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So.....today was darling's off-day.....we decided to visit my ex-Les Amis Chef's restaurant at Purvis Street.....Kinda wanted to kill 2 birds with 1 stone...firstly to celebrate our 5th month since marriage-cum-65th monthsary of being together, and secondly, to check out the restaurant for a friend's birthday....

Totally did not regret going there man. The food was to die for...and Chef Gunther's skills has definitely improved since then.. I think it was good that he came out of Les Amis to open his own restaurant...coz in that way, he actually has free reign over the menu and everything, and isn't under the beck and call of a boss....

The whole dining experience was exquisite. To think, it's been 3 years since I worked under him.... and also 3 years since Darling and me last had fine dining, which was at Au Jardin...

So anyway, all the waitstaff are dressed very smartly and very sleek, and they took care of every little thing....and well, when they asked if this was my first time here, I couldn't help but blurt out that I used to work under him! haha... the service staff was shocked, and immediately took the menu out of my hands to say that in that case, there was no need to select any dishes coz he believed that Chef would definitely want to prepare something special for me!

So yup, he informed Chef, and then came back to ask if we had a budget...initially darling and me had planned to only eat their set lunch menu, priced at $38....but since he asked, and I know what Chef can do, so, we upped our individual budget to $60 each... and it was so worth it. I mean, I guess he gave us a lot of discount and all, and went out of his way to prepare stuff that's not even listed on his menu....and I truly truly appreciate it man..... Chef called for me to meet him...and yup, we had a really short talk... and lo and behold, our food started churning out of his kitchen.....

Towards the end of the meal, he also stepped out of the kitchen, and dropped by our table to talk to me and Darling...think he was really really nice about it considering I was only a trainee under him then... have definitely decided to bring our friend there for her birthday in July!!!

Without further ado, I shall let u salivate at the amazing food that we had today!


French tomatoes with Fava beans and Spanish ham - sweet and not overpowering..


I can't remember what this is called, but it is definitely cold pasta with truffle, truffle oil and chives. Bold and overpowering...superbly exquisite....


Duck Breast on a fine potato chip with apple compote - Loved the fine potato chip... and the taste was just right....


CAUTION! FAVOURITE OF THE DAY!!
Char-grilled Scottish Bamboo Clam with a peanut paste.
This dish was wonderful...i remember Chef always going to Turf Club to buy this and other seafood fresh in the afternoons.... so, I know that this was alive just before he cooked it for us! haha...the char-grill flavour was strong but not overpowering....and the peanut paste, or rather, peanut butter worked the flavours perfectly to cover up the muddy, fishy taste. Perfect.


Korobuta Pork Shoulder with Tomato Concassee. This dish had nice flavours, strong to cover the flavour of the bamboo clam before. And the mashed potato? AMAZING...


Warm Apple Tart with dragees.
I feel like kicking myself for not having caught the name of the ice-cream!!!! Though I've worked at Canele, and come to love only their ice-cream...but this.. boy oh boy..... i was speechless when I ate it...... it was tinged with the essence of rose to make you go WOW instead of scrunching your face coz it tastes too sweet...... and it complements the apple tart like a match made in heaven.....




Our Petit fours with coffee/tea - (L-R) Valrhona Chocolate; Vanilla Cream with Caramel; Canele.
Sufficient to leave you with a sweet and happy feeling as you sign for your bill.... =)

All in all, it was a perfect meal.....though pricey, but I sure wouldn't mind going back there again especially if he's gonna fix me such wonderful meals each time!!!!!




Today has been one of my busiest Sundays......sighz...went for 3 meetings in a day...... had to plan for my church's Ubin cycling trip on the 7th of June (Legionaries...u all wanna come along?? =D); then go for senior curia at SPP....my goodness...it took forever...dunno why they are so long winded!!! arghz......then...we had zhi yuan hui yi.... But thank goodness, other than Curia, the other meetings were all quite short....

After that went window shopping with Angela..... found a few nice tops for work, but will wait for my paycheck to come first...anywayz, the Great Singapore Sale is now on, so i should have more than enough chances to get what I need to get!!

