Dinning WITH Dominos + Fashion inspiration

I have a number of back-dated food reviews that I have yet to post about. But because those are time consuming I will leave them for another day. Today's dinner at home, however, shot up my top priority posting list.


Yes, I dined with darling Dominos. -drools and swoons-

Though this dining experience is something oh so common, I realized that this is yet again one of the things that brightens our day (at least for mine that is). What made today's eating experience special is that it made me realize the love/warmth within my IMMEDIATE family (Mum, dad and me.Grandparents excluded). When I came back last week, my dad bought Dominos too despite the fact that he does not eat much as it triggers his migraine. That (and other methods)is how he shows his way of caring/providing for the family. In fact,my parents can't help but feed me whenever I come home during the weekend. I used to find it horrifying due to weight issues. Yet, now I realized it is only parental nature for them to do so. I thank God for it. =)

We are all huge fans of two pizza flavours. All of which are thin crust.


The Extravaganzza is awesome for those who love FRESH capsicum and minced meat. Eating it thin crust, to me, is so much better than eating it via classic hand tossed. The thin crust edition is so crunchy and flaky thin, I could savour the topping at ease (without having to chew on the dough like a donkey).

The poor Extravaganzza is no longer my favourite though because I got seduced by another new and current pizza flavour...

The 'new' Classifed Chicken with Top Secret Sauce.

God knows what they put in the 'top secret sauce' but it tastes awesome. Hopefully no weed in it though -sweat-. Creamy, cheesy, not your average tomato paste pizza, addictive and fattening. Yes, Fattening. Fattening!!! That was the only guilt-ridden thought bugging me whenever I eat this Classified Chicken.

So there you go, if you ever stop by for an affair/quickie with Dominos,I suggest you try the top secret sauce. Sorry, Extravaganzza, you come second though you taste good too. :p

Pizzas aside, today I had a sudden fashion-based inspiration/idea. Check this out..


Nothing much I know. But notice the black 'belt' I am wearing over my waist. Well, I decided to use my tube top (the ones I use as a camisole) and turn it into a clinch belt! I have been searching high and low for a perfect clinch belt but to no avail. They are either too expensive or too plain looking for me. Perhaps many would have that idea already. But it was a remarkable discovery for me.

So I paired that 'belt' up with a pink top, black bermuda pants and.. black hoop earrings.. wheeee!!




It was Pink and Black all the way, baby! And that colour combination is so me. For some reason, the whole outfit reminded me of a modern day pirate. errmm.. yea.. -silent-... -_-"

Do take note though, one friend actually indirectly inspired me to do the unusual with fashion. As a matter of fact, she was on my mind when I was in the midst of turning the tube top to a clinch belt.

She is none other than Siew Kwan.

Her mostly odd/unusual/unique sense of fashion somewhat pushed me to be more creative and resourceful in terms of fashion. I've seen how she boldly shares her outfit-of-the-day through her blog with not a hint of shame. But wait, I am missing something else. She also boldly shares about her experiences with the Lord and is never afraid to mention His name whenever possible.

Thanks for being an inspiration, Siew Kwan. I guess it is true that the way we dress depicts our personality, no? :-)

Ouch!

Yesterday I woke up with a stiff neck.

And today..

It still hurts!!! arghh!!!...So please, do excuse me for my inability to turn my head to my left. I cannot even look down properly.

But at least, today is the career fair which provides me a chance to broaden my ideas on what I am to do as a fresh graduate. I just hope and pray..they do not ask me to turn my head to the left or look down..that would be soo sooo awkward. -__-"

Hehe.

More Puff-ness

I seriously think I have a new obsession.

It is...


Trying curry puffs from all walks of life.

Really. Recently, whenever I see someone selling attractive looking curry puffs (esp the chinese versions with lots of pastry layers), I'd go bonkers. My excuse was that I'd like to try different curry puffs to review in me blog. I doubt that was the real motive -_-"

This week, I came across two curry puffs. Yes, just two. Not that much I know but I have a gut feeling more is yet to come.

I bought this curry puff from a lady in Taman Desa when I was on hunt for curry puffs for Ken's farewell party. Her stall is located opposite the row of coffee shops there and opens on Saturdays and Sundays only.

