A Harmonica Concert - Windworks Rewind '10

Tonight's the night we were invited by uncle to attend the Hwa Chong Institution's Harmonica Band performance at High School Drama Centre.

The performance were put up mainly by the final year student; after which they'll be disbanding in preparation for the year end GCE A-level examination.

The standards of play were not without fault non implicit; the passion of the conductor and performers are. I was reminded of the thrill of staging in open school concerts ;)

Pieces i particularly like includes Under the Sea, Tonari no Totoro, Chanson de Matin, Humoresque No. 7, Turkish March, Can-Can, Love Theme from "The Godfather", El Cumbanchero, Por Una Cabeza.

My cousin in the mist ;) Support! Support you!

Hey, i didn't know you do Harmonica instrument?
Play for us next time, OK?

My Neighbour Totoro

Haha... almost a Totoro ;)

My neighbor's seemingly Klein German Spitz breed, a Spitz dog type loves to window-watch.

And it's a sight we love to catch - the cute Trio glazing out innocently.

It makes my home Parson Russell Terrier in a constantly jealous mode over them :))

夜来香, Cheng Tng - since 1939!

I read, "Cheng Tng originated from the province of Teochew in China, where the Teochew made special soup called "5 Fruits Soup" to get rid of the humidity during the long summers.

The 5 fruits include Longan, Ginkgo Nut, Barley, Lotus Seed and Lily Bulb."

Ric urges me to have the Cheng Tng from this very popular stall in Bedok Food Centre that serves the most authentic version of the Teochew Cheng Tng. Queue snaked as meal time approaches; even our Malay compatriots were into the frenzy! Every table has it.

Cheng Tng ($2)

A bowl to share ;)

The thirst-quenching bowl have a variety of ingredients, such as dried Longan, White Fungus, Pearl Barley, Barley, Seed of Sterculia (膨大海), Gingko Nut, Sweet potato, candied Melon strips and dried Persimmon.

I love Persimmon, cos Ric loves it too.

Philips In-Ear Plug

Ric was at this weekend Philips Warehouse sales and almost got me a new HiFi Set!
Hee... almost ;)

Philips In-Ear Seal Ear Plug ($18, discounted from $36.90)

I appreciate a good Ear piece so badly.... he got me this.

It was super-comfy to the ear!
Pushed all the way in-ear and i couldn't yet feel a thing!

It was immediately tested for its ulter clarity of the Treble and adequate Bass performance. A steal buy.

Lau Hong Ser Rojak!

Rojak ($3)

Ric was first in the queue today at Dunman Food Centre; awaiting the stall opening at 5pm.

Many of the patrons do this: Place an order with the old uncle hawker, and was given a time slot of about 20mins to collect your order ;)

What we didn't knew back then, when we 1st tried out this stall was that it is listed in a internet-circulated list of legendary food stalls in Singapore - meaning a "die die must eat" entity.

King among Rojak?
You tell me.

KFC Egg Tarts

KFC Egg Tarts ($1.30 per piece/ or $7.50 for 6)

Ric really recommend i try these Portuguese Egg Tarts from KFC, the Kentucky Fried Chicken Fast Food Outlets.

It had supposedly been hailed straight from Macau, following an authentic recipe.

And so you have it, as you bite into the crispy yet oily pastry while you savoring the warm creamy custard. Tasting most heavenly.

I love Egg Tarts.

It is a comfort, biting into one; have it while it's hot ;)

Yummy Claypot

Ric's 'girlfriend' recommended us to try out some value eat at Yummy Claypot, 340 Joo Chiat Rd.

果菜汁, Fresh Vegetable Juice ($2.50)

After placing our order with their easy to read menu (full of Chef's Recommendation annotations), we were served their Vegetable Juice; also a Chef's recommended item :)

Not bad at all, tasted refreshingly of Vegetables, Apples, Lemons and Sour Plums? We should try this at home.

虾仁小毛豆, Prawn Mix Beans ($8)

One of Ric's favourite vegetable - the Four Seasons Bean.

A hot spicy dish of Prawns, Onions and Chili Sambal stir-fried. You could down a bowl of plain rice just with this.

茶树菇软骨汤, Dried Tea Mushroom Soup ($5)

Do order the Claypot Soup here! Any variety of it.

It's really flavorful, with suffice ingredients - entirely cooked; all goodness liquefy! The serving claypot keeps it warm and nice till the last drop.

密制芋头土豆焖鸭, Braised Duck w/ Potato & Yam ($12)

I never actually like Duck meat but here's a likeable version; tender, moist and draped with non-overly saltish braised sauce.

