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Wherefore art thou

I haven't made a post in nearly a month. As I have been saying on Jacinta's Blog, I just can't be arsed. And she has noticed the lack of posts too. So here I am on a Tuesday night, the 1 night of the week where I generally have nothing on TV.

Normally, I would have a lot more recorded shows to catch up on, but the stupid set top box DVD recorder thingy I bought is a heap of shit. Its by Teac so I expected better but seriously, don't bother with it. Itt doesn't actually give you a TV guide for one of the channels, you can't tape 2 shows at once so there is no room for shows on different channels over-lapping (since shows here never start and end on time), the screen goes blank and now, the hard drive also decided to delete all but 4 of the newest recorded programmes. So NOT happy with it.

Anyway, back to the proper blogging. Since so much has happened since I last blogged, I'll just cover the Singapore trip in this post. I won't add the photos as they are already up on Facebook.

So Scott and I left for Singapore on Thursday night and when we got there, we found that the MAS flight had been canceled (thank god we were flying with SIA). consequently, there were very few people about at the airport but let's face it, its not a big airport anyway. Our flight was also pretty empty so we scored free rows near the back so we could stretch out and sleep. I'm happy to say that I managed to sleep pretty much the entire flight, albeit intermittently.

Although our flight had been a little delayed, we still got in to Singapore on time and made it to Colin's before 7 a.m. On to some much-needed sleep till about 10, when we got ready, went out for some breakfast and got picked up by Lisa for my dress-fitting. Unfortunately, and keep in mind this was 1 week before the wedding, she tailor hadn't even started on my dress yet. Given that Lisa was also saying that the tailor had her own interpretation of the picture of the dress, I was feeling really uneasy about this.

Anyway, from there we went to Centrepoint in Orchard Road to have lunch with Lisa's family (some of them) and some of Clint's family. Then after lunch, what started off as a quick look-see
at Robinson's turned into an entire afternoon looking at ties, shirts, cufflinks and kitchen ware (the last item was minimal). Scott bought a shirt, 2 ties and a belt. I bought...nothing.

We met up with Colin and then went to Adam Road hawker centre for dinner with my mom, Irene ee-ee and porpor. I tell you, the dried prawn noodles there are amazing. And so is the mutton soup. Thick, meaty, fragrant...oh god I'm salivating just thinking about it! From there we went to Clara's house for a bit and played with Lauren; Ashley had already gone to bed.

No sleeping in on Saturday, we went to Suntec City for a Fossil sale. I honestly didn't think I'd buy anything, mostly because the crowds were so off-putting. But a few hours later, Scott had 2 watches, 2 belts, a scarf and a leather work satchel and I had a leather weekend carrier, a cashmere scarf, a watch and a scarf. Not bad at all...

Lunch was also at Suntec, before heading to my porpor's house for a bit. From there, Scott and I trekked all the way to Bishan so we could meet up with Lisa and future in-laws at the Night Safari. Only when we got there, I found that they were running late so we went all the way back to Colin's place at Dover Rise, showered and then took a cab to the night safari. It was hot but a lot of fun and a lot of walking. I preferred the bird park, but maybe because I could actually see the birds a lot clearer. As we hadn't had dinner, Scott and I went back to Adam Road with Colin for supper.

Sunday morning, Scott and I went to look for his tailor at Orchard Road. 1 suit, 1 overcoat and 4 shirts later, we were on our way to Poison Ivy at Bollywood, the restaurant on the farm both owned by Ivy Singh - a close family friend who doesn't stand for any bullshit and takes no prisoners. We had a fabulous time. After a very log lunch, Scott, my mom and I headed back to Malacca.

We were supposed to have dined at the Portuguese Square, but it was so packed that we moved onto Ly Sing - Scott's favorite place for mee goreng and Yang Chou fried rice. Then some shopping (I had forgotten to bring PJs with me and desperately needed to get something from FOS) before home and sleep.

