Reunion With Friends

Michelle & Mark were back in Singapore after their cruise and wondered if we were free to meet up. Finally, we managed to squeeze in a meet up with all the Lunar New Year shopping we had to do, and that was to have reunion dinner with them. Since we already had our reunion dinner last Sunday, we became a replacement family for Michelle to reunite with. Dinner was initially supposed to be at Jin Shan, but they told us that they weren't taking any walk-ins for the night. So we ended up at the restaurant Michelle first texted us about, Yu Cuisine. We were told we had to finish our dinner by 7.30pm, which meant we had more than an hour to eat, but that was more than enough as the kids would have wanted to go to bed by then. 

The dinner started off really well with their version of yu sheng, that was 'blessed' by the waitress as she built the dish up at the table. It was known that each ingredient had some meaning to it, but to listen to someone listing out the idioms as she placed the ingredients in the plate was really cool. Other than the yu sheng, we also ordered a steamed fish, spinach, a platter of roasted meat and chilli crab. Guess it was also great we ended up here as Michelle got to eat her Chilli Crab and this one was quite good, even though the mantous were really small. 

I would say mom and dad wouldn't mind coming her in the future as it was so satisfying, we didn't touch the one bowl of rice we ordered to share for the 3 of us. And from the prices I saw (no bill to refer to as Mark paid for dinner… Thanks Mark!!), it wasn't too bad considering the building we were dining in. It was an really great reunion with friends and also to meet the kids, which would never have stopped at the corner of the canal if poor little Mia didn't need to pee. 

New Toy

I saw this Instax Share  printer before christmas and was thinking of looking it up but totally forgot about it with all the preparations that had to be done for Christmas and Lunar New Year. Then as I was looking through  Yahoo news, I saw an advertisement for this on Qoo10 and decided to check it out, only to find that it was available at the shop I go to for all my polaroid needs. So got on their pre-order list and they texted me yesterday saying that a shipment had arrived and that I could come down to get it. 

Dad had wanted to go get some things today and so I decided I might as well get the printer since we were heading out. So here we are, my new toy printing some really old photos I dug out from my iPod. 

Baking Sunshine

As Lunar New Year approaches, the amount of festive favourites such as love letters, bak kwa and pineapple tarts, fill the shelves of almost every shop just banking in on shopping frenzy. The same shopping frenzy that has increased the prices of these goodies to really ridiculous rates, which is a reason why my dad makes his own bak kwa, and my aunt makes her UNIQUE pineapple tarts. 

As mentioned before, looking through the shelves for some pineapple tarts to satisfy my cravings just didn't work. However I got a batch of them from my aunt which helped with the craving for a while, but soon, the itch to have my grandmother's tarts was back and I had to ask mom to make some. So making it simpler by using prepared pineapple paste, mom finally got into the mood to make a batch of tarts today. 

It didn't take long for her to get the dough ready, and neither did the baking with my new oven. The tedious but was building up the tart. Rolling the dough, stamping out the bases, ensuring the pineapple paste sat nicely in place, not to much or too little paste, and finally giving each tart a nice egg wash.  Looking down on the tray, the tarts look like little sunflowers getting baked. Little bits of sunshine that easily fit in my mouth and satisfy my very particular craving. 

Reunion Dinner Crazy Creations

For the past few years before the move, we had to hold our annual reunion dinner at some restaurant as our family usually hosted the event. This year, since we've sorted the house enough to start hosting parties again, we got to hold this year's reunion at home. Once again, we brought out the hotplate and hot pot, and brought in the air fryer for a little more fun. Also, Criszean and his family got to join us as they were now staying in the next apartment. 

New company meant a new bunch of food being introduced to the mix as they brought some gyozas which were first cooked in the hotpot and then got a little fried bum using the hotplate. Somehow, everyone seemed to sliced pork belly, and one tray had a nice amount of fat which was later wrapped around some prawns and did some time in the deep fryer. Later on, looking at the squid left, I brought out some chilli paste and cooked it with a little bit of belimbing dad and I had picked. Instead of the usual belacan squid, we had a quick pseudo-assam pedas squid. 

