Thursday, March 31, 2011

More Hibiscus....



There are many flower buds on the Hibiscus plant that we bought the other day, we simply could not resist to get one. We love Hibiscus because they love sunshine and we got way too much of it in our terrace. I love the fact that the leaves barely drop, that means I don't get to do too pick leave picking.



People said that they are easy to take care of, but most of all, its flowers are big, gorgeous and this plant that we bought are going to bloom in no time. I guess, that makes it okay for us to buy again. I am now really tempted to get different colors. Maybe white? Or yellow?

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Can't Resist....



It's Lenten, folks. If I were to give up buying plants, it would be a grand failure. So far, I have been good in keeping myself away from Coffee and Beef. Despite telling myself that I should not have more plants, as the existing ones have taken much of my time, I keep on failing from keeping myself away from doing it. We went to a few nurseries to get bigger pots for the plants that had outgrown their space and getting some bags of soils. They were done, we got them. We, however, also got ourselves more plants. Three of them to be precise. The reason why the above periwinkle was chosen is that I want more variety of colors in our garden. That's a very valid reason, I suppose.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Plan B

I am not where I was supposed to be. It's Spring break. The plan was to visit South Korea and to enjoy, if we could, the cold Spring weather in Seoul. We may not be able to see the Cherry blossoms as the weather would be too cold, but we are sure there would be things for us to do there. Well, that was just a plan. A plan that was never implemented because we thought it would be safer to stay away in the wake of the massive 9.0 recent earthquake and nuclear problems in Japan. A plan that can change to.... we basically do not know where to go. We have only a few days and we could only go to nearby places. So, DH went overseas for work and I stay back for.... work too and try to catch up with some works that I am behind at while one kid is away for her camping trip.

Talking about plan, being sick is not one them. It's bad being sick. It's worse when the timing for being sick, falls on the weekend or Monday. You either have to run to A&E of some hospitals or go to your doctor, which is potentially very crowded. It happened to me yesterday. Without going into details, I must say that I needed a doctor urgently. I called my specialist and he was fully booked on the day and unable to see me. It was not a matter of life and death, he would not make the time for me. In desperation, we went to our family doctor, as he does not take any appointment. Just turn up during operating hours and wait. We waited indeed, there were 12 patients ahead of me.



There was not a place for me to sit down inside so DH and I wandered outside. There were some restaurants and shops around. Right next door to the clinic, interestingly, is a fruit shop. It was nearly 12PM and the shop just opened. The delivery vans came in and the shop opened. They sell durian too! It's hard to miss it when the smell is really strong.



We waited for around an hour before I was called in to the doctor's office. Outside, apparently, DH surrendered to the evil's temptation. After not eating durian for many long years, DH finally bought one to bring home. Thankfully, the seller helped him open the fruit and removed the pods and put them in one container to be brought home. The strong smell was contained. Here's $18 worth of durian. Not so cheap, but DH said they were really good! I only watched.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Less Costly Version....

Hainanese Chicken Rice here is like national dish. They are available all over the place. They are served at food stalls, food courts and restaurants. We recently re-visited the most expensive chicken rice place in the country that we know of, i.e. Chatterbox at Meritus Mandarin Hotel and paid $28 per serving. Earlier on, in January, we went to eat at one famous stall near China Town called Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice. It was only $3 per serving and it was yummy. Both of them are equally satisfying to both DH and me.



Over the weekend, we were really busy and decided to buy back Chicken Rice from another popular Chicken Rice branch Outlet called Boon Tong Kee. This one is priced slightly above the food stalls' chicken rice at $4.60 per pack. The pack includes a piece of pork ball and a little jar of pickles and the sauces. Whether which is the best, I am truly convinced that everyone has different opinion. I am fine with this one too. It's not too hard to please me when it comes to chicken rice, especially when I am hungry.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Now Cancelled!



Okay. The "constantly updating me on iPad2 status" Miss P, passed me the link that said that iPad2 will be available in Singapore and Hong Kong in April and also there's a chance that there might be a delay in her returning home to bring the item to me. So. I guess it is only right that I cancel my order from the US website and will re-order from the website here when they become available. I could go the Apple stores and buy, but I might get it online and have it delivered right out to the door. I just hope the price is reasonable.... Keep my fingers crossed.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Surprised Kitty

In case you need a smile, play this. Adorable. This video has more than 44 million views as of today. I posted the same video back in 2009, it remains one of my favorites.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Match Them...



