Vivian's Travel/Foodie/Photo Journal

“Not all those who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

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Since I still can’t travel, I’m bringing the travel experience to me. This week is an Afternoon Tea party with the works. Love my new Royal Albert -Miranda Kerr tea set! 🫖☕️🥐🍽🍰🧁

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Due to the pandemic, we are unable to travel to have these foodie adventures. Luckily my college buddy (who is a chef) came over to prepare a Philippine Kamayan feast! Soooo good! 🤤

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DIY Summer Roll Night!

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I finally got a chance to learn how to make macarons! Will try to replicate these at home!! 😍

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Living abroad you don't have the luxury of going to a restaurant or buying already made foods that you want to eat. (Well.. at least not where I am.) Nor can you find ingredients / items that are already made (such as a pie crust). So, i've been experimenting and learning how to cook certain things from scratch. I guess it is a blessing in disguise, eh? Last week, I learned how to make a quiche. Super easy, fun and delish! This is a spinach, mushroom and sun dried tomato quiche. Who wants to be my guinea pig? Lol

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My first year abroad during the holidays was pretty pathetic. Battling homesickness and not really having anywhere to go during the holidays was pretty sad. I vowed that it wouldn’t happen again when I finally got a place of my own. This year, I made sure to host not only one party but threw three gatherings. I know… I can be an overachiever sometimes! 😜

I cooked a lot… Probably too much! lol. Thats the way we do it back at home! Haha.

So this is my Thanksgiving this year…

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I've ALWAYS wanted to go have high tea at a nice place. My host and Singaporean friends took me to this fancy hotel called St. Regis. It was also a buffet styled high-tea and we had the traditional three tier platters of fancy finger foods! Loved it! Want to do this again. Next time I drink tea... Need to have my pinky out! Ugh... Messed it up! Lol

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I stand corrected! I've always told people there aren't many things to do in Singapore besides eating and the night safari zoo. LOL, my host did fatten me up with the yummy food but he also took me everywhere. I've always said two days in Singapore is enough... I stand corrected... A few weeks is more like it! Having locals take you around makes all the difference! Good times, good times!

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Hawker centers in Singapore are amazing! My friend took me to his local Hawker center and ordered a ton of seafood! It was so amazing! We probably ordered a bit too much but it was soooooo good! We had Chili Crab, Salty egg crayfish and Crab Beehoon Soup and an order of fried steamed buns. I've never seen such HUGE Crabs and Crayfish in my life! I came to Singapore craving the chili crab since last time I was there it was so good! I left Singapore having a new favorite dish! It was the Salty Egg yoke Crayfish. I'm salivating as I think about the dish! I totally want to go back for some more!

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Shanghai by night…

Hmmm…. I used to LOVE looking at the silhouette of a city lit up by bright and colorful lights like this one. I used to stand there in awe for an extended period of time enjoying the view. Perhaps I’ve seen way to many cities like NYC, Hong Kong or Taiwan…. Not sure why sights like this do not capture me as it once did.

Regardless of what I think/ feel… I know this is a beautiful sight as many tourist were taking tons of pics and selfies like I used to.

Shanghai is a beautiful place. Parts of it reminds me of home…

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I took this picture during a local holiday.   Little girl couldn't bare to look at her dad sacrificing the sheep.   Her facial expression made me want to snap this shot.   (No worries, I took the picture before the sheep was slaughtered.

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Today, I face timed my family at 6 am. I missed out on the yummy dinner, but I did get to take part in singing Happy Birthday to my Dad!

So, Happy Birthday to my Daddy! Wish I could be there to celebrate with you! Love you! ❤️❤️❤️🎁🎁🎁🎂🎂🎂😘😘😘

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Ok, I can be a serious photographer too! I don’t only post pics of food and cute things! Here are a few of my favorite pics this season. They come from various countries including China, Thailand and Malaysia. Hope to get out there to take more pictures!

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Something I really miss from the US or NYC are cafés. I used to bring my laptop and do work or read a book or just sit and chat with friends for hours. After a year of searching, I finally found a great place to go. Looks like I'll be hitting the books here. Love my new hide out!!!!

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My friend shared this picture with me. It was taken on the night of the Mid-Autumn festival. It made me a little homesick! I miss NYC!

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Go take a hike!!!!

For those of you who know me, I’m very much a city girl! Little did I know that moving overseas has helped me grow a love for the great outdoors! This past year, I’ve been on some pretty amazing hikes. Some were really hard but once you get to your goal destination, all that hard work was sooo worth it! Here are some random pics of various hikes I’ve been on.