Thanksgiving Canada 8 October 2007

The meal we cooked. Roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, mashed yam, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, gravy, meatball vegetables soup, chocolate drizzled apples, chocolate truffles and 100% Merlot and Rosee.

I made the turkey, mashed potatoes, apples and cupcakes :) Jen prepped the turkey, made the mashed yam, cranberry sauce, gravy, chocolate truffles and decorated the cupcakes, provided wine and did the presentation of the setting and pumpkins. Const did the meatball vegetables soup and pumpkin pie.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I give thanks to having good friends in both Canada and Singapore.

Spicy Tuna Noodle Casserole: 2nd Attempt

I tried to make the spicy tuna cheesy noodle casserole again on Friday. My first attempt in Singapore was not that spicy or cheesy. So this time, I kept the oil in the tuna can and added 2 cans instead. Also added more cheddar cheese to it.

Verdict? It was SPICY! Even I felt it was spicy and burning on the tongue. PY seemed to like it and had 3-4 helpings of it even though his tolerance of spice is lower than mine. It was more cheesy than the first attempt but still could be better.

It was certainly addictive. Orgasmic, I have no idea :p We polished off almost half the casserole. WC came and tried a mouthful and it was too spicy for him too.

For dessert, we had my favourite ice cream: Baskins Robbins Jamoca Almond Fudge with fresh strawberries.

Zees Patio & Grill (Niagara-on-the-Lake)

Niagara-on-the-Lake is such a quaint town with lots of vineyards. We didn't get to go wine tasting as it was pretty late by then and we were also a little hungry since we didn't have lunch and only had a snack (I had double chocolate donut and hot chocolate from Tim Hortons) around 3 ish pm. So we had an early dinner around 530pm.

Niagara-on-the-Lake is trying to be very English with the old houses (which are really old - built in the 1800s) which have probably been restored. Very pretty and you can imagine the people having cups of tea with scones during the day then. We didn't really walk around but RS drove down the main strip to show me around.

There was a Prince of Wales hotel, Charles Inn, and even a Tetley's Restaurant. How English is that? We settled on Zees Patio & Grill at the Shaw Club Hotel as it has a wide patio for dining and nice view. It is just steps away from the Shaw Festival.

We shared the appetizer of Pacific Crab Cakes which is oh my delicious! It sure beats the crabcakes from Salt and Mezza 9 at Hyatt in Singapore (Salt is no longer around). I would say the food at Zees is similar to those served at Salt (Jimmy Chok was the chef-owner), which was my favorite restaurant before it closed down.

The crab cakes were chock-ful of real sweet crabmeat. I love the lemon-chipotle aioli sauce over the crab cake as the blend of flavor contrasted nicely. The crab cakes were served over truffle dressed greens which gave a refreshing bite.

I ordered the Pacific Halibut as my main while RS had the Beef Striploin.

Descriptions
Pacific Halibut
Seared Pacific Halibut on leek whipped potatoes with a shaved fennel and red onion salad and rich lobster cream

Beef Striploin
Grilled Cumbrae Farms striploin of beef with buttermilk mashed potatoes, Maitre 'hotel butter and poached vegetables. Red wine and shallot beef jus.

The halibut was very tender and not overcooked at all. It is less fatty tasting than cod but it almost came close to melting in your mouth. The potatoes were so fluffly and yummy that I can so totally finish everything. The red onion salad added a nice tangy taste to the lightly seasoned fish and potatoes. The lobster cream sauce was not overpowering strong.

I didn't try the beef but I like the way the beef jus was served in a cow serving container. So cute.

The place was a blend of the old and new. It retained the charming facade of the wooden patio but everything else was very posh - fine dining style. The washroom was so hard to find. It was downstairs (washrooms in Toronto area are always found in basement/downstairs) and the only thing to indicate it was a washroom is the alphabet "W" and "M". Very discreet.

I was quite taken by the cubicle door. You know it is occupied when the glass is opaque. Otherwise it is see-through. The basin and everything else is all glass and chrome. Very modern. Nice.

Very discreet bill too ;p

Location
Zees Patio & Grill
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada
http://www.zees.ca/

Exchange Rate is Bad!

I totally dislike this exchange rate. Now that the CAD is almost on par (it is still up and down) with the USD, it is so much more expensive to shop in Canada.

The retailers have not adjusted the prices here and the taxes are higher too.

I just went to Sephora website and checked the price difference and arrrrghhhhh.......I just wasted C$10+taxes.

E.g. NARS eyeshadow.
US$21 each C$26 each

I bought 2 NARS eyeshadows - wasted C$10+taxes.

Sales tax in the states is usually less than 10%. In Canada, there is the GST and PST, bringing it to 14% in Toronto and 13% in Vancouver.

Really I should wait to shop in the states. Too bad there is no Sephora in Vancouver. The nearest one is in Seattle. Need to find friends who will want to go down South for shopping.

Besides cosmetics, other stuff is also pricier in Canada, so many Canadians are heading down to States to shop. Books, cars, daily household products etc. The retailers should really start adjusting the prices accordingly soon.

Another TF The Quickie Chronicles - The Miss Sixty Girl

I went to Sephora again, at Yorkdale Mall this time, instead of at Eaton Centre, and I spent! I bought the Too Faced The Quickie Chronicles - The Miss Sixty Girl as it was LE. It is a collaboration with Miss Sixty.


It is very pretty and comes with a mirror too. The colors are use-able and pigmented.

Palette includes a 0.22 oz eye shadow quad in sunflower yellow, white pearl, shimmering pink, and dark navy; 0.049 oz powder eyeliner duo in black velvet and black with silver glitter; 0.22 oz shimmering peach blush; and four 0.214 oz lip glosses in shell pink, cotton candy pink, champagne shimmer, and ruby berry red, plus a removable mini pocket mirror.

But it is so expensive to buy in Canada now that it is stronger or on par with USD. In the states, it is US$28 + tax (usually less than 10%), but here in Canada, that cost me C$33 + 14% taxes. If it is not LE, I would wait to go states to buy.

I got a Decleor eye cream sample as I had 100 points from my spending at Sephora of the TF palette, Nars eyeshadow x 2, TF mini mascara and a Stila mini lipglaze.

Now and Then

Gosh! I looked so old and such a mess now. I just realized it was really just after a year that RS and I last met.

See the difference. 2006 - happier and much more vibrant. 2007 - tired and haggard.

This is bad, need to rest even more and rejuvenate now that I finally get a break.

Total Frivolous Post - Audi TT

This is such a frivolous post. I just want to share that I actually sat in an Audi TT Coupe Roadster or whatever the actual name is :p I am still not a car person, but even I have heard of the Audi TT Roadster.

It looked nice, cute and sleek. Looks almost like my dream car - the Crossfire. I didn't realize RS drives that. He came over to pick me up and we went to Oakville so that I can take a walk down memory lane along Marine Drive and the Bronte Harbour. Then we drove to Niagara Falls and then to Niagara on the Lake.

It was pretty cool. Zoomed real fast and he was driving at 130km/h but you don't feel anything at all. Very stable. But it is very low-slung, hard to get in and out of the car. I am so not used to the short window.

