My Travel History

And... there goes 2018.

2018 - Australia (Gold Coast), Hong Kong, New Zealand, Taiwan (Taipei), Thailand (Bangkok)
2017 - Hong Kong, Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai), U.K (London, Salisbury, Bath, Bristol, Bibury, Cornwall), Australia (Melbourne, Tasmania), Japan (Osaka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Nagato, Hiroshima)

2016 - Hong Kong, Indonesia (Bali), Malaysia (Labuan), Norway (Oslo, Bergen, Tromso), Denmark (Copenhagen), Sweden (Stockholm, Gothernberg)

2015 - Hong Kong, Indonesia (Bali), Netherlands (Amsterdam, Leiden, The Hague), Belgium (Brussels, Bruges), China (Shenzhen), Japan (Tokyo, Kanazawa, Takayama)
2014 - Hong Kong, Vietnam (Hanoi), Taiwan (Taipei), U.K (London, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Moreton-in-Marsh, Warwick, Blackpool, Windermere, Carlisle, York), Thailand (Hua Hin)
2013 - Hong Kong, Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang), Thailand (Koh Samui), Indonesia (Bali),  Finland (Helsinki), Czech Republic (Prague, Cesky Krumlov), Austria (Vienna, Salzburg), Italy (Florence, Rome)
2012 - Taiwan (Taipei), Thailand (Bangkok), Indonesia (Batam), 

2011 - Taiwan (Taipei), Indonesia (Bali), Malaysia (Kota Kinabalu), Indonesia (Batam)

2010 - Taiwan (Taipei, Taidong), Australia (Melbourne), U.K (London)

2009 - Malaysia (Johor Bahru), Hong Kong

2008 - Russia (Moscow), Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh), Hong Kong, Macau, China (Zhuhai)

2007 - Australia (Gold Coast), Thailand (Phuket), Thailand (Krabi)

2006 - Taiwan (Taipei)

2005 - Australia (Perth), Cruise

2004 - Cruise, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Malaysia (Redang Island)

2002 - Malaysia (Tioman), U.S (Chicago)

Considering the following places to visit next year:

Japan (Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo) - trip booked
U.S (San Francisco) - trip booked

Together with another family cruise probably around July, my leave for 2019 will be wiped out totally. 

Stir-fried Chinese Spinach

Stir-fried Chinese Spinach (serves 2)

This recipe can actually be used on other vegetables as well.

Ingredients:

300g of Chinese spinach
1 teaspoon of cooking oil
2 teaspoons of soy sauce
2 teaspoons of sesame oil
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of mirin


Instructions:

1) Wash and chop the spinach into smaller pieces.

2) Heat up the wok with the cooking oil, then fry the garlic until it starts to turn brown.

3) Add the spinach, mirin and soy sauce, then saute the spinach until it wilts. It should take around 3 minutes.

4) Add the sesame oil, mix it well, then serve.

Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce

Steamed Pork Ribs with Black Bean Sauce (serves 2)

If you are all right with using store-bought black bean sauce, this dish can require less than 5 minutes of preparation. I use the Lee Kum Kee black bean garlic sauce, and find that it tastes pretty good. For the pork ribs, try to get Indonesian pork ribs instead of Malaysian or Australian - they really taste better. They cost more quite a bit more, though.

Ingredients:

500g of pork ribs
3 tablespoons of black bean sauce
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine


Instructions:

1) Marinate the pork ribs with the black bean sauce, minced garlic, and Chinese cooking wine. Leave it overnight or for at least 4 hours.

2) Steam it for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on large the pork ribs are.

Baked Chicken with Carrots

Baked Chicken with Carrots

Ingredients:

3 whole chicken drumsticks, cut into 2 pieces each
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
1 whole carrot, chopped into roughly 1 cm slices


Instructions:

1) Dry the chicken as much as possible, then season it with salt and pepper. More salt can be added on the skin to absorb the moisture - this will help in making the skin crispy. It will also help if you use a toothpick to poke some holes all over the chicken - this will let excess moisture out of the chicken, helping to ensure that the skin will be crispier.

2) Drizzle some olive oil on an oven tray, then place the chicken (skin up) and carrots on it.

3) Preheat the oven at 200 degrees, put the tray in for 20 to 25 minutes, then serve.

Happy Birthday, Not

The thing about being in group chats is when someone wishes you happy birthday.

So I was hoping that no one from my JC group chat will remember my birthday last week. However, at 716pm, someone triggered it. Damn, I even removed my birth date from all my social media accounts, hoping that no one will remember it. Oh well, these are my JC friends who have known me for two decades, so I can't expect none of them to remember.

