More of Alaska

An interesting fact about Alaska is, there's going to be only 4 hours of insolation per day in Fairbanks come January. On the contrary, daylight accounts for 21.5 hours during the peak of Summer, i.e. in July. That explains why Alaska is known as "The Land of the Midnight Sun"! If you'd watched "The Proposal", you'll see Sandra Bullocks going to bed in the "day", when the sun is still blazing high up in the sky. Not forgetting about the crazy weather too. The average temperature in Fairbanks now hovers at about -30 deg celsius (I think I've mentioned this before). We thought there's going to be a high possibility the temp is going to hit -40 d.c. or even lower, when we arrive a month later.

We're definitely going to make full use of that limited hours of daylight per day, but we're still not sure if our thick layers wil keep us warm enough to conquer the horrendous weather. Despite this, I'm soooo looking forward to go dogsledding & snowmobile-ridding, while the boys are dying to ski amidst the snow-capped mountains. Of course the Northern Light is our main objective, and lets hope we are lucky enough to catch it!

With this, I think I am sort of ready to leave STL for good, ready to overcome the difficulties of a working life...

Of Potlucks & BBQs

Tomorrow's mass cook-out most probably shall be our last in STL. Here is how we plan our team's pig-outs. It was pretty nostalgic looking back at the past spreadsheets, really. To think that the last potluck we had, which was also our first, was actually a year ago when KY & PS shifted next door to be our immediate neighbours. It seems like it was just a couple of months ago when we were all cosing it up around the tight space for a sumptuous home-cooked meal.

Fridge Magnets

Like Mum, I am collecting magnets as I travel. These magnets were collected as we toured around the Americas during the past 16 months. They each represent a state/city we had visited, except the three magnets on the extreme left, which were gifts from friends. I love how they accessorize our fridge! A picture of the colourful fridge, before I wrap these souvenirs away...

To be added to this collection soon: Atlanta, Smoky Mountains, Alaska & Seattle. These will be going directly into our luggages though.

Thanksgiving

Black Friday Sales is starting next Thursday evening!!! I wasn't even aware we're only 10 days away from the Thanksgiving weekend! Of course I'm extremely excited over this last burst in the outlet, but it also means it's high time I start preparing for the finals and presentation again...

Atlanta, North Georgia, is where we'll be heading to for this spree. It's about a 9-hour drive from home, and we'll be staying a night at a hotel just opposite the outlet. Perfect location, since all we need to do is to just walk a couple of mins to heaven! Thereafter we'll drive another 3 hrs or so to Great Smoky Mountains, and spend 2D2N somewhere in the mountains. The plan's to trek for 2 days, but seriously I doubt I'll have much energey left after shopping from midnight to dawn. The Black Friday Sales starts at 12 midnight on Friday monrning btw, but of cos we're anticipating some shops to start the madness earlier, at 10pm perhaps. =)

Wish me all the best in this last shopping spree! I hope I can cover all the shops needed to be covered, and sweep as many goodies as possible! Hohoho...

Food, Oh Glorious Food!

When I'm in a good mood, I'll try to whip up something we both love. Today, it was Portugese egg tarts (again), and Chicken Rendang!

With 1 pastry sheet left in the freezer, I have been procrastinating for the past month to make these tarts. Since school ended early on Mondays and I happened to be carving for sweet stuff, it's the best time to get my hands dirty again!
My 3rd & best attempt thus far, as these gems had the right sweetness and the egg custards were nicely browned on the top and soft on the insides. Unlike the last try, the insides were a little too dry and over-cooked. Heh...

He had a nice little surpise when he came home to piping hot portugese egg tarts fresh from the oven!

Chicken rendang with Myojo's Char Mee were what we had for dinner tonight. These were part of the food to be cleared as well. Finger-licking good home-made rendang! All thanks to a nice girl, who introduced me to this marvellous sauce during a potluck back home.

If you haven't tried Brahim's Kuah Rendang, you will never know how easy this dish really is. I got mine from NTUC, and it took me 5 mins to get everything into the pot, and another 30mins to simmer the dish before we tucked in. Good with beef stew meat too!