tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124680562012-01-13T18:23:12.261+08:00for those little nuggets of memories, laughs, tips, irrelevant info and general hee-hah!eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.comBlogger1621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-46804227125439137712007-12-05T23:01:00.000+08:002007-12-22T09:25:58.885+08:00

After my 1st chemo-cycle, I checked back with my oncologist, Doc Smiley, as to whether there were any dietary concerns, no-nos and what-nots that I should be aware of... and his immediate response was, "you can eat anything and everything.. in fact, you can even go ahead and eat a hamburger!" .... In my heart, I clapped with joy! Being the food-loving creature that I am, it looked like my

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-79480034367165172312007-11-04T23:58:00.000+08:002007-11-04T23:58:30.856+08:00

"You really need to eat more vegetables, organic preferably... I hear broccoli is one of the best anti-cancer vegetables around... have you tried eating broccoli raw or juicing it?" ... That last one came from my good friend, C who tried to get me to chomp on raw florets of broccoli. For the sake of friendship, I managed one raw floret and there and then made up my mind that some vegetables are

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-14310955454085295122007-10-31T23:11:00.000+08:002007-11-01T00:41:05.672+08:00

Some weeks back, a group of wonderful warm-hearted colleagues sent me a beautiful basket of sunflowers which added a great sense of brightness and cheer to my living room - and each morning, afternoon and evening as I happened to glance at them, they reminded me of the cheerful sentiments, sincere well-wishes, support and encouragement sent along. Thank you, guys (you know who you are) - you

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-6383650512570581812007-10-26T23:35:00.000+08:002007-10-27T01:49:08.103+08:00

During the first 10 days of each chemotherapy session, I can feel my body 'heat up' with the drugs inside my system. With the looming threats of mouth ulcers, sore throat, heat pimples on my back and shoulders (all of which I unfortunately and painfully experienced at one go during my first chemo-session), drinking lots of liquid, up to 2 litres (or approximately 8 cups) or more a day is one of

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-80685745144959853772007-10-22T23:01:00.000+08:002007-10-23T20:21:14.299+08:00

"In future, you will not be able to carry anything heavier than 5 kg...", said the nurse-counsellor as she brandished about a small plastic bottle which she had minutes ago informed me would be hanging from my armpit to allow for lymphatic drainage after the axillary clearance operation. I was SHELL-SHOCKED.... and my calm composure, carefully maintained during the earlier consultation with my

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-83640054346181659252007-10-16T06:27:00.000+08:002007-10-18T00:40:21.878+08:00

Today's post is dedicated to a very special friend who discovered she had breast cancer just a few months before I discovered my own lump in the breast.Breast cancer is the most common cancer amongst Singapore women and I'm sure we've all read at one time or another newspaper or women's magazine articles quoting horrendous world and national statistics on breast cancer, and maybe even bought a

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-28116599345339420312007-10-09T23:37:00.000+08:002007-10-12T09:41:38.831+08:00

When I started my first session of chemotherapy, Doc Smiley assured me that I will definitely lose my hair within 2 weeks of the session. I didn't believe him as I had heard that some other patients may take longer to lose all of their hair and I was hoping my hair follicles were stronger than most (though I really had no basis at all for such blind hope).Nothing happened for 13 days and I was

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-8506616936830212492007-10-01T22:51:00.000+08:002007-10-12T09:40:30.531+08:00

"super-charged"... "hungry"... "full-alert"... my choice of descriptive words on how I felt during my first few days of chemotherapy!I started chemotherapy within a week of my surgery - thanks to my very efficient medical oncologist, Doc Smiley (of course, that's my nick for the dear doctor largely attributed to his sense of humor, which can be a wee wicked at times too). At that first

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-63213986745589023032007-09-28T14:44:00.000+08:002007-10-12T09:43:53.630+08:00

"It's confirmed." And with those two words from my doctor, my usually uneventful life became a roller-coaster of emotions for my family and I.Several weeks ago, I discovered a lump in my breast and after going through the standard procedure of a mammogram, an ultra-sound scan, and finally a core-section biopsy, my oncologist spoke the two dreaded words that I was praying would not come true. But

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-40447958985199394832007-09-20T23:01:00.001+08:002007-09-21T00:01:55.543+08:00

How fast time passes... in the blinking of an eye, an entire year has gone by since my last update!The usual claims and commitments at work, a dearth of inspiration... and I figured that a breather from blogging and trying to make sense of my thoughts would be welcomed indeed.And now you may be wondering my reason for coming out of this long silent hiatus...A wholely unexpected and unsettling

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1162226434153623492006-10-30T23:50:00.000+08:002006-11-04T01:30:27.093+08:00

As I rush around in the Raffles Place City Business District (CBD), Mondays to Fridays, from carpark to office to meetings to lunch, I sometimes see foreign tourists walking the CBD with their cameras in tow, and I've always wondered what in the world is there for them to snap in this steel and glass contained concrete district.So, a couple of weekends ago, I took my camera out for a walk in the

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1161274169609846852006-10-19T23:30:00.000+08:002006-10-20T00:15:31.020+08:00

The weekend... ahhh, just the thought of these two precious days will put a light spring in my steps on its eve! The only days when I don't have to drag myself out of bed at an unearthly hour, no rushing out of the house without a cup of caffeinated sustenance and no fighting through miserable tail-gating early morning traffic into the office.Yes, yes, on weekends, I can sleep as late as I wish

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1160414882590167902006-10-09T23:58:00.000+08:002006-10-10T01:28:03.630+08:00

