老饕出動：EPICURIOUS

I decided to give EPICURIOUS a shot today, so I popped into the one at Rail Mall.

Ambiance and Service Ambiance-wise, it has a dimly-litted setting, very homely. You know that this is a family place when you see families walking in, and the mini gallery of children's doodles they've collected at one corner of the restaurant just reinforced the idea. Service wise, I wasn't most impressed, but will pass. I spent some time browsing through the menu outside the cafe, and no one came out to invite me in. I had to make my own way and ask for a table myself. Water was served only after I've placed my orders. Not exactly the most attentive waiting staff. Most were busy doing their own things and appearing very busy, instead of focusing on attending to the patrons.

The Menu On the menu, I found a good range of dishes at pretty reasonable prices. The menu was clear and concise - no trouble finding what I wanted quickly. There were 2 items I came for - The EPICURIOUS Burger, which by the way, was recommended by I-S Magazine as one of the top burgers, and the Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce. To go along with the pudding, I ordered a Long Black as well, however, the hot drink did come a bit too soon, perhaps to keep me entertained while they prepared the burger. The Food Approximately 15 minutes later, the burger came. At first glance, I was intrigued by the traditional Chinese plate that the burger was served on. Nice presentation with a nostalgic touch, but the burger didn't look very impressive. It looked pretty simple, served with fries and a handful of fresh greens.

My first thought was, "This? A recommended burger?" I decided to dismiss that judgmental thought, and gave sunk my knife into the beef patty. The patty was soft, yet didn't break apart, which means it retained much moisture despite the rough cooking. I shoved a piece of it into my mouth and almost immediately, all previous perspectives of the simple-looking dish were expelled. The beef was moist and succulent, and it oozes with the sweetness of the caramalized onions on top as well as the freshness of the meat itself. The patty was faintly spiced with a tinge of fragrance from some oil, yet it wasn't too greasy. The beef was pounded to perfection - not too dense and doesn't make one feel too overwhelmed. Most important of all, it melts in the mouth. BAGUS!

By the time I was done with the burger, my dessert - the Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce appeared shortly after. At this time, my Long Black was long finished, and I was waiting for them to clear my cup. They did clear my plate, but not my cup. The toffee sauce isn't too sweet or heavy. It's not extremely milky, instead, the fragrance of melted butter lingers in the mouth. The pudding was a little too dense and therefore did not soak up much of the goodness of the sauce. Quite a pity. I believed this would go really well with the Long Black, which I have finished. So the lesson learnt? Don't serve your Long Black too early. I'd have appreciated if I was asked whether I wanted the drink to be served later (and I was still waiting for my coffee cup to be cleared!). Anyway, EPICURIOUS definitely deserves a return visit.

Cross-posted at MY FOODBLOG

感恩

我又回来了。人生总是会遇到挫折。走错路，也许是人生中必然的。往往，我们都需要经历一些挫败，才会让我们回想到一些曾经遗忘的美好。或许，发泄、抒发情感的最原始的方法是最理想的。我指的并不是刻字，或者执笔留字。今时今日，网志也不算是新科技了吧？

网志不但能让你书法情感，还能让你悄悄地向人倾诉。谁知在某个角落，正有人在默默地读着，陪你感受着你的喜怒哀乐。他们正用着自己的方式聆听。更重要的是，网志记载着你人生旅程的点点滴滴。回顾起来，一切开心或不开心的都一一再现。它记载了我的成长过程。

我庆幸自己学习了很多，也对于自己的成长感恩。对于以前的点滴表示敬意，毕竟没有它们，我不会有今天。让我开始向往以后更美好的日子吧。

快乐的权力

我还真想好好出国旅游。我想念的台湾、澳洲和向往的土耳其，怎么好像越来越远哪？工作越来越忙，却变得越来越穷。虽然金钱上也不太富有，但我主要指的是精神上的贫穷。

人们日夜为三餐奋斗，为满足自己的虚荣心而打拼，忘记了精神上的满足。我们往往忘了问问自己究竟什么令我们最开心。没错，我们当然也不清楚到底什么会让自己开心，总要试过才知道。人生就是通过这样碰碰撞撞学习和了解自己的。每个人在不同的阶段也许喜欢的东西都会不一样。但是现今社会有几个人会放慢步伐，自我反省一番，看看自己做的一切，是否是自己喜欢的，能给自己带来快乐的？

