Seafood Meal

A cozy and friendly place in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, the Fortress View Restaurant & Suites. I was there for supper, longing for my seafood fix (which turned out to be my early birthday supper, what a surprise :)). Freshly baked rolls and oat cakes (or more like oat snaps) are served. Yumm... it can't get any better! Supposedly, we were able to overlook the fortress of Louisbourg from our table, but it was getting dark at that time and we didn't a chance to see much.

The restaurant, however, already had some neat Halloween decorations put up.

I ordered fish cakes and beans for my main course. It's known as the famous Luoisbourg dish! It was served with warm sliced bread and sweet relish on the side. It was a wonderful meal ^v*

Quizno's

Flatbread pizza for a snack? Sounds good to me ;) The spicy buffalo chicken pizza at the Quizno's! I perfer the flatbread pizza over the thick crust pizza, even though pizza crust was my favourite when I was little. Mom & Dad will save up pizza crust just for me :P

It was after a picture shooting trip in downtown Fredericton that we (roommates and I ) decided to have a quick bite before going home for supper. It was cheesy and spicy (pretty sure Tabasco sauce was on it). Their subs are great too, but had the pizza for a change. A good change, I believed.

Birthday

Chocolate cake + chocolate icing with creative decorations ;)

Fried rice with fried egg and sliced cucumber. A splash of tomato ketchup completed the meal ;)

Fried rice, baked potato fries, mashed potato, and Rootbeer float for our "candlelight"dinner.

I don't use a cake mix very often. I decided to give it a try for a surprise birthday cake. A chocolate cake with chololate icing and chocolate wafer sticks. It shall be called the "ultimate triple chocolate" cake. Thanks to Betty Crocker, the cake turned out to be rich and moist. Yumm...

It took me some time to come out with the decorative idea though. It looked plain with just the icing. Hence, I had chocolates (with nuts) around the cake and wafer sticks sheltering the birthday candle, made it look like a camp fire when the candle is lit. Sweet...

It certainly saved some time using the cake mix and the instructions were easy to follow. Besides the cake mix, only milk, eggs, and oil are required. The batter was separated into half for baking. The two cakes were then stacked together and coated with Betty Crocker "instant" frosting.

The fried rice was prepared by Eric with Maggi fried rice seasoning. It came in handy. Together with chicken, chinese sausage, carrots and peas, the fried rice turned out great and colourful! The birthday supper for Paul was so special that we even had Rootbeer float. Of course, he wasn't greeted with birthday wishes until we brought out the birthday cake with lit 24 candles (oops...did I just say that?).

Paul, hope you had an enjoyable birthday celebration. Presented to you by Adeline & Eric :)

Radio DJ

Hey CHSR (College Hill Campus Radio), I'm back! This year, I'm privileged to be part of the DJ crew for a Chinese radio show hosted by the CSSA (Chinese Students and Scholars Association). Every Saturday from 12:00 p.m. till 2:00 p.m. (Atlantic time), stay tuned at FM 97.9 or listen online www.unb.ca/chsr, for those who live without a radio, or anyone who lives outside Freddy ;)

What do we talk about? Anything & everything! Entertainment news, new music album introduction, hot topics, life experience, literature etc., and best of all, the last 30 minutes is reserved for song dedication! Visit http://www.chineseunb.com/bbs/showthread.php?p=399496 to leave a message or give the radio station a call when a cue is given. It's a great way to dedicate a song to your loved one!

My first experience being a radio host was during my first year in university. That was a radio show presented by the Malaysian Students' Society, on Sundays from 9:30 till 10:30 a.m. I used mostly Cantonese for that radio show, occasionally Mandarin too. Guess what was marvelous about the show? My family in Malaysia can actually listen online to my show ;) How neat is that! I felt the pressure when came to think of it, hehe... It was a tremendous support nonetheless *v*

East Side Mario's

The Knowledge Park (accross from Regent Mall) in Fredericton is a booming area. By the end of this past summer, there are numerous newly established businesses, such as Home Depot, Michaels's (craft store), Dollarama, Winners, Montana's Restaurant etc., and not to forget, the East Side Mario's!

What brought me here? Well, I heard the commercial on radio over and over again, and people who have been there really liked it. Hmm... with an adventurous attitude as usual, I'm gonna have to try out this restaurant that people have been talking about!

It was about 15 minutes wait on a Wednesday evening. We were there at 5:30 p.m. Apparently, it was really crowded it was first opened, about two weeks ago.

Fresh and tasty garlic bread loaf served with butter. I wished it'd be more crunchy though, and taste best with cream of mushroom soup, yumm...

