PS: I’m no fan of MotoGP but I do follow the races ‘obligingly’ for my husband who is a BIG fan of them.

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According to the Events widget on my blog’s sidebar, I will be leaving for Singapore in 6 days. I think ‘time’ purposely pass really slow just to make the wait unbearable. Each day seems forever to end but when it really ends, the next day seems even longer than yesterday. The worst part is when ‘time’ decides to fly when I’m there. Why can’t ‘time’ slow down and make that moment last a long while for me? Just that while when I’m with my family?  Pfft!

—

TO-DO list in Singapore

• eat prata & chappati
• eat kway teow goreng pedas2
• eat black pepper crab, cereal prawns, bbq stingray, sambal kangkong & seafood fried rice
• eat fried fish beehoon
• eat epok2
• change name in NRIC
• change passport
• shop for spices
• go on the Singapore Flyer
• eat KFC
• eat laksa
• eat Nasi Padang
• buy more Mamee!!!

That’s all I can think of right now.

—

Some photos on my iPhone…

Isn't she cute?

She was pawing at the laptop monitor for my attention!

Nacou startled from her sleep

Nacou sleeping

Nacou still sleeping

Nacou preparing for sleep

Nacou curling herself up into a ball

Nacou  is too picky for her own good. Each time I try feed her with some new brand of canned food, she would simply sniff her plate and walk away in utter disgust, as though I’m feeding her poison. And it’s not some cheap and smelly canned food that I’m feeding her, mind you. It’s those gourmet kind that are highly recommended by vets! Yet… she refuse to eat them. Especially when there are rabbit’s meat. How in the world does she knows that there are rabbit’s meat in there?!? So there goes another 2chf worth of cat food…

Strangely enough, she only prefers Purina Gourmet. That’s the salty kind of canned food. Totally bad for cat’s health. But there’s nothing else I can do to make her eat healthy. I guess a cat really takes after their owners.

—

We went up to the chalet for a weekend...

...had dinner with family and good friends...

Nacou again, this time stretching as far as she can reach

Nacou sleeping on the sofa with us. She's really everywhere I go.

Fred thinks that Nacou is a ‘broken’ ragdoll because she’s hardly ever nice and docile to him. On the other hand though, she’s a total ragdoll when she’s with me during the day. Following me around like a puppy, demanding for attention, snuggling up close to me on the sofa… So is she really broken? I’d say that she’s just used to 1 person’s attention. What do you think?

Nacou doing what she does best

I don't know what this sign means but I think the cow looks kinda cute

Went up to the chalet again for another weekend...

I've never seen a fresh raspberry!

I think this photo is awesome because it's taken by my iPhone and it looks like some DSLR shot.

Magnificent view!

Mom asked me to take photos of the grapes

Nacou again. This time she's snuggling up close to me...

Nacou in one of her many sleeping poses...

Finally got my residency permit! Comparing the photo with my NRIC... Not so many changes huh?

We went to the Rheinfall last weekend...

So many fishes! And I stupidly asked Fred, "Who put them there chéri?"

Okay, so this time the iPhone camera can't do justice to the Rheinfall...

On our way home, we stopped by the canton Schaffhausen and I decided that I liked it better than Luzern.

Wanna take a peek of our humble home?

Entrance & Dining area

Entrance & Buddha console

Dining table & my favorite lights

MY kitchen!

Hallway

Living area

Living area

Terrace

Master bedroom

This entry will end right here because I have to collect the mail, take out the trash and go to the supermarket. Oh, I wanna make macaroni goreng tonight! Tchüs!

PS: I’m not Malaysian by the way.

There are, of course, plenty of changes in my body that comes with it. For instance, my face is significantly rounded and my thighs are, well, they’re bigger than usual. My arms are meatier and there are the aftermath of binge eating around my tummy. Yes. A slight bulge. God! I was never like that! What happened to me? I don’t wanna become my worse fear; a woman who gets fat after they’re married. No no no!

Let’s just say now my jeans are perfect fit these days. At this point also, I am sick and tired of feeling full all the time. Yeah, call me a glutton if you wish, it’s okay. I am one. I’ve been eating so much till it’s leaving me feeling really disgusted. Second helpings, french fries, ice-creams, chips, chocolates, candies… You name it, I had it all without feeling a single ounce of guilt. But it’s coming back to me now.

Another thing I realize about my weight gain is my lack of concentration. It seems as though my brain is not functioning as well as it used to. I get ‘blocked’ all the time; blocked in writing, blocked in thinking… Hence, turning me into a lazy bum (and lack of blog entries).

