New Year's Countdown

What's the best way to celebrate New Year? In a party? With loved ones? Or simply in your dreams? I've done all of the above in the past. Looking back the recent years, I'm rather proud that I've been celebrating the New Years quite uniquely.

2007: I was in St. Louise, Missouri for the Urbana student missions convention. In a crowd of 22,500, we worshipped, prayed, had communion, and celebrated New Year in the Edward Jones Dome at American Center.


2008: I visited the Big Apple, New York City. Not only that, I attended the New Year's countdown at the well-known Times Square. I've seen it so much on the TV in previous years that I thought to myself that I wanted to be part of the crowd, to join in the excitement of celebrating New Year in the big crowd, at least once. My dream came true, after standing in the cold windy winter night for more than three hours... It sounded crazy, but I had no regrets ;)

2009: My flight departing from Calgary was scheduled for 12:10 a.m. In the plane, we did the countdown. Subsequently, I was so exhausted that I slept through most of my journey. I took the connecting flight from Toronto back to Freddy. I finally arrived at 11:30 a.m. Thank God for the smooth landing, despite the windy condition.

Meals in One Day

I've been having good food and great time in Calgary thus far. Wondering what I had on my last day in Calgary? Julian & Annie almost ran out of idea where to bring me. Finally, we visited the Crave bakery shop in Kensington Road. The moist and delicious cupcakes are offered in large or mini size, in either vanilla or chocolate, and topped with a variety of butter cream icing as toppings (e.g. blue vanilla, green lime, chocolate etc.). These cupcakes were heavenly!!

Having said that, the cupcakes were too sweet for me. Perhaps one third of the amount of icing would suffice. I've to admit that the cupcakes are moist and tasty nonetheless. Apparently, the bakery employees work from 5 a.m. till 12 p.m. There's no guarantee that there's any cupcake left after noon time. Please be sure to be there early to avoid disappointment!

A dozen of assorted mini cupcakes nicely packed in a plastic container with a brown ribbon.

Next, we had some Southeast Asian food at the Sungate Cafe nearby. They offered some Thai and Malaysian/Singaporean dishes. The food wasn't the best but it was good enough to satisfy my cravings for Malaysian food.

From left: Spicy Chicken Sub, Hot & Sour Seafood Tom Yum Soup, and Chicken Rendang Rice.

Hmm....what was next? For my farewell supper, we had steamboat (or less commonly Chinese fondue) buffet in a group of seven at a Chinese restaurant. For $22.95 per adult, we ordered food ranging from sliced lamb, beef, chicken, fish, pork, shrimps, squids, tofu, vegetables, etc. We then cooked the food in the hot pot on the gas stoves available right in front of our eyes. It was a big meal and everyone was stuffed at the end... I can easily skip my breakfast & lunch the next day...

Cooking the food in the hot pot containing boiling water. Spices were added for a flavourful soup base.

The largest "fresh" oyster I've ever had! Nonetheless, it tasted quite bad compared to those delicious fresh oysters I prepared with the shells still on!

Brazilian Cuisine

My very first experience dining in a fine Brazilian restaurant. The experience was splendid, the food was delightful, and the service was excellent. The key to it though, is to make an early reservation for the best selection. We were there at Bolero Restaurant for a 5:30 p.m. reservation.

Free flow of appetizers.

Appetizers from the fresco bar and hot bar.

Bolero is a Brazilian style steak house, where Gaucho chefs circle the dining room with a variety of meats to serve to customers, known as rodizio style dining. One pays a fixed price ($37.50) and the chefs bring an offering of food to each customer at several times throughout the meal, until the customers signify that they have had enough. There was a block on the table which had red on one end and green on the other. The chefs will only bring more meat if the card is flipped to the green side.

Picanha, garlic parmesan striploin, filet mignon, ribeye steak, rack of lamb, garlic parmesan porkloin, pork tenderloin, Alcatra (special beef pot roast), pork ribs, garlic parmesan picanha, pineapple, linguica (Portuguese cured pork sausage), bacon filet mignon, bacon wrapped chicken, chicken legs, vegetable skewers, and leg of lamb, are among the choice to choose from.

A chef cut the meat skillfully and served us.


The BBQ pineapple was a hit!