This is my garden salad that comes with my main course. It's quite a generous serving. With some parmesan cheese and ground black pepper sprinkled on top, it's delicious!

Here comes my main dish, the linguine chicken tettrazini ($14.99). It's served with seasoned chicken breast, roasted mushrooms, garlic, tomatoes, and creamy Alfredo sauce (claimed to be deliciously trans fat-free on menu). It's very tasty and filling for me. However, for guys, maybe they'd appreciate a bigger portion.

The Tuscan Chicken Salad ($11.99), an entree salad that my friend ordered. It includes grilled seasoned chicken breast, navel orange slices, julienned figs, red onions, mixed greens tossed in balsamic vinaigrette and topped with toasted walnuts and goat cheese. It looks appetizing!

Overall, it was an enjoyable meal and I wouldn't mind a second visit :) Nevertheless, I find it a bit pricy, and I'd prefer what the Old Spaghetti Factory has to offer, in terms of servings and ambience.

The Dawn is Breaking...

"The dawn is breaking, a light shining through...

Even the best fall down sometimes, even the stars refuse to shine,

Out of the back you fall in time, I somehow find you and I collide..."

The gorgeous and peaceful picture of dawn reminds me of this song, "Collide" by Howie Day. It's one of my favourite songs. It blends in to the ambience perfectly...

I was staying up "early" the entire night, finishing up a drama series that I've been watching the past week or two. By the time I was ready for bed, I realized that the dawn was breaking. Hmm... it has been awhile since I last enjoyed the sunrise. The experience I had at the top of Mount. Kinabalu was an awesome one. Watching the sunset is great too. I'd still prefer the beach though, where you can observe the position of the sun so clearly and closely on the horizon. This time, however, I'm doing it by the river. The famous Saint John river in Fredericton.

In the dark, I was biking along the walking trail which led me to the walking bridge. Then, I realized that I could actually stay on the south side to watch the sunrise. Below is the view of university campus from the walking bridge.

The serenity of that moment was beyond descriptions. The hustle and bustle of a big city living sets the busy pace, which brings me come alive. The calm and gentle rhythm of this wonderful piece of "art", however, allows the moment of silence to search deeper in heart and give thanks to everything, including every single breathe I take. I surely enjoy a fine balance of both :)

Bulgogi

The newly opened Korean/Japanese restaurant in town, the Bulgogi on King St.! Hooray!! A Japanese restaurant in town. Are they offering sashimi? Hmm... Korean food, how about Korean BBQ? I later found out that this restaurant is more like a take-out counter, and they offer sushi for Japanese food, and some Korean dishes. They open for lunch and early supper (or rather, till they run out of food). I've heard some good comments about their food and apparently, the staffs are friendly too.

I probably don't have much luck visiting them on a weekday for supper. I decided to pay a visit for my lunch on Saturday instead. I had the lunch combo ($7.99). Barbeque pork as my main dish and two other side dishes, rice sticks in sweet sauce and stir-fry peppers.

A very generous serving, as shown in the pictures, nicely placed in a styrofoam lunch box. Tastewise, it's great too. It's savoury with yummy spices. However, I'd have enjoyed a Korean BBQ more, and definitely, sashimi for my Japanese fix!!

Sailing

I always wonder what's sailing all about. I've heard wonderful stories about it, and often amazed how sailing can be a passion of someone's life. Here is my chance, when I found out that the Small Craft Aquatic Centre in Fredericton offers an eight-week sailing lessons in the summer. "Never try, never know" is my philosophy. Who knows, maybe sailing can be my passion too :) These are pictures taken during my last lesson:

With a personal floating device (PFD) with an attached whistle, and a pair of aqua socks, off I went sailing! First and foremost, we had to set up the main sail and jib sail (which can be a challenge) before hitting the Saint John River!

Off I went sailing with my fellow classmates and two instructors (one of them on a motor boat in case of emergency).

That's me as a skipper ;) Steering the boat with the tiller on my left, and ensuring a smooth sailing by grabbing on the mainsheet on my right.

The river view from the front of our sailboat. The water was calm at this moment.

Who would have imagined our boat to be a few inches away from being capsized a few minutes later?! I was controlling the boat direction by holding on the tiller and mainsheet with all my might, while Alison was pulling hard on the jib sheet. We were in a similar situation at least three or four times in one windy evening! A good practice though. I wouldn't mind getting into the water, except that the water was really chilly and I had my camera with me!!

Alison, my sailing buddy has been a wonderful companion. We've been helping each other out a lot.

