Dead Tired

Got back home after picking Adi up after Barkley's date, and now he is just so tired that he did not even wake up when mom put the new toy between his paws. He definitely has a good night out, then picked up another of his favourite people, and just slept after having his dinner. 

Have to let this sleeping dog lie. 

Barkley's Date

Finally managed to meet up with AiLi with our dogs for a fur-date. Barkley got all excited when he saw Orby and would not leave him alone to whole night. I would think that once we got into the cafe, Barkley would have been busy meeting other dogs to ignore Orby but that was not the case. He basically chased Orby around as Orby went investigating, and only stopped when he actually lost sight of Orby when the big mongrel would jump in between them to play. 

We realise it was no use trying to get them to stop going round so we got our orders in and almost finished eating when Orby did not seem to like this one guy at the next table. Once Orby started barking, Barkley soon followed and we had to stop them as other dogs wanted in on the action as well. 

They then continued going round again and about and hour later, Barkley was so tired he was waddling like a duck. Sent Aili and Orby back and gave them a few gifts, while Barkley got a squeaky frog toy!  

Canned Pasta - Madagascar

Needed something to eat before mom and I head out to get a Christmas present on Alfred's behalf and I decided to open another can of cartoon-shaped pasta. I managed to pick the Madagascar can today and finding most characters was easy as they were quite distinct and large. I managed to find them all except that there was only one of Private the penguin, and it lost the top of the head. Good thing is I got to eat the whole can by myself today.

Om Nom Nom...

Pillow Thief

Every night as I prepare to go to sleep, I have my pillow stolen by a very cheeky fur ball. He usually sneaks in quietly and just plonks himself down on my pillow. Sometimes I manage to catch him in the act, but there are times when I lie down and squash him a little. Sometimes he does it to the bolster instead. He only leaves when it gets a bit too warm for him and he leaves for the coolness of the floor tiles.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie....

Early Christmas Present

Went out with Didi and Eugenie last week and Didi passed me a bag from Universal Studios Singapore (USS) when she got in the car. Did not think anything about it but she told me it was an early Christmas present. She had gone to USS for a little getaway with her husband and got some gift for a few people while in there. I did not really expect to get such a cute Cookie Monster doll, and especially not one that has a mouth that can clamp down on a iPod. So Cool!

Thanks Didi!

Island Way Sorbet - Mango Orange

Finally have a try of one of the Island Way Sorbets I bought from PacificWest's counter the other day. They are a range of sorbets served in fruit shells to make it a little more eco-friendly. Today mom picked out the Mango-Orange Sorbet, which is served in an orange shell. I can taste the orange and mango in it, but it was not as smooth as the mango sorbet I had on the plane. I still like it though, as I really like the acidity, which made it a really refreshing dessert, and a pick-me-up at the same time. 

Om Nom Nom...

Cool Coke Tumbler

While out getting our two piece and a biscuit yesterday, Adi and I spotted this cool Coca Cola cup stuck onto the drinks dispensers at the Texas Chicken counters. I found it quite cool and I wanted to add it to my small collection of Coca Cola items, but I did not have enough money. Thank goodness I had Adi, who basically paid for my new tumbler. Not sure if I would put it to use though. 

Thanks Adi!

Two Piece And A Biscuit

After shopping today, Adi and I head to Texas Chicken to get something to keep us going and she decided to share a two piece chicken meal. I started giggling after taking a photo and had to explain my slightly insane behaviour. I have been watching RuPaul's Drag Race and there are a lot of quotes that get stuck in your head from that show. Along with "Motha! Has Arrived!", "Halleloo!", "Jesus is a Biscuit!", "Oh No She Betta Don't!", the quote that got me giggling is "Two Piece and a Biscuit!".

Anyway, this is Adi's first time trying the biscuit from here and I think she finally understood why I preferred this over Popeye's. 

Om Nom Nom

Mur Slice

My aunt has been talking about making a rum cake but all the recipes in the internet do not fit the description of the rum cake she wants. She says she tried it from Polar Puffs a while back, and it was a really unique cake that she has not had anywhere else. She did mention that since they got their Halal certification, their rum cake has been renamed by simply turning the word "rum" backwards, and it is now called Mur Slice (guess they do not have a whole cake for sale), and it is not as nice as before. 