A bountiful selection of food was served and cut fresh in front of our eyes. I took pleasure in savouring the good food. It was indeed a great eye-opener to a non-ordinary dining experience! Love it :)

Dim Sum

Dim Sum is known as the southern Chinese delicacies. The closest restaurant from Fredericton that offers Dim Sum would probably be in Saint John. Yes, you got it. There's no Dim Sum in Fredericton...

Hence, I seized the opportunity to enjoy Dim Sum during my trip to Calgary. Well, I had it twice actually ;D My first Dim Sum meal at the T&T Supermarket (a Chinese supermarket), West Edmonton Mall.

Congee, shrimp dumplings, beef tripes, and phoenix claws (a.k.a. chicken feet), hot soya milk, and cold tea. Delicious!

We went to the Regency Palace in Chinatown, Calgary for brunch six days later.

From left: glutinous chicken rice, beef tripes, phoenix claws, pork steamed buns, pork dumplings, and pork spare ribs.



Eggs tarts (my favourite) and fried shrimp on sugar cane sticks, a Vietnamese delicacy.

Congee with century eggs and pork. Yummy!

Each dish priced around $4. It's best to savour Dim Sum with family or a group of friends. You get to enjoy a wide array of dishes in small amount, because they do fill up your stomach rather quick!

The Keg Steakhouse & Bar

It was my first visit to the Keg Steakhouse & Bar. After a long day of traveling from Calgary to Banff, joining the dog sled tour in Canmore, soaking in the hot spring in Banff, we were exhausted and hungry... We've decided to go to the Keg for a big meal.

Appetizers: dinner roll with butter, scallops & bacon (bacon-wrapped scallops with a zesty martini cocktail sauce) for $9.95, as well as ahi tuna (a.k.a. yellowfin tuna, grilled rare, served with a mushroom reduction drizzled with cucumber-wasabi sauce and crostini) for $10.95.

From left: Honey BBQ Chicken & Ribs (grilled and basted with house honey BBQ sauce) for Annie, 8oz Prime Rib Classic (hand-carved with horseradish and au jus) for Julian, and 7oz Fillet Mignon (tenderloin wrapped in applewood smoked bacon) for me!

What's so special about the steaks here?

A Cut Above: Always well trimmed and cut to avoid excess fat and gristle.
Better with Age: New York striploins and sirloins are specially aged a minimum of 28 days for extra tenderness.
Well Marbled: Resulting in a juicy, more flavourful steak.
Added Spice: Sprinkled with our unique blend of spices and seared over high heat to lock in the natural juices.

I also learned about the ways of cooking steaks besides the ordinary rare, medium rare, medium, and well done.

Blue Rare: Cool, blue, all the way through.
Rare: Cool centre, bright red throughout.
Medium Rare: Warm centre, red throughout.
Medium: Warm, pink centre.
Medium Well: Hot, small trace of pink in the centre.
Well Done: Hot, fully cooked throughout.
Chicago: Charred outside, cooked to order inside.

The entrees priced between $20 and $30. It was my first time trying Fillet Mignon and had enjoyed it a lot. "The ultimate in tenderness," they called it, which was very true ;)

Japanese/Korean Cuisine

Julian, Annie and I had supper at the Shikiji Japanese Restaurant in Calgary. This restaurant offers specialty sushi dishes that are both presentable and delicious. Besides, their Japanese green tea, genmaicha (brown-rice tea) is the best I've ever had thus far!

The Spider Roll ($13.80). Crispy crab legs are used to make into the form of a spider.

The Una Una Roll (Eel Roll) for $16.90. Yumm...



The Salmon Mango Roll ($11.80), topped with colourful tobiko (flying fish caviar). Very appetizing!

This dish reminded me of something similar I had in Toronto a few months ago.

Very neat presentation of sushi at the Dazzling Restaurant in downtown Toronto.

Back to Shikiji Restaurant. Besides sushi, we also ordered a bowl of Japanese noodles.

The Chili Goma Ramen (hot & spicy Japanese noodles with sesame) for $13.50. Grind the sesame seeds yourself!

The day after we visited Shikiji Restaurant, we had Japanese/Korean buffet at the Sushi BBQ Inn. Two dishes of sashimi (fresh raw seafood) per person. We were given the choice of salmon, tuna, and spicy seafood. They tasted great, except for the tuna which turned out to be partially frozen. Hmm...previously frozen? Isn't it supposed to be fresh??