虽然很多时候，我们没有权力选择自己非常热爱的工作，但至少总该在工作之余，抽出时间做一些能让自己开心，使自己满足的事情吧？相信没几个人做到了。这也难怪人们常常把生活的压力和不满怪罪于自己的工作。并不是工作剥夺了你的快乐。而是你自己忘了享受的感觉。是你放弃了快乐的权力。

早起的鸟儿有虫吃，大家都早起，你争我夺，你推我挤的，好不混乱。事实上，虫子到处都是，怎么吃也吃不完。放慢脚步，欣赏一下美丽的风光，晚一点进食，也没关系吧？

路

也太久没有分享了。

恍然大悟，自己原来不是超人。

只是发发牢骚而已。

也许我浅浅的经验只能助我承担这么多的责任。行政与 ‘正业’ 之间，目前好像真的很难达到平衡。最近发现自己心理的节奏已经慢了下来，能量已经逐渐消减。我的肩膀或许的确不能支撑那么多负担。

是否能在鞭笞，催我前进之前，先给我多一些些时间适应已经背上的沉重？就算是经验老道的识途老马，不会迷路，也会累死的。

叹了叹气，继续上路。还是认定虽然艰难，这依然是唯一鞭策自己的方式。反正就是得把自己弄得更强壮，才能走得远，甚至带着其他的马儿一起走。

就是发发牢骚罢了。

如果有一种仙丹……

是时候积极运动了！近几个月都没有真正锻炼一下身体，所以（又）开始走样了，而且整个人也没什么精神，成天无精打采。我知道如果说因为工作没时间，肯定会被骂。有时候工作和其他来源的问题和压力让我提不起劲。回到家里就不想再踏出家门了……只想一觉到天明。最多一个星期‘长’跑一次。加上到健身院活动，是个bonus。看着腰围像牛市一样不停暴涨，真希望身材真是反映福气。

衣柜里的裤子，好多都不合身了，真可惜。

因为缺乏运动，肌肤也开始老化，甚至恶化。看来不努力一点也不行。

是该振作起来了！加油，哦不是，脱油吧！

有‘袋’解决

今天睡醒，托着身子懒洋洋地走向洗手间刷牙洗澡。往镜子一看，赫然发现两颗水饺在我睡梦中被偷偷地贴在我的脸上。就在我的眼眶周围。我的天，我的眼袋竟然肿得水饺般大小！刷牙时还好像会动，有生命似的……好恐怖！难道是小老鼠爬了进去？



如果是发炎，也许还能请个病假。



是水肿。而且不巧集中在眼袋部分。没办法，只好硬着头皮，提着眼袋上班去……一路上，还不断按摩，希望能尽量消肿。

史无前例，惊天动地。

好久不见，阿门。

超久没有在这里投资我的废话了。

久别教会，今天终于再次参与，感觉格外兴奋。也许也是因为今天的过程比较有活力，节奏也较快，为我懒散的筋骨提提神。有时候，一个人真的不能没有精神支柱。上帝就是我的支柱。我记得在我独自一人的时候，是上帝陪伴着我。记得在我失落的日子里，除了家里那只小畜牲，还是上帝激励我。一个人单薄的力量能维持多久？在人生漫长又艰难的路程中，难道真的可以单靠个人的自信和坚定的意志，走完全程吗？

我曾经是个既胆小，又懦弱的人。我不敢说单单是人生经验把我磨练得坚强的。因为一个无能、脆弱的人，在碰到无数挫折后，怎能爬得起来？因此我相信，很多时候，是宗教信仰给了我克服的力量，锻炼出我现在的性格。

我并不是在传教。我也不会在这里说耶稣基督是多么的伟大，上帝是多么的万能。毕竟我一向来都深信这一切是需要亲身体验和经历才能体会的。我也不是满口哲学的人。我不会说大道理。我只是希望能强调一个人很多时候是必须靠其他的力量，给自己力量的。一个人的仗该怎么打呢？