6 October this year (being the 15th day of the 8th lunar month in the Chinese lunar calendar) was the designated date for the celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhong QiuJie) worldwide. Starting as a celebration of harvest in ancient China, the 'celebration' in Singapore commenced a few weeks ago with the Chinatown light-up of lantern displays, and not just any old red lanterns but huge

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1159458773209083632006-09-28T23:52:00.000+08:002006-09-28T23:52:53.773+08:00

No, I'm not introducing a new superhero from Marvel or DC Comics. I am however eager to show you my latest discovery at the supermarket."Tsk, tsk, tsk...", you may be shaking your head at me now and wondering what's so special about this red fruit that looks like a plum... errh, wait a minute, or is that an apricot?Well, it's neither but it can trace its ancestry to both plums and apricots.***

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1158944893399820522006-09-22T23:24:00.000+08:002006-09-23T01:08:13.706+08:00

Hubby and I dine out at least three-quarters of the time, and frankly, eating greens is not always our top priority on such occasions, not to mention also that vegetable servings whether in hawker centres or cafes can sometimes be miserable whether in serving amount, presentation or taste. And so, into the kitchen I will troop in every once in awhile to rustle up some quick vegetable dishes to

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1158506128864044802006-09-17T22:59:00.000+08:002006-09-17T23:15:28.906+08:00

Amidst the jewelled sapphire blue waters of the clear lakes in Jiuzhaigou Valley, Sichuan, a beautiful pink plant struggles for attention... an ardous task almost akin to that of a contestant in a beauty contest! This was taken when I visited Jiuzhaigou Valley last year. A beautiful place and highly recommended for those in love with nature! The air is fresh and crisp up in the mountains... awed

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1157994341248788652006-09-11T23:59:00.000+08:002006-09-12T01:05:41.390+08:00

Work and family commitments have kept me really busy over the last few weeks, so much so that I haven't cooked in my kitchen for ages (and I certainly don't regard boiling water for instant noodles as a form of cooking). With the inspiration battery running low, it also seemed like a good excuse to take a short break from this blog...... so, my apologies to those who've been checking in every

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1156953181580665572006-08-30T23:15:00.000+08:002006-08-30T23:53:09.016+08:00

A couple of Saturdays ago, I did something that I never thought I would do - I dragged myself away from a snoring husband and out of my comfortable king-size bed in the wee hours of the morning so that I could join a couple of my FlickrSG friends to capture some dawn shots of the Merlion and the Esplanade. Whizzing into the city and arriving at 6 a.m. at the foot of the famed Merlion, I find one

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1156687457992879662006-08-27T23:05:00.000+08:002006-08-27T23:11:45.836+08:00

The last 15 minutes before I started on this post has been absolutely infuriating and frustrating. And if you are a Blogger-user (i.e. been hosting your blog with blogger.com), you will know what I mean. Ever since Blogger started switching a couple of weeks back to a beta Blogger format (heavens know what that means), it's been a bloody hair-tearing and cussing experience everytime I try to log

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1156263649773904332006-08-22T23:09:00.000+08:002006-08-23T00:28:37.770+08:00

Every once in a while, I daydream of the day when I will wake up on a weekend to the distinctive aromas of goodies baking in the kitchen... but alas, until hubby decides to dabble in the kitchen, it looks like I have to create those wafting seductive aromas fully alert in my pyjamas! Nothing beats the aromas of muffins baking in the oven interlaced with the fresh smells of good coffee as it drips

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1155830513848404432006-08-17T23:22:00.000+08:002006-08-18T00:01:54.050+08:00

I call this a 'wuliao' shot ("wuliao" is the Mandarin phrase generally used for 'bored', 'senseless', 'silly') and in this case, all three meanings apply.Last Sunday, hubby and I had dropped in for coffee at the TCC (the coffee connoisseur) outlet located in the NAFA (Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts) building at Bencoolen Street. Hubby disappeared under a pile of Sunday papers, surfacing every once

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1155229324704955632006-08-10T23:23:00.000+08:002006-10-06T00:12:00.556+08:00

If I should ever decide to skip my carbohydrates, which basically means skipping my bowl of rice at mealtimes, the scene might look like this!And I can just hear my mum's voice in the background, "stop playing with your food!", which obviously, I was with this particular set-up! Saw a photo once where a cup of tea and a piece of toast was hanging off the wall, and ever since then, I've had this

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1154446786124541602006-08-01T23:44:00.000+08:002006-08-01T23:44:34.783+08:00

We have a bottle of sake in our home, a gift from a friend who came back from Japan. It's been there for many many moons, as hubby and I haven't developed a thing for grain alcohol as yet. Afraid that a sincere gift may go to waste, I have now removed the sake from its beautiful peach pastel-flowered gift box, and a tinge of regret bubbled up - a very common feeling I get whenever I have to

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1153848443121838352006-07-25T23:22:00.000+08:002006-07-26T10:14:50.906+08:00

In keeping with my healthy 'meatout' pledge made more than 10 days ago, I've been trying to eat light and green. And when work has been hectic, added with extra hours spent moving into new premises at work, fuss-free cooking is the only bearable option if we choose to dine at home in the evenings.To say I'm fond of edamame [eh-dah-MAH-meh] (fresh green soybeans) is an understatement, especially

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1152812442522671962006-07-13T23:47:00.000+08:002006-07-14T01:40:42.643+08:00

In case you missed it, this week's ST(Straits Times) Mind Your Body section featured the upcoming Singapore Meatout Week 2006, starting from 22 to 30 July, a campaign to encourage more people to eat less meat and more plant foods. There are various noble and worthy reasons to 'meatout' which relate to the saving of animals, the environment and mankind in general, but my primary reason for even