So in conjunction with my upcoming trip to Bali (I wanna frolick on the beach in teenie-weenie bikini without feeling so conscious about my flabby body), I’ve finally decided to do something about it. I am going on a ‘fruit fast’ for 7 days and that means, I am going to eat ONLY fruits (and maybe some handfuls of almonds) for 3 meals a day. My aim is to detoxify and cleanse my body from all the nasty things I’ve eaten recently. And hopefully promote some weight loss.

Do you think I could do it? I’m already at day 1!

Breakfast: a quarter of melon
Snack: a handful of raisins
Lunch: 2 oranges
Snack: a handful of almonds and 1 carrot
Dinner: pineapple
Snack: a handful of raisins

And lots and lots of water!

Oh! And planning for the next vacation! I’m finally jumping on the bandwagon to Bali. 25 years of life in Singapore, not once have I set a foot in the over-hyped island. All those times while my friends make numerous trips to Bali, I waited patiently for my turn. Wanna know why? Call me silly if you want, but someone mentioned to me that if an unmarried couple goes to Bali, they’re bound to break-up one day. I know. It sounds stupid but I love Fred too much and I don’t wanna be without him.

Now that we’re married, it’s a different story.

Till my next entry, I’ll leave you with some song that I’m addicted to recently…

PS: I’ve finally received my residency permit!!! Woohoo!

I don’t really care about the meditative aspects of yoga. I think I’m pretty relaxed. Besides, all the “Ommmmms…” sounds kinda goody to me. It’s my body that is in need of fixing. I’m just not as flexible as I used to be and my back is starting to give me some problems. Geez! I’m only 26!

Sad part about the yoga lesson earlier, it was conducted in Swiss-German. As much as our instructor tried to switch to English, it was hard for us to keep up. And being stuck at the back refrained us from seeing her positions. Note to self: Go right in front the next time around. Yes! There’ll be a next time. In fact, we’re coming back next week. For now though, I’ll just have to nurse my aches and pains. Hehe…

So being a good host, I took her out for a little tour around the city. I don’t know Zürich very well but I know enough to bring her to some nice spots that I love, and I’m pretty sure she’ll love it too. It was a bright and sunny day and she was really lucky. Just 2 days before she arrived, Zürich had the crappiest start of summer.

Photos courtesy of Sabby.

When you put 2 girls and a camera together, you get lotsa photos. :-P

Showing off my green fingernails

A terrible idea to put on those stockings. It was such a warm day!

I think I’ve mentioned in a previous post that there was a place in Zürich that I really love to frequent. All those times I never knew the name. Until a couple of days ago. My ignorance!

The Lindenhof is the oldest part of Zürich and it is also an original site of the Roman customs post. The broad space is quiet now, occupied mostly by chess-playing old-timers and gives a wonderful panorama over the rooftops on both sides of the river.

Who doesn't love swings?

After a full day of walking, we were starved when we reached Spaghetti Factory

We took a looooong walk to the lake...

…and I met the world’s BIGGEST asshole. I wanted to smoke but I misplaced my lighter. As we were walking I held on to my cigarette and waited for the next person who smoke to pass. I saw 2 guys walking towards us and when they were close enough, I asked one of them with a smile (politely, mind you), “Hi! Excuse me, do you have a light?”.

To my surprise that guy, looked at me as though I have lepers all over and he simply walked away. I was flabbergasted! What the hell did I do? No, I don’t think he was offended in any ways. Why would he? He was obviously a smoker too! He had a lighted cigarette in between his fingers. Maybe he had a bad day in the office? Maybe he’s just a rude homosexual who hates woman? Or maybe he plainly hates woman? I don’t know what’s his problem but he is definitely the biggest jerk I’ve ever met.

Mmmmm... Mövenpick's Double Crème de Gruyère & Meringue ice cream to end the day

Saw some guys jumping into the lake from a bridge on our way back...

...it turned out that they were actually trying to jump on a swan which was swimming in the lake (swan not in photo)

Zürich IS pretty as seen through another person's eyes

Don't get me wrong though, I still find it pretty except that it's not the same anymore when you live there.

So who’s coming next?

Tons of tents selling Caipirinha were littered everywhere!

I only started to get anxious well after we bought the tokens... Too late!

I don't know what was I thinking to get myself on that ride...

