Food review: Xian mei yong tau foo at bishan s-11

People who knows me understands im quite picky about my food. So when my blogger friends invited me down for  a meal at Xian Mei Yong Tau Foo at S-11 directly opposite the bishan mrt station i was initially sceptical. But.. im glad that i was proven wrong and had a satisfying and affordable meal. 

Xian Mei Yong Tau Foo prides itself on its handmade Yong Tau Foo and its unique soup base. You can opt for their Laksa Yong Tau Foo, Yong Tau Foo Noodle Soup, Yong Tau Foo Dry and Ma La Yong Tau Foo. Oh yes, according to the owner, they are the only store with Ee Mian as one of their noodles AND their chili is self-created.




My friend tried the Laksa base which I tried. Its not too thick which makes it light on the stomach and not too jerlat which was something I feared. And I think it goes well with the Ee Mian because the sauce kinda gets absorbed into the noodles. 



As for me, I went for the safe choice of clear soup broth. And the only thing that could go wrong was if they used lots of MSG which thankfully they did not. 

For the ingredients, I loved how they had some china side dishes (Example the seaweed as seen above). And before I forget to comment about their chili, which I felt would have made all the difference. Not spicy or 'xiang' enough -And I would have loved if there was the iconic soya beans to add to my meal. 

Owner was very friendly though and recommended us to add in the Fried tofu Skin which made everything ever more yummy. I mean who can resist that! And friendly owner makes everything great! I believe if I wanted more soup base, they would also be Okay. (Don't say I say one ah! And you. Don't. be. greedy. la - haha)

I was tempted to go for another plate of Chee Cheong Fun Yong Tau Foo but I knew my stomach wouldnt be able to take it. Would try that next time!

WHERE:
Xian Mei Yong Tau Foo
Block 504 Bishan Street 11, #01-04 Singapore 570504
Opening hours: Daily - 9am to 9:30pm 

SSEAYP journey (ship for the south east asia and japan youth expedition)

So the opportunity of being sseayp is here again. And i think it would be apt for me to share my experiences on this 2nd year anniversary.

Before i begin here is the link to join. Only a few days left to closing date.

Keen to experience different cultures and gain valuable global perspective? Or looking to make new friends from around the world? And represent your country for a worthy cause.

Join them for an exciting journey on the Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Programme (SSEAYP)! :D

Apply by 30 April 2018. Head over to bit.ly/sseayp2018 to find out more!
#sseayp2018

So the question many practical people asked me is what is there to gain? My answer to them is what is there to lose ? And thats its important to go there with the excitment to learn. To learn more about another country. To learn what interests the youth/young adults nowadays. To learn and have the opportunity to practice another country language. (This part i regret the most not doing) . Its indeed the soft skills that you pick up and of course learn more about yourself on this journey.

And most importantly you met with people who have gone through numerous of interviews. Just to be there. Chosen through thousands of people just to get that opportunity. So that said alot of them whom i have met inspired me. Friends who were from indigenous provinces who made it their mission to educate and to share their experiences through multiple projects. Friends who had social causes they were passionate about either in business , education, culture and environment who then further their passions by embarking on projects to make the world a better place. And also just simple things such as being reminded by the things i have taken for granted. For us to travel is just like a holiday but to some its an experience thats difficult to come by and it reminded me that its not about what you have but about what you do with the resources you have and how much heart you have for a certain cause to give what you have limited or not.

Oh yes maybe your fear is sea sicknesses since this expedition is close to 3 months on the sea.  And it is a valid fear. For me thankfully the sea sickness only became real on the ship returning back to japan. The good news is you can enjoy yourself all the way there since the sea tide is usually in the same direction as the ship so it isnt that shaky and i guess the number of people on board made it more stable somewhat.
Oh. Anyway you will not be on the ship all the time. This expedition stops at 3 countries each time ( for me i stopped at vietnam thailand singapore and indonesia - our time was 4 countries)  and you get back on land (haha back to civilization where you get internet and social media  - which i believe is a lifeline to those who thrive on it ) For me it felt lovely to be unconnected. To truly communicate and talk to the people around. No link to the happenings outside. No worries. No stress. Just absorbing the beauty of this expedition.

So what do we do on land and what do we do on the ship. Simply said on land we interact with the locals nation countrywide and on the ship the representative of those countries.

So was it worth 3 months away?!?!? Some of you would ask me

If you are a person like me who thrives on knowledge learning, I think the topic you choose will influence how you benefit from it. We must understand that everyone comes from different walks of life and of different ages and point in their life. And that this program primarily focuses on mutual understanding and sharing. Not on coming up with a research paper.

What was precious was the friendship formed. Knowing more about my strengths and weaknesses. Toning down my pride. Being open to learn and most important listen and to respect. And truly just being there gave me time disconnected and just. Reflecting. On what i want to do. What i can do. And more.

Oh oh oh! So i forgot to answer the part on what do we do onboard.
There are sharing of ideas, presentations and also culture workshop exchange - culture singing eg anime, wayang , language learning and how the language came about, the daily life culture eg making kopi the traditional way, designing local hats etc - i love these sessions the most.

And every time we are back on board, we get to appreciate the performance by different countries. For them to tell the story of their homeland. To tell of their culture. To tell of their future.
It feels like back to the old times of camping . Love it !

Oh and how I miss seeing the sea and the sun rise the minute I wake up!

And one of the most important and key thing why i would go back on the ship- the star gazing night. I cannot describe how amazing it is. But to lie on the deck of the ship watching the stars in the middle of the ocean a blanket of darkness and the ship rotating with the stars placing being explained. AWESOME!!!!!

Do pm me if you have any other questions to ask :) i need to head out to work now hahahahahaha

Singapore youth conference 2018

Thanks for invitation.

Enjoyed myself at singapore youth conference - a collaboration between paym and nyc. 

So the first workshop i went to was about leadership and discovering your purpose and your story. 

The format was inspired by marshall ganz where it requires one to think about what affectes you in life that made you be who you are today and that determines your value and purpose. 

I was very inspired by the sharing by the participants as it reminded me that contributing and giving back is always a choice. Regardless of your background. Regards of what you have gone through

 Because everyone who has a story might inspire. Because time doesnt cost. Ok that said it might cost something to others. But aint it all about rearranging your schedule around it. But as my mum says not some people feels overwhelmed when they are in the situation and prefer to just give financially. Sure by all means. 

The main thing is do something.

My second workshop was on our national day pledge. I still remembered when i was living overseas and also when i was on the ssseap ship saying the pledge always made me feel like crying. Its like a prayer for singapore each time i said it for what we were and what we are to be

We, the citizens of Singapore,
pledge ourselves as one united people,
regardless of race, language or religion,
to build a democratic society
based on justice and equality
so as to achieve happiness, prosperity
and progress for our nation

So the question arise. What is the pledge to us. So we each chose an area of interest. For me i chose we the citizens of singapore

It was an open conversation

 Our concerns our appreciations our present our future our people etc etc

And i was glad it was filled with people asking how we could each contribute to the promises of the pledge in our own way - our voluntary our schools our workplace our family our neighborhood our community and more. Noone asking if our government should do more. Noone asking if policies can be changed. Its all about ourselves making the change. Because that can see a greater impact. Because this is our nation and our people.