It was no ordinary Tuesday evening. We were to celebrate daddy's birthday over dinner at Long Beach Seafood Restaurant. The table was reserved for 8 pax - we were expecting a special 'guest'. *winks*
After what seems like an eternity of steadfast resilience and endurance, my parents were finally ready to welcome this 'guest' with open arms. Of course, their mentality did not change overnight. It was through his hard work, endless brainstorming and help from my beloved siblings which made the evening possible. And yes, who else could the special 'guest' be, but Mr QX! Tadah!
He managed to take some early time-off and drove to my workplace to fetch me from work, then fetching my sister & her boy at CCK, before heading off to IMM.
Poor Qx was so nervous at the thought of meeting my parents officially for the first time that he was in a frenzy state. You could tell how important this dinner was to him. When my parents arrived, things were slightly awkward at first but we were delighted when my parents acknowledged him as he greeted them. It was yet another good sign when my dad accepted the present - a ginseng tonic drink from Eu Yan Seng with smiles. I remember us exchanging smiles of relief and squeezing each other's hands under the table.
Us, much more relaxed later during the dinner.
Moving on to light-hearted stuff - FOOD!
First up was stir-fried mee sua with egg, bean sprouts, vegetables. Didn't manage to capture a photo of it as the mee sua was divided into 8 portions and served individually. It wasn't too bad, not oily nor bland, though I'd prefer Ee Mian as I'm much more used to the soup version of mee sua.
For the cold dish/ starter, we had this Seafood Combination Plattter consisting of salad prawns, sharkfin salad, calamari, spring rolls and seafood cake.
Like an island come to life, the dish was a feast for our eyes. A glass of bubbling green liquid from which dry ice smoke was spewing out, formed pretty dancing clouds around the 5 different seafood appetisers laid out artistically.
The dish was such a terrific performance we couldn't stop snapping pictures of it.
Since Daddy loves shellfish and as all of us were craving for some Bamboo Clams after the gastronomical experience at Tung Lok's (magnificent!), we ordered Steamed Bamboo Clams with Garlic.
Sadly, the Bamboo Clams were a disappointment. A far-cry from Tung Lok's. The clams were bigger, but alas, they were over-cooked! It was quite a chore chewing the tough flesh before I could swallow it down my throat. Taste-wise, there was a slight fishy after-taste, which is what deter me from eating the typical shellfish.
We also had Peking Roasted Duck, the crispy thin slices of roasted skin served separately with crepes and cucumbers. There was a sweet dip to go along with it.
The rest of the duck was minced and stir-fried topped with generous dashings of peanut bits. Quite a savoury dish and would go very well with porridge.
And of course, what's a Long Beach Dinner without their Signature Chilli Crabs with mantou.
My infactuation for Chilli Crab is absolutely dependant on 2 factors: 1) aromatic thick and sweet-spicy gravy, 2) deep-fried mantou. I wouldn't say it wasn't good. It was not bad, but I was expecting better standards since it was their signature dish and having had been raved repeatedly on HGW. Qx and I will still stick to our favourite zhi-char place to satiate our monthly Chilli Crab cravings.
Tuck in!
Rounded off dinner with dessert - almond beancurd with longans. No pictures as we were all too bloated by then.
Group photos during and after dinner:
Baby's attempt at a DSLR shot. Not too bad!
And yes, we are back together. I am thankful for this second shot at our relationship. I had wandered off path, causing him hurt and pain, and yet, instead of holding it against me, he worked even harder, holding on to his moral beliefs, proving himself a worthy man, so much so that I'm ashamed of myself.
The only guy in the world who knows me inside out, upside down, seen me in my ugliest moments, and yet loves me even more.
And yet, he's spoiling me so much that I'm on the verge of turning into a bratty princess. Just when I thought the SK diamond ring will mark the end of his splurges on me, the dear boy dragged me into Takashimaya one night and made me choose 2 make-up items I badly needed. So I very 'reluctantly' chose the highly raved Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealor which everyone on cyberspace is raving about its superb smooth coverage and Dior Crayon Eyeliner which is my top staple makeup must-have.
They are quite right about the coverage and non-drying formula. Unlike other eye concealors I've tried, BB concealor does'nt flake nor give me dry lines. However, due to the wrong shade perhaps (i'm using Warm Ivory), the concealor left a grayish cast on my undereyes, which I manage to correct by applying a thin layer of Loreal Touche Magique in a darker yellow shade. Besides concealing eye circles, BB Creamy Concealor can be used on the rest of the face itself too. I tried it on my acne scars and found that it conceals them really well, without flaking or drying my face. And it still stayed on well after a couple of hours.
The DIOR Crayon Eyeliner comes with a smudge-brush which is good for creating soft lines or extending your lined eyes. I got it in a dark shade of brown which doesn't make my eyes look as harsh or as made-up as the normal black eyeliner shades.
Two weeks after, this sweet-heart further indulged me with the latest talk-of-the-town gadget, Iphone 4G! Just right for taking pictures of outfits worn. Here's a couple:
Pastel Pink Laced top with waisted tapered pants. I'm in half a mind about the tapered/harem pants trend. Don't think they suit my 1.69m lanky frame and adds unflattering excess bulk to my frame. May be selling off these pants, which I got at about $60. =(
Floral Dress with nudge wedges. This one is a treasure I discovered in a thrift store, got it for only $10!
Blogging is become quite a drag nowadays, what with the uploading, resizing of photos and arranging them. Am usually knocked-out at the end of the day after work & giving tuition so pardon my inconsistent blog entries.
