Natuloy din ako mag gym, sa wakas .....

Sa wakas, kaninang umaga, natuloy din ako mag gym. Ilang linggo na din ako kinukulit ng aking mahal na asawa tungkol sa paggym at dahil medyo nakukulitan na din ako sa kanya, pinilit ko na ang sarili ko na bumangon ng maaga kanina para ako na mismo mag bukas ng gym. 7am to 7pm ang slimmers world sa 9th avenue at mas gusto ko mag gym ng maaga at malamang kung sa hapon ako pupunta, di na naman ako matutuloy.

Anyways, binigyan muna ko ng physical test bago sinabak sa aking "exercise routine". Eto ang aking nadiskubre .....

1. Overweight ako ng 10 lbs. Hindi ko na sasabihin kung ano ang timbang ko ngayon para ma protektahan ang aking reputasyon, hehe.

2. Mataas sa acceptable level ang aking body fat index. My gulay .... siguro nga dapat puro gulay na lang ang kainin ko. Nagrecall tuloy ako bigla ng mga culprit na nakapag contribute nito sa aking diet. At ang naalala ko agad ay ang pagkain ng mga processed food at delata. Convenient pero, di nakakabuti. Dapat ko laging tandaan yun.

3. 5ft 3 inches lang pala ako. Lagi ko pa naman nilalagay na height ko ay 5ft 4 inches. Ito kasi ang natatandaang kong taas nung nasa 4th year high school pa lang ako nung nag yearly physical test kami sa clinic sa school. Posible kayang umurong ako? Hmmmm.

At sinabak na nga ko sa aking exercise routine to "loose weight".

- 30 mins cardio
- stretching
- 20 - 25 counts exercises for the thighs, abs, arms & legs
- stretching ulit ....
- at 30 mins cardio nanaman ....

Inabot din ako ng 2 oras sa pag ggym. Pinagpawisan ako ng todo. Di ko kaya ang sit ups na 25 counts. My gut wasn't able to take the pressure as you may say.

At ito ang mga na realize ko after those grooling two hours ....

1. Di na ko masyado iinom ng mga inumin na may calories. My gosh, kalahating oras ako nag threadmill, 124 calories lang ang katapat ng tagak-tak kong pawis? Naalala ko bigla nung uminom ako ng C2 one litter. 500 calories yun ! Di na mauulit yun ! Matapos ng hirap ko sa gym, malamig na tubig na lang lagi o kaya fresh buco juice ang iinumin ko.

2. Next na punta ko, mag dadala na ko ng lalagayan ko ng tubig. Super uhaw ako. Meron naman dun water fountain, pero di ko feel maki-inom dun. Better I'll just bring my own water. Magdadala din nga pala ko ng pad-lock at di ako nakagamit ng locker kanina kasi wala kong dala.

3. 30 visits ang inavail ko at consumable lang for 6 mos. Kailangan ko mag effort para naman di masayang ang binayad ko sa gym. I need to wake up early kahit saturday para makapag gym ..... I can't believe I'm saying this ....

4. Pagkagaling kanina sa gym, bumili ako agad ng whole wheat cereal at skim milk. Mula ngayon, eto na magiging breakfast ko, to cut down my intake of processed foods. Just wish me luck para makatagal ako ....


 Lahat ng ito, ay para lang mapag bigyan ko ang mahal kong asawa. Pero kung iisipin, para sa akin din naman to. Para maging physically fit ako to keep up with him and Marianna. At dahil mahal na mahal ko sila, I will do anything for them.

Promotion

Yesterday afternoon about 1pm, a memo circular was sent through our company email. Staff movements which includes promotions .... and I'm one of those fortunate people. 

1. Promotions:  Effective 01 February 2010

1.  Djohanna Marie Marinas -  from Accounts Clerk to Assistant Chief Accountant

2.  Jose Laurence Avanzado -  from Senior Fleet Personnel Officer to Acting Assistant Fleet Personnel Manager

3.  Joselyn dela Cruz -  Acting Fleet Personnel Officer to Fleet Personnel Officer

4.  Lecita Rose Becina -  from Asst. Fleet Personnel Officer to Fleet Personnel Officer

5.  Reynaldo Padiernos -  from Accounts Clerk to Accounts Supervisor

6.  Mary Grace Gelvoleo -  from Accounts Clerk to Accounts Supervisor

7.  Ida Cabatingan -  from Accounts Clerk to Accounts Supervisor

8.  Daisy Maranan -  from Accounts Clerk to Accounts Supervisor

 

            Congratulations and keep up the good work!!

