Esmiralda @ CHIJMES

Met up with the girls (previously from WT) and had a fun time just catching up with each other. Hope we can do this once a month or something.

Initially we wanted to go to Hog's Breath Cafe but it was full and I was so busy that I didn't make any reservations. I didn't know it is so popular now as they were not so crowded when I went there when they first opened.

So then I remembered Esmiralda is also at Chijmes. Recommended it to the girls and off we went. It was a great dinner. Everything was so nice.

We share the garlic bread (must-have!), paella, grilled mushrooms and moussaka, plus individual bowls of kakavia (seafood soup).

Esmiralda is one of my favorite restaurant as it serves excellent food and has good service too. I usually order the garlic bread and soup, plus paella to share. The garlic bread is just so wonderful. It is a whole baguette slathered with butter and garlic and toasted to perfection and it came wrapped with cloth in a bread holder. Just delicious. It goes very well with the kakavia - a hearty seafood broth filled with chunky veggies.

The paella is moist yet not mushy. It is not too hard too where it hit the pan. It is filled with seafood and pieces of chicken. The broth used also made the rice very fragrant and flavorful.

This is the first time I tried the grilled mushrooms and moussaka and they were fantastic too. The mushrooms were tender and nicely seasoned. The moussaka was fabulous! But I don't recommend having it on your own as it can get a bit too heavy, due to the cheese. Otherwise, the combination of the minced lamb, eggplants and cheese is just delicious!

Another Mercury Retrograde Incident?

Ok, maybe I can't blame this on the mercury retrograding but I just lost all my pictures and videos on my digicam.

All because I pressed the wrong button by accident. Sad, sad, sad. I was trying to find out how much space I have left on my memory card when I hit the re-format button. So in a blink of an eye, all data is lost!

I don't know what I am more upset about, which pictures I am grieving over? Maybe this just shows how much I treasure my pictures. So all the pictures I took - the girls, family, F, roses, EL sale, scenery, spa, food, Hoobastank lookalike and tonight's pictures of Lee Kuan Yew.

Yes, I actually saw LKY and his family having dinner at chijmes. He and his wife look so frail now. A friend just said it is fate, they do not want any evidence at all.

The only bright spot is that I did manage to download today's pictures before I did the stupid thing. And I did have most of the pictures saved on CDs but still I like to have them on the camera so that I can see them when I am bored.

Sigh. Double sigh. Just sad now.

Stila Lipglaze Palette

Cafe Stila & Club Stila

New collection at Stila. I just love the color of the packaging and the names of the lipglaze in the palettes. Each palette housed 6 different lipglazes with a mirror and brush.

I just adore the color of the club stila lipglaze palette. In fact, I like this much better than the Just My Luck palette.

Names of the lipglaze in the fruity-cocktail themed palette:
champagne, sangria, cosmopolitan, noir, bellini and strawberry daiquiri.

Isn't that just so tantalizing? Mmmmm....champagne, sangria and strawberry daiquiri. Maybe it is a "good" thing that the colors are so sheer I can barely see them, so I didn't get it at all.

lip glaze palette: cafe stila smells just like coffee! I am not so attracted to the brown packaging, but the colors are so much more pigmented than club stila.

Names of the cafe stila shades:
cinnamon spice, cappuccino, mocha coffee, chocolate raspberry, vanilla hazelnut and latte.

Guess which one i like? Hehe. Mocha coffee!

My Desire

I found my fave shower gel from Victoria's Secret. It is My Desire - a really lovely scent which is not overly sweet or overpowering.

My Desire
A romantic affair or grapefruit, jasmine and mango, with a hint of vanilla musk.

I like it much better than the other scents, even Strawberries and Champagne. I think I will keep that more for imbibing rather than washing :p

6 Pairs of Shoes

I must be mad! Rather I am stressed at work today and decided to go shoes shopping as most of my current shoes need to be repaired or something. The rubber bits of the heels tend to come off after a few weeks of wear. So I went to VNC at HarbourFront and went crazy buying shoes.

