A Beautiful Morning..

Picture from 'It's a Girlie Affair'
Double stack Coconut pancakes from Jones the Grocer

Had a nice breakfast at Jones the Grocer @ Dempsey this morning with a dear friend.. a friend of abt 15 yrs and more to come!

A lovely time of catching up and connecting…  Even though we haven’t met for a while, the feeling of closeness and togetherness remains.. :)

I had a huge fruit scone and vanilla cupcake with raspberry frosting (which I couldn’t finish and had to pack away), while she ordered a double stack coconut pancakes topped with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and freshly chopped mangoes.

The fruit scone was more like a raisin (only) scone, not exceptionally fantastic, and I thought they could afford to be more generous in their helping of raisins..

The coconut pancakes on the other hand, were fragrant and delectable! I could taste the dessicated coconut in the pancakes, which gives it a slightly crunchy consistency..

Goes really well with the maple syrup, vanilla ice cream and fresh mangoes.. Yumm… :)

(I think I ate more of the pancakes than my friend who was the one who ordered them! Haha.. )

I thought there’s something special about the pancakes served at Jones, they are not the usual fluffy kind, but more cake-like, and much more filling..

If you are those who like the fluffy kind of pancakes, Jones pancakes may not be your cup of tea..

I actually quite like them, thought they go really well with the maple syrup, felt as if im eating a healthy version of a honey flavoured pound cake!  But it’s prob also cos I was in a ‘cakey’ mood today and was craving for something sweet.  :)

Oh well, all in all, what a beautiful morning… :)

What a Lovely Day!

This image is not a representation of the crepe i ate, solely for decorative purpose!

Had a beautiful belated Valentine’s Day celebration yesterday with the husband. Strictly speaking, it was the 15^th day of CNY (Yuan Xiao Jie), which traditionally is the Chinese version of Valentine’s Day. Haha. So, just as well.. :D

Went for a great lunch at the Marche at Somerset 313, it sure was a ‘Crepey’ day for me! :p

Had a smoked salmon savoury Crepe with sautéed mushrooms for my main, while the husband got a Rosti with sausage, and a side of stir-fry vegetables.

But the ‘Star’ of the day was none other than my Mango-Caramel sweet Crepe with double scoop Movenpick ice cream!!!

Oh man, nothing compares to this, it was awesomely delicious!!!!! SUPERB!!!!

My  Panna Cotta and Maple Walnut flavoured ice cream was creamy and smooth, went perfectly well with the fresh mangoes and Crepe drizzled with warm sweet caramel.

Oh man…  Seriously, it was HEAVENLY!!!!!!!

One of the nicest and yummiest dessert I’ve had this year!!!

The Panna Cotta ice cream tasted sooooo good, it was perfect!!!

The Maple walnut was really good too, though I thought it was a tad too sweet for me, but the aroma of the maple syrup and the crunchy walnuts made up for all that! :)

Altogether, it was a fantastic lunch, ending off with a movie date at the Orchard Cineplex.

What a memorable Valentine’s celebration indeed! *cheers!!* :)

My Love - Egg Tarts!

Had this sudden craving for egg tarts! Hee.. my favourite being Bengawan Solo's egg tarts, love their shortcrust pastry, soft and cake-like! *drools* :p
Portuguese egg tarts are quite nice too, but not my favourite..

Sorry i've been too lazy to update my blog the past wk.. spending quite alot of time tending to 'things' at home.. leaking toilet bowl, leaking air-con... Grrrr...
Oh well, looking at these tarts cheered me up!!
Gonna get some soon!
:)

The Flu Bug

Am sniffing and coughing quite alot today… with bodyache and lethargy… and awful phlegm sticking to my throat... Grrr…. Really feeling quite dreadful...

Didn’t know how the flu worsened… had been some time since I felt so bad from a flu…

Thankful for a rest day tmrw, hope I’ll get better soon..

Believe it or not, im actually thinking of getting some ice cream to soothe my throat.,. a comfort for this sickly day!

