pain is

Late night supper treat from Modestos. Melted but still tastes oh so good. Not cloyingly sweet, just the right amount of rum/ baileys. And a generous amount of mascarpone. Bring on the calories! Thanks pops :)

But this, has been and will be my current diet supplement for a long while yet. Today marks the end of one month and unfortunately, not the end of all my troubles. Finally the arch bars have come off today. Pressure... hold... and a rough TUG to get the wires out. There was no try to straighten the wires before extricating them from my gums. Did they learn the idea of 'carefully' anywhere in their course of professional advancements? If i counted right, before i gave up and squeezed my eyes shut, that was on repeat for at least ten times. Finally when all that was out, it was a mess of blood and gums. Angry gums my surgeon called it. She says they'll be angry for at least 2 weeks. Angry I can deal. I was a happy person but that, was short lived.

**The content below is not suitable for the faint hearted.

-I just had to write it down because what if someone else wanted to know what it was like for her/ him? I was glad to have all the blogs and forums to prepare myself with in the month with my jaws wired-

There's the fractured teeth. Well, tooth that was acting up. So much for a temporary filling, it seems the bacteria troops decided to invade and were successfully working on killing the nerve. Operative verb -ing, but no, very nice dental officer on duty whom i was referred to, decided it was a pulpectomy now or extraction. So no questions asked, i gave him the go ahead. And who knew. That was the worst thing I signed my consent to. At the last part of the procedure, the anaesthetic wore off, bleach was going down my throat and up to my nasal passage. Oh, that's just bleach, no big.

Have i told you about the pain? I was trembling from the pain. I gargled to no avail. It was ridiculous the amount of pain I was in. It took all I had not to wail from the pain. I gave up when I reached the pharmacy. I begged them to fill out my prescription and to retain my shred of dignity, I had to walk out to wait for my painkillers. She called me in after what felt like forever and advised me to take them after food. What food. I was in an immortal state of pain. I prayed hard for the painkillers to kick in and to rid the pain but there was still bleach in my nasal passageway and I was just in the worst state ever on my own at the most traumatic place to be in. I gritted my teeth and when I could bear it no longer, went off to the washroom. Thrice. Till finally, I could settle my payment and confirm my next appointments which I bothered not to look at- after all, I was never coming back to see this dentist and I could not wait to be on my way.

Cold sweat, utter immense pain all for three hours. I was glad I got home on my own without fainting from the sheer pain of it all. Sleep eluded me. Pain prevailed. I finally managed to return my earlier missed call and found it to be, who else but the dentist, who kindly informed me to check myself into A&E if the pain were to continue. I did not bother to recount my previous A&E experience and with all the grace I could manage, thanked him and hung up. 5 hours later, the nasal cavity unblocked on its own and only then, did the bleach drip off and the unbearable smell finally taken away from my nasal passages.

A harrowing experience no less. And hopefully, no repeats. 

selamat hari raya aidilfitri!

First experience at Sakura International Buffet Restaurant at Clementi Woods Park. We were struck by how troublesome it was to get to the first floor seating area via three flights of steps but were glad for ample seating. The first floor had the open kitchen where one could order their fill of grilled meats and seafood. There were also stir fried vegetable and laksa stations. The others were self service styled buffet dishes with whole plethora of noodles, rice, meats, snacks. And then there was the second floor of raw fish- yums, cold dish salads, baked seafood items and dessert. But of course. :)

A nondescript looking jelly that stole the hearts or really, stuffed the mouths of many with its burst of refreshing fresh juices. :D

We adjourned to vivocity nearby for a much needed walkabout after that massive lunch. Imagine, even I, the one who cannot bite still found her happiness in many soft and tasty items and of course, a couple more inches on the tummy.

This caught my eye. Amongst the mad array of chocolates, biscuits and candies at Candy Empire, something that looks like Nerds but are actually tiny chewy strawberry flavoured candies. *Thumbs UP!

braised beehoon

For the longest time, my grandma never soaked her beehoon. She just blanches it with hot water before frying it. That's her. And that's fried beehoon.

