Makan Feast

This week has been non-stop wine and dine. First stop was Le Nicolas at Keong Siak Road - food tasting for Christmas party. Their set lunch at S$38+++ is well worth it. I ordered beef tartare for starters and lamb for main, and I enjoyed every bit of it; savoring the sweetness of chopped raw beef and the seasoning that goes with it; the lamb was done perfectly to my liking. Divine...

The 2nd stop was Au Petit Salut. A and P received their promotion at the same time and it's our office's practice that new promotees have to buy the lunch/dinner. Food and ambience was good, although I would choose outdoor dining if were to go back again. There were 16 of us, yet only 1 waiting staff. I had a good time, but YL wasn't as lucky because she was seated opposite boss who is what I would call 'de classe'. He ordered the most expensive item on the menu and got YL to share it with him and his table manners is worse than a 5 year-old... He stuck his finger in the mouth to.... shall not be descriptive lest I lose my appetite.

Last evening we had dinner at Pietrasanta at Portsdown Road. It's a cozy Italian restaurant owned by a nice couple - hubby runs the kitchen while the wife manages the operation of the restaurant. We had pizza, parma ham with mozarella, calamari, escargot, kurobuta pork (I will save the fats for S the next time as tasted creamy), and dessert was tiramisu and lemon cake. I thought it's your regular cake but it wasn't. It's actually marshmellow with shredded lemon rind. You would appreciate it better if you don't dislike marshmellow like me.

So much for a foodie... Hubby and I are off to Bangkok for the weekend soon. Charsiew said it rained a bit when they were there. Let's see if we can bring the sun with us ; ) Till then, have a good weekend and update soon.

Public (Transport) Encounters

Type 1 - passengers without backbone. She leans against the pole and reads a book, not sparing a thought for other passengers, like me, who are trying to balance on 3-inch heels. I tried to be patient then I lost it and slipped my hand behind her boneless back to grip the pole. Of course Missy wasn't pleased but sensed that I wasn't about to give up, she stepped aside.

Type 2 - passengers who are running late for reincarnation aka gan(3) qu(4) tou(2) tai(1). Everyone was waiting to board the bus and then this aunty had to squeeze her way to the front. At that moment a thought crossed my mind... perhaps I should just reach out and squeeze her butt and she won't even know who had just molested her... since she likes to squeeze then squeeze her I will .

Type 3 - what you see is not what you get. I can't decide if the lady standing in front of me is pregnant, fat, or fat and pregnant. She was in a baby doll dress, pumps, and I swear to God her tummy was sticking out. Obviously my first reaction was to give up my seat, right? But I shouldn't have... I found out she's not pregnant... Wah.... I was so embarrassed I could feel my face turning red.... got off at the next station to cool down.

New Toy; New Term

This is my new 'toy'. I reckon the little toaster that has served us well for 5 years deserve a break as it has been more functional than what it's suppose to do. I'm quite excited at the thought of going back to baking, grilling and whatever it allows me to prepare... pizza, lagsane, grilled vegs, meats, and the list goes on. I remember the first time I picked up baking was during Home Economics in school. I must have baked at least 10 dozens of rock buns over a stretch of few weekends; So much that my Dad had to plead with me to stop. Also miss those days when Mom and cousins would gather at our place to bake pineapple tarts for CNY. So, an oven not only puts food on the table, it's also a platform for bonding moments.

School started this week. Have to let go of one group member as one of the project requires only 3-4 pax. The choice is clear for me that JA will be out, and I'm also thinking of T as well. This will mean go riddance the passenger and Mr. Sotong. But I'm undecided with Mr. Sotong so will have to kill some brain cells this weekend and have a good think about it. Sian ah!

Finally booked our weekend getaway next Sat and the designation is none other than BKK. I'm quite excited because we've booked ourselves into Shanghai Inn hotel. It's not your 5* hotel, rather, it's a boutique hotel located in Chinatown. I just love their concept after viewing their website for the first time. Hubby read thru the reviews and it has been good so far, so fingers crossed it will turn out well. Sawadee-kah!

