Like Father, like Son...

My mum brought over an album of my baby photos showing how much Xavier looked like me when I was his age. One of the photos that caught my attention was this:

I remember Xavier also liked to raise his fist when he was about 3 months old. It was as if he discovered his fist and wanted to tell us, "Hey, look what I found! My fist!"

Xavier: Eight Months On...

Time flies and before we know it, Xavier is already pass 8 months old. But this month has not been a good month as Xavier was sick for most part of the month.The latest is the case of diarrhea leading to a horrible case of nappy rash.

He has been seeing Dr. Chee more than his grandparents (my in-laws) that even the nurse at the clinic has a nick for him, "Cool Man". This is because he never smile at the clinic before, instead, only giving his deadly glares.
Xavier never fails to amaze us with new skills, escpecially this month. He been crawling around on his fours at the infant care in a speedy manner. So much so that one of the other parents at the center calls him the "fastest moving baby". But at home he still like to crawl around on his tummy instead of fours.

Lilian manage to capture Xavier's first successful attempt to stand with support (not our support, but support of objects around him). Below, you can see him getting one of his favourite object, the remote control, from the sofa.
He has also learnt to pick up food with his thumb and index finger and putting the food into his mouth. And with his greedy nature, he has attempted to pick up two to three of the biscuits all at the same time and putting them into his mouth, unsuccessfully. Slow down boy, why you eating so fast like your dad?
He has also promoted from drinking from a bottle teat to sucking from a straw.
Lastly, he surprised us one Sunday morning leaping around and launching himself like a baby torpedo. He hasn't done that again since that Sunday though.
Get well soon Xavier so we can play more stuff together.

What a Wonderful Wedding...

I was invited to Ker Jent and I-May's wedding yesterday evening at Fullerton Hotel and I darn say it was one of the best wedding I have been to. I knew I-May from my Citibank days and Ker Jent was coincidentally my secondary school classmate from SJI. So the wedding was like a big gathering of my friends from my old workplace and my old school.

The setting was nothing short of fantastic and the food ranked one of the best I have eaten at weddings. I mean I haven't been to any other weddings that have foie gras in lotus leaf rice. The guys from "Let There Be Light" had also captured very story telling photos of the actual day morning event. I love their photography style.

The wedding table gifts were also one of the most unique I have seen. One is a mini musical box and the other is a heart shaped glass paperweight. This is one wedding I truely enjoyed myself. My only regret is not bringing my camera along to take photos of the beautiful couple.

Here is wishing Ker Jent and I-May a very blissful marriage!

Darth Xavier is back!

The Dark Forces (Dr. Chee) has once again lure Xavier to the dark side and made him Darth Xavier again (well he put Xavier on a 4+2 days Nebuliser course). Xavier didn't get Bronchitis again but he has been coughing for two weeks and it was getting worse so Nebuliser seems to be the next best thing.

Prescribing medication for Xavier has been a challenge for Dr. Chee due to his size. "He is a 8 month old baby in a one year plus body size" was how he put it. Yeah we know tat, since he is wearing 12-18 months clothes now. So if he prescribe based on his age, it might not be effective for him (too little). If he prescribe based on his "body" it might be too much.

This time round its more challenging for us to do the Nebuliser peacefully. Xavier would toss and turn and wiggle his way around, use his hands to slap and push away the mask, kick and bounce his way out of it. We had no choice but to engage a higher power for help. He came readily to our rescue, in the form of a chubby purple suit. Yes Barney is here to keep Xavier still.


Image from Amazon website.

It's amazing Barney could catch kids attention so easily. I do not know if its something to do with the size, the colour, the voice or the chucker but kids are just drawn to it, Xavier included.

The latest Tiger Beer commercial is also a sure attention grabber for Xavier. Whenever it is aired on TV, he would drop everything he is doing and just stare at the commercial till its finished. Now that's what I call a successful commercial.

Singapore Sun Festival 2009 - Afro Cuban All Stars

Image from Esplanade website.

I haven't been this drench from dancing for years and I haven't been this high for a long time. But yesterday I found my happy feet again (although they are aching from the dancing now). What am I talking about? The Afro Cuban All Stars concert at Esplanade yesterday evening.