Humph....tummy is feeling funny today....Darling's telling me it's coz I've not been sleeping properly the last few days....I dunno man...I think my whole biological sleep clock has gone haywire......i feel lethargic and tired in the day coz i've got nothing much to do besides prepping for the Recruitment Activity.....so come nightfall, i try to sleep at about the same time as Darling.....say 11 or 12?? But problem is I can't sleep!! So i end up reading until about 3 or 4 am before my brain decides to shut down...and though I wake up later on at 6am to prep breakfast for him....I go back to sleep once he leaves for work, and wake up only at 12 noon........Darling seems to think it's coz my brain is working non-stop, thinking about Recruitment and many other things.....so that's why i find it so hard to sleep at night....i dunno...sounds kinda true.... but truth is, i really don't know how to stop thinking... can't seem to blank my mind out....

sighz....as a result, i think my body ain't functioning properly....been feeling kinda lousy all day, like i'm heating up or something.....and my heart is racing...like i'm on high adrenaline rush....even though i'm seated and eating...... *shrugs*.....

oh well... anywayz, watched Made of Honour on Friday with Angela and Darling.....alright, kinda funny....but the chemistry is not as strong and powerful as that between Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher.....

Also finished Hell's Kitchen Season 1......it's not bad, but I kinda preferred Season 2....... hmm..now waiting for Season 3 to be completely downloaded.....hehe...i can't wait! whilst watching, somehow miss the adrenaline rush of working in a kitchen.....what u see on Hell's Kitchen actually does somewhat occur in reality..... so it's quite memorable for me... =)

The Recruitment Activity is planned underway...and everything seems to be falling in place..... Da Xing Kang Le is also going okay...... Curia officers have made some plans regarding the selection of YGZ, as well as for activities for the rest of the year, so keep yourself updated through the Legion Blog!




At the Church Feast Day Dinner!










Sheesh....the weather is madness right now....has it ever been this hot?? I really can't remember.....all i know is that it's killing me! Just bought a bar of chocolate yesterday night....left it in my room....now it's all soft and squishy, as if I'd left it out in the sun.......... Mum told me this lady cooked curry for the priests this morning....and by afternoon, the curry had foam all over the top...... it's crazy....

Sighz...... this weather, plus all the disasters occurring in the world, earthquakes, cyclones....sighz....it just reminds me of what I saw in An Inconvenient Truth......and who can we blame but ourselves....we have just brought disaster to ourselves.....

ah well......

have completed all that I can complete for the recruitment activity.......feeling somewhat an adrenaline rush.....and feel kinda lost now, coz there's nothing much I can do until that day itself.....so... all I can do is get some other stuff done...... anticipating our meeting again this saturday, and the video filming on 28th......

planning for JXY is underway, and we're deciding about how we ought to decide who should be in YGZ this year......ideas sound interesting....so....haha...i kinda can't wait....

watched Juno yesterday.....quite a good show....think she's really really brave to go through so much alone....and the fact that she could just give the baby up for adoption immediately after birth...... the emotions are almost hard to fathom.......

am so random....coz i've no idea what to do! oh well...




Woke up late today.....went for 12.30 mass...... Fr. Paul was celebrating it...... I really love attending his masses even though his English is not entirely fluent, and you have to really listen hard in order to understand what he is saying......but the main point is that his sermon is really really meaningful.....and it's from the heart....and it's really food for thought......

For the first time today, i heard a proper explanation on the Holy Trinity......and he linked it to the family unit, and why the family is so important....and, I was touched. Really. i can't explain what I heard, or what I remembered from the sermon, coz it's one of those things that u listen to and internalize.....and it just imprints itself on your mind...but u can't explain? But it was beautiful.

hmmm.....the legion video is almost completed....i'm quite proud of it....in fact, I think it's one of the best i've ever done so far....even better than the jxy ones that i've done so far...... actually, it's quite propaganda....hehe...but that's the point of recruitment ain't it?? =D

There's still much to be done.......sighz....i just hope that I didn't make the wrong choice to change the camp into this one day activity, and that it'd be much more effective......... but, it's all in God's hands......so...back to more work!!! still have a presentation and another possible video to complete before that day!! =D




Brought my parents out for lunch today at Majestic Hotel........had promised lots of food pics, but.... haha...the food was so good that I'd forgotten to take pictures for the first two courses......perfect appetizers and shark's fin.....sighz....but anywayz, here's the rest!



Steamed sea perch...... fresh, and cooked to perfection!


Hor Fun with chicken slices..... do not be cheated by its simple appearance!
The broth was flavourful and intense, whilst the hor fun was perfect.


Mummy and Daddy!


The mango pudding that is faved by Channel 8.....not bad....
Dad found the ingredients adding to the pudding perfectly...


