katemonaco's Xanga

New Year Resolutions

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 08:17:30 GMT

I debated against having new year resolutions because after all, resolutions are meant to be broken ;) However I do think it's a good idea to commit myself to Change. After all, Katemonaco 2008 has to be better than Katemonaco of 2007. LOL

1. To commit myself to GOD and to surrender everything and trust in the LORD. To do his WILL, and not mine.

****I want to be a display of GOD's work and a better Christian. ****

2. To be more patient and love everyone

3. To grow and became better at my job.

4. To lose bodyfat and gain more muscle definition. Getting there. . .

5. Spend more time with my friends. I love you guys even though I don't see you all that often. :P

6. Pick up a book on personal finance so that I can make my money GROW instead of suffering diminishing returns in my savings account.

SO what is your new year's resolution? My pal J said that her's is to eat less sugar and dessert. :)

Today hasn't been a particular good day but I commit everything to GOD and know that he will do the best for me. No point pondering about it. That being said, I feel that I need to treat myself to something scrumptious this weekend. Still dreaming of poached eggs at Jone's the Grocer. Or perhaps I can check out the burgers at Relish.

Pets

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 23:54:09 GMT

I have switched camps, well at least for the moment. Well, there are generally 3 types of pet owners, namely the DOG camp, CAT camp and the UN camp, i.e these people usually have a mini zoo of pets at home. Hands up if you are one of them. I grew up loving both cats and dogs equally but have been more of a dog person in recent years.

Until I met a fluff ball with the ass reminiscent of J Lo and the likes of Beyonce. My current love is Elsie. Because of her, I have re-discovered my affections for cats. You see, I have a thing for fat cats. They have to be fat or I won't find them cute. Perhaps having extra adipose tissue is indicative of how lush an animal is. Elsie, lives in the lap of luxury. She stays in a gorgeous service apartment and feasts on Fancy Feast pates all day long. It's no wonder that she's voluptuously shaped. If she languishes in the dusty streets of bangkok, just like the many depressing dogs that are dime a dozen, there is no way she can remain clean, soft and plush. I love her because she is

1. Soft, clean

2. Smells good

3. Low maintenance

Sorry Summer, you are smelly, high maintenance and super noisy. Elsie is the dream of every man. She is soft, smells good and low maintenance. . the qualities of a good woman. LOL. . Suffice to say, I miss Elsie.

Macarons from Pierre Herme

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:20:37 GMT

I am still in delirium. Had the most delightful macarons ever in my life and now can die without regrets. I have not felt such euphoria in a very long time so highly suspect that the macarons must be spiked with drugs. How else can you explain the feeling of euphoria after biting into the delectable macarons from Pierre Herme. If this is what heaven feels like, can the Lord just take me now? My only quibble with the famed Pattiserie is that they neglected to include a description of the flavours in the box so I can only hazzard a guess. I reckon I had the pistache, chocolate and lemon.
Okay, now I am officially a macaron snob and will not eat anything other than Pierre Herme. For those non-macaron fans out there, you must be wondering what the fuss is all about. Prior to this epiphany, I wasn't a fan as well. Macarons are sickening sweet and I prefer a cake anytime. That is because we are surrounded by mediocre macarons, so I don't blame people.
What makes a macaron from Pierre Herme different? For starters, it's not one dimensional. I have read about how everyone goes gaga over macarons so I decided to try it for myself to see what's it all about. The first one I have eaten was from Choupinette. First reaction was 'interesting' and super sweet but ultimately nothing special. It's just super sweet. After that first experience, I also tried Bakerzin's and Canele's and they suffered the same fate as Choupinette's. So for a while, I was just clueless about the allure of the almightly macaron. Canele is trying to be different and recently came up with a limited edition version. I tried the one with truffles and it was interesting. Kudos to Canele for trying to come up with non conventional flavours.
Pierre Herme's macarons are sublime and has complex flavours. The first taste will be sweet and it doesn't stop there. After that initial burst of sweetness, the flavours explode in the mouth with a myriad of flavours. It's not one dimensional and doesn't stop at being sweet. One of my best pals Jenevieve brought back some from Tokyo for me. She is the ultimate friend. I have tried in vain to procure some from Japan but have been unsuccessful.
I couldn't resist trying the famed macarons after collecting it late Sunday night. It was to be my dessert since I didn't manage to eat dessert course at the wedding I attended earlier. Like all weddings, it started late so we decided to leave the wedding at 11pm.Wedding was held at the new amara at Sentosa. Beautiful place. Back to the macaron experience. . Gosh, the complex flavours just exploded in my mouth and I was sooo happy! It put me in a really good mood that night and I feel asleep with a big smile on my face. A sweet ending to the night, indeed!
I tried the chocolate macaron yesterday after dinner. It was like eating an exquisite chocolate truffle cake encased in a macaron. Amazing! I also like the fact that the macarons are pretty big so I get to savour more of it:P
It was around 11 pm when I decided to surf for blogs about macarons and reading about other folks experiences only made me yearn for more. Man, I had serious food lust and needed to satisfy it Pronto. So I nipped downstairs to collect my last macaron and savoured it. It was a nice canary yellow and the first bite made me think of a citron tart. The lemony-ness of it, just like lemon curd, lemon meringue etc.. .it left an aftertaste of passionfruit, so I'm curious to know the flavour I tried.
I couldn't stop grinning like a stupid idiot and thought how perfect life is. Needless to say, I fell asleep with a smile on my face, again! Thank god for the experience. God is good! Like I said before, I can now die without regrets. You must be thinking that I am so easily satisfied. Hahaha. . .I would probably say 'Yes', to a proposal in a heartbeat if anyone presented me with a box of Pierre Herme's macarons :P
Who needs crack when one has macarons? Not just any macarons though.

