i can almost see the Big Apple

new york city awaits in about one day’s time.

i feel like i’m underpacking. got a new luggage case today, really huge. i believe i’m utilizing less than half its maximum capacity. strange. i suppose all that excess space could be used for shopping items. ha.

i’m busy googling all the places we’re going to visit now, and all the hotels we’re staying in. almost all the hotels have wifi, and indoor heated pools. whee. travel log shall appear here, and photos i would probably upload to facebook. i’m mostly set with heroes season 3 waiting to be viewed in my laptop during all the long journeys e.g. flight/coach. according to the itinerary we’re travelling a lot of the time, staying at hotels a maximum of two nights each, which i suppose is good because we see more in less, but on the downside we can’t take more time to check out each location.

waking up real early. undecided with whether or not to stay up late or try to sleep early. no idea how it will affect the jet lag and sleep cycle. heh. will see how it goes.

till then. looking forward to a long break.

pictures following the previous post

tasty and fragrant. chilli bits not included.

this is chyesim. order kailan. kailan goes with chicken rice. chyesim goes with tze char.

the roast pork. served with pickled vegetables underside.

the condiment trio. red/green and ginger

yet con chicken rice. with air con.

the name, i suppose, is probably a literal translation from its chinese characters. the first time i came here i was pleasantly surprised, and indelibly impressed by the food. this quaint little shop, interior chinese traditionalist, complete with those kopitiam chairs and marble tables, sits on the far end of purvis street, near where the national library is. instead of a cashier and machine to keep the money, an elderly man at the abacus greets you for a change after your meal at payment. i think they are also known for their steamboat offerings, however i’ve not yet had the chance to sample it. i have a bit to say about the chicken rice though.

i had began to steer away from chicken rice a couple of years ago because in my mind i was under the impression that it was not very healthy to have it often because of the amounts of oil and other condiments that make the chicken and rice taste so good. another reason was because some places i have tried had rice that tastes unusually like a deliberate assault on the sense of smell, and left a bloated feeling in the stomach after only one bowl. hence the avoidance. however,  here, things are different. the chicken served is their signature dish, juicy and tender, chewy and tasty, ohsoeasily digestable, complemented with gently fragrant rice which definitely does not leave your tummy feeling bloated and you feeling like you overate, even after two bowls.

the chilli was a little disappointing though, lacked the kick evidently with me drenching each piece of chicken in it. green chillis were great though, did not try the ginger paste. had a bad experience with garlic breath a little too recently on a bout of gastronomically garlicky enthusiasm. I was not prepared to embark on another romance with another strong tasting ingredient. i always seem to forget that its kailan that goes with chicken rice, and have this tendency to order chye sim somehow. they were not too bad, a little too salty i would think, horribly oily, although i have to admit i have a palate for a little over salty, over sweet foods. we finished all of the vegetables by the way. we also ordered the siew yok, roast pork ’shao rou’. crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. good bite but i felt a little wary about ingesting carcinogens with the black bits tailing the crisp parts. at the end of the meal it was a tad expensive though, but it was a fulfilling meal. we paid 40dollars for 3, but considering the amount we ordered it could still be considered reasonable. overall a great experience, and i would be sure to come back here for a chicken rice fix.

more pictures another day

the much anticipated photo of two posts ago

this is dumpling mee, in all its glory. i only took one shot, maybe because it felt strange to be shooting food so early in the morning, or perhaps i was barely awake when i did this. if you’re reading this, this blog will begin to be updated a little more regularly as of now, because the author will gradually ease into a period of freedom, out of the obligations of conscriptment, come next month.

burnt caramel chocolate croissant pudding

this is gonna be as brief as the time it took making it.

adapted from the recipe used on the first episode of nigella express, (she did a caramel croissant pudding, or rather, a variation on bread and butter pudding). i haven’t tasted many bread and butter puddings, the last few that i can actually recall were eaten at hotel breakfast buffets and even though they weren’t exactly spectacular, they dispensed a large dose of comfort when eaten, and its one of those foods which can bring a smile to your face and brighten the start of your day.

