Better Relationships With Your Partner

I came across this article in "Women's Weekly" magazine and feels that some of its tips were quite useful. There are times when we might get too comfortable in a relationship and end up taking our partners for granted or forget the feeling of being in love. This article offers tips to help pave the way for a smoother relationship and its especially useful for those who are tired of arguing with your partner and keeping score ;>

• Be nice to each other (Don't overlook the importance of a kind gesture. When the two of you are in the middle of a spat, force yourself to do something nice for him-you can get him a cup of coffee, hand him his glasses or even motion towards a chair for him to sit, say psychologists Michele Weiner-Davis, author of Divorce Busting. These little ice breakers have tremendous psychological impact)

• Stop; think; write (Sometimes your argument looks ridiculous once it's on paper. Instead of blurting out what is making you angry, jot it down on a notepad. Therapists say this strategy serves another important function: It gives you time to cool off)

• Mind your manners (We sometimes treat the people closest to us with less respect than we do the cashier at the supermarket. So try not to be sarcastic or biting. Listen with respect to what he has to say, and don't interrupt when he's talking. You'll be amazed at how many would-be fights simply fizzle out)

• Know when to quit (Don't hound your husband to agree with your point in the heat of an argument. If he gives in, even grudgingly, back off and let him save face. Sometimes an argument goes on simply because one person refuses to let it end)

• Think happy thoughts ( Try to remind yourself of why the two of you are together in the first place by using a specific image.For example, when you are mad with your partner, take a deep breath and make yourself recall that magic moment when the two of you first met or how caring he was when you were sick or unhappy)

• Ask yourself: "Would i rather be right-or happy?" (Squash the urge to prove yourself right every time, even when you are the most blameless woman on the planet. "You can be right and still be miserable for the rest of your life," says Dr Weiner-Davis)

Yummy Treat from Gelare :>

Oda Yuji: I Love Somebody

Another nice song to recommend :> Oda Yuji not only acts well but sings well too!

Couple of Fantasy also known as Couple or Trouble

I bought the dvd set for this drama last Thursday at Blue Max Video Store at Suntec City for only $15! It is really a great bargain as i checked at Poh Kim Video Store and Laserflair and they were selling the VCD set for about $32. The DVD set was about $40+. So for those who like the drama,you should buy it at Blue Max Video Store :> I have wanted to buy the dvd set since i finish watching the drama on Starhub VV channel recently. It was shown in Korea in 2006. It is a funny and entertaining show. Even my hubby who seldom watches Korean drama was attracted to the show and its catchy songs.

More info of the drama:

Cast:

Han Ye Seul as Ana Jo

Oh Ji Ho as Jang Chul Soo

Kim Sung Min as Park Billy

Park Han Byul as Yoo Kyung Eun

Recognition

AWARD: 2006 MBC Drama Awards - Excellence Award (Han Ye Seul)
AWARD: 2006 MBC Drama Awards - Popularity Award (Han Ye Seul and Oh Ji Ho)
AWARD: 2006 MBC Drama Awards - Best Couple (Han Ye Seul and Oh Ji Ho)
AWARD: 2006 MBC Drama Awards - Best Drama

Synopsis:

The fast-paced yet comical drama became quite popular, consequently turning its film locations of Namhae Island into famous tourist sites. This is a laugh-your-heart-out comical drama centered on these three characters in “Couple of Trouble.” Jo Anna is a successor of a tremendous amount of inheritance and has no peers above her here on earth or even in the heavens. Her husband Park Billy is not even a person worthy of her respect. He is a subservient fellow who always has to be aware of Jo Anna’s moods. Anna would later meet a man, Jang Cheol-Su who has no money, no education, and on top of that, three nephews to look after.

Due to a quarrel with Billy that threatens to end their marriage, Anna gets drunk and falls overboard her yacht and falls victim to a bad case of amnesia. As Anna loses her memory and everyone thought she was dead, Cheol-Su took her in without realising that she is a woman without discretion and doesn’t know how to do anything. He had expected to save some money from hiring a maid to clean his house and take care of his nephews by getting Anna to do all the work. From pampered and rich to blue-collar status, Ana Jo finds herself slowly falling for Chul Soo when he starts to care about her.

More Coffee Prince Pictures :>

Korean Claypot Ramyum: Yummy instant ramen!