Responsibility and black Tuesdays

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:14:46 GMT

I hate that word - Responsibility. It can feel like a plague at times, suffocating and incessant, almost like a baby's cry. If only we can push it away and not have to deal with it. But that can be called running away or not being responsible. *Sulks*

Positivity. I'm sure we all know some people who are forever bright and gleaming. Nothing seems to faze them and I call them eternal optimists. My goal is to smile alot more and not let work affect me. I shall clone myself to be an eternal optimist too. Ok, gonna excuse myself and practice some yoga. To calm the savaged soul in me. Namaste.

10 ways to lose weight

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 23:50:46 GMT

1. Read the fine print! When you’re dining out, you can lose 10 pounds per year by choosing a “light” entrée, such as grilled chicken and salad. Those healthy choices can have at least 250 calories less than traditional meat dishes.

2. The sundae solution! Pour a tablespoon of chocolate over fresh fruit and your total calorie intake for this snack is 110 to 160 calories compared to the 250 calories found in a candy bar or the 500 calories found in an ice cream cone.

3. Set your alarm! Even a modest amount of exercise -- walking 15 minutes, 5 times a week -– burns calories.

4. Pedal while you prattle! Next time you're chatting on the phone, get on your bike. Pedaling on a stationary bike at 10 miles an hour for 25 minutes burns 100 calories. A faster pace of 17 miles per hour for 15 minutes also burns 100 calories. Get spinning.

5. Beware the burger blast! A half-pound of grilled hamburger meat has about 800 calories. The same amount of lean roast beef has half this amount.
6. Cooking with spray! Each tablespoon of butter or margarine has 100 calories. Substitute a vegetable oil spray for one tablespoon.

7. Join the snack committee! Healthful snacks make an incredible difference. Swapping a serving of fruit for the usual supercookie each week will save you at last 500 calories. And you’ll probably save 1,000 calories since few of us stop at one cookie!

8. The Happy Hour trap! Suppose you avoid three "happy hours" a month. You could possibly lose up to 31 pounds in a year (if you are usually somewhat of a party animal).

9. The secret is plastics! When you use plastic containers to store meals -- especially batch meals you prepare ahead of time -- you’ll forego all those calories that come from lunches at greasy spoon dinners.

10. Slash corporate calories! Office-prepared dinners, a frozen dinner or frozen leftovers, will easily have 400 fewer calories than restaurant meals. If you work late an average of three times a week, this change alone will help you lose about 18 pounds a year.

So there you are. . .10 ways as courtesy of ediets.

Udderly delightful

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:00:37 GMT

My nightcap for the next week will probably be a glass of mik, instead of the usual camomile with honey. I usually have a cup of camomile with honey or hot milk with chocolate every week night to help me count sheep. But I just realised that I have 2 cartons of skim milk that will be expiring in a week's time. So that means I am going to be udderly filled with tons of calcium. After all, we do need roughly 1000mg of calcium everyday.

