Glittering Sea

Hello! It's the last day of May, and I'm just doing another quick blog post about the great music I discover in May. Once again, not gonna elaborate on them one by one haha. Here goes!

Great Music of May:

- Back For More by Glassio

- Namedropper by Valley

- Glittering Sea by re:plus X Yusuke Shima

- Alligator by Of Monsters And Men

- Patience by Rhye ft Olafur Arnalds

Song of The month: Glittering Sea by re:plus X Yusuke Shima

As usual, most of these songs were discovered in Spotify, at the release radar or weekly discovery playlist! Special mention to Glittering Sea which is a song I really enjoy this month. I'm kinda into chill-hop this year haha and this song is an awesome Chill-hop song! To be honest I suck at distinguishing genres but yeah Chill-hop music, I think you know it haha. 

OMAM has been teasing on their Instagram that they're at the studio recording new materials, so I know a new OMAM album is coming! They released their first single Alligator recently and wow I'm so excited! Yes, I miss OMAM a lot. Since their release of Beneath The Skin 4 years ago! I am pretty excited for their new album Fever Dream, Alligator is quite an awesome first single!

Okay actually there's one more album that was released in May. To be exact, yesterday haha. It's Favela's Collaborative album: A Thousand Fibres! I have given it a listen and I love it but I will do a separate post for it! Also I think it's more justifiable for it to be inside June's list haha.

Anyway I'm just taking a short break now. Tomorrow we will carry out the grand harvest 2k19 and whew we have a lot of flowers! Haha. So excited. I hope everything will go well tomorrow. And then we're off for the lebaran holidays. Though I'm spending it at home again this year. Perhaps I will spend time blogging a lot during the holiday. We'll see, everytime I say this it never happens haha!

Hope you had a Marvelous month of May. Here's to a Jubilant June ahead guys :)

Beyond Impossible

With the idea that we now have a burger that looks and tastes like meat, but is made entirely out of plants, that sounds Beyond Impossible for me haha. To be honest back then, one of the top reasons why I didn't want to go vegetarian was that I was afraid of missing the taste of meat. Although to be honest once you go vegetarian, you won't miss it at all (for me that is). Especially if you do it out of ethical reason, you'll learn how the taste of meat isn't worth the life of an animal.

Until a few years ago when I found out about the Beyond burger. I was skeptical at first because it was made out of beet (or the extract of it that is) and how could it taste like meat? Then there was the Impossible Burger, and now we actually have a lot of brands that make meatless burgers.

So I had the wonderful opportunity to try both the Beyond and Impossible burger when I was in Singapore. And here's my personal review of both burgers! Although to be honest... It's not going to be a "complete" review, you will understand why later on in the post alright.

I tried the Impossible Burger at Fat Papas with Candy and Syazwani. And we also bought the Impossible Nachos, and Candy bought the Impossible Shepherd's Pie. The Nachos came first and wow seriously I was blown away by the nachos! Okay it has the same texture as ground beef. But taste wise it was rather ambiguous for me, because it was masked by the tomato sauce. But it really taste like a proper nacho with ground beef that I once had last time haha.

Fat Papas Impossible Burger!

Then I tried the burger and holy cow. Wait I mean holy cucumber (HAHA). It really tastes like meat! I was so shocked at first and I asked Candy and Syaz to try to make sure it's not meat haha. Well okay the only thing it is missing is the gamey smell of beef. But it really taste like meat! Well I haven't eaten meat in 3.5 years so I don't exactly know how it tastes like anymore. But it is truly reminiscent of a good burger for me. Couple with the cheese, it tastes savoury and goooood.

Texture wise it was like meat. There's a certain chewiness as well as juiciness when you bite into it. It's just like a good burger, complete with the smokiness of the patty and the soft fragrant buns. It's so terrifyingly accurate haha. I'd definitely try it again. Giving it an 8.5/10 here!

Okay before I go to the Beyond Burger, I actually had quite an unpleasant experience with this one. And I will not name the place that I had this at haha. And this is why this review is "incomplete".