I love the red pair, it is so sexy. At least I felt sexy while wearing that. The black/bronze pair (bottom left) is so pretty too. I rarely buy something with a buckle around my ankle, but that is comfortable and perfect for dance, especially sensual dance ;p

The lilac pair looks a bit "auntie-ish" but it matches my skirt or makeup, plus I love the cloth ribbon. It is comfortable. The turquoise pair goes very well with the clutch I bought previously. I love my shoes! :)

Creperie Ar-Men

I finally got to check out Creperie Ar-Men, a nice cosy homestyle eatery specializing in French food, more precisely, crepes Brittany style.

"Crepes have been the traditional meal in Brittany west coast region of France of Celtic culture for five centuries, being a wholly satisfying two or three-course meal that has now become a great culinary treat."

There are two levels, typical of shophouses in Singapore as the unit is usually long and narrow. Dark timber framed the windows and bannisters, with wooden furniture and soft dim lighting. Service was excellent too. The menu was in French with English translation underneath it, that took some getting used to.

I had the scallops crepe which was pretty good. Light and not too heavy on the cream. The buckwheat crepe was slightly denser than the usual fluffier crepe and had an interesting texture. M had the seafood crepe and we shared a crepe suzette. That was lovely to end the meal.

http://www.creperie-armen.com/

Location:
37, Duxton Road - Singapore
[opposite Duxton Hotel, within walking distance of 2 car parks]
Tel: 6227 3389
Close on Sunday

Mercury Retrograde

Remember my earlier post about Mercury retrograding (http://puremochalatte.blogspot.com/2006/07/astrology-and-camera.html), well it still continues to strike me.

Since last Sunday evening or Monday, I have not been able to access the internet. Apparently it cannot read the IP address, hence I have little or no connectivity at all. A friend came by to check it out and recommended I change my network cable in case that was the problem. I did that and it was still on the blink. Nada. I called up Starhub to check and the technician said it seemed to be working and suspected it could be the network cable. If that is not the problem, then it could either be the modem or my pc.

My brother said it shouldn't be the pc since I just changed the motherboard. Well, today I brought home the work laptop to test the network cable and it works fine (as evidenced by my post). I have not tested my pc yet. If it still didn't work, then I have to relook my pc. Sigh. I hate this technological problems.

I think I quite like having a laptop, it just feels so "adult" - working on documents while out and able and being mobile. Maybe because all of jobs, I do not have to do much presentation slides or work on laptops. To do presentations to potential clients. I am truly office-based.

But now with the laptop, I can bring it out with me when I am at my client's office to work on some stuff. It is in Suntec City and has a gorgeous view of the Bay area. And to surf or do work while at coffee places. Now at home, surfing in bed and typing this. Awesome. Yeah, I know...it is quite normal now...but I am "slow" ;p

The only drawback about the laptop is the keyboard. So hard to type. I guess I am still used to the regular keyboard and mouse.

Singapore Food Festival 2006

The Singapore Food Festival is here and I have yet to sample anything. In fact, I didn't even see any of the stalls set up for this month long event ( 1-31 July 2006). Not because I don't want to, but that I didn't have time.

Then again, I don't think I ever really tried the food dururg this period. I heard of it, I see the ads, but I didn't go to any of the participating outlets ever.

For those who are keen to find out more, you can visit the official website.
http://www.singaporefoodfestival.com/index.htm

But from there, I managed to find some nice recipes of fave local food. Who knows, one day I might be inspired to try them out :)

Recipe - Hainanese Chicken Rice

Ingredients 1 (2-pound) chicken 1 scallion, cut into 1 inch pieces 4 slices fresh, peeled ginger 6 tbsp vegetable oil or chicken oil rendered from chicken fat 6 to 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped 4 cups long-grain uncooked rice, washed and drained 1 tsp fine salt Mix together for Chilli Sauce 2 to 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice, 5 tbsp finely chopped fresh red chilies, 5 cloves garlic, chopped, 3 tbsp finely chopped ginger, 1 tsp fine salt, 1/2 cup boiling hot chicken soup

Method
Boil a large pot of water. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with scallion and ginger. Add chicken to boiling water, breast side-down. Lower the heat to a simmer just under boiling point and cook, covered until just cooked through, about 40 minutes. Bathe the chicken in an ice water bath till chicken is cold to create a tender, springy texture. Heat oil in a rice cooker, add garlic, stir fry till fragrant. Add uncooked rice, stir fry for two minutes, add salt and enough chicken soup to cover 1/2 inch above the top of the rice. Boil on high heat, lower heat when steam holes form, cover and steam for 30 minutes till rice is cooked. Chop chicken and serve with steaming hot rice and chilli sauce. Dark soya sauce is the ideal accompaniment.