Having craving for some cheese after my glass of milk so just slipped downstairs to cut myself a piece of dutch edam. It was yummy and totally satisfied my salt cravings. Guess you can call me Dairy Queen tonight. LOL . .

I was totally zonked the entire day due to my hectic and fun filled weekend. But I'm wide awake now. Hmph. . . .Oh well, I'm gonna go read a book now and may blog about the weekend past in my next post.

Monday is OVER. Yippy! :P

Dinner for One

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:42:03 GMT

What would you do if you had to eat dinner alone?

1) Don't eat . . .I actually do know people who don't eat when they don't have company

2) Buy take-out/eat out

3) Prepare a home-cooked meal

4) Other options

My answer: I would normally choose option 2 but I decided to cook something for myself last thursday! *Happy beam :) *

Well, I read food blogs religiously, watch tons of food programmes ( my current favourites include 'Take home Chef' & 'Dolce Vita". I adore Curtis Stone and David Rocco. But of course, it all started with good old Jamie and Nigella. ) But I digress. Anyway my point is, I have rarely bothered to cook something for myself despite owning cookbooks, food magazines and immersing myself in foodie culture so I made a decision to cook dinner for myself. I told myself that I would not succumb to sloth and buy takeout. After all, takeout is cheaper and loads more convenient.

Last thursday, I was home alone with Summer so I decided to walk her before feeding both of us. Decided to make oyako-don for dinner and I'm thrilled with my effort! On hindsight, I should have made more. Here's a picture of my dinner.

I am so happy that I finally survived Monday as I was seriously dragging my feet to work. Only 4 more days to the weekend.

Sunday musings. .

Sun, 09 Sep 2007 10:09:15 GMT

Woke up feeling depressed this morning and it was a stark contrast from the previous night. I was experiencing sunday blues as usual since I don't usually look forward to starting the work week. It's not like I'm in a Prada outlet with everything 70% off. Now that, I would look forward to. So, I decided to be positive. . .no point spoiling my lovely Sunday right?

Thank GOD my folks came back from church so I had a yummy breakfast with them before taking an early morning walk at picturesque upper pierce reservoir. The view is amazing and it just makes me wanna practice my asanas amidst it all. Crystal clear waters also makes me wish that I can draw, so at least I could sketch the amazing scenery. After that, my mummy and I headed over to Orchard for a spot of retail therapy. Today's damage includes a present for the twins and 3 pairs of shoes for moi. I'm seriously into flats at the moment and wanted to get a pair. Instead I left the shop with 2 pairs of lovely flats and a pair of slingbacks.

After exercising my credit card, I also decided to treat myself to a hibiscus cheesecake from the Hilton. Been thinking about it since Wednesday when I popped by the Hilton to shorten the length of my charm bracelet. I was spellbound by the display of cheesecakes and noticed that they have added a new flavour so had to try it. Unfortunately, I had to meet Christopher and we were not heading home anytime soon so had to give up the idea of tapao-ing home. Come to think of it, the Japanese restaurant we had dinner at was like the North pole so perhaps I could have bought it. :P No more bbq dinners for me anymore as it made me break out in zits like crazy.

Anyway getting back to the cheesecake, I conclude that life is indeed beautiful when one is enjoying cheesecake with vanilla sencha tea. It's a truly almost spiritual experience and you have to try it to believe it. :P Company helps and mine came in the form of my mummy, who enjoyed her apple crumble and earl grey. *makes mental note to visit the Hilton weekly and buy back a different piece of cake*

Saturday's dinner at La Strada was phenomenal. In short, it was great food, wine and company. Chris decided that he wanted to embark on a couple's thingey so we hosted 4 couples for dinner. Wine and great conversation flowed freely and everyone was happy and high. It helps to take PEPPs to break down alcohol so everyone could drive home safely. LOL.

We had delicious anti-pasto, mud-crab pasta, carbonara, wagyu steak, tiramisu, torta di cioccolato, cheese platter and warm chocolate cake. The mud-crab pasta was lovely. However the cabonara was a bit heavy so we could definitely eat loads more of the former. I'm not a wine connoisseur but the wines were good! Katemonaco is not alcoholic and if she can appreciate the wine, it must be good. Thanks to Daniel and Marc who provided the lovely reds.

