Easy Brekkie + Dinner

Had 4 eggs in the fridge that had to be consumed as the expiry is the next day. Want something simple yet suitable for breakfast and something for dinner. There were also some portobello mushrooms (3 to be exact) that I had to use too as its been sitting there for a while. Dislike cooking anything that requires too many condiments as I cannot possibly buy a bunch of lemon grass, a whole pepper or say a lemon just to suit the asking for a few slivers of lemon grass, 1 teaspoon of diced pepper or some lemon zest. What am I to do with the remainder? yeah so I always improvise with what I have and try to imagine the taste in my mind using whatever i have on hand.

So first I got rid of 1 egg making a Crustless Spinach Mushroom Quiche. Again making do cos i do not have time to make a crust. Guessimation at work!

1. Saute diced portobello mushroom (1/2 of it only as i am making a single portion for his brekkie) in butter
2. Add in frozen spinach in cream about a fist size worth and fry until its not as wet
3. Beat the egg in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of fresh milk, garlic salt and black pepper and shredded pizza cheese
   
4. Add spinach and mushroom mix and back at 180 deg cel for 25mins
   

Tah dah.......not too bad i say for my virgin attempt, tasted pretty authentic :D

Next I cooked rice. Unagi Don yum...my fav for a fast easy dinner

1. Saute remainder 2.5 portobello in butter (generous amt since i want to add to flavor the rice), dish and set aside
2. Cut the frozen unagi (yeah i always have frozen backups for days like that, cheap and good compared to fresh items that u have to force yourself to finish within 1-3days) into strips and fry with some yakiniku sauce
3. When the rice is ready, I add in the portobello in butter, some yakiniku sauce and soy sauce and mixed the rice
   
4. Dish and lay the unagi on top
5. Fry remainder 1.5 eggs each in a runny 85% cook state and lay it above.

nice!

Self-concocted Potato Gratin

had a big bag of potatoes from Gaint for only 75cents. Used half for the jap curry and the other half had me staring at it for 5 minutes. Then with some slight idea how I would like to have it roasted/baked and creamy, i came out with this winner dish which had the normally stingy with praise man give it thumbs up and asked for more =)

As i cook using guesstimation there are never accurate measurements, go by feeling ok

1. Mix in a bowl some japanese mayonaise (kewpie) and normal kraft mayonaise about 50% each
2. Add a small handful of shredded pizza cheese
3. Sprinkle some black pepper and rosemary, mix and taste, it can be slightly salty as potatoes are quite bland. Set aside.
4. Wash, peel and thinly slice the potatoes as thin as possible, the thinner the better, mine was about 1-2mm each
5. Fry it in olive oil till the edges are slightly browned
6. Lay alternate layers of the potatoes and the mixture in a bowl, do not have to be neat just try to have the mixture spreaded evenly so every bite gets some.
7. Bake on 180 deg celcius for 15 minutes

try it its fragrant and yet creamy. Yummz. You can also try to sprinkle some shredded cheese on top before baking. Ought to be nice too.

Talent

this really brought tears to my eyes, dunno why but i had goosebumps and i just teared. I think his sincerity and raw desire to perform really reaches out.

House Keeping

all of a sudden today I missed shopping for the house. I miss those days whereby we go everywhere looking for the perfect furniture and accessory for the haven. It was fun to have an empty house to fill so that it is signaturely yours or rather ours =P

now the house is dirty (bad poochie! quit licking the floor already) and messy too as we start to clutter items. ok i promise to clear all the old mags and rearrange the walk in wardrobe.....eh next week la....

Piaget Alert

Drool drool.........if only money grew on trees


I WANT..........

This is Me?

Your result for The Brutally Honest Personality Test...

Pollyanna- INFP

20% Extraversion, 80% Intuition, 33% Thinking, 27% Judging

So, you want to make the world a better place? Too bad it's never gonna happen.

Of all the types, you have to be one of the hardest to find fault in. You have a selfless and caring nature. You're a good listener and someone who wants to avoid conflict. You genuinely desire to do good.

Of course, these all add up to an incredibly overpowered conscience which makes you feel guilty and responsible when anything goes wrong. Of course, it MUST be your fault EVERYTIME.