Puff profile...
Place of purchase: Jalan Desa Bakti, Taman Desa,Old Klang Road

Price: Rm1.40

Version: Chinese version with egg, chicken and potatoes

Size: Huge (say about 3/4 the size of my hand)

The verdict: Has a tinge of sweetness. But it isn't as salty as a normal curry puff. In fact, it seemed as though she deliberately cut dwn on the salt for ALL her snacks sold. It is more catered for those wanting to eat healthy. No pastry layers.

Side note to all: Hunting for curry puffs on a Sunday afternoon is the hardest thing ever!! You hardly find people selling curry puffs at that time.. Maybe I was not hunting hard enough. Sigh..

Now we come to the second curry puff of the week, discovered in Broga on a Tuesday night during dinner at Jia Xiang Restaurant. OMG.. this is MY type of cuffy puff. -drools-

-Erm..the shape for some reason looks obscene. I couldn't get a better angle for a more appetizing appeal. Sorry-

-The filling-

Puff profile...
Place of purchase: Jia Xiang Restaurant, Broga. Actually, a guy would enter every restaurant there carrying a tray of those curry puffs to sell to the restaurant staff and their customers.

Price: Rm1.50

Version: Chinese version with egg, chicken and potatoes

Size: Medium sized(the length is approx. 1/2 the size of my hand but its pretty fat)

The verdict: Has pastry layers (OMG,OMG!!). Freshly baked. Generous fillings. The amount of fillings and the thin buttery pastry layers goes well together and does not give a 'jelak' feeling. As you bite into the puff, the flakes of pastry comes off which can be rather messy but fun to eat (especially if you like picking on the leftover flakes). If you are into 'Chinese' curry puffs, this is something to dig in.

So that's our curry puff reviews done! :)

Curry puffs aside, Kiki gave me (and our other friends) Ferrero Rocher chocolates and a small card as a belated Valentine's gift! It was meant to thank us all for the 3 years of friendship we had!! Awww! That was on a tuesday too before the start of our Business Ethics lecture. I was really touched. So, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Kiki for her thoughtfulness and for our friendship.

Thank you. Best friends forever! -big big hug-

One-liners

I find this very difficult to put this into words beautifully.

Today, Josh messaged, 'Poking' me whilst telling me to 'have a great day' and that someone is missed. :-) There was nothing unusual about this actually. In fact, these simple messages have been a norm since... -dot,dot,dot-. :p Yet, it made my day.

Today, I realized that those unexpected messages that pop out of the blue during classes or early mornings are one of those little things that brighten my day. Really.. the messages sent tend to be simple, one-liners yet its ability to make me grin from ear to ear is amazing. Sure, there are times when I do send one-liners myself and not get a reply. At times, especially if I was pms-ing, I'd be slightly irritated about that. However, getting replies is something one would expect and thus, we do not feel as excited compared to if you'd get a message out of the blue.

Thanks, Josh. Have a great day ahead of you always. Pokes. :-)

Another note.

Amidst the excitement over the freshly baked Kaya Puff, I forgot to post about another food item that my mum and I go ga-ga over.

It is this...

-drools-

The Ampang Fried Dumpling.. or 'Sui Gao' in Cantonese (sorry for the terrible spelling). Public holidays tend to mean breakfast together with mum and dad. Breakfast together would mean going out. Going out would mean having a great bfast which leads to a great kickstart for the day!! :D We often frequent to this place we call Ampang Yong Tau Foo. The Yong Tau Foo.. is just like any Yong Tau Foo. I am a noob in evaluating Yong Tau Foo in general. But the Sui Gao is awesome. For those who do not like the minced meat version of the Sui Gao, this is something you'd like. It is light, crunchy, does not have that after taste you get when you eat Sui Gao that has minced pork in it, neither is it too oily. This Sui Gao has fish fillings in it (obviously) and is addictive.

Hence, just like the oven-baked Kaya Puff I mentioned earlier, this is something that can kickstart my day, turning my grouchy old self into a happy-sunshiny me.

Ah..unlike the Kaya puff though, you do not need to wake up so early to get this as the restaurant opens frm 10am onwards. So your extra sleep time..shall not be compromised :p

What makes my day..

