*dimsumdolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

about competition

about competition

the higher you climb
the greater the pressure.

those who manage to
endure
learn
that the distance
between the
top and the
bottom
is
obscenely
great.

and those who
succeed
know
this secret:
there isn't
one.

~ Charles Bukowski from the Sifting Through the Madness for the Word, the Line the Way.

The Big Over Easy

If you fancy a funny and intelligent detective story, I suggest you pick up Jasper Fforde’s The Big Over Easy.

Humpty Dumpty has been found scattered into pieces over the wall and foul play is suspected. Detective Inspector Jack Spratt of the Nursery Crime Division and his assistant Mary Mary set out to uncover the cause of his death. In the course of their investigation, they meet with familiar nursery rhyme characters who are all part of this world where nursery rhyme characters co-exist with fellow humans.

The book’s a riot – bringing in your knowledge of nursery rhymes and combining it with your knowledge of the ways of the modern world, all the while laced with satirical wit and intelligent humour. A recommended read.

The book is available from the National Library.

Mango Tree

A lunch time sojourn saw three colleagues and I going to Mango Tree: Indian Coastal Restaurant at East Coast Park. It is at the same part of the park where McDonald's is.

I had never been to East Coast Park when there were so few people around. It's actually really nice without the crowds and throngs of roller bladers and cyclists who flood the place on weekends.

We seated ourselves on the veranda of the tiny restaurant and enjoyed a refreshing change of scenery. Orders were soon placed - we decided on Tandoori chicken, braised button, fish curry, stir-fried okra, lemon basmati rice and mango naan.

The dishes all turned to be a tad too spicy for all of us and the mutton was a little too salty. The okra (aka lady's fingers) was strange. There was hardly any okra in it. It was more like a mixed vegetable dish with small slices of tomato and onion in it . Didn't taste fantastic either. The fish and tandoori chicken were also rather forgettable although I must say that at least the chicken wasn't too dry. I liked the mango naan though. It was soft and fresh and a nice, slight taste of mango which actually went well with the curry.

The waiter kept trying to get us to order more than we wanted when we were placing our order. First he asked if we wanted a starter. No, we didn't. Then he asked if we wanted crabs or prawns or some other seafood. No, we didn't. Then he asked if we wanted any fresh juices (this after we said we wanted only water) like lime or orange juice. No, we didn't. Gosh, at least he didn't carry on after that!

Overall, I wasn't satisfied with the meal and I've definitely had better curries as well. I won't be back again.

Service: OK, but not exceptional
Price: $20 - $40

Mango Tree
1000 East Coast Parkway
B23 Singapore 449876
Tel: 6442-8655 / 6442-1655

Shoe Buying Frenzy

OK, I must have gone mad last night - just 20 minutes in August Ryan and I ended up buying 3 pairs of shoes! The orange pair was bought from Clarks in Boston last month. I never thought I'd ever buy anything from Clarks 'cos I've always thought of the brand as one which sells comfortable but ugly and boring looking shoes. Imagine my surprise when I went in and saw all these funky, fun and colourful shoes! I love these orange slip-ons. They're so comfortable.

The other three I bought 'cos I just think they're so pretty. I couldn't in good conscience walk out of the shop without them. ;p The colourful one on the bottom left comes with a white-coloured wedge heel. It's my first pair of wedge heels - I have to practise walking in them!

So these 4 pairs of shoes are my most recent shoe purchases and I llluuurrrrvveee them!!!!

As I've said before - there's a shoe (and bag for that matter) for every occasion.

Proud to be an SPC-er

My weekend was FANTASTIC although now my back and shoulder blades are aching from all that racing! On Saturday it was the 200m races and on Sunday it was the 500m races. On Saturday, us ladies from the Singapore Paddle Club (SPC) did well by qualifying for the Grand Final but unfortunately we weren't good enough to earn a medal. We don't do as well in the 200m as we do in the 500m. The SPC men won the Plate Final (which is like the Second Divison league in football terms 'cos they didn't qualify for the Grand Final). But at least they won the Plate! The Mixed Team B (unfortunately i wasn't in this team) took Silver for the 200m Grand Final! But I was in the 500m Mixed Team B and we also took Silver for that one! We lost to the Filippino team by just a little - but this proves that we are the best Mixed team in Singapore!!!