What a gorgeous dusk! Overlooking the Westmorland Bridge from the south side of the city.

Sailing, is definitely more than sailing itself. It does not only requires experience of controlling a sailboat, but also knowledge of the wind and wave conditions. Depending on the points of sail, we'll have to steer the boat appropriately by either pulling in or letting out the main sail, as well as bearing off (pulling on the tiller) or heading up (pushing away the tiller). If we want to change the course of the boat, we'll have to either tack (heading into wind) or gybe (away from wind). Under most circumstances, we want to avoid the sheets from luffing.

There are lots of terminology involved. Sailing on a river was a challenge for us who were in White Sail I, I could barely imagine myself out in the unpredictable ocean. Sailing safely is one thing, sailing with speed is another level of the sport. I'm sure one will have to be determined and passionate, to be an awesome sailer. Maybe I'll be one, one day. You never know...

Skydiving

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

~ by Gil Bailie

No source of information is 100% trustworthy. It was already 8:40 a.m., and I was still searching for Skydive Moncton, in a residential area! Apparently, MapQuest has given me the wrong direction. I still can't figure out why.

Now listen, drive along Elmwood Drive, go pass the Trans Canada Highway overpass, Irving gas station, Tim Horton's, till you see a big sign on your right that says "Skydive Moncton." I was lucky to be given directions from a guy in the neighbourhood, who was scraping off paints from his fence at that moment.

"Skydive Moncton, here I come!"

I felt a sense of relief to find out that the class has not started when I arrived. A piece of advice: "always check for method of payment, don't just assume that they accept credit card." I had to drive into town during lunch hour to get cash, certainly not a good idea if I'd have known better.

I attended a 5-hour course before my IAD (Instructor Assisted Deployment) jump. The first half of the course, we learned about the different steps, from when we were getting dressed up in a diving suit, boarding the plane, getting off the plane and hanging onto the wing, leaving the plane, making sure that the canopy is deployed properly, and finally, how to do the landing at a designated spot. Everything sounded great up to this point.

The second half of the course, we learned about "what if something goes wrong?" That sounds horrible, doesn't it? As a matter of fact, we had to face the reality that things might not turn out as well as what we expected them to be.

"The few seconds after leaving the plane, the canopy should deploy itself, with the assistance of the instructor. If this doesn't happen after six seconds, we should cut away the main canopy and pull out the reserve canopy instead. Assuming everything goes well, we want to check if we could stall, since we'll need it for landing. We grab on the toggles with both hands and pull them all the way down. We should experience a moment of free fall if it works right. Next, we want to steer to make sure that we're in control of the direction we're moving into. We hold on to the toggles; pulling the right toggle allows us to turn right, and vice versa. Subsequently, we want to recognize the landing spot and the wind direction. Landing into the wind is what we aim for. Last but not least, when we're about 12 to 15 ft above the ground, we want to pull the toggles from the top to bottom to completely stall the canopy, with our knees bend and put together, and get ready to roll if we need to."

At the end of the course, we had to write a test to make sure that we understood what we learned in class, and hopefully, we'd apply them during the jump. It was raining cats and dogs around 3 p.m. No jump was allowed, especially if it was overcast, because we couldn't tell where we were supposed to land! Oh no... please stop the rain, I'm gonna have to come back another day, which means renting a car and driving for 2 hours to get here...It was 4 p.m. There was nothing much we could do, but to wait for the sky to clear up. I took the opportunity to wander around town, went to the Champlain Place and had a meal at the Arby's (knew it from the TV commercial but never get around to trying it). Here comes my meal...

Meanwhile, I was praying hard for nice weather before dark. Finally, the sun was out around 7 p.m. I waited for another 20 minutes before checking with Skydive Moncton if they're planning on jumps. Whoo...whoo...they were sending experienced skydivers to check it out! It was 8 p.m. when I got there. Since we had limited daylight hours, I was in a hurry to get dressed up and be ready for the jump. My heart was pumping hard. Johnny, the instructor who went with us, was taking video of me on the ground. That helped to ease my tension a bit.

The final practice on the ground before the actual jump.

At 8:30 p.m., six of us (an instructor, a pilot, and four students) were on our way to 3,000 ft above sea level. I was the first one to jump. The moment the door popped open, I felt the rush of wind through the plane. I first extended my right foot onto the step, but could hardly positioned it due to the strong wind. You'll be amazed how strong the wind could be at a high elevation even though it was calm on the ground. Next, my right arm reached out for the wing, followed by my left arm. Subsequently, I had both feet on the step, and slowly moved my way out, towards the tip of the wing. Soon enough, I was hanging onto the wing with just both arms. Once I received the signal from Johnny to let go, I experienced a few seconds of free fall before the canopy was fully deployed. My mind went blank at the very instant. However, keeping in mind that I had to practice what I've learned from class, I did the procedure checking my canopy at the sixth second. I saw a gorgeous canopy above me, wow... I was actually floating... in the sky!

