Part IV: We're ONE!! [Cards and such]

I don't know. This is a tough one.

If I give H a card and he gives me one back, that's the norm right?

But what happens if I made him a card..

Complete with a custom made brad I might add..

.. and he gives me a freebie postcard from the hotel? Is it just short of him sending me a free 123greetings.com or Bluemountains.com card?

Just asking.

I choose to think atleast he drew me hearts on the freebie postcard. I choose to look at the glass half full- though its very close to being half empty. But no, half full, hallf full....I'm sure.

Or shall I cast a vote?!

Part III: We're ONE!! [Accomodation]

Ocean view, king bed, walk- in-wardrobe and a butler. What more could you ask for in a hotel room?

Just kidding about the butler. We didn't get butler service in this hotel...not that we ever do. That's just H peering out the window.

...And this is where I went crazy.

I have a thing going on with double vanity basins. It's just cute to be brushing your teeth together. Ohh...and did I ever tell you about my love for long bathroom benches? It's just a necessity.

Then its a whole other issue when you get to soak in a bathtub overlooking the ocean. That's personal space.

Part II: We're ONE!! [and food adventures]

Did you like my Princess story? I actually skipped the part about food because I wanted to tell you about my nearly-there encounter with a Princess. Slighty lame, but hey, it's something different.

Our first stop during the road trip was at Kuala Berait, to a Japanese restaurant- Excapade Sushi. This place is basically full on weekends from all the 'cross-country' drivers that come solely for cheap, great quantities and delicious Japanese food.

This is a staple for H- every single time. Funny how things change. When we first started dating, he hated the taste of Ikura. I think he nearly spat it out- but I guess impressions were important then! lol. Ikura- is otherwise known as fish roe.

Nother staple of ours would be Tempura Shisamo..yes, we love our fish roes. Sorry little future fishies.

I wouldn't say Excapade has 'authentic' Japanese food. By that I mean its somewhat commercialized and altered for South-Asian palates. Nevertheless, it means I get to try new concotions of traditional dishes and different flavours. Here's sushi- a mix of crispy salmon skin, raw salmon, avocado and fish roe. Loves!

They also have very creative means of keeping our order...hmm.

Didn't see..?? Look..I'll show you.

During the evening, H booked Spaghettini- a Italian restaurant sitauted right in Empire Hotel. Just a word of warning, no slippers or jeans. A window seat guarantees a view of the Atrium. Nice!

I love fresh bakery bread aromas..and this was greeting us the whole evening. They have their own wood oven! I haven't tasted bread this good for a loooong time!! The rotating antipasti serving tray definitely impressed us and filled us up. But sorry, no photos.. I think I was at awe and forgot all about it. So by the time the mains came, I was secretly hoping it was small serving. No hope, Calzone Pizza is mighty huge and so was H's main. Ahh..then it was tiramisu... I couldn't imagine a better ending. [Despite taking one hour to walk off the unwanted and uncomfortable over-full feeling. Bleh.]

Ps. Once again..sorry about the bad photos...sighh..my bad.

Ohhh... When we got back to our room, we were pleasantly surprised with this...compliments of Empire Hotel. Awww.....Seewettttt...

Part I: We're ONE!! [and other Princess fairytales]

Can I tell you about my road trip? Please Please Please? 'Cos H and I turned one- legally. That means we've been married for one year! Fast huh? And to celebrate, H secretly booked a little getaway. Awwww.

I love road trips. I love them more than plane trips anyway. Cos planes are boring- I don't get to move, all I see are clouds, clouds then more clouds and I can't get to stop when I want to. Road trips are all within our control- theres no delays unless we delay it and theres definitely no overweight luggage.

Without sounding too much like a travel agent, our destination: Brunei. Brunei is approximately 30 minutes drive from where we live and if you were to go to their capital city- Bandar Seri Begawan, that would take about 2 hours. Politically, this road trip means I'm entering another country- from Malaysia to Brunei. But geographically, all is close and easily accessible.  Roads are generally easy to drive and theres usually not much hassle with customs. Infact, alot of Mirians drive 'cross-country' just for day trips and their famed foods.

We checked ourselves in at Empire Hotel & Country Club- and about a second later I already wished we could stay there a few more days. The place is huge!

They've even have their own bowling alley, cinema and lagoon pool complete with kayaking facilities. Uber cool! Oh..and to get from the lobby to our room, we managed to squeeze in about 1 million buggy rides.

Now, I would of shown you more photos, but my camera ran out of batteries and all I had was my Iphone. My bad. Note to self- Always check camera battery before travelling.

