Clouds of thankfulness

Hello there! Well, it's been long... like really long. Ever since my laptop have been taking a break, and time at work has been particularly draining, I have not been touching this space for a long while.

Days like this, with the current virus going around, I can't stop but to feel how blessed I have been surrounded by my loved ones. If this happened last year, I wouldn't know what kind of fear I will be undergoing back in Birmingham, staying by myself. Coming back to Singapore have been nothing but a blessing. That feeling of having my family and friends around me, and how I have met another person in my life who have been giving me comfort at times when I need it.

There have been times that I just felt like I couldn't move on any further - I felt so tired, so lethargic. But I want to dedicate this to someone important in my life, who have been there for me when I encountered some family matters - you know who you are! Thank you for giving me a shelter and your shoulders to lean on, always hearing me out and just being there for me physically and emotionally. Till date, I am thankful everyday that I have met you. At times when you feel that you are not the best, in fact, you really are. There are things that sometimes we don't see for ourselves, but the others see it all. And I see it all :) His patience, concern and him meticulously doing things to surprise me. I am so thankful that he appeared in my life and I will continue to count my blessings everyday.

So today, perhaps we could take some time out to think, and see how blessed we have come along. The world out there is chaotic now, but we are thankful that in our home that we live in, our loved ones are still around us, to have our meals together, to laugh and come through this tough time together.

I am thankful for all of them, and will continue to be thankful.

Till then, stay safe!

Hilltop Gardening Dining - Arbora is the place to go!

 Friends who know me would also know me for loving those greenery places. Especially ever since I came to U.K., I am more immersed into the nature than ever. While I did not get the opportunity to attend the opening of Arbora by One Faber Group, I am ecstatic to find out what Arbora has to offer to their customers - like me!

Located at Faber Peak Singapore, this hilltop sanctuary is the next dining destination that I think is perfect for a nights out or even a date! Just imagine you and your company immersing into the beauty of nature, an overview of the urban areas alongside with great food and drinks. I can't say no to the idea of that. With trees being the main surrounding for this restaurant, we can imagine how the name Arbora came about - an eponym for a Latin word "Arbor" which represents trees. If you didn't know, Arbora is formerly known as Spuds & Apron which my friends and I really love!

This place sounds like a great place to hang out anytime or any day to me, perhaps like a great brunch place to go to! Not to forget that they have all-day dining available here with 35 selections, created by Executive Chef Kenny Yeo to delight your palates of starters, entrees and desserts. If you have been to Dusk Restaurant & Bar before, the creator of the European tapas menu is also created by yours truly, Chef Kenny Yeo.

Let's talk business, the food is what attracts people to a place alongside with the great atmosphere. 

Think of lamb served alongside with prune sauce (Rack of Lamb - SGD36++) 

A tomato-based seafood broth with tender baby abalones in it (Fisherman's Stew - SGD42++)... how mouth-watering. Especially the Fisherman's Stew is hooking up my tastebuds as the weather starts getting colder in the U.K.

Or perhaps a Wild Mushroom Salad (SGD14++) to get more veggies into your meal? and I absolutely love mushrooms, am really anticipating to try out this place!

and what's better than having a drink alongside with a meal? I find that whenever I'm having my meals, I always need like water or a drink to go alongside with it. As though I have been dehydrated along the process of eating hurhur. If I could choose a cocktail, my go-to drink is always a Mojito. And that preference of mine have never changed since then. But okay, next time I'm going to take a leap of faith and try the the Botanic Roku cocktail which is at SG15++ which I find it pretty decent for a drink.

Visuals: ✓

Price: ✓

Taste: Pending (but if you've tried it please let me know how it tastes!)

How beautiful it is, that I would order it off the menu, if one day I have to decide to be heartless and just forget about mojitos for a nights out. 

fyi: not an alcoholic person!

and with a bit of twist, anise stars on a cocktail. 

well, well, did anyone mention that anise stars is a spice that's usually used for cooking? 

Anise Stars (SGD15++) sounds so magical, almost like a galaxy to me. But just the look of it is appealing to me. I can never imagine how it tastes like, but that gives me another excuse to drink cocktails.

With Arbora's opening, they are giving us a treat!Get a free snack or salad when you order 2 mains from the menu, such as hand-cooked chips (loves!) and Wild Mushroom Salad (loves x2!). Also, you can get your hands on their Arbora craft beers at a promotional price of SGD30+ for 3 bottles (U.P. SGD36++) 

Good things are meant to be shared. Follow through Arbora with their menus and specials to keep yourself updated on what special treats they have to offer!