I was pumped and nervous at the same time, as the plane took off.

Here we were, 3,000 ft above sea level for NO REASON!! The rush of wind and the bird's-eye view of the city left me speechless...

Urgghh... I couldn't position my foot well because of the strong wind.

"Leave the plane when it's time to leave, to ensure a safe landing," said Jim, our classroom instructor. Here I was, waiting for the signal to let go both arms, with my feet dangling in the air. I was literally living on the edge!

I was pretty certain that I screamed for one to two seconds, before performing the procedures checking my canopy. "Arch one thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand, five thousand, check canopy (while turning right and looking to the top)."

The serenity in the sky was beyond descriptions. It reminded me of the tranquility I experienced in the underwater world when I scuba dived. I was overwhelmed by the awesomeness of the Mother Nature. God's creations are simply fantastic!

One of the best part of skydiving was to flare in the sky, just to make sure that stalling would work during landing. The few seconds of free fall was marvelous... The 5-minute landing seemed to pass very quickly. I was kind of worried that I would end up landing on top of the roof! Hehe... thanks to the instructions I received from the ground, I was able to land smoothly on the field beside the runway, while looking out at the horizon! I didn't even have to roll over :P Well done!

I was surprised how quick the dark kicked in. When I was ready to leave, it was about 9:30 p.m. I felt a bit sketchy having to drive in the dark alone. Oh well, what can I do? It was a safe journey home that took me only one and a half hours. I was exhausted at the end of the day, with a joyful heart!

When you're in a state of helplessness, you'll learn to appreciate what's the most important thing in life. Even at the very last breath of your life, you just wouldn't let it go, because of the faith you live by. It was a thrilling and unforgettable event in my life. I was overjoyed and self-contented that my dream came true.

Moncton

This is my first time going on a road trip alone. I finally decided that "today is the DAY!" I left Fredericton around 6 a.m., hoping wishfully that I could stop by the market before my IAD (Instructor Assisted Deployment jump) course at 8:30 a.m. About half-way down the journey, I saw a creature standing in the middle of the road. Having heard of stories about mooses jumping onto the highway, first thing that came into mind: "Stop the car! That could be a moose!" It turned out to be a deer instead. I've seen them on the walking trail twice this summer, but not on the highway. What a shock!

Finally, I made it to the market at 8 a.m.

Guess what he's selling at the market? Foie gras!! Both fresh and preserved. I thought I'll have to visit a French restaurant in Quebec city to try it. I bought a can of preserved foie gras ($29.50) to bring home. Yumm... it's ever so good!

For breakfast, I bought a piece of blueberry tart and a Middle Eastern square. Hmm... sweets for breakfast. You got it! You know what I'm after ;)

Arby's

Two sandwiches, curly fries, a turnover, a drink, with three different sauces to choose from: tomato ketchup, BBQ sauce, and horseradish sauce.

Crispy curly fries. The texture & taste is just right!

The signature Arby's Melt. Thin sliced roast beef with tangy cheddar cheese sauce. Yumm...

The Ham Melt. Roasted ham, top with melted Swiss cheese. A simple yet delicious sandwich!

The blueberry turnover with crispy and flaky pastry and sweet icing (find it too sweet though).

Take your pick, for a limited time offer. Hmm... wouldn't it be nice to try them all? Oh well, only if I've a second stomach!

SWeetS

My "hearty" breakfast from the market in Moncton:


The bluerry tart ($2.50) is loaded with fresh blueberries! Crispy tart shell and sweet custard. It's simply irresistable!


The Middle Eastern square ($1.50). The flaky pastry is delicious!

Wild at Heart

Before this summer, I've been involved in different sports, such as mountain climbing, scuba diving, whitewater rafting etc. Nevertheless, it simply takes my breath away when I imagine myself floating in the sky. I always enjoy the bird's-eye view of a city whenever I'm on a flight. The idea of reaching the sky and embracing it, is bizarre!

I've to admit that this has been an awesome summer, not only did I try bungee jumping (160ft) in Whistler, BC, but I also went for skydiving (3,000ft) in Moncton, NB! Skydiving has been in my mind for two and a half years. I was not able to do it sooner, due to unforeseen circumstances (transportation, skydive buddy etc.).

