Haji Lane + Cafe Hopping (I Am cafe)

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So I wrote this really long post here and it went poof. Screw you blogger. Rewriting it now urgh. waste my time. I've got tests to study for you know!

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I'm so screwed, like super duper x999999999 times screwed! 1st time in my life that I haven't finish like super lot of holiday homework and haven't revise for tests etc. etc. This holidays is so damn short, short until it's gonna be gone so soon! It's like you're eating chocolate, you thought it would be enough but it's actually puny as hell and you're savouring it. BUT someone (read:school) comes over and snatch it away before you can even finish it! AHHHHHHH. So dead. Never been so anxious in my entire life before. And I'm still going out with my friends because we just have to catch-up! life ssuccckkkssss. This is bad because I'm going to be starting the school year on this note:



HAHA too funny. On a side note, Frozen (the movie) is great! Should go catch it before it doesn't show in the cinemas anymore. Not sure if it's even still available but go try your luck.

Back to today's story.... Amanda and I decided to go check out haji lane. Actually I've been there before luh but didn't actually shop. How do I say, I sort of passed by it during a photog outing/event. I also watched budget barbie and apparently there are a lot of sales stuff there! Me being me, have to shop for affordable stuff. Status of my wallet now is: broke. Super little money. I think during school days have to try to save the money, will try skipping recess or something hahaha, jian fei also leh, kill 2 birds with one stone. Then again, not sure if I can ignore the hunger pangs...

So, yeah, you can tell I get distracted A LOT. current biggest weakness. Haji Lane also seemed kind of cool with all the graffiti and quaint little shops, not to mention they actually have cafes there! No, I did not mistake the pubs as cafes. I didn't see them previously so I reckon they should be relatively new? But I haven't been there in a while so perhaps it's not thhaattt new.



Standard Haji Lane shot. Basically, it's just one whole street of shops at both sides of the street. 

There was a sign that says no photography but what the heck, it's not even open. You can't stop me muaahahaha. Kidding. I'm not so lame.



Random restaurant/bar. These bars are usually more frequented at night which explains the emptiness.


Thanks Amanda for modelling for me! Hehe lucky she thick skinned enough to just sit there cos we weren't eating there LOL. 




I absolutely love this piece of graffiti because it looks like the guy on the wall is staring at you at the corner of his eyes! At first glance, you can't tell but it seems like it's going for an Egyptian style. The baby blue shade made it more street-like!



There were more at the top which made me wonder how those people got up there. I'm thinking it was most likely a hired job because we saw an Egyptian restaurant around the corner hahaha



We went up a shop which had 2 adorable pugs who licked our feet and pounced on us immediately when we entered! Unfortunately they were so active I couldn't snap a proper shot. And I thought pugs were lazy...



Such cute buttons on the wall! Because there was a shop named Buttons something.



They were so cute Amanda decided to make friends with them! HAHAHA I told her to jump for me to shoot and she kindly obliged, in fact she had fun jumping! Suddenly reminded of the crayon pop song, jumping and jumping~


 "Let's be friends!" Amanda says

I took a couple of burst shots so there were horrid unglam ones but I won't post them of course, too nice to do that.



wah wah who is this pretty lady! Wee-ou-weet~ 

Amanda is nailing those bangs, it suits her exceedingly well! She even inspired her friends in her clique to cut the same hairstyle. Honestly, I was also a bit triggered to cut bangs because I have had the same hairstyle my entire life! I don't have a fringe or rather it is the same length as my hair. 





Ventured into a shop selling vintage furniture/decor which is really handy for those who wants to give their houses a makeover! We were saying this would be ideal for the show "摆家乐" where participants get the chance to makeover their living rooms for free, if they win of course. It's interesting because you get to see how people conceptualise their ideas and think out of the box to be more creative! kind of interested in interior design hmmm...



Lovely shot here!



I didn't take many shots of myself that day probably because of the many insecurities tugging at me recently. Bad skin, bad hair etc. etc. My hair is horrible, getting oh so frizzy and out of control.



Look at it look at it! Want to shave them all off, nah kidding I take that back. My head has a odd shape so if I shaved my hair, it would look really really weird. so, no way.



Pubs not yet opened! 


Orh-horh never look at the road still use phone





We passed by a shop which I presume if a cafe/bar as they serve alcohol and breakfast food! There was this lady sitting outside the place drinking beer (at this hour in the noon!) and studying at the same time?! How do you even do that. I wanted to snap a photo but I was afraid I would get whacked LOL



This is my absolute favourite out of all the pieces there along the streets. The gradient, the textures on this. wow, breathtaking.






Should have brought my tripod along so that we can take more shots together but it's bulky and heavy... Hopefully some nerd will build compact, foldable lightweight equipment! I mean if winter coats (those found in Uniqlo) can be folded into the size of those foldable umbrellas why not right? Possible possible maybe not the near future.