By VIOLET OON

A candidate for ‘national dish’, it can be found in every street corner coffeeshop and coffee houses of hotels in Singapore. Brought to Singapore by immigrants from Hainan, China, it has evolved to become the delicious Singaporean dish it is today.

Taken from http://www.visitsingapore.com

Recipe - Char Kway Teow

Ingredients 1 kg (32 oz) kway teow (fresh flat rice noodles) 4 tbsp chopped garlic 18 oz bean sprouts 6 oz Chinese mustard greens (chye sim) 2 Chinese sausages, thinly sliced 12 medium sized prawns, cooked and peeled 5 eggs, beaten 4 tbsp fish sauce 5 - 6 tbsp sweet dark soya sauce 3 tbsp sambal chilli paste (or Sambal Oelek) 180 ml (6 oz) seafood stock 300 g cooked squid sliced into 1/2 cm rings 8 oz cup vegetable oil or lard

Method
Heat a large wok until very hot. Add 3/4 of the oil or lard, lower the heat slightly and fry garlic until fragrant and golden brown. Add kway teow, bean sprouts and chye sim and fry, stirring constantly for about two minutes. Push the ingredients to the side of the wok, forming a well in the centre. Add the rest of the oil or lard and heat it. Add the beaten egg and fry it together with the noodles. Add the sambal chilli and stir the noodles until the eggs and sambal chilli are mixed into the noodles. Add the fish sauce and sweet dark soya sauce and fry all ingredients together for another one to two minutes before adding the Chinese sausages, cooked prawns, cooked squid, and seafood stock. Toss to combine. Serve hot.

By LOW THYE HONG

This dish began as a poor man’s meal. Over time, many more ingredients were added, making it one of the most loved Singaporean dishes.


Taken from http://www.visitsingapore.com/

Recipe - Fish Head Curry

Ingredients 1 whole fish head, cut into 2 or 600g fish steaks 1 tbl mixed curry seeds for fish curry (optional) 10g ginger, thinly shredded 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 3 onions thinly sliced 5 tbl fish curry powder made into a paste with 1 /4 to 1 /2 cup water 300g lady’s fingers 3 tomatoes, quartered 6 red chilli, slit into half lengthwise 6 green chilli, slit into half lengthwise 2 to 3 sprigs curry leaves 1 /2 to 1 tsp salt 1 tbl sugar 1 tbl tamarind mixed with 1 /2 cup water 1 cup coconut milk from a packet 5 tbl sunflower oil

Fish Curry Powder
250g coriander powder
60g cumin powder
150g chilli powder
30g turmeric powder
20g black pepper powder
10g funegreek powder

Method
Wash the fish head or fish steaks and pat dry. Steam the salmon fish head till just cooked. Keep aside. Heat oil in a wok or saucepan, add the curry seeds and ginger and stir fry over high heat for two to three minutes till the seeds pop. Add garlic and stir fry till fragrant. Add the fish curry paste and stir fry till fragrant and cooked. Add the onions and stir fry briefly for about one minute. Put in half of the coconut milk and bring to the boil before adding the remaining coconut milk and tamarind juice. Add the lady’s fingers, tomatoes, red chilli, green chilli, curry leaves, salt and sugar. When you are ready to serve, add the steamed salmon fish head and simmer gently for about five to eight minutes till the fish is hot and well cooked. You may add more liquid if there is not enough gravy. Serve.

Taken from
http://www.visitsingapore.com

Recipe - Bak Kut Teh

Ingredients Spices tied in a cloth square: I cinnamon stick 4-5 cloves 1 tsp white peppercorns 1 tbs kei chee (dried hawthorn berries) 2 whole star anises 500g (1 lb) meaty pork ribs 2 whole heads of garlic, unpeeled 1 tbs black soya sauce 6-7 cups of water 1 tbs salt 1-2 heads iceberg lettuce, washed and separated

Method
Place ribs, spice packet and the garlic in a pot. Add water to cover and bring to the boil. Skim off the meat scum as it rises. Add soya sauce and salt. Reduce heat to simmering and cook till ribs are tender. Place a few lettuce leaves in the bowl before dishing out the ribs and soup. Serve with white rice and sliced red chilli in dark soya sauce on the side.