I groaned, and waited for the wishes to come from the rest... sporadically. Am I supposed to thank them one by one? Can I just thank all of them - those who have replied (so far)? What if more wish me after I have thanked them? Do I have to thank the rest too?

In the end, I waited till it was almost midnight, and just sent a simple message to thank them all. I hope I didn't sound too patronising.

Oven-Baked Salmon Fillet

Oven-Baked Salmon Fillet (serves 2)

This is so easy that anyone can do it. It requires little preparation, little ingredients, and little skill.

Ingredients:

1 salmon fillet, approximately 400g
Salt


Instructions:

1) Clean the salmon fillet (especially the skin) and remove any bones. Use the knife to scrape across the skin to remove as much moisture as possible. You can make some slits (length-wise) on the skin as well.

2) Dry the salmon with a kitchen towel, then add some salt to the skin. Be generous - the salt helps to extract even more moisture from the skin. Place the salmon on some kitchen towels, skin-side down, and leave it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

3) Pat off any excess salt, and season the bottom of the salmon lightly with some salt.

4) Preheat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius on grill mode.

5) Put the salmon in, skin-side up, for 8 to 10 minutes. The skin should be wonderfully crispy.

Lotus Root Soup with Pork Ribs

Lotus Root Soup with Pork Ribs

Ingredients:

300g of pork spare ribs, preferably from Indonesia
Extra pork bones (optional)
300g of lotus roots
40g peanuts
A few strips of dried cuttlefish
6 to 8 red dates (optional)
Salt


Instructions:

1) Wash the lotus roots, then cut them into thick slices.

2) Add the pork spare ribs to around 1 litre of water. Bring to a boil, then remove the foam from the surface.

3) Add the lotus roots into the pot, together with the peanuts, some salt, red dates and dried cuttlefish. Bring it to a boil.

4) Cover and cook over low heat for around 2 hours, then taste and add more salt if necessary. Alternatively, transfer the contents into a slow cooker and put it on low power for 8 hours or high power for 4 hours.

My Travel History

And here's the yearly update:

2017 - Hong Kong, Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai), U.K (London, Salisbury, Bath, Bristol, Bibury, Cornwall), Australia (Melbourne, Tasmania), Japan (Osaka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Nagato, Hiroshima)

2016 - Hong Kong, Indonesia (Bali), Malaysia (Labuan), Norway (Oslo, Bergen, Tromso), Denmark (Copenhagen), Sweden (Stockholm, Gothernberg)

2015 - Hong Kong, Indonesia (Bali), Netherlands (Amsterdam, Leiden, The Hague), Belgium (Brussels, Bruges), China (Shenzhen), Japan (Tokyo, Kanazawa, Takayama)
2014 - Hong Kong, Vietnam (Hanoi), Taiwan (Taipei), U.K (London, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Moreton-in-Marsh, Warwick, Blackpool, Windermere, Carlisle, York), Thailand (Hua Hin)
2013 - Hong Kong, Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang), Thailand (Koh Samui), Indonesia (Bali),  Finland (Helsinki), Czech Republic (Prague, Cesky Krumlov), Austria (Vienna, Salzburg), Italy (Florence, Rome)
2012 - Taiwan (Taipei), Thailand (Bangkok), Indonesia (Batam), 

2011 - Taiwan (Taipei), Indonesia (Bali), Malaysia (Kota Kinabalu), Indonesia (Batam)

2010 - Taiwan (Taipei, Taidong), Australia (Melbourne), U.K (London)

2009 - Malaysia (Johor Bahru), Hong Kong

2008 - Russia (Moscow), Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh), Hong Kong, Macau, China (Zhuhai)

2007 - Australia (Gold Coast), Thailand (Phuket), Thailand (Krabi)

2006 - Taiwan (Taipei)

2005 - Australia (Perth), Cruise

2004 - Cruise, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Malaysia (Redang Island)

2002 - Malaysia (Tioman), U.S (Chicago)

Considering the following places to visit next year:

Taiwan (trip booked)
New Zealand

Japan

Steamed Chicken Legs with Mushrooms and Black Fungus

Steamed Chicken Legs with Mushrooms and Black Fungus

Recipe passed down from my mother.

Ingredients:

3 chicken legs, cut into pieces
1.5 tablespoon light soy sauce
1.5 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon grated ginger juice
1 stalk spring onion
1 tablespoon corn flour
A few slices of lup cheong (optional)
A handful of fresh mushrooms
A handful of black fungus
Salt


Instructions:

1) Immerse the black fungus in water first to let it expand.

2) Marinate the chicken with the soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, oyster sauce, ginger juice, 0.5 teaspoon of salt, spring onion, and corn flour. Leave it for 30 minutes.

3) Add the mushrooms and black fungus, and steam for 25 minutes.

