Had some of the best bread and pastry for a long time and I ate most of it before remembering I was supposed to take a photo for the blog! Arrghhh…. The owner, Sophia, is a long time friend – I stayed with her family who took great care of me when I was studying in San Francisco years ago. It was great catching up with her! I have always remembered her as a wonderful cook and baker and the many hours of fun we had in the kitchen and restaurant.

We lost touch after I came back to Singapore, and Sophia and her family eventually did moved back to Singapore a few years ago. Hence it was no surprise that Sophia, after finishing her Le Cordon Bleu Training in Paris, decided to set up a French Patisserie here. Mirabelle (meaning “Great Beauty” in French, as well as the name of a yellow fruit favored by Sophia when she was a student in Paris) threw open it’s door six months ago in a nondescript corner along Mackenzie Road.  

I did some quick search on the Internet, and found that her croissants were touted to be the best in Singapore by many a food blogger including Chubby Hubby at www.chubbyhubby.net. And Mirabelle was also featured on 8 Days and Simply Her as a little haven of Paris right in the midst of Singapore.

Even Beth, who don’t like sweet things, wolfed down the whole Sweet Potato Bun after taking her first bite when she was supposed to share with me. Luckily I have got Sophia’s mobile and I’m going to order her croissants (and that charcoal custard bun which I wolfed down in a minute) before I dropped by again….mnm….will tomorrow be too soon?

Tip for Couples: Buy some pastries or try the famed croissants to sweeten the hearts of your loved ones!

Always dreamed of having your wedding/proposal/renewal of vows at a Las-Vegas Style Wedding Chapel? You can do so soon, provided that we win the contest “The Ultimate Start Up Space”!

Vote for us (Eeping is the actual creator and brainchild of this fantastic idea) at www.ultimatestartupspace.com.sg, entry #143. You will need to go ‘View All Entries’, then click till page 4, and click on “Asia’s First Wedding Chapel Bar”!

It is a pity we were both so busy that we didn’t have time to do a proper video and voice over, and the file is capped at a certain limit. Hence I will present it proper here. If you have any more suggestions to make this even more wonderful, do drop us your comments! Meanwhile spread the word, every vote counts!

theweddingchapel
Thanks everyone for your support! Have a wonderful new year!

Thanks Serene for the copy of CLEO FEB 2010!

I was approached more than a month ago by Serene to match and to find a date for Joanne, a spontaneous and outgoing girl who have been single for a while.

This is the first time The Dating Loft is doing a blind match for CLEO and I was pretty excited by it!

Serene sent me a list of Joanne’s criteria:

Height min 170cm (cos I’m 1.69cm) and well built (not fat) Race: Chinese or mixed races

Like guys who are outgoing, open minded, humorous, well travelled or educated overseas, good looking (who doesn’t!), unpretentious. He can’t be a weakling cos she goes for muay thai. Likes guys who games too as she’s a gamer chick (but not too hardcore)

Bonus points for being an Aussie born Chinese and if he’s able to cook.

I met up with Joanne during lunch hour and did her profiling for her. She was a really attractive girl with a wide grin and definitely very sociable and spontaneous. We had a good chat and I gained some insights on what she might be looking for.

The next challenge is to find someone whom she can have a good date with, AND the guy has to be open about appearing on CLEO, which effectively eliminates about 90% of the single men who are generally camera-shy and very conscious about maintaining their privacy…. I personally think it is an ego thing, men just didn’t want others to know that they want/need help with their dates!

Finally I contacted Garion, a relatively new member of The Dating Loft and I personally called him to introduce myself  and to share Joanne’s profile with him. All went well….until I had to reveal that it is part of CLEO thingy…There was a pause, and I ventured,”I understand you might find this too sudden and awkward, but I promise you I will be there to do the introductions…. and it will be fun! Plus not everyone can get a chance to go on date on Cleo! If you need some time to think about it, can I call you back tomorrow?”

Another pause. And Garion replied, “Can I give you my answer now?”. My heart sank a little, he is probably going to reject me again but he said, “The answer is Yes. I am definitely nervous about this but I think I will give it a try!” Yippes!!!

