Vanishing Memories: Islamic Council Building

The Islamic Council Building was originally used as part of the government offices during the British Administration. Most of the original buildings were destroyed during the bombardment in Wolrd War II.  There's just something about the peeling paint and cracked bits of plaster that adds character to this.

A Leisurely Lunch and the Jade Bangle

Took advantage of the long weekend to have lunch with my dad. I'm a daddy's girl through and through and always try to bring him out to eat at different places. 

Dad insists on his shirts heavily starched during ironing. He has that many blue shirts that a waiter once asked him if that was his uniform.

He hates having his photograph taken so we always have to cajole him to take photos together. Last time, he used to complain that it's a waste of film. I pointed out to him that it's all digital nowadays and there's no film wastage. He then promptly said don't waste the battery.

Spotted these old abandoned buildings opposite the E&O. It's such a shame that these are just crumbling to bits and pieces and in the background are skyscrapers, you can tell that sooner or later, someone's bound to buy these up for the land, demolish them and build some hideous multistorey office block/condominium here.

These are still being used as offices, I think.

When I was growing up, every female relative I know wore a jade bangle and I used to think that it looked really auntie and frightfully old fashioned. Now that I'm practically an auntie myself (no point trying to deny the truth), I find myself developing an affinity for jade bangles and asked Mum where could I find one that is reasonably priced and hasn't been injected with green dye. She gave me her old jade bangle. Score! Hubs said I instantly took 1 step closer to being like his grandma.

It's a bit loose on me but I totally heart the colour. It's the old school kind of jade bangle, round and vivid green marbled with swirls of paler, translucent green. The tough part of wearing jade bangles are getting them through your hand as there are no fastenings. I got mine on fairly easily by following this tip from a colleague: put a plastic bag over your hand, rub a bit of oil on the bangle and then quickly glide it over the bag.

What do you think of jade bangles? Would you wear a jade bangle or are they too auntie? 

Hot Weather and Apple Sharlotka

Hope you've found ways to keep yourself cool during this sudden burst of blazing hot sunshine.

The weather has been good to the bougainvillea bushes, look at what a glorious riot of colour they are. Minimal fuss, maximum cheeriness. Bubs can't say "flower" yet so he goes "wa-wa".

I made this apple sharlotka from Smitten Kitchen and love everything about it, it's not a very rich dessert with most of the flavour coming from the baked apples. It's surprisingly easy to make and the only tedious part was chopping up all the apples. It's my 1st step towards reducing my aversions of giving Bubs desserts.

Apple Sharlotka (recipe from Smitten Kitchen)

Butter or nonstick spray, for greasing pan
6 large, tart apples, such as Granny Smiths
3 large eggs
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
Ground cinnamon, to finish
Powdered sugar, also to finish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and the sides of the pan.

2. Peel, halve and core your apples, then chop them into medium-sized chunks. Pile the cut apples directly in the prepared pan.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs with sugar until thick and ribbons form on the surface of the beaten eggs. Beat in vanilla, then stir in flour with a spoon until just combined. The batter will be very thick.

4. Pour over apples in pan, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter so that it covers all exposed apples. (Updated to clarify: Spread the batter and press it down into the apple pile. The top of the batter should end up level with the top of the apples.)

5. Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a tester comes out free of batter. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on rack, then flip out onto another rack, peel off the parchment paper, and flip it back onto a serving platter. Dust lightly with ground cinnamon.

I made a few changes to it, using brown sugar and adding cinnamon to the batter directly so it smells heavenly. Next time I'd probably cut down sugar to maybe 3/4 cup.

Little Things of Joy

 Have you ever tried hanpen cheese? Tsuruya (i Avenue, E Gate) and Aji Noren (Prima Tanjung) make the best ones ever. Don't scoff at the idea of breaded fish cakes stuffed with cheese and deep fried. These are so yummylicious, I could eat a whole plate of them at a single sitting.

Part of the reason why I stepped into MieleYo was because of the cutesiness. The frozen yogurt was decent though they only had 3 flavours: plain, peach (this is good!) and tangerine (flavour of the month). Before I could even snap a pic, Bubs decided I was taking too long and licked the top! The price is quite reasonable though you could argue that because it's not priced based on weight (a popular concept with frozen yoghurt stores here), the toppings are all kept behind the counter and the wait staff will add the toppings for you.

 

Getting giggles from Bubs. He was fascinated when I drew an eyeliner tattoo on his arm and tried to lick it! He surprised us by shouting "ang pow" when we showed him all the red packets he'd received. He was contented to play with them, bouncing up and down the bed as he scattered them all over.

Jason Wu for Target Frenzy

Just 1 more day til the Jason Wu for Target launch and there's already a huge frenzy about it. Some of the pieces are already on Ebay for inflated prices. The pieces are all so feminine and retro, massive love!