So for a creativity-filled birthday this year, @themarketgirl signed us up for a Social Painting class at ARTEASTIQ; an art space cum tea lounge located at the fourth floor of swank Mandarin Gallery.

ARTEASTIQ believes that we city-folks rarely have the time and perhaps space to explore our creative side, hence the birth of a social painting scene where folks are welcome to pop by (guided or non-guided by a coach/teacher/patient individual) and paint to a chosen theme. Rejuvenating and refreshing tea beverages are also served for a wholesome therapeutic experience.

After three hours of tip-top patience, overflowing creative juices, free-flow acrylic paint and impeccable guidance, we are f**king proud to present the fruits of our labour!

I have a soft spot for prawn fritters (虾饼 xia bing), and this stall at Tanjong Pagar Plaza sure didn't disappoint my salivating tastebuds.

Selling the delectable local dish 五香虾饼 (wu xiang xia bing); an irresistable assortment of home-made prawn fritters, ngoh hiang, pork liver rolls, savoury egg rolls and pinkish pork sausage, be prepared to beat the clock as the owner only operates for a short span of 2-3 hours per day (from 11am till 2pm, or whilst stocks last).

Fried Bee Hoon (rice vermicelli) is the sidekick of choice when tucking in to 五香虾饼. We were delighted to find fried pork lard and some greens in this stall's version. Lucky us, it was also the last plate of bee hoom for the day!

Did I also mention that the prawn fritters are made and fried upon order? Feel free to ignore the oil and calories for once and indulge in a dish so stuck to its roots; its almost like you are munching on tradition.

Five Spice Prawn Fritter is located at Blk 5 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #02-04/5, Teck Kee Coffeeshop.

For the family, first day of lunar new year typically starts off with a sweet breakfast of fried 年糕 nian gao (sticky cake fritters made with glutinous rice and brown sugar). Filled with auspicious meanings, eating 年糕 is believed to symbolize 歩歩高升 ("raising oneself higher with each step" or making steady progress)!

Another family favourite is Chap Chye (stewed assortment of vegetables, mushrooms and dried beancurd). This goes really well with steamed rice.

I've always thought of this dish as interesting. Leftover fish, prawns, ngoh hiang (deep-fried roll stuffed with pork, waterchestnuts and prawns) and vegetables are mixed together and wok-fried to heat it all up. The dish therefore comes filled with many distinct flavours, all nicely blended together in a ketchup-based gravy.

A timeless tradition. Kicking off our reunion dinner with home-made lo hei ("Prosperity Toss" Raw Fish Salad or 鱼生). Always a fun affair, shredded ingredients are tossed high into the air whilst auspicious well-wishes are shouted out loud for a good year ahead.

Lunar new year; let the feasting begin.

Simply because Bangkok loves Blackberry and certainly Blackberry does rather good justice to the colours of Bangkok too, here's a quickie on some of the sights + sounds of our trip.

Nang Loeng market on Nakhon Sawan Road, a stone's throw from our lodging at Loog Choob, is a undisbuted gem in itself. More than a century old, the place is a notable haven for ol'skool sights and morning meals sold by generations after generations of hawkers. Almost everyone who comes to Nang Loeng seems to have a favourite food item or seller whom they go to. Come lunch time, Nang Loeng gets all hustling and bustling with the local office crowd. Chow worth going back for include Curry Rice with Chinese Sausage, Roast Pork, Duck Noodles, Catfish Salad and Beef Noodles. Check out the old cinema too, and the rows of old shophouses selling provisions and knick-knacks.

The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre left us amazed. Art surrounds the vicinity even before we set foot into the venue. We caught the Survival Project; an exhibition done in collaboration with Design for Disasters (D4D) network that serves also as a discussion channel to deal with the city's recent flooding.

Street food is quintessentially the backbone of Bangkok's vitality; something we really love. Hit the streets of Thong Lo (lane 19) for really good roast pork + char siew noodles or grab some grilled corn from Wang Lang market.

Our arrival at Bangkok is awesome thus far and Loog Choob's decor is so amazing that we can don't go anywhere!

And only in Bangkok, you see city kid like this doing laundry.

So we touched down in Chiangmai today.

Transited in BKK and found time for Dunkins with a cup of hot chocolate. Flew via Thai Airways and we're loving the spanking new A330 Airbus! 

We're lodging at Gord Chiangmai, a real charmer situated in the Old City. Weather's good, people are friendly, and we had mookata buffet for dinner! The restaurant หมูกะทะ ABC is situated at the tip of Rachamaka Soi 6. Costs 119 baht per pax. Go for the pork belly!

We asked Mrs Pa for her recommendations and she proceeded to whip up a delicious shake of mango, passionfruit and strawberries! Mrs Pa's really generous with her ingredients too. There's a whole mango in there mind you, and the total cost......... 20 baht! Mrs Pa even told us to drink up first so that she can fill up our cup with the remaining slush from the blender. We've since decided to fulfil our vitamin intake requirements with fruit smoothie from Mrs Pa's for the next few days. Swear!

On an ending note for today, we really can't wait to explore the rest of the city on foot & bike!

We did a Penang-Ipoh-KL vacation in 2009, and went back again recently in 2011. Our hearts (and stomach) were immensely captivated by the sights, taste, smell, and total package of eating out and its best eats.

Ipoh let's go!

Breakfast goodness at Sin Yoon Loong and Ah Chow coffeeshop.

Everyone's eating chicken with bean sprouts, so we do too at Restoran Lou Wong.

We missed Funny Mountain soya bean milk in 2009, wouldn't miss it for anything in 2011.

Ol'skool coffeehouse magic with Fantasy Food & Snack. Honeyed pork chops!

Indulge with Indulgence; fine dining with doses of flavor and creativity.