Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

Moments of joy we share
Tears of sorrow we shed
Love and laughter we cherish
Moments of comfort we embrace

With you walking by my side
Printing footsteps with each stride
Explore the love lane with my dear
Happy moments are right here

Time flies. Miles and I celebrated our first anniversary as a couple recently. When it comes to anniversary, there are different ways to celebrate it. It could be a romantic candle light dinner, a bouquet of flowers, a nice gift etc. A nice surprise, in my opinion, is a wonderful way to celebrate anniversary.

Having told that there will be an anniversary cake, I had no idea what the cake will look like, besides for it being a heart-shaped cake.

Surprise! A nicely decorated anniversary cake that Miles prepared in the midst of his hectic exam schedule. How sweet! p/s: very neat handwriting for one who doesn’t grow up learning Chinese.

The “interior” of the cake; red and blue (Miles’ and my favourite colour, respectively) marble patterns, with chocolate ganache in the middle, and topped with buttercream icing.

Of course, we shared the cake with friends too. It was one of the best homemade cake I ever had; rich but not too sweet. Very well done (someone mistakenly thought it was store-bought)!

Happy Anniversary, Miles! Thank you very much for the lovely cake :)

It feels great when the dawn is here before 7 a.m. nowadays. Unlike winter, getting into work in the dark and getting off work in the dark.

On my way to the bus stop this morning, I was greeted by the warm and friendly sunshine. Crisp morning, clear sky, and gorgeous sunshine! It’d have been a spectacular view watching the sun rising from the horizons. Unfortunately, Fredericton is not anywhere near the east coast :P

Among all the seafood delicacies, fish is one of my favourites. I enjoy eating fish, catching fish (fishing), and admiring fish. Fishes seem to have a good time swimming in the water, especially those living in a fish tank that don’t have to worry much about predators.

Keeping fishes as pets is certainly not my forte. I remembered keeping a Betta fish as a young kid, but it survived only a couple of months. Since then, I realized that I enjoy seeing them but not keeping them ;)

Miles’ Dad is a fish lover. There are four fish tanks in the house that are homes to many colourful and active fishies.

The Goldfish.

From left: Japanese Algae Eaters (orange), Neon tetras (red and blue), a Yoyo Loach (black and white patterns), and a Pleco Algae Eater.

From left: a Cichlid, a Green Severum (dark colour), and a Gold Severum (light colour).

This past weekend was Easter weekend. Besides a turkey meal, and many other delicious treats, we had a chance to enjoy this lovely Easter Bunny Cake!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter celebration!

Do you like soft cookies, or crunchy ones? Personally, I like the texture that lies in between; not too soft and not too hard. The baking time, hence, plays a major role in determining the texture of cookies. I usually bring cookies out of the oven when they start turning brown on the side. The cooling process allows them to harden some. Therefore, cookies will taste crunchy but soft for chewing ;)

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 + 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp honey
1 + 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cup rolled oats
1 cup raisins

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the eggs, vanilla extract, and honey.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, baking soda, and ground cinnamon. Next, gradually stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture from step (1). Stir until well incorporated.
3. Lastly, stir in the rolled oats and raisins, just enough to mix.
4. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto a lined cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cookies start to brown. Remove from baking sheet and cook on wire racks.

* Adapted from Allrecipes.com

It has been a long haul before the nice weather finally arrived! Nonetheless, I’ve to admit the fact that this year’s winter was short and we don’t usually get 10+ degrees until closer to May. I won’t complain too much, for all I can say :P

Last Thursday was a sunny day; a good day for me to try out my new camera lens *v*

On the walking bridge, which used to be a railway.

The sun was shinning brightly.

The seagulls were enjoying the sunset too :)

This guy has already started roller skating!

People were taking a stroll at the park.

Running….

The moon was gorgeous, almost a full moon, but not quite. Focusing on the branches, blurring the moon.

Focusing on the moon, blurring the branches.

A second attempt of the same idea. Focusing on the branches, blurring the moon.

Focusing on the moon, blurring the branches.

The Happy Baker is looking busy, with a basketful of breads, cupcakes, and other delightful goodies!

The cakes on display, look delicious.

Cream-filled croissant, drizzled with chocolate sauce and dusted with icing sugar.

