DIY Desk Decor

Hello everyone!

It has been months since my last post and that's probably because I hardly had time for myself since school started in January. The semester had been really hectic and emotionally draining and I am just glad that it is finally over.

Since I moved in to my place in 2000, I didn't have a proper study area and I usually do my school work in the dining area. My aunt and my cousin who had stayed with me for the past few years, moved out recently and now my sister and I have our own designated place to study. The study room was a mess until the end of my semester and I am so glad I finally had the time to start organizing and decorating my space.

I did some DIY projects to personalize my space. I'll be sharing with you some of these projects in this post. If you are looking for some organizing tips, you can refer to my blog post here.

1. Noticeboard

For this project, you would need:

• Corkboard (I bought mine for $2 from Daiso. It's about 22cm by 30cm and 6mm in thickness) 
• Fabric of your choice (I got mine from an old pants) 
• Scissors 
• Glue/Tape

1. Cut out the piece of fabric according to the size of your cork board. I gave an allowance of about 2 inches for each side. 
2. Then secure the excess to the back using glue or tape. 
3. Stick it to your wall using a strong wall tape. I used 3M wall tape because it holds up really well and doesn't affect the paint on my wall.

2. Clipbard Dashboard

For this project, you would need:

• Clipboard 
• A4 sized paper of your choice (I chose a metallic black cardstock paper)
• Ribbon tape (or decorative tapes of your choice)
• Scissors

I did not document the process of this project because it is so simple and self-explanatory from the picture above. 

1. Place the A4 sized card stock paper in the middle of the clipboard.
2. Cut out the ribbon tape and use it as a border to secure the paper to the clipboard.

I got my ribbon tapes from Daiso at 4 for $2. I use this clipboard as a dashboard for my post-its. The reason why I did not use any glue for this project is firstly, it would be messy and by using tape I can change the design easily.

3. Mini Whiteboard Display

For this project you would need:

• Photo-frame (I found mine at home but you can get these at IKEA for less an $2)
• Whiteboard (I got mine from Daiso at $2)
• Scissors/Penknife
• Cardstock papers or photographs of your choice 

• Stickers or decals for decoration (optional)

1. Remove the plastic cover from the frame and use that as a guideline to how big your whiteboard should be.
2. Using either a scissors or penknife, cut out the required size from your whiteboard. I used a penknife to be more precise. 
3. Decorate your frame using stickers or any embellishments of your choice. I went simple with a polka dot decal that I purchase from Daiso. 
4. On the other side of the frame, you can choose to display some photographs or insert a cardstock paper like I did.
5. Now, you can write reminders one side and display photographs on the other side. 

4. Wall Display

For this project, you would need

• Printed Pictures (I printed some quotes on a 200gsm A4 sized paper)
• Black Tape

 Then I trimmed the sides and then pasted it on my wall. To make a simple border, just paste black tape along the sides of your printed cut-out. 

5. 

For this project you would need:

• Twine
• Tape (I used fabric tape)
• Pictures
• Paper Clips
• Scissors

1. Cut the twine according to your preferred length.
2. Paste the ends of the twine on your wall with your wash tape.
3. Now, just clip your favorite photographs or motivational quotes on the twine.

All these projects were very simple to make and you can probably find these materials at your home. Get creative and start decorating your workspace to make it more interesting!

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2015 Wall Calendar/Organizer

Hello everyone!

Firstly, I would like to wish you a Happy New Year! The year started really great and I went to Bali for a week before school reopened (which explains the delayed post). This holiday I had been busy with a few projects and I finally decided to start something small. When I made my personal planner last year, I received a lot of good feedback. Since I did not make a new one for myself this year, I decided to make a wall calendar for my family to write our family plans. 

And I present to you 2015 Paint Splattered Themed Wall Calendar!

Last year when I did my own planner, people asked if I was selling them. But unfortunately, I wasn't confident enough to sell them. When I started on this project, I was super happy with the turn out and I have decided to put the printable up on sale. It is a handmade item and I designed them on Photoshop.

I printed them in 200gsm paper using my laser printer. Although the photo is edited due to the bad lighting, it looks pretty much the same after printing them out. However, colors may vary depending on your printer so you may want to get it printed at a local printing store.

