Monday 12:30 - 1:30pm

End of the week

Late to the House of Cards party

Can’t believe we’ve missed watching this when it started. But what’s more astounding is how we cheer on the villains and wish the good guys ill.

40 versus 37.5

I’ve been asking myself (and anyone who still bothers to listen because they’ve heard this before so many times) if I should do 40 hours instead of 37.5. But when you get off at 2pm on Fridays when everyone else is literally dying in their desks at work, and get home to a new bed and a bag of popcorn…well..

Food focused

Sam and Mary are dieting so for the last couple of months, I’ve been buying, cooking and eating food solo. As it turns out, other people’s dieting has a good effect; I tend to eat less, waste less, not necessarily buy less or cheaply, and only have indulgent meals (like fried chicken) on the weekends.

To go to the gym or not

Have not set foot in a gym for the last 7 years. But I have some abs, my waistline is still 29-30 and I have good arms. But is that enough? Should I be grunting along forever in the garage?

Friday

See you south

Today

Strange vegetables

Did you know that the celeriac is the root of the celery? You cook it like you would potatoes but the best thing about it, is that it has fewer carbs than potatoes. Tastes like celery, but nuttier Wikipedia describes it. Hmmm. I don’t like celery that much; I used to hate pansit that had celery bits in it. Kohlrabi on the other hand is actually related to the cabbage. The following way of cooking it appeals to me: For a simple side dish, sauté the sliced kohlrabi in a bit of butter in a skillet. Once it begins to show some caramelization, season it with salt, nutmeg, and a little sugar​ for increased sweetness. Continue cooking until slightly al dente, with a bit of crispness, and serve it immediately.

The end of single-use plastic (for real)

Don’t get me wrong; I think I can live without plastic. But if it’s there like in the supermarkets, I will use it and won’t feel guilty about it. But this is it- the government is banning it for good.

Spend like a penshioner

So a much older friend advises me, and with Uber rides now starting at $14 for a 6-kilometer minimum, I decided to do public transport. By the time I got back, I had saved myself $56. I felt very virtuous after that.

The Gold-Card hour

All the passengers on my bus had gold transport cards and it always gives me flashes of my future- that’s me eventually. And strangely, I’m at peace with it because it’s inevitable. A couple of things could be different; I would be immaculately dressed because that’s non-negotiable for me; I could finally be driving instead of taking the bus (Dear Elon, pls sort out your self-driving cars ASAP).

Dinner at Berta's

J'aime la France: la vie insulaire

J'aime la France: la véritable âme de la ville

God save the King

Cutting the ‘coronation cake’

The Weekend (in photos)

Where is autumn?

It seems that as far as the weather is concerned, you will never quite know what you’re gonna get

Can you have your cake and eat it too?

I go for the full cream, full sugar one…

Stack it

Well, couldn’t find a brioche bun bigger than this, but three patties it is!

The Prom King

My nephew had his prom/soiree over the weekend and it was light-years away from what we had at the old and dusty Sison Auditorium. I would actually like to travel back in time though to attend one

Anzac Sunday (2023)

Pork belly

It’s great to have a recipe that works consistently: basically, you cook the (seasoned) pork in the over at 140 for four hours. After that, you take it out and put it onto a cold frying pan, fleshy side up. Put enough oil to cover the skin and watch it blossom into the perfect crackling you’ve ever seen. No prepping, boiling, foiling or pricking with fucking pins.

Fruit salad of your dreams

European people LOVE it because what is there not to love about fruit, cream and condensed milk?

..and it has to have coconut

I finally found the right coconut which is young coconut, but I think I draw the line with adding cheese.

Saturday

Power breakfast

I don’t buy bacon that often because I end up eating all of it myself (all 2kgs of it). But it’s been months, so…nothing beats a breakfast full of fats and some rice. The scrambled eggs used four eggs.

Birnam Wood

I could’ve read ‘The Luminaries’, it wasn’t that of a big deal, but I just didn’t like, didn’t get the subject matter. But this one- read the 1st 10 pages at the mall while having coffee- sounds promising.

The viral round croissant

Some call it croons (??). I’ve been meaning to try it after seeing it on all my social feeds, but just couldn't organise myself to go to Newmarket’s Luna Cafe which was the 1st one to offer it. This one is from Z Pattisserie. If it’s supposed to be a croissant, then the texture is wrong- it’s too dense and bready as opposed to being a bit chewy and flaky. I wouldn’t rave about it, but I’m not giving up on it yet until I get to taste Luna’s.

Fat for breakfast, fat for dinner

But I did this in the air fryer so…

The eating is almost done

The Weekend (eats) in images

Christmas treats from Pōhutukawa Pantry

Smashed burgers

Not going to cook my burgers in any other way

Research before you buy

This is at Gilmour’s which has none of the ‘excitement’ of Costco, but has a lot of what you actually need (do I need another 3kg bag of peanut-butter filled mini pretzels???). We’re having a party for some friends in the coming weekend and we’re pleasantly surprised at our final Gilmour’s bill; not as horrendous as we thought because we spent the better part of an hour comparing prices with what’s available at the normal supermarkets.

Malaysian cuisine

We were wanting some comforting Vietnamese soups but the rain made parking a challenge so we ended up at Uncle Man at Southpoint which had sheltered underground parking. At $68 for four dishes includiing two generous entrees (the chicken skin!!!!), you certainly felt that inflation was just a bad dream you had the other night.

Photo Dump

Tuesday

Got my Twitter account restored. I’ve been contacting Twitter support for months with ZERO response until Elon Musk came in and in less than 30 seconds, was able to login with a new confirmed email address. The guy’s a TWAT, but he must be doing something right, like firing incompetent, sanctimonious Twitter staff who can’t even solve simple technical issues.

Happy Thanksgiving

An American colleague gave me a can, but with everyone dieting- and not really liking pumpkin as a sweet dish- I’ll just save it for Christmas

Have you put up your tree yet?

I thought I was an all-rounded creative, design genius, but apparently, that’s not true. I can’t even bring to life, the Christmas tree of my fantasies which this year is meant to be ‘Bird Forest Extravaganza’- this little fellow made of discarded feathers and styrofoam will do.

When the economy is hurting

Plant a tomato…

When the economy is hurting

Buy yourself some Prada…

The Weekend (in images)

I like browsing through antique stores but I haven’t really been keen on buying anything. I don’t like used stuff in general (unless it’s family stuff) and more so if they were stranger’s possessions.