I am not exactly the person with the best temper on earth, a fact that I have come to admit a long time ago. But I do have patience and it does take something or some nagging from someone before I turn around and bite his/her head off.
Well, I didn't exactly do that... simply because I can't and it would put me in a tight spot for the rest of my time with the company. I work for a company where image seems to lord over all other things. The word has been drilled into this cramped brain of mine - image, image, image!
We had to work with a supervisor, someone who does random checks on us, and unfortunately so, I have to be one of those lucky ones. Everything was good, my product knowledge, my work attitude, a good team player... blah blah blah and then *BAM*, he spoke out.
"What's with the two pigtails behind?"
For awhile, I thought he was cracking a lame joke since I just cut my hair short, how can there be any pigtails. Then I realized that when I tuck my hair behind my ears, the edge of my slanted bob tends to look much longer than the rest. I frowned.
"So what are you going to do about it?"
I looked at him, deciding whether I should be annoyed or humored over such small little thing, I was irritated... it wasn't untidy or messy, why can't he leave it be. Humans...
"I will chop it off..."
"Okay, I will keep you monitored over the next 30 days."
Keep me monitored... that moron. Life never seems to get better with people like him. Hallelujah to another year with such morons!
22 August 2010
06 August 2010
Wine and Dine
I have truly come to understand the phase of wine and dine, that's not merely food and wine but a kind of lifestyle, and it was my trip to Johannesburg that shone light upon such lifestyle. I wouldn't say anything bad about a lifestyle of wine and food but it certainly will and already added a few inches to my waistline.
It has been a good 4 years since I came anywhere close to Africa, and I was quite eager to do so this time, I even made a mental note to visit the safari if the weather was not too cold to do so. But as one knows, when you arrive at a destination, all the past planning seems to be so... unimportant.. the only thing that matters is what lies in front of your eyes. And for me, lazing in the room was a fabulous idea since the morning that I checked in was kinda of chilly. To top it off, there were plenty of restaurants within walking distance, a casino, cinema theater, all within the compound itself, what more can I ask for?
Let me summarize the story of my life for these few days:
Day 1 - Slept through lunch, had dinner at Ocean Basket with 2 others, something similar to Fish & Co. Ordered a platter for 2 that came with linefish, calamari, princess prawns (the prawns comes in king, queen, prince and princess, with king being the largest), mussels and squids. A village salad consisting of healthy vegetables and feta cheese. A small pan of creamy garlic mussels. And I ordered a glass of white wine to top it off. Out of the platter, my favorite was the linefish that crumbles away in your mouth without you chewing it, that's how fresh it is. The salad was a refreshing change to all the grilled and creamy dishes.
Day 2 - Breakfast at the hotel. Walked right into a room filled with tables of delicious food. As always, fruits first, papaya, pineapple and watermelon, not as sweet as I hope it would be, and the grapefruit made its appearance when I swallowed my last mouthful of papaya, shucks... Never mind, will have that later, next was the bread table, it was a gorgeous spread, all kinds of pastries, bread loafs...etc I went straight for the croissant, it wasn't warm but it was crunchy on the outside and so airy and soft within, a perfect pair with the butter, it would have been a perfect croissant if it was warm. Next would be the eggs, ohhh, I am always impressed when a hotel breakfast comes with a chef on the spot to cook your eggs. I ordered a mushroom, tomatoes and cheese omelette, it wasn't bad except that it was a little tad gooey, would have been better if the omelette stayed in the pan a little while more, there were beef, chicken, pork and lamb sausages, without a doubt, I went for the lamb sausages and it was the right choice, chewy and a tinge of spiciness, goes very well with my omelette. I caught myself taking a peek at something that one wouldn't consider for breakfast, lamb chops... But my love for lamb told me that I had to try a piece of the lamb chop glistering in its gravy and boy, am I glad I did, it was juicy and tender, the brown gravy covering the lamb chops just made it so much better, and I had to go for more. I was filled but I managed to down another one of the almost-perfect croissant before I ended my breakfast tour.
