My Favourite Park...!

A cosy Bistro that's tucked in the corner of Pasir Ris Park was hustling and bustling at its Official Opening held for Families & Friends on 16^th October 2010.

When I alighted from the cab, I could already see the rows of bright and cheerful congratulatory flowers neatly placed right outside the Bistro.

Making my way toward it...

I saw familiar faces at the entrance, and they were all very welcoming...

My Grandmentor had introduced me to them a few years back and now they're running a Bistro together...

(Yes, they were all under the same School Of Thought from The Fraternity (Click It).. Just like me!)

I was truly happy to attend this Opening... And I was VERY happy for them!!!

I baked a box of home-made cookies to send my well-wishes for a thriving business, a harmonious working environment and joyful times for ALL patrons!

The interior had a dimensional mix of round wooden tables with big red umbrellas placed in the middle, and surrounding them were long benches, and high chairs...

A rustic theme to accommodate the greens of trees and the horse ranch just beside the Bistro.

(Yes, you read correctly, there's even a ranch here where you can ride horses or even watch others riding it from the Bistro!)

This gave a casual and simplistic visual to the entire ground...

And it is this blend into the environment that makes one feel soOoOoo relaxed and comfortable.

Especially during the evening, yellow lightings coil around the trunk of trees that are within the premises of the Bistro, giving a dim glow to mellow the ambience...

With no doors or walls of boundaries, you can even feel the wind come and go as it pleases in the cool night.

My GrandMentor introduced me to quite a number of nice & good people who were at the Opening and it was truly a pleasure meeting them...

I even got to meet some of my readers too!

It was a nice evening spent, getting to meet many wonderful and friendly people to smile, chat and laugh together...

And now, I have another good place to add to my list of “Places To Do My Writing”... 

And it’s none other than; Bistro @ Ayden! (Click It)

(If you are wondering why this place look so familiar to you… Yes! This was the place where I did my interview with RazorTV on 24^th November 2010.)

If You've Missed My RazorTV Interview... Here's It Is, A Five Parts Series (Click On The Titles):

* PART #1 - On Sex & Zen  

* PART #2 - Revenge On Ex?

* PART #3 - Does He Just Want To Get In Your Pant?

* PART #4 - Fame Or Notoriety?

* PART #5 - Dating? 

Will I Go Into A Relationship Again?

Last weekend I attended a wedding banquet, it was the usual dinner menu and video clips of that morning's tea ceremony, but what made the entire wedding special is that moment when the Bride & Groom entered the ballroom - I always find that expression of joy and bliss in every newly-wed unique; and it never fails to warm the heart of all those who is present to witness this sacred ceremony walk-in.

I was especially happy for the bride that night because at the end of the day, she had found a man who loves and knows how to appreciate & value her.

You know, to me, “I Do…” – Is the MOST romantic & sacred words in a wedding vow?

I Simply Love Weddings… Because it's a Celebration of Love and all things beautiful.

The Dresses, the Make-up, the Accessories.

The Food, the Decor, the Ambience.

The Guests, the Happenings… The blissfulness of the newly-wed – And when you look at it as a WHOLE on this entire heartfelt event... It’s simply Picturesque!

Watching the two Lovebirds from a near distance, I can't help but think of my own marriage...

Will I Be Able To Find Someone Who Will Love Me For Who I Am Again?

Realistically, this all seemed bleak & despairing to me, especially since I’ve published “This Is My Story...”

I mean... Which guy can TRULY embrace & accept my past; I can’t help but wonder deep in thought to myself (AS IF) I am the only one here (in this room) even though its crowded with wonderful people from all walks of life who've came to offer their well-wishes to the newly wed today.

I used to dream my perfect wedding where I’ll put on the most stunning wedding dress, having the most delicious food served, and having as many people attend to give me their well-wishes & blessings, it's all I could ever ask for.

