Stella's
Ji Inn and I finally met up after summer break. The first thing we did was explore Tiong Bahru together!  After seeing a photo of Books Actually somewhere online, I was excited about visiting it because it looked like a cosy wonderland with its fairylights, homey decorations, and of course, rows of books. That sparked off the idea of a Tiong Bahru visit. So on the Monday of her recess week (and my free day), Ji Inn drove to NUS to pick me up and we headed to Tiong Bahru for lunch.

Our first stop: Flock's Cafe. The food was not bad, didn't really surpass our expectations but pleasant enough. We visited a few other places before deciding on that one because of pricing and food, and also because most of the other places happened to be closed on Mondays so it was a real pity.



The next place we went to was Books Actually. I loved everything from the front of the store to its deco to its variety of books. Walking into Books Actually feels like walking into someone's home because it's inviting and personal. It has a character of its own. The thought came to mind when I was browsing in one corner and found books which looked worn and yet were placed with all the other books on sale. They were large notebooks, and when I opened one it looked like a log book. Exploring Books Actually was like exploring the items in someone's home, and you almost feel a bit embarrassed to be looking into these personal items.

There was a discount of 20% if you bought 3 books, so I bought 2 while Ji Inn bought 1. We spent quite a while browsing though, and there was a section of old books that I really liked. I picked up a book called "The World's Best 100 Detective Stories Vol. X" (the centre one of the 3 red books) and wasn't sure if it was actually for sale because it didn't seem to have a price tag and all the books there were so old. The sales staff said it was though, and I briefly contemplated buying it but decided it was too expensive in the end. I have always loved reading detective stories, and the old ones have a charm of their own. They are more slow-paced and intellectual (vs the fast-paced action and cunning of contemporary Crime & Thriller novels), and feature lovely characters with odd quirks.

Reading picks of the day for me were "The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared" by Jonas Jonasson and "Freedom From Fear" by Aung San Suu Kyi. I chose the first one because it sounded like an interesting adventure. I started reading only a bit, but have to say it's pretty slow or maybe it just takes time for me to be engaged. The concept is worth thinking about though. When you're 100 years old, and nearly on the brink of death, it
doesn't really matter what you do anymore. Even going against the law. For the second one, I chose because I liked the writing style after I read a few pages. It's now with my mum though, because she was saying that she has nothing to read and she likes such political books.

We explored a few more shops after that. Wanted to visit Nana & Bird but it was closed.


Our final stop: Drips Bakery Cafe. We ordered tartlets (chocolate for me and raspberry for Ji Inn) and Ji Inn ordered a green tea latte as well. It was really good, but after the tartlets (which were a bit too filling and too sweet) we didn't feel like having anything more. When we dropped by Tiong Bahru Cafe, we took one look at the many pastries and decided we couldn't stomach the sight of any more baked goods (haha pun intended).


All in all, a good leisurely afternoon spent in the cafes and bookstores of Tiong Bahru. Most of the time was spent in Books Actually so we didn't explore much (and a lot of shops were closed), but kind of glad anyway for that time to just read and browse. 

Delighted,


Ji Inn's

My turn! Shall just add on a bit since Stella has already detailed most of the trip (thanks dear!). NUS U Town was tricky to get to because it wasn't in my GPS and I missed the turn-in the first time round. I'm kind of a road idiot (direct translation from Mandarin) so yes driving is quite bad for me. Anyway, I did manage to pick Stella up and we did get to Tiong Bahru so I guess it was okay.

At Flock's Cafe I ordered a sandwich with prawns and avocado etc. Thought the combination sounded quite interesting and yummy. It was not too bad! But a bit bland after a while I guess.


Then we popped into Books Actually and didn't pop out again until eons later. Kind of expected for 2 book-crazy girls! I didn't expect to buy books actually (oh my god unintended pun!) but Stella was already picking books which made me tempted too. Searched high and low for a good one because I didn't want to spend money on a book just for the sake of it. Finally found one called The Promise Bird, which was translated from Chinese I think. I've never really read much Asian books so I thought I'd give this a try. Plus it looks really pretty and feels nice.

Labels: author: ji inn, author: stella, friends and friendships, hobbies and interests, personal, reading and books