Travels:Laos. Rotee and Lab on a cold day.

Vang Vieng
Day 7
Friday, December 26, 08.

COLD morning!

The weather suddenly turned gloomy on us - it was slightly overcast, bad for photography, but great for a walkabout. And that was exactly what we did!!

We walked to Party Island to see the 'aftermath' of the Christmas parties. Last night, Husband J and I had to sleep through the throbbing of techno, but it stopped when it began to rain. Our hotel is quite a distance from the island and we could still here the drum and bass. Imagine if we stayed nearer in town - we would've been pissed off!! Party Island looked like it was having a major hang over! It was dead, of course, with hardly anyone insight. Walked by the river bank where sofa beds made out of bamboos lined the banks. Nice place to chill out, read a book or just take a nap. But today was a little windy and chilly, so the bamboo-made beds were empty. There were a few people enjoying the view from the hammock, and some were reading or playing cards. It was a very chilled-out day, in every sense of the word!

Party Island - the hangover!

We came back to the main town and was feeling hungry. Ever since I had a taste of the local rotee, I wanted more, fattening or not! Stopped by the rotee stall by the roadside and ordered a banana-honey rotee. We were amused this whole time we were in Vang Vieng, there were at least 3 restaurants playing 'Friends' over and over again!! The travel books were right about the bars playing 'Friends' all day and night long, we just didn't understand why! Of course J refused to sit in one of those restaurants! There was also a tuktuk loading up big tyre tubes to go tubing. This was one activity we initially wanted to do, but after the boat ride yesterday, and saw how incredibly slow ( and boring) the tubes float down the river, we decided not to do it after all. Can't imagine tubing today, the river must be colder than usual!!

A couple sneaking a kiss while watching 'Friends'... in the middle of the day. And night. Nothing but 'Friends' all the time!

Loading up the tyres. Let's all go tubing!

We quickly realised today is one day too long to be in a little town like this. Gorgeous view, exciting things to see, but really!! We're itching to get to Luang Prabang!!

Head out again to town for dinner. Ordered fish lab this time, and it came with sticky rice in a cute little traditional woven container. All for 20,000 Kips. I wasn't keen on the rice, but having it together with the fish lab was a whole new explosive taste!!

Lemme tell you, if I remember anything about Lao food, it's the lab. With sticky rice.

*my mouth is watering now... sigh!*

My new favourite food, and exclusively Lao - the Lab with sticky rice. To die for!

Driving the tuktuks and trucks in the river - for a quick wash!

xoxo,

Travels:Laos. Caving in Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng
Day 5
Wednesday, 24 December, 08.

Today, we wanted to discover a little bit more of this beautiful town, so we thought it would be good to do a bit of caving today. And that's one of the things you can do in this town. Vang Vieng is surrounded by limestone caves, and almost all of them have been discovered and have become a tourist attraction.

We had to get to 'the other side', so we had to cross a bridge. This is Laos, as nothing is for free. We had to pay 4,000 Kip each to cross the bridge and back!! We passed through villages and paddy fields and it was a very hot day. It is not the season for rice, as the fields were an ugly brown. But I reckon it to be a beautiful scenery when there is rice planted and of course during harvesting when the rice turns yellow.

It was ages before we reached the Tiger Cave, and yeah, it's 10,000 Kip for entrance, with torch lights provided!! The cave was small, we only managed to get in one of the small chambers, and we had to squeeze through a very tight, small and narrow hole. Imagine my poor 6' 7" husband trying to fit into the hole!! J managed anyway but to go further meant more tight squeezes for him. So we went out, got in through another entrance which was even smaller!! I had to get down on all fours and crawled my way in!! In that process, I slightly twisted my left knee, and so we aborted going any further. Not that we could anyway, the cave was too small for J! I think J was extremely frustrated, though I was happy to turn back and head home!

Back in town, we had tuna sandwich on a lovely baguette. I tell you, they make awesome sandwiches here, and they're simple sandwiches too!! Then back to the hotel for a siesta.

Tonight was another cold night. For dinner, we decided to try something exclusively Lao - the Lab (meat salad). We ordered the beef lab, tomyam and I had sour fish soup, which was da bomb!! Awesome food!!

Nam Song-how can anyone not love waking up to this view?!

