April-May mobile updates

Past few months have whizzed by so quickly and alas, we have already passed the half way mark of the year. Having finally been able to settle myself comfortably, it's time to catch up on long overdue phone updates, in no particular order :)

Let's take a moment to appreciate my gym commitment - no job or male counterpart can ever distract me from smashing out my usual routine to the point where I am usually scrambling to prep myself before heading out. No time for make up or second thoughts on outfits haha.

The biggest dim sum portions can be found at Gold Leaf in Burwood, all tasting reasonably good as well:)

Homemade yam cake by WL's mum. I managed to finish half the box despite having had dinner prior.

The day the sister decided it was a good idea to purchase two dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts. My sugar levels sky rocketed through the roof that week.

Macarons, a favourite of mine, as reminded by WL.

Also more favourites - soya bean with grass jelly and ice blended red bean smoothie.

I have a very guilty addiction towards toasted bread and found it hard to stop at just one piece of this kaya toast that has been generously slathered in pandan kaya and cubes of butter. Peanut butter toast was decent and probably something I could easily whip up at home.

The day WL regretted bringing me food shopping. I spoilt myself with my favourite Ben & Jerry's and Magnum ice cream hehe.

Easter was celebrated with my discovery of Baker's Delight cinnamon and raisin toast and hot cross buns. I have been addicted to them ever since and am abashed by it.

My most symmetrical shaped matcha biscuits. Very impressed was I at my keen eye for detail *pats self on the back*

Lychee white chocolate flavoured macarons - a failed attempt as shells were too dry and filling was pathetically runny.

Cake was part of my weekly diet in autumn and one that I slightly regretted now that we are approaching spring.

The French edition of Adidas superstars. Am a big fan of this colour combination and am over the moon when it was gifted to me:)

WL's homemade porridge to fuel me through my cold.

Always do feel special whenever I get surprised by roses. #suchasucker

Homemade curry noodles from cafe 68.

Stir fry beef hor fun in the making - another failed attempt and one that I had to reattempt a bit later.

Kit kat chocolatory goods (a scaled down version), available at supermarkets. Favourite flavour would be the espresso one. Worth the hype? I might stick to my usual Cadbury bars.

Coming home to a takeaway plate of food. Happiness staring back at me.

Because Starbucks is such a fundamental part of my life and I cannot help by reincarnate those travelling moments spent at their cafe.

A big bowl of okonomiyaki mix, ready to sizzle on the frying pan.

Oct-Nov mobile uploads: Breakfast bars, more salad bowls and selfie moments

Hello hello, I have been quite behind with posting on monthly updates via my iphone camera and so, this blog post is a compilation of what I have been up to in the last couple of months.

First up, I have been trying out various types of breakfast bars, emphasizing heavily on its protein and sugar content.  I love how tasty Carman's gourmet protein bars are and they are not overloaded with sugar. My personal favourite would be the dark chocolate version because it makes me feel excited when I get up in the morning:D

I have tested this out of curiousity and found it quite hard as in rock solid hard. Not overly sweet just like Carman's although would really prefer a softer version.

Again, Carman's did not disappoint and although I would still prefer the protein bars over this one, it does have a nice coffee aroma lingering afterwards which can be good in the morning.

Ho ho ho, here lies one of my favourite gifts, a Breville Teamaker. Has a setting for different types of brews be it mild, moderate or strong depending on the type of tea used. Easy to clean and very straightforward to use.

Meetings and more meetings, cest la vie.

And just like every month, here is a mini collection of what I have been eating on most weekdays for lunch or dinner.

Trying to be healthy with a serve of carrots, steak, kale and brown rice.

Bought some salad whilst at the shopping mall as I did not have a fridge for the time being and was craving some fresh veggies.

Rice with roasted chicken breast. The sister made such a sensational soy sauce flavoured roast chicken that I couldn't believe the chicken breast was not hard and dry. Such a treat it was and one that I happily went back for seconds.

Had leftover chicken and pasta in the fridge and so, voila, into the salad lunch bowl it went. Ps, I bought my pyrex bowl a couple of months ago and me thinks it true is an amazing investment. No more worrying about microwaving plastic and having such a decent sized bowl to carry around soupy items is a bonus!

And now, drum rolls please for the following vain shots of myself. Because I can.

Checked shirt, Topshop high waisted skirt, Karen Millen mini bag and Nine west shoes.

Zara navy jumper, Esprit puffed vest, Zara denim, Adidas shoes. The best sleeveless puffed jacket.

Sequined Zara dress and denim jacket

How to be lazy and still pull it together. Pyjamas t-shirt, Zara denim jacket and Zara shorts. Yea, a good jacket does go a long way.

Aug - Sep mobile uploads: fruit/vege bowls, ice cream and ramblings

This is a massive throwback blogpost for the August's mobile upload edition. I have been extremely preoccupied and completely missed the deadline. Fast forward, I have also missed the September version. Such is life.

As most of you may be aware, I have been trying hard to stick to a clean eating diet and have stuck to using my one bowl method for portion control. There were a few ups and down moments as you may see from the following pictures - I am trying to find a balance between my old and new eating habits.

I love my fruit smoothie bowls topped with granola and oats but let's be real - there's way too much sugar from the fruit and granola, in it to be considered a healthy and filling meal. It does fix my sugar cravings but not a substantial habit for sure.

My veggie bowl proved to be a much more satisfying feed. I have my usual avocado and spinach at the side and the last veggie to go in depends entirely on what's on season and what I feel like having. Kale, mushroom, cauliflower and the newest experimentation with capsicum.

Bonus points for being able to use different marinades and seasonings for the chicken.

Was down with a cold and decided on increasing my vitamin C and antioxidant intake so voila, a blueberry smoothie with grapes and granola.

W

Also tried making a smashed avocado topping with eggs, avocado and blanched spinach. Served atop a cruskit but I ended up crushing the cracker into smaller pieces and tossing it into the avocado mix.

Canned tuna is another great alternative to chicken breast although I would think twice about microwaving it due to its fishy scent. Fishy taste can be eliminated by squeezing a bit of lemon on top. Oh and don't forget to add freshly cracked pepper and salt for seasoning:)

I was craving for croque monsieur and decided to make it at home using freshly baked croissants from Agathe patisserie. Bechamel sauce made from butter, flour and milk. Spread evenly in a halved croissant before stuffing it with a decent cut of ham. Bake for 10 minutes at 140C. Delicious.

Rekindled a love for reading. Not too sure if the Little Paris Bookshop was suitable for me but oh wells, did remind me about my French trip.

Money bags are beancurd skins stuffed with meat/seafood filling. Is this an Australian thing or am I missing something from my heritage?

Striped top - ZARA, skirt - Topshop, Trench coat - Topshop, red scarf - vintage, Shoes - Adidas. Classics to stick by when one is short on time or can't be too bothered to browse in the closet.

After a stressful week, I needed a treat. Hence a carrot cake muffin for breakfast before heading to work on Saturday.

Connoisseur ice cream on special in the supermarket. Time to stock up for summer?

Always had a fancy for Starbucks and Gloria Jean's, probably because it was something I wanted as a teen but never did due to how costly it was back in Malaysia. Still get the same goosebumps whenever I enter any of their outlets and cheesecake always seems to be the flavour of the day when that happens.

Working in retail has its perks in the form of free samples.

The best stabilizing sneakers around.

My favourite picks from French Connection's spring campaign.

Tested this out and true enough, it was chewy and verging on the softer side of the scale.

Minion days.

Ending this post with my recent lot in the form of Connoisseur's most popular ice cream flavour - matcha.