Spring Break is here!!

One disadvantage of living at the other end of the globe is that the season is never in sync with more than half of the universe. Whilst other countries are experiencing fall, it's spring here down under! :) Spring's my second favourite season after fall. Main reason being the lack of cold weather. As much as I love the Sun, I love the cold a lot more. It makes more sense to be able to layer yourself up as much as possible when you're cold than ripping your skin off when you're ridiculously hot. Though I'm not complaining because I'm currently living in a season when I get to enjoy the best of both worlds :)

House Smoked Salmon, Blood Orange & Avocado

What better way to kickstart my spring break than through a good visit to a lovely brunch spot? My friends & I headed over to The Grain Store for brunch a few days ago. I have been dying to visit this place. I've heard nothing but positive reviews about the food and the ambience and am so glad I finally had the opportunity to do so :) I do love brunch so much because not only do I get to eat delicious food, but it's such a perfect reason and excuse to meet up with friends to catch up.

I have to apologise because the dessert was the highlight of this visit and quite honestly the main reason why I'd go back (this isn't to say that the main course wasn't ridiculously delicious either!). These cookies here were absolutely delicious. They top the scale of what is a perfect chocolate chip cookie.

The cookies at The Grain Store are baked on the spot so they were served to us freshly baked! These are honestly the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had before me at a restaurant. They were soft, chewy, warm and oozing with chocolatey goodness. Dip those bad boys into the milk and what you have a cookie that literally melts in your mouth the moment you put it in. I absolutely love this and recommend everyone try it if you visit!!

The Grain Store

517 Flinders Lane

Melbourne VIC 3000

Overall my rating for the restaurant is 15/10. Firstly, the service was excellent. The staff were so friendly and helpful when taking our orders and asking if everything was alright. They were also attentive to the replacement of the water jug each time it was empty (and highly quick too). I find that some restaurants fail to replace the water jug unless we ask them to. Secondly, the ambience was so romantic. It was decorated so beautifully and the atmosphere felt so classy for a restaurant like that. When we visited there were quite a few office-workers dining in. I guess this is expected considering that it's located in the heart of the business district. Third, you're advised to make a booking prior to your visit (although you are allowed to walk in, but getting a seat would then be up to your luck that day) so this increases the positive experience during your visit. There's no need to queue because you know for sure that a table has been reserved for you. The only minus point for the restaurant would be the price. It's rated two dollar signs on urban spoon, and I would like to say that I paid around AUD$19 for my main course and the cookies cost us AUD$10. Taking the entire experience into consideration, I have to conclude that it was totally worth it. 

Yum yum, I'm hoping to visit again very soon. Would like some of those cookies now...

Ahh I'm so glad spring is here! It's only one week but this break is very much appreciated. I'm hoping to get as much rest as possible this week although I do have a ton of things to revise. I realised that my life is so mundane consisting of nothing other than school that brunch trips are honestly the only things I actually look forward to. Oopsie.

Here is a photo of us enjoying a $2 matcha soft-serve. Have I mentioned my obsession with matcha? Matcha soft-serve for $2? Take my money, I'll come everyday if I can. 

To all my fellow Australian readers, have a happy spring break! :) Always so thankful to be given the opportunity to study and live in this beautiful country :)

Till next time, xx.

Friday Brunchin'

My friends and I had a day off from Uni yesterday, so we decided to head out and spend the day together. It's not very often the three of us are ever simultaneously freed from assignments at the same time, so we seized the opportunity when we found out we were free. 

The restaurant featured in today's post is: 

Duke's Coffee Roasters

169 Chapel St

Windsor VIC 3181

Mocha as usual :)

I can't remember what I ordered unfortunately, but I do know that it was the most delicious plate of greens ever served before me. There was kale, broccoli, middle-eastern seasoning and I added salmon to complete the meal. Needless to say I wiped my plate clean.

I really wish I knew how to recreate this meal at home. I'd be sure to make it everyday. *hungry*

It was a splendid day yesterday although it was slightly chilly. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking through Chapel Street and window shopped for the most part. 