This is life in Vang Vieng - forget taking the bridge, just drive through the river!

xoxo,

Travels:Laos. Welcome to the TACKIEST park on earth!!

Vientiane
Day 3
Monday, December 22, 08.

We stumbled upon JoMa Bakery by chance last night and decided to give this one a go. It looks a little bit more swanky than the Scandinavian Bakery but the prices are a little less pricier. It's another local coffee shop, with chains at different locations in Vientiane and Luang Prabang. It is so refreshing to not see Starbucks or CoffeeBeans in Laos!!

The first thing that caught our eyes at JoMa were the pastries. If the French left anything in this country, it was the architecture and the art of making good bread. The choices were enough to make your mouth water. We wanted everything: the apple strudels, the spinach strudels, the chocolate strudels, the muffins, the banana cakes, the cinnamon buns...the list can go on. But boring ol' me, settled for bagels and cream cheese with coffee. Husband J went for the kill: the apple strudels. I caved in after finishing up the bagel; I went in and ordered chocolate strudel. It was heavenly!!! The coffee was better than yesterday's at Scandinavian. We found out that JoMa serves great banana cake and cinnamon buns. Hmmm...Maybe next time, we will try.

After a satisfying breakfast, we hired a tuktuk to take us to Buddha Park, some 25km outside Vientiane. We paid the tuktuk driver 195,000 Kip for a 2-way trip! That's USD23!! J really wanted to see this park, so off we went. Tuktuk rides are by far the best way to see the city. We went through some pretty interesting roads, where we passed the 'Friendship Bridge' connecting Laos to Thailand, the LaoBeer brewery which the driver proudly showed us and, Daisy the Cow and friends taking a stroll down the busy, dusty streets!!

Buddha Park was an *interesting* place. OK, I was being polite.. it was a weird and very tacky experience for us. Basically, this dude decided to build this park adorned by Buddhist statues with this odd domed-shape house, depicting hell at the bottom level, earth at mid-level, and the next world at the top level. But soon after the communist government took over Laos, he was chased away to Thailand where he reportedly build a bigger and tackier park!! Anyway, the park was by the Mekong so the view at the bottom of the park was quite nice. As I walked around the park under the hot blazing sun, I still couldn't get my head around this place. It was just....weird!

Welcome to Buddha Park!!

Earth, Hell and the after-life, all in one dome!

Inside the dome: mid-level, earth?

Buddha Park: I just couldn't get my head around this place!!

We took the tuktuk back and had lunch at Nazim's, a halal Indian restaurant which seemed to be extremely popular with the backpackers. I had rice, alu gobi and some chicken masala dish; J had naan. Imagine, all the way in Laos, and we ate Indian food. I told J, we're not having naan for the rest of the trip!

The evening, as always, was cooler. We picked a restaurant that had bamboo sheds along the Mekong and sat on the floor as we enjoyed the sunset. Dinner was spectacular. Just as you think Lao food couldn't get any better, you find yourself totally enjoying another Lao dish. I had 'hotpot' - water boiled over charcoal in a clay pot, you put in the garlic, chillis, seafood (or meat), vegetables, glass noodles and eggs. And voila!! Amazing hot, soupy dinner on a cool night. And it was only for 30,000 Kip!!

Sunset by the Mekong

This, is the life!!

xoxo,

Travels:Laos. 'Wat' a sunny day!

Vientiane
Day 2
Sunday, December 21, 08

After a surprisingly chilly night (at least it was for me!), Husband J and I woke up to a breezy, sunny morning. The sun was out, and the weather was very pleasant, although I was with my trusted denim jacket when we head out for breakfast.

Breakfast at the hotel was included as part of our room, but the breakfast hall had a funky smell and made me want to throw up, so we decided to spend our Kips on a decent breakfast outside. Just behind the hotel, there were a row of swanky restaurants, and the famous Scandinavian Bakery. The place is almost always packed with tourists. I think I just had a simple breakfast set with toast and eggs, and black coffee, and it was by far, the most ordinary breakfast I've had. I don't understand why the bakery was so popular. I supposed tourists flock to it because it is mentioned in every guide book to Laos. There was nothing Scandinavian about it, the coffee was flat, the bread was nothing spectacular, the eggs, boring and it was a bit pricey. We could've opted for something cheaper, but I guess it was just our second day, so you live and learn!

