Groupon review: Brass Rail Lounge

So for last weekend, we got another Groupon deal for a hi-tea buffet at Brass Rail Lounge located at 401 Havelock road, Hotel Miramar. We got the 2 hour hi-tea buffet (from 3pm-5pm) for 2 at the price of $39.80/-  inclusive of drinks. 

The lounge is very near to the entrance of the hotel, therefore, really easy to spot. 

Entrance of the Brass Rail Lounge 

We got greeted at the door with a really friendly man who helped us throw away our empty bubble tea cup which Keith was really grateful for. LOL. All the seats are full by the time we arrived (which was 30 minutes late) which I thought was quite normal since it is a weekend.  

They have a pretty decent buffet spread with their food constantly stocked up. 

The only thing that probably is not stocked up are their plates when the buffet timing is nearing to an end and most of us had to grab a bowl instead. 

Malay Gado Gado

My all time fav salad bar 

It is quite surprising to find salad bar in a hi-tea buffet since we expect more of like dim sum dishes everywhere. They had Malay Gado Gado, Char grilled Garden Vegetables and fruit salad. There are also sandwiches made available at the side. 

My vegetable salad

Salad are fresh but the vegetable salad was too raw, since the capsicum had a very strong vegetable afer taste. It is like the just cut and throw into water and wash and serve it instantly. Nonetheless, if you are someone who loves raw vegetables, it will be to your liking for sure. 

Coffee and tea 

Sprite, water and coke in the glass jars 

Drinks provided which was constantly restocked too. Though I think it looks really classy with the glass jar, I think they can serve it in a more hygienic way over just serving it in this open top concept. 

Yam cake and har gao 

Didn't try the yam cake cause I am never a fan of it. The har gao was good since it contains a pretty full filling that was chewy and fresh. However, we do think that the skin was a little too thick though. Not the best har gao so far still. 

Char siew puff 

Carrot Cake 

Mee Soto 

My DIY Mee Soto 

Curry chicken 

 Curry chicken is worth a mention as the curry was really fragrant and mild spicy. It doesn't taste like those curry chicken that was made from those instant curry chicken packages.

Their dessert section

Dessert section has more of fruits and a mango pudding. they do have bur bur cha cha placed at the side which you can help yourself with as well 

Ice cream bar with toppings

Their ice cream bar has the cutest selection ever of yam and durian.

What a special choice of flavour lol. At least give a vanilla or chocolate lei T.T 

Ice cream is those magnolia ice cream standard so yea. 

So here is us for you HAHAH. Anyway, this is a really nice place to dine in with a very decent buffet spread. The environment is clean with good customer service where the waiter are always ready to help you. They do not clear your tables though, so just be prepared to clear it onto their desk on your own. Dessert spread could have a little more variety, as much as it is a hi-tea buffet, I do chance upon places like swa tow with much better dessert choices. 

Overall rating: 

Service: 4.5  / 5  

Environment: 5 / 5 

Food variation: 3 / 5 

Food quality: 4 / 5 

Accessibility: 3 / 5 

Graduation Day!

Me and my mum 

Finally, three years of my poly life have officially ended few days back with my graduation ceremony in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. I don't have a very great sense of belonging to my poly since my attendance is generally hell low that I was so near to a debarment. 

Last photo of me and my favourite floor and location to sleep in the library

My memories of my poly life is just sleeping in the library during the long hour of break interval between lessons and sleeping in class. Technically, my whole poly life is about sleeping because I just can't seem to blend into this academic school with teacher-to-be as my classmates and people who can't stop telling me "Joanna, why don't you stop working and focus in getting better results so you can get into university", or things like "you know you can't go far without a university certificate right". 

I never did like studying because my brain just can't remember all the theories but I love to work. I feel that working makes me see so much more of the world that school couldn't teach me. This was why I never had the motivation to go to school because I hate the fact that I am surrounded by people who loves to work hard than work smart (but thinks they are working smart). 

Despite of all the unhappiness and how I did not fit in to this school, I am very glad to say that I am blessed with some kind souls around me who have better EQ over IQ and accepted me for who I am though I am obviously the opposite from the conventional teacher image. 

The one special one whom choose to stay 

Thanks for the flower and polariods. Will practise more on candid pose okays

Of course, the greatest person that I would want to credit is this girl here. She is my only motivation to go to school (even though I am only physically present) and the only one who appreciated me for who I am despite of all the hours of nags she has to take and the massive amount of vulgarities she needs to hear every day. She was the only one silly and brainless girl who risk tarnishing her own image for mixing with someone like me and yet choose to stay though she had so much more better choice out there. 