Visit www.onefabergroup.com/arbora to find out more details on the promotions.

thank you hoomans for reading!

cynnieco x.

*Special thanks to WOM Communications for the details and images, as well as One Faber Group.

regrets.

regret.
it's a simple word.
but it holds so much more meaning, sadness and tears beneath it.
have you ever regretted over something you have done or have not done?
how did you feel?
sadness?
guilt?
regretful?

maybe.

we all have regrets in our life, be it less or more.
but when we start to reminiscence about it, we feel sad, depressed and regretful for what have happened.
i, myself, have regrets too.
i started thinking about it recently before i slept.
what my regrets are.
regretting not spending enough time with people that i love, and probably have met angels in the sky.
regretting for words or actions i have done before - because i really don't mean it.

however, regrets can be powerless over our mind being too.
i have never regretted changing my university options, because i'm much happier.
i have never regretted making friends that would stay with me till ups and downs.
i have never regretted being born into my Simpson's family, because they brought me so much love & joy.

so, are regrets fearful?
no it's not.
only if we have the power to turn regrets into a learning point, or even a goal to make regrets become something non-regretful.

love yourself, love your life, love your dreams.
nothing beats happiness.
love happiness.

cynnie.

Let's make Animal-Testing non-existent.

Have you got a pet at home, let's say a dog, a cat, hamsters, rabbits or even any other pets you might have as a companion?
Do you love them everyday that you would want to cuddle them and brush your hands against their furry bodies?
Calling out to them everyday when you get back home after a long day of work, and them running towards you seems to relieve all that fatigue you have?

Thank you for loving your pet. Similarly, I hope you would love any other any animals/pets even if they do not belong to you.
Whenever we purchase a cosmetic product, have we ever though of what goes behind the scene to manufacture and make these products?
In order to beautify ourselves, how many innocent lives have been taken away just to make sure these products are suitable for our skin?
I am definitely not a saint, there are times that I bought cosmetic products not knowing what went behind the scenes. However, as we start to gain awareness about how all these cosmetics are being tested, we can make a difference to the lives of these innocent animals!

The Body Shop and Cruelty Free International have united to bring about this awareness to United Nations. Recently, dogs were taken to the streets, right outside the United Nations headquarters in New York to protest against animal testing. It is shocking that approximately 80% of the world still do no ban cosmetic animal tests.
So right now, The Body Shop and Cruelty Free International are calling out to all of us to sign this petition, in which upon reaching 8 million signatures, this petition will be presented to United Nations and promote the opportunity of banning animal testing for cosmetic products.

Credits: The Body Shop

Across the span of 6 months, 4.1 million signatures have been collected, which makes us 3.9 million signatures away to make the lives of these animals a better one. Are you willing to be a part of this campaign and make these animals live a happier life like how your pets are in your household?
If so, you can pledge your support over at Forever Against Animal Testing.

I have made my pledge towards this, what about you?

Together, let's make a difference to our world. And to a happier world that we live in with all these cuddly fur balls that could possibly be alive 😀

love,
cynnie.

A fresh start.

As we bid goodbye to 2015, 2016 seems like it came a lil' too fast. 

I held my breath as I countdown to 2016. 

It felt so unreal.

One moment, we crossed over another year.

However, each New Year brings us a lil' tiny moment to reflect on ourselves.

"What's your new year resolution?" is a common question that we simply can't avoid on your first meet-ups with friends.

I've got this question from some of my friends, and my resolution this year is perhaps:

"To be a little happier, more tolerant, optimistic & hopeful in life."

2015 was no doubt full of ups and downs for me.

Smiles and joys, sadness and tears overwhelmed me during my graduation and my university days.
Some of the best moments in 2015:

1. Landing my foot in Taipei for the 2nd time with my sissy.

2. Graduating with a Diploma.

One of the proudest moment of my life, was getting my parents to witness the graduation ceremony.

The smiles they had on their faces are priceless.

3. Staycation with my family for the very first time.

Our very first family staycation!

I never thought we would do that but yes we did it, as a family.

Perhaps many more to come?

I really hope so :)

4. Graduation Trip with Winni to the land of Kimchi!

Achieving one of the biggest milestones of our friendship, to travel abroad together.

Cheers to our friendship ahead!

5. My 20th Birthday.

A year closer to reaching 21st.

Struggling with schoolwork, I came home with a surprise birthday cake from my parents!

I didn't expect that after a day of presentation and classes, and I was really glad that my family were there for me all these while :')

And being a huge fan of Gordon Ramsay, Sissy brought me to Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay!

