we cooked some this weekend again. this time for WP's family.

again, some dishes didnt work out :(

because we were afraid we didnt have time to finish cooking the meail today, we marinated the salmon the night before. we wanted to bake the fish, with herbs, lemon juice and garlic, like we did before, but this time because i refrigerated the salmon the night before without sealing the fish, it turned out really dry after baking in the oven for 20 minutes! i also didnt check on the fish during the 20 minutes, so very likely i have over-baked it. perhaps just 10 minutes was enough. in the end, half of the fish gone to waste as it just didnt taste good!



then there was the broccoli with oyster sauce. this was how it looked like, boiled, before we cooked the sauce. i think it tasted fine, but it wasnt a very popular dish at dinner. :( i have some leftover sitting in the kitchen now, waiting to be binned.



thank goodness the curry was a hit. the meat and potato was soft yet not mushy, and i thought the taste was good. though perhaps it could be a tad more spicy. this was how it looked like before adding the coconut paste.



another good cooking lesson for me. feel so sorry to the family and frieds who were guinea pigs for the past few weeks, while we kept playing in our kitchen - trying out new dishes and cooking methods. i am very sure we will master more dishes very soon!

xxxx

turns out that both of us love cooking. and here are 2 of the dishes we cooked up over the weekend.

chicken roulade - chicken breast, with bacon, capsicum and spinach.
i was very disappointed that this dish turned out way too dry and tough because i used chicken breast meat instead of chicken thigh. =(






Indonesian fried rice - using a sauce called "Yummy Indonesian Fried Rice" which i bought in Bali.
i cooked way too much rice for the 2 of us, resulting in me having a lunch box of fried rice at work this morning. not that i minded, because it was quite tasty! =)



till our next time in the kitchen! curry chicken next.

due to a somewhat unexpected series of events, i went to Indonesia 3 times in the past 2 weeks. twice to Bali.

it was my first time to Bali, and didnt know what to expect. i've heard mixed reviews about Bali.

i ended up having a wonderful time in Bali. my favorite part of Bali is the beautiful sunset and sunrise views. the sunset views were the best i've ever seen, in any part of the world!


dinner view at Jimbarang beach


dinner view at W Resort

seeing the sun slowly inch up the sky at 6am , while out at sea was beautiful too. Though dolphin watching was supposed to be the highlight of the morning, and well-deservedly so, with the hundreds of dolphins swimming in such close proximity to our little boats, i think i spent more time gazing at the sunrise.



there's something about the sea, sky and sun in Bali that all comes together to paint the most breathtaking and touching sunset and sunrise views, which i have never seen elsewhere.

but while i loved it, that's about the only attraction for me, in Bali....

but i assure you, it tasted really wonderful. we officially moved in last Saturday, and spent the whole day from 7am - 11pm just well.. moving. packing, unpacking, running errands, more unpacking.

on Sunday, i was excited to try out my new kitchen.

my first choice was chicken, but wp wanted salmon instead, so he chose 3 large Norwegian salmon fillet. i baked them with olive oil, salt, basil, ground pepper, lemon juice, garlic, and was pleased with the result. :)

i wanted to work on the presentation, but we ended up eating straight from the baking pan!





i also made linguine, which turned out a tad too dry, so that wasnt as successful. ah well.

this weekend, i think i'll try making some Shepard's pie.

xxx

it was unexpected, but the adjustment back to Singapore in the past 6 months or so has been rather tough. death in the family, health woes, house moving, and work challenges did kind of take a toil on me, especially in the last month. despite it all, things arent that bad as i have been blessed with good friends and colleagues, and family which has been amazingly supportive. in the middle of it all, there was also an incredibly frivolous and absolutely fun and indulgent Taipei trip with girlfriends.

somehow, i think the business trip to Miami and NYC last week will put a closure to the challenging past 6 months, and i sense that things can only get better. the 2 days i spent in NYC with Peixin to me was a pure resting of my mind. i didnt shop alot. i dont even think i ate that much. i didnt go crazy and starry-eyed over nyc. i loved the city as much as i did in the past 2 trips, but in a different way. instead of going out of the way for specific restaurants and shops, we walked the many parks of the city. we basically walked and walked till our legs ached, then we rested and continued walking. and i meant walking and just talking and absorbing the city, not walking-shopping. sure, we stopped at thrift stores, farmers markets, and a flea market we chanced upon. it was just a fuss-free, fun and spontaneous time. it was a different experience and i saw parts of the city i never had before.

here's my wonderful companion and my favorite picture of the weekend - one which i snapped randomly at Riverside Park. it was strange but i didnt realise it was so so pretty till i looked at it through my camera.





coming back from the trip, things are starting to fall into place. i have also officially moved into our new home, and in fact, this entry was really meant to be about the home, with pictures of the place and my first home cooked meal - linguine and baked salmon. but i followed my heart with this entry and this is how it became. :D

am looking forward to frequent writing here from now onwards!

xxx

it was definitely not our first trip to bangkok, but we had many firsts.