We didn't have enough time to check out all the facilites, but we managed to watch Avatar in their cinema..and here is where I have to tell you another story all together...

You see, H and I arrived at the cinema [in a beloved buggy] and had attendants waiting. So we thought 'Wow! 5-Star service!' only to be greeted by another attendant a minute later who seemed to be looking frantically for us. We're wanted!

Sir, Ma'm we're sorry to inform that your VIP seats will no longer be available. Can you kindly sit in the normal seating area. We'll give you free popcorn and drinks of your choice.

Why? We paid extra for these tickets and don't want to move. We bought our tickets this afternoon!?

Sorry Sir, we've been notified last minute, that the Princess is coming and she'll be sitting in the VIP seats. So you'll be relocated.

What? Princesses aren't suppose to sit on other people's seats?! They're suppose to wear glass slippers, sleep and look for their princes in castles?!

-No, not really. I didn't say that.

..Without much choice, we waited in our fold-down cinema seats and whinged how we should be in mega sofa seats instead. About half a hour later, movie time being delayed, it was announced the Princess was no longer coming. Yahoo!..H and I could have our big sofa seats back!! I was nice..I asked the attendant..

So do you want your popcorn back? -to which in my luck she said no.


{To be continued...}

House: Kitchen Wares and Toilet Seats

Alas. We're finally down to the nitty and gritty of House. This means, making sure our furniture arrives on time and the interior is atleast liveable. At this point in time, I can't think of building a new house again. Never. Maybe ask me in a few years time and I'd tell you otherwise- but house building is not fun. Don't say I didnt warn you.

I've really loaded my parents place with household items we buy on sale. From pots to plates to err..larger items like our oven. Rest at ease, we've since installed the oven. Hooray!

You know what I'm dreading now? Clean up and packing-un-packing time. Geez that would be fun. Not.

Ps. The pic above? That's H looking at kitchen goods. And um, under no influence from me, we bought some..well, a whole box of pots..and sat on a flight back with us. It was on sale!?!

Damask crazy?

If you haven't noticed, I love the Damask pattern. [ie. Look at my blog header.] It seems to have taken over the scrapbooking and wedding industries too! 

I contemplated using it for my own wedding invites last year, but somehow things didn't go my way and I ended up with floral swirls instead. So, I tried to con my brother into using it for his wedding. No, not really. But I should of..and I still possibly can. Or maybe I'll use it some other time.

This is what I've been busy with..doing my brother's invites..and here's a sneek peek..one thats rejected. It was suppose to be for his invitation envelopes. Poor Damask pattern. I promise I will see you again.

Our conversation went a little like this:

Me: How would you like you invites? Colour? Theme? [Me being enthusiastic and all]

Future Groom: Anything. Ask my fiance. I don't know. [Groom being completely normal and ignorant when it comes to weddings]

But alas, the future bride saves the day- red, champagne, floral themed and rectangular shaped.

Word to future brides- this is normal. Trust me.

Balek Kampong- nearly

This, is the king of fruits! I don't get why it is named so, but I presume it has something to do with its pungent and lingering flavour. I'm not a fan of Durians. At all. My life would be just fine without knowing the existance of this. Bleh. But my parents love it, H loves it, my in laws love it..and so do many other Malaysians.

Ironically, after going to Singapore- a vibrant city full of life and new technologies, a flight and long car ride later, we were literally at a kampung- a small village inhabited by few and most probably back-dated a decade or two.

My uncle had arranged a local fruit tasting session at a village near Kuching because it was none other than Durian season. My mum and H had such a Durian buffet- and trust me, its just not fun to be surrounded by Durian lovers. -It's a whole other gastronomical issue all together, but I wont go there, not today.

My father and I were more reserved, sticking to mangosteens and langsats- all of which were grown and plucked on the spot. [We had a pending wedding reception following, and stinking like Durian wasn't our thing. Then again, Durian is never my thing]

Now, if you haven't seen a Durian tree, this is it. Right in the 'backyard'. The villagers tell us each tree produces Durians differing in texture or flavour. Either way, I wasn't keen on trying it.

Mangosteens- love love love! Not too sweet, not too sour. I could eat this everyday!

Slurpsss..ps. thanks mum for modelling this.

Langsat- petals of juicy white flesh awaits.

It reminded H and I of our late grandparents houses. Oh how far we've come.

Back to name dropping

I can't help it. I have to tell you about good eats. Its just in my bones.

I think I just about reached dessert heaven when I went to Canele. Soo many choices, so little tummy space! I wanted the macarons, macha cake, fruit tarts ..everything. Like I kid in a candy store I observed every single cake on display as if it meant the world to me. After a good 15 minutes I decided to have a chocolate slice and a latte.