Taken from cookbook titled “Singapore Heritage Food” by Sylvia Tan

The spice packet can be used to flavour not only this hearty Hokkien soup, but also any dish that calls for a mix of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin and fennel. There is also a Teochew version of bak kut teh that is clear and simple, cooked with just garlic, pepper and light soya sauce.


Taken from http://www.visitsingapore.com

Ghirardelli Chocolates

This is so cool. I just discovered Picasa from Google and am trying it out. Still not too sure of all the functions but there is this bit, that allows me to blog the picture. I sure didn't realize it will take me to blogspot.

And so here it is, Ghirardelli Chocolates. Sinful and rich and luxury. Simply very good chocolates!

A client brought a tin of the chocolate squares for us (Dark chocolate, Dark Chocolate with Raspberry filling and Dark chocolate with Mint filling). I had the pure dark chocolate with 60% cocoa which is utter heaven.

http://www.ghirardelli.com/

I remembered my ex director from a previous company who gave me a stack of the chocolate bars enclosed in a velvet pouch as a present when she came over to Singapore from the Silicon Valley. Then I didn't really know of this brand and so it sat on my dresser for a couple of months before I finally tried a piece. That was so delicious!

The Cheesecake Factory

When Carolyn is stressed or upset, she looks at food and drools over them. If it is really extreme stress, she will reach for the chocolates (she already had 2 truffles - white and dark).

The next best thing - Cheesecake!

I am not really a big fan of cheesecake actually, the reason why I didn't get the chance to try the cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory in the States. But that kinda defeated the purpose as one goes there for the cheesecake. Oh well, maybe some other day when I go back to North America again.

So introducing...The Cheesecake Factory (http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/)

CHOCOLATE TUXEDO CREAMTM CHEESECAKE
Layers of our Fudge Cake, Chocolate Cheesecake, Vanilla Mascarpone Mousse and Chocolate

KAHLUA COCOA COFFEE CHEESECAKE
Layers of Rich Brownie, Kahlua Cheesecake, Creamy Chocolate Mousse and Chocolate Ganache

Those looked so good. Ok, enough drooling. What do I remembered of The Cheesecake Factory?

It serves typical American food with huge portions. I shared an appetitzer with my cousin and had a pasta main. I was so full after that there was no room for dessert. Bummer :(

The pasta was excellent, I probably had something chicken fettucine with bell peppers in cream sauce.

Anyway, that was quite some time back, so the menu could have changed. Here are what caught my eyes in the new menu:

SHEILA'S NEW ORLEANS PASTA
Fresh Pasta, Tender Chicken, Mushrooms, Red and Yellow Peppers, Garlic and Green Onion Sauteed with a little Tasso and Tossed in a Spicy, Creamy Tomato Sauce. Garnished with Two Large Cajun Shrimp

CAJUN JAMBALAYA PASTA
Our most popular seafood dish! Shrimp and Chicken Sauteed with Onions, Tomato and Peppers in a Very Spicy Cajun Sauce. All on top of Fresh Linguini. Also Available over Rice

AVOCADO EGGROLLS
Chunks of Fresh Avocado, Sun-Dried Tomato, Red Onionand Cilantro Deep Fried in a Crisp Chinese Wrapper.Served with a Tamarind-Cashew Dipping Sauce

Somehow pasta still attracts me more than the usual steak, fish and chicken (meat dishes). Maybe I am a carb person after all.

VS Cami

I am slow. My lemming for this VS cami has been stirred again but I think I am too late. I can't find it anymore on the VS website *sob*

I tried Davis' cami and it fits perfectly. I love the color. The reason why I didn't really get it last year was the price. After converting to SGD and including shipping, it came to about S$50 for that. I don't think I have ever spent $50 just for a cami.

Oh well, we will see if it will pop up on VS website again. It has been there for around a year after all.

Blurred Image

My camera is finally repaired. I had to fork out another $115 for the replacement of LCD screen and the service charge. Just thought it is interesting to post the picture which I took when I couldn't see a thing on the screen.

