Livin' It Up!

The hubby and i celebrated our anniversary this month and what better way than to splurge and feast on lobsters! Actually a friend of mine knows someone who supplies the food industry here and she ordered a dozen for me. My husband picked them up from the hotel where they were delivered and brought home, all 12 still alive in the styrofoam box. poor guys, i had a bad conscience putting them in the boiling water and i had to ask for their forgiveness over and over! :( I remember my mother used to cook live crabs as well, but needless to say, the lobsters really tasted so good, i prepared 4 different dips (herb butter with lemon, curry, thousand island and chili) had potato salad on the side as well as saffron rice, an extra portion of green salad, and for starters i made some mussels cooked mediterranean style. splurge indeed, and with a bottle of chardonnay to whet the tastebuds, our 4 guests were more than content!

My Federer Moment

If you're a real fan of tennis, how could you not admire this guy's accomplishments in the history of the sport? By winning the US Open for the 3rd consecutive year, Roger Federer is the only player to win Wimbledon and the US Open back to back three times in a row! He has become the first man in the Open Era to win three slams in a season more than once, he has won 9 Grand Slam singles titles putting himself ahead of players like Agassi, Lendl and Connors who have 8 apiece, and Roger has become the first man in the Open Era since Rod Laver to reach all four Grand Slam finals in one calendar year. Can't get any sweeter than that. What a guy. I hope one day he can win the French Open.

Pichi Pichi

another first time...i know it looks a bit like palitaw in this pic, but needless to say, the end product was how i imagined it to taste like, and i was transported again to my native land...i used real cassava on this one, peeled and cut into small pieces then off it went to my mixer, i had about two cups of them, mixed with sugar, lihiya and water, then steamed it. as soon as it was cool enough, i formed them into small pieces and rolled it on grated coconut. next time i'll try to mix it with pandan water and make small portions. well, it was a taste of home and it gave me pleasure to make it from scratch.

Food Meme...

i've hijacked this from here, and here's mine:

how do you like your eggs? soft boiled
how do you take your coffee? with a little cream and little brown sugar
favorite breakfast: first things first, a hot cup of coffee, followed by a slice of bread with butter and confiteur, and if i'm really hungry, then birchermuesli, fruit, orange juice
peanut butter: coarse
what kind of dressing on your salad? Italian
coke or pepsi? coke
you're feeling lazy, what do you make? slice of bread topped with mayonnaise, then cold cuts
you feel like cooking, what do you make? depends on my mood or what i have in my fridge
do any food bring back good memories? sure!
do any food bring back bad memories? yes, but i have a short memory so i forget! ;)
do any food remind you of someone? mostly family...
is there a food you refuse to eat? anything with innards used.
what was your favorite food as a child? macaroni swimming on milk sauce with chicken bits and carrots
is there food you hated as a child but like it now? vegetables, tomatoes...
favorite food and vegetable: fish, asparagus
favorite junk food: tortilla chips
favorite between meal snacks: chocolate
do you have any weird food habits: when i was a kid i removed the siopao filling and ate only the dough.
you're on a diet, what food do you fill up on? salad with Italian sauce, a slice of brown bread, fruit
how spicy do you order Thai or Indian? i can eat spicy food, no problem as long as it's not too extreme.
can i get you a drink: San Pellegrino
red or white wine? red
we only have beer: Heiniken
fave dessert? anything with chocolate
fave nightcap? grappa

Yay, i made Cuchinta!

Lol, back to my gastronomical pleasures, and for the first time ever in my life i made cuchinta this morning, a childhood favorite. I think most birthday parties that i went to when i was a kid, they had this dessert, and i loved the soft texture and the grated fresh coconut that came with it. Well i didn't get those at the Asian shop yesterday, but you could buy those dried shredded coconut that came in a pack and that's what i used. What can i say? It's easy as abc, and the taste reminded me of my school days. 1 1/2 cups of water with 3/4 cups of brown sugar, cooked and cooled, then added to 1 cup of rice flour and a teaspoon of lye water or lihiya (got it from Puspha) mixed then poured into a mould and steamed for about 12 minutes. I sprinkled the grated coconut on the cuchinta before devouring it. It went well with my cup of coffee. My guinea pig, a.k.a the hubby, who's not really into Asian desserts, liked it. ;)

Roger Roger Everywhere...

since i'm still in the tennis state of mind, i thought i'd put this here, an event that transpired way back end of autumn last year...

Launching of Roger’s Fan Club in Alschwil, November 2005.

I’ve seen Roger Federer in the flesh a few times in the past, long before he won his first Grand Slam, a few times in Gstaad, at the Swiss Indoors in Basel (even when he couldn’t play due to injury), and once he even came here to town for an exhibition match with some local athletes. He had won his first Wimbledon title that summer. The Filipina in me always makes me very excited and talkative, like you want to say so many things to him but your 30 seconds is over, you know?