The magical performance got the whole Esplanade Concert Hall dancing to the soulful Cuban favourites. The first two pieces got our hearts racing already but typical of Singaporean attending a concert, everyone just (recklessly) sit and listen, soaking up the Cuban beats. Then Juan de Marcos González came over to the mic and said, "You guys gonna dance right? Free your mind."

Slowly, two by two people started to go to the aisles and area near the exit sign (the green sign near the exit door when there are usually to dance. Vivien picked the seats on level 2 where its a single row (at the curve of the hall) so we could just stand up and dance without interrupting others. And before we knew it, everyone was on their feet dancing. The talents in this band is unbelievable and whenever one of the members had a solo to flaunt their skills, it always ends with thunderous applause from the audience.


The above youtube clip shows a classic performance from the "old school" Afro Cuban All Stars when the Cuban legends like Rubén González and Ibrahim Ferrer were still alive and playing with the band.


This clip shows the "new" Afro Cuban All Stars, similar to the crew that had performed for us yesterday (except we didn't have the trombone guy).

If you had heard of or known and love Buena Vista Social Club, Afro Cuban All Stars would not be foreign to you. If you are new to them, "Free Your Mind" and have a listen to their music. Optional Rum and Cuban cigars for complete experience.

p.s. I feel like dancing again!

Tetsu Japanese Restaurant

I got friends asking what happen to my food blogging? Have I stopped eating? Hell no. It's just that I have fewer personal time as Xavier gets more sticky to us. Plus the fact that he is sick (yes, again!).

Anyway I got invited by Julia (see her post on Tetsu at AromaCookery) to accompany her to a food tasting session at Tetsu Japanese Restaurant during my MTA. And how could I reject the chance to taste free food (and drinks), both in the menu and out of the menu, plus the opportunity to hone my skills taking food shots?

Well the experience taught me that life as a food blogger is not as easy as it seems. The food came fast and furious and by the time we finished shooting and started eating, some of the food were not as it should have tasted (if it was eaten immediately). Below are my take on the food.

The Renkon (Lotus Root) chips were thin and crispy, a healthier choice to potato chips?

Fugu Mirin Boshi, or more commonly known as Blowfish or Pufferfish, had Julia and I raise our eyebrows (not to the tune of Cadbury commercial though). However Tetsu PR assure us it's dried and 100% non-lethal. The taste? Sweet, it's like a cross between dried cuttlefish and Bak Kwa. Goes best with some beer and some EPL matches.

This dish above is the popular corn tofu. Quite unique to me as I never had corn tofu before. You get bits of corn in it.

The Daikon Goose Liver is one of the innovative dishes. Pairing foie gras with radish, the juicy radish serves to neutralise the sinful goose liver. I do find the goose liver a little overcooked to my liking.

I love bacon. Use it to wrap fat, juicy oysters and grill them and you got yourself a winner.

On to the heavier stuff. Hotplate Wagyu beef, Aji Shioyaki (Grilled Macherel) and Ebi Mentaiko Yaki. I like the grilled prawns. It has that creamy mayonnaise that goes well with the roe and the prawn meat.

Next up is their signature dish, the Katsu Don. The PR highly recommend we try the Katsu Don topped with Japanese curry as its different from the Japanese curry we usually get outside. And true enough, it didn't have the powdery taste to it. The Katsu was also thick and crispy.

If you are a fan of udon, you definitely have to order this. Specially air-flown from Japan, the Hiyashi Udon has a texture that would leave you saying "QQ" after eating it.

Above are the mixed Tempura set and the Dragon Roll Maki. Presentation has been high on the mark and these were no exception.

I had told the girls about how a Japanese sitting next to my wife during our first flight to Japan had insisted on ordering the Yuzu drink for us on the plane. Its a kind of citrus juice that has a light unique taste. He had said that the drink is only available on flight and is not easily available elsewhere. The PR thoughtfully asked the kitchen if they had any and came back with this Yuzu Komachi Sake. Though not the same, this sake version equally delightful to toast to.

Still on the yuzu theme, this dessert had me wanting more. With yuzu sherbet on top and strawberry ice shaving below, this dessert provided a light, tangy finish to a wonderful lunch.

However, if you prefer the more traditional ice cream, Tetsu's black sesame ice cream will not disappoint. Just one spoonful is enough to send you to heaven. Don't believe me, try it yourself.