Anyway, we managed to get a piece of the cake for me to try, and as she described, it is a cake with the rum ball inside it. However, the rum ball mix has been flattened into a layer rather than being a ball in the middle of a cake (as I tried to visualise her description). Interesting cake that I would not mind trying to make as I know I will have a few testers for sure. Think the cake pop mix would do perfectly for it too!

Om Nom Nom...

Test Kitchen 19

I was reading the Masterchef cookbook and saw a recipe for Gravadlax (cured salmon) that I wanted to try. It was going to take at least two days and after finding a good deal on whole trout, I decided to test it out. It is quite an easy recipe but the fishmonger messed it up a little by cutting my fillets into four. Well, after making do with the mistake, I still managed to cure the fish and it seems to be a hit with my testers. Mom is now thinking of making it for the Christmas dinner. 

Fingers crossed we find a nice fresh whole salmon or trout in December. 

Om Nom Nom...

The Numbers Help

Went out for lunch with my mom and aunt again today and the stall that sold the awesome Xiao Long  Baos was open. My aunt decided to get some steamed dumplings and a plate of fried dumplings to try. The steamed dumplings are still as good as the first time I tried them, possibly because the two mainland Chinese running the show make it themselves. The fried dumplings were also quite nice, but I do not really like the filling that much. I always feel that there is just that touch too much chives in it. The skin was a little thick but the fried bits were quite crispy. 

The numbers on the menu board, along with the English translations, do help when it comes to ordering. However, the fried red bean pancake was still a problem to order as it was not on the menu but just a picture stuck on the glass panel. Good thing is that they managed to guess right which item I wanted with just a point of the finger, and with the addition of borderline Mandarin, that I wanted a portion to be taken away. 

Although the pancake was to be taken away, we could not resist eating a piece each when it was still piping hot. The burn I got on my tongue from the hot red bean filling was definitely worth it. 

Om Nom Nom...

Cha Soba So Good

Before Angie and I went for the Kabuki and Noh show, we had lunch with my mom at Hifumi, trying it out for the first time. The concept there is there you get to enjoy a buffet of appetisers and desserts once you order a main course. You could also just enjoy the buffet, but it will end up costing about just as much as getting the main course. 

The one thing I really liked from the whole lunch was their cha soba. It looks quite boring on display, but the noodles had enough green tea in it that the flavour came through even after a good soaking in the sauce. Same goes for their green tea jelly, but the soba is so good that I am thinking of heading back just to have more!

Om Nom Nom...

Meat On Bones

Since the oven was running, mom decided to chuck a tray of pork ribs in the oven to cook. It has been a long time since these were made in the oven, and it looks good. Somehow they taste a little different than I remembered, but I think it was because she did not give them a fry before. Plus the meat just did not have that porky sweetness. Oh well, still good to break out the bottle of Lime Diet Coke!

Om Nom Nom... 

Test Kitchen 18

Was contemplating this year's Christmas dinner menu and thought that we could perhaps make duck. The roasted meats usually the dishes we change every year, and since dad has been trying out some roasted duck, I thought I could try another recipe and perhaps we might come up with something good. I found this recipe for crispy duck and thought it looked good, and decided to give it a go.

I'd say the skin could have been crispier, but the long roasting time made the whole duck dry even when I got dad to seal the cavity up. The glaze is a really nice mix and that I might keep. Now to find a way to get that crispy skin in a short roasting time....

Japanese Dance Theatre

The day has come when Angie and I finally get to watch the Kabuki and Noh show by Ebizo Ichikawa XI. She bought me a ticket as a very, very early birthday gift (sometime in August) and we get to watch it more than a month after it. I actually wanted to watch a show in Japan, but my interests during that time was more on the food of Japan and how many bowls of ramen I can eat in a day. So this was the opportunity to sit and enjoy a performance without having to wonder about all the food I could be eating. 