This does really made me feel good. Im a certified public accountant and when people ask me kung anong position ko sa company, I always say I'm an accountant. Medyo naddyahe kasi ako mag sabi na acctg clerk ako. And now, Assistant Chief Accountant na ko. Masarap pakingan kaysa sa clerk di ba? This year will be my 8th year in our company and this year is extra special since I got promoted this year. I guess 8 is indeed a lucky number ! 


At katulad ng isang aktress na nakatanggap ng award, I also had a list to thank .....

Unang - una, Nagpapasalamat ako sa Panginoon. God is good. Always. Thank you Lord, for everything !

Pangalawa, Pinasasalamatan ko ang aking mahal na asawa at mas lalo ang anak namin. Lucky Charm ko si Marianna and in all that I do, i always keep her and hubby in mind.

Pangatlo, I would like to thank my mama and papa sa pag tatyaga sa pagpaparal sa kin at hindi bumitiw sa paniniwala na maipapasa ko ang CPA board exams, hehe. Love you mama and papa.

Pang-apat, ang mga boss ko, sila Mr. and Mrs. Duran. Yup. Mag-asawa po sila. Dynamic duo. Si Mr. Duran, presidente namin at si Mrs. Duran ang Chief Accountant namin. Salamat Sir at Mam sa inyong pag titiwala sa aking kakayanan.

Pang-lima, sa mga kamag-anak at kaibigan, na ang iba pa ay laging nandyan kahit wala. Madami kasi akong kaibigan at kamag-anak na wala dito sa Pilipinas o kung nandito naman ay bihira kong makita, pero patuloy na nandyan para makinig sa aking mga sinasabi, may kahulugan man ito o walang kwenta, lagi lang silang nandyan para makinig. I want to let you know guys na napaka importante nun sa kin at sa mga panahon na sumasakit na ang ulo ko sa trabaho, di kayo nag sasawa sa pag papaalala sa kin .... maraming salamat sa inyong lahat

Sa mga kasama ko na napromote, Congrats sa inyong lahat.

Lets keep up the good work !!!

GT: Describe Yourself as a Lover

I wasn't able to post last week but still I did spend V-day with my precious daughter. Although Marianna and I wasn't able to go to Jollibee, we did have a lunch/dinner date. Nagluto ako ng ginataang alimango. Natuwa ako at madami syang nakain.

For this week. We were to describe ourselves as lover. I hope this would not come across that as if nag bubuhat ako ng sarili kong bangko, hehe.

1.  I would like to say Im loving first of all. I love my husband and my daughter dearly. I would give my life for them.

2. I would like to say Im understanding since my husband always thank me for being understanding eh siguro nga understanding ako. 

3. I would like to say Im considerate since most of the time, not always at may mga panahon din na wala ko sa wisyo, that I put into consideration the situation before getting into an argument. Pero wala naman ako natatandaan na pag kakataon na nag away kami ni Mark o may nakaaway ako for that matter.

4. I would like to say Im patient. But still I would like to add more patience to the little of what I have left. Ganito pala pag may anak na, it will really test your patience. And as I would say "If patience is a virtue ... my virtue is getting shorter" hehe.

5. I would like to say that Im an "OA" lover. Kasi there are times, inspite of being a working mom, I do my best to give my daughter the best. Ganito pala maging mommy. Na kahit pagod na pagod ka na, you'll still find strength to play with your baby, to cook for her and like what my Marianna is into now, to take her for a walk.

Im looking forward for the GT Topics for March. I also hope i'll be able to participate weekly.

E San Thai Kitchen, Ara Damansara

Diha who stayed in Ara Damansara spoke of E San many times last year- that the food is good. But I kept delaying my visit as it is halal Thai cuisine- I'll rather have some porky feast :p.