If not for her presence, I don't know how would I even get through my whole damn poly life, She was the one who always make me go to school because she would say that "I don't have much friends in poly lei, you don't come then I have no one to sit with", which was obviously not the case because I am the anti-social one who made her not be able to socialise because she didn't want to leave me alone when I am around LOL. Thanks to her, I even got myself to go for graduation ceremony just to take photo and accompany her for that split moment before she get surrounded by all her other friends HAHA. Just because of that, she reduced the chances of me having regrets for not attending the ceremony some time in the near future. 

Year 1. I know you going complain ugly LOL. 

Thanks phoebe for choosing me to be part of your life and being part of my poly life. I know I never did gave you much be it emotional support or being physically available for any activities but you gave me so much that I can't even thank you enough for. You made me understand another perspective of life that I lost long ago and made me rethink a lot about some of my rigid beliefs that I had and made me a so much better person like no one else did. You might not know how much difference you had made but I would say your presence in anyone's life is the greatest gift ever anyone would have. 

Apart from phoebe, I would like to give special thanks to this girl called Shermain caused she gave me the best kick start in poly as one of my first group mate and told me the best sense ever to stay humble and learn if I know something is not my forte. Also, wei en, who probably don't really care about my existence but I still love the small talks we have from time to time in class and sleeping together in library over the years. Also, thankful for all my group mates that I had worked with before who tolerated and accommodated with my busy schedule and everyone else who once played a part in attempting to bond me together with the class. (: 

Nonetheless, three years has finally ended and I give thanks to all my lecturers whom were lenient to me and spared me from debarment. Finally, I can venture out into the working world with no worries and bond from now on! 

P.S. Thanks mum, phoebe, boss and Jia han for the graduation gifts! <3 

Impromptu steamboat dinner @ the house of steamboat

If you saw my instagram post, you would have known that I had a very bad day. 

But there is no need to re emphasis on unfortunate events and so I shall focus and remember the good ones! I felt so blessed to be able to get my steamboat cravings satisfied with my mum and sis though I only booked them at like 2 pm today. 

Me and my family <3 

Our clean table

 So here is our clean table and I really love eating here cause of the cleanliness and the broad walkway. I don't usually feel overwhelmed by people here so I think it is really good! 

Free sides 

Their man tou drizzled over with condensed milk was perfect! The man tou was so soft I seriously had more than one of it. Sadly, you can't order more of it. The chicken drumlet was good too! The chicken was still tender and is well marinated. 

Our orders (there is many more xD) 

 You order the seafood and meat on a order chit cause they wanted to keep it fresh and  you can get the vegetables and noodles at the self service bar. 

Each pax is $22/- with BBQ and $20/- without BBQ. Free flow of drinks (ice lemon tea, blackcurrent and orange juice) plus ice cream! 

Nonetheless, am so thankful that I can have a good dinner to wrap up my horrible day just because I have awesome and onz family member who isn't as inflexible as I am. 

I believe tomorrow will be a better day (: 

Eventually, everyone will still leave you to achieve what they want or something better after they got the capability to and then you are left on your own again. Saw this coming some how long ago but I still feel a little lost and emotional over it. 

As much as I tend to share things with people with the pure intention of hoping to see them get better and so I can see more people around me being better than me. I really love to see people who do better than me in any aspect because I know I can get to learn from them. Seeing people succeed in their own way with my small nags here and there makes me feels really happy for them. It doesn't matter to me whether or not my position has been threatened because I got better because it reminds me that I have been stagnant for too long.

But I think all the time and effort spent on nagging and meeting these people never fails to make me feel connected to them and I hate it when I know they will not be in my vision any more because they are out somewhere to explore things that I may not be able to help them in any more and I hate to see them fail and get hurt in any aspect. 

Too motherly but too me. 

I don't like people to leave because I only have those few people that I bother to connect truly with. 

Every lost hold a big percentage in my life and so I always can't help to get affected by it. 

I sincerely do wish everyone who matter stays but at the same time, sincerely hopes that some one good out there will offer them great things that I couldn't offer. Yet worries that the bond may not be the same from then. I'm hardly feminine but I guess this is one of the few times when I can't be decisive to let go or not to. HAHAHA. 

Anyway, life goes on, and whatever is meant to stay will stay and whatever that is meant to go will go. So I guess I will just have to be prepared for the moment so I can react well to it and proceed with life as per normal.

Thankful for all I've got

It just feels like I don't have enough time to finish everything that I need to every day.

