Destiny - Health Screening 2010

See this booklet above?

It holds an outcome that will affect my life drastically!

Two weeks back, i attended the annual medical screening exercise organised by NUS for its staff and students.

I did the same checkup last year and was informed that my cholesterol level was in the high range.

Not moderate high, not normal high but HIGH!

Someone must had mysteriously poured a litre of cooking oil down my throat!!! Anyway, long term medication would be FORCED upon me if the level continues to be this high.

For illustration,

My level was 260mg/dL; high risk.
 

And the ways to reduce it; cut down my meat intake, take more vegetables, take more fruits blah blah blah.

Awwwwwww how to survive sia.........?

I belong to the "live to eat" category.

Many of you would not have believed this but for the past year, i did try to change my food lifestyle. Buffets were not as frequent and even if i went out to eat, i tried to eat lesser.

My latest level?

226mg/dL; moderate high risk!

But hor......

How come i am heavier ah?!?!?!

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Must be the bones.

Krispy Kreme @ Times Square, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

STAY CALM!!!!

Don't get all excited because the best donut company in the world is not here in Singapore!! Not yet!!

Talking about Krispy Kreme, I blogged about it before, back in 2007 HERE.  

Picture was taken in 2007

Krispy Kreme is world renowned and donut lovers swear with their life that it is the best, I, for one, begged to differ from their hard core, insane devotion!

Since that entry in AD 2007, i told everyone i knew: "what's the big deal about Kripsy Kreme!?!?"

I WAS SO SO SO SO SO SO SO WRONG!

*kneel down in front of a printed out Krispy Kreme logo*

Remembering my last last trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in November 2009, tired me and sleepy Alex chanced upon a Krispy Kreme shop in Times Square. Our swollen feet needed a rest and the seats within looked comfortable enough.

Very paiseh (embarassed) to sit without buying anything right? So we got ourselves a mug of surprisingly yummy Hot Chocolate and ONE donut (original glazed).

Plain, unappealing donut.

This thought swirled in my brain before i took a bite.

Immediately, the layer of almost invisible sugar frosting surrounding the breast cotton soft doughnut broke into many pieces, like broken pieces of glass!! Both Alex and I looked at it, stupefied.

And the taste was so out of the world!

Oh man, it was the BEST donut i ever had!!!

Without any extra fillings, creams, decorations and blah blah blah.... you get what i mean.

Fast forward to the present!

Just a few days ago, the gang of four embarked on another food expedition and Krispy Kreme was one of the stops.

With the original glazed sold out (disbelief since it was only 4-5pm), we had to settle for something. Looking at the over two dozens variations within the glass counters, the gang of four chose the donuts for four!

1) New York Cheesecake

No taste of cheesecake. Can taste lemon though. FAIL!

2) Glazed Vanilla Cake

Dough was too dry, too hard. What vanilla? FAIL!

3) Glazed Chocolate Cake

Same like no 2, with just the slight whiff of chocolate. FAIL FAIL!!

4) Chocolate Iced Kreme Filled

The name was enough to pique my interest.

As expected, it was the best out of the four.

The dough was soft, the chocolate layer was not too thick and don't get me going on the kreme (or cream).

Swooshy smooth cream (like conditioner!!) that oozed out from the bite. Kon said it was just sugary whipped cream.

Whatever, it was delicious!!

The feast is not over yet!!

One of the counter panels displayed a 'doughnut sandwich' that looked suspiciously like the one i had over 10 years ago when Dunkin Donuts was still in Singapore.

The egg-stra donut with cheese brought back memories of my mugging days. It was not fabulous (like over the heaven kind) but some things are just like that. You eat them purely because of the good memories you have.

I am officially a Krispy Kreme fan!

At least for the Original Glazed and Shampoo Cream thingy!

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Krispy Kreme is located at a few locations in Malaysia.

Please visit http://www.krispykreme.com.my. 

Additional Information

Please do not attempt to import Krispy Kreme to Singapore. 

Judging from my two experiences, the taste will altered adversely. My original glazed donuts (24 pieces) looked as if they were sweating and the taste was just not the same.

You want Krispy Kreme in Singapore?

Join as a fan HERE!!!

Genting Palace (雲華宮) @ Genting Highlands, Malaysia

Mr Kon heavily recommends this restaurant, a must have for his very frequent trips to Genting Highlands.

With an imperialistic (expensive sounding) name and traditional Chinese decor, i was worried initially for the limited Malaysian ringgits i brought.

My worries were unfounded.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Crispy with a unique fragrance that made this dish comparatively better than the usually pork meat version. The crunchy chicken skin was especially delightful though the risk of an elevated cholesterol level was inevitable.

Prawn Fritters with Mayo

A common staple for dim sum, i usually find this very hard to impress upon me. 

So long the prawns are fresh, the exterior "casing" is not lumpy and the mayonnaise is creamy sweet, there's really nothing to complain about. 

Hor Fun

Remember this? Lacking the burnt wok hei taste, this dish was surprisingly delicious with its thick flavourful gravy, soft chicken meat and fresh fish.

Not exactly my cup of typical Hor Fun but it will be something i will order again next time i am there.

Fried Senangin Fish

Admittedly, i am not a fish fan (eaten or ornamental), the most i can do here is to say that the fish meat was compactful and it was easy to eat with minimal bones.

