Beware of Scam

As i read the newpaper from Singapore, i thought i should highlight some pointers for people who may be easily duped. As recently one of my friend, was cheated from some internet house rental scam, another of my friend was almost sucked into a fraud scam. She applied for a job which only required her to get money from travellers cheque posted to her from banks. Thank God, the bank stuff was alert enough to know that the cheque was a fraud

There is one thing we always need to know - if something is too good to be true it always is. There is often no free lunches in this world. If anything seems different from what you have done for the best part of your life. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CHECK WITH OTHERS.

Any thing that requires you to part with money, please make sure that you check with a few people. There will always be scammers out there, so we need to always be more cautious. Below is a report i read from newpaper.

NEWPAPER

WHEN a Singaporean woman went online in search of a life partner, she received several offers of marriage.

FISHY: News of so many scams put MsJosephine on the alert. TNP PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: GAVIN FOO

But it was not wedding bells but alarm bells that went off in her head.

The reason: The proposals were from men in Nigeria.

And, rightly or wrongly, the mere mention of the African nation summons visions of scams.

The woman, a 47-year-old accounts executive who wanted to be known only as Josephine, is sure her suitors are con men targeting lonely women with false promises of love and marriage.

They claimed to be expatriates working in the oil industry in Nigeria but asked her to send them money so they could come to Singapore to marry her.

Ms Josephine recently posted her profile on the Singapore Expats forum, hoping to find a man who could commit to a long-term relationship and eventually marry her.

But when she received six e-mail replies from different men in Nigeria, each promising marriage, she became suspicious.

She said: 'If I had never heard of so many scams from Nigeria, I would have been thrilled.

'I have never been popular with men and most don't take a second look at me. So, when so many guys were interested in me and telling me how much they loved me by their third e-mail, at the back of my mind, I found it unbelievable.'

'Widowers'

First, these 'widowers' wooed her with poems and showed her pictures of their children. They also spun heart-wrenching tales of how their wives had died during childbirth and told her that she was 'the perfect mother' for their children.

Of course, she had no idea whether the pictures were real. But the stories, because they were so similar, got her suspicious.

Within days of getting to know her, they would ask her for money. Most asked her to send sums ranging from $2,000 to $3,000.

One asked her to buy him a laptop and ship it to Nigeria.

The most frightening request was from a man who went by the name of Houston. He claimed he was from the Cayman Islands and asked MsJosephine to open a bank account in Singapore so that he could transfer millions of dollars to her.

With wide-eyed horror, she said: 'He could have been trying to use me to launder money.'

Even if she were unaware of Nigerian scams, Ms Josephine said she would not have fallen victim as she finds it 'too difficult to part with her hard-earned money'.

Emotional blackmail

When she did not accede to their requests, the men resorted to 'using four-letter words' on her or emotionally blackmailing her by asking her to send the money for the sake of their children.

One even went as far as to call himself her husband.

Laughing, Ms Josephine said: 'We haven't even met, and he's saying that he is my husband.

'They must have thought that I was one of those airheads whose heart would melt the moment they said they loved me and give them all my money.'

Although she had mentally prepared herself for fake offers, it was still 'devastating' that every suitor ended up asking her for money.

Her sister, Mrs Elaine Wee, 45, said: 'This is the cruellest thing that anyone can do to a single woman. I was so indignant for not only my sister, but all the other women that these men were out to cheat by playing with their feelings.'

Ms Josephine, who has spent about $8,000 on local and foreign matchmaking agencies, has one simple wish: To find a nice, honest man she can go home to after a hard day's work.

Smiling, she said: 'Somewhere out there, there might be someone for me. I'm not going to just give up.'

---

SAME CON, NEW TWISTS

iPHONE TWIST

Conmen post advertisements on the Internet to sell iPhones, but unsuspecting buyers end up empty-handed after sending the money. A Singapore student was cheated of $1,600.

EPL TWIST

They pretend to represent top English Premiership clubs. Victims are duped into sending money in the belief that they are paying official registration fees to have a trial at Premiership clubs.

STRANDED ABROAD TWIST

They hack into someone's Hotmail account and send e-mail to people in the person's address book. The recipients are asked to send money to help the Hotmail account-holder, who is stranded during a holiday in Nigeria.