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1152453218477034472006-07-09T21:50:00.000+08:002006-07-09T21:53:38.656+08:00

A punnet of raspberries in a Singapore supermarket costs approximately S$8 to S$9, with a small little punnet yielding no more than 30 small red berries... almost like tiny red jewels! So, it's no wonder that they'll be set to use as 'photography models' before embarking on their culinary end!The raspberry is composed of many connecting drupelets (individual sections of fruit) surrounding a

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1151946951071611042006-07-03T23:56:00.000+08:002006-07-04T10:24:58.823+08:00

Are you by any chance curious about this particular post's title?Well, let me tell you a story that started 2 weeks ago when Slurp, a blog pal recommended on his blog a nice pleasant walk along the Bukit Gombak Trail, and posted lovely pictures of beautiful fungi, birds and insects, and really unusual botany. With interest already piqued, I also happened to attend the 3rd get-together of

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1151596333183555932006-06-30T23:11:00.000+08:002006-06-30T23:12:30.740+08:00

Went in search of veal cutlets a couple of days back and found a nice rack at Espirito Santo's outlet in Great World City (basement 2). Requested for 2 cutlets (one for me and one for hubby).. and nearly fainted at the cashier - the two cutlets (albeit, each between 1-inch to 1 and 1/2-inch thick with a dimension bigger than my palm) cost me close to S$35, sheesh... I could buy 6 whole chickens

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1151253606566967422006-06-25T23:48:00.000+08:002006-06-26T00:40:22.040+08:00

This is NOT a scene of some Italian or Greek or French alley, but one of a back alley somewhere in central Singapore. When I saw these bright contrasting colors, I had to grin and shake my head at the audacity of whoever put paint to wall - there is HOPE after all for our little city to be a vibrant mecca of colors, with sufficient cans of ICI-Dulux primary colors!And if paint might just be too

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1150818705649696912006-06-20T23:44:00.000+08:002006-06-20T23:51:45.876+08:00

It's the middle of the week, and I'm sorely in need of something bright to cheer me up!These huge oranges which are bigger than my fist, are incredibly sweet and juicy, perfect for juicing or just eating them wedge by wedge, and just the right size as jelly moulds.1. slice top off orange, remove flesh and dice the orange segments2. add hot water to orange-flavored konnyaku powder, stir to

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1150637641082570542006-06-18T23:20:00.000+08:002006-06-19T22:10:02.433+08:00

If you ever find yourself seated for the first time at Azhang, a little cafe along Mohamed Sultan Road - don't be dismayed by the A3-size one-sheet laminated menu and its tiny 1-inch by 1-inch pictures (some slightly bigger, some even smaller - at a recent dinner, my dining companion commented that she may have to bring along a magnifying glass the next time she comes in).Helmed by owners,

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1150221083772083232006-06-13T23:35:00.000+08:002006-06-15T00:50:06.530+08:00

Last Sunday, I told hubby that I wanted to attempt "osso buco" for dinner, and here, I must pause to inform readers that hubby is not a foodie at all. A simple man, he will just eat whatever's served at the table (and for that, he's a darling!), and unlike his wife, has very little interest in the culinary aspects of any dish, so long as there's no cuttlefish or squid in sight.Mentioning "osso

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1149954846197429582006-06-10T23:39:00.000+08:002006-06-10T23:54:06.226+08:00

Was having lunch at Takashimaya Basement last week and happened to see this bright mosaic of colored panels on the side wall of a pizza counter. Asked hubby to move from his seat so that I could have a better square shot of the mosaic, and realized that the back of his chair had such lovely earthy shades (with a yellow patina right at the edge) which complemented the mosaic colors spot on.

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1149601218751057732006-06-06T22:50:00.000+08:002006-06-06T22:48:29.473+08:00

The World Cup (WC) is descending on us this weekend, hubby is all ready - having weeks ago signed up for the full coverage of the WC on the SCV Sports Channel, and the hard-disk DVD recorder has been erased of all previous recorded programs in readiness for those late nights/early morning 'unearthly hour' matches.In the meantime, the wife will be happily ensconced in another room watching her

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1149007198102048282006-05-31T00:38:00.000+08:002006-05-31T00:39:58.266+08:00

A long long long time ago, a little girl gazed intently at her birthday cake.........and in retrospect many many years later on, a hint of the beginnings of a 'food-lover' can surely be traced back to that once-upon concentrated gaze!During the seventies, film cameras were still not that common among ordinary-folk and not many families owned their own cameras. Photos of my childhood were usually

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1148401250296131432006-05-24T00:15:00.000+08:002006-05-24T00:26:56.663+08:00

Unless you've been a vegetarian from birth, it is quite likely that you have at some point in your life tasted meatballs with noodles or pasta. Meatballs made from ground meat (pork, beef, lamb or a combination of sorts) can be found in various world cuisines, fried, baked, stewed, braised or steamed. One of the fastest ways to use up leftover meat, I love rolling up spoonfuls of minced pork

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1148229326317007662006-05-22T00:07:00.000+08:002006-05-22T00:35:26.383+08:00

When I look at the center subject, I see a star-fighter in flight formation from a Star Wars flick, with its wide wing-span, sturdy determined tail-rudder, swooping up to the sky. In actual fact, it's a beautiful wild orchid spotted in the Singapore Botanical Gardens, but my imagination has a tendency of going from time to time on fairly nonsensical journeys :)Things have been kinda busy lately

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1147713079814173322006-05-16T00:40:00.000+08:002006-05-16T01:16:04.713+08:00

