Looking for the stork

Been married for three years and no sign of the stork...has anybody seen my stork? =D We have been really diligent and patient, spending hours and hours at gynae visits, TCM treatments and lots of dollars, searching for a sign that we are getting closer. Not sparing any visits to temples and praying to the deities for their blessings to have children and promising that we will make really good parents...the wait continues while i turn 30

My HKG trip: 24 - 28 Oct 2009

Spent 5 days 4 nights at HKG and found it is really similar to Singapore somehow =)

My itinerary

24th Oct, Sat - Arrived at Hong Kong Terminal 1 via CX710, took a Cityflyer bus which took us right to the doorstep of Prudential Hotel in Jordan and only cost us HKD33 per pax. Met Weiyun at the Singapore Changi Airport while having breakfast and realised that she is also going to Hong Kong on board the same flight! We had dinner at 大家乐, and proceeded the to Avenue of Stars for the laser show at 8pm every evening...wasn't awed and the sky was really hazy. Then we were off to the Ladies Night Market and said bye bye to Weiyun.

25th Oct, Sun - Went to a nearby restaurant for "Morning tea" - yum yum and to get a load of the Hong Kong culture. Hot water was provided to rinse the cutlery before using them, not something we would do in Singapore =p We ordered siew mai, char siew bao, steamed carrot cake and har gow...its a pity we din come back to this place for more dim sum. We went to the Wong Tai Sin temple to 拜拜, and shopped at Fa Yuen Street (Can get off at Prince Edward or Mongkok Stn). The clothes, bags and shoes weren't that appealing but we bought some souveniers and children's wear from here. Some of the auntie vendors were really fierce and strictly no bargaining allowed...humph although we bought quite a few pieces from them! Walked to Tsim Sha Tsui and had wanton and braised brisket noodle.

26th Oct, Mon - Off to Macau! Took a ferry from the Hong Kong - Macau Ferry Terminal located just at the Sheun Wan MTR stn (Turbojet - HKD146 per pax one way, economy class), getting there was easy but getting back was hard! We nearly couldn't make it back to Hong Kong in the same day as it was a public holiday and all the economy class tics ran out for the return trip. In the end we took another ferry, First Ferry which dropped off at the ferry terminal near to Tsim Sha Tsui instead...phew! We took a bus no. 3 from the Macau terminal to the Ruins of St Paul, had 猪扒包 and the famous portugese egg tart of course! We took the bus back to the ferry terminal after lunch and hopped on to a complimentary bus service to Venetian Macau Casino for a look see. This place is huge and filled with shops selling a kinds of branded stuff and a canal with gondolas to top it off!

27th Oct, Tues - Lantau Island: Took the MTR to Tung Chung stn and took a cable car ride up to where the Big Buddha was and had a vegetarian meal there. It was really nice =) and had dessert of beancurd and a few local snacks. We went to the Peak in the evening via the tram that took a steep uphill climb.

28th Oct, Wed - Had afternoon tea at the Penninsula Hotel, a real classy experience and totally enjoyed it! Scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam anyone? Set us back by HKD 400 plus for two...Took the flight back to Singapore via CX715 and arrived really late in the evening and we actually took the wrong luggage back home!! Well the bag was exactly the same. Gosh...had to take it back to the airport and got escorted into the baggage area by the police to redeem ours. We got home at 2am in the morning...

Wan-ton of Happiness =D

Made some wantons today and haven decided how to cook them yet =p I remembered drooling over what Kylie Kwong made sometime back on TV using a really nice dressing and here's the recipe:-http://www.lifestylechannel.com.au/factsheets/recipe.asp?id=346
I added some diced chestnuts for more crunch and can't wait to sink my teeth into them =)
Wanted to post the pics i took up but couldn't find the cable for my mobile...grr...shall turn my house upside down till i find it!

It's been a week since my IUI and still keeping my fingers crossed.
Been also busy meeting up some friends and ex-colleagues for lunch and dinner in town. Lots to catch up and the lunch hour is really too short! Going to town also means spending money...especially its almost to the end of the sale season...shall watch my spending since i will have no income for a while.

Back to blogging!

I'm back to blogging! Tons of stuff happened in the past few months so where do i start?
1 - Back to school and full-time!
2 - Follicle tracking & TCM...taking baby steps
3 - My Taiwan trip
4 - Business trips to Changchun and Hennigsdorf
5 - Conquered GMAT in a month
6 - More cooking

Tough life

Its been tough making a living for me these days and my blog entries will cease for now...............

