Some of the ingredients.. Salmon, Prawns, Mayo, Tarragon, Lemon, Penne

I started off by preheating the oven for like 10-15mins at about 160 deg C and set a pot of water to boil.

Next, take 3 scoops of Mayo and 2 scoops of Dijon Mustard.. mixed well with Lemon Zest, Chopped Tarragon Leaves and squeeze of 1 Lemon Wedge.. (A scoop is about a large tablespoon dollop)

Remember to mix well..

Then.. put the Penne into the boiling water (remember to add a teaspoon of salt to taste).. just before it is al-dente, throw in the frozen prawns.. of course you can use raw prawns, but i was too lazy..

Then while this is all getting cooked, pat dry the salmon with some kitchen paper towels,  and rub 2 pinches of salt over the fillets, and lightly coat with Olive Oil

we haven’t got a proper baking tray yet.. so wifey helped to improvise..

coat the Salmon Fillets liberally with the Tarragon Dijonnaise Sauce..

and when the oven is ready.. pop it in!

Around 160-170 deg C for about 15 mins.

Ahh.. can relax for a bit.. with some yummy Moscato

ohoh.. still got the Penne.. chop some garlic

Oh yeah.. when the pasta’s done, take it out and toss it dry..

Next.. Heat up some Olive Oil, add in the Garlic and stir fry the cooked prawns (or raw prawns).. then when it’s fragrant, add in the Penne (or whatever pasta u want)

Give it is quick fry/toss around.. and finally add in 2-3 tablespoons of Pesto.. (I buy them in a jar, easier).. mix well and garnish with some Basil Leaves

Now we need some greens! This was on offer.. almost 50% discount.. love the “for quick sale” items..

umm.. do we have a salad bowl? never mind.. i have an idea!

Heh heh! Like that also can.. anyways.. i added a mix of Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Salt & Pepper.. toss and voila!

Starting to “plate”

oohh.. the Salmon is done! Looks perfect..

Careful now.. don’t break apart…

waah.. “plating” .. so “atas”!

Pairing with a glass of Moscato (or whatever White wine you prefer)

Here’s the Garlic Prawn Penne in Pesto

Stylo shot..

Here’s the final presentation… tadah!!

Close up

Oh.. look in the inside.. so succulent.. so yummy..

the end!!

Time taken.. 35 mins.. (really.. not kidding you)

During one of my live seminars, a woman asked me a common question. She said, “How do I know if I married the right person?”

I noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so I said, “It depends. Is that your husband?”

In all seriousness, how do you know?

EVERY relationship has a cycle. In the beginning, you fell in love with your spouse. You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked their idiosyncrasies.

Falling in love with your spouse wasn’t hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn’t have to DO anything. That’s why it’s called “falling” in love…because it’s happening TO YOU.

People in love sometimes say, “I was swept of my feet.” Think about the imagery of that expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something came along and happened TO YOU.

Falling is love is easy. It’s a passive and spontaneous experience.

But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria of love fades. It’s the natural cycle of EVERY relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse’s idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts.

The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship, but if you think about your marriage, you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.

At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, “Did I marry the right person?” And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when marriages breakdown. People blame their spouse for their unhappiness and look outside their marriage for fulfillment.

Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious. But sometimes people turn to work, church, a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances.

But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your marriage. It lies within it.

I’m not saying that you couldn’t fall in love with someone else. You could. And TEMPORARILY you’d feel better. But you’d be in the same situation a few years later. Because (listen carefully) THE KEY TO SUCCEEDING IN MARRIAGE IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON; IT’S LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND.

SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. It’ll NEVER just happen to you. You can’t “find” LASTING love. You have to “make” it day in and day out. That’s why we have the expression “the labor of love.” Because it takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it takes WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make your marriage work.

And make no mistake about it. Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your spouse) to succeed with your marriage.

Just as there are physical laws of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. Just as the right diet and exercise program makes you physically stronger, certain habits in your relationship WILL make your marriage stronger. It’s a direct cause and effect. If you know and apply the laws, the results are predictable—you can “make” love.

Supposedly one of the best nasi lemak in Singapore. Punggol Nasi Lemak Centre (it’s actually a stall)

Seriously folks… “one of the best”?? If it’s considered “one of the best”, then I mourn for Singapore’s status as a food paradise.

I’ve read many reviews/blogs about this place. most will rave about the fried chicken wing, fragrant rice and sambal.

if you haven’t been there before, it’s more of a nasi kandar/nasi padang style.. with a variety of dishes/sides to choose from..

the sad thing is that i see a lot of people who walk off happily with their plates with either a small dollop of sambal or even worse.. NO sambal!!! (Oh the travesty!)

come on folks.. nasi lemak in it’s simplest form is sambal AND good quality rice (cooked in coconut milk infused with pandan leaves and flavoured with a dash of salt).. everything else is considered additional sides/garnish/whacamacallit.

good quality rice + crap sambal = CRAP nasi lemak.
crap quality rice + good sambal = CRAP nasi lemak.
crap quality rice + crap sambal = 99% of all nasi lemak in Singapore

here’s where Punggol Nasi Lemak fails miserably (like many of the popular joints)

Dark Sweet Sambal.. there.. i’ve said it.. the one thing that kills a good nasi lemak.. Dark.Sweet.Sambal.