Lemons are the most maligned fruit in the English language. Take for example the following phrases, "when life gives you lemons..." or "you've bought(got) a lemon..", the English-speaking world is saying that you've gotten yourself a thoroughly bad deal!And yet, where would we be without a bit of tart lemon juice or fragrant lemon zest to add that spark or zip to our tea or our pies, and who

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1147281928220759672006-05-10T23:53:00.000+08:002006-05-11T10:12:09.153+08:00

Pork is the second-most consumed white meat in our home, after chicken. In the Chinese kitchen, pork is usually stir-fried (in strips), braised or stewed (in cubes), grilled (as in grilled bbq pork, "charsiew" or grilled pork chops) or steamed (minced). I hardly ever attempt roasting a pork loin as the meat may at times end up toughened and chewy.Having read that brining may be the solution to

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1147105867607715662006-05-08T23:59:00.000+08:002006-05-09T00:31:07.666+08:00

"C is for cookie, that's good enough for me!" This is my hubby's favourite line from Sesame Street - in fact, the only one that he remembers to this day as he mimics from time to time that little ditty sung by the blue Cookie Monster.My own lovable Cookie Monster at home had been nagging me for weeks about the lack of cookies in the cookie jar, and it didn't help that I had forbidden him to

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1146677727940892902006-05-04T00:40:00.000+08:002006-05-04T09:49:35.656+08:00

It was a Saturday evening at Raffles Place, right in the heart of the Singapore Central Business District. With most offices on 5-day week, this hub of activity during a working week is as quiet as a ghost-town during the week-end. I looked left and right, the coast was clear, and with camera in hand, I surreptitiously climbed onto the parapet wall of this particular sculpture to capture a couple

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1146323886075835972006-04-30T13:57:00.000+08:002006-04-30T02:00:23.036+08:00

I am a RED fan. I am also a YELLOW fan.When the two come together, I am E N R A P T U R E D! And as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, the view-finder in my camera will gravitate towards such bright sunny colors. These cheery mosaic walls can be found at Clarke Quay, Singapore and they are a beautiful reminder of how colorful the sixties and seventies eras were, when such walls would not have

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1145982998607903652006-04-26T20:10:00.000+08:002006-04-26T22:35:06.133+08:00

My first taste of cake as a young child (maybe even as a babe in arms) had to be a buttery pound cake that was my mum's forte. Remembering a dense cake, fragrant with vanilla, orange or cocoa flavors, it was a real treat whenever my brother and I came home from school in the afternoon to find the kitchen filled with baking smells and the promise of a slice (or more) thus spurring us to finish our

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1145813090142218712006-04-23T23:58:00.000+08:002006-04-24T09:13:29.960+08:00

In the last post, I mentioned I was playing around with some green chillies at home - actually, I was playing around also with some green limes that I had bought from the supermarket.The final result: a composition of green chillies and limes.The cut limes were extremely attractive and with the sunny warm days that we've been having over the weekend, a Mojito cocktail (a thirst-quenching drink

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1145548421089916082006-04-20T23:50:00.000+08:002006-04-20T23:53:41.386+08:00

"You take the right, chilli-joe will scan the left and I'll keep a look-out straight ahead..." - putting a couple of chilli-heads on guard dutyHad a couple of green chillies in my vegetable compartment and decided to play with my food (as usual), and ended up with this shot of chillies in a glass.I liked the way the stems were angled facing different directions, almost like little periscopes of a

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1145372798936839952006-04-18T23:05:00.000+08:002006-04-18T23:29:54.893+08:00

After dining on prawn noodles (see the previous post), I spotted this really old decrepit two-storey house just next to the coffee-shop. The main house appeared to have been burnt down, was in total disrepair with broken windows and doors, and appeared to be just waiting for the demolition crew to turn up. The side-building (which could have been the servants' quarters or the kitchen, can't tell

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1145203408193487072006-04-16T23:58:00.000+08:002006-04-17T00:08:02.223+08:00

When this bowl of prawn noodles was placed in front of me a couple of days ago, I was mesmerized by the color of the broth. Just look at that intense opaque yellow!"Hae mee" (hokkien for prawn noodles) can be commonly found all over Singapore in hawker centres, coffee-shops and sometimes, even in hotel restaurants but just because you can order a bowl easily, it doesn't mean that each bowl is

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1144775779309238532006-04-12T00:29:00.000+08:002006-04-12T01:16:19.626+08:00

When I look at this picture, I feel positive vibes and a smile ends up on my face :)the pink window shutters remind me of innocent childhood, all things sweet and nice from candy-floss to ribbons and ruffles...the yellow walls are like a starburst of energy, bright and full of possibilities... and finally that intense blue sky is tranquility personified...This colorful set-up can be found along

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1144508086854115732006-04-08T22:52:00.000+08:002006-04-08T22:54:47.040+08:00

Bangers (English colloquial for sausages) and mash is truly English "pub-grub" at its simplest. And yet, bangers 'n' mash were once served as a delicacy during the coronation of King James II in the 17th century. Now that is what I call true democracy at work, food created for royalty ending up as a popular dish of the plebeian masses.Grill a couple of your favourite pork, beef or lamb sausages,

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1144255875628163382006-04-05T23:03:00.000+08:002006-04-06T00:52:41.223+08:00

Recently, a friendly wine retailer suggested that I try a simple pairing of shiraz with our local Bee Cheng Hiang's barbecued bacon slices sandwiched in a baguette loaf (buttered or otherwise). Unlike the normal "bak kwa" which has been trimmed of fat, these barbecued strips of sweet-marinated dried bacon with their smoky flavors looked incredibly sinful with their very visible fatty layer but