RS opened and closed the car door for me all the time, but only for me to get in. Not sure about getting out as I am always pretty quick. I mean, I can open my own car door too. But it was nice of him to do that everytime we are getting into the car.

It was sporting of him to humor me and drive me to Oakville and then to Niagara Falls. It was an impromptu trip as I didn't even know where he actually wanted to take me. He just asked what I have seen and where I would like to go.

I had a fantastic time with RS. Lots of laughter and conversation. As usual, he can be so insufferable at times. It was great to meet up. Unexpected but great. It has been just over a year since we last met, back in Singapore.

Prima Taste Mee Siam

I finally made mee siam using the Prima Taste package after the raves from the girls. It was fairly easy as almost everything is provided in the box. I only need to buy bee hoon (rice vermicelli), extra lime (after hearing Sherie's comment), eggs, bean sprouts and prawns and spring onions. I didn't find any taupok (fried beancurd cubes) over here in Toronto.

I used extra fine bee hoon which was quite a mistake as they tend to break easily. The mix is for 2-3 persons and I thought there will not be enough gravy so I actually added more water than stated, so there was actually leftovers (gravy and bee hoon - I used 11/2 sticks). I was thinking the leftover bee hoon and gravy can be used to make fried mee siam bee hoon instead.

Verdict:

PY liked it, not too spicy but just enough. I quite like it. It does have the nutty, shrimp paste flavor and spicyness. We didn't even add more sambal to it though I tried a little. It was good.

Definitely something to store in the kitchen for emergency meals.

Canada: 23 - 27 September 2007

Gosh! I have been meaning to update what I have been doing but somehow time just got away from me.

Another short summary:
23 September (Sunday)
- Coquitlam Centre and I spent loads there. Bought my first adult proper coat in cream from Urban Behavior. Also a few other long-sleeved tops.

24 September (Monday)
- went to the bank in metrotown and then to North Road for Korean food. That was good. Ordered a seafood pancake and tofu soup. I didn't expect the tofu soup to be filled with other veggies and even pieces of beef. It also came with a bowl of rice. Too much. The spread of kimchi was good but not free flow.

25 September (Tuesday)
- walked up to SFU to explore.
- PC came over and we chatted while waiting for JH to get back. It was good, catching up as we have lost contact since 2001 or 2002. Went to Red Robin near Lougheed Mall for a snack and then browsed around Ikea, Wal-mart and London Drugs while waiting for his wife (AC).
- saw his lab which leapt onto me, think it is typical of big dogs to do that. And we had dinner at Sushi King along Hastings. I like that. The sushi pieces were huge and the sashimi too. I like Alaska Roll now. It is similar to California Roll except it has a piece of raw salmon over it.
- after that, we went to Tim Horton's for dessert. I finally had my Canadian Maple donut which was my favorite when I was in Canada. But now I think the donut is too sweet for my tastebuds.
26 September (Wednesday)
- went to Shang Garden in Richmond for dim sum with JH. The bowl of century egg porridge is huge! Enough to make 4-6 regular bowls in Singapore. The food is ok, but somehow can't compare to the dim sum in Asia. The skin was pretty hard and thick but huge portion.
- also went to Aberdeen Centre where there is a Daiso. Neat! And there were so many of those plastic containers which were always sold out in Singapore.
- met S for dinner. we went to this italian place called La Piazza along Slocan. It is pretty good authentic home-styled food. Nice. Too much though. I had the cannelloni, too much meat in it. It was a good evening, conversation was flowing.

27 September (Thursday)
- Asked JH if she would like to try Sushi Town as I was thinking about the sashimi still. So we had a late lunch there. After that we checked out Winners nearby at the new mall and then to Lougheed Mall to shop. Bought more long-sleeved tops from Jacob. So nice stuff.
- Finished last minute packing and flew to Toronto on the red-eye flight.

Pink M&Ms

I saw this pack of pink M&Ms and immediately thought of Celest :p She is the one who will usually blog about these stuff. Hehe.

The pink M&Ms is created in support of Breast Cancer Awareness and Research (I think), at least $0.50 will be donated for every pack bought.

So sweet the pinks! But I think purple will remain my color :D

SFU Re-Visited

I walked up to SFU on my own on Tuesday (25 September) late morning from the SFU Village or UniverCity where I am staying as I wanted to try to see where the changes were and to see if I can still remember where things were.

It was about a 15-min walk with some slopes (still on a mountain, remember) which burnt the leg muscles. Cornerstone, the new apartments for rental only and a mini village with the mini-mart, bank, post office, photocopier shop, hair salon, dvd rentals, cafes/restaurants, optical shop etc, making it convenient and nice for students/residents to get stuff and hang out without having to take the bus down the mountain like I used to do. Cornerstone took up part of the old B Lot and is next to the bus terminal which was also spruced up.

I walked on to the AQ (Academic Quadrangle), there are more new sculptures scattered. Then to MBC (Maggie Benston Centre) where most student services are. I remembered the MSSC events being held in one of the rooms there. Browsed in the SFU bookstore, was tempted to buy a SFU car decal for Veron since she has a car now and I think she will like that. But storage will be a problem for now since I am going to fly over to the east coast soon. Maybe I will do that when I get back here. Also wanted to buy a SFU t-shirt (ladies cut) but it didn't seem to be sold on its own. It was sold as a bundle with a cap for about C$23.90? Oh well, I think I still prefer the old logo. The new logo is too "modern" and has no sense of history at all. Then again, SFU is a young university, being set up in 1965. But I still like the crest with the motto underneath "Nous sommes prêts" (read article on the new logo here and more about SFU here).

Walked on to the Rotunda and towards the West Mall where usually the Business students are. Had some classes there before for CMNS and ECON. Seeing the students waiting outside the lecture halls reminded me of my own schooldays :p I didn't manage to see the mini Starbucks counter though. Made a turn back, walking past the W.A.C library where I spent many hours more in the basement using the computers and research. Never for revising school work or studying. Lol.

White Spot is still right by the entrance to AQ/CC (Classroom Complex). I love the veggie burger and milkshakes. All the burgers come with a huge strip of dill pickle (Celest would love that) and special triple "O" sauce. The strawberry shake is so good, thick and made with real strawberries (at least you can taste the bits) and not just the sauce or syrup thing. They have expanded the flavors to include espresso, caramel, blueberry, blackberry etc. I only recall it being the simple vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavors in the old days. I bought a strawberry shake for lunch, long line though. I don't recall having to queue for so long previously.

Then my quest to search for the CMNS department in the CC area. Sadly I didn't manage to find it at all. I walked up and down the stairs but nada. Did it so many times I wondered if security noticed at all or just took me to be searching for the classroom :p I kept seeing the GEOG and PSYCH departments.

OH MY GOODNESS! Just read from the newsfeed in CMNS website that Bill Richards has passed away, from injuries through a fall, on 23 August 2007. I just missed the memorial on 20 September 2007. That is sad. I remembered him during the research class I took (CMNS 260), not that I understand it brillantly since statistics and I do not mix but he sure taught me the basics of how that worked and which I still retained in my memory bank.

