Sick & Travelling Again

*cough cough*

Fell sick last friday and haven't recovered since.

28th & 29th had been madness. Full day conferences plus welcome & farewell dinner on two consecutive nights. During those dinners, the attendees were smoking ciggies and cigars non-stop which made my already inflamed lungs worse. :(

Weather in Beirut ain’t helping my condition either. It started to turn really cold and rainy during the weekends. I can even spot the snow on the mountains from my desk @ work. Nice view, but I’m just too sick to enjoy anything nice.

But but… that didn’t quite stop me from participating in the winter sale in Beirut. *hahaha* Girls will be girls right! Anyway, I’m leaving Beirut for Algiers tonight. Thou it’s only gonna be a short 10days before I’m back in Beirut, I had to do some shopping before the sale ends in late Jan/ early Feb (I’m not sure).

So, I did a bit of last min shopping @ Verdun last night. Bought myself a tracksuit from Adidas for around 84,000LP which equates to about SGD$84 which I think is a pretty good deal (20% discount only, but good enough). Now I'm more motivated to head out for jogs along the corniche! *winks*

And a top from Mango which dropped from 42,000LP to 12,000LP (70% discount) … SGD$12 only, how to resist! I already bought a top from Mango 3 weeks ago… when the sale was only @ 50% storewide, but 70% discount is definitely a MUST BUY!

If weather permits, I gonna head down to Zara after work and before I fly off tonight. They’re having a 50% discount storewide! *woot*

'K'opy Kappa

This picture totally slipped my mind. It was taken on 16-12-07 while I was queuing to board the plane to Casablanca @ Algiers Airport.

You all know the Italian brand Kappa right?

Well, I couldn’t help but notice the logo on the lady’s bag.

I still remember telling SOMETHING this when I saw it:

deepsix: “Hey! This Algerian lady has a Chinese name!”

SOMETHING: “Really? How did you know?”

deepsix: *pointed at the bag* “Her Chinese name is MEIFANG!”

SOMETHING: -______-"

I am sooooo lame . . . =p

Been Busy @ Work

I’ve been extremely busy @ work so I haven’t been going to places… even during the weekends. x_O

Haven’t even got the chance to head down to Beirut’s Hard Rock to enjoy the chicken wings & beer buffet on Monday nights! *argh* Must go there next Monday! *yes*

And since I haven’t been going out, there’s pretty much nothing to blog about. Not unless you wanna hear about my work frustrations. *hee*

All I have are some recent pictures to share with you all . . .

14th Jan 08(Mon) - Company Entertainment Dinner @ Gefinor Rotana Hotel

What you see here is just the appetisers & 1st main course. YES! That's right! Only the 1st main course. This was the menu for the night:

1) A spread of Lebanese appetisers
2) Fish & Spinach in cream sauce
3) Lamb & Rice in some brown sauce with nuts
4) Lebanese dessert
5) Platter of fruits

I wasnt aware of the menu... and thought that the appetisers were all that was gonna be served for the night. So I was uber stuffed & not to mention shocked when they started to serve the fish... :S

16th Jan 08 (Wed) – Dinner @ Frankie’s

Pablo (our Columbian mafia) & Rima (the gorgeous Algerian)

SOMETHING (my fluffy friend) & Myself *hee*

That's all for now! More updates from Beirut when I get a chance to head out for some fun this weekend! CHEERIOS!

A Personal Recommendation

Shortly after I posted the advert to recommend my friend’s home baked pineapple tarts, this article on food blog came up on MY PAPER (我报) - http://www.mypaper.sg/.

I suppose with the approaching CNY celebrations, several small private businesses have been set up to sell New Year goodies to earn a little extra income.

Thanks Freesia, for notifying me on this issue. She was afraid I would get into some sorta trouble with the authorities. So sweet of you . . . Thanks girl!

In any case, my previous advert on my friend’s home baked pineapple tarts is merely a personal recommendation. And I can definitely vouch for the cleanliness & quality of the tarts.

I is confident can! =p

Home Baked Pineapple Tarts

Advert
Calling all pineapple tart lovers out there!!!

My friend Joey & her mum are baking enthusiasts who are trying out this little business of theirs to sell their delicious home baked pineapple tarts for Chinese New Year.

During my home leave back in Nov '07, I've had the chance to sample some of their freshly baked pineapple tarts and they were yummilious!

The tarts have a nice buttery fragrance & texture which melts as it's being popped into the mouth and yet doesn't crumble in your hands - “只熔在口，不熔在手” ;) The pineapple filling is also homemade with minimal sugar added so those of you who are health conscious need not worry too much.