And in all honest truth… I once thought I had found my “Apple”, till I found out for myself how rotten that “Apple” was... I told myself then that I was never, EVER gonna have another “Apple” in my life. I hated apples, when truth is, I am too afraid of having another (rotten) “Apple”.

Many of my readers who wrote me expressed similar sentiments as I’ve had before; being afraid of falling in love again after getting hurt & scarred in a relationship that they supposedly thought was sacred & beautiful... But reality as it turns out; always tend to be unforgiving and cruel.

And it was my GrandMentor who made me realized; that we can't say for sure that all the “apples” in the basket are rotten...

Rather than being afraid of “apples” for the rest of our life, what we can do for ourselves is to learn how to IDENTIFY & SINGLE-OUT the rotten ones and pick the good ones instead, but DON’T expect ANYONE to be perfect, because they will NOT be so... He said. “Perfection Lies In The Wisdom Of How One Perceives Perfection To Be... And The Key To Nurture & Strengthen A Strong & Meaningful Relationship; Is To Learn How To Give & Take; Consciously & Thoughtfully Always, From BOTH Parties.

If One Knows Only How To TAKE; But Know NOT How To GIVE (Compromise), One Will Just Ruin What Could Be A Beautiful Relationship To Begin With - And Love Alone Is A Flimsy Foundation To A Marriage... Because When Loves Die, The Marriage Dies With It Simply...”

After receiving many MORE of such awakening truths from my GrandMentor, I slowly found the strength to give love another chance, and the Ghost of My Past has indeed become a true sacred Gift, a great valuable lesson in life, a true Gift of Wisdom; that is bestowed upon me to guide me on HOW TO identify & single-out those rotten “apples” and pick only the good ones & HOW to cultivate & nurture a good relationship…

It was with all these awakening truths that finally led me to face the world bravely once more with an overhaul make-over of my OLD life to a completely NEW life; re-created, re-designed & watched over by my GrandMentor; (He always said Life Is By Design if you know how to...) and AS IF it was my NEW Destiny & Calling, this NEW Life of mine, in a very intuitive & divine way led me to execute an "impromptu" CAUSE after witnessing MANY ladies out there that are in the SAME predicament like me and sadly; end up DEAD by committing suicide (or attempting suicide) thinking that there is no way out for them when they DO! Thus, I'd decided to share with the world MY STORY since, so that NO ladies should be USED & TREATED like a “play-thing” no more, but with respect, appreciation and love.

Many of my readers had written to me asking if I will ever go into a relationship again… My answer is a tranquil ‘yes…’ - I now keep an open-mind with regards to my Mr. Right should the time come for me to fall in love again – To me, the right man would be the man who CAN accept MY PAST and treats me well, loves me genuinely with his warm embrace & love me for who I am, and fulfil that marriage vows in this one lifetime of his…

And I too, will pledge everything of mine everlastingly to him and make him feel that only him; and HIM alone; that I am willing to pledge my whole life as a faithful, loving & understanding wife who will do her utmost best to complete him in this life, and together; journey towards a brand new life with offsprings of our own; till the day we both depart from this world, affectionately & devotedly till our very last breath.

Should such a Nice & Wonderful man EVER appear in my life…

I AM Ready To Take That Leap Of Faith.

But For Now… I Am All Focus In My Career, Calling and my Mission to advocate my Cause - Through This Book… As You Already Heard of, Read And/ Or Know, namely, “This Is My Story…”

Kasandra K.

Once Upon A Doggie Wish...

I was invited to a private movie screening of “Cats and Dogs 2: Revenge of Kitty Galore” last week, and the Buffet (served before the movie); was pretty good; it's from Four Seasons Hotel.

For those of you who are stressed-up at work or school, and need a break from the “human” world, this movie will do just fine amongst the others that are up in the cinema right now.

Cats & Dogs have always been portrayed to be enemies, but in this movie, the enemy becomes the partner, working hand in hand to stop an evil plan... It's absolutely an adorable movie, especially the dogs... they're soOoo cute!!!