We ladies did better than the men by qualifying for the Ladies 500m Grand Final. We went into the finals with the worst timing. Three-quarter way into the race, we were last, but at the last 100m, we sped up and caught up a lot but still wasn't good enough to get a 3rd. We were up against very fierce competition, 'cos the team that won was the Singapore National Team, the 2nd was a very good team from the Philippines. We only lost to the 3rd by about a dragon's nose - seriously - it was only by 0.21 seconds!!! And we tied for 4th with the team from the National University of Singapore - girls half the age of many of the women in my team!

But we really paddled our hearts out. I'm SO proud to be paddling with these women. I know everyone gave it their all. The drummer and the steers were our coaches - both guys. And they said we were really good. Even though we didn't win, we beat our own best timing during trainings. And they said we were really moving as one body. And to crawl back from 4th to 6th in the last 100m was fantastic. The guys supporting us from the stands said it was one of the most fantastic races of the weekend. Oh my god, i can't even begin to describe the feeling when we got off that boat and feeling so good about what we did - we had no idea what was going on until we were told. After that we all began hugging each other and some of the girls (I call us "girls" but really, all of us are quite old - in our late 20s and 30s. Haha.) started crying. The guys shared in our joy too and I know they were proud of us too.

Because we did well in the races on both Sat & Sun, the ladies qualified for the Ladies 1000m Super Cup. Only the top 6 teams of the competition get to compete in it - they give you points for qualifying for events and points for the position you get in the race. So anyway, now I can say my team is one of the top 6 teams in Singapore!!! That was was the first time doing a 1000m race for most of us. But we wanted to do it even though we were really tired from all that racing. Before the women's final, 10 of us had actually raced in the Mixed Final where we came in second. So the moment we got off one boat, we got onto another and went to do another race.

That's why I'm so proud of all the girls - we really gave it our all. I know i felt like dying at the end of the race. But knowing that everyone put in that same amount of effort to pull the boat gave me a HUGE amount of satisfaction and joy. That was THE race of the day for me. So now I take back what I said about me beginning to enjoy outrigger canoeing more. I love BOTH just as much! Dragonboat has given me so much and the sport will always be special to me.

Anyhow, the 1000m race was really an experience not to be forgotten. It's neverending!!! Just paddling to the starting point itself was an eternity. But unfortunately, we didn't win this one, coming in last. :( But oh well, that was a bonus. We did what we had set out to do and that was good enough.

The girls and I can be proud of our achievements 'cos really we were up against girls much younger than we were, who were fitter and had more time to commit to training. It's different when you're schooling and the only commitment you have is school and training. For working individuals like the people in my team, work commitments will always have to take priority - after all, it's what we do at work that funds our love for paddling. Work commitments often take us away from trainings, making us unable to turn up for trainings. Family and personal commitments will also take people away from trainings as well. It's all a fine balancing act. So despite training less than many of the other teams, we came back with very good results.

So I got myself a Silver medal! After the race, we went for dinner as a team and drank a lot of beer with people making speeches, lots of toasts and laughter etc. Fantastic atmosphere - our post-race celebrations are really the most fun part. Haha.

It was a good weekend for the club as we bonded again as a team. I'm proud of SPC and it feels great to be a part of this family!

Catch Those Dragons

There's going to be a dragonboat race at Bedok Reservoir this weekend! So come and catch some of the action if you're interested in doing so. Of course, moi's going to be taking part and paddling her heart out!

Amici

Walking along Tanjong Pagar Road and not quite knowing what to eat on a quiet Monday night, my best pal from junior college and I settled on Amici as she said she had been wanting to try it out as we walked past. So fine, I just went along with the decision. The restaurant is muted in quiet tones with its dark brown furniture and dim lighting. The interior design is one of simple, modern lines and there are no fancy, ornate paintings or furniture.

For starters, we ordered a plate of bruschettas. The bread was warm and toasted when it came and topped with the requisite diced tomatoes. It was pretty ordinary and definitely not mind-blowing, or else I would have remembered the specific taste of it and have more to write about it!

My friend had the vongole with linguine and I had the linguine with crabmeat in tomato cream sauce. Both were supposedly chef’s recommendations or was it award-winning? I can’t quite remember. In any case, both dishes had an icon next to it on the menu to indicate either one or the other.