Read more about it here - Martin Laba broke the news and he learnt of it through Bob Anderson.

Ok, back to why I didn't manage to find the CMNS department. I just checked the website and found out it has moved to its "rightful" place, in the Shrum Science Centre (SCK) building where the programs under the Applied Science Faculty are. CMNS is in the Applied Science faculty but somehow was always tucked under the Arts Faculty, together with the other Arts programs. So now it is finally in the same building as the others. No wonder I just could not find it. From what I heard last time, it was always about funding. Applied Science gets a higher funding compared to the Arts but since CMNS is an Arts program under the Applied Science, it is way down on the pole to get funds for research or other works. Maybe now this has all changed.

I didn't see the pretzel cart or the hotdog cart too in the other side of AQ. So made my way back to the village. This little jaunt to SFU took me about 90 mins. Not too bad - my exercise of the day :p

Farewell Singapore

Finally received the pictures from Nic. 3 of us at the gate before I enter. Look at the tired eyes of all of us. It was around 4am then on 18 September and both Nicole and Doreen had to work that morning. So nice of them to pick me up and keep me company at the airport :)

Cupcakes in Vancouver

Jason took me to Cupcakes along Denman in Vancouver. Such a pretty store with girly display and cute stuff. Tempted to buy the t-shirt but at C$32+tax, I don't think so. There isn't much craze for cupcakes here, unlike in Singapore. But Cupcakes is doing well, expanding to 3 stores now from when they started a couple of years back.

I only bought half a dozen mini cupcakes as the regular size is pretty big and the big size is even bigger!

These are the flavors I bought:
Lemon Drop - lemon cake with lemon butter cream, topped with a lemon wedge candy
Chocolate - classic chocolate cake with chocolate butter cream, finished with chocolate sprinkles
Mint Condition - chocolate cake with mint butter cream, finished with mini chocolate chips
Denman - chocolate cake with chocolate butter cream, infused with raspberry jam and finished with a raspberry dollop
Caramella - chocolate cake filled with caramel, topped with caramel butter cream and sprinkled with praline
Diva - chocolate cake with pink vanilla butter cream, finished with pink sugar crystals

My favorite is Caramella, not too sweet. The cake base is not sweet, similar to Sherie's recipe. The buttercream is also nice, but I think I prefer Sherie's recipe still :p But the frosting sure is pretty.

For more info, visit Cupcakes

Canada 20-22 Sept 2007

Ok, back again and a short summary of what I did for the last few days:

20 September 2007
- had dinner at the apartment. JH and her bf cooked. Very pretty presentation of the fried shrimp with honey mustard on a bed of olive oil and herbs-infused rice and fresh salad with Asian Sesame and vinigrette dressing. So nice!

- drove up to Cypress Mountain viewpoint after dinner to take in the night view of Vancouver.

- stopped at Robson to walk around. Starbucks closed early! 10pm, same as Chapters. Then again this is Canada where shops usually close around 9pm in the major cities.

21 September 2007
- went to the bank at Metrotown, trying to revive (re-open) my bank account. Can't be done on that day so made an appointment for Monday instead. So different from previously where there will always be someone to open an account for you.

- went to Granville to meet LG for lunch. We went to The Keg where I had the lunch special of grilled chicken on bread topped with melted cheese and peppers and onions with honey mustard and a side of fries. That was so good too! Simple but yummy.

- it was raining, so I didn't get to really explore Robson. Instead I hid out at Pacific Centre and checked out the stores. I love this off-gold bag at Le Chateau which looked like the Gauffre or similar runched design. But it cost C$49.95 + taxes. With the exchange at 1.5, I am definitely thinking many times when deciding to buy things. No more the good old days of an exchange of 1.1 now.

- then popped into The Bay and Sears. I think Sears has more things and better deals. The selection was wider. I saw so many brands - Nars, Decleor, MAC, Benefit, Make Up Forever, Crabtree, and lots more but amazingly I was not tempted to really check out the stuff. Lol.

- spent more time choosing gloves and contemplating buying scarf and looking at the hosiery. Sears was having sale of 25% to 50% off (depending on the number of pairs bought). In the end, I bought a pair of black gloves with tiny beads on the side. It didn't make my hands look enormous and fit perfectly. Also bought some woolly socks in purple! Great to keep warm and some knee highs too.

- Finally the rain kinda stopped, so I walked out to Robson and Burrard and checked out the stores on the street. I was heading towards Burrard station to meet JH to get the keys. Along the way, I popped into Coach and saw some items were on sale. The Japanese tourists were grabbing the stuff like they were free. After the 50% off, the wristlet and skinny were going at C$30+ taxes (13%), not that cheap IMO. Also saw an Aldo liquidation store where the items were of the past seasons (I saw my sandals which I bought in 2005/6 I think!) and some were going at "Buy 1 get 1 free" and others to get additional 50% off. I bought tights for a steal. Around C$3 for 2 pairs of tights. Usual price was C$15 each.

- Met JH and then met JC for dinner. We were to go to The Boathouse at English Bay. Nice view. We shared the steamer pot of clams and mussels and the paella, plus a seafood chowder for me. JC had the crab whiskey soup (very rich). The sourdough bread was so good. The steamer pot was very good, especially the clams. The paella was a disappointment. Too salty and watery like having the Teochew rice porridge.

- Walked over to Denman and saw Tanpopo (the Japanese restaurant which a group of us went in 2000 with mother). JC took me to Cupcakes. The shop is so sweet! All pink and girly. So pretty. I love it! Also checked out Mondo Gelato. I had the nutella (very nice) and dark chocolate (even nicer). Then JC sent me back where we shared the mini cupcakes from Cupcakes.

22 September 2007
- JC helped me get the tourbooks and maps for Eastern Canada/USA as I was thinking of traveling there too. So we met for brunch. Went to Pho Hong along Kingsway. The beef noodle soup was so good. Prices have increased. C$6 for a small, C$6.50 for large. The small was huge though, I only finished half of that. But it was so good. The Vietnamese coffee was the ultimate too. Strong, thick and sweet.

- JC then drove over to Metrotown area so that I can see my old apartment as well as Jon/Veron's apartment. Thought I would report back to Veron on her old place and new development. Lol. My old apartment was still the same. No change at all.

- Back to apartment and JH came back to pick me up to go to her bf's place for bbq. Food was so good. The 2 of them can cook. Home-made meatball vegetables soup, home-made sausage and wings to bbq. And grilled peppers to make salad. Simple but good.

- walked along Fraser River along Marine Drive, it was a nice walk. There were wild blackberries so we plucked some and had them on the spot. First time I did that :p We walked for about an hour.

- was "attacked" by a vine when I tried to take pictures of the scenery. It suddenly shot up and hit my leg and snagged my tights. I bear the mark.

So yeah basically that was my last few days. Will post pictures soon.

Travel story (continued)

I'm back again. It was a hassle getting connected at JH's place via the wireless.