Wonder what we'll be doing for next year?

Late Blooms For Mom

Didn't really plan on getting anything for mom for her birthday as I really didn't know what to get her anymore. She gave up on cheesecake and has too much crochet and sewing items. Plus we were having our reunion dinner tonight and getting something to eat wasn't on the top of the list.

So as we were shopping for ingredients for our reunion dinner, dad and I decided to check out Eco Garden to see if there might be a nice belimbing plant I could get. After feeling like a shabby spot was trying to cheat us, we wondered if this location, which was well-organised, would have higher prices. The range and prices here shocked us both with it being really good and the plants looked really healthy. Oh, and can't forget that the staff there were really helpful! That was when dad and I thought that we shouldn't pass up on the orchids there and to get her a birthday present, one that she can also show off for Lunar New Year.

So after choosing the 3 orchids for her, which was a bit tough looking at the amount of really nice ones on sale, we went off with me forgetting that I wanted a chilli plant. Well, when I go back for my full garden supplies, that chilli plant will be on the list.

Happy Birthday Mudder!

Childhood Favourites 03

Mom's apple pie is one of the desserts I will never say no to. It was the first apple pie I've tasted, and it has been the benchmark for other apple pies (that has only 1 come close) since then. The recipe is simple and it doesn't have any raisins or spices that mask the flavor of apples, or the buttery pastry. I think in the end, it's this simplicity that has won over a few friends and family as well, making this a yearly treat for everyone that comes to our Christmas eve party.

Childhood Favourites 02

Another one of my favorites is curry chicken, the kind made with coconut milk. My mom says it's because I probably loved the one my grandmother used to make. I think it might also be due to coconut milk, because I do love my mom's curry chicken, but I'd love it more with coconut milk!

This one is packed from Ikea, and tucking into it after midnight after bringing a load of stuff back. Strangely enough, the local dishes at Ikea are really nice,  and sometimes (in this case), better than the Swedish fare. They've even improved thier menu by adding options to add achar and papadums to your order. Well, I'd be happy with the curry just poured over noodles.

Bliss!

Childhood Favourites 01

One dessert that falls in the list of childhood favorites is Cendol. I'm not sure if my first taste was from Johor on the way to someone's kampung or Sepang, or the corner drink stall at Margaret Drive Food Centre. Wherever my first taste of Cendol was from, the taste of the dessert never left my mind, and definitely stuck as I love stuff with coconut milk and gula melaka.

Today's bowl was from the Malaysia Boleh foodcourt at Jurong Point.  Although it was a little too sweet for me, I really loved the fact that the coconut milk was slightly salted and bumped up the flavours. The green cendol bits and huge red bea s were also nice and soft.

Satisfied tummy.

Operation Ecosystem

I wanted to do something to ensure that our terrapin, Pestinator, had a rather clean environment to live in instead of mucky stagnant water. However,  instead of just clogging up a filter with poo n leftover vegetables, I thought that maybe some plants would be better off with the water.

Putting plants in the tank would mean the Pestinator would have a tank that was too small, and a bigger tank wouldn't fit on the shelf. So plan B was to get 2 tanks and use the tank with plants as a big filter, then filter the semi-cleaned water back to the Pestinator's tank.

So far, we've got the basics set up and running. Hopefully the idea works out well. 

Festive Ambience

My sister sent me a message that she wanted to hold a steamboat party during the Lunar New Year celebrations and regretted not getting some decorations from the shops here. So since I was going out, and it could possibly reach her before her party, I was instructed to get a few staples from Daiso and Chinatown. 

Daiso was great for cheap decorations, and soon I got inspired to decorate the house with some of it. After getting a bunch of items for my sister,  I decided to throw in a few lanterns and a little lucky charm for our own place. Mom and I then put them up this morning. 

Fried Chicken Rating

Angie and I wanted to meet up to discuss our next trip and decided to try a new fried chicken outlet thst has started to pop up in some malls. After locating our options, we decided to head to Plaza Singapura as it had a few more shops we planned to visit ad well. 