And last but not least, Crispy fried Durian Ice cream...totally to die for man.....

haha......burnt a super huge hole in our pockets...but, it's alright, food like that once in a while is totally worth it....and anywayz, it's for my parents as Mother's Day, Father's Day, and their Anniversary...so, it's absolutely worth it!!! haha....

watched What Happens in Vegas yesterday....super funny show..... not much depth, but I think the chemistry between Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz was quite interesting....

oh well...have to go for dinner now....had wanted to cook...but....mum and dad have friends over..so.....it's out for dinner again, then watching the FA cup final with Angela.....




Had my friends over to show them my wedding photos.....in the process, we watched August Rush.......a really nice show.....totally touched the heart...... Don't think it was screened in Singapore.....but I really recommend anyone who loves music to watch it.......if u love fairytales, u should also watch it.......

hmmm...as of now, have yet to start on the Legion video....I think I really have to start tonight...or it'll never be completed in time! so much to do....I really hope all the presdients from the different presidiums cooperate with me in producing the necessary information, so that the video can come out in time........of course, I'd also need my actors/actresses!!! hope i get good news on sunday!

Finally completed Hell's Kitchen Season 2.........think it's good..... Heather truly deserved to win... coz I think she possesses the skills and the drive necessary to run a kitchen....

kinda looking forward to this Saturday, coz am gonna bring my parents out to Majestic Hotel for a meal.... kinda post-celebration for their anniversary, and Mother's day....coz they were so busy, we didn't have time to even celebrate for them.....also possible coz Darling's bro is overseas...so we can get the car....my dad hates travelling to far places without a car, so it's kinda lucky everything fell into place....just hope they like the food!

Ah well...meeting tonight.....many many things to do also...... think my next post will be after my dinner on Saturday with lots and lots of pictures!!! =D




so......been a super busy weekend for me....only had time to stop and take a breather these last 2 days...even so, am rushing out stuff for the recruitment activity....so...in true fact, am not even really doing wat I wanna do right now....which is to curl up in bed, and do nothing but read.

helped mum with the multitude of roses for Mother's Day flowers sale......sighz...every single year, I spend it helping her with the flowers......I've become so used to doing it with her.....coz.. we've been doing it for more than 10 years now.... all I know is that when she stops, I'm most definitely not gonna continue her tradition...simply coz it takes up too much time and effort....and even if I were to do so, I think I'd rather do it alone, than with a massive amount of aunties who talk more than the amount of work they are producing! sheesh....

My cousin's wedding on 9 May was.....kinda nice..... it was at Oriental Hotel....was quite impressed with their Shark's fin....coz it was slightly different from what we are used to......and the waitress for my table was great....she was cute and funny, and I think she had lots of fun serving my table too..... Ha. I guess the best part about having a family as big as mine is that we get to fill up an entire table when all of us are present....so, we don't have to share with anyone else, and we get to eat very comfortably...... =D Had bought a dress from Chaos specially for this occasion, as well as darling's cousin's wedding that's coming up in mid-June.... love the dress...and it sure is giving me motivation to exercise coz it sure shows your flaws if u don't fit it! =p i would say it's the next most 'sexy' dress I have after my yellow dress for my wedding.... hee.. anywayz, had lots of fun with Marilyn and my cousins, taking lots and lots of photos, which i'll post at the end of this blog.. =)

Spent Mother's Day dinner at Darling's house. Apparently, we decided on a western-style home-cooked dinner, and his dad only trusts me to help him out in the kitchen...so, it was just me and him... kinda fun though, since we really did it restaurant style.....kinda nostalgic... =)

Had my pre-teaching assistantship conference with my supervisor on Monday, and met up with Russell yesterday.....today am gonna meet my NIE friends for lunch too....

Been spending the last few nights watching Hell's Kitchen, and am totally enjoying it.....sometimes I wonder why some of the contestants are so dumb to make the mistakes they do....... some of them are almost unforgivable mistakes! Sighz....... and watching it only confirms what I've experienced even more.........a testosterone-filled kitchen is indeed bad for health..... actually, an oestrogen-filled kitchen isn't exactly good either....... I guess wat's more important in the end is to be focused on the food more than politics....only then can a kitchen run well......

Ah well, enough of talking....I shall let the pictures take over for now!


the wedding couple



Asher, my nephew; together with Evelyn Tan & Darren Lim's daughter...
























