the peepshow machine

It's always heartening to see my couples going through a milestone like the 10th Anniversary, or even silver anniversary. But I've not been in this business that long yet so gimme 15 more years... lol...

Here is a family that wanted to capture that moment in time with two new additions! Kind of like renewing their vows... very sweet... :)






We went back to the church they got married in.







Railway tracks are always fun to shoot.... and it conveys the message 'Let's journey on together'... tacky message? maybe... but definitely on the spot.






Parents can be stylo milo too... lol






I had to take this shot in seconds because the kids were getting too heavy!





Somehow this reminds me of The Wizard of Oz... hmmm if only her shoes were ruby red.





I didn't really plan this shot... just made mother and daughter sit together. And sometimes the things they do naturally appear magical.





Here's to Sebastian & Angeline... another 10 more years and beyond!

It feels a lot like Christmas now :)

And here is a list of my top 5 Christmas songs that I've enjoyed year after year. Some new and some old from my days of caroling, yet they never get boring.

In no particular order here they are:


















Ok, ok. I went more than 5... I could have gone on forever... enjoy!

Had a blast with friends for some pre-Christmas loving last Saturday! Josephine, always the main organizer for this group of friends, consistently managed to scavenge new places to eat. This time it is was Hatched, a hole-in-the-wall all-day-breakfast cafe along Evan's Road.

I liked the place, very casual and old skool chic. The food was nice but the portions are small as is with most places like this in Singapore. Unlike the portions in the US, the prices are similar but the sizes of the dishes are 3-4 times bigger!





The unassuming facade.





The entrance.





The cutesy designed menu.





Good coffee for my caffeine addiction!





Burly Benedict and Le Rossini.





Hitch Me Up and The Full Morty.




Waffles that came with Hitch Me Up and Banana Pancake Party.



I'll probably go back a few more times for brunch just to check out their other stuffs.
Their website is pretty cool too... check it out here: http://www.hatched.sg/



And it's time to open the presents!!!!













And who can ever forget our resident pet, Kai!





So adorable!

To all who are shopaholics and online shoppers! Be prepared! The Black Friday sale in the USA are now on! Go to any US shopping sites and see the prices slashed! Kenneth Cole is having sales and on top of the current sale prices, they are going to give back US$50 for every US$150 spent!

Levis are having 40% discount too. And so is Ralph Lauren with an additional 10% if you key in the code BZR29361.

Get more info here http://bfads.net & http://dealspl.us

SHOP! SHOP! SHOP!

lol.....

Here's a really good and easy way of making your very own laksa. I kind of stumbled upon the sauce while cooking another dish.

Here are the ingredients you need. I don't usually measure so just go with your gut feeling :)

   Prawns
   Sambal
   Coconut Milk
   Laksa Leaves
   Fish Cake
   Bean Sprouts
   Deep Fried Bean Curd (Tau Kwa)
   Laksa Noodles





De-shell the prawns.
Boil some water and throw in the shells and especially the heads. Let it simmer.
Dip the prawns into the broth for a while until lightly cooked. Over-cooking the prawns would turn them tough.





Heat up a bit of oil over medium fire and stir-fry a few laksa leaves. Once the aroma hits you, stir in the sambal. Do use your favorite sambal as not all sambal are created equal. Slowly pour in the coconut milk and keep stirring till it boils. Lower the fire. Remember the stock we made with the shells? Pour some of it into the sauce. Add in the tau kwa and leave it to simmer. Now you're done with the sauce!

Boil some water to cook the noodles, bean sprouts and fish cake.





For the finale, just chop some laksa leaves and garnish....

Yummy!

Here's a preview of the shoot I did in Melaka. It was very, very warm! And thank God the haze there was just starting to form so it wasn't too bad. But I think it would have made a very interesting look if it got worst, like a natural smoke machine.

How can I blog about Melaka without blogging about food! Here my list of must try places:

Jonker 88
It's along the famous Jonker Street.



You'll notice this place with a long queue for it's famous Assam Laksa.
They close at about 3pm-ish and not opened for dinner. So be there early!


Taragon Bistro
No. 42A & 44A, Lorong Hang Jebat. Melaka, Malaysia, 75200





They serve both Nonya & Western food. Not tried their Western stuff but the Nonya dishes were not too bad.
If you enjoy sitting by the river al fresco style... this is the perfect place to be, very nice ambience.



Donald & Lily's
At the junction of Lorong Hang Jebat & Jalan Laksamana 1.

I forgot to snap the front of the stall but here's one I found online







This was the most satisfying meal I had in Melaka! I ordered the Laksa, Ayam Ponteh (I finished it before shooting... Opps...), and Chendol. And all for RM$12! Cheap and good!
But do take note that they serve different dishes everyday and Sunday has the most variety.



Teo Soon Leong Restaurant
No.55, Jalan Hang Kasturi, 75200 Melaka



The unassuming entrance.





The Oyster Mee is yummo! Definitely a must try.
And the Wanton is not too bad too.





The sambal kangkong & fish was ok. Nothing to shout about.
I like the Yam Paste (Or Nee) though, in fact it's one of their signature dishes.
I'll definitely be back! :)



How Kuai Restaurant
It's at the end of Jonker Street nearer to the Stage. Not towards the chicken rice ball.





The Wanton Mee here is nice.



Capitol Satay Celup
No. 41, Lorong Bukit Cina. 75100 Melaka.



Be prepared to wait for at least 30 mins for this treat. The food here is delish! If you are wondering what the difference between celup and lok lok is, for celup u actually cook the food in boiling peanut sauce but for lok lok you cook it in boiling stock and dip into peanut sauce right before eating.
They only open from 5pm onwards till late.
This really brought me back to the 70s when my granddad used to bring the whole family to eat celup in the hawker center.

That's it for the Melaka food... opps I mean work trip!

During our casual shoot in Melaka, I requested the bride to do a bun with chopstick in hair. I've always liked that look.

Coincidentally, we were just walking past this old skool salon and she just walked in!










I've not stepped into such a salon since the 70s and early 80s with my mom.
It's rather cool but I'm not sure if I dare to get my hair styled there. Haha.

I was very impressed with The Majestic Hotel.

Great service, huge & gorgeous rooms and a budget that doesn't break the bank.





Here's the facade of the hotel (bride and groom not included).





It's in the details! There were old skool tidbits all over the reception area. And guests are free to munch on the goodies. If I weren't there for work I'll probably park myself there. Lol...





The Welcome Drink was very welcoming. The petite receptionist was carrying it while showing me to my room. She even poured me the drink. The chinese tea was nice and I felt all warm & healthy inside. But I wished they had provided ice as well. It was a very warm season and a cool glass of drink would be perfect.





The room.





The bed.





The bathroom.





The clawfoot tub.





And the turndown service. It was a very nice touch to give nonya kueh rather than chocolate or mint or chocolate mint.

I slept like a baby. But then I always sleep like a baby no matter the condition of the room. Haha :p

Unfortunately it's not me that's being stalked but my client.

Seriously!

We were in Melaka for a pre-wedding shoot and an old auntie just kept staring at him and following him for about 4hours. She even waited outside the restaurant we were eating at. It was quite funny but I really felt sad for the auntie... Sometimes you wonder how mentally different people think. If only I have some mind reading powers...

I'm sure you're curious how the groom looks like... Isn't he stalk-worthy? And very tall too... 1.9m I think.