Durians for lunch?

I wonder what got into me? For lunch, I ate a box of durians all by myself. I counted, six rather big seeds. I think that's not a lot or am I deceiving myself? I am feeling super duper heaty now. To counteract the heatiness, I ate a 水梨 and a kiwi and it's really not working. So, I made a pear, tomatoes, almonds and rocket salad dressed in balsamic vinegar and the rosemary oil I made. I hope it helps.

Pear, tomatoes, almonds and rocket salad with rosemary oil and balsamic vinegar.

I think pears and rocket are a match made in heaven. They taste divine together with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Forget about the tomatoes and almonds. Shaved parmesan cheese will taste great with the pear and rocket. Ummm, trying to cut down on my dairy intake, so no shaved yummy cheese.

Urgh, too much durian! What other cooling food should I eat? No mangosteens at home and am too darn lazy to brew herbal tea. No more durians for me for some time.

The Herbs on a Rainy Day

It rained while the sun was blazing.
Check out the fat raindrops.

Can you see the raindrops?

The two Rosemarys in a flower box under the Frangipani's shade.

Thai Basil for my smoothies and omelette.

The Mint where the ants are living now. I can't seems to get rid of them.
They moved from one pot of herbs to another.

The Aloe Vera given by a relative when they were moving out of their house.

The other pot of Rosemary.

New shoots from the Murraya.

Euphoric

I felt like I have soared through air.

Finally after 3 long years. The elusive Chakrasana with help from Makiko Sinseh. I never manage to roll over and propel myself from Halasana into Chakrasana. Feeling great, I actually laughed when I managed to lift my body over to an upright position. Today is a very good day. 3 long years of feeling dense while observing others, reading the theory and trying again and again. A small milestone. Next up, learn to engage the core muscles and bandhas properly and manage the Chakrasana on my own. One mini step at a time.

Chakrasana occurs twice in the primary series of Ashtanga Yoga. Click here to see what is Chrakrasana.

H.om Yoga, a boutique Hot Yoga Studio at Circular Rd

$20 hot yoga unlimited for 7 days for newcomers only.

Tried out this new Boutique Yoga studio, H.om Yoga at Circular Road. Did 5 days of yoga with them to take advantage of the deal from Timeout ($15 for 7 days unlimited). My last Hot Yoga session (not saying where it was) was not a pleasant one as the teacher was too chatty and irrelevant that he actually irritated me. But H.om Yoga left me with a good impression. They branded themselves well, nice typography and interiors.

H.om Yoga

Quality of teachers: Good. Instructions were clear. Amanda did simple adjustments/corrections for the students.

Class size: Averaging around 5 but I went during off peak hours hours. The 2 studios can contain 16 – 20 students respectively. A comfortable mirrored studio.
Cost: Ok. Check their website. 10 class card for $280, 280 monthly.

Staff: Very friendly

Mats provided: Yes. No, they don't smell.

Towels: Yes.

Lockers: Yes.

Water provided: Yes.

Shower room cleanliness: Very good

Booking system: Good. Online or phone booking.

Fellow students: No giggly, whiny or talkative students in the class. Serious yoginis. Thank God.

Transport link: Near MRT stations, Raffles Place and Clarke Quay.

I have been practising yoga for sometime, I can't say I have been a diligent student but I have to thank teachers who have taught me (Asokan, Kym and Gwen) for their patience with me. Steadily, I have improved over the years. I have been looking for the perfect studio. What is high on my want list for the perfect studio is, the quality of the teachers, style of yoga, class size, practising with like-minded classmates, aircon/ cool air and a good transport link.

Am I a convert to Hot Yoga? I love the way my muscles are able to stretch further during each practice. I perspired loads but really, I can't stand the heat. I am still undecided about whether Hot Yoga is really beneficial to my health. Different yoga teachers gave different opinions. I am thinking it is too heaty for my body system.

Will I sign up for their classes? Mmm, let me finish my package at my current yoga studio first. The search for the perfect yoga studio goes on.

