Taipei (Oct 2011) (1/2)

Went to Taipei for a 5D4N trip with my parents. This is my third visit to Taipei, and it's still not going to be the last visit in the near future. Taiwan is one of the few countries I can make repeated visits to without feeling bored. The food is one thing - if you know the correct places, you can get to eat fantastic food at very affordable prices (I went there fully armed with a list of recommendations from a Taiwanese friend). In fact, food was the main reason why I went to Taiwan! And the people there are also Chinese, so I tend to feel more at home. They are also generally very helpful and polite, and these traits aren't easily associated with Singaporeans. 

Day 1

Reached Taoyuan airport and took a cab to Park Taipei Hotel for around NT$1,200 (S$52.45). Park Taipei Hotel (台北美伦大饭店) is at a rather good location, just opposite Daan (大安) MRT station. Internet is free but only via wired connection in the room, so for mobile phones and tablets, you need to bring a router along. I brought my laptop, so this wasn't an issue.

Bedroom at Park Taipei Hotel

Internet is free but it is only available via wired connection (ADSL)

They offer wifi only at their business centre, which is opened 24 hours, but it is still a hassle to go there just to use my phone.

After settling down, we proceeded to a restaurant called 鸡窝 for a very-late-lunch at 4pm, but found out that it would only open at 530pm for dinner. We were starving, so we went to a nearby cafe instead, Second Floor Cafe. 

Second Floor Cafe

It caught our eye because it looked quite cosy. Surprisingly, the food was pretty good!

All-in-one brunch set, NT$350 (S$15.30)

Their all-in-one brunch set was only available on weekdays, 2pm to 5pm, and subject to availability too. For just NT$350 (S$15.30), we got a choice of eight sides - egg, cheese, potato, soup, salad, meat, bread, and dessert - and two drinks. Out of all these, the omelette was the most outstanding. I am not really a big fan of omelettes, but I found this to be really good. The hash browns were great too, but then again, it's not too difficult to make good hash browns. The bagel, however, was too hard and dry.

Club sandwich, NT$230 (S$10.05)

Club sandwich was done pretty well too, especially the fries.

Three of us shared two meals with the intention of having dinner not too long after, but we still ended up being quite stuffed. By the time we finished, it was already 515pm, so I told my parents to wait till 530pm and revisit 鸡窝, since it was so near - and I didn't want to waste one meal without trying out one of the restaurants on my list. And I was really glad we did. Their chicken soups were the best I have ever tasted.

Original flavoured chicken soup，NT$360 (S$15.73)

This was their original flavoured chicken soup, so it comes with just one huge chicken thigh. The soup was incredibly rich, and if you look carefully, there's a layer of oil on top that actually helps to prevent the heat from dissipating. If I were drinking this in cold weather, I think this bowl will warm me up better than anything else. I blogged about the shark's fin soup from Majestic Restaurant before (http://goombaishere.blogspot.com/2011/07/majestic-restaurant-new-majestic-hotel.html), and for the price difference (half the price and around six times the quantity), I must say this chicken soup is definitely much more worth it. For those who are unaware, the base of shark's fin soup is actually chicken soup. Shark's fin by itself is tasteless - it is added to thicken the soup without using cornstarch, and of course for its texture. 

Chicken soup with mushrooms, NT$480 (S$20.98)

This is just the same chicken soup as above, but with mushrooms. Honestly, I don't think it was worth it - adding these mushrooms in actually diluted the soup a little (though the soup was so strong that it still tasted fabulous) but it definitely wasn't worth paying 33% more for.

Restaurant name: 鸡窝餐厅
Address: 台北市敦化南路二段81巷63号 (Nearest MRT is Daan station)
Tel: 02-2704-3038

Went to Sogo to shop after that, and we passed by 阿宗面线. Despite not being really hungry, I still found the appetite to down one bowl. 

阿宗面线，东区分店

During my past visits to Taipei, I would grab one bowl whenever I pass by. So on average, I eat around one big bowl per day. The small bowl costs NT$45 (S$1.97) while the big bowl costs NT$60 (S$2.62). Many people have the misconception that it is oyster mee sua, but it's actually mee sua with pig intestines. 

Dinner was at around 10pm at 师大夜市, and I brought my parents to the same 卤味 which I tried last year.

灯笼加热卤味，师大夜市

There were many stalls there selling 卤味, but this was the most popular. Identifying it by the two red lanterns above it was insufficient - I saw at least one other stall with similar lanterns as well. So the best way is to remember its name - 灯笼加热卤味.

Just look at the amount of ingredients available for you to choose from

After choosing your ingredients, they will boil them in some flavoured gravy/sauce, and then drizzle some secret sauce and garnish with salted vegetables.

Our plate of 卤味 costs NT$400 (S$17.48)

This was our plate, and it consists of chicken liver, pig intestines, Taiwanese 山菜, dried beancurd, pig stomach, 王子面, and... I can't remember the rest. The noodles is a must-add for me, and one packet may seem a lot, but it's actually very little. For three people, we should have added two packets instead.

师大夜市
Address: 台北市大安区龙泉街106号 (Nearest MRT is Taipower station)

Day 2

There wasn't much free time in our itinerary, so we squeezed 淡水 in the morning.