I am putting this up for just $5 SGD. If you have any questions regarding printing mode, leave a comment below!

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/sg-en/listing/217801231/2015-wall-calendarorganizer? 

For Singaporean readers, if you guys are interested, you could email me via a contact form available on my sidebar or via instagram! You can make payment via bank transfer as well!

If you want me to print them out, additional charges would apply. Prices would vary depending on the type of paper, double-sided and postage. It also comes with a personalized cover page!

So for example, if you would like to get your calendar printed using 200gsm paper and have it double-sided it would cost $9.90 ($5 + $3.50 + $1.40 = $4.90).

As this is my first time doing this, I hope you could show me your support! If you do like this post, share it with your friends who would be interested. 

Thank you and have a great year ahead!

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DIY Watercolor Cards

Hello everyone!

It's the season of giving and almost everyone I know are getting gifts for their loved ones whether they celebrate Christmas or not. During gift giving it's always nice to slip in a note to thank the person or just give him/her your well-wishes. What better way to thank them than to make your very own thank you or greeting card? 

This project is super fun and easy to make and it doesn't take too much of your time. You can probably find all the materials at your home.

You would need some:

1. Thick White paper  (I used a 200gm paper and cut them into 74mm by 104mm) 
2. Paint of your choice
3. Paintbrushes
4. White crayon or candles

Let's get started!

Firstly, using your crayon or candle, write or design your personal greeting on the card. You can get even make it season by drawing some Christmas trees or reindeers. 

Next, just get creative! Mix your paint with water and start painting. I cannot exactly remember the water to paint ratio as different colors required different amounts of water so you might want to test it out on a used paper before trying it out on your actual card. You need to mix it with water so that when you paint over the design, it can be seen and doesn't get covered by your paint. 

I got my sister to join in the fun as it was super simple to make. We decided to make a few cards as I just went on a craft haul and I wanted to test the colors of my paint. 

This project can be done with your family members, friends and even children. Please use a newspaper as you do not want to get paint all over your floor (I learnt it the hard way). Above are several ideas in case you're looking for inspiration! To achieve different strokes, you can try them with different brushes or even sponges.

These are great not only for holiday season but any time of the year. Also, you can save some money on greeting cards. It is always nice to receive a card and it makes it extra special when it is handmade.

Merry Christmas!

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DIY Open When...

Hello lovely people!

This is a long overdue post. I had been so busy with school I was not able to find time to post anything. Now that I'm having my holidays I'm gonna try to stay more committed. 

In my previous post on DIY Scratch Cards, I had mentioned that I made scratch cards according to different emotions. So in this post, I would like to share with you how I organised them and a sneak peek of some of the cards that I made. 

All these were personally designed by me in Photoshop CS6. I made 7 different sets. This one is for my best friend to open when she is feeling happy. The words use on the cards are inspired by Pharrell William's Happy. The empty spaces were for me to write any quotes or messages.

This one is my favourite because they are all cheesy pick-up lines which both Roslina and I really love. Each card is personalised and it took the longest to design.

A closer look on one of the cards.

I put all of them in a small gift bag which I got at Daiso. They came in a packet where 35 bags cost $2. I sealed all of them with some of my favourite stickers. The labels were also designed in Photoshop CS6. 

Since this is the month of giving, I have uploaded a printable of the labels and 3 designs from the cards that I have designed. Feel free to download and use it if you plan to do this project for your loved ones. This can be a great Christmas gift especially if your loved ones are here to visit and have to travel once the holidays are over. If you would like more of these designs do comment down below as I might consider selling these. 

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DIY Scratch Cards

Hello everyone!

It's been a while since I've posted a DIY tutorial and there is a fun project I had been wanting to share with you. This project was part of my best friend's 21st birthday gift so I had to hold on this post for a while. Some time last year I was just scrolling through Pinterest and I came across a project where the receiver had to scratch off the cards to find out what their gift was. I thought it was a really interesting project and I wanted to put my own spin to it. 