The display at the theatre was quite minimal, just some of the clothes used during the dance. The stage was the same, just a few trees and a bridge and two movable platforms that were brought in and out depending on the performance. Angie, who understands Japanese, opted not to have the portable guide, while I chose to get one even though there was not much dialogue in the whole show. The performance was mesmerising enough but the guide did help with understanding what was happening throughout. The show reminded me a little of the local Chinese Wayang, just a little more solemn and in Japanese. However, it did end on a dramatically high note.

Would have been nice to take a picture of the cast in their costumes though - that in itself is stunning! 

Taco Replacement

Been having a craving for tacos, but I did not have all the taco shells, chopped salad and other toppings. I did have chopped salad which had been made into a dry vegetable curry and minced beef which I just stir-fried with some sambal belacan seasoning. All that was left was to get dad to make some chapati and that was my "deconstructed" Indian taco. 

Om Nom Nom...

Thought I Lost It

Went out with Eugenie and she wanted to have a look at a picture of my family. I knew which picture I wanted to show her but it was oddly missing from my phone gallery. Thinking I might have moved it to my memory card, I searched through that and still could not find it. However, I did remember saving it in my memory card and thought I could have accidentally deleted it, or my phone conveniently did  that for me. Lucky for me, I only did it recently and thought I could try and recover it with a program. Managed to finally find it, along with two other "missing" photographs using MiniTool Data Recovery, which was quite fast and quite easy. So now I am saving this picture in as many places as I possibly can. 

Check Up For The Car

In order to be able to drive in Singapore, your car has to be inspected to ensure that it is still road-worthy before you get can pay for a little disc which allows you to drive on the roads. Today, mom and I head to VICOM to get her car inspected, which was quite interesting as it was my first time. You drive the car up to the point the staff asks you to stop, they take over and it goes through series of tests. I missed the first part because I waited for mom to pay for the inspection, but managed to catch the testing for the brightness of headlights and the emission levels. The last part was someone looking at the undercarriage, not exactly sure what for but I am guessing there were no leaks. Then it was just waiting to receive a certificate to say that the car passed the test. Everything done in a bout ten minutes. 

Remembrance Day

On the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, Remembrance Day ceremonies are held in some countries in memory of the ones who have served in the military. About a year ago, all I remembered about all this was getting a sweet little red poppy pin in support for all who were serving in the military. I remembered Grandpa putting a cross with another poppy at Grandma's grave later on in the week. This year, I was reminded by my sister who wore Grandpa's medals proudly today at work in memory of his service in the navy. 

Crack Chocolate

Was craving for a little chocolate and I found the bars of Cicada chocolates I bought at the Epicurean Market. Bought them after tasting a few little chunks, liking that they were not too sweet and it reminded me of the Bahen & Co. chocolate I left in my sister's fridge. The two companies have similar packaging as well, and both are Australian companies. Both have really addictive chocolate. The only difference is that I can at least get some of Bahen & Co. chocolate in Singapore.

On Nom Nom...

Getting Better At This

The prawns have been quite sweet this week and I got mom to save the shells and heads to make stock. After perfecting the recipe for the stock in Australia, the only thing left to perfect was the chilli paste used to flavour the noodles. I had thought about trying to get my own mix of dried chilli paste but I opted to try using a pre-made dried chilli paste instead. So this mix of chilli paste, a little stock and some onion oil seems to be right on track to getting the right dry prawn noodle flavour. Now just to make my own dried chilli paste and I would have my own special prawn noodles. 

Om Nom Nom...

My First Children's Day Gift

Dad was digging through his bag of old fishing gear and he took out something and exclaimed that it was old yet was still good, before passing it to me. I just wondered why he would pass me any fishing gear when I am not the daughter that enjoys fishing. I took a look and realised that he passed me a collapsible cup, the one I received more than twenty-six years ago in school. I thought it was long gone and did not know that he had actually taken it on his fishing trips. He then put it back in his bag, silently implying that it is going with him on more fishing trips. 