淡水老街

We were really short of time, so we only went to 淡水老街. I bought some of 淡水's specialties - 铁蛋 (阿婆铁蛋 is supposedly the best) and some fish crackers (鱼酥). My parents got some 黑金刚 (black peanuts) too, and we left in just 1.5 hour.

Lunch was at a restaurant called Kiki Restaurant, which serves Sichuan cuisine. According to the Taipei Times, it is actually owned by a celebrity, 蓝心湄.

老皮嫩肉, NT$200 (S$8.74)

This was the best dish, in my opinion. The name of the dish - 老皮嫩肉 - describes it perfectly. It is actually deep fried beancurd, and the insides were incredibly tender. Move aside, Boon Tong Kee!

醉鸡腿, NT$310 (S$13.55)

Their drunken chicken tasted quite good, as the alcohol and seasoning have seeped fully into the meat. The only gripe I had was that the meat was a little too tough.

苍蝇头, NT$220 (S$9.62)

苍蝇头, an innovative name for Chinese chives (韭菜) that is chopped into very small pieces. This is such a simple dish with very common ingredients - chives, chilli padi, minced pork, fermented black beans, and garlic - but it tastes damn good. It is considered a very spicy dish, but I still found it quite all right.

腐乳空心菜, NT$150

This was one of the common recommendations for Kiki, but it was a total letdown. The kang kong tasted very bland, with almost no hint of fermented beancurd at all. 

Restaurant name: Kiki Restaurant
Address: 台北市复兴南路一段28号 (Between Nanjing East Road MRT station and Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station)
Tel: 02-2752-2781

Next stop was 西门町, which is considered the Shibuya of Taipei. I am not interested in fashion, so the main attractions here were 阿宗面线 (again) and a shop selling all anime and manga stuff. 

My mother preferred to shop in departmental stores, so this time I brought her to 新光三越. It was actually pretty similar to Sogo, so we spent the most time at their supermarket looking for foodstuff to bring home. 

8pm - dinner at a BBQ restaurant called MOE Yakiniku Restaurant. 

Our beef slices on their charcoal grill

Another fantastic dinner. They used charcoal stoves to grill the meat, so the food obviously tasted much better than hot plates or electric stoves. Service was good too, and the waitress who served us was quite pretty too, heh. 

Chicken and pork slices

Both were excellent. Totally no complaints.

Wagyu sirloin steak, NT$1,280 (S$55.94)

This was the highlight of the night. The meat was carefully grilled by them such that the outside was nicely seared but the inside was still pink, more towards red. One bite and all the oil and juices just gushed into my mouth... gosh. Incredibly good.

Shisamo, or capelin fish. Also known as 'pregnant fish' as it is full of roe

MOE is a must-try. It is definitely one of the best BBQ restaurants I have ever been to.

Restaurant name: MOE Yakiniku Restaurant
Address: 台北市敦化南路一段270巷25号 (Nearest MRT is Zhongxiao Fuxing station)
Tel: 02-8772-5129

Electronic Arts iPad app sale

Just bought quite a few apps on my iPad, as Electronic Arts was having a sale this weekend on some of their apps. 

Bought the following apps at USD$0.99 each:

- Monopoly for iPad

- Risk: The Official Game for iPad

- Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit for iPad

I don't really see myself playing these games for a long time, but if it happens that there is a group of us, Monopoly and Risk should prove quite entertaining. Anyway, they are so cheap! 

Two days ago I also purchased Dungeon Hunter 2 HD (by Gameloft) at USD$0.99 too. Dungeon Hunter 1 was pretty easy and brainless but still had some entertainment value and good graphics, so I expect Dungeon Hunter 2 to be an extension of the same formula.

Dian Xiao Er @ Nex

Dian Xiao Er (店小二) has been rather well-known for its herbal roasted duck. I love roast duck and herbal stuff, so this combination seems like a perfect match for me. It was a half-hour wait for the food  (after 15 minutes of queueing too), because they only roast the duck when it is ordered. 

Roast duck with Ten Wonder Herbs, $43 for one whole duck

They had three kinds of roast duck, but this was the most popular. The duck is marinated with their ten wonder herbs and some wine first before roasting. I am not sure what the ten herbs are, but a quick check on their website showed at least astragalue, codonopsis root, and dried longan.

Judging from how deep the taste had seeped into the duck, it was probably marinated for a decent amount of time. The skin was also nicely crisp, so I was really quite satisfied with this dish as a whole.

Penang Road Cafe @ Novena

I am a fan of prawn mee. But I have always been disappointed with most prawn noodles, because the most important thing to me - the soup - is usually a let-down. The soup must be rich and flavourful, with the real taste of prawns, which is usually the result of brewing a lot of prawns (especially the prawn heads) over time. It is quite easy to distinguish between a rich soup and a bland (and sometimes artificial-tasting) soup, just by appearances alone. 

So when I heard that there was a good place for prawn mee at Novena, I went to give it a try. The name of the cafe is Penang Road Cafe, and it is located at Novena Ville, which is diagonally opposite Novena Medical Centre.

The prawn mee is done Penang style, so it is a bit different from the usual Singaporean prawn mee. 

Prawn mee with pork ribs, prawns and pork strips - $8.90

Once the bowl came, I knew that this would be good, judging from the soup colour alone. The soup was rich and full of the sweet flavour of prawn heads. The taste of the fried onions blended in perfectly, and even though bee hoon (which tends to dilute soup flavour) was added in, the soup was still robust enough to stand on its own. The soup was also quite spicy, which was a plus for me, but it may be a tad too spicy for others. 