Beyond Burger. Need to give this another try somewhere tho

So I ordered the Beyond Burger and it came looking very promising. However when I gave a bite of the burger... I realised that the patty was still frozen heh. At first I thought it was the mayo that they used (cause it's cold) but then I bit the patty alone and yup, it was still frozen heh. So I asked the waitress and the kitchen gave me a new one. However I'm not sure why but the taste was a bit off. Like I don't think the restaurant did justice to the Beyond Patty heh.

The patty itself was a bit tasteless, and there's a weird smell to it. And also the patty was red in colour. There was no charring of the outer layer of the patty and so on, like how a burger is like.

Maybe I'm bias because I watched and read a lot of reviews about the Beyond vs Impossible taste test. And a lot of reviews that I came across with actually have the Beyond burger emerging victorious heh. Perhaps I need to try the Beyond Burger on another place to give my full review.

Thus... No score given for the Beyond Burger.

Anyway it was an interesting and enlightening experience to try both burgers! To me thus far, the Impossible won by a lot. Because it tastes really good haha. I am really interested to try more of them from different places. And see their spins on it. But also I'm actually amazed by the invention of these two products. We're truly in the future, because I have never expected for them to taste this good!

Alright that's all from me today. I hope you can give both burgers a try if you have the chance to! :)

Social Media Detox

Right, it's day 3 of my "Social Media Detox" which I voluntarily took part in, because social media access had been restricted/blocked for the past 3 days (with exception of Twitter) here, thanks to the riots happening on 21-23 May. Yes it was pretty inconvenient actually. But I actually salute the government for doing this because I reckon that it's a smart move. If hoaxes can be easily spread over a long period of time during the election season, I'm 100% sure it can spread like wildfire easily in the past 3 days if social media access is not restricted. And the result will be very ugly for sure.

Okay to give an explanation to what's happening, here goes the chronology (to what I understand thus far). The election commission announced on Monday night that the incumbent president with his running vice president has won the election again in a 55-45 percentage count. The other party says that the election is rigged and demands justice bla bla. By Tuesday afternoon mob had gathered in front of the commission's building and other spots in Jakarta, police stood by. 

On Tuesday night, there were a few riots happening in a shopping district (Tanah Abang) and also in front of the commission building. Police were there to control the crowd and tear-gas was used. And then when I woke up on Wednesday, I couldn't access any social media. I thought my Wi-fi died so I turned to my data and it wasn't working still. And then I learned from my dad and brother that more riots had occurred and even people were closing their shops cause they're scared.

So yup, no access on Facebook and Instagram, I couldn't send photos on WhatsApp, and Whatsapp was really slow somehow. I could still access Twitter but uploading of photos are still disabled. All these were happening from Wednesday afternoon till Friday. I was able to send photos somehow in the afternoon but then it died again in the late afternoon. And just recently (it's 4:50 AM now) I was able to access Instagram, even though no photos showed up on my homepage, except for photos from profiles that are either ads, or business/figure accounts. Can't load stories either.

It was pretty inconvenient for the past 3 days. For me it wasn't the social media part, but like how I couldn't send photos on WA, and thus it's harder for me to communicate with other people. I wasn't feeling the FOMO the past 3 days, quite glad actually, it felt like a social media detox! Haha. At the same time it felt like I was back in China LOL. Well true, since we can't access these social media over there either. At least there's still Twitter where I can rant on haha.

Anyway yes, as much as life felt very boring the past 3 days, and how inconvenient communicating with people can be, I respect and salute the Indonesian Government for doing this. I was on Twitter and I've been following CNN Indonesia (I think they're pretty much the most neutral one here, just reporting what is going on) and some journalists as well. I know it was a mistake looking at the replies of the tweets regarding the riots. Even there, hoaxes are still running wildly!

So yes imagine if social media were freely accessible in the past 3 days. Terrifying. 

The problem doesn't lie with the government banning social media, but the lack of awareness, morality and sensitivity of the people to solve things and face things peacefully. How false information are easily spread among people, and people on the receiving ends are also not smart enough to see whether the information is true or not. And the fireball kept on rolling with these people spreading these false information. And that's how chaos happens right.

