Spanish food

We finally met to celebrate Constance's birthday, belated birthday :) We decided to try the food at a Spanish restaurant - Don Quijote (don't ask me how to pronounce this :P). A quaint little place at Dempsey with quite a variety of tapas. It was pretty quiet during lunch hour. I rarely try Spanish food but I thought the food there was pretty tasty. Well, I may not know exactly what's good and authentic Spanish food but I think those were interesting dishes and I think I am also open to trying different types and kinds of cold and hot tapas. I thought I enjoyed the three kinds of tapas that we ordered, especially the one with eggplant. Most were good recommendations by the staff I must say. The ink squid pasta was...hmm, well, for me, it was nothing much to rave about but I think it sure got all our lips and teeth black :P We were so full at the end of our meal that there wasn't any more space for dessert but maybe would love to try the warm chocolate cake the next time.

His stir fry eggs with tomates

This dish certainly deserves a mention. Mark was in the mood to prepare stir fry eggs with tomatoes I think after viewing a YouTube video clip of how it's being prepared. So, there he was cooking his all time favourite dish in the kitchen for our dinner that Sunday evening. But to his horror, yes, it's really to his horror, he realised that there wasn't any sugar or salt at my place. All these times, we don't really use salt and sugar in our cooking. Did ask Mummy to buy some sugar coz some recipes do mention about adding sugar. But I guess we really don't use much of sugar at home so we did not really bother much about it. We don't add salt in our dishes too, Mummy prefers light soya sauce. Hence, maybe I have developed the habit of not using salt in my cooking too :P But anyway, the dish turned out fine I thought, unique taste of sesame oil in it :P Next time, I may re-create this dish again...add milk and sesame oil, well, maybe a little sugar would be good to reduce the sourness in the tomatoes a little and I think I still can do without salt :P

Japanese curry

Got two packets of Japanese curry powder from Mark. Recommended by Rika and bought by Mark while he was in Japan. With Yoshi's instructions in English, I was able to prepare this Japanese curry that Sunday evening when the guys came over for dinner. The previous time I cooked Japanese curry powder, I added everything in the pot...the ingredients, water and curry powder. Felt kinda weird stirring the mixture, got a feeling that that was not the right way of cooking it. This time round, followed Yoshi's instructions of stir frying the ingredients first with garlic and then poured in the water. The curry powder is added in only after the water in the pot is boiling and I think the ingredients should be about eighty percent cooked by then. Great! I would say it's a success! Phew, was worried that I may turn the whole curry into a disaster and one packet of curry powder would have gone to waste :P The kitchen is really like my cooking laboratory, a place to try, experiment and fail :P Oh well, small successes too :) ...I also prepared salted vegetable with duck soup (my second attempt for the month I think). I must say I still wasn't satisfied with the soup even though Mark said that it's good enough. The plums were added but I think maybe I should add more. I may have soaked the salted vegetables for a little too long, taste wasn't as strong as the first time. And peppercorn needed to be 'smashed' more :P Anyway, haha, another lesson learnt again.

心底的话

有些伤口，时间久了就会慢慢长好；有些委屈，受过了想通了也就释然了；有些伤痛，忍过了疼久了也成习惯了，然而却在很多孤独的瞬间，又重新涌上心头。其实，有些藏在心底的话，并不是故意要去隐瞒，只是， 并不是所有的疼痛，都可以呐喊. ~ 几米

It's Angeline's birthday!

Celebrated Angeline's birthday at Jumbo (East Coast Park) on Monday coz someone was craving for crabs :P We really ordered lots coz someone was really hungry and the birthday gal ended up having to bring back what's left. But I must say the steamed prawns were good, especially those garlic bits on top. Wonder how to make those garlic bits... Anyway, despite a tiring day at work (not me though), there's still lotsa laughter amidst our conversation :) ...Dear gal, always find time to love yourself a little and pamper yourself a little, you deserve every bit of it! Hope that you have had a wonderful birthday and sure hope that your many days, months and years ahead will always be filled with smiles, love and happiness :)

What is...tomorrow?

Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday. ~ John Wayne

What is life?

Life is a sum of all your choices. ~ Albert Camus

What is creativity?

Creativity can be described as letting go of certainties. ~ Gail Sheehy

What is humility?

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. ~ Rick Warren

The story begins...and the journey contimues

We were tasked to create a cartoon storyboard of our own professional journey during one of our tutorials. Some were clueless what to sketch or draw while some were asking questions about this reflective process. Well, I could probably also sense a tinge of cynicism around me, not much, just a tiny bit :P I thought I was rather curious about this task and was wondering if I was clear about this journey of mine. Do I know where I am going? Do I know what has led me to where, who and what I am now? What are the critical turning points or blocks in this journey? ...I thought hard and I really did and finally began creating each significant scene in this journey of mine. Brought this piece of work home to continue drawing and ha, Mummy was wondering why was I drawing and not reading or writing. Maybe those questions that we were asked to think about and the creation of those images of this journey did help me reflect on and inquire into my own professional journey. Well, one thing is for sure, I enjoyed drawing those images :)

Eat and eat

Having afternoon tea seems to be the 'in' thing in my life, or is it already an 'in' thing amongst Singaporeans? My sis's recent text to me, "eat and eat". Indeed, eat and eat :P Well, maybe I do get to enjoy more of my afternoons this year. Rene suggested having afternoon tea last Friday and as Cons and Miss Beh were also shopping in the vicinity, they also joined us. We had afternoon tea at The Atrium of Pan Pacific Hotel. The place was relatively quiet that afternoon, well, to my liking of course :P The pastries and sandwiches were served on those kinda tiered cake stands, looked very pretty and pleasing to the eyes. Haha, I was sharing with the other two that I think I am capable of making those sandwiches and make them look pretty. And well, if Rene can bake a little, maybe we could have DIY afternoon tea at home instead. Oh but we probably gotta get some good scones too. I thought the scones served at The Atrium were a little too dry for me and I think no clotted cream can be compared to what I had in London (so far :P). But overall, I think I do like the ambience (the space and the tall ceiling), the attentive service of the staff and oh, we had free flow of tea and coffee (of your choice). I tried two types of tea and dear Rene and Cons had two cups of coffee and a cup of tea each. Oh my, high on caffeine! But thanks for the company ladies and sorry I had to rush off for my evening class after that :P

Salted vegetables and duck soup

Actually, had been wanting to try preparing this soup and decided to give it a go today. I guess just thinking about it is not enough, must really try doing it! Realised that our family has never tried preparing this soup at home. I kinda volunteered to buy the ingredients but Mummy insisted that she would get the ingredients from the wet market. Ha, come to think of it, yup, I didn't even know where to buy the duck :P Well, maybe to Mummy, I may be like a lost sheep in the wet market, bleating pitifully amongst all the 'veterans' who frequent the wet market. Although the wet market is often an unfamiliar place to me, I always love the feel of being in one, like to observe the happenings and listen to conversations around me. Anyway, back to my soup. Ingredients include half a duck (skin removed and cut into 4 or 5 pieces), some salted vegetables (soaked in water for about 20 minutes before putting into the pot), tomatoes, garlic, ginger slices, peppercorn. Forgot to buy plums so did not add any :P The whole kitchen was filled with the aroma of the soup near dinner time. Hmm, well, when I tasted the soup, kinda the right taste and the meat was real soft and tender after about nearly two hours of cooking in the pot. I should say the soup is good enough for me but something seemed to be missing but silly me couldn't tell again, could it be the absence of plums? :P My father thought the soup's fine. Well, I still love my soup, had two big bowls of it :) Maybe the next time if I have the chance to prepare this soup again, maybe I can add some tofu. Gosh, my tummy is filled with lotsa soup now...