Back to NWA, surprisingly the pilots were pretty good at landing. Smooth, not bumpy at all. Also I was so tired, I kept missing the take-off part (my fave). And the plane from Portland to Vancouver is pretty cool. It was a Bombardier and was a tiny plane with 19 rows of 2 seats on each side. It looked old and had a touch of the old-class elegance with its brown leather seats and spacious width and pitch. It didn't fly too high so I could actually see the bright lights of the cities below.

Sleeping hour has been wrecked. Woke up at 11am on Wednesday, and 10am on Thursday. So what have I done?

Wednesday (19 September)
- stroll to SFU compound, the Cornerstone (new place where apartments are for rental and just by the bus bay). So nice now, with man-made waterfall and lots of cafes, telco shop, bank (Scotiabank), hairdresser, optical shop, video store etc. It took most of the old 'B' parking lot. I remembered the East Academic Annex (the ulu place where I had class for CMNS 340 or something)

- late lunch at Crystal Mall, next to Metropolis. Looked like a mini Chinatown with its numerous Asian (Japanese, Taiwanese, HK, Chinese) stores.

- Got a Canadian GSM card for my phone at FIDO inside Metropolis (I'm so used to it being Metrotown).

- So many changes at Metrotown now. Over 470 stores. MAC store too!

- Went to Winners/Home Sense, saw so many nice coats, now I regret bringing over so many clothes :p

- Met Jason at the T&T Supermarket near the Stadium-Chinatown station. Names of the skytrain stations have been renamed, confusing. I need a transit map! Then we went to GM Place to watch the pre-season NHL game: Canucks vs Flames

- Canucks won! 4-0. Shutout!

- Late dinner at Robson Sushi for cheap all you can eat Japanese food. Not too bad. Love the tuna sashimi. Only C$10.95++ Cheap, eh?

20 September (Thursday)
- woke up around 10am and had a breakfast of grilled cheese sandwich with sides of bak kwa and cucumber. Nice!

- exercise for 90mins at the gym inside apartment building. though i only went on the bike and cross trainer and weights.

- stayed in at apartment, going to have dinner in. JH and bf are cooking shrimps with olive herb rice.

Not sure if we are going out tonight, to maybe downtown or to Cypress or Deep Cove. We shall see :)

Transit in Portland

This must be the most horrid journey in my life. Either I am getting old or I really wonder how I could take such long flight when I was still in school. To make the yearly trip of over 20 hours of traveling time.

I am in the last leg of my journey now.

Never ever take a 6am flight to anywhere. It is a weird hour and you don't get to sleep beforehand. I tried but I couldn't. So yeah I was basically awake the entire time and was a zombie by the time I got onto the plane for Narita.

My flight itinerary: Singapore - Narita - Portland - Vancouver

I only read the papers on that flight, didn't even get to read my book. Tried to nap but couldn't. Played Bejeweled. Only bright spot was that there were some games on the interactive video system, and movies were on-demand. Not that I watched any though there were some good ones which I didn't have the chance to catch in Singapore. Eyes were tearing on the flight and tummy not feeling good.

Stopped in Narita, security was a hassle all the way through. Didn't have to remove shoes though. Carried on the next leg from Narita to Portland, it was code-shared with Continental Airlines so it was a full flight (or looked like it).

This leg was worse. Migraine came on full blast, and with it the nausea. So I couldn't eat much either. Eyes still tearing, head pounding, a small army of soldiers hitting right behind the eyes and the nausea made me puked twice. It was like having motion sickness all over again and I never had motion sickness on plane before. This time I couldn't even play Bejeweled. No bright lights for me.

The migraine was probably from the lack of sleep. So can't do anything about it for now. So now I am stuck in Portland for another 9.5 hours before I can get on plane to Vancouver. Original flight was cancelled, otherwise I would be in Vancouver right now, having a nap.

Service was surprisingly quite ok. Not excellent but not terrible too. The check-in lady in Singapore actually allowed me to check in my suitcases without additional charge as the big one was about 3-5 kgs over the allowance. The flight attendants were also pro-active in asking passengers if they want water during the flight.

Also, the best thing was that my 2 gfs came over to my place to fetch me to the airport and kept me company for a while. That was unexpected from the onset when they first mentioned about it, especially they have to go to work that morning too.

To be continued....

Lucky Prata

I have always noticed the signboard "Lucky Prata" hanging from the walkway's ceiling at Lucky Plaza and thought how lame that was. I didn't think much of it till I read a review of the place in the local papers. The food critic raved about the nasi briyani and the fish curry. That got me interested to try.

The chicken briyani was indeed excellent. I love how everything was still warm despite going there around 230pm, after the lunch crowd. The pappadum was crispy, the rice was fragrant and not sticky at all. You could eat it grain by grain if you so desire. They gave me a generous portion of the chicken with lots of gravy, as well as fresh achar (pickled vegetables) and a small bowl of veggie gravy (not sure what the proper term is).

I raved about it to the girls and so we made a trip down to try (again for me). I had the chicken briyani as that was always the safest dish. Mutton can be too muttony or has a strong smell which I dislike, and fish is usually tough and dry.

The portion has shrunk a little the second time round, not sure if that was because we went around 12noon. But the food is still good. This time we also tried the sambal sotong (pretty ok, I'm not a big fan of squid) and the fish curry. The fish curry was oh-so-good! I love the tangy curry taste which is not "jelak" (too rich till you get sick) at all. The fish was sweet and moist.

I also got a taste of the mutton briyani as Davis ordered that. Surprisingly the mutton was cooked very nicely, not dry ot hard or gamey. It was so soft and tender. The teh halia was equally yummy but might be too sweet for some people.

A great place for affordable Indian food in the heart of town.

Location:
Lucky Prata, Level 1 (near the escalator from the basement)

Busy Schedule Again

I can't believe it is another week before I am on the plane, heading for Canada. Back to the place where I spent the last bits of teenagehood to adulthood. Where I grew up. Where I knew more about the Canadian politics and policies than I did about Singapore. Sad but true.

So what else do I have to do now, besides packing? I have been putting it off as it is such an arduous task, and I tend to pack more than necessary.

Schedule:
10 Sept (Monday)
Lunch with cousin IC, then at her office, observing the on-goings.

11 Sept (Tuesday)
Lunch with BW in Chinatown and then exploring it. I realized that for a taste of Thailand/HK, go to Chinatown and you will be transported right back ;p
Foot reflexology at People's Park

12 Sept (Wednesday)
Lunch with AN and DW. Budget lunch of nasi briyani at Lucky Prata at Lucky Plaza.
Massage at Elements in afternoon.
Hopefully can squeeze in gym too.

13 Sept (Thursday)
Lunch with sister near home.
Pedicure in late afternoon at Wicked. Hope they won't destroy my nails further.
And gym, if possible.
Dinner with JK.