Heh… :p

Change - the Only Constant

Got a day off today.. So glad to be able to spend time with the husband before he goes for his shift later!

Had Mac breakfast together, watching tv, snacking on cny goodies.. What a bliss! :p

& isn’t such little moments in the midst of our busyness that’s the sweetest?

But im gonna miss him loads again tonight…

My Comfort

This is solely for decorative purpose, NOT image of the Matcha Sundae which i ate

Had a superb Jap food feast at Tampopo (the Liang Court branch) this evening with my parents! How sweet of them! :)

Totally satisfied my sashimi craving!

& it was also the first time I tried Uni!!!

I dunno what gave me the courage to try, but I must say it is an acquired taste and I do quite like it, somewhat sweet, and melts in your mouth..

Definitely gonna try it again in future. :)

We had 3 different types of desserts, shared with my dearest sister – the light Jap cheese cake, the Scoop cake (which is a vanilla fruit cake topped with a generous helping of fresh cream), and a Matcha sundae.

The cakes tasted quite ordinary, but the green tea sundae was YUM! :)

 We were seriously filled to the brim after that. :)

Food aside, what I really enjoyed most tonight, was the companionship with my family, which I hold dear to my heart..

Really enjoyed my time with my parents and my dearest little sister, they really provided me so much comfort during this time when my husband will be away most of the time due to his work.

Their love and warmth gave me so much strength.

I really thank God for my family, beyond what words can say.

With my husband having to work evening shifts most of the time these months, this season may not be easy as I will need to handle many things on my own, and will need to grow in independence.

But I know, God and my family will always be by my side.

Amen.

It's the Bunny Year!

Strangely, I seem to be having some mixed feelings abt CNY this year..

On one hand, im happy and looking forward to celebrating CNY with my new extended family (ie. My husband’s family), yet on the other, there seems to be a tinge of moodiness which I cant really pinpoint why.. just dun seem to feel the CNY atmosphere as much this year as compared to previously..

Maybe because im staying on my own now, and am alone in the house most of the time, so the excitement which I used to share with my siblings at my old house seems to be lost? Or could it be because I’ve not been working for the past months, and CNY (and so the CNY holidays) has become just like any other days, and so dun seem so special and so yearned after anymore?

Oh wells… or could it just be due to the usual female hormonal changes?? Haha.

In fact, I should be especially happy since it’s the first year the husband and I are celebrating this occasion as a married couple.. but thinking abt the fact that my husband needs to work tmrw night, yes, on Day One of CNY, AND the weekend (!!!!), makes me miss him already… Sigh.

Ok, I was reminded not to get into my usual melancholic mood again.. Gotta see things on the bright side and enjoy this festival as much as I can.

Gonna bring out all the CNY goodies which I bought, hopefully that will add some excitement and lift up the CNY spirit in this place!!

Happy CNY everyone!! :)

Traditional CNY Nian Gao

While waiting for the husband to buy lunch back yesterday, decided to make some pan fried Nian Gao (Traditional Chinese New Year sweet cake).

I've always loved Nian Gao since young, not just cos I've got a sweet tooth, but really because my paternal grandmother knows how to make really delicious deep fried Nian Gao - I especially love the egg batter, and with those sweet gooey nian gao that simply melts in your mouth... Yummmm.... :)

But, as deep fried Nian Gao is a little too unhealthy, plus it will make my kitchen oily and sticky, I decided to make pan fried Nian Gao instead!

Tastes quite good!! Considering it was my first attempt! Haha. Brought back fond childhood memories too!

Only thing is I thought the batter could be a little lighter but more eggy... Would try using a different type of batter the next time!

Here’s the recipe for the batter I used this time:

1 egg

Half a cup self raising flour/ or plain flour

¼ cup milk

A pinch of salt

Mix the ingredients altogether until a thick batter forms.

Cut the nian gao into small pieces.

Dip them into the batter and pan fry until golden brown.

Ready to serve!