My only gripes were in the other ingredients. The pork ribs had a slight tinge of the 'defrosted' taste, so I suspect that it was either frozen for a long time or not defrosted properly before cooking. The prawns were rather tasteless (maybe everything is already in the soup), and the pork strips suffered from the same issue as the pork ribs. Of course, this is not going to prevent me from coming back again because I just want the soup. The next time, I shall just order the standard prawn mee (with prawns and pork strips), which costs $6. Adding pork ribs jacks up the price by almost 50% (to $8.90), and they don't taste fantastic either.

I still prefer my old favourite prawn mee haunt at Hoe Nam Prawn Noodles (Tai Thong Crescent, Potong Pasir) but this is more than good enough for revisits.

Google Calendar

Recently, my iPhone refused to synchronise with my Microsoft Outlook calendar (or is it the other way round?) and it certainly caused much inconvenience, as I couldn't check my schedule without my laptop.  A quick search on Google showed that this was a common problem without any concrete solutions. After trying countless measures in vain - restarting my laptop, restarting my iPhone, repairing iTunes, reinstalling iTunes, changing Outlook settings, changing iTunes settings - I decided to try using Google Calendars. And it worked perfectly - even better than before. Previously I could only sync my phone by plugging it manually to my laptop. But now, it could be done wirelessly and automatically. Additionally, I could now send calendar invites and view event invitees, which was impossible before.

Here is what I did. 

Step 1: Sign up for a Google account and get a Google Calendar. 

Step 2: Install the Google Calendar Sync program on the computer (with Microsoft Outlook).

Step 3: Once Google Calendar Sync is installed, a Google Calendar Sync settings window will appear. Enter your Gmail and password, select the 2-way sync option (if you want to sync both your Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook events with each other), select a time interval for syncing (I used 10 minutes), then click on 'Save'. Google Calendar will start syncing with your Outlook calendar, and this process may take several minutes.

Step 4: Now that Outlook is in sync with Google Calendar, it is time to sync the iPhone with Google Calendar. On the iPhone, go to Settings --> Mail, Contacts, Calendars --> Add Account --> Microsoft Exchange. 

Step 5: Key in your Gmail, user name and password, then press 'Next'. You will be prompted to enter a server name. Key in m.google.com and proceed.

Step 6: I disabled the Mail and Contacts option because I didn't need them. Then press 'Sync'. Your iPhone calendar will then be populated with all your calendar events in a short while. 

Step 7: Make sure that under Settings --> Mail, Contacts, Calendars --> Fetch New Data --> Push should be on so that changes will be synced to your phone faster. And it's done. 

So what happens when you update your calendar on...

......your Outlook? Google Calendar Sync will sync (depending on your time interval syncing settings) with Outlook, and this will then get pushed immediately to your iPhone.

......your Google Calendar? This will get pushed immediately to your iPhone. Outlook will only sync after Google Calendar Sync runs. 

......your iPhone? This will be synced with Google Calendar immediately. Outlook will only sync after Google Calendar Sync runs.

Hmm... it's interesting that this process involves all the 3 IT heavyweight companies - Microsoft, Apple, and Google.

Fitting 175 minutes of effort into 135

In today's Straits Times, someone wrote in to the ST Forum (online version) to complain about Starhub.

"I attempted seven calls to StarHub's 1633 technical hotline on Sept 3 from 11.45am to 2pm. 

During each try, I was put on hold for more than 25 minutes and ultimately none of the calls got attended to.

This is the not the first time I have encountered this situation. I have given feedback to StarHub on several occasions about it .There has not only been no improvement, but the service has also worsened."

Nicholas Kea Fong

Hmm. Seven calls, 25 minutes each. That's a total of 175 minutes, which is almost 3 hours. But the writer claimed to have attempted from 11.45am to 2pm, which is only 2 hours 15 minutes?

Unless, of course, he meant that 2pm was his last attempt. But that doesn't seem like the usual way to put your point across.

Chaos Rings

Chaos Rings - Escher and Musiea at each other's throats, literally.
Source: App Chronicles

Finally, a good mobile RPG. And by good, I refer to the gameplay and plot. I have played several mobile RPGs that were decent in gameplay, but the plot was always thin, mediocre, and without substance. Chaos Rings is none of that, and it offers an epic storyline and great gameplay.

You can choose to play as one out of four available couples, and the replay value is great as you can play as the other couples, understanding things from their perspective and revealing more of the plot. The story is dark, and offers some interesting and surprising twists which kept me hooked till the end. The music was excellent too. Graphics were all right, but since it was more for an iPhone game (I installed it on my iPad) I suppose it would look clearer and sharper on my iPhone instead. I should have gotten the HD version on iPad, damn it...

The app is well-tested and stable. It has never crashed on me before, not even once, and if you shut down the app without saving, the game will let you continue from where you left off, or let you revert to a previously saved game. Then again, maybe it's because I only purchased this from the App Store four months ago - the game was actually released on April 2010 - and Square Enix had plenty of time to fix all the bugs (if any). A recent update actually introduced voice acting into the game, which was really a nice touch. The only downside is that the update increased the app size from 273MB to 698MB.