14 Sept (Friday)
Lunch with RF and TT at Tanglin Mall.
BWaxing at Strips.
Facial at Decleor.
Dinner with VC.

15 Sept (Saturday)
Afternoon tea at Four Seasons with the girls (farewell for me and birthday celebration for LG).

16 Sept (Sunday)
Doing something with SC.
May want to sleep early to get 12 hours sleeptime.

17 Sept (Monday)
May have lunch with ex-boss and ex-client who will be in Singapore.
HLWaxing at Flair.
Home early to sleep till midnight and last minute packing before driving to the airport at 230am on 18 Sept.

I don't have much time to pack at all! Help!

My Patronus is Phoenix

Your patronus will take the form of a Phoenix. Phoenix comes from Eygptian mythology. When it is time for them to die, they build a nest and burn themselves, only to be reborn from the ashes. They can also heal through its tears and chants. The Phoenix is a symbol of resurrection and immortality. They are benign and benevolent and exist to protect, not destroy.

What Form Would Your Patronus Take? (With 10 Excellent Results & Pictures)

Your Patronus would be a Phoenix!
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Donut Factory Donuts

I told the girls that maybe I should go queue for donuts at Donut Factory after I quit work since I will be free by then. And I did it! I went to the Suntec branch as I am not so crazy to attempt Raffles City where people started queuing even before the outlet opens. Plus I have heard that the line at Suntec is shorter and people took about 10 to 20mins during off peak period.

Arranged to meet to with Davis and Agnes at 11am to queue for donuts, but in the end it only took me 10 mins. I think I was the 6 or 8 in line. It moved very slowly, when compared to other places when buying food but it was all worth it. Davis only waited 5 mins since she came slightly later and Agnes was late so she didn't even have to wait :p

This was my first time queuing for donuts and I was not sure what to expect. Turned out you could just ask the staff if they have the flavor you wanted even if it was not displayed. They were churning out dozens in the kitchen. And in the Suntec outlet, there is even a mini cafe where you can order drinks, salads, food and maximum of 2 donuts for eating in. So it is another option if you just want to try one.

I like that they displayed pictures of the donuts available in the line, so you can browse and decide on your choices beforehand. There was also a note apologizing for the long wait and how they have tried all means to solve the long lines (advance booking, phone order, separate lines etc) and all that didn't work at all and implore customers to be understanding and patient if they waited in the evenings and the items are sold out before they could get served.

This is my 2nd time trying donuts from Donut Factory. The first time I had it, it was just a day or so after the article came out in Urban last November. That was before the craze hit and even so, my sister had to wait for 20 mins for the donuts. Now the lines are usually about an hour or longer on average. Some people have waited for over 3 hours!

Somehow I still prefer the donuts from Donut Factory when compared to others available. The donuts from Donut Factory are just so much softer, especially when reheated in the microwave for 8 seconds. The other places' donuts are too tough or doughy like bread.

So I bought 2 dozens (the maximum quantity allowed) as I know it will be the last time I will be having the donuts for the rest of the year.

I bought these:

Glazed (really amazing when heated up. soft and not too sweet)

Coffee roasted almond (I love this, maybe because of the almonds)

Spicy cheese (interesting savory item, works quite well)

Blueberry glazed (generous filling, but the glazed bit is too sweet)

Double chocolate (bestseller! chocolate filling is pretty good)

Raspberry dark chocolate (quite nice with the dark chocolate contrasting the tart sweetness of raspberry)

Hazelnut milk chocolate (least favorite of all. quite usual, maybe too much nuts and it overpowered the milk chocolate)

White strawberry heart (super sweet, white chocolate with the sweetness of strawberry. reminds me of white chocolate strawberry bar)

Oh, and they are going to open another branch at Novena Square. Oh why now, when I am no longer working in that area. Maybe it is a good thing too.

Mimosa Recipe (Philosophy)

I finally finished the 2nd bottle of the Cocktail Bath Set from Philosophy. This time I tried Mimosa - an orangey fragrance. I didn't particularly like the scent at all. It was just a-ok for me.

How do you make a mimosa?

1/3 c. chilled fresh orange juice
1/4 tsp. orange flavored liqueur
1/3 c. chilled champagne
1 small orange wedge

Combine orange juice and liqueur in a fluted champagne glass.
Slowly add champagne.
Garnish glass with orange wedge, if desired.
Served immediately.

Chili Tuna Casserole

I cooked again, after such a long hiatus. A new recipe, similar to my signature dish, but with chili instead. A friend/ex-colleague sweared by this, terming it as "orgasmic". I just had to try making it since I didn't get to try her version (the one I tried was equally nice, with lemon juice and lotsa pepper).

So trying to re-create it, based on what she would usually use. Chili tuna with lots of cheese. Mine didn't turn out that spicy after all, and definitely not orgasmic. Lol.

Maybe I drained out the chili oil, so that didn't work? Or I only had 1 can of chili tuna. I used up about 200gm of mozzarella cheese but it still didn't feel cheesy at all. Maybe I need to use other type of cheese. Well, back to experimenting again.

What went in?

- fusili

- cream of mushroom soup

- milk

- chili tuna, drained

- regular tuna, drained

- onions

- celery

- mozzarella cheese

- crushed crackers

- lemon juice

- black pepper

Mix them all together and bake for 15mins in the oven on 180C. Voila! Dinner is served. Easy peasy.

My Cross

I finally found a cross pendant which is similar to the one I lost earlier this year. After looking at various jewelry shops (Soo Kee, Lee Hwa, Aspial and even down to Taka, SK and Citigems, plus a few silver jewelry shops), I have more or less given up hope on finding one which is similar.

It seemed like all the shops specialized in dainty, tiny, fragile-looking cross pendants with diamonds. While I do like "bling-bling" to a certain extent, I prefer that for costume jewelry. They are more "fun" pieces to me. For something which I will be wearing daily, I prefer something simple. Plus, I am not a dainty person, so small does not work for me. Lol. I prefer something of substance.

So while out at AMK Hub (yes, I was out at the suburbs and not in town), exploring the place, I ventured into Poh Heng (which is in those neighborhood shops, not inside the Hub itself). I didn't really expect to see the cross, but the first one I laid my eyes on is almost an exact replica.

Oh, the joy! It is slightly smaller and lighter than my previous one. Plus the edges are slanted, not perfectly rounded. But it is close enough and charge it, it is. White gold cross pendant on my old silver chain, which I still refuse to change.

Before I bought the cross, I actually bought a dragonfly pendant as I wanted something nice and big to wear. The chain needs a pendant to weigh it down, else it will keep going up like a choker.

Sherie's Cupcakes - 2nd try

I have been baking up a frenzy! Well, not really. Lol, just like to think I have been doing that. I was home all day on Sunday and thought now I have all the time in the world to bake and cook. I wanted to bake the tuna noodle casserole, based on a friend's recipe, but alas, we ran out of canned soup. So no go. Thus, I turned my attention to baking.

Back to Sherie's cupcakes recipe. Again, I didn't get to mix the ingredients as I actually dozed off and my helper didn't wake me up. She went ahead to make it. I think she likes baking better than cooking :p

Anyway, I got to pour the batter into the paper cups and do the piping for the frosting. I am so not creative at all! Boring swirls all around. Lol. And I also learnt not to do the piping when the cupcake have not cooled totally. See the "melted" frosting, the color has changed to the more buttery yellow too.

