6 Signs You Should Probably Go To Poly

BY SARACH AND STEFITH

So O-level results have come out, which means many students are thinking about where they want to go in their next phase of life.

When we were choosing schools, we had different experiences. Sarach knew right from the start that she was never going through the one-exam-means-everything phase again, but Stefith spent forever trying to choose, and nearly appealed to go to a JC.

In the end, both of us chose to go to polytechnic, and we never looked back. Studying Mass Communication in Ngee Ann Polytechnic is probably one of the best decisions we ever made, and we’ve certainly benefited a lot from it.

Not sure if poly is the path you should take? Well, here are six signs that it might just be the place for you.

P.S: We’re writing this from our own experiences in poly, and no one ever has the same stories, so take it with a pinch of salt!

P.P.S: This post is written entirely out of the goodness of our hearts and the fact that we’re nosy old ladies on the inside. We only wish someone had paid us to do this.

1. You know what you want to study

Source

Going to poly is best if you’re already quite certain about what you want to do. If you’re particularly interested in something which cannot be found in the A-level curriculum, say aerospace engineering, design, or business, then you should definitely consider enrolling into poly where you can study something you’re interested in. Don’t bother wasting time on getting a certificate just to go into university when you already know what you wanna do.

But if you’re kind of interested but still not quite sure? Going to the open houses and talking to the students there will help loads (plus you get lots of freebies!), but don’t worry if you missed it! You can still head over to the various polytechnic’s websites to find out more about the course and modules and ask seniors you may know in that course.

2.  You hate the thought of having one exam that will determine your life

“The thought of doing ‘O Levels’ all over again was a big N O. The JC curriculum was far too similar to secondary school and I was itching for change. The modular system of polytechnic, including assignments which were all cumulative, was a system that attracted me.” – Sarach

If you’re like her, poly will definitely appeal to you. Although there are exams and assignments throughout the academic career, there is no one final exam that determines how well you do for your whole three years.

Of course, the thing about poly is that your Grade Point Average (GPA) is cumulative. If you screw up one semester and do badly, the impact of that one semester follows you throughout your entire three years. It’s a daunting thought, but with hard work in the next few semesters, you can definitely pull your grades up.

Due to the fact that you learn different things every semester, your holidays are totally free of school work, free of revisions and free of studying since you’ll have almost no clue as to what to study for the next semester!  With that being said, this leads us to point number…

3. You hated having to go back for lessons during the holidays

We organised a camp during our poly semester break, and we had so much fun!

Semester breaks in poly are amazing – the lecturers do not touch you at all and there are no academic school activities AKA no studying or school work! Sounds like loads of fun, and you get a proper break to spend with your friends and family. You could participate in CCA activities, travel or work/intern for extra cash and experience. The choices are endless when your 7-week break is entirely yours.

On the flip side, the long holidays can make you lose the school groove, and all your other modules will tap on stuff you’ve learnt before, so don’t throw it all away 😛

4. You work better in groups

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We submitted feature writing today! It's been an amazing experience, with the best team a girl could have 😄 i'm so proud 😀😁😉

A post shared by Stefanie J. Yeo (@clandestineyeo) on Feb 5, 2015 at 5:33am PST

Group projects are very common throughout poly life. You will have to learn how to manage all kinds of people and work as a team. If you’re a team player who believes that teamwork makes the dream work, then you should consider heading the poly path.

Of course, studying is still needed and there are individual assignments – but who says you have to deal with it alone?

5. You like getting your hands dirty

https://www.instagram.com/p/ys4dSUhvmC/

Stefith’s friend Charlotte interviewed Nathan Hartono for a class assignment!!!

Polytechnic is all about getting ready for the workforce, which means equipping you with the right skills set and knowledge to complete tasks in the industry. In Mass Comm, we don’t just study how to write good articles for journalism, but go out to cover events, meet and interview actual people for articles, applying to real life what we learnt in the classroom.

Polytechnic is certainly very hands-on, and we gain a lot of real-world experience which is highly sought after in the industry.

6. You didn’t really thrive in secondary school

Here’s the thing – the place that suits you best is where you thrive in. We’ve been told that JC is very similar to secondary school, so if you didn’t really enjoy your time there, you probably won’t enjoy your time in JC either. The key thing is finding a place where you learn at a comfortable pace and are happy to be in.

Be it choosing between JC or poly, or even between JCs, find an environment which you will enjoy and be able to do well in. Only you know yourself best, so check out the different open houses and do your share of research to find out what you feel will work for you.

Of course, as much as we loved studying Mass Comm, it’s not possible to be happy with your school environment all the time. There were definitely periods where we were cursing our modules and questioning why we still had to do some form of math. However, at the end of the day, we still enjoyed our time in poly tremendously, and we certainly thrived.

We loved poly, but we were still glad to graduate.

If you’re keen on a specific field and are pretty sure about what you want in life, the poly track is definitely the best way to go. The key thing is honestly to know yourself and know what works for you – pick the right place for yourself, and the rest will fall into place. There’s no right or wrong, no system that’s better than one of the other.

This is just our two-cents worth on some things to consider if you’re thinking about a poly education. Whatever it is you choose to do, do it with your head held high and an open mind.

All the best! We hope we’ve helped you in some way or another 😀

2016 In Review

BY SARACH AND STEFITH 

Another year has come and gone, and it’s been one heck of a ride. So much has happened, both to us and to the world. It’s been a year with so many ups and downs, and we’ve all learnt and grown from our experiences.