Monday started off with a visit to my grandmother's house where we also had some early lunch. From there, a trip to the tailor to get Scott's shorts taken in and then more shopping. I wanted to get baby clothes as gifts for Matt and Tyne as they had very nicely agreed to mind the kitties while we were away. That night we had satay and a buffet at my grandmother's house with Clint's newly arrived family. Lisa wound up being thrown into the pool, as did Clint. The night ended with cousins Nick and Chris, Scott and Chris' girlfriend Su Ann in the pool.

On Tuesday, I had a hair appointment with Ben at Meglio. I have always said Ben's a genius with hair and I stand by my statement. Sure, I was 4 hours in that chair but the results were well worth it. Photos can be seen in Scott's Facebook album called Malacca Dinner. :) But since I had been in there for so long, we didn't have that much time to do some last minute shopping. And of course, this was the variety of shopping that absolutely needed to be done. As always.

As Lisa's wedding was on Friday, a lot of the Malacca relatives wouldn't have been able to attend, so my grandad had hosted a dinner at Ramada. The food was good, the company a lot of fun and it was great just being able to catch up in general. Sure, I fielded a lot of "so when is it your turn" or variations of that, but I suppose when you're about to turn 28 and have been in a steady relationship for more than 2 years, you have to expect it. After dinner, there was supper. Cue some very good ginger tea. Scott had discovered this (along with the mutton soup) at Adam Road our 2nd night there and has since formed a new addiction.

Wednesday was our journey back to Singapore with Lisa, my aunt and Clint. I think wedding nerves were running high and it was a very emotionally charged ride...and I don't mean in a good way. The weather mirrored the situation - stormy and bleak. The plan was for me to go and try on the bridesmaid dress but again, it was still unfinished. So my aunt and I dropped Scott off at his tailor and then myself at Clara's once again.

That night, we met up with Jacinta at Carnivore in Vivo City and ate a year's worth of meat in 1 sitting. Highlights are the lamb, the beef hump, the fish and the pineapple. Catching up with Jacinta was awesome though I think we were all mildly sick from overeating by the end of the night. Leon put up to shame with the amount he put away - if he's nor careful, his modeling stint will be very short-lived. Horrifyingly, the boys insisted on Haagen Daas for dessert and Scott being Scott, went and ordered the largest possible thing on the menu - the chocolate fondue. Seriously, by the end of that, we really did feel like we were going to die.

On Thursday I went over to my aunt's place to help wrap cakes. From there, we headed to the tailor where my dress was finally done. Yeah, done but so large it was falling off me. Oh, and this is the day before the wedding, ya? Once again, I headed over to Clara's after the cakes were done and spent some time there. Then it was onto Scott's tailor and The Church of Saint Theresa for the wedding rehearsal. Once that was over, it was back to Vivo City for dinner at Imperial Herbal something or other. Its on the 3rd floor above the cinemas and I highly recommend this place. The food was some of the best Chinese food I've ever had. I would have loved to be able to go home and get an early night, but all of us bridesmaid went over to my aunt's for a briefing. I didn't get home till past 1 and not to bed till nearly 4 since I also had to do my nails.

Finally, the day of the wedding. I had only got my dress back the night before and it was still a little big but I was stuck with it. I won't go into all the details, but basically the girls all had their hair done at Sentosa before going to the church. The ceremony itself was beautiful and went off without a hitch. Then back to Sentosa for the tea ceremony and reception. Let me just say that my feet were killing me and yes, the shoes did come off. I actually had cuts from the back of the diamante on the damn shoes.

We left the reception early and though I just wanted to take my contact lenses out, wash up and go to sleep, Scott and Colin had other ideas. We went clubbing instead (though I did still take the lenses out - I really had had enough). So it was another very late night for me. I didn't get into bed till about 4 while Scott stayed up much later on the computer.