However, my friend and I didn’t think very much of our pastas. Firstly, the pasta was a tad thick for linguine and secondly, the pasta sauce just wasn’t fantastic. I mean, it’s edible, but it doesn’t take your breath away. I must say, though, that they were pretty generous with the crab meat in my pasta.

Then it was on to dessert. We ordered the tiramisu and the crepe suzette with orange sauce and chocolate gelato. The latter was supposed to come with vanilla gelato but when it came, it was strawberry gelato. As both of us hate strawberry gelato, we requested for a change to chocolate. They were too presumptuous to give us the strawberry! In any case, the crepe was tiny and not really worth the $8.90 you’d have to pay for it.

The tiramisu had an award-winning icon next to it on the menu, despite feeling skeptical at first, I decided to give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. The tiramisu was creamy, smooth and moist. It had the right amount of alcohol and coffee powder which gave a nice bitter tinge.

While service was good, I doubt I’ll go back again as I honestly didn’t think much of the food.

Price: $35 onwards

Amici Bar N Restaurant
24 Tanjong Pagar Road
Tel: 6557 2090

Yoyogi

Before heading to The Chocolate Factory for dessert, my friends and I had gone to Yoyogi.

It looked promising enough what with the newspaper cuttings on the glass windows by the entrance. But we were left waiting for the longest time for a table even though there were THREE empty tables inside (although they weren't clean). A very frazzled waitress kept asking us and another group of three to wait while she checked if she had tables available. She never came back to us and in the end we got fed up and just seated ourselves. The other group left in frustration.

We ordered a Okayo don, a seafood steamboat served in a paper pot, and a
Chirashi don. Portions were rather small and I wasn't that full. But I suppose for the amount I paid for the Okayo don ($6.90++) it wasn't too bad. My friend said the sashimi in her Chirashi don was very fresh so I'll hold her word to it since she's quite a foodie too. The seafood steamboat was edible but wasn't particularly tasty.

The place is small and seats probably about 40 at most. It is furnished very simply with its creamy white walls and dark brown wooden tables and chairs; really not much frills when it comes to decor and interior design.

Service was passable except for the fact that the frazzled waitress could do with more product knowledge. If I opened a restaurant, I would allow my wait staff to try everything on the menu so that they would know what to say if customers asked anything about the food. Speaking of menus, I didn't like the one at Yoyogi. It had no pictures and it didn't offer any bento set meals.

Lee Hsien Yang and family were there. Cynical me thinks they were just there to do a social experiment. You know, eat out at normal restaurants with normal people and see how the common folks live. And they drove off in a Toyota or something. They obviously decided to leave the Rolls Royce at home. As they were leaving, the owner came to see them out. Well, he certainly didn't come out for us!

Anyway, I don't think I'll be heading there again anytime soon.

Service: OK, except for a scatterbrained waitress
Price: $20 - $40

Yoyogi Restaurant
33 Mohd Sultan Rd #01-05
Tel: 6887 4669

OC Workshop

I spent my entire weekend at the beach and out on the water. It was a good weekend and one which left me so exhausted that I went to sleep at 9.30pm last night. The only downside of this fun weekend is that I’m now slightly sunburnt on my face! If you see me, don’t ask me if I’ve been wearing goggles to swim. No, I haven’t. I’ve only been wearing sunglasses and have been out on the water A LOT. And yes, I did apply sunscreen! Anyway, I now have uneven tan lines from face to toe. Eeeks.

Saturday morning was spent dragonboating at Kallang, after which 19 other teammates and I went to Tanjong Beach for our outrigger canoeing (OC) workshop. Twenty of us had paid to fly this outrigger canoe world champion from Australia to conduct a workshop over the weekend. She was doing it for free really. We were paying for her airfare and the cost of a support boat (a speed boat) for the weekend. Well, it helps that she’s the good friend of one of my teammates and so we didn’t have to pay for her accommodation.

The thing about the OC fraternity is that everyone is so willing to help out new clubs starting up. As the only club, and a fledgling one at that, who does the sport here in Singapore we need all the help we can get to build the sport here. People all the over world have been really helpful and it’s very heartening. There’s competition, but it’s friendly competition and there are none of those bitter rivalries you get in professional football.