And then there's me. I soak it in room temperature water for 10-15 minutes. In that time,

I fry some minced garlic till fragrant, add in pork trotters or braised pork ribs, a couple of tablespoons of mushroom/ oyster sauce, a tablespoon of dark soya sauce and a dash of sesame oil. It's hard to put in exact measurements for Chinese cooking. It's been a long legacy of beehoon frying. ;)

 Only then, do I amass my soaked beehoon and very happily throw it into the braising sauce :)

And in that braising sauce, the beehoon is loosened and bathed in all that glorious flavourful liquid.

Like this! :) And no it still doesnt look very nice I know.

 So colour it up with some chopped carrots and cabbage prefried with just a dash of soya sauce. Cabbages produce some liquid when frying. It's easily substituted with chinese kale, spinach, beansprouts. Whatever veggies you'll be inclined to ingest for a healthy digestive system :) Keep frying it till all the liquid goodness has been absorbed by the once lacklustre beehoon.

And there you go with a less fuss, less mess, healthier choice one wok meal! :) 

And just because I felt like making it more pretty- a cherry tomato flower. Slice it just before it goes all the way through to create some petals and open it up.

Eat up! :D

La Petit Cuisine along Upper Thomson Road- French cuisine made affordable

   for starters. heated dinner rolls with plain butter. no ipad included.

 L'Entrée (Appetizer) Escargots with a flaky buttery crossiant drenched with savoury brown sauce.

Le Plat Principal (Main course) My order of a duck confit. Skin on, fried to a crisp with tender meat shielded from the frying. Now, the sauce however, wasn't too complimentary to the confit.

 

So I asked for some mustard and I was given a choice of three, in a quaint biscuit tin. I liked the tomato mustard the most. There was dijon which was too strong and another that was too sour. Of which, I promptly dismissed the name of. And what a pleasant surprise it was that the chef herself should appear at our table to enquire about the meal. It's these personal touches that make a world of difference in the service line and dining climate. And on that note, the number of tables probably count for ten, or a maximum of 15 at best hence the capacity for personal enquiries from the kitchen. But points for effort!



The other Le Plat Principal (Main course) was my friend's choice of steak and frites. Hmm. For its price, it was justified. But for its quality, let's just say there wouldn't be a repeat order of this.

And a random fact that might be useful if ever the day comes to dine in France,

A French dinner table will always have bread on it. It is however, considered bad etiquette to butter your bread at a meal in France. Instead, people in France use the bread to wipe up the juices left behind at the end of each course. This is because the different courses of a French meal are all served on the same plate.

Bon appétit!

guess where?

                                       wasn't that hard to follow the trail scent of coffee to a
                                       nondescript area for some awesome latte. not so awesome
                                       latte art but i'll let that slip :)
                                                              

                                             who needs a champ? all hail the king!                                         

                                         with sesame, spicy beansprouts and low cholestrol white
                                         eggs and normal brown eggs. :) self service.

                                         a choice of light/normal/ strong broth, amount of chicken
                                         oil (minimally less. not none :p), doneness of noodles.
                                         a very personal touch. :)

                                         sticky date and butterscotch ice cream? forgettable ice
                                         cream. moist sticky date pudding saved the day.

random vanilla ice cream. and not so molten lava. but

chocolate saved us all. :)

and a vanilla dirt pot! a pleasant sight but an awfully

refrozen excuse of a dessert :(

how was your saturday? :)

what was i thinking?

A blogging trip to Langkawi. Rrrright... So I've been wondering why I made the decision to take part and go about asking for daily votes. Instead of feeling like a charity case though, I've had an epiphany. Or epiphanies rather. They come in the form of encouragements blasting through the straitlaced collar I've been imaginarily holding around my neck like a brilliant breath of fresh air.

It's brilliant. The way I seem to have thrown off all inhibitions to chase my some sort of a dream. Just as my brother has put in time and effort into his food blog which I have failed in my own attempts, I think I could do this travel blogging thing. Why not? Maybe because I never document much of the trips we've taken till date. I could write a Bangkok and Beyond guidebook but no, I haven't done anything to contribute towards it.

Taking stock of my life has been on the backburner for the longest time now. Almost reaching the 3rd decade of life, what have I got to show for it. A less than stellar academic record. A random degree of involvement in the community. Bringing in and folding the laundry as my contribution to the household chores. Oh and could I forget, a whole month home nursing a fractured jaw. No, we should not go back there at all.