Lucky for us, we managed to get to the outlet by 6.30pm and ordered a few items off the almost non-existent menu. I really didnt get why they couldn't have a menu high up on the screens behind the cashiers. It made ordering the first time a bit confusing when the guy just kep asking if I wanted to upsize, twice, without really referring to what I was upsizing. 

Anyway, all said and done and quite sad with my small drink, I waited for a few minutes at the table while my order was prepared. I get my order and wondered if they got it right as it looked rather tame with that lemon on top. However, having a taste of the sauce told me that it was indeed the hot version I ordered. Angie ordered a wings set and want impressed with it as she said the chicken was actually too dry. Mine was quite juicy inside yet still had a nice crispy coating under all that hot sauce. I really enjoyed my choice but would have really loved it if they used fat chips instead of shoestring fries as they were just too skinny for the seaweed sprinkles to cling on to.

I'd put this as my 2nd choice for fried chicken from a fast food joint. 

Ohhh Happy Day!

Alright, he married in September last year, but only did an announcement party today, but I'm still happy as if it's the actual day of his wedding. Finally Mr Eddie Kheng has decided to settle and I would say Sunny made a good choice. He didn't have to think too much about making her his wife really. Haha

The excitement for me was also partially because the reception location was a recommendation by me and I internally hoped that Dome didn't mess anything up. Thank goodness everyone seemed to enjoy the food and Uncle Billy and his team were AWESOME!!! (and I got to keep the buffet's centrepiece!) 

Check out the simple way they announced their marriage at the back of their car as opposed to the boring old ribbons and bouquet. 

Bubble Bubble Toil And Trouble

I love experimenting with recipes and the best kind of challenges for the mind is to try to recreate a dish I tried, in my own kitchen. This time it was an old cucumber soup that I had from mom's favourite soup stall. Although it's easier to just head down to the stall and get a soup fix, sometimes that shop just sells out too quickly. So replicating a dish would be one way to ensure that a craving could be satisfied, and making it for the whole family to enjoy is a bonus. Sharing is caring. 

Dad's Mini Birthday Party

It's dad's 63rd birthday today and we started early with a little celebration. These 3 bottles were in the fridge, and since he wanted fridge space for making Bak Kwa, out they came! Well the ginger beer was alright, but I've had better. And the others didn't taste like cider at all. Guess we won't be getting anymore of these. Barkley enjoyed them though, and so did dad, so that's good. 

Happy Birthday Old Man!

Crime Scene Investigation

Mom came home this afternoon, telling dad rather excitedly (read: LOUD) that there were a ton of police vans, cars and trucks parked outside the old block of flats. She said she wanted to get the mail from the old place this morning and was not allowed to park, and still wasn't allowed in even after her visit to the doctor. Wondering what big murder case was being investigated, she returned and asked dad to do some leg work, and hopefully get the mail from the old blocks along with any interesting details. Just as I was to go out and take some photos, dad called back to report that it was just some filming and that people there were mostly posing for photos and getting ready for the next shoot. 

I headed out to take photos anyway and started to laugh when I saw that the 2 big trucks parked there were from the Special Operations Command, which usually deals with the riots. Riots! My mom can be quite clueless at times. 

Festive Craving

I was craving for pineapple tarts on Saturday and was looking at the stuff available in stores but non of them seemed nice. Maybe it's just a gut feeling, or maybe it's knowing the exact taste I'm craving for was never to be found in one of the bottles on the shelf. So I left the place and ended up convincing mom to make some of the family's secret recipe tarts. Lo and behold, Aunt Jeannie have been making tarts for the festive season and happen to set aside a few for me. The message that came in was rather extensive, telling me she had made a few kinds, which included a bear-shaped one that she was trying to recreate. As you can see, the 3 different versions of her pineapple tart that have no uniformity. However ugly they might be, it's all in the taste, and I would say it came close to satisfying my craving. Close. 