The game is expensive, at US$12.99, but I got it when it was on sale (only US$3.99), so it was really worth it. Chaos Rings Omega HD is now available on the App Store at US$14.99, but I will probably wait for the price to drop first before purchasing it. Yes, this time I am definitely getting the HD version instead.

Update as of 24th Sep 2011: 
Just completed the game with all four couples, all at maximum level 100, with 108% achievements. :)

Stupid MRT designs

Serangoon MRT

Serangoon MRT, transit area

This picture is taken at the transit area between the Northeast Line and Circle Line. What's the point of building two narrow travellators when the corridor is so huge? Why not just build wider travellators which can allow three people to walk abreast? So much space is wasted in the middle, and one person can easily hog up the whole travellator. 

Lorong Chuan MRT

Lorong Chuan MRT

Another flawed design. The station has two exits. People coming in from exit A (left of the picture) are forced to use the lift to reach the platform. If not, they would have to go one big round, almost reaching exit B (far end of the picture), in order to take the escalator. Why not just build an escalator or a staircase for people accessing from exit A? A staircase should make more economical sense too (assuming no architectural issues).

Now on the lift. There are two gantries there (refer to picture), and both are two-directional. This means that when the lift arrives and you fail to reach the gantry before the people coming out of the lift, you will have to wait outside while everyone exits using both gantries. And of course, while waiting, chances are that someone else presses the lift downstairs, so the lift goes down without carrying anyone. And what comes naturally is that the train would come while you are fuming and waiting for the lift to come up again (I know I do). 

The solution is simple. Since people who exit the lift do not have to rush to catch the next train, why not just set one gantry to one-direction only for people who are entering? In this way, people entering the gantry can catch the lift while it is still there. This saves time for commuters and electricity - the lift does not have to make a wasted trip down carrying no one.

Alternatively, just add one more gantry there instead of two, so two gantries can be one-directional (in opposite directions) while the wider gantry for disabled passengers can remain two-directional. 

Tio Toto! .... not

Today is the first time I bought Toto, because I bumped into a colleague and she suggested buying it together. Previously there were times when I shared with others, especially when there was an exceptionally grand prize, but I knew almost nothing about how to play Toto or 4D. And I have never stepped into a Singapore Pools outlet before prior to this. I just know that statistically, the odds are so small that it isn't worth it. And most people know that as well.

So when the Toto results came out, I went online eagerly to see if I had the winning combination. I ended up just striking one number out of eight. Nice. 

To rub it in, the Group 1 prize came from the very same outlet I bought my ticket from this morning.

Nantsuttei @ Millenia Walk

One of my favourite ramen haunts, Nantsuttei. It is located at #03-02 Millenia Walk, at the 3rd floor of Parco.

Nantsuttei standard ramen, $12

The menu was very limited in choices, but I was satisfied with just their standard ramen. The soup was made from tonkotsu (pork bones) and was extremely rich. What separates it from other ramen is that the soup is rather black in colour, as seen in the picture. The cause is actually roast garlic oil (I don't know why it is so black though!) and according to the shop, it was created by frying garlic over seven phases and mixed into a blend. 

The soup is very rich and will be too salty for quite a few people. But for those who like their ramen soup rich (like me), they will find this bowl extremely satisfying.

The price is reasonable too - $12, and it comes with one slice of char siew. I would love to order their Negi Ramen, which comes with white shredded negi (green onions) and bannou negi (chopped thin green onions), but at $3 more just for green onions (that's 25% of the standard ramen bowl!) I thought it was a little too steep. 

Garlic fries - failed!

Tried to make garlic fries today, but it failed. The fries came out a bit burnt (the skin) and a bit soggy (the potato), and with absolutely no garlic taste at all (despite putting heaps of garlic powder while seasoning).

The end product looked so bad that I didn't even bother to take a picture of it. 

I wasn't sure what the exact cause was though. Was it the baking time? Was it the temperature? Was it because my tray wasn't big enough for the fries to be spread in a single layer?

Then again, maybe I should just settle for fries from McDonald's instead...

Spaghetti with grilled portobello mushrooms and cheese

Spaghetti with grilled portobello mushrooms and cheese (Serves 2)

Spaghetti with grilled portobello mushrooms and cheese

Ingredients:

3 to 4 mini portobello mushrooms, or 2 large portobello mushrooms
160g of spaghetti
0.5 cup of grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon of marjoram
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
Parsley

Instructions:

1) Place the mushrooms upside down, and season them with a bit of salt and pepper.
2) Grill the mushrooms in a toaster oven for around 8 minutes.
3) Take out the mushrooms and let them cool slightly, then cut them into small pieces. There should be a lot of juices from the mushrooms; remember to keep them in a small bowl.
4) Boil a pot of well-salted water. When it boils, put the spaghetti in and let it boil according to the instructions on the pasta packet.
5) When the pasta is cooked, drain it.
6) Mix the pasta with the mushrooms, grated cheese, marjoram, olive oil, and mushroom juices.
7) Add some salt and pepper to taste, and serve with a bit of parsley on top.

Penne rigate with mixed vegetables and bacon

So far, this is the most troublesome dish I have ever prepared. Perfect as a main dish if you don't feel like making a salad, because it has all the vegetables you need.