Hmm.... My cousin's wedding is today. Today...is also the annual flower packing day in my church for Mother's Day.....my mum's yearly duty...... Am waiting for her call before i go embark on helping her....... a thousand roses is no joke.....and because we have to attend my cousin's wedding today, so.... we'll only do the wrapping of flowers tomorrow.......

Sadly though....it's my parents 41st wedding anniversary tomorrow....and they'll be spending it busy in church... 41 years....just 9 more years, and they'd have reached their golden anniversary! man....i wonder how they'll celebrate it......we did a celebratory service on their 25th anniversary...... hmmm.... guess such marriages only serve to remind us of the journey we have ahead, and how we should be loving and forgiving instead of bearing grudges......

Been thinking and thinking about how to go about doing the LOM video....looked at michael's version and june's version...and I want it to be far more impactful than the ones they've done....... kinda hard though.... especially the selection of music..... sighz......

realize many of our friends haven't seen the video that Moomedia has done for Darling and myself for our story......... so here it is..... the events depicted in the video are as close to re-enactment as was possible during filming..... =)






well well....just realised that those photos I posted are the first ones I have of my short hair.... =D
haha...hope those who didn't know I chopped my hair so drastically didn't have a heart attack....

Anywayz, thanks to all the current and ex-SACians who are showing me so much support for my practicum in SACPS.....hee...with the support of these girls as well as my ex-teachers who are to become my colleagues, I believe i'll be able to do quite well.....will try my very best! =D

Hmmmm...just attended Darling's friend's wedding dinner last night....my cousin's one is due on Friday....my Mum's friend's daughter's one is in a month's time, and darling's cousin's wedding is at the end of June.....humph.. 4 weddings in less than 2 months... major money loss! Is that a sign of growing up?? haha..... I just realised the best thing about being single and young is going for wedding dinners free of charge with your parents paying for your food.....sighz...i can no longer do that...now have to pay for myself and darling's share!!

Just realised I'm almost a month into my holiday....and still I have not achieved much... I can't seem to pull myself to start doing work and other things that requires my attention....am a little too caught up in my reading of books....sharing them fervently with Angela......sometimes they just let me escape into my own little world of idealism and daydreams...I guess that's the best part of reading...they bring you into a world that you may not be able to get in reality....

Yesterday the St. Francis Xavier Major Seminary came to my church for a roadshow coz it's their 25th Anniversary. They showed their promotional video during Mass..... I think it was great and super powerful.....and am gonna use it as inspiration for the Legion video that I'm about to be doing for the recruitment activity....... Watching it, I suddenly felt that maybe Mark and Ian should be trying out the seminary......I can see them as future priests....Ian as one of those priests that do their work best behind the scenes.....and Mark as one of those really passionate people-oriented priests...... =D haha....

spoke to Br. Jude.....this Brother who was based at QOP in 2004, and came to speak to us during the recruitment camp we did at that time..... he still remembered Darling and myself...... was telling us about how he's looking towards our future children to answer to God's call! haha...my kids aren't even in existence yet and they are already targeted! But, it's all up to God..... if He wants them, so be it..... Br. Jude was also asking us about our involvement in church....and why we are not doing more to get the teens and young adults more involved in church activities.....and well, we were telling him about the current problems we were facing..... He totally agrees....it's funny how priests understand the problems better than our layman..... I totally don't understand why. He says these problems are common in the Chinese and Tamil community..... which shouldn't be the case as they ought to be more objective....but sigh.... like he said, we should just keep praying and have faith.....

just watched quite a few shows recently.......I think Ironman is great......no doubt it's an action flick that's all male....but I think the technology used in the show is fantastic...and the storyline is not bad..... I do recommend it.......Nim's Island had very pretty scenery and was quite nice...but the storyline takes quite a bit of thinking about before you realise what's the whole point of the show.............watched a downloaded version of Superhero movie.....think it's TOTALLY dumb. Please don't waste your money.......it's worse than any other dumb movie ever screened......really......... we almost fell asleep watching coz it's not even funny.....so..yup...

sighz.....seems i'm very random today....shan't go on coz i've to write out minutes of the recruitment activity.........btw...it's gonna be held on 1st June.....more details to be out soon... fellow legionaries please start looking for friends that you would like to bring for the activity... 1-2 friends per person okay?? =D

After this trip, i seriously think that Filipinos really sing well....here's a group of them singing during our dinner buffet.......The female has a super strong voice.....love how they sing their version of Unchained Melody......it's stuck in my head....