Don't be surprised many may ended up fighting over the little cubes of well-braised Yam and Potato pieces.

Friendly and pleasant service, with no GST or service charges - we were impressed for another planned visit ;)

Japan Netted Melon!

Carrot ￥210 (S$3), Netted Melon ￥580 (S$9)

These were the agriculture products Brother bought back from his week long Tokyo trip.

Mini Carrots still retaining all its fresh greens and mini palm-sized Melon?

Unlike Australia Rock Melon which bursts with all aroma, this Japan Melon is subtly mild scented.

But once sliced up, sweet juices pour as i painstakingly removes the seeds; not wanting to destroy anything more than necessary...

The green-fleshed fruit, fragrantly sweet, melts in the mouth. All that was left after were just its thin skin.

Apart from these, i got a souvenir of Japan Uniqlo's Mickey Mouse blouse too :))

Crayfish Ipoh Hor Fan!

Crayfish & Prawns Hor Fun ($5)

Late lunch with no queue at Tuck Kee, i opted for them while Ric had the Outram Fried Kway Teow.

Nice filling plateful of fresh Seafood while it isn't as oily as Ric's Kway Teow.

We had been walking around; sourcing out interesting good food around China Square but still landed up at Hong Lim Food Centre ;)

Keeping off Whiteflies.

I've finally resort to this after efforts of keeping Gardening Pests at bay proved fruitless.

Especially difficult were these small flying Whiteflies that loves to hoard the underside of the Chili leaves; sucking it dry - slowly killing the plants.

What reading and researching never teach you, is the use of orange or lemon peels. Yes, and it is effective! Best of all, the ingredients are earth friendly and natural without the need of toxic chemicals.


Citrus Spray Recipe (http://tipnut.com/natural-pesticides/)
2 cups orange peels (or lemons)
4 cups water
- Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and add peels. Cover and steep until cool. Strain and use.

Fan Ji Fish Bee Hoon

Despite the scorching noon sun, i decided to go ahead with Fan Ji, at Hong Lim Food Centre again.

Cos i'm aching to try their Fried Fish Head Bee Hoon.

Fish Sliced Bee Hoon ($4)

Fried Fish Head Bee Hoon ($4)

Our bowls were literally piled with fresh crunchy Bitter gourd - a great remedy to Ric's sore throat!

And yes, fried Fish Head tasted less fishy than the fresh Fish Head. It's a great eat when you enjoy spending some time clearing the fish head carcass ;)

Yellow Tail - Cabernet Sauvignon

Yellow Tail Wine has always been one of our top pick since Ric tried it years back.

Yellow Tail Casella Wine, vol. 13.5% (About $20)

Maybe it was my long absence from Red Wine; it tasted especially tongue biting today. The bottle was enough to drown our grouses - of work, family, current affairs... and ourselves.

We wined under the retiring Sunset.

A beautifully painted sky, in cool still evening air.

Canadian Pizza

We planned the night for outdoor picnic at NTU, Canadian Pizza. The last time here, we had their Hawaiian Classic.

Beef Bacon Cheeseburger 12 "inch ($10)

The cocktail of Beef, Beef Bacon, Cheese, Tomatoes, Onions, Lettuce & Thousand Island Dressing gives you the very taste of Cheeseburger!

Looking all messy yet yummy.

Potato Samosa and Vegetable Spring Roll, 10 pcs ($3.50)

We had missed their bite size Samosa! Freshly deep fried; served hot and very crispy.

The Spring Rolls are well done too.

Dr. Goh Keng Swee

News flash on Yahoo: Singapore’s former Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Goh Keng Swee passed away early this morning after battling a long illness. He was 91.

Goh Keng Swee, a name that rings a bell but had no relevance in our young ignorant mind... i was gently chided, "You wouldn't be here today and for what you are, if not for this man..."

Tired as i am, i stayed awake to catch the TV special on his life story and contributions to Singapore, on Ch 8 and then again on CNA.

The 1 hour documentary excites me of what this great man had done for Singapore - the task he was put through and accomplished was unthinkable at our current era of comfort and economic stability.

It seems, none come close in recent history; of his sentiments, industrious spirit and noble aspirations, bringing about the common good for fellow Singaporeans.

I felt ache in my heart, a sense of heavy loss...

Dr. Goh reminded us, Singaporeans, of what a good civil servant ought to be - and thus, a sad reflection on our current state of government... where the sensitivities of the people are so often brushed aside.

May he be an inspiration and wakeup call to all.

We salute you, Dr. Goh.
The Lord God keep and rest you.

