Hello Sea, Sand and Sky!

Leaving for the Miami Beach and The Bahamas in less than 8 hours time!!! We're heading to the airport 6 hours later, and I have yet to bathe and paint my nails... So gonna have ugly eyebags tmr. But it's not going to dampen my mood in any way. Woohoo!!! Back a week later, ciao!

A Delinquent?

Much to my dismay, I misbehaved today; to the max.

1) I skipped gym today. PS couldn't make it, and I felt so LAZY to go alone.

2) I had 3/4 cup of extremely sinful Godiva choc drink and a (mini) Snickers bar.

3) I spilled my choc drink all over the floor, on my Birkenstock (it stinks now!) and a skirt while I was in H&M's fitting room.

4) I bought my 2nd bag in a week but thinks I don't need 3 Kate Spade bags, though I love the Juicy Couture one to bits, now (and hopefully forever).

5) I forgot and subsequently had no time (due to overshopping) to get a replacement head for my tripod and to send PS' parcels to the Post Office.

6) I planned for a another shopping trip tmr when it's actually time to cut the plastic.

7) I chose to surf the web instead of watching over the stove, and ended up serving Hubby charred ribs.

8) I am procrastinating on the list of chores I need to complete by tmr (eg. pack luggages, paint nails, trim eyebrows, etc).


To digress, watched Confessions of a Shopaholic last night, and it scared me to bits that I will end up like Rebecca. I thought the movie was able to refrain me from shopping till our Aurora Outlet trip in September, but alas! The fright was perhaps not intense enough, and I just couldn't resist another bag. Perhaps a couple more, before I regret not buying enough. At least, I'll ensure myself that I will never come close to bursting my card limit. Oh, and PS and my favourite tag line, "Buy lah! Don't buy you'll regret forever, no more chance oredi!" So much for telling ourselves that we need to curb one another's spending. No wonder Hubby keep saying we're "the 2 axis of evil"...

A little of everything

I've been enjoying the past 3 months of Summer holidays so much that it didn't felt like 3 long months had passed. Fall semester will start in another 4 weeks time, and soon after we will have to bid Summer goodbye. As always, I've wished that good times like this will come to a standstill. As much as I dread going back to school, it still can't be as worse as working in SIN. OMG!!!! Why can't life continue to be this good? No worries about utility bills and house payments, and having a fixed amount of monthly allowance enough for insurances and savings as well as shoppings, without the need to work for it. Sigh...

Enough of my nonsensical rantings. I've been keeping myself very busy with gym and golf lately. Part of the reason is because I reckoned it's high time I start living a healthier lifestyle (I've stopped exercising since I joined e workforce), and the other motives, to prevent my golf clubs from rusting and to keep my mind off shopping. Though PS and I have been alternating between the gym and the range almost every weekday for the past 3 weeks, I have only managed to shed a kg. That's pretty demoralising, especially when I was able to shed 2 kgs within a week by just controlling my diet back in SIN. However, to look on a brighter side, I convinced myself that probably most of my fats has been turned into little muscles and I should look a little toned on closer inspection. LOL!

Perhaps it's because I've over-exerted myself too much, that I was feeling a little under the weather last evening. It could also be becaused I was caught under the rain in the noon, which explains the chills I experienced at night. After a hot glass of herbal tea and 2 paracetamols, I slept for 13 hours cacooned in my bathrobe and duvet. This morning, I felt alot better and hit the gym as usual again.

The Indian restaurant (Ruchi) outside WH had closed down and another Indian restaurant now sits in its place. I was extremely delighted that I had lunch there yesterday, as the buffet was incredible! The spread was not exactly commendable (though I didn't had the chance to try everything available), but the food was tastier than many of the Indian restaurants in SIN. The bryanni was so spice-infused that the rice alone tasted heavenly. Accompanied it with mutton curry, and it's one of the best meals I ever had in STL. The complimentary dosa was excellent too, among some of the dishes I tried before my tummy screamed for me to stop. So much for the 400 calories I burnt in gym yesterday...

I purchased a bandeau set online 2 nights ago and had paid extra to have it shipped to me via express, in time for our trip. Received it awhile ago, and realised I'd bought the bottom 3 sizes bigger than the correct size. It somehow slipped my mind that my old bikinis are in aussie/UK size 8, and I should have bought a US size 2 instead of an 8. Gotta return it now; wasted SGD30 in shipping! Rooaaarrr....