Walking along the tall white walls of the Presidential Palace, Vientiane

Sightseeing in Indochina is essentially wats, museums and more wats! Our first stop was the Sisaket Museum, which was just around the corner from where we stayed. We walked passed the Presidential Palace, but couldn't see much but white walls surrounding it. We had to pay 5,000 Kip for entrance (each) to look at Buddha figurines if different sizes in glass casings. Just opposite of the museum is the Wat Sisaket, which is said to be the oldest temple in Vientiane. It houses more than 300 mostly Lao-style Buddha images of different sizes, ages and material.

And yes, you have to pay the entrance fee of 5,000 Kip each!

Wat Sisaket

The Hwa Phra Keo Museum was next, where you get to see a little of Lao history. Old money, old weapons, old Lao ornaments..you know the sort National Museums are made of. 5,000 Kip entrance fee each. (As we learnt, almost everything has an entrance fee!)

The sky was very blue in Vientiane, no clouds, so you get direct sunlight. Even during this somewhat cooler season, the sun was quite strong. I didn't sweat much although we did a lot of walking today. It was hot but not humid. But still, hot.

That Dam is a old concrete stupa right in the middle of the road, near the American embassy. It looks quite majestic but a little out of place!! Due to its location, the locals have turned it into a roundabout so, no entrance fee for this one!

The holy roundabout? That Dam

The Patouxai was next. I was a little grumpy (and tired! And hot!) by this time, especially when I learned J wanted us to climb up to the top! The Patouxai (or 'Ptooi' as J called it!) was built from concrete originally donated by the US government for an airport. But as you can see, that never happened instead, up went this building. I didn't think there was anything special at the top. Half way, you can do a bit of shopping, before continuing your way to view Vientiane from the top. At the bottom, the ceiling looked like you could be in a cathedral in Rome, except it is adorned by Buddhist images. Quite stunning. Entrance fee: 3,000 Kip each please!!

Patouxai

We walked back and had lunch by the Mighty Mekong at one of the shacks along the river bank. As expected, food was awesome though we had simple dishes with rice. You can never go wrong with the simple local dishes...

Hot food on a hot day!!

Tomorrow is our last full day in Vientiane before we head out to see the rest of this unique country. But for now, time to get out of the sun and catch some zzzzzzzzz........

xoxo,

Travels:Laos. Sabaidee Vientiane!

Vientiane, Laos
Day 1
Saturday, December 20, 08

The flight to Bangkok took off from KLIA a few minutes later than scheduled, as the airline staff had to unload luggage from missing passengers who failed to show up for the flight. I wasn't too concern, I was going on a holiday!! We flew on Thai Airways, Business Class, and it was nice! Husband J was happy he could stretch his long legs. However, the food at the business lounge was kinda sad. Maybe it was too early in the morning, the flight was initially scheduled to take off at 7.55am.

2 hours later, we were in Bangkok, lounging around at the 'Royal Silk Lounge'. It was a 3 ++ hour transit, and nothing too exciting. The Thai Airways flight to Vientiane finally took off at 11.45am.

When we arrived an hour later, it was a hot afternoon in Vientiane. I got stuck at the immigration because they couldn't comprehend why I was flying in from Bangkok, but didn't have a Bangkok stamp in my passport. And they didn't ask me!! All the officer did was stare at me!! As if I could read his mind!! Haiiya..

*smacks forhead*

After much staring questioningly at me, one of the other officers asked me how long I was in Bangkok. I then understood the confusion, so I said, "Transit!" Confusion ended. I was free to be a tourist in Laos! J had to pay USD40 for Visa on-arrival (which was virtually easy), and we made our way to our hotel.

Vientiane is like any other Indochinese city, though it was not as busy as Phnom Penh. The city is littered with little local eateries, with french-influenced architecture, and cafes. At this time, there's less to no rainfall, so the city was a bit dusty. We got to our hotel, Lane Xang Hotel, across from the Mekong River. Lane Xang was the old name of Laos, and the hotel which we stayed in was said to be the meeting place of secret communist agents and high-ranked Soviet and Lao officials during the height of communism. So we were staying in a piece of communist history! But the hotel looked like it hasn't gone through much change, still looked like it was from the communist era! The rooms are decent, although for the kind of money we were paying, I've seen better. J and I were amused every time we entered the elevator, the carpeting had the day written on it! Typical if you are travelling and forget what day it is, just pop by Lane Xang Hotel, go into the lift, and read what's on the carpet!!

