty board the plane after we did. I was hoping she’ll walk past our row and NOT sit next to me. But guess what… her seat’s the one right by mine. O… M… G… F… M… L!
So my darling, Melody, and I had to stand up and get out of our seats so she could get right in… to her window seat. And… this lady put on a finger pulse oximeter (or at least that’s what I think it was), spread her legs wide but at least she was wearing jeans (and I said to her “Excuse me, do you mind?” and she retracted one leg) and hogged the armrest. Sigh.
Melody did well the first half of the flight. We gave her milk just as the plane took off. But for the next half (with a bit of turbulence and the need to stay belted), she wailed non-stop. It did not help that the cabin was SO HOT. I tried to tweak the overhead settings to (hopefully) get us more cold air but it was futile. I saw one lady decked in branded clothes take off her jacket as it was so warm. And weird aunty next to me took out her handheld fan. XD
Since Melody was inconsolable, I turned her to face weird aunty and regained control of the armrest. Ahahahaahaa! (*A stewardess seated behind us in the emergency exit row also helped us fan Melody. WLE. Very suay to be onboard a plane with faulty air-conditioning)
When we reached Penang International Airport, I went in search of a local SIM card. I think I first went into the digi store but the cheapest plan offered 0 talktime. Next door was Tune Talk, which offered 20mins for the same price, so I went with that.
Our stay at Very Hotel
My darling chose this hotel as I’d asked him to look for one which is not too old. Very Hotel has decent reviews on Agoda but its Google reviews are pretty lousy (my darling suspects it’s sabotage by competitors). So anyway, being the kiasu Singaporean that I am, I wrote to them before we flew and said I’ll be staying here – please confirm the Agoda booking went through, and the room has been booked for us, it’s quiet so Melody can sleep at night, etc.
So we got a Family Room (#210) which has two queen-size beds. And it’s meant for 4 adults but the space is so limited that I think for everyone to feel comfortable, the max should be 2 adults and 2 young children, and that’s it.
*There’s no window, no fridge, TV’s a bit wonky, super small sink in the toilet, sink’s a bit choked up, toilet bowl has a few cracks near the bottom (but works), and there’s one broken clothes hanger (three others were fine).
Here’s what’s great: Location is fab! So many yummy food places a stone’s throw away, staff OK with our repeated requests for water (it didn’t rain the entire time we were in Penang so it was always hot hot hot!) and there were no bedbugs (one fear I had when traveling) and the water heater and air-con worked! Phew! And because there were no windows, it was so quiet – NO traffic noises at all. We could even hear our neighbours close their doors and flip the light switches at night.
It wasn’t very far from the airport either. Our Grab ride from Penang International Airport to Very Hotel cost just RM 37, roughly S$10.
*During check-in, we were asked to pay a ‘Tourism and Heritage Tax’ of RM 36 plus a deposit of RM 50. And there would be NO RECEIPTS. I pointed to the line on my Agoda Booking Confirmation Sheet which stated “Included: Taxes and fees SGD 50.35” but the Chinese guy said that’s a different tax. We were incredulous but… ok… we handed over the money. Interestingly, shortly after we got settled into our room, the same guy comes knocking and hands me RM30, saying he’d made a mistake and that yes, Agoda had already collected the tax from us. Hmm, I just think it’s real *sus* if people claim to be collecting taxes, fees and/or deposits and do not offer receipts.
The total amount we paid for a 3-night stay came up to RM717.59, about S$200.
*Tip: “Make up room” – if you want housekeeping staff to tidy your room / give you new bottles of water / etc, then you need to let Reception know before you head out in the morning.
Our First Dinner in Penang:
Just take two right turns when you exit the hotel and you’ll be at Seafood Choo – a hole-in-the-wall seafood place that offers homely meals.
I found this place via Google when looking at the area surrounding the hotel…
Seafood Choo has an impressive 4.7 star rating on Google. And it was a fitting place for our first dinner in Penang. XD I’d looked for their contact number and whatsapped them before we even left SG. I reserved 2 crabs (one with roe for my darling), their signature fried chicken, as well as their Garlic Prawns. I highly recommend reserving whatever you want before heading down – items like their Lala, Stingray, and crabs w/roe sell out pretty quickly.