1. first time buying air tickets 1 year in advance; impulse
2. first time requesting for the airline and the hotel to change our itinerary at the very last minute, and succeeding without hassle, if i may add
3. first time in bangkok taking the rail from airport to hotel, and back again for the return journey; loved it
4. first time shopping in a furniture wholesale shop; unexpected
5. first time skipping the apparel section of chatuchak market; household section only
6. first time departing chatuchak market by BTS; amazed
7. first time bleeding and screaming during a pedicure; don't worry i'm fine
8. first time having 8-9 hours of massage services within 3 days; OH MY
9. first time showering buck naked together with hubby, in front of 2 thai women; don't ask

i am not a huge baby fan. but for the past 2 weeks, i have been a little obsessed with my nephew, baby Arnav. He's the most adorable, and loveable baby i have ever seen and played with.

He stares at people in fascination and curiosity, and laughs when you tickle and smiles at him. he loves attention, and shrieks happily at strangers who play with him.

What a fascinating baby boy. tomorrow, he departs Singapore for his father's home in Mumbai. then he takes a 20hour flight back to his home in the US. he is a good and quiet traveler, his parents says.

definitely a trophy and a huge charmer. :D

...since I returned from China.
I have been to at least 5 restaurants that have closed down, or tried to go anyway.

The first was Gillman Village. We drove all the way there only to find that it has been emptied out and no longer exists.

Secondly, there was District10. It was a Wednesday evening and drizzling. We walked up and down the dimly-lit Winstedt Rd twice, only to discover that the restaurant was no longer there.

Thirdly, The Tanglin Tree, which used to be at the Tanglin Post Office.

Fourth, the thai restaurant at Great World City which was in front of the cinema. We discovered Skinny Pizza had replaced it.

The Fifth place was Grandma’s Kitchen at Orchard Parade Hotel. 6 of us went there last Friday during lunch time, only to find that it has closed.

Heirloom and Caramel at Shaw, which I have been wanting to re-visit, is going to move by end of the month too. I went there on a Sunday, only to know from a sign hanging at their door, that they do not open on Sundays. that same Sunday, we trooped down in the hot sun to the Rich and Good Cake Shop at Kandahar Street, off Arab Street, also to be greeted by a "closed on Sundays" sign.

the husband now insists that i confirm the existence and address and opening hours of the restaurant i want to visit, before making the trip.

What’s next?

back for 27 days now. i do miss chengdu. i miss my chengdu friends. i miss going for a massage every week, a manicure and pedicure once in 2 weeks, a hair wash every other day, going crazy on DVDs. but life is treating me very well back home, and i've never felt better.

work has been good. busy and exciting. and i'm blessed to be in the company of a really wonderful team.

dating has been a joy. we don't see each other everyday, because he goes out for sports (basketball, football, tennis) 3 times a week during weekdays. and we're not staying together now. but we go dating at least once or twice a week. i love spending time with him.

catching up with friends has been interesting and fun. i even met up with 3 friends from primary school whom i havent seen for about 15 years.

being back with the family is good. i try to come home to mom's cooking about 3 times during the week. i enjoy the time with the in-laws.

and there's so much to enjoy in Singapore. we went to the Jurong Bird Park together, with the family. i visited new food places at Geylang and Serangoon Gardens. more to catch up on of course. i dont even know where to begin when people tell me that there's nothing to do in Singapore.

i havent had time to catch up on shopping in Singapore. but i'm going to this weekend at Haji Lane. :D

it's like alot has happened in the last 27 days, and all of it good. feel really fulfilled and happy! :D

3 weekends ago, i was back in Singapore for 2 days to attend Shu-En's wedding.

It was the most lovely party. i could feel God's love all over the couple and the joyful occasion, and it was really touching. it was just one of those blessed unions which lifted my heart, and reminded me that true and unpretentious love is really out there, everywhere.










i was there with gorgeous mummy, Sihui. Yet another testimony of a blissful union.







in the past year in China, i have seen how the idea of love is belittled and scoffed at. many of the people i have come into contact with seems not to have experienced real love, and they believe in only the love for themselves.

the weekend trip back to Singapore reminded me that I am blessed to be in a loving environment, with family and friends who truly love without expecting any returns. unconditional love and friendship is all around me, and my heart warms at the thought. :)