Best meal, best night, best company I can ever ask for.

The ambience was amazing, with the fact that we made a reservation at least 2 months prior to the actual date.

The best Fish & Chips I've ever had besides the ones in America.

The tomato sauce was totally out of the world!

Served in a mini jar, the quality was superb.

Young range chicken that sissy ordered!

Fork tender meat with succulent juice.

Chicken lovers, this is for you.

And to one of the best sissy nights together <3

6. Trip to Seoul for the 2nd time with my family.

Same destination, different company.

The moments and memories that we have created together is something that can never be replaced.

I had one of the best experience at KPOP Live, a hologram concert concept.

Thanks to Bora for getting me the tickets!

Despite visiting Seoul twice in a year, I'm glad that each visit brought me a surprise when I revisited the places.

Mum and I basically stuffed ourselves silly with all that kimchi that we could get, while Dad will be exclaiming the spiciness of it.

And mum would somehow be complaining about the weather, while we would go, "Ohhh, so cooling!"

That's my family.

Laughs.

2015 was eventful, and facing all that challenges, I have learnt how to be more determined in my goals and decisions that I have set for myself.

What the others say are advices and opinions, and no doubt, one day I may regret not heeding their advices.

But to think about it again, am I going to make myself regret for not listening to my own mind and soul when making decisions?

Even if I have made the decision that is best for me, am I going to be happy about it?

I doubt so.

And that's what I want to achieve: To start listening to my heart more often, doing what I really want to do and achieve in life.

We live for ourselves, not for the others.

Your happiness is yours, and no one can take it away from you if you decide not to give yourself happiness.

But never forget to stop someday and look back.

"Are you doing things right or wrong?"

That is a question that I have to ask myself constantly.

In 2016,

I hope to achieve my goals and reach my dreams ultimately.

Perhaps this is one big motivating factor for me in 2016.

I would love to thank my family and friends around me who showed me support for my decisions.

Special thanks to my Simpsons family, my cousins, Rengie, Jiaen, Winni, Irdina, Shu Ting, Sharlene, Swee Teng & many more.

Thank you for being there for me when I was down and helpless.

Right now, I'm much stronger, determined and affirmed in my choices and I've never felt any happier than now :)

Thank YOU, YOU & more YOU(s).

2016 will be better, happier and one that I am looking forward to.

May 2016 be the best for all of us, & not forgetting to give back to the people around us.

Stay positive & cheerful always,

cynnie.

20th.

Today, I am 20. It's just like every other year, adding a +1 to my age. But this year, I've hit the new tens digit. The so-called 'BIG 2'.

I don't know what to feel, but the thought of me entering adulthood, being more independent and decisive in my life choices.

While I'm typing this, I am sitting at the back seat of the bus, looking out of the windows. I remember when I was 7, my parents signed up for me the school bus service. The very first day was horrendous. Mom sent me to the void deck and watch me got up the bus. I was fine. But the moment the bus started driving off, I could not hold back on my tears and started crying. It felt fearful, the moment when I got separated from my mom. 

Perhaps it was all due to the bond we had, when she took care of me since young and I grew so attached to her. But that was when I found independence, when I started walking to school on my own at the age of 8.

Some people thinks that I'm like my mummy's girl, and I shall not deny it. I love spending time with my mum, as much as she like spending time with my siblings and I. 13 years went by like that. Now, I can take the public transport on my own to school, even if that means a 1.5 hour ride to school as compared to a 10 mins ride to my primary school.

In life, we don't want regrets. How much time do we have to spend with our loved ones? It's a question mark to all of us. We don't know what destiny has planned for us, but what we could do is to simply cherish it. That's why I stuck on to my mum whenever I can, but hey that doesn't mean I'm neglecting my other family and friends, it's just simply prioritising and enjoying every moment that I have with her.

Today, I am 20. 20 years ago, my mum took great pains to give birth to cynnieco (yes, that's me!). Born at 9.42am, I sure am an early-riser baby! But thank you mum for feeding, tolerating, encouraging and taking care of me. Of course, thank you for reprimanding me, because it definitely was a changing point of my life. I remembered how sucky my results were, those Cs and Ds...yucks it's awful. But that's what pushed me on, to do my best for them, to be their pride. 

There were times we quarrelled (who doesn't?), but I grew at the same time. I learnt how the others feel, and what my mum thinks when she say some things. My life, in fact everyone's life is a roller coaster. Bumps are inevitable, but who said life is a smooth ride? We may not be wealthy, but we are wealthy with love. It's so valuable that I don't want to lose my grip on it. 

