Running with Style

New Nike running shoes. Stylish for casual wear too. The right shoe makes a funny sound  every step I take... may need to season it longer or exchange for a new one! Cric~Cric~Cric ... Arghhh!!

Antoinette @Palais Renaissance

We were at Antoinette today to celebrate Meimei's bday. We have already been planning to have lunch here for several weeks and Meimei was very nice to let me label it as her bday meal.

The food here is exquisite, multilayered richness in flavour and smells. We had the Prawn Crumble aglio olio, Pan-Fried Foie Gras and a Blinis with grilled sausage. We topped it off with cake desserts and tea. We couldn't stop raving about the prawn crumble, you are unlikely to get this anywhere else.

Also the decor and layout of the Palais Renaissance outlet is really nice, with natural sunlight coming into the dining area. A perfect setting for an afternoon gathering with friends or high tea with love ones. Surely classed as one of those special occasion restaurants, with a price tag to ward away casual diners.

Overall it was a wonderful brunch experience with Meimei. A great way to start the weekend!

New Year's Resolution 2014

It's been awhile since I have to change my New Year's resolution. It was easy the last couple of years as I renewed the 'quit smoking' resolution yearly. But since I've kicked the habit I am now left with slots for new resolution. I think having 3 resolutions is fair enough. It's more likely you would achieve all 3 rather than having to fulfil 20 and not 1 dimensional that you delay getting other worthy causes completed in the year.

Also the resolutions should be something achievable. What's worst than simple tasks are tasks that you couldn't possibly complete, either due to financial, physical, time constraints etc. Why? Because when you give yourself an unachievable task, you have this mountain in front and you are unlikely to be motivated to complete it. So the key is challenging yet achievable tasks. Something which takes some effort and doesn't have a brick wall between you and the goal.

So comes the brainstorming of what pursuits I would have this year ...

• Make a home-cooked meal once a week - It's healthy, it's fun. It doesn't have to be complicated. A simple afternoon snack would count ... well a snack that involves certain amounts of cooking and not just slapping cheese and butter on a loaf of bread.

• Learn to bake - Getting to apprentice level would be good enough. It takes real dedication and lots of time to really make fancy cakes, tarts, muffins etc. Taking it slow should be fine.

• Maintain Non-smoker status - Ok this is kind of a cop-out. An easy way to fulfil 3 tasks. But then again this is a very important thing to keep going, so yeah I'm leaving it on the brainstorm list for now.

• Stop procrastinating, work the problem or assignment - I like to procrastinate. Not sure why. Logic is clear that working on something is better than simply thinking about it and not doing it at all. But I can't help it, maybe I'm a pessimist (oh now that could be my next resolution) so I worry about the what-ifs rather than getting it done.

• Be more optimistic - This is a rather difficult one, especially on how to gauge that you have improve. I suppose this is an on-going initiative. I mean you don't want to be so optimistic to border on being unrealistic and be an airhead.

• Improve my social skills - I think of this as improving the way I communicate with Meimei when we are discussing stuff. I get hyped-out and opinionated quickly, raises my voice and go head-on with my line of thought. Maybe I'm doing this at work as well so I have to learn to reel it in. 

• XXXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXXXXX - Not for public viewing hehe. Definitely a forerunner for the top resolution of the year.

Ok so 7 to choose from. Good enough, you don't want too many to confuse yourself. So the winners are .... (drum roll)

1) XXX XXXX XXX XXXX XXXXXXX - A sure fire item for the resolution list. Jia You!!

2) Stop procrastinating, work the problem or assignment - If I succeed in curbing this, I would go a long way in helping me being optimistic as well.

3) Improve my social skills - Many unfortunate events have happen over the past few years and on reflection I may have been able to overcome them if I had better social skills. So yeah, I need to work on this. Meimei is already helping by pointing them out to me. I just need to keep them in mind constantly.

So what about the rest? Well, I'm staying a non-smoker so I don't see why I should let myself a free pass on one of the resolutions. The cooking and baking are fun times with Meimei and I'll actively pursue them still, I don't see the need to put them on the resolution list. Hmmm, did I just include all 7 into my resolution list? 3 official and 4 unofficial ones? 

A Temperate Garden in Tropical Singapore!

Gardens by the Bay, the pinnacle of the garden city Singapore. We only managed to visit the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome in the half-day trip. We'll be back to visit the other 3 quarter of the park.

A Walk In The Park

We didn't travel this year in the Christmas period. Meimei had to be on standby for work so we decided to stay home for the holidays. I must confess it is so much more relaxing being at home than living off a suitcase. Sure its plain old Singapore but there are still many sights and locations we have yet to explore.

Today is our first trip to Gardens by the Bay. Papa and Mama are also in Singapore for the holidays so we went as a whole family, Sis included, to the gardens. The place is really huge, we were there half a day and only covered a quarter of the place. I foresee many more return trips, weather permitting.

This was also my first real site-test of my Canon G15. I learned a lot about the camera on the trip and also picked up a number of tricks and techniques from Meimei. I'm loving the chance to really pick up photography.

