Missing you!

Always love it when Mark sends me photos of Sunny Baby :) Never fails to make my day...and make me miss Baby even more.

Penang Seafood Restuarant

Meow!

Fish was fresh, gravy was shiok, a pretty good balance of spiciness and sourish taste but we suspected that coconut milk might have been added as the gravy was thick and rich. Every bit of that head, together with the eye, was wiped out and every bone was licked clean :P

Penang char kway teow...I think it really had that wok flavour, love the crunchiness of the bean sprouts but it seemed a little different from what I have tasted in Penang.

Fermented deep fried pork belly...I was wondering why fermented and JX explained that the meat was probably marinated with some kinda fermented bean sauce before being deep fried. Great creation, crispy and tasty!

Finally managed to meet up with JX for Assam fish head on Friday night. Both of us love fish heads and we agreed quite some months back that we would meet up for a meal of real shiok Assam fish head. Glad we did, good to catch up :) The kitty in me mewed and rejoiced as we headed to a little well-hidden gem at Geylang Lor 25A (Near to Aljunied MRT Station). Penang Seafood Restaurant - a cze char place which also includes Penang food in their menu. It was really crowded around dinner time and they only take reservation for 6 or more people. As I looked around the eating place, most seemed to be eating Assam Laksa, noticed that the gravy seemed pretty similar to what I had in Penang...ha, brought back memories of those trips to Penang. I must say both of us were pleased with the service (quick, attentive and humble despite the crowd) and of course, the food for the evening. I think I will be back to try the fish head again but probably have it cooked in another way. Not to forget, gotta try their Assam laksa and Penang prawn mee too! :P

Cze Char - Uniquely Singapore

Ha, I think we spent the whole night feasting, chatting and laughing. Oops, Rene and Edmond are not captured in this shot :P

Somehow, I like things cooked in a claypot...the gravy for the claypot fishhead was not salty and went well with rice and fish was fresh.

Met this little sweetie...ha, fed him some pieces of fish and I seemed to become its saviour for the night :P

Another makan session among a few of my ex-colleagues yesterday. This time it was at Rong Ji Seafood, a cze char place at Cactus Road (Yio Chu Kang) as recommended by Julia. It was kinda a nice cool evening after a heavy rain. I heard from my father that those cze char places around that area are usually quite crowded during weekends. I thought the meal we had at Rong Ji was rather cheap, considering the kinda dishes that we have ordered...claypot fishhead, sambal crayfish, yam ring, roasted chicken, cereal prawns and sambal potato leaves. Well, I couldn't help but feel that Singaporeans are really blessed, one can easily find these kinda cze char places at different parts of the island. Their prices are pretty affordable and some serve really tasty food too. I think some of these cze char places even come up with rather innovative dishes. I guess those cze char chefs are also experimenting and trying to create unique and unusual yet affordable dishes. Good for them!

Come on, silly gal!

My few attempts to blog for the past week were met with reluctance and hesitance. Having spent hours in front of my lappy typing my assignments everyday, the last thing I ever wanted to do was to look at that keyboard of mine or even to think of the strings of words to express myself in my blog. My brain was too tired even though my heart had that desire to express. I just felt compelled to close my lappy, leave my table and stay away from the 'war zone' lest it could lead to any form of permanent damage :P And yes, sometimes, the naughty and ill-disciplined side of me would choose to unleash the rebel in me and start a revolution by fighting for more time for myself, strictly no readings or assignment doing. I promised to love myself a little more this year and I will keep my promise :)

I would say the kind of stress that I have as a student is different from the kinda stress one faces at work, very different. I have come to realise that learning is indeed not easy, at least in this programme of mine, but I must say that it is made easy with the people around you. A word of encouragement goes a long way and certainly grateful to have the great support from my coursemates, glad that we have always been there for one another through the tough times and those crazy moments :) This programme of mine is coming to an end in less than a month's time and I still have two more assignments to complete...come to think of it, sure gonna miss those times spent together with my coursemates. Ha, yes, I must say we are all really tired from doing all our assignments but I think when we look back, we will realise that it's probably quite an enriching and fruitful learning journey. And as for silly me, to have gone through and survived this journey, I think I sure deserve a pat on my shoulder :) Come on, silly gal, hang in there!

