Left 4 Dead 2 - Wan Li [The Great Wall of China]

My curiosity for the dead is not only limited to hard and stiff cadavers; i am equally intrigued by stories of the undead known popularly as zombies. 

Therefore, two of my all-time favourite PC games were Left 4 Dead and its sequel Left 4 Dead 2 (L4D2). Taking on the role of a survivor who has to escape from the zombies together with three comrades, it is a first-shooter game that generates a lot of jumping excitement, especially towards the finale for each campaign!

For a noob who continues to be ranked as the member with the highest incident of friendly fire, i have upgraded from an assault rifle to a sniper rifle.

Sickening it might sound but it feels extremely soothing to be able to zoom in, focus and pull the trigger for a perfect bloody headshot of the human-hungry undead!

Five years have passed since the game was launched in 2008 and yet, my interest for the game has never waned. Thanks to obsessed gamers who took the trouble to develop add-on campaigns for fans like me! 

There are many to choose from the workshop (accessible from the add-on function on the main game screen when you log in) and one particular one stuck out like a sore thumb; Wan Li, the Great Wall of China.

Having walked along the great wall in my trip to Beijing, it was a haunting image that greeted me this time when i logged in to Wan Li. 

It was devoid of any human except for the four survivors and the area was silent except for the eerie howling of the winter gale. It's like the calm before a big storm.

Not going to elaborate anymore as you should download it and experience the gameplay yourself! Just wondering, would anybody be able to develop a campaign based on Singapore; an urban city that seems perfect for a zombie outbreak? 

Think about it; familiar sights like HDB flats, Shenton Way with Lau Pat Sat or maybe Marina Bay Sands alongside Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Flyer and Marina Barrage!  

The Best Tea Leaves Egg (茶葉蛋) at Genting Highlands [First World Hotel]! - Purple Cane Tea Art Centre

Whenever someone brings up the topic of tea leaves eggs, my mind would involuntarily wonder off to Genting Highlands, where the cool weather makes it extremely comforting to savour the scalding hot hard boiled eggs. 

Problem is that there are many shops selling tea leaves eggs in Genting and most of them could not even fulfill the basic condition of a tea leaves egg; the high density of tea infusion which would greatly differentiate a tea leaves egg from a normal hardboiled egg!

So far, only one managed to meet the standard -  Purple Cane Tea Art Centre. 

Throughout the years, their tea leave eggs have maintained a consistently high level of standard; delicious with a noticeable tea fragrance and tasted rich of spices (Cinnamon, Star Anise etc)! Unlike other stalls that are out to make unscrupulous profits, the eggs in Purple Cane didn't feel like they have been re-cooked, re-boiled over and over again! 

There are health benefits to eating tea leaves eggs! Ingesting them is said to help in whetting one's appetite, dispersing alcohol and tonifying the liver. No matter what, please remember that moderation is always the key word for any health promoting product. 

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Location

Lot F/L 2A.27, Level T2A, 

First World Hotel, Genting Highlands 

Price

RM 7 for 5 Eggs

Website 

http://www.purplecane.my

Prawn Fritters (炸虾饼) @ Petaling Street, Chinatown [Kuala Lumpur]

Prawn fritter was one of my top ten favourite foods when i was a simple kampong kid and seeing these being freshly sold along the main street of Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur brought back chunks of childhood memories!

Back then, the best place to get my little hands on the oily fritters was in this coffee shop at block 226, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. Alas, the shop is no longer around and for a period of time, i actually had prawn fritters withdrawal syndrome every Sunday!

There are other stalls offering decent fritters; just that they are not comparable to what i was accustomed to. In my opinion, a decent prawn cracker (as Singaporeans tend to call it) must have a substantial filling (too thin doesn't quite cut it) with bean sprouts, had that crusty exterior yet maintaining a soft, tender interior and topped with at least two prawns. 