Overall a wonderful way to end the holidays. Goodbye 2013, may we have a blissful and magical 2014!

(Shots courtesy of Sis)

Humpy Walls

When we were hunting for our home, one of the criteria I had was that the layout had to be squarish. No odd v-shaped or circle shaped walls. Those create wasted space and corners which you can't really utilise.

So we were excited when we found our 'ideal' home. Our apartment is basically squarish in layout. However, within the apartments there were inlets and turns  in all sorts of sizes. After seeing many homes in the area, these design flaw seems to punctuate flats of the early 90s era. Was it a construction technological limitation? I doubt so, the ones built in late 70s through 80s were fine. No, it's HDB trying to create fancy homes but at a budget, hence the somewhat non-flatten exterior and messy interiors.

Now we are left with corners which are weird and challenged on its utility. You'll never find a off-the-shelf cupboard or fixture you can put in the inlets to fully maximise the space. Your only option is to create customised built-in cabinets or cupboard, which by the way cost double to triple the ala carte ones.

We addressed the uneven walls in our master bedroom with built-in but our budget couldn't take the same for the other rooms. So now we are left to compromise on the space. Find a reasonable furniture to utilise 60-70% of the space and live with the space inefficiency till we can afford to install built-ins. And that means having to measure every twist and turn of the walls ... it takes quite awhile I must say ...

I suppose some would say these gives the apartment character ... not your blocky squarish 4 by 4 unit. Hmmm, if we didn't have to pay for the floor space I suppose you could say that. But when your 126sqm unit actually gives you only 120sqm of usable space ... you would cringe too at the wasted space. Oh and don't get me started on the inlet beneath every window ... the HDB architect that designed this must have a dent in his head.

Instant Thai Green Curry

We chanced upon this truly delectable instant pre-prepared green curry soup at the supermarket. All you had to do is add in the seafood, meats, fresh basil and lime leaves, and a touch of chopped chilli for that spicy oomph. Its so simple and easy to prepare, one pot for a meal. We stocked up a few packets of the soup hehe.

It now gets me thinking how easy it is to 'cook' Thai. Suppose we open our own Thai food restaurant someday? Heh, nah ... too much effort to the other menu items. Plus I'll be constantly tearing trying to cut the onions and chillies. No thank you sir.

Unsupervised Shopping - Meimei@Diaso 23 Dec

2 measuring tapes ... we already have one but ooo~k ... 3 mesh for baking ... I don't remember having so many trays but ooo~k ... 1 milk bubble maker ... what? huh?

Christmas 2013 - Takashimaya Tree

Always love the tall Takashimaya 3 storey tree. More so this year with the turquoise colour theme.

Christmas 2013 - Themed Desserts at TCC

Christmas dessert at TCC. I like the strawberry snowman.

Vase 303 - 2013 14th Dec

Orchids, the national flower of Singapore. I like its delicateness.

Lentils, Not Our Favourite Food

There were several recipes in Gordon's cookbook which calls for lentils. Honestly I thought it was a type of vegetable when I first saw the word. It's not something you normally eat in Asia. And it is hard to find too, I managed to find a pack at the organic, aka expensive, aisle at Cold Storage.

It taste like salty green beans, and are hard to cook through. Maybe I was doing it wrong but I find it baffling that some of them are not cooked after an hour in the pot. I should have substitute it with rice or pasta. Oh well, I suppose there is no harm trying new stuff once in awhile.

Sauces Fantasy

I've always been one for the sauces, especially when it comes to eating western.  A piece of fillet is a piece of fillet. A strip of sirloin is a strip of sirloin. Its the seasoning, the marinate and the serving sauce that really brings out the favour of the meats and fish. Some would argue that having just the meat is the best way to taste it. Yes I would agree if this was in a western country where the meats are fresh from the farm. But in Singapore where everything is imported frozen ... nah.

I remember asking for more mushroom sauces on my sirloin beef or more of the white mayo for my surf and turf. Funny thing was, I never bothered with Asian sauces. I think asian cuisine are already coated with too much sauce, and most of them are starchy and sticky ... not really my taste. So as I picked up some of the simpler recipes from the cookbooks, my eyes tend to gravitate towards the sauces preparation steps. I somehow perk up when it comes to making my own sauce.

Since I was making fish these few days, the first I tried was a vinaigrette. I never figured vinaigrette was this easy to make. 4 parts olive oil, 1 part white wine vinegar. Hmm it's that easy? Add in mustard, fried onions, chopped spring onions and whatnot to layer a further favour. Wow ... now I have a good sauce for fish!

Shredded Pork Shoulder with Garlic Bread and Cherry Tomatoes

Meimei had marinated the pork over night with lots of spices. Fabulous afternoon snack. Guilty pleasure!

Pan-Fried Red Snapper in Vinaigrette Dressing, White Button Mushrooms, Carrots and Potatoes

I made my first vinaigrette today. It really goes well with the fish. Now I know how easily it is for restaurants to make a sauce for fish.