Convenient Sugar-free Coffee

I was enjoying cans of sugar-free coffee while in Japan and was waiting for Daiso to bring in a few and stock them in their drinks fridge. I really needed a drink the other day and was about to take a bottle of tea when something made me look at the little cans instead. The tomato juice caught my eye first, and since it was two cans for $2, I was hunting for another can when I found one labelled "Roasted Coffee Zero". Just to make sure the "Zero" meant no sugar, I read the label and was happy to not find any. So I grabbed a can for myself, but had to grab two more when my parents wanted one each as well. 

Colourful Desserts

Out with my aunt again and after a bit of shopping, we all wanted to sit down and have something sweet. Ice Kachang is not my favourite dessert and neither is Bo Bo Cha Cha, but my parents and aunt all chose a cold dessert, while I got a hot bowl of Pulot Hitam. It has been a while since my family has ordered the two cold desserts and the look of the desserts today were rather disappointing. They both look like a big bowl of icy slop compared to the memory of the ones served at the corner stall in Margaret Drive Food Centre. Seems that the flavours were also disappointing. Not really surprised when the people manning the stall have not grown up with these desserts in their life. 

Freedom To Eat

Went out for dinner with my aunt today as my uncle is in hospital and there was no one to restrict the menu. She wanted to have Bak Kut Teh this evening and my thoughts immediately went to Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh at Midview City as it has not disappointed my family and I ever since we started eating here. Other than the lovely peppery pork and garlic soup, they offer a whole menu of items that most bak kut teh stalls do not have. My aunt was a little shocked at the amount of food we ordered, but having come here a few times, we know how much we can usually eat. Best thing is the free refills of soup which I can drink bowls of. 

Om Nom Nom...

Natural Blue Dye

Got a message from my aunt this morning that she found some Butterfly Pea flowers in her neighbourhood and asked if I wanted some. She also asked if I wanted the plant and I knew that my dad has been wanting to get a plant for himself. Since I had something to pass to her as well, mom and I went out meet her and she showed us the area she found all the flowers. 

Seems it might just be the right season as the patch of land had a lot of plants and they were all flowering. My aunt actually brought a spade to dig up a few plants, while mom and I went around picking a few flowers. I did not have any idea what I wanted to make with them yet, but I did think that I could at least extract the colour and use it later if I wanted to. 

Freebies of the day!

Fierce Chilli Paste

Mom dug out a bottle of chilli and told me that it was a gift from my cousin Criszean. He went to Taiwan recently and this chilli paste mix is quite popular for being really spicy. So after digging a little more, I found that it is sold by 溫州大餛飩 probably because it goes well with their dumplings. 

I had it with our local Soon Kueh instead as I do not like the chilli sauce the store offers. I wondered why they used the tiger as a symbol and I soon found out. The spiciness creeps up on you like the tiger, silently stalking you and once you think you can deal, it strikes and blows your mind away. I have tasted a chilli sauce that is claimed to be the world's spiciest, and this is not spicy when compared. However, I rather eat this and enjoy the lovely flavours from the chilli, garlic and fermented soy beans than just a sauce that just burns your tongue and give you no satisfaction. Now I have to save the rest of the bottle for when my soon kueh cravings hit. To me, it was the perfect chilli to blend with the sweetness of the black sauce and the stewed vegetable filling. 

Now if anyone is heading to Taiwan, or maybe Vietnam (where it is produced), PLEASE get me a bottle (or 10) of this yummy TIGER chilli. 

Lucky Dog

Adi was at the official opening of Superpets and won herself the second prize of the night. It is possibly the first 24-hour pet store in Singapore, and they have more cat products as the neighbourhood has more cat owners. Since Adi just adopted a stray, she was there getting something for Bujang. This resulted in her getting some lucky draw coupons, one of which got her a huge amount of prizes. Within the whole prize were some items for dogs and since Barkley is closest dog, he got to enjoy some of the win. 

Apartment Gardening Woes

My grape plants are getting bigger and we needed to give them a little more space. They need their sun and the problem with the layout of this new house is that the morning sun only hits the utilities and the little window in mom's room. The issue now is that the plants are not tall enough to get the morning sun if we do not prop them up on something. Second best option is to place them in the living room, which gets a good amount of morning sun still, and all we have to do is move a bench away and lift up the curtains. 

I would say it is nicer to have the plants block out a bit of lights from passing vehicles below.