However, I was reminded of E San recently(reading Joe's post) and I finally decided to pop by after all.

It was a raining heavily when we reached, a perfect way to enjoy spicy food :)

I always thought that E San sounded familiar, and finally understood that it meant the same as Isan cuisine, something I've tried in Bangkok before. Basically Isan/ Esan refers to the North Eastern part of Thailand.

E San's menu was rather extensive, but with some recommended dishes from Diha in mind, we soon decided on what to eat..

E San's tom yum (RM35) was the right soup to warm our cold tummies..

The soup was rather clear looking, but dont be deceived. It was spicy, sour and sweet; the flavours awakening our sleepy tastebuds in full force. The ingredients were fresh and generous, we were very pleased with this soup.
The Crispy fried rice(RM12) was next..

We thought it was rather pricey as it was only a plate of rice with 4 prawns. Though lacking in ingredients, the taste was definitely not lacking- the aroma of crisp rice (something like those you get from the base of claypot), fluffy rice and fish sauce was evident and got us lapping it up.

From then on, the dishes kept coming so quickly, I had a hard time taking pictures and trying to keep my friends from eating! hahaha
The Egg Salad/ Kerabu (RM12) looks so plain..

But this dish got all our votes. The best dish of the night! The sides of the eggs were crisp, while the yolks were still runny. Mix it with the fresh greens and tangy sauce, we could not stop eating this. So, so delicious!
The Crispy kangkung(RM12) was something new to me..

Alas, it sounds and looks special, but taste wise, it was average. In fact, I find it rather oily after letting it sit for a while. The tangy chilli sauce was interesting though.

The Green Curry Chicken(RM18)

My first impression was 'a very diluted looking curry'. I was already rather disappointed before even trying it. hehehe. But after drenching my white rice with the curry, I take whatever gripe I had back. It was actually very scrumptious. I'm actually happy for this version of curry, at least it's not thick and rich, yet it retained all the wonderful flavours that a green curry should have.

The one sinful dish of the night was the Otak Otak Coconut(RM25)

Filled with lots of prawns and squids, the otak otak was not the usual steamed, tofuish version but a otak otak sauce version. Too rich for me, I only took one serving. Nice thick sauce, but I'm not a fan.
When they placed the Steamed Siakap with lime (RM48)in front of us, I was rather worried..

It was a large fish, and there were only 6 of us ladies...hmmm, wondered if we can finish this? And as usual, I worried for nothing...the fish was sweet and fresh, the soup was very spicy and sour, which woman wont like this? hehehe...Well, it did have some lingering sweetness in the soup, which I will remind them to tone down on the sugar on my next visit.

We were darn stuffed by the time they serve the Grilled Beef Salad (RM28)

This was the least popular dish, I'm not sure if it's because the ladies were full or the taste were rather..erm..interesting. The beef was sourish (from lime?) and a nutty aftertaste. It gets spicier as I took more of it. I find this dish ok..

Thats when we raised our white flag and finally finished our meal :p

But E San then served us with some complimentary desserts..Hey, we womenfolk always have a separate section in our stomach for desserts, no?

We polished this off in 1 minute :p. Refreshing and a perfect way to end a wonderful meal.

E San Thai Kitchen is located at G-G-3A& 5, Block G, Jalan PJU 1A/3, Taipan 2, Ara Damansara, 47301 Petaling Jaya.

Have you Lou-ed? :)

Am back- well rested and feeling very prosperous indeed (from the non stop eating since pre CNY :p)..
From all the eating and drinking, am sure many of us have eaten multiple lou sangs :p, but if you have not, there's a few I've tried, maybe can help you with some decision making? :D

Extra Super Tanker

With a name like that, one would assume that the portions are gigantic. I guess so since the captain actually prevented us from ordering some dishes as she deemed that what we've order 'were too much and we cant finish it". hmmm.

We had half portion yee sang (RM33)

This was the smallest, most miserable portion of yee sang I've ever seen. Size aside, the taste was ok- very old school taste other than the fact that they used olive oil for a healthier alternative.

