Papa Palheta for true blue coffee lover

One thing good about reading forums is that some of the forumers share interesting places that they have visited. In fact I get most of my news nowadays from a car forum, as they are faster and juicier.

One thread which I stumbled upon recently is about coffee, and a fabulous place which roasts their own beans. This place is a hidden gem, and so we decided to check it out during one of our days off, minus Oliver and Heidi of course. Otherwise, there's no chance to enjoy the coffee.

The place is really quaint, in a back alley in Hooper Road and you wouldn't have realised its existence if you are travelling on the parallel main road. Sophia ordered a cappucino, while I tried to be more adventuous and ordered something full-bodied and black from Indonesia, can't remember the name though as it was recommended by the staff.

Sometimes you go to a place for the first time and you know that everything is right, and you want to come back again. This is one such place. The crowd and staff here seems like coffee cognoscenti. That's one level up from connoisseur :-)

Sophia thinks the cappuccino is really good. The joint is also unique in that it is not a licensed F&B outlet, or so I understand from the thread. So they don't bill you and there is no price on the coffee. You just pay for whatever you think your coffee is worth, and as it was during the Christmas period, a huge sock was placed near the counter for you to put your money.

My coffee was good too. No sugar and no bitter or sour aftertaste.

Unfortunately the place might not last long. They are opening a full F&B outlet near our office. Hope they can bring the ambience along with the coffee machines.

Christmas at Fairmont

Last year's Christmas at Ritz was quite memorable. This year we decided to go to Fairmont. Except for some quirky design flaws in bathroom, our room on the 11th floor was pretty luxurious. Vera, Vivian and Veron had a room on the 18th floor as well.

The pool though was a bit of a disappointment. Two round pools, one for adults, and one for kids, was barely enough to accomodate the guests. However, Oliver and Heidi still had lots of fun, and it was here that Oliver learnt how to use his arm floats that we just bought, and ditched away the kiddy aeroplane float. His first attempt!

Exhausted from the day's activities, it wasn't too long before they slept on the comfortable bed.

The Christams Eve's dinner at Prego. We dressed Oliver and Heidi up again for thsi occassion. Raidon and Xavion were also there and had a room on the 18th floor as well.

Oliver seemed to be the only one appreciating the 3-man band that played in between the carollers. One of the musicians acknowlegded Oliver's attention too and kept waving at him.

The Christmas tree at the lobby.

2 of the funniest pictures.

Xavion, Raidon & family.

Parking at the hotel was a breeze.

V3 & family.

Jiajun, Jiaen and family was tehre too for a swim as well as the high tea.

A Relaxing Sunday at Riders Cafe

I came across this place while surfing the internet for places to go for brunch. This place is really hot and you have to book in advance. We first went there on 7 November, and again last Sunday on 12 December, this time without making reservation. We waited for about half an hour, but it was worth the wait.

Riders Cafe is tucked in inside Fariways Drive, off Eng Neo Avenue, where Bukit Timah Saddle Club is located. So we get to see jockeys leading their horses to the stable, and there is also a place for pony ride for kids, for a fee. And there are ample parking spaces too.

The breakfast here is really good. Unlike the sourdough at Jones the Grocer which we just went, the bread here is soft and not overtoasted. And unlike Spruce, there are no mozzies here, and the staff which take reservation is so much friendlier. But best of all is the natural and tranquil surrounding and the nice ambience and view from the cafe.

Despite the many horses that trot to and fro the stable, Oliver and Heidi were more interested in the cat below, and kept wanting to play with it. The cat though, was quite aloof, and went up the deck of the Stable Club members-only lounge. Safe in the knowledge that both of them couldn't come near.

My arm was Her Bolster

Did I mention in Heidi's blog her night habit of stroking my arms before she went into slumberland, and the session could last an hour? It is very important that I write it down. About two or three weeks ago, Heidi finally agreed to sleep and not to stroke my arm for that long a time.

Every night for the last few years (cannot recall when it started), Heidi stroked my arm as if it was her pillow and sometimes, I had to put her on top of my body and let her laid there until she fell asleep. For a light sleeper like me, even if I dozed off after a while, I would still be disturbed awake by her touch. Irritated and frustrated, I sometime beat Heidi's backside for not sleeping. Sometimes, she was almost asleep and would cry very loudly after receiving such a shock on her back side. Poor Heidi.

