A Typical Monday for Everyone (even dogs)

This is how a typical Monday is.

First, yawn in the morning. (Even Gabby does)

Then, looked tired and moody. Thanks to the weekend.

Well, at least Gabby can still sleep and laze at home.

Dessert Thursday

Thursday afternoon after our meeting in town, my mentor brought us to try out this dessert outlet at Pandan Indah, called Chinatown.

They have proper lunch and dinner meals, and of course many types of desserts served. This was only one of the dessert that I managed to snap a photos of it....because we ordered so much and we were whacking on them before could even take a photo of them (cause of hunger).

This is Passion Fruit Snowflakes. The texture of it is similar to sorbet.

Serene Evening

It was a relaxing evening after work that day. Such a bliss to hang out by the pool.

Midnight movie date

He is back! Yay!!!

And I just got back from movies with him. It was Cantonese comedy movie. It is a quiet weekend for us, no activities with friends or any happenings, so I took a look at the cinema (online) nearby to check out the latest available movie. Since we have watched Ghost Rider 2 on Thursday, so I booked another movie. The movie was really funny, entertaining and silly of course. It was Mr and Mrs Gambler (title similar to Mr and Mrs Smith? But the story line is soooooooooo silly).

I had a great time with him, as always.

Condom in my GPS?

Yesterday morning I didn't go into the office; instead I made my way to Mutiara Damansara for a magazine shoot. It took me an hour to reach my destination using the GPS.

Stopped at the traffic lights waiting for it to turn green, I saw this on my GPS!!!

Palm Spring Damansara Condom?!  Condominium you mean....Mr GPS? Hahahaha

It was still early when I arrived, so I headed for a daily dose of coffee at the mamak nearby.

My stylist was already there. These 2 photographers were just waiting for the models to have their make up done. So, it was chatting time with my stylist...hehe....it'd been so long since I last saw him.

Took a few shots and the writer, photographer and make up artist were checking the photos.

I didn't stay till it ended. I left after being there for 2 hours as I had urgent work to settle in the office. It was a great Friday.

True

The best in the world's meal

I have been enjoying mama's cooking at home lately. She has been cooking great, yummy food to feed us, feed me. She hasn't been cooking for some time already (they have been eating out, so as me with my darling) since mama is on medication. We didn't want her to stand long hours in the kitchen, taking 4-5  hours preparing a meal, while we take only 10 minutes (the most) to whack everything.

Simple home- cooked dishes. With no MSG at all.

*The above and below fed 4 pax and everything is whacked up*

Melon soup

Fried Salmon using extra VIRGIN oil (on a separate day)

Yummers! 

R&R Weekend

This was me, relaxing on the couch over the weekend. 

I had a very relaxing weekend, yet filled with errands.

This is how an actual weekend at home should be.

A piece of News

I received a devastating news yesterday morning and it affected me, badly. I am thankful that I got to know about it, but I am unhappy with the arrangement. Totally upset. Just when I thought everything is stable and great, it had to happen.

We will just have to see how the flow is in the coming weeks before I make a decision on what's next.

I know I should look at it in a positive way, but perhaps later. Not now. Not at this moment.

I like this.

"I hope you understand that I didn't want to help you is because I am concern about you and wanted you to realize it. I hope you understand and see it the way I see it before it is too late."

My Version Of....

(A Jar Of Hearts...) I mean..... 

A Pack of Hearts

Do you see them as little hearts? Look carefully.

Japanese Strawberries

Remember that  I was blogging about the Japanese Strawberries during dinner with my customer (Friday Night)? 

Yup, here are how they look like.

Each carton box has 2 packs. Looks good eh? Fresh imported from Japan and it cost RM60+ per pack (depending on stocks availability) We normally won't get this but we got offered by a kind soul. :P

Saturday Morning

I am keeping myself occupied and having my 'Me Time' this weekend. So, this morning I went to pick up the ordered imported strawberries from Japan at Jaya One. It was a wet morning. 