Though you're constantly on a mission to find the truth, you have no use for hard facts and logic, which is a source of great confusion for those of us with brains. Despite this, in a losing argument, you're not above spouting off inaccurate fact after fact in an effort to protect your precious values.

You're most probably a perfectionist, which in this case, is a bad thing. Any group work is destined to fail because of your incredibly high standards.

Disregard what I said before. You're just easy to find fault in as everyone else!

Luckily, you're generally very hard on yourself, meaning I don't need to waste my precious time insulting you. Instead, just find all your own faults and insult yourself.

*****************

If you want to learn more about your personality type in a slightly less negative way, check out this.

*****************

its no wonder then why i am moodly when i feel things are not perfect.

my weird man

My man drive me nuts almost all the time. He is not the usual boyfriend, fiance or husband type. I think he is from outerspace. His way of expressing himself is weird and he snaps really quickly when he feels hot, bothered or when things does not happen the way he wants it to. I have learnt to breath in, hold my tongue for 10s when such incidents happen and wait for my own quick burst of temper disperse before I face him so as to avoid arguements.

He is not the type that would gaze into my eyes and profess his love, nor will he kiss or hug me spontaneously. Being a typical cancerian, I crave affection and this ice cool man drives me nuts. In fact I lamented to him that we should probably not take bridal photos which typically has the couple gazing at each other and very apparently in love. He does not know how to gaze at me lovingly! We may end up looking at strangers who happen to be in the same shot!

Yet as I accept my choice (see previous post) and convinced myself I can survive with a life with my icy man, he surprises me with some warm gestures. Like offering to chip in for my folk's new refridgerator. It is really not about the $$ but I was all fuzzy inside simply cos he thought deeper and was so considerate. So guess what? I have saved the address of the raved peranakan vegetarian restaurant so as to reciprocate with a fuzzy dinner with his mum when he is back.

Life Choices

Ran into someone from the past last night and it got me thinking for a little while how I miss those days of fun. Almost every night be it weekday or weekend, i will be having fun, singing, playing pool, chatting, etc etc etc. It really has been so long since I last had fun like that. I was tempted to join them for a round but responsibility made me shake my head and bid adieus. Yes I had a fur ball waiting at home and I bet my man will not be too pleased about it too. Could have gone on the sly without him knowing but the thought of them calling me in future and me having to reject them many more times more deterred me. I think what i miss is the activities and not so much the company perhaps. The thing is life is so busy now we forget to inject some fun in our lives. He also does not like singing or playing pool. I really hope that he would try.

Maybe the past comes haunting? This morning I ran into C. C used to serenade me with his guitar and singing back in uni. He was really sweet and very SNAG material. He was also a high flyer who got 1st class honours, scholarships both local and in london and is now back in Singapore on EXPAT terms. can u believe it? back working in your home country on expat terms....anyway back when i was in spitland, he wanted to visit me. all the way from london He has always kinda clinged on to liking me and if i wanted i know i could have started something. He is one of the most successful, have made it guy I know. Yet I made my choice to not pursue anything as seriously there are no sparks. I know what people say about love fades and its companionship after a few yrs of marraige. It probably means I can be the Tai Tai i wanna be with him but I have made my bed and chose my guy. I will stick by my choice and make it work too. We may not be as rich but maybe we will be happier?

Temptations are always present and someone weaker may subcumb but I guess I am stronger than most. I hold faithfulness as the topmost priority and expect nothing less in return. I do not invite trouble by not even starting any possibility. Yeah so and so can be platonic friends but doesn't all trysts start off as friends? One innocent dinner/drink leads to a 2nd, one smsed good night leads to a good night kiss, one platonic relationship leads to a misunderstanding...... if there is a slight chance it will hurt my current man, i will pass.

This morning I walked the other way without even catching his eye or saying hi.

Bonded

Anger dispersed over last week issue. Yah thats me I seldom can stay angry for long. Now we realise all venues NOT AVAILABLE on the dates we wanted! Haiz weddings are a PITA really so much coordination, preparation and money involved. To feel better I surf for wedding bands instead of hotels.