So I had the great pleasure of seeing him again in Basel in the beginning of November last year for the launching of his official fan club in Switzerland. It was an occasion where there was no big fuss. I’ve lived in this country for so many years but I’m still amazed at how the Swiss could remain so calm and cool and casual on a day like this; had this affair transpired in the Philippines, the fans would go ballistic gaga. I said hello to a couple of women I knew whose friendships were started because of our mutual admiration for Roger. Then, punctual like a Swiss watch, in that small room at the clubhouse, the world’s best tennis player showed up looking very suave and cool in a brown corduroy jacket, dark shirt, and blue jeans. He reminded me of a student from an Ivy League school.

First, they had the presentation of the fan club to the media which was followed by interviews of Roger. Soon after, everyone moved outdoors and we could take pictures while he talked to the local press and TV, then later we could also have our pictures taken with him. He also signed some autographs (patiently) and I got 2 postcards signed ( I sent one to a Chinese fan in Shanghai) and his mom also handed out some white and red caps from his website. You betcha I got one of those, autographed, no less.
Roger felt at home in those familiar surroundings, the venue was the tennis club in Alschwil where he grew up and learned how to play tennis, there was also a football field right next to it. Roger apparently was also very talented in soccer but in the end, he chose tennis. The rest, as they say, is history. Anyway, how cool is that, standing right next to your tennis hero and chatting with him so casually while having your picture taken together and he was genuinely very nice! Bless him. Lucky me.
Two things worth mentioning here was when all of us ladies surrounded Roger for a group picture, I loudly exclaimed in English, “How come Roger has only women fans?” There was laughter and Roger said, “That’s how I prefer it”. More laughter.
I also had a brief chat with his mother in the ladies room and I told her that Roger inspires me to play better tennis. She said he motivates everyone. Mrs. Federer radiates an inner strength when you come in contact with her, something you see in Roger. And she is a nice, down-to-earth woman. She must be so proud of her son!

Considering Roger’s hectic schedule, I was more than happy to be there to see him again in the flesh. Driving back home was a pleasant experience, the autumn colors in the afternoon sun looked even more intense, the Swiss landscape was beautiful to behold.
A song was playing in my head.

Update...

whoah! can't believe i haven't made an entry here in almost 3 months. but that just tells you how 'busy' i've been. work and life in general was hectic lately, sometimes i wish i only worked 80% instead of 100. I'd click my heels if i had Mondays off. wishful thinking. not in my current job.
we have also changed flats end of May, so the whole moving process took it's toll. no fun there coming back from the office after 5, packing up, loading it into the car, (going down from the third floor), driving to new abode, bringing up to the new digs (up the stairs) unloading...my husband and i have been doing this for 10 nights in a row before we made the major move with 2 men and a big van, who took care of the heavier things, but we were still helping, needless to say. i was dreaming of wellness spa, massages...we were totally knackered. but that's now a thing of the past, we are now the proud owners of a beautiful apartment 7 kilometers from the town proper and the view is just gorgeous... :)
on top of that, the month of May and June was Interclub season, so i played tennis with my team, won 1 and lost 1 doubles match, but won my 2 singles matches. we were top in our group (5 teams) winning 42 sets and losing 22. i wasn't around during the 'Einstiegspiel' but heard from my teammates that they lost so we stay in the same category next season. in between, i was following the men's tour on tv. too bad Roger Federer lost in the finals of Roland Garros, but i am thrilled that he got a 4th Wimbledon title, and beat Nadal, his nemesis. I would have expected nothing less, it's his turf, after all. i still hope that someday he'll win Paris, the only Slam he hasn't won to date.

The Tennis Side of a Bay Leaf

Our club opened last Saturday for the new season with an apero and it was a gorgeous, sunny day. As i stood there looking down at those four clay courts, it gave me a warm familiar feeling and it brought back a lot of good memories. My husband and i have been members here since seven years and i've played Interclub the last two seasons. Prior to that I ran the club resto for two seasons, an experience i enjoyed (so did the club members and guests) but it gave me less time to play. The club is open from April till early October. Interclub is played on the weekends of May and June.

I started playing the game way back in the Philippines when i was in college, but since i've lived here, i've taken a couple of lessons to improve my technique. It's a pity i played it on and off in the past. But since we've become members here, i play more regularly now. I may be older, but i've improved my game and i'm enjoying it more. Participating in tournaments has also given me some court experience especially in singles matches. So long as the body is still able and my legs can run, then i got the will to play. With pleasure! :)