Oink-a-licious Weekend

The much raved about Kurobuta Pork from Australia. Generously marinated with red wine and garlic sprinkle with rosemary. My favourite butcher, Francis - apparently the first Indian butcher to sell pork in S'pore - from Oh Deli never disappoint me with his superb marinade skills. In a nutshell, it was finger licking good.

The meat was grilled for 20 mins in the toaster and ready to be consumed.

Francis recommended we try the regular pork chop (also from down under) and Hubby & I were soon won over; The first bite felt like ham, and no marinade was needed, a few drops of olive oil did the works. However, I think it was a tad too salty for me so I'll try basting it with shiraz glaze the next time around.

Fillet Mignon - tenderloin with bacon and a light touch of honey mustard. Grilled in the toaster for 10 mins. The result was medium rare and super tender. It's the best homecooked steak I've had so far.

To top it all, Mom prepared her special marinade pork ribs for dinner tonite and it was very tasty,, so much that Hubby had 4 ribs at one go. Suggested to Mom to try the same marinade on soft bone pork the next time as I'm sure the taste will be better and more tender, too.

Health Is Wealth

Finally had my long overdue pap smear test on Tuesday. And I've just introduced a new gynea to my long list, she's Doc Chen Chern Yi. She has an office at the GP opposite my block so it's pretty convenient. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical about consulting a neighbourhood gynea, not that I'm a snob, it's just my personal opinion. Anyway, glad I made the trip as Dr Chen comes across as personable and patient, IMO. Oh, and she's very gentle too, as I've heard nasty stories of other female gyneas. After the routine Q&A we proceeded to the procedure and why am I not surprised she found fibroids and two 2cm cysts of different kinds on each of my ovaries. One of them is Dermoid Cyst and the other is still unknown at the moment, because she can't determine over a scan. Following which I had my blood drawn for tumor marker test which I should know the result soon. Hopefully the reading is not too high, otherwise I'll have to undergo laparascopy (again!). If all goes well, then I'll see her 3 months later for another scan and then take it from there.

Doc says I'm an interesting case after she learnt of my OB&GY history... Hmmm... So, my fertility health does provide some kind of challenge to her. Perhaps I should stay with her since I think I quite like her, and it's convenient. Worth considering.

And while we are on the topic of health. A colleague asked me today if I happen to have memory lapses and I replied, "Yes. Of course. It happens and this has nothing to do with age". Not sure if I did the right thing as my intent was to console her. She's near menopausal and her "hard disk" has been acting up a bit lately. Anyway, if what I've said can make her feel better, then no harm I guess.

JD Moments

Bright and Alert on a lazy Sat afternoon...

JD had two firsts last weekend. First family outing and saw his Uncle D and Aunty E for the first time. Cute dude, although a little shy. Hubby thinks JD is afraid of him... he runs away from Hubby when he tries to go near... quite a funny sight. I'm sure he'll warm up after a few meetings. JD is very attached to C. He would snuggle up to her like a baby. Oh, not fogetting to mention that he didn't need to be leashed at all. He would follow C & Wong Sifu, walking alongside his proud new parents. Very impressive.

Picture speaks louder than words... Some photos of JD to share.

It's Not Funny

I'm down with flu (again)... Something that boss said today pissed me off big time, and I really mean big time... He asked if one of the interview is confirmed on Mon and I said yes, but I got the date wrong. Following which, he didn't hesitate to say this to me, "hey, you do get names wrong at times and now you even got the date wrong... are you dyslexia"? Boy... I was (still am) livid!!! What do you mean??? And he had the cheek to laugh and went on to say he's not joking and if I'm really down with the problem I should seek treatment. Now I really understand why others say he has zero EQ, and, I add, nil sense of humour.

I hate it too when he has to travel because all he is concerned with is to get on the preferred aircraft - A380 or 777-300ER. I was on the phone with the travel agent and he came by to slip a piece of paper to remind me of his preferance. C'mon.... just leave me alone lor.

After the few episodes of late I'm really thinking about moving over to do research. I like the office and the colleagues but he is really... slowly... getting on my nerves. So, before I tear him to pieces I better do something about it. Anyway, I never fail to remind myself that it can only get better.