Funny that they say about being healthier eating coz the dishes they recommended were rather sinful..

We had the roasted duck served with their steamed bread (RM78, full portion)..

The roased duck was delicious; it was very juicy, the meat was nicely marinated with some herbs flavour while the skin was crisp. The carved duck meat was stuffed into the homemade buns, with some deep fried yam, fried dried shrimps and sweet bean paste. I find it too oily- having the plain old roasted duck was better.

Other dishes we tried was the Thousand Layer Tofu and some chicken with fish paste and cheese (not in menu, it was recommended by the restaurant)

The thousand layer tofu was nice to go with rice as the sauce was rather salty. The tofu was quite fragrant, the layered mince pork goes well with the salty sauce and sauted shalots.

The deep fried fish paste, chicken, cheese dish was too rich for me. The cheese was oozing, the deep fried skin retained a lot of oil and even the century egg slices did not tone down the richness. The honey mustard dip was nice though.

The final part of the dinner ended with the Lap Mei Farn ( Waxed sausages rice, RM60)

Freaking huge pot, the waxed sausages was served in a separate plate. A quick mix and we get a yummy bowl of fluffy waxed sausage rice. Very nice though we suspected that the sausages were steamed separately and the oil was poured over the rice before serving (rather that steaming together with the rice pot).

Jaya Palace

It was a busy night when we went for dinner at Jaya Palace. There was a wedding reception, a company dinner and us, walk-ins...Not sure if the quality was compormised since it was a very busy and messy night.

Many of our initial orders were "not available" or "sold out". :(

So we settled for the Yee Sang..

Nice version and some sliced pears were used- gave a refreshing, sweet crunch to the yee sang. The sauce was not too sour nor sweet, which was good.

Other dishes we order were 2 portions of the roasted pork, Wayne's favourite. This was not the melt in mouth types, but solid meat, crunchy skin types. Goes well with the mustard but am still a loyal fan of melt in mouth roasted pork. The salt and pepper pork ribs was average. Meat was dry and marination was weird (to me). The beancurd was silky and light, which I liked while the braised white cabbage with dried scallop was delicious with white rice and comfort food for the hungry belly.

Everyone agrees that the smoked duck was excellent though...

The duck meat had absorbed a lovely, lingering smoky aroma. Still tender, the sauce went very well with the duck. Absolutely scrumptious.

Mei San Szechuan Restaurant

We wanted some halal lou sang and Mei Shan was very near our office..

The yee sang was the worst I've tried so far..

Why? Coz it was not fresh. Some ingredients were soggy. :(

Started off with plans for dishes, but ended with their buffet dimsum. The choices were aplenty and they serve very promptly too, but only a few dimsums were nice. Others were just average and no worries, none were bad. Think the steamed dimsums fared better, the siew mai, steamed otak, some steamed turnip and chicken in foil were all delicious. The longan pak hup dessert was very satisfying too.

Extra Super Tanker Restaurant is located at 48, SS20/10, Damansara Kim, 47400 Petaling Jaya. Tel: 03-77267768 / 03-77267769.

Jaya Palace Restaurant is located at Menara LYL, 12 Jalan 51A/223, 46100 Petaling Jaya .Tel: 03-79682000.

Mei San Szechuan Restaurant is located at Quality Hotel City Centre Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Raja Laut, Kuala Lumpur

5 Delicious Ways to Cook Fish

Fish is a basis for many healthy and delicious dishes, and is versatile, appearing in everything from northern European dishes to spicy Asian cuisine. You can find plenty of fish recipes online (and we have featured a few ourselves!), but today we are actually looking at some of the base cooking methods for your seafood order, and how they affect the fish and interact with your body.

1. Baking fish

As a general rule, a good method for baking fish is to put shallow cuts along the top of a whole fish, pop it in a greased dish and cover it with foil to prevent drying out. Flavor it with your herbs and oil, and almost all fish taste delicious with salt added. Fish should be basted frequently when they are baked to prevent drying out, or the bottom part going soggy. Flip them over if you prefer.