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1143730445914307462006-03-30T23:15:00.000+08:002006-03-30T23:16:52.233+08:00

The next time you shuck a corn-on-the-cob, take one second to admire the fragile and beautiful corn-silk, those silky threads between the husks and the corn!Whenever I find myself in the fresh produce aisles at the supermarket, I find it hard to resist the attraction and invariably cart home at least a pair of sweetcorn ears. Removing the husks and the corn-silk to reveal rows upon rows of plump

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1143386231832232452006-03-26T23:15:00.000+08:002006-03-26T23:19:33.526+08:00

I took this shot of the drooping tiny pink flowers when I last visited the Singapore Botanical Gardens, and have kept it in my photo archive until inspiration struck yesterday. Browsing through quotationspage.com, I saw this Chinese Proverb. "If you bow at all, bow low." and it seemed so apt as a caption for the photo.Trying to find the meaning of this proverb on the internet though was a

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1142703428978222012006-03-19T23:30:00.000+08:002006-03-19T23:38:25.626+08:00

Yesterday night (a very precious weekend night, mind you), I spent more than three hours simmering a pasta sauce. Hailing from the very famous region of Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy, the Ragu alla Bolognese is a slow-simmered meat-based pasta sauce, and should not be confused with those quick tomato-based sauces normally served over spaghetti.Truth be told, there have been many occasions in

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1142351998071856382006-03-14T22:52:00.000+08:002006-03-14T23:59:58.226+08:00

'Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end!'..... 'I wonder if I shall fall right through the earth!' - quoted from Alice in Wonderland as she tumbled down the rabbit hole chasing after the White Rabbit. And if you've ever felt like you've been sucked into a whirlpool of chaos whether at work or at home, and falling uncontrollably into unknown depths, this picture (of a garden pathway

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1142183196152260852006-03-12T23:50:00.000+08:002006-03-13T01:07:28.063+08:00

Work has been extremely stressful over the last two months and it does not look like the pressure will be letting up any time in the near future. Feeling a bit snowed under, and having caught myself snapping at colleagues and hubby, I'm pretty sure my blood pressure is working overtime! Before another week of hell begins, I decided to boost this frail human body of mine with a little traditional

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1141919630643196932006-03-09T23:50:00.000+08:002006-03-10T00:19:54.843+08:00

Even as night falls, the light of justice continues to shine, albeit with the help from a little moonlight and heaps of electrical lights! This shot is of the dome on top of the old Supreme Court Building, Singapore.Compare the huge glare from the lamp-post in the foreground against that tiny crescent moon in the left corner background, and obviously the eye knows the light emitted from the lamp

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1141318232893781272006-03-03T23:26:00.000+08:002006-03-05T23:20:32.400+08:00

Eatzycath's Kitchen Rule: when cooking pasta at home, the pasta topping should always overwhelm the pasta itself!Of course, a true pasta lover will probably disagree, being just happy to eat his 'al dente' spaghetti with great olive oil, golden bits of garlic and coarse-ground black pepper. Me, I'm into pasta sauce bigtime. Being paranoid that there may not be enough sauce and topping to go

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1140891090209695912006-02-26T01:12:00.000+08:002006-02-26T02:11:42.393+08:00

Having had a wonderfully restful day, which basically involved pottering around at home and spending some quality time browsing at the local library, I came home this evening very determined to spend no longer than 20 minutes in the kitchen fixing up dinner!And so, a simple salad it was, taking inspiration from the Grapefruit (Vietnamese Pomelo) Salad I recently had in Hanoi. Didn't spy any

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1140804432869599892006-02-25T01:25:00.000+08:002006-02-25T02:07:12.963+08:00

"throw open your windows to a bright new morn!"but I am writing this post at 1.30 a.m. on an extremely early Saturday morning (well, actually my Friday night is ending a lot later than usual)......but I didn't stay out late partying, I was at work till really late......but now that I'm home, I can't get any shut-eye as the brain hasn't registered that it's supposed to rest......*sheesh*Posting

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1140454206836424952006-02-21T00:34:00.000+08:002006-02-21T00:50:06.866+08:00

Taking an early morning stroll along Clarke Quay over the weekend, I spotted this row of empty Bacardi Breezer bottles all lined up on the wall parapet of the bridge. With the colorful green and orange labels, I couldn't resist taking a shot of these bottles - hints of the great party which was probably had on this bridge the night before.With the local policemen now keeping a look-out for teens

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1140343133851651472006-02-19T22:35:00.000+08:002006-02-19T22:37:26.993+08:00

A string of mini straw hats sold in a souvenier shop in Hanoi. This picture was shot at a nearby street while waiting to go in for the Thang Long water puppet show. If you are really interested in this traditional art form developed probably eons ago by rice-paddy farmers at the Red River Delta as an end-of-harvest celebratory performance for the masses - just click on the link above for more

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1139846984335644842006-02-13T23:41:00.000+08:002006-02-14T00:09:44.366+08:00

Finishing up a glass of red wine after dinner on the junk anchored out at Halong Bay, Vietnam, I couldn't help but notice the play of lights against the wine glass and the last drop of red wine within, creating a lovely shadow of a sparkling pink sapphire against the crisp white linen.This particular shot brought back sweet memories of the six Gorge(ou)s gossiping late into the night while

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1139492996811244132006-02-10T00:30:00.000+08:002006-02-10T15:31:52.296+08:00