Homecooked Food

A guy invited me to his place for dinner and he made this.


Chicken thigh with garlic and lemon baked in the oven. That was really tender and zesty. I like it. The baby potatoes with herbs were good too, not too soft. The veggies were interesting. Slightly sweet due to the raisins, the spinach was a bit bitter but the raisins and pine nuts contrasted nicely and the croutons were a nice touch.

I think this is the first time a guy cooked dinner for me (not counting those dinner parties thrown by my other friends are those were group dinners). Quite dazzled by that. I'm easy to be bowled over, no?

Toasted Almond & Caramel Mocha

Another recipe from a book - Cooking for Mr. Right by Susan Volland

This looks so sinfully rich and nice!

Toasted Almond and Caramel Mocha (Mars Latte)

1-2 tablespoons toasted almond or toffee syrup
1 tablespoon good quality caramel sauce
2 tablespoons good quality chocolate sauce
2 shots espresso
8 ounces mik, steamed

Whipped cream
Toasted chopped almonds
Chocolate and caramel syrup for drizzling

Mix the syrup and chocolate and caramel sauces in the bottom of a mug. Steam the milk and set aside while brewing espresso. Mix together the hot espresso and flavorings, then pour on the steamed milk. Stir gently and top with whipped cream and garnishes.

Yield: 1 huge, calorie-packed beverage

Enjoy!

Pictures of Lamingtons

Somehow I can't upload the pictures in the other post, so here they are.

Lamingtons

See the fluffy sponge cake. Yum!

Lamingtons!

I chanced upon this pie store which sells LAMINGTONS! I love lamingtons ever since I had my first taste in Australia. The one that got me hopelessly in love with lamington was the one I bought at the farmer's market at the Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia. It was home-made and oh so delicious.

What is lamington? (Turned to my trusty google for more actual fact)

"Lamingtons are small squares of plain cake, dipped in melted chocolate and sugar and coated in desiccated coconut. Said to have been named after Baron Lamington (see below), a popular governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901."

It is really fantastic! The one made in Singapore, can be found at Piper's Pies which sell authentic Aussies pies (can't verify as I only bought the lamingtons) at Raffles City Market Place in the basement. It opened yesterday though there is another outlet at Bukit Timah. The lamington is done very well, soft spongey yellow cake soaked with the chocolate (giving you the sugar rush) and coated with the desicated coconut (giving a crunch to the treat).

Goodbye diet :p

From the same website http://www.aussie-info.com/identity/food/lamington.php, it also features the recipe. Maybe I should try making it someday.

SPONGE CAKE
3 eggs
1/2 cup castor sugar
3/4 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup cornflour
15g (1/2oz) butter
3 tablespoons hot water

Beat eggs until thick and creamy.
Gradually add sugar.
Continue beating until sugar completely dissolved.
Fold in sifted SR flour and cornflour, then combined water and butter.
Pour mixture into prepared lamington tins 18cm x 28cm (7in x 11in).
Bake in moderate oven approximately 30 mins.
Let cake stand in pan for 5 min before turning out onto wire rack.

CHOCOLATE ICING
3 cups desiccated coconut
500g (1lb) icing sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
15g (1/2oz) butter
1/2 cup milk

Sift icing sugar and cocoa into heatproof bowl.
Stir in butter and milk.
Stir over a pan of hot water until icing is smooth and glossy.
Trim brown top and sides from cake.
Cut into 16 even pieces.
Holding each piece on a fork, dip each cake into icing.
Hold over bowl a few minutes to drain off excess chocolate.
Toss in coconut or sprinkle to coat.
Place on oven tray to set.
(Cake is easier to handle if made the day before. Sponge cake or butter cake may be used. May be filled with jam and cream.)

BARON LAMINGTON
Rt Hon Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane Baillie, Baron Lamington, GCMG, Governor of Queensland from 9 April 1896 to 19 December 1901.

Whilst the origin of the name for the lamington cake cannot be accurately established, there are several theories. One of these theories is that it was originally the slang term for the homburg hat, worn by Baron Lamington, and these cakes were named for him.

Another theory is that they were named after Lady Lamington, the wife of the Governor.

