Diet and exercise - Doctor's orders

Went to get my medical check up done on Saturday. Blood test results are back and...... (drum roll)...

My cholesterol level is still high (for all three, HDL, LDL and triglycerides - is that how you spell it?). In fact, it's gone higher. So what's new.. *pah*...

Pa and I went back to the Tmn Desa Medical centre this morning cos I needed to get a few more tests done.

Got a nice lecture from the nurses and the doctor about exercising and losing weight. The GP even said I have to watch out for risks of getting a stroke soon... That's the second doctor to tell me so.. The first being my GP back in London.

I haven't even gone to see Dr Ng, our family cardiologist yet! I daren't go because I know what he'll say. But have tentatively made an appointment to see him with Pa next week.

Pa has decided to put me on a diet. But first, he fed me fish head noodles soup and kaya toast for breakfast (we went to the coffee shop next to the Old Klang Rd BHP Station). Muahaha.. so much for discipline. Lunch was more controlled. Steamed corn and sweet potato. And a glass of carrot with red apple juice. Then for dinner, we're going to the tea house in Kuchai because we should eat something steamed, without fancy sauces and healthy. We'll see how healthy that is!

Shen, I cant remember if I've told you but Pa has given us the ultimatum. We have to lose weight by August cos he wants to go take a family portrait by then. But when you guys come back in July, we'll be pigging out like there's no tomorrow so I dont know how a diet regime is going to fit in!

Anyway, I found some pics from our Japan trip in 2004. Look what 4 years has done to us! (And Fatteh too... Lucky for him, he's lost the weight and gained in height.)

First, here's a picture of me in Glover Gardens, Nagasaki... eating a very nice strawberry soft cream on a stick (I still remember it.. yummm)


Here we are... eating again! Still along the streets near Glover Garden, buying more soft cream and steamed mantou with braised pork filling. (How much soft cream did we eat during the whole trip? I lost count..)


Picture perfect!



And lastly, the super yummy sausage at one of the rest stops on the way to Mount Fuji! It was so good that we went back for seconds

Knit update: Shen your shawl is done... plus a matching bag

Completed Shen's Triangular Japanese shawl this morning. I had some extra bits of yarn left so I decided to make a matching bag to go with it. Super-easy!

The shawl was made with GGH Capri in Mint and Deep Lavender, and with Debbie Bliss Merino DK in grey. Pattern was from the Let's Knit Series Crochet Lace book we got from Kinokuniya in December.

One thing I must note, the shawl is pretty heavy!




The matching bag was made in a jiffy, I followed the pattern for the base in The Crocheter's Guide to Yarn Cocktails book - The Topaz Cocktail Bag, but made the body in simple single crochet.

Restaurant review: Prime @ Le Meridien KL

Restaurant: Prime
Location: Le Meridien Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 2263 7555
Verdict: Utter disappointment, horrendous service and mediocre food

Upset would barely describe how I felt after last night's dinner at Prime.

I've been looking forward to trying Prime out because of all the great recommendations from friends and floggers alike. I'll admit though, that I have been warned by a few that it was not all that great but, you'll never know until you try.

My parents have been bugging me for a meal ever since my bonus was announced a few weeks ago.. And we've all always wanted to try Prime. What better place to make the daughter buy dinner than at one of the best places to have steak in town (and also one of the most expensive!).

My first complain would be the service. Our waitress was really rude and had an attitude problem. She was acting as if we didn't belong there. My dad had brought a nice bottle of French wine (Sorry I can't remember what name now... I think it was a Chateau Margeoux, Year 2000. But I might be wrong because i only got a glimpse of it). She rudely pointed out that they had a policy not to allow outside wines. We were pretty fine with not having the wine with the dinner but it was just the way she said it. Plus, she didn't even bother to push to sell their wines since we cant drink ours.

Ordering time. Again, she was horrid. Absolutely horrid. I wanted her to explain certain things on the menu, since it was our first time there and all. She didn't look like she least cared and she barely said much.

For starters, I had the clam chowder, Rommel and Pa had the portobello salad and Ma decided to have the fresh oysters.

Clam chowder was disappointing. Too much cream, just one large clam that was sliced up and some chunky bits of potatoes. A far cry from the clam chowder I'd had in San Francisco Bay as a kid.

The portobello salad was pretty good, I suppose. But, Rommel said the reason why he ordered that was because the other salads just didn't sound interesting.

Mom's oysters were fine. Came with various types of sauces which was interesting. But she said, for the price (RM65), we could have gone across to Latest Recipe and all had the buffet for slightly more and she could have eaten loads more oysters.

Main course:

Mine was the Simply the best Beef set which came (in one plate).. 110g each of the Australian Black Angus, the Argentinian and the Wagyu, all cooked slightly differently with baby potatoes, asparagus and other veg as accompaniments. Sounds good? Well, the taste was something else.