I'm glad I had the day off yesterday, I started my weekend back doing work. But I shan't bore you with that. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend & rest ahead! :)

Xx.

Good thoughts: Be a better you.

Image Credits: Pinterest

Up until a few years ago, I used to be someone filled with hate. It was a scary thing, and looking back I am only thankful that I have since learnt to overcome those feelings of hatred I have held against people. As a teen, I've constantly been told by friends that I have the face of a bitch and that I appear intimidating and am unapproachable. For many years I contested against that statement, arguing that it would take one time to understand and know me better to make a proper judgment on the person I truly am. However, I soon came to realise that first impressions matter and very often, what you see on the cover does to a certain extent reflect the individual's character. Essentially, there was no false claim behind my bitchy exterior. The truth was that I was indeed one.

I was a bitch.

Since I came to that realisation, I made a promise and an effort to change my ways. You see, I realised that the terrible thoughts in my head were reflected in my actions, and these thoughts motivated most of the things that I did. They were often selfish acts, and I would end up using people for personal gains.

But what exactly were these terrible thoughts that I would have? Here were some:

1. Jealousy. How on earth was someone with her personality able to get a boyfriend?
2. Hatred. Word of mouth reached me and I discovered that she hated me. So I wished for eternal vengeance against her. 
3. Someone irks me for reasons they can't control. I then behave like a nasty bitch towards her. The reason that person irks me could be for the simplest thing like an annoying laugh or for being too attention seeking.

These are only a few that I'm able to come up with at the moment. If you're able to relate to some then welcome to the group. My question to you is this. Why hate? Why waste so much energy hating on someone? All that time and effort can be used for other things. 

But here's the thing about hatred and thoughts. It can be managed. And this was how I achieved it. 

1. Before criticising someone, think about yourself. If you're about to critique someone for a terrible attitude, you doing the same thing puts you in the same spot. Besides, gossiping about another person just places within the bitchy zone. 
2. So someone has a bad habit that annoys you. Either a) Make an effort to spend less time around the person. or b) Learn to suck up that trait that annoys you if she's an important friend to you. Also always remember that you have traits of your own that are annoying too. And you have to take my word for this, act on your annoyance at another's trait and you'll find that you'll soon call that trait your own. 
3. Someone lashes out at you for no reason. You get upset and you get mad. Do you hate that person forever? No. Always remember that people are going through different things in life. That person may have been going through a hard time. Sure, you are too. And yes, it still doesn't give them the right to have acted the way they did. That doesn't mean you can't be the bigger person. Take time off to let the anger disappear and approach the person and hold an assertive conversation with him. Always remember to not confront out of anger, you usually say things you don't mean and will regret. 

It's hard to make a change. But the first step is to admit that you are indeed a bitch. After you do that, take a moment to think how truly happy you are. I know that since I've learnt to let go of hatred and bad thoughts, I've definitely felt a lot happier and I'm not just saying this for the sake of doing so. I say it because I've lived through it :)

And hey, it's not going to be an easy process. You can't change everything at once. It has taken me years to change each negative thought. I focus on one negative thing at a time and work on it first. After that then only do I proceed on to another negative thought. Slowly you'll learn to handle it and before you know it, you hardly feel angry all the time. 

Also a true fact: People are a lot friendlier towards me and I am a lot more approachable now than I used to be. It could be perspective, but even so I believe that it's the change in mindset that has helped.

You're going to fail sometimes and you will think bad thoughts. Times like these give yourself a break. You're allowed to feel that way, you are human after all. But it's important to not let it hold for too long. Go back to your routine of self-cleanse the next day. 

After all, 

Image Credits: Pinterest

So go and be a better you :) I know it's possible, and I will be with you till the very end. Don't give up, and don't lose hope. It's possible as long as you believe it to be.

Xx.

p.s. Sorry for the terribly wordy post. This is a new style I'm trying out. I've always wanted to do an advice sort of thing, something along the lines of AgabobAdvice. Let me know what you think? I'm open to comments and constructive critique! :)

Am I tempting you?