Prices are as follows:

• Big bottle of 50 tarts - $26
• Small bottle of 38 tarts - $20

* Number of tarts may vary slightly depending on the size of tarts.

Those of you who are keen to order or might be keen to try out some of their pineapple tarts before making a decision may contact Joey @ the following email yonghuishze@yahoo.com.sg.

Visit her blog @ http://home-madepineappletarts.blogspot.com to get more details!

Since this is their first time trying out this business, equipment & manpower might be limited thus the capacity is also limited. So don't miss this opportunity and hurry now to make your orders!

Orders end on 24th Jan '08!

New Year, New Beginning!

New Year, New Beginning! - very song2(old-fashioned) when I put it this way huh!? But yah! I’ve made a promise to myself to be more positive this year. No need for detailed New Year resolutions… just simply wanna be more positive. I think can do!

I CAN DO IT! *woot*

SOMETHING & I were over @ a colleague’s place on New Year’s Eve. And I spent a whole lot of the last bits of 2007 with their adorable daughter.

Little Yun-chan

And I mean we really spent loads of time together... tackling the most important project for the year end celebration . . .

Mission in Progress

And finally, at the strike of midnight, we finally completed the VERY IMPORTANT TASK of putting up the New Year decorations! =D

The Important Task ;p

On this last day of 2007, I managed to experience something for the 1st time - taking the public bus in Beirut for the very first time!

The bunch of us were heading to Spinneys Supermarket @ Ashrafieh to get some foodstuffs for the New Year's Eve dinner.

SOMETHING & Yun-chan Queuing to Pay Up @ Spinneys

Voila! The Sumptuous New Year's Eve Dinner
(In which I'll have to emphasise... WITH PORK *hee hee hee*)

And so, we bid goodbye to 2007 and welcomed 2008 watching distant fireworks set off by the Lebanese who were welcoming the New Year all around us.

Mysteriously Magical Marrakech

Hey Hey Hey!

HAPPY 2008 TO ALL ! ! !
Big Hug Everyone! *HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

So, I’m back from my road trip to Marrakech; spent an uneventful Christmas in Casablanca; departed Casablanca for Beirut on 28th Dec ’07; welcomed 2008 watching fireworks from the balcony of my colleague’s home in Beirut; and back @ work on 2nd Jan ’08 which is today.

Lemme back track to the part when I went on a road trip to Marrakech with SOMETHING to celebrate his birthday.

Day 1: 21st Dec ’07
TOW SOMETHING Turning 1 Year Older
The sky was dark & gloomy at 8am in Casablanca that morning. But that didn’t stop SOMETHING & I from getting all excited for our first road trip together. So, with some water, light snacks and a full tank, we were on our way to Marrakech! *wOo HoOoo*

The designated driver for the day

The weather was extremely erratic. One moment it was all sunshine & blue sky, another moment; it was all dark clouds & thunder storm. But generally, the drive was nice & soothing, with loads of greens, reds & blues to see along the way.

Needless to say, we couldn't resist from pulling over by the side of the highway to snap a couple of pictures of ourselves along the winding freeway.

After 3 hours of driving, we finally arrived at the heart of Marrakech - The Medina and were greeted by the view & 'aroma' of several households 'bbq-ing' the sheeps that were being sacrificed during Eid.

Can you spot the sheep's skull?

Thank goodness other parts of The Medina didn't look like a mass sacrifice ground. In fact, the feel in Marrakech was kinda romantic with couples riding around the city sight-seeing in horse carriages.

While waiting to get the keys to our apartment in Marrakech @ McDonald's, we found this advertisement very interesting so we took a pic of it ;)

After a lot of waiting, we were finally able to pick up the keys to the apartment from the owner's chauffeur. And followed his car to the apartment. Oh, our distributor in Morocco knew someone in Marrakech who had a spare apartment and offered it to us for the weekend. Nice~ :)

Residence Tassaoute @ Marrakech

FYI, this was a candid shot. SOMETHING wanted me to capture him in an angle whereby his face won't appear too chubby... so there u go! *hee*
Everything is sooo red in Marrakech

After we freshened up, we were all set to check out the Medina!

La Koutoubia Mosque
Marrakech's tallest mosque, standing at 70m high. Since it's closed to all non-muslims & women, the sole purpose of this mosque was to serve as a landmark for lost tourists like US! *hee hee*
Another non-chubby angle of SOMETHING >.<

I look chubby from all angles *hahaha*

Djemâa el Fna
This large market square in the old city is really the heart of Marrakech.

During the day, it's a perfect place to grab a freshly-squeezed orange juice or chill at a cafe overlooking the square to watch the world go by after shopping in the souqs.

