Bonjour Montreal!

We were absolutely elated when we found out that our friends in Montreal are expecting a baby, due just 1 day after ours! It is such a pity we are not living in the same city otherwise it would be so much more fun to do things together since we are both first-time moms. So, off we went to Montreal to visit them for the weekend and also to eat some duck at the Festival of Duck in the Quebec countryside.

Stopping by a local farmer's market while Nori-chan and Dani shopped for their pumpkins, we couldn't resist taking a shot with Mr. Scarecrow. Another stop at a local farmer's market yielded an absolutely sinful BUT totally delicious tub of MAPLE BUTTER, which I am spreading on my toast every morning now. Mmmm...irresistible! And totally full of extra calories that my baby needs! *wink!*

At Lake Brome(Knolton) where the Festival of Duck is held, we had a very relaxing and long lunch at Au Trois Canard restaurant where they are supposedly the best restaurant in the East of Canada serving duck dishes. The 3-course lunch menu was only about $15-$26 per person and despite the 1.5hr wait for our main course to come, the food was impeccable(tho' we were really impatient at 3pm waiting for our food). Even the raspberry ice-cream was so perfect and creamy we left without a complaint. Montreal pictures

A trip to the Jean-Talon market in Montreal made me green with envy as I could only look and drool at the fresh produce displayed so invitingly and so artfully it wrenches my heart to know that no such market exists where we live now(sad). Reminds me of those HUGE fresh markets in Europe with every kind of fresh fruits and vegetables u cannot even begin to imagine, and lined with specialty shops offering artisanal cheeses, hand made pastas, fresh rillettes(my new favourite French meat spread), shops specializing only in olive oil and of course, the quintessential Boulangerie.

So far, the so-called Farmer's Markets here in Manhattan are quite a joke. But I guess, if there is nothing else better than the biggest one in Union Square, I guess nobody's complaining if they remain ignorant, really. We stopped short of lugging that ginormous basket of ripe tomatoes home for only $5 since we are crossing borders into the US and the less trouble with the unfriendly Immigration peeps, the better.

After a nice weekend eating Canadian traditional food(Poutine - french fries doused with gravy and lumps of cheese), Quebec Fondue(courtesy of Dani - it was absolutely delicious! Wish I had more space in my tummy for that end of the pot soup), artisanal cheese from Quebec(one of the most yummy cheese I've had in a while) and catching up with friends, we headed back for the big U.S.A. armed with our baguette and croissants.

Just in time for the cold...

After 9 months of toil and labour, I have finally finished this scarf! Whoohoo!!!

Lucky me went to a knitting group meet at Starbucks one day and won the lucky draw's grand prize of a gift voucher at a yarn shop. I have NEVER ever won a single thing in my life, let alone the GRAND prize of anything. I guess, this is the start of my knitting destiny.

So happy me went off to reclaim my prize at Knitty City and fell in love with this Italian 100% Extra Fine Merino wool by Merinos Otto. At $10 a skein, I would probably not indulge in such good quality yarn for only my 3rd knitting project, but hey, it is FREE! Heehee... ;p

For a new knitter like me, this scarf's pattern nearly drove me cursing mad as I went "rippit, rippit" countless of times. BUT. I survived. =) Here's the pattern to a lovely scarf called "A Touch of Whimsy".

Thanks to Kim for helping me with the iCord cast on and bind off and most importantly, for bringing me to that fateful knitting group meeting!

Now, I have TONS of knitting projects lined up for the big holidays...hehehe...and my dear husband just bought me loads of shiny new knitting needles for our wedding anniversary so I have to get to work on that sweater for him to be in time for Christmas.

Come back soon, KIM! I need help with understanding this sweater's pattern! *big grin*

I've Got MAIL!

Thanks, Mom & Dad!!!

Your lifesaver package from Singapore really boosted my spirits! See familiar Lee Kum Kee & Maggi packages for easy-to-make local dishes like duck & chicken congee, codfish fillet sauce(YUMZ!) and that absolutely sinful but finger-lickin'-oh-so-GOOD cereal prawn mix!

Now I really miss zi-char restaurants just 3mins away from home and my outdoor hawker centre at East Coast Park.

I miss home.

I miss eating out at home.

I miss chao fun and hor-fun for supper.

I miss my teh tarik.

I think I'm swinging back into 1st Trimester food-craving hell after the bliss of the 2nd Trimester. And I'm not even done with 2nd Trimester yet! Damn!

My husband thinks I'm food-obsessed.
He's lucky I'm ONLY food obsessed. (Actually...erm, let's not even go there.)

Think Im gonna go get our fix of fresh, frozen Thai premium durian from downtown Chinatown. I need that stink of familiarity. *mmm-mm...*

My Gala Dream come true...

I've always loved Gala apples. Biting into their sweet, crunchy flesh with juice dribbling down your chin is like a Fruit-O. Back home in Singapore, we have plenty of those from New Zealand shipped in and there are always a few in my fridge.