Penne rigate with mixed vegetables and bacon (Serves 3)

Penne rigate with mixed vegetables and bacon

Ingredients:

240g of penne rigate or fettuccine

100g of steaky bacon, chopped into fine bits

250g of asparagus, cut into diagonal 1-inch pieces

1 cup of green peas

1 bunch of spring onions, chopped, with the light green portions separated from the dark green portions

2 garlic cloves, chopped into very fine bits

0.75 cup of finely grated pecorino or parmesan cheese

0.25 cup of sour cream or whipped cream

Extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon of finely grated lemon peel

Salt

Black pepper

Parsley

Instructions:

1) Boil a big pot of water and add some salt in.

2) When the water boils, add the pasta and let it boil according to the instructions on the pasta packet. 

3) After it is cooked, drain the pasta, leaving around 0.25 cup of the pasta cooking water. Put the pasta into a large mixing bowl.

4) Fry the bacon bits in a skillet until they become crispy. Put the bacon onto a plate with paper towels to drain the oil.

5) There should be quite a bit of bacon oil on the skillet. Pour them away, leaving enough for the next step.

6) Add the asparagus and stir-fry for roughly 3 minutes. 

7) Add the spring onion (light green portions only), peas, and garlic in and continue to stir-fry for roughly 2 more minutes. 

8) Add the mixed vegetables, pasta cooking water, spring onions (dark green portions), grated cheese, cream, lemon juice, lemon peel, bacon bits, and parsley in. Mix them well while adding olive oil. 

9) Add some salt and pepper and mix again. Taste it to make sure that it is enough.

10) Include some extra grated cheese in a side bowl for serving.

Honey roasted whole chicken

Another easy recipe but again, you need to marinate it in advance.

Honey roasted whole chicken

Honey roasted whole chicken

(Hmm... I think I should have removed more of the chicken's neck!)

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (1.4kg to 1.6kg)

2 teaspoons of salt

Black pepper

7 teaspoons of honey

Instructions:

1) Add the salt, pepper and honey into a small bowl and mix well.

2) Rub the mixture around the whole chicken, including its interior.

3) Leave it in the fridge for preferably 4 hours or more.

4) Preheat the oven at 190 degrees in 'bake' mode. After 10 minutes, put the chicken in with its back facing up.

5) After 25 minutes, turn the chicken.

6) After another 15 minutes, change the oven mode to 'fan' mode. Monitor it closely.

7) Chicken is ready after another 5 minutes.

Update as of 9th Oct 2011:
I tried making this again, this time with a bigger chicken (1.6kg to 2.0kg). Although I baked it slightly longer, the skin came out burnt (to the point of being a bit bitter), but the meat was only just cooked. The recipe above is mainly applicable for medium-sized chickens, so I will need to tweak it a bit for bigger chickens, namely - more salt, and perhaps to bake it at a lower temperature but for a longer time.

Update as of 15th Oct 2011:
Used a smaller chicken this time (1.1kg to 1.3kg). The chicken came out just nice after I tweaked the recipe as such:
1) 6 teaspoons of honey instead
2) Preheating the oven at 200 degrees instead
3) After putting the chicken in for ten minutes, I decreased the temperature to 190 degrees for five minutes, then decreased it further to 180 degrees. The rest of the steps remained the same.

Update as of 1st Jan 2013:
Made some adjustments to the recipe and timings in a more recent entry here.

Oven roasted chicken thighs with lime

This recipe is easy, but you need to marinate it in advance for the chicken to absorb more flavour.

Oven roasted chicken thighs with lime

Oven roasted chicken thighs with lime

Ingredients:

2 chicken thighs, with excess fat removed

3 to 4 tablespoons of light soya sauce

1.5 limes

Black pepper

Parsley

Instructions:

1) Put the chicken thighs into a mixing bowl and squeeze the lime juice onto the chicken. Add the soya sauce and some black pepper in, and mix it thoroughly. Put the bowl into the fridge for preferably 3 hours or more.

2) Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Use the 'bake' mode. After around 10 minutes, put the chicken thighs in (with any residual sauce) and leave it for 35 minutes.

3) Switch the oven to 'grill' mode. Monitor it carefully as although it makes the skin more golden brown and crispy, it could also get burnt more easily. Leave it for around 5 minutes or if the chicken skin starts to turn dark brown.
4) Transfer the chicken onto a plate, along with any residual sauce. Do not pour the sauce onto the skin as it will reduce the crispiness of the skin, especially if you are not going to eat it immediately.

5) Sprinkle some parsley on top, and serve.

Penne rigate with broccoli and cheese

Penne rigate with broccoli and cheese (serves 4 to 5)

Penne Rigate with Broccoli and Cheese

Ingredients:

450g of broccoli

400g of penne rigate

Extra virgin olive oil

0.75 to 1 cup of finely grated pecorino or parmesan cheese

Black pepper

Instructions:

1) Wash the broccoli, then remove the stems. Cut it into bite-size pieces, and remove the smaller stems as well.

2) Boil a big pot of water, and add quite a bit of salt inside (maybe around 0.25 cup). 

3) When the water boils, add the broccoli. 

4) When the water (with the broccoli) boils again, add the pasta and let it boil according to the instructions on the pasta packet.

5) After it is cooked, drain the pasta and broccoli, then pour them into a large bowl. 