Each time I'm faced with a stressful assignment, I get deliriously hungry. Not only do I get hungry but I tend to crave the most specific things... And for close to two weeks, I've been craving cupcakes. But oh no, not just any cupcake. I wanted cupcakes from Cupcake Central.

When it comes to cupcakes, I usually never am a fan of icing. Similarly, I'm also picky when it comes to the texture of the cupcake itself. I've had cupcakes that are overly eggy, too moist, contain too many bubbles, too hard or just plain awful. This however, tops it all. It has rekindled my romance for cupcakes.

Cupcake Central has made a name for itself for the quality and taste of their cupcakes. Not only are they delicious, but they have somehow managed to perfect the art of making icing that makes it impossible for a person with the most sweet-less tooth to resist. I'm not a fan of icing, but theirs isn't too sweet or creamy, and has the perfect consistency and thickness that makes it so delicious to eat and bite into. Its just the right amount of sweet and goes so so well with the cake itself.

So, considering that I happened to walk past one of their stores today, I seized the opportunity and purchased a box of four for my friends and I. I was so excited too because they just recently launched their "spring collection" flavours, and I had been dying to try some of them. Thankfully the flavours that I was interested in was on sale today :)

Butter Popcorn

Breakfast Champ

Tiramisu

Peanut Brittle

These flavours are new and among the few from their Spring Collection :) I've only ever tried the Salted Caramel and Devil's Food Chocolate, two of their constant flavours that are available for sale everyday. Cupcake Central has a fixed timetable in their store that shows customers the cupcakes that are available for each day of the week. They have a fixed set of cupcakes that are sold everyday and these include Red Velvet, Salted Caramel, Cookies and Cream and Devil's Food Chocolate. Their seasonal flavours on the other hand are each given specific days to be available on display and sold. Personally, I think this is brilliant because it definitely saves on their cost price when it comes to baking these cupcakes. I also find that it keeps me on my toes to keep coming back on the different days to try all the seasonal flavours!

However, as all good things, the downside of these cupcakes is that they come at quite a price. Each cupcake costs AUD$4 per piece. I won't say they aren't worth the price if you include the beautiful packaging that comes with it, but it's definitely not a price that will make me come back for more everyday. Which I suppose actually works out to be a good thing because otherwise that'd be nothing but detrimental to my health.

My rating though? 56 Salted Caramel Cupcakes / 45 Salted Caramel Cupcakes. Definitely worth it. My tummy is always happy and swimming in delicious cupcake goodness once I've done the dirty deed :)

Any guesses as to which cupcake I saved for myself?
Xx.

My happy place :)

Often in life we focus on the bad things that happen to us. We allow it to take over our life and some of us fall into the trap of allowing it to take control of our decisions and the actions of people around us. Very often it's a game that the mind plays on you. The issues you have are always blown out of proportion and we fail to see that. 

I can honestly say right now that I don't think I've felt this happy in years. I've achieved a sense of zen not only with life but with myself. As someone who's grappled with self-esteem issues for the past two decades, I can genuinely say that I've learnt to love myself for who I am. I now no longer need to compare myself to others to measure my worth. We are all blessed with different aspects and strengths that make us who we are. Measuring and comparing yourself to others isn't only going to put you down but it's going to cause you to rate others as well and this may place a strain on your friendship.

I now know that I am not as terrible or ugly as a person as I once thought I was, I've learnt to be comfortable in my own skin and I'm no longer afraid to share my beliefs to others. It's who I am and it's not something that I can run away from. Running away from yourself is running away from the truth, and you're never going to be able to achieve inner peace if you're constantly doing that.

I hope that everyone out there eventually learns to achieve inner peace with themselves. It's not an easy thing to do, it takes practice (yes, practice) and confidence. But hey, if someone like me can do it, I believe everyone can :)

The first step though? Stop pointing and looking at the flaws and strengths of others. Focus on yourself instead. What is your strength? What do you think you possess that makes you uniquely you? What then are your flaws? Is it manageable? Or is it something that you want to be rid of. Give yourself space, we all have flaws but it's okay as long as we know it exists and learn to manage it when it crops up.