Sashimi, maki (roll), and temaki (cone/hand roll).


Our second order.

From left: Rainbow Roll, California Roll, and BC Roll (grilled salmon skin with sweet sauce and cucumber, named after British Columbia for its famous wild Pacific salmon).

Tempura, a classic Japanese dish of deepfried battered vegetables or seafood.

Raw meat for BBQ: chicken, beef, spicy pork, lamb chop, salmon, short ribs etc.

Meat slices on the BBQ stove, right in front of us on the dining table.

Overall, the amount of food was plenty. We certainly had a lot since we skipped our lunch due to busy schedule. I was in Banff all day skiing with Julian, while Annie was working all day without her lunch box.

Having said that, I wished the sashimi was fresher and the order was unlimited. It turned out to be slightly under $30 per person on the final bill. Good food, great time!

Chinese Cuisine

I certainly have lots to say about the fabulous one week trip to Calgary, Alberta. Great friendships, spectacular views, wonderful places, and delicious cuisines!

On my first night in Calgary, Julian & Annie brought me to a Chinese Restaurant for late supper. Yes, late supper at 12:30 a.m.! They waited for me at the airport and didn't have supper earlier.

Top left: beef with snow peas and water chestnuts. Bottom left: flat nice noodles with beef. Right: kailan veggie with salted fish.

My friendship story continues... I met up with my ex-classmate from UNB who is now studying at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. We went to a Chinese Restaurant in Edmonton in a group of five. Here are some of the dishes we had:

Loh Hon Zai, the mixed vegetable dish.

The so-called Sze Chuan beef, with onions, green and red peppers. It has the texture of the typical Gu Lou meat (fried pork) dish.

旅行

喜欢飞行
感受空中遨游的心情
喜欢步行
享受景色人物的感应
喜欢冒险
聆听内心砰跳的音弦
喜欢飘随
探寻美妙人生的精髓

一趟又一趟的精彩旅行
一次又一次地丰盛心灵
一遍又一遍地默念心愿
一回又一回地祈望梦圆

人生道路很漫长
甜酸苦辣都品尝
岁月渐逝不留人
积极生活不沦沉

跌倒瘀伤泥娃娃
摔了一跤自己爬
崎岖不平人生路
还得亲自去细诉

旅游让人敞开心怀
大开眼界万物不怪
漫漫路途精彩绝伦
生动感人永远记存

仰望夜空的流星雨
默默祈祷安静不语
经历过旅行的洗礼
人生变得富足美丽
跨过山水 天涯留足迹

White Christmas

I enjoy spending Christmas in Canada, especially a white Christmas. I'm attracted to Christmas trees with elaborate decorations, snowy wreaths, snow covered ground, lovely Christmas carols etc.

Gingerbread house is fun to play with during Christmas. I considered myself a kid at heart;) Gingerbread cookie pieces are stacked together to build a solid ground. Snow patches are drizzled all around the house, and it was then further decorated with colourful candies.

I imagined myself as a gingerbread man living in this pretty home, staying cozy sitting beside the fireplace, taking sips of hot apple cider and listening to the Christmas carols, while watching the peaceful snowfall outside the windows.....

A very Merry Christmas to all!!

圣诞夜

圣诞夜的星空
一点也不空洞
灯饰璀璨照通
飘来美丽感动

微微吐气烟囱
炊烟气息颇重
街上一片闹哄
填补内心虚空

圣诞曲调歌颂
寒风吹袭不冻
高挂夜空楼钟
分秒缓步从容

圣诞夜的星空
看来很似长冗
世间关爱相送
不再饥饿病痛

人群一阵轰隆
欢呼季节相拥
雪片飘落寒冬
气氛平和轻松

圣诞夜的星空
细诉心情无终
人们尽兴放纵
陶醉仙境与共

Insanely Suicidal Wings!!!

What's the craziest meal idea you've ever had? Knowing that Jungle Jim's Pub offers the hot & spicy chicken wings, my roommates and I decided to try some on a cold winter day... Indeed, we were dazzled by the hot burning sensation at the tip of our tongues and the volcanic eruption in our stomachs. I'll have to forewarn you: this is not an ordinary hot & spicy dish that everyone could try. The hot & spicy aroma from the wings is sufficient to set the eyes stinging!!