Based on our shortlist of restaurants worth visiting in Hanoi which had been highly recommended by friends of friends, fellow foodies, other food bloggers, in torn scraps of articles from magazines (especially airline inflight magazines) - we are that crazy about food - we zeroed in on Nam Phuong and Emperor Restaurant as the must-trys in our first sojourn to this city.At Nam Phuong, its Cold

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1139113238957100962006-02-05T18:08:00.000+08:002006-02-06T12:46:28.026+08:00

If you can spare a 2-day trip out of Hanoi, then a visit to Halong Bay should definitely be on the cards. For more information on this natural site, take a clicking trip to Wikipedia here.About 170 kilometres east of Hanoi, the trip to Halong Bay by coach should have taken only an hour and a half at most, but with current speed limits on the nation's highways restricted to no more than 60 kph,

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1138467254115297142006-01-29T00:23:00.000+08:002006-01-29T00:54:14.266+08:00

A pair of mandarin oranges (called "kum" in Cantonese, which also means "gold") with lots of wishes to one and all for wealth and prosperity! Some really cute angpows (red packets) with cut-out/flip-up cartoon characters - the young ones should be fairly amused with these. Multi-colored melon seeds, the first time I've seen the same hit the streets and homes of Singapore - the brown ones

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1137948183005480352006-01-25T00:03:00.000+08:002006-01-25T12:03:41.750+08:00

In case you're wondering whether we did any form of sightseeing while in Hanoi, the above picture is evidence of our diligence. St Joseph's Church to the west of Hoan Kiem Lake has been standing since 1886, which makes it at least 119-years old (definitely a grand dame not to be messed about). The Catholic church is a lovely example of gothic architecture, which I found to be very reminiscent of

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1137815505868488882006-01-22T01:36:00.000+08:002006-02-09T21:51:29.996+08:00

Hanoi is really big on food. For a couple thousand Dong, one can savor good honest local fare on its street-walks, sitting at low tables and on stools. But if you care to spend a little more, the food experience in Hanoi's wave of new and trendy restaurants can be truly orgasmic (going by the oohs and ahhs of the 6 Gorge(ou)s each time we sat down to a meal at one of these places).Before flying

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1137606477844486702006-01-19T00:30:00.000+08:002006-01-19T01:47:57.956+08:00

Flying by Tiger Airways (a budget airline) direct from Singapore to Hanoi can really work up an appetite. The no-frills flight does not come with complimentary drinks or meals and a hungry passenger will have to part with a couple of dollars for either a cold-looking sandwich, a cup of instant noodles, or maybe a packet of pretzels. Since the flight was only about 3 hours and ETA at Hanoi would

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1137517990142842032006-01-17T23:55:00.000+08:002006-01-18T23:00:08.090+08:00

No, I'm not talking about yellow journalism or even 'yellow movies' (the Chinese equivalent to 'blue movies') in the city of Hanoi. I'm referring to the walls of Hanoi. A first-time visitor to this city will definitely be pleasantly surprised (as was I) by the generous use of bright cheery yellow paint throughout this city - on the walls of stately colonial and government buildings, cafes,

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1137176831252281362006-01-15T01:10:00.000+08:002006-01-15T01:13:37.793+08:00

The yellow star fluttered furiously in the windy morning at Ba Dinh Square, site of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi. A bunch of six women from Singapore wrapped in their parkas gathered around their young and enthusiastic Vietnamese guide as he ventured forth on his country's history. They appeared to be listening quite intently but at least one of them (if not more) was already thinking of

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1144509000498341752006-01-08T23:03:00.000+08:002006-04-08T23:10:00.500+08:00

Open up a bottle, pour a glass and the time has come "to talk of many things: of shoes - and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages - and kings - and why the sea is boiling hot - and whether pigs have wings."Reds: Uncomplicated Pairing - MadFish Shiraz 2003, Margaret River, Western Australia

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1136218227682088812006-01-02T23:47:00.000+08:002006-01-03T00:13:54.956+08:00

At a recent Christmas family gathering, a little relative of mine came up smiling ever so sweetly that the angelic smile called to be captured for posterity. Isn't that just the sweetest smile ever, with the innocence of childhood reflected in her eyes? Just looking at her, I wished I could recapture some of that innocence and carefree spirit, unbothered by all the various pretensions of the

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1136113316160949242006-01-01T18:54:00.000+08:002006-01-01T22:00:03.256+08:00

This is the first day of 2006, and I will start the new year with something familiar to everyone. Most of us have at one time or another (whether as part of home-economics classes, baked by mum, grandma or an aunt or even bought from the local bakery) partaken of a slice of marble cake, which is basically a light pound cake made from two different colored cake mixtures (usually a vanilla-based

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1135876384109055882005-12-30T00:50:00.000+08:002005-12-30T01:33:27.866+08:00

Before you read further on, take a look at the photo below and try to guess what the translucent strands are.If you say 'beehoon' (rice-flour thin noodles) or 'tunghoon' (glass noodles).... buzz... buzzz... buzzzzzing you out for the wrong answer! These translucent strands are actually from a melon!I discovered Shark's fin melon (yu chi gua, in Cantonese) some months back, and have been happily

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1135788505454138972005-12-29T12:59:00.000+08:002005-12-29T16:25:20.036+08:00

Hubby was super nice to me the week before Christmas. In between the smiles and hugs, he let slipped that he was having a Christmas office pot-luck lunch last Friday and wondered whether his lovely wife would make him a little something to share with his office colleagues. As you never know when extra 'brownie points' may come in handy in the future, the dutiful wife said 'yes'. With that Friday

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1135527283324004712005-12-26T11:25:00.000+08:002005-12-26T16:37:25.210+08:00