well then, i really like those bite sized chocolate croissants at provence @ central, clarkequay, and after watching that episode i couldn’t wait to try the recipe for myself. i broke/cut up the chocolate croissants, made my own caramel in a pan with water and sugar on high heat, and the only other things you need are full cream milk (i used pura, some australian brand milk), double cream (i substituted it with bulla’s pure cream with 45% milk fat. nigella’s double cream which i think is only available in the UK has 48%) and two eggs (i used three because the eggs we have here are anorexic compared to hers). she added a spritz of bourbon but i didn’t have any alcohol in my kitchen so none was added. it might have added a nice touch, for the people who enjoy alcohol.

things to note, my caramel burnt because i left it on the hob for too long. once it turns golden its good to go. no worries about too much water because it’ll evaporate. just don’t be like me, and only worked with it when it turned brown. if you enjoy the burnt caramel ice cream flavour at island creamery then by all means. it was an honest mistake for me. once you see a golden bubbly mixture that’s a tad sticky, add the milk, cream, and beat the eggs in. use a whisk and mix well, then pour it over the croissant bits in preferably, a gratin dish. i used a cake pan as a substitute, which worked pretty well. then its off into the oven for a good 20-30 minutes on about 150deg. once it browns at the surface its good to be eaten.

i managed to snap a few shots of it before it got polished off by my family.

nigella’s recipe!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/caramel-croissant-pudding-recipe/index.html

my dearly beloved wanton mee stall down the stairs of my HDB block.

my attempt at reentry into the blogosphere shall be marked with the introduction of a new category of interest: food.

food is always an endearing subject of conversation, especially so with singaporeans. hopefully i can marry my past interest in writing and my renewed interest in food and present something tasteful, palatable, and worthy of note right here.

as the title of this post suggests, i would really like to talk about their wonderful wanton mee. i have just had two portions of food, approximately an hour ago, one dumpling horfun and one wanton mee from this stall. my recent spike in metabolism plus a voracious appetite resulting from a missed breakfast in a typical incamp weekday led to what i just mentioned. though i would not discount the streak of gluttony as well. but, going back to the subject, for as long as i recall living in this neighbourhood, i have loved this stall for its fantastic food at amazing pricing. i am not surprised that their profits can be gained by means of volume alone because their profit margins are definitely smaller than everyone else. one plate of wanton mee goes for $2. if you told me you could find food for $2 several years ago i would have easily believed you. however in recent times i think, in light of the economy and increases in food prices, you’d be hard pressed to find food for $3 even in a heartland hawker centre, even as upmarket food courts and eateries spring up ubiquitously. locating good food at cheap prices becomes a treasure hunt around our little island nation.

so what makes this place tick? this stall is run by a husband and wife team, on occasion assisted by their children, and today, her sister. i’m not sure if their noodles are homemade, but if they aren’t, i think they have got a supplier that makes great noodles. i like my wanton mee chewy and springy, not undercooked, but not overdone either. this one fits my bill nicely, and every plate boasts the same standard. the char siew is good, though nothing to shout about, and wantons are freshly made and bite sized. good noodles are enough for me. something else worthy of mention are the dumplings, which contain a whole shrimp each. they are large, and require about two bites for the big eater (e.g. me). dumplings don’t always come with full bodied shrimps so this is a good deal. for $2.50 you get noodles (or hor fun, thinly sliced, whichever is your preference), a few stalks of veggie, and 4 large dumplings plus a bowl of soup. i never used to like wanton mee when i was younger, until i tasted a good plate of noodles. my bad experience was when i had takeaway noodles, and they dried up and became lumpy. that is a recipe to spoil a good appetite. otherwise, the noodles on site were either overcooked or just lacked the springy texture chewed.

noodles from this stall comes a close second to my personal favourite, the pontian one. apparently the noodles are imported regularly from a place in malaysia of the same name, pontian, in johor if i’m not mistaken.