Stewed Radish and Chicken with Miso

Ingredients
2 chicken drumsticks, chopped into large pieces
1 radish
Sesame seeds, optional
Light soy sauce
Miso paste
Mirin
Garlic
Water
Method
1. Marinate chicken with miso paste and mirin
2. Stir-fry garlic with a bit of olive oil
3. Add in the chicken and sear them before adding water and marinate. Lower fire to a simmer
4. Add in radish and simmer
5. Add more miso paste, mirin and light soy sauce to taste
6. Serve when the radish is cooked through

Scallop porridge

Made a simple scallop porridge to lighten the load on our tummies.
Ingredients
1 cup rice, washed
Water
2 dried scallops, wash and soak
8 fresh scallops
1 Carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
Rice wine
Pepper
Salt

Method
1. Marinate fresh scallops with rice wine, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Add approximately 3-4 cups of water to the rice in a pot and bring to boil
3. Add in dried scallops, diced carrot and onions
4. Lower fire till a slow simmer
5. Add in the fresh scallops when the porridge is cooked to your desired consistency. Serve!

Happy Chinese New Year! =D Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Have i been busy! Busy cleaning the house and its finally spick and span =p i even dragged out all the drawers cleaned them inside out and rearranged stuff. My husband was a dear and helped out without a word of complain =) We had a mini steamboat last evening with all our favourite food. We had so much to eat the past few weeks...went to Oriental Hotel and had a great buffet using our vouchers, Must be the most value for money one yet with crabs, oysters, lobsters, sashimi, BBQ, endless desserts and plenty of fruit choices! Also had Minced Pork Noodle from 大华 at Hong Lim Food Centre, queued for a while and it wasn't as nice as we had hoped it would be.

Bottle Tree Park

With our new GPS in place we decided to explore new places and first stop is Bottle Tree Park, a place that i wanted to check out after seeing it from the mrt on my way home between Khatib and Yishun station. Lots of people enjoying prawn fishing (^.^)

Singapore Turf Club - its a win!!

Loved my very first visit to the Singapore Turf Club! Was definitely an eye-opener for me and so glad that i had the chance to visit it! =D There were 9 races that evening and Race 5 Horse no. 13 was my lucky horse. I placed a Win bet on no. 13 my lucky number and it was such an adrenalin rush to see it cross the finishing line first! All my frens shouted and cheered at the top of their lungs and it was such a thrill. The $5 bet earned me $56! Not bad at all! It was a rather nice place for entertainment - dinner at reasonable prices, good view of the race track, feel the excitement of the other punters, air-conditioned environment.

All my bags are packed...n i'm ready to go

Ahh...has it come to a time for good byes again? Had my farewell lunches, packed my desk, handed over my work, written my thank you cards...It is so difficult for this sentimental one to say bye bye to colleagues and friends i have gotten to know in the past year. Well when one chapter closes the other one opens and more exciting stuff awaits! It's just sad that after tomorrow, this seat, this office...will just become memories *sniff sniff*

Part of me went to reservist

Part of me went off to reservist this morning and will be gone for a week...sob! Will be busying myself with the spring cleaning for the Chinese New Year over the next few evenings tackling one spot at a time (#.#)

Whipped up more soups for my husband before he goes to reservist over the weekend.

Made Lotus Root Soup and Macaroni soup with bittergourd and minced meatballs over the weekend.

Lotus Root Soup

Ingredients
Lotus Root - washed, peeled and sliced
Pork ribs - blanched with hot boiling water
2 Dried scallops
Water
Salt

Method
1. Blanch pork ribs in boiling water, discard water
2. Add in lotus root slices, dried scallops and water and bring to a boil
3. Turn down to medium heat and let it simmer
4. Add salt to taste just before serving


Macaroni Soup with bittergourd and minced meatballs

Ingredients -
Macaroni
Bittergourd
Minced meat
Store bought fish rolls and dumplings
Olive oil
Dried anchovies
Sliced ginger
Light soy sauce
Pepper
Sugar
Water

Method -
1. Marinate minced pork with some light soy, sugar and pepper
2. Wash and boil dried anchovies in a pot of water with a few pieces of sliced ginger. Let it simmer for a while
3. Sieve out the dried anchovies and ginger, add in a tiny bit of olive oil and bring stock to a boil.
4. Add in the macaroni, which needs 8 - 10 mins to cook and the bittergourd
5. Add in the fish rolls and dumplings 6. Using a small teaspoon, roll the minced pork into small little meatballs and drop them into the boiling soup.
7. Serve when the macaroni is cooked through. Soup was tasty enough and no other seasonings were added.

Exciting stuff coming up!

Just received the travel itinerary for my Changchun 长春 business trip in early Feb. Hmm the weather there today is -22 to - 12 degress celsius! Isn't the place supposed to be summer all year round as its name suggests?!?! Hope my teeth wouldn't chatter too embarrassingly...need to find the right gear before i freeze or fall sick (& also before the sales end!) and start my DOM drinking ritual before bedtime everyday from now. Maybe i can borrow some gear from my mum.

A closer excursion is my trip to the Kranji Turf Club next Friday evening! How exciting! Can't wait to place my first bet and watch my first horse racing live!! Must grab a copy of the 马经 and study it just like those you see in the old cantonese drama serials (+.+)"

Recipe success and nooks & crannies

The century egg tofu dish turned out real nice and its nice enough without the pork floss. I steamed it for 5 mins which kinda diluted the sauce a little =D slurp! Went real well with steamed rice!