Former Singapore Idol finalist Jeassea Thyidor had similar experience with her Hotmail account.

LONELY WOMAN TWIST

They pose as pretty and lonely women in trouble and ask victims to send them money so they can fly to meet them.

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Taken ( 2008)

Amidst all the big budget movie, is a movie that quietly sneak into one of my must watch movie list. The movie is worth every bit the penny i spend, the plot is interesting. A father whose daughter is captured must use all his skills to find her back.

What i think it captures is the father's fury in the mob who tried to kidnapped his daughter. Its like the anti-hero who will break the law just to get his daughter back and punish the evil doers who were part of the gang. Hopefully the fathers in the world would get their daughter to wathc this movie, especially those who likes to travel. The world is certainly an unsafe place, and it is always important to make sure we don't divulge any more details

You are always sitting on the edge as he tackles one mob after another, the method of punishment sometimes interesting. You have to watch the movie to be fully enveloped in the moment.

But i really think Laim Nesson is really good and convincing in his role.

If you have the chance don't forget this movie

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Seared Kobe Beef with Truffle-Shiitake Sauce

Next week, i plan for one of those dinner party at my place. This time it will be an invitation only party. So since we all want to try some really good food.. Kobe Beef is on the menu. I am in the midst of planning something gastronomic... a really delicious and light menu to whet the palate.
I think i will limit the seating to 8 people if possible

One of the possible dishes :

Seared Kobe Beef with Truffle-Shiitake Sauce

Serves 4 as appetizeR

12 ounces Kobe beef ribeye
2 shallots, minced
2 cups sliced shiitakes, stems removed
1 cup red wine
2 cups chicken stock
Cornstarch slurry (1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch plus 3 tablespoons water)
1 tablespoon truffle oil
Canola oil for cooking
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Season the steak well with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Do not put oil in the pan, the Kobe will give off enough fat to keep it from sticking. Sear the Kobe on both sides until brown and caramelized, about 4-5 minutes a side for medium-rare. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, in that same skillet now coated with the rendered fat from the Kobe beef, combine the shallots and shiitakes, season, and sauté over medium heat until softened, about two minutes. Deglaze with red wine and reduce completely. Add the chicken stock and reduce by 25%. Whisk in cornstarch slurry to thicken and whisk in truffle oil. Check for flavor and season if necessary. To serve, slice the steak and shingle on 4 small plates and spoon sauce over.

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Pastor Michael Gugielmucci faked cancer to hide porn addiction

Pastor Michael Gugielmucci faked cancer

The recent news of one of Australia's most well-known christian Family who have in recent years inspired so many people around the world, have been hit by a scandal that rocked the Australian Christian community.

The pastor that wrote the Song - Healer and whose video blog was viewed by more than 300,000 people, recently confessed that the Cancer was a lie to hide a deeper addiction.
The repercussion is huge because he was a founding pastor of Planetshaker and more recently Edge International. He was in sydney for apparent treatment and been part of the hillsong church whose lastest Album - This is our God feature his song - Healer. Pastor Mike has wrote most of the Songs in Planetshakers and have been an inspiration to many Cancer people who saw him sang with an oxygen tube.

There have been many questions floating on the internet like should we sing the songs he wrote and what about the money given to him and also what can we learn from this issue.

Firstly, we must know that everything on earth that happens, it happens for a reason.God is in control of everything. The key for all Christian is to forgive, his willing confession shows that God is still real in his life. For it is not the healthy who needs saving but those who are sick. Before we condemn him for his action, It is poignant to remember the words of our Lord Jesus - Let him who is without sin cast the first stone. I can safely say there will not be a single person on earth who has not sin, so as a christian community we must pray for him. This life we life is a marathon not a sprint, its is how we finish that counts. David broke 3 of God's commandment yet God says He is a man after His own heart, because David showed true repentance.

What about his Songs ? Well, songs are songs, they represent our heart cry to God. therefore since the songs are sang to God and the lyrics are meant for God, as long as they are not scriptural. I do not see any reason not to sing it. Look at Psalms, many psalms were written in desperation when David was down and out. In simple words, since we are all sinners, and all sins are the same to God therefore there should not be any different if we sing it or not. Of course we can choose not to if it reminds you of the incident.