And not forgetting the super cool gadgets – which I may add, is much MORE useful than the ones we carry around all day...

And they have it hidden in their collar!

You know... My family used to rear two Shih Tzus and very, very often I wished I could trade places with "them"... (Don't you sometimes wish you could be a dog, if not some other animal too?)

Why?

Coz you don't have to worry about food, lodging and expenses, because your owner will provide for you... and what's more, you get loved and doted by them a lot! I couldn't possibly think of anything that would cause them any stress... (Whenever I felt alone, I would entertain such thoughts.)

But after watching this movie, I realized how foolish & silly I was of coz, but then again, I was young then - No... Innocence of a child would be a better word in this instance...

And as I grew older, and experienced more things in life, I learnt to count my blessings; through my GrandMentor's teachings - I was awaken the day I finally understood how the Laws of Life works, with many of his unconventional Philosophy, Wisdom, Methods, Formula & Systems... (I mean, look at how he turned my life around 360 degree in 3 years! That is why I am forever grateful, eternally!)

The me today... I've stop making unrealistic wishes; but am instead working towards making my life one that I'll be happy and worthy, living in... Now when I think back, it REALLY is amusing that I actually wanted to be a DOG...!

Like the saying goes, “The Grass On The Other Side Is Always Greener...”

The dogs may seem to me like they're having a luxurious time, lounging all day and doing no (or minimal) work at all, but how do I know they're not resenting their life, and also wish they were humans, right?

For all I know, they could be complaining of the utter boredom their whole lives, having no freedom to go where they want, do whatever they want and dread that the only thing they can say is, “WoOofff” - Poor doggie...

After the movie ended, I did a little shopping till the mall almost closed, and that's when I saw one of my favourite kiosk; Auntie Anne's! I simply Love, lOve, luuuurvvvveee the PRETZELS there - Especially the Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel in Caramel dip... It is H.E.A.V.E.N.L.Y...!!!

Unfortunately, the pretzels were all Sold Out...

So all I could settle for; is the thirst-quenching Passion Fruit Juice.

Well... Even without the delicious pretzels, you know from the pictures I took, that I'm contented with my Passion Fruit Juice, and am a very happy girl tonight...!

But what makes me EVEN MORE happier... Is this sweet lady you see here accompanying me the whole day!

And she is none other than...

My dearest mummy that I love soOoooo much...!

Food Tasting @ Culina Orchard

After numerous correspondences, one of my readers was kind to extend an invitation to my GrandMentor, Mentor and me to lunch, to appraise his culinary skills, in hope of becoming the next-in-line to be Managed & Represented by AMDG.

The date was set on 24th April 2010... I had only less than 24 hours to log into my Facebook account and send a Private Message & deliver this piece of really good news to him!

It all started when Frankson sent me a private message in Facebook, asking me for some pointers to aid him in venturing into a business of his own in the F&B sector.

He was; in fact my very first reader who had directly asked for my help with regards to running a Business... And as the Author of “This Is My Story...,” I felt the need to help him if I’ve the means to - in all ways I can – on his path to achieve his dream; just like how my Mentor & GrandMentor has helped me achieve mine - Honestly, I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing... But a strong feeling inside me felt compelled to help any reader of mine if I've the means & ability to.

Also, being one of the pioneer Artistes of AMDG, I took it upon myself to be on the look-out for potential candidates who can be Managed & Represented.

It actually took us a few rounds of ping-pong-ing to go through his idea & concept via Private-Message over FB - And of course, the most vital aspects at the end of the day; still boils down to the taste of the food and the persona of the Chef. Therefore, Frankson invited my GrandMentor, Rena (Artiste & Talent Manager of AMDG) and me to a session of food tasting & appraisal.