2016 has been incredible for us – we graduated from polytechnic, and we started university. We travelled, we ate, we worked, we even embarked on a rather ambitious #StyleSwap project to commemorate two years of blogging together. We complained, we laughed, we screamed at each other and other people, but we’ve made it.

It’s also pretty amazing that this is our third year in review already – we started in 2014, did one in 2015, and look where we are now.

After 366 days and staring down a new year, here’s a look back at our 2016.

BEST THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN 2016 TO SARACH & STEFITH

1. Graduation! There were times during our three years in polytechnic that we thought we wouldn’t make it out alive, but we did, and now we’re proud alumni of Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
2. Starting university. We’re glad we wound up together in the same university, and that we’ve got each other’s backs during this next stage of our lives. Things may get tough, but we’re certainly tougher.
3. Having the blog turn 2 and embarking on a rather ambitious project to celebrate. We didn’t know how long the blog would last, and it’s certainly getting harder to find time to write and produce content for it, but we’re determined to keep going no matter what (:

And now, to each of us individually.

SARACH

BEST THINGS IN 2016

1. Finally getting a standing mixer so that I can make all kinds of bakes and food. But that also means a growing reliance on machines when I used to do most of the things, like kneading dough, by hand.
2. Going on the ACTS Mission Trip, which really opened my eyes to poverty and the great contrast between the rich and poor of various societies. I also got to make loads of new and great people there which makes me excited for next year’s trip already!
3. Lots and lots of eating. I love eating and then going on to write about it – like have you seen how many food posts I’ve written?!

NOT-SO-GREAT THINGS IN 2016

1. The elitist mentality of academia
2. Carrie Fisher dying, and then her mom. It’s such a tragedy, especially when I just got started on this whole Star Wars thing and then she just had to die. I can really understand her influence even just through the movies, about how she was the sole woman-power through the series. Reading about her works and what she did to destigmatise mental illness and addiction offered me a newfound respect for her as well.

WISHES FOR 2017

1. Become slightly healthier and down my permanent 4 month food baby to a 3 month food baby. I shall attempt to be fit. The key word is attempt as I may fail, but one can only hope.

STEFITH

BEST THINGS IN 2016

1. 2016 being a travelling year! I’m so grateful for all the opportunities I had to travel in 2016 – #TSLGoesHongKong in February, #BangkokBlock in April, and #StefTakesJapan in June. Each trip was an incredible adventure, and there’s a bit of wanderlust now lingering in my veins
2. Writing for TSL on a freelance basis. Last year, I wished that I’d be able to find a good freelance writing job that I could keep at even during uni, and I’m so glad that I did.
3. Not screwing up my first semester of university. I was really struggling with all the readings and prep work required, as well as the academic rigour, but I did well and I’m so glad. Here’s to keeping it up for the next six semesters!

NOT-SO-GREAT THINGS IN 2016

1. Drifting away from friends, and losing once-close friendships. It’s part and parcel of growing older, and I’ve still got many friends who are as tightly-knit as ever, but it’s just a little sad.

WISHES FOR 2017

1. Good health, some degree of wealth (please), perseverance, and that I’ll embrace turning 21 and the impending responsibilities of adulthood with grace and aplomb.
2. To get my driving sh*t together and actually be able to drive further than the grocery store without being tenser than a harp string. And without any accidents. Fingers crossed.

Happy New Year, everyone. May your 2017 be brilliant 😀

Before Christmas

BY SARACH

Before all the partying and unwrapping of gifts begin (if they haven’t already), let’s all take a moment to reflect on what we’ve done through our the past year.

Indeed, Christmas has arrived all too soon and living in a bustling city like Singapore doesn’t make time slow down when we want it to – like dragging the weekends a tad longer or that holiday overseas stretched by a couple more days. The Christmas season is going to end soon, like the year. 

While awaiting for Christmas to come, Christians go through a season of Advent where we wait for the coming of Jesus being born again. It seems like He gets reborn every year but each Advent is a preparation for the second coming, be it in our death or the coming of Christ. 

This Advent, I spent a week in Phnom Penh on a mission trip under ACTS (A Call To Share), a catholic organisation under CARITAS Singapore. I was assigned to the high school education to conduct team building activities. Not knowing what to expect even though I’ve gone on one during secondary school, I had no idea on exactly what I would be bringing for the kids there and what way I could help them.  

Throughout my time there, I visited some of the student’s houses and the killing fields, which led me to a deeper insight into the lives of Cambodians. The bus journeys from the hotel to the school offered much to look at: shops (including Pepper Lunch, Koi Cafe, K-BBQ restaurants), international schools, local bakeries, various types of housing and lastly flooding. 

Being in a third world country, I could see the large gap between the rich and the poor, unlike in Singapore where even the poor have proper roofs over their heads. The rich live in big houses and shop at tourist markets while the poor have wooden planks as floor with a train passing by right outside their house every few hours. 

The students at Don Bosco are financially poor, and depending on their family circumstances, some do not pay school fees at all. I felt that the team building activities really helped them in terms of life values and traits – which was what the sisters wanted. Instead of teaching them the ABCs which the teachers themselves can teach them, providing some leadership skills and enabling them to work as a team would be much more beneficial to these teens, seeing as we’re only there for a few days. 

It was loads of fun, interacting with the students, talking to them and understanding a little more of their lives. For the lower secondary students, there was a bit of a language barrier but I learnt that teenagers all over the world are similar. They’re all cheeky and playful, and want to have some fun (I also facilitate 13 y/os in church). The upper secondary students were a lot easier to talk to, especially the Grade 11 where their English proficiency is excellent! I was slightly surprised at first but they were of great help when trying to get the whole high school to listen up. 