For Him Alone

The rain doesn’t seem to stop, but im really loving it. :)

Spent the whole day at home today, enjoying this rainy weather with the raindrops forming a sweet melody in my mind..

For You alone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbjg2jCp0gs&feature=related

You are the peace that guards my heart

My help in time of need

You are the hope that leads me on

And brings me to my knees

For there I find You waiting

And there I find release

So with all my heart

I’ll worship and unto You I’ll sing

For You alone deserve all glory

For You alone deserve all praise

Father we worship and adore You

Father we long to see Your face

For You alone deserve all glory

For You alone deserve all praise

Father we love You

And we worship You this day

Amen.

A very quiet, yet sweet and lovely afternoon.

May He continue to refresh my soul.

Amen.

Thank God for REST!

I has been a long while since I last updated my blog.. Had been really bz the past 1 wk, with all my evenings packed with meetings and appointments!

But thank God for an awesome wkend, where im able to just spend some time with the husband, away from our bz bz schedule!!

The husband managed to take ‘off’ over the wkend, including today!! Hoooooooray!!!!!!!

Haha.

Words cannot describe how happy I am. It has been a long long time since he last had his wkend off!

We really enjoyed the past 3 days, being able to just wake up late, go for nice buffet brunch or dim sum, followed by nice seafood dinner.. & alot ALOT of ice cream!! :p
Sorry that I kept forgetting to bring along my camera, so, no photos taken! Hee.. :p

Well, I believe there gonna be more chances in future yah! :)

Now, cny is nearing.. thinking of making some pan-fried nian gao today.. yum… haha. Well, gonna be my first time doing this, hope it’ll turn out well.

Will keep you updated! :)

Jeremiah 29:11

“ “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future..” “

Let Your Presence Dwell in me Forever

Had a great time at service today, not because of the music, the preacher or the company, but solely because of the message from God that was spoken.

Am really ministered, and is one of the few times where I cried and teared almost throughout the whole sermon.

A beautiful time of coming before the Lord, repenting, surrendering and hearing from Him.

He is a beautiful God, the only One who satisfies and fills.

Despite all the material things or human relationships we can have in this world, truly it is only the presence of God that can truly fill and satisfy the cry of our hearts.

Come dwell  in our hearts Father God, and make it Your resting place.

My soul and my spirit cry and long after You, come, let Your Holy presence dwell, and never leave this place.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.

A song that really touches my heart. May you be blessed by it as well.

I Will Believe - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2LiWKrayNA

You are my light
You are my strength
You are my Rock
On You i stand

I lift my voice
I raise my hands
I lift my soul
With all I am

In Christ forever i'll stand
I will believe

You are strong enough
In my weakness
God be lifted up
And I will sing
Lift your praises high
Lord be magnified
You make all things new
I will believe

So, hear this song
Receive our praise
You are our strength
For all our days

We lift You up
Our voices high
In every storm
Let God arise

In Christ forever I'll stand
I will believe

You are strong enough
In my weakness
God be lifted up
And I will sing
Lift Your praises high
Lord be magnified
You make all things new
I will believe

Oh, Your love
Your love it never fails
Your love, it knows no end
Your love will never fail

Oh, Your love
Stronger than my shame
Greater than my pain
Your love will never fail

I will believe

Pancake craze!

I've been staying at home most of the time since Saturday.
Decided to make myself some nice pancakes for breakfast this morning :)

Meanwhile, I remembered there were some overripped bananas in the fridge, decided to add some real bananas into the batter to make some banana flavoured pancakes!

The results?? Yums! Hehe :p

Here’s the recipe I used! – adapted from Jamie Oliver’s USA stylie pancake recipe, but modified to suit my own preference :)

Ingredients:

3 eggs – separate egg white and egg yolks

115g/ 4 Oz self-rising flour – you can use plain flour as well

1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

140ml/ 5fl Oz milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
a pinch of salt

a pinch of sugar

2-3 overriped bananas

Servings: 6 big pancakes

In a big bowl, mix self-rising flour, baking powder, egg yolks, vanilla essence together. Slowly add in milk to mix and stir until a smooth thick batter is formed.