6) Add the olive oil and mix the pasta and broccoli throughly. Make sure you add enough olive oil such that the pasta glistens slightly and the bits of broccoli stick to it. If there's residue olive oil at the bottom of the bowl, that means you poured too much.

7) Add the grated cheese and some black pepper in and mix well again.

8) Include some extra grated cheese in a side bowl for serving.

Note: Step 8 is important - it really makes the pasta taste better even though most of the cheese has already been mixed in with the pasta. 

Roasted asparagus with balsamic vinegar and cheese

Another easy recipe that goes well as a side dish.

Roasted asparagus with balsamic vinegar and cheese (Serves 3)

Roasted asparagus with balsamic vinegar and cheese

Ingredients:

250g asparagus

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

Aged balsamic vinegar

Cheese

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Arrange the asparagus on a baking tray, preferably in one single layer.

2) Drizzle some olive oil over the asparagus, then add sea salt and black pepper.

3) Put the tray into the oven. If your tray is not big enough for all the asparagus to be arranged in one single layer, stir and turn the asparagus occasionally.

4) After around 20 minutes (or when the asparagus starts to turn a bit brown), take it out.

5) Drizzle the aged balsamic vinegar over the asparagus, then add shaven cheese on it. 

Note: The recipe specified Parmesan cheese, but I used Gruyere cheese and it still tasted fabulous. Just make sure that the cheese is freshly shaven from a slab of hard cheese, rather than cheese than comes in grated form from the packet. Alternatively, you can sprinkle grated cheese before baking. The melted cheese should go quite well with the asparagus too.

How to take a screenshot on a Mac

Probably everyone knows how to take a screenshot with an iPhone or iPad - by pressing the home and power button simultaneously. But many do not know how to do so with a Mac - be it a Macbook or iMac. 

The answer is Command-Shift-3 - this will take a screenshot and save it to your desktop. 

To take a screenshot of a selected area of your desktop, try Command-Shift-4, then click and drag your mouse over the selected area.

For a screenshot of a particular window, use Command-Shift-4-space, then click on the desired window.

Pan fried marjoram chicken breasts with cherry tomatoes

Made a simple dish for dinner today. And it's really easy. It just takes 30 minutes to prepare.

Pan fried marjoram chicken breasts with cherry tomatoes (Serves 2)

Pan fried marjoram chicken breasts with cherry tomatoes

Ingredients:

2.5 tablespoons of butter (at room temperature)

1 to 2 cloves of garlic, chopped to fine pieces

1.5 to 2 teaspoons of marjoram

0.5 to 1 teaspoon of paprika

Black pepper

Salt

2 chicken breasts (skinless and boneless)

300g of cherry tomatoes

Dash of parsley

Instructions:

1) Season the chicken breasts with some salt and pepper.

2) Mix the butter, garlic, marjoram, and paprika in a small bowl. Add some pepper and a little bit of salt.

3) Add 1.5 tablespoons of the mixture to a skillet over medium heat and spread it uniformly.

4) Add the chicken into the skillet and cover. It should take around 5 minutes each side to be cooked.

5) Transfer the chicken to a plate. You may want to cover it with foil to keep it warm.

6) Add the cherry tomatoes to the skillet and stir it frequently to prevent it from being charred, then add the remaining mixture in. Crush the tomatoes slightly to release some juices, and continue to stir. Add a bit of salt and pepper, and you are done.

7) Before serving, garnish the tomatoes and chicken breasts with some parsley.

Note that this serves 2, but the portions would be too small if there aren't other dishes or if you are a big eater. If you want, you can prepare 3 (or even 4) pieces of chicken breasts for 2 people. Just adjust the ingredients quantity accordingly.

Casa Verde @ Botanic Gardens

Casa Verde is located at the Botanic Gardens, and finding the correct entrance was pretty time consuming. Note to self - remember to use the entrance at Nassim Road in the future.

The ambience there was pretty good. It is also a well-known place for dog owners to bring their dogs to, so I will probably visit there some time again with my dog on weekend mornings. 

Okay, now let's zoom in to the food.

Gourmet Breakfast, $15

I ordered the Gourmet Breakfast, which comes with 2 eggs, hash brown, back bacon, sauteed mushrooms, roasted tomato, and sausage. There wasn't anything really special about this - just your standard American breakfast. It comes with 2 pieces of toast as well. Presentation-wise, it looked a little lacking, especially for the eggs.

Toast that comes with the Gourmet Breakfast

My gf ordered the Field Mushroom Burger. 

Field Mushroom Burger, $15.50

Nothing really special about this; it was decent enough. The fries were not bad, though.

Verdict - A good place for brunch, with good ambience and decent food that is priced reasonably (no service charge, and GST is already included in). I wouldn't mind visiting it again.

If only....

So TT is our next president. As much as I am glad that TKL did not win (hell, he only got 4.9% of the votes. But I do feel sorry that he didn't even manage to get back his election deposit), I am a bit disappointed that TCB did not win. Still, it is undeniable that TT has the experience and bearing to be our next president. 

Considering the results - TT 35.2%, TCB 34.8%, TJS 25.1%, TKL 4.9% - it is clear that history would have changed if TJS and TKL had not contested. 

If TKL had not contested, chances are high that TCB would be president now. From TKL's profile, people who did not vote for TKL would most likely have voted for TJS. But some would still spill over to TCB. Even a 10% share would have given TCB around an extra 0.5%, edging him over TT. It is rather unlikely that TKL's supporters would vote for TT.