Wednesday morning, 7am. Indra, Sally, Gab and I were supposed to have a morning hike up Broga hill. At first, Sally decided not to go as she was still asleep. Then, she woke up, deciding to go. Then, she decided NOT to go. In the end, she did not go. -.-"

So, it was just Indra and I. That was alright. We drove to the bottom of Broga hill and started to walk. But we turned back as there were a group of men having a discussion and though they may not have bad intentions, we did not want to ask for trouble. We then decided to go for breakfast which was fine with me.. but poor Indra could not believe she woke up early just to end up eating Bfast! LOL! Sally's fault :p

The breakfast was well worth it. We ate at multi-choice. Nothing great. But it was the Seremban Siew Pao stall that made me drool. They were just baking the Kaya Puffs and Egg tarts. Right after I was done with my nasi lemak, I brisked walk over to the stall with hopes to buy at least ONE kaya puff (just like how I'd have hopes to buy something from a megasale). The display section did not have any kaya puffs, I thought it was not ready yet. I was so sad for a minute. But when Indra asked the lady if there were any.. and she said YES! In fact, she asked if I wanted the hot one (which was straight from the oven) or the one on top of the oven. I choose the former of course. And that truly made my day!!



This may not look like an appetizing picture..since I could not wait to bite into the puff before thinking about my blog. Yet, I had to take a picture of this as this is one of the little things that brightens my day. Even Indra had to agree that the pastry was well done. So, if you want a good kickstart to your morning, I suggest indulging on a freshly oven-baked kaya puff/ Siew Pao/ Egg Tart before heading on to your routines.

The thing is, you need to be up by 8am to attain this orgasmic Puff. So what say you; wake up late with an empty stomach or forsake your extra sleep time for some freshly baked puff-ness? :p

Interesting process

This is awesome, a few days ago, I felt the same particular feeling I felt almost a year ago..which was not a good thing. Yet, a few days after that, I am experiencing the tight 'slap' that jolts me bck to reality and snaps me out of this feeling. Last year, that feeling lingered for quite some time till it blurred/fogged my rational thinking. The tight 'slap' only came much later and waking up was difficult to bear. This year around, the whole 'feeling plus slap' process did not spread over a long period. It was quick and short. Well.. I am still in the tight slap process. Reality is coming down hard on me but it feels good to have realization dawn on me quicker than before so that I can 'recover' easily. Sure, the recovery process does feel slightly uncomfortable. Yet, oddly enough, I am genuinely smiling right now. I am feeling calm in fact!

If you were wondering what in the world is this 'feeling plus slap' process. That is for me to knw and for you to find out :p

I love my speakers! wheeee!!! :D

Yesterday.

Yesterday, I felt useful. I felt satisfied. I played the role of a listener, an advisor, a proof-reader, a reassurer,a supporter, an idea-giver, a good daughter, a driver, a 'surrogate' mother (perhaps?).. the list can go on.

Though, this was not my first time doing this (obviously), the fact that I was playing a multiple role in helping people became prominent via sudden self-realization. A few days ago, I felt small and literally useless. I was not sure if my personality was strong enough to impact others. I felt alone, to be exact. But yesterday, God made sure that I did not doubt my confidence in impacting/helping others.

Yesterday, Sudz asked for help/inspiration with his personal statement for a student exchange programme to GREECE (Greece!! Greece!! omg, I hate you, sudhir.How can you learn in such a distracting beautiful place??!!). It was an interesting chore to do as I personally do not have an idea of how personal statements are written. I felt like a 'surrogate' mother wanting her son to feel relieved now that he is done with that chore. All in all, the feeling of helping someone gave me a good feeling. Yet, I was very cautious as to not let that good feeling overwhelm me. I did not want to make it as though I depended on helping ppl to help myself get that 'good feeling'. That would be selfish of me!

Yes, my blog post may look as though I am insecure and in need of some form of reassurance to prove that I am still useful. Well, no, I am not insecure. But yes, I needed some reassurance and encouragement as I felt down this week.