Prices are really affordable:
They do also have kailan, which I saw many people ordering, but it doesn’t seem to be on the menu. Just whatsapp them or ask staff when you reach.
The picture below shows what we had that evening. The fried chicken was delicious, and even came with a side of keropok. The prawns were OK – the homecooked kind you expect when visiting a friend’s home, and they came with lots of garlic (which I love). As for the crab, I let my darling enjoy the entire crab w/roe. And we decided to get the final crab in a takeaway bag instead so Melody would not miss her bedtime. We were delayed at the airport (OMG NO PRIORITY PLUS QUEUE SO LONG!) and we encountered a Grab driver who drove real slow so our dinner was later-than-usual that day. *Also… I believe there’s just one chef… so don’t expect your food to come real quick. Have a drink, chill, chit chat while you wait.
With rice and drinks, our meal cost just RM 202. And if left to me to decide, our dinner plans for the next two evenings would feature other dishes at Seafood Choo. Hahaha! But I’m very fair… I let my darling pick a French place for dinner the next day, and we agreed on a vegetarian eatery (just opposite our hotel) for the last dinner we’ll have in Penang.
I did, however, dabao a serving of Lala from Seafood Choo, to be enjoyed in the comfort of our hotel room after our vegetarian meal. LOL!!!
RM 25 only! No grit, so clean! Would be lovely with thick beehoon and/or beer. And definitely ask for more sliced chili padi – more shiok!
And that’s it for our first night in Penang! 😀 Stay tuned for more on the rest of our holiday.
The balloon sculptures at Marina Square never fail to impress and though today’s not Day 1 of Enchanted Tales, the balloons are still in pretty good shape actually. And they’re all so instagram-worthy! 😀 There’s even a life-size (balloon) horse-drawn carriage in which you can sit and get pictures taken – no official photographer charging for photos so just take your own with your mobile phone. XD
The princess and her minion… I think. 😀
There’s great natural lighting, so your photos are likely to turn out very well… royally well.
There are just too many balloons to count, so don’t bother. XD But definitely pop by (hur hur) by 17th March! There’s a costume section where kids can dress up as knights, princes or princesses for just $5! We figured there won’t be any in Melody’s size so we didn’t head there. In any case, she’s more of a unicorn, as you already well know. XD
The Times Warehouse Sale is one of those sales you must not miss. Though we weren’t first in line yesterday (we only popped by after lunch when there was no longer a queue), there were still some good bargains. As you can see in the picture above, I bought water bottles, crayons, mainly items for Melody… and there’s a bag which I got for $30 (stuff it with as many books as possible and take it home). 😀 This next photo shows the 18 books I managed to get into the plastic bag. Hehehe! So this cost me less than $2 per book. Insanely good deal eh?
Got all these for $30. Definitely cannot find a better deal elsewhere in SG.
And I also found Hallmark water bottles going at $5 FOR TWO! The pricetag on the bottom of the bottles stated that they usually go for $17.90 each. GULP!
And oh… remember I said I bought crayons? Yup, the washable crayons from Crayola. Only $2 for a pack of 8 crayons. And Melody ended up colouring her table hurhurhur… and I could get it clean with just a wet wipe. Bless you, inventor of washable crayons!
I also spotted this folder/notebook thingy which lets parents record moments and milestones in their baby’s first year of life… awww… wish I had one when Melody was born. XD Psst… you can find this in the $30-bag section.
And if you spend $80 or more, you get a goodie bag (while stocks last). Inside, there’s a folder, notebook, pen+sticky notes set, glow in the dark wand/pen, and a toy.
Not sure if this will be the last (or second last) warehouse sale from Times. Since they are down to… what… just one final outlet remaining in Singapore… hmm. Go grab a good bargain while you still can.
7 to 10 March, 14 to 17 March (Thurs – Sun only)
11am to 7pm
1 New Industrial Road, Times Centre, Singapore 536196.
*When we arrived, we followed the signs which… led us to the staircase and up to level 3 OMG. I’d recommend you just take the lift instead. XD (By right… the signs should direct people to the lifts when they arrive, and to the staircase when they are leaving).
Last month, I received an interview request via email and I accepted it. This month, I get another request (but from a different person). And this time, this email’s so strange that I’ve decided to blog about it instead of replying to the sender – Parmod. XD The interview request sent from the gmail account for a ‘parmod37gk’ is shown above. In case it’s unclear, I’ll just copy and paste the text below:
Hello,
We would like to invite you for an interview with The Singapore Journal.