If TJS had not contested, TCB would most likely have won as well. Similarly, quite a number of the 25.1% would have gone to either TCB or TKL. TT would most probably get some votes too, but the proportion is expected to be less. Again, this number of extra votes would have given TCB the edge over TT.

If websites such as The Temasek Review etc had not endorsed TJS as their presidential choice, things would have probably changed. They reached out especially to netizens who did not know who to vote for (but knew who not to vote for - TT). So in an attempt to unify the people's votes against TT, they decided to focus on TJS. How many votes did they sway? This is hard to say. But knowing that TJS managed to clinch 25.1% of votes, this brings me back to my previous point. If these websites had endorsed TCB, my Facebook would probably be full of people celebrating instead of mourning. TJS was also the last one who contested. It seems rather amusing that he was granted the Certificate of Eligibility even though he had not managed a company with $100 million market cap or equivalent.  Managing $100 million of AUM (assets under management) is an entirely different thing, which gave rise to suspicions that TJS was allowed to run just to dilute the votes against TT. 

It is interesting to note this. Are the people who voted against TT:

A) Pro-opposition?

B) Anti-PAP?

C) Neutral but want something to change?

D) Pro PAP but sick of PAP's arrogance?

My presidential-unhopeful, Tan Kin Lian #2

I chanced upon some Youtube videos of Tan Kin Lian, and my opinion of him just dropped even further.

Video #1 - Optical Illusion

TKL teaches you how to perform... an optical illusion with 3 cups of cup noodles. Genius. Can someone just tell him straight in the face that the 3 cups look exactly the same size?

Video #2 - Torchlight

TKL teaches you how to use a.... torchlight. Seriously. Who the fuck needs to learn how to use a torchlight? 

Video #3 - SIA Frequent Flyer

TKL teaches you how to call SIA to check your miles. Oh yes. In case you don't know that you can go to SIA's website to check your miles or get the number to call, you can go to Youtube and let TKL guide you. 

Video #4 - Calling Starhub

TKL teaches you how to call Starhub hotline. It looks like his first time calling them too. Halfway, he says, "I am totally lost. I will try one more time..."

If TKL becomes President I will seriously think of migrating to another country.

Huh?

While looking for places for brunch, I chanced across Epicurious' website.

"Our full breakfast menu is available at on Saturdays and Sundays at The Quayside from 9am until we run out, and at The Rail Mall from 9am to 4pm.


During the week, a limited All-Day-Breakfast is available during lunch."

Uhh so what does this mean? Isn't all-day-breakfast supposed to be available all day? Why is it available only during lunch?

Would it be better if they just change the sentence to "During the week, our breakfast menu is also available during lunch until it is sold out."?

Lessons from Angry Birds

Angry Birds actually gives pretty good lessons and insights on life. Here are some I thought of:

1) Don't give up

Just can't kill off the last pig? Just can't get enough points to get 3 stars? Don't give up. It is definitely possible. While you may try different approaches, the most important fact is to keep trying and not give up. 

2) Don't stick to the same method time and time again

There are many ways to clear a stage. Don't rely on the same formula and expect it to work every time! Explore and experiment. For example, firing the boomerang bird in the opposite direction (towards the left) has actually helped me a couple of times.

3) Everyone is good at something (usually)

This is more for managers managing a team. Each bird is good at something specifically - the tiny blue birds smash through glass as if they were paper, the yellow birds have the longest range and are good for aiming, the black birds are great for shattering stone and explosions, the huge red birds for their weight, the white birds for their vertical egg bombs and subsequent parabolic flight, etc.

Though I say that everyone is good at something, I can't imagine what the normal red bird is good at... In work, most teams have someone who doesn't stand out at all, but hey, it's better than not having the bird there at all...

My presidential-unhopeful, Tan Kin Lian #1

Today, the Sunday Times had an article on Tan Kin Lian, He hopes to instil honesty & fairness. 

TKL has an issue with the Government on the impact of national service on Singaporean men. He claims that because men start their careers a couple of years later than women, they are disadvantaged in many ways.

"What does it mean? They marry later. What does it mean? No babies. There are many consequences," he says.

I think one does not even need much of a brain to know that national service is not the cause of our low birth rate. National service has been around since 1967. Did our birth rate fall right after it was introduced?

Maybe I should write to the Elections Department to ask if I can use my vote to offset one vote for TKL.

Buy emerging markets!

Markets are still extremely volatile, but they actually present some very excellent buying opportunities. Today, I topped up into emerging markets, because huge outflows from emerging market equities since 2008 have pointed to a possible indication to buy emerging market equities at their lowest valuations in 2.5 years. Valuations are now 30% below the 20 year average, as shown by data compiled by Morgan Stanley and Bloomberg.

In the past decade, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index went up by an average of 17% in six months after outflows of this magnitude. Out of 12 occasions, 11 gained, according to EPFR Global and Bloomberg.

The current market problems actually stem from the developed countries. Emerging markets do not share the same problems. Growth is still quite strong, and demographics, a very important point for investing in emerging markets, will continue to be a significant driver of growth.

Lame excuse

For being caught on TV while using her mobile phone during the national anthem at the NDP, MP Penny Low gave a really lame excuse.