Later in the evening, I met up with Shaz since she was moving to JB this sunday. We chatted sooo soo much till I cldnt even remember tasting the Roti tissue I orderd frm Devi's -sweat- . As I drove bck home after our girly meeting, I could not help but feel a sense of soothing calmness overwhelming me. I'd usually feel flustered and excited after such a girly outing especially when it comes to catching up on friends I have not met for so long. But this calmness was just.. there. And then, I soon realized how our conversation made me realized how much we have matured since our MCKL days. I am more amazed at how much I have matured (emphasis added). Our conversation yesterday made me realize that I no longer am the type who wld listen with envy or discomfort. I preferred to listen intently and feel satisfied at the excited/happy expression on Shaz's face as she talks about the successful 5-days medical conference organized mostly by her. I preferred advising her on certain social issues rather than keeping it to myself and allow her to learn the hard way (just like I used to whn I was in my early teens). I preferred sharing parts of my problems to her rather than bottling it to myself. I was not as chatty and bimbo-ish neither was I too 'emo' and quiet (just like I used to be when I was younger). And that explains the sense of calmness. :-)

I realized I was not much of a trouble to mum, neither was I for my dad. In fact, yesterday, I was (and will always be) a listener for mum since she was a very patient listener when I was still a talkative child.

I was a supportive friend by agreeing to accompany Indra for her morning walks before class,starting this Tuesday. It was a great way to support her weight-loss regime :)

I became a listener and advisor to D when he poured out his issues on his relationship. I am happy for him though I did honestly tell him that I disapprove of certain things he does.

I got in touch with Shalini Niles,a senior frm MCKL. It was so refreshing to actually hear from her! I could sense her vibrant sunshiny aura from where I was sitting. Oddly enough, I did not feel envious (just like I used to when I was younger). Instead, I felt so proud of her.

Yesterday, I reminded myself that there are more multiple roles I am capable of playing in future. Yesterday, I realized I am no longer what I used to be when I was younger. I have grown up (and am still growing). Yes, thanks to my family and friends, yesterday was a very satisfying/productive/fulfilling day...

I love everyone of you.

Inspiration on the not so bright side

He strives towards perfection
till he seems flawless to me
It makes me feel uncomfortable
It makes me feel small and impure
It makes me feel envious as he is still so young
I feel convicted, I feel sad, I feel something is not right
yet I feel secure
yet I feel encouraged
yet I feel inspired to change for the better.

I am his 'surrogate sister'
I wish he was my real brother
So as to keep myself in check
But he tries too hard to please others
I advise my best based on experience and observation
He nods in agreement
But who am I
to give practical advices to a semi-flawless person
I may be older
But my level of purity and determination
does not even add up to his.
Then I'd feel uncomfortable,
I'd feel small,
I'd feel impure
I'd feel envious.
It is a vicious cycle.. I can't help but get sucked in it.

On a brighter note, I found my inspiration to write again.
Thanks to him, my surrogate brother.

Ongoing trends

I shall thoroughly update this blog later when i have more time. For now, I need to note down random emerging trends that seem to leave me very perplexed -scratches head in confusion-

Certain couples I know have broken up/ ended their relationships. The most perplexing thing is it happens one after another. In fact, my reaction itself shocked me. I was shocked, yes. But it was more of a 'shocked-because-these-things-are-happening-concurrently' feeling rather than a 'shocked-about-the-sudden-breakup' feeling. Do you get me?

I assume my perceptions have given me some understanding on Rship trends. Which is why I am no longer shocked.

New couples (just like newly weds) get so hyped up during their first few months together to the extent that calling/smsing 24/7 IS NECESSARY! Cuddling/canoodling/touching/ 'babyness'/ whatever P.D.As, you name it.. becomes a hobby whenever they get together. In short, they are filled with passion. But, many of you would know that this passion can wear out if couples are not careful in maintain it. And thats where things can go wrong. Misunderstandings/ insecurity/ possesiveness overtakes the ride in the rship. I used to dread this 2nd stage where the passion runs out because it drains your energy.. Really! But as I mature, I realized that this stage could either break you or mould you. This stage can bring couples much closer than before..that is IF both chooses to allow this phase to mould them. Look on the bright side, this is the stage that unmasks your 'other half's' real personality. Wouldn't you prefer seeing the true side of your partner NOW rather than being 'conned' into marrying someone who has been facade-ing all this while? But as many of my friends put it; it is easier said than done. If both sides feel they cannot kow-tow to each others' viewpoints, then it is best to withdraw now.

And that..can break you.

Many couples tend to drag this stage thinking that it is possible to work things out as time passes. They'd rather stick to one another because of the years together as a couple. Yes, dragging it can work but not all the time.

That can break you too.