What did i learn from this. Actually i read another blog and he did make one good point. Greater Accountability and more transparency. Lets just say he is not the first and certainly will not be the last, who will fall. They key i believe, is for us to understand that as leaders in the Church, we hold great power and influence, that is why with greater power comes greater responsibility. ( Wonder whose line it came from ? .......)

Though no one can truly be sinless, there are certain important criteria that is essential in leaders. 1 Tim 3 highlights some essential -

1Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer,^[a] he desires a noble task. 2Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.

8Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.

11In the same way, their wives^[b] are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.

12A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.

Therefore as leaders, we have to make sure areas like finance, moral ethics, character, integrity have to be above reproach. Zeal alone is just a topping and nothing more. So as we move higher up, it is essential we become more and more transparent so that things like this will not happen.

I can only pray that the family can be stronger from this experience, and the important to remember is that he confess rather than being caught out, which means that God has already started doing his work.

Lets keep praying

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Tropic Thunder Review

Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder boasting an assemble cast of leading actors of Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr, Tom Cruise, Matthew Mcconaughey, Alicia Silverstone..... I don't know how they managed to get so many A-list stars on the movie. Its almost like Oceans 11.

Went to watch the movie as it has to of my favourite actors - Ben Stiller and Jack Black. They movie started of interestingly enough and caught my attention. It has some unique jokes and gags which i have not seen on cinemas.

The overall plot was reasonable but not a A plus plot. I suppose its not a ladies flick, i am quite sure its more a mens movie. So if you are a lass which enjoys the occasional romantic flick, then you might be disappointed with this movie.

The film had its moment and the acting was not too overly ridiculous. Stiller and Jack black certainly held the movie together well enough. Robert Downey Jr was seriously unrecognizable in his role, good performance overall.

Plot was reasonable, acting was good, visual was so-so

My ratings :5.5 / 10.

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Chicken Rice Recipe

Chicken Rice is actually a very simple dish to make. I have been trying to perfect this dish as this is from my country of origin. I can prepare this in 30 min, so i am sure with luck someone could so this in at least under an hour.

Ingredients for the chicken :

1 whole Chicken (to be boiled in a large pot of water by itself)

70 ml of Sesame Oil 60 ml of Light Soy Sauce

1 medium sized cucumber 1 sprig parsley

60 ml of Concentrated Chicken Stock ( made from boiling chicken bones or from chicken stock concentrate e.g. Maggie chicken stock)

Chinese cooking wine

Ingredients for Chicken Stock (Optional)

300 to 500 gm of chicken feet or bones. 2 liters of water, Lemon grass and also Chinese cooking wine

Ingredients for the rice

1 Clove Garlic 20 gm Ginger Bruised

4 cups of Thai Fragrant Rice Cooking Oil

150 gm of chicken fat Chicken Stock

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Water that was used to boil the chicken (some to be used for cooking the rice, the balance is to be used as a base stock for an accompanying soup)

Ingredients for the condiments

20 gm Galangal (optional) 100 gm Ginger

100 gm red peppers 1 teaspoon chicken oil

20 ml concentrated chicken stock 10 to 15 ml of dark soy sauce for each diner as dip

2 cloves Garlic

Ingredients for Soup to accompany the Chicken rice

Balance of water used to boil the chicken 250 gm of cabbage

20 gm peeled shallots Spring onion for garnishing

MY METHOD

Stock

1. First start preparing the stock. Simmer the chicken feet or bones for about 2 hours in the stated amount of water. Here I use chopped lemon grass, pour in a little soy, and also add chinese cooking wine. By the time the stock is ready for use, ensure that there about 1.5 liters left after evaporation of the water during simmering. This makes the stock more concentrated and thus more effective. If this stock is used then the need for chicken concentrate or powder is not necessary.

2. While the stock is simmering, check and clean the whole chicken. Boil a large pot of water. The water has to be sufficient to cover the whole chicken. Bring the water to a boil. Put the whole chicken into the pot of boiling water. OK HERE IS THE REALLY AMAZING PART>> most people boil the chicken to death, its really hard to judge is the chicken is cooked. Overcook chicken is really touch to eat. Now here is where i differ. - Once the chicken stock has been brought up to the boil for at least 2 to three minutes. Off the fire close the lid and let the hot water cook the chicken.... leave the chicken minimum of 20 minutes.... but please dont do like my friend and leave it there for only 2 minutes... even microwave can't cook this fast. The beauty of this method... you can cook the chicken hours before... and leave it there for as long as you like and the chicken will never overcook.