Finally on Saturday, I managed to have a day when I could shop. It was just me, my mom and my porpor and boy did we hit the shops. In the end, I walked away with 3 pairs of shoes, 1 bag, 2 skirts and a dress. Not bad for just 1 day I thought. We picked Su and Ryan up from their hotel in Sentosa and dropped them off along Orchard Road and then went to see my porpor's jeweler. There were some very pretty items in there, but there was 1 ring that I liked in particular. No plans to adorn a particular finger yet though.

We had dinner at a steak place on Dempsey Road or something, then back to Clara's to play with the kiddies. Lauren is so cute and has grown up so much. Ashley was sleeping again but at least I had got to see her a few days before. At the end of the night, it was back to Colin's to pack and we left for Perth early Sunday morning. The cab was insanely late as he had been waiting in the underground carpark even though we had specified lobby. I was very annoyed but seeing as we didn;t miss our flight, I guess it didn't matter too much. Phew!

Movie Mania

In the past week, I have watched 2 movies: Sex and the City and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Recently, I have gone from watching a movie every week to maybe watching one each 2 to 3 weeks. This time round, I decided that there was nothing wrong with going on my own.

I went with Mei to see SATC on Saturday. I had been running late as I had gone to The Good Guys and well, let's just say the service doesn't come anywhere close as to what you see in their ad. Thankfully, no monstrous queues awaited and we got good seats. I think the best thing I could say about SATC is that it felt just like watching the TV show, only on a much bigger screen. It ran for over 2 hours but you just didn't feel that it was anywhere near that long.

While I watched maybe the last 2 seasons of SATC on TV, it wasn't something I had followed from the start, so maybe I wasn't as obsessive as some may have been over it. I still thought the lines were snappy, punchy and funny. The clothes were fabulous (obviously) though perhaps not that easily worn in real life...most certainly not in Perth. You know, it made me laugh and it made my cry. I swung from one end of the emotional scale to the other. I don't care what anyone says, I loved this movie. Would I recommend this movie as a must-see? Abso-fucking-lutely.

Yesterday was a public holiday over in the eastern states. Unfortunately I still had to work, though I will get my day off in lieu when I go to S'pore (YAY!) in 3 days. Also, I took the opportunity to come in late and leave early. How early? Early enough for me to find a pair of bejewelled silver sandals for Lisa's wedding and also make it to Carousel to go to Coles to get a drink and some snacks and make it in for the 3.30 show.

I first read The Chronicles of Narnia when I was 10. For those who are only familiar with the movies, the stories are:

• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
• Prince Caspian
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• The Silver Chair
• The Horse and his Boy
• The Magician's Nephew
• The Last Battle

I had never seen the original Lion, Witch and Wardrobe animated movie, but I definitely enjoyed the new version in 2005. Yes, it was a little different from the book, but I would say it still kept to it very well. Prince Caspian deviated a lot more, though I suppose there was a fair bit of background that would have been difficult to fit in.

While the book starts off with Caspian as a child and learning about Narnia, the movie jumps right into the action. I won't say how or why, as I don't intend to spoil it for anyone. Suffice to say, there were probably more differences than similarities in the book and movie, but I still enjoyed it. There are some good laughs and the actions scenes were well made. The lines that have been taken from the book are warmingly familiar. And I still feel like owning a lion would be a great idea (even if it really isn't) every time I see Lucy cuddling Aslan. :)

Next up, Kung Fu Panda, opening on June 26th.

Food Review - Mez Mediterranean

As per our usual weekly outing, we again used the EB as a guide and high-tailed it to Mez Mediterranean in Northbridge. And let me say, what a different experience this was. The staff were friendly and very helpful and the meals were not only delicious but came in huge portions.

Jane, Mei and I went together and met up with Scott, Sujay and Nesha. I had already decided that I was going to have the lamb kleftiko so for once, I didn't even really look at the menu. Next to arrive was Su and finally Matt. After we had all ordered, our waitress came back to let us know that since there were quite a few of us, we'd have around a 30 minute wait, so would we like to order some starters?