In the end, it is best to let go and know what YOU want in an rship. Self justification helps if you change your mindset, which can change your desires. But if you are only justifying the existence of an Rship yet still have desires that don't match your Rship expectations, you are only fooling yourself. Many books, counsellors, and those filled with experiences give the same advice; Get out while you can. Do not fool yourself. But can WE fulfill that??

Hence, some prefer flings rather than rships. That's another ongoing trend i've noticed recently. Flings and flirts. They are harmless and fun. No commitments needed. No strings attached. No make-or-break 2nd stage. You can date as many as you like. Be happy. Get kissed. But, some of those I knw cannot stomach this form of friendship though they think they can. They get 'sucked' into this trap that can BREAK YOU and worse still, make you go through a series of 2nd stages ALONE (supposing your 'partner' is a real flirt). If you are on the brink of agreeing to a fling/friends with benefits friendship, it is best to think twice/3 times/ a dozen times about it. Sure flings are fun and addictive. But they are short-term (most of the time) and it comes with a hefty emotional price.

We are nothing more than emotional/sentimental human beings. It is very (times 100) difficult to let go and more so read our OWN emotions. See..that on the not-so-bright side ay.

P/s: No, I was not one of those who recently went through a breakup. I merely played the role of an observer/listener/counsellor/ and friend :-)

-Big hugs to those going through a breakup-

Dinner at Esquire Kitchen (14/09)

The day after dinner at Nihon Kai, my parents and I went out for our usual grocery shopping which was usually followed by dinner. Since I needed to buy some household items for Uni, we decided to go to Atria since there was a Giant there. And so we ended up eating at Esquire Kitchen in Atria, another restaurant we frequent to. Though Esquire is quite common and has been around for a long time, I am still inspired to feature it in my Brighter Side blog.

We ordered about 4 dishes but my dad was the only one who ordered a bowl of rice to go with the dishes. I ordered another individual noodle dish whilst mum ate the dishes with no rice.

We chose...

this... -Pork ribs with old cucumber soup-

this... -Chicken with chashew nuts in paprika sauce-

this....
-Soft tofu with mushroom and veggies-

These dishes (including the noodle dish) were special because I managed to order them in Mandarin!!! (and a tinge of Cantonese la) Yaaaay!! :-) My dad went out for awhile so he assigned us to make the orders and since the captain spoke in Cantonese at first, so i responded in Cantonese...lor . I then switched to Mandarin as I was more comfortable speaking in Mandarin. Well.. at least, it made good practice. :-)

I did not manage to take pictures of the 'Noodles with Fried sauce' dish because I destroyed it before I thought of my blog. -sweat-

The soup was very well boiled. The flavour was there, though I swear I did not see a full pork rib. There were only small pieces of meat in the soup. Sigh..I suppose the current economic situation has made them stingy. Speaking of which, we noticed the other dishes were much smaller than before. Sigh. We can't escape the fact that Malaysia is seriously suffering from the current inflationary pressures and political situation.

Right, back to the food, the chicken with paprika was just right. Not too salty. The chicken was tender and not too old. The dried chillies were edible too, you can suck on them to get the sauce out that had been absorbed by the chillies. Because the sauce was quite thick, you obviously need to eat this with bread or rice.

The tofu, on the other hand, was plain..of course, this was already expected. Mum made the right choice in choosing these dishes because one was tasty, the other was plain. Again, it was all about the combination of too 'opposites' as I've mentioned in my previous post before.

My dad was still not full and satisfied, thus he decided to order one of my favourite dishes..

this!!!-Eggplant cooked Sze Chuan style-

Erm.. well..dad ordered this dish..so I did not get the chance to practice my Mandarin or Cantonese. -sweat-

Eggplants/brinjals have this distinct creamy taste that keeps me going for more. So this dish was definitely creamy and it was so soft and smooth. I even found the spring onions addictive. Sure it was oily..but this was (and still is) one of my favourite dishes!! :-D

However, like other dishes, it shrunk in size...-sniff..wipes tears from eyes-

Dinner at Nihon Kai (13/09)

My parents and I had dinner at Nihon Kai, a japanese restaurant that we frequent to. The food so far had not been disappointing and so was the price. To us, it wasn't as expensive as many people would assume it would be. And though it was not centrally located in a busy place, you would be surprised to find people already sitting down for dinner at 6pm or even earlier! We also noticed many people making reservations beforehand (alot of tables were placed with the reserved sign and it is not to say that FFK..they actually DO turn up).