Verdict: It is moist and pretty good. But it has a bit of alkaline aftertaste, not sure if it is the flour I used. I used Top Flour. Does that matter? The frosting is fantastic, love the buttery taste, not too sweet too. It yielded close to 50 cupcakes.

TCC (The Coffee Connoisseur)

Tiramisu

I hardly stepped into TCC (The Coffee Connoisseur) as I didn't have a fantastic experience which made me want to be a repeat customer. The last time I went there was a few years back and the food didn't make much of an impressions. Pretty usual fare with average taste or standards. Nice presentation though. But I am not really a packaging person. I am rarely sold by packaging or the visual on the outside. What matters most to me is the "inside", the substance within.

I read about its revamp and new menu, but again the old experience hindered me from wanting to try the place as there are so many other new or old eateries to tempt my wallet.


So what made me stepped into TCC on Thursday (August 30) then? Sheer desperation. Lol. It was late, around 730pm or close to 8pm, and we were at Velocity@Novena. Cedele usually closed at 8pm (I love Cedele soup and sandwiches), and Spinelli does not really have fresh food at this outlet (other Spinellis are fine), so there isn't much option. Fast food is out and I am not into organic food. Harry's bar is boring and we were just there on Wednesday (usual place for company's drinks) and so TCC it is.

The place is nice, interesting chairs/seats. A comfy "bench" for 2 but only 1 side has a partial backing which is too low to really lean on anyway. Another interesting feature is a "waterfall" right in the middle. It is probably just strings with water flowing down it, creating an illusion of a waterfall.

The menu has expanded. Much more sophisticated offerings with proper mains, beside the usual soup, sandwiches, pastas and light snacks. I tried the baked meatball pasta while Vanessa had the pasta au gratin. The meatball pasta was not too bad, the meatball had a taste to it but it got better the more you ate it. I like the cheesy creamy concoction drizzled with tasbasco sauce to give it a kick.

Choco Cinnamon Latte (background - love the cinnamon stick), Caramel Honey Latte (foreground - love the layers)

Food wise, it is still average. I had better. What was nice was really the presentation. The caramel honey latte looked pretty, but tasted a bit weak. Too much milk. The dessert - tiramisu - again scored high on presentation. Taste-wise, it was ok. Passable, not something which will make me want to go back again and again.

Conclusion, TCC is still not my first choice if I want to eat or drink. It is just nice as a place for a chat or chill out, if the outlet is quiet. The service at Velocity is excellent though. Water glasses were refilled automatically, and the service staff were polite and welcoming.

Aquamarine - Marina Mandarin Hotel

I tried the dinner buffet at Aquamarine in Marina Mandarin Hotel. Somehow most people had the tendency to mistake Marina Mandarin for Meritus Mandarin. Is it really that similar? Marina Mandarin is such a give-away for being in the Marina Bay area and Meritus Mandarin is the old hotel along Orchard Road.

Aquamarine is a fairly new restaurant, at the renovated Marina Mandarin Hotel. It is quite a hassle getting to the hotel from within Marina Square Shopping Center itself. I love the color and water theme of the restaurant. Everything is in shade of blue, the shimmering aquamarine of the sea water. It is not as blu-ish as Blu in Shangri-La, but it is still nice.

We got a table right by the dessert section where the chocolate fountain is (and the chocolate fountain is now part and parcel of most buffet places' offerings) so we can monitor the state of the strawberries. Lol. The only drawback is the air conditioning vent, it condensed pretty fast and thus dripped steadily on diners right underneath it (i.e. my friends and the next table).

Food selection - it is a decent spread of quality food. The variety is not as mind-boggling as The Line at Shangri-La, but it is enough.

Stations:

Local food of seafood noodle soup and carrot cake, chicken rice and other roasted stuff (prepared by chef), surrounding the chefs' workstation are tempura (shrimp and vegetables), Singapore bee hoon (finally! I see Singapore noodles in a Singapore's restaurant but without the curry powder found overseas), kai lan, roast beef (very nicely done, not tough or dry), fish fillet, pork ribs, chicken pieces, black pepper crabs and more.

Indian: briyani rice, vegetables dahl, various curries - beef, chicken and mutton?

Japanese: assortment of sushi and sashimi, chawanmushi, soba and probably others, prepared by chefs behind the counter.

Appetizer: Salad, penang fruit salad, oyster shooter, and various canapes with caviar, scallop, crabmeat, shrimp, duck breast salad, etc

Soup: 2 types - cream of asparagus and hot & sour soup. Lots of bread to go with it, and a huge selection of cheese platter.

On the ice: oysters, scallop, mussels, crabs, just cooked live shrimps, crayfish and a special - scampi baked or grilled to perfection.

Dessert: 4 types of Haagen Dazs ice cream with your choice of topping (crushed pistachios, nuts, chocolate rice sprinkles, white chocolate shavings, pink chocolate shavings, M&Ms, marshmallows) and sugar cones.

Chocolate fountain with small donuts and strawberries to dip in, selection of cookies and 2 types of cakes (cheese cake and green tea mousse cake - not sure if they change all the time), and bite size panna cotta, chocolate mousse, tiramisu, creme brulee, brownie, fruit tarts, opera, etc and fruits.

So much food, so little space in stomach. I didn't get to try the Indian or Japanese food at all and lots more too. But here are what I tried:

My first dish - seafood noodle soup. I was just browsing when the chef asked if I wanted a bowl. It was pretty good, tasted like prawn noodle broth but a bit salty, not sure if that was due to the soy sauce I added with the sliced chili.

Appetizer: Oyster shooters, some cream cheese with smoked salmon opera, caviar on egg in potato, grilled eggplant and some other canapes. These were ok, not that great.

Grilled/Baked Scampi - my favorite dish of the night. I can just eat this the whole night. The meat was fresh and succulent. I dipped it in the seafood sauce and hot sauce. Nice!

Mains: fish fillet in a nice white cream sauce (nice, not dry), roast beef in brown sauce (so tender), Singapore fried bee hoon (it was ok), shrimp and zucchini tempura (average, a bit cold), kai lan (not bad)

Dessert: Chocolate mousse (didn't like the whipped egg white but the chocolate beneath was divine), panna cotta (too sweet to finish), opera (wonderful medley of bitter and sweet), brownie (too dry), creme brulee (average, not that fantastic)

I was so stuffed after all that. I didn't take pictures of the ice cream or chocolate dipped strawberries and the oysters, scallop and crayfish. The oysters and scallop were very fresh, crayfish was so-so only.

Location:
Aquamarine, Marina Mandarin Hotel
Level 3
Reservations: 6845 1111

Davis' Mini Cupcakes

Davis made a batch of cupcakes and passed some to me to try. Miniatures as I overdosed on cupcakes at my niece's birthday over the weekend.

The mini cupcakes are so cute and just nice for nibbling. I love the cream cheese frosting, courtesy of Sherie's recipe ;p

Thanks, Davis :)

Cube @ Work

This is my very messy cube at work. I have lots of junk and other stuff to make it personal. Too personal, maybe. Lol. But I have finally gotten rid of those piles of papers. I am such a pack rat. Now I am trimming the folders in the office system, trying to delete those "draft" documents and leave behind the final copy.