I personally like chucky accessories. He has bah qiu ..... uh I mean manly big hands so he suits chucky too. Think along the line of the 3 band Bvlgari ring which looked wonderful but alas is too common! How about this my darling

the middle portion can be turned but cannot be removed, meaning inseparably linked haha...a little corny but ept.

Loving someone who loves himself more

The most tiring thing has got to be loving someone who is self-centered. When I love someone, he is always on my mind. If I walk pass a shop or see something, I will naturally look out for things he may like or interesting things that I can tell him about. I will look forward to spending time with him.

Time during the journey in the car, time spent being at the same place at the same time does not count! Being physically near does not equate spending time together. Spending time means having a chat, cuddling together to watch a movie and laughing at the same scenes, taking a walk hand in hand with no other distractions other then shared thoughts. This I feel is the main thing that he cannot understand.

my notion of bad day = when u go from one shit hole to another after trying so hard

Poochie is a good way to show this. To me spending time with poochie is fun, is good and is also expected since we chose to add him to our lives. However if every night 95% of the time is spent focusing on poochie, 1 on 1 time between him and poochie and I only get the miserly 5mins before bed, the equation is seriously skewed and wrong. He obviously enjoys time with the poochie, so do I but if he only focus on what he likes doing, it means A) I am not even on his list of likable/enjoyable activity B) he only cares about his own happiness by doing what he enjoys and care naught about my feelings.

The same for today. I am sure he can take 40mins to have lunch if he will sacrifice play time with the poochie when he is home. In fact it will not be 40mins because even if he tabaos he will still take the same time to buy the food and eat it. The difference in time will just be maybe 15-20mins travelling. I just cannot understand why he cannot give me 20mins given that he has to leave for D again and this time in the afternoon!

I am pissed! Fine both can play the self centered game u know. We shall see.

Just For Laughs

Got this thru email....enjoy

If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?

Do Lipton tea employees take coffee breaks?

If olive oil comes from olives, where does baby oil come from?

If people from Poland are called Poles, whay aren’t people from Holland called Holes?

Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?

Why is it that men who invest all your money are called brokers?

If horrific means made horrible, does terrific mean made terrible?

Why is it called building when it is already built?

If a book about failures doesn’t sell, is it a success?

If you’re not supposed to drink and drive, then why do bars have parking lots?

If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?

If vegetarians eat vegetables, what do humanitarians eat?

Socks Monkey

Just this morning he asked what to do with the pair of socks that has a tiny hole near the toes area. I chanced upon these today:

simple cute sock-dogs

wooo cool sock monkeysocks friends

hehe dun worry darling I am not going use your old socks to do such cute socks toys. Nah not even for the poochie. I may however eye your new socks to do THIS >> =P

Guessimation Cooking

I am not one who can follow recipes. I cannot measure this, weigh that to precision as per stated. I am also not able to buy exactly every single ingredient. Some recipes ask for 1 pinch of lemon zest for e.g. so what am I to do with the lemon later after taking 0.1% of the skin only? Or those that ask for 1/2 a stalk fo lemon grass, firstly I cannot find anywhere that sells me 1 stalk only so I will end up with a bunch only to make use of 1/2 stalk. See not environmentally friendly la to waste food!

So I rely very much on guessimation and substitution on whim. Yeah sometimes the results are ok but sometimes not so. As such although I do accumulate my own pile of recipes, I usually just flip thru for ideas, wait for the light bulb to go Ting and then I will make something up that may totally not use similar ingredients. There were some wonderful yummy dishes and some which the man just refuse to take another mouth of =P

However this method cannot work when it comes to baking. My attempt at baked donuts turned out disarsterous. It was like a chewy tasteless pale yellow glob. Yucks!

I am however most motivated to try to make the measurements when baking for Daddy, I am not biased but Daddy is diabetic and he is deprived of alot of desserts and baked products. I was so happy when he loved the sugarless scones with nuts. Now I have found a recipe for savory bread with no sugar too. Let's hope there will be some free time to try this out this weekend.

The Ideal Wedding

After endless research, surfing the net like mad, emailing and calling for quotes and proposals, nagging the man with my opinions, we finally decided on holding 2 separate events for friends and family.