Dinner was the one that I was looking forward to, strongly recommended by the rest, the whole group of us set out to Tribes, a restaurant famous for its steak. We settle down at a smoking-area which I was glad wasn't that smoky and seems to bring out the atmosphere of the restaurant. All of us agreed that steak should be accompanied by a good bottle of red wine, and it was the start of a fabulous dinner. Starters were a must of course, escargots and mussels in creamy cheese sauce, chicken liver braised in a special brown sauce that tasted so good with mini baguette, and good old greek salads filled the table. It was time for our choice of cuts, I was deliberating between the T-bone and rib eye, finally went for a medium rare rib eye with no sauce and Morogo, an african dish - spinach cooked with onions and tomatoes. I believe that if a steak is good, there was no need for any kind of sauce. And I was right, the thin layer of steak juice covering the steak after grilling only serve to perfect the rib eye. The meat was so tender and juicy, every mouthful was an enjoyment. It was one of the best steak I have ever eaten and to add to it, it was value for money, comparing to what I usually pay for a steak, the price charged for the steak was embarrassing. The steak came with some onion rings which was lightly covered with a layer of flour and not batter, it was really crunchy with a tinge of saltiness, just the way onion rings should be. It was a sinful meal but who cares!
Day 3 - Nandos, I have eaten the grilled chicken with their famous peri-peri sauce a numerous times in Australia, but never in the country of Origin. I was looking forward to it, to gauge the difference in standards. Please do not misunderstand me, the one in Australia is good, but the one in South Africa is great. I love the red powder spice that one can shake onto the chips, its not sweet but gives off a combination of spice and salt, at the right level, when coupled with the tasty chicken with mild peri-peri sauce, it was exactly what I wanted.
I wanted to skip dinner since I was still feeling quite full (I bought back a Nandos drumstick as tea) but decided to give the Italian restaurant a try and I was glad that we went in a group which meant we could have a variety of food. Started off with a bottle of red wine, greek and rucola salad, a rocket and parma ham pizza, I love the salads, always good and makes me feel good about eating salad too after all the other sinful meals. I ordered a funghi bianco, mixed exotic mushroom in light cream sauce with linguine. I was worried that it would be too creamy but it turned out to be really light and the musky aroma of the pasta could be detected easily, the only thing that ticks me off is the width of the pasta,I like my linguine flat and broad, not skinny like spaghetti, the one used in my pasta was thin and flat... but that didn't hinder how good the pasta tasted. Tomorrow, I would be heading back after a life of wine and dine for a week, I enjoyed it but I wouldn't give up seeing my love ones for another week of WINE AND DINE! Cheers!
Day 1 - Slept through lunch, had dinner at Ocean Basket with 2 others, something similar to Fish & Co. Ordered a platter for 2 that came with linefish, calamari, princess prawns (the prawns comes in king, queen, prince and princess, with king being the largest), mussels and squids. A village salad consisting of healthy vegetables and feta cheese. A small pan of creamy garlic mussels. And I ordered a glass of white wine to top it off. Out of the platter, my favorite was the linefish that crumbles away in your mouth without you chewing it, that's how fresh it is. The salad was a refreshing change to all the grilled and creamy dishes.