3. When the chicken is cooling down, the rice can be prepared. The rice is just as important as the chicken. This because the essence of good chicken rice is having tasty rice. Fry the uncooked rice in a wok with some of the chicken oil l obtained from the fat as well as some cooking oil, pandan leave, galangal and also a couple cloves of whole garlic.Keep on frying in a moderate fire. Continuously keep on turning over the rice so that it does not burn at the bottom of the wok. Continue until the rice turns a slight golden yellow shade. Next pour the rice into a pot. Add some chicken stock, salt and the balance of the water required is obtained from the water used to boil the chicken. The liquid added should cover the rice by about 1/2 an inch. Add 1 clove crushed peeled garlic and a piece of about 20 gm bruised ginger to the pot. Cook the rice. Serve in a bowl or plate.

4. While the rice is cooking, the chicken should have cooled down. To make the chicken rice sauce I use sesame oil, premium light soy, sugar, corriander and also chinese cooking wine to make the sauce. Mix the mixture to your own preference. I also add a bit of chicken stock to lighten the taste

5. The condiments are prepared by grinding the ginger and galangal(optional) together. 5 to 10 ml of concentrated chicken stock is added. About 1 tsp. of chicken oil is also added. The red peppers are then ground with the peeled garlic. They are served separately as shown in picture.

6. The soup is then made using the balance of the stock and water that was used to boil the chicken. Add the shredded cabbage. Add the peeled shallots. Add the shredded cabbage. Add salt to taste. Simmer for 15 minutes.Cut the spring onion and garnish the soup.

There you have it Chicken rice... I will post my pictures once I cooked the dish again.

Enjoy eating.

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Khao Kha Moo - Pork Leg Dish

I felt a little nostalgic today so i thought i will make a little thai pork leg soup. I did not have pork leg only pork belly so i was a little naughty and just used whatever i had. The good thing about this dish is that because the sauce is quite strong. You can escape with pork belly.

Anyway, this dish is really easy to make

Ingredients
1 pork shank, about 2 lbs or more3 cups vegetable or peanut oil6-8 cups water or enough to cover the leg in the pot1/4 teaspoon corriander powder and 5-6 fresh corriander roots5 big cloves garlic10 Sz =echuan peppercorns2 cinnamon sticks, 1 inches each2 star anise, whole 5 black peppercorns1 teaspoon black soy sauce3 tablespoons thin soy sauce1 tablespoon Golden Mountain Sauce ( fish sauce)1 teaspoon coarse sea salt2-4 tablespoons palm sugar (depending on your taste)1 teaspoon Chinese 5-Spice powder4-5 hard-boiled eggs, peeled1.5 cups pickled mustard greenFresh bokchoy, steamed


Method

Heat oil in a wok or large pan over medium heat. Add pork shank, and turn up the heat a bit. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Transfer the leg to drain on a paper towel.Pound garlic, peppercorns, and corriander in a mortar and pestle until it becomes a fine paste. Set aside.Place fried pig leg in a pot and cover with water. Add garlic paste mixture, cinnamon, star anise, black soy, thin soy, Golden Mtn, salt, palm sugar, 5-spice, and eggs. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, and cook for another 2-3 hours until tender.While the pork is cooking, thinly slice the pickled mustard green, gently squeeze it to remove the pickling liquid, and rinse it one time in a colander. Then slowly boil it in a bit of water or chicken stock, about 1.5 cups, until water evaporates, and set aside.Separately, pound 2-3 fresh Thai chile peppers in a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a small sauce bowl, add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup vinegar. This sauce should be served with the khao kha moo.Serve the meat over steamed jasmine rice, topped with some pickled mustard green, steamed bokchoy and the chile-vinegar sauce.

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Airasia charging Fat People by weight

Here is a an incentive for fat people to lose weight. I suppose if you too fat you will be charged, then maybe if you are skinny then you will get discount airfare. Well at least it gives me an incentive to stay slim.