A closer look at the croissant.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Tart.

Smiley face cookie, with raspberry jelly sandwiched in between.

The Raspberry Surprise Tart.

Hot cross bun and lemon tarts.

Aromatic coffee beans on sale too. A complimentary “Happy Baker” bag on a minimum purchase of $20.

When it comes to food catering, cakes for parties and weddings etc., The Happy Baker is certainly one of the best in town. Although it can be a bit pricey, the pastries are super delicious and certainly a nice treat to the taste buds! Try it, and you’ll love it!

The broken ice chunks on the Nashwaak River, Fredericton North about two weeks ago.

Very abnormal winter indeed! I remembered there were times where Fredericton was visited by snowflakes in mid-April. This year, however, there were some relatively warmer days (above the freezing point) in January that bike enthusiasts were out riding their bicycles!

This past weekend, it was a record-high temperature of 15 degrees Celsius in the winter month! People were out in t-shirts and shorts, and started outdoor barbecuing! As of last Saturday, Fredericton area received about 135 cm of snow, as compared to the norm being 225 cm. The same time last year, there had been 275 cm snow accumulated in this capital city. In other words, the amount of snow we received thus far was only half of what we got in the last winter!

Cooler nights (below freezing) and warmer days (above freezing) for the past two weeks turned out to be good news for maple syrup harvest! The tappers couldn’t ask for better weather condition. Once the night temperature rises above freezing point, the maple saps will divert into new buds and leaves, which then ends the harvest season.

Welcome to the Malaysian Cultural Night 2010! About 30 students from the Malaysian Students’ Society of University of New Brunswick have put together a cultural night in the city of Fredericton on February 20th, 2010.

It was part of my university life; joining the board of committee and organizing events for the society members, as well as the community. The highlight was no other than the cultural night, which I considered as something of great challenge, knowing that the preparation work can take up to 3 months, if not more. Thanks to the society members who put in time and effort to make things possible, despite their busy schedules as full-time students.

This year, I was invited to be one of the masters of ceremony (a.k.a. emcees), while Miles filled in as a photographer.

It was a good-size crowd of 150 people; students, faculty members, and people from the community.

The backdrop of the stage.

Clementines! Yes, it was still Chinese New Year…

Red packets (a.k.a. Ang Pau)! They contained numbers for lucky draw.

A big and gorgeous bouquet made of “Bunga Telur” (a.k.a. Egg Flower). These flowers were given out as door prizes.

Rangoli, sandpainting with finely ground coloured powders, is known as a popular form of Indian art.

The Malaysian flag.

Food…food…best of all, it’s Malaysian food! Limited ingredients, restricted hours of preparation, and lack of manpower; despite all these, the food was made possible, scrumptious, delicious, appealing…. *thumbs up*

Want to find out more about Malaysian culture? Check out the exhibition section.

Performance of Silat, Malay martial arts.

Chinese Umbrella Dance.

The great finale–Lion Dance!

It was an eventful day. By the end of the evening, I was ready to hit the sack. What a wonderful way to introduce the Malaysian culture to the crowd which comprised of different nationalities, Canadian, Thai, Indian, Filipino, Chinese, and many more. Furthermore, it was a rewarding experience of tasting the Malaysian cuisine, learning Malaysian cultures, as well as enjoying cultural performances, without visiting Malaysia :)

I love this. What a great way to promote the city public transit! The chart doesn’t only provide the difference in total cost by owning a car and riding the bus, but the detailed information also gives the general public an idea of what really adds up. The final line is a good one too: increased daily costs with usage of car, BUT decreased daily costs with usage of bus. Finally, “It Pays to Use Transit.”

Whoever came out with this chart, I’m hoping that he/she is taking the public transit him/herself. Owning a car is expensive. That’s very well true. Better still, keeping a car costs more. Depending on the manufacturer, condition, etc., a ten-year-old used car can easily be purchased at merely $3,ooo, or even less. According to the chart above, the total cost to maintain the car is far more than the cost of the car itself. $6,500 (total cost from the chart) - $2,820 (leasing cost) = $3,680.

Let’s do the math. Divide the annual estimated cost by 12. $3,680/12 = ~ $307. Come to think of it… how many of us spend $307 on groceries each month for one person? Are we spending more on the car than on ourselves? Does it mean that we treasure the car more?