In another 5 days time, Hubby and I will be sun-bathing in the acclaimed Miami beach as well as the Bahamas!!! Woohoo!!!

One night, as I was randomly flipping through the bible and praying, Jesus said to me, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you" (Luke 11:9). A few weeks later when my faith was wearing thin, I flipped the bible again and prayed, and He said "ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (John 16:23). Twice, God said the same things to me TWICE. It can't be a coincidence! God is good, He re-ignites my faith and gives me assurances. He will provide me with what I asked for, as always. =D

Wedding Anniversary

Two more months to our second year as husband and wife. To celebrate our two years of marriage, Hubby's bringing me to Miami Beach and...... *drum rolls*...... THE BAHAMAS in the Carribean!!!!! The best part is, we're leaving in 10 days time!!! We will be spending two nights in Miami, and three in The Bahamas.

The decision making process was really easy, surprisingly. Took us less than 24hrs to decide if we should splurge on such an extravagant trip. Was worried that the costs of both the domestic and international flights, as well as the stay in the luxurious Sandals Royal Bahamian will burnt a hole in my already empty pockets. However, since Hubby volunteered to keep my shopping funds intact, I'm all for this lavish celebration! The date was perfect too. As school's starting end August, I reckoned we pushed our anniversary trip forward so I can have enough time to prep myself for the impending torture.

Check out this Bahamas resort. An all-inclusive swanky resort, where we get to dine ALL day in any of the eight fine-dining restaurants for FREE during our 4D3N stay. Sea sports (all except diving), and drinks, including wine, liquour and spirits are all FREE throughout our visit too! I've never been to an all-inclusive resort my entire life, and am so so soooo looking forward to our three-night vacation that comes with an Atlantic Ocean-view room, amidst the pristine turquoise water and the powdery white sand! This resort owns an exclusive and exotic island just opposite itself, and we get to wander around the secluded little island too! How more perfect can this retreat be. Heh...

This shall be enough to keep me jubilant for the next few weeks. =P

T.G.I.Friday's

The other one thing other than shopping that placates me during any time of the day is good food. TGIF is just outside WH, and given that they've been having very good promos recently, we've been patronizing the restaurant as frequently as we can. The promotion this month is buy an entree and get the other free, as well as a free appetizer. To digress, I've mentioned before that we're in a land of freebies! There's always something good out there at no cost. Anyway, we were at TGIF again on Tuesday though we just went last Friday. However, the last trip was worth mentioning, cos the Prime Rib Stroganoff was spectacular!!! Super tender, juicy and flavourful beef chunks in smooth rich brown sauce. The next best meal I've had from TGIF is it's Shrimp Key West. The sourish marinate from key limes and herbs is mildly exotic yet very refreshing. However it's a meal suitable for only the small tummies, given it's small portion. Good as an appetizer to go with the local beers though. As an additional bonus to make these entrees taste better, they're both under $10 at the usual price (or even cheaper at half the price with the current promo)! Economical savory food, just a stone's throw away from home- I love this place to bits!

Sorry folks, no pictures of these yummy feast. The picture taken of me and my shrimp 2 months ago was kinda blur. As for the stroganoff, I brought my camera along on Tues, but the food kept me totally busy and engrossed that it stood still on the table till I licked my plate clean. =P I'll try harder the next time!

Kitchening Away

It's been a hectic day in the kitchen today. After working out in the gym, I had to rush home to prepare dinner before I headed to Yvonne's place at noon. Yvonne's mum will be leaving this Saturday after a 6-month long stay in STL, and thus made her signature Hakka Cai Kuehs for us before she leaves. I thought I was able to acquire some excellent kueh-making skills from her, but I ended up wasting some dough instead. As usual, my set of "wrapping" skills sucks to the core, and my kuehs were either of irregular shapes or had holes on the "skins".
Yuumilicious cai kuehs made by Auntie. Soft thin "skin" with peppery fillings; I couldn't keep my hands off them! My handicraft failed so you don't get to see any of my products here. =P







I had to think of an easy and mess-free dish for tonight's dinner, as I will be spending the entire noon away from home. Yet at the same time, I wanted to pamper Hubby and myself with another of our comfort food. We haven't had 梅菜扣肉 for months, and the thought of having a succulent piece of pork belly in a Kong Bak Pau was simply irresistable despite the high content of saturated fats in the dish. Hence, what we just had an hour ago was...
梅菜扣肉 with kong bak pau. Superbly melts-in-your-mouth-yummy, and the recipe is fabulously easy.