Our primary goal is to highlight your business, innovative approaches, and professional growth for our viewers. Having interviewed numerous entrepreneurs, we strive to collaborate with leading businesses and industry experts to amplify their visibility and showcase their professional journey. We will incorporate backlinks to your website and social media pages, providing viewers with direct access.
The publication fee for this opportunity is only USD 99.
We are eager to hear your thoughts on this proposal and welcome any suggestions you may have on how we can proceed.
Best regards,
Parmod
~
It’s amazing how LAZY some people are. Starting your email with just a HELLO. Really? Evidently, this email is being sent to hundreds or thousands of people. But… if you’re offering to feature someone on your site (hopefully not scammy or suspicious) FOR FREE then I guess some may ‘close one eye’ about you not addressing them by name. Also, I’ve never heard of The Singapore Journal before. I might be OK with a feature but get this… Parmod is asking for USD 99!!! AHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHA… chaoturtlethinkSGpplstupiakorwhat
Also… when you try to access the site to see what The Singapore Journal is all about… you get warnings about it being a malicious website / the link is suspicious.
So Parmod… why do you think an interview / feature on your website is worth USD 99? 😛
And the company or people behind this “online media and news platform” are probably not even based in Singapore, staffed by folks who are likely not locals, and who are out to make a quick and easy USD 99 per person who is (weirdly enough) convinced by their email and signs up for a paid interview.
LOL! If anyone wants to be featured on a Singapore blog / website, managed by an actual Singaporean, and be properly treated in an email (calling you by name, listing your achievements, stroking your ego a little and asking you questions that are specific to you / your business, and not mass-sent to lots of other people… LOOK FOR ME LAH! 😛
We visited Bird Paradise for the very first time today! I’d won tix online and could therefore save on the entrance fee (hehehe). The parking fee itself was a hefty ten bucks. I’d done prior research and told hubby so he won’t get a shock when we’re leaving the carpark. LOL. It’s $3 for the first hour and $2 for every subsequent hour or part thereof. Thankfully there’s a cap of $10. If you were to come by after the park is closed, it’s free parking from 6pm to 12 midnight. XD Make sure you sign up for a WildPass (free digital membership) as you’ll get discounts off tix, at the F&B outlets, etc. For activities like the bird feeding, you’ll have to book and pay up in advance. Renting a wagon or trike for our kiddo would cost $18 – so, naturally, we brought Melody’s stroller. XD There are water dispensers at various locations within Bird Paradise so you can simply bring your own water bottle. My darling said a 500ml bottle of Pokka Green Tea at the Cheers convenience store cost $4.03 (GULP!). But, you know what… we’d brought our own water and isotonic drinks which we’d left in the freezer overnight so they’d slowly ‘melt’ throughout the day and we’d have icy cold beverages throughout our visit. Hehehe… smart right? 😉
I’d also noted the timings for the two presentations (I’d wanted to catch both) at the Sky Amphitheatre. We managed to catch Predators on Wings at 1030am and Wings of the World at 1230pm. It’s super important to reach Bird Paradise EARLY. They open at 9am and we reached the carpark at 9.03am. By about 11.30pm, the heat would be unbearable (so you need to have seen all the aviaries by that time!) From the entrance, we walked one round through all the aviaries and stopped by the Amphitheatre for the first show. Then once we reached the exit, we took the free shuttle back to the Amphitheatre for the second show. And since it was scorching hot by the time that ended, again, we took the shuttle and got ourselves back to the entrance. XD (Yes, there are only two stations, no other stops in-between, as it’s a short ride – you can also walk as it’s about 350m, according to signposts)
But the weather is a real killer. And we noticed that some of the birds weren’t in the mood to perform today. Either they’d refuse to move or ignore instructions / directions and do their own thing. XD
Kudos to the keepers and presenters who just kept on providing nuggets of information till the birds were ready.
OK… here’s another pro tip: see the huge-ass fans below? I’m not referring to the people. But just get yourself seated at the back row, right in front of those fans. Super shiok! Anywhere else is just going to be (too) warm…
We saw lots of birds (obviously) today and my favourite has to be the blue-winged kookaburra. (You know how to sign the song? :D)
This lil cutie!