I know not everyone agrees with me. Owning car for the family is one thing, but owning car for just one person seems almost ridiculous! Of course, if you have no other debts to look after and that you can afford it, why not?

Having said that, car is a necessity nowadays, especially if you don’t live close to workplace. Taking a bus costs less, but I’ve to admit that the traveling time is not very flexible. In a small city like Fredericton, be ready to wait for another 30 minutes to an hour for the next bus. Worse still, limited buses on Saturdays, and no bus available on Sundays.

To own a car or to ride the bus? The decision is up to individuals. I considered myself fortunate that I can ride the bus to and fro work during the cold months, and ride my bicycles during the warmer months. Nonetheless, when I can finally settle down in the city some day, having a car is a nice treat.

Tim Hortons, the all-time favourite “kopitiam (coffee shop)” in Canada. I don’t visit Tim Hortons very often, but I make an effort to take some pictures when I’m there. Here are some of the pictures from Tim Hortons for the past six months or so.

The fall treats from Tim Hortons. Pumpkin spiced muffin and doughnut. There was even pumpkin spiced tea offered, around the Halloween season.

Cinnamon raisin, blueberry, whole grain, plain…. lots of options available for just a bagel. Can’t make up your mind? Try this “everything bagel.” Toasted “Everything bagel” with cream cheese (choice of plain, strawberry, or garlic & herb).

Hot breakfast sandwich, with a seasoned egg patty, a slice of processed cheese, and choice of sausage or bacon, on freshly baked tea biscuits.

Yummy breakfast sandwich!

Hot breakfast sandwich for the bagel lovers!

Candy Cane Doughnut; chocolate doughnut with chocolate glaze, and candy cane sprinkles. Needless to say, it was for the Christmas season!

Pastry filled with cream cheese and topped with raspberry jam.

Caramel Apple Fritter, made of chunks of apple and spiced of cinnamon.

Canadian doughnut, in conjunction with the Winter Olympics Games 2010 held in Vancouver, British Columbia on Feb. 12th to 28th.

It was just a business project created for his MBA entrepreneurship class, but 6 years ago, Naz made his business plan a reality by opening up the Caribbean Flavas Restaurant. An award-winning restaurant nestled in the heart of downtown Fredericton, this casual fine dining restaurant offers cuisine that is influenced by different cultures; African, Asian, European, as well as Indian.

The tropical decor reminded me a lot about tropical countries such as Malaysia. Miles and I went to this restaurant during lunch hour and enjoyed their lunch entree. It was a pleasant experience. We had the choice of mild or spicy for our food. Needless to say, we opted for spicy! Miles who used to take Canadian spicy has improved on his tolerance for spicy food dramatically by getting used to savouring the authentic hot & spicy Asian food ;)

Miles ordered this “Trini-Curry-Wrap up Roti (Indian flat bread).” A choice of chicken or tofu in cashew curry sauce with chickpeas and vegetables, wrapped in roti and served with garden salad tossed with in-house mango vinaigrette.

I had the “Twist of Jamaica.” Crusty Pastry filled with seasoned ground beef and Tandoori onion rings, drizzled in sweet chili sauce.

It has been three weeks since I last blogged. Bad…bad…bad…! Anyway, it has been a lot going on for the past couple of weeks; Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, Malaysian Cultural Night, Engagement Party etc.

Here are some sweet pictures I’d like to share from the engagement party that Miles and I attended last weekend. The colour of the theme was YELLOW!!

The main cake and multiple cupcakes displayed in tiers.

Yellow roses icing on top. Very nice!

Food…food…and more food!

Elegant cupcakes; white cakes with buttercream icing. Yummy!

Elegant flower arrangement on the serving table.

One of the many dessert trays; lemon tarts, sugar cookies, cherry squares, red velvet cupcakes, cherry balls, chocolate peanut butter balls, and Oreo balls.

Shrimp (a.k.a. prawn) cocktail with seafood sauce in a shot glass, garnished with dill leaves.

Saint John, the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, with its population of approximately 70,000. It is also known as the oldest incoporated city in Canada.

The night scenes in Saint John, on a quiet evening.