These scratch cards are all categorised according to different emotions. For instance, if my best friend is overwhelmed with happiness she gets to scratch one of the happy cards. They contain a mixture of quotes and personal messages. I made a few different types which will be shared in another post. 

In this tutorial, I will share with you how to create this "scratch off" effect on any type of scratch cards. For this project, you would need:

Cards

There are a few printables available online for you to download and print out. If you are interested to see how mine looks like, leave a comment!

- Clear Contact Paper or Clear Tape
- Acrylic Paint (I used gold and silver)
- Paintbrush or Sponge
- Dishwasher liquid
- Scissors

Now, let's get started!

1. Cut out some contact paper or clear tape to cover the part that needs to be scratched out.

2. Gently cover the area that you want your receiver to scratch off.

3. Mix your acrylic paint with dishwasher liquid. 

The ratio is about 2:1 (for every 2 drops of paint, you would need 1 drop of dishwasher liquid). 

Mix them gently as you do not want too much bubbles forming.

This step is optional. 

I pasted some tape over the card as I wanted the painted area to be clean and neat. I could not find paper tape in my house so I used paper tabs instead. It definitely was not as effective as a paper tape, but it did a decent job.

4. Using a paintbrush or sponge apply the paint and dishwasher mixture over the area.

I used a sponge as it was more even as compared to the paintbrushes I had on hand. Do not worry if you can still see through the words. I applied 2-3 coats to completely cover the area. 

Once you are done, leave it to dry and it will look something like this.

In the image the first card is not completely covered due to the insufficient paint and bright lighting.

This is a fun project where you can do with a group of friends or family. There are so many different occasions where you can do this. For example, Birthdays, Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day, Parties and etc. If you did try out this project, tag me in any of the social media platform because I love seeing different versions of this project.

Get creative and have fun! 

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Phó 4A

Hello everyone!

I thought I would have more time to write since it's the holiday period but I have been going out to catch up with my friends whom I have not seen for a while (university really takes away your social life). Recently I met up with Jo and we decided to have lunch at Phó 4A. I was in the mood for noodles and this was the perfect place. This was my second time in Phó 4A and I left the place feeling really happy once again. 

If you have been reading my previous food reviews, you would know how much I admire interiors. Phó 4A was not an exception. I really love the cosy interior and the bamboo mats that were placed on the table made me feel at home. It was definitely the right place to catch up and reminisce all the good old times with great company. 

Upon arrival, we were greeted with a friendly staff who handed us the menu. They do not have an extensive menu - 7 mains and 6 sides. True to their name, the mains consisted of all Phó except for one fried rice. 

Jo ordered the Pho Bo Tai Nam ($8) - Beef noodle soup with half-cooked steak and well-done brisket.

I ordered the Pho Bo Chin Nam($8.50) - Beef noodle soup with well-done brisket and flank.

2. Pho Bo Chin Nam($8.50)

The portion is very huge and it really fills up the tummy. You can probably tell from the picture how generous they are with their portion. 

Both the dishes were served with a plate of condiments. To be honest, the soup was flavourful and did not require any additional garnish. But I like some spice in my food so I added the chilli padi. I used the sauces to dip my meat inside for extra spice and flavour. The sauce had the sweet and sour taste which normally do not like but this one surprisingly complemented the meat. Since my meat my well-done I was afraid that it might be a little dry. However, the meat was well-cooked and thinly sliced which was a treat for my taste buds.

Cha Qio ($7)

We also ordered a side to accompany our dishes. In simple words, they are spring rolls with minced chicken and mixed vegetables rolled with rice paper. It was served with a tangy sauce that really complemented this dish. I love spring rolls and this one was amazing. This one is a must-try!

Overall, I am really satisfied with the service, food and ambience. The best thing about this place is that you do not need to pay GST or service charge. What you see on the menu is what you pay which is awesome! Plus, it is very hard to find affordable halal Vietnamese Cuisine in Singapore, and I would recommend you to check out this place. Although the place is small and may not accommodate so many people, it gives a cosy and homely feeling that makes it an ideal place for you to catch up with old friends.

