Loving the weekend ;)

Lovely day started with a surprise gesture from him.
Late morning, I had an appointment to do IPL on my lower leg which WORKS perfectly! I am really happy with the result :)

Followed by lunch alone at Pho Hoa Suntec.. Mmm sometime it is nice to have alone time, is it? Hehe...
Oh, how was the lunch? It is really yummy, especially I haven't have pho in such a long long time.

Did a bit of shopping (2 dresses) before heading for the spa ;)
And... Oh mine.. Oh mine...bumped into some topless hunky *drooling* at the bugis

Relaxing spa @ orchard was over in a blink of eye but actually it's 2hrs already.

Next stop - Had a fragrant jasmine tea and "so so" waffle at "restore" cafe @ Tiong Bahru. Restore is a cafe cum old furniture shop. One of those grandma days chair costs S$500!!

Oh yes, We picked up our air ticket to Maldives in between the appointment .. Eeeehaaa ;)

Dinner was german food @ "Werner's oven" (Siglap). Sinful food but who care when it is with great companies!
Top off with udder's ice cream as desert. Oooo...la la

What a "food-foo" day ;)
I wonder if this beats a camping at costa brava ?? A friend was bragging about it yesterday.. Arghh :p

Second attempt - cupcake

This is my second attempt and I failed again.
Made a mistake during the cup to weigh conversion. Add more coco powder than required.
The cake texture ended up too dense :(
But hey, at least the shape is good in this round.
Will go for round 3 !!!

Annual progress report 2012

OMG.. Last in class!!
How to inspire him when I am miles away?
2 years ago, he dropped out of school and now ...
Really not interested in study ?
Should I continue the sponsorship ?

Black listed eatery - 天旺

Went to this restaurant at Sembawang Shopping Centre for dim sum, and the food taste like frozen stuffs that you get from the supermarket.
Who make shrimp dumpling with shrimp paste (like sotong ball)?
Which restaurant will serve fried carrot cake that taste like one u can get from the hawker centre (without carrot bite)
Terrible !!
Now I understand why we are the only customers in the shop.
Silly me to actually think that may be because we are early!! :(

大冬瓜

First time seeing such a big melon.
Much bigger than a normal size fire extinguisher :o

Herbal jelly from Taichung Japanese supermarket

This jelly is supposing to help to clear the body of heat and toxicity.
However it taste different from what I had in Singapore.
Much more bitter and had a very strong after taste of herbal
Not nice :(

Is typhoon Saola coming?

Getting my food supply for tomorrow in case typhoon Saola is coming to Taichung or Nantao.
The wind is getting stronger by the hours.

Interestingly was that this morning and afternoon were exceptionally calm with absolutely no wind.
Maybe this is what they call "calm before the storm"

Homemade braised duck

Our homemade dinner ;)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons salt
1 fresh duck, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
2 cups water
1/2 cup dark soy sauce and braised dark sauce
2 plump stalks lemongrass, trimmed, bruised, and halved
1-inch piece fresh galangal, smashed
1 tablespoon sugar
4 whole cloves
4 star anise pods
Two 2-inch sticks cinnamon
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Method：
Rub 1½ tablespoons of the salt evenly all over the duck, including inside the cavity.

In a large wok, mix together the water, soy sauce, lemongrass, galangal, sugar, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, peppercorns, and remaining salt. Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Gently lower the duck into the wok. The liquid should reach halfway up the duck. Top it off with additional water if necessary.

For the first 20 minutes, baste the duck every 5 minutes or so to color it evenly. Cover and simmer for another 40 to 60 minutes, or until cooked.

Total cooking time should be 1 to 1½ hours. To check for doneness, poke the duck in the thigh with a chopstick. If the juices run clear, the duck is cooked.

Turn off the heat and leave the duck immersed in the sauce for another hour if desired.

The tricky part is to how to cut the duck into serving pieces ;)
Leave this to your creativity

Beautiful Sunday

7am, I head for a beautiful sunday morning walk with my ah Yi ..
By coincidental, we found a gem place - by the canal/sea; there is a huge area where the mussel grew.
Quite a few people gather there and start picking bags of it.
Interestingly, the pickers are non Singaporean ... Mmm.. Wonder Why ?
Oh, the place is at sembawang park

SQ business class

Decent food from the airlines :)
I wish every trip is this good!!

Fruits, dim sum, salad, salmon, desert....