It was still early before the shop was opened. So, I headed to Bee's Cafe to try out their breakfast. I scanned through the menu and made my decisions finally..

While waiting for the busy waitress to come take my order, I took a picture of the cafe (inside). The decor actually comprised of old furnitures. There were an old sewing machines, records, a chest to keep the daily newspapers and magazines, and etc.

Finally, I made my order and the service is actually quite fast. I had my breakfast customised slightly. I did away with the bread as I anticipated that I won't be able to finish it.

Walah, this was my Smoked Salmon Omelette and hash brown (RM22). Not too bad actually, the omellete was filled with smoke salmon. But one thing I didn't like was the hash brown. I felt it contained a little too much of spices. Maybe that's the recipe.

And this was my Cafe Latte. A nice hot cup during the cold, wet day.

So, after breakkie, I paid up and left. Collected the fresh strawberries and headed home.

Oooooo...traffic was quite jammed up on the way home. Later, I found out it was an accident. A car skidded and hit the corner of the road.

And that was my morning....

Dinner on V Day

After work on Valentine's Day, I drove to Jaya One to meet my darling for dinner. We have dinners together almost every single day, so it was per usual. 

Oh my, every restaurant was full of people. I headed to the agreed restaurant and managed to get a table. It was a special table setup because the place was full too. :)

We were supposed to meet up at 8pm. He was tied up with work and so I waited while keeping myself occupied with my blackberry. We finally met up at 8.45pm.

I knew he was stressed up with work. He has been getting really busy these days since he held the roles (yup, with now an additional role and responsibilities). I hope he will be ok soon.

6 days' of misses

Hmmmm....it will be 6 days of 'ME TIME' this time round. Boy, it is almost a week that I won't be seeing him. He is super busy with work - either attending conferences or traveling. Phew....

I know I am going to miss him tremendously. I miss the moments where I disturb him. I miss the times we chat and joke. I miss everything of him -and- me -moments. 

Late Friday Morning

*Yawn....*

I just woke up about 30 minutes ago. Boy, I was feeling tired and really lazy to get off my bed.

I am on my annual leave today....need to clear them before end of next month. Still have 9 days to clear. *Eeeek*

Read some office emails to see if there are anything urgent or needs fire fighting and now? I am off to get ready to have early lunch with my parents.

Have a great Friday, everyone! The weekend is here.

Gabby went to the vet

My little Gabby visited the vet last Saturday. She was suffering from pain on her right leg. So, we made a trip to the vet nearby with her being all uneasy in the car to check what was wrong with her.

Reached the vet, she got all excited when she saw other doggies there. It was a challenge to calm her down. Finally after some treats, she sat down quietly and waited for her turn.

It was a relieve for me. 

Before going into the room, we took her weight. Oh my, 33kg! The nurses commented that she is "fat". Yup, just like the owner : P

Waiting anxiously 

It was a very tough time in the room. Gabby was so afraid of the doctor that she had her tail in between her hind legs. There were a few tasks for the doctor after identifying that Gabby had an in-grown nail. The doc had to first clean Gabby's ears, then vaccinate her with a jab at the butt. And lastly, was to cut off the in-grown nail. Gabby was terrified! She cried. 

Some of her flesh was cut off as it was too near the in-grown nail area. So, she ended up bleeding slightly; drops of blood were on the floor. (Poor nurse had to mop the floor) We asked the doc to give her a bandage; preventing the blood from dripping all around. After all the hoo - haa, Gabby was feeling better. I paid up and left. Phew!

Gabby was feeling a little stone when she got back. Probably because of the pain. She didn't have much appetite and slept through the afternoon.

Check out her little bandage.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! 

Hope you have a great day with your loved ones.

Feasting Night

Last Friday Night. It was the night for a customer dinner / gathering. All of us met up at Jaya One that evening after work. 

Our customer brought this. Phew, it tasted very different from the common whisky brands around in the market and it was full of 'ummphh' - to me at least (cos' I am not a drinker; or shall I say I drink lesser alcholic drinks these days).