Wherever I go, it seems that smoked salmon is always put together with cream cheese. I like the combination, that's what I order sometimes. With bagel though. At home, I did not have any bagels left when I have the other two components. I went ahead and made myself a ssalmon and cream cheese sandwich for lunch. Delicious, as always!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Someone Turns 20!

It was 20 years ago today, DH and I rushed to the hospital early in the morning after discovering that my water bag broke. We lived in Jakarta and our area was having a blackout, but we knew where the important things were, the bag that was packed a while back and the car key. The hospital was nearby and without traffic, as it's merely after 4AM in the morning, we probably arrived some 10 minutes later. No drama, no panicking like those in the movies. We were calm and everything was in order.



The only thing was that it was our first child and I had no first-hand experience. I did not know what sort of pain that I had to endure and how intense that could be. At some point it was really unbearable and the OB/Gym came so late, at least to what I believe. I was so ready to pop up the baby and he was not there yet. Came 9:40 AM, our first born and our first new love was born. God knows, I did not what to do with her. She did not come with any manuals and for 20 years we constantly learn by trials and errors on how to look after her and how to be good parents. We had our ups and downs but we endure. There has been so much that we are thankful for and she is one of them, on the top 10 list!

She is 20 years old today. It is so hard to believe how time flies. Happy birthday Miss P! XOXO

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Blooming!



What I like about Bougainvillea is the fact that I don't have to worry about not giving me flowers. Not long ago my plant lost all of its flowers and most of its leaves. But they are all back and it is now blooming again, looking so great. I never pay attention how long the cycle is, but those smart people say that it is around 4-6 weeks. I hardly notice.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

When Least Expected....



I like Marigold. They have beautiful flowers that last for a long time and they have many of them. In the recent months, I tried to plant their seeds and had been failing, again and again. I worried me a bit that I got no new Marigold plants to replace the dying ones. Despite the high rate of failure, I kept on trying, but not expecting much. Of course, when I had no expectation, I saw many of them grew. So many new plants are also growing by themselves in the garden. They are still tiny at present, but hopefully they grow into strong plants that give me plenty of gorgeous flowers in the coming months. Hope!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Ordered & Acknowledged!



With so much uncertainty on the coming of iPad 2 to this region and with so many reminders from Ms. P, I finally decided to place my order from the USA. The delivery time has stretched so much to more than five 5 weeks, which is fine for me, mine is expected to be April 28, or maybe sooner. It will be delivered to a US address and brought back in the Summer. Let's hope for the best and there's no hiccups anywhere down the line. And no more natural disaster, please. I care about the humanity side so much more than my iPad. It's so heartbreaking that so my lives have been affected by the most recent disaster in Japan.


Sunday, March 20, 2011

Peck's Ciabatta

We love Ciabatta, especially the airy ones. We normally get them from a bakery across the street from our previous residence, but I keep my eyes open when I go out and see one. I found Peck in the basement of Takashimaya department store here, just like the one in Tokyo, that I have visited too. They have great looking Ciabatta and some other savory and sweet breads. I got a couple of bread from there a long while back and just the other day, decided to get some when I passed by.



They all are good, except for the attitude of the cashier, that seems to be lacking of mannerism. I found that to be a rather typical behavior of many of the Takashimaya employees here, of course there are some exceptions. This one, like a lot of others,that I have encountered, did not seem to bother with the customers and my "thank you" to her, went with the wind. No response. Nada. I encountered this ugly behavior from many people working in the service industry here, but after all these years, I never get used to it. It's still annoying.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Comforting....



We still have tons of rice noodles that are gifted to us. I don't cook rice noodles often enough to lower our inventory at steady rate. This week, however, I cooked fried rice noodles twice. This time, I had shrimp and sliced fish cake in it, with also generous amount of julienned carrots and thinly sliced cabbage. It rained heavily this afternoon and I felt great to have this type of food that I grew up with for lunch.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Shopping At Ikea...