Day 2 - Breakfast at the hotel. Walked right into a room filled with tables of delicious food. As always, fruits first, papaya, pineapple and watermelon, not as sweet as I hope it would be, and the grapefruit made its appearance when I swallowed my last mouthful of papaya, shucks... Never mind, will have that later, next was the bread table, it was a gorgeous spread, all kinds of pastries, bread loafs...etc I went straight for the croissant, it wasn't warm but it was crunchy on the outside and so airy and soft within, a perfect pair with the butter, it would have been a perfect croissant if it was warm. Next would be the eggs, ohhh, I am always impressed when a hotel breakfast comes with a chef on the spot to cook your eggs. I ordered a mushroom, tomatoes and cheese omelette, it wasn't bad except that it was a little tad gooey, would have been better if the omelette stayed in the pan a little while more, there were beef, chicken, pork and lamb sausages, without a doubt, I went for the lamb sausages and it was the right choice, chewy and a tinge of spiciness, goes very well with my omelette. I caught myself taking a peek at something that one wouldn't consider for breakfast, lamb chops... But my love for lamb told me that I had to try a piece of the lamb chop glistering in its gravy and boy, am I glad I did, it was juicy and tender, the brown gravy covering the lamb chops just made it so much better, and I had to go for more. I was filled but I managed to down another one of the almost-perfect croissant before I ended my breakfast tour.
Dinner was the one that I was looking forward to, strongly recommended by the rest, the whole group of us set out to Tribes, a restaurant famous for its steak. We settle down at a smoking-area which I was glad wasn't that smoky and seems to bring out the atmosphere of the restaurant. All of us agreed that steak should be accompanied by a good bottle of red wine, and it was the start of a fabulous dinner. Starters were a must of course, escargots and mussels in creamy cheese sauce, chicken liver braised in a special brown sauce that tasted so good with mini baguette, and good old greek salads filled the table. It was time for our choice of cuts, I was deliberating between the T-bone and rib eye, finally went for a medium rare rib eye with no sauce and Morogo, an african dish - spinach cooked with onions and tomatoes. I believe that if a steak is good, there was no need for any kind of sauce. And I was right, the thin layer of steak juice covering the steak after grilling only serve to perfect the rib eye. The meat was so tender and juicy, every mouthful was an enjoyment. It was one of the best steak I have ever eaten and to add to it, it was value for money, comparing to what I usually pay for a steak, the price charged for the steak was embarrassing. The steak came with some onion rings which was lightly covered with a layer of flour and not batter, it was really crunchy with a tinge of saltiness, just the way onion rings should be. It was a sinful meal but who cares!
Day 3 - Nandos, I have eaten the grilled chicken with their famous peri-peri sauce a numerous times in Australia, but never in the country of Origin. I was looking forward to it, to gauge the difference in standards. Please do not misunderstand me, the one in Australia is good, but the one in South Africa is great. I love the red powder spice that one can shake onto the chips, its not sweet but gives off a combination of spice and salt, at the right level, when coupled with the tasty chicken with mild peri-peri sauce, it was exactly what I wanted.
I wanted to skip dinner since I was still feeling quite full (I bought back a Nandos drumstick as tea) but decided to give the Italian restaurant a try and I was glad that we went in a group which meant we could have a variety of food. Started off with a bottle of red wine, greek and rucola salad, a rocket and parma ham pizza, I love the salads, always good and makes me feel good about eating salad too after all the other sinful meals. I ordered a funghi bianco, mixed exotic mushroom in light cream sauce with linguine. I was worried that it would be too creamy but it turned out to be really light and the musky aroma of the pasta could be detected easily, the only thing that ticks me off is the width of the pasta,I like my linguine flat and broad, not skinny like spaghetti, the one used in my pasta was thin and flat... but that didn't hinder how good the pasta tasted. Tomorrow, I would be heading back after a life of wine and dine for a week, I enjoyed it but I wouldn't give up seeing my love ones for another week of WINE AND DINE! Cheers!
05 August 2010
Still a child at heart
Love playing this game, it's a simple yet addicting game so just enjoy when you need something to clear your mind!
Tower Blaster Full Version
21 July 2010
Spaghetti alle Vongole
*Phew* Finally some time to do some cooking, the most recent trip to Milan has left me disappointed and craving for some decent spaghetti, I have eaten some really good ones in Italy but this time, I was too tired to be shuttling about looking for good food. Reason? I was busy shopping around the branded shops which were having a sale, but glad to say, there was only a tinny hole in my pocket and for that, I think I deserve a good pat on my shoulder!