Now that I AM living in apple country, I am constantly surprised at how mealy the apples are here in New York. How could I not be able to get any crunchy apples when I am surrounded by apple growers? Of course it is seasonal and year-round apples are available with the human invention of a "freezer", so you can't expect it to be good all the time BUT still...

Singapore obviously does not produce any apples and yet, we still enjoy a good crunch 365 days a year. Sadly, I am always dubious of the Gala apples in the supermarkets here and my face will scrunch up in disgust whenever I bite into a soft, uncrunchy apple that I just wanna spit out. Let's not even talk about Macintosh or the Washington or whatever else-is-out-there apples.

To salvage the near-desperate situation, Emmanuel suggested going apple-picking to satisfy our need for crunch-O. And what what a BIG-O we had indeed in the fruit orchards indeed! Starting with ultra tempting and sweet raspberries(popping one into your mouth while picking every 3rd berry is acceptable :), we moved on to apples(hearing that first crunch drove us into a picking frenzy), then Bosc & Bartlett pears before finally going fruit-crazy at the peach section. Greedy us couldn't resist the sweet juices of the so tender ripe peaches and we kept eating as we picked non-stop.

The fruit trees were all so heavily laden with fruits I felt like setting up camp just to eat them fresh before the season's over. It is THAT YUM-O!

Bishop's Orchards in Connecticut that we went is excellent for a day out with children and I would strongly recommend checking out their website to see what fruit is in season and calling them to enquire before making a trip there. They also have strawberries, pumpkins, blueberries and sell their own fruit wines as well.

Fire Island - Not so "hot" afterall...

Coming from tropical Southeast Asia, I have never fathomed a sandy beach without
1. Coconut trees / palm trees
2. Lying in a swinging hammock under the shade of those trees
3. Deck chairs for lounging/tanning in the sun
4. Slurping fresh coconut juice and trying to get those sweet coconut flesh out
5. A beautiful batik sarong
6. Warm, inviting waters to go skinny dipping in w/o a shiver.

Those were the very bare essentials to any good day out on the beach or on an island.

Sadly, none of them seem to exist on the beaches here in the US's east coast(as far as I've seen). Everyone has to drag their own beach chairs along with parasols to protect their delicate white skin and beer bottles line the trash bags instead of coconuts. Hammocks are propped up on fancy "hammock-sticks" in their backyard/garden, w/o any view of the sea nor the luxury of being lulled to sleep with the seabreeze gently caressing your skin and the soothing sound of lapping waves. And, not to mention, the water is shriekin' cold even on a hot summer day. Yeeouch!

Gee, I miss the beaches and islands back home. Lying in a hammock is my favourite activity after a long day of diving. AND...slurping that sweet, cool coconut juice. And maybe, you can get an aromatherapy massage for a song.

Enough of reminiscing the past, we hopped into the car and zipped away to Long island over the Labour Day holidays and visited Fire Island - a 32mile stretch of beach front island parallel to Long Island.

We thought we could rent a bicycle to access the whole of the island(like most islands) but we were so damn wrong. There are some "private gay communities" which are fenced off and basically armed with "Get the f*ck off my lawn" attitude. So, the only way to access the other parts is to walk on the beach, or to take a water taxi. In fact, I would say the best way to explore the island is on your catamaran or private yacht. I walked almost an hour to get to the Sunken Forest on the beach, so much so that my calves are aching in protest by the time we had to walk back to retrieve our bikes. This is the most exercise I've had in months!

Pity no one told us beforehand how inaccessible this island is, otherwise, I would have gone to Far Rockaway beach to see the thresher shark that washed up dead on the beach instead. To think that I had specifically gone diving in the Philippines, hoping to see this magnificent creature and never even caught a glimpse of its shadow at all in my entire dive trip. And now it is splashed all over TV. But dead.
There were plenty of healthy-looking, well-fed deers on the island. And they were not afraid of humans at all. Poor Robert went all the way to Africa on a safari and the only animals he saw up close were deers exactly like this ones. Not even a buffalo. Look at them. Totally oblivious to the crowd of humans gathering around to snap, snap, snap. But nobody dared to touch them or go too near in case they get ticks. Not a holiday present to go home with.

Totally knackered by the time we got back to Ocean Beach and returned the bikes, we plopped down at Rachel's Bakery for some coffee and pastries. Damn...they make really awesome apple turnovers! A+++!!! I wish they would open a branch near my house. Sigh...

The sunset colours were mesmerizing but I didn't have a chance to get any pics cos we were rushing to catch the ferry back home. Too bad. All in all, it was a lovely day out on the beach and nature and we got home safe w/o any ticks.

And now, summer is officially over.

Funny thing is, I'm actually looking forward to autumn and some chilly weather! Oooh...give me hot chocolate or creamy egg nog latte any day while snuggling next to my fattyboo watching a movie. Besides, I really wanna wear those new warm maternity clothes I bought for the cold weather...hehe...

AND, look who has got new clothes as well!!!

Thanks, Sylvia for the cutest little outfit for my lil' baby boy - you are the first to outfit my kid(who's not even out yet)! Merci beaucoup, mon cheri! And thank you, Danielle, for the lovely stickers on the card!
*Big hugs from Aunty Jo*