Teochew steamboat

Soup was rich but somehow, I thought it's still a little salty for me. Well, maybe it's me :P But I really love the beancurd skin - a must-try if you are a beany lover!

Wow, we really can eat! :P Fishballs, meatballs, wanton, squid paste, fish paste noodles...all recommended! I think to me, what's essentially good about this restaurant is the freshness of its ingredients. That does make the whole Teochew steamboat experience all worth it :)

Red grouper...fresh! Pork belly...hmm, not of much appeal to me in this meal, maybe a kinda sauce has to be concocted to serve as a kinda dip to complement the thin slices of meat?

My very good friend recommended a steamboat restaurant at Joo Chiat Road and so I went with another two of my good friends for dinner at that restaurant :) It's Teochew Traditional Steamboat Restaurant (176, Joo Chiat Road). A simply done up place and it was rather crowded during dinner time. I think reservation is recommended especially during weekends. We ordered too much and had difficulty finishing. Well, at least I think we tried our best not to waste food :P

Baking...a science

I was really wishing for a cup of hot tea while we were savouring the freshly baked croissants :P

Before placing it into the oven, a croissant? A crab?...Whatever it is, please do remember to appreciate and savour every bit of a croissant the next time you are eating one coz I must say it's really not easy baking croissants.

Crispy on top and real soft and fluffy beneath...have you ever experienced the excitement of bringing out a tray of freshly baked muffins from the oven? You should :)

Someone's crazy over bananas, hoping that every mouthful of the muffin is filled with pieces of banana :P

Attended a baking class (kinda an informal one I would say) with Mark and Derrick at Sally's place over the weekend. The agenda for that afternoon was banana muffins and croissants. Sally's a real warm, bubbly and friendly housewife. One thing which really amazes me is the fact that she's allergic to dairy products and yet she loves to bake. Yup, I think I can confidently say that it's her passion. I feel that it's not only the knowledge and skills of baking that I have learnt from Sally but also her dispositions and attitude towards her love - baking. Standing at the mixer, putting in one tablespoon of evaporated milk into the mixer at every interval of two minutes and never taking her eyes off the mixer...well, that's very much patience to me. Silly us asked if we could just pour in all the milk at one go into the mixer and she said no firmly, sharing that the shortcut would not give us nice muffins and that every little step counts :P

I remember PY once shared with me that cooking is an art and baking is a science. I think I couldn't agree more. Precision in baking is important but I am not sure if I like the science of it all, it could be somewhat like a form of restriction to me. I think I am someone who doesn't like to follow closely to recipes too. I was also wondering if baking could be an art too, well, maybe to a certain extent. You see, one needs to know the basics of baking and that's science. However, having a good grasp of the knowledge of the basics, the next level would be mastering the art of baking. What do you think?

The rebel was in town

My masala chicken and mango wrap...a great idea for making sandwiches, you never know the wonders of adding fruits to your savoury dishes, you just need to experiment a little to find the right mix I guess.

Saw Elvis?! Hee, I meant the peanut butter cupcake from Marmalade Toast...as sinful as ever but worth committing this 'sin' :P Thanks PY for tea! :)

The rebel turned 'nasty' and decided to give herself a break from assignments despite having a list of things to work on. She followed her heart without seeking permission from her brain and decided to enjoy her Friday. Going to her hairstylist was first on the agenda, nothing beats snipping away the locks of hair that at times remind you of some of the frustration and struggles in life. Oh, always love the magical touch of the hands of the shampoo lady, the massage on the head soothes and calms...wished it was longer though :P Did a little shopping and PY decided to join the rebel for tea before they headed for their evening class. They had tea at Marmalade Toast, a cafe by the Marmalade Group. Ha, you are probably thinking of nice cupcakes now, you should be :P Well, Marmalade Toast is a little well-hidden gem in Ngee Ann City. Nice little cafe with little yellow ceramic tiles, very chic and cozy...a more causal version of Marmalade Pantry I suppose. A great place to grab a quick bite, sip a cup of tea, read a book or just browse through some magazines...

