Time to say goodbye...

Yes, as the title suggests, it is time for Mr. Robotic to say goodbye. Not that he is leaving his work, or shutting down this blog but rather, Mr. Robotic is gonna clean up his table and bid farewell to the junk that he has been keeping.

If you didn't know, Mr Robotic is a hoarder when it comes to junk. His laptop table is constantly piling up with receipts, bank statements and what not... At a point where he can't find his stuff on the table anymore or when he can't stack anymore things on the table, Mr. Robotic would then spend a lazy afternoon like today, sorting through the mess while listening to some laid back music.

Going through the receipts and stuff, Mr. Robotic reminisces about the past events, the friends he went out with, the places he had been, the stuff (useful and useless) which he had bought etc. At the end of the process when all the dust has settled (literally), it is almost a mini victory celebration moment for Mr. Robotic for he has managed to organise a small portion of his life on track among all the other things which he cannot control nor predict.

Goodbye junk... Till the next piled up...

Friends matters

Christmas, new year... a few weeks of celebrations and cheer. But somehow behind all the laughter and happiness, Mr. Robotic can't help but feel that there seems to be an emptiness somewhere which he can't really describe that left him kinda sad. It could be the fact that another year has past and Mr. Robotic is reaching the big 30 or a case of self triggered mechanism that is out to nullify Mr. Robotic's happy emotions...

Fortunately for Mr. Robotic, he get to chill out with Mr. Congeniality (he has friends almost everywhere) and Ms. 大眼妹(apparently she still wants to be known as this moniker cause it is more adorable and sweet and fitting for her). The group tested the Crystal Jade Hong kong Cafe located at a quiet corner of level 7 of Orchard Central. The best part about the cafe is that a window seat allows you to have a bird's eye view of the buzz on the streets.

The drinks come in interesting glasses. Mr. Robotic chose warm Jasmine Tea which was served in a little clear teapot (which is refillable) and teacup.

Mr. Congeniality chose a Milk Tea thingy that came in a flask and a shot glass. Your eyes ain't playing any tricks on you. Dry ice was added to the hole in the middle of the flask which explains for the smoke coming out of it. It does look like an experimental concoction from the science labs, doesn't it?

The food however is a tad disappointing. Japanese food is best reserved for Japanese restaurants.

Would not recommend this eatery if you are looking for delicious food. However, if you are looking for a chill out spot to make small talk with your friends or you prefer your drinks served in unconventional glasses, you can give this place a chance.

Importantly it is not the food that matters but the company. Mr. Robotic really appreciate Mr. Congeniality and Ms. 大眼妹 for brightening his otherwise depressing and moody week. Thank you you!

Tarts!!

Goodness Gracious Me... You did not hear it wrong. For this post, Mr. Robotic is going to talk about Tarts!

Well, Ms. Gourmet likes to share delicious food with people around her and hence, Mr. Robotic is very fortunate to be introduced to divin-licious goodies from time to time which he didn't know existed. This time round, it's silky smooth bean curd tarts from LE Cafe Confectionery & Pastry!

Mr. Robotic has always been a fan of bean curd and egg tarts and thinks the creator who came up with the marriage of bean curd-like filling with tart is simply amazing and brilliant. The taste and texture is great and not to mention that it is a much less sinful pastry compared to egg tart. Mr. Robotic crazed for the tarts so much after trying them till he decided to go to the middle road branch and walked an out of the way route just to get his hands on them. Alas, the tarts is so popular that it was sold out on Mr. Robotic's day of visit. So do drop them a call if you want to get these tarts.

Shucks... Mr. Robotic is drooling over those tarts just trying to remember the whole eating experience. Got to get them soon...

Happy Cooking 1: Lemon Cheesecake

So it is the start of 2010 and therefore it is time to re-start the count of the no. of recipes attempted. First of the list would be Lemon Cheesecake!!! And it is non-bake too. Good for people who want to try pastries but do not have an oven.

Mr. Robotic has been saying that he wanted to try the supposedly 100% success rate recipe (even Mr. Wild Animal tried making it and remarked its a piece of cake, puns intended) back in December 2009, but alas the year whizzed past Mr. Robotic to his dismay. It is all good though, as it is a good recipe to usher in the new year!

Unlike previous posts, Mr. Robotic will not be providing the steps to making the recipe as he thinks that the author from Food 4 Tots has a very good illustration on the steps already. So, if you are keen to try out the recipe, please visit the Food 4 Tots webbie.

Experience:

While you can surely beat the cream cheese and the whipping cream using a mere hand whisk and sheer perseverance, if you have a electrical mixer, choose the latter, no questions asked. The only comforting thing about hand whisking is you get to burn some calories and tone your arms before putting yummy calories into your tummy. Lol.

Wow, this cheese cream sure is stubborn!!

But Mr. Robotic is more fierce! Finally beat it into cream-like texture.

After 5 long hours of waiting, the lemon cheesecake is ready for sampling.

Time to put the taste to the test!

The lemon twist is a good balance to the richness of the creamy cheese. And Mr. Robotic like things sour. While Mr. Robotic can't claim credit that it is the best cheesecake that he ever tasted, this is a nice home made cheesecake which Mr. Robotic can visualise himself bringing to gatherings. Anyone up for Oreo cheesecake?

A new year, a new chapter...

While Mr. Robotic is sad to bid farewell to year 2009 (well, a new year means a year older ain't it and Mr. Robotic is one year closer to the scary 30 digits), the start of a new year is akin to a fresh chapter in Mr. Robotic's life story. It is a much needed point for Mr. Robotic to look back and review the past year at what he had achieved or failed to complete and plan and work towards on for the new year, AKA new year resolutions.

So Mr. Robotic's goals for 2010 (or Part 1 at least) are as follows:

Improve Fitness Levels:
- 2 workout sessions per week (1 session for chest and biceps, 1 session for shoulders, triceps and legs)
- 1 sport per week (be it swimming, jogging etc.)
- Start training for IPPT in January and hopefully pass by May 2010 (so it will be at least jogging twice a week during this period)
- 2 abs sessions per week (this can be done in mini breaks while surfing the net or between TV commercials)

Improve Cooking Skills:
- To have 2nd attempts on the "failed" dishes in the past
- To learn 20 new recipes

To explore the World:
- Travel to 2 new destinations (hopefully Mr. Robotic can save enough for Japan)

Wish Mr. Robotic luck on the above. Lol.