Friends part will be in the afternoon for solemnization cocktail at a really nice and beautiful venue. Canapes and sweets will be served and guests have a choice of the air conditioned room or to hang around the lush greenary outside with pavillions and sofas. Drinks and canapes will be served by butlers and I shall make a grand entrance from above, down the stairs to my waiting groom out to the pavillion to sign my life away as his maid uhhhh ahem i meant soul-mate.

Relatives always place the yummy quotient above the venue location/deco. Thus we have shortlisted 2 well-known restaurants that meets our "no cheesy restaurant" motto. This is relatively more affordable compared to ballrooms in hotels and more exceptable compared to non-5 stars hotels which we did not like.

So there expectations all met and expenditure reduced by half. Sis warns that we will be very tired with no time to rest the entire day (i am teochew so the day will start early) and may not look good in photos. But I assured her that the savings plus the loveliness of the arvo event will make us glow from within. HAHHAHA. More updates later when things are firmed.

Better get married fast

Planning for a wedding is more painful than planning for the reno of the house I feel. With the house we only had to contend with ourselves. For a wedding it seems, everyone has 2 cents to share.

We are kinda late in our planning it seems as many ideal places are already reserved by others. If we were willing to spend all our fortune and maybe even take a loan my friend, things would be a lot simpler cos I will just fly all my guest to an exotic island, build a air conditioned tentage/ mini ball room smack in the middle of the island and let them sigh at how wonderful my wedding is.

Poof! Back to reality. I want to have a nice memory of what will be the most impt day of my life in 2009. Ok ok probably my entire life next to the birth of my future child =P ......BUT I am so not willing to spend $10-15k treating a typical wedding dinner which gets forgotten the next day no matter if that dinner costs me $140 per pax. ($10-15k net cost calculated based on ave $100 ang pows and those tables taxed by the female government aka my mum). I mean I will not thank the bride and groom for eternity for holding their dinner at Conrad cos the food is good and the surrounding nice. I will say thanks a lot on that day and maybe brag about it for them to a couple of friends over coffee in the next month and then "huh what exp dinner". What's worse is that the typical aunty/relative crowd who always have something to complain about regardless of whether the cook is reknown or not. EH auntie u paid $50 ang pow so sshhhhh up.

Ok probably all the banquet checking and venue sourcing is making me cynical. The prices are horrendous in 2009. All 5-stars hotel charge above $1k per table of 10 or have some 40-50 min table requirements. It is said that there is 10% increase every wear, so my dear pak-tor-ing couples get married fast if you are still pondering when cos ang pow $$ increase never matches up to the dinner cost inflation!

Pink-ed

I love pink. Not just any pink, but baby/pale/sweet pink. But i stop at spraying my car pink like some weird random cars I saw on the road today. Somethings just will not look good pink!

This however makes my heart missed a beat.

ahhhh just the right shade of pink.......

Why so busy???

Really am baffled why we always feel that there is so much to do and so little time? I mean we are not the only one who have a dog, work, no maid etc but why issit that i see our friends having the leisure time to go for coffee sessions, shopping trips or outings when I can hardly finish all there is to do.

Weekdays we reach home between 8.15-9.30 usually. Whether or not I cook or we do take-outs tabao-ed meals and walk the poochie, the clock always read 10 - 11pm when we finally get to sit down on the sofa for a breather. Then we have to shower and get ready to bed between 12-1am. So on weekdays there is hardly anytime to squeeze in washing/cleaning or shopping other then a quick zip to supermart once a week.

On Friday, as I do not work on Sat, I will do 1 load of washing out of 3 (light colored, dark colored and towels). The man will help to vacuum/mop the floor. We are almost always the only ones home on Friday nights based on the emptiness of the carpark!

Sat morning whilst the man goes off to work, I will start the other load of washing :

• 9.30am - Load washing machine
• 9.35am - Ironing
• 10.35am - Break of 10mins to play fetch with poochie
• 10.45am - Hang out washed load
• 11.15am - Prepare food for the next week such as making soup stock, marinating and chopping up meats
• 12.30pm - Wash both toilets (ya unglam!)
• 1.00pm - Wipe surfaces and if nec mop the floor again
• 2.00pm - Man comes home =)
  

Who says 5 days work weeks means happy weekend? I seem to do more on the Sat half day then those who goes for the 1/2 day work in air con comfort =(

Remainder of Sat and Sun will be spent on errands, home-visit to ma and pa, poochie outing to dog run and poochie training class. And another week is gone.......