Oh yes, so I decided that it was time for some pasta right back here on my sunny little island. Deciding on what kind of pasta was the main issue, I wasn't really keen on white creamy based pasta so it was a split vote between the white wine or tomato based. Something tells me that clams were a good idea, without a doubt, I went for the spaghetti with clams in white wine sauce, also known as spaghetti alle vongole. Easy to make if you have all the ingredients on hand. Well, I should have bought a bottle of white wine before I came out of duty free area... it will be on my 'to do' list next time I travel! Let's see what else I need: Spaghetti, parsley, garlic, olive oil, chili flakes, clams and white wine, checked checked checked.
The end product was not bad although my mum prefers it with more chili flakes, I like mine the way it is, the sweetness of the clams seeps into every strand of the spaghetti while leaving your mouth with freshness from the parsley. One word: Yum!
Oh yes, so I decided that it was time for some pasta right back here on my sunny little island. Deciding on what kind of pasta was the main issue, I wasn't really keen on white creamy based pasta so it was a split vote between the white wine or tomato based. Something tells me that clams were a good idea, without a doubt, I went for the spaghetti with clams in white wine sauce, also known as spaghetti alle vongole. Easy to make if you have all the ingredients on hand. Well, I should have bought a bottle of white wine before I came out of duty free area... it will be on my 'to do' list next time I travel! Let's see what else I need: Spaghetti, parsley, garlic, olive oil, chili flakes, clams and white wine, checked checked checked.
The end product was not bad although my mum prefers it with more chili flakes, I like mine the way it is, the sweetness of the clams seeps into every strand of the spaghetti while leaving your mouth with freshness from the parsley. One word: Yum!
13 July 2010
Another Month
I must really try to get back into the habit for of updating my blog, excuses like I am too busy changing my flights, catching more sleep, never being around... etc are all lame excuses! In this new year, hmmm, no longer a new year... I have slowly began to realize that I was wrong, wrong to say that people change, I meant people do change but for some people, their behaviors differ from what they used to be, more like, their priorities have changed which led to the change in behavior or should I say a change to their lifestyles. I am one of them, and this change might be more visible to people around you rather than yourself, even your pet! Well, I am still trying to balance out my lifestyle, between family, friends, boyfriend and of course, my dear pet. And I am embarrassed to say that I am failing quite miserably three out of four. I hope family, friends and pet can bear with me for awhile more while I try my best to alter my schedule and planning. All in all, I still love ya!
07 June 2010
Full Circle
This couple of months have brought the start of never-ending changes to my life. New life, new plans, new decisions, new schedules, new goals, new loves, more laughters , more joys, more smiles, more heartaches, more concerns...etc. But these changes have not change who I am, I am who I am and that fact will never change. What changes is the amount of effort I put into the new different things that came into my life and how my time is being shared among other people and things. But these changes have brought me joy and laughters. My best friend, Ming, told me that I have come to a full circle and I totally agree so, I came back to the same person after the passing of time, going around the world and leaving footprints on different continents. But did she realize that she has come a full circle too? Back to someone whom she has always known, someone who has always been there, maybe it was fate, fate that has been knitting their threads of destiny, leading them back to one another and tying them together once more. My wish lies in the hope of the never-ending circles of our lives, the circle of bonds that will never break... =)
19 May 2010
An Update...
Woah, it has been ages since I updated the blog, sincerely apologize to friends and family who do visit my blog time to time, so this post is an update to my recent creations! I have been having loads of D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S food for the last 2 months and it is impossible to list them out unfortunately, but the last 2 months have been really really great months so please do enjoy the yummy updates. And ...... Congratulations to my friend, Sabrina, for becoming a new mummy, of course, a gorgeous one! I can't wait to see your beautiful son!! =)
Daddy's Birthday meal!
Will be updating more often, that's it for now! Cheers!
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