Anyway, so she corrected our stroke technique and talked to us about many aspects of the sport like nutrition, cross-training, seat positions etc. I’m beginning to really love OC – much more than dragonboat actually. I never thought I would say that!!! Although I like the more social aspect of dragonboat (by virtue of the fact that more people are in the boat at one time compared to on an OC), I like the thrill of being in the open sea when OC-ing. Surfing the waves (whatever little we have in Singapore) and having the sea breeze blow into your face when you’re out on the water, canoeing to Sisters Island, St John’s and Kusu – there’s just nothing like it. Unlike the more abrupt and fast dragonboat strokes, there’s a certain elegance in the long and graceful OC stroke and the graceful glide of the long canoe as it zips through the water is like seeing a red-hot Ferrari on the road. It’s beautiful!

I learnt a lot more about the sport and am glad I’m getting the stroke technique right. Apparently, us girls have better technique than the guys ‘cos unlike them, we can’t muscle it so we rely more on proper technique. The coach said she was willing to put her money on the girls to win a 16km race over the guys. She said they would be ahead of us only up to the 10km mark after which we girls would be zipping past them ‘cos the guys would have burnt out by then. Haha. That certainly massaged our egos!

But what I enjoy about both sports is that there’s a lot of “heart” in both. “Heart” refers to the team spirit and the camaraderie that links everyone in the team. A team with terrific individual athletes but without this X-factor is not a good team. Some people might not believe that but I firmly believe in this “heart” element in making a team strong.

So I’m now more fired up to improve in both sports and if anyone out there is interested in knowing more about OC or dragonboat in Singapore, please feel free to let me know!

The Chocolate Factory

After having not been to Robertson Walk for ages, I was surprised to find that it has now become a rather lively place filled with several new Japanese restaurants.

My friends and I wanted to eat at one of the new restaurants by the river, but many of them were packed and hence we ended up at Yoyogi, a Japanese restaurant along Mhd Sultan Road. There were many Japanese families around and many cute Japanese children running around.

After eating a rather unsatisfactory dinner at Yoyogi, we decided we had to make up for the dissatisfaction by going for some really sinful dessert. We went to The Chocolate Factory at Robertson Walk where the brightly lit cafe welcomed us with its display of mont blancs, French cheesecakes, tiramisus, chocolate etc.

It's an open concept kitchen and you can see the French master and his staff at work - mixing chocolate in the mixer, melting chocolate in pots, making espresso, cappuccino, hot chocolate etc. The lovely smells flood your nostrils and you just feel like eating and drinking everything.

We chose the Mont Blanc, Tiramisu and the French Cheesecake. The French cheesecake was quite a light one. It wasn't very cheesy so maybe it's good for people who don't like their cheesecakes too heavy. The tiramisu was creamy and moist but it's not the best I've had. The mont blanc was ok, but my friend thought it was a bit too sweet. I thought it could have done with more chestnut puree. I didn't quite like all that chestnut jelly-like substance at the bottom.

The cafe has a nice, relaxed atmosphere, and it's especially nice to dine alfresco and watch the people walk by. I quite like the place so I suppose I will go there again and give other desserts a try.

Service: OK
Price: $10 - $20

Thank You

Thank you to every one of you who left a note of consolation on this blog and to everyone else who sms-ed me, sent messages over msn, emails or come round to me to console me of my loss. Your words are very much appreciated and they have brought comfort.

Dealing with loss is never easy and nothing really prepares you for the death of a loved one. You might expect it, but that doesn't mean the loss is any less painful. I guess you could say the same for relationships. You might have already anticipated the break, but when the break finally comes, it doesn't make it any easier to forget that someone who was once special to you. Rex, however, went a bit too quickly. I had known he was old and was expecting to lose him in the next year or two and NOT in the next day or two. I think it was a viral infection that took him away from me too quickly. I didn't bother to ask for a post-mortem as I didn't see the point in it. But when I told a friend of Rex's symptoms, she told me her boss' dog had the same symptoms and was gone within two days.

Rex had gone to see the vet for a foot injury three weeks before his death and after that he was doing and eating well. He was even capable of going for walks about a week before his death. Then disaster struck. I guess the only consolation is that he wasn't in prolonged pain and he didn't make me make the decision of having to put him to sleep. Maybe he knew how painful a decision it would be for me to make and wanted to save me the agony of doing so. For that, I am grateful. I don't think I can forgive myself for being the one to say to the vet "Yes, please give him that jab." Even though it's a decision that would ease the suffering, it's never an easy one to make.