The Vow?

I like the lyrics to the song From This Moment On by Shania Twain and Bryan Adams. Maybe I will use this for the march in? Still have time to review more though....

(I do swear that I'll aways be there.
I'd give anything and everything and I will always care.
Through weakness and strength,
happiness and sorrow, for better or worse,
I will love you with every beat of my heart.)

From this moment life has begun
From this moment you are the one
Right beside you is where I belong
From this moment on

From this moment I have been blessed
I live only for your happiness
And for your love I'd give my last breath
From this moment on

I give my hand to you with all my heart
Can't wait to live my life with you, can't wait to start
You and I will never be apart
My dreams came true because of you

From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment on

You're the reason I believe in love
And you're the answer to my prayers from up above
All we need is just the two of us
My dreams came true because of you

From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment on

I will love you as long as I live
From this moment on

AND this is so lovely! CLICK HERE

(anyone can tell me how to post the youtube in this post directly?)

Of Style Vs. Practicality

Why does it seems just so practical to leave everything out within reach like the latest bills and magazines you were reading halfway on the coffee table. Keys and spare change too so they are easily within reach when u need to leave the house. The same goes for the vanity, i mean i need to use the same set of make-up in 24hrs and it is just much easier to have everything layed out within sight.

The convenience however irritates me too as it makes the house looks so messy! If bills and magazines goes into the study where it ought to be, it will make the living area look neater. but but what if i forget to pay the bills then cos its out of sight?

The same applies to fashion. That pain in the feet heels looks smashing with the new glam pants and blouse I bought but after an hour in it I am ready to amputate the feet to stop the pain. Flats and ballet pumps just do not make one look stylish and professional with a tinge of sexy.

Sigh....life's contradictions.

Bling Poochies

the new blingalicious poochies from Swarovski!!

the bulldog (1st roll) is so chubby and I think the pin will make a cute statement too. too bad they did not do one of my fav breed. $$$ not spent = money saved.

Wedding Favors to Keep

we have often gone to weddings and find the favors left on the tables after the guests have left. the reason is simple. many a times the favors are boring (chocs that are not exactly nice) or repetitive (i have seen too many bear hp straps, ceramic containers with some yucky flower designs, blah blah). But if I were to attend a wedding that gives favors like the below, u can be sure i will leave with it cramped snuggly into my evening bag =)

from ola designs (sweets)


from simple arts planet (customised crochet dolls & fridge magnets)

ok enough already of corny heart shaped chocolates in paper boxes! i want the jelly bean dispenser miniature!

Birthday Treat - il Lido

26th Jun 2008, Thursday
we were both on leave =) so happy to have a day off work!

it was not a lazy day though as we had to wake up early to send the mini for servicing and rushed back by 10am to wait for the contractors to rectify the sliding kitchen door and toilet cabinet. left 6 mths of the warantty period yeah so we had to do all the repair possible.

we feasted on the Goodwood durian pastries that the man had sneaked home last night. yummilious! visited Traders Hotel and then to the surprise dinner venue that the man had in mind. smart me knew where we were going the moment he travelled along tiong bahru haha.

the view and where we sat

the lounge area at sunset

our starters a la carte fresh oysters *drool*

I had the Summer Truffle Set (June Special)

• Scallop Carpaccio with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing and Truffles
• Gratinated White Asparagus with Poached Eggs and Truffles
• Parmigiano Cheese Rissoto with Red Wine and Truffle
• Roast Jumbo Quail with Truffle Cream Potatoes
• Dark Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Heart & Truffle Honey