The opportunity finally came for Frankson... It was 23rd April 2010 Friday afternoon when I received an email from GrandMentor informing me that he will be available on 24th April 2010 (after almost a month of waiting...). It was a pretty impromptu, sudden & abrupt arrangement and I was worried Frankson may not be able to get my message in time... Thus every hour, I would check to see if he had received my message.

By midnight, Frankson still had yet responded to my message in Facebook, so I sent an SMS to update GrandMentor on the status, and he said, “Let Destiny Decide The Outcome... Don’t Worry Too Much About It. If It's Meant To Be; It Will Eventually Be...” To me, it would be a pity if Frankson didn’t get this message in time, because I do not know how long he had to wait again if he missed this date simply because I know Rena & my GrandMentor's schedule had always been very tight to begin with (Even for me, I must book my GrandMentor 2 weeks before hand if I need to see him face-to-face).

First thing on Saturday morning, I checked my inbox again, and I heaved a deep sigh of relief to see Frankson's reply finally! I quickly informed GrandMentor and Rena, and arrangements was made to meet up shortly.

At about three in the afternoon, we arrived at the doorstep of Culina, situated in Dempsey, and Frankson, like any good host, came out to receive us upon receiving Rena’s call that we are here; and he personally ushered us to our reserved table & got us seated comfortably, and politely he excused himself to the kitchen to get ready for his "magic"... Cooking that is.

The premises of Culina is not just a restaurant, but a Gourmet Boutique doubled up as a Wine haven.

The emphasis is in the freshness & uniqueness of their imported food & beverage products, and you can tell how thriving their business is just by observing the cashier – The register never stops... Ka-ching!

I was pretty excited about today’s food tasting because I love eating good food!

First dish up, was the “Quail”. Truthfully speaking, I’ve never eaten Quail before and I don’t really know what it tastes like... but since it’s a kind of bird, the closest taste I can imagine it to be like is, chicken.

And after putting a piece into my mouth, it somehow tastes like Soft Shell Crab, as it is also fried in a batter... But after chewing up the pieces and tasted the meat of this starter, it does tastes somewhat like chicken! Really! So, if you've never eaten Quail meat, it really tastes like chicken.

As we waited for the next dish to be served, a basket of Bread & Vinegar was brought to our table.

Although it’s a MUST for me to dab vinegar whenever it comes to Steamed Soup Dumplings (a.k.a. Xiao Long Bao), having it with bread did not really appeal to me much...

However, I found something else that went well with it instead later on.

Just for the record... Soup & stew with lots of vegetables and meat in it, has always been my favourite! And Should you give me a bowl of soup for dinner, I’m more or less contented.

Anyway, “Soup” was the next dish served in a tilted oval bowl and mine had a cute smile in it. If the strong, rich flavour of seafood is to your taste, this is D' soup you must try... And with every spoonful, you can expect to chew on tiny pieces of fresh, tangy lobster meat.

Next on the menu was the medium-rare Beef, I was expecting it to be tough (that’s what I’ve heard... If its three-quarter cooked, it’ll be a tad tough. If it’s medium rare, it’ll be bloody and in some occasions, the meat gets too chewwwy to bite... I don’t know...) Close friends of mine will know that I personally like my food soft and sweet, and that’s why I enjoy desserts!

When I saw Rena sliced the beef, I saw a diluted red patch on her plate and I got concerned. I was trying to recall the taste of blood and I crossed my fingers, and hope the piece of beef I took would not remind me of it. I carefully placed the sliced beef into my mouth and sank my teeth into it. MMmmmm... Tender... Juicy... and nothing like what I’ve heard! It didn’t taste bloody even though it was medium-rare. It wasn’t tough nor chewy either. Most importantly, I’m really enjoying this particular beef that has a balanced texture on the inside, as well as the outside. In addition, the “beef” that was meant to be dipped into the lemony-mustard sauce, gave the natural flavour of the beef a refreshing zest. The lemony-mustard itself had a soft and smooth texture to it (unlike normal mustard which is thicker and has a certain aftertaste, not to my liking...) and the lemon in it; actually made such a huge difference as it lightens and refreshes the whole concoction. Besides, here is where the “bread” comes in! This lemony-mustard sauce not only compliments the “beef”, but goes really well as a spread for the “bread” too... Nice!