I also finally know what death smells like. As Rex lay outside my room, the air that was hanging was pungent and it reeked of death. It was like food gone very very bad. It's the smell of hospitals, just much worse. It's a sad smell and you know something bad is happening when you smell it. The mix of foul odour, sadness, deep sorrow and tears is a heartbreaking one. I couldn't control my tears when I slipped his motionless and hard body into a big, clear plastic bag and then wrapped a cloth around his body. My neighbour then helped carry him to the car. Rex was quite a big dog. He weighed about 19kg - too heavy for me to carry. I would have carried him in my arms if i could.

I'm only sad that the rest of my family members weren't with Rex when I brought his lifeless body to the hospital to be cremated. My father didn't go to the hospital with me because he wasn't feeling well. My mum had just left for New Zealand on a worktrip the previous evening. My sis is studying in Sydney at the moment. So my neighbour very kindly came along with me to the hospital. I felt horrible leaving him on the operating table, his body wrapped in a plastic bag, and the nurse said she would arrange to put his body in a cold room and later they would cremate him with other dogs. So my final goodbye to him was a kiss on his cheek and before i left for the hospital, i had cut off some fur from his body so that there's something of him to remember. I liked the fur at his pointed ears best 'cos that was where his fur was the softest. But I couldn't cut it 'cos it was too short to be cut. So I took some from his body.

How I managed to drive myself to the vet and back and then even go for dragonboat practice later in the afternoon, I don't know. Maybe it was just that the reality of the situation hadn't sunken in at that point. I might have been numbed for awhile.

Now, it's still weird to not hear Rex's deep-throated bark when I come home. It's weird not to see the handsome dog wagging his tail in joy at my return. It's weird not having him follow me around the house as he liked being around me. It's weird having no Rex to hug - I loved hugging him. Big dogs are always nice to hug.

But I suppose he wouldn't want me to be grieving forever and he would want me to be happy again in all aspects of my life. They say time will heal. I certainly hope so.

Anyway, thank you to all my wonderful girlfriends who have been wonderful during this difficult phase of my life. You know who you are and I really don't know what I'd do without you all. Love you all.

And don't worry, the dimsumdolly will bounce back with happier posts and her eating adventures - she hasn't stopped eating!

You Will Be Missed

"Not the least hard thing to bear when
they go from us, these quiet friends,
is that they carry away with them so
many years of our lives. Yet, if they
find warmth therein, who would
begrudge them those years that they
have so guarded?
And whatever they take,
be sure they have deserved."

~ John Galsworthy

Goodbye to a Dear Friend

Rex came to us in Sept 1997. An abandoned sable-coloured collie. My dad found him at our block's lobby. We couldn't understand how anyone could abandon such a lovely dog. No one came to claim him after we had put up posters. In the end, we kept him for oursevles.

On the first night, he didn't so much as make a single sound. I thought we had adopted a mute dog. But soon, he began to come out of his shell. He soon became a dear friend to me with his even temperament and good nature. He was gentle with everyone.

I once wrote a poem for him and introduced him and my other dog, to my readers.

Sadly, Rex left us today at about 7:30 in the morning. As I write this, his body still lies outside my room -- it's still too early for the vet to be opened so that I can call to find out how to have him cremated.

He had been feeling unwell for the past few days and at first we thought it was just a stomach upset. But on Friday night, he started having really loose stool and we realised he was having blood in his urine. His condition deteriorated really fast. I was supposed to bring him to the vet this afternoon and I was prepared to have to put him to sleep. At least he took away that painful decision from me.

He was probably closest to me and I guess I am grateful for the fact that I spent his last night with him. I slept next to him on the floor and comforted him through the night as he lay barking weakly in pain. When I awoke this morning, he was still alive. Then I went to the toilet and about 5 minutes later, I returned to find that his heart had stopped beating.

To one of my dearest friends, I will always remember and love you and may you rest in peace.

Maharajah

In a mood for some North Indian food last Saturday night, my parents and I went to Maharajah North Indian restaurant at Cuppage Terrace. We decided to sit outdoors as it was nice and breezy and really, I have enough of airconditioned places throughout the work week so I much prefer having some fresh air.