Like many other Singaporean-styled hawker dishes.. Dark.Sweet.Whatever

Char Kuey Teow.. Dark.Sweet.Soya.Sauce
Chai Tau Kuey (Carrot cake).. Dark.Sweet.Soya.Sauce
Hainanese Chicken Rice.. Dark.Sweet.Soya.Sauce

shall i go on? so the sambal also seemed to have gone the same way.. Dark and Sweet. (luckily no soya sauce!)

Sad.. so very sad..

why am i this way? Nasi Lemak tops the list as my favourite dish of all time.

Not at all sorry to say this… I think Chinese people should just stop making Nasi Lemak.

Best Nasi Lemak in Singapore? Thus far.. it’s a pre-packed one from Tanglin Halt Food Centre

As we’re staying a bit further than normal from Kyreen’s workplace, we needed to be up bright an early so as to get to work on time.

The problem now is that I keep waking up early, even when I don’t have to.. ie. weekends and public holidays.

It was our wedding anniversary and we took several days off last week. My holiday started on Wednesday. I woke up at 7am that morning. No worries. Kyreen needed to go to the office for a short while anyways.

Wednesday night.. I was ready for a good night’s sleep. Switched off all the alarm clocks. Made sure I went to the toilet just before bedtime just in case.

Thursday morning.. beep beep beep beep beep beep beep.. WHAT THE @#$@%#$??!!!!

Why is the clock beeping?!?! Who?!? What??! Off it!! Come on.. where is the button?? I reached out for the off button.. i kept pressing and pressing.. beep beep beep beep.. it just went on and on..

then I woke up from my dream.. 7.44am.

i forgot to off the alarm clock in my brain.. damn body clock.

i didn’t know where my journey would take me beforehand, thus i shouldn’t rob another of the joy of discovery.

i apologize for being overbearing. i’ll walk with you in agreement and support you in your decision. that’s my promise to you. H.S.B.C.

“Experience is the best teacher of all. And for that, there are no guarantees that one will become an artist. Only the journey matters.” Harry Callahan.

Had these amazing burgers

Portobello Mushroom Thickburger

Bacon & Guacamole Thickburger

on top of that we had medium fries and another beef chilli cheese fries and 2 drinks..

and to top that off.. dessert .. strawberry ice cream milk shake! cannot believe how much we can eat in a single sitting??!?!

and here’s the result..

i must say.. it was fantastic! yummy! well done baby.

881 OST – 一人一半 (One Half)
Sung by Wu Jia Hui

Making a Significant Career Change is Possible

Many go through life feeling stuck in a dissatisfying job or without a creative release, yet few actually take action towards a change. Now could be the time to take up the challenge and drown out thoughts of “It’s too big a step”, “I have spent too long establishing myself in this field”, or “Who will support my decision”. Jason Chong and Julie Tirta love their careers now, but that wasn’t always the case.

Jason Chong – Sales Manager in Printing to Business Manager in Education

Jason, 38, worked in the printing business for twenty three years as it was family tradition.
“At one stage, there were twelve members of our family in the trade. I performed the odd-jobs during vacation since I was 15”, he says.

Jason gained his first full time position in the industry in 1997 and steadily climbed the corporate ladder thereafter. Over the years, he advanced from client servicing to project management and business development. As a sales manager by 2000, overseeing portfolios in Australia and Singapore, he experienced the complexities and stress involved. His phone was never switched off.

Assessing the Time for a Career Change

“I felt dead in my job and hated it.”, Jason says. “I told myself to stop and evaluate where I was heading. I began thinking back to my university days where I formed a passion for the education sector.”

Jason was an international student in Australia then. He received assistance from International Students Services in his first semester, and subsequently volunteered with them as a student mentor and accommodations assistant. After graduating, Jason formed connections within the education sector at networking events held through the university alumni program.

In late 2007, he decided to take the plunge and research job opportunities. However, leaving the printing industry meant stepping out of his comfort zone, facing family criticism and giving up a large pay check.

“My partner, now wife, was supportive of my decision. That was enough for me”, Jason says.

“I started contacting people I met through the university alumni and finally made a humble start at a college in Malaysia. There I helped obtain accommodation for 120 Botswanan students, but noted the lack of professionally managed student accommodation. That made me more determined to start one on my own”, he says.

Today, Jason is a Business Development Manager for a Private Education Institute (PEI) in Singapore that runs science and healthcare courses for affiliated international universities.

In his two months with the PEI, Jason has implemented a new online marketing initiative, worked with government agencies for workforce development funding, and initiated new programs that provide employment and free skills training to individuals above the age of 40. He is currently securing a larger premise for the PEI to convert into office space, classrooms and accommodation for international students.

“My work keeps me busy but I feel engaged and fulfilled”, he says.

Read more at Suite101: Making a Significant Career Change is Possible

Why some of these places? It’s just me being me..