When the “rice” was served afterthat, it looked less appetizing compared to the wonderful beef I had a while ago... But I was taught never to judge a book by its cover, so I scooped a spoonful into my mouth.

Similarly to my experience with Quail meat, I’ve never eaten “rice” cooked this way and it was something different to me... Each grain was firm yet soft... In fact, if you were to ask me, this dish has a really unique taste... It’s like one of those dishes that aren’t your favourite at first, but the more you eat, the more you’ll get comfortable with it and find that it is indeed not bad after all... 

The next following dish had an oriental taste to it. The diced tomatoes and onions were decked on top of a palm-sized thick and juicy mushroom and topped off with a peak of crab-meat. I enjoy eating mushrooms because it has a springy texture to it and it has the ability to absorb the flavour of the accompanying ingredients (like how a “Tau Pok” soaks up the laksa gravy).

“Crab-meat Mushroom” hasn’t disappointed me at all... What a succulent mushroom!

Rena & GrandMentor loves Aglio Olio Pasta and I believed they both enjoyed this dish, “pasta” much!

Nothing too fanciful, but the simplicity and lightness of this dish are already beauties on its own.

In it, there were small pieces of pan-fried scallops too. To give this dish a stronger “personality", it had a faint buttery milky-ness safely controlled by a sprinkle of ground black pepper.

“Lamb Rack” was served next and among all the dishes we’ve had so far, this dish had the best presentation.

There were two pieces of lamb rack between a leafy display and my favourite, potatoes!

As we all know, Lamb has a particular mucky taste... This dish also has a minimal such taste...

However, when you eat it together with the saucy puree, not only the mucky taste is gone, the two balances into a sweet and tangy combination.

The food appraisal was supposed to end off with a dessert which Frankson was in the midst of preparing, when we embarrassedly told him we had to leave for our next appointment and we are running pretty late actually.

We had not expect the session to last more than two hours... And truth is... I was so looking forward to dessert after all the good food he had whipped up for us earlier...

And we unanimously agree his food is UP to the mark! (Great job Frankson... Though GrandMentor did said that there's still room for improvement, and he has confidence in you... So, strive on!)

As we left Culina, Frankson thanked me for bringing GrandMentor and Rena down that afternoon. It was only today that I got to meet Frankson personally for the first time after weeks of corresponding via FB private message, and he is a very shy, nice & humble guy with great attitude!

And I am delighted & happy to see that the person I’ve helped to make the connection today; is so appreciative, grateful and thankful...

GrandMentor actually said to me after we left the place, "I Like Him As A Person... Nice Chap."

Though it was just a minute role I played today, but it sure brought me great satisfaction & happiness just by sharing Frankson’s joy!

After this first round… Rena will be scheduling a second round with Frankson to further discuss how AMDG can help bring him to the next level after his 10 plus years of experience as an European Cuisine Chef - and GrandMentor said with his persona, it will be good to position & brand him as an exclusive Private Chef targeted at the upper echelon society of Singapore.

If nothing goes wrong during Round 2… I know GrandMentor will guide him in his development & advancement; just like how I was guided & adviced back then.

Well Frankson, I sincerely wish you well, and may you soar like an Eagle one day!

P/S: My favourite dish of the day was the “beef”... Till now, I can still clearly remember the taste of that lemony-mustard sauce I had that afternoon. In fact... I’m someone who hates mustard due to its foul taste... but this has all changed now - I now have a love-hate relationship with mustard... So when I’m asked, “Do you like mustard?” or “Do you take mustard?” I guess I would say “May I request to taste the mustard first?”

Kasandra K.