I am 20. But I would still hold my mom's hand when I'm with her, even if it's cheesy, but her hands are so warm. I feel safe. I hope that one day when she reads this, her eyes will start to well up and she would start tearing. Because I hope she feels my emotions too when I typed this. There's too much love I want to show her. Too much. 

Thank you mum and dad, and happy birthday to myself :)

What are the moments that you have with your parents?
I would love to hear your stories, feel free to share them through the comments or even drop me a mail ;)

Have a great midweek everyone! 

Goodbye,

Cynnieco.

Choosing the right internship and how to survive it.

Internships;

Internship is no doubt a huge milestone in our life as a student.
Most students will have their internships locally.
Schools usually collaborates with various companies to provide internships for students.
However, some students are adventurous and would source for "internship singapore" on their own either via search engines or even through agencies.
Occasionally, international students source for singapore internship as well.

But what are some of the things to look out for when sourcing for an internship or even when you are already in it?

Do we know if we made the right choice?
And if we didn't, how can we survive those months that seems torturous?

Here are 4 tips that I asked myself before I made my choices!

1. Passion

First of all, question yourself this:

What do you want to do in the future?

Is it something that you enjoy doing(without any whining)?

Are you satisfied with the prospects that it gives you?

For me, I have been passionate about this industry ever since young.

Photo Credits: Singapore Business Review

Yup, you guessed it right!

I loved the airport since I was young, and all I ever wished for was to work there.

I grew up thinking that I will love whatever job I've got as long as I work there,

until I realized what I really wanted to do was to run the operations of an airport.

From expediting planes to depart on time, guest relations and the commercial shops in the airport.

That's SO much I want to achieve.

Perhaps that's the reason why I took a Diploma in Aviation Management & Services in Temasek Polytechnic and glad to say, I have no regrets :)

I would definitely love to further my studies in this field in the later years...but we shall see.

2. Interest

This might probably sound confusing to some of you, what's the difference between "Passion" and "Interest"?

There might be plenty of internship jobs offered to you, but ultimately, which fits you the best?

And which interests you that makes you go,

"Hey, I want to go ahead and try out this internship!" ?

Make sure the internship you're opting for interests you and not just because your friends are applying for it too.

6 months ain't long, neither is it short if you're totally dreading the job!

I previously mentioned how much I wanted to work in the airport, right?

You might then thought that I would opt for an internships in singapore which will eventually land me in the airport, don't you? 

This was where I landed at.

Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

It was a worlds apart decision I made from my original plans.

But there was no regrets.

And I swear it's one of the most amazing work experience I ever had.

How do you know if you really loved your job?

When you wished that it didn't end.

You got your choice, now what?

3. Experience it

The experience you get from your internship is truly something valuable that will aid you in your future career prospects(perhaps?).

Whether you're doing rostering, planning out projects for the company, presentations,

meeting colleagues from different age groups etc.

All these are opportunities for your future relationship skills or even for your job!

I did not take up an office job, all I did was being a front-liner.

Tapping park guests' tickets;

Checking their coolers;

Cleaning the park entrance;

Parking cars during the peak summer season.

Some people thought,"How are all these going to help you in your airport job in future?"

I would reply,"I learnt how to interact with guests from all walks of life, identify their needs, the operation style of Disney and how they functioned to be the happiest land on Earth."

These are not just interpersonal skills, these are my first hand experiences with the guests which allows me to understand them better and their expectation of Disney's standards.

Likewise, that's what I would need to know when I eventually get to try running a part of the airport.

What are the needs of my passengers and airport goers.

We attend lessons.

Go to work in uniforms.

Get complimented for doing a good job at work(yay!)

Waiting for at least 30-40 minutes for a bus to bring me home...

Have some loner time while going home or to work.

These moments sounds tiring, boring or in fact a waste of time.

But you know you're gonna miss it once its gone.

4. Enjoy it!

6 months of internship, why not enjoy it when you're going to be jobless after 6 months?

It's okay to whine to someone when work gets tough, and everyday will be a brand new day!

Creating memories.

Creating friendships.

Yes, perhaps an office job is way different from my job in Disney.
but hey, I guess even a good meal with colleagues makes everything much better isn't it? ;)

At least there is something to look forward to.

Conclusion?

Make a good use of that 6 months experiencing the working life that you may or may never experience ever again.

Don't make it a regret, but think the other way:

How can you make the best out of your internship?

All internships will come to an end.
Be it good or bad, it is an experience that will never be wiped off from our memories.
Make your decisions worthwhile.

& do it with passion.

goodbye,
cynnie.