Initially, I told Amanda to get up on this motorbike but we were afraid the alarm would sound or something so we didn't. We almost did. YOLO right? Nope. 






Stickers and poster on the walls





Went into this cafe in hope of good food. However, they don't serve much legit food, only sandwiches and desserts. Don't the cakes look good? Yeah they really really do. My palate was salivating standing there. Next time, maybe?



You see that cat there? so creepy!!! The owner was standing there petting it and it had such a weird purring sound, not sure if it was sick or what. Gave me the goosebumps from the moment I laid eyes on it. You know those horror stories about feline spirits and all that? eww eww eww freaky much.




 Lonely traveller


The interesting thing about shops in Haji Lane is that there is a huge range of them! For instance, this hair salon is inside a shop selling ladies apparel. Cool huh?



Wheel barrow full of gold. Nah, just gold-plated bricks. Nope, didn't encounter a windfall here.



 Hello uncle


Lonely traveller


Haji lane is terrible for people looking for a good deal, but ideal for those in search of something special and unique. For me who wouldn't like to spend too much on an item, this place is such a total disappointment. The cheapest find was 15 bucks but it was ugly. 

There's a huge price range of stuff here, from 20 plus to a whopping 100 plus bucks! In my opinion, some of the shops are really overboard with the prices. $89 for a bag?! Hold me at gun point and I won't give up that money. I mean Charles and Keith have really nice bags and the cheapest there is 60 plus bucks only. 

I only bought a pair of shades that costs 18 bucks, which I am totally regretting...



wait for it, wait for it, here's the highlight! I Am cafe~ woopwoop

This cafe is nestled in the Arab area in Singapore, Arab street is only a stone's throw away! It is an Amsterdam themed cafe with an open kitchen concept. We were there about 2 or 3 plus and there was a queue already! Standing there feeling so famished looking at all the tasting looking food being served to others, is torturous!



Enchanted by this beautiful large black and white mural of the canals and bridges in Amsterdam? My sentiments exactly. The details are so intricate it caught my attention instantly!



This is opened by a muslim family which explains why there are many muslims enjoying a meal here!



Amanda was seated at the best spot because I could nicely capture the mural behind here! Display picture worthy right? Lady luck was on our side. Or maybe because it's raining which spoilt our plans so heavens went kind on us.




We were super thirsty because we didn't bring any water out lol, so dumb I know. Everything on their menu is affordable, much cheaper than many cafes out there! This was Cranberry juice and Fruit punch at $3.50, if my memory didn't fail me. And it's served in such cute glass jars, thumbs up for presentation

And it wasn't diluted at all, thirst-quenching.



I ordered Pasta with homemade meatball, which was one of their signature dishes. Although, it seems like a small portion, it is just nice. The food was yummy, not too creamy such that you will get sick of it quickly. Mine was 12 bucks if I'm not wrong.



Fish and chips, another one of their signature dishes! The fries are made of potatoes, as stated on the menu. The batter is really light, much like the English style which I like! But I had a sore throat so I couldn't eat much. 15 bucks if I remembered correctly.



OMG RAINBOW LAYERED CREAM CHEESE CAKE! Yes yes yes this is the highly-raved rainbow cake that has been super popular on social media, with everyone instagram-ing it and posting online. It's served in other cafes as well, though I have never tried it before.




Looks so pretty right? It tasted as good as it looks! Actually, it tastes just like red velvet cake just that it looks so much more appealing! The size of one slice is HUGE I swear, it's like the normal size of a cake x2 or x3 the height, can easily serve 2 to 3 people! One slice if about 9 bucks, worth it!

This is one of the best cafes I have been to. In fact, it's the best! The food is really affordable! We paid about slightly over 20 per person for drinks PLUS main course, PLUS cake! where to get for cafe standard with such great, calm ambiance and good service? The service is friendly and efficient. Highly recommended especially for those who happen to visit Haji Lane. Would definitely be back the next time!



Lonely traveller

Our original plan was to visit the Theives' Market  and Victoria Street because I wanted to snap some photos there. Victoria street has many art installation/graffiti along the walls which I've seen many photos of so I wanted to explore there. However, the rain destroyed our plans because we didn't bring an umbrella haha. Oh well. What to do, I can't control the weather. 

We headed to F21 because I heard there were sales there hehe.  I splurged on a bag there because I've been looking for a big bag for the longest time ever. Way over my budget but whatever, once in a blue moon right?

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School has reopened and it's been 2 days but it seems like forever, as though the holidays never started. It's gonna be a year of hell, and I'm not looking forward to it at all.
Year 6, shit just got real.

xoxo,
Gracia

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