I ordered us a serving of garlic pita and chunky chips, while Su took the opportunity to change her order. Unlike at Julio's where a serve of garlic bread was a miserable 2 slices of bread, we got more than enough garlic pita for the table and a huge portion of chips. Both were excellent (despite the pita dripping in oil - but well worth the calories as it was warm, garlicky, salty and just yum).

All our meals came out around the same time, except for Sujay who had ordered a vegetarian moussaka. It took an extra 7 minutes or so but they came and apologised for the delay, saying they had mixed up the order. We were all very impressed that they had come out to let us know that they had made a mistake. Then the proprietor offered Sujay a free drink for keeping him waiting; again we were very impressed.

While all of us all enjoyed our food (my lamb was tender and oh-so succulent), very few managed to actually finish our meals, due to the more-than-generous portion and us pigging out on the starters earlier on (not to self: do not have entrees the next time we go). Jane once again had prawns and this time, she had at least 10 on her plate, for considerably cheaper than what they had charged at Julio's. I tried one and I can say that they were cooked to perfection.

When the time came to pay our bill, I presented the staff with my EB card, whereupon they are supposed to scratch off their corresponding number. however, we were told that they wouldn't scratch the number off, so that we could get another free meal the next time we go. Now that's service!

Would I go again? Hell yes! The food was awesome and the service also very good. Okay, so now I know not to order too much, but on the whole, I prefer places where you leave feeling like they really fed you, rather than leaving a restaurant feeling hungry.

Food Review: Julio's

Last week a group of us dine at Julio's in West Perth. We dine out weekly and given that our current copy of The Entertainment Book (EB) is going to expire come end of June, we've been trying out places listed in there. Last week, we had a few options and finally decided to try Julio's as the menu looked very good. Butm, as the old adage goes, looks can be deceiving.

I will not go into minute details, as I have already written a review for the EB website. Unfortunately, while the EB accepted my rating for Julio's, they did not choose to include my review itself. I noticed later that the only review they did include, also had the most favourable ratings to go with it. Makes you wonder, does it not?

Anyway, Jane (who is the friend in question in my review) said I should blog about my experience and since I had also sent her a copy of my review, I've attached it here.


Food - 3
Service - 4
Atmosphere - 6
Review - "I rather liked the atmosphere of Julio's; the dark wood floor along with white walls and framed pictures gave it a bit of a French feel. However, the food was sadly lacking.

I had the grilled mushrooms for entree and while it was very tasty, it was nothing amazing and it was easily something I could also have done at home. I (and a friend) had ordered the fettucine with Morton Bay bugs for my main but was told that they were out of bugs and would be substituting it with prawns.

My friend had ordered the prawns as an entree and said she'd like to change the entree to the calamari. However, she was still brought prawns as her entree as the waitress had mixed up the order (we were later again brought the wrong meals). Our pasta was over-cooked and very bland. And we got 4 prawns each with our pasta. I thought this a very pitiful attempt, considering the prices charged.

No one came by asking if we would like fresh pepper or if the meals were okay. When we left, no one (despite me catching their eye) thanked us for coming. I would definitely not go back and neither would I recommend this to anyone. "

It was a shame really. The place had great potential; I really liked the way it had been set up and as I said, the menu looked wonderful. They just need better staff, certainly a better chef and they need to not penny-pinch with their ingredients (Morton Bay bugs aren't exactly cheap and if your dish reflects this price, you can't really expect that 4 measly prawns - that weren't exactly cooked to perfection either - be a sufficient substitute).

To reiterate, NEVER going back there again, and I highly discourage anyone else from doing so.

Caturday once more

I just came across this link earlier on today. Its a clip from 'news' show A Current Affair. I saw 'news', because the topics they discuss are sometimes debatable as to being truly newsworthy. Anyway, in this particular episode, they talked about cats being put under curfew, that is not being allowed to wander about out of the house.

Some people were of the opinion that cats should be locked up and there were some who obviously though it was cruel and unnatural. Here's the thing, by using the term "locked up", they don't give a very clear picture as to whether cats are to remain in the house, or have to be put in specific enclosures. If it is the latter, then yes I agree that its not at all fair on the cats. but if it is the former, then I don't really see the problem with it.