Venue

• No 7 Jalan Pisang
• Singapore 199074

(Located beside Hjh Maimunah and opposite Fluff Bakery)

Opening Hours

11:00 am to 3:00 pm (Lunch)

6:00 pm to 9:00 pm (Dinner)

*Closed on Sundays

Contact

Phone: 6294 0703

Email: Pho4allhalalviet@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Phó-4A-Halal-Vietnamese-Cuisine/

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21 on Rajah

Hello everyone!

I love May. Firstly, because it's the school holidays for me and it's the month of my best friend's birthday! Since it was her 21st birthday, we wanted to have a lunch buffet and after researching we decided on 21 on Rajah. The place received really good reviews and for the price of $32++ for lunch buffet on a Saturday seemed reasonable considering all the positive reviews.

Living in the NorthEast side, I must say it was a little inconvenient for me to travel all the way to Jalan Rajah. Nevertheless we were all excited to try the much talked about restaurant. When we first arrived, it wasn't so hard to locate the place as it was rather prominent from the bus stop near Moulmein CC. 

When we arrived I cannot deny how much I loved the interior, it was decorated in white tiles and bird cages were hanging from the top (how cute!). I wish I had taken a picture of the interior to show you guys. The place was big and it was able to accommodate really large groups. I was hoping that a large space will also be catered to display their food and I have to say I was really disappointed with the variety of food they had. Let me take you guys through what they really had on that day.

Cold Seafood Section - Prawns and Mussels

You can accompany the seafood with any of the 3 sauces available. They had garlic Garlic Salsa, Wasabi Mayo and Tomato Coriander Chilli Salsa. I went with the Garlic Salsa and some lemon as I am not a big fan of wasabi and I wanted something light.

I must say the seafood was really fresh and juicy. I was going back for multiple helpings because this was the best thing they had for that day.

4 types of Sushi

My hopes of eating some salmon that day was dashed. I love sushi and this was definitely not the best I've eaten but it was decent. The inari sushi and California sushi was not too bad. 

Salad Section

The ham used in the salad was very fresh and the cherry tomatoes were a delight to my taste buds. 

"Did you come here to eat tomatoes?" (Roslina, 2014)

But the cherry tomatoes were really yummy. They also had a DIY salad station where you could mix rocket leaves, romaine leaves and a few stuff with any sauce of your choice. 

Roasted Carrot and Baby Potato

I liked this dish but then again, how can anyone dislike potatoes. PLUS IT'S ROASTED MINI POTATOES.

Oven Baked Boneless Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

They also had Lamb Stew, Garlic Sautéed Asparagus and Baby Carrots, (Bland) Mac and Cheese, Sweet and Sour Fish, White Rice, (Unseasoned) Fish and Malay Style Mee Goreng which I did not get a picture of. 

Dessert Section

We decided to take the desserts last but this was what was left. I really wanted to try the Tiramisu but sadly it was all gone within an hour. I have high expectations for desserts (I secretly blame my family members for spoiling my taste buds with fantastic desserts). But this was nowhere near meeting my expectations. The Ondeh-Ondeh was really thick which did not give enough room for the gula melaka syrup. The Carrot Cake was so dry. The Panna Cotta lacked flavour and the chocolate syrup overpowered the taste. The jelly (Agar-Agar) was too sweet. 

"Even my worse attempt on agar-agar would taste better than this" (Roslina, 2014) 

The cheesecake and black forest cake was pleasant but not enough to salvage my opinion on the desserts. They also had a fruit section where you can select from 3 different fruits.

Nazreen baked a cake for Roslina and it tasted better than the desserts that they had on that day. 

Side note: Nazreen has her own business so do check her out. She has cakes, cupcakes and brownies (TRY HER BROWNIE)

Instagram: @nazspasteleria

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nazspasteleria

The total bill came up to $112 for 3 people and DBS/POSB card holders were entitled to 15% discount. Overall, I was greatly disappointed with my experience with 21 on Rajah. They did have really fresh seafood and salad but the other food were of average standard. One would expect to have a wider range especially during a weekend but I guess I should not have dined in with such high expectations. 

"I am not full, but I do not know what to eat anymore." (Roslina, 2014) 

Roslina does not have a very big appetite and for her to say this just shows the lack of variety they offered.