it has come to my knowledge that the pontian noodle stall has sprung several outlets in the heartlands, one which is know of is at the holland v hawker centre. they boast noodles that don’t lose their texture packed, and although i haven’t had a need to order a takeaway i think they would make the cut. you’d have to try it to believe it. amazing texture, one notch higher than my favourite stall, but i think different ingredients go into the making of both respective noodles. you’d be able to taste the difference. i’d have a bowl every time i lose faith in wanton mee, it never fails to pick me up. however, a note of caution, each stall varies in the noodle standard, so if you’re trying for the first time, you should visit far east plaza basement, graffiti cafe. or the bishan hawker centre, S11 for a heartwarming bowl of wanton mee. they come in standard black sauce, tomato sauce, or chilli. the chilli isn’t very hot so good news for people who cannot take the heat. the fried wantons are another story. little bits of oily crispy delight, it goes great with their mayonnaise. its easy to get hooked on popping them into your mouth because they taste so good but beware the calories. oil plus mayo is a horrible combination on the health scale so if you’re a foodie who has a need to exercise diet restraints, this one’s a challenge.

i shall post pictures soon, its one of the reasons which i gave to convince myself to get a nice panasonic lumix 12mp point and shoot. which is to bring it wherever i go so that when i encounter good food i can snap a few photos and talk about it here. aha. henceforth this shall be an avenue of foodie expression, and more. i’m looking forward to posting about my gastronomic exploits as well, when i find the time.

Chiangmai, Imm Eco hotel

Beautiful place for a retreat. Lush greenery all around, beautiful inviting pool, cosy bedrooms. perfect for people needing a break from work. And Thai food is decent and incredibly inexpensive. Can’t wait to start work on the house. day one

loving my ipod touch

Testing, testing.

I’m actually typing this on my touch.

blogging on the move.

and I found out I can make notes and email them to myself. Just synced my mail app to my gmail. Whee!

of brokenness and blueberry blizzards

after a long break from writing, i reckon that if i stopped blogging my writing skills might just degenerate into zilch. so here i am.

its going to be a long week ahead. i long for a getaway, a holiday, a retreat. i think the word is jaded. especially when we’re stepping up training for exercise purposes. can’t wait for the arrival of june.

i feel as though i have two personas, one for home, one for camp. i pack my bags and leave life at home for the weekdays, and pick it up again friday nights. i disconnect from all matters regarding the weekend world in camp, and get lost in the paradigm shift. or maybe its just an excuse for my intractable amnesia that occurs more frequently than i desire for it to.

dairy queens is fantastic. regretfully i only had my first taste of it today. somehow on my list of happy foods there are a number that contain blueberry. i.e. blueberry blizzard (of which i tried today… oh what bliss), plain yoghurt with blueberry toppings, blueberry cheesecake, etc. a spoonful of any of these guarantees 5-10 minutes of glee and instant happiness, the catalyst to an immediate smile on one’s face. trust me. during the course of the week i have discovered that the one thing better than an oreo is an oreo generously dipped in thick, gooey nutella. not ideal for indulgence though. just one. provided you can resist the temptation. me? i flee after the first.

Psalms 51:17

¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are ^[a] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

the most important thing in worship. to me, i think. or what i’ve learnt. before we can enter the presence of God, we need to clothe ourselves in brokenness. a heart that is emptied, free of worldly associations, seeking justification from the blood of Christ, the redemptive sacrifice displayed on the Cross. i recall lyrics from a song which goes something like ‘You and I were made to worship’, and i think to myself how true that is. what does God require of us? only our hearts and obedience. what do we have that we can give, that is not already His? instead all that we have comes from the Heavenly Father, who gives good gifts to His children.

to my blog’s readership, if any still, this week as you go about your life, do consider the importance of worship in our daily lives in prayer and reflection, and remember to practice the presence of Jesus (:

i’m going to do something crazy this year.

any guesses?

today was great. except for that little incident after lunch. traversed the island today on the train. from changi to choachukang. had a fulfilling evening rolling pineapple fillings and doing up the finishing touches on the tarts. takes a lot more skill than i expected actually. supper was enjoyable (:

its been a pretty eventful week, catching up with people, sleeping on a new mattress in camp (its better than the one i have at home) and making pineapple tarts. haha. hope we can meet demand.

probably head to sleep soon.

おやぬみ　すみまさい！hope i got that right. haha.