It is taking me a loooong time. I am just so bad with throwing things away. Sigh. Back to plodding on before I leave.

MAC Flashtronic 2007

I went to Vivocity so many times last month that I feel I know the place very well now. The main reason for going to Vivo is because my fave MA is based at the Tangs there, so no choice. If I want to buy things from MAC, I need to go to Tangs Vivo. No more Tangs Orchard for MAC products.

So why the multiple trips? A few times it was to buy stuff - MAC Ballonancy and MAC C-Shock Collections items. Recently it was to buy the mineralized stuff from the Flashtronic collection.

What did I get? Northern Light MSF - mid tone pink with rust and grey brown veining highlighter blusher. Mineralize eye shadows in Ether (gorgeous deep aqua with silver, black and gold streaks), Tectonic (yellow gold with lime green, warm brown and black veins), Mercurial (yellow gold with lilac and chestnut veining though it looks more lavender pink on me) and Quarry Sky (light blue with olive, coral and beige veining)

Of them, my favorite are Ether and Tectonic. They looked great when paired together. Quarry Sky was quite so-so for me but as usual I got it because it is LE and I am hoping I can get it to work for me. Lol.

Ladies Afternoon Tea @ Regent

We went to the Regent for afternoon tea on Saturday as a belated birthday gathering for Tanny as Agnes only came back from her trip to Japan the weekend before. It was tea but we started at 130pm and stayed there till 5pm, gossiping the afternoon away.

So it was like a 1-meal affair for most of us since some of us slept in and thus skipped brekkie and 130pm was like lunch time. Regent is always nice for its "quiet" location. I like the cosy feel of the place, which was made to resemble a library in an English home. The fried chicken wings were back and they were so good! Crispy and slightly spicy. I didn't have much this time. And I was pretty good in not trying all the desserts (maybe because I tried them previously already).

It was quite interesting to note the topics for the day ranged from pregnancy (Agnes is expecting her first child, and Davis and Sherie are already yummy mummies) to makeup to bags to clothes to everything under the sky :p It was quite rare to get all of us together and our friendship has lasted since we met in end 2004.

The next gathering will be for my "farewell" next month. Food for the day will be local. We are going to Straits Kitchen. Nice! I have not been there since last year when I was there with Irene to celebrate my birthday. I can start daydreaming about the Indian dishes and the nasi padang stuff. Yummy!

One thing I noticed yesterday was that it seemed like most of us are carrying a designer bag :p 2 YSLs, 1 Prada, 1 Burberry, 1 Le Sportsac Tokidoki and others.

Shopping with Vouchers

Yesterday turned out to be a shopping day! I thought it would just be tea with the girls and then home to rest. But I discovered my brand new cream gloss (Full Kiss - finally bought it after lemming for it since 2002 or 2003) from Helena Rubinstein (HR) leaked. There was a hole at the end of the tube and it stained my gwp bag from HR. The girls said I should be able to get an exchange for the cream gloss and so it was a trip down to Isetan Scotts after the tea. And from there it snowballed into a shopping trip :)

The BA at HR was pretty nice about it. I managed to exchange the gloss but my color was still out of stock. I have a feeling they will not be stocking this any time soon. So after much deliberation and testing, I got another color - Flush (quite neutral, peachy nude thing). The other color I was trying was Bed Red - an orange based fire engine red. It was that bright! Now I remembered the color I was lemming for, it was Carmine Passion which I have not seen in a long while, maybe the reason why I never really buy Full Kiss previously. The BA also gave me a new gwp bag after she learnt that I stained my current one with the cream gloss. I didn't even ask if I could have a new one, she just offered. Now that is delighting the customer. Something small but within her autonomy, but which made the customer happy. More companies should empower their staff with the flexibility to do such little stuff, instead of being very controlling on how gwp/samples should be given out here.

We popped over to see the bags and Nine West is on sale, 50% off on selected items. I bought a bag which I was eyeing previously. So yay, I managed to use my Isetan vouchers for that. Then it was to Topshop where I spent again, using my voucher there. Lol, I have too many vouchers to use. Instead of 1 undies, I bought 2 cos they were so cute! It said "You Rock" on 1, and "Groupie" on the other. And there was a picture of a skull for "You Rock" on the front, and a picture of a guitar on the front for "Groupie". The end season sale is still on, and I also picked up a bikini which is so spring/summery with its bright cheerful candy stripes.

It was to DFS after that and over there I was a good girl. Didn't buy anything at all :p Final stop was La Senza at Paragon where the end season sale was still on with 70% off. I remembered I still have my Style$ to spend at Paragon so I picked up a few stuff. In a total purple mood with 2 bras and 3 undies - all in purple!

Oh and at the tea, Agnes passed me the Old Navy bikini bottom which I ordered to match the top I already have. So now I have the complete set of the stars and stripes bikini :) Also got the Stila Pretty Pansy and Pussycat Doll palette from her.

A total shopping day. I love spending with vouchers :D

View from the top

We organized a press conference last month for a client which was held at Equinox Private Dining Room on Level 69 of Swissotel the Stamford. The view is amazing but the service/support staff could be better. I doubt I will ever recommend the place for events in future.

The Singapore Flyer looks pretty good from the top. I always thought it could be an eyesore to have something huge jut out from nowhere but it all seemed to meld together. Plus after the IR is built at Marina Bay area, I think it will all fit perfectly well.

You can see the construction of the barrage at the mouth of Singapore River. Afte the barrage is completed, the entire Marina Bay/Singapore River area will be a reservoir. A huge reservoir. I wonder what it will be like, especially since they have started introducing water sports in reservoir too.

I stopped wakeboarding now because the water is so polluted, and they use detergent to make it easier for people to slip in and out of the wakeboard "boots". Imagine detergent in reservoir! Killing all the fish and sea life underneath. Maybe it is bio-degradable?

In the picture, you can see the barrage at the top, the right hand side is the construction of the IR, but there are so many more cranes now than before, all working furiously to meet the deadline. And there is the floating platform opposite it. The floating platform is made up of 15 pontoons which were designed and constructed by one of our clients, hence my knowledge of the barrage and other stuff :p (the whole reason for taking the pic)

PersonalDNA

I am a Benevolent Creator.



You are a Creator

Your imagination, confidence, willingness to explore, and appreciation of beauty make you a CREATOR.

You are independent, and you enjoy your self-sufficiency.

Defying convention, you are very innovative, and you have a vivid imagination.

The look of things is important to you, and you have a keen eye for aesthetic beauty in multiple arenas.

You have a strong interest in what is new and exciting—and that includes forging ahead with new ideas, not simply discovering what is already out there.

Your eagerness to seek new and varied experiences leads you into many different situations.

You're not set on one way of doing things, and you are creative when it comes to finding novel solutions to complex problems.

You trust yourself to be innovative and resourceful.

Your confidence allows you to take your general awareness and channel it into creativity.