The Grade 11 class – oldest in the school and such a joy to teach them!

There are so many things I’ve experienced during this mission trip and a single blog post cannot explain everything. But the biggest takeaway I have is that despite the horrors of their history and situation they are in, they are very generous and have big dreams. This Advent season, I learnt the gift of giving. 

If you’re interested in overseas volunteer programmes, sign up with ACTS next year as we go to Phomn Penh, Battambang (Cambodia), Philippines and Myanmar. Even though it may be a Catholic organisation, all are welcome (met some non-Christian friends too so don’t worry!) Registration opens in June every year. Find out more at: http://acts-singapore.com

The Cheese Tart Taste Test

BY SARACH

The fad of cheese tarts has reached the shores of Singapore, with the latest BAKED opening at Westgate for all the Westies like myself to enjoy.

The Straits Times did a mini review on which is the real baked cheese tart and included the newly opened in September Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tarts in Jurong Point. At first, I was confused as to which is the actual one, but fret not, I shall present to you the ultimate Cheese Tart Taste Test.

My boyfriend has a keen sense of taste and high expectations for his food which is why I decided to make him try out the tarts. In addition, he gets to exercise everyday in army (unlike me) and has not tried any of the cheese tarts prior to this test – making him almost perfect for it!

I decided to test out four tarts: Baked Cheese Tarts, BreadTalk, Cake History and, well, I decided why not try to make one? So I included a homemade one as well.

I got the recipe from blog, Dreamer’s Loft, and she has already experimented with all sorts of cheese, flour, what works and what doesn’t. It’s also one of the few recipes that got onto the Michelin Guide website so I thought I might as well try it out! The recipe was really easy to follow and ingredients relatively easy to find as well, although you might want to head over to Phoon Huat for slightly cheaper products.

Alright, enough random talking – here is the verdict! As pictured, I named them A, B, C, D according to how I perceive them to rank with D being the worst and also my half-burnt tarts… And here’s what he thought of the tarts:

D – Homemade: Why this one so small?? Salty, probably because of the cream cheese. Actually, quite salty, almost savoury, not sweet at all. Can taste and see the burn of the tarts – this one is a failure!

B – BreadTalk: Very sweet, can taste the creaminess of the cheese. The mousse is light, almost like a custard. The pastry is soft, keeps breaking apart. Overall, not too bad and they’ve got the texture right. (BreadTalk also carries a Golden Lava Cheese Tart which we thought was quite interesting and not too salty.)

C – Cake History: Looks wise, this is like the typical cake shop tarts. Pastry is very soft but dry. The mousse is very sweet like the previous one, but the texture is almost chalky, like a New York cheesecake. Although it is soft and light, the texture is not quite on par with the previous one. I would say this is like a cheese cake tart.

A – Baked: This is pretty good, there’s a slight saltiness, but it is very well balanced. The crust is crispy and a little hard. The mousse definitely tastes like cheese, but it is not too strong. Overall, a very good balance.

Okay, after saying that D was a failure and telling me that it “looks like something you would make!”, I had to break it to him. 😂 Hey, it’s the first time I’m trying!

Actually looks not that bad… Right?

I had to agree with him on the verdict though – Baked Cheese Tarts were the best. I’ve also tried the Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tarts from Jurong Point and did not like their pastry as much – I thought it was too hard and crispy for my liking and the cheese mousse was not as flowy as those of Baked. The ultimate verdict for me would be Baked, Hokkaido, BreadTalk, Cake History then my homemade ones. The recipe said to add salt if needed, and I think I added a little too much at the last minute. I would definitely want to try baking them again though!

BAKED Cheese Tarts
Address: B4-33 Ion Orchard and B2-04 Westgate, 3 Gateway Drive
Price: $3.50 each, $19.50 for a box of 6. Customers can only buy up to 12 tarts. 
Opening Hours: 10am to 10pm
Tips: Expect long queues, but I went slightly after 10am and there were none! They also allow you to “inspect” your tarts before purchase. 

Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tarts
Address: 1 Jurong West Central 2, #B1-K2 Jurong Point
Price: $2.90 each; $14.50 for a box of 6
Opening Hours: 10am to 10pm
Tips: Not to be mistaken for the Baked cheese tarts – these hail from Malaysia by the Secret Recipe group. 

BreadTalk / The Icing Room
Address:The Icing Room –  B1-105 Jurong Point and B2-58 NEX; BreadTalk shops – B1-11 Paragon and B2-31 313@Somerset; Bread Society – B4-08 Ion Orchard; Toast Box – B1-167 Suntec City
Price: $2.40 each; 4 for $8.80, for both original and golden lava flavours
Opening Hours: Various timings

Cake History
Address: Located at various MRT stations such as – Boon Lay, Toa Payoh and Bukit Batok Stations 
Price: $2.20 each
Opening Hours: Various timings

Non-Entrée Desserts: An Avalanche of Flavours

BY SARACH

Non Entrée Desserts recently captured everyone’s attention again – not for their famous Instagram-worthy Avalanche treats, but for some Singaporean savoury desserts.

HUH? Savoury and desserts? Yes, and it might seem a little weird but I assure you that this combination does make your mind blow for a while.. At least mine did.

My boyfriend and I went there on an unassuming, warm Thursday afternoon, perfect to grab some cold treats at a quaint cafe. I’m usually not one to go on an impromptu adventure but this was how it went: he sends link of some article that featured some interesting food, I go WOW, he wants to try, my sweet tooth says okay and off we went.