In another small bowl, whisk egg white with salt and sugar.

Fold and mix into the batter. (you can choose to use a blender to blend the batter with the egg whites – that was what I did. This added more air into the batter and help to make the pancakes more fluffy!)

At this point, i divided the batter into half and blended one half of it with some overripped bananas – then set aside.

Heat a non stick pan brushed with oil/ butter on medium heat.

Pour batter (plain or banana flavoured) into pan (size variable, according to own preference) and fry for a couple of minutes until pancake looks golden and firm.

(If you can’t finish the batter at one go, you may want to keep them in the fridge to be used the next day.)

Ready to serve with scoop of ice cream, maple syrup or fresh fruits, up to you! :)

Ate mine with maple syrup today.

Surprisingly, the banana flavoured pancake tasted really good, even on its own without the syrup!

Gonna try them with ice cream the next time!! :p

Also, gonna try making fresh fruits sandwiched pancakes the next time round! :)

All glory to God!

Amazing Words of wisdom from the Lord, one of the most powerful Words from God! :)

1Corinthians 1:27-31

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.

…

“Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.””

God is powerful, and His ways are beyond imagination, beyond human understanding.

Not by might, not by power, but by the Spirit of God.

Not something which you and i have done or can do, but everything is by the authority and power of God.

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” – Job 1:21.

He has the power and the authority to do anything He desires on this earth. And the greatest thing He has chosen to do, is to love us, and to die for us.

Great is He, the King of glory, and our Lord God Almighty.

Amen! :)

Jesus Bring the Rain

It is amazing how God puts another song into my mind today… a song which I cant even remember the title; I could only vaguely remember the tune. And as I hummed along, the title of the song came to my mind – Jesus, Bring the Rain, by Mercy Me.

Whatever it is Lord, if it will bring You glory, bring me anything. I know You are doing a great work in me, and You have the best in heart for me.

I am willing to go through. Do in me anything, that will draw me deeper and closer to You. Amen.

Jesus Bring the Rain – Mercy Me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mat7YRISmv4

I can count a million times

People asking me how I can praise You

With all that I’ve gone through

The question just amazes me

Can circumstances possibly change who I forever am in You

Maybe since my life was changed

Long before these rainy days

It has never really ever crossed my mind

To turn my back on You, O Lord

My only shelter from the storm

But instead I draw closer through these times

So I pray

Bring me joy

Bring me peace

Bring the chance to be free

Bring me anything that brings You glory

And I know there’ll be days

When this life brings me pain

But if that’s what it takes to praise You

Jesus, bring the rain

I am Yours regardless of

The dark clouds that loom above

Because You are much greater than my pain

You who made a way for me

By suffering Your destiny

So tell me what’s a little rain

So I pray

Bring me joy

Bring me peace

Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory

And I know there’ll be days

When this life brings me pain

But if that’s what it takes to praise You

Jesus, bring the rain

Holy, holy, holy

Is the Lord God Almighty

Thought abt a close friend whose father just passed away.. very abruptly.

Felt very sad and shocked. But I know through any pain, Jesus is there with her.

May this song speak and minister to her, and may God’s strength and comfort be with her.

Praying for and with you…

I will always praise You

I was feeling really down, helpless, defeated, and all the ugly or negative words you can find to describe a despondent person..

Then the Lord shook me out of my misery and put this song in my mind.

Made to praise You

I was made to praise You

I was made to glorify Your name

In every circumstance

To find a chance to thank You

I was made to love You

I was made to worship at Your feet

And to obey You Lord

I was made for You

I will always praise You

I will always glorify Your name

In every circumstance

To find a chance to thank You

I will always love You

I will always worship at Your feet

And to obey You Lord

I was made for You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WD8uUdCXk4&feature=related

Was really touched and ministered.