Beach Holiday

I want a break. Just somewhere nearby and cheap. So I am trawling the various budget airlines and hotels checking out the prices. I tried the dates for the National Day and Deepavali/Puasa long weekends and they were mostly full now. People sure acted so fast!

My next bet is sometime in September then. Ideally, it should be around 4-5 days since JetStar leaves in the evening for Phuket. Yeah, I'm looking at Phuket again. Somehow I miss the swimming pool at Burasari. I think I am quite unadventurous in that sense, I always go back to Burasari.

It is a small boutique hotel, just minutes from the beach (not that I go to the beach that much). I love the hospitality there and it is pretty quiet and the staff remember you. I first went there in May last year and I fell in love with the swimming pool and room. It is unlike the usual chain hotel where you are one of so many. Over there, the staff take the time to chat with you and make it comfortable for you. So I went back there again on my subsequent trip in end July last year.

I have been meaning to go back again, but just did not get the opportunity to do so. Hopefully I can do so soon. I am debating if I should just book direct from the hotel or through the latestay website. Also this time I am thinking if I should try other hotels or go back to Burasari again.

I am also looking at Katathani Phuket Beach Resort and Deevana Patong Resort and Spa. Based on the airline, I can either go for 4 days or 6 days. And if I want to leave on 21 Sept, then I will need to finalize all bookings by 20 July.

I shall be going alone unless I managed to find a traveling companion for this trip. I do not intend to do much, just laze by the pool, read, have a massage, snorkel and just enjoy the surroundings. No shopping or bar-hopping for me. Just not really my scene over there :p

Anyone interested? ;)

Katathani is really gorgeous but it is so darn expensive too! I hope to either stay there for 1 or 2 nights and spend the rest of the nights at Burasari/Deevana. Well, we shall see.

Astrology and Camera

I found out my digital camera, my precious camera, is not working today when I tried to use it. The display screen was not showing anything at all though all lights were on. I took it to a shop to ask what was wrong and the guy said it seemed like it was dropped and there was a crack internally.

But I definitely did not drop it. The only explanation I can think of is that the camera was probably crushed (even though it was in its case) in my bag when something else was put on my bag yesterday at the event. I had my bag under the registration table and everyone else just dropped their stuff off too. But that still seemed far fetched.

Took it to the Canon Service Shop and was told the LCD screen was cracked and it is not covered under the warranty. WTH! What good is the warranty if it doesn't cover anything useful at all. The guy said the only way for it to crack is if there is a huge impact and that I had knocked it etc. Impossible! To the naked eye, there was no sign of damage at all. Not being dropped or any piercing. But I still need to pay for the servicing and repair. Anyone know if this is a common occurence? Still feel it is unfair. If I did damage it, I don't mind paying. But I don't even know what is the cause. He said he will get the people the check for the cause but still need to pay *bleah*.

Mine is a Canon Ixus 50. If anyone knows it is normal for that range, then maybe I can write a letter to the company asking for a thorough investigation. Hehe.

So back to my musing. Should I believe what Susan Miller wrote in her website www.astrologyzone.com. Apparently Mercury is in retrograde and all things electronics will fail. So far I have my pc dead and had to change the motherboard and power supply. And my phone died for a day before it was fixed, so I may still need to get a new phone. Now my camera. I hope my mini ipod is not next. This is discounting the numerous times my pc at work will just hang, then died and keep dying despite restarting. But now we just got new laptops. But my mouse died afer a few minutes. The right click didn't work.

Anyway, here is an extract from astrologyzone for Aquarius in July 2006:

"Mercury will be retrograde throughout this month, from July 4 to 29, making for an increase in miscommunications, misunderstandings, false starts, and outright wrong thinking. Mercury rules perception, thinking, communicating, negotiating, and the drawing up of agreements, and important contracts / documents of all kinds. Mercury also rules transportation and shipping, as well as buying and selling. Things will go haywire, and it will be hard to get hold of the people whose decisions you need, let alone set up meetings and get decisions from them.

If you are thinking you had better hurry up and get things done in the first three days of July before Mercury goes retrograde on July 4, the sad truth is, it's already too late. Did you notice how appliances and computers began acting up in your house and office in June? That was a sign that you were already in Mercury's undertow. Don't plan to initiate any vital plan now. Wait until August 5 or so."