On the very day of the date, I rushed down to the cafe. In my haste I forgot to bring the phone which Serene (the writer) was supposed to contact me on. I was actually 10 minutes early and noone was there yet. I called Garion as I had received  an earlier sms from him – he is definitely feeling unsure about this. Luckily he was already nearby. I decided to grab him for a quick bite and chat to put him at ease. After all, with food in your tummy and me for company, noone could be nervous for long! =)

We went to MOS burger and started chatting about his work and his frequent business trips to China and his love for night cycling. Time flew and I realised we were nearly 15 minutes late! Ditching my ice milk tea, I grabbed Garion and we flew down to Black Cafe. Apologising profusely for our lateness, I introduced Garion to Joanne while Serene snapped photos of us.

Serene then ushered me to another corner, while Garion and Joanne started chatting. “He’s cute!” gushed Serene as she sat down at the table with me, “Is he a real member?”. I smiled, “Of course he is! He’s quite eligible and really nice  as well….” We went on to dicuss about the local dating scene, and the perception that there is a dearth of good men in Singapore.

Before we finally left the cafe one hour later, Garion and Joanne exchanged contacts and Serene took  more photos. The date went well!  Garion shared that he was at ease, and it turned out much better than he expected. I was really happy when I heard that. Garion:  Thank you so much for agreeing to participate in this! Wish you all the best in your dating journey!

Just attended another wedding where we had played a positive role in! Very happy to see them married after a year and a half together! Had a great lunch at Megu Hall, Singapore Flyer where they held their wedding.

The sight of them walking hand in arm together in their wedding garb brings back memories….
Every couple will have their differences and difficulties. I am glad they have decided to focus on bridging differences and overcoming obstacles to build a lifetime together.

It is well known that KP is a model husband. The guys like to joke that he “spoilt the market”! He would go back home each night to to pick Pristine up from her workplace (or wherever she is), and drove her back. She lived in the west while he lived in the east.  And he had been doing this everyday since they started dating…. The girls are really envious! =P

Whatever it is, I am glad they have made it to the red aisle, but there is a long journey ahead…. Jia you!
Tip: Reaffirm your commitment to each other through regular and consistent expressions of love. COntinue to date each other even after marriage!

Just caught the long-awaited Twilight sequel – New Moon, last Friday night. And of course I am swooning over it. Not for its oscar-worthy dialogue or script or golden horse-worthy directing or acting, but for the kind of timeless chivalry and romance that only a drop-dead gorgeous (pun intended) vampire can pull off.

Edward is hot beyond anything, even though he’s “the cold one”. He’s hot because he wanted to die when he thought Bella was dead. He’s hot because he obviously loved Bella beyond what she can hoped for or understand. “Do you have any idea what you mean to me at all?” Yes cheesy dialogue and flinch-worthy lines are found in abundance in the movie but that didn’t stop us gals from falling for it hook, bait and all.

My fiance was most gracious to buy the tickets for a Friday night show that he obviously wasn’t going to enjoy much. Obviously this was no Spider Man or Batman for him. For someone who devoured the four Twilight books in a few days after catching the first movie, I  knew exactly what was going on across the big screen as I waited almost impatiently to see my vampire and his love reunited. I almost stamped my feet and grinded my teeth in frustration as I endured the separation and the growing love friendship between Bella and Jacob. But Jacob did have a nice body. Very nice.

After the movie, I updated him about the Voltarre and how each of their followers had gifts and talents such as the ability to read someone thoughts or to cause tremendous pain, and spoilspoiler that I am, I told him about the battle between the Cullens and the Voltarres and how Bella had an immense talent…. He smiled, “The writer’s smart, rehashing some old folklore and myths into a romantic story. And all these vampires with the talents…isn’t it similiar to X-Men or other comics-movie? Then how come you are not interested?”

I rolled my eyes. Isn’t it obvious? “Because they are ugly. And because they are not romantic!”

#1 Tip for Dating Couple: Guys, do take the effort to do something romantic for your partners (before they swoon over Edward Cullen openly)