The Insanity Wings (1lb for $9.99) overloaded with jalapeno juice and jalapeno chunks! Served with lemon slices and sour cream, and a slice of bread. Why bread? It was advisable that you take a bite of bread before drinking any liquid so that the spiciness doesn't stay in your throat. I didn't find it very helpful though...

The waiver we signed before indulging into the world of insanity :P Everyone should take a close look at it.

I've never tried something hot & spicy of this extreme before. The wings were stopping you from going close to them! Unlike the typical Malaysian hot & spicy curry, which appears to be appetizing and appealing, these wings are turning their backs on you! The first bite of it was fine, and the spicy shock kicked in after a few seconds. It took me a while to eat the first two pieces, the subsequent three pieces were fine, after my senses became numb... Yeah, five spices of these Insanity Wings! They kept my stomach burning for the next 24 hours....

It was worth a try but just wasn't the kind of hot & spiciness I'd enjoy. Furthermore, it wasn't fun at all to suffer from the stomach pain.

French onion soup with garlic baguette for $4.99.

The Crocodile Skins for $8.99. Seasoned potato skins topped with melted mixed cheese, bacon, and green onions. Served with sour cream.

Chicken Taquitos for $6.99. BBQ-style tortillas rolled around Mes-seasoned chicken and mixed cheese. Served with sour cream.

Snowstorm

Why do Canadians talk about the weather so much? Not only that it's a common interest, but it can also be a wonderful ice breaker, even with strangers on the street! Especially in the winter, the weather fluctuates so much that you really have to pay close attention to the weather forecast (even though it's not always accurate). It can be snowing at -10 degrees Celsius one day and raining at 8 degrees Celsius the following day, with the occurrence of freezing rain, or mix of snow and rain, when the temperature lingers around the freezing point.

Fredericton is one of the many Canadian cities where snow and ice prevail during the winter season. It started off with flurries and light snow yesterday evening, around 7 p.m. Looking out the window in my bedroom, the agitated trees were swaying, strong wind was blowing, and furious snow was pouring down. The street looked like a deserted place. It was quiet and everyone stayed cozy at homes. We were expecting 30 centimetres of snow overnight...

Today at 7 a.m., I looked the window and everything was covered in white. 30 minutes later, I turned on the radio and listened to the news: government offices will be closed till noon, bus service is terminated till further notice, University campuses will be closed for the day......

Since I commute to work by the public transit, and government offices won't open till later, I went back to bed and enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in (the opportunity doesn't come very often), zzzzz.....

Finally, bus service resumed after 1 p.m. I was told not to bother going in to work. It worked out great! I spent some time packing for my trip to Calgary and got a chance to snap some pretty pictures in downtown. It was about two hours walk around town by the time I got home at 10:30 p.m. It was later in the evening that the temperature dropped to -18 degrees Celsius, and wind was blowing at the speed of 26 km/hr.

Everything was covered in the fluffy white snow.

The snowbank on the sidewalk and a pile of snow on the bus rooftop.

The City Hall of Fredericton with its Christmas theme. The wreaths sprinkled with snow looked gorgeous!

A Winding Road

We may take the same route to work, eating the same food, and doing the same thing from day to day, unconsciously. Can't we do something different to make life more exciting? Here is a route that I take almost every day, to work, to catch a bus, to the campus, and the list goes on. Even though it's the same old route, the scenery changes with the seasons. The most amusing sight is spotted during the winter, of course!

This is the so-called shortcut, which located behind my apartment. It connects the parking lot at my apartment to the backyard of a house, situated on the adjacent street. Strictly speaking, it's considered trespassing to walk on someone else's backyard. Nevertheless, it has become a norm for people to walk across this narrow creek on a wooden bridge, on a daily basis.

To make things more interesting, this is how it looks after a major snowfall. Surprisingly, there's always someone who clear the path to ease the walk. I don't suppose it's the homeowner of our neighbour. He must be annoyed that the neighbours are walking on his property. Whoever that person is, I really appreciate his time and effort put into clearing the path. Maybe one day, I'll get up early enough to check out who's doing such a great job.

A familiar route covered in snow,
try to recall the path I know.
Winding road that knows no end,
here I come with a wild attempt.