By late afternoon, the place transforms into an entertainers paradise filled with snake charmers, jugglers, musicians, performing monkeys & ladies offering to paint your hands with henna. The place is truly amazing!

Us @ Djemâa el Fna Square

Guess which lamp the Genie's In?

Even the back alley looks so red

Stopping for a Cuppa @ Djemâa el Fna Square

The 1st cafe we visited @ the square

It was nice & cosy in the cafe, love the decor too

But I'll have to admit, the ice-cream was way too sweet *yucks*

Check out the disgusted look on SOMETHING's face.

Shopping around Djemâa el Fna
Simply can't resist the lovely antiquey lamps... I've definitely gotta get one before I head back to Singapore for good. (wonder when that's gonna be ... hmmm)

Love the antiquey tea sets... also, I'm beginning to love moroccan mint tea

Local Delights @ Djemâa el Fna Square
It was raining non-stop in Marrakech the day we arrived and it was freezing. Nothing warms the body better than a hot cup of ginger tea (which the locals term ginseng, & i've no idea why) with some local sweets (which looks like gula malaka/ brown sugar coated in coconut).

Despite the looks of it, the local sweets actually tasted quite good


Djemâa el Fna Souq by Night

Djemâa el Fna by Night
We were tempted to dine at the square, but since it was SOMETHING's bday, we decided to go somewhere fancy and perhaps dine at the square the next night (but we eventually didn't get the chance to cos' SOMETHING fell ill after the dinner we had that night... at the so-called fancy place -___-)

Birthday Dinner @ Riad Omar
Other than the wet floors from the rain, I found the place pretty pleasant. It was cosy & comfy and it's dining in a tent concept was pretty interesting too.

The spread for the night

Day 2: 22nd Dec ’07
TOW SOMETHING Seeks For Local Remedy

We started the day by having a late breakfast at the square

Cafe au Lait + Croissant were all they had

Local Remedy
SOMETHING was ill from the dinner last night, and we happen to walk pass this shop selling all sorts of spices. The physician prepared some remedy from honey, lavender & a whole lotta other spices I'm not familiar with for SOMETHING.

SOMETHING felt a little better after taking the local medicine, so we decided to take a walk around the medina instead of driving to look for some of the sights.

The buildings in Marrakech are all so very red

Trying to blend in with the windows

Old city gates

The walls along El Badi Palace stands a lotta storks

And so, we decided to look for the restaurant which we read about from the forums which is known for it's view of the storks standing along the walls of the tomb & palace. We got seriously lost while looking for this restaurant btw. Took us more than 2hrs before we found the restaurant. -___-

Restaurant Nid'Cigogne
(simply means Restaurant Stork in french)

Nice view, nice ambience, but not so delicious food

Saadian Tombs
A series of lavish 16th century chambers & colourfully decorated tombs built by Sultan Ahmed el Mansour as a burial ground for himself & his successors.

El Badi Palace
A ruined 16th century fort of pisé (mud, basically) and sandstone, which was once the largest and most luxurious palaces in Marrakech.

Poor SOMETHING was in a lotta pain by then. Caught him sitting by the steps enduring the pain in his tummy in this pic.

After this pic, we head back to our car and went back for the day so SOMETHING can rest... poor thing, fall sick a day after his bday *tsk tsk tsk*

Day 3: 23rd Dec ’07
TOW The Perfect Rainbow

Le Jardin Majorelle
A startling cobalt blue villa, originally planned in the 1920s by French artist Jacques Majorelle, is now owned by Yves Saint Laurent. Fancy huh! The villa is surrounded by banana trees, gaint bamboo & cacti.

This sight is by far my fav. in Marrakech

The colours were all so vibrant

All so very romantic too *muacks*

Guess who we found waiting for us ON our car when we left the garden
*MEOW*

Last Minute Shopping @ Djemâa el Fna Square
Some of the must-dos & must-buys before we bid goodbye to Marrakech.

Drink freshly-squeezed orange juice @ the square
Dress like Teletubby *hahaha*

For souvenirs, we each bought a traditional Morrocan loose fitting outer robe

(Left: Djellaba for HIM, Right: Jabador for HER)

Bye bye Marrakech
By 14:00hrs, we were on our way back to Casablanca. This time, I was the designated driver! *woot*

The sky was exceptionally blue that day

Just like the day we came, the view was all sorts of greens, reds & blues...

And finally, we were welcomed by THE PERFECT RAINBOW when we arrived in Casablanca. No kidding! You can't see from the picture, but there were 2 rainbows; one above the other, and the rainbow was a perfect arc. So so pretty!