On Saturday, someone booked one of the private dinning rooms for a family dinner. For appetizers, we saw the waiters bringing in TWO HUGE plates of GIANT LOBSTERS on dried ice! My dad explained that this was a popular (and expensive) delicacy eaten raw. I don't know whether it was eaten raw.. maybe it was cooked but eaten cold. I need to research on that lobster dish. I couldn't get a pic of that lobster but the presentation was so grand and the dried ice made it look mysterious. We overheard everyone in that room going 'Waaaahhh....'
"Yea, they may go Waaaaaahh.. when the bill comes, they will also go Waaaaaaahhh..." joked my Dad. -sweat-. Yeap, I would not be surprised at all. Its lobster after all. He explained that one plate can cost from Rm100 onwards depending on the lobster.

'Waaaaaaaaaahhhhh......'

Still, the set dinner WE ordered was as yummy and at least the bill did not make us go 'Waaaaaaahhhh..'

This was MY set dinner. And being as blur, I forgot the Japanese name of this dish. Sigh. -Sweat-

It was basically baby asparagus wrapped in beef + Sashimi (the bowl on next to the main dish).
Set dinners usually includes rice (-gasp- i ate rice AGAIN!!), the main dishes such as the sashimi and the beef with asparagus, the mini appetizer, a small dish with pickled veggies for digestion, Miso Soup, and Chawanmushi.

My dad and I ordered the same thing (hmph, that copy cat :-p). Mum, on the other hand ordered a different set dinner which was a stew with deep fried pork meat and veggies. Again, I forgot what it was called. And, I could not take a pic of it as they imediately dug in and destroyed the set's presentation. Sigh. -sweat-

The beef and asparagus dish was good. The beef was tender and the asparagus was not too young, or old. It was just nice and thank God it did not taste bitter. However, the only flaw was that the veggies used to bed the Sashimi was quite bitter. Apart from that, the combination of the beef dish along with the Sashimi gave some 'life' to the fishy taste we get from the Sashimi. That is if you eat the Sashimi and the beef TOGETHER la. What I also did was I dipped the beef asparagus in wasabi and soy sauce..just like how we eat Sashimi. It gave the asparagus some kick though the taste became too saucy. I guess it was a good decision to combine the Sashimi and the beef dish as a set because for one, it brought two 'opposites' together. One was placid to the tongue as it had no seasoning whatsoever (the Sashimi) and the other was very well seasoned.

Ah! We also ordered a side dish (again, i can't remember the name) which was deep fried soft shell crabs, tempura style. It was good too!! Because that came first before the set dinners, we poked and mauled the crabs with our chopsticks thereby rendering the dish in a not-so-photogenic condition. Oh dear.. -sweat-

Btw, Nihon Kai is situated around the Old Klang Road area. It is located behind Michelin which is after BHP Petrol station. Hence, you need to turn right as if turning into Michelin.

The dinner was filling yet I did not feel bloated at all. In fact, in most of our visits to Nihon Kai, our tummies usually felt 'just nice' after eating. We also did not feel thirsty proving that they do not exceed on the Msg content...

except for the Miso Soup that is. :-p

Finally, after so long.

I was supposed to post this up yesterday but anyhow.

The 5 of us (Ching, Anju, Sya, Chui and I) FINALLY managed to meet up on the 7th of August at Anju's place after months and months (or maybe years) of not being able to meet up. Anju came back from Ireland for the summer break. It was a great experience. Dinner was simple; Ching and I 'ta-pao-ed' food from a food court in DP (I 'ta-pao-ed' rice..Gasp!), and brought it over to An's place to eat while the rest came after dinner.

The meet up was sweet and simple, literally. Sweet because the girlish chitty chatters were accompanied with some Lindt's Swiss Chocolates and a small glass (really one, it was a small brandy glass, don't worry!) of Irish Baileys. (Sorry la, I got it wrong about the chocolates in my last post). Perfect for a Thursday night...though NOT perfect on the calories and sugar content. LOL! Sure, the combination of rich Swiss Chocolates and rich Irish Baileys was an absolute calorie-intake disaster. But, it was oh so yummy and hormonal changing (chocolates increase your Endorphins mah).