Life is like a box of chocolates,
full of unexpected surprises.
You never know what you're gonna get,
just pray and hope for the best.

Christmas is Near...

It's hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner. Christmas Eve is a week from today, bizarre... Soon enough we're going to bid 2008 goodbye... Oh, let's not go that far, back to Christmas. What do you think about Christmas? Exciting? Joyful? Stressful?

I remembered being a little kid going to bed on Christmas Eve with great anticipation, dozing off when I finally couldn't keep my eyes straight from staring at the Christmas stocking hanging by the bed... Waking up early on Christmas morning with great excitement and contentment, holding my stuffed Christmas stocking, even though I realized that Santa doesn't exist...

Should you tell your kids that Santa is unreal? This remains as a controversial topic. "If you believe there is, then there is," is a nice way to avoid shattering the Santa dreams in the little souls. Truthfully, there's no need to hide the truth from kids. The sooner they find out, the less disappointment for them later on. I remembered little sis came home one day, when she was four, asking "is Santa real? My classmate's parents told her that Santa doesn't exist. Is that true?" Stunned by her unexpected question, I was speechless for a minute. Mom & Dad then explained to her that Santa is indeed, unreal. The older we grow, the more we know; or rather, the older we grow, the more we SHOULD know. That's always the way it is!

I was carried away by the whole idea of Christmas celebration. Mom would prepare a fancy Western meal, with Dad serving us sparkling juice. The best meal of the year, besides the big meal during Chinese New Year. We never had a turkey for Christmas dinner. Why? It's simply because turkey is not commonly found in Malaysia, and it could cost a fortune (exaggerating) to get one!

Thus, I was delighted to have a turkey dinner on my first Christmas in Canada! Since then, I've always been looking forward to a turkey dinner on Christmas. On top of that, white Christmas has always been wonderful in North America. It gets more meaningful when I learned how to cook the bird myself. Secret recipe, shh..... Despite the time and effort putting into preparing a cooked turkey, I enjoyed having fun in the kitchen and everyone's great big smiles when savouring the delicious turkey ;)

Now that I don't get surprise gifts in my Christmas stocking, I'm nice to myself occasionally by getting myself some Christmas gifts.

Wow... mountain high chocolates?? My favourite Ferrero Rocher (esp. the dark chocolates), Nestle Turtles, Lindt dessert chocolates, and Dove milk chocolates. Keeping a box of Ferrero for myself for sure ;)

The Christmas Advent Calendar, supposed to provide you with ideas of daily activities from Dec. 1st to Christmas Eve. It's something that I always wanted to check out. A piece of chocolate a day!

The first Christmas card (in blue) I received this year and a self-made 3D-Christmas card. Isn't that cute? Of course, chocolates are always the highlight. Lindor chocolates in orange (orange flavour), red (milk), black (dark), yellow (white), and brown (hazelnut).

Believe it or not, here's what I got for myself this Christmas. A powerful hand mixer and a set of silicone bakeware. Excellent tools for baking!

Swiss Chalet

"The Festive Special. Savour the season. Your holiday favourite is back! Enjoy our tender Rotisserie Quarter Chicken with tangy cranberry sauce, our famous stuffing, and your choice of side. For dessert, you'll enjoy a Festive Chalet filled with 5 Lindor chocolate truffles." I was abosultely carried away by the Festive Special offered by Swiss Chalet Restaurant. This was my second time savouring the Festive Special that offered annually around Christmas time.

It has become a practice at work that we go out for lunch together on someone's birthday. Swiss Chalet is one of my co-workers' favourite restaurant and without exception, she has chosen this restaurant for her birthday lunch.

A full course meal for $9.99. Tasty and succulent rotissserie chicken white meat ($1.20 extra for white meat), served with my favourite stuffing, cranberry sauce, a crusty roll, and mashed potatoes. Yumm....

The Swiss Chalet special chicken noodle soup, served with salted top crackers. A special offer by using the SPC card ;)




Make room for desserts! Lindor chocolate truffles, they're to die for :D

My last visit was in the spring with Mom & Dad, on my graduation day. More food pictures:

Rotisserie chicken strips with green onions, carrot slivers, and peppers, nicely wrapped in crispy spring roll skins. These chicken spring rolls were served with plum sauce on the side.

A quarter chicken meal with a crusty roll, and french fries on the side.