What's Cooking! (Aug 09)

Minced meat with potato, oyster sauce chicken and baked beans with luncheon meat and minced meat. This is the problem with cooking for two. Whenever I cook minced meat, I use it in a few dishes, cause no matter how little I marinate, it always seems too much for one dish!


Home-made ngoh hiang


Braised pig trotters


Chicken rice with poached chicken and braised eggs (I used my bento egg-shaper to form the rabbit shaped egg)


Laksa with eggs, taupok and prawns


Stewed pork with rice and a fried egg


Mee Siam with eggs and shredded chicken


Cook curry chicken, and you get different ways of eating!


Curry chicken with mee kia


Curry chicken with rice


Macaroni soup with fishballs, crabsticks, carrots, shreded chicken and garnishing

Weekend at 丹灶鎮仙湖 (29-30 Aug)

Over dinner on Friday, we decided to head to 丹灶 the next day for a relaxing spa session. This was the same place where we went last December during winter.


A picture of our room from the entrance.



The bed and Marcus eating! haha


The washroom


The view from our room


This is actually a man-made beach.


We rented a motor boat and went out to the lagoon beyond. There, a fish actually jumped into our boat! AND our boat was not the sampan kind okie!


Back entrance of the resort.


The entrance/exit of the resort


Playground


The pond where you can 捕鱼 (literally meaning you catch the fish with your hands)


The pond where you can 钓鱼 (meaning you fish with a fishing rod) Both are totally different.


A view of the lagoon

Did not take any pictures while we were on the water, as initially, we were supposed to go canoeing, and I did not want to risk my camera getting wet. However, as they only had one single-seater canoe, and one double-seater canoe, Marcus and Daniel went for the double-canoe (and gave up after 10mins as it was leaking water), and Allan went for the single-seater one. The rest of us were on the motor-boat.

And after dinner, we headed to our favourite activity at 丹灶... SPA..




The jacuzzi in the personal hut (flash on. If not, cannot see anything!)


Arghh! Caught by the flash of the peeping Tom! :D Marcus is all changed into the disposable clothes meant for usage in the jacuzzi pool


The massage bed


Tea and sweet dessert after the whole spa experience is done

This time round, we went for the RMB388 package, 160mins - 泡浴、熏蒸、面部淋巴排毒、身體淋巴排毒. That means there is the jacuzzi soak, the aromatic steam, facial lymphatic drainage and body detoxification. Left actually rather disappointed, as it turned out to be a facial, where they spent majority of time on our face, and the body massage was rather short in comparison!

The cheaper package at RMB298 for 120mins was more relaxing - 泡浴、熏蒸、頭部刮痧按摩、身體精油按摩. Same thing, you have the jacuzzi and aromatic steam, followed by a oil massage for your body, and kuasa on your scalp. That, was truly a relaxing experience. We have not been to a place where they actually do head scraping (kua sa) before, and it was definitely superb.

Singapore National Day Charity Dinner, Guangdong

Marcus' boss had purchased tickets and booked a table of ten, and very kindly invited me along for the dinner. Well, basically, it was to celebrate Singapore's National Day, as well as for all Singaporeans dispersed around Guangzhou to have a chance to meet up and mingle.

Well, with the exception of taking pictures in the car while on our way to Shangri-La Hotel in Guangzhou, we did not take any other pictures. :D All other picture credits to S*i*n*g*c*h*a*m.


Us in the car on our way


The lobby and registration area of the dinner


Standing up to sing the National Anthemn and say the pledge. This was where we entered the dinner as we were ahem.. late.


Some performance


Chinese Wayang


Chinese Nationals dancing hip-hop wearing our national colours


Some health fitness club (one of the sponsor) putting up a performance


Asking for donations


Charity auction


I think it was this lady who bidded like tens/hundreds of thousands of RMBs for the paintings.. Maybe can claim from company! :D


Cheque presentation

No big celebration, but a meal at his favourite and most difficult to reach place

Marcus had taken three days leave during his birthday to take a break from work. On the day of his birthday, we met one of his good friend for Starbucks coffee, and then proceeded to have roast duck.

It is definitely not easy to find our way to this place, and the only times Marcus has eaten there was when this particular friend brings him there. Therefore, each time we meal there, it is a rare occasion indeed!


Turning into the eatery


Walking and you'll see some lotus plants


All lotus plants. The roots are harvested for cooking


The coop where they place the ducks/geese/chicken


The ducks/geese


This is where you'll sit to eat. It's just like a home-run place. The guy in the picture is Ah Chao. He's the guy who brings us here

We were too busy eating that I forgot to take pictures of our food! Nonetheless, Marcus had taken pictures during his last visit, so I'm going to play cheat, and place those pictures here! After all, we had ordered and eaten about the same food! :D


I dunno what's this called


Roast Goose




This roasted meat was very good! Super crispy


Soup


Not very clear, but these are tanks with fish that you can select from, and they'll cook it for you


The other pond where the lotus have been cleared


Look up! Look what's growing!

It was not a big celebration, there were no cakes, no candles, no expensive food. But sometimes, it's just being with good friends, and eating something that you enjoy, and that's contentment :D