And this, is Hubby's packed lunch for tomorrow. Steamed egg and french beans to neutralise the salty 梅菜扣肉! Such a lucky guy...

I have a Kid

...at home. A big, fat one.

Look at the mess the big kid creates. I'm amazed at the number of toys he scatters around the little living room, and now they leave minimum walking space (to the left of the putting mat is the TV rack). A putting mat to "improve putting skills" (which I don't see how this easy mat will), the eye-sore Guitar Hero set, the Xbox controller on the table, the Macbook (mainly for the nightly Pokerstars games) and the ugly bean bag all belong to the kid who never grow up.

Now, I realised there is no trace of my existence in the living room... With these toys around, I see no space for any of my belongings,seriously.

I'm in a Shopping Paradise!

I seriously think PS and I are two shopping-fanatics. Not shopaholics (because definition of shopholic is "person who can't control the urge to spend"). Fanatics because we both have an extreme zest to shop as much as we can during these few months (yet we can control the urge to spend of course!). It's like a race against time, whereby we need to satisfy the compulsion to buy as much as we can before we leave STL for good. Shopping in the States is much more better than anywhere in the world (thank God for Outlets). Thus we shop for whatever we can think of that we will require when we head back to SIN. Our shopping lists include but not limited to kitchenware (Pyrex, Corelle, etc), household items (Simmons mattress, Tempur pillows, bedsheets, etc), and at least 2-years worth of workwear, sportswear, casuals, lingerie, bags and shoes. Since everything is dirt cheap here (think 30%-50% of the prices in SIN), I reckoned we should just empty our piggy banks and start saving all over again in the next 2 years to come. We are so enthusiastic over boasting the US economy, that we now fathom it's best to hit the gym as early as possible, and come home cook dinner before we hit the malls at 12pm. This way, we don't have to worry about not able to feed our guys dinner on time. With the absence of the pressure to rush home to cook, we shopped till our legs gave way at 7pm. Considering that we woke up at 8am to hit the gym earlier, it's such a mean feat to me.

Money-wised, I've decided not to sigh and feel depressed everytime I look at my credit card bills. After paying off a $4k debt and eye-balling $1k worth of unposted items (which should have increased to min. $2k to-date) last month, I think I am immuned to having nothing much left in the bank. I chose to rejoice over the bags of prized possessions than to brood over the depleting account, and I feel alot happier these days. Everyone says life's short, so I'm enjoying every second of my life now that I can!

On a side note, I'm very grateful that I have met someone at the other end of the globe, whom I can get along well with and share the same passion and similar tastes in almost everything. It does make shopping and living in STL alot more fun than it originally is.


**To digress, I think silica gels are the best thing to have (besides Space bags maybe) now that we have boxes of new stuff to store. Do pile up on them if you want to keep unused fabrics/leather looking brand new longer.

Toronto

We spent 2 nights in Toronto over the last weekend, after an 11-hour drive up with 7 of us in the minivan. Nothing spectacular about the city. The night scene was fantastic though, but I was too tired after the night trip to pose for any pictures when we were out clubbing. In fact, I was stoned throughout the night the guys were having their fair share of fun.

These are a preview of the pictures taken in Toronto, Canada. More vibrant pictures are posted on my FB.

Totonto Habourfront.

Us at the Habourfront.

Some cathedral.

CN Tower, the tallest structure in the Americas.

Look at the humongous sausage in St. Lawrence Market!

Resting infront of a fountain in Casa Loma.












I'll post pictures taken at Niagara Falls in the next post. Time to prepare dinner before I head out to Mills with PS for more shopping!

Aiming for a Healthier Lifestyle

After living in Whispering Hills for a year, I've finally made my virgin trip down to the gym. Heh... It started with 2 visits last week before our Toronto trip, and I'm aiming for 3 visits per week starting from today. Not only do I need to shed the 2kg I piled on since the last exam prep, I want to tone my arms, abs, posterior and thighs before every part of me starts sagging. Main motives are to look good as I hit the big 3-0, and to prevent the hubby's eyes from roaming.