Cats that have never been out will not really know what they're missing. Yes, if a cat has been used to roaming outside, it will absolutely hate being cooped up indoors all the time. But if like mine, they have grown up strictly as indoor cats, they will not mind at all.

I understand that cats left to run free might go and kill wild birds and small animals. But that's what they do; they're predators. What I don't understand is that people will make such a big issue out of cats killing a small amount of wildlife every year and yet utterly condone the inhumane conditions of animals bred for farming or for their skin (leather). I won't say that I wholeheartedly support cats killing little animals and birds, I would rather they do not. But I know not everyone has the luxury of being able to keep their pets indoors.

I could never let my kitties out of the house. Not so much because of what they might do, but because of what might happen to them. Plus they sleep on my bed and walk all over my pillows and there's no way I'm going to have the outside tracked in all over my face, thank you very much.

Stewed Up

One of my favourite things about winter (or the onset of winter) is comfort food - stews, soups and curries. I would love to add pasta to that list but given that I'm still trying to lose weight, I'm trying to keep the pasta, potato and rice dishes to a minimum. Having said that, I'll see whip up a pasta meal but make sure I go heavy on the veg. And instead of rice accompanying curries, I use couscous instead. And I try keep potatoes as a minor ingredient in soups and stews (mainly as a thickening agent).

However, one doesn't always have to use potatoes in soups and stews (but if one has a sister who is infinitely fussy with food, then I'd say yes, you should have large pieces in there so that she may pick them more easily and avoid the sweeter veg like carrots and peppers). Whenever I use meat, I'd first toss the pieces in seasoned flour and then just brown for a bit. If there is any access flour (and there usually is) I'd chuck that in later on as well.

Another way of thickening liquid in soups and stews is to use pulses. I'm a huge fan of beans, lentils, barley, etc. For some time, I had been meaning to do my spicy sausage and bean stew and I figured today was as good as any day to do it.I always change things around, I don't think any of my dishes will ever turn out the exact same way. But I do have the basics that go in pretty much every liquid-based dish I make (bar curries). These are garlic, onions, carrots and celery (also tomatoes - tinned and fresh for this). For an added twist, I decided to some fresh corn and fresh green chilis to the mix, with some long beans as well.
I usually use a pre-bought soup mix when I'm using pulses and legumes, adding extra lentils, split peas and barley but I decided to keep it to just barley, whole green lentils, lima beans and borlotti beans this time. To finish off, I used a mix of chorizo (spicy Spanish pork sausages - the use of lots of paprika give it its red colour) and Italian-style pork sausages, in a ratio of about 1:5. However, any sausages (any meat for that matter) can be used here.
This dish does require a bit of preparation with the chopping up of veg, but they don't have to be in small cubes the way I did it; that was purely so that the rest of the veg would 'fit in' with the corn kernels (yes, I'm a bit anal like this, okay?). You can even leave the sausages whole instead of cutting them up. Just make sure you've washed and soaked your pulses a few hours in advance, otherwise they will take AGES to cook. (If you're using tinned varieties, then forget this step, just chuck them in the pot at will)

For stock, you can use veg, chicken or beef stock, and the bought versions are fine. I prefer making my own because I find its cheaper to do so (in Australia anyway) and in this instance, I went with boiling a couple of bacon bones. I find it gives the stock a very nice smokey bacon-ey smell.

But once all that's done, you fry off the chorizo and then the sausages, taking them out of the pot and setting aside when they're more or less cooked. Next goes in the onions, chili, garlic, carrots, etc. I then put the sausages back in and left it for a few minutes before adding the stock, and then gave it another 5 to 10 minutes more before adding the green beans. A scant 30 minutes later and voila! Its all done and ready to eat. Its hearty, its warm, its spicy and its also healthy-ish for you (sausages are a bit of an indulgence). If you want it to be really healthy, make your own sausages. :)