We tried three different desserts and I must say that all the desserts and drinks are quite Instagram-Boomerang-worthy. They all look so cute and out there to make your feed pretty and tempt others to want to try. So here’s what we had:

Bak Chor Mee ($14.90): Part of the Back To The Future series, this dessert really looks like your hawker center Bak Chor Mee. But once in the mouth, the coldness and sweetness kind of shocks you because it’s so unexpected! This dish is all about textures: the slight crunch of the sesame snow “minced meat”, ice cream “fish”ball, springy mango “noodles”. Bursts of flavors from tang of raspberry “chili sauce” and mango, sweetness of sea coconut and ice cream make it all like an explosion in your mouth! It looks so unassuming but it definitely plays around with experimental flavours. I’m not sure if the flavours are well balanced as I feel as if there’s something missing. I could be a little biased as I don’t like sea coconut which was the “mushroom”. However, my boyfriend loves it though and thought it was amazing how it plays mind tricks on those consuming it. I had to take a while to adjust and tell myself I was eating something sweet – it can really be a mentally draining eat but if you love it, go all out!

Matcha Avalanche ($13.90): This was what everyone initially came here for right?! It was a must-try for me and we took a while before deciding to get the Matcha one. They recently added Horlicks as part of the Back To The Future series but I decided we should try something that was already on the menu. Unlike the previous dessert, this is considered “safe”, with flavours that already naturally go well with each other: matcha, chocolate, vanilla, caramel bits. The warmth of the cake in contrast to the cold ice cream, is always a winning combination. It also has a pleasant texture with the crunch of the “sand” and caramel biscuit on top.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLqgdgtjZaK/?taken-by=sarah_jello_pie

I really loved this dessert, not just because of the flavours, but the novelty of it! It’s something you can’t get anywhere else with the lava cake flowing down to your little “garden”, and then you attacking it with your spoon and munching it all down. The waiters even tell you how to go about “erupting” your cake volcano and making an avalanche of it. I would definitely go back for more.

Rubber Ducky ($12.90): You can’t just stop at two right? One look at this dessert and it really brightens up your day! It’s almost filled with sunshine and smiles that it really brings back the old times of having a rubber ducky in the pool or shower. It even comes in a bath tub and soap bubbles! This dessert is all about refreshing flavours from the tang of the lemon sorbet and mango puree. The creme fraiche pudding was good as well and paired well with everything else. My boyfriend even mentioned that it tastes like what Mama Lemon might taste like – that’s how strong the lemon taste and smell was! A really cute dessert that is just full of freshness, something you would want on a hot and sunny day!

We also tried the Ribena Lemonade (+$6 for Themed Drinks) to complete our “meal”, and it was refreshing as well! It had ice cream in it which made really pretty swirls until we drank them all up. Don’t worry, they serve water as well!

The ambiance of the place was really cool. It has a vintage feel, friendly and chill vibe – they were even playing old songs! Although it might be a bit more on the pricey side for desserts, I feel that it is really worth the experience and great for an amazing sweet treat. I thought it was perfect for a quick Thurs-date in the hot afternoon. We’ll definitely want to go back again, but heads up, it might get crowded over the weekends!

Non Entrée Desserts
Address: 204 Rangoon Road, Singapore 218451
Nearest MRT: Farrer Park 
Opening Hours: (Tue – Thurs) 2pm–10pm, (Fri) 2pm–11pm, (Sat) 12noon–11pm, (Sun) 12noon–10pm, Closed on Mondays
Facebook: facebook.com/nonentreedesserts

We Chose Each Other’s Outfits For One Week. Here’s How It Went Down.

BY SARACH AND STEFITH

It’s hard to believe that this blog has been around for two years – it all started when Stefith thought Sarach’s nonsense would make entertaining reads, and the rest is history. Over 100 posts and 700+ days later, we’re still going strong.

To celebrate another year of #hpbdsarachstefith, we decided to try out something we saw on BuzzFeed – a style swap. For seven days, our outfits were chosen by each other, either as a swap (i.e. something the other would wear), or as an interpretation of one’s personal style by the other. We wouldn’t know what we’re wearing till the night before, as our outfits were chosen way in advance, in secret.

(We originally wanted to do a full-on closet swap, but we’re too different in terms of size for it to be practical, though we did exchange a few items).

Here’s what went down.

Well, what did you think? We obviously thought it was pretty fun (though we might not do it again). We’re really glad we’re back to choosing our own clothes, but it was quite the experience.

BEFORE

Did you have any “vision” in mind when you were choosing clothes?

Sarach: I was going to make her wear lots of floral skirts and dresses, and put her in more skirts to show off her feminine side. Also wanted to show off her figure but I didn’t really know what to do.

Stefith: My initial strategy was to go to her closet, close my eyes, and pull things out at random. Have you seen how stuffed Sarach’s wardrobe is? You can barely find anything without having to pull out about fifteen other things. How to browse like that?

Also Sarah complains that I have nothing in my wardrobe, so we pretty much had parallel problems.

I did want to give her a more androgynous style, similar to what I wear regularly, but nothing in her closet really worked with my ideas so I just made it up on the fly. #poorplanning

How did you feel about the swap before things got started?

Sarach: I thought I would be wearing black everyday and be somber and sad.

Stefith: I was utterly terrified, and also mildly concerned that after all this was over, there’d be no more #sarachstefith because we wouldn’t be friends anymore. As you can tell by this post existing, we’re still friends.