The local currency is Kip. And the notes carry many zeros....yeah, one of those. USD is of course accepted, but if you carry Thai Bhat, you're OK too. We decided to change our US Dollars to Kip. And you can only change in Laos. The Kip is not available outside Laos!

watching the sun sink over the mighty Mekong at 5.30pm

We decided to do a walkabout along the Mekong bank, wide-eyed as we passed by the numerous river bars scattered along the Mekong. We took the restaurant closest to the hotel, and it looked newer and swanky, compared to the others, which were essentially shacks. We sat and watched as the sun sink over the Mekong, and the temperature dropped. Vientiane goes dark by 5.30pm and gets quite chilly at night. We had rice for dinner, with mixed veggies in oyster sauce, fantastic seafood tomyam and fried beef in basil with chili that exploded in our mouths! Lao food is super hot!! That dinner on our first night, was fantastic, so we couldn't wait to sample more during this journey.

awesome, explosive food!!

At the restaurant, J and I were amused to find a replica of KL's twin towers at the restaurant next door. Surely not!! Which we later found out that Tourism Malaysia was holding a show at the restaurant next door. Yeah, OK. But bringing the Twin Towers was tacky at best!! We had to sleep through traditional Malay music as the noise was just from across the road from us. It was a tad bit annoying for me... Why couldn't they do the showcase in a proper hall??? In fact, there is a community hall nearby where the locals would go and do group aerobics...

KL's Twin Towers by the mighty Mekong!

J had to sample the coffee, so we stopped by at a swanky-ish local coffee shop called Sabaidee Coffee. I stuck to the safest - a chocolate latte - which was a good call, because I found Lao coffee to be a bit too strong for my liking.

The weather was pleasant, but I guess I would be at least in my wrap or light jacket when walking in Vientiane at night. Tomorrow, we'll do the sightseeing, so hopefully, the sun won't be too hot for us to move around.

xoxo,
puss.inheels@yahoo.com

Hi! I'm 'DJ Wanker'!

november 30, 08 sunday
2.40pm
OK, first thing's first. I HATE being called "DJ XXXX"!! I don't know why or how that term came about but it made me sound like a wanker! I was on radio for 12 years, but I was never a DJ. I was an announcer, because I never spanned discs. I produced and prepped my own programmes and was a paid working professional on payroll. I didn't work on a gig-to-gig basis. This was a full-time job. I cringed whenever people add the moronic term "DJ" before my name. Eew!


I have been unemployed for almost 6 months now (groan!), so imagine my surprise when Adek's girlfriend Haidi rung me up asking if she and some of her classmates wanted to interview me, as part of their celebrity assignment. They are students of fashion designing. I almost barfed. Celebrity?? I thought out of sight, out of mind. But Haidi assured me I am still remembered. Hmm. I said OK and set the date.


All 7 of them came. Shy. Quiet. Tongue tied. C'mon! You get to meet a 'celebrity', here's your chance - talk! Ask questions! Something!! It was so typical of Malaysian students. This whole 'being shy' b/s is old! Why can't our students talk?? Present themselves? Have confidence?? I was a bit annoyed that they were under-prepared as well, besides being shy. Only Haidi spoke. Even that she was quite unprepared - kept asking her group what else to ask?? I forgot. I remember when I was doing interviews for projects at college, and later on-air, I always had 10 questions prepared. Most times I never finished all 10 questions, because I'd go with where the conversation was taking me. But when I got stuck, I had that piece of paper with me. I was never unprepared for an interview. The whole thing made me feel I wasn't important enough for them to research and to prepare.

Good luck to them on their project. There were so many questions I thought they could've asked. They were fashion-related, they could've gotten a lot out of me.

Haidi came back in the evening and gave me a box of cupcakes the group bought for me, with "Thank you DJ XXXX" scribbled on it. I thought that was sweet. If only they didn't add the "DJ" before my name...The cupcakes were adorable, but sickly sweet, as I was never a fan of icing, and it was all icing!!

What a great idea for a gift!! I will certainly get this if I needed to buy food for guests or the host.

xoxo

El Hub is 35!!

october 27, 08 monday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HUSBAND J!!

All of 35 and looking hotter than ever!! Purrrr......