 Oh well, I have been advised to take up lesser jobs and focus on my current ones first so I can at least excel in something but I obviously did not heed to the advise and started working in a new place as waitress. 

Nonetheless, still want to keep a short update before I head to bed and grab my pathetic six hour of sleep on the things that I am thankful for so far this week because every session with my duo photographers always make me feel so loved! 

My gifts for the day (credits to photographers and cafe boss) 

 Without fail, my duo photographers make sure I don;t go hungry or thirsty by preparing lots of food and drinks for me. These wasn't all cause some is already in my tummy before it can even be posted here. Went down to the cafe to meet my colleague for some business chat and got some panadol and vapordrops cause he knows that I am sick. 

All these gestures never fails to brighten up my tiring and hectic days really.  

My GF got for me when she went Korea 

 My 1 out of 2 girlfriend just went to Korea recently and helped me got all these. Despite all the bottles being such big fat burdens, she still went all out and got everything I requested and even got me lots of extra masks and a eye brown pencil. 

Don't know what I did to even deserve such a good girlfriend who is constantly putting me in her friend list though she has so many. So I always try to be a more useful friend but obviously don't usually work out cause of my laziness HAHAHA. 

Pomegranate for myself  

 Of course, happiness and better skin do not only come from nice people around me but most importantly, from myself! So I finally got myself a big round pomegranate at $4 in the market near my workplace to reward myself for not taking cab in the morning for one day since I heard from my photographers that they are good for skin. (yes, I cab to work EVERY morning, sorry bout that) 

Of course, there are alot alot of people and things that makes my day but here are just some that I managed to capture in a picture! Thank you for reading guys, hope that we will all do something kind each day to make other people's day too!  

I'm bad at handling social situations, but glad that I am

Here's a really recent incident that I came upon: 

There was this workplace that I am working at requested for me to bring along some of my photographers to help take some photos for them to update their profile, which I gladly agreed without much thought because I did had the same intention so to update my blog and stuff if I could asked my photographers in. The boss did offer remuneration in return with a good offer. 

What I thought: 

I thought I did a pretty good deed to help this place that I only started working with not long ago and I thought it was a pretty fair deal for both parties since this is what I do on freelance basis too. Plus since I have nice photographers who are willing to give it a shot and the boss aren't demanding then why not?  

What went behind the scene: 

Everything seems to be going pretty well apart from me having some difficulty to confirm a schedule for shoot cause this was a pretty last minute decision. Until I stepped into the place as a customer for a visit and I heard someone going in a sarcastic tone like "model come already hor, show some respect ok" from the kitchen. I didn't expect it coming as I always have a very positive image of the people here from the day I start work. 

My conclusion: 

I still believe that it is a joke that went a little too loud because similar comments like "wah why you so hard working give out flyer and promote sial" on my first day of work and it came from different people with slightly different content. I seriously think they mean no harm cause that is the job nature portrayed to them. But end of the day, I want to say that nope, I am paid here not to outshine any one of you by trying to 'act' hard working but I am paid to come here and do the listed job scope WELL. 

However, I do not find the joke any funny and I think that certain negative images did came to their mind before such comments even comes out. Perhaps I shouldn't take down the offer when I only started work for one day or I shouldn't give such a confirmed answer when my schedule is not fixed. Am still thankful that I cancelled the original shoot or my photographers might be the one hearing those sarcasm instead. 

End of the day, I give a damn to how people see things because I am affected by how fucked up and fake some people are but yet, at the same time, I don give a damn to how people see me because I am employed here to serve the company and take care of the company interest and not any other gossips that does not improve anything in the environment.

If getting to be a model makes anyone envy so much, you can also go look for photographers and go through all the fucking 2 hour castings and make yourself a model. So you can understand how much it takes for both photographer and model take to collaborate and produce one or two decent photos in a full hour shoot and I don't necessary have to get that one or two decent photos here if it costs me my peace at work. 

Thank you everyone for reading this obviously meaningless post to your cause I just needed somewhere to rant about how much I hate work politics but it still always happen. Good nights! 

Mother's Day: Things that I wanna thanks my mum for

致:亲爱的老妈 

母亲节快乐! 转眼间就过了20年. 

做了老师之后，我更明白当妈妈的辛苦了。

那无时无刻担心着孩子的安危，拼了命都要给自己孩子最好的的感觉，我想我也开始慢慢体会到了。 这就是我 K2 时候的照片: 

When I am K2.

Always looking at the cake (2003) 

still looking at cake. LOL 

Im so short. Plus my mum DIY the hat one okay! 