DAY 1

SARACH’S OUTFIT:

Stefith: The entire point of this outfit is “how can I make her look like me?” Well, this is how. This is an outfit I’ve worn before, as you can see in this photo:

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I'm posting this photo of us k bc it is actually really nice :3 Thank you Sarach for coming down after work to support me during my last session today and buying me cake 🙆 your timing very zhun ok you walked in just as i was talking about you 😂 I'm not kidding when I say you are one of my greatest pillars of support, even if you always embarrass me lol 😂 lub you lah Rahrah 💕🙆😁 #sarachstefith

A post shared by Stefanie J. Yeo (@clandestineyeo) on May 27, 2015 at 7:25am PDT

So I loaned her my shirt and I must say, I think she pulled it off rather well. I think the flowery top makes it feminine enough to suit her general flowers-and-rainbows personality, while still capturing my preference for pants most of the time.

Sarach: Initially, I had trouble finding where the front/back was because there was no tag! So I had to hold it up. Otherwise, I think the outfit overall is quite “me” still, in a sense that I like flowers and this is also my favourite pair of jeans. Only complaint was that, that day was super hot and the shirt material was not right for the weather.

STEFITH’S OUTFIT

Sarach: I THINK SHE LOOKS SUPER CUTE!!! Thought that maybe this outfit will attempt to accentuate her figure more but she tugged out slightly too much of her shirt, in my opinion.

Stefith: This was a pretty decent outfit. Florals aren’t usually my thing, but this skirt was subtle enough that it was pretty cool. It was a fairly comfy outfit, I was just annoyed that 1. I couldn’t sit cross-legged at the library and 2. There were no pockets. But all in all, not too bad.

DAY 2

SARACH’S OUTFIT:

Stefith: I call this skirt her “popsicle” skirt, and this outfit was the result of just grabbing two things and hoping they’d work well together. It’s my style in the sense that I always pair something bright with something black, but this wound up being more “her” than anything else.

Sarach: I was surprised she put me in this. Maybe because it was just there and Stefith secretly likes the skirt. It’s almost what I would wear on a day when I don’t know what to wear – in other words, default outfit.

STEFITH’S OUTFIT

Sarach: Another day of Floral Bottoms. Also typical for me, and we also look alike???! (Even our style swapping has synced….)

Stefith: This was great. Black crop top, flowery shorts that are the comfiest things ever- basically, I spent the day feeling like I was wearing pyjamas. It was amazing.

DAY 3

SARACH’S OUTFIT:

Stefith: I like this blouse. I would like to have a blouse like this, to be honest. I think this outfit is my take (using the items in her wardrobe) on my usual tendency for oversized tops and short shorts. Except she doesn’t really own short shorts, and has issues with the whole “long shirt and shorts” thing. Nevermind.

Sarach: I like this shirt a lot, but I never thought I would pair it with shorts. Most of the time, I’ll probably wear skinny jeans or tights but shorts isn’t that bad an idea after all! Although I might change it to a different shade of denim, probably a lighter shade, it was quite comfy and went great throughout the day!

STEFITH’S OUTFIT

Sarach: Denim skirts are the new “hip” thing now right? So I found this in her closet and decided to make her wear it. I often pair my denim skirt with a camp tee, so why not I make her wear a camp tee I designed?

Stefith: First of all, she made me wear a shirt she designed. Second of all, she chose this denim skirt that has been rotting in the bottom of my closet since 2012. I was reminded why it’s been rotting for the last four years – IT IS WAY TOO LOOSE.

I didn’t have safety pins, so I resorted to binder clips to hold it in place. What a joke:

Conclusion: This skirt is going to the charity bin ASAP, lest I forget and actually wear it again in four years.

DAY 4

SARACH’S OUTFIT:

Stefith: Originally, Rah was supposed to wear this shirt-dress thing I brought over from my own closet:

But her mother told her it was too short and she wasn’t allowed to leave the house like that, so I went for this white top and blue skirt thing instead. This is another result of randomly pulling things out of the closet, and I must say, it worked out quite well.

Also, she told me she doesn’t like pleats, so I made her wear a skirt with pleats.

Sarach: I think I only wore this skirt thrice, and bought it because the birds were cute and at that time, hi-lo skirts were the “in” thing. I do regret, to a certain extent, buying it because I am not a fan of pleats. So Stefith pulling it out and making me wear it, made me slightly self-conscious and uncomfortable, not just because of the pleats but also because of the hi-lo skirts.

STEFITH’S OUTFIT

Sarach: This was the ultimate dress man. Making her wear a dress is one thing, but floral and pink? WOAH it was pushing the boundaries. Also, it’s slightly tight for me so I figured it would fit great on her – which, of course, worked amazingly. It also screams “me” in a sense, because of its girly-girl, beach vibe and florals. I thought of making her wear boots like I did the last time, but she decided to go with slippers. It kind of fit and the black jacket just about gives the whole outfit an edge. You’ll never see her wear something like it again so take your time to look at it closely.

Stefith: This is the stuff of my nightmares. First of all, my boobs are not big enough to fill in the front. I felt extremely exposed, and utterly undignified. The amount of swearing I did that day was a sight to behold. My dignity was worth less than a packet of fish muruku (thanks to the boyfriend for coming up with that metaphor), and I was generally Most Uncomfortable in this dress.

Objectively, it’s a nice dress, and the cut was flattering on me. It’s just that it’s flowery and pink, two things that DO NOT go together in my world, and also resembled a bedsheet at my grandmother’s house.

I would gladly wear it… if it was black. If you find something similar in black, hit me up. I can be a punk pin-up girl, or something. Maybe.

DAY 5

SARACH’S OUTFIT:

Stefith: You know what, at this point in choosing outfits I was just really tired and so I decided to just choose a dress because then, there’s no need to match. I just went for this plaid dress with a belt. I think it looks like something a schoolteacher would wear in some stereotypical stuffy British boarding school, but Rah pulls it off somehow.