If there's anything I learn from these 3-day detox is that truly, ignorance is the root of all evil! And it is also the root of our suffering. I finally get it why ignorance is a huge enemy in Buddhism heh.

Nevertheless I would like to thank the hardworking policemen, who some are injured, during these rough times. Thank you for keeping things in control and for keeping people safe. And I think the victims are not only these mis-informed and ignorant people who sparked the riots. But also innocent people who just want to make a living. People who don't really care about who has the power in this country, but they just have a livelihood to make and a family to support. Common folks.

I hope the situation will settle quickly. It was a pretty tense and worrying three days. Take care everyone. Let us all hold on to each other. And spread love. Not hoaxes.

Back In Singapore Part II

Right continuing to the next 2 days of the trip!

Cravings satisfied!

Met a lot of people on Saturday, which is great I guess! I always take the opportunity to meet as many people as I can when I'm in Singapore. I met Try for br-l-unch hahaha at Zam zam in Bugis! It's so good to see him again because oh gosh I can't remember when was the last time we met haha. Glad that we still kept in contact via social media though. I was really craving for Prata but to our dismay, Zam zam doesn't serve prata in the day (or when we were there that is). I'm also craving for Briyani and yay had my craving satisfied nevertheless haha. Had a really interesting and wholesome conversation about a lot of things in life with Try. From Indonesia, to politics and life in general.

Good to see you again Try!

Good to see you again Mas Tri! Hope to see you again when I'm back :D

Thanks for the lunch Candy! Good to see you too Syaz :D

After that I met with Candy and Syazwani at Fat Papas nearby! I've been wanting to try the Impossible Burger and I'm glad I had the chance to do so when I'm in Singapore (and I don't have to go to the US to try it haha). Candy had the Impossible Sheperd's Pie too! Okay I'm gonna do a special post about it but spoiler alert: It's good. Anyway it's always a good time meeting my poly mates once again. And especially now that Candy is a dietitian, having food becomes an interesting time hahaha! But yeah it was a great time with them reminiscing and talking about life in general again. It seriously made me miss the good old poly days that we had. Having lunch, or tea/coffee at FC3 :/

Thanks for the tea and chocolates Cheryl!

Next up, I went over to Takashimaya to meet Cheryl! Thanks for meeting me there as I was also thinking of going to Kinokuniya to get some books :P Cause err I've been having lots of great food the past 5 hours or so, we decided to meet for tea! We met at Paul, and I had the soup of the day and we shared a creme brulee together. It's a great catch up session with her as always, updating each other's lives and also reminiscing about our Tanglin days. Oh gosh it's been 10 years since we graduated from TSS whuut! After that we went over to Kino to get the books I was looking for. I bought three books on Stoicism! Thanks Cheryl for the meetup and for the food as well! I owe you the next time alright :D

Pardon our kind-of-tipsy faces haha

And last but not least, and something I look forward to in this trip, is meeting Saeyeoh and Emily to watch Avengers: End Game! Okay I was trying to slot in this movie when I'm in Singapore (since we have no cinema in my hometown haha) and when Saeyeoh suggested this, I was so happy hahaha. We went to watch the movie first at Lido and yup, 9.5/10 for me seriously. The movie ended late so we decided to have drinks. I mean supper. Or both :P Went to Emerald hill to do some bar hopping but ended up going to one (which we kinda realise, they're all... linked). Had some great pizza and truffle fries before we go to Brotzeit at 313 to end the night hahaha. Brotzeit has a good deal seriously! 

Anyway thanks Saeyeoh for the movie ticket and for the drinks as well! I think I've found a great drinking partner and I look forward to our next drinking session haha :P

Breakfast with these two!