It must have been fabulous, judging from the way it was cleaned out.  

Poor fishy.

Senangin Fish in Soup

Two words: worth it!!

The price of this dish was based on the weight of the senangin fish. Hence, for the soup version, you paid exactly the same price for the fried version (provided same weight of course) but you get soup, bee hoon and beancurd!

Disregarding the damn worth it price, the soup was oily but oddly light in taste.

In the cool weather of Genting Highlands, soup will always take a special place in warming this kind heart of mine.

Spinach in Soup

Don't ask me. It's okay to me but apparently for the couple, this was disgusting! It's just vegetables!!!

Almond Pudding

With skim milk as its cover, the almond pudding was gooey and the combination was just not right. My mom's almond jelly with longan will beat it effortlessly!

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Price

Sweet and Sour Chicken - RM23.00

Prawn Fritters with Mayo - RM45.00

Hor Fun - RM23.00

Fried Senangin Fish (800grams) - RM56.00

Senangin Fish in Soup (750 grams) - RM52.50

Spinach in Stock - RM20.00

Almond Pudding - RM6.00 each

Spread over two meals and shared amongst 4 persons, there was a service charge of 10% and government tax at 5%.

Location

At Genting Hotel, level 2 (i think so), right outside one of the many entrances to Casino de Genting. 

Simplicity in Simple Food

A respite from the many "rich" food i was having, it's good to know that at times, simple dishes can actually be very delicious as well.

*didn't really have a choice since i was ill*

Sunny Side Up

Pickled Lettuce from AAA Brand

So yummy!!!
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Now i am craving for chicken rice...

Sighz...

Seafood Platter @ Fish N Co

If you want me to think of one dish that will make me crave for it every few months, it has to be the seafood platter for two from Fish N Co, a local outfit that started in 1998 (not a very popular year in the memories of most Singaporeans).

Enough for even three persons, it has so much seafood to tease your tastebuds!

The freshness of the mussels, the crunchiness of the calamari (fried or grilled), the tenderness of the fish and the sweetness of the grilled prawns!

Coupled that with a big serving of french fries (the thick thick, fat fat kind) and savory butter rice with raisins, you can imagine how heavenly this dish can be.

The reason for posting this is because i am sick today. And the first thing that comes to my mind, in the midst of a reduced appetitie and a tongue that has not much taste, is the Seafood Platter.

I am hungry.

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For more information on Fish N Co and the location of its branches, please visit http://www.fish-co.com/.

He-Long Park (贺龙公园) @ Zhangjiajie (张家界), Hunan

My mom introducing the park

He-Long Park must be the dull-est place in the whole of Zhangjiajie!!

All the way (40 minutes) just to see a  bronze statue of a man that was totally ALIEN to me!!

Okay, not really all the way... since the park was actually en route to the cable car station; a necessary mode to bring us down to the foot of the mountain!

Speaking of He-Long, he was a damn famous man. 

My parents in front of the statue.

Might as well take a picture although we knew nuts about him.

Borned as a member of the Tujia minority, he was made Vice Premier after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Big Shot leh....

More of him can be read from HERE.

Despite the boredom, it was with blessing that the weather was really cooling and the scenery was really beautiful with a touch of mystery surrounding the various peaks!

The most interesting thing for this park?

Kids borned in the early 1980s or late 1970s should remember the "Journey to the West" drama serial from China. Remember the scene where the White Bone Spirit was battling with Sun Wukong?

Looks familiar?

The Best Char Kway Teow (生成炒粿条) @ Block 132, Bukit Merah

Since that fateful day a few years back, my only choice for Char Kway Teow has to come from this little known stall in Bukit Merah.

Black, not too watery, slightly sweet with the terribly delicious oil bursting pork lard!

Damn sinful but worth every bad thing you have committed!!!

*forgive me lord*

Dozens, if not hundreds, of my friends have heard my unreserved praise for this stall. Some of you are hooked (i remember Ms Lai who ordered second servings) and others are, unfortunately, not too impressed.

Let me explain why.

When you make your order from the auntie or uncle, always remember to do what i always do:

1) No cockles!!

This disgusting shit eating thing destroys any other good food that goes into your mouth!!

2) Extra black!!

The whole basis of Char Kway Teow is primarily dependent on this black black sauce.

3) Additional pork lard!!

There's nothing much to explain. Pork lard enhances the taste of any food!! Okay, exaggerate (they taste horribly in soup).

It's fried onion that holds that indisputable position!!

Unless your preference is with that sourish Penang-style Char Kway Teow , this should be the best in Singapore, JB and some say Batam!

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Location

GHK 132 Food House, Block 132, Jalan Bukit Merah

Additional Information

At least S$2.50 per plate, the portion is not very big and you may have to fill your stomach with either an additional plate of Char Kway Teow or any other dishes from other stalls.

Don't bother with the Hokkien Mee from the same stall; not exactly worth the price.

Rest In Peace

The heart tingled with excitement when i read this "The New Paper on Sunday" article this morning.

Announcement

My Dear Friends!

Who would like to join me in a search for the tombs of the Who's Who before independent Singapore?

This supposedly horrifying interesting search shall take place in............................

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THE DAY TIME LAH!!

I am scared of ghosts lor!!