The menu does rotate and perhaps some other day you may get better dishes but judging from my experience I am not very sure. 

For $32 it was definitely not value for money and it will probably be my last time here. This is just my opinion and preferences vary. If you would like to patronise them someday, the venue is below. If you are going in big groups or going on a weekend it is safer to make a reservation. You might want to consider going for dinner instead of lunch since most of the positive reviews came from Dinner experience.

Venue

Days Hotel At Zhongshan Park

1 Jalan Rajah

Tel: 68086868

www.dayshotelsingapore.com

Operating Hours: Weekdays

Breakfast - 6.00am til 10.30am

Lunch - 12.00pm til 2.30pm

Dinner - 6.00pm til 10.30pm

Operating Hours: Weekends

Breakfast - 6.00am til 11.00am

Lunch - 12.00pm til 3.00pm

Dinner - 6.00pm til 11.00pm

https://www.facebook.com/21onRajah

Comment down below if you have visited 21 on Rajah and had a different experience from me!

Till then, have a nice day!

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Bagus La Mian Yong Tau Foo

Hello lovely people!

I am finally blogging after 2 long months. It's been a hectic at school especially during April where I had to meet crazy deadlines and also study for my finals. Now, I am officially done with my Freshmen Year in University and I have a 3-month long holiday.

Anyway, I was looking back to today's post, I am going to do a review on my visit to Bagus La Mian Yong Tau Foo back in April. My sister turned 18 years old last month and we wanted to take her out for dinner. She was having this mad craving for noodles and it is so hard to find halal restaurants that sells noodles. My cousin had visited this place before and I have read positive reviews about this place. Yes, it's weird that we didn't go to some fanciful restaurant to celebrate her legal age, but the birthday girl wanted noodles.

The place was quite big and air-conditioned so it was hard for 6 of us to get a table. They had 6 different types of Yong Tau Foo - Original (Normal one with the soup), Laksa, Tom Yam, Hot and Spicy, Hakka and Ampang. We ordered the Laksa, Hot and Spicy, Hakka and the Original flavoured one with a few sides. For the Yong Tau Foo, we could have it without the noodles, but we all got with the La Mian since store is called "Bagus La Mian". La Mian is a type of handmade noodles.

Part of our spread

Hot and Spicy 

My sister got this. I expected this to be really spicy but it was more towards sweet and spicy. I thought that it wasn't that bad but my sister was a little disappointed as she does not like the sweetness of the sauce. Yong Tau Foo usually comes with the spicy sambal and sweet sauce, this was the combination of the two.

Laksa

The laksa gravy was good. I don't like my Yong Tau Foo with laksa gravy so I didn't try it with the noodles but my mother and aunt liked it.

Hakka

I thought that mine was the best among the 4 flavours that we bought. It was a little gingery and but I didn't think that it was overpowering. The hakka sauce is a thick, sweet and sour sauce. I wouldn't say that it was spicy but it reminded me of one the ramen I ate in Ramen Ten. 

I don't have a picture of the original Yong Tau Foo but that was a major disappointment. It was bland and it was lacking a lot of flavour. 

(I think this is some fried prawn and fish dumpling but I can't be very sure)

Deep fried chicken with Wanton Skin

(Fried bean curd with fishcake)

This one is best among the sides. It was crispy and it was served hot. But once it cools down the taste of the mayonnaise was just too much to handle.

Overall, it was definitely not the right place for a birthday dinner and my sister did not satisfy her craving for noodles because it wasn't fantastic. My mum always tell us "Food that isn't good, is the same as not eating anything." It wasn't bad but it wasn't fantastic either.

One thing that I like about the Yong Tau Foo is that the fried items are not mixed in with the soup and their huge portions. Also, they have interesting variety to choose from. You can have them with or without the noodles. The sides are generally not too bad. 

My family likes to eat Yong Tau Foo with chilli padi (yes, it may not be the traditional way but we LOVE chilli) and they didn't have any chilli padi available in the store which is a big minus for us. I guess opinion and preference vary. If you are around the area, give it a try because of the interesting variety that they offer!

Venue

276 Changi Rd

Singapore 419756

Contact: 6346 0276

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bagusyongtaufu

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