Moving on. . .. The men were boring and had their own individual dessert whereas the girls shared our dessert and gosh, they were heavenly! I dont' usually dig desserts at italian restaurants but these were great! I adored the opera inspired chocolate and salty peanut caramel cake and the tiramisu had a fresh spin to it. Cheese platter was great and came with dried figs, apple slices, grapes and pear along side with cheese sticks and 3 types of cheese. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the foccacia. They serve it at the start of service and it's so yummy. I judge a restaurant by the kind of the bread they serve and I'm happy to say that La Strada passed with flying colours. :) Ok, I can sense my depression fading away as I recall the yummy dinner of Saturday night past. Company was great and I got re-accquainted with old friends and made new ones. :)

Too bad I didn't take any pictures but I did snap a picture of my Hibiscus cheesecake. Enjoy!

Happy Teacher's Day!

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 09:45:41 GMT

Here's wishing all teachers out there a Happy Teacher's Day! Yay!

Gosh, I'm so glad that the weekend is finally here again. The past 3 weeks had been hell and yesterday was not any better. I was officially the saddest teacher in my school as almost everyone had left school early to rest and doll up for the dinner. Alas, moi was stuck in school. But I don't intend to bitch about what happened and will try to let go.

Katemonaco has decided to focus on the positive things in my life and negate the negatives. LOL. I realise that I have not gone clubbing in ages or had any form of dancing recently. Struggling to even recall the last club that I visited . . .gosh what happened to me? Velvet used to be my top choice for a happening friday night in the past. After all, everyone needs to let down their hair at the end of a shitty work week and celebrate the coming of the weekend by getting high and inhaling second hand smoke. Thank God for the smoking ban in clubs now although I have read that clubs are stinkier than ever compared to the past. That's because the smoke is not around to mask everyone's body odour, puke and bad breath. Isn't it ironic?

I soon progressed to Salsa on friday nights and spent them mostly at Union bar. Union bar is a whole kettle of fish altogether and different from the clubs that I'm used to. Now fridays are spent with GOD. Yep, I belong to a cell-group. Nope, that is not another term for a prison sentence :P

So I thought to myself . . .maybe I should re-visit Union again for old times sake. Perhaps I should drop by this coming monday and tuesday and practice my basic step with some unsuspecting male. Mondays and Tuesdays are 'Beginners Night' so I would not feel out of my element. It has been more than 9 months since my last basic step. We'll see. . . .Looking forward to seeing ratatouille this coming sat with good friends. :)

Here is a picture taken last saturday. We celebrated the August babies birthdays and that included Amerson, Janice and moi.

This one is for dearest Lolliroy, who is in Texas. We MISS you :P

Parma Pong

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:43:20 GMT

I was at the gym earlier trying to do some cardio but had to step off my elliptical machine because of the pong next to me. Was already very bored as there were no interesting programmes to watch and the most exciting was actually CNN. Can you imagine that? To start with, I am not a cardio person so to actually get onto a cardio machine is a major step but this had to happen.

All I recall was this pong of weird body odour from the guy who suddenly came out of nowhere to hop onto the stairmaster next to me. Gosh, he smelt of parma ham! Ordinarily I'm actually ok with the stuff and it's actually one of my favourite toppings for pizza.. . .BUT, and a major but, it just smells wrong on a person. Needless to say, I had to get off the elliptical ASAP.

Today's dinner was different as I decided to cook. I have been craving thai basil minced chicken for the longest time so decided to make it for dinner. My version tasted like a healthier version of the original so I'm trying to figure out why. It could be that I put in less oil or added less bird's eye chilli/basil so willl do some research by eating more basil minced chicken. Been eating quite a bit of basil minced meat as I just love the boldness of the basil and fiery chilli in the dish. Sedap!

After dinner, I had a cheesecake craving so decided to head over to Secret Recipe for some. It could be the particular flavour I have chosen but while it wasn't that all bad, it didn't give me that 'high'. My mum adored it though as she prefers lighter cheesecake. She also enjoyed the carrot cake. I just adore the super dense kind with a hint of tangy-ness. It's just so elusive. My current favourite is still Hilton's and Pierside kitchen's. I am not sure if Pierside kitchen sells it by itself because I first tasted it a few years back when yuan was doing his attachment at Pierside and he brought back some cheesecake for me. It had the perfect hint of tangy-ness. But then again, everyone has their own favourite version and while I do enjoy all versions of cheesecakes, my favourite is definitely the dense kind, which is probably american style?

Here's a picture of thai iced tea. Thank God for tea!