Adrian's Mussels

If you thought this was a narcissistic post...well it is

Just to describe my inaugural attempt at cooking mussels. Having tasted these first in the UK and France a couple of years back, the concept of Belgian mussels have lingered close to my heart. Or rather my tastebuds.

Mussels and fries, or rather moules et frites is really quite something. Cooked in a iron pot, steaming in a broth of white wine, cream or even Hoegaarden and accompanied with a basket of crispy fat fries. The succulent mussels are plucked from the shells using the shell of another, rather like a tong.

One tends to think that 1 kg seems like quite a lot of mussels, but it disappears rather quickly so when ordering, go for a minimum quantity of a kilo. 500 grams will just leave you a little disappointed.

So back to my attempt. Here are the photos to prove it. 2 kg of green lipped mussels served in 2 different sauces; white wine and Hoegaarden.




I am actually quite proud of it.

Now, should I follow up with a recipe on this?

Promotions

Guess what came in the mail again...


A seemingly innocent mailer from Home-Fix regarding my loyalty card. But on closer look...

Haha. Me... PROF!

Surprise, surprise

Guess what came in the mail today...

Now I am an official UNDAC member

Sir Edmund Hillary 1920-2008

Today, the world has lost a great man. One who at an early age, braved tough and difficult conditions to achieve what was thought impossible, to stand on the the roof of the world. Together with his sherpa partner Tenzing Norgay, they stood on the summit of Mount Everest, 8850m on 29 May 1953.

If one thinks that climbing Everest today is a difficult task, think back 50 years when the luxury of modern equipment and technical clothing were absent and their achievement becomes ever more significant and admirable.

What is even more admirable was the friendships he developed during his climbing days in the Himalayas and these became a driving factor in his quest to provide for the needy communities in the country of Nepal and the Himalayan region. It was so fitting that he spent a greater part of his life giving back to a place that made his name one remembered throughout the world to this day.

If you know the story of this man,it is a sad day for the passing of one of the greatest mountaineers in our time. If you do not know the man and his story, maybe take some time to find out a little of what he did and how he went about doing it. A very interesting read will be a memoir entitled, The View from the Summit, which details not only his extraordinary climb but his friendships with the sherpas and ultimately his projects in the himalayas.



God bless his soul.

Our 9th Meeting 4 Jan 08

35 weeks, 2.2 kg

5 more weeks to go. I actually feel jumpy and impatient about it. I can' wait! His movements have been a lot more and he is really an active fella. I want to see how he looks like and I want to hold him in my arms.

The past few weeks have been busy, taking advantage of the holiday season to pack and prepare for his arrival. The room has been cleared out, his cupboard bought and the little odds and ends for his survival and comfort. The first trip out, I could not believe I was queueing up to buy sterilizers and milk bottles. However, since that trip, it got more and more exciting each time we went to buy furniture, fixing it all up as well as putting the seats in Miss Daisy for the baby seat.

Here are some photos


Look, it really is a boy!


A side profile of the head


His hands and holding on to his feet!

Time to meet soon!

Mother Monkey

Was driving home today when I witnessed something that made me a little pensive a moody the rest of the evening.

It was along Mandai Lake road just at the junction to the colambarium. I slowed Ms Daisy, seeing that there was a monkey in the middle of the road. Due to my approach and that of a taxi, the monkey looked up, hesitated, then ran to the side of the road. There was a still something left on the road...

It was a the body of a baby monkey, probably knocked down by another vehicle earlier. In the rear view mirror, I made out the monkey bounding back onto the road where her baby laid.

Do animal really not have souls? It was behaviour too human-like to ignore...

What a day