The airlines are getting a little bit extreme.... well i suppose that is what you get from Airasia...a malaysian airline company. They want to squeeze as much money from the poor people like us.

I wonder what the airlines will think of next. Maybe they will have a beautiful people tax. good incentive for my housemates to do some more exercise

Report below

AirAsia X may charge passengers by weight
By staff writers August 04, 2008 01:45pm

Heavy measures ... AirAsia X is considering more extreme measures to increase revenue if fuel continues its march to $US200 a barrel / AFP
AIRASIA X is considering charging passengers depending on their weight in a bid to fight rising fuel prices and to "help Aussies lose weight".

The airline is allegedly considering weighing passengers to calculate the overall weight of the aircraft, said AirAsia X general manager Darren Wright.

After Australia's airlines vowed never to weigh passengers, Mr Wright told travel trade magazine Travel Today that AirAsia X is considering more extreme measures to increase revenue if fuel continues its march to $US200 a barrel.
Related Sections

Although admitting the move would be difficult to implement, Mr Wright said charging larger passengers "could help Aussies lose weight".
Mr Wright said the new weighing system would enable the airline to calculate the remaining weight allowance to be taken up with additional cargo.

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Food Club Invitation

In the coming month... we will be hosting a Kobe Beef tasting night. Vivien found a place here in Perth that sells the premium grade Kobe and Wagyu beef, as the beef is so expensive the meal will be a shared course. I hope to design a 3 course meal for 10 to do a beef sampling with some nice robust wine or Japanese SAKE...

Of course it will be a first come first serve ... and at the moment I have 8 people booked for this one of special night.... for some it will be their one time to taste the much acclaimed Wagyu and Kobe beef. I think the beef will easier set each one back by $50-70

Well I do hope my cooking can satisfy the guest, and do the beef justice.

Below is a look on the Kobe beef.... yum yum

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Italian Dishes - Pizza, Fish Chowder and Chips

I had a chance to do some Italian dishes on Monday night for my housemates, we still had some leftovers from the previous day night out. So i thought why not feed the hungry pets in my house too. Now... let me introduce you to some delicious and simple recipe even my mom could possible do it. No cookbooks needed.

The Seafood Chowder



What you need for this dish

1. Any seafood - Prawns, Fish, Scallops, etc
2. Potato
3. Parsley
4. garlic
5. Onion
7. Stock
8. Bacon

Process - Peel and boil the potato in the saucepam till soft, Fry the onion, garlic, and bacon together, put in the fish and chopped prawn and sacallops into the pan. Then put the potato together with either a chicken stock or seafood stock into the boil. Boil it and season with salt and pepper. Put in some milk and flour to thicken and throw in some chopped parsely.

Wah lah .... soup in a minute....


BEER BATTER FRIES AND JAPANESE MAYONNAISE





Kris tried is and love this. I don't know why no one ever thought of it.But the mixture of beer battered fries, with salt and Japanese's mayonnaise is such an awesome combination. I plan to add in paprika powder.

How to make - Just buy the fries from any stores... make sure its beer battered. ( Its that simple)

PIZZA OF THE EAST




I bought the pasta base from the stores... then added my own toppings.... I just discovered an awesome combination

1. Prawns
2. Scallop
3. Mushrooms
4. Rocket
5. Japanese Mayonnaise
6. Pasta Sauce
7. Mozzarella Cheese
8 Pineapple pieces
9 Salami

- I half cooked the seafood on the sauce pan with the mushroom, and add it to the pizza base. This east meets west combination was really awesome..... give it a go

This dishes are really easy to make... you will not be disappointed.

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The fastest street legal car

Triumph for Bugatti Veyron

The Bugatti Veyron has wiped the floor with the opposition in Autocar's annual 0-100-0mph contest, featured in the current issue of the world's oldest car magazine, even managing to beat a Suzuki GSX-R1000 superbike.

Featuring 25 of the world's fastest cars, from the 14th placed £79,995 Aston Martin V8 Vantage to the second-placed £34,995 Ariel Atom, the shoot-out pitches the cars against each other in a straight fight to see which is the fastest to 100mph. There's more to it than just outright speed though –" slowing from 100mph to a dead halt is just as important.