Have faith and love yourselves :) My only wish is that everyone would someday experience the inner peace I have learnt to achieve with myself.

Xx.

The Body Shop BB Cream

I'm not sure if I've mentioned how avid of a fan I am of The Body Shop. Not only are their products affordable and smell good, they always work for me and they have excellent service to boot. It doesn't matter which part of the world I'm in, each Body Shop girl I've come across provides me with excellent service and is always helpful in answering my queries. I find this especially helpful for someone who's still experimenting with make-up and facial products. Always feel welcomed in the store :)

If you also don't already know, I'm a huge fan of Zoella. Now considering how The Body Shop is a British brand, its only natural that products are released there first before anywhere else in the world. So when I saw this make an appearance in one of Zoe's daily vlogs, my mood was dampened when I realised that it hadn't yet been imported and placed on the shelves in my local store. You can only imagine how long I anticipated for it's arrival.

This is most probably the first BB cream I've used from the company. When it comes to make-up, my first option is usually powder (I use The Body Shop's Extra Virgin Minerals Loose Powder). I've never really been a fan of BB cream because I find that it cracks on my face due to my dry skin. I have to admit that I was actually slightly hesitant on trying this product despite my excitement because I was afraid that it wouldn't work on me. 

How wrong I was. 

Not only is the tea tree extract healing and perfect for my skin, but I don't have to apply concealer on my under eyes either! It's easy to apply on the face, and it provides perfect coverage to last the day :) My face doesn't dry up either, although I do have to say that I did apply hefty amounts of moisturiser prior to the BB cream. 

My skin tone is definitely evened out with the cream. I actually think I prefer the after-effect the BB cream has on my skin as compared to powder. It looks more natural and the colour blends in better. Facial powder tends to leave a thin layer on your face (of a colour a shade lighter than your skin tone). Or perhaps it's just me, I may have purchased the wrong powder shade for myself (it was recommended by the salesgirl though...)

But I would definitely recommend you to try the BB cream!! :) A downside is that it only comes in two shades, 01 & 02. So if your skin tone can't match that of the shades then that's a problem... Though I don't think that'll be much of a problem because I think the cream kind of evens out to match your skin (or maybe it's just an illusion my mind is playing on me hahaha). I've also read on other blogs and reviews that it works well on all skin types - oily skin types included! It's been great for me so far and if my skin is extremely dry and sensitive then I don't think it'll hurt to try it :)

My entire make-up collection is from the Body Shop oh my. Well, all except my lipstick. Can I be your ambassador please Body Shop? I can live in your store anytime. 

Have any of you tried the BB cream yet? Or is anyone else a huge fan of The Body Shop? We should be friends!! Hehe :) Have a great week ahead! :)

xx.

I'm on a roll with my breakfasts

Yet another breakfast post from me today! Although this time round I decided to indulge in something slightly more sinful...

Did you guess it right? :) There was some leftover buttermilk in the fridge I wanted to clear before expiry so I decided to whip up some blueberry buttermilk pancakes for myself!

Look at all that syrup

Have I tempted you? Here's what you'll need (I basically got the recipe off the buttermilk carton so I don't take ownership for this recipe):

• 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp margarine (I used butter instead)
• 1 cup blueberries
• Maple Syrup / Topping of your choice

It took me around 30 minutes to do altogether and I managed to get 6 pancakes out of the entire batter. The number of servings really depends on how much of the batter you choose to use for each pancake. I used about 1/3 cups worth of batter for each and I found them to be the perfect size :)

I'm so happy now that I've started off the day right! My body is fuelled with energy to last the first half of the day at least :) Hope you're having a lovely morning! 

Xx.

My morning affair

Sunrise is getting earlier here down under, and that only means good news for me! I wake up just before the crack of dawn, and am usually always on time to see the sunrise from my place :) I do enjoy my mornings a lot, it gives me a lot of time to relax, reflect as well as go through my bloglovin feed. 

As you may know by now, breakfasts are important to me. As a student, there are days where I have lessons in the late evening, a timing that is too awkward for lunch yet ends only close to dinner. As such, on days like these I like to whip up a good breakfast that is filling enough to last me till dinner at least!

