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Archive for November, 2006

Best Feeling Ever

freshly-baked chocolate muffins for breakfast. mmmmmmmmmm.

November 19th, 2006

it all strikes me as very funny, and quite ironic, when i think about it. i used to tell her i was meant to draw those flowers, all over her desk and in my high school maths text book. there is a higher purpose, i’d insist, and she’d scoff. and then today i thought chan fai was calling me, so i turned around to ask him what he wanted. he looked at me and said no, he didnt call me. yes you did, i said. no i didnt, he answers. then he tells me what he really said. for a moment i am completely taken aback, then i laugh. i just had to laugh. after a while i said, yeah my name sounds a lot like that. he agrees, and says he will enunciate my name properly the next time he’s referring to me. i laugh again and say yes, you should. everyone should.

the past few days have seen a lot of missed opportunities and wasted time. but it has also been a week of good conversation in cars. especially with wai min; we found out this week that we have more in common than we think, especially when it comes to matters we take into our own hands. but i’m beginning to feel that we’re seeing too much of each other, what with her sleeping over at my place so much nowadays. waimin, what will your mother think?!

in a week’s time, i will be with Martian in our city. our FIRST city, the one before HK. there will be no more sausages and cheap coke this time around, but kisses and handholding will definitely be in abundance. maybe we’ll even go back to the same cafe we were in, the one opposite The Davis. heehee. yummy Silom banana pancakes, here i come! and i will share you with Martian. it’s always nice to share food you like with people you love. Martian, if you are reading this, you WILL eat the Silom banana pancakes i am going to feed you. ok?

November 19th, 2006

Cute Feet Are Assets

the other day in the plane ride back from HK, i sat beside a couple and their toddler. she was this cute little girl with bangs that fell into her huge saucer-like eyes despite the Hello Kitty hairclip on the crown of her head that was meant to keep her hair out of her eyes. her skin was so baby smooth. and she had on this little pale blue pajama set. but the cutest thing about her was her feet. they were in these little baby shoes that were so small and round and … miniature. “soooooooooo cuuuuuteeee!!!” is what every girl would squeal if they saw this little girl’s feet. in those shoes.

anyways it was dinnertime. the mother wouldnt let the toddler have the ice cream that Cathay gives out with their meals. so the girl started sniffing. not full blown crying in a way that becomes annoying, but just very subtle sniffing that looks damn kesian. of course, while looking up pitifully at her mother in those huuuuuuge watery eyes. you go girl, i thought proudly. that’s the way!

her father, naturally, did not stand a chance. immediate KO. he sighed and told his wife in cantonese, “let her have it”. and i suspect the mother was beguiled by those eyes (and cute little baby feet) as well, because she handed over the ice cream way too quickly.

i’m very inspired. nowadays whenever i want something and my dad doesnt give it to me, we just start arguing. okay, it’s time to revert back to childlike tactics. cos there’s this to-die-for bag in Burberry that looks sooooooo nice…

14 comments November 17th, 2006

Malaysia International Gourmet Festival - Chalet

after much deliberation and exclamations of ‘ohmygawd, dont make me choose!’, Kelvin and i finally decided on the Equatorial’s Chalet for our first MIGF do.

the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF) is a month-long fine-dining event presenting 25 different Festival Menus of different cuisine, from 25 of the country’s top restaurants. (though i must say, the term ‘top restaurants’ is arguable; i would really like to know what qualifies a restaurant to be part of this elite 25) this year, as i’m sure most of you would know by now because all the write-ups mention this, restaurants from outside the Klang Valley are also participating, turning what was previously an exclusively-KL epicurean event into one that deems a change in moniker from KLIGF to MIGF.

very excited, Kelvin and i decided to pick our restaurant by process of elimination. (it really gets easier once you remove all the Japanese and Chinese restaurants from your list of options) and after coming down to a final 3, we (okay, I) made the ultimate decision based on… the dessert. and so Chalet it was!