Alright for my last day, I went to meet 3 people! I began my last day with breakfast with Tacy and Sharon at... Ghim Moh. Yes, I'm such a good friend HAHAHA. And also yes we realise we're not exactly breakfast people haha. But anyway thank you for satisfying all of my cravings in one meal! Chee Kueh, Prata and Chee cheong fun mwahaha. It's always a good time with them, and our meals will always be filled with laughters! Next time we meet, lets not meet for breakfast tho :P

Team Baros United in SG haha

After that we parted ways and I went back to town to meet with my cousins Mel and her husband, Andry, and also Livia who's currently studying in Singapore! Met them for lunch and also asked them to try the Impossible/Beyond burger hahaha. I tried the Beyond burger but... Okay another review coming soon. Anyway it's quite funny how in the past it was them who visited me in Singapore when I was still a student. Now I'm the one visiting them in Singapore! :P

Good to see you again LTY!

Right before I left for the airport, I went to meet LTY first! Cause I've been stuffed with food, we just went for Ice Cream instead haha. Had a really good time chatting with LTY! Gosh come to think of it, we're all seriously adults now hahaha. We're talking about work, about life and so on. Felt like yesterday when we were still students! After that he even went to the airport with me! Well he was visiting his friend who's also working in the airport but nevertheless, thank you LTY!

And that's all for my trip to Singapore. It seriously felt like a breeze, so quick. 54 hours in the sunny island, and I always wish I have more time to visit more places and see more people. But well it was a good weekend nevertheless. A break that I've been looking forward to get. I never really consider my trips to Singapore as a holiday or some travel trip. It's more like a trip back home.

Till then, Singapore! See you when I see you again :)

Back In Singapore Part I

You made our hearts shake, bend and break, Troye

Right, as I've told you, I didn't manage to blog about my trip last week, so here I am! Thankfully I'm done with work and I have nothing much to do haha. So here's a post about my weekend in Singapore back on 3 - 5 May. Or to be exact, my 54 hours in Singapore! Such a short time isn't it.

Anyway I flew to Singapore on the 3rd of May with Scoot, reached Singapore at 12:30 PM. The main reason why I'm back in Singapore is to catch Troye Sivan live with Brenda later in the evening eep! So excited haha. And also I took this chance to just meet with some people again. Afterall, it's been almost a year since I last went to Singapore back in May last year! Time flies man.

I went to check into my hotel first, and took a nap. Because I only had like 2 hours of sleep heh. I went to meet Humaira first and we decided to meet in SP! Brought so many memories man, and wow the school changed so much. I also bumped with Dr Simon Tan as I was entering the school! So good to see him again man. Was hoping to see him but I was there only for a short while. Had a short but great catch-up session with Humaira in SP, and I also passed her some of Indonesian made film, Cira800 and 200. For a fellow film photography enthusiast mwahaha. 

We then parted ways, as I stopped at Buona Vista. Great to see you again Humaira!

Couldn't have asked for a better gig partner <3

After that I met Brenda at Star Vista as the concert was at the Star Theater. Had dinner first before the gig and we made our way up then. I've been wanting to catch Troye live and I'm so happy for the opportunity to see him live. Thank you so much Brenda for getting me the ticket for the concert T_T I couldn't have asked for a better gig-partner than Brenda! It's been 5 years since our last gig together  and it's such a great one to break this hiatus with Troye. Looking forward to our next <3

Okay I'm not gonna go into detail of the concert but wow, seeing Troye live is a whole new experience. Also he's freaking cute in real life haha. It was such a great time singing, dancing and err crying to some of his wonderful songs. I think the highlight for me was dancing to Youth and My my my. I really love those two songs! And also hearing Heaven live is truly a special moment for me. He's coming to Jakarta (finally) in July and I'm probably going to see him again yay.

After the concert we went to Starbucks to chill and have a chit chat before we went back home. Well it's so good to see you again Brenda! Especially to see you again for a concert. See you again soon <3

Okay I think I'm going to stop here for now. The 2nd day is going to be a long one cause I met a lot of people haha. And it's getting late now. So yes, see you later! :D

Back

Hello! Sorry for not writing for a long time. Just got back from my trip to Singapore last weekend and err I have been busy finishing work, unpacking and so on the past week. So I haven't been able to blog about it. I'm currently still finishing some work as well so I'm just giving a short update before I go!

I might or might not update this tomorrow haha. See you again soon.