Have you ever experienced a strong urge to do or achieve something that you always wanted? You yearn for the day to come, day and night. There's something missing in life if you don't go for it. That was exactly how I felt, after putting the plan aside for two years, I started pondering: "it's now or NEVER!" Live life to the fullest while you can. If you know you're going to regret for not doing or achieving something in life, then by all means, run after your goals and be responsible for yourself! How many days do you have left on earth? Only God knows. Hence, lead your everyday life as if it's the very last day on earth, prioritize things that have to be done... One fine day, you'll tell yourself: "I've fully utilized my days on earth and fulfilled my dreams, for the glory of God who has given me this precious life."

Chee Cheong Fun

I was absolutely inspired by the Chee Cheong Fun (a.k.a. rice noodle roll) prepared by Lily that she had it on her blog (http://lilyng2000.blogspot.com/2008/07/chee-cheong-fun-iii.html). The preparation process was fascinating and I was so eager to try it out myself!

Ingredients:
(A)
60g rice flour
20g tapioca flour
2 1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil

(B)
1 1/2 tbsp Hoisin sauce
1 1/2 tsp water
1 tbsp sesame seed

Directions:
1. Mix ingredients from (A) and leave it aside for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat a non-stick pan on medium heat. Pour a thin layer of batter into the pan and heat until a thin layer of the the batter solidifies at the bottom. Pour back any excess batter.
3. Place a lid on the pan and cook on low heat.
4. The noodle is cooked when it turns translucent. Remove pan from the heat source.
5. Roll the sheet of noodle carefully (not to break it) with a wooden spatula on the pan. Place the rice noodle roll on a greased plate.
6. Continue cooking with the remaining batter.
7. Dilute the Hoisin sauce with water. Pour the sauce on the noodles and garnish noodles with sesame seed. Savour the chee cheong fun while hot!

p/s: It takes some practice to yield smooth texture cheong fun. I appreciate those hawkers who cook fine and tasty chee cheong fun!

Strawberry Blossom Doughnut

If Dunkin' Donut is part of the American culture, then the Tim Hortons (a.k.a. Tim's) is a must in the Canadian culture, especially for the Maritimers.

I'm fascinated with this brand new creation--Strawberry Blossom Doughnut! It's shaped into a flower with six petals, topped with pink and white sprinkles, and strawberry jam in the middle. As you might have expected, it's rather sweet. Well, you don't get such a treat all the time. Enjoy while you can! It's for limited time only.

Strawberry Picking

Posing with the bright red, juicy strawberries!

The strawberry plants.

Come on, let's pick some berries from the field. What a great outing in the summer!

I always look forward to the strawberry season in the summer, which usually takes place in early July, after Canada Day. Previously, I've organized strawberry picking trips for friends who were new to Freddy and they truly enjoyed it ;) Strawberries....I'm excited for it! I rode on my bike to the strawberry farm, Sunset U-Pick on Ferris St. off Sunset Drive, located on the north side of the city. It was a 30-minute bike ride. What a gorgeous day! Warm sunshine, summer breeze...

Apparently, the hot weather will bring a more rapid end to the season, and residual moisture from the rain will shorten the shelf life of strawberries. The weather certainly plays a major role in the growth of berries. This is the second week of the picking season and will probably go on for another week or so.

Strawberries are yummy just on its own. My favourite however, is the strawberry+kiwi+banana smoothie. A refreshing treat on a hot summer day!

Steak Feast II

The carrot was cut into a unique shape, very creative :)

I've been craving for steaks these days and hence prepared myself a Grade A striploin and salad for supper. Besides the similar ingredients used to prepare the first steak that I had (refer to the post "Steak Feast I"), I added some Moroccan harissa spice (1 1/2 tsp) for marinating the meat. It was merely a 15-20 minutes of cooking time with the toaster oven set at 400F, for a medium rare steak. With the steak topped with mushroom sauce, and salad as side dish, I indulged myself in this delicious meal ^v^

Salad

Ingredients:
1 cherry tomato
1/2 medium green pepper
1 small carrot
2 stalks celery
2 leaves iceberg lettuce
2 leaves romaine lettuce

Directions:
Creativity + Passion + Patience = Awesomeness

How did I come out with this idea? Well, I had these ingredients sitting in the refrigerator that I needed to prepare for tomorrow's lunch. Instead of a boring dish of salad, I wanted something that's more presentable, and more appetizing! And here I am, combining the salad with some canned salmon for a meal *wink*