I have been trying out various brands of instant noodle and so far my favourites are Maggi chicken/curry instant noodle (healthier also without MSG). However, me and hubby were craving for something new when we were shopping for groceries and were attracted to the packaging of this Korean instant ramen at NTUC supermarket. It was also because i have been watching alot of Korean dramas lately hehe am attracted to anything Korean.

The instant ramen tastes very nice and crunchy and the soup seasoning was really great! I added some sesame oil to further enhance the flavour of the soup. I also added in cabbage, crabstick, mushroom, mushroom pork ball and sausage to the ramen (you can add in whatever extra ingredients that you like depending on your own taste ;> my hubby is always complaining that i add too much ingredients and he cannot finish it but i like food with lots of variety hehe). If only i can find instant Zha Jiang Mian, have strong craving for that...

Great food at The Asian Kitchen

This is one restaurant that me and my hubby like going to whenever we are at Citylink (located at B1-21). The food is great and the prices are reasonable! My favourite dishes there are the Zha Jiang Mian and Dumpling Soup Noodle :> The sides dishes are also very yummy.

Coffee Prince Wallpaper

Korean Drama: Coffee Prince

I just finished watching this drama online. As it is a great and entertaining show, i can't wait to purchase the vcd set. This drama is based from a romantic comedy manga by writer Lee Sun Mi (이선미). Ever been mistaken as the opposite sex? Go Eun-Chan (Yoon Eun-Hye) the heroine, encounters this as part of her everyday life as she looks and acts the average male while working hard to support her family. After her father’s death it was up to her to drop out of school and work hard in order to earn a living. From being a delivery “boy,” taekwondo instructor, and even peeling chestnuts, Eun-Chan’s done it all! Even though she lives the hard life, she couldn’t be more than happy supporting her family.

Over an unusual turn of events, Eun-Chan meets Choi Han-Kyul (Gong Yoo), who assumes Eun-Chan is a boy, and decides to team up with him and pretend to be his “boyfriend” in order to chase away the many women who want to be his future wife, and of course so Eun-Chan can earn money while doing it!While Eun-Chan doesn’t mind pretending to be a boy and letting Han-Kyul assume what he wants about her sexual orientation, she slowly begins to develop feelings for him…

At the same time, Han-Kyul can’t seem to get Eun-Chan out of his mind which is driving him crazy! Han-Kyul is the most testosterone filled man there ever was, and yet he’s beginning to realize he likes Eun-Chan… This drama will beautifully portray the human characteristics of love, confusion, happiness, and self-identity as Han-Kyul fights with his own beliefs as he slowly falls in love with Eun-Chan. I really like Han-Kyul's character as he throws all his passion into following his heart and loving Eun-Chan. He was also very devoted and caring to Eun-Chan.

I read online that MBC has already expressed interest in filming a sequel , but because Gong Yoo is enlisting for the army within the year, he may not be able to participate in the sequel.

Oda Yuji Japanese Drama: Joudan Janai!

This is one interesting and entertaining Japanese drama that i would highly recommend to friends. I have been a huge fan of Oda Yuji since watching his drama serial "Tokyo Love Story" in 1991. I have always enjoy watching his drama serials, especially the romantic drama serial "Last Christmas" in 2004.

For this current drama, i find the pairing of Oda Yuji and Ueno Juri refreshing and they show great chemistry in the show despite their huge age difference.The plot is refreshing and it is a home comedy in which Oda Yuji plays a 40-year-old computer design technician Takamura Keita who marries a 20-year-old university student, Ellen (Ueno Juri). The couple fly off to France to visit Ellen's parent's and seek permission for marriage. However Keita bumps into his ex girlfriend from his University days, Hirose Rei (Ohtake Shinobu) who is Ellen's mother!

Still going ahead with the marriage Keita shows an awkwardness towards Rei and if news ever got out that he used to date Ellen's mother, all hell would break loose. Rei adds to the trouble by returning to Tokyo and staying unannounced with the newly weds. As typical of Oda's previous drama outings, this is filled with great little comic moments in amongst the crazy script and wonderful cast.

PC Game Sally's Salon

I came across this interesting game online. If you are feeling bored and wishes to play a brainless game, this is the game for you :> You can go to this website http://www.playfirst.com/ for the free trial game (1 hour) and imagine yourself being a salon boss for an hour hehe. Its quite fun as you can purchase equipments and employees for the salon. There are also other trial games you can play for free. Have fun!

Japanese Curry Recipes

I went shopping at Isetan Supermarket and got the free brochure "House Curry Creative Recipe Book" from the counter promoting Japanese Curry. Found some of the recipes easy to prepare and yummy and would share it here.