Furry love

When pets show their love and appreciation, they are pure, innocent and most times, they do so with a lot of saliva.

Mr Bernard Liew, principal consultant, Animal World Express

Relishing Relish

Happy happy birthday Miss Tan!

Portobello tofu burger with caramelised onions in between...so guiltless eating that, love the taste!

Hae Bee Hiam spaghetti...hee, trust Chef Willin to cook up such a east-meets-west dish. Forgot to ask Miss Tan for her verdict of her main :P

Hand-cut onion rings with curry mayo...ha, feel like spreading some of that curry mayo on a slice of roti prata :P

A pity Relish is not open for tea in the afternoon. I think it's kinda a nice place to spend a quiet afternoon.

Had dinner with a dear friend of mine who is always one week younger than I am :P Isn't she proud and happy to hear this from me, haha! We checked out Relish in Cluny Court (Bukit Timah). A nice quiet place to enjoy the evening on a Monday, friendly and attentive staff too. Hmm, as for the food, we wished the mushroom soup and onion rings weren't that salty, ha, we were wondering at one point if the chef had just woken up from his afternoon nap and had accidentally added an extra dash of salt to the onion rings and soup :P But thank goodness, the mains were fine, erm, chef was much awake?

The finale?

What a beautiful day...

The October babies...celebrating with another dear friend of mine, Jessie :) Thanks Mark for helping to take the pics :)

Oops, look who's eyeing the cake :P

Craving for kueh pie tee... Red lips kueh pie tee did not disappoint :)

Ha, I was wondering if I should call it the finale. Had a group of good friends over for dinner, it was kinda like a potluck and oh boy, they really brought yummy food but I think their presence was the best gift last Saturday. Hmm...maybe it's not really a finale, celebration of life and friendship takes place every day and every minute of our lives...

...Erinna, a handwritten card is always one of the most beautiful gifts in life, thank you ...Gean 姐姐, wish I have a 姐姐 like you ...Adeline, thanks for helping out. 有你在, 我放心, 我也懒惰, 被你宠坏了, hee! ...Joyce, thinking of those times we have travelled together and yup, still remember my promise to Le-Ann ...Jessie, why do we always have endless things to talk about? Glad to know dat ...Lee Shan, u looked tired, work is not equal to life, always know dat u are treasured k ...Mark, I sure hope dat I will continue to hope and dream, thanks for reminding ...Derrick, u never fail to bring sunshine n your positivity is infectious ...Teck Keng, I guess body, mind and soul all need nourishment, here's wishing u many restful and peaceful nights ahead ...Martin, good to see the fun side of you, dun ever let it be buried by the hustle n bustle of life ...Sunny baby, u always brighten my day, hope you know dat I am saying "thank u".

Have you ever thought about this?

Few people want to be remembered for their material achievements. More likely, we all want to be remembered for being kind and caring; someone who helped others; who loved and gave unstintingly. Question: What are we doing to deserve that kind of eulogy? This is where it pays to live it backwards. Spend time thinking of what's important to you and how you want to be remembered. Write your eulogy. Then live by it.

Chua Mui Hoong, in "Living la vida loca - backwards" (The Sunday Times, 8 August 2004)

A nightmare

XW: Had a nightmare about you dropping my MacBook and the metallic cover cracked and I could not retrieve my documents and assignments. Urgh!! The 'interesting' thing was you had scotch tape over the crack! ...What a nightmare! Nearly screamed at you in my dream.