Sarach: I wear this when I’m on intern. INTERN. It is also NOT MINE. I was quite annoyed with it because I had to go to church (lengthwise okay though), but not when I have to sit on the floor and interact with teenagers. A dress would not work.

STEFITH’S OUTFIT

Sarach: After a while, I didn’t know what to make her wear since her closet only has that many clothes… I added the belt thinking it might work but I guess it didn’t. Anyway, thought this outfit was safe and church-appropriate so why not?

Stefith: I have worn this dress everywhere. To work (even though my ex-colleagues call it a hospital gown), to school, to Japan:

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so today we went to the Meiji Shrine #stefgloberollin #stefgloberollin 📷: @duhbrandon

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Yup. So I was glad she chose it, and I was really comfortable. The only thing is that the belt didn’t really work – it’s a regular belt, not a high-waisted one, and I wound up looking like a garden gnome, so I didn’t bother with it in the end.

DAY 6

SARACH’S OUTFIT:

Stefith: This was desperation because I was short of one outfit for her, due to the events of Day 4. However, I made do by throwing together something very me – a black t-shirt and jeans. I can be seen in this combination fairly often, and it’s my go-to outfit on the days I don’t know what to wear. So today was probably the day she was channeling my typical style the most.

Also, it wound up looking like her Bitmoji character. I’m surprised.

Sarach: Ah ha, the day where I get sad and somber because of the black. Kinda fit the mood because it was a Monday and Mondays are mostly gloom. So I spiced it up with my purple sneakers, otherwise it would be red, which also fit Stefith’s style of sports luxe.

STEFITH’S OUTFIT

Sarach: I have two shirts like this, one with a colourful elephant and another with feathers, which fit perfect! So I had to make her wear this one of the days. I would usually pair it with jeans, and since she was going to catch a movie, I thought I would make her wear this. Kind of my usual casual outfit as well, sleeveless tops and skinny jeans for a warm day.

Stefith: I generally don’t pair tank tops with jeans. I pair sleeveless blouses or muscle tanks with jeans, but not tank tops like these, which are usually reserved for BBQs or going to the beach. But it was pretty cool – it added a pop of colour to my outfit, without being too colourful, so it was pretty neat.

It also proved to me that I can wear tank tops to loads of other places as well, so yay.

DAY 7

SARACH’S OUTFIT:

Stefith: I tried to channel my “muscle tank and shorts” vibe with this outfit, so I picked out this long tank and shorts for her to wear. While the pattern of the tank isn’t what I’d wear, the entire style as a whole is very me.

Sarach: This outfit was probably a secondary school version of my style. Once again, the shirt is not mine. And long tanks are a past phase of my life I do not want to go back anytime soon. If not, it’s almost like what your normal university student would wear, just a shirt, shorts and sneakers.

STEFITH’S OUTFIT

Sarach: I obviously ran out of ideas, so I ended Style Swap with a grey. I would typically not wear the shirt since I am not fond of holes and awkward open backs, but she likes it. Also thought I’ll probably wear more shorts to school now, so I thought of this pairing.

Stefith: This was a great way to end off Style Swap, in an outfit that is perfectly me. I’ve worn this grey blouse to many places and in many ways, and especially with these black shorts. It’s one of my most comfortable combinations ever, so I was very pleased to end things off like this.

AFTER

Sarach: I must say that waiting every night to find out my outfit was semi-suspenseful. There were also days when I think “oh I could wear this tomorrow!” then realising my next day’s outfit was in the hands of someone else. Maybe that’s how pop stars feel when their designer chooses their clothes to wear. On one hand, I didn’t have to think that much but on the other, it was half-tortuous as I didn’t have the “freedom” to choose what to wear.

Stefith: You don’t realise how much you miss choosing your clothes until you can’t do it. You also realise how much of your self-esteem and personality is linked to what you wear – if you’re wearing something you’re not comfortable in, you generally feel like sh*t the whole day (cough the dress cough).

It was a pretty interesting experience, but we are never doing it again. We’re still friends, fortunately, so I’m afraid you’re still stuck with us.

What did you think of our Style Swap adventure? Let us know in the comments ;D

What to expect: Night Fest 2016!

BY SARACH

People say Singapore is a city that never sleeps. Couldn’t agree more especially with the Singapore Night Festival this weekend and next.

The Night Fest is an annual event where they feature exhibits, performances and really interesting installations that always leave me awestruck. What I love about it more is the whole “festival” feel and seeing the city all lit up and vibrant at night!

I headed down yesterday for the first day of the Night Fest to catch the excitement. The whole Bras Basah – Bugis area was bustling with people, if not for after work dinners and the festival. It was a really pretty sight. This year’s festival theme, in it’s ninth edition, is about Inventions.

Some disco lights near the Festival Village

Initially, I wanted to go to the House of Curiosities, one of the main features of this year’s festival. It features a performance in what I thought would be an enclosed exhibit as it was a ticketed event ($15 per ticket/$12 for concession excluding Sistic fee). It’s on the field opposite The Cathay and I was slightly disappointed that it was pretty open. From opposite, I was able to kinda watch the performance and it didn’t seem as exciting as I hoped it was. If you’ve gone there, do prove me wrong!

Otherwise, most of the events are free of charge (yay!). There are  different zones you can wander about. I would recommend going to the main Festival Village at SMU first to orientate yourself by grabbing a festival booklet. From there, you may choose where you want to go! You can also stay there for performances, by the NOISE mantees for this week, and food ranging from churros to fish and chips.