In addition to meeting the aforementioned conditions, the ones at Petaling Street warranted a purchase also because the stall appeared to be quite popular! I am not greedy and hence, only bought one to try out. 

At RM1.50 a piece, i was disappointed. The filling was mildly seasoned, lacking the flavourful content well associated with prawns and it was very, very greasy! Damn, i think i have reached the age when having too oily a diet would conjure images of eventually dying from heart diseases! 

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Location

Along Jalan Hang Lekir

Map

As above

Additional Information

Go in the daytime.

Last Day @ AIC (Agency for Integrated Care)

04 July 2013 - My last day with the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), a government linked outfit that totally blew me off with a culture that was unlike most government linked agencies.

Before you start thinking how bad it was, i am going to stop you right now by emphasizing i totally enjoyed my stay in AIC; environment was aligned to the desirable work-hard play-hard philosophy and the management embraced continuous learning that could come in various shapes and delightful forms!

Furthermore, i was blessed with jovial and cheerful colleagues who frequently peppered my surroundings with jokes (at times, sexual) and infectious laughter! Of course, i am also very grateful that they had been very patient and helpful with my occasional stupid questions regarding the healthcare industry.

So why did i choose to leave? 

- keeping mum - 

My decision to leave was after much consideration (with more episodes of hair dropping) and i can tell you; i feel an immense deep sense of guiltiness for leaving AIC. I am aware of the precious time and work spent on orienting newbies like myself, and to leave after a mere three months in a permanent position had never ever happened throughout my working life!

The guilt increases when fellow colleagues came by my cubicle to wish me all the best, despite my short stay in the organisation. They didn't have to and yet they took the effort to do so. Some even brought along tokens of appreciation; i didn't cry (i am a man okay) but deep in my heart, there were short moments i wondered if have made the correct decision.

Tugging my heart strings further were these touching messages!

For those AIC colleagues who chanced upon this post, i would like to express my deepest gratitude and also my most sincere apology to all of you...

Thank you so much and i am so sorry.

p.s. on a lighter note, besides missing this bunch of wonderful colleagues, i would also be missing the food and scenery (where i can almost accurately gauge the haze condition)! :(

Special Chicken Hot Pot (Claypot) - 生爆老干妈鸡堡 @ Wan Chai Hongkong Tea Room 湾仔香港奶茶店 [Sembawang Shopping Centre]

For Joyce's birthday yesterday, i was all prepared to splurge on a good dinner but as the fantastic sister she has always been, it is the thought that really matters.

That explained why we were eventually seated at Wan Chai Hongkong Tea Room at Sembawang Shopping Centre. Now, it was not my first time to this particular Hongkong style cafe chain and i must admit my first two visits to its branch at IMM Jurong were hardly memorable as far as food is concerned.

However, i am more than willing to give it another chance. 

The deep fried eggplants with a generous sprinkling of meat floss started as a satisfying appetiser although i wonder how many people can actually resist the temptation of meat floss when egg plants are considered to be pretty much tasteless anyway.

Birthday girl's order was this baked seafood rice with wasabi cheese. I didn't want to appear too greedy so i took just a teeny weeny bite to test out; wasabi cheese was a delicious variant yet the dry bland ice destroyed it by being a severe mismatch for this dish. 

Mine - special chicken hot pot in claypot. 

Key question is why did i choose this when i am not even considered to be a chilli person? Trust me, with over fifteen types tagged under "claypot", only five or six were available! I didn't really have many choices to start with!

Chilli wise, this was the numbing type of spicy typical of Sichuan mala style albeit with a lower intensity. The chicken pieces were tender and most importantly, managed to lock in the essential mala essence. This brought to mind the Sichuan fish i had at S99, which was a great disappointment.

Given my lack of experience in spicy food, i am not sure if i am giving an fair review. Guess this would be a valid excuse to stake out those Sichuan mala restaurants located in Geylang for better exposure! 