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

I took this recipe from here and modified it slightly.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
⅓ white onion
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1 cup of chicken broth
1.5 cup water
200g pasta shells
200g broccoli, chopped into chunks
0.5 teaspoon of cayenne powder
0.25 teaspoon of nutmeg
0.5 cup milk
150g shredded cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper


Instructions:

1) Heat the olive oil on medium heat in a pot. Add the chicken breasts, then season with salt and pepper.

2) Flip the chicken breasts once it is slightly brown, then flip them over and add the onions and garlic.

3) Once both sides of the chicken breasts are browned, add the chicken broth, water, and pasta.

4) Mix the pot well, then cover it with a lid and let the contents boil. Once it boils, stir the pot again.

5) Bring the heat to low, cover the pot again and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

6) By now most of the liquid should have evaporated. Stir the contents again, then add the broccoli and let it steam for another 5 minutes.

7) Add the milk and cheddar cheese and stir until everything is well-mixed.

8) Add the cayenne powder, nutmeg, and some salt and pepper. Stir and serve.

Butter-roasted chicken with herbs

Butter-roasted chicken with herbs

Made this for New Year's Eve dinner. Quite a few of the ingredients were added haphazardly, but the chicken turned out to be quite good!

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
2 tablespoons of butter
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
0.5 teaspoon of paprika
0.5 teaspoon of thyme
0.5 teaspoon of sunflower oil
Salt
Pepper


Instructions:

1) Mix the butter, minced garlic, paprika, thyme, salt (0.5 teaspoon) and pepper (0.5 teaspoon) together.

2) Rub the mixture under the skin of the chicken (breast and legs).

3) Mix 0.5 teaspoon of salt with 0.5 teaspoon of sunflower oil, and rub it over the top and sides of the chicken.

4) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, then put the chicken in, with its breast facing up.

5) Leave it inside for 50 minutes, rotating it occasionally just to make sure the chicken is cooked uniformly.

6) Change the oven mode to 'fan' mode. Monitor it closely for around 1 to 2 minutes - it can get burned very easily in this mode.

7) Serve.

My Travel History

Just realised that I didn't update my travel history last year, so this entry will include 2015's as well.

2016 - Hong Kong, Indonesia (Bali), Malaysia (Labuan), Norway (Oslo, Bergen, Tromso), Denmark (Copenhagen), Sweden (Stockholm, Gothernberg)

2015 - Hong Kong, Indonesia (Bali), Netherlands (Amsterdam, Leiden, The Hague), Belgium (Brussels, Bruges), China (Shenzhen), Japan (Tokyo, Kanazawa, Takayama)
2014 - Hong Kong, Vietnam (Hanoi), Taiwan (Taipei), U.K (London, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Moreton-in-Marsh, Warwick, Blackpool, Windermere, Carlisle, York), Thailand (Hua Hin)
2013 - Hong Kong, Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang), Thailand (Koh Samui), Indonesia (Bali),  Finland (Helsinki), Czech Republic (Prague, Cesky Krumlov), Austria (Vienna, Salzburg), Italy (Florence, Rome)
2012 - Taiwan (Taipei), Thailand (Bangkok), Indonesia (Batam), 

2011 - Taiwan (Taipei), Indonesia (Bali), Malaysia (Kota Kinabalu), Indonesia (Batam)

2010 - Taiwan (Taipei, Taidong), Australia (Melbourne), U.K (London)

2009 - Malaysia (Johor Bahru), Hong Kong

2008 - Russia (Moscow), Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh), Hong Kong, Macau, China (Zhuhai)

2007 - Australia (Gold Coast), Thailand (Phuket), Thailand (Krabi)

2006 - Taiwan (Taipei)

2005 - Australia (Perth), Cruise

2004 - Cruise, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Malaysia (Redang Island)

2002 - Malaysia (Tioman), U.S (Chicago)

Considering the following places to visit next year:

Hong Kong (trip booked)

Bangkok, Chiangmai (trip booked)

U.K (England, Wales)

Australia (Melbourne, Tasmania)

Japan

A lesson for you, honey

For dinner last Saturday, I planned to make honey-roasted chicken. I dug through the larder to look for honey, and found a bottle... which had expired eight months ago. 

It's my mother again, I thought. Sometimes she just refuses to throw away expired stuff. Since she was overseas, I thought this was a good chance for me to discard it and buy a new bottle of honey.

This morning, I chanced across this video by AOL, titled "Don't listen to expiration dates on food labels". And near the end of the video...

"For honey? No need to toss this item. This natural sweetener can last you a lifetime."

I gulped. 

A short while later, my mother opened the larder to look for honey, and saw the new bottle. 

"You bought a new bottle of honey? You finished the older bottle?"