The dishes prepared by the main chef / restaurant owner were not listed in the menu. So, they are unique and don't ask me for the names. All I can provide is the description of each served.

This appetizer consists of a fresh , naked tomato served in the wine glass, salted grilled broad beans, boiled vegetables and baked escargot with cheese.

It looked like a garden snail, doesn't it?

This was a combination of sashimi. There were a varieties of it - salmon toro, normal salmon, yellow tail, octopus, maguro, scallop and 2 more which I am not sure of. All I know is I whacked quite a lot of them. : P

Fried tempura - asparagus and prawn.

Ok, this was one unique dish. It is soup, braised using bamboo shoots and ladies fingers, topped with fried tiny fishes. The fried tiny fishes tasted like grilled squid.

Next was roast lamb. Ooo lala....the lamb was superb. Meat was tender and juicy. The lamb doesn't have the lamb smell which some people cannot accept.

This was beef. Can't tell you much because I don't eat beef. Medium rare as shown in the picture?!

It was dessert time after the beef. Huge Japanese strawberries and apples. Oooohh......so yummy. Way better than those from Cameron Highlands!

This was served after the dessert because we felt it wasn't quite 'enough' to eat. : P  So, our customer told the chef to come up with another dessert / snack to go with our sake and whisky. Yup, I had both drinks that night....oh, three drinks actually - including the hot green tea.

The below is fried vietnamese rice paper wrapped with cheese. Another ooo lala.......

Ok, finally and I repeat, finally we had the grand finale as it was already 11.30pm. The restaurant was already closed, left with us only in the VIP room. The chef / owner gave us a plate of roast pork (siew yoke - yup, we had that in a Japanese restaurant. The roast pork was awesome! It actually melts in your mouth), pickled radish, a bowl of pickled jelly fish and ice cream! A total of 5 flavours with 2 scoops each to feed the 10 of us! 

Honestly, the most yummylicious ice cream flavours were white sesame and black sesame. I didn't quite fancy the green tea. Somehow the taste was different.

So, if you are interested to try out this restaurant, here are the details. I don't guarantee that what is served on the menu will be as yummy as what we had as they were customised; but you can still try. : )

I had a great night eating and chatting, that I had about 4 messages unread and a missed call from my darling. *Ooops... which I did return his call when I took out from my bag and saw them. By the time I got home, it was slightly passed 12 midnight.

RIP, Whitney

This is my all time favourite from Whitney. Love the movie, love her songs.

May you rest in peace.

Another year wiser

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DARLING! 

LOVE YOU !

The Difference

How true...So true.. !

Happy Throwing Mandarin Oranges Day!

Today is the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, which is also known as the Chinese Valentine's Day.

Here is more information about today, extracted from today's The Star newspaper.

"CHAP Goh Mei, which is Hokkien for “15th night”, symbolises the end of the Chinese New Year. The festival’s origins are uncertain, as there are many legends surrounding it.

Legend has it that a beautiful crane flew down to earth from heaven only to be slaughtered by some villagers.

The crane was the Jade Emperor’s favourite crane, and he was angered by its death. He vowed vengeance against the villagers.

On the 15th lunar day, the Jade Emperor planned to send a storm of fire down. But his daughter, Zhi Nu, took pity on the villagers.

She warned the villagers about their impending doom, and they were troubled as they could not see a way out.

Then, a wise man from another village came up with the suggestion for every family to hang red lanterns around their houses, set up bonfires on the streets and set off firecrackers on the 14th, 15th and 16th lunar days. On the 15th day, the troops descended from heaven with orders to incinerate the village, but saw that it was already “ablaze” and returned to report to the Jade Emperor.

Since then, people celebrated the anniversary of the 15th lunar day every year by carrying lanterns on the street and setting off firecrackers.

To some, Chap Goh Mei is known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day.

This is because a long time ago Chap Goh Mei was the only day that young maidens were allowed to dress up and stroll on the street, albeit having to be accompanied by fierce chaperones.