This year, I had grand plans of re-doing J's closet. But a conversation with friend Ain made me change my mind. She said, "Make him feel like a man, buy a drill!", and so I did. I wanted to get him a fancy-shmanchy one with 1001 bolts and attachments, and that comes with its own carrier, but the ones I saw were waaay over my budget, so I grabbed the one below. I had it wrapped up and all, which got him all excited when I gave him the Box of Mystery.



J was so delighted to find out it was a drill and I was so happy that he liked it!


My plans continued with dinner, of course. I wanted to do the whole candlelight dinner with flowers, but today is Deepavali, and so the flower vendors near my house would be close for the celebration.

I decided to make Baked Macaroni with Eggplant, which I took from a pasta cookbook sister Maz recommended not too long ago. I was excited!! There were a lot of ingredients though. More than what I'm used to.

I ended up not preparing enough eggplants, but still, it turned out fantastic! J loved it, Mom loved it, little brother liked it, and I thought it was pretty good!! YAY!! I added some cili api for husband J ;)

For desert, we had cheesecake. J is known not to like deserts very much, so this was a bit tricky. But he loves his cheese and so I ordered a cheesecake from Latest Recipe at LeMeridien KL. It cost a bomb (for a medium-sized cheesecake!!), but it tastes heavenly!! The best so far!!

J received a few birthday phone calls from home which made him very very happy. And he said this was a good day for him. Auwwww......

Oh. And he also put his new toy to good use - he fixed the bathroom door at the back of the house!!

Mom gave him 2 long kain sarong she got from her trip to Kelantan, and that made J happy. He's always wanted a collection of sarongs. And now he has...4!!

Happy birthday Babe!!

XOXO

Eid Mubarrak!

october 1, 08 wednesday
It's the first day of Eid and husband J and I just got back from PD. After spending the whole day visiting relatives.

Yes. I made Mummy happy. I followed her to Rembau and Melaka. J came along. Everyone was intrigued at his height. Sat around and listened to family gossip/politics. Met up with cousins I've not met in years. Had a lot to eat. Had too much too eat. OD'd on nasi impit, rendang and the like, and Mom's nasi briyani was a nice break from the same ol' same ol'.

Drove back watching a crazy bus driver trying to run my little brother off the road. That was scary.

And now we're home. Thank God the day is over!!

Will I do the same thing again next year??

Will I be around next year??

Fasting! A week before Eid...

september 23, 08 tuesday
Yeah, I've only just started fasting. Today is Day 2. And Eid is next Wednesday, which means I'll only be fasting for a little over a week. It's been OK, uneventful to be precise. I don't normally sahur, but so far, I've been doing OK. No tummy ache. No headaches. Just the usual. Not feeling all that tired either.

I've been cooking faithfully since Ramadhan started 3 weeks ago. I've done it all: roast beef, roast chicken, potato gratin, steaks, pasta etc. It's scary the way I keep chugging everyday in the kitchen!! I've only gone out to the bazaar less than 5 times I think. But today, I'm going to the small Thai Fair happening at Giant Mall. We've had the tomyam noodles from there and it blew our minds!! So, today's the day where we'll have tomyam noodles again....And maybe the mango salad, a bit of somtam maybe.....hmmmmm...eyes bigger than the stomach...

It's hours away to break...I'm already hungry... Time to go buy that beehoon tomyam!!

Yumm!

Travels: Sydney - Cheese at The Hunter

july 29, 08 tuesday
When the conversation of going back to Sydney popped up sometime back, husband J mentioned Hunter Valley. Beautiful vineyards with a variety of cheese. Hold up! Did somebody mentioned cheese? A variety of cheese?? CHEESE!! Do you not know what a cheese whore I've become? So from that day on, all I ever want to go is Hunter Valley, which I affectionately called "Cheese Country" (which in actual fact, The Hunter is more know as 'Wine Country'). I told J, he can go do whatever, but we must go to Cheese Country. When I got to father in-law's place, the entire family knew of our plans to go to The Hunter, it was amusing!!

So off we went. After days of sleeping in (Damn! That electric blanket!!), J and I finally drove to The Hunter in our rented car. It took forever to get out of Sydney but when we finally hit the highway to The Hunter, I was enjoying the drive. Since it is winter, the vineyards were all closed for the season, so I didn't get to see the beautiful landscape. Oh! Well! The whole entire trip really was for me to devour in cheese. So nothing else really mattered.