I needed a Queen size quilt cover and the easier way to get it, is from Ikea. They display everything they have and that is just easier for me to choose. It is easier than getting one from most department stores that carry so many brands that make my head spin madly. It's for one of the kids' room and I was looking was something simple that do not clash with the pattern and colors of the curtain in the room. We went at lunch time and parking lot was quite filled up. People like to get lunch from their cafe. Those Swedish meatballs are great bargain! Their desserts are yummy too. Hmmm....



My mission was successful. Of course, I ended up with two bowls and two mugs that I truly do not need, a new kitchen timer (because I could not be bothered to find the ones that I have bought and stored really well, somewhere, and they are cheap), a big plate that I also do not really need and a couple of towels for one of my brothers. I think that's pretty much it. Two heavy bags. I might have forgotten to mention one or two others.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Chatterbox' Chicken Rice



Back in the olden days, when we had not lived in this country yet, we diligently visited Chatterbox of the Mandarin Orchard Hotel, every time we came here. We always ordered their famous Hainanese Chicken Rice, along with some other local dishes they have on their menu. All of which are priced outrageously steeper than other eating places around. This habit died instantly after we reside here. I am not sure why.



Some people say that Chatterbox has the best Chicken Rice in town. Some others say that this restaurant is a tourist trap. Some also believe that there are better Chicken Rice out there and they are priced so much more reasonably. Regardless differing opinion, the restaurant remains standing after around 40 long years in the business. Business simply remains great if not better!



We revisited the place today, which upon renovation of the hotel, it has moved to the fifth floor of the building. Both DH and I decided to order their Chicken Rice, which was served nearly in no time, upon placing the order. The rice and the chicken were served with a bowl of plain soup with a piece of bean curd and three sauces. After tax and service charge, the damage came to more than $28 per person. It was indeed our most expensive Chicken Rice to date.



In terms of taste, if I were to close my eyes while eating it, I would not be able to tell that apart from the $3-$3.50 Chicken Rice sold in so many other places that I have tried before. After taking into consideration the fact that we eat in a nice setting, there's more chicken than outside place's, proper cutlery and friendly waiters, I still think that it is still not worth the amount of money we spent. I know that there would be others who beg to differ. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Itacho



There are so many Japanese restaurants around here in this city these days. Japanese cuisines have become of the most favorite ones in this country. We dined at Itacho Sushi recently, a Hong Kong based Japanese restaurants, with several outlets here.





DH attempted to eat at this restaurants in the past, but there has been long queue each time he passed by and he definitely is not a fan of waiting. He loves their sushi. They are well made. For me? They are alright. I just need a little break from Japanese food for a bit. We don't mind coming back. We mind the wait to get the table though.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

More Than Just Pound Cake....



I do not normally make pound cake, unless I have to. But when I stumble upon this Cream Cheese Pound Cake recipe, I could not help myself anymore. On my next trip to the grocery shop, I got myself a pack of cream cheese. Next, I found the right time to make. Then, I baked one. It tastes so good. Really good.



Recipe was adapted from here.

Friday, March 11, 2011

I Am Waiting....



I am, impatiently, waiting for the new iPad 2, to be available in this country. When, o - when? Please come soooon....

Thursday, March 10, 2011

New Kid On The Block...



My mother in law is just a very thoughtful and generous lady. Another trip to her house and DH was twisted into bringing back two more potted plants, one of which is above. So far, it has no flower yet. But when they are out, they should look like the one in her house, below. Looking good. Something to look forward to, again! Thanks to DH for the picture and for driving across the border bringing two plants, risking all the possible trouble with the custom.

Sunday, March 06, 2011

Crumpets...



Our last trip to Sydney has reminded us of crumpets again. We don't come across much of it around here, but this yeast based pancake is delicious for breakfast. And lunch and at anytime too. This was my second attempt to make them. The first recipe that I used, resulted in thicker dough, therefore, resulting in thicker crumpets. This time, with some adjustments here and there, I got a much better result. I believe, I should be able to improve them further.




Saturday, March 05, 2011

Hey, There, Red!



I was excited. This plant brought so much red to the garden!

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Dunked!

Now you see her.....



Now you don't. A kid was dunked into a large tank of water at the Community Fair we attended at the school last Saturday.