Young men would then go out, hoping to catch a sight of the rarely-seen maidens.

Young women also went to temples to pray, hoping for the heavens to send them a suitable match.

Matchmakers took the opportunity to strike up marriages between eligible individuals.

Another ancient practice saw young maidens throwing oranges into the lakes. The belief was that the man who picked up their orange would be their future match.

The Mandarin oranges would also symbolise the presence of a maiden of marriageable age. This tradition has survived till present times.

Today, Malaysians tend to congregate around bodies of water at night. Lanterns inscribed with wishes are lit, providing a sparse light source, and some are released into the night.

Eligible bachelorettes inscribe Mandarin oranges with their names and their contact numbers, and then throw them into lakes or ponds. Young men hoping to meet new people will wait with nets to fish out the oranges.

These days, single men and women alike throw inscribed oranges in the spirit of celebrating Chap Goh Mei in a fun way.

Some people write good wishes on their oranges, while others are just looking to meet new people. Granted, there are some who are looking for that special person, whether or not they believe in the likelihood of it happening through a chance introduction via a mandarin orange!

For some youths, it’s just a quaint tradition, a day to mark the end of celebrating the lunar new year."

So, perhaps you (for those who are single) would like to go to one of the ponds to throw or pick up mandarin oranges too?

A cuppa and a slice

It was great to enjoy a cuppa coffee and a slice of cake for breakfast this morning before bathing Gabby.

Awaken

Good morning!!!  Leroy woke me up this morning.

It is another day of fun and I am looking forward towards it.

I had a blast

I really had several great birthday celebrations this year.

The very first pressies received was before Chinese New Year. I met up with my besties for a CNY gathering and that was when I received 2 pressies. Trust me, they are awesome gifts!

On the 4th day of the CNY break, Leroy brought me to Pavilion for shopping. It was the day to shop for his and my birthday pressie. Yup, our birthdays are just about 1 week apart and we shopped for each other. :)

The below were his pressies.

After all the shopping was done for him and for me, we had dinner. Yum..! While waiting for our food to be served, he was playing with his toy; whilst me playing with my camera.

And...this is my pressie from my darling this year. I told him my wish and requirements and he brought me to that particular outlet. I was looking around in the outlet and while looking, he passed me this. I was a bit shocked with the color initially, but it looks great on me. I love it! I have to say he has taste! : P Thank you, darling!

One of the evenings after work, my parents brought me to my favourite restaurant for a birthday dinner. I enjoyed the meal, of course!

Rakuzen Restaurant 

Above: First time trying out Salmon Salad.

Grilled Saba 

On my actual birthday, we met up for dinner. (He was supposed to travel outstation that day for work, but somehow, something, someone made the plan changed.) Leroy had a busy day and so I met him at The Curve; not too far from his office to ease him off the traffic. I picked the restaurant of my choice that night as I felt like having both savory main dish and sweet pancake dessert.  : D

Ahh....a sweeeeeeeeet dessert together indeed! 

My boss and my other marketing colleague bought me lunch the day before my birthday at Pasta Zanmai, Empire Gallery. I am really thankful and happy that we work as a team and appreciate the closeness we have.

My boss knew I love mango and she made me mango with sago pudding for my birthday! This is one priceless dessert that I ever had as it was my BOSS who made it!

It was a belated birthday celebration with Mrs Giggs. It was a simple dinner as she had some family errands to run that night, but she was kind enough to still spend some time with me....

Thank you, Mrs Giggs!

Sunday morning, I drove to One Utama Shopping Mall to meet up with my sisters again. We had dim sum brunch at Grand Imperial. We celebrated May Lam's and my birthday together. The laughter and conversation made the food tastier and more enjoyable! 

This is one complete photo of all of us. It is really difficult to get hold of a photo where everyone is present as a couple of them are working overseas. Great time together, sisters! 

After brunch, we walked around and we did some shopping. I did! : D

Thank you all for the wonderful celebration and I really appreciate it! I really had a blast this birthday.
(*oops, missed out one pressie's photo)