2. Shallow frying

If you are cooking a whole fish, or even a thick fillet, you'll need to dry and flour the fish first. Put a small amount of oil or butter in the pan, and fry at medium heat. Have the heat too low and the fish will turn out soggy; put it up too high and the middle won’t cook.

3. Barbecuing

Barbecuing is a favorite cooking technique for fish - if you have a wood barbecue, the smoky flavor is delicious with so many species that you can get on a seafood order. You should dry the skin and cavity before cooking, and make diagonal cuts as you would if you were baking the fish. Put a little olive oil inside the whole fish, and cook fully on one side before you flip it over to the other side.

4. Poaching

This is a very healthy method for cooking your seafood order, though it is not suitable for varieties with flaky flesh. Cook the fish in stock rather than water, and make sure you put the fish in when it is cold, rather than when hot -- this helps it cook through.

5. Steaming

Steaming is a good cooking method if you don’t like strongly flavored food, or if you have a very rich or creamy sauce to go with your fish. It is healthy, but not always flavorful. Put the fish is a wire basket over gently simmering water, and cover it up to steam-cook.

Flourless Choco-Pama Cupcakes-A Simple Valentine's Surprise

I was so intrigued when I heard about some fabulous cupcakes made with Pama, a pomegranate liqueur, but with the economy the way it is they were a little pricey. However, the folks at Pama, sent me some samples so I could try to create a Valentine's treat that anyone, even a cooking-challenged husband could make for that special someone for Valentine's Day. And so I did, and I am sharing this recipe for Choco-Pama Flourless Cupcakes. These take about 45 minutes from start to finish, takes 7 ingredients, and only 1 glass bowl to make!!!

So if you are doing dinner for that special someone and you really want to impress him or her with a special dessert, you have to try these. The combination of deep, bittersweet chocolate and the slight tang of the Pama, adds a dimension that is really outstanding Just think how impressed your Valentine will be that you made something so spcial from scratch, in less time than it would take you to run to the store and buy a dessert.And a bonus? Pama makes an amazing cocktail as well (make sure you try a Cosmo-pama-politan or Pama and Champagne!

Choco-Pama Flourless Cupcakes

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used a Ghirardelli bittersweet bar)
1 stick unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons Pama pomegranate liqueur

For the glaze(optional)

1 cup confectioner's (powdered) sugar
2 tablespoons Pama liqueur
1 tbsp hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Break the chocolate bar into pieces in a microwave-proof bowl and add the stick of butter. No need for a double boiler. Just melt in microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir until any chunks are melted and the mixture is smooth.


Once smooth, then stir in the sugar until it is incorporated in the chocolate mixture, then stir in the three eggs, 1/2 cup cocoa and two tablespoons of Pama Liqueur until all ingredients are incorporated well.

Put cupcake papers in a 12-cup muffin pan and spray the papers with Baker's Secret to keep from sticking (Isn't that so much easier than greasing and flouring?)



Spoon the batter evenly into the cupcake papers, filling about 1/2 full. I am not telling you to lick the spoon, but believe me you will want to!









Put in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the cupcake rise and the top looks a bit cracked.


Combine the glaze ingredients , remove from the cupcake paper and spoon the glaze over top. And then.... just collect the kudos!!


A Happy Valentine's Day to you all!!

Happy Chinese New Year 2010!! :)

Will be off to my hometown to celebrate a peaceful and restful CNY, but before that I would like to wish all of you...

XOXO,

SC

Meeting Rebekha Willis

Yesterday we had a meeting with one of our owners representative. Captain Utsonomia (Capt. Utz) and Ms. Rebekha Willis from Moltank UK. Rebekha and I constantly email each other for queries and I was excited/curious to be seeing her the first time. Nagdala nga ko ng tissue, in case my nose bleed sa pag hagilap ko ng ingles pag kinausap ko na sya, hehe. The meeting turned out well, since we have discussed everything in her agenda. And request, queries in our part was answered as well.

She even gave us some chocolates

Cadburry Milk Tray

from left to right (Captain Utsonomia, Rebekha Willis, me, Mrs. Duran our Chief Accountant, Jenny Mendoza, Mr. Duran our President & Captain Dayo our Fleet Operations Manager)

Im glad to have the chance to meet someone whom I regularly has correspondence with.