XF: Did the scotch tape help? I bet it did, heh :P

XW: KNS

Still celebrating...

Without fail for the past couple of years, we will find time to celebrate birthdays of one another. No longer 'fighting battles' together in the same workplace but I believe that those times spent together will always be treasured. We had a celebration on Thursday for the three October babies. Ha, as usual, we were laughing loudly in the restaurant, a lovely lunch in the company of friends once again. Rene, Joyce, Julia, Chu Hwei, Jeslyn and Edmond...Thank you :)

My very good friend wrote me a card...

To my very good friend...I was looking at those photos that I have taken this afternoon while we were having our late lunch but none seems to be as beautiful as the one above. You asked me to read the card only when I'm home, I did... Thank you for reminding that we have been great friends for more than two decades, goodness, I really couldn't believe it! Are you sure?...Thank you for remembering those times that we were still students in school, my uniform, my silly hair fringe, my purple pencil case and all my highlighters in it! It's real sweet of you to still remember those little things that I thought I could have almost forgotten if not for you :) It really means alot to me to have you in my life, thanks for this precious gift - your friendship :)

这就是枰子…

天秤座，最在乎亲情和友情，他们不是不在乎爱情，只是，他们不敢去想，小说里的情节，会发生在自己的身上。也许，秤子更害怕被欺骗，他们有神经质，别人说了什么，就来回去想，想着想着就变了味道。秤子，最会瞎想，常常想的自己都睡不着觉，跟他们相处时间长了，你就知道他们有多天真。

在天秤的心里，希望世界都是如童话般纯净，潜意识里不想去面对复杂的人际关系，可还是在努力的适应，有了委屈没有办法去诉说的时候，总是一个人偷偷哭过，擦干泪水装作若无其事，一个人哭，一个人委屈，一个人在变得坚强，一个人在适应生存环境。

秤子最大的弱点就是心软，即使受到再大的打击和伤害，只要对方低下头来说对不起，虔诚的道歉，秤子就会忍不住说没关系。秤子最见不得别人哭，看到痛哭流涕的人，会不由得去同情，去安慰。秤子的心最软，也最容易受伤，生活的琐碎，习惯了一个人承受。

天秤不喜欢向别人提要求。对朋友一点要求都不会提。如果向你提要求，就代表对你的喜欢和信赖非同一般，不过就算再信赖一个人，天秤也很少开口要求什么。因为天秤是随遇而安的，心态很平静，悠哉，而且不喜欢欠任何人的人情。不喜欢打探朋友的太多私事，也不喜欢逼喜欢的人讲不愿讲的，这是一份尊重。

天秤其实是一个很恋旧的人，例如一首喜欢的歌曲也可以重复的听了好几年。别看天秤平时笑嘻嘻看似无忧无虑，当他们一个人独处的时候却又显得很容易感伤。天秤害怕独处害怕孤单，泪腺发达却只会夜深人静的时间躲在角落偷偷流泪，擦干眼泪又是笑脸嘻嘻的面对。天秤都是善良又不记恨往事的孩子。

虽然天秤们看上去很坚强，很乐观，其实他们内心是很脆弱很没安全感的，正因为如此，他们才会有选择性障碍，因为怕会选错而失去什么，怕选择不够完美，而令人失望，秤子身边的人们啊，多点爱护秤子吧，让他们变的更坚强，更温暖，快乐的他们会带更多的快乐给你们的。

永远表面开心，即使极度的难过，但还是把痛苦深埋心里，只有自己一个人或在懂自己的人面前时才会释放自己…可以一个人过上一整天…有条有序的安排好一天的行程，想想从前的那段时光…到了第二天就会没事的，就会好起来的。这就是枰子…

天秤座蜜语

http://weibo.com/1901122663

Priceless gifts

A nicely designed handmade card, I am so very proud of you, Nura! Thank you Angeline, Nura and Belinda, you almost moved me to tears with this and your lovely messages :)

You will never ever find another similar handwritten card like this one in the world, this is the one and only special handwritten card...Thank you dear Miss Tan :)

Sawadee-licious

Buddies at work :)

Especially baked by Nura! I was so very touched...nothing really beats what's handmade and homemade with much love. Thank you babe!