-Frm top to bottom: The top cover of Lindt's chocolates and the treasures that awaits us inside...*dramatic Hallelujah music plays when cover opens*-

Ching brought along her Dad's new bulky SLR camera. Though the camera annoyed Sya, the pictures turned out beautiful..as you can see. Come la, Sya, give the camera some credit. LOL.

And so, we updated each other on what we have been doing with our lives so far. I couldn't believe how much we have grown. One of us was already married with a baby daughter, the other was working and staying with her bf, one had already travelled Europe during her stay in Ireland, and one was/is still studying but will soon enter her final year. Amazing.

-The lonely chocolate; his other friend dressed in white with an almond armour is destined to be devoured by a hormonal changing female homosapien-

Btw, before going to Anju's place after getting the food, I noticed the nice mileague numbers my car was displaying. And it was the 7th of August to top it all off.

I had to take a picture of this.

(Courtesy of -inhales air- ..Ching's dad's SLR camera..phew!)

To be honest, that night was the first time I could sip the Baileys PROPERLY. I mean, I drank Baileys before, and I do appreciate the taste. Nevertheless, I knew there was some way of sipping it 'correctly' so as to acquire that creamy taste on your tongue. But I couldn't master it. All the while, I usually drank it in a not-so-proper cup (like a hot cocoa mug..where the rims of the cup were designed to make bigger sips). Anju, on the other hand, served the Baileys in a brandy glass and it was much easier to take tiny sips. Though this was just a petty thing, it actually makes some difference which we may take for granted.

See!! I told you, the glass was small and the amount, very little. I did not drink so much la :-p

-For some reason, brandy glasses remind me of antique parrafin lamps especially the lamp shade..except the rim of the lamp shade has been sliced off and there is no kerosene stand at the bottom-

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Hmmmm.......

I needed to post the following two pictures so as to clear any misunderstandings with Eeyore's owner and Eeyore himself that we had no intention to bully Eeyore or mentally traumatise him. LOL!!

I hereby declare that Eeyore is not gay as displayed in the picture below (notice the golden earring?)...



...And is not the type who would walk around with nothing but a bath towel on his head and sits on people's laps stark naked..




We had such a great time, that I lost track off time. Ended up coming back a little over my curfew time. But, bad as I am, I didn't quite bother. This time, we really wished Eve could join us then that could 'complete' the whole meet-up with all the 6 of us. But thats ok, I am sure all 6 of us will be able to meet up sooner or later.

Finally, after so long :-)

Spa Treat 12/09

Today I treated mum (and myself) to a one and a half hour full body aroma massage at my previous workplace; Aurora (I worked as a part-time receptionist there halfway through my summerbreak). It was so relaxing..though I did feel ticklish when the masseuse touched my foot. LOL!! The aroma massage comes together with the Hot Stone therapy and boy, was it heavenly. Well..at least it didn't scald my skin like some Char Siew. And I was so glad the massuese didn't go too hard on me. Since this was my first time going for a full body massage, I was obviously elated and easily impressed. Mum suggested I try out the massage done by the bling people, according to her, they are also as good (and cheaper too). Nevertheless, we enjoyed ourselves at Aurora.

I was definitely sure my neck/shoulder areas would ache abit after that since the muscles have hardened because they tense up easily. Shows how much we were in need of some relaxation to untense those muscles. It felt rather weird to me for awhile though especially the idea of having your own colleagues (or ex-colleagues) massage you.. -sweat-.

Working at Aurora might have been slightly placid but I still loved it, somehow or rather. Not to say I was totally complacent. I mean, I believe everywhere we go, we would surely learn something. It depends whether we choose to open our eyes or not. I learnt more Mandarin from my ex-colleagues, I learnt to be more compassionate to these foreign workers (something essential if I were to decide to embark on the Human Resources Management career) and I learnt to be more grateful/proud of my Chinese-Malagasy parentage (might be labelled as self acceptance,perhaps?).

Actually, my plan for today was to write on a meet-up we (Ching, Chui, Sya and An) had at Anju's place, featuring pics of imported Chocs from Ireland (or was it London?) and the classic Irish Baileys. But because the spa treat was just wonderful and sentimental (I got to meet-up with my ex-colleagues and treat mum), I had to post it up on this blog.

-Aurora, the art of massage-

I wished I took some pictures at Aurora (at least pics of the oil bottles or something)..but the inspiration to create a post for this outing came well after I came back. Thank goodness I have my boss's card.