Hulas hulasan kami dyan at sira ang aircon ! Si Captain Utz, panay punas ng pawis sa mukha.

Medyo mahirap din sila intindihin at may kakaibang accent. Buti na lang at tumabi ako kay Rebekha kaya nag kaintindihan naman kami (I hope so!).

I have been wondering for the longest time how Rebekha looks like. Ngayon di na ko mang huhula at I did finally meet her in person. I was able to talk with her over the phone one time and I was expecting her to be between 30-40 years old, tall and pretty. And she is. On top of it, she's nice too. So is Captain Utsonomia. I have no idea if we'll ever meet again. But one thing for sure, now , I'll look forward to it. :-)

Ka Soh Seafood Restaurant, KL

The initial plan was to have dinner at an interesting place- most unfortunately it was close (for renovation or for good? beats me). So we checked with the birthday boys and they suggested Ka Soh since we were already nearby.

Started with Ka Soh's fish head noodles (RM29)- the last I had was years ago

I feel the standard has dropped; the soup was not as tasty and aromatic. The fish slices, which were a mix of fresh and deep fried, were rather bland.

CC insisted to have the steamed frogs with ginger (RM31)

I've tried the stir fried marmite frogs with ginger, which was yummy, but this version was really just average. The ginger sauce was way too thick, I could not taste the sweetness of the frogs as it was smothered with the ginger's strong flavour.

The braised beancurd with seng kua (RM19.50)

This was comfort food for me. The sauce was light but belly warming, the tofu was smooth and petola had absorbed the flavours of the sauce. Nice.

The fried intestines (RM19)came as a pleasant surprise

It was crunchy, the texture and taste felt like suckling pig. Yums..

It was porky all the way- we also had the pork knuckle (RM43)..

The skin was crackling, the fats were melting and the meat was tender. No complains here.

More pork in the form of deep fried ribs in fermented beancurd (RM24) was a rather waste of stomach space..

Something was missing here...have they forgotten sugar in their marination? Just tasted... lacking. The ribs were over fried and a tad dry.

Ahh, and the stir fried baby kailan(RM23) provided a much needed fibre boost..

Quite nice, the veg was fresh and not oily at all.

Dessert came in the form of chinese pan cake (lotus paste and red bean), peanut paste and water chestnut soup. I only liked the peanut paste- velvety, the slightly saltiness made the paste a nice closing for my meal. The rest were too oily and too sweet..

Overall, I felt that Ka Soh's dishes have deteriorated- maybe after so many years of not eating from here, I was just expecting too much?

Ka Soh is located at 18 Jalan Delima, Off Jalan Imbi, KL.

GT: Who is your Valentine's Date for 2010?

Since hubby and I got married, we haven't had the chance to spend V-day together kasi lagi sya wala dito kaya naman ordinary day lang para sa kin ang Valentines day. I usually spend the day like any other ordinary day. But this year, may ka-date na ko. I'm planning to take my daughter out for a V-day lunch/snack. Nothing fancy really. Balak ko lang mag Jollibee lang kami or Mc Do. Basta I want to spend the day with her malling and eating out. Medyo tipid pa ko ngayon at di pa marunong mag turo ang anak ko. Sasamantalahin ko na din yung araw para makapag de-stress at medyo sumasakit na ulo ko sa trabaho. Having to work during weekdays, I always look forward to weekends para I can get to play and take care of  Marianna ng mas matagal. I hope we'll get more chance to spend quality time together kahit walang occassion.

5 Coolest February Seafood Order Specials

We are starting to lose a lot of the winter chill in the air … and as the temperature rises, the summery taste of seafood fills our minds! Luckilyonline seafood shops are getting just as excited as we are. We've been looking through our favorite suppliers to find some of the hottest February specials, for the lukewarm weather!

Tsar Nicoulai Estate Osetra caviar, 1 ounce jar -- $70

This Califonria sturgeon roe is full-flavored, with a walnut undertone. Valentine's Day is coming up … if she doesn’t eat chocolate, caviar is an excellent choice. Especially at this price!