"I was so caught up in the wonderful NDP 2011 and felt so proud of being a Singaporean that I wanted to capture that moment of pride at the very tail end of the anthem, to share on Facebook with my residents."

"If in my enthusiasm I offended anyone, please accept my apologies. NDP is a time to unite, not divide. Majulah Singapura!"

Instead of giving a proper apology, she attributed her mistake to her overwhelming patriotism and loyalty to Singapore. Ending it with a "Majulah Singapura" was really the last straw. I know my hairs stood when I read this.

Update as of 12th August 2011:
It was discovered that MP Penny Low did not even post any picture at the time the national anthem was sung. According to CNA, the national anthem was sung at 810pm, but the 'nearest' picture posted by Penny Low was at 8pm. Subsequent pictures were posted at 954pm and 955pm.

http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/08/12/pap-malaysian-mp-penny-low-did-not-post-any-photos-on-her-facebook-when-national-anthem-was-sung/

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Credits: www.gamespot.com

Two weeks ago, I bought Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3) as it was on sale ($39.90). Reviews for it were also great (9.0 on Gamespot) so I got it without much hesitation. It's actually quite an old game, being released in 2009.

I am only at 13% of the game, but I am already sucked into its plot and gameplay. Combat is simple but not too easy, and I love the way they make his fighting more fluid as he moves from punching one thug in the face to countering a kick from behind, and then to jumping across the hall to grapple another thug to the floor. Stealth tactics make the fun a lot more fun, and these are usually a necessity if the opponents are armed with handguns (Batman is afraid of bullets, unlike Superman). Being able to use the environment to your advantage only serves to make the game more interesting. There are countless ways to takedown an enemy - direct combat, silently from behind, silently from above (where Batman grabs his enemies when they pass beneath him and leave them hanging in the air in ropes), detonating a wall when someone walks past... the list goes on. 

Batman also comes with an arsenal of gadgets, like the Batarang, Bataclaw, and explosive gel, and as he pummels more thugs and gets more experience points, he can unlock new moves and upgrade his armour and weapons. This gives the player an incentive to string combos together to gain more experience points. The game is also peppered with optional awards and riddles (thanks to the Riddler), and whenever Batman solves one, he gets more experience points.  

Last but not least, the voice acting is superb, especially the Joker's. He is voiced by Mark Hamill, who is actually most well known for his role as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.

Update as of 7th Oct 2011: 
Finally completed the game, unlocking all the riddles (with the help of the internet, of course). This is especially apt since the Riddler actually accused Batman of using the internet after I unlocked around 80% of his riddles.

More tips on cooking steaks

Just watched a video in ieatishootipost.sg on cooking steaks. 

Key takeaways on top of my previous entry on steaks:

1) Before cooking the steak, let the steak approach room temperature. (Doesn't this allow bacteria to grow? hmm... I think I will let the meat rest for a while after taking it out from the fridge, but not till room temperature)

2) Season it with olive oil first, then add sea salt, pepper, and some lemon juice.

3) When the sides start to get cooked, it's time to turn the steak.

4) After it is cooked, wrap the steak in aluminum foil and let it rest for a while again. This will let the steak get cooked evenly such that the insides will become uniformly pink, instead of pink and red.

Market bloodbath - time to go in?

After the market crashed yesterday, I went to take a look at my portfolio again. As expected, my US fund has plummeted; it is now down by 16%. My Europe fund was not much better at 13% in the red. China is down by around 11%, while Taiwan (which was already the worst performing in my portfolio) is now down 25%! Ouch. Thank goodness for my fixed income funds, which provided some measure of defence in my portfolio.

Core portfolio - 75.68%

Asia ex Japan Equity - 11.12%

Asia ex Japan Balanced - 5.10%

Emerging Markets - 9.20%

Europe Equity - 7.05%

Global Bonds - 7.19%

High Yield - 3.96%

Japan - 2.01%

Singapore Equity - 11.98%

Short Duration - 11.22%

US Equity - 6.85%

Supplementary portfolio - 24.32%

Global Resources - 4.51%

Taiwan Equity- 3.77%

Global Technology - 5.69%

China Equity - 9.01%

Russia Equity - 1.34%

By asset class, this would be 72.54% equity, 5.10% balanced, and 22.37% fixed income.

I have been doing some thinking these two months and have decided to move towards a smaller supplementary portfolio. Previously I categorised High Yield under my supplementary portfolio, but now I have moved it into my core portfolio. Will be trying to use new monies to rebalance my portfolio.

After US stocks crashed and S&P downgraded US debt from AAA to AA+, I decided to top up my US fund slightly. Why? I think markets have over-reacted. US companies are still making profits, with 71% of US companies outperforming expectations in Q2. Valuations are now extremely attractive, and markets have priced in the significant amount of bad news out there. 

I must admit that I was a bit nervous about topping up in US when everyone is fleeing from it. But I took one step back and asked myself - if a client came to me today and asked me for my opinions, what would I recommend? I would recommend topping up into US now, or start a RSP to take advantage of the market's volatility. Even if US drops further, it is undeniable that you would be getting a good deal in the medium term. After this, I felt more reassured and put in the trade. 

I also topped up into Japan slightly (more to increase my portfolio allocation in Japan than to exploit opportunities) and more into Short Duration funds for safety.