Each Christmas season, we get inundated with the usual roast turkey (usually a tad dry), honey-baked ham, smoked salmon and tasteless brussels sprouts when doing the whirlwind tour of Christmas lunches and office parties. Not willing to stomach another morsel of turkey breastmeat, this Christmas eve saw me marinating lamb shanks instead. This was extremely risky (to say the least) since lamb

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1134626357483834872005-12-16T00:51:00.000+08:002005-12-16T01:21:33.726+08:00

Behind this bright orange-red wall on the 2nd level of 38A Craig Road, a memorable Asian culinary experience is about to unfold. But first, you need to locate this wall and there are no signboards (neon or otherwise) at street level to assist you. In fact, you will not even see the number 38A until you step into a small garden walled-enclosure and walk towards a staircase lighted with flickering

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1134062285621699552005-12-08T23:49:00.000+08:002005-12-09T01:18:05.726+08:00

The fourth floor of Suria KLCC (Kuala Lumpur) has a host of interesting restaurants, but we noticed that the more popular ones were Madam Kwan's and the Little Penang Cafe. Having only two nights in KL (with the first one reserved for Nando's grilled chicken - story in the post before this), we did what Singaporeans normally do - patronize the place with the longest queue. We saw the long snaking

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1133887203459715932005-12-07T00:04:00.000+08:002005-12-07T00:40:03.576+08:00

This was where we (i.e. hubby and I together with hubby's younger brother and his wife) were a couple of weekends ago - right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Booked into Crown Mutiara Hotel, we were less than a 10-minute walk to Suria KLCC (also the site of the Petronas Twin Towers). Photo is my very first "live" sight of these twin towers taken on the first evening of our arrival.

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1133880139318412212005-12-06T22:48:00.000+08:002005-12-06T22:44:11.236+08:00

The pictures on this post were taken during my recent jaunt to the Singapore Botanical Gardens. With a little imagination, these flowers have taken on different personas in the mind's eye!Named the above "Yellow Cannons" as they reminded me of the cannons protruding out from old galleon Spanish ship of war, and the red ends of the yellow bud - I see the image of a blown up cartoon cannon (you

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1133715241865544142005-12-04T23:28:00.000+08:002005-12-05T22:34:14.403+08:00

Some time back, I had attempted my second Pierre Herme creation from his famous Chocolate Desserts - the Faubourg Pave, which should actually be baked in a loaf pan and shaped like a brick or paving stone (i.e. 'pave' in French), since the Faubourg Pave is named after the paving stones in rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, a very posh street in Paris teeming with top fashion-houses, Guy Laroche,

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1133281322209911192005-11-29T23:58:00.000+08:002005-11-30T00:24:03.496+08:00

Checked the freezer this morning and discover a piece of lamb tenderloin. Since hubby was away for work (and as he isn't a fan of this particular meat-type), defrosted the same and had the entire tenderloin piece to myself for dinner. As an afterthought to fulfil the vegetable quota for the day, I added tomato wedges tossed in a vinaigrette of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and chopped

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1133098294158855272005-11-27T22:45:00.000+08:002005-11-29T22:57:08.750+08:00

Sometime back in July this year, I had blogged about this zhe-cha coffeeshop at Defu Lane 10 called The Seafood Paradise Restaurant (link back to previous post). Itching to suck at some well-cooked crabs, the whole family trooped back to this coffeeshop last week and with their extensive menu, we managed to order an array of dishes without repeating a single item from our last visit here.Although

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1132805436728909792005-11-24T11:50:00.000+08:002005-11-26T22:37:35.060+08:00

Cleaning up some of the photos from my recent vacation in Sichuan, I particularly liked these two for that glimpse of 'chinois' afforded by just a section of the local architecture in a little river town. This post is titled "45 degrees UP", cos' sometimes, it pays not to look forward all the time BUT to look up!These were part of a row of small statues sitting on top of the roof of a temple. The

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1132714100869563522005-11-23T07:00:00.000+08:002005-11-26T22:38:20.183+08:00

Last Saturday, I woke up pretty early (by moi's weekend standards) and with my camera gear in tow, joined an amateur outdoor photography workshop at the Singapore Botanical Gardens, which had been organized by Olympus for their DSLR users. Hubby was still happily in slumberland when I left the house, and I was thinking to myself, "Sheesh, do I really need to know all the bells and whistles for

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1132499548576660732005-11-20T21:22:00.000+08:002005-11-21T09:37:54.846+08:00

Last week, I dropped in at Isetan supermarket, which is at the basement of Isetan Scotts, and in a moment of fancy at the fresh meat counter, handed over S$10/- for two minced beef patties (each having a diameter of a little bit less than 4 inches and approximately 1.5 cm thick). "That's pretty steep for minced meat," says you and I would agree except that these were Wagyu minced beef patties.