We got there at almost 3pm, and the wine tour was closed. Who cares! I want the cheese! Where's the darn cheese?? And there it was.... Like the doors of heaven opened....Stacks and stacks of cheese. Glorious cheese! I was amazed at the variety, I want them all!! I was like a kid in a candy store!!

Snacks of the Gods...

There was a tasting counter and I practically had a little of everything, until my taste buds were confused!! They all tasted so darn good! How do you choose?! And then, as if my question was answered, we saw some of the more popular cheese with some crackers and raisins, neatly packed. I got so excited, grabbed one, paid and we sat down to feed my nagging taste buds.

Beautiful food: crackers, raisins with (l-r) the yummiest feta, brie, gorgeous Irish cheddar and my favourite-blue cheese.

The aftermath!

When we got back to Marrickville, it was already dark (and cold!). But I was a happy puppy. I burped and farted cheese all the way, and into the night! I have never tasted cheese that good. And as I am writing this, I wish I could have some more of that gorgeous dairy snack food. I'm already salivating! How did I turn into such a cheese whore, I blame J. If I ever get fat, you know it's all down to the cheese-y factor!!

Viva la-cheese!

Travels: Sydney by car

july 17, 08 thursday
We wanted to go to Hunter Valley ("The Hunter") today, but got up late (9:30am!!). Damn! That electric blanket!! So when we finally got our asses out of bed and showered, we head out to find a car we can rent. Got a Hyundai Accent (pretty basic car) for AUD45 a day with AU$200 as down payment. We were going to hire for 2 days. As we were trying to find our way out, husband J suggested that we go to The Hunter tomorrow.

So we stopped by for a Turkish breakfast. I had 'mehlemi', spinach with eggs cracked over it, and Turkish breads....it was beauuuutiful!! J decided to go for the sickly sweet pancake (huge!) with honey and bananas.

Going Turkish: mehlemi

Husband J's choice: pancakes!!

Met up with Woody, J's childhood good friend in Eastwood. Chatted for a bit, as they do here in OZ, at the Eastwood pub, which looked more like a restaurant! J took a nostalgic drive around Eastwood, and showed me places where he used to play at.

Driving in Sydney is a tad bit intimidating. I refused to drive! So J did the driving! We agreed how small the lanes are in Sydney! But I love the way everyone stopped at zebra crossings here..I wish we do that in KL. That was one thing I wasn't sure of driving in Sydney. I am such a KL driver - selfish and aggressive. Don't know how that would work here in Sydney. I'd run people down!!

But I am so proud of J. Not too long ago, he didn't drive. And today, he's driving me around...in Sydney!!

We're going to the Hunter tomorrow. Looking forward to the 3-hour drive!

37

june 21, 08 saturday
Dang!

That's a big number. But, it doesn't bother me so much...until someone makes a big deal out of it. I can't believe I'm already celebrating another birthday. How quick the year(s) flew! It's like you can't get older quicker. It's almost absurd.

When I was younger, birthdays are the one day I looked forward to. Well, you're young, you can't wait to have another birthday to be older.

These days, I dread birthdays. The early 30's was fun. However, the Late 30's, totally another story!

Although I have to say, at this age, I have never felt better, leaner, healthier, stronger and more confident. I've never felt younger too! And I think I age well....yes?? Thank God for the workouts at the gym. I think I'd be feeling my age if I didn't change my lifestyle!

Husband J was kind enough to replenish my expensive skincare supply. Trust me, I've tried changing to cheaper brands. I ended up with dull skin and pimples. So back to my trusted and beloved SKII. The products J got me were intended as my birthday present. That was really sweet of him.

Goodies from husband J: SKII galore! Enough to keep me going with great skin for

another 6 months!

This morning I received flowers from mom. Auwwwww!! So sweet!!

From mom: beautiful bouquet of roses!

For dinner, J brought me to Genji, the Japanese restaurant at Hilton PJ. It was my idea actually. It's been like yonks since I last went, and I remember Genji fondly. They served fantastic Japanese cuisine. A tad bit pricey than usual, but certainly worth it.