The Veyron, with its 987bhp 16-cylinder engine, wasn't necessarily the favourite to win. "A low weight tends to be the key to a good 0-100-0mph car," said Autocar's road test editor Adam Towler. "Cars like the Ariel Atom and Caterham Superlight historically dominate this contest."

But the 1890kg £880,000 Bugatti ripped through the gears to hit 60mph in 2.8sec and 100mph in an astonishing 5.5sec. It then stopped in just 3.4sec, giving a 0-100-0mph time of 9.9sec.

Not only is the Bugatti faster than the Suzuki, it creates more g-force at maximum acceleration than you'd experience in an F-16 jet fighter at take off or when skydiving.

But the lightweights still turned in an impressive performance, from the relatively unknown £32k Brooke Double R in fourth place to the £35k Ariel Atom 300 in second.

"Although the Veyron is undoubtedly the quickest road car ever, you can still have nearly as much fun for much less money," said Adam Towler. "It's good to see British sports cars doing so well against such an impressive machine as the Bugatti."

Autocar also brought along an A1 GP car, driven by Brit Robbie Kerr, to see how a purpose-built race car would compare with road-going machinery. The 550bhp single seater weighs just 695kg, and proved to be the fastest vehicle on the day with a 0-100-0mph time of 8.4sec.

Competing Cars
0-100-0 Time
(seconds)

A1 GP
8.40

Bugatti Veyron
9.90

Suzuki GSX-R1000
10.70

Ariel Atom S'Charged
11.00

Ariel Atom 450
11.05

Atom Private Owned
11.05

Caterham CSR260
11.95

Brooke Double R
12.50

Porsche 911 Turbo
12.50

Ford Focus WRC
13.57

Lambo Gallardo
13.65

Ascari KZ1
13.80

Corvette Z06
13.80

Alpina B6
14.80

BMW M6
14.95

TVR Tuscan 2
15.00

BMW M5
15.20

Audi RS4
15.80

Aston V8 Vantage
15.81

BMW Z4M Roadster
15.95

Porsche Cayman S
16.46

Lotus Exige S
16.60

Nissan 350Z
18.80

Vauxhall Astra Sprint
18.85

Vauxhall Astra VXR
19.05

Renault Megane F1
20.55

Mazda 6MPS
21.00

Ford Focus ST
21.35

Vauxhall Vectra VXR
22.35

Vauxhall Astra Thurlby
22.65

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Chilli Mussel

Preparation Time

10 minutes

Cooking Time

10 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1kg greenlip (New Zealand) mussels,
• scrubbed, debearded
• 500g black (local) mussels,
• scrubbed, debearded
• 1 x 400g can diced tomatoes with basil (La Gina brand)
• 185ml (3/4 cup) dry white wine
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 fresh long red chillies, finely chopped
• 1 fresh red birdseye chilli, finely chopped
• 2 tbs drained finely chopped capers
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbs coarsely chopped fresh
• continental parsley
• 2 tbs coarsely chopped fresh green
• basil leaves
• 2 tsp finely grated fresh lemon rind

Method

1. Combine mussels, tomato, wine and garlic in a large heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Cook, covered, shaking the pan occasionally, for 8 minutes or until mussels open. Discard any unopened mussels. Remove from heat.
2. Add the chillies and capers, and gently toss until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
3. Combine the parsley, basil and lemon rind in a small bowl. Spoon the mussels and pan juices among serving bowls. Sprinkle with the parsley mixture and serve immediately.

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Scotch Fillet Steak - A great simple dish

This is a dish even a less than capable cook can cook. I bought a lot of scotch fillet at the wholesale market, so i thought this would be a good way to experiment with some new recipe
I had some jack daniels lying around the house courtesy of Victor, so i thought i should use some before he finishes with it.

I would call this dish

JD Scotch Fillet with double cooked Potatoe and Mixed Vegetable

So what you need.

1. Scotch Fillet Steak
2. Jack daniel
3. Salt
4. Worchester Sauce
5. Rosemary
6. Potatoe
7. Mixed Vegetable
8. Butter
9. Mustard
10. Pepper

For the steak :

Marinate with Jack daniel, Worchester Sauce, Salt, Pepper, and Mustard. Leave it to stand for 20 min and then cook it over a hot pan. Put some oil and rosemarry stalk on the pan. Sear one side for 2 minutes and the other for another 2. Then i put the steak in the oven for about 15 minute. Depending on the thickness of the cut and of course if you like it, you can also cook on the pan slowly.