How the words changed from “I was made to praise You, I was made…” to “I will always praise You, I will always glorify Your name…”

It spoke to me, and taught me that it is only through knowing what God has made us for, our purpose and  identity in Him, that will change our hearts.

It will give us faith and strength, even in the toughest times, we will choose and will always praise God.

I will always praise You Lord.

Amen.

I love my curls! :)

Pls dun be mistaken, this is just a representative of my curls! :p

Recently, I decided to do something bold, something exciting. I decided to perm my hair. & I love it!! Haha :)

I’ve always had straight hair, and while others need to do multiple rebondings, mine comes naturally.

And many have told me how envious they are.

Please dun be mistaken, I love my straight hair. I’ve always thought, and still think it is truly a blessing from God!

But it has come to a point where im starting to get a little bored with them. Think abt it, they have accompanied me for more than 25 yrs! (I dowan to reveal my age. Ha. :p).

Even my hairstylist grumbled that I need a change.

Ok, but you see, permed hair seriously does not sound very appealing yah? I mean, since I was young, I always had this impression that permed hair will make us look like our mothers or grandmas, with those short curls that made them look 10 yrs older.

Yah, that was the kind of impression that curly hair has on me. My husband, too, has a phobia for curly hair! And whenever I suggest it to him, he’s always more than discouraging. :p That is why I am always hesitant to curl my hair.

But last Saturday, (I think I must have been really and utterly bored either with my iron-straight hair or with my life), that I decided to try something bold.

I do not know what got over me, but after only some persuasion by my hairstylist (he’s someone I could trust with my hair), I promptly decided to do a body perm to spice up my life.

Or maybe it was his comment, “dun be so boring lah”, that nudged me to take that risk!

Surprisingly, the perm came out quite well! I love my new big curls!

They looked natural and gave my hair some volume so they dun look so dull! :)

The husband, who was initially shocked and anxious, when I told him over a sms that im gonna perm my hair, liked them too! :)

I didn’t look old, just looked more trendy and lively! :)

So, change can be good! & what we always think is bad, may not be really bad afterall!

Sometimes, it also takes courage for us to discover the good and beautiful things that could be in store for us ahead.

Risks can be worth taking! :)

Can't stop thinking abt it

Somehow, i’ve been craving quite abit for sashimi recently..

I must say its an acquired taste, and I only started liking them some time back in 2010, prob in Sept.

I don’t take all kinds of sashimi, only some, as there’s still some form of resistance in me in eating raw food. :)

There's also one criteria i have for sashimi - they HAVE to be fresh.

It's not difficult for me to detect a stale fish; they taste awful and mushy! 

The fresh ones on the contrary, are cool and refreshing.. some even melt in your mouth! :) 
& it's these fresh sashimi which have won me over. :)

So far, salmon sashimi is my favourite. Ok, I know im rather boring.. but im not a risk taker and am a person who does not like exotic food.. ebi sashimi and scallops are the furthest I would go.. Have tried yellowtail and tuna sashimi as well, but salmon sashimi is most yummy to me.

My next challenge will be to try Uni, which my dad and siblings love. But right now, I still dun have that courage to mouth it. Im sorry to say, they looked kinda slimy to me.. the colour reminds me of sulphur.. haha.

Im going for a Japanese buffet dinner tmrw night  with my in-laws at Hanabi Japanese Restaurant! Just on time to satisfy my sashimi cravings.

My husband said their food is quite good, shall try tmrw and comment! :)

Hopefully I’ll rem to take photos!!

Am getting excited! Hee :p

Seafood LOVE :)

Had a very sumptuous and delicious seafood dinner at Long Beach @ Dempsy, over the weekend with some friends from overseas. They have been close friends of the husband, and have, as a result, also became mine! :) Lovely couple with their 1 yr and 2 weeks old child! Great catchup and food!

We ordered their famous black pepper crab, chilli crab, honey pork ribs, a steamed fish and a stir fried baby kailan.
But we were too hungry and the food was too splendid for us to stop to take any photos.
Haha.