This morning, I decided to whip out my packet of oats that's been lying around for quite a while. This was my first time experimenting with oats, I never really did fancy it before because I felt the taste got too boring after a while. This time though, I have to say it was anything but boring. It was extremely delicious and yummy, and I only boiled 1/3 cup of oats as instructed but was already so full halfway! Although I think the amount of water I drank whilst eating had a large part to play for that... So for those of you who are interested, here's what you'll need:

• 1/3 cup of oats
• 3/4 cup of water/milk (I used Almond Milk)
• Raisins/Cranberries/Sultanas (I added them into the pot as the oats was boiling)
• Chia Seeds
• Cinnamon Ground
• Bananas
• Brown Sugar

There you go! So simple and easy to do :) My tummy is happy and I can start on work now!

Xx.

Being vulnerable

Image Credits: Pinterest

There comes a certain point in everyone's life where they have to take on the role of the vulnerable one. It's not a role everyone would voluntarily opt for, being vulnerable puts you in a position where you're susceptible to hurting yourself. We don't ever like to hurt ourselves, hence the reason behind the walls we build. 

For me, vulnerability definitely applies to romance. As an individual, I don't believe in sitting down and waiting for "him" to notice me. The rule that "if it's meant to be it'll be" certainly doesn't apply to me especially when the other party doesn't know of your feelings - much less that you exist.

I've ever made the first move and confessed to a guy that I liked him. Honestly, I did it because I needed closure to my feelings. I knew that he didn't feel the same way about me, but I needed to let him know because the probability of it getting somewhere was definitely higher if he at least knew as opposed to if he didn't. We were best friends and have been friends for more than a decade and I knew that our friendship wasn't going to be affected if it didn't work out. At the same time though, I also knew that I would regret it if in future I knew that I never took that chance to let him know of my feelings.

Long story short, it didn't work out as I expected but we still are very good friends :) And I am okay, because I got the closure that I needed (even though it took me a while to get over).

Past experiences coupled with the one above puts me in a position now where I'm unable to feel confident in myself when it comes to romance. After all, just how many times is the heart capable of rejection? To me, that one time was more than enough. I have my pride too. How many more times do I want to go through heartache?

I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who's been through such a thing. The reason I write this post today is because I want to let you know that it's okay to have gotten hurt before. I may have put myself in a tight spot that night I decided to confess, but for all the experiences that I had after, it really was worth it. I promised myself not to fall for anyone else too, because I wanted to avoid getting hurt at all costs. How silly of me. The harder you try to stop something from happening, the faster it comes charging at you like a bull. I'm currently in a vulnerable spot right now, but I'm okay because as mad as it drives me sometimes, it provides me with some form of happiness and that is ok :) Though I don't think I would be so bold as to confess this time round... I'm still trying to figure out if it's a crush or if I really do like him because we've only known each other for about a month now. Time will tell :)

I guess my message is to just go out there and be vulnerable. I always believe that so long as you're happy liking someone even though those feelings aren't reciprocated, that happiness should be more than enough to fuel you for some time :) And hey, some of you lucky ones may just end up with the guy of your dreams ;)

Keep loving, xx.

Happy Birthday Pee Wee! ♡

21st birthdays are always special because it signifies the official entrance into adulthood. I've never understood the importance of birthdays, but on my 21st last March my housemate and friends organised a surprise party for me. I was genuinely surprised at the celebration, because I hardly expected anything that day. So it was only natural that for my housemate's birthday this time I needed to up my game. It's always difficult to organise a surprise when someone expects it. I always find it challenging to come up with new ways to throw them off guard such that they don't expect it. Of course, it took days of acting prior to the actual celebration on my part to throw her off guard. And I'm happy to say that the preparations and plan went out well :) I'll let the photos do the talking from hereon.

Dress - TEMT, Necklace - Lovisa, Cardigan - Cocolatte, Flats - Melissa's

♡

Photo Credits: Tan Ash Li

Hope you had a wonderful surprise and birthday :) Love you always xx.