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the first course was the Cold Starter- Smoked Salmon with Aphrodisiac Pearls, Horseradish Sour Cream and Hot Hash Brown Potatoes. the smoked salmon was really good - sliced thickly, and with a beautiful subtle aroma of smoke. done just right! the 4 slices of salmon were served on a bed of horseradish sour cream; a pairing which even i, hater of all things wasabi related, must admit is good. the ‘aphrodisiac pearls’ are black caviar and salmon roe, and these when popped in your mouth atop the salmon slices + sour cream + a small forkful of the hash brown is … omg*heavenly*.

the Hot Starter comes next - Crisp Parmesan Glazed Asparagus and Porcini Mushroom Cappuccino. pooh to the crisp parmesan asparagus. what’s good is the mushroom cappuccino!!! i sooooo love it. it’s really just a very good cream of wild mushroom soup, but frothy at the top to emulate a cappuccino, and with lots of yummy mushroomy bits! it is served in a little espresso glass, and i suspect that’s what makes this soup very cool to me. sorry lah i very superficial wan, you dont know meh.

the intermezzo was lime sorbet, which we both thought was way too sweet for a palate cleanser. neeeext.

time for the mains! in Chalet you get to pick from 4 choices -

+ Broiled Boston Lobster and Pacific Cod on Linguini in Boullabaisse Stock

+ Pan Seared Canadian Lake Trout Fillet with Crustacean, Cilantro Salsa on Garlic Mash with Fragrant Dill Courgettes and Yellow Squash

+ Mustard Crusted Rack of Tasmanian Baby Lamb on Braised Potato and Leek Compote with Minted Apple and Thyme Gravy

+ Pan Seared Veal Steak on Onion Soubise and Morel Sauce, with Caramelized Carrots and Potato Spirals

Kelvin went with the first- Broiled Boston Lobster and Pacific Cod on Linguini in Boullabaisse Stock. he completely hated the lobster cos it wasnt fresh and was too tough. the portion of codfish was fine, but i did think that the linguini was overcooked and the boullabaisse lacking flavour. overall, a mediocre dish. nothing epiphanic, as Luxe and the Martian would say.

my first choice was really the rack of baby lamb, but because i’m a sissy and get really fluttery when i see the word ‘baby’ on my menu, i decided to go with the trout. but then the waiter said nooooo, the trout not nice, you must have the veeeeeeeal. arghghhgh veal was so totally my last choice. but i’m a sucker for cute waiters who look like they know their stuff, so… veal it is. yes, even though it’s baby cow. nvm. as long as i dont read it on the menu.

again, an average dish. the meat was bland boring blah. saving grace was the sauce it was served on - a combo of a deliciously thick and sweet mushroom sauce (the darker brown sauce in above pic), and a savoury onion sauce with a bisque-like texture (lighter brown). yummy. i finished the sauce, but not the meat, as a form of protest against the cute waiter who bluffed me and said the veal very nice.

why doesnt a restaurant stock up on their wine when they’re participating in a food festival? the Late Harvest SB, which was on their Festival winelist, was what we really wanted but couldnt have, cos Chalet hadnt recieved their stock. neither did they have their Cabernet. -___- wtf gimme my Cabernet. anyways we had 4 glasses of wine each. first glass came with the cold starter and was a Chilean SB which was very nice. Chardonnay came with the mushroom cappuccino, Merlot before the main, and lastly a very crappy Shiraz with the main.

and finally, time for dessert!!!

Dessert- Warm Manjari Chocolate Pudding with Lemon Myrtle Ice Cream and Caramelized Orange Sauce. okay, first of all, when you say Chocolate Pudding, you dont give ppl chocolate cake, ok? and secondly, when you say Warm, make sure the cake/pudding/whatever IS actually served warm, ok? yeah. and when you say Warm Cake, it generally means there’s molten chocolate in the centre, correct or not? so can someone explain to me why Chalet gave us Moist Chocolate Cake With No Molten Chocolate Centre, instead of Warm Manjari Chocolate Pudding?!?!?!