The papadums are really fresh and crispy too. There’s nothing worse than being served soft and stale papadums in an Indian restaurant. Apparently there are many ways to spell "papadum". Here's a whole list - go take your pick.

For starters we ordered the vegetarian samosas which served to give a first impression of the food that was to follow. The samosa’s pastry was nice and crisp without being too dry. The potato and vegetable filling went well with the yoghurt dip that came with the appetizer.

I ordered a mango lassi which I didn’t like because it was rather diluted. Thankfully, the food that came along left a better impression. We had the butter chicken, prawn butter marsala, lamb shank and cauliflower curry. And of course, there was the requisite garlic naan.

The butter chicken curry was rich, creamy and smooth and the chicken was tender. The prawn butter marsala tasted pretty similar to the chicken’s but I preferred the chicken’s. The didn't think the prawns tasted fantastic. They weren't that big too - just medium-sized. The cauliflower curry actually came with potatoes but because I don’t like them I requested for them to be replaced by more cauliflower. And kudos to them, they obliged my request. That’s what I like—flexibility. The lamb shank was quite tasty but I just felt it was a tad dry. The garlic naans were well-baked, crisp yet soft and I just adore eating freshly baked naans.

Overall, I thought the food was pretty good and I was really stuffed after that. We were served a complementary scoop of ice cream each topped with a wafer. Not fantastic ice cream so I gave it a pass.

Service: Good
Cost: $30-$40 per person. No discounts for any credit cards.

Maharajah
39 Cuppage Road
Tel: 6732 6331

Da Paolo Il Ristorante

What better way to end off a work week than to eat well? So off I went to Da Paolo Il Ristorante with a colleague and an ex-colleague. We were greeted by the attentive staff and brought to our seats.

After placing our orders, bread arrived. The slices of baguette were delightfully soft and you could tell it was really fresh. The butter was unsalted and tasted good. The olive oil was rich, full, and tasted good too. I'm not sure how does one describe good olive oil but you know it when it's good!

We had the smoked salmon with arugula drizzled with yoghurt as a starter. The sharp and bitter taste of the arugula certainly wakes up those tastebuds! It complemented the smoked salmon and yoghurt well.

I had the braised veal shank that came with a tomato-based sauce and roasted vegetables and potatoes. I left the potatoes alone 'cos I really don't like them. The sauce was lovely and the veal was braised very nicely.

My ex-colleague ordered ravioli with veal also came with a tomato-based sauce. It tasted pretty good, but not fantastic. It's not something which makes you go "WOW!"

The fried beef tenderloin which my colleague had was the winner of the night. The marinate was fantastic--so juicy and full of flavour. It also came with some duck liver which my colleague attested to be absolutely delicious.

Of course, we ladies always have a separate compartment for dessert. I had to, of course, try the tiramisu. The ex-colleague opted for the same and the colleague went for this dessert made from egg white and white wine. It came in this wine glass with a biscotti on the side. It was like a froth of egg white whipped together with white wine. Delightful!

Service was good and the wait staff attentive. But be prepared to cough out a lot of money even without ordering wine. Tap water isn't served and a bottle of still water costs $8. Expect to spend about $60/person without ordering wine.

Da Paolo Il Ristorante
80 Club Street
Tel: 6224 7081

Ex-boyfriends in Heaven

Ex-boyfriends never go to hell,
no matter how many times
you suggest it. No, they ascend straight
to heaven, where they speak French,
wear matching socks, and always,
always arrive on time, with a full
tank of gas and a bottle of wine.
They never curse your cat
or your mother, never call you up
drunk doing Arnold Schwarzenegger
impressions, never say Hey Rita
if your name is Tammy,
never say Hey Tammy
if your name is Joan.
They're better trained than dogs
and they smell better, too, better
than Twinkies or camellias, better
than anything on earth. Once
in a while, they take a holiday,
drive their Porsches down
through the clouds
in one long line and ring
the doorbell in your dreams,
offering tender apologies, tender
chicken cutlets, tender love.
But before you take one sack
of groceries, before your lips
graze a clean-shaven jaw,
before you let one polished
Oxford loafer through your door,
remember that as soon as they cross
the threshold, the truth will slip
in behind them: ex-boyfriends only
exist this way in heaven, or
whatever you want to call it,
their new lives without you.