This tasted a little like Ferrero Rocher- cake style. Chocolate, hazelnuts, pralines..rich, dense. Oh so delicious! What a lovely comeback from days of being sick. This is what I missed, this is what I needed!

H was up for ice-cream and strawberry icecream it was. Oh my! I've never tasted such lovelier strawberry ice-cream. It was just sour, just sweet, just smooth..everything was so right. It was then and there I decided everything in this patisserie was darn tasty and I should pack up the whole shop. But I didn't. Because H might of disowned me as his wife.

Ahh...all washed down with a sugar-less latte. I feel my serotonins! I'll definitely be back for more.

Canele Patisserie
290 Orchard Road, Paragon
B1-#25

Ps. Do you like the new header? I'm not quite sure of it yet, but figured new year = new header. I also realise I have a quiet bunch of blog readers. I love to hear any comments from you- good or bad. I promise I wont bite. Promise.

Food Finds & Inspirations

I'm beginning to feel like a free foodie advertiser- I go-chomp-tell. But really its more for me, my records. Places I've been, things I've tried, interesting finds I might like to replicate and food I'd like to eat again.

So this post, I dedicate it to food found in restaurants/stalls/cafes that can be whipped up at home- no name dropping what-so-ever.

Milo Dinosaur- Why the name? I'm not quite sure. Maybe because it's loaded with Milo powder above the chocolate drink. I heart the way it's served in a stainless steel cup. So easy to make at home.

Fried Vegetables- Assortment of sweet potato, seaweed, potato, carrots, leafy greens fried and dusted with salt and icing sugar. Definitely wakes up the taste buds.

Good Old Peanut Butter Toast- Thick bread, thick peanut butter laced with condensed milk.

Honey Green Tea- Served in a large glass tumbler. Perfect for hot days. And kindly excuse my hungry husband at the rear. Thank you.

Chocolate Fondant- Gooey inside, cake outside and a crunchy biscuit base. yums! Complete with my bite marks. Doesn't that make it lurvelier?!

Fried Smoked Cheese Bites- Definitely not for the calorie conscious! Filled with diced capsicum and onions, the ultimate warm cheesy snack!

Root Beer Float [complete with H as my model!]- Huge I might add!! Note to self- get huge mugs! I'm personally not a fan of anything fizzy but this one totally satisfied H.

Now let me go look for some more....

Still getting my groove..

Forgive me. I'm still moody. And I presume I will be like this for a little while because I felt like my holiday was robbed. Its just not right. My plans of being a foodie and counting down on New Years Eve were all replaced by migraines, vomitting and sleep. So I plan to sulk, sulk until my next holiday magically appears.

My family is all over the place. My brother is in Hong Kong, my sisters in Australia and I'm in Malaysia. So ever since we all started working and got married, full family gatherings have been rare. This year, we decided to meet in the middle- Singapore- a foodie and shoppers paradise.

The food didn't disappoint. It rarely does.

Our first meal was at Victoria Peak, nested on the rooftop of Orchard Central. I'm presuming this restaurant is a franchise from Hong Kong- due to its name and Cantonese inspired dishes.

H, being the ninny that he is, is never adventurous when it comes to food. Nor will he think twice about any edible animal organs. But being extremely pressured with my family and uncle plonking a big piece of Goose Liver pate on his plate, he had no other option but to swallow the darn thing in front of goggling eyes. His extremely nice wife on the other hand was not only enjoying the pate but laughing at his awkward situation.

His face grimaced, nearly spitting the lump out before his facial muscles tweaked, as if suddenly realising the smooth texture and fragant taste. He actually liked it!!

So ladies and gentleman..I present to you Marinated Goose Liver Pate..smoothest ever..and endorsed by H. [He even had seconds!]

Ahhh...abalone! Need I say more?

Egg tarts delicately spiced with ginger

Custard buns...ooohhhhh...ooze baby ooze..

Last but not least, Black Glutinous Rice Dessert

Victoria Peak
181 Orchard Road #11-01/02
Orchard Central S(238896)
Tel: 6238 7666

Hello 2010!

...And how are you doing?

Cos I'm feeling bleh. I just got back from a holiday last night and I'm back in the office this morning. Oh trust me I didn't want to open my eyes! I wish I had a few more holidays to spare...and wish I didn't fall sick.

Two -o-one-o hasn't quite hit me yet. My body is sluggish my mind's a blur. I diagnose this as a holiday syndrome complete with first day of the year working blues. Oh my!

Hope your days have been better than mine. Happy 2010!