Do drop by at Aurora if you happen to be galavanting at Jalan Telawi, Bangsar. :-)

*Bday wishes: Happy 22nd birthday,Joshua aka Josh. May God bless you,bum bum! :-)

A very backdated Mango Mania meet-up.

Ok. I know this outing was sometime back already (about 2 months back?). But the food and the outing itself was awesome. Honestly, that outing, along with other food sprees, inspired me to start this new blog.

Eve, Ching and I met up for lunch on the 19th of July at Nirvana's. As usual, Nirvana's was packed. But since Eve fancied a banana leaf lunch.. well..might as well drop by. I didn't take the banana leaf (as usual also) since I can't eat rice. So I ended up eating a plate of vegetables and drinking mango lassi (yes, sad i know). But it was the desserts that was inspiring and oh so yummy!!

We walked to a very yellow coloured Mango Mania. Everything looked so inviting.. the lounge area, the cakes, the fruits (yes, they displayed alot of mangoes) ..the whole interior design was pretty.


The menu looked tempting and very yellow too.

















Upon closer inspection, this was (and still is) their speciality. The Yoghurt Ice Cream!! Yo-Froz!!! 98% Fat Free!! -squeals- KYAAA!!

The Yo-Froz comes in 3 different flavours. Natural, Mango, or Natural + Mango. You can also choose to top it off with some cut fruits.

Btw, as I was typing this post, I thought their menu had a spelling error. I swear Yoghurt was spelt as Yoghurt and not Yogurt. So I looked through dictionary.com and discovered that Yoghurt can be spelt as yogurt or even yoghourt.


I learnt something new today. LOL!



These were the cakes they displayed. Mind you, the cakes looked pretty small for a slightly hefty price.










For some reason, the lounge area reminded me of Ikea. -sweat-








After a 'looonngg' period of discussion, we FINALLY ended up choosing (and eating)....

this.. (Mixed Yo-Froz)

this.. (Mango Cheesecake)

and this.. (the Chocolate threefold)

The texture of the Yo-Froz was quite smooth and because it was made of pure yoghurt (well almost), it melted fast. The taste was suprisingly slightly on the salty side. For those who are used to the 'conventional' sweet yoghurt ice cream, they might get taken back with the saltish taste. We didn't mind the taste though. In fact, it was that odd saltish taste that made me fascinated with the Yo-Froz. I guess, this was how an almost pure yoghurt would taste like.

The Mango Cheesecake was really creamy and soft. It wasn't as outstanding as the Yo-Froz if you asked me. It was nice but the taste was quite common if not, we would have still re-called how it tasted like just like the Yo-Froz.

The Chocolate Threefold was very chocolatey. Not bad but again, the Yo-Froz stood out more till I can't even re-call how great the Threefold tasted like.

I don't know why, but I was attracted to the artificial 'mango' tree at the corner where we were seated. It looked so oddly unique and cute, I had to pose with it. :-p











Overall, the desserts were yummy! The combination of colours, the contemporary pictures on the wall, the pillows and the sofas at the lounge area somehow makes you want to chill and order more desserts especially during a hot afternoon.

Another thing I also noticed was that the contemporary pictures were for sale (if I am not wrong) because they had a tag with the name of the artist and the price right below the pictures. So, the lounge area also functioned as a mini art gallery..which I find cute.

We have not tried the main courses there though. The menu contained the usual pastas, sandwiches and other common dishes that I can't recall now. When we do visit Mango Mania again for lunch, I'll be sure to write about it.


And thus, we wrapped up our food outing with a cam-whoring session. We just wished Anju and the OTHER two *coughs* Sya and Chui *coughs* were there too.

No worries, I'm sure we will all get a chance to adjourn to Mango Mania to add extra calories in our already lumpy bodies.


Pray Mango Mania doesn't close down before we get there though.

Second introduction

So I decided to create a another blog. Sure, I know I did not maintain/update my Centrestage,Backstage blog. Managing an EXTRA blog might result in another 'ghost town' blog (where I go MIA after consistent updating).

This blog, however, is dedicated solely to the various things in our everday life that we might take for granted, be it big or small. Since these everyday things inspire me so much, I am more likely to update this blog this time around.

Food, trips, holidays, shopping sprees, shoes, friends, family, meet-ups, clubbing experiences etc.. they brighten OUR brighter side. Don't they? :-)