I started with the Black Angus. Definitely NOT melt in your mouth. In fact, it almost tastes like (but is worse than) the RM52.90 steak I get in Monte's at BSC (which I very much prefer anyway). And I asked for medium. The steak came pretty much well done. FAIL.

Next was the Argentinian steak which was really tender. But I didn't quite fancy the curry-ish sauce that it came with.

Then the Wagyu. Ugh. Don't even want to think about it.

Pa also had the Wagyu, but he took the a la carte ribeye, 220g. He complained to the waitress when she came around to ask how were things. He said that the meat was not as tender as expected, considering this was supposed to be their best cut (I asked her if it was). All she could say was, "I'm sorry about that. Enjoy your meal." I mean... WTF?!?!?!

Rommel had the Australian Black Angus ribeye, 340g. Pa tried some and actually said that he prefered Rommel's one which cost less than half the price of his.

Ma has been abstaining from red meat so she took the grilled US cod. And guess what, it was not fresh. Can you believe it?? I took a bite to test since I'm the family's freshness detector when it comes to fish. Yup. Not fresh at all. Perhaps that was why the waitress kept forcing us to order the sauces to go with our steaks and the fish. Cos Ma said that once you added the sauce for the fish, you couldn't really tell.

For dessert, we'd read that the hot chocolate cake was supposed to be good. So we ordered that, and a strawberry cheesecake to share. Now, I dont mean to be fussy, but when the "hot" chocolate cake arrives at the table 5 mins after ordering, something is not right. It's too fast a service. Then we saw why. The cake was just a little round cupcake and they had the hot chocolate sauce in a separate jar which you then pour over the cake. It was too dry and bland tasting. Its only saving grace was the ice cream. Not too sweet, rather light... Yummy.

The cheesecake was alright I suppose. Ma wanted that one but it wasn't what she was expecting. So for the first time, we barely touched the desserts (except the ice cream).

We'd also ordered 2 lattes. They only brought one. When we asked for the 2nd one, the spoon that came with it was not chocolate-coated like the first one. Inconsistent?

At the end of it all, Pa said that the quality of the meats were actually pretty good. It was the cooking which ruined everything. His steak had a bitter aftertaste due to over-charring. But, he would have very much more enjoyed eating at Le Francois or Angus in Pavilion or at Max or even Monte's.

A lady from Le Meridien called me this evening to see how our dinner went last night. I told her we were very disappointed and then passed the phone to Pa and he gave her an earful. Poor lady. She was just doing her job. But, the chef needs to know.

And so now we have finally tried Prime. After all the excitement and anticipation, it was downright disappointing. Rommel said he thinks the steak we cook at home is much better. Pa said he'll never go back there unless someone wants to buy him dinner there. I say - those who told us that Prime is not all that it's cracked up to be were absolutely correct.

Now, I feel like running back to Max and ordering my pepper crusted steak just to make myself feel better. Or back to Angus in Pavilion for a proper wagyu.

(Another disappointing steakhouse is Jake's Charbroil in Starhill's Feast Village. Long story, maybe worthy of another review. But, to sum it up, after one disastrous Father's Day meal there 2 years ago, we've never gone back.)

Shen and Fatteh, are you game to try Prime after reading this? I think this experience is worse than the Gonbei incident. At least at Gonbei, the manager redeemed himself and the restaurant waived off the whole meal worth RM900++ because of what happened!

Results and Thank you!

First up, thank you so much Ellie for the little piggy!!

Here is a pic of her knitting a part of my Lorna shawl - I'm calling her Angel pig for the teeny wings on her back!



And now here's a pic of how Lorna shawl is coming along... The Filagura Di Crosa merino wool yarn I got in Lily Handicraft is really, really nice to work with and the pattern comes up beautifully, even though it's just a simple stockingnette with garter stitch border.


Fatteh, I think you're the weirdest! How's the modifying of flashlights coming along? I think you'd prefer modifying cars, no? Btw, you better work on trying to encourage Pa to buy me the Golf GTI (I dont mind the Mini Cooper S too)!!! We dont have enough cars in the house if you start driving during summer too. He already said that when you and Shen come back this summer, BOTH of you are taking your driving lessons and test! Got that, Shen?

And it's the end of American Idol Season 7... And my vote, David Cook won!! So happy.
Also, Man U beat Chelsea last night. I heard the cheers all the way from Neelas. it actually woke me up at 5am. Must have been during the part where Chelsea's penalty kick didn't make it. Then more cheering when the match was over. I didn't even need to stay awake to watch it to know the results. Fatteh, did you watch it?

Bai... Time to sleep!

Finals day: American Idol and Champions League

It's a day of Finals....

First, the American Idol finale... Who will win? David Cook or David Archuleta? If I could vote, it'll go to Cook, simply because I think he has more star material vs Archuleta. Also, I find Archuleta rather annoying and wannabe cute (eww).

BUT, I admit that Archuleta can sing. In fact, tonight's finale was his. Superb performance. I give that to him. Although I hope David Cook wins...

A tough decision and I can't wait for the results tomorrow!