And we also bought the Penguin Bao! Remember I told you at the start of this blogpost that you should get a WildPass? Yup, there’s 10% discount for the bao if you have the WildPass (just flash the email sent to you). Each bao costs $3.90+GST (no discount even if you get 4 of them) and you pay an additional $2+GST if you want them in a box. If you get a takeaway instead of dining in, you save on the 10% service charge.
The buns have a red bean filling. Not bad. And SO cute!
Between the various aviaries will be lovely areas which act as sort of a reprieve from the intense heat. The air-conditioning is so strong in those areas, and all the seats look different. Some places have benches, some have swings, and others have beanbags…
You can tell just how much we love these spaces.
And at this particular panel… hubby says to me that we should be in this photo together, instead of Melody. Cos… Melody Makers… geddit? XD
Another thing we did (correctly) was to let Melody bring her own stuffed toys. Muahaha. As you can see in the final pic, she wasn’t even interested in what her Papa was showing her as she had her favourite Penguin with her already. I can only say the stuffed animals in Bird Paradise are quite pricey. The small grey penguin which fit into my hand costs $15. (@_@) Great souvenir for the tourists though. XD
All in all, we had a wonderful time at the Bird Paradise. It truly exceeded all our expectations. *The diaper change/nursing rooms and toilets were all super clean and dry, like our airport toilets. There were even complimentary wet wipes at the diaper change area – consider me uber impressed! We’d definitely love to be back again once Melody is a little older and can walk all around on her own. XD Then she’ll be better able to enjoy the playgrounds and water play areas here.
And oh… food options near where we parked:
Not as crazy expensive as we’d expected them to be. Could be great dining spots for those who live nearby and can take advantage of the free parking after 6pm. Do check the operating hours for these F&B joints first though. 🙂
Melody has a really FUN dad… and I’m so glad she does. He’s the sort who will take her on (sometimes scary) slides and jump right into the ball pit with her. XD Meanwhile I’m like “Watch her legs! Careful! Don’t break her legs coming down the slide!” Perhaps it’s because I’m the mom of a girl so…
What an apt expression on M. XD
Anyyyyhow… Smigy has a new outlet at Forum shopping mall. Parking is *cough* not cheap here (We played at Smigy for an hour, walked through toys’r’us a bit and exited the carpark with a $5+ bill. For Smigy itself… it’s $23 for 1 hour (1 parent + 1 child) and $10 for an additional adult. So much cheaper over in JB… I know… but the lure of a brand new playground is near impossible to resist.
They provide lockers and shoe cabinets too…
And there’s a quite chio area for birthday parties and the like…
We were right there beside Melody while she played. So the older boys and girls couldn’t get close. Haha! We don’t want anyone tripping over her or accidentally hitting her with a toy, do we? But this Papa’s a kid magnet, I tell you. And when one boy came over to chat and started coughing (OMG WHY Y’ALL BRING A SICK KID TO THE PLAYGROUND AH?!!!), I quickly placed Melody further away from the kid. Papa… even better – he just carried her right out. Hahaha!
Smigy also has a pretty large LEGO wall. OK wait… I’m not actually sure it’s lego or something similar but we didn’t play here…
I think this place was open by around 10.30am that day? But we arrived only past noon ‘cos Melody needed a nap first and it was a most unholy mess by then… hahahaha
And some toys were also broken. This one has a sharp axle that if it were pointing upwards and a child happened to fall onto it… the kid would have been impaled on it so we moved it out of the play area.
And ya… I think the cash register got robbed or something.