The museums are opened, or at least available for some sort of light show outside. There are street performances at the Peranakan Museum, a really interesting light show at SAM about “Journey”, stick man lights at the National Museum. These offer a different feel about museums, almost like a Night at the Museum come alive!

Although I must say I really liked this one particular installation at the Armenian Church. I was so amazed! The lights on the trees are not only synced to the music, it’s playing, but there’s this console there for people to touch and the lights will adjust to the way the person is controlling it. What’s even more interesting is that the console / iPad thing, it is under water! Though I am not quite sure if there’s an added meaning to it, it was a really nice interactive installation that lights up the dark area.

I am obviously no expert in the different exhibits and what the night entails at this festival, but do check it out! I’ve been going for this festival for a few years now and it never fails to amaze me at what the various artists have worked hard for. And the night is still young for a city that never sleeps!

P.S. Loads of Pokemon to catch too, if you’re a Pokemon Goon (like me) or a Pokemon fanatic.

The Pokemon Go(on)

BY SARACH

I think if y’all don’t know by now, I live under the rock Patrick Star lives under and I am a laggard in social psychology theory. Most of the time.

I’ve written about how I’ve never watched Star Wars until this year and has since finished all seven episodes (so good!!) and now I’ll be writing about Pokemon.

The craze has really gotten into me. I’ve never played Pokemon as a kid and only watched some of the shows which all ended with Pikachu saving everyone’s day and Nurse Joy helping the injured Pokemon. That’s as far as I remember…

However, Pokemon Go was something out of this world, almost literally, like it’s a mobile phone game that makes people get off their seats and also get out of the house which was really different than other games. Ah, the advances of technology!

It might also entice me to move more and maybe lose some extra calories.

My friends and I already created a group to go Pokemon hunting together and I obviously need a Senpai Trainer to help me hence the friends. And lo and behold, as I mentioned this morning at 8.30am that the game isn’t out yet and wondering if we needed to travel to UK to find Pokemon, my friend saw the app and started playing!

THE GAMES HAVE STARTED.

I quickly downloaded and created a trainer account and caught my first Charmander and started wandering around the house half asleep without glasses. As I sat on my sofa, I managed to catch two at the same spot. Not bad, I wondered, and started to search around the house. Within an hour, I managed to catch almost 10 just within my house alone and I’m like this is interesting!

I then went out to go to a Pokestop nearby the park and managed to get some more Pokeballs and caught like two more Pokemons. But as I spent the rest of the day indoors, I caught like so many more?! Most of them were Psyducks and Magikarps which lead to my friend to thinking that maybe my house is a nest for them.. Soon I realised I can even access the Pokestop in our living room!!

So far, the game hasn’t really led me out of the house, yet, but ultimately if I do want to catch them all, I’ll need to. Here’s my progress so far, with mostly just sitting on the same spot of the sofa that lead me to so many Pokemons.

Just remember to be aware of your surroundings! I can’t emphasise this enough, there has been accidents related to people playing the game! If you’re like me and oblivious to almost everything, it’s best to go with a friend who can keep an eye out for you when you’re hunting.

One more thing to take note, it does use up quite a lot of battery and data (or Wi-Fi). Played the game for half a day and half my battery was already gone. If you’re using data, just make sure to keep track of how much you’re using!

Also pro-tip from Stefith! She did loads of research for her article on TSL,  a great read for the curious ones! Check it here! There’s also a Straits Times article about the app too, if you would want to know more!

While Pokemon Go is a great way to bond with your friends and even make new ones, face-to-face fun and games are still always the best. Don’t lose out on amazing friendships while you catch all your Pokemon! In the meantime, good luck!

 

Just Keep Swimming, Swimming, Swimming

BY SARACH

Ah Finding Dory was awesome, caught the movie last week and though it didn’t exactly give the feels like the first one, it was nonetheless satisfying.

But what really satisfied was my ultimate dream to swim with fishes on my trip to Krabi in May.  The waters were amazing and swimming with the fishes and being around them was both slightly scary yet mesmerising.

It was a grad trip with 3 of my other friends and we decided to head to Krabi since we just wanted to chill, and not think about life, and basically get away. I was really excited because all I wanted to do was to snorkel and get to see them fish up close and personal.

Here is my travel buddy, Mr Octopus, on his way to Phi Phi Island!

We went on two snorkelling trips, the first with the 4 island tour, and the second with Kontiki. They were both absolutely amazing! But the more impressive (and expensive) one was the latter. But it was totally worth the S$100 spent for that one day, inclusive of lunch and free flow tea, coffee, fruits and hot chocolate (!!). It was simply amazing.

We headed in our ride to Phi Phi island, about a 1.5 hour boat ride away from Krabi. I thought maybe I might not get that sea sick but I didn’t feel very good already so once we got out of the boat, I took the medication and it worked heaps as I got to enjoy the snorkels so much more!

Check out our beautiful ride 😍

We saw all sorts of fishes and it was all so exciting! The most common fish we saw was the Seargent Major which was almost everywhere there, especially in the Krabi waters where this shot was taken during the first snorkelling trip with the 4 island tour. On that one, we didn’t get to see much things, but the clans of Sea Urchins were so cute! It was as if you could pick them up and eat them, but unfortunately we would have poisoned ourselves first.

Let’s go back to the more exciting Kontiki snorkels, shall we?

The water that day was a little on the hot side – about 32ºC, and it was getting too hot for the corals. In fact, over the past month, the temperature increased by about 2ºC and as corals are really sensitive creatures, they started dying. Hence, some of the corals were washed out and white. Thankfully, we still managed to see some beautiful ones and learn so much from the trip!