Seafood Zuppa Sauce, $7.99 per tub

This sauce tastes just like the name sounds! It is made from a combination of tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and Italian herbs. If there are only two of your eating, this sauce will usually be enough for more than one or two meals -- great value, and so easy.

Sablefish (Black Cod Fillet), $9.99 per pound

Black cod is also known as butterfish because of its amazing melt-in-your-mouth texture. We are finding lots of online seafood stores giving their customers the opportunity to try the fish at awesome prices this month!

Abalone Steaks "California Red" 1/2 LB (8 Steaks), $50

Drool … these California abalone steaks are crisp, sweet and mouthwatering. Another great Valentine's Day idea -- also good for Lent, coming up soon. This seafood order special comes with two polished abalone shells -- a very neat addition!

Colossal Sized Lobster Claws, $16.99 per pound

The claws are the most delicious, strongly flavored part of the lobster -- and these claws are super-sized! No spending hours cracking through shell for a tiny bit of meat here -- the claws weigh around half a pound each. $16.99 per pound is great price, for a stunning product.

Heavenly Haerbin, China

When I saw Alfred's pictures of Haerbin last year, I was mesmerised. The snow and ice sculptures were breathtaking, and it certainly looks fun. I asked him loads of questions, as his trip pique my interest on Haerbin :)

And a year later, I managed to make a trip to Haerbin- which was a truly unforgettable experience.

My main visit was obviously for Haerbin's famed annual Ice and Snow Festival and we went early this year. The first question when I returned from this trip was the same.. Was it really as cold as it looks?

Yes, it was- but it's still bearable if you walk really, really fast :p

First day in Haerbin was a whirlwind- we flew in from Shanghai- met our local driver and rushed off for some shopping (to buy snow boots), checking in into our hotel, dinner and then to the Ice Festival.

It was a long queue driving into the Ice Festival as everyone was there in the evening to enjoy the scenery at night..

Entrance fee was RM100, and the moment I entered, I was amazed at the sheer size of the Ice World..

I simply cannot imagine the number of months the local master carvers took to construct the Ice World...

Their skills were incredible.

The theme was famous monuments/ landmarks around the world, all lighted bright with neon lights within the ice cubes. We only lasted about 2 hours in there, the cold was unbearable as the temperature dips further later at night.

We went for the Snow World the next day, just before sunset. Entrance fee was RM75.

Complex snow carvings were featured here, we were impressed with their immaculate, detailed carvings- obviously plenty of care and attention was placed into each piece.

When night falls, the carvings were illuminated with coloured lights, giving each artwork a different look compared to day time..

The coverage area was even larger than the Ice World, I dont think I manage to see all of the carvings :(. It was just freezing cold by night. I was ready to surrender when we reached the largest of the display..So grand, but my camera decided to give up on me when we reached. This was the only shot I got before my camera kaputed..

Haerbin town exuded a totally different atmosphere compared to other China towns..

Their architecture skewed towards European, especially Russia. In winter, the age old buildings looks very elegant, walking around town was a pleasure.

A Russian Church now converted into a museum

Haerbin Railway Station

We had quite a lot of coffee stops in town- a place to seek warmth before we continued strolling to our next destination..

One famous extreme activity for the locals (and the daring tourists) during winter was to swim in the Songhua river..What gave them the guts to do that beats me (it was -28 degrees and snowing when I was taking this shot), but I sure salute them! Brrrrr!

We took an overnight trip to Snow Village, a 5 hours drive from Haerbin to experience a short stay up in the snow mountains..

The trip up the mountains for the sunset took my breath away..

The pristine, soft snow that stretched for miles, the sunset's colours on the landscape and the calmness I felt was unforgettable.

Worth freezing my @$$ up there :p

The Snow Village town was very charming..

Lively during the day and tranquil at night. But the food was less comforting (especially for Alfred :p), that will be in another post altogether..

Although I've heard so much about the low hygiene level and rudeness of the locals, I actually didnt find it that bad and had a fantatstic time in Haerbin and Snow Village. It was good fun, with great company and amazing landscape for all of us to keep in our memories for a long, long time.