Now, it is all over! I would not always be the last one to sleep. Just for record - Boon Heng is most skilful in catching forty winks, followed by Oliver, Heidi and Sophia. The record might change in the near future.

Changi Boardwalk and Kiddy Ride at Changi Village

River Regatta 2010 at Singapore River

Heidi's masterpieces in school

Papa No No!

Whenever Heidi is half-angry with me, or trying to get her own ways and I'm in her way, she would shout "Pa Pa No No!".

It's quite funny and worth repeating that now we have "Ver Ver No No" and "Mummy No No" as well.

Birthday celebration at Grandparent's Place

Heidi is 2 !

Heidi's birthday celebration in school on 2 Sep 2010. She is the only princess in school that day with Isabelle and Elise, both away from school. After searching a few cake shop, we finally settled on the one below from ecreative.
Notice the Japanese doll in the middle? She looks so much like Heidi and I couldn't help getting it. The little doll is one of the Kimmidoll collection. Boon Heng and I always marvel at the resemblence between Heidi and the doll. We bought Yoshimi from Vivocity as there were only two choices. Too bad, there was no Beni as she would look exactly like Heidi in her red dress which she worn that day. Yoshimi's spirit is courteous and considerate. mmm... not sure about Heidi's.

We celebrated Heidi's birthday at 4pm after the children woke up from their afternoon nap. Heidi was seated right in the middle since she was the centre of attraction being the birthday girl. She took a long while to realise what is happening. Boon Heng and I were almost standing right in front of her, but she took no notice. When she finally saw me, she cried for my attention and insisted on sitting with me. I was stucked with her the whole time thereafter. Perhap, she was uncomfortable with seeing us around, as her mood was not that good. Oliver, on the other hand, enjoyed being Heidi's brother and eating the cake with the rest of Heidi's friends. Heidi, another output of introverted parents.

Perth to the Southwest - Day 8

Last day of the journey and we practically were killing time before going to the airport. The hotel staff at All Seasons Perth told us of this huge mall that we could go. Called Centro Galleria, this is Perth's second largest shopping centre and is located in Morley approximately 7km northeast of Perth city. The centre consists of five major stores - Myer, Kmart, Target, Coles and Woolworths, a cineplex, over 200 speciality stores and a great range of services all located conveniently under one roof.

After eating a fair bit of junk food throughout the journey, I settled for this smoked salmon salad for lunch. Pretty good =)

Heidi's clothes somehow matched with this ride. My expectation of Perth was set very low by my friends and colleagues who have been here or studied here. So I quite enjoyed it. We will be back in Perth again one day.

Perth to the Southwest - Day 7

The next morning, the weather was good to us. We headed straight to the Mandurah Cruise area and again attacked another branch of the Miami Bakehouse. The pie here wasn't as good though.

We booked a cruise out to the Mandurah waterways in the faint hope that we can see some dolphins.

All ready to go!

We had the whole ferry to ourselves, and the kids spent more time running up and down the bow area than enjoying the scenery. One of the ferry crew who drove the boat is called Heidi!

Along the waterways, we could see rows and rows of condos and houses. Sentosa Cove probably got the idea from this place.

We were told by the crew that on average, each house cost about A$700,000 - A$800,000 or so. That's really not too bad if you compare to the property prices of Singapore. Those further away from the wharf and nearer the sea actually cost lesser, some for as low as $200,000 plus. Not bad.

A huge house in blue along the inlet, the crew told us, belonged to Lee Hsien Yang.

En route to Fremantle Markets.

Fremantle Markets, a popular tourist haunt, has over 150 stalls selling food, souvenirs, paintings, everything! Like a chatuchak, except that it is cleaner. So it was no surprise that a lot of Asians can be found here.

The market stock souvenirs that are unique and local, but the prices aren't cheap at all. Buskers also abound to ply their trade and render their version of popular songs.

After the hustle and bustle of Fremantle, our last destination before heading to the Perth city was Kings Park. I've always been a sucker for botanic gardens, and Kings Park is pretty awesome with its view and wide spaces to run about. Oliver wasted no time in running around the park and stretching those muscles.

I think most people would find the park quite ordinary as there wasn't too much features, except for a rounded arena where your voice could travel from one end to the other even if you speak softly. However, I think this is a great place, and I certainly hope that Heidi will enjoy such simplicity as much as I do in future.

A friendly Aussie was walking her Labrador Retriever and chatted with us. Her dog enjoyed rolling on the lawn. Oliver did just the same as well.