See this wonderful dad teaching his daughter how to comb the doll’s hair? XD
I think this playground is more suitable for older kids (say, age 4 or older) as there are lots of small items which kiddos like Melody may put into their mouths and end up choking on. Also, the costumes provided are so big. If you’re bringing a much younger child here, then watch him/her like a hawk and everyone will be fine. 🙂
Like a lot of people in SG, I’ve had some not-so-wonderful pineapple tarts this year. The higher prices aside, the quality seems to have dropped tremendously. There’s a home baker (let’s call her W) I bought pineapple balls from back in 2022, when I was pregnant and after Melody was born. Each tub cost $24.80 (450g, 30pcs) two years ago. This year, it’s $28. However, I don’t mind the pricetag… if the pineapple treat is as good as it was previously. I’d received my order on 13th January… and almost immediately sent feedback to W that the pineapple balls were much stiffer and no longer had that melt-in-the-mouth texture I remembered. She said it’s probably due to a new oven she was getting used to… and later sent 3 new tubs in exchange for 2 unopened tubs. Alas! Slightly better but nowhere near as awesome as the 2022 versions. So I’m taking her off my list of go-to bakers for pineapple tarts. Thankfully, there’s a new entrant. I spotted Crunchy Teeth’s $43 ‘Dragon Year Deluxe Pineapple Tarts’ on Facebook. You see them in the photo above. Super pretty and perfect for gifting, right? BUT limited to 1 set per customer. XD
I bought their Earl Grey Milk Cookies (200g, $16) and Orange Chocolate Chunks Cookies (200g, $12) as well since the delivery fee is $12 – might as well buy more stuff at once! (I like the earl grey ones – so tiny and addictive – while I found the orange chocolate ones REALLY crunchy LOL)
Generous pineapple filling that’s not too sweet + crumbly pastry and SUCH A FEAST FOR THE EYES!
Yes, I’d totally order this again.
KAWAII! 😀 😀 😀
And for those of you who’d baulk at the price… I did also get a slightly more wallet-friendly tub of pineapple tarts from FairPrice. It’s Glory’s 400g Round Shape Pineapple Tarts. I’d read an 8days review about them and the description was so hilarious, I just had to go get a tub and see/taste for myself:
“The plastic bottle is admittedly quite un-glam but we would still display it on our CNY table because the tarts in it are so darn good. The quirky but attractive golden tarts are adorned with another piece of pastry on top that looks like a fidget spinner and the bronzed jam looks like it was pressed on by an enthusiastic baby.” -8days.sg
$15.09 for a 400g tub! The Golden Pillow version costs $21 for 650g.Ahahaha! Look what the “enthusiastic baby” did! 😀
My darling’s horrified at the $15 pricetag – he was expecting $8 at most. Hurhur. But these pineapple tarts are good so no regrets. They taste almost… homemade. Like if you were to put them on a plate and tell me your Mom/Aunt made them, I’d totally believe you.
But all these goodies are so high in calories it’s not even funny. I went for a gym session yesterday and the high-tech stationery bike I rode let me know that I burnt only a miserable 15kcal after cycling 1km. Meanwhile, 1 pineapple tart has something like 74 calories (?!) OMG.
We were at FUNAN the other day and my darling had already done his research beforehand and he said we’ll visit a BBT cafe with a ball pit. I didn’t do any such research about the place, so when we arrived I had to go check out the menu and decide what to order. And before I knew it… the father-daughter duo had already removed their footwear and were sitting in the middle of the giant ball pit. (Try and spot them in the picture above. Haha) I can only say Melody has a very fun dad. Everyone else was just sitting around, all prim and proper, and resisting all urges to kick around in the ball pit or have any fun. XD Not these two…
I picked the Trendy Bubble Milk Tea ($4.90) and Watermelon Smoothie ($6.90) and the staff told me that if I were to scan a QR code with my hp and become a member here then the milk tea’s FOC! So I did. And I have to say that the Watermelon Smoothie is really good! Even my darling liked it. It has mint in it so it’s uber refreshing. Go try!
I thought the bubble milk tea was so-so. What I might try next time we visit is the Pineapple Perfume Lemon Ice Tea ($5.90) and the Orange Fruit Tea ($6.90)! The toppings here include your usual pearls and ice cream BUT they do also have D24 Durian (+$3) and Musang King Durian (+$6) Whoaaaaaaa!!!
We did not order dessert (though arguably BBT with toppings feels like dessert already) but the bingsu looks good. The Mangos Love Snowflake Ice costs a whopping $19.90 though. A Mango Souffle is slightly cheaper at $16.90! Or just go for the $6.90 Mango Ice with Rice Ball. This place serves waffles too!
Quite happy with the drinks already!
Someone’s a big girl now. The first time we put her into the ball pit at a BBT store in Woodleigh Mall, she was almost ‘drowning’ in the sea of balls and did not quite enjoy herself. Now she looks so at home here…
And no… that’s not a school uniform. It’s Melody’s Sailormoon costume. Ahahaha!