Beef Curry (cooking time 40 mins, serving 8-10 person)


Ingredients:

House Vermont Curry (1 pkt-250g)
Beef (Bite size-500g)
Potato (cubed-5 pcs, 600g)
Carrot (cubed-1 pc, 200g)
Onion (chopped-5 pcs, 600g)
Mushroom (200g)
Oil (3 tbsp,39g)
Water (7 cups, 1400cc)


Method:

1. Pour oil in hot pan and stir-fry beef, potato, carrot and onion. Then add mushroom.
2. Add water and boil until all ingredients are tender over medium heat.
3. Turn off fire. Break up House Vermont Curry Mix and add. Stir until curry mix is entirely dissolved. Simmer for 15 mins over low heat.
4. Serve over boiled or steamed rice.



Broccoli & Shimeji Mushroom Curry (cooking time 40 mins, serving 8-10 person)


Ingredients:

House Vermont Curry (1 pkt, 250g)
Broccoli (florets, 260g)
Onion (chopped, 4-5pcs, 600g)
Carrot (bite size, 1 pc, 200g)
Potato (bite size, 3 pcs, 450g)
Beef (bite size, 500g)
Mushroom (Shimeji, 200g) can also use shitake mushroom
Oil (2 tbsp, 26g)
Water (7 cups, 1400cc)


Method:

1. Boil broccoli florets for 1-2 mins and drain the water and set aside.
2. Boil oil in hot pan and stir-fry beef, potato, carrot and onion for 5-10 mins. Then add mushroom.
3. Pour water and boil until all ingredients are tender over medium heat.
4. Turn off fire. Break up House Vermont Curry Mix and add. Stir until curry mix is entirely dissolved.
5. Add broccoli and simmer for 5 mins over low heat. Serve over boiled or steamed rice.

Japanese Curry Rice

One of my favourite food is Japanese Curry Rice as i cannot eat spicy curry. Japanese curry is also sweet and healthier because there is no coconut milk added. You can serve with rice or udon and it is very easy to cook. I always buy the ready made sauce (there are a wide variety to choose from, i bought curry with a touch of apple and honey) from the supermarket at Bishan Junction 8. Not all supermarkets sell Japanese Curry, you can also buy at the Isetan Supermarket at Orchard. I just had to follow the instruction on the packaging to boil the curry. I would then add in potato, shitake mushroom, broccoli florets to the boiling curry and let it simmered for awhile. As you can see from the picture, i also added fried fish fillet and scrambled egg which are optional. You can just serve the curry over rice if you prefer something lighter and healthier. The fun thing about Japanese Curry Rice is that you can add in whatever ingredients you like. I found that mushroom goes very well with the curry and enhances its taste. I had also fried some pratas and it goes very well with the curry :>

Hilltop Hong Kong Cafe

In my previous post on "VITTLES" restaurant, i had mentioned trying out the food at the Hong Kong Cafe next to it. I went there with my brother and mother last Saturday evening and the place was not very crowded. However it was full house when we finished our food an hour later. The staff were very attentive and helpful. The decor of the cafe was very simple and the prices were very economical (no service charge). We were especially impressed by the wide range of food choices.

We ordered zha jiang mian, fried dumpling, steamed dumpling, xiao long bao, fish fillet rice with cream sauce (you can change the rice to spaghetti), fried noodles and hong kong milk tea. The restuarant also provides free iced water on request. We got our food and drinks in less than 10 minutes.

I have been having frequent craving of zha jiang mian with fried dumpling since watching the Korea drama "Couple or Trouble". The main character in the drama was always eating zha jiang mian with fried dumpling and the dishes looked so appetizing hehe. I also feel that fried dumpling goes very well with zha jiang mian. I have been eating the same food 3 times last week at "The Asiana Kitchen" at Citylink and the food court near my place.

I like the Zha Jiang Mian (although it would be great if they could use dark sauce and add more sauce to the dish), Fish fillet rice and fried dumpling the most. The rest of the dishes were normal. The Xiao Long Bao pales out when compared to Crystal Jade or Ding Tai Feng. However, for the excellent service, wide choices and reasonably priced food (our total bill was about $27), i would definitely recommend this cafe to my friends. I am looking forward to trying out the other food offered by the cafe.

Add of Hilltop Hong Kong Cafe: 369 Sembawang Road #01-03/04 Sembawang Cottage Singapore 758382
Tel: 6445 5867

More Pictures of Surgeon Bong Dal Hee