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1132070761948336632005-11-15T23:25:00.000+08:002005-11-16T00:06:02.040+08:00

While browsing through the shops recently, I came upon a shop that sold a lot of badges with funny messages, some were 'dripping with sarcasm' remarks that were so insulting that they were a scream. In fact, I had so much fun laughing to myself and pointing them out to hubby that I got thrown quite a few side glances from passerbys.Here's two to share with you and lighten up your day!In fact, I

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1132027507514021072005-11-15T07:25:00.000+08:002005-11-15T22:31:52.086+08:00

Seeing the world thru' a camera lens can sometimes bring on new dimensions, when the ordinary becomes extraordinary - throw in a different perspective, zoom in on a single point of interest and suddenly the ordinary fades into the background!And so there I was driving home one Saturday evening, when I saw the beginnings of a beautiful sky filled with threatening clouds backdropped against the

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1131874941121474682005-11-13T21:35:00.000+08:002005-11-13T21:30:51.493+08:00

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." - a seasonal song especially apt during this period of the year. However, this isn't a post about roasting chestnuts, rather it's about steaming water chestnuts. Curious? ... read on ...Chinese water chestnuts are not truly nuts, being more tuber in nature. Peeled before use, the water chestnut can be eaten raw and has a crunchy texture, slightly sweet in

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1131468315712715972005-11-09T08:20:00.000+08:002005-11-09T10:25:06.200+08:00

Tis the season for pomegranates (or Carthaginian Apples, as was once known in ancient days when they were first introduced into Italy via the port city of Carthage) and with the help of modern freight transportation, nowadays one can easily find this imported fruit in supermarkets across Singapore. Pic above shows pomegranates from Spain, at least according to Cold Storage Supermarket where I

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1131290586652143312005-11-06T23:06:00.000+08:002005-11-06T23:23:06.686+08:00

Bought these three different types of fishcakes yesterday from the Hokkaido Food Fair held at Takashimaya Food Basement. They were originally totally round in shape..... before I decided to take a knife and create 'pacmans' of each of them. From left to right, crabmeat fishcake, green vegetable fishcake and mixed vegetable/prawn fishcake - all very yummy with good fresh fish flavors and the right

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1131123041318818752005-11-04T23:52:00.000+08:002005-11-05T00:50:41.423+08:00

This Plum Blueberry Cake was inspired by a very beautiful peach blueberry cake which graced the cover of Gourmet's August 2005 issue - the recipe is reproduced on the Epicurious website (link for recipe provided here) together with the original Gourmet photo (link here if you're interested to view that photo, and if you feel the need to compare the two *which I'm sure you will, it being a human

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1130859286792664902005-11-01T23:40:00.000+08:002005-11-02T12:42:45.466+08:00

This afternoon, I tried my hand at baking a savoury tart. Having espied this particular recipe for Ricotta and Tomato Tart from Bill Granger's Sydney Food and being particularly enamoured by the photo of red tomato slices atop the tart, I proceeded to 'finger-tip-rubbed' flour and pieces of chilled unsalted butter until mixture resembled breadcrumbs - the first step towards a 'rough puff pastry'

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1130683132300126342005-10-31T23:55:00.000+08:002005-11-01T01:02:44.516+08:00

It's almost a month since I returned from Sichuan, China and methinks it's time to revisit that most famed of dishes, MAPO DOUFU. During my last trip, our tour group had this at almost every single lunch and dinner, until we couldn't even bear the thought of swallowing another spoonful of the spicy-hot oily stuff. Tonight's version though is less oily and numbing in spiciness. I'm particularly

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1130605425147218942005-10-29T23:45:00.000+08:002005-11-18T15:01:00.446+08:00

The hottest mass foodbuzz on Orchard Road these days has got to be George Quek's latest venture, FOOD REPUBLIC, on Level 4 of Wisma Atria.Unlike the usual shopping mall food-centre (i.e. boring food-stall counters, plastic chairs, bright flourescent lighting, no ambience whatsoever), Food Republic (which occupies at least 75% of this 4th floor) is modelled on a 60s thru' 70s theme with warm

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1130521534127720222005-10-29T13:50:00.000+08:002005-10-29T01:51:03.550+08:00

A good friend told me once that one of the best beef steaks to be had in Orchard Road is at this Russian-style Hainanese restaurant at Far East Shopping Centre. For those in the know, yes, he was referring to the Shashlik Restaurant. Unfortunately, other than waxing lyrical about the shashlik, he failed to give me the heads up on the restaurant itself.Do not confuse the old and badly in need of a

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1130261071382384812005-10-26T00:10:00.000+08:002005-10-26T23:24:25.186+08:00

IT WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN.After running thru' the latest SHF#13: The Dark Side Wrap-up on 75 chocolatey desserts at Lovescool, it was not humanly impossible for me to walk away from my laptop without thinking, obsessing and yearning for 'chocolate'. Breaking out a bar of Lindt from the refrigerator was just not going to 'cut it' this time.And with that, out came Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1130086758329854082005-10-23T23:26:00.000+08:002005-10-28T17:02:14.360+08:00

With just four ingredients, one can make a really lovely traditional Chinese dessert that is both delicious and healthy at the same time. This dessert, which is usually taken to soothe the throat and lungs, is very popular especially amongst individuals who generally stretch their vocal chords (i.e. talk a lot) in the course of their work. The usual ingredients are:chinese snow pears (shuet lei,

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1129653634103643932005-10-18T23:18:00.000+08:002005-10-28T17:07:58.466+08:00

Sichuanese are notorious for their 'mala huoguo' (transliterated into 'numbing spicy firepot'). Having seen the spicy dishes served during the earlier part of our trip, I was personally disappointed by the 'mala huoguo' served at one of our dinners. Take a look at pic below, the firepot had a center portion filled with dried chillies bobbing up and down in the bubbling oily red-hot broth, while

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12468056.post-1129050342892879342005-10-12T00:20:00.000+08:002005-10-12T01:08:12.546+08:00

Our first dinner in Chengdu was an explosion of chilli used in all varieties and forms in various small bite-sized dishes. This was our introduction to Sichuan street snacks, from an array of dan dan mian (noodles), steamed dumplings and wantons with chilli bean paste topping, cold roast chicken and smoked duck pieces, to glutinous rice balls with stuffings.These were really extra fiery bowls of

eatzycathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04608939654770200401noreply@blogger.com10