GRRRRRRRRR.

okay lah with all that said, that moist chocolate cake with no molten chocolate centre was actually not bad. texture was totally off, but at least it tasted good. the lemon mrytle ice cream that came in a little biscuit bowl was nice. oh and the little kiwi slices were very sesat.

dessert also came with little chocolate thingies - milk chocolate shells with vanilla ice cream inside, as well as white chocolate shells with chocolate ice cream inside. politically correct chocolates. i like.

one of the Visa perks for Chalet is that you get complimentary after-dinner Vodka Espressos at Flo Bar downstairs. yay. i’ve never had vodka espressos! and they turned out pretty good too. the vodka used was honey-infused, from the NZ vodka brand 42 Below. the very nice bartender, Guna, later gave us free shots of that, cos i was so excited to see honey-infused vodka. heehee!

but all in all, i’m pretty disappointed with this dining experience. it’s alright if the dishes arent innovative; but if they’re going to go with safe & boring, they should at least have them tasting damn bloody good. but i am most pissed off about the dessert. once again, plain moist chocolate cake is not warm manjara chocolate pudding. *shakes fist* Chalet, thou art no longer one of my favourite restaurants. even if your little quartet does a very good rendition of Tears in Heaven.

next MIGF stop, Marche at the Renaissance. hopefully that one turns out better.

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15 comments November 16th, 2006

Music and Sunshine

lo and behold, the Soundtrack of my Life, as determined by the shuffle button! taken from sarahhhh.

Opening Credits:
Jet - Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
“She’s a loaded gun, in my shaking hands… She goes down, like a setting sun, ow!”
hahahha! perfect.

Waking Up:
Powderfinger - Bless My Soul
“Cos I need somewhere to begin, somebody’s gotta let me in”

First Day At School:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion
“There was a crowd of seas, Inside outside, I must have done a dozen each”

Puppy Love:
Good Charlotte - Hold On
“Hold on if you feel like letting go, hold on it gets better than you know”
song of encouragement gone wrong.. haha.

Fight Song:
Athelete - Wires
“There’s dry blood on your wrist, Your dry blood on my fingertip”
so not the right Fight Song.. can tidur man, this fight.

Breaking Up:
Aqualung - Brighter Than Sunshine
“I never saw it happening, I’d given up and given in, I just couldn’t take the hurt again”
yeah, even though this song is about new love..

Prom:
Teriyaki Boyz - Tokyo Drift
“fast and furiiooooooos!”
is this the song that plays when driving to prom in your date’s spanking hot souped-up ride.. or when people’s mobiles start ringing?

Life is Good:
Lifehouse - Everything
“How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you? Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?”
life is good, indeed.. :)

Driving:
Da Vinci’s Notebook - The Irish Song
wtf why is the drunkard song my *driving* song?!
“We’ll drink and drink and drink and drink and then we’ll drink some more! We’ll dance and sing and fight until the early morning light, Then we’ll throw up pass out wakeup and then go drinking once again!”

Flashback:
Guster - Two Points For Honesty
“You’ve dreamed a thousand dreams, None seem to stick in your mind”
hey, this shuffle button knows its stuff..

True Love:
Leanne Rimes - Unchained Melody
“I’ve hungered for your touch, A long lonely time, And i know the time goes by so slowly, That time can do so much”
this is pathetic- my True Love song is a song of unrequited love =(

Wedding:
Incubus - I Miss You
“To see you when I wake up, Is a gift I didn’t think could be real”
and my wedding song is a breakup song. @#$#^%$^ i think God is trying to tell me something.

Moment of Triumph:
Ian Pooley - Balmes
this is the song that plays when i’m walking away with my smoking pistol, after having shot my longtime nemesis in the head. while holding a pina colada.

Death Scene:
Strays Dont Sleep - For Blue Skies
“I forgive you”
sniff. okay. this makes up for the takjadiness of my True Love and Wedding songs.

Funeral Song:
Rob Thomas - Lonely No More
“I don’t wanna be lonely no more, I don’t wanna have to pay for this”
hahaha, be very afraid!

End Credits:
Ezra Low - Blue Eyes
“Cause Blue Eyes, You are destiny’s scene… Cause Blue Eyes, You’re the secret I keep”
*grins*

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pics of happy days -

comfortable