"Uhh yes. I was having a sore throat last week so I drank quite a bit of honey, and finished it," I said with a straight face.

Something I will probably remember for a lifetime. Honey never expires.

Gasp; could I have been UNDERcharged by a bank?

Since 2004, I have been tracking my expenses fastidiously. When one of my credit card bills came this month, I went to match it off with my expenses - and found one entry missing. It was at a coffee joint, for $19.30, paid using Apple Pay.

This was surprising - banks seldom make such mistakes. Banks will only "accidentally" charge extra, after all. I thought, maybe I didn't use this credit card, and went to check all my other credit card bills. Nothing came up.

So I went to dig out the actual receipt which I fortunately haven't discarded - and discovered that the credit card number (the last four digits) didn't belong to any of my cards.

I was astonished. How could this have happened? I was very sure that I used Apple Pay for this, so how did another credit card number appear on the receipt instead? The items I ordered were also correct, so the possibility of me taking someone else's receipt by mistake is out. 

Hmm, doesn't this mean that it is entirely possible that we will get charged for someone else's expenses by accident too?

Milk-Braised Chicken

Another dish I prepared for Mother's Day, sourced from here.




Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
Salt
Pepper
3 tablespoons of butter
10 fresh sage leaves
1/4 lemon, rind
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 cups of whole milk


Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

2) Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.

3) Heat the butter in a pot, then brown the chicken all over.

4) Add the sage, lemon, garlic and milk.

5) Put in the oven for 1.5 hours, then serve.

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Prepared this dish for Mother's Day. Got it from Tasty's Facebook page; details are at this link. I modified the amounts slightly though.

Ingredients:

8 large shrimps
1 lime
Salt
Pepper
1 romaine lettuce
1 avocado
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of chilli powder
0.5 cup of cherry tomatoes


Instructions:

1) Cut off the shrimp heads and put aside. Deshell the shrimps.

2) Chop the romaine lettuce into pieces, cut the cherry tomatoes into half, and cut the avocado into pieces (around thumbnail sizes).

3) Mix olive oil, some lime juice (around ⅔), honey, chilli powder, salt and pepper. It's not easy to mix the oil and honey uniformly, so you may need to mix the salad more later.

4) Marinate the shrimps with salt, pepper and the remaining lime juice.

5) Pan-fry the shrimp heads and shrimps, around 1 to 2 minutes each side. Press the shrimp heads more while frying to extract more of its essence. When done, remove the shrimps and toss the heads aside.

6) Mix the salad well with the dressing, then place the shrimps on top. Serve.

Heng ah!

So Lim Swee Say recently made headlines with his infamous "Heng ah!" comments on him not being a Malaysian or Mainland Chinese. Not surprisingly, China and Malaysia were both rather pissed and fired back at him.

It's true that he shouldn't have said that - such comments should obviously be kept to oneself. But there is a big element of truth in what he said. For one, I know that personally, I am very glad that I am born a Singaporean and not any other nationality. This of course includes China and Malaysia.

God of War II

When I first started playing GOW II, it was in March 2014. Then due to my hectic work schedule (and inefficiency), I stopped. The next time I picked it up again was March... 2015. I fiddled with it until April 2015, then stopped again.

This weekend, ironically, I was able to play it again because my office laptop was under repair. And I managed to complete the rest of the game in one day. So basically, from start to end, GOW II took me  17 months to finish.

Next on the pipeline is Final Fantasy VI on the iPad. Targeting to finish it by 3Q2015!

Cooking steaks

I just found the best way (so far) to prepare steaks! It was from a video by FudeHouse, which can be found below.

Summarising the steps here:

1) Season both sides of the steak generously with sea salt and pepper.
2) Place the steak on a grill over a baking dish.
3) Preheat the oven to 140 degrees, then put the steak in for 30 to 35 minutes.
4) Take the steak out and let it rest for 15 minutes.
5) Heat up the skillet until it is very hot, then fry the steak for one minute on each side.
6) Serve immediately.

The steak turned out perfect - evenly cooked inside, and well-seared outside with a balanced tinge of smokiness. That's it - I am going to use this method to cook all my steaks from now on.

Teppei Syokudo @ Millennia Walk

Another Teppei outlet, this time in Millennia Walk.

Kaisendon, $16

Looks like Teppei still has the best barachirashi don (it's basically the same thing despite the different name. Kaisendon means seafood rice, by the way.). No other place comes close. The sashimi were all fresh and mixed perfectly with their own sauce, and when taken with a dab of fresh wasabi and some salmon roe (which bursts with flavour when bitten) it was so heavenly. The rice was also sweet and of good quality, and I finished every grain of it.

$16 for this is really a steal. To make things better, it doesn't come with service charge or GST.