For the Potatoe

I boil the potatoe in salted water. and then when its partially cooked i take it out and fry it on the pan with a little salt, rosemary, pepper and butter.

For the mixed veg

While you can do it either way, steam it, put some butter or cook it and serve on the ikea swedish meatball sauce.


Well.... the star of this recipe is the steak.... try it with the JD and worchester sauce....


Cool !!! Hope you enjoy this new recipe i created... i served it with 2 type of sauce.

One is either a red wine reduction or just plain old BBQ sauce. I will teach more techniques in the next few blogs.

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Teriyaki Beef - The secret

Here is a simple Teriyaki recipe, if you are ever going to make one. I have been around the Japanese restaurants in Perth and no restaurant could beat Kabuki, so i decided to replicate the dish.

So here it is to make a really simple and delicious teriyaki beef. Ingredient

1. Scotch fillet
2. Sesame Seed
3. Teriyaki Sauce marinade or to make your own sauce if you want
To make your own sauce :
1. Soy Sauce
2. Mirin
3. Sugar
4. Salt
5. Sweet sauce

Now the key to making a great beef teriyaki is to first freeze the scotch fillet, defrost it in mircowave. till it is partially frozen. then use a knife to cut really thin slice of beef. The key is the beef has to be really thin. Then use a grill or wok to grill the beef, put some salt and cook until it is cooked.

Make the sauce separately, by mixing

1. Teriyaki marinade
2. Sweet sauce
3. Sugar
4. Soy Sauce.

Mix to taste - the sauce should be thick and viscous. Then mix back the beef. And you have the most beautiful teriyaki beef.

Yes i also granish it with Japanese seaweed, sort of like a all-in-one.

Ok ... enjoy and hope you will succeed.

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Tech Show

Saturday on the weekend, we planned to visit the tech exhibition expo call G03 but seriously I sort of half guessed it would not be a big event. The entry was free so that was a big plus. 4 of us went, myself, esther, chong yee and bird.

There wasn't much to crow about except that there was a lot of games and DVDs to buy. Stores were mainly exhibiting their wares like laptops and graphic cards. But since it was free, it was not too bad to visit.

Below are some photos

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Chicken with Sechuan Squid and Salad

This is a simple recipe i created, which is pretty easy to make and takes only about 15 minutes.
All you need is Chicken wings, squid, egg, any lettuce, bread, ham and Parmesan cheese. As i was a little lazy this recipe only needed deep fryer and a wok.

Double cook Chicken - marinate with Sesame oil, soy sauce and a little pepper, then deep fry them and later grill them over the wok with a little oyster sauce. Yum !

Squid - I used corriander powder, salt, pepper and a little chinese wine and dust it with a little sechuan powder, fry them in the wok and season with lime

Salad - Toast the bread with butter or garlic, break them into pieces, put them on the lettuce, poached an egg ( 4 min in boiling water), fry some bacon.. and put some leftover lime or balsamic vinegar

Hope you enjoy it !

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Firehouse Bistro Review

Firehouse Bar & Restaurant (The)
Country Comfort Intercity Hotel
249 - 263 Great Eastern Hwy
Belmont 6104

This restaurant is the one the most people will miss, situated in the Country Comfort Intercity Hotel, it has no frontage to announce its presence. The only reason people will know the place is if they are staying in the hotel or have with them an entertainment book.

One of the beauty of this place is that it has a great cosy atmosphere, and wonderful service. We had booked for 7pm and pre-ordered our food. The food came on time, though some us did not.
The one that got my attention was the spare ribs, it was beautiful.. The meat was soft and tender and breaks clean from the bone, the sauce was heavenly.

If you go, make sure you order the ribs !! Its a must !!



The King of the RIBS !



Seafood Pasta - It was a little creamy and not too spectacular



Lets just say the size was a little small



Seafood platter - The usual,. Fried food

If you are going to be around belmont, please make this one of your pitstop ! Did i tell you that its also very cheap !

7.5/10

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