If you want to be different:
Appreciate the earthly, practical elements of things—there is beauty in form as well.

While you are good at thinking abstractly, focusing on details a bit more may help you discover things about the world.

You are Benevolent

You are a great person to interact with—understanding, giving, and trusting—in a word, BENEVOLENT

You don't mind being in social situations, as you feel comfortable enough with people to be yourself.

Your caring nature goes beyond a basic concern: you take the time to understand the nuances of people's situations before passing any sort of judgment.

You're a good listener, and even better at offering advice.

You're concerned with others at both an individual and societal level—you sympathize with the plights of troubled groups, and you can care about people you've never met.

Considering many different perspectives is something at which you excel, and you appreciate that quality in others.

Other people's feelings are important to you, and you're good at mediating disputes.

Because of your understanding and patience, you tend to bring out the best in people.


If you want to be different:

You spend a lot of time taking care of others, but don't forget to take care of yourself!

Sometimes you can get overcommitted, and when you sacrifice spending time with those close to you, it can make them feel unimportant.

"Jungle" Cats

I took the pictures some time last year when I was waiting for the bus. It was interesting to see the way the two cats interacted with each other. Waiting...observing...pouncing.

Animal instincts.

Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

They look so yummy and pretty. The recipe seems quite do-able too.

Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
Prep time: 15 minutes
Makes 16 servings

Ingredients
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
16 (about 1 pound) whole stemmed California strawberries
8 graham cracker squares, finely crushed (about 2/3 cup)

Directions
In mixer bow, beat together cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and lemon peel until smooth and creamy; set aside. Using a paring knife or small melon baler, partially hollow-out tops of strawberries to a depth of ¾ inches. Gently fill each with 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture. Roll tops into graham cracker crumbs. Arrange on serving platter.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 65 calories; 3 g fat; 10 mg cholesterol; 85 mg sodium; 7 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 2 g protein

Tips:
* To prepare recipe ahead of time, fill strawberries with cream cheese mixture; cover and refrigerate up to 6 hours. Roll in graham cracker crumbs just before serving.
* For a chocolate cheesecake variation, melt 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels as package directs; stir into one 8-ounce package cream cheese (softened). Add 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Proceed as recipe directs, rolling filled strawberries into finely crushed graham crackers or chocolate wafer cookies.

Recipes and photographs provided courtesy of the California Strawberry Commission. ©2007 California Strawberry Commission. All rights reserved.

Too Honest

This is hilarious! Sometimes a little honesty can be too much? Lol. Refreshing.

A Game of MahJong

A bona fide tai-tai I can never be as I totally sux in MahJong (MJ). I vaguely know the concept of being able to exchange for tiles if you get the "flower or animal" tiles, and to have 3 of a kind or in a row (straight). The rest I totally don't remember or don't know at all.

So today I spent today at a colleague's (VL) place where we played MJ. It was supposed to be a fun session, with some money involved. BUT.....due to mine and another colleague's (JC) incompetence, the other 2 decided to just play for fun instead and to let us learn through trial and errors.

They thought they were bad...until they met us. Lol. JC has only played a few times but he improved lots at the end. While I did manage to "win" some games, some were horrid and I made mistakes where if we were playing for money, I would have to pay out to everyone a few times. It was still a fun and good learning experience.

We took so long just playing 1 round. I think we started around 5pm and only ended around 1030pm, with about 30mins break for dinner. Yes, we took more than an hour to complete just 1 "wind" direction. I am still pretty clueless about how the "wind" works and what can be used to keep as a pair and the "credit" to get before you can even win. So many rules.

But I must say there is something quite therapeutic about the clacking tiles and then stacking them and trying to strategize the next move.

Wicked - A Nail Salon

I tried Wicked, which is at International Building next to Isetan Scotts, in late June on Davis' recommendation. The place is tiny, but has tasteful ambience. The seats are like a long bench with sinks at the bottom. That is good as I am quite fussy about that. I prefer to have actual sinks rather than a portable basin or those footbath thing. This is for hygiene purposes.

It is not very comfortable but still ok to sit for an hour. Magazines provided are international and quite recent and service is good. I like that the tea is served on nice tea cup and with a mini tray.

I think it is fairly new and is operated by a Korean as it also has Korean facials and waxing services in another room off the main nail area. The staff is also fairly new to the trade, you can tell they are not very experienced.

In the 2 times I was there (yes I signed a package as it was a good deal but now I thoroughly regret it), the nail technicians were not very good. I am still hoping I can find a good one for my remaining sessions.

The first one cut my nails too short and it was not straight for one of the toenails. About a week after that, I discovered there was a tiny nick on the 3rd toe on left foot. I was concerned and so made an appointment to get them to re-paint the nails (cos the colors have chipped by then - very fast for an OPI. Less than a week).

I went back and got a different nail technician. She is very new (I didn't know that in the beginning) and didn't seem to know what to do. I told her about the nick and just to change the nail colors and not to file or cut them as they were already so short. Then she discovered there is another nick on the 4th toe on the right foot. Seriously, I have never have spilts on nails before and right so close to the cuticles.

The warning bells should have rung in my head when the technician didn't even offer to repair the tiny nicks. She just allowed me to tell her to change the colors. Usually at other nail salons, they will ask you or tell you that you need to glue it back or something. But at Wicked, nothing at all.

So it was repainted and I left, hoping my nails will grow fast enough and the nicks will not get worse. But 2-3 weeks later, they spilt further. So the cracks on the nail and the reason why the one on the left foot has came off. And now I am seeking emergency treatment on the right foot as that is in a precarious position being 3/4 down the toenail.

I don't trust any nail technicians to do it. My boss recommended super glue but I am hesitant to do it on my own. I called the person recommended by Yolanda and she said I will need to put on fibreglass nail. WTH is that? Anyway, she is traveling today and won't be back till next weekend.

So I called Flair Nails where I usually have my waxing done. Spoke to my long time therapist there and she recommended the technicians there and that they are all trained and experienced. She said I will probably need the silkscreen (??) or gel nail or whatever. All these terms just went above my head. So I shall try it out today and hopefully it works. The spilt ends will hold till the nail grows out.

I did a silkscreen thing once at Snails for a tiny nick before. It didn't work and came out after a couple of days. Hence I am quite skeptical on such stuff.

Bottomline: I don't recommend Wicked at all. I think only the owner is experienced, so it is only good if you managed to get her for your appointment.

Nasi Lemak - Old Chang Kee

Nasi Lemak from Old Chang Kee? Yes, besides the usual curry puffs and other deep fried snacks, the Old Chang Kee cafes also served up hot dishes such as nasi lemak, beef stew in bread bowl, grilled fish, etc. It is called Take 5.

I tried the nasi lemak as I was not sure what to have and the fried chicken wing looked tempting. Actually I went to the wrong store. I wanted hor fun but went to Take 5 instead of Killiney Kopitiam at Square 2 :p

Verdict? The rice could be more lemak and fragrant but still quite ok. The chicken wing is good and warm. The chili is pretty good. The sausage is a surprising touch. Average nasi lemak, I would say.