It has to be the MOST scariest ride I’ve ever been on. It’s called the Transformer. Seriously, I love thrill rides. But not that one! It’s a badass! It looked harmless but I scared myself shitless! I was praying over and over! Basically everyone was seated in a circle. Then after making you wait for 15 whole minutes, the ride slowly lifted and turned clockwise gaining speed by the second. After about 30 seconds of spinning clockwise, it turned anti-clockwise and suddenly it went upside down and round and round and downside up and round and round again. Maybe my explanation wouldn’t do it justice. But it was seriously f*cking crazy! Never again!

We went over to a friend's place the next day before heading for the 2nd night at the Züri Fäscht

One of the many outdoor discotheques

I can’t wait for the next one! And that’s gonna be in 1,095 days. Pfft!

The ceremony

"We're married!"

Getting ready for the reception...

The reception

The apéro

Time to loosen up those ties!

The party started... and the rest of the night was a blur... ;-)

PS: Merci beaucoup Romine ! ;-)

Boeuf Bourguignon

In my humble opinion, boeuf bourguignon is one painstakingly long dish to create. The nitty gritty details of the cooking process is so important, that if you miss that one single step (which you think is unimportant), you’ll lose the intricacy of the whole dish. Julia Child is right. That beef has to be dried before sautéing, otherwise it won’t brown. But of course there are a few steps which you can skip or substitute altogether. For instance, when using the bacon. Julia called for the blanched bacon rinds to be added just after the wine. However, I added them to the casserole when I was sautéing the vegetables and beef together with the bacon.

Okay, I know how technical I just sounded and it may seem really difficult. But trust me, it’s not. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed the cooking this beouf bourguignon and I will cook it again. So in all honesty, it just takes a long time. But at the end of it, you will be greatly rewarded with a dish that will only win you praises. And so, if you want to impress your boyfriend / husband / mother-in-law / whoever and has A LOT of time in your hands (and A LOT of patience), I can tell you that this particular boeuf bourguignon (thanks to Julia Child) is a sure winner!

Serving suggestions:
Boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish. Buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted. If you also wish a green vegetable, buttered peas would be your best choice. I served mine with buttered spaghetti.

Cooking time: Around 3 and a half hours
Serves : 3

Ingredients:
for the beef
A fireproof casserole dish about 3 inches deep (if you don’t have one, you should be able to use a pan for the sautéing and an ovenproof dish with a cover for the oven cooking)
3 ounce / 85g chunk of bacon (lardons), simmered in 75ml of water for 10 minutes, drain & dry
3 lbs. / 680g of stewing beef cut into 2 inch cubes
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, sliced
salt & pepper
olive oil
1 tablespoon of flour
1 and a half cups of full-bodied, young red wine or a Chianti
1 and a half cups of brown beef stock
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
2 cloves of garlic, mashed
1/2 a teaspoon of thyme
a crumbled bay leaf
for the onions (Oignons Glacés à Brun)
18 small white onions, peeled
1 and a half tablespoon of butter
1 and a half tablespoon of oil
half cup of brown beef stock
salt & pepper
4 parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
a quarter teaspoon of thyme
for the mushrooms (Champignons Sautés au Beurre)
1 lbs. / 450g of fresh mushrooms (I used a mixture of white button & Swiss brown mushrooms), washed, well dried, left whole if small or quartered if large
2 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of oil
salt & pepper

Directions:
for the beef
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit / 230 degrees Celcius.
In the fireproof casserole dish / pan sauté the blanched bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish. Using the same fireproof casserole dish / pan, reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef. Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browed on all sides. Remove from heat, add it to the bacon. In the same fat / oil, brown the sliced vegetables. Remove the sautéing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of the preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust) Remove casserole from the oven and turn down heat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit / 160 degrees Celcius.

Bring the casserole to the stove on moderate heat. Stir in wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato puree, garlic and herbs. Let it simmer. Remove from heat. Cover the casserole and set it in lower third of preheated oven. Let it simmer in the oven very slowly for 2 and a half to 3 hours.

While the beef cooks, prepare the following:

for the onions (Oignons Glacés à Brun)
Heat butter and oil in a pan. When the butter and oil are bubbling, add the onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect to brown them uniformly.

Pour in the stock, season to taste and add the herb. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape. Remove from heat. Drain and set aside.

for the mushrooms (Champignons Sautés au Beurre)
Heat butter and oil in pan over high heat. As soon as you see that they butter foam has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add the mushrooms. Toss and shake the pan for about 4 to 5 minutes. Season to taste. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat. Set aside.

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When the meat is tender, remove from oven.  The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat. Bring it back to the stove on moderate heat and let it simmer covered for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve in its casserole or arrange the stew on a platter with potatoes, buttered noodles or rice and decorated with parsley.