I also stir-fried some leeks with chicken for dinner last nite. I marinated the chicken pieces in the morning before i left for work with some oyster sauce, pepper, sugar and light soy sauce. Stir-fried the leek and the chicken pieces fairly quickly and added some water to let it simmer for a little while and adding a little more oyster sauce and sugar to taste.


Some blurry pics i took of the nooks and crannies of my home this morning:-

Right outside my kitchen + By the door where we keep our keys + In our spare room, pics of puppies we had cut out from last year's calendar + My wall clock which we got from JB

Shall try out this recipe!

Inspired again! - from the 皮蛋豆腐 century egg beancurd/tofu we ate at Raku the other day and was looking for a recipe on the internet and found an interesting one on Angie's Recipes. Shall make this since i still have 2 century eggs at home. But i shall steam it a little before putting the garnish (pork floss and sesame seeds)
Ingredients
250 g Soft tofu
2 pcs Preserved century eggs Sauce:
3 tbsp Oyster sauce
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Minced garlic
1 tsp Sesame oil
2 tbsp Water Garnish:
4 tbsp Pork floss
1 stalk Chopped spring onion
Method
1. Remove the shells of the preserved eggs and then slice into 8 pieces.
2. Mix the ingredients of sauce well, set aside.
3. Wash and cube tofu and line a bowl or plate. Place the preserved eggs over the tofu.
4. Spread pork floss over the preserved eggs, sprinkle with sauce.
5. Sprinkle with chopped spring onion before serving.

How cute!

How cute are these felt creations? These are from a japanese felt craft book, Tanu and the Ebi sushi is by Hiromi Hughes

Slow and steady start to 2009

2009 started off nice and slow...things have yet to pick up momentum in the office and some of my colleagues are still on leave. Began tidying up and packing stuff from my workstation to bring the personal stuff home. Also started on the Chinese New Year spring cleaning at home a little here and there (slowly but surely!) realised i have one too many paper and plastic bags and dat i shop at robinsons, OG and esprit a lot?!? Guess it comes with working at Somerset.

Came across an interesting craft blog today http://www.futuregirl.com/ wowee! I was inspired by the Pretty Little Things blog and also when i went to Daiso last week and saw some really nice felt pieces. Let me see what i can come up with =D

Buffet dinner @ Raku at Greenwood

Yumm! Stuffed ourselves silly with a la carte japanese buffet at Raku at Greenwood. It was to celebrate Evon's birthday in advance (^.^) Evon posted more pics of the food we ate on her blog- go see! The must orders are the sashimi, cod fish (with 3 different sauces) and tofu (century egg and the sesame ones!). We went at 6pm and had undivided attention from the staff as there weren't many other diners. The crowd only started picking up at 8pm.

Cooked some bittergourd with prawns and egg for dinner last evening.

Ingredients

1/2 of a Bittergourd

2 eggs, beaten lightly with a fork

6 small prawns, shelled, de-veined and cut into cubes and marinated with some light soy and sugar

2 cloves of Garlic, minced

Minced dried shrimp, washed and pre-soaked (optional)

Vegtable oil

Light soy sauce

Sugar

Water

Method

1. Heat up some vegtable oil in a frying pan. Stir-fry garlic and minced dried shrimp

2. Add in the bittergourd and water from soaking the dried shrimp, cover the pan for approx 3 mins

3. Add in the prawns and light soy sauce and sugar to taste. Stir-fry till cooked.

4. Add in the eggs, stir-fry till cooked and serve

New Year's Eve dinner @ Brozeit Vivocity

Having the half day off work on new year's eve, we went to catch a sneak preview of Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. The super catchy theme song is still ringing in my head...for way too long. We had our new year's eve at Brozeit @ Vivocity with our usual order of Bockwurst (with potato salad and sauerkraut) and Tafelspitz (with baked potatos and spinach sauce). Actually caught a glimpse of the fireworks from JB's countdown from our place!! Surprise surprise!

Used the Bulldog brand Tonkatsu sauce to stir-fry some macaroni on New Year's Day for a simple one dish brunch =D

Ingredients

Macaroni

Cabbage

6 small prawns, shelled and de-veined

Garlic, minced

4 crab sticks

6 pork balls, quartered

Tonkatsu sauce

Oyster sauce

Mixed vegetables

Vegetable/olive oil

Method

1. Boil some macaroni and set aside

2. Heat up some vegetable oil in the fying pan and stir-fry the minced garlic, pork balls

3. Add in the cabbage and mixed vegetables and stir-fry till cooked

4. Add in the cooked macaroni, crab stick and tonkatsu and oyster sauce to taste

5. Throw in the prawns and turn off the heat once they are cooked

6. Ready to serve!