~ Gwen Hart from Lost and Found

German Food Delights

The humongous pork knuckle I had at this eatery in a small town south of Munich called Murnau. It was delicious but I couldn't barely finish half of it. That yellow blob at the side is called a knodel and is a mix of potato and dough. I liked it 'cos it tasted soft yet springy.

The famous Weissbier which was yummy too. I was trying beers everywhere I went. I had never drunk so much beer in my life!

German hotdogs in Hamburg! This was grilled over charcoal and was just so sinfully delightful!

But at the end of the day, I still like Cantonese food best. After the three weeks away from home eating nothing but bread and potato (I don't even potato to start with!), I was seriously missing rice and noodles. Typical German food is much too heavy for me. And actually I was told that Germans themselves actually favour Italian cuisine more and Italian fare is very popular. Wise choice I think!

Germany Snapshots

My camera died on me while in Germany. It started acting weird. So I didn't take many pictures. Here are a few shots.

The inspiration for Cinderella's castle in Disneyland. Bavaria's King Ludwig II's castle in Fussen named Neuschwanstein. Not too far away is also another lovely little castle of his named Linderhof which is surrounded by a beautiful garden.

And what do you know? I managed to catch a dragonboat festival in Hamburg! It took place in the Inner Alster. The Alster (consisting of the Inner and Outer Alster) is the main lake in Hamburg.

I was so pleased to be able to catch the festival. If only I could have taken part! Hamburg's a lovely city in northern Germany filled with lots of canals and waterways. It's Germany's Venice. From Hamburg, I also took a day-trip to Berlin which is 3 hours away by bus. And Berlin's definitely worth a visit too!

Boston Snapshots

I didn't take many photos of the usual tourist spots 'cos I figured I could get those from websites. So here are three of the few I took.

The interior of the Boston Public Library is one of those places where I've always felt like what a real library should look like with its wooden shelves and tables, emerald green lamps and classical architecture. The feel is just so traditional and intellectual. Like a real place for learning.

I was just walking around when I spotted these people playing happily in the fountain. It was somewhere near the Prudential Center, a shopping center and office building not too far from the John Hancock Building. The day was hot so these people were cooling off and having fun. I almost felt like running in too, but decided on the wiser option of staying dry.

I did the touristy thing and went on the Boston Duck Tours. The weather was fantastic with the sun shining happily in the sky. We were driven around the city and were shown all the buildings significant to Boston's History and for the water bit, we took a ride around the Charles River. The tours are very popular so be sure to book early. My hotel concierge was great--they managed to snare some tickets for me even though I booked only the day before. For people with little time, it's a great way to get a quick introduction to the city.

If you have time, do drop by the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum over at Fenway Park. It's also next door to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts which I didn't bother going into because I didn't want to spend a lovely sunny day in museums. I wanted to walk around and soak in the gorgeous sunshine. Such lovely weather couldn't be wasted indoors.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner museum is small compared to its next door neighbour and its facade looks unimpressive. But the moment you step in, it's as if you've entered into another realm. A secret garden. Its Italian-style courtyard is lush with plants and flowers from the greenhouse that's part of the museum.

The museum features paintings, tapestries, old letters and sculptures from the collection of the late Isabella Stewart Gardner who was a strong supporter of the arts. She was a member of Boston's high society from the mid-19th century to early 20th century. She set up the museum and the exhibits have remained as they have been since 1924. Her will states that the permanent exhibits must not be altered otherwise they would be sold and proceeds are to go to Harvard University (and really, they don't need the money!).

The artworks, tapestries and sculptures hail from many different parts of the world thanks to the travels Gardner did in her lifetime. She appreciated the different cultures of the world, and brought home with her things from China, Japan, Italy, Belgium, Greece, etc. A self-portrait of Rembrandt hangs in there as well.

Unfortunately photography isn't allowed in the museum, so no photos to show the lovely place. When you're done with the exhibits, you can just head to the courtyard or some little corner in the greenhouse to read a book. It's a great little enclave for some peace and quietness surrounded by lush greenery and it helps too that the use of mobile phones is prohibited within the museum. Definitely worth a visit.

Boston is a great city to walk in as it's compact and the sights are not too far from one another. If you fancy the train, taking the "T" (as the train system is known as) is really convenient and easy too. But I fancy walking more so I walked around a lot. You get to see more and it's good exercise too!