Ah, such peace and serenity, wish I could go back soon!

I can’t recognise the fish species or tell you exactly what I saw but I will try. These ones made the most impression on me that I had to Google them to find out what they were!

We saw the Rainbow Parrotfish, of which our guide told us this intriguing fact. The reason why the sand on the beaches are so soft and fine, is because when the Rainbow Parrotfish poops, it becomes the food of the Sea Cucumber. And what the Sea Cucumber poops, makes the sand soft and fine. Essentially, we were all stepping on Rainbow Parrotfish poop, not that we were complaining that much.

Some of the Rainbow Parrotfish were pretty huge, almost the size of a palm with all the fingers open – and they came in all sorts of beautiful colours! From pink and purple, to blue and yellow, it was amazing.

Another experience I had with fish was this strange one that was floating near the surface of the water. Me without my glasses got excited and decided to swim close to it and soon after, realised it might be dangerous as it was a Needle Fish.

No, it isn’t as scary as it looks in the photo, but it was such a sight to see it up close!

The thought of being in the ocean again and just floating with the waves makes me miss the experience so much and I would really snorkel again, maybe at another place. Let me know if you have any suggestions on where to snorkel and I might just check that out!

It was truly a dream come true to fulfil my wish of swimming with fishes. Though I didn’t get to swim with any Dory or Nemo and Marlin, it was simply amazing to take a sneak peak into their colourful life!

I’ll talk about what else we did there some other time, but till then, here’s a splash to another great trip soon (hopefully)!

Curating with Mr Octopus

BY SARACH

I have just finished curating over on @hellofrmsg on Twitter! Stefith did hers some time ago, and she had a lot of fun while on it. So I decided to sign up for it since, well, life is boring and I needed something to do.

So that was when I signed up for it. Now that I actually have things to do, it was a little hard to tweet 24/7 and the people there understood the restrictions which were great.

Anyway, I had an absolutely wonderful time talking to people I don’t know and asking about their opinions on university, food and food. I also introduce Mr Octopus on the account.

Who is Mr Octopus?!?? I recently made him my travel companion after wanting to bring him to Lourdes/Paris, but then the sister decided against it. What if you lose him?! She said. So yeah.

Mr Octopus at Emerald Pool in Krabi

I got him on a cruise with Royal Caribbean a few years back which made him perfect for a travel companion as I got him while travelling. Krabi is his first trip, of which I talked about during my first official day of curating!

I moved on to discuss about university and food, of which the latter soon became a common topic where we all shared what we liked to eat and where to get them. Got a number of useful tips and places such as the minced pork noodles at xxx and truffle fries at Pungol. Also, I managed to get some cool ideas on baking with my nieces which I will blog about when it happens!!

Overall, I thought curating was fun, albeit some awkward moments and strange silence which I figured the topic was just not right for the day. It also taught me how to curate or choose certain topics for the crowd. The people who follow the account are generally older than I am (working adults) so what I talk about may not excite them too!

So here were some of the things I talked about in case yknow, you missed it and wanted to see them again.

1.Snorkelling in Krabi! 

It was absolutely amazing and we had such a great time looking at all the fishes! Talked to the Twitter people about the kinds of fish and one user even recommended his sister-in-law who is an instructor, about diving – something that I really want to do!

2. Little Mix concert!

Best concert experience ever, especially when we were seated so close! Then I decided that this was a great topic to talk about – what was your best concert experience. And I realised that my scope of musicians, or at least the ones I listen to, is smaller than I thought. I’ve never heard of most of the bands/singers they brought up and it was all good talk!

Jesy was injured so on a wheelchair, but show still goes on and she even came out to sing quite a number of songs! Forever grateful!!!

3. University woes

Got them talking about which uni to choose, and NUS FASS won by a truck load. Guess who is going there then (not that their votes counted a lot in the decision making but glad to be talking to them about it!)

4. Food, all kinds of food.

I thought my best tweet was “Does sound kinda sad but food is life and life without food is even sadder”. It is true though, should become my life philosophy or something. Anyway, I went to a few good eats this week including Huat Kee Teochew Restaurantwhich offered such amazing cold crab that you can easily pull the two pincers off like this: 

The Teochew steamed fish was so good, as always, and I love the gravy/soup with the sour plum. Other things to try includes the oyster omelette and of course, Orh Ngee which is yam paste dessert. It was an expensive meal but totally worth the occasion since my family decided to celebrate me graduating.

Another one is Crossings Cafe, located at Waterloo Street. Be sure to be there on Friday nights where Fr Paul States is your bartender. He makes two types of cocktails which are potentially potent if you can’t hold your liquor well. Get the Profiteroles if you’re looking for something sweet, $9 for 3, which has 3 scoops of ice cream!

Fr Paul doing his thing!

Creamier at Toa Payoh is also another place to go for desserts. All sorts of lovely flavours of ice cream are served, including Earl Grey Lavender, and my favourite, Sea Salt Gula Melaka. Waffles are amazing as well, and they come in stacks of two so you may want to add another scoop of ice cream!

My mother also made Sarawak Laksa which got people curious. She got a gravy pack from her Sarawakian friend and it was quite nice, though nothing like our local laksa! My guess is that she may have put too much water since the gravy/soup tasted bland without much depth in flavour as I expected. Nonetheless, tasted pretty good!

Home made Sarawak Laksa

There were loads of other places/food I tweeted about during the week but these were the top few that I really want to say again.

So hopefully my week on rotation curation wasn’t so bad, I did have a lot of fun and I hope the people had fun talking to me too! Anyhow, I hope I wasn’t a bore unlike what the boyfriend says.