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Location

604 Sembawang Road 

#03-12/13, Sembawang Shopping Centre

Price

Eggplants with Meat Floss - $6.50

Baked Seafood Rice with Wasabi Cheese - $9

Special Chicken Hot Pot - $9.80

[Subject to GST. No Service Charge]

Website 

http://www.wanchai.sg

Joyce's Birthday & Cedele's Pear Hazelnut Chilled Cake!

It's yet again another happy birthday post! Please accept my apology for the very obvious lack of food entries in recent days but my brain was working extremely hard on some urgent matters.

If it's of any comfort, i would give a short review of the cake we ordered for my elder sister's birthday; Pear Hazelnut chilled cake from Cedele. More on that later. 

As usual, the kids were delighted for the chance to sing happy birthday in both English and Mandarin. I honestly feel that birthdays revolve around kids; before the arrival of Jerald, i was hesitant to have a cake and blow candles on my birthday. Now, i am open to the idea simply because the kids love it! 

With both children kissing Joyce after the badly sung birthday song, this loving scene did touch a nerve that could possibly kick-start the paternal biological clock in my body. Thankfully, the many many incidents where they misbehave and throw tantrums remain fresh and crystal clear in my memory...

After those memorable recollections, I think i prefer a dog over a child.  

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Okay, let's return to the pear hazelnut cake. Like many people, i totally adore the carrot cake from Cedele although i didn't raise any objection when my younger sister decided to order this instead. Never try, never know right?

My verdict is that i could never resist cream cheese, especially in their chilled form. And the frosting came with hazelnut, which made it even delicious given my love for nutella! There were some misses though; the dough was definitely not as "perfectly moist" as Cedele has described on their website and i feel that the supposedly flavour of fresh Packham Pears could be a tad stronger. 

No matter what, the Teo family enjoyed this Cedele cake way better than the Bengawan Solo cake we had for Jovyn's birthday. A question for everyone; Cedele is pronounced as Ce-de-li or Ce-del?

Looking forward to your answer!  

Another Big Decision Made

I am not going to post this entry on facebook as i am damn sure of the repercussions; not that i would be charged in courts or such but there would be too many comments to reply too and i am too busy!!

"Busy with what" you might ask? 

Well, tying up the loose ends while serving my notice of resignation is definitely one of the busy things. Yes, your eyes did read it right; i have tendered my letter to leave and it was a hard decision made with ample considerations!

Differing from the last round, i am unable to enjoy the luxury of being unemployed this time. 

Where would i be going?

Look out for an update soon! :P

Minced Meat Fishball Noodle - 發記肉脞魚圓面 @ Kovan Hawker Centre

Frequent patrons of Kovan 209 food centre would have noticed the existence of three minced meat fishball noodle stalls in close proximity. 

That should not come as a surprise (it's common to find competitors setting up shop selling similar food whenever there is an extremely popular one close by anyway) except for one very interesting phenomenon; all three boasted a queue! 

Like many people who are unprepared when face with numerous options, i am flustered as to which to choose! My sister, a veteran customer of the hawker centre, faithfully suggested 發記. She added: "this one very lavish with pork lards"! 

No picture on pork lard since you can find plenty of them in my recent postings. Look closer into the above picture and i bet the hawk in you can still spot pieces of them. 

Anyway, I shall zoom into the fishballs which were listed prominently on the signboard - really nothing to scream about as the texture was more alike to fish cakes. Minced meat wise, it would be fairer to assess it as a whole package with the other ingredients.

Noodles - they were not too dry, not too soggy and generally well received by my mom and me. So far, it didn't appear that i was exceptionally enjoying my food. 

Truth is; i love their tasty combination of flavours arising from generous servings of pork lard, minced meat, fishballs, fish cakes, braised mushrooms, noodles and meat balls! 

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Location

209 Hougang Street 21, #01-05, 

Kovan 209 Market and Food Centre

Price

Minced Meat Fishball Noodle - S$3.50 a bowl