We had reservation for 8.30pm, and when we arrived the place was buzzing. Screaming kids. People walking all over the place. Unmade tables. What the hell is going on?? Wasn't Genji supposed to be exclusive, classy and quiet?? No ala carte, we were told. No ala carte?? Only buffet. *eyes rolling* OK. Whatever. Walked around. The spread was nothing to shout about. The food was good, but not as fantastic as I remembered it to be. I was disappointed. I apologised profusely to husband J. He didn't look like he was enjoying himself either. I felt bad.

After paying for dinner, we went to the newly-renovated Uncle Chili's. Nice. Not as sleazy like the last time I went some 4-5 years ago. We hung around for less than an hour, and off we trotted home.

So there you go.

Happy 37th to me.

Shepard's Pie? Cottage Pie?

june 15, 08 sunday
Husband J said if it's with minced lamb it's shepard's pie. If it's with minced beef, it's cottage pie.

Whatever.

I made...I guess we call it, cottage pie, this weekend. I had use minced lamb before this and I didn't actually like the taste so much, so this time I went back to using minced beef.

Cottage pie fresh from the oven

It's quite easy to make. This time the meat and the sauce were not so 'wet', as I had it on the stove a tad longer than usual.

Eat!Eat!Eat!

Can't wait to try more dishes!

The Great Weekend Menu

may 25, 08 sunday
Saturday:

The weekend rolled around again, and I was in a mood to cook. After the much embarrassing little argument I had with husband J (read last blog), I put the disputed lamb to good use. I wanted to roast, and I made pretty good roast! Granted it was lamb (husband J has high blood, and I am a weight-watcher), I got my hands dirty and went to work. I went overboard with the garlic though...

The lamb, overstuffed with garlic!

Getting ready for the oven!

The kitchen was smelling of fresh (Thai) rosemary which I plucked from our garden, and the lamb. It made my tummy rumble!

After a bit over an hour in the oven, ready to be carved for dinner!

Taa-daa! Another great success in the kitchen! I added tomatoes, potatoes, onions and carrots (all marinated in herbs and olive oil) and Gravox's Lamb & Rosemary gravy.

Roasted feast!

Husband J and I had a great feed! Great way to end our Saturday!


Sunday:

After yesterday's dinner, I was eager to make another killer meal. This is not my first time making pizza. The first time was a couple of months ago, with tuna and veggies, and it turned out pretty decent. I was sure the second time would turn out even better.

Ever since the first experience making pizza, I had always wanted to make cheese pizza. I found grated cheese topping made out of three different types of cheeses, so I eagerly bought one packet (expensive!). I bought the pizza crusts and decided to make my own tomato base using canned tomato paste mixed with pesto.

So I made 1 small-ish vegetarian pizza, plus 1 small-ish pepperoni+cheese pizza for husband J. The verdict: vegetarian pizza had too much veggies but too little cheese; pepperoni pizza had too much cheese!

So I moved on to my cheese pizza. I have always loved cheese pizza. The best I had was from my university's cafeteria! So I thought, I would give it a go.

Sunday's disaster! Cheese pizza that didn't turn out quite like I expected!

Looked good, tasted awful.

Somehow, the mix of cheese was oily, I couldn't finish not even one slice. It was a disaster! So in the bin it went :(

This failure dented my ego a bit. But I ain't giving it up! There will be more pizzas in the future!

Cili Api is here to stay!

may 12, 08 monday
Check that out...I have a signature dish!! Lil 'ol me...who couldn't even turn on the stove...and now I have a signature dish!! *Giggle*

According to husband J, this is my 'signature dish'.

Here are some of the stuff I use for my 'signature dish'. What I normally use are broccoli, carrots, capsicum, zucchini. Of course the staple, pasta (!!!), garlic and cili api. Husband J is a big fan of cili api and everything I make for him have to have cili api. Even roast has to be smothered in cili api! And I can't take hot food or too much spice. Stomach ache!! Husband J likes when I add in the pepperoni. I like the tuna. So I rotate with whatever's available.

Throw all that in the frying pan with olive oil, stir stir stir. Voila!

Salt and pepper. Basil. Parsley.

Ready to serve.

Served some to sister. She couldn't even taste my pasta! She said it was too hot that it was burning her tongue! Well, I might have over did it with the cili api, but my crazy hubby seemed to love it.

Too much cili api! I thought so too (was burning my tongue), but the man of the house likes it that way, sooooo......

The cili api is here to stay, I guess..