My favourite! Green tea crepe with warm chocolate sauce...a piece of heaven!

If you are a coconut lover, you need to try this. Bits of coconut in between the real soft pandan-flavoured sponge.

Green curry...decent curry that I think one could easily get it in most Thai eateries. I would say nothing to rave about for this dish.

Pad Thai rice noodles...I will certainly go back for this again!

Tom yum soup...rich but too salty for me, sorry, not on my list of good tom yum soup :P

Pomelo with prawns salad...what a great combination! A must-try!

I had dinner with a few of my buddies at work at Coffee Stars by Dao @Wisma Atria, an apparently quite popular eatery cum cafe in Thailand. It serves both Thai and Western food. The kinds of cakes they serve are simply enticing too. Not really very crowded on a Monday, well, not really sure if our laughter did scare away some diners though :P But dear gals, thanks for remembering and for always making the celebration such a memorable one :)

Reminiscing the good old days at Pagi Sore

Time for some dessert...chendol was not too sweet

Sambal squid...Erm, do they sell their sambal sauce? We had an assam fishhead too but I thought it was just so-so

The highlight for me for that evening :)

Grilled chicken...the Indonesian way, recommended!

Gotta try this keropok dipped in their sambal belacan

My parents asked me where I would like to have dinner last Sunday, wanted to give me a treat. Ha, but frankly speaking, they have been pampering me with lotsa treats all my life. I may not be the best daughter in the world but I am quite sure I have got the best parents in the world, count your blessings silly gal :) I thought of a place that my whole family used to have dinner on Sundays...Pagi Sore Indonesian Restaurant. I craved for tahu telor so thought maybe it's a good idea to head down to Pagi Sore for some. Mummy liked the dishes there too and it's been a long long time since we were there for dinner. We had a set dinner...goodness, a little too much for me but guess what, tahu telor was the highlight for me that evening, sedap! :P

Casual French and lovely friends

Taking a pic with Miss Tan who's one week younger than I am :P Happy Birthday to us!

Oreo cheesecake...baked with love by Kat for the two October babies :) You know, one of the loveliest things in life is knowing that someone has put in much time, effort, care and love to bake or cook something for me, you can never buy such gifts in life. Thank you so so much my dear Kat for always giving me the loveliest things in life :)

Engaging in some kinda serious conversation in the midst of communal dining? Well, what really happens when a group of ladies comes together? :P

Love the smile on Rene's face, amused by Jakki's expression and curious about Miss Beh's concentration

Casual French

Roast pork collar with Djion mustard sauce...meat so tender that it tore easily when it's being pierced by a fork, the sauce...goodness, it simply completes this heavenly dish. It's a dish that would certainly make me lust for more :P

Pan seared Chilean sea bass...a little salty for me but I thought it was still fabulously done, loved the crispy skin and its natural oils simply brought much delight to the taste buds

Poulet roti (roasted chicken)...meat so tender, tasty and juicy, certainly a must-try at Cocotte!

Wonder what kind of salad dressing they used...such refreshing taste. The blue cheese, nuts and pieces of pears were such good complements to the greens, love it!

Escargot, see them? Hmm, not impressive...

Bread rolls were warm when served...that's important :)

Anyone's using a typewriter?

Caught my attention

Awed by the lights...

You don't really have to worry about dressing up dining at Cocotte, simply coz it's kinda like a casual French eatery. It has got this homey feel as you enter the eatery. Design is kinda uniquely quirky and chic. Food's generally great but I thought it was a little salty for the mains, maybe the chef should go a little easy on salt. Well, but I would say it's a real well-hidden gem in a little boutique hotel (Wanderlust Hotel) tucked at a corner of Dickson Road.