Bon Appetit

Sitting by the window and watching the drizzle as we were enjoying our meal

The interior

Green asparagus with Burgundian escargot & hollandaise...sauce is good!

This was our favourite! Foie gras terrine with raisin brioche

My main course...red snapper with stewed lentils in vinegar. Hmm, no fishy taste, I would say that the side complemented the main pretty well. PY's French duck leg confit was a little too dry for her liking though.

Profiteroles...we almost licked the plate :P We also had the warm pear tart with vanilla ice cream.

PY recommended a place for set lunch a few weeks ago and we finally managed to meet for our long-waited lunch appointment. It's a Monday and as I drove into town, loved the fact that there wasn't any crowd and the late morning drizzle kinda sweetened this particular Monday, otherwise would usually be known as "Monday blue" to many. Bistro Du Vin, part of the Les Amis Group, is located at a little corner of Shaw Centre. A simple bistro bathed in warm lighting. I thought I was very attracted to its Parisian charm when I first stepped into the bistro and it has given me a pretty laid-back feel, especially with jazz playing in the background. Well, it offers 3-course set lunches at $30++. I must say that the appetizers have delighted my taste buds more than the main courses. Dessert was a perfect conclusion to the whole meal, leaving behind sweet memories of the little bistro... While enjoying our lunch, PY and I kinda shared about our fears. Ha, I thought I was alone but realised that we shared a common fear - going back to work again after a year of study leave. Well, I guess besides coming to terms with our fear, it's always good to know that you are not alone. Wish us luck!

An idea popped and conceived

Simply loved my lunch! Another simple yet satisfying meal :)

Erm, prepared too much ingredients so made a little salad out of them :P

Had always wanted to add more colours to the cold noodles that I usually prepare for myself. So decided to experiment with the idea of adding other ingredients to Japanese cold noodles. I shredded and added carrots, Japanese kyuri (cucumber), tamago yaki and inari (I think that's watz it's called). Mixed all the ingredients with the cold noodles. Half of the portion was dipped in Japanese soya sauce for cold noodles. I thought this way of eating didn't really work well, the taste of other ingredients has overpowered the flavour of the soya sauce and has made it a little redundant except for adding some moisture to the whole dish. As for the other half of the portion, I mixed everything with Japanese sesame salad dressing. Yummy! I think I prefer this way of eating when more ingredients are added to cold noodles. The fragrant sesame dressing complemented the rest of the ingredients, together with the crunchiness of the carrots and cucumber and the sweetness of the inari and tamago yaki, interesting mix! :)

The door...his entrance to his world

The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. ~ Dorothy Parker

Whoopie pies

I think the most popular label amongst all my blog posts should be "food". Gosh! I think I have been quite a well-fed gal :P Lovely Snoop delivered some lovely homemade whoopie pies to my place in the afternoon. Somehow, Snoop and I seem to have the same problem - obsession with details at times. Well, if you see this problem in a more positive light, maybe this problem may be able to bring a little joy to life at times :) Although all the whoopie pies are homemade, each is placed in this sweet little box. With every bite of the pie, one could also feel the great effort put in to bake and present every whoopie pie. I know I have faith and confidence in Snoop when it comes to details :) The whoopie pies are a little too sweet for me but I truly appreciate the effort and thoughtfulness. Thank you Snoop dearie! Great job! Next time, must try making Oreo ones k :P

Potato stew?

Not quite sure if this is exactly potato stew but I guess that's how I would call my homecooked lunch. Mummy said that we needed to finish eating those potatoes in the cabinet soon so decided to make a dish out of them. Peered into the refrigerator to see what could go well with those potatoes. Found capsicum, carrots, crab meat bits, vegetarian chicken slices, Chinese mushroom...all pretty suitable to be cooked with potatoes. Well, at least I thought I just wanted to create a colourful dish :) Ha, love this colourful dish, looked pretty cheery on top of the rice. Another simple yet satisfying lunch!