Then, starting at 2am Malaysian time - it's the Champions League finals. Man U vs Chelsea. Lots of boys and grown men who really are boys wont be sleeping tonight. In fact, I'm making a mental note to observe if any of the guys in the office are late tomorrow or keep yawning.

My fascination with football was short-lived. We even set up a girls football team in boarding school.... much to the entertainment of all the guys.. They routinely showed up at our practices and laughed at us. But it was World Cup 2002. We were a bunch of bored kids in the middle of the English/Welsh countryside. We even bought face paint, jerseys etc and never missed any England match.

When I got to London for uni, hanging out with a bunch of guys meant that watching football was inevitable. My favourite part was always sitting in a cosy pub, watching the crowd cheer or groan while watching the game. Of course, a nice cold lager as an accompaniment was great too.

Back in KL, I rarely watch the game. Simply because both my dad and Rommel are not big fans. No particular team, no particular country. My dad spends more time watching Golf TV and Rommel Fifth Gear. So, for tonight's results, I'll happily read in the papers tomorrow. No rush.

Enough.

Oh, I bought more yarn today. Went to Lily Handicraft in SG Wang again to get the matching yarn for the Lorna shawl. Bought 10 balls of Filatura De Crosa's Zara in medium brown. Cost me RM35.90 each ball.

And, I had a yarn epiphany last night just before I fell asleep. Instead of trying to figure out if I should buy more yarn online, I have decided that it's enough for now. Until next month, that is.. Because, I'll most likely be in Singapore some time mid-June for training and if I have the time, I'll head to Golden Dragon at People's Park Centre, Chinatown OR to Ishida Craft in Tanglin Mall. Yippee...

Then we'll be flying over to London end-June so I get to shop for yarn there too!! Can't wait to check out some of the shops whose address I've found online. Plus, I've also found a yarn shop in Barcelona which is pretty near the hotel. *bliss*

And Shen, there's actually a forum for flashlights?!?!? Fatteh is weird..

Ravelry and Pay Pal surprise!

Never have I been so happy to see my credit card bill!!

I finally managed to sort out my Paypal account and pay Sarah, the Plucky Knitter for the remaining yarn that I've ordered. She shd be able to send all the yarn I ordered soon!! Am so so so excited! However, I hope the yarn doesn't arrive before June 8th or I'll have a hard time trying to concentrate on my exam!

Saw the credit card bill the moment I got into the house, tore it open, rushed upstairs and switched the laptop on immediately. Checked my gmail as well and found another great surprise! My Ravelry account has been set up!

For non-knitters/crafters, Ravelry is basically a website that caters to knitters and crocheters, for us to post our projects, our WIPs, our yarn stash, needles and hooks. It's a great tool to help us keep track of all the yarn we have (which I admit, I sometimes lose track of), and all the needles and hooks we have (I have bought the same sized needles over and over again so this shd help me keep track!). We also get to meet with fellow crafters and we get access to a great database of patterns and listings for stockists, suppliers etc..

Oh boy.... A lot of time will be spent on Ravelry... I feel it already... *yippee*

Sleepy Sunday and Audrey's Baby Shower

What a relaxing day it was today. Simply because tomorrow's a holiday! (Wesak Day)
And we went for evening mass yesterday so since we didn't have to wake up early, it felt even more like a holiday!

Woke up ard 11am, wanted to go Midvalley. Got in the carpark and found too many cars circling around so my dad got impatient. Got out and headed to Bangsar Village instead. We walked around BV and bought quite a bit of things at House of Presentation. Shen, I got new baking pans - a square cake pan and a round one and a tart pan - all with loose bottoms so for easy removal after baking!

I also finally got a nice proper grater.... and a wooden spoon cos we couldnt seem to find ANY wooden spoons in the house the other day... And some ladles..

We wanted to eat at Reunion cos Pa is still not feeling well and wanted porridge but it was packed! They said we had to wait 20mins or so... We headed for Chatterbox instead.

Bumped into quite a few people... Aunty Lena and family.. Jeff and family (client)... and an ex-colleague of Mom's. I guess more people are opting for BV instead of MV nowadays.

I also bought some ciabatta, foccacia and brioche together with some bacon and ham for tomorrow's breakfast. We'll be having the sandwiches with rocket leaves, sauteed mushrooms and yummy cheddar.

I managed to do some studying in the afternoon and later also went to get my haircut at Hair Atelier in Tmn Desa. Shen, FYI, Florence is 8 mths preggers now so by the time you and Fatteh come back in July, she'll most likely be on her maternity leave. Perhaps you guys shd try this place out. I went there with Ma today and she also got both her normal hair and her wig washed. Haha.. She also has to look for an alternative when Florence isn't around. And it's great cos this place is near home!

While I was studying, Ma was in Aunty Sam's house for Audrey's baby shower. Here is the doorgift they gave everyone. So cute! I put my camera lens cover to show how small the cupcakes were..


Ta... Back to knitting and then sleeping. So happy tomorrow's a holiday.