H.om Yoga is located at 3 Canton Street. Tel: 6438 0103

99% practice – 1% theory
K.Pattabhi Jois

I want to eat Yong Tau Fu

My take on Yong Tau Fu with sauce. Mine's a mushroom sauce.

I have to go Sembawang to eat at my favourite Yong Tau Fu stall.

Yum yum, better than Ampang in the east coast area.

How far do I go to satisfy a food craving? First, I attempt to cook it. Devour it, than I spend the next few days thinking about the real deal. Heck, went down to Upper Thomson Rd (nearer to sembawang) to eat at my favourite Yong Tau Fu stall on Saturday. Yes, right at the far end away from Hans. Where are my favourite Yong Tau Fu stalls? Ngee Fou Restaurant (Hakka) Ampang Yong Tau Foo, Ampang Niang Dou Fu in the east and the Xiu Ji Ikan Billis Yong Tau Fu in Chinatown Complex.

My version wasn't too bad either but I much prefer eating at the coffeeshop. I can read my papers while looking at the tall trees across the street and watch the parking antics of my fellow Singaporeans.

Basil from the Garden and Breakfast

Basil from my Thai Basil pot

Instead of the usual fried egg with basil and tomatoes. I had
chee chong fun with basil and mushroom floss (Myco Farm).

Rocket, apple and passionfruit smoothie too!

'Mr Hibiscus, where are you?'

Remember? This is how you used to look like?

Hello there, Mr Hibiscus. I know the sky has been overcast for the whole week. But do you mind blooming this weekend? You had your fertilizer feed ok. I'm waiting.

Fresh wasabi root from Alishan in Taiwan

Thanks for the fresh wasabi root, friends V & I

Does fresh wasabi taste different for the usual wasabi served at restaurants? The answer is a resounding yes. I have tasted freshly grated wasabi root in Tokyo and some Japanese restaurants in Singapore. Freshly grated roots are a faint green colour, lightly scented, mild but still with a kick unlike the lurid green ones from tubed wasabi. Tubed wasabi is made from horse radish, mustard powder and colouring BTW.

Couple V and I gave us the fresh wasabi from Alishan, Taiwan. Friend I's mum (Friend I is taiwanese) who came to visit had a friend who grows wasabi in her backyard in Alishan, Taiwan. So here we are, fresh wasabi. I never knew wasabi grew in Taiwan. Apparently, Taiwan imports their better quality wasabi harvest to Japan. All that I learnt from Japan Hour is that these roots need to be grown in very clean, unpolluted water and cool weather. Thanks for the root. : P

What did we do with the wasabi? R bought sashimi from Mediya and volia, dinner.

R's chirasu don with the grated wasabi

Mine, isn't it nicely presented?

Grating the wasabi, but here's one from our meal in Beer Delica, Tokyo.

Oops, I have forgotten to take a pic of the grating process. But here's a pic of our meal at Beer Delica, Tokyo, an izakaya I posted about previously. Hmmm, in Singapore, fresh wasabi is usually eaten in upscale Japanese restaurants. But in Tokyo, these can be found at Izakayas (local drinking joints). Not that out of reach after all.

Read more about Wasabi here

Shall I eat the cakes or shall I not?

Four cakes to be eaten. Which should I eat?

I should be sensible and eat one cake and not all four cakes at one go. There are cakes in the fridge waiting to be eaten! Last night, I was really tempted to eat all the cakes after dinner. It was just one of those days I want to eat everything in sight. It was really, "Should I? Should I not?"

Tea break by the balcony. Mango mousse cake

The cakes were from Bakerzin. For nostalgia sake, those who stayed in Marine Drive years ago, you may remember the battle between the two bakeries, Seng Choong Confectionery vs Tip Top. Yes, Bakerzin started from Owner Daniel Tay's dad's humble neighbourhood bakery. I remembered my mum telling me that the son of my favourite baker had returned from his overseas baking stint. Ah, the new beautiful cake display, square sponge cakes with the artfully arranged round shavings of chocolate. It was a world difference from the usual creamy cartoon- character cakes one sees at a bakery. The cakes were really pleasing to the eye. I stopped and stared everytime I walked past the shop.