Darn, the eating continues...

Kat eats macarons like they're potato chips, told her she may wanna try savouring every bit of a macaron slowly. But I think my suggestion has kinda fallen on deaf ears :P Well, as long as she enjoys what she eats :)

Dark chocolate...a taste of bitterness and it has got a layer of biscuit in it, adding crunchiness to every mouthful of it.

Hmm, the strawberry shortcake was real fluffy and not really sweet but Ms Tan and I thought it's still not the best strawberry shortcake in town :P

Passion fruit was real overpowering in this, very fruity indeed!

I like this coz has got the taste of tea in it...

Dun even think of slimming down if you have a friend like Kat :P She recommended a nice little place for dessert last evening. It's Antoinette (30 Penhas Road) and I think it's pretty near Lavender MRT station. I thought it's a nice place for tea in the afternoon too. We had only cakes (ha, forgot all their names) but we thought the crepes seemed nice too. The breakfast menu looks good too. There's quite a good variety of tea to choose from. Still sticked to my old time favourite, moroccan mint, although they recommended organic ying-yang. Well, maybe will try that the next time :P Goodness, nice little cafes and teahouses are sprouting real fast all over this little island of ours. Well, all I can say, do take time for a cup of tea or coffee and a slice of cake in the busyness of our lives. Well, I think I better find lotsa time to exercise and detox :P

Eat, drink and eat again

Always thirsty...anyone for a root beer float? No one really does it better than A&W I guess :P

Penang laksa...sourish and I thought it always has this real exotic taste which you really dun get it anywhere else

Yes, char kuey teow again, we had it every day, from different places :P

Char kuey teow...always love the crunchiness of the beansprouts

There were many other types of local fare that we tried but ha, was too busy eating to take pictures :P The chee cheong fun in Penang is always my favourite! Love the prawn sauce on it and eating it in the morning was simply considered a luxury to me, especially with a cup of teh, great satisfaction indeed at the beginning of the day :) Oh yes, this may sound gruesome but I also love eating the pigs blood tofu or pudding-like stuff found in the curry mee in Penang. Ha, I am one real freak :P ...Haiz, laden with much guilt from eating so much sinful stuff as I reached home that day.

Let them speak

Through the wall...

The walls never fail to bring surprises...

Every wall is a piece of art...

Along the coast...enjoyed the evening breeze. As I looked at the sky when the sun was setting, I noticed that the picturesque scene in front of my eyes changed every minute and every minute of it was filled with surprises, charm and delight...

Found a tiny little cafe...my orange ginger, loved watching the drizzle outside through that tiny entrance of the cafe...

Along the street...how could I ever miss that pair of eyes, it's got a really nice coat of fur :)

With Mark's help with my camera, got a pic of this lovely water lily...well, which otherwise would have probably gone unnoticed along the street. Hmm, was wondering, what is a perfect shot? Is there ever a perfect shot?...A photographer can take numerous shots and yet not be totally satisfied with the final product. However, I always love to see and feel that sensitivity, persistence, commitment and passion in a photographer to perfect that shot...

Waiting for our fried kuey teow in an old and traditional coffeeshop...starting to love sitting in such a coffeeshop like this, enjoying my cup of teh and watching the evening rays flooding the little historical treasure. Well, at least, that's how I much I treasure it...

Maybe I had been spending too much time in front of my laptop working on my assignment for the past weeks that I did not really feel like creating strings of words in my blog, probably too brain tired to do so too. Headed to Penang with a group of friends over the last weekend, it was a good break but somehow, I thought I was real tired after this trip. But thanks to the great hospitality of our wonderful hosts, Derrick and Joshua, it was a great eating trip, just like the past few times we were there :) ...Anyway, I think I shall let the pictures do the 'talking' instead because trust me, they do speak if you do pay close attention to them and if you do 'listen' carefully :)