My favourite. I look so happy here HAHAH. 

我记得那时候我常常在学校被罚。站在椅子把书包拿在头上，然候我还会在心里祈祷老师在你到门口前让我坐下，但通常都被你看到了啦。回家就被骂了咯。但爱讲话还是没改，所以辛苦您听了那么多年同样的投诉!  

到了小学，你还是一样基于我无微不至的照顾。虽然到了小四之候，我们家有了很多风波，但你没有垮下，反而坚强的抗下了整个家。

My birthday in 2007. My dad, my sis and my mum. With my piglet bolster as present hehe. 

Primary 1 photo. I look so cute I can't take it LOL. 

Primary 3 class photo 

Primary 4 class photo 

Primary 5 class photo

Primary 6 class photo 

虽然那时你常和我说，你觉得对不起我们，因为有很多东西你已经没办法给我们了，但我还是要让你知道，你虽然有些东西不能给我们了，但也因为你的伟大，坚强和爱心，我们并没有失去全部.

不管小学还是中学，你永远毫无保留的为我们争取最好的. 虽然家里并不富裕，学校有的活动你都会尽力的拨出一些钱来让我们参加。 

When I am 15.. 

谢谢你，从小努力灌输我们正确的价值观，虽然我本人不长进，但你还是会一直念我，提醒我什么才是对的，从来都没放弃过我。虽然我是家里最笨，最糊涂，最健忘加最懒惰的人，感激有你的存在，我才能因为知道有个人依靠而每天放心的回家休息。

我很感激因为有你，我不管去哪里都觉得安心，因为我总觉得不管出什么事，你都会来救我一样。你永远都是我很肥但又努力减肥的 Superwoman 哦! 

Review on Tims Restaurant & Cafe

Tims Restaurant & Cafe is located at Toa Payoh Lorong 4 Block 95 #01-52. 

The first time I ever came here was about 6 years back and never did stop coming here for meal ever since. The food here is very affordable and their service is excellent even when there is a large crowd. It is a non air-conditioned restaurant but it isn't too hot and stuffy at any time of the day so do not worry!  

Exterior of the shop 

 It is generally more empty in the afternoon but will be quite packed if you go at dinner time. This was the crowd at about 8.30 pm with about 4 to 5 tables vacant. Shop is always clean with a self-service counter with lemon water readily available to the customer free-of-charge. They have a pretty clean toilet in the shop too!  

Special menu of the day 

They shuffle the soup of the day and dessert every day to make sure you won't be getting the same stuff every other day! They also have special menu which have several different main course for you to choose from apart from the standard menu. 

Soup of the day: Butter nut squash 

For every meal you get, you can add $3.80 for a set meal which will consist of a soup of the day, milo/tea and a dessert. Their garlic bread is always crispy and served hot. I love love their minestrone soup while Keith loves their mushroom soup. Unfortunately, we came on a day where the soup of the day is butternut squash, but I will say it is so well done that a pumpkin hater like me had more than one mouthful of it. 

Chicken with Tiger Prawn (about $16.80 not incl. set meal)

 On my plate are prawn that was juicy and tender with a decent serving portion of chicken thigh garnished with parsley and topped with some delicious sauce (which I kinda forget what was it). Not forgetting their usual carrots and some mash potato that rests below all these delicious food. 

BBQ Pork Ribs ($14.80 not including set meal) 

 Keith's favourite order that is off the menu. He is lucky to be here on days where they have this on their specials menu and I am lucky to be able to take away the garden salad for the plate and call it my own every time. Nothing fanciful about the salad, just an ordinary fresh garden salad topped with thousand island sauce. BBQ pork ribs is chewy and tender and slightly crispy outside with some sweet BBQ sauce on it. Served with fries. 

Cheese scallops ($11)

 Our must have every visit. Their scallop. We always order scallop rockefella (ok I donnoe how to spell, will figure it out next visit kays) which is $11 for 6. This time we wanted to try something new but I feel that these scallops got tougher when it is baked with cheese over the rockefella kind which always leave the scallop chewy and juicy. 

Banana cake 

Our dessert of the day is a banana cake. Their cakes are usually a little more dry so don't expect too much. There are much more better cake out there but their desserts are palatable. 

They do offer western food at a rate of only $7 (i.e. fish and chips etc) on the regular menu so do not worry about the cost just because the food that we have reviewed on are the more expensive ones. They also have a wide variety of choice of side dishes, salad, appetisers, pasta and combos for you to choose from! Will do more reviews on the other kind of food available there on our next visit because there will definitely be more to come after visiting here for 6 years.