Indian Times - lunch buffet

Bank's Credit Cards are all the rage with offers on 1-for-1 dining deals! Here's another of exotic eats of Indian cuisine at Indian Times, East Coast Parkway @ Big Splash.

Tidbits of Black Pepper Crackers were served while we indicated our interests in their Lunch buffets. We enjoyed our hot peppery Crackers in our private dining cubicle.

An array of Kebabs - Chicken, Lamb, Fish, Potatoes, Mushroom, Cucumbers, Cherry Tomatoes and Pepper Bells were served.

The Kebabs were kept nicely warm with our table top grill. And we had much preferred the taste of the Mutton and Chicken kebabs. Clearing the empty skewers, the polite waiter asked if we wished for a repeat of any kebabs.

Mains followed with Chicken Curry, Yellow Split Pea Dal, Palak Paneer (Cottage Cheese and Spinach), with the must have - Basmati Rice.

And having it all on plate!

The assorted Naans Basket - of Indian plain leavened naan, naan layered with Butter, Garlic or fresh Mint were served up with the Lamb Curry.

Oh, and the Mutton simply melts in the mouth...

$28.90++ eats 2, was a fairly reasonable deal given the limited yet strikingly prepared Northern Indian fare. So, if you loves Indian fare, like me, come down and be pampered by their implicit service.

My new mate!

Time for an upgrade of my blogging tools - my camera.

Ric had sourced for me the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 and the Sony DSC-HX1 after reading up numerous on-line materials and reviews.

I was supposed to choose between these 2!?

How do you think a girl would be interested in reading up? On my first instinct, and on Ric's advice, i took on the Sony.

The Sony was definitely pricier, but its ability to produce good shots in low light would prove to be much helpful.

And it had surely proven itself by the time this post was out ;)

My old mate.

22 Apr 2010 - Ric smsed that he had a surprise for me, "A partner and mate to accompany u."

Next day, i was handed the "Pig" from McDonald's Doraemon series of Chinese zodiac collection.
It had finally arrived.



In perfect manifestation of us; i was always acting silly, smiley and a glutton while he is docile and always compose. We 'touch' hands all day... :)

Donut Factory

Met up with Ric for tea break at Suntec City, Donut Factory.

UOB's credit cards are having a promotional set of 1-for-1. We went to see how good was the deal ;)

The deal was value!

At $5.50, we have a selection between Coffee, Tea or Cappuccino. And 4 Donut assortment of our choice.

(from Front, Anti-clockwise)
Apple Cinnamon - Diced apple topping with cinnamon icing.
Espresso Mousse - Creamy espresso mousse with dark chocolate
Blueberry Glazed - Real blueberry topping on a glazed donut
Double Chocolate - Rich chocolate cream filled donut topped with white chocolate

Our today's favourite: Double Chocolate and Espresso Mousse.

It was a nice treat; albeit the overly sweetened content that knock off our sweetest tooth and wrestled our sugary intoxicated stomach ;)

William Farquhar - An Exhibition

William Farquhar - Singapore's First Resident, a man i remembered from our Secondary School History textbook.

I was thus drawn to the Exhibition about the man and his work in our tiny Singapore in the early days.

Sir Stamford Raffles maybe history!? As i read that Farquhar was the one who advised and persuaded Raffles on making Singapore a trading port.

It now seems unfair for Raffles to make a sole claim on the founding of Singapore Island.

But what really impress me were his contributions in nurturing and administering Singapore in its nascent years with very limited resources and support from his superiors, Raffles included.

During his 58 months appointment, Farquhar built some 24km of roads - including North Bridge Rd, Hill Street and High Street - as well as a reservoir along Singapore River to supply fresh water.

Consider this: Raffles spent mere 296 days in Singapore, compared with Farquhar's fulfilling and laborious 58 months.


Nation Library Building
Promenade, Level 7
31 Mar - 31 August 2010.

Olio Cafe

Retreating back to chilled City Square Mall after our hot meal, we rested upon a UOB 1-for-1 promotional coffee at Olio.

Service was instantaneous; tall glasses of Lemon water were served while we browse its colorful menu.

On the foreground, Long Black ($3.30++), Espresso ($3.30++)

Given my little capacity, i loved my small cupful of concentrated Espresso! A little goes a long way. Mmmm...

Deep-fried Breaded Cheese Cake ($5.50++)

Understanding my gluttony, Ric prompted me to have a dessert ;)

We shared the small serve of warmly fried Cheese Cake cubes with Vanilla Gelato.

It was nice, but on the hindsight, we should have ordered just some old fashioned cake.