There's got to be more to life than all that.

And that's what I'm working towards right now. So from deep down in my heart, thank you. Each and every single one of you. For all the support. :)

i can't eat but i damn well can bake! :)

So today I decided that I should bake.

Every Tuesday is a potential bake/cook day because my awesome aunt is home to mess about with me :)

Part of the reason would be owing to the suicide attempt of my bunch of overripe bananas. I decided to honour them by baking them into some banana walnut muffins :)

So i peeled them and mashed them up with a fork.

Mixed it up with some eggs, plain flour, baking soda prune lowfat yoghurt, sugar and that's the batter you get for 12 good sized muffins. :) And walnuts. Not forgetting walnuts. I bought some and wondered if they had to be toasted. They definitely have to be toasted. Maybe even with some honey next time :) And voila!

And that's not the end of the mayhem. I'm getting loads of help at work with my kids while I'm home nursing my fractured jaw and very very sore teeth. :( And that takes up loads of energy so a carrot cake it is! And one that CHOCK full of ingredients :)

Awesomely important star ingredient: Carrots, grated.

More ingredients! Diced pineapples, soaked raisins (in some fruit syrup) and coarsely chopped, TOASTED walnuts :)

Mix it all up with some eggs, flour and canola oil. No butter.

Moist and chock full of ingredients. Who needs frosting with this? Hmm... well, a lil cream cheese wouldn't hurt. Maybe next time! :)

langkawi

I just had the most horrific time of my life at the hospital two Sundays ago what with a fractured jaw that has left my jaws immobilized for 6 weeks for a close reduction healing. It's been a fluids only diet and I'm just about up to here with strawberry and vanilla flavoured Ensure milk. I have been sitting home wondering where I could possibly go to leave all these bad memories behind. I've been travelling close to home these past couple of years but after the mailer from in2it.sg, I realised that I have yet to make it to Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah.

I did some reading up and look what I've found...

On June 1, 2007, Langkawi Island has been given a World Geopark status by UNESCO. And one of its main conservation areas, the Kilim Karst Geoforest Park (The Kilim River) is home to a Pirate Lagoon just outside the river. In actual form, it is a collapsed cave (hong) consisting of a cave entrance from the sea emerging into a hidden lagoon with towering, limestone escarpments and smaller caves. In the days when Kedah formed the gateway into China en route to the Silk Road, pirates on Langkawi used these caves to secure their profits. And what better way to explore these caves but on a kayak. Definitely my choice of transport. :) But they also have yatches that one could charter for the adventure tour. 

I'm definitely heading for the beaches on such a beautiful conglomerate of islands and honestly, it seems I'd be spoilt for choice. Apparently, Pantai Cenang is the most popular spot for tourists, what with its picturesque location with seemingly unending stretches of fine white sand. Not forgetting the extensive menus at its numerous restaurants and bars for evening entertainment, several hosting live music and for watching the sun set. Nothing like a beautiful sunset to remind me that life's got a lot more for me to look forward to :) I'm definitely going to be raving hungry for some mouth watering food and I've heard that the Tomato Nasi Kandar is a budget friendly yet absolutely flarvoursome food. I'll give you the full report when I've tried it...

I'm also looking forward to checking out Pantai Kok, a quieter and more secluded beach perfect for soul searching questions and a time away from everything that's about a mad city rush. It's also near to the beautiful Telagah Tujuh waterfalls and the Oriental Village-a charming pseudo French and old Chinese town.

Why visit the Oriental Village? That's where Gunung Machincang, Langkawi’s Cable Car affords some of the best views of the island’s mountainside greenery. I'm definitely taking the ride to get to the top of the mountain where I'll find the Skybridge – a curved suspension bridge listed as one of the world's ten most amazing bridges by Travel + Leisure and one of the world’s highest singlesupport

bridges. Awesome engineering at work wouldn't you agree?

Mmm. My ideal getaway from it all. The accident, the panic, the worries, the pain. My entry is a bit late in coming but if you think I deserve to take a break to refresh and renew my mind, then please, vote away! :) http://www.in2it.sg/InterestGroup/in2it_cms/index.php/lgk/picture/langkawi/79-ineedabreak