Waking up early to hit the gym at 8am is really a huge challenge for lazy bones like myself. I'm very glad I had the self-discipline and motivation to accomplish this arduous task this morning. =D

With the gym just a stone's throw away from our apartment, I've been beyond lazy for the past 12 months to even find out where the gym entrance is. Additionally, I've only hit the pool once during this period. Now, before it's too late, I'm startig to get my bones crackling! Hope with the nudgings from TWC, I'll be able to sustain this regime till we bid goodbye.

Oh btw PS and I had decided to bring out our golf clubs again, before they start to tarnish (if they will). I've bought some golf apparels and a pair of golf shoes; hope these newbies will keep me interested in going to the range and green for some time. =P

Happy Anniversary

To be exact, it should be a belated one. We've been here for a year, as of yesterday, 5th July. Time really really flies. I know I've mentioned this umpteen times, but I just can't understand how time zooms by in a flash without one's knowledge. Sigh... Perhaps I didn't really want to notice it, especialy when I am enjoying my stay in the States. Reality bites, how true. This anniversary is one which I do not enjoy celebrating; how annoying!

Independence Day Trip

It's going to be another long weekend ahead as tomorrow is Independence Day! What's a long weekend without a trip to explore more of US? Not only are we going to visit another well-known attraction in the States during this trip, we are travelling to a part of Canada too! In less than 6 hours time (when e guys are back from work), we are going to drive 15 hours up to Toronto! After spending two nights there, we will move down to the Niagara Falls in New York; the magnificent voluminous waterfall along Niagara River that straddles the international border between part of Canada and US. And of course I'm not going to miss out on shopping during a federal holiday sales at the outlet, which in fact is the highlight of the trip for me. It's going to be a challenge this time round though, cos I'm only given 3 hours or thereabouts to shop at the Fashion Outlet in Niagara Falls. I'm perhaps only able to visit selected shops, which are not available in the Florida Outlets, where we will be heading to next in September over the Labor Day weekend. Woohooo!! Goodbye to my bank account!

Lunch and Dinner Menu

Breakfast and lunch today was Korean, and dinner, Japanese. Slurp! Cooked a big bowl of kimchee jigae early in the morning as I woke up very early (still very jetlagged since the trip back from SIN a week ago). Normally I will be too lazy to cook lunch but since I am today, I thought I should reward myself with something I love.

An extremely easy dish, that took me no more than 20mins to prepare and cook. Please pardon the unflattering picture; it actually tastes much much better than it looks. =P






Ingredients
1 to 1.5 cups kimchi with kimchi juice
1 pack tofu (cubed)
2 stalks scallions (sliced)
1/2 of large onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tps oil
2 cups water
approximately 1/4 cup gochujang (red pepper paste from Korean section in supermarkets)
2 - 3 tbsp gochugaru (red pepper flakes)
pork belly chunks thinly sliced (shabu-shabu-type is the best)

Directions
In pot, add a little bit of oil (just a little - pork already has a lot of fat, so you wont need much). Add minced garlic to flavor the oil. Then add in pork belly chunks and cook until meat turns white. Then add in kimchi chunks and cook for about 2 - 3 minutes (this will help the soup cook faster). Add in water (approximately 2 cups serves 4 individual servings). Bring heat up to high and boil for a few minutes. Add one scoop (a little less than 1/4 cup) of gochujang (red pepper paste) and stir until dissolved. Add a couple tablespoons of gochugaru (red pepper flakes). Let it cook on medium heat for approximately 5 to 7 minutes (this will allow for the kimchi to cook through). Stir occassionally. Taste and if needed, reseason with kimchi juice. Then add in tofu and onion. Let it cook for another 4 minutes or so before adding in the scallions. (add in scallions last because you dont want them to wilt completely).
* Add some cooked vermicilli if you're interested.


Hubby and I had Tonkatsu and Tempura with Japanese rice and curry awhile ago. Since my tempura flour are expiring soon, I reckoned I better use them before they go to waste (again). The Tonkatsu was much tastier and jucier this time round as compared to my previous attempts, as I was more liberal with the salt today and had "invested" in a bottle of meat tenderizer.



Recipes for Tonkatsu and tempura are easily available online. Try googling for one if you are interested. I'm dozing off while signing off this entry....














Gdnight!