Crazy Nonyas

I woke up yesterday with the smells of fried tofu skin and fermented bean curd wafting into my room, knowing it was Chap Chye bubbling over the fire. Mom decided to make it for dinner and paired it with some Ayam Buah Keluak. Since she packed up the leftover gravy and black nuts in the freezer, that dish just needed a bit of meat added and heated up. I decided I wanted to try a new dish and had always wanted to make Babi Cincalok. Looked up the recipe on the internet and found a simple one that sounded good in my head. Thus I had the basic stuff the recipe called for and sort of winged it with the flavor. The dish turned out rather interesting with the nice blend of sweetness, saltiness, tartness and spice. Hopefully I'll be able to write the recipe down. Well with most Peranakan dishes, they are usually best eaten on the 2nd day after it has been warmed up a few times so that everything marries and get nice and tender. So today's lunch was just the same feast for 3.

Barkley's Strange Addiction

Barkley is a nutcase. There's no other way to describe him. He's got no objection to any kind of toy. Everything that squeaks is his, any fluffy toy is his, anything that is covered in the flourescent green tennis ball felt is his. He can have a ton of toys all over the house yet know whee every toy is hidden.

When it comes to food, however, he can be such a fussy one. He doesn't like the fancy, supposedly good for his health kind of dog food. He likes the cheaper stuff, but won't say no to Caesar's.  He doesn't like treats like the dried fish or biscuits, but prefer softer chews like liver straps. Even so, he'll only take certain kinds. Then the shocker of his oddball choices was the fish strips. One day the family was snacking on it and he sat there begging. It's now his alternative snack when mom thinks he's had to much liver in his diet.

Well as long as he's happy and it won't kill him like the grapes he actually loves.    

Spice Up My Life

I'm not sure when I really started my collection of salt and pepper shakers, but they've become an easy gift idea for friends who don't really know what to get me. Also because of that,  I've now got quite an extensive collection, even though I know it's not the biggest in the world. It's been fun collecting them,  hunting each country for unique.  Can't really pick out which is my absolute favorite yet, but I know I can't bear to use any of the shakers The grinders, however, I would at least use to empty them first.  Then again, I do have 2 extra sets which I could use.  Hmmm....

Red Velvet Obsession

I always wondered why red velvet cake seems to be a big favorite among a lot of Americans, especially when it seems to have more fans than simple chocolate, black forest or carrot. Then finally I get to try one from Cedele and I realised how good it was. That chocolatey richness with the slight tartness of the cream cheese frosting. O! M! G!

I then went on to look for a nice recipe and it was good that the very first one I decided to try, albeit with a little editing to the amount of sugar in the frosting, was absolutely perfect. Made it for my sister's party with coconut flour and still it was delicious. 

Though I've found an awesome recipe, I'd still go around trying other red velvet cakes, especially when there's other people to share it with. This one for today was from Fish and Co. I'd say it would have been really nice if it wasn't that cold, and I wasn't that eager to eat it. Haha

Noodle Bin

I once saw some show on tv introducing some noodle manufacturer in Hong Kong that sold flavoured noodles and vowed that I would definitely visit their store for the prawn roe noodle.  Lo and behold, walking in Giant supermarket and I see it being sold as some Lunar New Year special. And since there wasn't a pack with all 3 flavours,  I had to get all 3! Mom thinks I'm mad,  but I love my noodles and there's a lot I could try with these flavoured ones. I'm soooooo excited!!!

Special Summons

It's 12.30am and I get a message from Eddie wondering if I'm still awake. Then he tells me he has a delivery to make and this is what I get… well part of it. A red envelope indicating, quite obviously, what's inside. But I already knew about this months ago and this is just out of courtesy… or maybe so I can keep it as a souvenir. Finally that playboy has decided to settle down and announce it to the world… sort of. 

Testing Coffee For Beary Testers

Sent the sister off this afternoon and TaiYee wanted to eat. Since it was January and Mom's birthday month, it was time for a treat for both of them, together with TaiYee's sister-in-law - Aunty Mary, dad and myself. Off to TCC and they were offering bear-shaped pineapple tarts. Being obsessive about pineapple tarts, TaiYee had to have a try. So I ordered a coffee just so she'd have 2 to have a picture and try. They are cute, and I would say they'd make a nice gift. 

