Saturday, August 23, 2008

Aaron's 21st Birthday Bash

After nearly a month of not having a full group meeting, the group finally managed to have a get together(thanks to Aaron for organising his own bday party).
It is a wonderful feeling to be together again after such a long hiatus, and the event is a great success. Good food, good company, there is nothing more we can ask for.
a wonderful crowd

the cake star of the day
the usual award ceremony
The racoons

us again....

7 more days.... 6 will be down to 5.... sometimes, it can be really hard to say goodbyes....

Friday, July 25, 2008

The Culinary Fiesta - Dessert

Day 3
It was time to pack up and go home... threw away what we can throw and unfortunately, poor Aaron and Ra had to bring home most of the leftovers....
With that, the Culinary Fiesta came to a close.
The sleepy heads


all the leftovers



"We eat to live, we live to eat"

Thursday, July 24, 2008

The Culinary Fiesta - Main Course

Day 2

After the late night/early morning adventure, we only to manage to wake up at around lunch time. So, it was time to prepare for lunch, and of course the master chef for the Oriental Feast is Raymond aka Duck Nemesis. As the name suggest, the main highlight for lunch is Ra's signature dish, "The Duck Soup", which is bursting with the essence of Ra's live friend.

Ra and his garnishes

poor watermelon, thank goodness it is not some one's head

playing around....

Ra's live friend, or wat is left of it.

master at work

ribs in black oil

THE DUCK SOUP

veggies

BBQ wings leftover

Fried Bee Hoon

The Oriental Feast

Perhaps we overestimated our appetite... finishing the feast proved to be a challenge for some. But Kudos to the Master Chef Ra for whipping us a 'home cooked' meal at the Chalet, using the limited kitchen wares.
Maybe it was Ra's misfortune, just as we were enjoying lunch, the Aloha personnel decide to replace the old pots with brand new shiny ones.

After lunch, it was mahjong/Taboo/Scrabble time and the last attempt at Volleyball. Of course, Ra had many golden moment that brought the group lots of laughter.

Soon it was time for dinner, we eat to live, we live to eat.... it is endless gulping of food for us.
The Western Cuisine Team lead by our Resident Blondie, Aaron whipped up a palate satisfying pasta, amidst using the brand new pots.
chopping...

stirring

capsicums, colourful display

the Western Cuisine

Of course, Aaron forte lies in dessert, so it is a must for him to satisfy his own craving as well as our sweet tooth.

Strawberry Kisses
After dessert, the fiesta is almost drawing to an end...

-------- Tidbits --------
"Oh! Wo de xian cai!"
- Ra, when he realises he salted veg is still soaking in the tub
"Do you wear prada?"
- Ra, on the word 'barefooted'
"The oil is sooooo black"
- Jay, referring to the pot of oil for the ribs
"Aiyoh, if MOH is here, this kitchen will be suspended"
- Jay, when the kitchen is in a mess

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

The Culinary Fiesta - Appetisers

Day 1

The group was suppose to meet at 11am, but given unforeseen circumstances, none of us managed to reach on time.... the first to arrive was Kel, followed by Eugene, and the special guest for this fiesta, Meiqi. Last to arrive, to no one surprise, were Aaron, Jay and Leong. Ra was unable to join us to kick start this gourmet event as he has a mission aka bringing his lives friend from Bishan to Aloha.

Without Ra, the group feasted at Ikea, Tampines... of course, this is just the beginning of many more good food to come.
IKEA's signature
the lunch
After satisfying our stomach, we proceeded to Giant to purchase the ingredients for the Fiesta.
SWEET potatoes

seafood

not at Giant
Disclaimer: This is not taken at Giant, but at Fairprice, just to show Ra was 'involved'. (FYI: As Ra was having trouble handling his live friends, Jay and Leong were dispatched to help him and carried out second round of shopping)

aaron and his watermelon

our shopping cart


After shopping, the group once again gathered at the venue for the Fiesta, Aloha Loyang.

garden terraces

camellia - venue for the Grand feast

After settling down, the group went for a round of volleyball game, which did not go well with our amateurish skills, thus explain the lack of pics, no unglam photo allowed... : ).

Next, we had to prepare for the two major events of the day, Night Cycling and BBQ!
First stop, the bike rental shop. Spent a bomb there, though, the auntie said it was already a very cheap deal. Of course, being the Resident Slut, Ra had to make his money worth and decided to give the auntie a difficult time by ordering her to do a Extreme Makeover for his bike.

discussion

checking

geared up

After settling the bikes, the group proceed into the kitchen to prepare for BBQ... of course, the hot question was "Where's the Duck?", though it will only make its debut tomorrow.

aaron, hard at work
buzzing kitchen

deja vu...
again.

marinating....

chopping away....

As the name of the fiesta suggests, it a chance for members to flaunt their culinary skills, Eugene starts the ball rolling with his Barley with ginko nut.

preparation

Barley with Ginko Nut

Soon, it is time to start the fire... thankfully, we have people that are well trained.

fan fan fun...

smoking....

the real pro

Soon, the BBQ is undergoing and we had good food, and good company.

the food

on the grill

After the sinful BBQ, it is time for us to burn some calories, and of course, the best way is Night Cycling, which is a first time experience for most of us.
We cycled on the newly completed Eastern Park Connector, which pass by places like Pasir Ris Park, Tampines Central, East Coast Park, Changi Beach etc etc. We took 6 hours plus to complete the whole PCN.

group pic
group @ Siglap

short break at Mac, ECP

group @ Changi Beach

After the tiring trip, finally we arrived back safe and sound. IT is time to wash up and head for the bed.

satisfied
-------- Tidbits --------
"Do you mind?!"
- Ra, ordering two poor girls to help him press the traffic light button
"Come on, this is not Total Defence Day"
- Someone, at Giant
"Aiyoh, this Fairprice is so inferior.... like Sheng Siong"
- Jay, dismayed at the limited selection at Fairprice, White Sands
"Picking Apples is serious business"
- Ra, while vying with some aunties for Fuji apples
"Where's the Duck?"
-All