The man had the Menu Classic

• Pan Roasted Goose Liver with Green Apple, Honey & Hazelnut Sauce
• Homemade Spaghetti with Live Lobster
• Cod Fillet with Pistachio Nut Crust, Green Apple and Squid Ink
• Molten Lava Chocolate Cake with Sardinian Saffron Sauce & Wild Raspberry Sorbet

the Pan Roasted Goose Liver was to die for! After stealing a few bites from the man, we ordered another order a la carte. it was that GOOD. Orgasmic! thinking of it now makes me salivate already. It has a very mild flavor when you first taste it then as your chew and swallow, the full flavor hits you from the back of your tongue and you feel in total bliss! Coupled with the slightly sour tinge of the apple, it is not overly rich or oily unlike others we have had. A Must Try.

the man loved the live lobster spaghetti, unique rich seafood taste. the truffle cream potatoes were so delicious, i was swaying with every bite. i am not really a fan of the molten lava cake but this one really hit the spot. the cake was slightly crunchy and the molten choc was of such good quality that i just reached over and finished half of the man's dessert =P.

The meal was so good that I forgot to take the pictures of every item. hehe...thanks darling, i loved the meal, it was just divine!

il Lido
Sentosa Golf Club
Bukit Manis Road
Tel : 68661977

Food: *****
Ambience: ****
Price: ** (total damage about S$450)

Flower Power

Other items on my window? Flower shopping. Camelias to be precise....

Swooning over Swarovski

i window shop online (pun intended) ALOT

today i was browsing swarovski, bling blings at a more affordable rate as compared to diamonds! Swoon worthy

Heart Beat USB Memory Key

USB memory key disguised as heart pendant on a silver silk cord. Polished stainless steel heart combined with Silver Shade crystals set in Ceralun(TM). The 2 halves are held together with a pin. For 1 GB of data (about 250 songs or 1’000 photos); high-speed USB 2.0 interface.

Price:

US$ 178.00

How gorgeous this is! Fashion statement cum practicality for work. Adds instant glam factor and inspires me to start bring work home perhaps just so I can download something into it =)

Medium Hoop Pierced Earrings, rhodium-plated

Rhodium-plated medium hoops with channel-set clear crystals.

Price:

US$ 85.00

Saw something similar with diamonds and white gold costing S$600 at a local jeweller. See told you bling at less!

there is also a tennis bracelet at US$95. the picture online is not very clear so i have not added it in. Always great for the fashionista on a budget to have options!

Searching

Not afraid of the dark

there are days whereby i just feel like hiding. i feel like an imposter now smiling to everyone and talking in a cheerful manner when all i wanna do is to curl up, let depression take over and space out. i do not wish to know how great your day was as mine feels like a bottomless pit. today i feel i need to hide in the dark so i do not have to put up a smile for anyone.

Broken Puppet

by me

There by the window

Sitting by the ledge

Cast aside and forgotten

My strings lay slack

The sun’s rays are making my wooden face crack

The rain’s droplets are making my pink costume wet

Once I danced on that glittering stage

Once they stood spellbound there in front of the stage

Now the pink has faded to grey

Now my painted smile looks less gay

I been sitting here exposed yet unseen

I been sitting here looking at the same backyard scene

My Dior

if you tot the launch of this range of Dior phone was overpriced from USD5000 (drooling already over the cool my-dior mini-phone it comes with -on the right-)

Christian Dior and Mode Labs have teamed up on a version with 640 Swarovski stones. The asking price is more than USD28k!!!

I cannot even be bothered to copy the specs since I figure if I can afford this phone i prob do not care about the specs anyway. the way it matches any outfit suffice!

Shoe Alert

Hands up if you love shoes!

Shoes are like the highest order in my fashion drool. The contradiction is that my feet blisters too easily and many shoes including running shoes have my feet in pain after couple of hours. Still that is not reason enough to stop buying as i have to keep hunting for THE shoe right...ahem...anyway eyeballing is free la so this is what i spy now.....

Giuseppe Zanotti High Heel See Through Stilt Wedges

so gorgeous! the clean soles with just the right amount of details. I believe although it is really high it may not be as difficult to walk in as it seems since the front is also elevated so the arch is not that steep and thus not as painful on the sole. beyond my budget for sure.

Dolce Vita Dijion Owl sandals


the color is nice (i like the pewter! so easy to match) and the details are so good. http://www.barefoottess.com shipping is expensive really love this one...

something closer to home and friendlier on the feet:

Lacoste Ballet Flats. Sweet and in my fav shade of pink! footilicious!