Two words - Amazing food! Our friends can't stop praising them. Apart from the garnishing and seasoning, the crab itself has a sweet aroma, the crabmeat tasted sweet even without the sauces. They were so good, finger-licking good! :)

The stir-fried baby kailan and fish were fresh and gd too, but nothing much special.
But i must, MUST make a special mention abt their signature "Dong-Po" honey pork ribs!! Oh man, they were so good, my friends said "these were the nicest ribs i have ever eaten!"
They were not too fatty yet so filled with flavours.. Yum... Excellent.
I will not forget how that mouth-watering rib tasted.

I didnt remember Long Beach to be this good, but seriously, it totally blew our mind this time.
This was really one of the most satisfying seafood dinner we had in a long while. :)

Eggy business

Realised there are 8 eggs left in my fridge, all waiting to expire on 12/1/11, which is just 3 days away including today.
Great.
How to finish 8 eggs in 3 days??

Suddenly the idea of making nice fluffy pancakes to go with nutella, maple syrup, peanut butter.. or french toast with egg and cheese, chocolate banana, started floating in my mind…

Instantly, 8 eggs doesn’t seem too much anymore. Ha! :)

Ok, gonna make some french toast tonight for breakfast tmrw! Yums! :)

I like it fried!

I never liked white rice, and will almost never order it. It is simply too plain and tasteless for me.

On the contrary, I love fried rice.

The Wok Hei flavour, together with eggs, shrimps, char siew, fried together with rice.. YUMs.. love it! :)

Had a recent craving for it.

Decided to get a seafood fried rice from Nan Xiang chicken rice restaurant at Square 2 for dinner while paying a visit to my husband who was hard at work nearby.

I don’t know if I was that hungry that day or my craving had made my appetite especially good, the fried rice alone was not enough for me and I had to order some side dishes to go with my rice.

Finished everything on my own, and still had enough stomach space for some Haagan Dazs Strawberry Cheesecake and Caramel biscuit & cream ice cream for desserts! :)

Objectively, the fried rice tasted just slightly above average, a little more salt will be better!

Nonetheless, it was a satisfying dinner.

I’m a happy little woman! :)

A lesson learnt

Last wk was a terrible wk for me, was feeling unwell with a huge infected pimple on the Left side of my cheek.

It got so swollen and painful that I finally decided to take a course of antibiotics. (I’m usually anti-medicine cos all medicines has side effects and I try not to take them as far as I can)

I was feeling so down the whole week, I practically want to just hide at home all day and not see anybody.

But it was also through this time that I finally understood what it meant when God says He still loves us despite all our ugliness.

Well, I was literally ugly. Seriously. Gosh. Heh. :)

There’s also one more person I really want to thank other than God. And he is my dear beloved husband.

I finally understood what it meant when he said he will love me in all my ugliness! Not just my flaws and shortcomings, but literally, physical ugliness. Hehe. :p

I really thank God for him, for all his comfort and care during this time.

Now, if there is anything that I have learnt from this episode – it would be that now, I really believe food can affect wound healing, and our complexion!!!

Sigh. My pimple wouldn’t have become so huge and painful if I had not been insistent on eating those peanuts and potato chips!!

Regret not listening to my mum and husband when they nag about how peanuts are really bad for wounds and pimples.

I ate just less than 10 nuts and my pimple doubled in size!

I have now learnt my lesson, and shall be more watchful and careful about what I eat, especially when I’m sick, in future.

Thank God im so much better now, the swelling had subsided and the wound healing well.

It was so huge and the wound so deep that I thought it would really be a miracle if there were no scar left behind.

But I was reminded – that my God is a God of the impossibles!!

So, I really believe that God will heal my wound beautifully and there will not be any scar left behind.

It shall be my first miracle healing of the year - Not anything which the human mind can understand or fanthom, but only by the power of God through Jesus Christ my Lord.

All glory goes to Him!

Amen! :)