Smile Dessert is located at #02-03 of Funan. Do pop by if you’re in the area! 😀
I drink too much bubble tea. And KOI’s one of my favs. In fact, I just had a cup of KOI yesterday in JB (SO MUCH CHEAPER there). So I found out via Instagram that KOI is recruiting – in fact a company (FindSGJobs.com) is assisting in their recruitment efforts. They have a number of “workshops” held at various KOI outlets, where you will learn (briefly) what a Tea Barista does. There’s also a “special surprise gift” if you were to attend one of the workshops. So for today’s session at PLQ mall, 7 people had pre-registered, but ultimately only 3 showed up. One lady was early, I was punctual and one guy showed up after all the demos were over. LOL.
Not a “workshop” format I’m used to… more like a quick (standing) demo session.
First up: the 3 plastic carrier sizes that KOI has (for 1 cup, 2 cups and 6 cups of bubble tea) and how the cups are positioned within the carrier to prevent spillage. Though I have NEVER had a spilled KOI drink – the seal’s always perfect, the cups are solid and not the flimsy ‘crushable’ sort, so I don’t know why spillage is even an issue to be concerned about.
Then the two types of straws – the fatter one being for the drinks with toppings. (>_<) Like you didn’t already know that.
Then how heavy the pot for cooking the boba is (6kg to 10kg). And how one might be carrying such pots out from the kitchen like ten times a day depending on the sales volume.
Then how many scoops of the boba go into the M-size cup and the L-size cup. And how some people may request for less (or even really few) boba. <- All these ‘healthy’ people who still want to chew on boba for just a little bit OMG.
And how to use the cocktail shaker.
ALL WITHOUT ACTUALLY MAKING A SINGLE CUP OF BUBBLE TEA. Muahaha.
I can’t say it was very insightful but thankfully, the supposedly 1-hour workshop ended in half the time. XD The recruiters were just more concerned about finding out who’s really keen to join KOI so they can send the particulars over to KOI’s HR team.
There was a Q&A session and I asked a simple and arguably very relevant question: So how much is the pay? The recruiter duo didn’t seem to have the answers at their fingertips and referred me to the banner outside KOI instead. So later when they asked if I’m interested in the jobs available here, I said I’ll have to look at the payscale first. XD (Actually no lah, I’m not looking for a job – I have my hands full already. I’m just keen to learn more about this company I’ve spent so much money at!)
If you want to know how much the KOI full time and part time salaries are:
Also, I had another question about the Progressive Wage Model and whether KOI was already on board. The guy – A – I asked tried to sidestep the question and said KOI offers a lot of benefits (yeah I know. That’s not my question). The lady – Y – said that all F&B companies have to follow the PWM recommendations and I think she’s right. Can read more about it here.
So… for the special gift for attending the workshop: a KOI gift card…
Both recruiters say this can be used for a drink (any drink, any size, with toppings)
At the counter, I realise the card has just $5 value. So if the drink costs more than that (mine did), you’ll have to pay for the balance amount. XD
So… if you work at KOI full-time, you can earn up to $2,800 per month. And it’s the same case over at Saizeriya in the same mall:
I think a big difference is that Saizeriya clearly states that they welcome housewives and retirees and offer flexible work hours.
Companies cannot be discriminatory in their job ads so bubble tea joints cannot state that they want only people within a certain age group but when’s the last time you ordered a cup of bubble tea and the person taking your order was a 60-year-old auntie (who might tsk tsk at your 100% sugar request) or a previously-retired gentleman who’s raising his glasses and stabbing at the POS screen with a finger or two index fingers… slowly?
I would think the profile of a tea barista would be: female, between the age of 20 and 30, slim, fast learner, works well in a fast-paced environment, and about the same age as the majority of the company’s customers. And… probably Chinese too. (A little bit different across the Causeway but that’s to be expected)
Also… I need to reiterate this point, in case kaypoh relatives are reading this blogpost: I am NOT looking for a job! I have my hands full with a baby who grows ever more demanding with each passing day… and I don’t want / need a job. I just want / need / desire to get more sleep. Hahaha! Unless the job involves testing mattresses to see which results in more quality sleep… I’m not interested. Thanks hor!
Working With Grace 
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