Tired Out

Mom babysat Brayden for the first day yesterday and Barkley assisted with keeping him in check.  The whole experience definitely took a toll on him as he ended up in his bed, so tried that he's sleeping with his arm hanging out!

For The Love Of Food

Singaporeans are known to wait in line for the oddest things, but the one thing almost all of us would do is wait in line for food. Today was for French-inspired food recommended by the sister's friend, Grace. After watching some show, she thought the food looked damn good and was affordable, thus we ended up in a line for a table 5 minutes before the place opened.

Celebrating A First Birthday Like A Boss

As he was getting ready to open his presents,  Dinata was placed in his armchair for a quick photo session.  He was wondering what all the fuss was about and soon got comfy in the chair, started to slouch and shake his legs. Definitely owned it!

Sister's Husbandless Shopping Spree

Once Brendan left, it was time for Sis to go made with her doing again. So off to Orchard Road we went and I only ended up getting this Nutella Swirl Cheesecake and a dress on sale,  while sis brought back 2 bags, a bag of clothes and a pair of shoes. The cheesecake was alright,  and I think I can find better recipes. 

Beach Party

Sent Brendan off at the airport and decided to take a trip to changi beach so Barkley could stretch his little legs. Mom spotted a bench and decided to act like Ronald McDonald.  Sis then decided to join her on the bench and do the same for some reason.  So finally I got dad to join in and just snapped a pic of all of them on that one bench.  Barkley didn't look too happy about taking the photo though.  

Upping My "Tourist In Singapore" Game

Yesterday it was a visit to Marina Bay Sand's Art Science Museum for the Chanel and Eames exhibits, today it's getting a pair of "I ♥ SG" slippers in Chinatown. It's not that I wanted to show my love of country but more of an emergency pair due to an unrepairable snap. It snapped in half right at the point where it sits between the big and 2nd toe, and would have been harder to glue or tape back than to get a cheap new pair. So there we go, the pair of slippers I now wear for non-important trips. 

New Year's Mark

Brendan wanted to see how good Dad's archery skills were and decided to book a slot for us.  While dad adjusted his sight and practices since shots,  Brendan, the sister and I tried to ensure our survival in the hunger games.  Was all good until the string got caught in the arm guard,  making sure that it gave me a good beating on the arm. So first day of 2014 and I look like I was fighting 2013 away.

Happy 2014

The blog posts have definitely slowed down and it's definitely time for a change. So starting with the first post of the year, the annual awards list shall go, mostly because I can't fill up most of the categories anyway. I guess just a paragraph reflecting on the year itself would be better than a stagnant, almost non-existent list.

So here goes….

2013, started off alright as I was in Perth with family and friends, but I already wasn't happy at work. So obviously work had to go and I left the place right after Chinese New Year which made the rest of the year awesome! Ended up going back to Perth to babysit 2 big dogs while sis turned 30 in Bali. Made a huge dinner for 10, which reminded me how fun it was to bake. Came back to get the keys to the new house and started moving in just before I left for London/Paris with Angie & Adi - Loved London, disgusted with Paris. Came back and started living in the new house while we moved stuff over from the old ones. Sis flew in for Christmas and New Years this year. Handed over the keys to my old house on the 16th of December. Brendan flew in as well. Held a mini tea ceremony to introduce Brendan to mom's side of the family. Handed over the keys to the other house on the 23rd. Held the Christmas party on the 24th. Went to Adventure Cove Waterpark, got on rides, snorkeled with the fish, choked on salty fish water, cut my toe in the tank and survived. Headed to Universal Studios Singapore, was "snowed" on and got some freebies by accident. Went to River Safari and loved watching the Panda eating, also the chocolate custard panda pau. Dinner at Sakae Sushi on the 31st might have had a computer glitch which made it almost free. Then finish it off by watching fireworks on TV and making a whole lotta noise with Barkley's toy.

Pretty good year I guess.